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7/31/20

EU Economy: Eurozone GDP drops 12.1% in record pandemic plunge

The eurozone's economy took an unprecedented hit due to coronavirus pandemic, with the bloc's GDP contracting by 12.1% in the second quarter of 2020, EU officials said in preliminary estimates published on Friday.

Only 19 out of EU's 27 member states use the euro as currency. The hit was slightly milder for European Union as a whole

Read more at;
Eurozone GDP drops 12.1% in record pandemic plunge | News | DW | 31.07.2020

How Europe is ramping up restrictions to prevent a coronavirus resurgence

Here is an overview of recent restrictions being imposed in countries across Europe, including localised lockdowns, mandatory testing and obligations to wear face masks among others.

Read more at;
The Local

7/30/20

Germany: US Democrats and Republicans take aim at Pompeo over US troop withdrawal from Germany

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany has come under bipartisan attack in the Senate, amid warnings it would disrupt US alliances.

Read more at:
Democrats and Republicans take aim at Pompeo over US troop withdrawal from Germany | Mike Pompeo | The Guardian

THE GLOBALPROFITEERS : Amazon posts biggest profit ever at height of pandemic in U.S

While rival brick-and-mortar retailers have had to shut stores during government-imposed lockdowns, Amazon hired 175,000 people in recent months and saw demand for its services soar.

The company said revenue jumped 40% from a year earlier to $88.9 billion.
Amazon had forecast it might lose money in the just-ended second quarter because it expected to spend some $4 billion on protective equipment for staff and other expenses related to COVID-19. It did just that - and still earned $5.2 billion, double its net income from a year prior.

Read more at
Amazon posts biggest profit ever at height of pandemic in U.S - Reuters

Suriname:Total Announces Third Significant Discovery in Block 58 Offshore Suriname

Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) and Apache Corporation have made a significant third discovery with the Kwaskwasi-1 well, in Block 58 off the coast of Suriname. This follows previous discoveries at Maka Central in January and Sapakara West in April.

The well was drilled by a water depth of about 1.000 meters and encountered a total of 278 meters net pay of hydrocarbons, which comprises 149 meters net in good quality Campano-Maastrichtian (composed of 63 meters of high quality oil and 86 meters of volatile oil & gas condensates reservoirs), along with 129 meters of net hydrocarbon pay in Santonian reservoirs, where further wireline logging is ongoing to confirm the quality of the fluids.

Read more at
Total Announces Third Significant Discovery in Block 58 Offshore Suriname

EU: The Netherlands: Dutch city drafts plan to reduce asphalt and plant trees to combat effects of climate change

 The city of Arnhem has published a strategy to combat the effects of global warming, which included reducing asphalt by 10 per cent, among other measures.

Read more at:
Dutch city drafts plan to reduce asphalt and plant trees to combat effects of climate change | Euronews:




USA -ECONOMY:U.S. second-quarter GDP plunged by a historic 32.9%

The U.S. economy saw the biggest quarterly plunge in activity ever, though the plummet in the second quarter wasn't as bad as feared.

Gross domestic product from April to June plunged 32.9% on an annualized basis, according to the Commerce Department's first reading on the data released Thursday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a drop of 34.7%.

Neither the Great Depression nor the Great Recession nor any of the more than three dozen economic slumps over the past two centuries have ever caused such a sharp drain over so short a period of time.

Read more at:
U.S. second-quarter GDP plunged by a historic 32.9%

USA: Donald Trump suggests delay to 2020 US presidential election

Donald Trump floated the idea of postponing the US Presidential elections.

He floated a delay until people could "properly, securely and safely" vote.

There is little evidence to support Mr Trump's claims but he has long railed against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud.

US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the US constitution, Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself. Any delay would have to be approved by Congress. The president does not have direct power over the two houses of Congress.

Read more at:
Donald Trump suggests delay to 2020 US presidential election - BBC News

Big Tech Under Scrutiny: Big Tech painted as the railroad barons of the digital age in antitrust hearing - by Therese Poletti

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos On Innovation: Five Big Takeaways
Jeff Bezos
For the most part — if you could tune out the political grandstanding that had nothing to do with antitrust — Wednesday’s congressional hearing on Big Tech gave many pointed examples of how four of the biggest tech companies in the U.S. abuse their dominant power and thwart competition.

What happens next will be in the hands of  US Goverment agencies. And while after Wednesday’s hearing it seems Alphabet may be most in jeopardy, the other companies should not relax. None of Big Tech made a very good showing Wednesday.

Read more at: 
Big Tech painted as the railroad barons of the digital age in antitrust hearing - MarketWatch

7/29/20

The Netherlands: Up to twice as many coronavirus deaths in the Netherlands as registered - by Victoria Séveno

In a report published by CBS on coronavirus mortalities in the Netherlands, the statistics office reported that the number of people who died of coronavirus is likely 50 to 100 percent higher than the number recorded and previously reported by the RIVM. While it has been known since the initial outbreak of the virus that more people have died than has been reported, this report gives a true indication of the excess mortality

Excess mortality is an epidemiological term to refer to the number of “extra” deaths in a period of time in comparison to what is expected under “normal” conditions. It is used to measure the number of deaths in a period of crisis (like a pandemic) when not all deaths have been officially recorded.

The report reveals that, between March 9 and May 24, the excess mortality was between 8.593 and 11.691, with these numbers revealing the minimum and maximum number of people who died from coronavirus in this time period. However, the number of recorded coronavirus deaths in that 11-week period was 5.900. CBS therefore calculates that, for every 10 registered deaths, between five and ten more people actually died of coronavirus, saying this conclusion can be drawn with 95 percent certainty.

Read more at: 
Up to twice as many coronavirus deaths in the Netherlands as registered

USA - Economy US dollar decline? Even the loonie is rising against the U.S. dollar as the Fed faces currency threat: by Don Pittis

No one will be surprised if Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell uses part of his news conference on Wednesday to scoff at the idea of the U.S. dollar losing its place as the world reserve currency.

But even as he scoffs, the comments this week by strategists at global finance giant Goldman Sachs that "real concerns around the longevity of the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency have started to emerge," will certainly be in the minds of everyone listening to the Fed's latest plans.
Predictions of the mighty U.S. dollar's fall from its place as the ultimate measure of value are nothing new.

"Gold bugs" — the slightly disrespectful term for people convinced the yellow metal is the only truly safe investment — roll out an attack on the U.S. dollar's safety every few years.

Read more at:
Even the loonie is rising against the U.S. dollar as the Fed faces currency threat: Don Pittis | CBC News

Globalization and Healthcare: Lessons the US Needs to Learn

It is more than high time that the United States move beyond its cliché-ridden healthcare debate toward a new and more pragmatic doctrine that seeks to achieve positive results for all U.S. citizens.

Note EU-Digest: Unfortunately the US political establishment has a learning disability when it comes to Healthcare, Gun Control, Tax Reform, Global warming, Excessive Military spending, Minimum wage, etc etc.

