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world news Diamars 3 November 2020

Merkel cautious on US vote comment, says she values science

(AP) — German Chan- Monday by saying: “Don’t many's close ally should heed
cellor Angela Merkel de- tell anybody but let me wait the word of scientists, Merkel
clined Monday to com- until a little bit after the elec- made clear she wouldn't
ment directly on the U.S. tion." comment on the vote.
election, but said that she Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leading
values the advice of scien- member of the White House “I certainly won't do that one
tists — hours after Presi- coronavirus task force, has day before the election in the
dent Donald Trump took clashed with Trump over his United States,” she said.
another shot at the top administration's handling of But she added that “you
U.S. infectious disease ex- the pandemic, which has so know that simply because
pert. far killed more than 231,000 of my education as a physi-
people in the United States. cist I naturally attribute great
Trump responded to sup- weight to scientific advice,
porters' chants to “fire Fauci” Asked about her views on and make use of it myself.”
during a rally in Florida early whether the leader of Ger-

Poland protests leader: Abortion court ruling must be waived

(AP) — Poland's prime es began Monday, the head of tive abortion laws in the pre-
minister appealed Mon- the right-wing government, The appeal didn't stop pro- dominantly Roman Catholic Support for the ruling party
day for talks with the Prime Minister Mateusz testers with signs calling for nation. started shrinking even before
leaders of massive protests Morawiecki, made a video abortion rights from block- the abortion ruling. The gov-
that were triggered by the appeal to protesters and op- ing streets and traffic circles When it is published and ernment’s moves to control
tightening last month of position leaders. in Warsaw, Poland's capital, takes effect, the court ruling the judicial system, a new an-
the nation's strict abor- and other cities like Krakow will mean that an abortion imal rights law and remarks
tion law and are continu- “I ask you to sit down togeth- and Bialystok for the 12th is only permitted in Poland against LGBT rights by top
ing despite a resurgence er for talks. May our disputes straight day. when a pregnancy threatens officials created political divi-
of COVID-19. not be held in the streets the mother's health or is the sions and sparked protests.
and may they not be the Earlier Monday, a leader of result of crime like rape or Some surveys show most
Just hours before the latest cause of more infections,” the protests said the con- incest. people want the party leader
round of nationwide march- Morawiecki said. tested court ruling that un- and deputy prime minister,
leashed public anger must be “The ruling by the so-called Jaroslaw Kaczynski, to step
withdrawn. Constitutional Tribunal must down, especially after he
be withdrawn,” Suchanow called last week on his sup-
Klementyna Suchanow, lead- said, stressing that the le- porters to counter the pro-
er of the rights organization gal status of the court itself testers and defend churches
Women’s Strike, said that is being contested. Critics against attacks.
more protests will come dur- question the independence
ing the week, despite a ban of the tribunal after the rul- Suchanow said she didn't
on public gatherings of more ing right-wing Law and Jus- blame protesters who at some
than five people because of tice party put its loyalists in point last month disturbed
the coronavirus pandem- the court shortly after it took Masses or sprayed graffiti on
ic. Poland reported almost power in 2015. Some say the churches, saying leaders of
15,780 new cases Monday. move was a breach of the law. Poland's influential Catholic
Church should hear believ-
Nationwide protests by hun- Suchanow said that Poland's ers' critical voice.
dreds of thousands of people abortion law needs liberaliza-
have been held daily since tion, but admitted it may not Protests were also planned by
Oct. 22 when a constitu- be possible under the current health care employees who
tional court barred abortions conservative government, say their sector is poorly or-
of fetuses with congenital which has a narrow majority ganized and has reached its
defects, further narrowing in the lower house of parlia- limit in the fight against the
one of Europe’s most restric- ment. coronavirus.

South African firm and Johnson & Johnson strike vaccine deal

(AP) — South African ern Cape province. statement issued by Aspen. on Nov. 1. ple chosen as volunteers for
pharmaceutical firm As- The company said the facility the trials were from impov-
pen Pharmacare has an- has a capacity to manufacture Aspen chief executive Ste- The country has a total of erished backgrounds and not
nounced a deal with U.S. more than 300 million doses phen Saad said the company 726,823 cases, representing fully aware of the potential
firm Johnson & Johnson of the vaccine a year. has invested more than 3 bil- more than 40% of all cases risks associated with clinical
to manufacture its CO- lion rand ($184 million) in recorded in Africa, according trials. However, academics
VID-19 vaccine candidate, Johnson & Johnson's test its South African facility and to the Africa Centers for Dis- running the trials said that
if it is approved in South vaccine, Ad26.COV3-S, is has a track record of supply- ease Control and Prevention. all those participating were
Africa and internationally. one of four different vaccines ing drugs for the treatment given considerable informa-
currently undergoing clinical of HIV/Aids and multi-drug- In July protesters demon- tion about the trial and had
In a statement issued on trials in South Africa. resistant TB. strated in Johannesburg to take an examination about
Monday, Aspen said that if against vaccine trials of a vac- the trial and pass with a rate
ongoing trials bring interna- Johnson & Johnson would be The 7-day rolling average of cine being tested by the Uni- of 80%
tional health authorities to responsible for supplying the daily new cases in South Af- versity of Oxford, in which
endorse the J&J vaccine as ef- vaccine in large batches and rica did not increase over the about 2,000 people were ex- Experts told a United Na-
fective and safe, it would be Aspen would put it into vials past two weeks, going from pected to participate. tions webinar in June this
produced at Aspen's manu- and package it for individual 2.73 new cases per 100,000 year that misinformation
facturing facility in Port Eliz- doses, pending a final com- people on Oct. 18 to 2.64 The protesters told The As- about testing fueled anti-vac-
abeth in South Africa's East- mercial agreement, said the new cases per 100,000 people sociated Press then that peo- cine sentiment in Africa.