<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106932163-1629794577944-gettyimages-1234731483-AFP_9LA466.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-411673" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106932163-1629794577944-gettyimages-1234731483-AFP_9LA466.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106932163-1629794577944-gettyimages-1234731483-AFP_9LA466-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106932163-1629794577944-gettyimages-1234731483-AFP_9LA466-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A health worker vaccinates a man in Abidjan on August 17, 2021 during a roll-out of vaccinations against Ebola on August 17, 2021, after the country recorded its first known case of the disease since 1994. (Photo by Issouf SANOGO / AFP) (Photo by ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP via Getty Images) ISSOUF SANOGO | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



African countries have been “shortchanged” with regard to its access to Covid-19 vaccines, the president of African Development Bank said.



“Africa [has] for sure been shortchanged,&nbsp;if I can use that term, regarding access to vaccines globally,” Akinwumi&nbsp;Adesina told CNBC’s&nbsp;“Squawk Box Asia”&nbsp;on Tuesday.



“The vaccines are not getting here in time, in the right quantity and the right price,” he said, adding that saving lives is “all about timing.”



Only 2.48% of the continent has been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 23, according to Our World in Data, far behind other continents.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading"> Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/world-bank-readies-covid-19-vaccine-funds-for-around-30-african-countries/">World Bank readies COVID-19 vaccine funds for around 30 African countries</a></h3>



In comparison, vaccination rates stand at 25.31% in Asia and 27.1% in South America, while Europe and North America’s inoculation rates are both above 40%, statistics in Our World in Data showed.



“If there’s any lesson … that we have learned from this, it is that Africa should not depend on the rest of the world for supplying it with critical vaccines, and also therapeutics,” he said.



The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said&nbsp;countries in the continent have received 123.4 million vaccines as of Aug. 18.&nbsp;The shots have been secured through bilateral agreements, the global Covax alliance that seeks to provide vaccines to poorer countries and the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) —&nbsp;a 10-member group that sources for vaccines for Africa.



Through AVATT, the African Union has procured 400 million vaccines for delivery over the next year or so, enough to inoculate a third of the population, said Adesina.



But that still falls far short of Africa’s population of more than 1.2 billion people.



Africa “should not be dependent on others, it should be self-sufficient,” he said.



To that end, the African Development Bank wants to invest in primary, secondary and tertiary health-care infrastructure, Adesina said. It also hopes to put $3 billion toward the pharmaceutical sector so that Africa can have vaccines and medicine for itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-economic-effect"><a></a>Economic effect</h2>



The pandemic has had a “very dramatic impact” on Africa, Adesina said, adding that GDP growth fell, fiscal deficits doubled and debt-to-GDP ratios increased in 2020.



But he said he expects growth to hit 3.4% this year, after contracting 2.1% in 2020.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/africa-demands-local-production-of-covid-vaccines/">Africa demands local production of COVID vaccines</a></h3>



“Africa still has fantastic fundamentals,” he said, pointing to rapid urbanization, good potential for consumer spending, and a large, young population.



The African Continental Free Trade Area is also “too big to ignore,” the bank president said.



According to the World Bank, the AFCFTA as it’s called,&nbsp;is the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating.&nbsp;It seeks to&nbsp;connect over a billion people in 55 countries that have a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion.



“I expect Africa will rebound after this particular pandemic,” he said. “The fundamentals remain very strong.”

106932163-1629794577944-gettyimages-1234731483-AFP_9LA466

Africa has been shortchanged on Covid vaccines, African Development Bank says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-411664" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>RT: Maria Van Kerkhove, Head a.i. Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2020. Denis Balibouse | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



A top World Health Organization official said Tuesday that misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines is keeping people from getting the shots, driving an increase in cases around the world.



“In the last four weeks or so, the amount of misinformation that is out there seems to be getting worse, and I think that’s really confusing for the general public,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid, said during a Q&amp;A livestreamed on the organization’s social media channels.



Misinformation has become another risk factor that is “really allowing the virus to thrive,” she said.



Public health leaders have blamed conspiracy theories and misinformation for growing distrust of the vaccines around the world — so much so that in July U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy&nbsp;declared Covid misinformation a “serious public threat.” 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-calls-to-tackle-vaccine-hesitancy-as-african-union-drops-astrazeneca">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/24/who-says-covid-misinformation-is-a-major-factor-driving-pandemic-around-the-world.html">Calls to tackle vaccine hesitancy as African Union drops AstraZeneca</a></h3>



Misinformation has become a growing problem in the outbreak, fueling vaccine hesitancy among a wary public, health officials say. They hope that the Food and Drug Administration’s formal approval of&nbsp;Pfizer’s Covid vaccine, which was announced Monday, will help push some people who have been on the fence about getting immunized to get the shots.



Three in 10 unvaccinated Americans said they would be more likely to get the vaccine once it is FDA-approved, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey conducted July 15-27. Some medical experts worry that some unvaccinated Americans used the lack of full FDA approval as a credible explanation for their hesitancy and will now look for other reasons to refuse to get the vaccine.



Most unvaccinated Americans think the Covid vaccines are more of a threat to their health than contracting the virus itself, according to Kaiser’s&nbsp;data. Americans least likely to receive a Covid-19 vaccine are mostly white, Republican and less likely to have a college degree, according to Kaiser’s data.



Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said misinformation about the vaccine is “one of the biggest challenges that we still face in getting the public vaccinated.”



“We’ve heard false claims that the Covid-19 vaccine causes infertility, contains microchips and causes Covid-19,” Marks said. “And worse, we’ve heard false claims that thousands of people have died from the vaccine. Let me be clear: These claims are simply not true.”



Misinformation about alternative treatments for Covid-19 has gone so far that the FDA and the Mississippi State Health Department put out advisories over the weekend to warn Americans not to ingest animal de-wormer Ivermectin.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/here-are-7-of-the-biggest-coronavirus-vaccine-myths-busted-by-experts/">Here are 7 of the biggest coronavirus vaccine myths busted by experts</a></h3>



The director of the WHO’s Latin America branch, the Pan American Health Organization, made a personal appeal to residents of Caribbean countries to&nbsp;“wake up” from the slumber of misinformation&nbsp;spreading throughout the islands and get vaccinated.



Misinformation has plagued public school board meetings across the country as school districts weigh mask and vaccine mandates for children and staff returning for the upcoming school year. Parents and community residents have shown up to public school board meetings to lambast education and public health officials for considering mask mandates, and videos of residents citing unproven and false claims about Covid and vaccines have gone viral on social media.



Vaccination could help us get Covid&nbsp;under control&nbsp;by the spring, according to the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci.



“I would like to appeal to the people in the country who are not vaccinated to realize that we have the capability among ourselves to essentially cut down the time frame to getting to the end of this pandemic,” Fauci said during a press briefing Tuesday.&nbsp;“Get vaccinated and the time frame will be truncated dramatically.”

