Headlines: Covid, AstraZeneca's vaccine in turmoil
Audio 05:13
A vial of AstraZeneca vaccine.
© Miguel Riopa / AFP
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
10 mins
Publicity
Germany, France, Spain, "
all the major European countries have suspended vaccination with the AstraZenaca vaccine
", headlines the
Washington Post
, despite "
the assurances of the WHO as to the safety of this vaccine.
".
A very cautious Europeans, worried by a few cases of thrombosis in vaccinated people, judged "
incomprehensible and even imprudent
" by the whole of the British press determined to defend "
the safety of its vaccine
".
The Times
thus underlines "
that even the EMA, the European Medicines Agency, says blood clots do not appear to be more common in people who have been vaccinated than in the rest of the population who have not received the vaccine,
"and the British daily of insist
that
“
the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risk of side effects
”.
"
While the EMA and WHO are investigating these incidents,
" also insists the
Guardian
, "
there is no evidence that they were caused by the vaccine
."
Concerns in Germany about a possible slowdown in the vaccination campaign
In Germany, where the vaccination campaign is slipping, the press does not hide its concerns.
While defending the decision to “take
a vaccine break
” in the name of the precautionary principle, the
Suddeutsche Zeitung
nevertheless points out that this break also sends “
a dangerous signal
”.
"
If the vaccine is actually stopped
, the daily emphasizes,
this would have fatal consequences for the German vaccination program which is already very slow and would be further slowed down
".
Same concern on the front page of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
which already foresees "
immense damage
" even if the safety of the vaccine had to be finally proven, "
the attempt to restore public confidence in this vaccine perceived as dangerous is probably doomed to failure
", Estimates the daily, which already fears"
a vaccination campaign delayed by several months
".
London to increase nuclear arsenal, the first since the Cold War
Information on the front page of the
Sun
and the
Guardian
which reveal that "
the United Kingdom will raise by more than 40% its ceiling of nuclear warheads that it is authorized to store
", putting an end, underlines the press "
to 30 years of disarmament progress of the Kingdom since the collapse of the Soviet Union
”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make the announcement of this radical change of course on Tuesday, citing "
perceived threats and challenges from Russia and China
", and also new "
chemical, biological or even nuclear
" terrorist threats.
".
A decision already strongly denounced by activists for disarmament, notes the
Guardian
, activists who argue "that
in the midst of a pandemic, and while the government is short of money, the country has not need for grandiose spending on weapons of mass destruction
”.
Burma on the brink of civil war
It is the analysis of
The Australian
which underlines "that
in the absence of a concerted international action to reverse the coup d'etat
", Burma is "
now approaching an armed conflict
", as desired by 'elsewhere "
the opposition deputies grouped together in a shadow parliament
" and who urge the Burmese to continue the mobilization "
with incivility
" against the "
illegitimate
"
junta
in power.
"
Faced with the piling up of corpses, the population is beginning to lose patience,
" also analyzes a Hong Kong academic in the Swiss daily
Le Temps
.
"
The next stage will be the armed insurgency, and it will pass," he
explains, "
through the many armed ethnic militias - such as the Kachin Independence Army or the Karen National Union which have been fighting against the military for decades.
".
Massive invasion of cicadas expected in the United States
They will soon be everywhere, "the
whole of the east of the country and in particular the capital Washington will soon be invaded by hundreds of billions of cicadas
", explains the
Washington Post
which emphasizes that it is "
a spectacular phenomenon
" which occurs every 17 years, "
long years during which these insects grow underground, feeding on tree roots
".
Then they come out en masse to the fresh air to mate and lay eggs.
These giant swarms of "
periodic cicadas
" are expected to appear by the end of March in Georgia and affect 14 states in the eastern United States.
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