CAPE TOWN (Reuters) &#8211; A South African company part-owned by the government is in talks with the global COVID-19 vaccine distribution scheme and pharmaceutical companies to produce some of the vaccines the country needs to protect itself against the disease.



The Biovac Institute, a Cape Town-based joint venture between the government and private sector, could produce up to 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines per year, depending on the technology involved, Chief Executive Morena Makhoana told Reuters.



Depending on whether the vaccines require a one- or two-dose regimen, that could be enough for a quarter or half of South Africa’s population.



“We need to look at who is likely to get to the finishing line and who has the technological fit,” Makhoana said, when asked which vaccine candidate Biovac might partner with. “Discussions are happening and we are fairly confident that &#8230; we will be able to clinch a deal.”



The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the foundation that co-leads the COVAX scheme alongside the World Health Organization and vaccines alliance GAVI, has identified Biovac as a potential drug product manufacturer but has not signed an agreement yet, a CEPI spokesman said.







Drug product manufacturing typically includes steps like vaccine formulation, filling and finishing of vials, labelling and packaging, he said.



The COVAX scheme aims to deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021. CEPI is reserving capacity with vaccine manufacturers worldwide so that goal can be met.



South Africa has submitted a non-binding confirmation of intent to participate in COVAX.



Makhoana said Biovac could not make “live virus” vaccines at this stage, precluding some vaccines being trailed in South Africa in partnership with Oxford University and Johnson &amp; Johnson. He declined to name the companies Biovac was speaking to.







The Department of Science and Innovation, the ministry that manages the government’s stake in Biovac, supports its ambitions because it wants to stimulate local manufacturing and limit the impact of vaccine procurement on the country’s balance of payments, Director-General Phil Mjwara said.



Currently South Africa’s government buys about 95% of the vaccines supplied annually by Biovac, covering diseases such as tuberculosis, cervical cancer and influenza, with the rest sold to countries in the rest of Africa.



In the past Biovac has partnered with companies like Pfizer and Sanofi.

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South Africa’s Biovac in talks to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines

Why Ford Really Needs Its New F-150 Pickup Truck To Succeed

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; The Bank of England asked banks on Monday how ready they are for zero or negative interest rates, following up its announcement last month that it was considering how to take rates below zero if necessary.



Other central banks have pushed rates into negative territory in an attempt to spur banks to lend more, and the BoE said in September it was looking into what such a policy might mean in Britain.



“As part of this work, we are requesting specific information about your firm’s current readiness to deal with a zero Bank Rate, a negative Bank Rate, or a tiered system of reserves remuneration – and the steps that you would need to take to prepare for the implementation of these,” Deputy BoE Governor Sam Woods said in a letter to banks.



The BoE and lenders had to understand the implications of any such moves “since the MPC may see fit to choose various options based on the situation at the time,” he said, referring to the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee.



Woods said he wanted to know if there were any technology challenges to implementing zero or negative rates.



“We are also seeking to understand whether there may be potential for short-term solutions or workarounds, as well as permanent systems changes,” he said.



The BoE set a deadline of Nov. 12 &#8211; a week after its next monetary policy announcement &#8211; for banks to respond.







Most euro zone banks have held off passing negative rates on to the bulk of their retail customers despite borrowing costs being below zero for the majority of this decade.



However, UK banks would likely face a sharper hit to profitability if they opted not to shift rates in line with the Bank of England due to their differing business models.



Banks in most euro zone countries charge customers a fee for having accounts, whereas in Britain such charges are rare, and lenders’ returns are largely based on the difference between lending and deposit rates.



Money markets last week pushed back bets that the BoE would cut rates below zero. Investors see rates falling below zero in May 2021, instead of March.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/quote/BOEWATCH">BOEWATCH</a>



The BoE cut its benchmark rate to record low of 0.1% in March to help the economy through the coronavirus crisis.



Its next move is widely expected to be an increase in its 745 billion-pound ($972 billion) bond-buying programme in November.







Sterling and British government bonds were little changed in early trade on Monday.



Governor Andrew Bailey has said the BoE’s assessment of negative rates was not a sign that it would cut rates below zero, and Woods echoed those comments in his letter.



Banks earn money from interest and negative rates would hit profitability, but Wood’s letter made no specific mention of this, focusing instead on the technical preparedness of lenders.



An accompanying questionnaire asked banks how their retail and wholesale business’s IT systems could cope, and how much time and money it would cost to make short-term “tactical” and permanent “strategic” changes.



Banks are already under pressure to help households and businesses struggling with the pandemic. They also could face a reduction in access to markets in the European Union when Britain’s post-Brexit transition period expires.

london

Bank of England asks banks how ready they are for sub-zero rates

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Monday impose a tiered system of further restrictions on parts of England as the COVID-19 outbreak accelerates, though anger is rising at the cost of the stringent curtailment of freedoms.



Johnson has chaired an emergency response committee, known as a COBRA meeting, and will then address parliament at around 1430 GMT, offering lawmakers a vote later in the week on the measures. He will then hold a press conference.



