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World

Female Nazi concentration camp secretary charged with complicity in 10,000 murders in Germany

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Prosecutors in Itzehoe did not name the woman but said in a statement that they charged her with “aiding and abetting murder in more than 10,000 cases,” as well as complicity in attempted murder.

The woman, who was a minor at the time of the alleged crimes, “is accused of having assisted those responsible at the camp in the systematic killing of Jewish prisoners, Polish partisans and Soviet Russian prisoners of war in her function as a stenographer and secretary to the camp commander,” between June 1943 and April 1945, the prosecutors said in a statement.

She will face a juvenile court because she was under 18 when she served in Stutthof.

It is estimated that about 65,000 people were murdered during the Holocaust in the Stutthof concentration camp, near the Polish city now called Gdansk.

German prosecutors are investigating 13 other cases connected to the concentration camps of Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Mauthausen and Stutthof, according to the Central Office for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes.

Last summer, a 93-year-old former guard at Stutthof, identified as Bruno D., was convicted of thousands of counts of being an accessory to murder and given a two-year suspended prison sentence

He, too, was tried in a juvenile court because because he was 17 years old at the time he served in Stutthof.

First established by the Nazis in 1939, Stutthof went on to house a total of 115,000 prisoners, more than half of whom died there. Around 22,000 went on to be transferred from Stutthof to other Nazi camps.

An estimated 6 million Jewish people were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Also killed were hundreds of thousands of Roma people and people with mental or physical disabilities.

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Business

Deutsche Bank swings to annual profit, beating expectations

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A Deutsche Bank AG flag flies outside the company’s office on Wall Street in New York.

Mark Kauzlarich | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Deutsche Bank on Thursday beat earnings expectations for 2020 as it emerges from the coronavirus crisis, led by a strong performance in its investment banking division.

Germany’s largest lender posted a full-year net profit of 113 million euros ($135.7 million), whereas analysts had expected a loss of 201 million euros, according to Refinitiv. Deutsche reported a 5.7 billion euro loss for 2019 as it underwent major restructuring.

The bank netted a 51 million euro profit for the fourth quarter, compared to analyst expectations of a 325 million euro loss.

The bank’s CFO, James von Moltke, told CNBC shortly after the announcement that it had hit all of its goals for the year.

Higher revenues and cost reductions helped Deutsche’s investment banking division perform well, with net revenues rising 32% to 9.8 billion euros in 2020.

This “more than offset a rise in provision for credit losses resulting from COVID-19,” the bank said in a statement.

Here are the other highlights:

  • Total fourth-quarter net revenues were 5.5 billion euros, compared to 5.35 billion euros for the same period in 2019, bringing group net revenues for the year to 24 billion euros, up 4% from 2019.
  • Common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio — a measure of bank solvency —  came in at 13.6%, unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2019.
  • Fourth-quarter loan loss provisions were 251 million, versus 723 million in the final quarter of 2019.

“In the most important year of our transformation, we were able to more than offset transformation-related effects and elevated credit provisions – despite the global pandemic,” CEO Christian Sewing said in the earnings report.

“We have built firm foundations for sustainable profitability, and are confident that this overall positive trend will continue in 2021, despite these challenging times.”

This is a breaking story, please check back later for more.

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Business

Which Is the Best Covid Vaccine? Rivals Are Pfizer, Astra, Modern and Sputnik

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Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis.

Few people care who made their flu shot or their childhood immunizations against a range of deadly diseases. Covid changed that, turning vaccine makers into household names and prompting calls for choice.

Doses remain scarce for now, amid a global scramble inflamed by a dispute between the European Union and British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc. Most of the more than 90 million people who’ve gotten a shot consider themselves lucky for any protection against the pandemic. But vaccines are proliferating, with positive trial data from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc. placing their candidates next in line for approval.

Health officials will have to figure out how to allocate all these different vaccines. The European Medicines Agency approved the AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday for all adults, but limited trial data on its effectiveness in the elderly has led some countries to impose restrictions. Germany said it should be used only for those under 65, while Italy cautioned against administering it to those over 55.

Many people who’ve been boning up on efficacy rates, dosing schedules or side effects want to decide for themselves. If the options are a shot from a Western drugmaker that’s been vetted by an independent regulator or one from a Russian or Chinese lab with lesser transparency, that desire is even greater.

“We demand the government to provide people the freedom of choice,” said Gergely Arato, a member of the opposition Democratic Coalition party in Hungary.

Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccines.

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

Hungary broke ranks with other EU members to approve Russia’s Sputnik V and a vaccine from China’s Sinopharm Group Ltd. alongside the three shots cleared by Europe’s drug regulator — from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca. While Prime Minister Viktor Orban is technically offering choice, his promotion of the Chinese and Russian shots is endangering people’s “willingness to get vaccinated,” Arato said at a press conference this month.

In the U.S., where the only two shots authorized so far — from Pfizer and Moderna — use similar technology and demonstrated virtually identical test results, choice may matter less for now. Elsewhere, however, some health authorities have begun catering to people’s concerns about vaccine differences.

Dubai, Hong Kong

In Dubai, residents older than 60 or with pre-existing conditions can access the shot Pfizer developed with BioNTech SE, or the one from Sinopharm.

In Hong Kong, officials ordered enough doses of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and AstraZeneca — along with plans to secure a fourth option — to cover the 7.5 million residents.

The Pfizer shot will be available at community vaccination centers, with the Sinovac and Astra options offered at private hospitals and clinics, and people will be given the choice of which they want to receive. That’s important in Hong Kong, where some people are wary of taking a Chinese-made vaccine.

“If residents don’t want to take a certain vaccine, they can choose to get the shots at another time and another location,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in December.

Supplies are so tight in most of the world that choice remains impossible. Those getting shots often have no idea which one they’ll receive until they walk through the door of a vaccination center or doctor’s office. But that could change if vaccines from the likes of J&J, Novavax and CureVac NV come on stream in the coming weeks, and as pharma giants like Sanofi and Novartis AG lend their heft to the production effort.

EU Approval

Even if they don’t offer choice, health officials have to decide who gets what. At the Cleveland Clinic, Cassandra Calabrese has been telling patients to take whatever vaccine they get offered, even though some have been asking her which one she’d recommend. “Things may be different as more are approved,” she said in an email.

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Photographer: Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg

The European Union, criticized for its slow rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, expanded its offerings Friday by approving AstraZeneca’s shot. In a sign of the growing tide of people wanting to choose, the approval came after days of pitched debate about the shot’s efficacy, with Germany’s immunization commission recommending against its use in seniors.

In the U.K., where infections and fatalities are much higher than in Hong Kong, health authorities are prioritizing the quick inoculation of as many people as possible. The second dose of two-shot vaccines is being delayed in an effort to get first injections into as many arms as possible. Other countries are considering similar steps.

Distribution is based on “supply and logistics, such as availability of very cold freezers,” a U.K. Department of Health spokesman said by email. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots must be kept frozen for long-term storage, while refrigeration suffices for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Efficacy Rates

Although the U.K. has set a priority list for vaccine recipients — starting with the oldest, most vulnerable people — it doesn’t allocate the different shots based on a person’s profile, the agency added. So one 80-year-old patient might receive the AstraZeneca shot while someone else with the same age and health conditions might get the Pfizer one.

Some Britons are expressing a preference on the grounds of patriotism rather than what they might have read about different efficacy rates or side effects. Never mind that the U.S. company’s vaccine was 95% effective in large trials, compared with an average of 70% for AstraZeneca’s shot.

“They’re saying they want to wait for the British one,” Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said in a phone interview. “I think that it’s purely a nationalistic viewpoint.”

— With assistance by Veronika Gulyas, Jinshan Hong, and Adveith Nair

(Updates with German, Italian guidelines in third paragraph)

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Business

J&J vaccine adds to COVID-19 armoury, includes South African variant

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(Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson said on Friday that its single-dose vaccine was 66% effective in preventing COVID-19 in a large global trial against multiple variants, giving health officials another weapon to tackle the pandemic.

In the trial of nearly 44,000 volunteers, the level of protection against moderate and severe COVID-19 varied from 72% in the United States, to 66% in Latin America and just 57% in South Africa, from where a worrying variant has spread.

The data showed that the vaccine’s effect on the South Africa variant was diminished compared to the unaltered virus, but infectious disease and public health experts said it can still help contain the virus spread and prevent deaths.

Midstage trial data from Novavax on Thursday also documented lower effectiveness in South Africa.

Rival shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna were both around 95% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in pivotal trials when given in two doses.

Those trials were conducted mainly in the United States and before the emergence of new variants. These mean that the world is racing against time and with limited supplies to vaccinate as many people as possible, and quickly, to prevent virus surges.

