Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Economic Development Minister Elton Mangoma of Zimbabwe today unveiled a mid-range plan to relaunch and transform the Zimbabwean economy over the next five years, envisioning a 15% average rate of growth.

Mangoma told reporters in the capital of Harare that he looked for 12.5% growth in gross domestic product in 2010 over the nearer term, after a projected 3.7% expansion this year.

Mangoma said the country would not reintroduce the Zimbabwean dollar over the period but would stick with the multi-hard currency regimen adopted by the country’s national unity government with transactions primarily in the US dollar and South African rand.

He called for a market-driven economy, but said the country would review mining agreements where resources were not being tapped or where royalties had been set too low. He noted that mining operations should deliver clear benefits to surrounding communities.

“During the period [till 2015], the economy is expected to grow by an average growth rate of 15 percent from a level of 3.7 percent in 2009. This will be achieved through the restoration of productive capacity and creation of new capacities, aggressive infrastructure rehabilitation and development,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s economy has been largely devastated after political upheaval in 2000, and extreme hyperinflation several months ago. The unity government formed earlier this year, however, has sparked some hope that the economy can rebound.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Reports suggest the World Health Organisation’s declaring a swine flu pandemic was an error driven by drug companies, and lead to unjustified fear. A year after the swine flu pandemic was declared, stocks are left unused and governments try to abandon contracts, pharmaceutical companies have profited at least £4.6billion from the sale of vaccines alone.

Reports by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) and the Council of Europe claim that The World Health Organisation reaction to H1N1 was influenced by pharmaceutical companies and that key scientists behind advice had financial ties with firms Roche and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). These conflicts of interest have never been publicly disclosed by WHO, an apparent violation of its own rules.

The World Health Organisation issued H1N1 guidelines in 2004, recommending countries to stockpile millions of doses of antiviral medication. The advice prompted many countries around the world into buying up large stocks of Tamiflu, made by Roche, and Relenza manufactured by GSK.

A joint investigation with the BMJ and the BIJ, found that scientists involved in developing the WHO 2004 guidance had previously been paid by Roche or GSK for lecturing and consultancy work as well as being involved in research for the companies. “The WHO’s credibility has been badly damaged,” BMJ editor Fiona Godlee said in an editorial.

A report by the health committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a 47-member human rights watchdog, found that the WHO’s reaction was influenced by drug companies that make H1N1 antiviral drugs and vaccines. It criticised WHO lack of transparency around the handling of the swine flu pandemic and says the public health guidelines by WHO, EU agencies and national governments led to a “waste of large sums of public money and unjustified scares and fears about the health risks faced by the European public.”

A spokesman for WHO said the drug industry did not influence its decisions on swine flu. Margaret Chan, the organisation’s director, had dismissed inquiries into its handling of the A/H1N1 pandemic as “conspiracy theories” earlier this year, she had said: “WHO anticipated close scrutiny of its decisions, but we did not anticipate that we would be accused, by some European politicians, of having declared a fake pandemic on the advice of experts with ties to the pharmaceutical industry and something personal to gain from increased industry profits.”

Yesterday, a 16-member “emergency committee” consisting of advisors from the World Health Organisation said that the H1N1 pandemic is not yet over. The WHO has refused to identify committee members, arguing that they must be shielded from industry pressure, so possible conflicts of interest with drug companies are unknown. The BMJ report also reveals that at least one expert on the “emergency committee” received payment during 2009 from GSK.

In related news, Reuters reported, Pfizer Inc, the world’s biggest drugmaker, is selling its swine vaccine business to Chinese Harbin Pharmaceutical Group for $50 million.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Today, in the French National Assembly, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced all flights to and from Brazil are to be suspended for concerns of Lineage P.1, a contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus which reportedly originated in Brazil.

Castex’s announcement was met with “scattered applause”, according to the Associated Press (AP). In his announcement, Castex said, “the situation is getting worse and so we have decided to suspend all flights between Brazil and France until further notice”. While a report from RT TV said the data from March 16 indicates Lineage P.1 represents 0.5% of all COVID-19 cases in France. Opposition politicians have urged the French government to take preventative measures. Member of the Socialist Party Boris Vallaud said this suspension was “necessary and a very good decision”.

Lineage P.1 spreads faster between young people, according to the observations made by the Brazilian health institute Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. The Foundation also said cases in Brazilians in 30s, 40s and 50s increased 565, 626 and 525% respectively, since the beginning of January, and an increase in the overall population of 316%. It is also more transmissible by as much as 2.2 times, and 25–61% more able to reinfect those infected with another strain earlier. According to RT TV, the Brazilian variant has two distinct mutations: N501Y, which increases transmissibility and E484K, which reduces vaccine efficacy and natural immunity from past infection of another strain.

France is currently in its third wave of coronavirus infections, with a report from AP stating over 99 thousand COVID-19 related deaths and The Brussels Times reporting over 5900 treated in intensive care units as of yesterday, the most since seen in mid-April last year. The report also stated this figure is likely to rise. There have been 41-60 thousand positive tests of the coronavirus over Easter weekend. AP said there are at least 5.1 million cases in France in total, the highest in Europe. Seven per cent of the population has been fully inoculated against COVID-19, and 21% have received the first dose, The Brussels Times reported. “Restrictive measures”, including on travel, movement and in-school education has been imposed nationwide since April 3, and a curfew of 7 pm–6 am is under effect in metropolitan France.

Though the variants originating in Brazil and South Africa account for under four per cent of infections in France, the variant Lineage B.1.1.7, which originated in the United Kingdom accounts for around 80% of the infections, Minister of Solidarity and Health Olivier Véran said. Véran said, “we are seeing a retreat of these variants because they are less contagious than the English one”.

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Earlier this month, Wikinews spoke with University of Sussex professor of economics L. Alan Winters regarding the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (EU) in the 2016 Brexit referendum and the subsequent negotiations leading up to and following the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement of December, which he has researched extensively. In a call, a Wikinews correspondent spoke with Professor Winters about recent developments in UK trade policy to learn more about his observations.

Winters is professor of economics at the University of Sussex, as well as founding director and fellow of the UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO). His career spans over 15 years, including as chief economist at the Department for International Development, director of the Development Research Group of the World Bank, CEO of the Migrating Out of Poverty Research Programme Consortium and advisor for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Three reports where Winters is listed as an author were used as reference during the interview: “COVID-19 will reinforce the Brexit shock”, “The Costs of Brexit” and “Taking stock of the new UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: governance, state subsidies and the level playing field”.

Winters was awarded the title “Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath”, styled C.B., on June 16, 2012 as part of the 2012 Birthday Honours.