Johnson’s three-tiered local lockdowns will include shutting bars, gyms, casinos and bookmakers in some areas placed into the “very high” alert level, probably across the north of England, British media reported.



“Pretty much all areas of the UK are now seeing growths in the infection rate,” England Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam told reporters. “The epidemic, this time, has clearly picked up pace in the north of England earlier than it did in the first wave.”



Van-Tam said the freshest data showed infections were rising across the north of England and in some more southerly areas too while the virus was creeping up age bands towards the elderly from those aged 16-29 years.



“Nightingale” emergency field hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate have been told to mobilise, NHS England’s Medical Director Steve Powis said.



Manchester intensive care consultant Jane Eddleston said 30% of critical care beds were taken up with COVID-19 patients &#8211; starting to impact on healthcare for others.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-who/pandemic-can-be-overcome-quickly-with-right-tools-who-idUSKBN26X1DD"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-who/pandemic-can-be-overcome-quickly-with-right-tools-who-idUSKBN26X1DD">Pandemic can be overcome quickly with right tools &#8211; WHO</a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-powis/covid-hospitalisations-rising-rapidly-in-northern-england-health-official-idUSKBN26X1B7"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-powis/covid-hospitalisations-rising-rapidly-in-northern-england-health-official-idUSKBN26X1B7">COVID hospitalisations rising rapidly in northern England &#8211; health official</a>



See more stories



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lockdown-fatigue">LOCKDOWN FATIGUE</h2>



But as millions of people across the United Kingdom grapple with a patchwork of local restrictions, the hospitality sector says it is being brought to its knees by the government.



A group of English pub and nightclub owners led by Manchester club night and events operator Sacha Lord will instruct lawyers to begin opposing the government if Johnson orders pubs closed.



“If he is suggesting that pubs and bars need to shut down in Greater Manchester, we’re launching an immediate judicial review,” Lord, creator and operator of Manchester’s Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project, told Reuters.



Lord has the support of The Night Time Industries Association, the British Beer and Pub Association, JW Lees Brewery, Joseph Holts Brewery, New River Pub Company, and a host of other operators in northwest England.

The Tories have it – Boris Johnson returns to power with a stronger Brexit mandate

PM Johnson to impose further COVID-19 restrictions but pubs angry

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Over the weekend, the NASA apps Challenge in Kigali announced two winners that are going to represent Rwanda in the global NASA competition, on the side-lines of the event CNBC Africa spoke to Bwiza Charlotte, Co-Lead, NASA Space Apps, Kigali for more on this and what the future of the space industry in Africa for holds.

How Africa’s youth can play an active role in the space industry

LAGOS (Reuters) &#8211; The head of Nigeria’s police dissolved its Special Anti-Robbery Squad with immediate effect on Sunday, a police statement said, prompted by days of protests across the country against alleged brutality by the controversial unit.



The protests broke out after a video circulated last week allegedly showing members of the unit &#8211; known as SARS &#8211; shooting dead a man in Delta state. It also prompted a globally-trending social media campaign to abolish the squad.



Demonstrators also alleged that police shot dead another man while marching in the southwestern city of Ogbomosho on Saturday. Police did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations.



“The dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian people,” the police statement said.







It added that the police was redeploying unit members and would announce a new strategy to tackle SARS’ remit of fighting armed robbery, kidnapping and other violent crime.



Protesters and rights groups met the announcement with scepticism and calls for justice. Police officials and politicians have said they were disbanding or reforming SARS multiple times in recent years, with little visible change, critics say.



“They all need to be punished or disciplined,” said Charles Avackaa, a Lagos media executive who alleged SARS officers have extorted 100,000 naira ($262.7) from him.



“But they mess up and (their bosses) carry them and put them somewhere else, there is nothing on how they operate,” he said.



For years, Nigerians have accused SARS of heavy-handed methods, particularly the young, who say officers regularly target, beat and extort them.



An Amnesty International report in June documented 82 alleged cases of SARS mistreating, torturing and extra-judicially executing detainees.



On Sunday, Nigerian police used teargas to disperse hundreds of protesters in the capital Abuja, a repeat of what witnesses said were similar events on Friday.

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Nigeria’s police disbands controversial anti-robbery Squad after protests

CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe (Thomson Reuters Foundation) &#8211; Known for their rugged ranges, grassy plains and forest waterfalls, the Chimanimani mountains in eastern Zimbabwe have long been a popular destination for tourists &#8211; and gold miners hoping to strike it rich.



Travel restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 have kept the tourists away, although some attractions reopened last month.



But illegal mining has surged as miners take advantage of the lack of visitors, leaving a trail of environmental destruction in their wake, say researchers and activists.



“The waters are being polluted; the biodiversity poisoned; endemic plants dug up (and) trampled; animals and birds poached; (and) litter strewn all over the mountains,” said Julia Pierini, head of BirdLife Zimbabwe, a non-profit.



Activists, industry experts and some of the miners themselves say rangers employed by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) to protect Chimanimani National Park are involved in the illicit activity.



