Under President Xi Jinping, China has become more diplomatically assertive and shown an increased willingness to back up its claims over disputed territory with demonstrations of its military prowess. Neighbouring countries, and the United States have been watching closely.
The increasingly loud voices sounding alarm of a potential China-US conflict in the South China Sea mostly came from the fact that the US is now seeing China on equal footing because of the latter’s growing army,” said Yin Dongyu, a Beijing-based analyst on the Chinese military. “And that’s quite a good indication of China’s growing military strength already.”
Within its ranks, there are more than 915,000 active-duty troops in its ranks, dwarfing the US, which has about 486,000 active soldiers, according to the latest Pentagon China Military Power Report.
The army has also been stocking its arsenal with increasingly high-tech weapons.In 2019, the DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts say could hit any corner of the globe, was unveiled during the National Day military parade. But it was a DF-17 hypersonic missile that caught most people’s attention.
In 2019, the DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts say could hit any corner of the globe, was unveiled during the National Day military parade. But it was a DF-17 hypersonic missile that caught most people’s attention.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is now the largest navy in the world, according to the government’s defence white paper, and its submarines have the capability to launch nuclear-armed missiles. To support the navy, China also has so-called maritime militia, funded by the government and known as “little blue men”, which are active in the South China Sea, while this year Beijing authorised its coastguard to fire on foreign vessels.
Read more at:
Just how strong is the Chinese military? | Military News | Al Jazeera
10/31/21
Turkey backs down on threat to expel foreign ambassadors - by Bethan McKernan
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has backed down from a threat to expel 10 ambassadors – including those from seven Nato allies – over their demands for the release of a prominent pro-democracy activist.
In comments on Monday Erdoğan said statements issued earlier in the day by the embassies in question, reaffirming that they will abide by a diplomatic convention not to interfere in a host country’s internal affairs, “show they have taken a step back from the slander against our country” and “they will be more careful now”.
The president’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, added: “Our foreign ministry has already given the necessary response to these foreign missions and warned them about their unacceptable behavior,” in a statement on Twitter.
Read more at: Turkey backs down on threat to expel foreign ambassadors | Turkey | The Guardian
In comments on Monday Erdoğan said statements issued earlier in the day by the embassies in question, reaffirming that they will abide by a diplomatic convention not to interfere in a host country’s internal affairs, “show they have taken a step back from the slander against our country” and “they will be more careful now”.
The president’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, added: “Our foreign ministry has already given the necessary response to these foreign missions and warned them about their unacceptable behavior,” in a statement on Twitter.
Read more at: Turkey backs down on threat to expel foreign ambassadors | Turkey | The Guardian
Netherlands - Belgium EU Cocaine Hubs: Dutch customs officers discover four tons of cocaine in Rotterdam
Customs officers seized more than four tons of cocaine in two containers at the port of Rotterdam, Dutch prosecutors said on Sunday.
The illegal drugs, which have an estimated street value of €313 million ($362 million), were found hidden in soy bags destined for Portugal from Paraguay via Uruguay.
"It has been the largest haul discovered so far this year" in the Netherlands, a public prosecution official told the ANP news agency. The cocaine has since been destroyed. Why are smugglers using Rotterdam port?
Europol warned that Rotterdam port is a major entry point for drugs, with the Netherlands and Belgium becoming central hubs for cocaine.
Read more at: Dutch customs officers discover four tons of cocaine in Rotterdam | News | DW | 31.10.2021
The illegal drugs, which have an estimated street value of €313 million ($362 million), were found hidden in soy bags destined for Portugal from Paraguay via Uruguay.
"It has been the largest haul discovered so far this year" in the Netherlands, a public prosecution official told the ANP news agency. The cocaine has since been destroyed. Why are smugglers using Rotterdam port?
Europol warned that Rotterdam port is a major entry point for drugs, with the Netherlands and Belgium becoming central hubs for cocaine.
Read more at: Dutch customs officers discover four tons of cocaine in Rotterdam | News | DW | 31.10.2021
Covid-19 origin: Covid-19 origins may never be known, US intelligence agencies say
In an updated assessment of where the virus began, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said an animal-to-human transmission and a lab leak were both plausible hypotheses for how it spread.
