Tag Archives: caribbean

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US Congress Evacuated Amdist Pro-Trump Demos

A swarm of right-wing extremists egged on by President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday while Republicans in Congress began their attempt to subvert democracy and block certification of the electoral college count from the 2020 presidential election.

Members of Congress were evacuated from Senate and House chambers due to the attack. CNN reported that there was an armed stand-off happening outside the House floor.

“House pool reports we’re getting in right now is that there is an armed standoff at the House front door, police have guns drawn and someone is trying to reach the front door,” CNN’s Manu Raju said.

The rioters descended on DC from across the country as part of a so-called “Stop The Steal” protest, organized by Trump allies who have bought into debunked conspiracy theories that the election was fraudulent. Trump was handily defeated by President-elect Joe Biden by 7 million votes and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College.

Despite that reality, thousands of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol shortly after Trump addressed them, again lied about the election results, and urged them to support his attempted coup. They listened and within hours were violently attacking police officers—despite for months insisting they “backed the Blue”—and trying to breach the Capitol building in an act of domestic terrorism.

As he was sheltering in the Longworth Office Building because protestors had stormed the capital, Rep Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) called into MSNBC around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
“Obviously, I have never experienced anything like this,” he said from his office.

He talked about hearing explosions, having to lock his doors and repeatedly getting alerts through his computer system. Boyle told anchors Chuck Todd, Katie Tur and Andrea Mitchell that his staff had been prepared for a “long night” and to take precautions during the day, like using the underground tunnels system.

However, he said, he didn’t expect chaos to arrive so early in the proceedings.

“This is much worse than I was anticipating,” Boyle said.

Some protesters began physically scaling the Capitol, while others breached the building and made their way outside the Senate chamber, according to the Huffington Post.

The violent clashes earlier forced a lockdown of the House and Senate, interrupting the certification process and also forcing evacuations of the Madison Library of Congress Building and the Cannon House Office Building, forcing reporters, congressional staff to leave.

Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter that she was forced to shelter in place in her office amid the chaos.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from Oklahoma, was also forced to evacuate and denounced the violence.

Wednesday’s incidents came after similar clashes on Tuesday evening, where right wing protesters clashed with police.

Keya Vakil

Keya Vakil Keya is a reporter at COURIER, where he covers everything from healthcare to climate change. Prior to joining Courier Newsroom, Keya worked as a researcher in the film industry and dabbled in the

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Person of interest in Police custody

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Troy Francis of Conaree/Cayon for whom a Person of Interest Poster was issued is now in Police custody.

He was captured by Officers at John Street, Newtown on Tuesday night, January 5.

The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force thanks its media partners for disseminating the information and the public for any assistance given with this matter.

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Biden Confirmation Today, Despite Trump’s Efforts to Overturn Election

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress will convene on Wednesday to set the seal on President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in what is expected to be an unusually contentious and drawn-out proceeding because of planned objections by Republicans allied with President Donald Trump.

Here’s what to expect from the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

What is happening?

Both chambers of Congress are meeting to formally tally the Electoral College results, the final step in the months-long process to select the U.S. president. Vice-President Mike Pence will formally preside over the session.

The results are based on votes cast on Dec. 14 by slates of “electors” who met in each state to reflect the winner of that state’s popular vote. A total of 538 electoral votes are allotted to states and the District of Columbia based on their congressional representation. Biden captured 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232.

The proceedings, which will kick off at 1 p.m. ET (18:00 GMT), are typically brief and ceremonial. This year, it could drag into Thursday, as some Republicans plan to challenge the result in key states.

 

How will votes be read and objections be handled?

Pence will open sealed certificates from the U.S. states and the District of Columbia that declare their electoral votes. Should Pence be unavailable, his duties can be carried out by the longest-serving senator in the majority party, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will read the certificates out loud and officially tally the votes.

Objections to a state’s results must be made in writing and endorsed by at least one Senator and one member of House of Representative.

If this happens, the joint session disbands and each chamber will hold a two-hour debate and vote on each objection one after the other. A majority of each chamber must support an objection for any electoral votes to be voided.

