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LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — The African Union has secured 300 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine. The shots will be available for 12 months starting in May, the AU said in a statement on Friday. Finance has been arranged for countries that want to purchase the vaccine. The deal adds to the 270 million doses the AU has arranged to get from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc. “African…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) — Apple Inc. launched its first iPhones with 5G wireless speeds a few months ago. Now it’s looking to start work on sixth-generation cellular connectivity, or 6G, indicating it wants to be a leader in the technology rather than relying on other companies. The Cupertino, California-based company this week posted job ads seeking wireless system research engineers for current and next-generation networks. The listings are for positions at Apple’s offices…

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) — President Joe Biden’s proposed immigration overhaul will be introduced in Congress on Thursday, kicking off what will likely be one of his most difficult legislative challenges. The legislation, known as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, hews closely to the outline that Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office. The proposal includes an eight-year path to citizenship for most of the roughly 11 million immigrants…

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) — Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, CanSino Biologics Inc.’s shot, and other Covid-19 immunizations relying on a cold virus that’s backfired in the past should show they don’t make people more vulnerable to HIV infection before gaining approval in South Africa, the head of a local vaccine company said. Sputnik V, CanSino’s injection, and another vaccine in development from ImmunitiBio Inc. use a harmless cold germ called adenovirus type-5 to carry…

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Immunome, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its human memory B cell platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics, announced today that its discovery engine has isolated potent antibodies capable of neutralizing several SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the South African Variant (B.1.351), in pseudovirus testing. This effort is part of the company’s ongoing program to develop a cocktail of antibodies targeting spike and non-spike proteins that can…