Read more at:
Globalization and Healthcare: Lessons the US Needs to Learn - The Globalist

7/28/20

Middle East: China - Turkey relations: Turkey accused of deporting Uighurs back to China via third countries - by Areeb Ullah

Turkey has been accused of deporting Uighur Muslims back to China via third countries that neighbour the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, where hundreds of thousands are said to be held in concentration camps.

Uighur Muslims who spoke to the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper said they feared their relatives had been taken to Tajikistan before they were extradited to China.

The relatives of Almuzi Kuwanhan, a 59-year-old mother of two who fled to Turkey, fear she has been taken back to China.

Her family told the Sunday Telegraph that Kuwanhan had been detained in Izmir deportation centre before she was taken to Tajikistan, a country she has no ties to.

Ankara denies that it has deported Uighur Muslims to China, but activists fear that Turkey has sent them back via third countries such as Tajikistan, where it is easier for Beijing to secure their extradition.

Fears over Kuwanhan's fate comes as Istanbul's Uighur community continues to live on edge after Middle East Eye reported that Turkey had threatened to deport Uighur refugees back to China.

Read more at:
Turkey accused of deporting Uighurs back to China via third countries | Middle East Eye

EU: Facebook cries foul on EU request for internal documents - by Andrew Rettman

Facebook, a US tech giant known for abusing its users' private information, has said the European Commission was now attempting to do the same to Facebook employees' data.

The firm filed its complaints at the EU court in Luxembourg, after the commission asked to see internal documents containing any of 2,500 search phrases as part of an anti-trust enquiry.

Brussels-based news agency MLex first revealed Facebook's legal counter-strike in a story on Monday (27 July), citing anonymous sources.

US congressmen were also due to cross-examine Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday in a separate investigation into alleged abuse of the firm's online "dominance", but the hearing was postponed due to a clash with a memorial service for a US civil rights leader.

Zuckerberg founded the California-based firm in 2004 initially as a platform for US students to talk to each other.

Read more at: 
Facebook cries foul on EU request for internal documents

USA- NASA Mars launcher ready to roll: features of Perseverance, NASA's latest Mars rover, include a tiny helicopter


With eight successful Mars landings, NASA is upping the ante with its newest rover.

The spacecraft Perseverance — set for liftoff this week — is NASA's brawniest and brainiest Martian rover yet.

It sports the latest landing tech, plus the most cameras and microphones ever assembled to capture the sights and sounds of Mars. Its super-sanitized sample return tubes — for rocks that could hold evidence of past Martian life — are the cleanest items ever bound for space. A helicopter is even tagging along for an otherworldly test flight.

Read more at:
5 features of Perseverance, NASA's latest Mars rover, include a tiny helicopter | CBC News

USA: Will Donald Trump′s visa restrictions slow down America′s economic revival?

Stefan Heffner's business plans for the United States have been turned upside down. The US representative of German medical equipment maker Richard Wolf moved to Chicago about a year-and-a-half ago with the ambitious goal of cracking the company's US sales record of $100 million (€85.3 million) by the end of this year.

Read more at:
Will Donald Trump′s visa restrictions slow down America′s economic revival? | Business| Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 28.07.2020

NATO : Will NATO still be relevant in the future?

As NATO faces increasing criticism—including from US President Donald Trump—that the military alliance is a drain on American taxpayers and no longer serves Washington’s defense needs, two former US ambassadors have come to its defense.

On July 21, John Herbst, director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Alexander Vershbow, a distinguished fellow at the Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, made the case for NATO’s continued relevance in the face of Russian belligerence led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Yet China, not Russia, is the real threat today, argued John Mearsheimer, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Sara Moller, an assistant professor of international security at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

The four took part in a one-hour virtual debate—“Is NATO still relevant?”—that was moderated by Dr. Kori Schake of the American Enterprise Institute.

Absolutely it is, said Vershbow, a former US envoy to Russia and South Korea who also served four years as NATO’s deputy secretary general in Brussels.

Read more at:
Will NATO still be relevant in the future? - Atlantic Council

7/27/20

Spain - Tourist Industry: €8.7 billion lost: Can Spain's tourism sector survive latest blow?

Britain's decision late Saturday to impose quarantine on all travellers coming from Spain represents a huge setback -- British tourists are the largest national group of visitors, with 18 million of them taking a Spanish holiday in 2019.

"It's a very tough blow" given that the tourist sector "had hoped to be able to turn things around in August," Ximo Puig, the Valencian regional president told Cadena Ser radio.

For some resorts like Benidorm, British tourists constitute 40 percent of visitors.

The announcement was terrible news for the embattled sector, which had hoped the summer months would help it claw back some of the colossal losses incurred through months of lockdown.

Read more at:
€8.7 billion lost: Can Spain's tourism sector survive latest blow? - The Local

Coronavirus: Europe braces for second wave of coronavirus

Europe is bracing for a second wave of coronavirus as continuing outbreaks raise the prospect of reimposed restrictions at a time when millions of people are travelling across the continent for their summer holidays.

The Belgian government has warned that country could be put into a second “complete lockdown” following a significant spike in infections, while the Spanish region of Catalonia may also have to reintroduce lockdown measures if outbreaks are not brought under control within 10 days.

Read more at
Europe braces for second wave of coronavirus | World news | The Guardian

USA: The Real October Surprise: Trump to Drop Out.

By November 3rd Donald Trump will be off the ballot, ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, and busy launching a new stage in his reality TV career.

Trump will walk away from the White House and dedicate the rest of his life to pushing two storylines. The first is that he was the United States’ greatest but most abused president.

The second is that he and his followers — the “real people” — were stabbed in the back by the liberals, the Clintons, the Bidens, the Deep State, Fake News, George Soros, the radical left and Antifa. But why would Trump quit?

Trump is too emotionally frail to ride out a November drubbing. He felt compelled to lie about his numbers in the 2016 U.S. presidential election even when he won that election.

This time, when he might get roundly trounced, there would be no fiction he could turn to for cover. His ratings are everything to him.

 In short, things are collapsing around him and Trump always keeps an eye on the exit. He has a long track record in building devices to cut out partners, paths to evade big invoices and prenups to end marriages.

 If Trump quits in time, he might even turn the election. The Republicans’ ship has a much better chance of righting itself once they have offloaded Trump.

Read more at:
The Real October Surprise: Trump to Drop Out - The Globalist

EU: Black lives matter in Europe too – Khaled Diab

No one should be smug about racism in Europe. Here too there is a toxic interaction between ethnicity, equality and the environment.

As we Europeans gaze in dismay across the Atlantic at the generations of racism and discrimination that brought the United States to this sorry impasse, we must not, tempting as it seems, believe we are somehow superior when it comes to tolerance and multiculturalism.

The European Commission member for equality, Helena Dalli, made just this point in an interview. ‘It’s ironic that we are celebrating the 20 years of the racial equality directive, and we still have structural problems. Racism has not been eradicated. There is a wide gap between legislation and how effective that legislation is on people’s lives,’ she said.