106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who

WHO says Covid misinformation is a major factor driving pandemic around the world

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="571" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-820x571.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411660" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-820x571.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-300x209.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-129x90.jpg 129w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-768x534.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-1536x1069.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3IGRVLQNNNKPLF6FPYBXTIXZYE-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Vials of the Sinopharm&#8217;s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are pictured in Lima, Peru, February 9, 2021. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda</figcaption></figure>



ABUJA, Aug 24 (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria has recently approved China&#8217;s Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19, the head of the country&#8217;s primary healthcare agency said on Tuesday.



Nigeria has been allocated 7.7 million doses of the vaccine through the COVAX scheme aimed at providing vaccines to developing countries.



Dr. Faisal Shuaib, head of Nigeria&#8217;s National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, did not say when the Sinopharm doses would arrive or be administered.



<a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/nigeria">Cases are rising</a> in Nigeria with daily new infections increasing 10 fold from levels seen in July, according to a Reuters tally.



Nigeria, Africa&#8217;s most populous country with some 200 million people, has <a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/3tUM8ta">vaccinated only a small fraction</a> of them, largely due to lack of supply. So far, some 2 million people, or 1% of the population, have received one dose of vaccine while fewer than 1 million have received two.



The rollout of vaccines, which had been halted on July 9 because supplies had run out after a first phase, resumed on Aug. 16.



During the first phase, Nigeria used doses of AstraZeneca&#8217;s vaccine received through COVAX. It has since received supplies of Moderna&#8217;s vaccine donated by the United States, which are being used for the second phase.



Johnson &amp; Johnson shots purchased by Nigeria via an African Union scheme are also expected to be used.



Nigeria has recorded 187,588 cases of COVID-19 and 2,276 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to official data, although the figures could be much higher given that only 2.7 million samples have been tested.



(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Edmund Blair and Lisa Shumaker)

Outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Lima

Nigeria approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine, expects 7.7 mln doses

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="696" height="348" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BM-Tim-BusinessConfidenceNot-696x348-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411655" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BM-Tim-BusinessConfidenceNot-696x348-1.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BM-Tim-BusinessConfidenceNot-696x348-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BM-Tim-BusinessConfidenceNot-696x348-1-160x80.jpg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption>Photo: via Reuters</figcaption></figure>



PRETORIA, Aug 24 (Reuters) &#8211;&nbsp;South&nbsp;Africa&#8217;s headline unemployment rate hit a record high of 34.4% in the second quarter from 32.6% in the first three months of the year as businesses shed staff due to the devastating economic impact of COVID-19.



The rate was the highest since Statistics&nbsp;South&nbsp;Africa&#8217;s quarterly labour force survey began in 2008, with a total of 7.826 million people out of work in the three months to the end of June.



According to an expanded definition of unemployment that includes those discouraged from seeking work, 44.4% of the labour force was without work in the second quarter, from 43.2% in the first quarter. That equates to 11.9 million unemployed by the expanded definition.



Job losses in the second quarter were concentrated in finance, which shed 278,000 jobs, while community and social services lost 166,000 jobs and manufacturing lost 83,000 jobs.



The South African economy has long suffered from high levels of joblessness, contributing to poverty and inequality that persist nearly three decades after the end of white minority rule and were partly to blame for <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-deploys-army-to-quell-unrest-linked-to-zuma-jailing/">civil unrest in some parts of the country in July</a>.



The <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/civil-unrest-virus-woes-see-south-african-rand-drop-over-1/">COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated South Africa&#8217;s labour market woes</a>.



President Cyril Ramaphosa has put job creation at the heart of a plan to help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis, but so far that plan has struggled to gain traction.



&#8220;The impact (of COVID-19) that we are seeing is most firms have closed down, &#8230; we can see with the rise in unemployment,&#8221; Statistician General Risenga Maluleke told a news conference.



(Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, Editing by Alexander Winning and Angus MacSwan)

BM-Tim-BusinessConfidenceNot-696×348-1

South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to new record high above 34%

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="546" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b-820x546.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411651" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b-820x546.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/13806831445_684b78d334_b.jpg 1023w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>African Financial Ministers Press Briefing Manuel Chang, Minister of Finance of Mozambique, gives a statement to the media during the African Financial Ministers Press Briefing on Saturday, April 12 at IMF Headquarters during the 2014 IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. IMF Photo/Ryan Rayburn</figcaption></figure>



MAPUTO, Aug 23 (Reuters) &#8211;&nbsp;South&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;will extradite former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang to his home country, its justice department said on Monday, where a criminal trial over the $2 billion debt scandal that crashed its economy has now begun.



Chang, who denies wrongdoing, and 19 others including state security officials and a former president&#8217;s son face charges including blackmail and embezzlement for their alleged roles in the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars in government-backed loans.



A total of $2 billion in borrowing was ostensibly raised for a project spanning tuna fishing, shipyard development and maritime security. But vast sums were paid out in kickbacks, authorities say, while many promised benefits never materialised.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/total-declares-force-majeure-on-mozambique-lng-after-insurgent-attacks/">Total declares force majeure on Mozambique LNG after insurgent attacks</a></h3>



Chang, who signed off on the loans during his 2005-2015 term as finance minister, has been held in&nbsp;South&nbsp;Africa&nbsp;since 2018 after being arrested at the request of the United States, which also opened a criminal case over the affair.



Mozambique also subsequently requested his extradition, prompting a court battle that ultimately left the decision in the hands of Ronald Lamola, the justice minister.



Lamola decided to return Chang to Mozambique after concerns over whether he was immune from prosecution were resolved, Lamola&#8217;s ministry said in its statement.



&#8220;The accused will therefore be handed over to Mozambican authorities to stand trial,&#8221; it continued.



It was not immediately clear if Chang could join this phase of the trial, which got under way on Monday, or would be tried separately.



Chang&#8217;s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discredited">&#8216;DISCREDITED&#8217;</h2>



The case has had a deep impact on the economy. Not all of the loans were disclosed to parliament or donors like the International Monetary Fund. When the full extent of the borrowing was revealed in 2016, it prompted donors to cut off support and triggered a currency collapse.



Mozambique, one of the world&#8217;s poorest countries, currently remains on the hook for the money.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/mozambique-launches-construction-of-1-bln-power-plant-transmission-line-2/">Mozambique launches construction of $1 bln power plant, transmission line</a></h3>



Ana Sheila, representative of Mozambique&#8217;s national prosecutor, said the prosecution was seeking harsh punishments for the other 19 accused and $2.9 billion in compensation, including interest.



&#8220;The defendants&#8217; acts left the country in a grave financial situation and internationally discredited,&#8221; she told a makeshift courtroom crafted from a canvas tent in the grounds of a maximum security prison outside the capital, Maputo.



Defence lawyers for six of the 19, including Armando Ndambi Guebuza, son of former president Armando Guebuza, who will later give evidence, said their clients denied wrongdoing.



Others, who have not yet had chance to speak directly to the accusations against their clients, had earlier argued for their release and said they were acting on behalf of the state.