Republicans have suggested they will submit objections in writing to the results of as many as six battleground states.

 

Could Congress void Biden’s win?

If enough electoral votes were voided, neither Biden nor Trump would have the 270 votes needed to secure the presidency, and Congress would pick the next president.

But there is virtually no chance of that happening.

A majority of both chambers needs to support an objection for electoral votes to be voided, and Democrats control the House.

Even the Senate, controlled by Republicans, is highly unlikely to vote to void votes.

Senator Ted Cruz and at least 11 other Republican senators are expected to reject electors. But most of the chamber’s 100 members, including high-profile Republicans, have recognized Biden as the incoming president.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the body’s top Republican, acknowledged Biden’s victory on Dec. 15 and has urged other Republicans to refrain from objecting on Wednesday.

Can Pence award the election to Trump?

No. Pence’s role is ceremonial, and he doesn’t have the power to overturn the results of the election despite being under pressure from Trump to do so.

Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, said on Monday that while the vice president welcomed lawmakers’ authority to raise objections and “bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people,” he will not deviate from his role.

“He … will uphold the Constitution and follow the statutory law,” Short told Reuters on Monday.

In the extremely unlikely event that Pence voids electoral college votes, his actions would almost certainly be challenged in court.

On Friday, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit brought by Representative Louie Gohmert that sought to allow Pence to declare Trump the victor.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Sonya Hepinstall)

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St. Kitts and Nevis temporarily suspends BA flights from UK

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts –- The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has made the decision to suspend all British Airways (BA) flights from the United Kingdom (UK) from January 1 to January 16. Previously BA flights has been suspended from December 26 to January 2, 2021.

This essential decision came about after the UK reported a new strain of coronavirus in December 2020, which, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), has “increased transmissibility.”

Several nations around the world, including St. Kitts and Nevis, have suspended travel from the UK.

While BA continues to fly from its main hub of Gatwick, it does so on a much-reduced timetable with St. Kitts and Nevis.

BA has been removed from the schedule for two weeks following the announcement of a 14-day lockdown.

“England faces new information about the new COVID-19 variant,” according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Federation will continue to monitor the developing situation in the UK and will update the protocols accordingly. Travellers should regularly check the websites of St. Kitts Tourism Authority, www.stkittstourism.kn, and Nevis Tourism Authority, www.nevisisland.com, for updates and information on travel requirements.

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Puerto Rico to Reopen Beaches, Pools

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s new governor announced Tuesday that he will reopen beaches, marinas and pools, eliminate a Sunday lockdown and shorten a curfew that has been in place since the pandemic began to control the number of COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi stressed alcohol will be banned at beaches and other places, and that social distancing is required between people who are not family members, with no large groups allowed to gather. Meanwhile, the new curfew will run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and face masks remain mandatory.

He said the new measures go into effect Jan. 8 and will be in place for 30 days but can be amended any time if there’s a spike in cases.

The announcement was cheered by many across Puerto Rico who have long sought to visit the U.S. territory’s beaches that had remained off limits to all except those doing exercise.

“It’s quality of life,” Pierluisi said.

He also ordered Puerto Rico’s Treasury Department to use federal funds and create economic incentives to help tens of thousands of small and medium businesses hard hit by strict closures that have been in place since March.

The U.S. territory of 3.2 million people has reported more than 127,000 confirmed and probable cases and more than 1,200 confirmed deaths.

Pierluisi kept in place other measures implemented by former Gov. Wanda Vázquez, including the closure of bars and a limited capacity at gyms, restaurants and other places.

“Our goal has to be to be able to return to a new normal,” Pierluisi said. “We have to keep taking preventive measures in the meantime.”

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US: Dems Close to Senate Control in Close Georgia Vote

(Bloomberg) — Democrat Jon Ossoff claimed victory over Republican David Perdue in Georgia Wednesday morning with a lead of about 16,000 votes in a race that was still too close for major news organizations to call.