‘We will focus on what is underneath the tip of the iceberg, the structural racism which is more difficult to address,’ she added, referring to an action plan on combating racism which the commission will put forward later this year.

Read  more at:
Black lives matter in Europe too – Khaled Diab

EU-China: Council authorises signature of the agreement on geographical indications

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HlZ2a4eG++Pwb9Cxa52Vyrt3zw/eJKp9IjmMY4yQsAV2xQgmXGQBXZAwogIEENw1hYD13nAwkVEiIwpU4lghqcROBPMj2GbDNSFJTYsg6ZSUkDkkiSEyWWDiQi5FOVGRf2AnjilZkGOCQCHPQekvkl1qetbVHcK7Cy96epUgHy9vqJm1GoVOHJPD9BNRqI0JOSeH3Q86n0I42IHcbva5DYR8wrr7HAXftsjZ99ewmanVebfhfdxt73sY6dZ52oaj91Lb3vK3M7OgbixFgAXKIBWWxkVSONL4IzWMpea60c+2RS021o5tsjtazdWjmWyBc150Kkc+xibKsmkyi6wxWyI4IAnVhQGGYyS1CDfHr4isJf2wEFmcY4BW8RjI8siIxlirpdyMhS8jISrWGIGHpXwI4pp6F0J5kevSZb3SCYImQJHtkDk6FkJkjd5SBiJ8mMjR2AnjilZkCzyyBiaH4Vtops/iMhyPC2KqkBayywjW9DyUAnz0CT9DMWrjZZHy4Lnl9kijWwssh5Va55b4S+pssz4iX+G/iccBtuKmSzzRj5hgD9vX1nNr0b83y5/HY4tehav8qx42zt3+BiMvJNrd5SpCfMU1itSffXqZ2YQ6FhNv4vJ3K61BYTb+LycURh2WCQrZ4vLIoqkVtZNEEZLCovNlaOdayJM3Vo5lzCEXQJm2tHLtYkzrOTOjWtjDYxTe0dlIIYrCegIGdMw2vtrpT8VjqgPnrZ5P5Dn8ol98dPTO6fEE3+X14Grg7JqC7mj6x0fwMm6pFbwwwavgn5GUEc/TZH5TJ4Pr/4vQ13SftNYfxTw/qWaujyrpRS27Hlr1wQR9xOinkzvYky8RgCbPjAFbStjInWOYUQbdukgCCGQBdQvMsQrGqV8CAg7LaE80PXsZKjbIHB1bJCYL0aQRosAkFKcjykHgJskxkaOwE0cUgZCM6ggY8AukRWWMNrsYKyAntftLL6Er5H9z+sXpWU/QolFNp90SRISZJ6kAV2WajJAwDPfLYopmVG+aYIw2nhZNlaOZcy+kbM3Vo5V0gvMPak21LLObYzMZb+c6EVsYZPcW2mBilUATqiFIDPqf/pxl+LXb300VCjt3kIiVB9gk9wA1sAcn6ieefavRum2tQtnJ2Z9ltyxjHG+d29l8zv+G39cJZil09+B/wDFPU7aKq2x+3ttJXxt93b8ux2jyOxvn6TJ9nPCdPq9ROOpTzDfp4zvh577bbe/8BvENTOuCdf9Xf6GEO2JZiWYnZZiWYn3JPnPToQjCKjFYS4xwfOttvLZXkjQjoUQZ55hZBcYgwThpthC+CDPN4AERDMCEdChuGnMcUcJXwImSFt9s82PYkgbxI2CFtTwMAfTAVyL5BCjJ8pB4CTIMeJoBWjikICFiCBlsUMMeuIwTYUlchS2TIgAD3W6jJDJC66+WxQXsDNbL4oyWSICyaYIw2yCKWmutHLuY56bVvmbII5F0gfrV3pN9MTn2MzOS82GNgbGKE5qAhbSksihGzSYN9ngjHB7ae42Oq8eK5/qf30ANDy4md6Sr+IepazPGE32XovTLbbfL+BZ5svL8vO3PxfvGtWTYKjR3bqJDhG5COD+Jfb1/UxHpKnetR04mljK7r0fr7vTBPNkodGdv3wRRJpKwXMMZAM7mnmFhAogRp0mrZ3BNhRb1FuYIhYKglkRGNsCuMwDhVlWRhda886SPYmVAxhArHiMYZUiApkXwiA2X5QFkORHeY6L2UGOKcAgIgihNmKy7hDXHriFE2EdshXkFyLNQpDxQqyLpbFDvYBssl0UZrJlJeXxRjnM6hmiETHZIYYab1NkInMvkaOoCtN+upqgjkWvLM11K7ZM6VUTDaxJe0uZmKYgxJRGSAxhg0bIlnCENDjU6ERsIWqxQlhGhIAWZh846AZzKPJhYUUKIiGH/SqtKWlc2MgHKbbGMhWeoXmXIRjzBSLIiGMrGErGeeo9gkzyyMkUHYqxGGQyrEBRIshFBM88SFlfIjtMdF7KowhJRAx4oNxK4jGkxtUsBlkyF9gAkDFCbLv3LIovxhC62yXRRnsmDsZdFGOcysmXxiZJyLqRNVcTHZI0HSMfeiZqijl3zCuqX8aE11ROdYzL5rzowWEYLHuLHMjERGKQKwsdrGVK1Z3Y6VVG2Y+wEMpwqg5zaUVy3wgKLk+mKy2fRfgj4WvW+uzJpauusGz5+35n1pRre/M7/wBs+X8e8d00tHOvTXKUpYW3Zd3+W34nR0ejsVqlZHCW5fk/DOSjWdlRNSs3Y5srUeGDwTtuOJs0/wBoNFZXDrtxNpZWJN57rZepTZorYyeI7L3rj8xSXA9vyII/WdxboxkXs4kSILc4/KY6IZy48wSCj2OuyIAmjI7KvylXLH7CQnZlqK2F4icywUe4qSuQUExQiImefnrzLa4rHiMsVZWLJh6wlLJKJBWB9U4EhbSInjovZCEUtqWBliGuJXEKpsMsbQkKUssUZmRGijTGOBXdZLoorskDMZfFGKcippdGJknIiJohEyTkH4NWyJrhExWzNVjoK0+upfFZOXbLIm6hb5zoVRMNshBlPNXCMbeWBmIyHVWFIDGnTsbZEt4FPsPw91LwcRLM24nuZhV3Ataaxxr3bkHn21PNvFfDP4jxGVWiqxhLqxtHL3+C2xt65O9ptR0UKV0vh64/Viz49zWK0NVb3YtobhCOxrFO+SPPg+R/tM6X2V09cJ3QtrxdBrnlRfp+PdcprsZ/EpuSi4yzF/qYg5E+0wcktqt3Awg3Vm0siCzOvAwoO6XT3MIJbIiGfVrNALK4jMUIJfErY0wUjMA6pWVMJZqAJnwZ5+evIIoiMsGmPEK5BawlTL6F3CiubFvWG51J3NFC2EjRi5nAISJBOMkRjPgb466G4DNNgedkegkSLa4Ci6yXRQ05YBHMuijHZIrMvijHORWxl8UY7JHal3NcImOcjR9FxfUzQkYLph+fd6CaaoHPskZ3NtnQhHBgskKbTGkVIq1FCEY9JJHHtLIoVmp6VhaGzFnIKQTnZJOu5ie1Qi7P4VA4A9hEqrjHPSsZeX72+5JSb5FF+c3a1fcfDLBynmveNgMPY6J5EZ0w61Zj2ksZ74fb4d8eoFJ46c7AXixiDDp52YJcERR1t/SCIzEkBB90WnQLGJNjRBepW7YwxQGUUjmXIrY6wkkkRDWsSpjEoCGaBnwB6+gmgxGONceIVyCwYSoMxBwTGiU2CLqz/MYFybaV7IrMYdnQJAxDsOvcRgm8IPyrOxZCmC6mIb7dx4o0t4QI5l0UZZyKyD7H9JcsGWbLP4c+Gza53sfYcH/P7QK1K5RzsZ5r2GwNq28yrAe5BA3OjX0t4T3OZY2GYFHcRNsImKyZqqwK0+updCOWc62YpzrSCd7B4OjxwRsfsRNtSTWUYbZCXIfc1cGRvIG0VhHPS/hbLvNeqXWpyu7WKqFQnlwCdnj2nI1fjuh0ql1WpyjnZZbyu23G/qa6tFdY17Oz/Q3PU/gl3uN1RoqxxXUD4jsnYUUJ6A8aVZwPBPtLCOnVNsZTscpfdSeep9Xqu7Zr1ugbs64tKOFz7tgDLVawVBDAcdy70fqNgGfYVtzSbWM9njb8m18zlS22zkzudf5zUkVii2yCTCkRVoqCx70leCYs2GIr6tZtjCuAMCoTZEhDSAeHV+Upe7LOwhsbZMuSEYTirzLBB7iJxEYUHLKwnZCGVUz4E9eQZjStlvYb44iFUwjcJWGUtpTGXBRJZkZzOfbGBHQgsIEjEJoIGOhvhV6GzFM9ksvAv6jkdx16QpF1celC1zLoornIqMtijLJnq7WU/L6+noY8qozXtFEptcDddbA2N+et86nJaeM42FnLfAkybXdyH/pJUKPJdGfUaOiFcF0d9/icPUWuTeR90bFAHc3H3nQSOZbMc5HRMqztNao9bEfOltZAUnRbk+kwPx3Q0uUbJOMo9nGXPpx3K5aS6aTisp+9HPjrotheu3GqexSgSxa17ipTQU6HPI0P9s5/2Y8ZqVU6dTYotPKy8Z6t2t/R5f4g8T0s3NSrjnbDx7v8foYjJxrU/wCZXbXs6HiVsmz7cifYw1FVv/XNS+DT/Q5Mq5R+9Fr4oHCyxIRm8/8AT7J/h67rr7XGOCKqaB83iX/ibsX0IBX2Hzc+U+R+0ugetvqoorTs+9KXHTHhdT9G845e23c6nh9/kwlOcvZ4S9Xzt+/ia7q+ZXkY62VllNbA2UsdEBuASPI6OtH6yrwXw6zw7Vyrtin1r2ZL3b492VnK93cbV3xvrUovjlGF6lf5z7OCOQ2ZzMtlrAgEmVMYsqGzGRGaOkdlW/pK3uwrgzmS2yY4ArpVPcwiSeEFB/V7tAKIsEMxQstQjGOEkdijyhZUwhAihJSEMnXPgGevwQwxFlbLnshoraimdnQ8IMBFtukMgijmQgtbZMZGshCBBOJXsiKwyeEG51/YvaPORFVccvLEVjyxItnIqJlqRlkyJl0UUTZX36II8xyN+8uUFJYfcxWTxuUtYxPds92992+dzVXVHp6cbHOtsec5GHT6Gsfubkk7J1rZ95tqrUIqK4Rz7rG3ljrMvFa9omyqGTmWzLfgvqF38SKkc+Cyu9qHleF4Yex2V5nF+1Omoeids4+3FpRffd7r3rGdizw62fndKezzk2ORnhhctDV2XVKf5fcD2vrahgORufA16VxlXK+LjXNrfHbO7WdtjsysTUlBpyR8oz+o3ZLd97l29B5Kg9lHoJ65o9DRpK/Lph0r5v3t9/3g+Vtuna+qbyQoq2ZuSKGzWdEwOAW8h5A+Q+0osklx3Hig7Ou0NCLFBkzOZ9vnNMSsRXNswSYUVSsIXgV7YR+wB11R+1APpK48jszh5MZij3pVfapYyuTHQuz7u5jHSAyqoSxCMcYKSSANqxKmEtgCe3IQzNSzz9s9jghnQO0blbJLc818OAdJ5LuZME6QrJs+SArgvaFLGOXM8JCIZYgCqWMQrnu8C3Lv7iTHSLvuoCZpakZpyOAyyKKJM4xl8UZrJFLmaoI59sj1FRYgTXBHOskaTGQVJs+eprhHLObbMR9QzO4mdGuOEc2yYNidRtpLmpijOhrZx+MISCQD6eQ5lep0tOoUVbHqUXlJ8Z43Xfn4Fdds68uLxnYhh5dlTiyp2SweTL5/Y+4+hh1Gnq1Fbrtj1RfZ/vb4okLJVy6ovDLdl2ZiACzFiFGgCTvQHtLqq1CKiuyx+RXOWW36j3o2B3EEjiNOWECKyadyEXtEzLdlj2FGXZ5y6KK2Z/Pslwoqcytjo4IEQcdFp2dwyexEd63bs6ixCxbjJ3MJGQdZT9iaHtESyxmI2OzLEKEYy8yxCDzDWJIKDhECS7pCHdyEEuPX6zzxns3CJXXeggSFwCmyPgDZOt4AjC9/kEUrj94XkxixllQ2ZGThF+ZfodoipAgu4qsaWxQs5FW5akZpMkJbFFMmRYzRFGOyRVrc0wRz7ZDnpeKB8zTVA51sinq2bvgeU6FMMHMukIbLNzYc+W7IbgAW1CNFAbHPTMQsRxHbwheTZ4lAqX6zLJ9TLUsIHvs3GSFbFWa8uiIzP5jxmRARlbGOoIUBml6VX2oW+kWb3GiJeoWbYw9gBHS6udn0iSYyI9Sv2dRorAGArGQA7DWOKO8ccSthLu6AJ0NIQluQgqsfQ0J50j2YCtsjpFcpFXdGwV5LqjFZbEPub5RFQseQPcYcsR9QBKLrNxkhZSwDMZakZZyOSxIpbOiXRRRORxpfFGOyQV0/G7jz5TREwWMOzsjsHas2UxOfazOZFhJnRgcu0GMtRkZ1RGSAxlg0dxEs4ENr0fCCL3GZ7JZ2LIrARkW7gSI2CWmOhWJ895bEUQ5DcySCgfcrGCMVdkR0KzTXfJV+Uq5Y/YzTctHYEM0+RPrK+WMKrW2ZYIcSMiMaYSwsUaK2hECd75CE1aAJYJCH/9k=The Council today adopted decisions on the signature of the agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on geographical indications (GIs).