(Reporting by Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Emma Rumney in Johannesburg; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Promit Mukherjee, Jonathan Oatis and Alison Williams)

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South Africa to extradite ex-Mozambique minister for debt scandal trial

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-392963" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-1110x740.jpg 1110w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>NETHERLANDS &#8211; 2020/11/29: In this photo illustration, a man holds a syringe with a fake Covid-19 vaccine with the Pfizer logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Robin Utrecht/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine – becoming the first in the U.S. to win the coveted designation and giving even more businesses, schools and universities greater confidence to adopt vaccine mandates.



Up until now, the mRNA vaccine, which will be marketed as Comirnaty, was on the U.S. market under an emergency use authorization that was granted by the FDA in December. Since then, more than 204 million of the Pfizer shots have been administered, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



Federal health officials had been under mounting pressure from the scientific community and advocacy groups to fully approve Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine ever since the drugmakers submitted their application to the agency in early May. The companies submitted a Biologics License Application, which secures full approval, to the FDA on May 7 for patients age 16 and up.



FDA scientists evaluated “hundreds of thousands of pages” of vaccine data from 40,000 trial participants, according to the U.S. agency. The vaccine was found to be 91% effective in preventing Covid – slightly lower than the 95% efficacy rate trial data showed when the shot was authorized late last year and before the delta variant took hold in the U.S.&nbsp;



Pfizer’s vaccine met the agency’s “high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.”



The FDA held a media briefing Monday morning to discuss the approval.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-u-s-fda-gearing-up-for-rapid-review-of-potential-covid-19-booster-shots">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/u-s-fda-gearing-up-for-rapid-review-of-potential-covid-19-booster-shots/">U.S. FDA gearing up for rapid review of potential COVID-19 booster shots</a></h3>



Although more than 60% of the total U.S. population has had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, many Americans say they are still hesitant about getting vaccinated, even as the highly contagious delta variant spreads. Full approval may convince some Americans that the shots are safe, doctors and epidemiologists say. In fact, a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 3 in 10 unvaccinated adults said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if one of the vaccines receives full approval.



Full approval is “more psychological than anything else,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the agency’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. “I mean you already have more than 320 million doses administered that are out there. The vaccines already have an enormous safety and efficacy profile.”



U.S. approval is also likely to spur a new wave of vaccine mandates from corporate America. Major companies – from Walt Disney to Walmart – have already told some or all of their employees that they must get fully vaccinated against Covid this fall. Still, some private businesses may have felt hesitant about requiring the shots, before full approval, even though they had the legal authority to do so, said Dorit Reiss, a professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law.



The Pentagon said it would make vaccinations mandatory for service members “no later” than the middle of September, or sooner if the FDA grants full approval earlier.



“You’re going to see the empowerment of local enterprises, giving mandates that could be colleges, universities, places of business, a whole variety and I strongly support that,” White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci said Aug 8, when asked about full approval of the vaccines. “The time has come. &#8230; We’ve got to go the extra step to get people vaccinated.”



Pfizer’s shot is the first Covid vaccine to receive full regulatory approval in the U.S. Federal regulators had previously said they would work as quickly as possible to clear Pfizer’s vaccines.



The vaccine is still under emergency use authorization for children 12 to 15 as the company continues to collect data. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, said Monday the agency would move as “swiftly” as possible on approving the shot for kids under 12 once the company submits the data.



“Currently, there are still trials ongoing and so the agency has to wait for the company to submit the data for those trials,” he said during a briefing. “We certainly want to make sure that we get it right.”



Marks also addressed misinformation about the shot, including that it contains microchips and causes infertility.



“We’ve heard false claims that the Covid-19 vaccine causes infertility, contains microchips and causes Covid-19. And worse, we’ve heard false claims that thousands of people have died from the vaccine,” he said. “Let me be clear: these claims are simply not true.”



Standard vaccine reviews generally take several months to a year or more to determine whether they are safe and effective for use in the general public. But due to the pandemic, which has killed more than 628,000 Americans, the FDA permitted the use of the shots under an EUA.



In a public health emergency, the manufacturing and approval of vaccines can be streamlined through emergency authorizations. Former Health Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency on Jan. 31, 2020. The health emergency has been renewed several times, most recently in late July. The FDA allowed the use of the shots with just two months of safety data under an EUA. It’s not the same as a Biologic License Application, or a request for full approval, which requires at least six months of data.



Before granting full approval, FDA scientists must painstakingly look through the companies’ clinical trial data, including for any discrepancies or safety concerns, said Offit, who is also director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-submits-data-to-fda-for-authorization-of-covid-vaccine-booster-shot-for-general-population/">Pfizer submits data to FDA for authorization of Covid vaccine booster shot for general population</a></h3>



It’s a lot of data, Offit said. He previously said when Merck submitted its data from its 70,000-person rotavirus vaccine trial, the pages that were generated could have exceeded the height of the Sears Tower — a 1,450-foot skyscraper in Chicago that’s now known as Willis Tower.



“The FDA will do what it thinks it needs to do to make sure that the American public is safe,” he said.



Full approval is also very beneficial to companies that submit an application, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a phone interview in May.



With it, Pfizer and BioNTech are now able to market the shots directly to U.S. consumers. Companies can’t promote their products under an EUA, he said. It also allows the shot to stay on the market once the pandemic is over and the U.S. is no longer considered in an “emergency.”



“The vaccines will still have to be administered under the supervision of a professional who’s qualified,” Califf said. “It’s not like they can send the vaccines to people’s homes. However, they can advertise on TV and promote their products under the watchful eye of the FDA.”



Pfizer and BioNTech have said they expect to generate billions from the vaccine. Under full approval, the companies could also decide to charge more for the vaccines, health experts say.



The companies have already raised the price of their vaccine in the European Union, according to the Financial Times. They are now charging $23 per dose, up from their previous price of $18.40, according to the report.



Pfizer and BioNTech also plan to ask the FDA to approve a third dose as a booster shot following full approval. Last week, the Biden administration said it was preparing to offer booster shots to all eligible Americans beginning the week of Sept. 20.



– CNBC’s Rich Mendez contributed to this report.

In this photo illustration, a man holds a syringe with a

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot, clearing path to more vaccine mandates

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106929876-1629304059932-Pay_Pal-26.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411619" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106929876-1629304059932-Pay_Pal-26.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106929876-1629304059932-Pay_Pal-26-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106929876-1629304059932-Pay_Pal-26-160x90.jpg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>PayPal has launched its cryptocurrency service in the U.K. PayPal</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — PayPal is launching its cryptocurrency service in the U.K.



The U.S. online payments giant said Monday it would let British customers buy, hold and sell digital currencies, starting this week.



It marks the the first international expansion of PayPal’s crypto product, which first launched in the U.S. in October last year.



“It has been doing really well in the U.S.,” Jose Fernandez da Ponte, PayPal’s general manager for blockchain, crypto and digital currencies, told CNBC. “We expect it’s going to do well in the U.K.”



