'One mistake after the other.' How AstraZeneca went from pandemic hero to villain
Updated 1344 GMT (2144 HKT) March 25, 2021
After teaming up with Oxford University, AstraZeneca produced a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine in just nine months, a huge achievement that will help end the pandemic. But a series of missteps along the way has led to scathing criticism from policymakers and health officials, tarnishing the company's image as a hero of the coronavirus era.
Saudi accused of threat to Khashoggi UN investigator is human rights chief
Awwad al-Awwad, former aide of crown prince, denies threatening to ‘take care of’ Agnès Callamard
The Saudi official who is alleged to have twice issued threats against the independent UN investigator Agnès Callamard is the head of the kingdom’s human rights commission, and formerly served as an aide to the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Awwad al-Awwad is alleged by a person familiar with the matter to have twice threatened to “take care of” Callamard at a January 2020 meeting with senior human rights officials in Geneva.
The Guardian first reported news of the threats earlier this week following an interview with Callamard in which she recalled being alerted to the threats by her UN colleagues. On Wednesday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) confirmed Callamard’s account.
Third of all Danes would refuse AstraZeneca vaccine as suspension of drug extended
Denmark was one of the first European countries to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine
One in three Danes say that they would refuse to get a Covid-19 vaccine if it was from the AstraZeneca batch, a recent survey reported.
This comes as Denmark was among the first European countries to temporarily suspend the use of the AstraZeneca inoculation, following fears that it could cause blood clotting.
In Denmark, there were a small number of reported cases of rare brain blood clots which individuals experienced, having had the vaccine.
China goes after Western retailers over Xinjiang cotton
China's wrath at Swedish retailer H&M and Nike sportswear over their past remarks on "forced labor" in cotton-hub Xinjiang has expanded to other Western brands. The criticism comes hot on the heels of fresh sanctions.
Beijing's umbrage against Western sanctions over alleged abuses of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province swept Chinese social media Thursday, with users ostracizing further global clothing and footwear brands.
Two Chinese TV stars, Wang Yibo and Tan Songyun, said they would end promotional work for sportswear globalist Nike over remarks it made last year.
Islamist, dentist and ‘gentleman’: The rise of Israel’s unlikely kingmaker
Israel’s fourth general election in two years has so far failed to break the country’s political impasse. But it has marked a break from Israeli politics as usual with the rise of Mansour Abbas, an Islamist Arab politician who could make or break Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid for a record sixth term in office.
Two years ago, when Mansour Abbas was elected to the Knesset, few Israelis knew much about the parliamentary newcomer who had just won a seat on a list that united four Israeli Arab parties.
If and when Abbas made the national news back in 2019, it was invariably in the company of his fellow Israeli Arab parliamentarians, his trimmed beard and open collared shirts marking him as an Islamist among secular politicians, the men in suits and ties, the women bareheaded.
EU states, Navalny allies raise concerns over critic’s health
European Union members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have called on Russia to grant medical care to jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny “as soon as possible”, according to the foreign ministers of the three countries.
“Disturbing reports on Navalny health condition. Access to health care is a basic right even of political prisoners,” the ministers posted on Twitter on Thursday. “We call on international community and [EU leaders] to speak up too.”
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