USA: Congress sends landmark gun violence legislation to Biden

The House sent President Joe Biden the most wide-ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades on Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.

The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters’ revulsion over last month’s mass shootings in New York and Texas. The night before, the Senate approved it by a bipartisan 65-33 margin, with 15 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting a package that senators from both parties had crafted.

Read more at: Congress sends landmark gun violence legislation to Biden | PBS NewsHour

America's handling of COVID-19 proved unpopular around the world

For many decades, the United States of America has enjoyed the reputation of having one of the most advanced medical research systems and the best public health policies in the world. There are heated debates regarding the nature of the healthcare system financing model (public or private), but what we have seen so far since the pandemic is a mixture of defective health policies, bad decisions, denialism and a very weak healthcare system that didn't put people first. Although the American leaders like to brag about having "the strongest health system model" in the world, they turned out to be one of the weakest in fighting against COVID-19.

Read more at: America's handling of COVID-19 proved unpopular around the world - CGTN

US mass shootings: At least 45 in the month starting with the Atlanta spa shootings - by Madeline Holcombe

The US has seen at least 147 mass shootings in 2021, according to data from the GVA, a non-profit based in Washington.

Read more at: US mass shootings: At least 45 in the month starting with the Atlanta spa shootings - CNN

EU economy ′on crutches,′ warns ECB chief Christine Lagarde

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday said the bloc's economy was still "on crutches" and in need of support from both the central bank and government spending as the eurozone undergoes extended coronavirus lockdowns.

Lagarde said while the bank sees an eventual rebound this year, any steps to phase out its anti-pandemic emergency monetary plan would be "premature."

Read more at: EU economy ′on crutches,′ warns ECB chief Christine Lagarde | News | DW | 22.04.2021

Social Media: Your money and the internet: Don't rely on social media stock tips, EU watchdog warns retail investors - by Huw Jones

< Retail investors following the Reddit forum WallStreetBets in the United States piled into GameStop Corp last month, sending shares in the retailer rocketing at the expense of prominent investors who had bet against the stock, ringing alarm bells in Europe.

Although market rules and structures are different in the EU, it cannot be ruled out that similar circumstances may occur in the bloc as well, the European Securities and Markets Authority said in a statement.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-markets-regulator/dont-rely-on-social-media-stock-tips-eu-watchdog-warns-retail-investors-idUSKBN2AH16A

Brexit: The “Deal” is less than it seems - by Brendan Donnelly

Throughout the month of December commentators and politicians speculated tirelessly on the likelihood of a negotiated trade arrangement between the UK and EU before the end of the year. Many expected that the personal convictions of Boris Johnson and the intransigence of the Conservative Party would prevent the conclusion of any such agreement. On 24rd December, those who took this view were apparently proved wrong. Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson announced the signing of a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) which would ensure that trade between the UK and EU could continue without quotas or tariffs. The Agreement was hailed as a triumph by the British Prime Minister, but described in distinctly more muted tones by the President of the European Commission. Of the two reactions, the President’s was the more realistic. The TCA will reduce but cannot abolish the reciprocal (although asymmetrical) damage done to the EU and UK by Brexit.

Read more at: Brexit: The “Deal” is less than it seems - The Federal Trust

China-US Relations: Biden Very Weak President: Chinese Advisor Says Joe Biden Could Start Wars

China must drop its illusion that its relations with the United States will automatically improve under President-elect Joe Biden's administration, a Chinese government adviser has said, adding that Beijing should be prepared for a tough stance from Washington.

Zheng Yongnian, the Dean of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies, a Shenzhen-based think tank, has said that the Chinese government should utilise every opportunity to mend ties with the US, South China Morning Post has reported.

Read more at: Very Weak President: Chinese Advisor Says Joe Biden Could Start Wars

USA: Donald Trump strikes again: Governors give Donald Trump an earful after he tells them to fight coronavirus on their own - by Laura Clawson

It did not go over well when Donald Trump told governors that, when it came to coronavirus supplies like ventilators, they should “try getting it yourselves.” The New York Times reports that Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham “both reacted angrily to the administration’s slow response to the crisis.”
 

“If one state doesn’t get the resources and materials they need, the entire nation continues to be at risk,” Lujan Grisham responded. Trump may not have the capacity to understand that we’re all connected to each other and that a weak response in some areas endangers us all, but Lujan Grisham is absolutely right.

Read more: Governors give Donald Trump an earful after he tells them to fight coronavirus on their own

EU must develop 'appetite for power' says foreign policy chief Josep Borrell

"We should be able to act, not everyday making comments or expressing concern," Europe's top diplomatic told the Munich Security Conference.

Read more at:
https://www.euronews.com/2020/02/16/eu-must-develop-appetite-for-power-says-foreign-policy-chief-josep-borrell

Spanish elections: Spain votes as economy wobbles

The country is facing slowing growth and unemployment that is the second-highest in the EU.

Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50353198

US economic growth hits its lowest level in 3 years

The U.S. economy turned in the weakest performance in three years in the January-March quarter as consumers sharply slowed their spending. The result repeats a pattern that has characterized the recovery: lackluster beginnings to the year.

The gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, grew by just 0.7 percent in the first quarter following a gain of 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday
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The slowdown primarily reflected slower consumer spending, which grew by just 0.3 percent after a 3.5 percent gain in the fourth quarter. It was the poorest showing in more than seven years. Analysts blame in part the unusually warm winter, which meant less spending on utility bills.

Economists believe the slowdown will be temporary. They forecast GDP growth will rebound to 3 percent or better in the current quarter.

Averaging the two quarters, they forecast growth of around 2 pecent.

Read more: US economic growth hits its lowest level in 3 years

The EU Refugee Crises: Refugees And Reform In Europe - by Mohamed A. El-Erian

There is a simple truth beneath the growing human tragedy of Europe’s refugee crisis, and the European Union cannot address the massive influx of exhausted, desperate people in a manner compatible with its values unless governments and citizens acknowledge it. Simply put, the historic challenge confronting Europe also offers historic opportunities. The question is whether Europe’s politicians – who have failed to deliver on far less complicated issues over which they had a lot more control – can seize the moment.

The scale of the challenge is immense, with the flow of refugees extremely difficult to monitor and channel, let alone limit. Fleeing war and oppression, tens of thousands of people are risking life and limb to find refuge in Europe – a phenomenon that will continue as long as chaos persists in countries of origin, such as Syria, and countries facilitating transit, such as Iraq and Libya.

In the meantime, Europe’s transport networks are under stress, as are shelters, border crossings, and registration centers. Common asylum policies – including, for example, the basic rule that asylum-seekers should be registered at their point of entry into the EU – are not functioning or are being bypassed. And the cherished concept of effortless travel within the border-free Schengen Area is under threat.

These problems are aggravated by coordination failures. Attitudes toward refugees vary widely across countries, with Germany taking a particularly enlightened approach that contrasts sharply with Hungary’s notably heartless one. Some countries, such as the Czech Republic, have blocked deals to share the burden fairly among European Union members, including through mandatory quotas.

Europe has the opportunity to turn today’s refugee crisis into a catalyst for renewal and progress. Let us hope that its politicians stop bickering and start working together to take advantage of this opening. If they fail, the momentum behind regional integration – which has brought peace, prosperity, and hope to hundreds of millions of people – will weaken considerably, to the detriment of all.

Read more: Refugees And Reform In Europe » Social Europe