China halts agreement with Australia
‘COLD WAR MINDSET’: Beijing has already imposed tariffs on key Australian industries, and in its latest, mostly symbolic, move accused Canberra of ‘ideological discrimination’
AFP, BEIJING
China yesterday cut off a channel for diplomatic and trade talks with Australia in a largely symbolic act of fury, following clashes over a wide range of issues including human rights, espionage and the origins of COVID-19.
Tensions between the two sides have soared since Canberra last year called for an independent probe into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and banned telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co (華為) from building Australia’s 5G network.
United States backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents
Biden had been under intense pressure to waive protections for vaccine manufacturers, especially amid criticism that rich nations were hoarding shots.
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WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses.
India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines a move pharma giants oppose.
US backs plan to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents
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WASHINGTON, May 6, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday announced support for a global waiver on patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, offering hope to poor nations that have struggled to access the life-saving doses.
India, where the death toll hit a new daily record amid fears the peak is still to come, has been leading the fight within the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow more drugmakers to manufacture the vaccines a move pharma giants oppose.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that while intellectual property rights for businesses are important, Washington “supports the waiver of those protections for Covid-19 vaccines” in order to end the pandemic.
Largest virtual gathering of world leaders tackles climate crisis
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United States President Joe Biden invited 40 world leaders to a virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from April 21–22. Country representatives included the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, or the 17 countries with the largest economies and greenhouse gas emitters.
“Thank you @POTUS @JoeBiden for convening the #LeadersClimateSummit,” wrote Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, in a tweet. “Europe will be the 1st climate neutral continent. But it does not want to be the only one. Let’s all commit to ambitious emission reductions by 2030, on the way to net-zero by 2050.”