This is the first significant bilateral trade agreement signed between the EU and China.

It will ensure that 100 EU agri-food GIs ("Geographical Indications") such as Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Languedoc wine, Polska Wódka or Elia Kalamatas get protection on the Chinese market. Likewise, 100 Chinese products will be protected in the EU, thereby ensuring mutual respect of the best of both agricultural traditions.

Read More at:
EU-China: Council authorises signature of the agreement on geographical indications - Consilium

7/26/20

US Economy: The U.S. can 'change the world' by devaluing the dollar, analyst says

U.S. policymakers could “change the world” by devaluing the dollar, one analyst has claimed.

Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Monday, independent macro advisor Hugh Hendry said quantitative easing programs — where central banks buy assets like government bonds to inject liquidity into the economy — were not working.

Instead of targeting bonds as a form of economic stimulus, policymakers should look to the value of the greenback, he suggested.

Quantitative easing — we’re being missold something,” Hendry argued. “Simply publishing or expanding these inert central bank reserves and trying to scare us all to death that they’re actually printing real money is a fraud.”

The underlying problem, he claimed, is that there is a shortage of dollars in the global market.

“America has decided over several decades to impose a global dollar standard, a monetary standard on the rest of the world,”

Hendry said. “It’s one thing to be the king, (but) you have to behave regally, you have to behave like the king. So if you’re going to impose a dollar standard on the world, you have to stand by and provide sufficient liquidity. And that’s actually where they’ve been failing.”

Hendry said the widespread sell-off in March, where global markets plummeted amid the height of fears around the coronavirus, was partially due to investors having to sell assets in order to create dollars and repay debt.

Read more: 
The U.S. can 'change the world' by devaluing the dollar, analyst says

The Netherlands: Five things the Netherlands does best

The Netherlands is such a small yet varied country. There’s so much going on, all the time - some of it good, some of it less so. It’s easy to compare the Netherlands to other countries around the world, especially as expats, but there are some things that the Dutch have just managed to hone down to an art. So, to shed some positive light on some of the elements of this wonderful country, let’s take a look at five things that the Netherlands undeniably does best.

 1. Bike parking
2. Work-life balance
3. Broodjes
4. Openness and honesty
5. Symphonic metal

his is only a small handful of some of the things the Netherlands has to offer, and some of the aspects of Dutch life that you can enjoy living here. What are some other things you love about the Netherlands? Are there any key things missing from this list? Let us know in the comments!

 Read more at
Five things the Netherlands does best

Middle East-Turkey: Turkish opposition warns state is using rape as a means of warfare

URKEY’s opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) warned today that rape is being used as a means of warfare by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

peaking at a press conference in Ankara, the chairwoman of the party’s women’s council, Ayse Acar Basaran, charged the AKP with responsibility for two recent rapes allegedly carried out by Turkish soldiers.

A 13-year-old girl was raped in the largely Kurdish city of Sirnak earlier this month, while a 17-year-old girl was raped in Batman province. In both cases, the alleged perpetrators were non-commissioned officers of the Turkish army.

“It is becoming apparent, almost every day, that this is a method of special warfare of the governing coalition of AKP and MHP [the far-right Nationalist Movement Party],” she said.

The recent murder of 27-year-old student Pinar Gultekin triggered mass protests and a call for the government to ditch plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.

Signatories are obliged to tackle gender-based crime, provide protection and services for women and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted.

Read more at: Turkish opposition warns state is using rape as a means of warfare | Morning Star

EU-US Relations: Cracks in the Trump-Europe relationship are turning into a chasm - by Luke McGee




Earlier this week, the European Union declined to include US in its list of "safe countries," meaning that American travelers will be unwelcome inside the bloc for the foreseeable future, due to the eyewatering US coronavirus infection numbers. Controversially, the list includes China -- the country where the virus originated -- on the condition of reciprocal arrangements.
 
EU officials insist that the decision was not political and based entirely on epidemiological evidence, in the hope this would pacify US President Donald Trump, a man who has attacked the bloc on several occasions.
 
However, others privately concede that had Brussels wanted to make the pill more palatable for an American audience, they could have added a sugar coating. "In the past, I can see that we might have not included China in order to keep the US happy," says an EU diplomat not authorized to speak on record about how the decision was made.
 
Read more at: 
Cracks in the Trump-Europe relationship are turning into a chasm - CNN

China-US relations; China Has ‘First-Strike’ Capability To Melt U.S. Power Grid With Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon

The EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security issued a scary report on China’s ability to conduct an Electromagnetic Pulse attack on the United States. The key takeaway, according to Dr. Peter Pry,
 executive director of the task force, is that China now has super-EMP weapons, knows how to protect itself against an EMP attack, and has developed protocols to conduct a first-strike attack, even as they deny they would ever do so.

According to the Center for Strategic International Studies, China has the most active ballistic missile development program in the world, so this is doubly troubling. China used stolen U.S. technology to develop at least three types of high-tech weapons to attack the electric grid and key technologies that could cause a surprise “Pearl Harbor” attack that could produce a deadly blackout to the entire country.

 Read more at:
China Has ‘First-Strike’ Capability To Melt U.S. Power Grid With Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon

7/25/20

EU Aviation Hygiene Standards: EU states agree on corona hygiene standards for aviation - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás

EU member states agreed to common hygiene standards on planes and airports in order to help curb the spread of new coronavirus infections, German transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, announced on Thursday (23 July).

Measures adopted in a videoconference meeting include mouth-and-nose protection for all passengers from six years old, better information for passengers and compliance with social distancing at airports during security checks and check-in - even if this results in delays or long queues.

Read more at: 
EU states agree on corona hygiene standards for aviation

USA-Dictatorship in the making? 'We're Ready': Trump Threatens to Deploy 75,000 Federal Agents Into US Cities

Escalating his authoritarian threat to send even more federal agents into U.S. cities in what critics have denounced as a cynical and dangerous election year ploy to sow division and chaos, President Donald Trump on Thursday night said his administration is ready to deploy up to 75,000 such officers nationwide in the weeks ahead.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that aired Thursday night Trump said he would send 50,000 or 60,000 federal agents into U.S. cities under the auspices of combating violent crime and then later upped the figure to 75,000.

While Trump initially acknowledged that federal agents would "have to be invited in" by local or state authorities, he subsequently added, "At some point we'll have to do something much stronger than being invited in."

"We'll go into all of the cities, any of the cities," Trump said. "We're ready."