COVID-19 is rising in 37 countries and infections have surpassed 101 million globally.

Top U.S. infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci said the world needs to vaccinate quickly to try to get ahead of these changes in the virus.

“It’s really a wake up call for us to be nimble and to be able to adjust as this virus will continue for certain to evolve,” Fauci said.

J&J’s main goal was the prevention of moderate to severe COVID-19, and the vaccine was 85% effective in stopping severe disease and preventing hospitalization across all geographies and against multiple variants 28 days after immunization.

That “will potentially protect hundreds of millions of people from serious and fatal outcomes of COVID-19,” Paul Stoffels, J&J’s chief scientific officer, said.

J&J shares were down 4% at $162.7 at 1700 GMT, with some Wall Street analysts saying its vaccine’s effectiveness was below those of rivals. Moderna’s stock gained 8% to $172.80.

SEEKING APPROVAL

J&J plans to seek emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next week and will soon follow up with the European Union and the rest of the world.

It has said it plans to deliver 1 billion doses of the vaccine, which it will make in the United States, Europe, South Africa and India, in 2021.

Public health officials are counting on it to increase much-needed supply and simplify immunization in the United States, which has a deal to buy 100 million doses of J&J’s vaccine and an option for an additional 200 million.

J&J said the vaccine would be ready immediately upon emergency approval, but Stoffels declined to say how many doses.

“The key is not only overall efficacy but specifically efficacy against severe disease, hospitalization, and death,” said Walid Gellad, a health policy associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

J&J’s vaccine uses a common cold virus to introduce coronavirus proteins into cells and trigger an immune response, whereas the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines employ a new technology called messenger RNA.

Unlike these vaccines, J&J’s does not require a second shot weeks after the first or need to be kept frozen, making it a strong candidate for use in parts of the world where transportation and cold storage present problems.

“Most countries are still desperate to get their hands on doses, regardless of whether or not the vaccine is considered highly effective. Moderately effective will do just fine for now,” Michael Breen, Director of Infectious Diseases and Ophthalmology at research firm GlobalData, said.

‘OVERWHELMED’

Several studies have emerged this month showing that a South African variant has mutated in areas of the virus that are key targets of vaccines, reducing their efficacy.

“What we are learning is there is different efficacy in different parts of the world,” Stoffels told Reuters.

In a sub-study of 6,000 volunteers in South Africa, Stoffels said, the J&J vaccine was 89% effective at preventing severe disease. In the South Africa portion of the trial, 95% of cases were infections with the South African variant.

“I am overwhelmed by the fact that this vaccine protected against severe disease even in South Africa,” said Glenda Gray, the joint lead investigator of the South African vaccine trial.

In the J&J trial, which was conducted in eight countries, 44% of participants were from the United States, 41% from Central and South America and 15% from South Africa. Just over a third of the volunteers were over 60.

Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Manas Mishra, Dania Nadeem and Manojna Maddipatla in Bengalaru, Rebecca Spalding and Michael Erman in New York and Promit Mukherjee in Johannesburg; Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Peter Henderson, Edwina Gibbs, Keith Weir and Caroline Humer

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World

Navalny defiant as Russian court rejects arrest appeal

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MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Thursday rejected opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s appeal of his arrest while authorities detained several of his allies and issued warnings to social media companies after tens of thousands swarmed the streets in over 100 Russian cities last weekend demanding his release.

Appearing in court by video link from jail, Navalny denounced criminal proceedings against him as part of the government’s efforts to intimidate the opposition.

“You won’t succeed in scaring tens of millions of people who have been robbed by that government,” he said. “Yes, you have the power now to put me in handcuffs, but it’s not going to last forever.”

The 44-year-old Navalny, the most well-known critic of President Vladimir Putin’s government, was arrested Jan. 17 upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusations.

Navalny was arrested and jailed for 30 days at the request of Russia’s penitentiary service, which charged that he had violated the probation terms of his suspended sentence from a 2014 money-laundering conviction that rejected as politically driven. He is also currently facing accusations in two separate criminal probes.

Before the Moscow Region Court rejected the appeal of his recent arrest, defense lawyers argued that while undergoing rehabilitation in Germany, Navalny could not register with authorities as required by the probation terms. His lawyers also charged that Navalny’s due process rights were repeatedly violated during his arrest.

Navalny described his jailing following an earlier court hearing quickly held at a police station as a mockery of justice.

“It was demonstrative lawlessness intended to scare me and all others,” he told the Moscow court.