“For the past couple of years, we have been seeing illegal gold miners in the mountains, but suddenly during lockdown we started to see hundreds of them,” said Collen Sibanda, vice chairman of the Chimanimani Tourist Association (CTA).



“Zimparks is recruiting people. They are organising these syndicates.”



Lenny Kwaramba told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that he had been mining in the mountains without a license since March.



“I thought it was legal because we were working with the rangers,” said Kwaramba, whose name has been changed to protect his identity.



“We were given a target, we would sell about 40 grams of gold per day,” he continued, explaining that as the miners came back down the mountain, the rangers would take the gold and pay them in U.S. dollars.



That was until August, when the military and police were deployed to help the rangers evict the miners.







“I had to run for my life,” Kwaramba said. “They were firing at us. Some (miners) were injured and others are missing.”



Zimparks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the authority was looking into claims that the park’s rangers had a hand in the illegal gold mining.



“We have heard such reports. We are currently investigating the allegations,” he said in a phone interview.



“We are calling upon (everyone) to forward any evidence that our officers are involved. We want to ensure we protect these forests for the benefit of the future generations.”



There is no official data on the number of illegal gold miners in the Chimanimani Mountains, but authorities note that around the country their ranks have risen in recent years.



As Zimbabwe experiences its worst economic crisis in a decade, with crippling hyperinflation and unemployment, young people are venturing into illegal gold mining in a bid to earn a living.



Gold panning in Chimanimani is mostly small-scale and informal, according to a 2016 research paper by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London.



The paper estimated that the output from artisanal gold panning in the area from 2007 to 2011 was between 600-to-900 kg per year, with less than half of that amount being officially recorded.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sacred-places">SACRED PLACES</h2>



The latest census data shows about 135,000 people live in the area around the Chimanimani Mountains, on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.



That population, made up of various indigenous communities, is still recovering from last year’s Cyclone Idai, which caused $622 million worth of damage, mainly in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, according to government officials.







And now, say locals, they also have to endure the ecological impacts of illegal mining.



Pierini at BirdLife Zimbabwe said the mountains are an important watershed area with ecologically sensitive wetlands that provide most of the water used by communities in the valleys below.



“With a changing climate, on the back of Cyclone Idai last year and drought conditions this year, mining in the Chimanimani Mountains represents an ecological catastrophe,” she said in emailed comments.



“If not halted permanently, (it) will no doubt pave the way for another humanitarian crisis,” she added.



As they follow the gold belt, the miners drain springs, dig up riverbeds and cut into caves, Pierini said.



Their activity fills the water with silt, making it unliveable for marine life and largely unusable by people, she noted.



The miners also use chemicals such as mercury and cyanide to separate gold from the ore and the soil, leaving people and wildlife downstream with highly toxic water, said Chief Raymond Saurombe, a leader of Chikukwa Village in Chimanimani.



“For a chief to be respected, one should have his or her dams, caves and springs,” he explained.



“Now that all these are being invaded by the miners, We will be soon left with nothing. These sacred places are what give us recognition as chiefs.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mining-ban">MINING BAN</h2>



In response to a rise in illegal mining along riverbeds all over the country, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a cabinet press briefing in September that, apart from a few exceptions, “all riverbed alluvial and riverbed mining on rivers is banned with immediate effect.”







The Zimbabwean government has for the past few years been trying to register all small-scale artisanal miners, but critics say the lack of implementation means the number of illegal miners continues to grow.



As the cabinet works on creating policies to make mining in the country more sustainable, Mutsvangwa said it has resolved to also ban licensed mining activities in the country’s national parks.



National parks are protected by law, but those protections are sometimes overridden to grant mining rights to big companies, explained Simiso Mlevu, communications officer for the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, an advocacy group.



More than 15 mining licenses had been granted in national parks around the country over the past decade, Mlevu said via WhatsApp.



Deputy Minister of Mines Polite Kambamura said that small-scale miners should register their mining activities to ensure they follow proper mining standards and do not harm the environment.



“It is a punishable offence for one to mine without registration. Besides poor mineral accountability and environmental damage, proper mining standards are not being followed in these areas,” he said on WhatsApp.



Since law enforcement agents evicted the illegal miners from the Chimanimani Mountains in August, the local communities have had some respite from the gold rush.



But as long as miners continue to be drawn to the area, Chief Saurombe fears the mountains’ famed legends and mysteries are under threat.



“We have our sacred places that include dams with mermaids and caves in the mountains. These sacred places are important to us,” he said.

Mozambique records first COVID-19 death

Pandemic spurs illegal gold rush in Zimbabwe mountains

NAIROBI (Reuters) &#8211; Gunmen abducted a man moments after he was released from state custody in the Kenyan capital a day after he was acquitted in one of the country’s most high-profile terrorism cases, his sister told Reuters on Friday.