Read more: 
'We're Ready': Trump Threatens to Deploy 75,000 Federal Agents Into US Cities | Common Dreams News

On-line Privacy: 3 Ways to Take Back Your Online Privacy from Big Corporations

To us, the Internet is a place of entertainment, work, and wonder. To companies and major corporations, the Internet represents more—it represents ways to make money. Through data collection and advertising, traces of corporations can be found anywhere on the Internet.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not the biggest fan of corporations stealing my data and using it to profit. If you’re the same way, then continue reading, as I’ll be listing ways you can protect your data and keep corporations off your back. Well, as off your back that’s currently possible.

Read more at:
3 Ways to Take Back Your Online Privacy from Big Corporations

EU: An economic, as well as a monetary, union? – by John Palmer

There is not much of a market just now for optimism about our economic, social, political or environmental future. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we face the worst economic crash in more than 100 years and potential climate-change disaster. But the outcome of the marathon Brussels summit heralds a strikingly encouraging new direction for the European Union.

The significance of the five-day European Council is not simply the sheer size of the €1.2 trillion stimulus to be given the EU economy but the unprecedented scale of the collective borrowing the union will undertake on world financial markets, to finance that recovery strategy. Of the €750 billion to be invested in post-pandemic economic recovery, an unprecedented €390 billion will be in grants, not repayable loans.

Read more at:
An economic, as well as a monetary, union? – John Palmer

7/24/20

EU-Coronavirus: Mandatory mask-wearing becomes the norm in Europe as cases rise

As several countries on the continent saw an uptick in reported cases of COVID-19, European countries moved to make mask-wearing mandatory in public spaces.

German authorities plan to set up testing stations at airports to encourage people arriving from high-risk countries to get tested for the coronavirus.

The country will also allow people arriving from overseas to be tested for free within three days.

Read more at:
Coronavirus: Mandatory mask-wearing becomes the norm in Europe as cases rise | Euronews

USA-Questionable Alliances: US push for global alliance against China hampered by years of 'America first'

The confrontation between the US and China is gathering pace with each passing week. In the past few days, the Chinese consulate in Houston has been shuttered amid allegations it was a spy hub, and the US mission in the south-western city of Chengdu was closed in retaliation, on similar grounds.

The FBI has started arresting Chinese researchers at US universities with suspected links to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), one of whom temporarily took refuge in the consulate in San Francisco, before surrendering.

US academics and businessmen are being put under greater scrutiny for ties to Beijing and have been warned to come clean about them under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

 Read more at:
US push for global alliance against China hampered by years of 'America first' | US foreign policy | The Guardian

Middle East: Turkey: Hagia Sophia′s first Muslim Friday prayers draw thousands

Friday prayers kicked off at the newly renamed Grand Hagia Sophia Mosque at around 1.15 p.m. local time (1015 UTC/GMT).

Erdogan arrived ahead of the ceremony along with the head of top religious authority Diyanet, Ali Erbas, and top ministers.

The high-profile guests wore face masks as a preventative measure against COVID-19. In total around 500 dignitaries were invited to attend.
Erdogan recited verses from the Koran before the prayers started.

 Read more at:
Turkey: Hagia Sophia′s first Muslim Friday prayers draw thousands | News | DW | 24.07.2020

Poll: Americans Say Blacks More Racist Than Whites, Hispanics, Asians

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 75% of American Adults think the term “racism” refers to any discrimination by people of one race against another. Just 15% say it refers only to discrimination by white people against minorities. These findings have changed little in surveys for the past several years. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Eighteen percent (18%) say most white Americans are racist. But 25% believe most black Americans are racist. Fifteen percent (15%) think most Hispanic-Americans are racist, while nearly as many (13%) say the same of most Asian-Americans.

Read more at:
Americans Say Blacks More Racist Than Whites, Hispanics, Asians - Rasmussen Reports®

China-US relations: China Tells US to Close Consulate in Chengdu in Growing Spat

China on Friday ordered the United States to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu in an increasingly rancorous diplomatic conflict.

The order followed the U.S. closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston.
The Chinese foreign ministry appealed to Washington to reverse its “erroneous decision.”

Read more at
China Tells US to Close Consulate in Chengdu in Growing Spat – NBC 6 South Florida

7/23/20

Outer Space News: China launches ambitious Tianwen-1 Mars rover mission

The Tianwen-1 mission launched atop a Long March 5 rocket from Hainan Island's Wenchang Satellite Launch Center this morning (July 23) at 12:41 a.m. EDT (0441 GMT).

Tianwen-1 consists of an orbiter and a lander/rover duo, a combination of craft that had never before launched together toward the Red Planet. The ambition of Tianwen-1 is especially striking given that it's China's first stab at a full-on Mars mission. (The nation did launch a Red Planet orbiter called Yinghuo-1 in November 2011, but the spacecraft flew piggyback with Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission. And that launch failed, leaving the probes trapped in Earth orbit.)

"Tianwen-1 is going to orbit, land and release a rover all on the very first try, and coordinate observations with an orbiter," team members wrote in a recent Nature Astronomy paper outlining the mission's main objectives. "No planetary missions have ever been implemented in this way. If successful, it would signify a major technical breakthrough."

Read more at: 
China launches ambitious Tianwen-1 Mars rover mission | Space

Coronavirus - Blame Game: WHO chief hits back at Pompeo's 'co-opted by China' claims

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has hit back at US claims the World Health Organization (WHO) has been "co-opted by China".

He said such allegations are "untrue and unacceptable" and warned against politicising the coronavirus pandemic.

Pompeo, referring to China at a press conference on Tuesday, said: "You can't go make claims for maritime regions that you have no lawful claim to. You can't threaten countries and bully them in the Himalayas. You can't engage in cover-ups and co-opt international institutions like the World Health Organization."

WHO has been frequently criticised by the US administration over its handling of China during the pandemic.

Read more at;
WHO chief hits back at Pompeo's 'co-opted by China' claims | Euronews

USA - Republican Convention:Trump cancels Republican national convention events in Jacksonville, Florida

USA - Republicans: Donald Trump has cancelled the part of the Republican national convention that had been due to take place in Jacksonville, Florida, his biggest public retreat yet from the ferocity of the coronavirus pandemic.

The US president’s insistence on a packed crowd had forced the Republican National Committee to announce in June that it would move most of its agenda – including Trump’s acceptance speech as nominee – to Jacksonville from Charlotte, North Carolina, where health guidelines are stricter.

Read more
Trump cancels Republican national convention events in Jacksonville, Florida | Donald Trump | The Guardian

Middle East: France's Macron slams Turkey's 'criminal' role in Libya

France's president has accused Turkey of importing large numbers of fighters into Libya, labelling Ankara's intervention "criminal".

Emmanuel Macron also lambasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's ambivalence towards his country's mercenaries operating in the oil-rich North African state.

Turkey has recently intervened decisively in Libya, providing air support, weapons, and allied fighters from Syria to help the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli repel a 14-month assault by renegade eastern commander Khalifa Haftar.

