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Since October last year India and South Africa – backed by 100 other countries – have been passionately making the case to the World Trade Organisation that it should suspend intellectual property rights, such as patents and trademarks, on products needed to fight COVID-19. Earlier this month the US backtracked from its earlier opposition, announcing it supported a waiver on vaccine intellectual property rights. How much of a difference will this make to more equitable access? Erin Hannah, James Scott, Silke Trommer and Sophie Harman issue a word of caution: the US announcement marks the start of the battle, not the end of the war. For their
part, Enrico Bonadio and Filippo Fontanelli set out the challenges facing the campaign.
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Ina Skosana
Health + Medicine Editor (Africa edition)
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Protesters gather in Cambridge to demanding that AstraZeneca shares blueprints for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Luciana Guerra/PA Images via Getty Images
Erin Hannah, Western University; James Scott, King's College London; Silke Trommer, University of Manchester; Sophie Harman, Queen Mary University of London
Much remains to be resolved before the waiver is translated into increased vaccine supply.
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shutterstock.
Enrico Bonadio, City, University of London; Filippo Fontanelli, University of Edinburgh
Waiver talks might convince companies to focus on technology transfer and training, and let go of the plan to maximise patent-based revenues.
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Politics
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Chidi Nzeadibe, University of Nigeria
Bans haven't been effective in curbing the ubiquity of commercial motorcycles in Lagos.
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Festival Godwin Boateng, Columbia University
The inability to curb road accidents in Ghana is tied to colonial and neocolonial legacies.
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From our international editions
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Andrew Turner, University of Plymouth
Thousands of shipping containers are lost at sea each year, dispersing Lego, inkjet cartridges and rubber ducks across the world's beaches.
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Aye Chan Paing, Glasgow Caledonian University; Sebastien Chastin, Glasgow Caledonian University
Even just a few minutes of walking every hour can help better manage blood sugar levels.
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En Français
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Morgane Rosier, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Si l’aide publique au développement n’a jamais été aussi élevée au niveau mondial qu’en 2020, ses montants demeurent insuffisants et ses modalités doivent encore être améliorées.
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Clotilde Jourdain-Fortier, Université de Bourgogne – UBFC; Mathieu Guerriaud, Université de Bourgogne – UBFC
La suspension temporaire de la propriété intellectuelle réclamée par Washington et Paris entraînerait une longue réorganisation de la production incompatible avec l’urgence qu’exige la pandémie.
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Featured events
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Lynnwood, Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0001, South Africa — University of Pretoria
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Development and Alumi Department, Cape Town, Eastern Cape, 7701, South Africa — University of Cape Town
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10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, 7600, South Africa — Stellenbosch University
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Future Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0083, South Africa — University of Pretoria
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