A Kenyan court had acquitted Liban Abdulleh Omar on Wednesday of charges of helping al Qaeda-linked Somali militants storm Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in a 2013 attack in which at least 67 people were killed. Two other defendants were found guilty of assisting the jihadist attackers. [L8N2GY2MP]



The abduction occurred on Thursday as Omar was in a taxi accompanied by some relatives heading home after anti-terrorism police freed him that morning, according to his sister Sahara Abdulle Omar, who was in the vehicle.







Minutes after the taxi departed the police station, another vehicle forced it to stop, several men jumped out of the car, pulled Liban out of the taxi and took him away, Liban’s sister Sahara said by phone.



“They were armed, more than five of them. They took my brother by force and sped away,” she said.



She said the gunmen were wearing civilian clothes along with face masks many Kenyans now wear to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic.



Omar’s lawyer Mbugua Mureithi told Reuters he believed that his client was abducted by Kenyan anti-terrorism police, though he did not offer evidence to substantiate the claim.



Kenyan police spokesman Charles Owino did not respond to phone calls requesting comment on the alleged abduction.



Wednesday’s verdict marked the end of the only prosecution Kenya has mounted over the 2013 shopping mall assault by Somali al Shabaab militants that left at least 67 people dead.



The attack on the upscale mall &#8211; frequented by the country’s growing middle class and foreigners &#8211; came two years after Kenya sent troops into Somalia following a series of kidnappings and raids on Kenyan soil claimed by al Shabaab.

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Gunmen abduct Kenyan just acquitted in shopping mall attack trial, relative says

GENEVA (Reuters) &#8211; The World Health Organization’s top emergencies expert said on Friday that European governments must take decisive action to shut down transmission of the coronavirus, including by curbing mass gatherings, to avoid more painful lockdowns.



Europe surpassed 100,000 daily reported COVID-19 cases for the first time on Thursday, after countries such as Russia and Britain saw no respite from the mounting number of infections every day in the past five.



“There are no new answers. We know what we need to do,” Mike Ryan told a news briefing in Geneva.



“It is though sad to see many countries in Europe experiencing a rapid rise in cases and governments do have to take decisive action in order to try and shut down transmission.”







Older populations and other vulnerable groups likely to suffer severe disease must be protected, he added.



Physical distancing, wearing masks, and proper ventilation remained key, Ryan said. “We need to be very, very careful with any forms of mass gatherings that bring people together at close quarters.”



The WHO on Friday reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases, with the total having risen by 350,766 in 24 hours.







In all more than 36.58 million cases have been reported globally and more than 1 million people have died, according to a Reuters tally on Friday.



Ryan told the WHO’s Executive Board on Monday that the agency had submitted a list of names of scientists for a WHO-led international mission to China to look into the origins of the virus, which emerged late last year in the central city of Wuhan.



Ryan, asked on Friday about progress, said: “This is not about WHO and the Director General seeking permission from China for the list of names. We share it as a courtesy to have a dialogue around the best team, not as a means of blocking or not blocking individuals. We are ready to move very, very quickly on this.”

Dr-Matshidiso-Moeti-WHO-Regional-Director-for-Africa

WHO urges Europe to stem rise of COVID-19 cases, curb mass gatherings

LAGOS/ABUJA (Reuters) &#8211; When the coronavirus outbreak forced shops to close in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, kiosk store owner Funmilayo Akinola weighed up her safety against the need to make a living.



After deciding that she couldn’t afford to stop working, she faced the challenge of replenishing her stock as the pandemic has made it harder for informal traders to buy wholesale goods due to safety measures disrupting supply chains.



The answer lay in a logistics firm that provides an online marketplace where manufacturers and retailers connect.





Lagos-based Trade Depot delivered goods that she bought using the company’s app.



“(Without Trade Depot) I would have just locked up my shop, because my husband will not allow me to go inside the market to go and be hustling for goods,” said Akinola.Slideshow&nbsp;( 5 images )



She now uses her phone to order stock delivered by vans or tuk tuks to her narrow kiosk in the frenetic Lagos district of Mushin, where she sits surrounded by stacked-up goods, ranging from drinks and tinned food to detergent.



Demand was particularly high during the month-long lockdown in Lagos that ended in early May, said Akinola.







Trade Depot’s chief executive officer, Onyekachi Izukanne, said the company &#8211; which operates in six of Nigeria’s 36 states and was launched in 2017 &#8211; saw a 300% increase in gross revenue in the year to September, compared with the same period in 2019.



Ikenna Nwosu, a logistics consultant, said the pandemic had prompted a broader process of “digitization” that forced people to shop online. This has opened new supply chain networks and created employment opportunities as companies hire more workers to distribute goods, he said.



“Its creating new revenue streams. That is just scratching the surface of digitization,” he said.

Nigerian informal retailers turn tech-savvy to stock up amid pandemic

GENEVA (Reuters) &#8211; Former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee are the final candidates to head the World Trade Organization, ensuring the watchdog will have the first female leader in its 25-year history.



The WTO said on Thursday the two women were the remaining candidates for director-general after the field was cut from five to two, confirming what Reuters reported on Wednesday.



The winner will replace Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year earlier than expected at the end of August.