Navalny’s supporters are organizing another round of rallies for Sunday. Police on Wednesday searched Navalny’s apartment, a rented accommodation where his wife, Yulia, has been living and the residences of several of his associates and supporters.

Navalny’s brother, Oleg Navalny, his top ally, Lyubov Sobol, Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva from the Navalny-backed Alliance of Doctors and Maria Alyokhina from the Pussy Riot punk collective were detained for 48 hours as part of a criminal probe into alleged violations of coronavirus regulations during last Saturday’s protests.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the searches and detentions were a legitimate part of police efforts to investigate the alleged violations during the events.

“Law enforcement agencies are doing their job,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “There were numerous violations of Russian laws, and law enforcement agencies are at work.”

Moscow police on Thursday issued a notice to the public not to join protests Sunday, warning that officers would act resolutely to disperse unsanctioned rallies and bring participants to justice.

Also Thursday, Russian prosecutors issued warnings to Facebook, Google, Twitter, TikTok and Russian social networks, demanding that they block calls for more protests.

“The state doesn’t want the social networks to become a platform for promoting such illegal actions,” Peskov said.

Asked if a refusal to remove such content could prompt Russian authorities to block the platforms, Peskov said it would be up to relevant government agencies to consider a response.

“All pros and cons will be weighed and, if necessary, measures envisaged by the law will be taken,” he said.

Earlier this week, Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said it would fine Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and two Russian social networks for their failure to block calls on minors to join Saturday’s protests.

Facebook, Google and TikTok haven’t responded to requests for comment about the Russian authorities’ action. Twitter refused to comment to The Associated Press on Thursday.

Also Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal probe against Navalny’s top strategist, Leonid Volkov, accusing him of encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies. Volkov, who currently stays abroad, rejected the charges.

“The streets must speak now. There is nothing else left,” Volkov tweeted after Navalny’s appeal was rejected, repeating the call on Russians to turn out in force on Sunday.

In a challenge to Putin two days after Navalny’s arrest, his organization released an extensive video report on a palatial seaside compound allegedly built for the president. It has been viewed over 98 million times, further stoking discontent.

Demonstrations calling for Navalny’s release took place in more than 100 cities across the nation last Saturday, a strong show of rising anger toward the Kremlin. Nearly 4,000 people were reported detained at those protests and some were handed fines and jail terms.

Speaking during Thursday’s court hearing, Navalny thanked his supporters and said, “They are the last barrier preventing our country from sliding into the degradation.”

Navalny fell into a coma while aboard a domestic flight from Siberia to Moscow on Aug. 20. He was transferred from a hospital in Siberia to a Berlin hospital two days later. Labs in Germany, France and Sweden, and tests by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, established that he was exposed to the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities have refused to open a full-fledged criminal inquiry, citing a lack of evidence that Navalny was poisoned.

Navalny’s arrest and the harsh police actions at the protests have brought wide criticism from the West and calls for his release.

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Associated Press business writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.

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World

Germany cautious to end latest COVID-19 lockdown due to risk of more contagious variant

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Amid its latest COVID-19 lockdown and a promising decline in new coronavirus infections, Germany is hesitant to ease restrictions because of the risk posed by a more contagious variant.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 state governors on Tuesday decided to extend the country’s lockdown by two weeks until Feb. 14 and tighten some measures, for example requiring surgical masks — rather than just fabric face coverings — in shops and on public transportation.

On Thursday, Germany’s disease control center said that 20,398 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, nearly 5,000 fewer than a week ago. The number of new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days stood at 119, the lowest since the beginning of November — though still well above the level of 50 the government is targeting. There were 1,013 more deaths, bringing Germany’s total so far to 49,783.

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The new variant, which has been detected in Germany and many other European countries, isn’t yet dominant there, but “we must take the danger from this mutation very seriously,” Merkel told reporters.

“We must slow the spread of this mutation as far as possible, and that means … we must not wait until the danger is more tangible here,” she said. “Then it would be too late to prevent a third wave of the pandemic, and possibly an even heavier one than before. We can still prevent this.”

Merkel said that Germany won’t be able to open up everything at once whenever the lockdown ends, declaring that schools must open first.

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“We must be very careful that we do not see what happens in many countries: they do a hard lockdown, they open, they open too much, and then they have the result that they are back in exponential growth very quickly,” she said.

She pointed to Britain’s experience in December, when the new variant took hold.

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