WHO ignores or knowingly misrepresents its own data on Covid to protect drug makers’ interests
Funding for essential sanitation and nutrition programmes has dropped as the WHO pushed for a shift in funding to mass vaccination in countries with young populations for a disease of the elderly to which they were already immune, supported with frankly idiotic slogans with more to do with advertising than public health, such as “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
German vaccine maker gets $145 million funding from global coalition for African vaccine plants
BioNTech said in December it aimed to start production at the modular mRNA vaccine factory site in Rwanda in 2025, the first foreign company mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent. It said at the time it had fully funded the facility, committing a total of $150 million.
Israel seizes Gaza’s entire border with Egypt, ignores UN court orders to halt attacks in Rafah
The World Court said Israel had not explained how it would keep evacuees from Rafah safe and provide food, water and medicine. Its ruling also called on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release hostages taken from Israel on October 7.
Long wait for president: Fingers crossed as vote tallyng starts in South Africa and ANC risks ceding majority
The president is elected in Parliament after the national vote’s results are announced. South Africa’s Parliament has two houses and it’s the lower house, or National Assembly, that chooses the president. There, the 400 lawmakers vote for one of them to be the head of state and it needs a simple majority of 201. Because the ANC has always had a parliamentary majority since 1994, every president since then has been from the ANC, starting with Nelson Mandela.
Gaza war: Brazil’s President Lula moves envoy to Geneva from Tel Aviv as relations with Israel sour
Brazil withdrew its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday after months of tensions between the two countries over the war in Gaza, the latest repercussion from a South American nation over Israel’s military campaign in the Palestinian territory. The move was announced in Brazil’s official gazette. Israel’s foreign ministry said no...
Drones war: Ukrainian and Russian forces race to develop and produce unmanned aerial vehicles
Ukraine’s shortage of artillery shells has become a decisive factor in its struggle to repel Russian advances. Russia’s new offensive outside of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine is likely to put further strain along the eastern front, where artillery units have been carefully prioritising targets and rationing shells. In an April interview, Zelenskiy said that Russia was firing shells at a ratio of 10 to one to those of Ukraine.
German juggernaut Bayern Munich appoint Vincent Kompany, with roots in DR Congo, head coach
There is no question that Bayern Munich are taking a leap of faith with Kompany. A 38-year-old head coach who has never worked at a major club anywhere, let alone one of Bayern’s size and scale; clearly it’s a risk.
Ex-Haiti PM Conille tapped to steer the island nation back to stability, root out violent gangs
Garry Conille’s naming underscores progress in Haiti’s political process and follows Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation in March after he left Haiti to seek support for the Kenyan security mission and was unable to re-enter the country.
Ukraine frontline: Physical, mental exhaustion and ever-lurking spectre of death torment soldiers
Viktor was paralysed by anxiety. What if he failed to do his job properly, what if something went wrong with his gun, what if he let down his comrades, whom he calls his “brothers” and considers his second family? He shared his concerns with his company commander. Despite a severe shortage of soldiers on the front, the commander gave Viktor a few days of rest and time to talk with a psychologist.
It’s worse than hell: Drained emotionally and materially, Ukrainian military fear being overrun by Russians
Ukraine’s soldiers talk of exhaustion, faith, personal loss and a perilous shortage of munitions as Russian forces take new ground. We travelled along the front line, where Ukrainian troops say Vladimir Putin must be beaten back. Otherwise, said one, “he’s not going to stop over here.”