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The WTO, under fire by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration which froze its appeals body by blocking its appointment of judges, aims to find a successor for Azevedo by early November. It is also trying to navigate worsening U.S.-China trade relations.



“Both of the women that are in the final round are remarkably well-qualified. This is something on which everyone has agreed,” WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told reporters, making the announcement at its Geneva headquarters.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-wto-explainer/explainer-how-the-next-wto-chief-will-be-chosen-and-the-task-ahead-idUSKBN26T1YK"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-wto-explainer/explainer-how-the-next-wto-chief-will-be-chosen-and-the-task-ahead-idUSKBN26T1YK">Explainer: How the next WTO chief will be chosen and the task ahead</a>



Okonjo-Iweala, 66, a former Nigerian finance and foreign minister, is an economist and development specialist now serving as board chair of global vaccine alliance Gavi. She has said the WTO should play a role in helping poorer countries access COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-11.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-377986" width="689" height="527"/><figcaption>Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala shares her vision for global trade</figcaption></figure>



Yoo, 53, South Korea’s trade minister, is pitching herself as a seasoned operator on trade in increasingly protectionist times after clinching deals with the United States, China and others, while supporting global trading rules.







Kenyan sports minister Amina Mohamed, Saudi royal court adviser Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri and British ex-international trade minister Liam Fox dropped out of the race after failing to garner sufficient backing from the WTO’s 164 members.



The WTO will hold a third and final selection round on Oct. 19-27, with a view to having a director-general in place by early November, when the U.S. presidential election also takes place.



“I don’t think the domestic political situation of any country has really entered into this at all, as far as I can tell,” Rockwell said when asked if the U.S. vote had had an impact.



The winning candidate will face formidable challenges with rising global tensions and protectionism during a COVID-induced slowdown, as well as pressure to drive reforms.



WTO negotiations on cutting subsidies on fishing are due to conclude in December, Rockwell said, adding: “It’s clear that whichever woman assumes this job will have a very full plate from day one.”

Okonjo-Iweala

Nigerian, South Korean women to vie for WTO leadership

WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; Donald Trump’s doctor said on Wednesday the president has had no COVID-19 symptoms for the past 24 hours, as the Republican seeks ways to get back to a normal working schedule and revive his struggling re-election bid with four weeks left until U.S. Election Day.



White House physician Sean Conley said in a statement that Trump has been fever-free for more than four days and has not needed or received any supplemental oxygen since his initial hospitalization, which began on Friday.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/hqdefault-105-e1595151517959.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-372625" width="688" height="897"/><figcaption>Trump’s Renewed Fight With China Explained</figcaption></figure>



Since he returned to the White House in a dramatic display before cameras on Monday, Trump has not been seen in public or on video, although his Twitter account has been busy sending messages attacking opponents and downplaying the coronavirus pandemic.



Conley said Trump’s physical exam and vital signs “all remain stable and in normal range.”



Tests from Monday showed Trump had evidence of coronavirus antibodies, which are protective against the infection, the doctor said. A spokeswoman for Regeneron, which makes an experimental antibody treatment given to Trump last week, said the detected antibodies are likely from that treatment.



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Despite his illness, Trump has been looking for ways to get his election message out and cut into Democrat Joe Biden’s lead in battleground states where the Nov. 3 election will be decided, advisers said.



They said they had been discussing Trump delivering a national address, while a speech to senior voters is being contemplated for Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence’s debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City will take center stage of the campaign on Wednesday evening.



Aides say Trump is impatient to get back on the campaign trail and insistent on going ahead with the next debate on Oct. 15 in Miami, but Biden said on Tuesday he will not participate if Trump is not virus-free.



The White House’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said on Wednesday that Trump was eager to get back to work in the Oval Office. He has been working from a makeshift space in his residence in the White House since returning from hospital.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-fauci/fauci-says-white-house-covid-19-infections-could-have-been-prevented-idUSKBN26S06X"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-trump-fauci/fauci-says-white-house-covid-19-infections-could-have-been-prevented-idUSKBN26S06X">Fauci says White House COVID-19 infections could have been prevented</a>



“He wanted to go to the Oval yesterday. If he decides to go the Oval we’ve got safety protocols there,” Meadows told reporters, adding there would be adequate personal protective equipment and ventilation.



Any political boost Trump could get from a fresh injection of stimulus money into Americans’ pockets appears to be out of reach after he abruptly ended negotiations with Democrats on Tuesday, with both sides far apart on how much money to devote to a deal.



Both Biden and the top Democrat in the U.S. Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of abandoning needy Americans. Republican Senator Susan Collins, facing a tough re-election bid in her home state of Maine, called Trump’s move a “huge mistake.”



“The president turned his back on you,” Biden said in a Twitter post.







With layoffs in key industries mounting by the day and threatening the fragile recovery, Trump late on Tuesday urged Congress to quickly pass $25 billion in funding for passenger airlines, $135 billion for small businesses and provide $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans.



But White House officials on Wednesday downplayed the likelihood of any kind of stimulus being passed before the election.