Read more at:
France's Macron slams Turkey's 'criminal' role in Libya | News | Al Jazeera

South Korea enters recession as exports plunge by most since 1963

Asia’s fourth-largest economy shrank by a seasonally adjusted 3.3% in the June quarter from three months earlier, the Bank of Korea said on Thursday. That is the sharpest contraction since the first quarter of 1998 and steeper than a 2.3% fall seen in a Reuters poll.

South Korea joins Japan, Thailand and Singapore in technical recession, defined as two straight quarters of decline, as the pandemic slams Asia’s trade-reliant economies.

Read more at :
South Korea enters recession as exports plunge by most since 1963 - Reuters

7/22/20

Covid-19: Canada - USA - Different Approches: Niagara Falls show contrast between U.S., Canadian approach to COVID-19

Aboard Maid of the Mist VII, passengers in blue ponchos appear to fill the top deck and wrap around the lower level as it sails on the American side of Niagara Falls. The passing Canadian-run Hornblower is all but empty with just a handful of people wrapped in red, huddled in pairs near the railing.

Images of the boats cruising past each other below the iconic landmark have caused discussion to swell on social media, with many suggesting the stark contrast in passengers is symbolic of the difference in the Canadian and American approaches to COVID-19.

 Read more at:
Tour boats at Niagara Falls show contrast between U.S., Canadian approach to COVID-19 | CBC News

China-US relations: Are China-US relations drifting closer towards war?

When senior Chinese and American diplomats met in Hawaii last month, for the first time in nearly a year, the stakes were unusually high amid fears their acrimonious tensions are drifting imperceptibly towards war.

The secret meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Yang Jiechi, the top diplomatic aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping, took place – perhaps coincidentally – at Pearl Harbor, scene of a pivotal moment for the US and world history when it was bombed by the Japanese nearly 80 years ago.

The two superpowers have been embroiled in an economic and technological decoupling amid an unfolding new Cold War. Beijing and Washington have engaged in a global blame-game over the deadly coronavirus and are at odds on almost every front, from
trade tensions to the South China SeaTaiwan,Xinjian and Huawei
.
Read more at:
Are China-US relations drifting closer towards war? | South China Morning Post 

USA: Congress and covid - America’s backwards coronavirus strategy

The Senate`s status as “the world’s greatest deliberative body”, as President James Buchanan allegedly described it, has been exaggerated for a while. Legislation is accomplished not through considered debate, but rushed, secretive crafting of law by senior party leaders on the eve of some cataclysmic deadline. In the past decade this brinkmanship has led to one struggle over “sequestration” (spending caps), two debt-ceiling crises and three shutdowns of the federal government, but little in the way of substantive lawmaking.

The same dynamic will shape the latest gargantuan stimulus package needed to cushion the fallout from the epidemic of covid-19. But this time, the consequences of brinkmanship and delay could be even more severe.

Read more at:
Congress and covid - America’s backwards coronavirus strategy | United States | The Economist

7/21/20

Britain: Brexit plus coronavirus could spell disaster for Britain's universities

With the dawn of 2020 came one of the biggest questions UK universities has ever faced: what will their campuses look like after Brexit? Universities have long been proudly European in their approach: more than 143,000 EU students from outside the UK are enrolled in British institutions, and EU citizens make up 18 per centof academic staff. But the new post-Brexit immigration rules might change that forever.

No longer classed as “home” students, EU applicants will soon join other internationals in requiring separate visas for work and study. Where once EU citizens were charged the same fees and had the same access to student loans and scholarships as their British classmates, their fees will be required upfront. And with their new international status, those fees are no small change: starting from the 2021-22 academic year, EU students enrolling at English universities will likely be charged tuition fees of up to £26,000 annuallyfor an undergraduate degree. On July 9, Scotland confirmed it would follow England in charging EU students international fees; announcements from Wales and Northern Ireland are expected over the coming weeks.

At £9,250 per year for home students, the cost of studying in most of the UK is already high when compared to the rest of Europe. Tuition fees in France are a snip in comparison at €2,770 (£2,400) per year, and several countries – including Germany, Denmark and Norway – charge no fees at all. It raises the question: can universities still rely on EU students wanting to come to the UK at all?

Announcing the changes on 23 June, universities minister Michelle Donelan said she was “confident” about the UK’s ability to continue to attract European students, staff and researchers in spite of the changes. It’s a statement that Anne Marie Graham, chief executive of the UK Council for International Affairs, agrees with to an extent.“The UK will remain attractive to EU students because of its very highly respected education system,” she says. “We will not go from having several thousand EU students to zero, but it's inevitable that numbers will fall because the issue is two-fold.”

Read more at: 
Brexit plus coronavirus could spell disaster for Britain's universities | WIRED UK

EU rescue deal: ‘The most important moment in the life of our Europe,’ says Macron

An historic rescue plan for economies left shattered by the coronavirus epidemic was hailed by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday as “the most important moment in the life of our Europe since the creation of the euro”. 

Read more:
EU rescue deal: ‘The most important moment in the life of our Europe,’ says Macron

USA - Coronavirus Data Mismanagement: 'Flying blind': US failure to report vital coronavirus data is hobbling response

The United States is failing to report vital information on Covid-19 that could help track the spread of the disease and prevent the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans, according to the first comprehensive review of the nation’s coronavirus data.

The report, Tracking Covid-19 in the United States, paints a bleak picture of the country’s response to the disease. Five months into the pandemic, the essential intelligence that would allow public health authorities to get to grips with the virus is still not being compiled in usable form.

Read more at:
'Flying blind': US failure to report vital coronavirus data is hobbling response | World news | The Guardian

Britain - Brexit; U.K. officials 'avoided' looking into allegations of Russian meddling in Brexit referendum: report


A long-awaited report on Russian influence in British politics criticized the British government for neglecting to investigate whether Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, describing its utter lack of curiosity about the threats to democracy as being a major failure at the heart of power.

The parliamentary report's authors accused the British government of "actively avoiding" looking into evidence of the Russian threat to the EU referendum. The authors found this particularly unforgivable given the evidence that emerged of Russian interference in the U.S. elections in 2016 and in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

Read more at:
U.K. officials 'avoided' looking into allegations of Russian meddling in Brexit referendum: report | CBC News

EU summit: Leaders reach landmark €1.82 trillion COVID-19 recovery deal and budget

Speaking to reporters, European Council president Charles Michel called it a "good deal", stating that "Europe is solid".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, underlined important concessions made in the search for a compromise, saying she regretted the cuts to "modern policies" in research and innovation.

French president Emmanuel Macron called it an "historic day for Europe".

The recovery plan includes €390 billion worth of grants and €360 billion worth of loans due to a compromise with the so-called frugal four, now five, countries — Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Read more at :
EU summit: Leaders reach landmark €1.82 trillion COVID-19 recovery deal and budget | Euronews

7/20/20

USA - International Relations: Trump Has Destroyed America’s Global Power and Influence - by Pete Buttigieg, Philip H. Gordon

A world without U.S. leadership is no longer some vague and lamentable future possibility. We are seeing with our own eyes what such a world looks like, with the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic a prime example. In May, as the worldwide death toll surpassed a quarter of a million people, leaders from all over the world joined by videoconference to coordinate efforts to find and raise money for an effective vaccine. The summit was organized by the European Union and ended with pledges of more than $8 billion, along with commitments by world leaders to pool their efforts to find and distribute effective medications against a virus from which none of their citizens were safe. Other than its virtual nature, it was the kind of gathering we have always envisioned when we picture global cooperation to deal with a major emergency but for one striking fact: the absence of the world’s richest and most powerful country, the United States. In the midst of the kind of global crisis that would usually lead much of the world to look to Washington for leadership, the chair normally reserved for the United States was empty.

The failure of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to build an international coalition to combat the coronavirus is in fact only the latest manifestation of a deeper and potentially lasting failure. Indeed, among all of Trump’s foreign-policy legacies, none may be more consequential than the damage he has done to America’s standing, influence, and power in the world by weakening the system of partnerships and alliances the country has created and relied on for decades. A world without U.S. leadership is no longer some vague and lamentable future possibility.Since the start of his Trump has abandoned multiple treaties and agreements, undermined the credibility of U.S. defense guarantees, bullied and belittled allies, and cozied up to dictators who threaten those allies and the United States. His “America First” doctrine—with its ominous echoes of the 1930s—and indifference to the rule of law at home and abroad have left allies wondering if they can count on the United States; many have started to look elsewhere for more reliable friends and partners. The result is a world in which the United States is less safe, less respected, and less able to deal with the enormous challenges it faces: climate change, pandemics, refugees, cyberattacks, election interference, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, modern technology, and the rise of China.

The collapse in global regard for the United States has been breathtakingly swift under this president. Even before collapsing further due to Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic, confidence in him to “do the right thing” in international affairs stood at just 29 percent among 32 countries polled—down from 74 percent in former President Barack Obama’s final year in office. Global confidence in Trump is significantly lower than in German Chancellor Angela Merkel (46 percent), French President Emmanuel Macron (41 percent), and Russian President Vladimir Putin (33 percent)—and just one point higher than in Chinese leader Xi Jinping (28 percent). Germans are now equally divided on whether the United States (37 percent) or China (36 percent) is their closest partner, while just 28 percent of Britons trust the United States to act responsibly. Confidence in Trump is only 36 percent in Japan, 32 percent in the United Kingdom, 28 percent in Canada, 28 percent in Brazil, 20 percent in France, 13 percent in Germany, and a mere 8 percent in Mexico, while favorable views of the United States have fallen from 64 percent in 2016 to 53 percent in 2019. Asked in June whether she trusted Trump, Merkel paused before saying only “I work with elected presidents around the world, including, of course, the American one.”

Read the complete report: : 
Trump Has Destroyed America’s Power and Influence

USA: Trump consults Bush torture lawyer on how to skirt law and rule by decree - by Julian Borger

The Trump administration has been consulting the former government lawyer who wrote the legal justification for waterboarding, on how the president might try to rule by decree.

Read more at:
Trump consults Bush torture lawyer on how to skirt law and rule by decree | US news | The Guardian

USA - Global warming: Sink or swim: Miami’s perilous future facing climate change

With its white-sand beaches and glittery high-rises, Miami is still a vacation hotspot. But lapping at those shores is another reality.

The city is also a "possible future Atlantis, and a metonymic stand-in for how the rest of the developed world might fail — or succeed — in the climate-changed future," writes Miami journalist Mario Alejandro Ariza in his forthcoming book, "Disposable City: Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe."

This may not be news to some. The city's plight has been the subject of investigative reporting and even viral news stories after an octopus showed up in a parking garage following an especially high tide.

Read more at:
Sink or swim: Miami’s perilous future facing climate change | Salon.com

EU summit: Talks entering 'crucial phase' as leaders meet for fourth day

Leaders left the marathon summit early Monday morning without an agreement and are set to resume talks at 16:00 CET. The summit was originally planned to end on Saturday.

Von der Leyen told reportershat "after three days and three nights of negotiation marathon, we're entering now in the crucial phase but I have the impression that European leaders really want an agreement."

"I'm positive for today, we're not there yet but things are moving in the right direction," she added.

Talks have focussed on a proposed €1.68 trillion package, a seven-year budget and a coronavirus recovery fund.

Read more at:
EU summit: Talks entering 'crucial phase' as leaders meet for fourth day | Euronews

Middle East: UAE's Amal spacecraft rockets toward Mars in Arab world 1st

The United Arab Emirates spacecraft rocketed away Monday on a seven-month journey to Mars, kicking off the Arab world's first interplanetary mission.

The liftoff of the Mars orbiter named Amal, or Hope, from Japan marked the start of a rush to fly to Earth's neighbour that includes attempts by China and the United States.

Read more at:
UAE's Amal spacecraft rockets toward Mars in Arab world 1st | CBC News

7/19/20

Western Economies: Second stock market crash – 3 reasons why it could be coming, and what I’d do right now - by Royston Wild

The FTSE 100 has steadied again but investors remain extremely jumpy. Dip-buying activity remains thin on the ground as market makers consider the possibility of a second stock market crash.

It’s impossible to say with any degree of certainty whether another crash is around the corner. But there’s certainly plenty of potential problems that could cause a fresh financial market meltdown. Here are three reasons why a second share market collapse could happen sooner rather than later.

The easing of lockdown restrictions across the globe have allowed stock indexes to creep steadily higher from their March troughs, leading to hopes of swift economic improvement.

Have politicians been too quick in lifting restrictions, though? A subsequent secondary spike in coronavirus cases has led many to believe that the answer is ‘yes.’ Parts of China have had to be locked down again in recent days. Infections in some parts of the US continue to balloon. And today the World Health Organisation said that it has seen a resurgence of cases in more than 20 European countries.

News flow has led to speculation that efforts to steadily ease lockdown restrictions could be slowed. Some are suggesting that strict quarantine measures could be re-introduced in a move that would deal a bodyblow to the economic recovery and likely cause another market crash.

Read more: 
Second stock market crash – 3 reasons why it could be coming, and what I’d do right now

EU - Coronavirus: Where are infection rates surging in Europe? by Alice Tidey

Sweden, Portugal and Bulgaria have some of the highest rates of new COVID-19 infections in the European Union, the latest data show.

According to data released on Saturday by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), four EU member states currently have a crude incidence rate of over 40 cases per 100,000 population.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has the highest with an average of 136.5 cases per 100,000 population reported over the previous 14 days.

But the tiny, landlocked state has reported just one COVID-19 death over the past fortnight. Its 14-day cumulative number of deaths related to the virus per 100,000 thus stands at just 0.2.

Read more at: 
Coronavirus: Where are infection rates surging in Europe? | Euronews