Tuesday Briefing: AstraZeneca seeks U.S. authorization of drug to prevent COVID-19

The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, October 5, 2021 by Linda Noakes Sponsored by   Hello Here's what you need to know. New York's largest healthcare provider fires 1,400 unvaccinated workers, Facebook blames a "faulty configuration change" for its outage, and China's property sector default woes deepen Today's biggest stories Protestors demonstrate against the mandate that teachers and staff in the New York City Schools system be vaccinated against COVID-19 as they march in Manhattan in New York City, October 4, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton U.S. AstraZeneca has requested emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators for its new treatment to prevent COVID-19 for people who respond poorly to vaccines because of a weakened immune system. The effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in preventing infection dropped to 47% from 88% six months after the second dose, according to data published that U.S. health agencies considered when deciding on the need for booster shots. New York State's largest healthcare provider, Northwell Health, has fired 1,400 employees who refused to get COVID-19 vaccinations. President Joe Biden will hit the road today to try to shift the spotlight from the wrangling within his Democratic Party over his huge social spending package to its potential benefits for Americans. A New York state judge gave former President Donald Trump a December 23 deadline to undergo questioning in a defamation lawsuit filed by a former contestant on 'The Apprentice' after he denied her sexual assault accusations. The Texas State Board of Pardons and Paroles voted to recommend George Floyd get a full posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction. A man prays inside the Saint-Martin church in Vertou near Nantes, France, October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe WORLD French clergy have sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years, a major investigation found, and its authors accused the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye for too long. Taiwan needs to be on alert for China's "over the top" military activities, the premier said, after a record 56 Chinese aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defence zone, while the president said the island would do what it took to defend itself. Read our factbox on Taiwan-China relations. Germany's Greens met Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives for talks to explore whether they and a smaller liberal party could form a new coalition government following last month's national election. We explain the three big economic challenges facing Germany's next government. Support for the government of Japan's new prime minister is less than 50%, much lower than that of the previous government when it took power, a survey showed, a day after he took office and surprised many by calling an election on October 31. Japanese-born American Syukuro Manabe, German Klaus Hasselmann and Italian Giorgio Parisi won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Physics for work that helps understand complex physical systems such as Earth's changing climate. BUSINESS Facebook blamed a "faulty configuration change" for a nearly six-hour outage that prevented the company's 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. The Facebook outage is a dry run for worse web crashes, says Breakingviews' Richard Beales. Technology stocks are bearing the brunt of a recent market selloff, putting a spotlight on how an extended downturn in the sector could weigh on broader equity indexes. Growing worries about defaults at Chinese property developers sapped investor sentiment, amid fresh credit rating downgrades and uncertainty about the fate of China Evergrande Group as it scrambles to raise cash by selling assets. U.S. clean-energy startups are booming as oil companies are giving them more attention and cash in a bid to speed up their own green transitions. Investors want oil producers to accelerate a move away from fossil fuels by selling cleaner energy and developing technology to eliminate climate-warming gases. PepsiCo raised its full-year revenue forecast, as the easing of pandemic restrictions boosts demand for sodas at theaters and restaurants. ROAD TO COP26 How can banks stop planetary frying? UBS Chief Executive Ralph Hamers speaks with Breakingviews Global Editor Rob Cox. Quote of the day "What I won't do is go back to the old failed model of low wages, low skills, supported by uncontrolled immigration" Boris Johnson British prime minister Brexit cold turkey - UK tries to kick 25-year imported labour habit Video of the day One man's mission to spread Kung Fu in Africa Inspired by his love of Jet Li movies, Ugandan Kizza Ssejjemba took up Kung Fu. He has trained with Chinese experts, starred in action films, and is now teaching a new generation. And finally… Artist who squirts paint with his eyes destroys canvases to create NFTs Leandro Granato, who introduces paint through his nostrils and expels it through his tear ducts, has destroyed five of his works to create art that now exists only in the digital world. 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