Day: July 11, 2020

Restricted access to Grenfell inquiry for survivors and bereaved

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11 July 2020 — WSWS

By Alice Summers

Phase Two of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry resumed Monday after being halted in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than three years on from the devastating fire that claimed 72 lives, the resumption of the inquiry confirms its character as a contemptible cover-up.

This week’s reopening met with widespread outrage from survivors and the bereaved over further proposed delays to proceedings and arrangements restricting their access to hearings. As of Friday, the inquiry had only met for 18 days of hearings since January.

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Africa to Become Testing Ground for “Trust Stamp” Vaccine Record and Payment System

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10 July 2020 — Mint Press

A boy sells fish at his street stall in front of an informational mural warning people about the dangers of the new coronavirus and how to prevent transmission, with words in Swahili reading “We are the Cure”, painted by youth artists from the Uweza Foundation, in the Kibera slum, or informal settlement, of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Africa now has more than a half-million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the true number of cases among Africa’s 1.3 billion people is unknown as its 54 countries face a serious shortage of testing materials for the virus. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A new biometric identity platform partnered with the Gates-funded GAVI vaccine alliance and Mastercard will launch in West Africa and combine COVID-19 vaccinations, cashless payments, and potential law enforcement applications.