diplomacy&development

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS (82mm filters, 42.2 oz./1,195g, 2.8'/0.85m close focus In addition to the launch of the EOS R5 and EOS R6 - two mirrorless cameras that add to Canon's revolutionary EOS R system - Canon Europe (www.Canon- Europe.com) introduces four new RF lenses and two RF extensions.  These new lenses add telephoto capabilities to the innovative RF range, as well as additional creative possibilities in portrait and macro photography, both for professionals and amateurs. Highlighting Canon's continued commitment to the EOS R system and the RF mount, the new products presented today, like the rest of the RF range, take advantage of the system - allowing photographers to experience new levels of quality, performance and creativity.  "Canon's innovative solutions are forward looking and designed to give equipment users greater flexibility," said Amine Djouahra, director of sales and marketing for Canon Central and North Africa.  The new pr

BioNTech and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine shows potential in human trial The World Health Organization and its partners launched the accelerator for access to COVID-19 tools (ACT) to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to diagnostics, therapies and vaccines of COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa (www.Afro.WHO.int) joined immunization experts to urge the international community and African countries to take concrete action to ensure equitable access COVID-19 vaccines, as researchers around the world embark on a race to find effective protection against the virus. "Clearly, as the international community comes together to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapies for COVID-19, equity must be at the center of these efforts," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.  “Too often, African countries are at the bottom of the list for new technologies, including vaccines. These vital products must be

The logo of Sanofi, seen at a company's research and production centre in Vitry-sur-Seine, France, August 6, 2019. It is a pivotal year for Kymera, after spending four years building the company around its protein degradation technology, it’s now setting its sights on the clinic bagging $102 million in a series C to help back in March. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech’s approach makes use of the body’s protein degradation machinery to get rid of disease-causing proteins. Sanofi is now buying into its platform, laying a sizable $150 million as an upfront with more than $2 billion in potential milestones plus royalty payments, should all go to plan. This multi-program collab that sees the French Big Pharma tap Kymera to develop and sell first-in-class protein degrader therapies targeting IRAK4 in patients with immune-inflammatory diseases. The companies will also partner on a second, earlier-stage program. Kymera retains the option to participate in U.S. devel

Congolese President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo returning  to Kinshasa from a visit overseas Congolese President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo returned Thursday morning to Kinshasa from a brief private stay in Belgium during which he however met King Philippe and Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès, while opposition to the appointment of a new president of the Electoral Commission does not disarm, against a backdrop of violence.  Mr. Tshisekedi arrived in Brussels on Sunday on a private rental plane for a "private stay" at a time when the ruling coalition in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is under heavy tension. The duration of his stay was estimated at ten days by the independent Congo news site.  The head of state who is a former opponent proclaimed winner of the presidential election of December 30, 2018, heads the DRC in coalition with the Common Front for Congo (FCC), the platform of former president Joseph Kabila Kabange , a large majority in parl

The mining company GoviEx Uranium discovered gold anomalies at its Falea uranium-copper-silver project in Mali.  Encouraged in particular by the upward trend in the price of gold, it plans to drill in order to obtain an estimate of resources. In Mali, the Falea uranium-copper-silver project is also believed to host significant gold resources. This is what GoviEx Uranium, the company owning the asset, reports this week, adding that the discovery was made possible through a geochemical sampling program.  "The evidence of gold anomalies associated with the Birimian green rocks underlying the uranium-copper-silver mineralization of the Falea project is a convincing development that deserves a drilling program to test the model and the gold content on our land." Said Govind Friedland, executive chairman of the company, adding that the rising price of gold also motivated this decision.  As a reminder, GoviEx is mainly active in the uranium sector, particularly in Niger with

Malawi will benefit from $ 157 million from the World Bank to improve land management and access to water. The funding allocated to the MWASIP project aims to build water infrastructure, strengthen the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people and create 2,500 jobs.  The World Bank will disburse $ 157 million in favor of Malawi, the institution said in a statement released on Monday July 6, 2020. The new funding consists of a loan of $ 78.5 million and a donation of $ 78.5 million from the International Development Association (IDA). He will be assigned to the Malawi Watershed Services Improvement Project (MWASIP).  This aims to increase the sustainable management of spaces in priority watersheds and to improve the livelihoods of rural populations. Concretely, the project will provide $ 40 million in support to strengthen the livelihoods of more than 250,000 beneficiaries through various community grant programs designed to encourage better land management.  It also aims to build

The private equity firm, Helios Partners, received $ 100 million from the Commonwealth Development Corporation. The British institution says it wants to support the post-covid-19 recovery and support sustainable jobs in Africa.  Helios Investment Partners has just secured additional resources for its fourth investment fund dedicated to investments in Africa. Private equity firm with offices in London, Lagos and Nairobi received $ 100 million in equity from the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC Group), the UK institution responsible for financing the private sector in developing countries .  "This investment will help accelerate job creation and facilitate the creation of new sustainable jobs. It will also support the post-COVID-19 recovery by stimulating economic growth across the continent, ”explains CDC Group in a press release. The institution also affirms that its commitment stems from Helios' compliance with new requirements in terms of compliance with enviro