“Whether you were for me or against me, I will be for you in the U.S. Senate,” Ossoff said in an online statement.

He held a slight lead of about 16,000 votes over Perdue, a former corporate executive and one-term senator.

Democrats have already captured one of Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats as Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler in one of the runoff races, according to the Associated Press.

In Ossoff’s race, some of the outstanding votes yet to be counted are coming from heavily Democrat precincts. But it could take days to get the final tally, as 17,000 military and overseas ballots can still be counted as late as Friday, and some domestic absentee ballots were still out. The narrow results will almost certainly spark legal challenges or recounts that also could delay a final determination of Senate control.

Two Democratic victories in Georgia would narrowly flip control of the Senate to Democrats. The chamber would be split 50-50 between Republicans and the Democratic caucus, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes.

Senate control, paired with the Democrats’ narrow majority in the House, would give Democratic President-elect Joe Biden a unified U.S. government and could smooth the path for his nominations and some major legislation.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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UK: Assange Refused Bail, Stays in Jail

Julian Assange has been refused bail by a judge who this week rejected a US request to have him extradited to face espionage and hacking charges.

The co-founder of WikiLeaks has been held at Belmarsh prison in south-east London for the past 18 months after he was evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy, where he sought asylum for seven years.

Two days after her ruling against the US extradition request, which is being challenged, district judge Vanessa Baraitser said the 49-year-old “still has an incentive to abscond from these, as yet unresolved, proceedings” and she was satisfied he would fail to surrender if bailed.

“As a matter of fairness the US must be allowed to challenge my decision,” said the judge, sitting at Westminster magistrates court after overseeing the extradition hearing at the Old Bailey earlier this week and last year.

Assange “had already demonstrated a willingness to flout” the orders of the court, she said, and people who had previously put their trust in him and given sureties had been let down and had their money forfeited. She was also satisfied that his mental health was being managed at Belmarsh.

Making the bail application, Assange’s lawyers said when he absconded eight years ago to enter the Ecuadorian embassy was in “totally different circumstances” and he now had the opportunity to be reunited in the UK with his partner and two young children. He would live at their address and wear an ankle tag.

After Monday’s rejection of the US extradition request, Edward Fitzgerald QC said Assange “now has every reason to stay in this jurisdiction, where he has the protection of the rule of law and this court’s decision”.

“The experience of going to the Ecuadorian embassy was in the end an extremely unpleasant experience leading to him being confined for seven years and a change in the government leading to a change in the position. That is something he is never likely to repeat,” he added.

The bail application was contested by Clair Dobin, a barrister appearing for the US authorities, who said the court “should be under no illusions” as to readiness of other states to offer protection to Assange.

She referred to an offer of asylum the president of Mexico had extended to Assange following Monday’s ruling. Assange would not necessarily have to leave the UK, she said, adding: “He would just have to enter another country’s embassy.”

His past activities, including involvement in helping the US whistleblower Edward Snowden, showed Assange had resources and “the sheer wherewithal” to arrange his own flight.

However, Fitzgerald said Mexico’s offer was “quite clearly” intended come into effect after the legal proceeding in the UK had concluded and provide Assange with an option of refuge elsewhere in the world were he to choose to leave the UK.

“It was not a suggestion that they would welcome him into their embassy,” said Fitzgerald.

There was a dispute over Covid-19 rates in Belmarsh prison, where Assange’s lawyers maintained there had been a severe outbreak among dozens of prisoners on the wing where the 49-year-old was being held.

“In any view, the [Covid-19 in prison] position is worse now than before Christmas and he would be safer isolating with his family in the community subject to severe restrictions rather than at Belmarsh, which clearly has had a very significant outbreak,” said Fitzgerald.

The court also received confirmation that lawyers for the US would appeal against Monday’s extradition ruling. While rejecting arguments that Assange would not get a fair trial in the US, on Monday Baraitser blocked extradition on the basis that procedures in prisons there would not prevent him from potentially taking his own life.

The American prosecutor seeking to put Assange on trial in the US has meanwhile said he was uncertain if Joe Biden’s incoming White House administration would continue to seek the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder.