But there was not enough information to reach a definitive conclusion.
China has criticised the report.
Read more at: Covid-19 origins may never be known, US intelligence agencies say - BBC News
But there was not enough information to reach a definitive conclusion.
China has criticised the report.
Read more at: Covid-19 origins may never be known, US intelligence agencies say - BBC News
The Test of Time: What Has Become of Martin Luther's Reformation?
It was in the small German city of Wittenberg in 1517 that a local professor of moral theology is said to have nailed 95 theses to the doors of the castle church, and by that single act, changed the world.
Germans and Christians from around the world gather every year on October 31st to celebrate Luther and what he did.
Read more at: It was in the small German city of Wittenberg in 1517 that a local professor of moral theology is said to have nailed 95 theses to the doors of the castle church, and by that single act, changed the world.
Read more at: The Test of Time: What Has Become of Martin Luther's Reformation? | CBN News
Germans and Christians from around the world gather every year on October 31st to celebrate Luther and what he did.
Read more at: It was in the small German city of Wittenberg in 1517 that a local professor of moral theology is said to have nailed 95 theses to the doors of the castle church, and by that single act, changed the world.
Read more at: The Test of Time: What Has Become of Martin Luther's Reformation? | CBN News
10/30/21
The Netherlands: Coronavirus: Netherlands entirely red on European Covid map
Noord-Holland, Noord-Brabant, Groningen and Drenthe turned red on the map of coronavirus cases in Europe. This means that the whole of the Netherlands is now at the second-highest warning level. The four provinces were still orange last week but moved up due to the rapid increase in positive tests.
The ECDC, the European counterpart of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), publishes its coronavirus map every Thursday. The service looks at the number and percentage of positive tests in the two previous calendar weeks. The European coronavirus map has four colors. From low to high, these are green, orange, red, and dark red. Countries use the map to decide to tighten rules for travelers from other countries.
Read more at: Netherlands entirely red on European Covid map | NL Times
The ECDC, the European counterpart of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), publishes its coronavirus map every Thursday. The service looks at the number and percentage of positive tests in the two previous calendar weeks. The European coronavirus map has four colors. From low to high, these are green, orange, red, and dark red. Countries use the map to decide to tighten rules for travelers from other countries.
Read more at: Netherlands entirely red on European Covid map | NL Times
The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – by Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray
In their recent communiqué, Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers admirably committed to using ‘all available tools for as long as required to address the adverse consequences of Covid-19’—in particular for those most affected.
Since the pandemic developed, governments around the world have taken extraordinary steps to support their economies, forcing the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses, locking down borders and unleashing a wave of economic and health measures. While not all responses have been equally effective, one fundamental lesson has become clear: governments—particularly in wealthy countries—can marshal unprecedented interventions, at scale, when needed.
Eighteen months on though, critical weaknesses persist. Global vaccine inequity is perpetuating the pandemic. Economic instability and lack of fiscal space threaten another lost decade of development for many low- and middle-income countries. Despite escalating climate disasters, only 2 per cent of the total fiscal response to Covid-19 and the recovery from the ensuing economic crisis has gone into clean-energy measures. Progress on addressing the interlocking global crises of Covid-19, economic instability and climate change has effectively stalled.
Read more at The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray
Since the pandemic developed, governments around the world have taken extraordinary steps to support their economies, forcing the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses, locking down borders and unleashing a wave of economic and health measures. While not all responses have been equally effective, one fundamental lesson has become clear: governments—particularly in wealthy countries—can marshal unprecedented interventions, at scale, when needed.
Eighteen months on though, critical weaknesses persist. Global vaccine inequity is perpetuating the pandemic. Economic instability and lack of fiscal space threaten another lost decade of development for many low- and middle-income countries. Despite escalating climate disasters, only 2 per cent of the total fiscal response to Covid-19 and the recovery from the ensuing economic crisis has gone into clean-energy measures. Progress on addressing the interlocking global crises of Covid-19, economic instability and climate change has effectively stalled.
