Day: October 29, 2021

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Wife of jailed Chinese rights lawyer sets up legal consultancy to make ends meet

Xu Yan, the wife of jailed human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, has set up a legal consultancy to help people struggling with China’s justice system, she told RFA on Thursday.

Yu is currently serving a four-year jail term for “incitement to subvert state power,” after being detained in a nationwide operation targeting rights lawyers under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

While he is scheduled for release in March 2022, Yu said it is unclear whether he will be able to regain his license to practise law.

“Yu Wensheng will be allowed to return home in about four months’ time … but his license to practise law has been revoked, so his ability to work as a lawyer will be highly restricted,” Xu told RFA.

“This will have a huge impact on his career, and on our family,” said Xu, who said she set up the company in her name to get around the problem.

She said the court also sentenced Yu to three years’ deprivation of political rights, which means he won’t be able to form a company in his own right for the next five years.

“Some [lawyers] have suffered a massive financial blow, and some are even in difficulty,” Xu said. “Legal consultancy services could be one way [to deal with that].”

Xu’s new consultancy, Beijing Wenshun Legal Consulting Services, was formally approved and issued with a business license two weeks ago, with Xu Yan as the company’s legal representative.

“The company was established successfully on Oct. 12, 2021,” she said. “Yu Wensheng wanted it to be called Wensheng, but you can’t use personal names for companies, so I chose Wenshun instead.”

“Its meaning suggests that things will go smoothly for Wensheng, which is something I would wish for him, as his wife,” she said. “Another special coincidence is that Oct. 12 also happens to be my birthday.”

“I am worried that it will be more difficult for him to set up again [as a lawyer], after he comes home,” Xu said. “So I set up the company before he comes home.”

‘I was so worried’

Xu said she was “pretty nervous” at every step of the process.

“Sometimes a police car would pass by while I was doing it, and I would worry whether or not they already knew about it, and whether they would interfere to stop the process, to stop me setting up the company,” she said.

“I was so worried, but the the whole thing went off without any hitches,” Xu said.

Fellow rights attorney Xie Yang, who knows Yu and Xu, said she had been very smart in handling the situation they way she did.

“Given that the company didn’t bear Yu Wensheng’s name, it got through easily, and the authorities didn’t stop it,” Xie said. “It would have been very hard for them to apply to set up a legal consultancy after Yu Wensheng got out.”

Xie said some lawyers are managing to scrape a living doing legal consultancy work, even though they are barred from acting as someone’s attorney, amid tight controls imposed on the profession by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“The CCP is placing tighter and tighter restrictions on lawyers these days, barring them from speaking out or disclosing any details of cases they are working on,” he said.

“Lawyers have been muzzled, and have no independent voice … so this is one way to remedy the situation for the legal profession,” Xie said.

Yu was held incommunicado for three years before being sentenced to jail for “incitement to subvert state power.” He was granted the Martin Ennals Award 2021 earlier this year, for his work as a human rights defender.

The Martin Ennals Foundation called him “one of the best-known and most intrepid human rights activists” in China, acknowledging that Yu has been subjected to arbitrary detention, a secret trial, and the removal of his license to practice law.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

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Dissident cartoonist upbeat about Italian show China tried to cancel

Dissident Chinese cartoonist Badiucao, whose work highlights rights violations and abuse of power under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule and often satirizes CCP leader Xi Jinping, says he remains upbeat about a forthcoming exhibition in Italy after the Chinese embassy tried to get it canceled.

Badiucao spoke to RFA shortly after the Chinese embassy in Italy demanded the cancellation of his exhibition at the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, which is scheduled to open on Nov. 13.

Brescia’s mayor, Emilio del Bono, said he had received a letter from the Chinese embassy’s cultural office describing the cartoonist’s work as “full of anti-Chinese lies,” and warning that diplomatic relations would be “endangered” if it is allowed to go ahead.

“The Chinese government feels that it can exert pressure on me, on the municipal government where the exhibition is being held, and on the venue,” Badiucao told RFA.

“They sent a threatening letter to the mayor of Brescia, the Museo di Santa Giulia, and other Italian officials in charge of diplomatic and cultural exchanges, and the content of the letter was pretty rude and brusque,” he said.