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COVID & CBI-A Remote Working Alternative

LONDON, Jan. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — With many countries starting the new year with another national lockdown, working from home has transcended as a norm.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led destinations, hospitality providers and travellers to implement creative travel solutions, including extended stays for people who are able to work remotely.

In the tourism-reliant Caribbean, citizenship by investment programmes helps provide a method for regional destinations to maintain a level of tourism activity while also ensuring local communities’ health and safety.

Several nations across the planet currently offer Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes. These Programmes grant investors an instantaneous route to nationality in return for a contribution to the host country’s society, culture or economy.

Ranked best in the industry are the Caribbean islands of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. Their 12-week citizenship process, affordable investment thresholds and tropical climate make the islands give high-earning remote workers the chance to elevate their work-life balance with sun, sand, sea and safety.

“As remote working becomes the norm, individuals are welcoming the idea of living and working remotely from a safer, less populated destination that offers a healthier lifestyle,” says Micha Emmett, the CEO of London headquartered legal advisory firm CS Global Partners.

The firm continually monitors the various citizenship by investment programmes, and since the beginning of the pandemic, the firm has noticed a peak in inquiries about second citizenship. “Many of the hotels and resorts offer villa experiences so travellers and remote workers can quarantine and social distance in luxury,” Emmett added.

Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis also have some of the lowest coronavirus cases in the region. As of January 5th, the UK no longer requires getting a PCR test to depart Dominica and the CDC has marked St Kitts and Nevis as “Level 1: Low Level of COVID-19”.

With second citizenship from these Caribbean countries, investors and their families can also live and work in the nation while gaining visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 75 percent of the globe. Those interested in applying can do so from their homes’ safety by getting in touch with an authorised agent. Once due diligence checks are cleared, applicants can apply for a passport and embody the digital nomad persona.

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COVID-19 World View-Jan. 6

Los Angeles County, CA. : More than 1,000 Die in Less than a Week

More than 1,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Los Angeles County over the past week as California grapples with surging cases and overwhelmed hospitals.

“L.A. County reached the terrible milestone of more than 11,000 deaths due to Covid-19,” Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in a statement, as she urged all residents to stay home and follow public health orders.

“As a community, we must commit to stopping the spread of Covid-19 in its tracks so that we can save as many lives as possible.”

The pandemic has devastated much of the US state.

On Tuesday, the state reported 368 new coronavirus deaths — pushing the number of lives lost in the state to 27,000 since the start of the pandemic. Some 2.45 million have been infected.

The surge in cases has put California at the epicenter of the US’s struggle against coronavirus.

Colombia brings back lockdowns as coronavirus cases rise

By MANUEL RUEDAyesterday
A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Colombia’s capital city is reimposing lockdown measures on Tuesday as new coronavirus infections rise around the country. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)

 

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As the holiday season winds down, Colombia is experiencing a sharp rise in coronavirus infections that has prompted several cities to impose curfews and stay at home measures that had not been implemented for months.

In the capital city of Bogota, the local government locked down three districts that have a population of about 2.5 million people, ordering all businesses except for supermarkets and pharmacies in that part of the city to close.

In Medellin, Colombia’s second-largest city, authorities announced a curfew that will last from 10 p.m.to 5 a.m. every day until next week. Night-time curfews have also been adopted in the city of Cali and in some towns along Colombia’s Caribbean coast where thousands of tourists are still spending their holidays.

Officials said the measures are being taken to control a growing number of infections and stabilize hospitalization rates.

Colombia was reporting around 8,000 new coronavirus infections per day at the end of November, but transmission appears to have risen in December as people traveled for the holidays, met with their families, and in some cases, held mass gatherings and dance parties, despite a government ban on such activities.

Over the past week, the South American country has been reporting more than 11,000 infections per day, while in some cities ICU wards for coronavirus patients have reached 90% occupancy rates.

In Bogota, 23 hospitals – out of 60 – reported on Monday that their ICU wards were fully occupied. On Tuesday, officials said that they were locking down part of the city to prevent hospitals from overflowing.

