London: European leaders have given themselves sweeping powers to block crucial coronavirus vaccine shipments to Australia in a ploy condemned as unethical, dangerous and selfish.
The new export restrictions, unveiled overnight Australian-time, grant the European Union final say on whether jabs produced on the continent by pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and AstraZeneca can leave the territory.
The emergency scheme is the latest escalation in a brawl between the EU and two drug firms, which recently warned the number of doses available to Europe over the coming months would be slashed because of production problems.