“The Chinese called on the local government and museum to cancel my exhibition, and called me a liar who endangers China’s national interests,” Badiucao said.

“It also mentioned a number of planned cultural exchange projects between China and Italy, which basically means that if they go ahead with the exhibit, they could cancel future events too,” he said.

But Badiucao said he was upbeat about the forthcoming show.

“I think it’s pretty cool, because the Chinese government gave me some free publicity,” he said. 

“Previously, this was just going to be a national-level exhibition in Italy, but now everyone in Europe and the rest of the world has heard about it too.”

“Once again, Beijing has shot itself in the foot,” he said.

International attention

Badiucao’s work has recently garnered international attention after he painted customized shoes for the Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter, who has hit out at China’s rights abuses, especially of Uyghurs and Tibetans, and criticized sponsors Nike for failing to stand up to Beijing.

“One of the strongest images of the third pair of shoes is Winnie the Pooh,” Badiucao said in a recent interview with RFA’s Mandarin Service.

“We know that Winnie the Pooh represents Chinese leader Xi Jinping, so I used the image of Tank Man, but with the heads of Winnie the Pooh on the tops of the tanks, symbolizing China’s totalitarian and repressive regime,” he said.

“I turned the Tank Man figure into a basketball player as a sort of tribute to Kanter, because he is acting like a contemporary Tank Man,” he said, in a reference to the 1989 news photo of a lone man in shirtsleeves with shopping bags who blocked an entire column of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tanks briefly during the June 4, 1989 crackdown after weeks of student-led protest in Tiananmen Square.

He said the shoes also bore images of red bricks, in a reference to the Great Firewall of government censorship that limits what China’s more than 900 million internet users can do or see online.

“I used the image of a red brick wall, because China’s censorship mechanisms are very strict,” Badiucao said.

The cartoonist’s work has been targeted by China before.

In 2018, authorities in Hong Kong canceled an event that would have included Badiucao’s cartoons a day before it was due to open.

The exhibition, titled “Gongle,” had been scheduled for Nov. 3, and was canceled after “threats made by the Chinese authorities relating to the artist,” organizers Hong Kong Free Press, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders said at the time.

Badiucao had been due to appear on a panel alongside Russian anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot, as well as the now-jailed student protest leader Joshua Wong.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

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Webtel.mobi Appoints Global Consultancy Frost & Sullivan to Carry Out Its Revaluation – Also Enables Limited Placements of Its Otherwise Unavailable Shares

WM’s Share Swap Platform can be accessed worldwide

WM’s Share Swap Platform can be accessed worldwide

Webtel.mobi – the Global Telephony Company that created the world’s first Global Digital Currency and Global Clearing System – has initiated its Revaluation by Global Consultancy Frost & Sullivan, and is enabling limited placements of its shares on its own platform and via external entities

ST PETER PORT, Guernsey and NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Since completing its refined Platform 2 in late 2021, Global Telephony Provider Webtel.mobi (“WM”) has been preparing to focus its attention primarily on global expansion in 2022. This global expansion will be implemented by WM’s appointment of multiple marketing companies that have marketing agent complements in the thousands of persons, who will extend the Affiliate (VSMP) Program opportunity to entities worldwide.

As WM had already gained worldwide VSMPs that have cumulatively just over 288 million members through the activities of primarily only one marketing agent without it even commencing active marketing of the VSMP opportunity, it anticipates VSMP growth in 2022, and with that, rapid member and revenue growth in 2022.

WM’s Global Growth via VSMPs is extremely rapid

WM’s Global Growth via VSMPs is extremely rapid

Moreover, WM’s position of having zero debt combined with extremely low running costs – due to its Artificial Intelligence Complex Adaptive System managing the majority of the administrative and logistical flows on its Platform, and its worldwide premises and personnel requirements being satisfied by its VSMPs – the Company is able to focus the majority of its attention on these expansion activities.

The only other activities WM will undertake in 2022 are the making live of five additional Facilities which are already configured within its system:

  • Its Gold-Backed “Secured TUV” Global Digital Currency
  • Its Programmable “Smart TUV” Digital Currency
  • Its SCRM Kiosks for global refunds to primarily Unbanked persons
  • Its Personal Emergency System
  • Its Global Emergency System

As all these Facilities are largely already completed, they will be able to be made live without detracting from the primary focus of global expansion.

