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WORLD NEWS Friday 7 august 2020
U.K. says 50 million face masks it bought might not be safe

By JILL LAWLESS (about $197 million), though
LONDON (AP) — The British the government has not
government says it won't confirmed the amount and
be using 50 million face it is unclear whether the full
masks it bought during a 252 million pounds (about
scramble to secure protec- $332 million) agreed to in
tive equipment for medics the deal was ever paid.
during the coronavirus out- As the coronavirus out-
break because of concerns break accelerated across
they might not be safe. the U.K. in March, it be-
The admission sparked calls came clear that the coun-
from opposition parties for try lacked enough masks,
an urgent inquiry into the gloves, gowns and other
way contracts for essential protective gear for health
supplies were handed out. care workers and nursing
The masks were part of a home staff. That sparked a
252-million-pound ($332 race to buy billions of piec-
million) contract the gov- es of equipment from sup-
ernment signed with invest- pliers around the world.
ment firm Ayanda Capital Jolyon Maugham, direc-
in April. Papers filed in a tor of the Good Law Proj-
court case reveal that the ect, said the government
masks won't be distributed had signed three contracts
because they have ear worth more than 100 million In this file photo dated Thursday, May 21, 2020, personal protection equipment being used in a
loops rather than head pounds each "with respec- coronavirus ward at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge, England.
loops and may not fit tightly tively a pest control com- Associated Press
enough. pany, a confectioner and
The papers, published a family hedge fund." Ayanda Capital chief ex- It said in a statement that ment and stockpile it in
Thursday, are part of a law- "Each of those contracts ecutive Tim Horlick said "there is a robust process in case of a second wave of
suit against the Conserva- has revealed real cause for the masks met govern- place to ensure orders are coronavirus in the fall and
tive government by cam- alarm," he said. ment standards and were of high quality and meet winter.
paigning groups the Good The government said in its not "unusable or unsafe." strict safety standards, Keir Starmer, leader of the
Law Project and EveryDoc- response to the lawsuit that He said National Health with the necessary due main opposition Labour
tor. They want the courts to the offer to supply the 50 Service requirements may diligence undertaken on all Party, called for an urgent
review contracts signed by million masks came from have changed in the fast- government contracts." investigation into the way
the government for person- Andrew Mills, a business- moving circumstances of Prime Minister Boris Johnson personal protective equip-
al protective equipment, man who is both an adviser the pandemic. said he was "very disap- ment was acquired.
which they say were not to the government's Board The British government said pointed" that the shipment "It's just not good enough
properly scrutinized. of Trade and to Ayanda another 150 million masks was unusable. But he said to people who need that
The groups estimate the 50 Capital. Mills has denied of a different type supplied Britain had "achieved a protective equipment that
million rejected masks cost there was any conflict of by Ayanda are still being colossal race against time" we find ourselves in this po-
about 150 million pounds interest. tested. to obtain supplies of equip- sition," he said.q

U.S. senators take aim at German port over Russia pipeline

By FRANK JORDANS Stream 2 pipeline that's in- exercise contractual op-
Associated Press tended to bring natural gas tions that it has available to
BERLIN (AP) — Three Re- from Russia to Germany. cease these activities," the
publican senators have is- Last December, Switzer- senators add in their letter.
sued a dire warning to op- land-based Allseas, which It describes the nearly com-
erators of a small German operates ships laying sec- plete pipeline as a "grave
port, threatening them with tions of the undersea pipe- threat to European energy
"crushing" sanctions for al- line, suspended its work security and American na-
legedly providing supplies after U.S. President Don- tional security."
to Russian vessels involved ald Trump signed legisla- Officials at Faehrhafen
in a pipeline project the tion threatening sanctions Sassnitz, which is owned by
United States vehemently against companies linked the town of Sassnitz and the
opposes. to the project. state of Mecklenburg West-
The letter sent late Wednes- The United States and some ern Pomerania, declined
day by Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Eastern European countries Thursday to comment on
Tom Cotton and Sen. Ron argue that the pipeline will In this May 8, 2017 file photo steel pipes for the North Stream 2 the letter. Merkel's office
Johnson targets Faeh- increase Europe's depen- pipeline are stacked in Mukran harbour in Sassnitz, Germany. didn't immediately respond
rhafen Sassnitz GmbH, dence on Russia, a claim Associated Press to a request for comment.
which operates Mukran both Berlin and Moscow Last month, the German
Port located in German reject. ees risk "crushing legal and sections and provisions for chancellor told lawmak-
Chancellor Angela Merkel's The three senators say their economic sanctions" unless the Russian-flagged ves- ers that the U.S. sanc-
constituency on the Baltic letter "serves as formal le- they stop providing goods, sels Fortuna and Akademik tions against companies
Sea island of Ruegen. gal notice" that the port services and support for the Cherskiy. involved in Nord Stream
The port is a key staging operator, its board mem- Nord Stream 2 project. This "The only responsible 2 "don't correspond with
post for ships involved in the bers, corporate officers, includes providing storage course of action is for Faeh- our understanding of the
construction of the Nord shareholders, and employ- areas for the pipeline's steel rhafen Sassnitz GmbH to law."q