GAROUA-BOULAI, CAMEROON (REUTERS) - Every day at dawn, Mr Polycarpe Fodjo gets up from a makeshift bed under his truck and waits. He should have delivered a load of rice from Cameroon to the Central African Republic (CAR) over three weeks ago, but a violent rebellion across the border has halted trade. With checkpoints closed, he and about 830 other truck drivers line up for breakfast provided by the transport union, while some perishable goods rot in the tropical heat. The bottleneck is being felt in the markets of CAR's capital Bangui, where food is scarce and prices have risen, another blow to the impoverished nation wracked by unrest and corruption. CAR has seen a wave of violence linked to a disputed Dec 27 election won by President Faustin-Archange Touadera. Armed groups opposing Mr Touadera have attacked towns and threatened to storm Bangui, sucking in CAR's army as well as French, Russian, Rwandan and United Nations forces. "We were made to understand that after the elections, the crisis could be resolved," said Mr Fodjo, who is transporting rice for the World Food Programme. The violence has forced more than 30,000 people
TUNIS (AFP) - Tunisian security forces arrested dozens of young people during consecutive nights of disturbances in the capital and other cities, a government spokesman said on Sunday (Jan 17). The disturbances come amid a nationwide lockdown imposed since Thursday - the 10-year anniversary of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's fall from power - as part of efforts to rein in surging coronavirus infections. Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Hayouni told AFP that dozens of young people, mostly aged between 14 and 17, were arrested after they took to the streets to loot and vandalise shopfronts and cars. He also said those arrested stood accused of throwing stones at police in several locations across the country in two nights of violence that peaked on Saturday night. Videos circulating on social media showed young people burning tyres on roads, insulting the police and throwing stones. Even before the recent lockdown, a four-day measure meant to expire on Sunday, Tunisia had since October been under a night-time curfew. Footage also showed people forcing the doors of shops and stealing household appliances. Sousse - a magnet for foreign holidaymakers in normal times, but
RIO DE JANEIRO: A coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinovac showed "general efficacy" of 50.4% in a late-stage trial in Brazil, researchers said on Tuesday, barely enough for regulatory approval and far short of earlier indications.The latest results are a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government has lined up to begin immunization during the second wave of the world's second-deadliest Covid-19 outbreak.The letdown after a more promising partial data disclosure last week may also contribute to criticism that vaccines developed by Chinese manufacturers are not subject to the same public scrutiny as U.S. and European alternatives.Last week, the Brazilian researchers had celebrated results showing 78% efficacy against Covid-19 cases, a rate they have since described as "clinical efficacy."Ricardo Palacios, medical director for clinical research at the Butantan biomedical center in Sao Paulo, said the new figure included infections classified as "very mild" because they did not require clinical assistance.Researchers at Butantan delayed announcement of their results three times, blaming a confidentiality clause in a contract with Sinovac.In the meantime, Turkish researchers said last month that CoronaVac was 91.25% effective based on an interim analysis. Indonesia gave the vaccine emergency use
