Six In The Morning Thursday 1 April 2021

 

Ongoing trial shows Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine remains highly effective after six months

By Maggie Fox, CNN

Updated 1342 GMT (2142 HKT) April 1, 2021

The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of Pfizer/BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine confirms its protection lasts at least six months after the second dose, the companies said Thursday.

The question of how long vaccine protection lasts can only be answered once enough time has passed, and while six months of protection is a modest target, it's longer than previously known. The study is continuing and future updates may reveal more about how long and how strong this protection is.

The vaccine remains more than 91% effective against disease with any symptoms for six months, the companies said. And it appeared to be fully effective against the worrying B.1.351 variant of the virus, which is the dominant strain circulating in South Africa and which researchers feared had evolved to evade the protection of vaccines, the companies said.

Hong Kong democracy leaders found guilty over peaceful 2019 protest

Seven figures including Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai convicted over unauthorised march

Helen Davidson in Taipei, and agencies in Hong Kong

@heldavidson

Thu 1 Apr 2021 14.27 BST

Seven of Hong Kong’s most senior and prominent pro-democracy figures, including the lawyer and former legislator Martin Lee and the media tycoon Jimmy Lai, have been found guilty over their involvement in an unauthorised protest rally.

After a four-week trial, the defendants were convicted on Thursday of organising and participating in the rally in 2019, joining two others who pleaded guilty earlier. They could face up to 10 years in prison, though their sentences are likely to be shorter than that.

The verdict was the latest blow to the flagging democracy movement as the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing tighten the screws in their efforts to exert greater control over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Madrid slows down vaccine jabs over Easter despite govt plea

Spain’s Madrid region has paused COVID-19 vaccinations at health centers for four days so medical staff can rest over the Easter holiday

Via AP news wire

Spain’s Madrid region halted COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday at health centers for four days so medical staff can rest over the Easter holiday, despite pleas from the national government not to halt the fight against surging infections.

The shutdown came as the country scrambles to make up for lost time in its national vaccination plan due to supply shortfalls.

Health Minister Carolina Darias last week urged regional authorities to keep vaccinating over the Easter break, saying it was “very important” to keep up the inoculation program. Spain like other European Union nations, has had a surprisingly slow vaccine rollout that authorities blame on vaccine shortages.

Brazil: Are Jair Bolsonaro's days numbered?

As COVID-19 rages, the Brazilian president is increasingly isolated. Parts of the military and business leaders have distanced themselves. There is even speculation he could be impeached.

Every day, at 3 a.m. (01:00 UTC) in the morning, the German-Brazilian artist Rafael Pütter dresses up as death and runs from the Brazilian Embassy to the Brandenburg Gate. There, he announces the daily COVID-19 death toll in Brazil.

On Wednesday, another record was broken when 3,869 people died. "I don't want more people to die," he told DW. "If a dangerous mutation spreads in Brazil, it will be dangerous for the whole world."

As grassroots feminist movement takes hold, Egypt moves to restrict women's rights even further

While, on the one hand, the Egyptian feminist movement seems to be taking great strides forward, particularly on the grassroots level, with young women inventing new forms of activism to draw attention to endemic sexual violence that plagues them both in their homes and on their streets, the government is moving to further curb women’s autonomy.

In January, the Egyptian cabinet approved a personal status bill that would require women to get the consent of a male guardian to get married, to register a child’s birth or to travel abroad. The draft law also gives fathers priority in child custody matters (currently mothers are given priority) and allows fathers to prevent mothers from traveling with their children.

In matters of marriage, a male guardian such as a father or a brother would sign the marriage contract, not the wife, and he would have the right to file to annul the marriage within a year.

Aung San Suu Kyi faces new charge under Myanmar’s secrets law

Most serious charge against Myanmar’s deposed leader could potentially lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, her lawyer said on Thursday, the most serious charge against the veteran opponent of military rule.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party won.