In closing off the year 2021, WM is therefore attending to two remaining aspects of its business to be completed prior to 2022’s focused expansion, which are:

  • Revaluation of the Company to include the value of the reconfigured TUV Global Digital Currency
  • Enabling its private shareholders to make some of their shareholding available for sale, to acquire liquidity

REVALUATION OF WM

WM has appointed the Global Consultancy, Frost & Sullivan, to carry out the revaluation, and to include the value of WM’s Globally Valid TUV Digital Currency in its reconfigured format. This is because in its reconfigured format, the TUV Digital Currency is easily recognizable to all people. This in turn makes it easily usable for every transaction type, in every country, by any persons or entities who are Members of WM or one of its VSMPs, worldwide.

Consequently, the additional value that access to all these markets in all countries – including the ten largest markets in the world by volume and value – is anticipated to be significant.

WM appointed Frost & Sullivan because it is one of the world’s longest-established and most experienced global consultancies. It has been providing analysis, research, advisory and other specialized services to a worldwide client base for over 60 years – to the extent it now partners with 98% of the world’s top 1 000 companies.

Moreover, Frost & Sullivan’s thousand-plus highly skilled analysts provide expert advisory services across 13 industries, 35 sectors and 300 markets globally.

Frost & Sullivan has also been following the progress of WM for the last 13 years – since the initiation of limited operations with its Platform 1, and throughout the testing and period and the rebuild of its refined Platform 2. It also previously carried out two global due diligences on WM in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with teams led by some of its most experienced personnel (see the “Resources” section of this article for a video on confirmation of this due diligence).

Consequently, Frost & Sullivan is best placed to carry out a competent review and revaluation of WM to include the additional value brought by the reconfigured TUV Digital Currency, in its reconfigured format.

This Revaluation is anticipated to be completed in mid-December 2021.

ENABLING PLACEMENTS OF LIMITED WM SHARES

WM has not utilized, or taken in any funding from external corporate entities, to complete its System. It was completely self-financed by its founder and by a small number of less than 300 private individuals. As these private individuals have had a long wait for the WM System to be planned, built, tested worldwide for nine years, and then rebuilt as the refined Platform 2, WM is now enabling those individuals who wish to do so – to place some of their shareholding in WM, to acquire some liquidity.

WM’s shares have historically been unavailable to third parties outside of private individuals who were personally introduced to the Company by existing shareholders. This will therefore constitute the first opportunity for external persons and parties to acquire any shareholding in WM.

This limited placement of WM shares will be carried out via two mechanisms, which are as follow:

The WM Share Swap Platform:
Because WM is not going to list on a Stock Exchange – because it does not need to raise capital and it deems it a risk to list on venues owned by private companies whose business WM may affect in the future – it has created its own Closed-Loop Members-Only internal market – the Share Swap Platform.

The Share Swap Platform is open to Qualified Members of WM within its Closed-Loop members-Only system. To join WM is free, and the requirements to become a Qualified Member are that a Member needs to upload specific KYC confirmation documents to confirm his or her capacity to subscribe. This internal market is overseen by WM’s Resident Agent and Registrar firm, which is a licensed fiduciary services firm in Guernsey.

The Share Swap Platform enables Member-Shareholders to place offers on the Platform of shares they wish to sell, and other qualified members of WM may acquire these shares over the platform, directly, in PP2P transactions, at zero cost (other than the cost of the shares). The minimum acquisition price on the Share Swap Platform is the minimum price of the shares as set by WM’s last valuation (USD 252.00 per share).

The platform has been reviewed and approved by WM’s supervising Resident Agent and Registrar firm in Guernsey, which also has oversight over all Share Swap Transactions.

This is a safe, secure, zero cost and efficient platform and internal market, and to utilize it, all that is required is to join WM as a member, and upload the relevant KYC documentation to become a Qualified Member (i.e. a member Qualified to utilize the Share Swap platform).

