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A30 world news
Diaranson 25 november 2020

China criticizes pope over comment on Uighur Muslim minority

(AP) — China criticized cluding Catholics, much to
Pope Francis on Tuesday the dismay of the Trump
over a passage in his new administration and human
book in which he men- rights groups. The Vatican
tions suffering by China’s last month renewed its con-
Uighur Muslim minority troversial agreement with
group. Foreign ministry Beijing on nominating Cath-
spokesperson Zhao Lijian olic bishops, and Francis has
said Francis’ remarks had been careful to not say or do
“no factual basis at all.” anything to offend the Chi-
nese government on the sub-
“People of all ethnic groups ject.
enjoy the full rights of sur-
vival, development, and On Tuesday the Vatican con-
freedom of religious belief," firmed that Qingdao Bishop
Zhao said at a daily briefing. Thomas Chen Tianhao had
Zhao made no mention of the been recently consecrated
camps in which more than 1 bishop with papal consent
million Uighurs and mem- as a result of the 2018 deal,
bers of other Chinese Mus- the third such ordination.
lim minority groups have In a statement, the Vatican
been held. The U.S. and oth- spokesman Matteo Bruni
er governments, along with said the Holy See expected
human rights groups, say more bishops to be named as
the prison-like facilities are now says they are centers in- Francis wrote about the need poor Uighurs, the Yazidi — a result of the deal “because
intended to divide Muslims tended to provide job train- to see the world from the what ISIS did to them was several procedures are under
from their religious and cul- ing and prevent terrorism peripheries and the margins truly cruel — or Christians way for new episcopal nomi-
tural heritage, forcing them and religious extremism on a of society, “to places of sin in Egypt and Pakistan killed nations."
to declare loyalty to China's voluntary basis. and misery, of exclusion and by bombs that went off while China and the Vatican have
ruling Communist Party and In his new book “Let Us suffering, of illness and soli- they prayed in church,” Fran- had no formal relations since
its leader, Xi Jinping. Dream,” due Dec. 1, Fran- tude.” cis wrote. the Communist Party cut ties
cis listed the “poor Uighurs” In such places of suffering, Francis has declined to call and arrested Catholic clerics
China, which initially denied among examples of groups “I think often of persecuted out China for its crackdown soon after seizing power in
the existence of the facilities, persecuted for their faith. peoples: the Rohingya, the on religious minorities, in- 1949.

Russian virus vaccine to cost less than $10 per dose abroad

(AP) — Russia released dose respectively, based on but the vaccine is already be- In a new statement on Tues- Moderna said last week its
new results Tuesday claim- agreements the companies ing offered to people in risk day, developers of the vaccine vaccine appears to be 94.5%
ing its experimental CO- have struck to supply their groups — such as medical put its effectiveness at 91.4%, effective after having regis-
VID-19 vaccine was highly vaccines to the U.S. govern- workers and teachers — de- after the second interim tered 95 cases of the virus
effective, and promised it ment. spite multiple expert warn- analysis of the trial data was among study participants.
would cost less on interna- Kirill Dmitriev, head of the ings against its wider use be- carried out based on 39 in- Pfizer’s 95% efficacy rate was
tional markets than vac- fund, told reporters Tuesday fore it completes all the nec- fections among 18,794 study announced after 170 infec-
cines by some of its West- that over 1 billion doses of essary testing. Several high- participants that received tions were accumulated. On
ern competitors. the vaccine are expected to be profile officials have said they both doses of either the vac- Monday, another drugmaker,
produced next year outside of have already taken it, too. cine or the placebo. Britain’s AstraZeneca, said
According to the Russian Di- Russia. President Vladimir Putin, late-stage trials showed its
rect Investment Fund, which who announced Sputnik V’s The statement said that eight COVID-19 vaccine is highly
bankrolled the development Russia drew international approval with much fanfare cases of the virus were reg- effective, in a statement that
of the jab, Sputnik V will cost criticism for giving Sput- in August, saying one of his istered among 14,095 recipi- came after registering 131 in-
less than $10 per dose — or nik V regulatory approval in daughters had been vaccinat- ents of the vaccine, and 31 fections.
less than $20 for the two dos- early August, even though it ed, has touted the jab as ef- among 4,699 volunteers who
es needed to vaccinate one was yet to complete advanced fective and safe, but appeared got the dummy shots in the Developers of the Russian
person — on international testing among tens of thou- in no rush to take it himself. trial of Sputnik V. It remained shots said “no unexpected
markets. The vaccination sands of people, required to Asked whether the president unclear from the statement adverse events were identi-
will be free for Russians, the ensure the safety and effec- has been vaccinated, Krem- how coronavirus was diag- fied as part of the research.”
Fund said. tiveness of the vaccine before lin spokesman Dmitry Pes- nosed among the participants Some of those vaccinated
The two-shot jab, the fund it is given widely. kov said Tuesday that Putin of the trial and whether all of experienced pain at the injec-
promised in a statement, An advanced study among “can’t use an uncertified vac- them, including those show- tion point and flu-like symp-
will be “two or more times 40,000 volunteers was an- cine.” Peskov pointed out ing no symptoms, were test- toms, such as fever, weak-
cheaper” than those by Pfiz- nounced two weeks after it that “widespread vaccination ed for the virus. ness, fatigue and headache.
er or Moderna, which cost received government approv- hasn’t started yet, and the Mass vaccination in Russia is
about $20 and $15-25 per al. The trial is still ongoing, head of state can’t take part Both times, the Russian data expected to start in 2021, and
in the vaccination as a volun- was based on a much lower more than 2 million doses
teer.” number of infections than of Sputnik V will produced
Two weeks ago, the Moscow- Western drugmakers looked in Russia this year, Deputy
based Gamaleya Institute that at when assessing the effec- Prime Minister Tatyana Go-
developed the vaccine and tiveness of their vaccines. likova said Tuesday.
the Russian Direct Invest-
ment Fund said analysis of
the study's early data showed
that the vaccine “had an effi-
cacy rate of 92%.” The con-
clusion was based on 20 in-
fections that occurred among
16,000 volunteers.