PayPal’s crypto feature lets customers buy or sell <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/btc=x/">bitcoin</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/bch=x/">bitcoin cash</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/eth=x/">ethereum</a> or <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/ltc=x/">litecoin</a> with as little as £1. Users can also track crypto prices in real-time, and find educational content on the market.



Like the U.S. version of the product, PayPal is relying on Paxos, a New York-regulated digital currency company, to enable crypto buying and selling in the U.K. PayPal said it has engaged with relevant U.K. regulators to launch the service.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/more-than-90-million-in-cryptocurrency-stolen-after-a-top-japanese-exchange-is-hacked/">More than $90 million in cryptocurrency stolen after a top Japanese exchange is hacked</a></h3>



A spokesperson for the Financial Conduct Authority, Britain’s financial services watchdog, was not immediately available for comment on the announcement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-adoption"><a></a>Growing adoption</h2>



PayPal’s crypto service is similar to one from U.K. fintech firm Revolut. As is the case with Revolut, PayPal users can’t move their crypto holdings outside the app. Although Revolut recently started testing a feature that lets users withdraw bitcoin to their own personal wallets.



PayPal says its foray into crypto is about making it easier for people to participate in the market. “The tokens and coins have been around for a while but you had to be a relatively sophisticated user to be able to access that,” da Ponte said. “Having that on a platform like ours makes a really good entry point.”



The payments processor is one of many large finance companies taking a leap into the mostly unregulated world of cryptocurrencies. Despite ongoing concerns about price volatility, consumer protection and potential money laundering in the industry, major firms including Mastercard, Tesla and Facebook have been warming to crypto lately.



Bitcoin, the world’s biggest digital currency, hit a record high of nearly $65,000 in April before tumbling below $30,000 in July as Chinese regulators extended a crackdown on the market. It has since recovered to a price of $48,400.



While PayPal started with crypto trading, the company is betting digital currencies will take a greater role in e-commerce in the long run. Earlier this year, PayPal started letting U.S. consumers use crypto to pay at millions of its online merchants globally. The firm also expanded crypto buying and selling to Venmo, its popular mobile wallet.



“We definitely have ambitions to continue to expand the product range in the U.S., the U.K. and other markets,” da Ponte said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/meme-coins-or-digital-gold-blockchain-analyst-weighs-in-on-where-crypto-markets-are-headed/">Meme coins or digital gold? Blockchain analyst weighs in on where crypto markets are headed</a></h3>



“We are very deliberate about starting with initial functionality, and then we’ll see where the market is going to take us. Different markets have different appetite for products.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>‘Britcoin’</h2>



The launch of PayPal’s crypto service in the U.K. also comes as regulators become increasingly wary about the rise of digital currencies. In June, the FCA banned the British subsidiary of Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, citing a failure to meet money-laundering requirements.



“It makes sense that, as there is increased consumer interest and increased volume, the regulators are putting more attention into this space,” da Ponte said, adding that PayPal has built “strong regulatory relations.”



Meanwhile, central banks are exploring the potential issuance of their own digital currencies, as cash use in a number of developed countries dwindles rapidly. In April, the U.K. Treasury and Bank of England said they would evaluate the potential launch of a digital version of the British pound, dubbed “Britcoin” by the U.K. press.



Da Ponte said central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, were a “fantastic prospect” but it would take policymakers some time to iron out the key issues involved.

106929876-1629304059932-Pay_Pal-26

PayPal launches its cryptocurrency service in the UK

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="518" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA-820x518.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411609" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA-820x518.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA-300x190.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA-142x90.jpg 142w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA-768x486.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>People queue outside a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination centre as the country opens vaccinations for everyone 18 years old and above in Cape Town, South Africa, August 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Aug 20 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africans formed queues hundreds of metres long to get their COVID-19 shots on Friday, after the government made vaccinations available to all adults in order to hasten a rollout beset by challenges and delays.



South Africa has been battered by three coronavirus waves, infecting at least 2.65 million people, killing 78,000 &#8211; by far the continent&#8217;s worst toll &#8211; and pummelling an already struggling economy with lockdowns and travel restrictions.



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-to-open-up-covid-19-vaccinations-to-18-35-year-olds-from-friday/">On Friday, authorities opened up vaccinations to 18 to 35 year-olds</a>. About 8% of South Africa&#8217;s population of 60 million is fully vaccinated, and 14% have received one shot.



&#8220;I just wanted to get it out the way. I&#8217;ve been waiting so long for it,&#8221; 23-year-old medical student Lisa Heyneke said, shortly after receiving her shot in Johannesburg.



South Africa&#8217;s campaign got off to a slow start, owing to bureaucratic hiccups, a failure to start early talks with pharmaceutical companies, and bad luck &#8211; it ditched a million AstraZeneca shots on evidence they may not work against its dominant variant, only for that evidence to be later overturned.



Like other African countries, it also been at the back of a queue favouring rich Western nations.



At Cape Town&#8217;s convention centre, the line of people was a mile long, while dozens of cars queued at a drive vaccination venue at converted car racing track in north Johannesburg.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-south-africa-targets-35-mln-people-vaccinated-against-covid-19-by-christmas">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-targets-35-mln-people-vaccinated-against-covid-19-by-christmas/">South Africa targets 35 mln people vaccinated against COVID-19 by Christmas</a></h3>



Challenges remain such as vaccine hesitancy and the difficulty of getting vaccines out to remote areas, Mary Kawonga, chair of the COVID-19 Advisory committee for Gauteng, the province around Johannesburg, told Reuters at the venue.



On Thursday, a Johannesburg University survey showed vaccine acceptance improving to nearly three quarters of the population last month, compared with two thirds at the start of the year.



Donald Mgimeti, 45, was initially unsure. Then, in May, he was shocked by the death of a friend from COVID-19.



&#8220;It made me realise how serious this is,&#8221; he said, rolling down his sleeves after his jab.



(Additional reporting by Mike Hutchings in Cape Town Editing by Raisa Kasolowsky)

LUK6X5R5MFKNJAT34QFMHY2PBA

South Africans form long queues as COVID-19 jabs opened to all adults

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106930253-1629367715182-gettyimages-1234739851-porzycki-internet210817_npTeY-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-411591" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106930253-1629367715182-gettyimages-1234739851-porzycki-internet210817_npTeY-1.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106930253-1629367715182-gettyimages-1234739851-porzycki-internet210817_npTeY-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106930253-1629367715182-gettyimages-1234739851-porzycki-internet210817_npTeY-1-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>An illustration showing physical bitcoins alongside binary code displayed on a laptop. Jakub Porzycki | NurPhoto via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid said Thursday it has been hit by a cyberattack that saw hackers make off&nbsp;with a reported $97 million&nbsp;worth of digital coins.



Liquid said some of its digital currency wallets had been “compromised,” and that hackers were transferring the assets to four different wallets.



“We are currently investigating and will provide regular updates,” Liquid tweeted. “In the meantime deposits and withdrawals will be suspended.”



Liquid did not provide an estimate for the loss. It says it is regulated by Japan’s Financial Services Agency. The watchdog was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-hackers-who-infected-200-000-machines-have-only-made-50-000-worth-of-bitcoin"> Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2017/hackers-made-50000-worth-bitcoin/">Hackers who infected 200,000 machines have only made $50,000 worth of bitcoin</a></h3>



Elliptic, a blockchain analytics company, said its analysis showed that about $97 million in cryptocurrencies have been obtained by the hackers.



Of the total haul, $45 million in tokens were being converted to <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/eth=x/">ethereum</a> through decentralized exchanges — blockchain-based platforms that require no intermediaries — like Uniswap and SushiSwap, Elliptic said.



“This enables the hacker to avoid having these assets frozen — as is possible with many Ethereum tokens,” Elliptic said in a blog post.



Liquid did not provide an estimate for the loss. It says it is regulated by Japan’s Financial Services Agency. The watchdog was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.



Elliptic, a blockchain analytics company, said its analysis showed that about $97 million in cryptocurrencies have been obtained by the hackers.



Of the total haul, $45 million in tokens were being converted to ethereum through decentralized exchanges — blockchain-based platforms that require no intermediaries — like Uniswap and SushiSwap, Elliptic said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/ethereum-hits-new-record-high-above-3400-extending-its-more-than-300-rally-this-year/">Ethereum hits new record high above $3,400, extending its more than 300% rally this year</a></h3>



“This enables the hacker to avoid having these assets frozen — as is possible with many Ethereum tokens,” Elliptic said in a blog post.



Liquid ranks among the top 20 crypto exchanges globally by daily trading volumes, processing more than $133 million of transactions in the last 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap data.



It’s the second major crypto heist to take place in little over a week. On Aug. 10, hackers stole more than $600 million of digital tokens from Poly Network, a so-called decentralized finance firm.



In an unusual turn of events, the hackers opened a dialogue with the organization they attacked and gave back nearly all of the funds. However, more than $200 million remains locked in an account that requires a password from the hacker.

106930253-1629367715182-gettyimages-1234739851-porzycki-internet210817_npTeY-1

More than $90 million in cryptocurrency stolen after a top Japanese exchange is hacked

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1230282004-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-401477" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1230282004-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1230282004-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1230282004-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GettyImages-1230282004.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>BRAZIL &#8211; 2020/12/23: In this photo illustration the close-up of the Twitter website seen displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



LONDON/LAGOS, Aug 19 (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria expects to lift its ban on Twitter before the end of the year, Information Minister Lai Mohammed told Reuters on Thursday, adding that the government was awaiting a response on three final requests made of the social media platform.



The ban, announced in June, has hurt Nigerian businesses and drawn widespread condemnation for its deleterious effect on freedom of expression and the ease of doing business in Africa&#8217;s most populous nation.



Mohammed said the government had reached agreements on seven of 10 requests made to Twitter but was waiting for the company&#8217;s response on final issues, including setting up a local office, paying tax locally and cooperating with the government to regulate content and harmful tweets.



&#8220;We certainly want to put this behind us before the end of the year,&#8221; Mohammed said.



Twitter declined to comment.



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nigeria-says-it-suspends-twitter-days-after-presidents-post-removed/">The government suspended Twitter on June 4</a> after it removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.



It was a culmination of months of tension. Twitter Chief Executive Jack Dorsey&#8217;s posts encouraging donations to anti-police brutality protests last October and Twitter posts from Nnamdi Kanu, a Biafran separatist leader currently on trial in Abuja, infuriated authorities.



Mohammed said Twitter &#8220;made their platform the platform of choice for separatists&#8221;, and was suspended because it threatened national unity.



The ban is just one area of concern for free speech advocates. Nigeria dropped five spots, to 120, in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, which described Nigeria as one of the most dangerous and difficult West Africa countries for journalists.



Last month, Nigeria&#8217;s broadcasting regulator asked TV stations to curb their reporting of security issues in the country by withholding details of incidents and victims.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-nigeria-demands-social-media-firms-get-local-licence">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nigeria-demands-social-media-firms-get-local-licence/">Nigeria demands social media firms get local licence</a></h3>



Mohammed said concerns over deteriorating freedom of speech were the result of misinformation. He added he was currently in Washington, D.C. meeting with journalists and opinion leaders in an effort to counter such misunderstandings.



While U.S. lawmakers put on hold a proposal to sell almost $1 billion of weapons to Nigeria over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the government, Mohammed said the issue was the purview of the foreign affairs minister. He added that Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States had also led a team to meet some congressional aides to reestablish the channels for communication. 



(Reporting by Karin Strohecker in London and Libby George in Lagos, additional reporting by Eva Mathews in Bangalore; Editing by Paul Simao and Alex Richardson)

In this photo illustration the close-up of the Twitter

Nigeria expects to lift Twitter ban by end of year, minister says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-392210" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GettyImages-1229611954-1110x740.jpg 1110w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>BRAZIL &#8211; 2020/11/13: In this photo illustration a medical syringe is seen with Johnson and Johnson company logo displayed on a screen in the background. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Aug 19 (Reuters) &#8211; The European Commission said on Thursday it had reached a temporary agreement with South Africa to use a plant there to bottle Johnson &amp; Johnson COVID-19 vaccines that are being imported into the EU.



The deal highlights the complexity of producing vaccines with factories spread across the world and is likely to stir concerns about drugmakers&#8217; power in negotiating supply deals with countries.



On Wednesday the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters he was &#8220;stunned&#8221; by news that J&amp;J vaccines were being exported from South Africa to the EU, because the EU has already very high vaccination rates while in many African countries not even the most vulnerable have been vaccinated.



A spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters on Thursday the agreement with South Africa was reached after J&amp;J faced problems in producing vaccines in the United States at a factory belonging to its partner Emergent Biosolutions.



Under the deal, Aspen Pharmacare bottles the vaccine substance produced elsewhere, and then transfers the finished doses to South Africa and the EU.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/jj-in-deal-to-supply-covid-19-vaccine-to-african-union-member-states/">J&amp;J in deal to supply COVID-19 vaccine to African Union member states</a></h3>



A J&amp;J factory in Leiden, in the Netherlands, is a major producer of its vaccine substance for COVID-19 shots worldwide.



From September, J&amp;J will transfer all bottling operations for vaccines directed to the EU to Leiden, the EU spokesperson said.



J&amp;J was not immediately available for a comment.



The news of South Africa&#8217;s exports of vaccines to the EU was reported by the New York Times on Monday, confirming earlier public statements from South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa and from the South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare, which bottles the J&amp;J vaccines.



The paper cited a confidential contract between J&amp;J and South Africa&#8217;s government and said the deal prevented the country, against its will, from imposing restrictions on vaccine exports.



Under its contract with the EU, J&amp;J had also negotiated a complex supply chain that involved U.S.-based firms despite opposition from EU countries, EU internal documents seen by Reuters show.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-closing-the-circle">CLOSING THE CIRCLE?</h2>



On Thursday the WHO softened its remarks on EU-South Africa deal. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, told a news conference the arrangement was &#8220;presumably&#8221; part of the investment in the development and production of vaccines in Africa.



The EU is leading global investments to create vaccine &#8220;hubs&#8221; in Africa, including South Africa and Senegal, to increase the continent&#8217;s ability to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-study-shows-high-covid-protection-from-jj-vaccine/">South Africa study shows high COVID protection from J&amp;J vaccine</a></h3>



The Aspen plant does not appear among the manufacturing sites approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for J&amp;J vaccines, meaning the shots cannot be used in the EU, although they may be re-exported.



EMA was not immediately available for a comment.



The EU Commission did not respond to questions about what EU countries will do with J&amp;J doses imported from South Africa. EU nations are the owners of vaccines and decide how to use them.



Public EU data show that J&amp;J has delivered as of Thursday 21.5 million doses to the EU. It was supposed to ship 55 million already by the end of June.



Of the delivered doses, only 12.9 millions, or about 60%, have been administered in the EU, public data show, by far the lowest take-up among all EU-approved vaccines, which have a usage rate of at least 75%, and above 90% for the Pfizer/BioNTech shot.



Many EU countries have stopped using J&amp;J over health concerns. The EU has promised to donate at least 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations, mostly in Africa, by the end of the year. 



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio; additional reporting by Promit Mukherjee in Johannesburg, Maggie Fick in Nairobi, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt; editing by David Evans)

In this photo illustration a medical syringe is seen with

EU says import of J&J COVID vaccines from South Africa is temporary

Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying &#8211; claims the latest assessment report by the IPCC. The AR6&#8217;s first working group report explains the science behind the change and will be followed by impact and mitigation solutions in the year 2022.



The report&#8217;s findings make a glaring reaffirmation of the fact that it is indeed human activities that have caused irreparable damage to the planet&#8217;s regulatory functions resulting in severe heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and droughts. Acute weather events will continually become more common and extreme as the decade unfolds. The UN&#8217;s chief has labeled it &#8220;code red for humanity&#8221;.



CNBC AFRICA spoke to Dr. Leena, the deputy director-general of IIASA, on the need for action and the imposition of corrective policies in developed nations to cushion the impact on developing nations as they are the first and most adversely affected by climate change, as well as least responsible for the travesty.



The report affirms the impact of human influence on climate change, accelerated by black fossil fuel emission, greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, over-fishing, and other such activities of the modern era. The report also states that in order to reverse the impact on the Earth, global carbon emissions must drop to a net-zero by 2050.



Dr. Leena points out that a number of nations have committed to becoming carbon zero by the same timeline but also asserts that it will not be achieved soon enough.



&#8220;Target is not global net-zero. The approach is country by country which might not add up to a global net-zero emission target. This target does not translate to a uniform target for every nation in the world&#8221;.



Upon being questioned on the moral and historical responsibility of industrial nations in acting firsthand as well as helping developing nations achieve sustainability targets.



Dr. Leena responded, &#8221; It is unfair to put the pressure on developing nations who have little to do with the current state of climate health. But it is important to understand what would be more unfair&#8221;.



As global climate change will cause misery across the planet, it is important to work together while ensuring sustainable economic growth in developing nations. The question becomes: How can developed nations share the burden with lower-income nations? It is apparent, that the transition to 100% clean energy for developing nations will come at a higher cost and over a longer time frame as compared to developed nations.



In response to sharing the burden, Dr. Leena pointed out &#8221; Who bears the cost for climate change has been discussed in the last 25 COP meetings and where does the historical responsibility lie. This is why global net-zero emission cannot be uniformly applied across all nations&#8221;



Revised and stricter policy for mitigation cannot be enforced on nations! This poses a dilemma to every nation as they must find it within themselves to support the cause and impose regulations on themselves.



&#8220;As far as the issue of investment and standard assets in developing nations is concerned, the transition to renewable energy is becoming smoother with lower costs and more opportunity and access.&#8221;



However, the renewable industry is not yet capable of matching the scale of the required transition globally. This transition will be even more difficult to apply in rural and remote regions as compared to the developed world. Thereby raising the question of the responsibility of high-income nations towards climate change mitigation.



&#8220;A mechanism will have to be designed at a global level to help nations that are unfairly penalized for Climate Change impact,&#8221; says Dr. Leena Srivastava.



She asserts that effective penal methods combined with incentives, heavier taxes, and a competitive landscape for renewables are pushing renewables well past fossil fuels. Governments must enforce stricter regimes, greater incentives, and heavier taxes on pollution, as well as a more stringent application of the popular &#8220;Polluter to pay principle&#8221;. This and more are the only way we could get closer to global targets in emission reduction and subsequent mitigation of climate change.

Augrabies Falls NP_Landscape_Viewpoint

Climate change impact mitigation for Africa’s development

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411553" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-17.jpg 970w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A healthcare worker receives the Johnson and Johnson coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa, Feb. 17, 2021. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa will open up COVID-19 vaccinations to those aged between 18 and 35 years old from Friday, the government said in a statement, as it tries to ramp up its immunisation drive.



The country has recorded the most coronavirus infections and deaths on the African continent, but it has so far only fully vaccinated less than 8% of its population of 60 million.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-zimbabwe-says-it-will-start-covid-19-vaccinations-this-week">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/zimbabwe-says-it-will-start-covid-19-vaccinations-this-week/">Zimbabwe says it will start COVID-19 vaccinations this week</a></h3>



&#8220;As part of increasing the vaccination roll-out programme, Cabinet approved the vaccination of persons aged between 18 years and 35 years from 20 August,&#8221; the government said on Thursday.



South Africa&#8217;s vaccination campaign started slowly due to a mix of bureaucratic failures, bad luck and onerous negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. The first vaccine doses were given to healthcare workers in a research study from mid-February, before the elderly were vaccinated from mid-May.



From Aug. 1 those aged 35 years and over became eligible to receive a vaccine.



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-targets-35-mln-people-vaccinated-against-covid-19-by-christmas/">The government has set a target of reaching at least 300,000 COVID-19 vaccinations</a> a day by the end of this month, but in the latest 24-hour period it managed just 195,000, according to a health department website.



It aims to have given at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 35 million of its people by December, compared to roughly 7.7 million now.



South Africa is using the Johnson &amp; Johnson and Pfizer vaccines. It has signed bilateral deals with the two U.S. pharmaceutical companies and is also receiving some Pfizer shots via global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX. 



(Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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South Africa to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to 18-35 year olds from Friday

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106907103-1625597281111-gettyimages-1233700528-porzycki-binancep210628_npNRz-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-411538" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106907103-1625597281111-gettyimages-1233700528-porzycki-binancep210628_npNRz-1.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106907103-1625597281111-gettyimages-1233700528-porzycki-binancep210628_npNRz-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106907103-1625597281111-gettyimages-1233700528-porzycki-binancep210628_npNRz-1-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>The logo of cryptocurrency exchange Binance displayed on a phone screen. Jakub Porzycki | NurPhoto via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



When Canadian cryptocurrency trader Fawaz Ahmed saw the price of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/eth=x/">ethereum</a>&nbsp;dropping, he knew it was time to get out. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t.



Ahmed was trading on Binance, the world’s largest digital currency exchange by trading volume. And on May 19, Binance experienced a major outage which meant that, for about an hour, he was unable to exit his position.



That day,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/btc=x/">bitcoin</a>&nbsp;and ethereum posted their biggest one-day drops since March 2020, with the entire crypto market losing roughly $1 trillion in value. When prices fell below a certain point, Ahmed’s position got wiped out. His personal losses came to about $6 million.



“This loss was not fair,” Ahmed, a 33-year-old who trades full-time, told CNBC. “This is something which was out of my control.”



Binance’s customer service team gave Ahmed an “absurdly” low offer of compensation, he said.



Ahmed is one of hundreds of investors expected to take part in arbitration proceedings against Binance, seeking damages for the money they lost when the cryptocurrency exchange went offline.



Binance was not immediately available for comment at the time of publication.



Binance has experienced several outages over the years in times of heightened volatility for virtual currencies. That can be costly for traders, especially when prices are plunging.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/binance-ceo-says-compliance-is-a-journey-as-worlds-largest-crypto-exchange-faces-growing-crackdown/">Binance CEO says ‘compliance is a journey’ as world’s largest crypto exchange faces growing crackdown</a></h3>



And those losses can balloon to millions of dollars when investors make risky bets using leverage, or borrowed money, to augment trades — which, on Binance, is something users do often.



Binance recently cut the maximum leverage customers can take on futures — financial derivatives that oblige investors to buy an asset at an agreed-upon time at a later date — to 20 times from a previous limit of 125 times.



Binance wasn’t the only crypto exchange to face disruption to its service on May 19.&nbsp;Coinbase&nbsp;users were also&nbsp;temporarily unable to access its site. Bitcoin&nbsp;plunged as much as 30%&nbsp;to nearly $30,000 that day. It has since recovered to $45,790.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-headquarters"><a></a>No headquarters</h2>



Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, Binance’s boss, has previously said the exchange has no official headquarters. That makes it extremely difficult for investors to figure out how, and where, to take the company to court.



A group of crypto traders hopes to change that. With the help of Liti Capital, a little-known private equity firm providing litigation financing, nearly 1,000 people are expected to join arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong to seek damages from Binance.



“This is a landmark case for the industry,” David Kay, chief investment officer of Liti Capital, told CNBC.



Binance is “the first company that has ever grown to any size in any industry — much less the financial industry — where there is no regulation,” he said. “They have no home, they have no headquarters, they have no office.”



“The only place where Binance has said they have jurisdiction is in a Hong Kong international arbitration court,” Kay added. “This will be the largest consumer international arbitration in history.”



Kay said that Liti Capital began working on the Binance case after receiving a call from Aija Lejniece, an independent lawyer working with a group of crypto traders in France. Lejniece specializes in international arbitration cases.



Binance’s terms of use say that any legal dispute must be resolved through arbitration at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre. Arbitration proceedings, unlike class action lawsuits, aim to settle disputes out of court.



The format makes it harder for the average consumer to make a claim, Kay said, as claimants have to pay arbitration fees and additional costs — for instance, traveling to Hong Kong. Individually, that could set each claimant back an estimated $65,000. To cover those costs, Liti Capital has promised to provide a minimum of $5 million in funding.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="ore: Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is launching an NFT marketplace">Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is launching an NFT marketplace</a></h3>



White &amp; Case, a New York-based law firm, has been hired to represent the claimants. Abby Cohen Smutny and Darryl Lew, two White &amp; Case partners based in Washington, D.C., will serve as their lawyers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><a></a>Crypto crackdown</h2>



Crypto, a nascent industry, is still largely unregulated. While some firms in the space, like Coinbase, have sought to build rapport with regulators, Binance and many others operate mainly outside the purview of established rules.



That hasn’t gone unnoticed by regulators, who are racing to catch up with new innovations in financial services. Two main concerns with crypto are a lack of protections for consumers and the risk of money laundering and other illicit activity.



Binance, in particular, has attracted attention from authorities in multiple countries. Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority recently banned the firm’s U.K. subsidiary after finding it failed to meet anti-money laundering requirements. Meanwhile, financial watchdogs in Japan, Canada and Italy have issued warnings saying Binance does not have the authority to operate in the countries.



To add to Binance’s woes, the company lost its U.S. chief Brian Brooks, who was formerly acting head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a U.S. banking regulator.



The company, which was founded by Zhao in China four years ago, recently said it was pivoting to become a regulated institution, with plans to obtain licenses in multiple jurisdictions and set up regional headquarters. Zhao has said he is willing to step down from the exchange to hand the baton to someone with more regulatory experience.

106907103-1625597281111-gettyimages-1233700528-porzycki-binancep210628_npNRz-1

Cryptocurrency traders seek damages from Binance after a major outage cost them millions

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="546" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-820x546.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-410559" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-820x546.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-120x80.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Close-up of physical coins of Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum in a wallet full of FIAT money coins.
Photo: via Flickr</figcaption></figure>



Wild swings in cryptocurrencies will eventually drive <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/btc=x/">bitcoin</a> investors to return to gold, says the executive chairman of gold mining firm Evolution Mining.



Jake Klein said bitcoin still has a “long way to go” before it demonstrates the kind of “longevity and security” that gold has proven to offer investors over the last 70 years.&nbsp;



Cryptocurrencies are “running a massive amount of speculative money,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Thursday.



“I think that the volatility in the crypto space is going to ultimately lead to people coming back to gold,” Klein said.



Gold prices fell last week, and analysts say they will likely drop further. Hedge fund manager David Neuhauser told CNBC earlier this week that the decline in gold prices is a “massive buying opportunity” for investors now.



Still, Klein said the two can coexist — there are opportunities for gold to “sit alongside” bitcoin, as opposed to bitcoin posing a threat to the precious metal.



Bullish investors view bitcoin as digital gold and a hedge against inflation, expecting the cryptocurrency to appreciate over time.



American investor Tyler Winklevoss, who founded Winklevoss Capital Management as well as Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, said last year that “bitcoin is gold 2.0” — and that it will disrupt gold.



Billionaire investor Kevin O’Leary said in April that “bitcoin will always be the ‘gold.’ <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/quotes/eth=x/">Ethereum</a> will always be the ‘silver.’”



However, there are also other investors who disagree.



Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, despite owning an undisclosed amount of bitcoin, said earlier this month: “If you put a gun to my head, and you said, I can only have one, I would choose gold.”



<a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/crypto-market-tops-2-trillion-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-3-months-as-bitcoin-rallies/">Bitcoin topped $48,000</a> over the weekend – the highest level since May. As of Thursday morning during Asia hours, however, it pared some gains to last trade above $44,000, according to CoinDesk data.



The weekend spike followed a sell-off in June and July, when <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/90-billion-wiped-off-crypto-market-as-bitcoin-drops-below-30000-for-first-time-in-nearly-a-month/">bitcoin fell below $30,000</a>.



Gold prices have also been swinging between gains and losses this year. From levels above $1,900 in January, prices fell to above $1,700 in March.



In June, the precious metal spiked to nearly $1,900 again, before paring gains to trade above $1,700 in August.



— CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal and Jade Scipioni contributed to this report.

51008793946_8a23be8a2d_k

Bitcoin volatility will drive investors back to gold, says mining firm chairman

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="512" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14-820x512.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411525" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14-820x512.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14-300x187.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14-144x90.jpg 144w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14-768x479.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-14.jpg 873w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Customers pay for goods at an outlet of retailer Checkers in Cape Town, South Africa, June 15, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Aug 18 (Reuters) &#8211; Upmarket&nbsp;South&nbsp;African grocery chain Checkers is testing a store without checkout counters, the first cashierless food store in the country allowing shoppers to walk out without waiting in line to pay.



The new store reflects a strategy by Checkers parent Shoprite Holdings to use technology to provide more convenient retailing and monitor customer behaviour, the company said on Wednesday.



The trial store within company offices in Cape Town has only 40 products such as snacks and sandwiches and will initially only be available to employees. Shoprite is still developing algorithms to recognise products and increase accuracy.



Yet the trial represents a challenge to rival chains as Checkers aims to grab a bigger slice of the high-end food retail market, traditionally dominated by Woolworths Holdings.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-shoprite-group-adopts-unlikely-strategy-and-goes-upmarket">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2017/shoprite-group-adopts-unlikely-strategy-goes-upmarket/">Shoprite group adopts unlikely strategy and goes upmarket</a></h3>



In a cashierless store, customers scan a smartphone app to enter, then cameras and sensors track what they remove from the shelves. The retailer then bills the customer using credit or debit cards on file.



Amazon.com Inc pioneered the concept through its Amazon Go chain.



&#8220;The team has set out to use data and tech to solve retail problems,&#8221; Neil Schreuder, chief of strategy and innovation for Shoprite said.



&#8220;The idea is&#8230; inspired by some of the global leaders in this space, that say could we imagine a store where customers don&#8217;t have to queue (at the checkout) because it&#8217;s a constant pain point.&#8221;



Shoprite also unveiled a 250-strong digital business unit called ShopriteX to provide what it said would be increasingly enhanced customer experiences through technology, data science and innovation. 



(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by David Holmes)

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Checkers trials South Africa’s first cashierless grocery store

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411521" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1026624864-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Signage stands on the exterior of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in the Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. The emerging-market sell-off may have already battered South Africa&#8217;s rand, but it could get worse as traders fret about a push for land reform that may have far-reaching economic consequences and is catching the attention of world leaders. Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Aug 18 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s Johannesburg Stock Exchange failed to open equity market trading as usual at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Wednesday as record high trading volumes the previous day snapped its systems, the company said.



It said in a statement continuous trading would begin at 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT).



The JSE had told traders and brokers before the start of normal trading hours that it was experiencing significant delays with batch processing on its Broker Dealer Accounting system.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-old-mutual-forecasts-h1-loss-as-coronavirus-crisis-hammers-volumes">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2020/old-mutual-forecasts-h1-loss-as-coronavirus-crisis-hammers-volumes/">Old Mutual forecasts H1 loss as coronavirus crisis hammers volumes</a></h3>



The high trading volumes on Tuesday came on the back of a massive sell-off in the shares of index heavyweight Naspers Ltd where investors had to adjust their holding in the company post a share swap with its Amsterdam-listed subsidiary Prosus.



The JSE said its trading volumes topped 145 billion rand ($9.71 billion) on Tuesday, which many traders and investors said was one of the highest recorded on the exchange.



&#8220;This has resulted in a delay in the start of trading for the JSE equity market,&#8221; JSE said in a statement.



Despite the company informing traders before the scheduled opening and providing regular updates, some were critical of the outage.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nigeria-naira-slides-past-500-dlr-on-black-market-trading-volumes-drop/">Nigeria naira slides past 500/dlr on black market, trading volumes drop</a></h3>



Wayne McCurrie, portfolio manager at FNB, said: &#8220;Yesterday the volumes were exceptionally high on the JSE and you would think there has to be adequate back-up, that there would be another system that they could default to.&#8221;



He called it &#8220;embarrassing&#8221; especially as it was not for the first time.



Greg Davies, a trader with Cratos Capital said the delay in trading at Africa&#8217;s biggest stock exchange would have knock-on effects on the futures market and investors would consider moving to alternative stock markets in the country. 



($1 = 14.9259 rand) 



(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Alexander Winning and Alison Williams)

Newsletter

Africa has been shortchanged on Covid vaccines, African Development Bank says

WHO says Covid misinformation is a major factor driving pandemic around the world

Nigeria approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine, expects 7.7 mln doses

South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to new record high above 34%

South Africa to extradite ex-Mozambique minister for debt scandal trial

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot, clearing path to more vaccine mandates

PayPal launches its cryptocurrency service in the UK

South Africans form long queues as COVID-19 jabs opened to all adults

More than $90 million in cryptocurrency stolen after a top Japanese exchange is hacked

Nigeria expects to lift Twitter ban by end of year, minister says

EU says import of J&J COVID vaccines from South Africa is temporary

Climate change impact mitigation for Africa’s development

South Africa to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to 18-35 year olds from Friday

Cryptocurrency traders seek damages from Binance after a major outage cost them millions

Bitcoin volatility will drive investors back to gold, says mining firm chairman

Checkers trials South Africa’s first cashierless grocery store

South Africa bourse to trade from 1230 GMT after high volume prevented opening

News Tips

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Newsletter

Africa has been shortchanged on Covid vaccines, African Development Bank says

WHO says Covid misinformation is a major factor driving pandemic around the world

Nigeria approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine, expects 7.7 mln doses

South Africa’s unemployment rate climbs to new record high above 34%

South Africa to extradite ex-Mozambique minister for debt scandal trial

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid shot, clearing path to more vaccine mandates

PayPal launches its cryptocurrency service in the UK

South Africans form long queues as COVID-19 jabs opened to all adults

More than $90 million in cryptocurrency stolen after a top Japanese exchange is hacked

Nigeria expects to lift Twitter ban by end of year, minister says

EU says import of J&J COVID vaccines from South Africa is temporary

Climate change impact mitigation for Africa’s development

South Africa to open up COVID-19 vaccinations to 18-35 year olds from Friday

Cryptocurrency traders seek damages from Binance after a major outage cost them millions

Bitcoin volatility will drive investors back to gold, says mining firm chairman

Checkers trials South Africa’s first cashierless grocery store

South Africa bourse to trade from 1230 GMT after high volume prevented opening

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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