Trump’s drive to get Judge Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the vacant seat on the Supreme Court by the Republican-controlled Senate before the election also may be in doubt, since three Republican senators have been infected with the coronavirus and may not be able to vote.Slideshow&nbsp;( 4 images )



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-costly-absence">COSTLY ABSENCE</h2>



A wave of infections at the White House among Trump’s top lieutenants and press office aides has left the West Wing struggling to find its footing. ABC News said its count of cases related to the White House was now 23, including Trump and his wife, Melania.



Trump has attempted to use his coronavirus infection to his political advantage, making a prime-time exit from Walter Reed military hospital on Monday and whipping off his face mask before the cameras on his return to the White House.



He depicted himself as a man who vanquished the disease and emerged stronger, telling Americans: “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.”



But Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States, has been met with skepticism from many Americans.Slideshow&nbsp;( 4 images )



The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted Oct. 2-6, found that 38% of adults approved of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, while 56% said they disapproved.



The poll found that 79% of U.S. adults, including 94% of registered Democrats and 70% of registered Republicans, said they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned personally about the spread of the virus.



Advisers say Trump wanted to be talking about other issues instead of the virus by this stage of the campaign, to put pressure on Biden. Opinion polls show Trump down double digits, and Biden with sizeable leads in many swing states.



Trump had been expected to go on tour this week through Western states to raise millions of dollars for a campaign facing a deficit to Biden’s well-funded effort.







One adviser noted that almost exactly four years ago in 2016, Trump’s campaign was knocked off the rails by release of an “Access Hollywood” tape in which he boasted about groping women. He went on to beat the odds and win the election.



“He’s the real comeback kid and if anybody can come back from something it’s him,” the adviser said.

396×276(5)

Doctor says Trump is symptom-free as election fight looms

WASHINGTON (Reuters) &#8211; U.S. President Donald Trump, under coronavirus quarantine in the White House and restricted from traveling, is seeking ways to put a spark back in his struggling re-election bid and get behind his desk in the Oval Office with four weeks left until Election Day.



Trump has been looking for options on how to get his message out and cut into Democrat Joe Biden’s lead in battleground states where the Nov. 3 election will be decided, advisers said.



They said they had been discussing Trump delivering a national address, while a speech to senior voters is being contemplated for Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence’s debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Salt Lake City will take center stage of the campaign on Wednesday evening.



Complications abound. Trump aides say he is impatient to get back on the campaign trail and insistent on debating Biden on Oct. 15 in Miami, but Biden said on Tuesday he will not participate if Trump is not virus-free.



The White House’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said on Wednesday that Trump was eager to get back to work in the Oval Office. He has been working from a makeshift space in his residence in the White House since returning on Monday from three days in hospital.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-352574" width="663" height="491" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-300x221.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-80x60.jpg 80w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-642093036-594x594-2-485x360.jpg 485w" sizes="(max-width: 663px) 100vw, 663px" /><figcaption>WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; FEBRUARY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump stands during a news conference announcing Alexander Acosta as the new Labor Secretary nominee in the East Room at the White House on February 16, 2017 in Washington, DC. The announcement comes a day after Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



“He wanted to go to the Oval yesterday. If he decides to go the Oval we’ve got safety protocols there,” Meadows told reporters, adding there would be adequate personal protective equipment and ventilation.







He described Trump, who has received treatment with a steroid that is normally used in the most severe cases, as being “in very good health.”



Any political boost Trump could get from a fresh injection of stimulus money into Americans’ pockets appears to be out of reach after he abruptly ended negotiations with Democrats on Tuesday, with both sides far apart on how much money to devote to a deal.



Both Biden and the top Democrat in the U.S. Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accused Trump of abandoning needy Americans. Republican Senator Susan Collins, facing a tough re-election bid in her home state of Maine, called Trump’s move a “huge mistake.”



“The president turned his back on you,” Biden said in a Twitter post.



With layoffs in key industries mounting by the day and threatening the fragile recovery, Trump late on Tuesday urged Congress to quickly pass $25 billion in funding for passenger airlines, $135 billion for small businesses and provide $1,200 stimulus checks for Americans.



RELATED COVERAGE<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-trump-physician-int/trump-is-symptom-free-and-stable-white-house-doctor-says-idUSKBN26S2YR"></a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-trump-physician-int/trump-is-symptom-free-and-stable-white-house-doctor-says-idUSKBN26S2YR">Trump is symptom-free and stable, White House doctor says</a>



But White House officials on Wednesday downplayed the likelihood of any kind of stimulus being passed before the election.



Trump’s drive to get Judge Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the vacant seat on the Supreme Court by the Republican-controlled Senate before the election also may be in doubt, since three Republican senators have been infected with the coronavirus and may not be able to vote.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-costly-absence">COSTLY ABSENCE</h2>



A wave of infections at the White House among Trump’s top lieutenants and press office aides has left the West Wing struggling to find its footing. The latest infection came on Tuesday when immigration hawk and chief speechwriter Stephen Miller put out word he had tested positive.



ABC News said its count of cases related to the White House was now 23, including Trump and his wife, Melania.







Trump has attempted to use his coronavirus infection to his political advantage, making a dramatic prime-time exit from Walter Reed military hospital on Monday and whipping off his face mask before the cameras on his return to the White House.



He depicted himself as a man who vanquished the disease and emerged stronger, telling Americans: “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.”



But Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States, has been met with skepticism from many Americans.



The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted Oct. 2-6, found that 38% of adults approved of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus &#8211; his lowest level of approval in the weekly survey since a similar one conducted Sept. 3-8 – while 56% said they disapprove.



The poll found that 79% of U.S. adults, including 94% of registered Democrats and 70% of registered Republicans, said they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned personally about the spread of the virus.







Advisers say Trump wanted to be talking about other issues instead of the virus by this stage of the campaign, to put pressure on Biden. Opinion polls show Trump down double digits, and Biden with sizeable leads in many swing states.



Trump had been expected to go on tour this week through Western states to raise millions of dollars for a campaign facing a deficit to Biden’s well-funded effort.



One adviser noted that almost exactly four years ago in 2016, Trump’s campaign was knocked off the rails by release of an “Access Hollywood” tape in which he boasted about groping women. He went on to beat the odds and win the election.



“He’s the real comeback kid and if anybody can come back from something it’s him,” the adviser said.

Coronavirus patient Trump seeks ways to mount campaign comeback

(Reuters) &#8211; Tesla Inc&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/TSLA.O">TSLA.O</a>&nbsp;has a chance at producing 500,000 cars this year, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told employees, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.



The company’s shares were up 2.5% at $425.67.



Tesla said in January that 2020 vehicle deliveries should comfortably exceed 500,000 units, a forecast the company has left unchanged despite the COVID-19 pandemic.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/hqdefault-306.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-361004" width="683" height="521"/><figcaption>How Elon Musk Took Tesla To Hell And Back With The Model 3</figcaption></figure>



“This all comes down to Q4. Please take whatever steps you can think of to improve output (while increasing quality)”, Musk wrote to employees on Wednesday.



Industry blog Tesmanian first reported on the news earlier in the day. (<a href="https://bit.ly/3nvhLHE">bit.ly/3nvhLHE</a>)



Last week, Tesla said it delivered 139,300 vehicles in the third quarter, an all-time record for the electric-car maker. The company will have to increase deliveries to nearly 182,000 in the fourth quarter to reach its ambitious year-end target.







Tesla’s delivery push has been supported by its new Shanghai factory, the only plant currently producing vehicles outside California.



The company began delivering Model 3s from its Shanghai factory in December and has said it aims to produce 150,000 Model 3 sedans in the factory this year.



Reuters could not immediately reach Tesla for comment.

Elon Musk At SpaceX Headquarters

Tesla has a shot at producing 500,000 cars this year, African born Elon Musk says in memo

LONDON (Reuters) &#8211; Britain is urgently looking at ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period which applies to some arriving passengers, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Wednesday, adding that a mix of COVID-19 testing and self-isolation was promising.



Arrivals from countries like France, Spain and the United States must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival in Britain, a restriction which airlines say is crushing travel demand.



Shapps said he was setting up a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="594" height="276" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-78144533-594x594.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-351946" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-78144533-594x594.jpg 594w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/gettyimages-78144533-594x594-300x139.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px" /><figcaption>The first-ever Boeing aircraft 777 delivered to the state-owned Qatar Airways stands on the runway at Doha airport, 29 November 2007. Earlier this month, the rapidly expanding airline ordered from the US aircraft manufacturer 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and five 777 cargo planes in a deal valued at over 6.1 billion dollars at list prices. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



“The overall aim of the Taskforce will be to consider what steps the government can take&#8230; to enable the safe and sustainable recovery of international travel,” he added in a statement.







It would report back no later than early November.



In July, Britain changed its policy from a blanket quarantine to one which established “travel corridors” to countries with low infection rates.



But with cases on the rise in several places, the list of countries on the quarantine exemption list is dwindling, and the travel industry has warned it faces an existential crisis unless the policy is changed again.







“My ministerial colleagues and I have agreed that a regime, based on a single test, provided by the private sector and at the cost of the passenger after a period of self-isolation, could achieve our objective,” Shapps said.



Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, London’s Heathrow airport and Manchester Airports Group said that a test of a passenger after five days should be the starting point of proposals in a joint statement.



But airline body IATA said that 80% of travellers said they would not fly at all if any quarantine were in place.



“The proposals on the table do not go as far as we had hoped,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. “A reduction in the length of quarantine is the very minimum needed to restart travel demand.”

Britain examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests

GENEVA (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee are through to the final round of selection for the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, three sources said on Wednesday.



The reduction of the field from five to two means, if confirmed, that the Geneva-based trade body is now certain to be led by a woman for the first time.



If the sources are correct, it means the the line for Amina Mohamed the former Kenyan cabinet minister who fought a very strong campaign and at some stage was considered favourite.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Amina-Mohamed.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-376640" width="657" height="677"/></figure>



Mohamed was campaigning strongly on the issue of climate change.