To utilize the Share Swap Platform, all that is required is to join WM as a Member from any one of its urls as shown in the “Resources” section of this article, click on the “Share Swap” link in the WM Account, and follow the directions listed there. Alternatively, an email can be sent to the helpline email address requesting assistance, at support@webtel.mobi

Placements by external companies and entities:
For persons or entities that do not wish to utilize the Share Swap Platform, or who wish to ensure they acquire WM shares, and who consequently do not wish to first take the time to have their KYC documents certified and reverified by an attorney or notary, WM has facilitated a second mechanism.

WM has obtained consent from its supervising Resident Agent and Share Registrar in Guernsey to allow and enable external companies and firms – appropriately qualified and experienced in their fields – to acquire or place some of these WM shares. This can take the form of these appropriately qualified and experienced companies and firms either acquiring some of the WM shares, or acquiring them on behalf of clients who wish to secure shares without having to wait for their KYC documents to be certified, uploaded and reverified prior to being able to acquire WM shares.

The difference between the WM Share Placements via the Share Swap Platform and via and Approved Entity is that the Approved Entity will be authorized to negotiate discounted share acquisition or placements directly with the Member-Shareholders who wish to sell some of their shares.

This is in acknowledgement that external companies or firms run businesses, so it is reasonable to enable them to be able to accrue revenue for their professional efforts. The discount rate at which the shares are acquired or placed according to this method will be up to the negotiations between the Shareholders and the Approved Entity. However, WM and its Resident Agent and Share Registrar will have oversight over the ratification of any discounted share prices in these transactions, to ensure the stability of WM’s overall share value.

The opportunity to become an Approved Entity for this placement is open to any suitably qualified and experienced entity worldwide. To initiate the process to become an approved entity – which is a rapid and efficient professional process – such entities should send an email expressing their interest and providing their details to WM’s Resident Agent and Share Registrar at the email address: registrar@webtel.mobi

CONCLUSION

The Share Placements process will commence before the conclusion of the impending Revaluation of WM, and it will continue for as long as is required to enable the placement of the limited number of shares by the Member-Shareholders who wish to liquidate some of their stock. Whether the placement is completed prior to the impending Revaluation, after it, or after the additional Revaluation in Q1 2022 to include the value of the Gold-Backed “Secure TUV” and Programmable “Smart TUV” will simply be a matter of demand, and the capacity of external “Approved Entities”, as is standard free-market practice.

As far as WM’s expansion and additional Facilities’ releases in 2022 are concerned, these are already set, and will be implemented regardless of the limited Share Placements – as these activities are not dependent on each other.

Moreover, as WM has zero debts and extremely low running costs, it has declared there will be a dividend rate in 2022 of 50% of WM’s total net revenue, once its global revenues start to increase, so whether shares of its founder shareholders are fully or partially-acquired will have no effect on their receipt of increasing dividends through 2022 and beyond.

Resources:

Media Contact:
Nick Lambert: wm@thoburns.com

Details of the Global Consultancy Frost & Sullivan:
https://www.frost.com

Historical Comments by Frost & Sullivan’s Global ICT Practice of their Due Diligence on WM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3BjgBKR3E

Previous Valuation of WM by Frost & Sullivan:
https://webtel.mobi/media/info/webtelmobi-holdings-limited-valuation-april-15-2021-final.pdf

Details of WM’s Resident Agent and Share Registrar Firm:
http://www.fides.gg
https://www.gfsc.gg/commission/regulated-entities/2003943

Contact for Companies and Firms wishing to become Approved Entities:
registrar@webtel.mobi

Contact for Inquiries regarding WM’s Share Swap Facility:
support@webtel.mobi

Comments on the WM System’s Capacities by Professor Jan Kregel of the Levy Economics Institute:
https://youtu.be/XYBrCikUhn8

Research Papers on WM’s Global Clearing System and TUV Digital Currency:

Media Articles on WM:
https://webtel.mobi/info/current-media/

Characteristics of WM’s TUV Digital Currency:
https://webtel.mobi/info/tuv-characteristics

WM’s urls:
https://webtel.mobi/pc (Tablets / Laptops / Desktops)
https://webtel.mobi (Smart Phones)
https://webtel.mobi/wap (Pre-Smart Mobile Phones)

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d7eda07a-7a9a-493f-b536-db1289b82ddc
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d25b98de-4051-4b3f-9578-e91d1073200d

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

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Subseasonal Weather Outlook (1 – 14 November 2021)

Subseasonal Weather Outlook (1 – 14 November 2021)

Issued 29 October 2021
First forecast week: 1 November – 7 November
Second forecast week: 8 November – 14 November

figure1

Figure 1: Rainfall Outlook

figure2

Figure 2: Temperature Outlook

Over most of the southern ASEAN region, wetter conditions are predicted in the next fortnight (1 – 14 November). There is also an increased chance of wetter conditions in the region around 10°N (southern parts of Thailand, Cambodia, and Viet Nam), although with a lower likelihood than for the southern ASEAN region.