“In the following days we will have 1.3 million people returning” from vacation, Luis Ernesto Gomez, the city’s acting mayor, said on Tuesday. Mayor Claudia Lopez is currently on vacation. “That will put pressure on our hospitals and increase interactions and contagion,” Gomez said.

The districts which have been placed on lockdown for two weeks include wealthy Usaquen, which is expected by officials to receive large numbers of people coming back from holidays. Officials in Bogota urged incoming travelers to self isolate for a week and work from home.

But many residents expressed their frustration with the return of lockdowns.

“I don’t agree with this,” said Johanna Parra, a housewife from Suba, one of the locked down districts. “Many other area areas of the city are still open, so people will continue to go out and interact.”

European Medicines Agency approves Moderna coronavirus vaccine

The Guardian (UK)- The EU’s drug watchdog has authorised emergency use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, nearly two weeks after approving Pfizer and BioNTech’s shot for the virus.

On Tuesday, Israel became the first country outside North America to grant authorisation to Moderna’s vaccine. The US and Canada have already started rolling out the two-dose vaccine.

Here are some more details on Moderna’s vaccine:

  • The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, is based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which relies on synthetic genes that can be generated and manufactured in weeks, and produced at scale more rapidly than conventional vaccines.Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 was the first authorisation of any treatment developed using this technology. Other firms using mRNA technology for developing Covid-19 vaccines include Germany’s Curevac and US biotech firm Arcturus Therapeutics.
  • Moderna’s vaccine can be stored for up to six months at -20C, though it is expected to be stable for 30 days at normal fridge temperature of 2-8C (36-46F).Those are less onerous requirements than Pfizer’s, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures of -70C, but can last in normal refrigeration for up to five days, or 15 in a thermal shipping box.
  • The vaccine was shown to be nearly 95% effective, with no serious safety concerns in a late-stage study.Moderna was among the first to conduct Covid-19 vaccine human trials, starting in March. Its late-stage 30,000 participant testing began on 27 July in the US. It finished enrolling participants in October.The company slowed enrolment in September to increase the diversity of the trial population. It ultimately enrolled 3,000 Black American participants and more than 6,000 Hispanic participants.The vaccine candidate is being tested at 100 clinical research sites in the US. Moderna’s US trial was the first under the government’s Operation Warp Speed program.

Over in Greece churches have opened their doors – in defiance of nationwide lockdown measures – to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.

The decision to mark the baptism of Christ, a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar, has put the powerful institution on a collision course with the centre right government following a dramatic increase in confirmed coronavirus cases.

Police patrols could be seen imploring mask-wearing worshippers to maintain social distancing rules as services got underway. Local media reported chaotic scenes in Thessaloniki, the country’s northern metropolis, with faithful refusing to adhere to the public health measures as they attended the blessing of the waters.

Police officers arrest a woman for trying to throw a cross into the sea in Thessaloniki, as Greek bishops’ determination to keep churches open for today’s Epiphany holiday in the face of a coronavirus lockdown have stepped up a confrontation with the government over health restrictions
Police officers arrest a woman for trying to throw a cross into the sea in Thessaloniki, as Greek bishops’ determination to keep churches open for today’s Epiphany holiday in the face of a coronavirus lockdown have stepped up a confrontation with the government over health restrictions Photograph: Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images

On Tuesday Greece’s public health organisation, EODY, said infections had more than doubled after 928 people were diagnosed with the virus, up from 427 on Monday. Fatalities rose by 40 bringing the death toll to 5,051 since the onset of the pandemic in March.

After easing restrictions over the Christmas period the government on Saturday unexpectedly ordered a week-long nationwide lockdown, enforcing the closure of places of worship to facilitate the planned reopening of schools next week.

Previously it had said churches could conduct liturgies on Christmas Day, New Year’s day and Epiphany, which officially marks the ending of the festive season.

Infuriated it had not been consulted earlier, the Holy Synod, the Church’s governing body, announced it would not accept the restrictions with bishops telling congregations to attend services.

Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine has become the second to receive approval from Europe’s medicines regulator, as authorities accelerate the roll-out of jabs aimed at curbing the pandemic amid worries about more infectious variants.

Following the green light from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the final step is approval by the European commission which is expected to quickly follow

Japan’s daily coronavirus cases hit record as state of emergency looms

Japan’s Covid-19 cases reached a new daily record on Wednesday, as the government faced mounting pressure from health experts to impose a strict state of emergency for the Tokyo greater metropolitan area.

Rising infections have driven Tokyo and surrounding areas to the highest level of a four-stage alert, prompting regional governors to call for a declaration of emergency that prime minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce on Thursday.

The health ministry held a meeting of infectious disease experts on Wednesday, the second in as many days. They have called for stricter and longer countermeasures, while Suga has sought a more limited response to avoid damaging the economy.

“Even if we take strong measures immediately, it will be difficult to bring the Tokyo metropolitan area down to stage 3 by the end of January,” said Takaji Wakita, chief of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

New infections nationwide reached at least 6,001, a new daily record according to a tally by national broadcaster NHK. Tokyo reported 1,591 cases, also an all-time high.

Without new measures, daily infections in Tokyo could nearly triple to 3,500 per day by February and hit 7,000 by March, according to simulations by Kyoto University scientist Hiroshi Nishiura.

An emergency declaration would need to last at least two months to bring infections to manageable levels, he said.

A senior ruling party lawmaker said on Tuesday it should be imposed for one month, and extended if necessary. The government is anxious about the economic impact as it prepares to host the Olympics this summer.

The government’s top spokesman, Katsunobu Kato, said a decision would likely come on Thursday on whether and for how long to impose the second state of emergency since the start of the pandemic.

Economists warned of a big hit to gross domestic product (GDP) if restrictions are prolonged or expanded, but said that could be unavoidable.

Nationwide, Covid-19 infections reached what was then a daily record of 4,915 on Tuesday, while deaths were also an all-time high of 76.

Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures have asked residents to refrain from non-essential, non-urgent outings after 8pm from Friday until at least the end of the month, and said restaurants and bars must close by that time.

But measures are likely to be far less sweeping than they were during last year’s six-week state of emergency, during which schools and non-essential businesses shut down.

Russia has inoculated 1 million people against Covid-19 with its Sputnik V vaccine, according to a statement on the Sputnik V Twitter account.

Russia, which has the world’s fourth highest number of Covid-19 cases, started large-scale vaccinations last month.

No new adverse reactions have been reported, RIA news agency quoted Alexander Gintsburg, the director of the Gamaleya Institute, which developed the vaccine, as saying.

Hungary should extend a partial lockdown due to end on Monday because of a rise in coronavirus infections in neighbouring countries, the surgeon general, Cecília Müller, said.

The measures imposed by prime minister Viktor Orbán’s government in November include a 7pm curfew, a ban on all gatherings and the closure of hotels and restaurants.

Hungary had received three shipments of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine so far, enough to inoculate 79,000 people, Müller said, adding further doses would arrive on a weekly basis.

As of Wednesday, Hungary had reported 331,768 Covid-19 cases with 10,198 deaths and 179,541 recoveries. More than 5,000 people are in hospital.

With the future leadership of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union to be decided next week and a general election looming in the autumn, Germany’s debate over the slow rollout of the vaccination drive is becoming increasingly politicised.

Influential tabloid Bild, which has in the past done little to hide its enthusiasm for the conservative hardliner Friedrich Merz, has pinned the blame for what it calls the “vaccine debacle” on centrist Merkel’s push for a joint European procurement process.

“Angela Merkel should explain herself”, said a Bild editorial. “She owes this especially to all the old people who now fear for their lives because they cannot be vaccinated”.

Though the start of the immunisation push in Germany has been slow, the country has given a first dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine to 316,962 people, more than any other country in the EU.

