G20 nations must share more COVID-19 vaccines with world, activists say
Global News
Activists gathered in Rome on Friday ahead of the G20 leaders summit to ask for leaders to share more COVID-19 vaccines with the world.
Activists from charity groups on Friday held a flash mob in Rome ahead of the G20 leaders summit, calling on leaders of the world’s biggest economies to end inequalities between nations in access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
Activists assembled around a coffin with a banner reading “5,000,000 deaths” — symbolizing worldwide victims of the disease.
“What we demand from the G20 is to distribute existing vaccines in a more just way so everybody has access to vaccines, no matter where he or she lives,” G20 co-ordinator for Oxfam, Jorn Kalinsky, told Reuters.
Two demonstrators wore suits, white masks and signs around their neck reading “pharma CEO” as they threw fake money on the street. Another demonstrator carried a red sign saying: “I want a people’s vaccine, not a profit vaccine”.
Oxfam, Amnesty International and the Italian group Emergency urged G20 leaders to find immediate solutions to save lives, saying a suspension of vaccine patents help boost production and help states unable to afford prices demanded by the industry.
G20 health and finance ministers, meeting on Friday ahead of the leaders’ summit, said they would aim to ensure 70 per cent of the world’s population is vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-2022 but took no initiative on waiving vaccine patents.
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said the issue had not even been discussed.
Other demonstrations are taking place in Rome, with many activists urging world leaders to take action against climate change ahead of the United Nation’s climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
Prime Minister Mark Carney endorsed a statement after it was released by allies Thursday, expressing willingness to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz..
James 'Jimmy' Gracey was reported missing after he didn't return to the short-term rental where he was staying with friends during spring break.
The Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery in Kuwait, which can process some 730,000 barrels of oil per day, is one of the largest in the Middle East.
U.S. intelligence, military and law enforcement officials unanimously agreed that an intelligence assessment doubting a foreign role in the 'Havana syndrome' should be withdrawn.
The federal Conservatives accuse the government of being too secretive about the war and point out that Canada's allies are sharing such information openly at daily briefings.
Canada is amongst several nations who 'condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf.'
Gas prices in Canada have been climbing sharply since the Iran war began, but how much higher they could go is unclear as consumers struggle with the higher cost of living.
The Oscar-winning actor has denied all allegations against him and maintains that the incidents raised in the lawsuits either did not happen or were consensual.
European leaders have deflected entreaties from U.S. President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq, supporting operations against Iran.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that the regime remains intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking U.S. and allies' interests.
James 'Jimmy' Gracey was reported missing after he didn't return to the short-term rental where he was staying with friends during spring break.
The U.K. Health Security Agency described the event as 'rapidly evolving' and warned of the potential for further cases.