President Joe Biden backed a push this week to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization, in a bid to speed the vaccination rates of nations in need.
From the Associated Press:
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the government’s position, amid World Trade Organization talks about a possible temporary waiver of its protections that would allow more manufacturers to produce the life-saving vaccines.
“The Administration believes strongly in intellectual property protections, but in service of ending this pandemic, supports the waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines,” Tai said in a statement.
The deadline for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government expired this week. Television host and centrist leader Yair Lapid now has the chance to form a coalition of parties to oppose Netanyahu and his Likud political party.
On the 200th anniversary of his death, France is grappling with Napoleon’s legacy. French President Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath on the emperor’s tomb, despite past leaders keeping their distance from the historic figure.
We’ll get to all that and more on the global edition of the Friday News Roundup.
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