The CDU’s junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic party, has meanwhile also turned its guns on health minister Jens Spahn, with finance minister Olaf Scholz sending the conservative politician a catalogue of 24 questions over the handling of the procurement process.

“Mrs Merkel and Mr Spahn have sworn an official oath to shield the German people from harm”, said SPD delegate Florian Post. “But both made a decision to thrust the task of procuring vaccines to the dilettantes around EU commission president von der Leyen”.

The attack line comes as a surprise from the German centre-left, which campaigned in national elections in 2017 with the slogan: “Why Europe? Because we are stronger together than alone”.

Updated at 11.44am GMT

Critics of France’s slow Covid-19 vaccination programme – by 5pm Tuesday evening 7,000 people had received the vaccine – have turned their sights on the health minister, Olivier Véran.

Véran, a doctor/neuroloigist, is under intense political pressure over France’s response to the coronavirus crisis not just from opposition members of parliament, but from his own centrist LREM party.

This pressure was increased after president Emmanuel Macron criticised the slowness of the vaccine rollout.

Véran has promised the inoculation programme will be speeded up and simplified and said 500-600 vaccination centres will be opened across France by the end of the month.

At the moment, those receiving the vaccine attend a medical appointment, are given information about the vaccine and time to consider their options, then asked for written consent. This is taking time among the first patients, most of whom are in elderly care or nursing homes.

France also has a high number of vaccine sceptics: polls suggest more than half the population is unwilling to be inoculated. However, Véran has insisted France will catch up with its neighbours in the coming days.

The French PM’s office has said between 25-30% of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses “might be lost” because of logistical problems.

This figure represents 50-60m doses of the 200m ordered by France. Officials say the figures are a “margin of security that we’re taking to evaluate the number of people who would be vaccinated by the number of doses (of vaccine) we have,” a spokesperson for the PM said.

These losses are likely to be caused by a loss of cooling – the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine must be stored at -70 C (-96F) – as the vaccine is transported to where it is to be used, broken phials or those that are partially used.

“The vaccine is made in multidoses but cannot be kept once it is open. It could happen that certain doses are not used,” the official added.

The University of California’s San Diego campus has launched a newly installed vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself Covid-19 tests for students.

The 11 dispensers at UC San Diego since 2 January – with nine more to be added over the next week or two – are the first of their kind to be introduced on a college or university campus in the US, according to school officials.

Adapted from conventional vending machines, the systems aim to make it easier and less costly to regularly screen the school’s student body.

All 10,000 students living on campus, accounting for about a quarter of the school’s total enrolment, are required to be tested at least once a week, up from once every two weeks last quarter, university officials said.

The test kits are free and can be obtained from the machines with the swipe of a university ID card. Students then swab their own nostrils and deposit the sample for collection and analysis by one of two on-campus laboratories.

Self-testing Covid-19 vending machines on campus at UC San Diego as students return to classes.
Self-testing Covid-19 vending machines on campus at UC San Diego as students return to classes. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Results are usually returned within 12 to 24 hours, UC San Diego chancellor Pradeep Khosla told Reuters.

“They’re an amazing innovation – simple, effective and impactful,” he said of the machines, which have dispensed thousands of tests a day since they began operation.

Students may otherwise avail themselves of testing provided at any of a half-dozen walk-up or drive-through sites on campus.

For anyone testing positive, the university has set up a 600-bed housing unit where infected students who are asymptomatic or suffering mild illness can recover in isolation until they are not contagious.

But the quarantine housing has so far been sparsely used. Fewer than 600 UC San Diego students have contracted Covid over the past 10 months, a university spokeswoman said.

UC San Diego also has the most advanced wastewater Covid testing program of any US college, with sewage samples collected from campus housing sites scanned every 24 hours. The wastewater surveillance enables health officials to indirectly screen all students daily and detect potential outbreaks before they occur.

Despite its ambitious testing, the campus offers fewer than 10% of its winter undergraduate courses in person, using outdoor classrooms under special Covid safety restrictions in effect for educational programs within San Diego County. All other undergraduate courses are conducted remotely

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