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North Korea Rejects Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine

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North Korea Rejects Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine

About three million doses of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine have been rejected by North Koreau.

According to UNICEF, North Korea suggested that the vaccine should be given to countries in greater need.

The impoverished North was the first country to impose a strict lockdown when it sealed its border in January last year to stop the virus from spreading from neighbouring China, where it first emerged before sweeping the world.

Pyongyang insists it has yet to see any cases of the virus — a claim that analysts doubt — but it has paid a huge economic price for the blockade, with the regime admitting in June it was tackling a “food crisis”.

Regardless, the isolated country told UNICEF — which distributes vaccines under the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) programme for low-income countries — that the Chinese-made vaccines could be given to others, the UN agency said.

North Korea’s public health ministry “has communicated that the 2.97 million Sinovac doses being offered to DPR Korea by Covax may be relocated to severely affected countries in view of the limited global supply of Covid-19 vaccines and recurrent surge in some countries”, a UNICEF spokesperson told AFP.

READ ALSO: Amid Women’s Protest, Taliban Close To Forming New Government

Pyongyang would “continue to communicate” with COVAX “to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the coming months”, they added.

In July, a South Korean think tank affiliated with Seoul’s spy agency said Pyongyang had also rejected shipments of AstraZeneca’s vaccine offered by the Covax scheme, apparently over concerns about side effects.

The Institute for National Security Strategy added at the time that the North was not equipped with sufficient cold chain storage for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while being sceptical about the effectiveness of Chinese vaccines.
AFP

 

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Health

HIV/AIDS: 6.3 Million Lives On The Line If – UN

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By John Michael Ojo

The United Nations (UN), has warned that more than six million people could die if the United State ends it’s foreign aid programs.

This was made known by UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling said during a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday.

According to her, “There is still a lot of confusion… about how the waiver will be implemented, and we’re seeing a lot of disruption of the delivery of treatment services.”

Regarding the freeze’s impact, Stegling said 20 million of the world’s 30 million HIV-positive people rely on US aid for treatment.

READ ALSO: Researchers Near Cure For HIV

Noting that the HIV global response is heavily dependent on funds from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as it finances 70% of the overall AIDS response.

“We estimate that if PEPFAR wasn’t reauthorized between 2025 and 2029 and other resources were not found for the HIV response, there would be a 400% increase in AIDS deaths.

“That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths that will occur in the future,” she warned.

With the funding freeze, the biggest interruption will be on community health systems, she said, giving the example of Ethiopia, where UNAIDS had 5,000 public health worker contracts that are funded by US assistance.

“All of these in all regions of Ethiopia have been terminated,” she added.

 

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Bill Gates Recounts Worst Mistake

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Bill Gates Drops On Billionaire Ranking After Stock Transfer To Ex-wife

By John Michael

Erstwhile word’s richest person and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, has revealed that his divorce of his wife, Melinda, remains his most regrettable action.

Gates who revealed this in a recent interview with The Times published on Saturday, added that the separation left him and Melinda miserable.

While answering questions bordering on his marriage, the 69-year-old entrepreneur said: “I’m more cheerful now, the mistake I most regret.”

“There are others, but none that matter.

READ ALSO: Melinda Gates Now A Billionaire After Stock Transfer From Bill Gates

“The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.

“Melinda and I still spend time together as a family. We have three children and two grandchildren, so there are always family events.

“The kids are doing well and have strong values.”

The former couple, who share Jennifer (28), Rory (25), and Phoebe (22), in a joint statement in 2021, announced an end to their 27 years marriage as a result of irreconcilable differences.

READ ALSO: Bloomberg Removes Bill Gates From Billionaire List After Divorce

The duo has also moved on with Gates now dating Paula Hurd, the widow of former Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.

 

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World

BREAKING: Former US President, Jimmy Carter Is Dead

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By John Michael Ojo

The longest-lived president in United States of America, Jimmy Carter, is dead.
This was made known in a statement by the Carter Center and signed by his son Chip Carter on Sunday.

It reads, “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son.

“My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”

READ ALSO: How I Escaped Israel’s Air Strikes – WHO DG

President Carter is survived by his children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 grea-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Rosalynn, and one grandchild.

Jimmy Carter who was the 39th president of the United States and a recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, in the company of his family. He was 100,

 

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