In Week 1 (1 – 7 November), wetter conditions are predicted over parts of northern Mainland Southeast Asia (parts of Myanmar and northern Lao PDR). Also in Week 1, drier conditions are predicted over eastern Mainland Southeast Asia and northern Philippines.

Warmer than usual temperature is predicted over much of the northern ASEAN region in Week 1 (1 – 7 November). These warmer conditions are expected to ease in Week 2 (8 – 14 November), apart from over Myanmar and northern Philippines.

No clear MJO signal was present at the end of October based on the RMM Index.
Most models predict no clear MJO signal for the start of the forecast period, although some models suggest an MJO signal to develop over the Indian Ocean (Phases 2 and 3) in Week 1 and then propagate eastwards over the Maritime Continent (Phases 4 and 5) in Week 2.

 
The outlook is assessed for the region in general, where conditions are relative to the average conditions for the corresponding time of year. For specific updates on the national scale, the relevant ASEAN National Meteorological and Hydrological Services should be consulted.

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Sportradar Earns International Betting Integrity Association’s Data Standards Accreditation and Kitemark

The world’s largest and most influential leagues and federations entrust Sportradar for betting data collection and integrity services

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, Oct. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD) (“Sportradar” or “the Company”), the leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors, today announced that it has been granted the International Betting Integrity Association’s (IBIA) Data Standards Kitemark, one of the industry’s highest accreditation related to the quality assurance processes related to the collection of data for the purposes of sports betting. Sportradar earned the honor following an audit assessed by eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), a leading independent and internationally recognized agency specializing in the testing, inspection and certification of online gambling software and systems.

Developed in October 2020, the IBIA’s Data Standards Kitemark is the industry’s first set of standards and guidelines for how data is collected to protect the integrity of sports against betting corruption and is subject to an annual audit. The Data Standards is a living document and set of requirements which the association intends to continually assess and update to ensure that its recipients represent the highest levels of data collation. The IBIA is a leading global voice on integrity for the licensed betting industry and represents many of the largest regulated sports betting operators in the world.

Dr. Anja Martin, Chief Regulatory & Compliance Officer, Sportradar said: “At Sportradar, we are committed to delivering the most reliable and highest-quality data products to our customers and partners. We invest heavily in our quality control systems and processes, implementing the industry’s most stringent safeguards to ensure that the products presented to the downstream market are trustworthy. Receiving accreditation from the IBIA for its Data Standards Kitemark further substantiates Sportradar’s rigorous dedication to data quality, integrity and transparency.”

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO said: “We are excited to recognize Sportradar as our latest Data Standards Kitemark recipient. The IBIA developed the Standards and Kitemark to ensure that the collection and supply chain of sports data achieved the highest levels of transparency and accuracy. Companies like Sportradar that pass the audit have demonstrated robust internal procedures for the collation of sporting event data for betting. Accurate data collation reassures sports fans and bettors alike that the events they watch are fair, honest and performed at the highest competitive levels.”

In 2021 alone, Sportradar has established new partnerships with several major leagues and federations for betting data collection and/or integrity services, including the National Hockey League (NHL), International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and the European Handball Federation (EHF).

Sportradar operates five data collection centers which are strategically located around the world to provide 24/7 uptime and is supported by over 700 data experts, all ISO 9001 certified for Quality Management. These data collection methods are enhanced by in-stadium verification technology and augmented by direct feeds from sports leagues, computer vision and AI technology. With up to 30 million odds changes per minute, across more than 40 languages served, and with 99.9% proven accuracy, the dependability of Sportradar’s products drives customer trust.

To learn more about Sportradar, please visit: http://www.sportradar.com.