“How is it possible that the WTO does not discuss climate change?… WTO must be a part of the global conversation on climate change,” she told an online media briefing from Geneva.



Mohamed, who was involved in the development of green financial instruments when she was the deputy head of the U.N. agency for the environment (UNEP), said she would make the WTO’s trade and environment committee active.



“At the end of the day, it is about the bottom line, but that bottom line can actually be improved by going green because that is the future,” she said.



Whomever gets the job will have the difficult task of reforming an increasingly dated WTO.

Nigerian, South Korean women through to final round in WTO chief race: sources

NEW YORK (Reuters) &#8211; A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump’s effort to block Manhattan’s district attorney from obtaining eight years of his tax returns for a criminal probe into the U.S. president and his businesses.



In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Trump’s accusations that a grand jury subpoena from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was overly broad, or issued in bad faith to harass him.



“The President has a ‘difficult’ burden and an ‘unenviable’ task: to make plausible allegations that could persuade the court that the subpoena that has been served on him could not possibly serve any investigative purpose that the grand jury could legitimately be pursuing,” it wrote. “His complaint fails to do so.”



Wednesday’s decision heralds a renewed clash between Trump and Vance at the U.S. Supreme Court.



That court in July rejected the Republican president’s argument he was immune from criminal probes while in the White House.



But it said he could raise other objections to the subpoena to his longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, for his corporate and personal tax returns from 2011 to 2018.







Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, said the president will appeal to the Supreme Court. Both sides agreed Vance would not enforce the subpoena during an appeal, according to court papers.



A spokesman for Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



The unsigned decision upheld an Aug. 20 ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan.



It followed a Sept. 28 report in The New York Times that Trump had paid $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017, and no income taxes in 10 of the prior 15 years, reflecting “chronic” losses he used to avoid paying taxes.



Trump has rejected findings from the Times report, tweeting that he had paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled to depreciation and tax credits.



He has long resisted making his tax returns public, unlike his six immediate predecessors occupying the White House.



‘IMPLAUSIBLE’ CLAIM



Vance’s probe began more than two years ago, and had focused on hush money payments that the president’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid before the 2016 election to two women who said they had sexual encounters with Trump.



The district attorney has suggested in recent court filings that his probe is now broader and could focus on bank, tax and insurance fraud, as well as falsification of business records.



Trump argued that the probe was still focused on the Cohen payments, making the subpoena an improper “fishing expedition” targeting his business interests around the world, and said Vance improperly copied a similar congressional subpoena.







But the appeals court called it “implausible” speculation to suggest the probe was limited to the Cohen payments.



The court said grand juries “necessarily paint with a broad brush,” especially in complex financial investigations, and do not know at the outset what their needs are.



It also found “no logic” to suggest the documents Vance wanted were irrelevant to legitimate law enforcement purposes, just because a congressional committee wanted the same documents for its own investigation.



The court also found no specific allegations that partisanship motivated Vance, a Democrat, to seek Trump’s tax returns.



All three judges on the appeals court panel were appointed by Democratic presidents. Five of the eight current Supreme Court justices were appointed by Republican presidents.



Even if Vance gets Trump’s tax returns, grand jury secrecy rules make it unlikely he will reveal their contents unless criminal charges were brought. If that happened, it would likely occur after the Nov. 3 election.

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Gunmen abduct Kenyan just acquitted in shopping mall attack trial, relative says

WHO urges Europe to stem rise of COVID-19 cases, curb mass gatherings

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Nigerian, South Korean women to vie for WTO leadership

Doctor says Trump is symptom-free as election fight looms

Coronavirus patient Trump seeks ways to mount campaign comeback

Tesla has a shot at producing 500,000 cars this year, African born Elon Musk says in memo

Britain examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests

Nigerian, South Korean women through to final round in WTO chief race: sources

Trump fails to block tax return subpoena, will appeal to Supreme Court

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Newsletter

South Africa’s Biovac in talks to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines

Why Ford Really Needs Its New F-150 Pickup Truck To Succeed

Bank of England asks banks how ready they are for sub-zero rates

PM Johnson to impose further COVID-19 restrictions but pubs angry

How Africa’s youth can play an active role in the space industry

Nigeria’s police disbands controversial anti-robbery Squad after protests

Pandemic spurs illegal gold rush in Zimbabwe mountains

Gunmen abduct Kenyan just acquitted in shopping mall attack trial, relative says

WHO urges Europe to stem rise of COVID-19 cases, curb mass gatherings

Nigerian informal retailers turn tech-savvy to stock up amid pandemic

Nigerian, South Korean women to vie for WTO leadership

Doctor says Trump is symptom-free as election fight looms

Coronavirus patient Trump seeks ways to mount campaign comeback

Tesla has a shot at producing 500,000 cars this year, African born Elon Musk says in memo

Britain examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests

Nigerian, South Korean women through to final round in WTO chief race: sources

Trump fails to block tax return subpoena, will appeal to Supreme Court

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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