Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
A Belgian court ruled Friday that coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca had committed a "serious breach" of its contract with the European Union amid a major legal battle over delivery obligations that has tarnished the company's image.
The court ordered AstraZeneca to deliver a total of 80.2 million doses to the EU from the time the contract was agreed up until Sept. 27. The ruling said the company did not appear to have made a "best reasonable effort" to meet the delivery schedule because it had not used its U.K. production sites.
But the Anglo-Swedish company claimed victory, saying that this was far fewer than the 120 million doses that the EU's executive branch, the European Commission, was seeking in total by the end of June. It also welcomed the court's acknowledgement that it was under unprecedented pressure.
AstraZeneca was seen as a key pillar of the EU's vaccine rollout. Its contract with the Commission foresaw an initial 300 million doses being distributed, with an option for another 100 million, but the speed of deliveries was far slower than the company originally thought.
"We are pleased with the Court's order," Executive Vice-President Jeffrey Pott said in a statement. "AstraZeneca has fully complied with its agreement with the European Commission and we will continue to focus on the urgent task of supplying an effective vaccine."
The Commission, for its part, also claimed a victory in that the judge had ordered the company to respect a delivery schedule of 15 million doses by July 26, 20 million doses by August 23 and 15 million doses by Sept. 27. It ordered a fine of 10 euros ($12) per dose not delivered.
"This decision confirms the position of the Commission: AstraZeneca did not live up to the commitments it made in the contract. It is good to see that an independent judge confirms this," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
"This shows that our European vaccination campaign not only delivers for our citizens day by day. It also demonstrates that it was founded on a sound legal basis," she said in a statement.
AstraZeneca's image has been hurt by the slow pace of its vaccine production, but despite EU dissatisfaction with the speed of deliveries the Commission still recommends the company's shots as effective protection against the coronavirus.
Ultimately, AstraZeneca is likely to meet the court's order with ease. It had already supplied 30 million doses until the end of March. From March to June, it supplied a further 40 million doses. That leaves it with just over 10 million of the 80.2 million doses to provide by Sept. 27.
Two further hearings have been scheduled for September in case the Commission is still not satisfied.
From the beginning, the Commission has claimed that it launched the emergency legal procedure, which started at the Brussels Court of First Instance last month, simply to secure the vaccine doses that EU member countries were promised.
It accused AstraZeneca of acting in bad faith by providing shots to other countries, notably Britain, and argued that the company should have used its production sites in the U.K. to help fill the EU's order.
But AstraZeneca argued that the challenges of producing and delivering the vaccine could not have been foreseen during a once-in-a-century pandemic, and that its U.K. sites were primarily meant to be used to service its contract with the British government.
In its 67-page ruling though, the court suggested that the company might not have used all the means at its disposal, including the Oxford Biomedica and Halix sites in the U.K., to meet its EU supply schedule. This could be perceived as not making a "best reasonable effort" to fulfil its contract.
In its statement, AstraZeneca said that it "now looks forward to renewed collaboration with the European Commission to help combat the pandemic in Europe."
While its deliveries will continue this year, the Commission has already decided not to renew its contract with the company.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.