About Sportradar
Sportradar is the leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Established in 2001, the company is well-positioned at the intersection of the sports, media and betting industries, providing sports federations, news media, consumer platforms and sports betting operators with a range of solutions to help grow their business. Sportradar employs more than 2,300 full time employees across 19 countries around the world. It is our commitment to excellent service, quality and reliability that makes us the trusted partner of more than 1,600 customers in over 120 countries and an official partner of the NBA, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, FIFA, and ITF. We cover more than 750,000 events annually across 83 sports. With deep industry relationships, Sportradar is not just redefining the sports fan experience; it also safeguards the sports themselves through its Integrity Services division and advocacy for an integrity-driven environment for all involved.
www.sportradar.com

About International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
The International Betting Integrity Association is the leading global voice on integrity for the licensed betting industry. Our members share a common goal of combating betting corruption to protect the integrity of sport and their businesses. Established in 2005 and formerly known as ESSA, we are a not for profit association whose members include many of the world’s largest regulated betting operators, active across six continents. Members undergo a rigorous due diligence process and must adhere to our code of conduct committing them to responsible betting practices.
https://ibia.bet/

Source: Sportradar Group AG

Press Contacts:
Sandra Lee
comms@sportradar.com

Investor Relations Contacts:
Ankit Hira or Ed Yuen
Solebury Trout for Sportradar
investor.relations@sportradar.com

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Covid-19: WHO wants $23.4 bn for Covid plan

GENEVA— The World Health Organization said it needed $23.4 billion over the next 12 months for its plan to conquer Covid-19, urging the G20 to show some leadership and pay up.

 

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus bluntly told the Group of 20 global powers, meeting this weekend in Rome, they could no longer leave poorer countries hanging out to dry in the pandemic.

 

Tedros said the money was needed to secure Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments — and potentially prevent another five million deaths in the crisis.

 

The G20 “have the ability to make the political and financial commitments that are needed to end this pandemic”, Tedros told a press conference.

 

“We are at a decisive moment, requiring decisive leadership to make the world safer.”

 

The WHO-led Access to Covid Tools Accelerator is aimed at developing, producing, procuring and distributing tools to tackle the pandemic.

 

The $23.4 billion needed to fund it “pales in comparison to the trillions of dollars in economic losses caused by the pandemic and the cost of stimulus plans to support national recoveries”, the WHO said.

 

“Fully funding the ACT-Accelerator is a global health security imperative for us all — the time to act is now,” said Tedros.

 

But the call to arms risks meeting the same fate as previous attempts to get wealthy countries to feel ashamed about the ever-growing gap between their own level of protection against the virus and that of the world’s poorest nations.

 

The WHO said only 0.4 percent of tests and 0.5 percent of vaccine doses deployed so far had been used in low-income countries, which make up nine percent of the world’s population.

 

The WHO said its plan would see ACT-A shift towards a more targeted focus on addressing the supply gaps in poorer countries.

 

“Nowhere is this inequity more apparent than on the African continent, where just eight percent of the population has received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccine,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

 

Just five of 54 African countries are projected to meet the WHO’s year-end target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of their population.

 

ACT-A gave birth to the Covax facility, designed to ensure poorer countries could access eventual vaccines, correctly predicting that richer nations would hog all the doses coming off the production lines.

 

So far, Covax has delivered 425 million doses to 144 territories — way below where it hoped to be.

 

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said more than a billion donated doses had been pledged to the scheme — but only around 15 percent have actually materialised.

 

She also said 62 countries had started administering boosters and more states are considering the move.

 

Swaminathan said that close to a million booster doses were being injected per day — triple the amount of vaccines being administered in low-income countries.

 

The WHO wants a moratorium on boosters until the end of the year to free up jabs for poorer nations.

 

The UN health agency has authorised six vaccines for emergency use during the pandemic.

 

Mariangela Simao, the WHO’s access to vaccines chief, said the agency was assessing eight candidate jabs, including that of India’s Bharat Biotech, on which it is hoping to finalise the process next week.

 

ACT-A has so far delivered more than 128 million tests and halved the cost of rapid tests, according to the WHO, by transferring technology to low and middle-income countries.

 

It has also boosted essential oxygen, personal protective equipment and treatment supplies, including nearly three million doses of dexamethasone.

 

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK