Author: Bar Crobar
COVID-19: Pfizer announces that its vaccine is "effective at 90%".
This "vaccine efficacy" was measured by comparing the number of participants infected with the new coronavirus in the group that received the vaccine and the placebo group.
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said on Monday that preliminary data showed that 90 % of its COVID-19 vaccine was effective, which could enable it to apply to the US authorities for emergency authorisation for its use later this month.
Monday's announcement does not, however, mean that a vaccine is imminent: this interim analysis, carried out by independent experts, examined the 94 infections recorded so far among the 44,000 or so people taking part in the study in the United States and five other countries.
Pfizer did not provide further details about these infections and warned that the initial rate of protection could change by the end of the study. Even the disclosure of such preliminary data is unusual.
"We are able to potentially offer some hope," Pfizer's vice president of clinical development, Dr Bill Gruber, told the Associated Press. We're very encouraged."
The markets reacted favourably to this announcement. Bonds of around 5 % were rated on Monday morning, both in Europe and the United States.
Officials repeat that it is highly unlikely that a vaccine will be available before the end of the year. And when a vaccine is offered, the quantities initially available will be carefully distributed.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is one of ten candidates currently in advanced clinical trials around the world. Another pharmaceutical company, Moderna, also hopes to be in a position to request emergency authorisation from the powerful US Food and Drug Administration later this month.
The participants in the clinical trials, and the researchers, do not know who received a vaccine and who received a placebo. But a week after the second dose, Pfizer began counting the number of subjects who had symptoms of COVID-19 and in whom the coronavirus had been detected.
As the study is ongoing, Dr Gruber was unable to say how many participants in each group were infected. However, a quick calculation reveals that virtually all the infections occurred among the subjects who had received the placebo.
Pfizer will continue the study until 164 infections have been detected among participants, a figure the FDA considers sufficient to measure the vaccine's efficacy. The US agency has indicated that an efficacy rate of at least 50 % will be required.
No subjects were seriously ill, said Dr Gruber. Nor could he specify how many infections occurred in older subjects, for whom COVID-19 can be particularly dangerous.
Only symptomatic participants were tested, so it is not known whether vaccinated subjects could have been infected and continued to spread the virus without knowing it.
With the pandemic still raging, pharmaceutical companies are hoping to ask the world's governments to authorise emergency use of their vaccines while testing continues. This would enable them to get their products to market more quickly, but would also leave certain scientific data concerning their products in abeyance.
By quebec.huffingtonpost.ca
In a hurry, Joe Biden
Donald Trump has 75 days left of his presidency: what if they were the worst?
Although defeated by Joe Biden, the future leader of the United States, the incumbent retains immense power as President and head of the armed forces... and he has nothing to lose.
UNITED STATES - As Donald Trump prepares to enter the final days of his presidency - which could well be his worst - Americans are worried about what is in store for a president who proposed shooting migrants and using nuclear weapons against hurricanes.
As excessive, reckless and thoughtless as he has been so far, his critics point out that it was election time, which is no longer the case. Beaten by Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, he no longer needs to moderate himself.
"He'll do everything he can to stir up trouble", says Michael Cohen, the president's former personal lawyer, who was tried and sentenced to three years in prison for, among other things, buying the silence of women who had relations with Donald Trump just before the 2016 election.
According to him, the President "will go on TV, radio and the press to complain that these elections were stolen from him by fraud and foreign interference. He will never admit that he owes his defeat to his incompetence and arrogance".
Trump to leave the White House on 20 January
The winner, Joe Biden, is due to take office at noon on 20 January 2021, but Donald Trump retains his presidential prerogatives for another 75 days, including his role as head of the US armed forces and nuclear weapons.
He said he had no intention of facilitating the transition of power because of the FBI investigation into Russian assistance he allegedly received during the 2016 campaign, which the president calls "espionage."
"Are we talking about the transition I had when you spied on my campaign and when you tried to bring down the President of the United States?" he railed again last week at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The White House declined all requests for comment on this matter.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former senior official believes that the concerns expressed by Michael Cohen and others are exaggerated. "I don't think he'll do anything out of the ordinary", he said of the President.
But a long-standing adviser, who also prefers to remain anonymous, fully expects Donald Trump to demand the resignation of Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease specialist on the coronavirus pandemic task force. He could also fire Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, and Gina Haspel, the director of the CIA, who have repeatedly contradicted him. "Either he's going to fire Wray, Fauci and Haspel and make a fuss, or he's going to hold his nose to make himself look good. It'll be interesting to see. And it's 50-50," he adds.
What if Trump spent all his time playing golf?
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian and specialist in authoritarian regimes at New York University, is sure that the outgoing president "will take revenge on those who have shown him a lack of loyalty". Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who acted as the Democrats' lawyer in the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, predicts 11 busy weeks for the President and his team.
According to him, we can expect "all sorts of executive orders to invalidate other Obama-era regulations, the adoption of new regulations on the sly, attempts to intimidate and neutralise various government agencies, and him using the levers of power to advance the pawns that will serve his financial interests after the presidency. Not to mention a record number of presidential pardons" for his accomplices.
Of course, regulations that have been improperly drafted and adopted can always be invalidated by legal action. Even those that are properly drafted in the final months of the administration could be quickly repealed by the new Congress, and all its executive orders immediately rescinded by Joe Biden as soon as he takes office.
Other people familiar with Donald Trump question the interest he will show in his duties if he loses the election. Anthony Scaramucci, an old friend of the president who briefly served as a White House adviser, sums up the leader's most likely end-of-term agenda in three words: "Play golf". Which is what he was doing when his defeat was announced to the world.
This article, published on Le HuffPost US, was translated by Valeriya Macogon for Fast ForWord.
Forgetting the mask!
Chadwick Boseman, star of "Black Panther", has died
American Chadwick Boseman, star of Marvel Studios' global hit "Black Panther", died aged 43 after a four-year battle with cancer in private, his agent said on Friday.
"Playing King T'Challa in Black Panther was the greatest honour of his career," said his family in a statement posted on Boseman's social media accounts. "He died at home, surrounded by his wife and family," the statement added.
"Playing King T'Challa in Black Panther was the greatest honour of his career," said his family in a statement posted on Boseman's social media accounts. "He died at home, surrounded by his wife and family," the statement added.
Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, Chadwick Boseman had never spoken publicly about his condition and had continued to shoot on the sets of major Hollywood films while undergoing "countless operations and chemotherapy", according to his family.
"He was a true fighter. Chadwick persevered through it all," his loved ones added in the statement.
The first black superhero
With "Black Panther", released in 2018, Boseman became the first black superhero to have a Marvel franchise film entirely devoted to him.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, "Black Panther" brought together, in addition to Boseman, a cast of some of the most sought-after black actors in Hollywood (Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya) and benefited from a huge production and promotional budget.
Adapted from the adventures of the first black superhero created by Marvel Comics in 1966, the film tells the story of King T'Challa's fight to defend his nation of Wakanda, the most advanced in the Marvel universe.
Emotional reactions
Before this role in "Black Panther", the biggest of his career, Chadwick Boseman played baseball legend Jackie Robinson in Brian Helgeland's "42" in 2013, the biggest success in Hollywood history for a baseball film. He was also praised for his portrayal of singer James Brown in Tate Taylor's "Get on Up" in 2014.
More recently, he appeared in Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods". He was also due to reprise the role of T'Challa in a second instalment of "Black Panther", scheduled for 2022.
The news of his death provoked emotional reactions beyond Hollywood. Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden was quick to salute the actor's memory. "The true power of Chadwick Boseman was greater than anything we've seen on screen", he tweeted.
by RTS.CH
afp/gma
La Liga: what if Messi ended up staying at Barcelona?
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, against whom Lionel Messi has gone to "all-out war" according to the Catalan press, is under fire after a nightmare season. He is threatened by a motion of censure tabled this Wednesday morning by opponent Jordi Farré.
According to the Spanish press, the board of directors met in extraordinary session on Tuesday evening to tell Messi that he was under contract until 30 June 2021 and that the club was counting on him for the coming season.
Messi did not take kindly to what new coach Ronald Koeman had to say during their first meeting last Thursday, and this, combined with the fact that Koeman told Luis Suarez (Barça striker and close friend of Messi) that he was not counting on him for next season, precipitated the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's desire to leave.
Messi is no stranger to applying pressure to get what he wants from the management, but would he agree to stay at Barça, his lifelong club, if the current management resigned?
by RTS.ch
afp/alt
French youtuber with a million subscribers accused of corrupting minors
VIDEO. ExperimentBoy, with 1.16 million subscribers, has been accused of approaching and manipulating young boys, according to evidence gathered by Numerama. By Le Point.fr
Born two years ago on Twitter, #BalanceYourYoutubeur once again appeared in the network's top trends on Wednesday. Back then, it was a way for victims to put into words what they had been subjected to, often without actually accusing anyone by name. Scrolling through the hashtag, you can read stories of being taken over and manipulated by unconditional fans who, as minors, give the influential videographer who comes to talk to them whatever he or she asks. Often photos, sometimes more.
A few names were circulated, and some of the "bad buzz" gained momentum, but there was no follow-up. On several occasions, #BalanceTonYoutubeur came back, fuelled by new accounts, and then disappeared. But on Wednesday 19 August, new revelations brought the word-diese back into the spotlight: our colleagues at Numerama published an in-depth investigation, backed up by numerous eyewitness accounts. And, above all, a name. That of Baptiste Mortier-Dumont, alias ExperimentBoy, 1.16 million subscribers.
"He asked me to do things, showed me what he was doing".
As his pseudonym suggests, the young man has been making a name for himself since 2012 with his wacky, spectacular and explosive scientific experiments. With his extremely cheerful face, teasing headline and short videos, his target audience is more likely to be a young audience looking for entertainment than a seasoned scientist. Described by France 2 as a "young, slightly mad scientist", he is described as the star of the "13-24 age group" in a report by France 3.
Throughout the summer, Numerama's editorial team gathered a number of testimonials making serious accusations against ExperimentBoy. Thirteen in all. We used to send each other videos when I came home from school," explains Quentin, now 17. I could do whatever he wanted. He'd ask me to do things, show me what he was doing. He advised me to buy certain sex objects, which I did. Numerama explains that the witnesses have a similar profile. They are "young boys who describe themselves as having been 'naive' or 'uncomfortable' as children".
Two complaints lodged
With a spectacular number of followers and a high profile among young people, the youtuber himself approaches young boys on social networks. "He'd tell me to trust him, and I'd tell him about my problems at school, and I quickly became attached. It was the first time a friend had shown me affection. He realised that I had no idea what friendship was and invented a definition of friendship that suited him, so that I fell into it", explains a certain François, aged 11 at the time of his first discussions with the youtuber.
"Don't tell anyone else. [...] It's not a game either, and not that there's anything wrong, just that I exist publicly, so it's complicated," reads a screenshot of a discussion. According to Numerama, two complaints were filed against the youtuber in June and August 2020 for corruption of minors.
"Attempt to destabilise
Back in June, as a number of witnesses began to accuse him on Twitter, ExperimentBoy wrote: "I'll be brief: the perpetrators of the destabilisation attempt will very shortly be brought before the competent courts. I will announce the date of the hearing and the court concerned at a later date. I'll let my lawyers do their job and get on with my projects.
On Wednesday, Numerama also published the response of the youtuber's lawyers to the investigation against him: "In addition to the clear breach of the presumption of innocence, Mr Mortier-Dumont deplores an investigation whose timing (the respondent's position was sought immediately before publication of the article) suggests - even before reading the article - a biased position. He will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone who makes defamatory comments or attacks the presumption of innocence". A few hours after the publication of Numerama's investigation, the most 'liked' comments under ExperimentBoy's latest videos all refer to the accusations against him.
United States: almost 240,000 displaced by California fires
FIRES Around twenty fires are still ravaging California. Almost 240,000 people have been displaced. While other states have come to the aid of the Californian fire brigade, international aid has been requested.
Nearly 240,000 people have so far been evacuated to escape the fires ravaging California. In recent hours, the authorities have received reinforcements in terms of men and equipment, ahead of a possible new series of storms.
Around twenty major hotspots were still active on Sunday, including the LNU Lightning Complex and the SCU Lightning Complex, to the north and south-east of San Francisco respectively.
The LNU has already burned through more than 138,000 hectares, making it the second largest perimeter fire in California's history, behind the Mendocino Complex and its 185,000 hectares that went up in smoke in July 2018.
The SCU Complex is already the third most destructive fire, with more than 137,000 hectares destroyed, whereas it was only contained to 10% on Sunday morning.
In all, over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in the California wildfires, which have resulted in at least five deaths, including 845 in the LNU Complex alone, which was contained at 17% on Sunday.
Reinforcements requested
Nearly 240,000 people have been evacuated in the "Golden State", as the state is known, Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the Californian fire protection agency CalFire, said on Sunday in a video posted on Twitter.
The Californian authorities have acknowledged that the number of fire-fighters was initially insufficient to combat so many large-scale fires effectively.
But over the last few hours, California firefighters have received reinforcements of men and equipment from several American states, including Oregon, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, announced a CalFire spokesman. Around 200 men from the National Guard were also mobilised, and some 14,000 firefighters were on the ground on Sunday.
International aid
On Sunday, firefighters could count on more than 200 flying aircraft, planes and helicopters, including military aircraft modified to fight the fires. Governor Gavin Newsom has asked for help from Canada and Australia.
Already under stress, California was preparing for a new weather sequence marked by possible thunderstorms until Tuesday, which could lead to fires breaking out.
A series of thunderstorms and a wave of more than 12,000 lightning strikes last weekend and at the beginning of the week have already triggered the fires currently burning in California.
Article from: lenouvelliste