Read more at The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray
10/29/21
China-Russian Naval Cooperation: Chinese warships on first ever joint patrol mission in Pacific
Russian and Chinese navy vessels have completed their first joint patrol mission in the Pacific Ocean, covering a distance of over 1,700 nautical miles (around 3,100km) in a week, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said.
The landmark mission was aimed at maintaining stability in the Pacific region and safeguarding the maritime infrastructure of the two nations, the ministry said. It started last Sunday and successfully concluded on Saturday.
During the patrol, the Russian and Chinese ships sailed through the Tsugaru Strait between Japan's islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The Japanese Navy, which monitored their actions, said that the passage was carried out in line with international law and that the country’s territorial waters weren't violated.
The Russian and Chinese military sailors also worked out joint tactical maneuvering and performed other training exercises along their route.
Read more at: WATCH Russian & Chinese warships on first ever joint patrol mission in Pacific — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
The landmark mission was aimed at maintaining stability in the Pacific region and safeguarding the maritime infrastructure of the two nations, the ministry said. It started last Sunday and successfully concluded on Saturday.
During the patrol, the Russian and Chinese ships sailed through the Tsugaru Strait between Japan's islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. The Japanese Navy, which monitored their actions, said that the passage was carried out in line with international law and that the country’s territorial waters weren't violated.
The Russian and Chinese military sailors also worked out joint tactical maneuvering and performed other training exercises along their route.
Read more at: WATCH Russian & Chinese warships on first ever joint patrol mission in Pacific — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
USA -The Big Lie: Big oil CEOs just lied before Congress. It’s time they’re held accountable - by Jamie Henn
For the first time ever, the executives from four major oil companies and two of the industry’s most powerful front groups testified before Congress about their decades-long effort to spread climate disinformation and block legislation that would reduce US dependence on fossil fuels.
Republicans vehemently opposed the premise of Thursday’s House oversight hearing. Yet within the first round of GOP questioning, led by one of the industry’s staunchest defenders, ranking committee member James Comer of Kentucky, the executives inadvertently proved why they were summoned to testify under oath in the first place.
There can be no doubt that Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP have all engaged in false advertising, aka disinformation campaigns, during the tenure of their current CEOs. In fact, one could argue that the vast majority of the industry’s advertising fits this definition.
Take Exxon. For years, Exxon has been spending millions of dollars to run ads about its investments in algae fuel, even though it has spent very little on the actual research and has no plan to bring the product to market. The company hopes to create a “net impression” among consumers that Exxon is in the business of climate solutions, when it’s really still in the business of climate destruction. It’s textbook false advertising – which is one reason Exxon is being taken to court for this disinformation.
Read more at: Big oil CEOs just lied before Congress. It’s time they’re held accountable | Jamie Henn | The Guardian
Republicans vehemently opposed the premise of Thursday’s House oversight hearing. Yet within the first round of GOP questioning, led by one of the industry’s staunchest defenders, ranking committee member James Comer of Kentucky, the executives inadvertently proved why they were summoned to testify under oath in the first place.
There can be no doubt that Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP have all engaged in false advertising, aka disinformation campaigns, during the tenure of their current CEOs. In fact, one could argue that the vast majority of the industry’s advertising fits this definition.
Take Exxon. For years, Exxon has been spending millions of dollars to run ads about its investments in algae fuel, even though it has spent very little on the actual research and has no plan to bring the product to market. The company hopes to create a “net impression” among consumers that Exxon is in the business of climate solutions, when it’s really still in the business of climate destruction. It’s textbook false advertising – which is one reason Exxon is being taken to court for this disinformation.
Read more at: Big oil CEOs just lied before Congress. It’s time they’re held accountable | Jamie Henn | The Guardian
Europe's energy crisis: Prices drop after Putin orders Gazprom to fill EU stocks
European gas prices have dropped after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Gazprom officials.
The Russian president instructed the country’s state-controlled natural gas company to pump more supplies into the EU, prompting the immediate fall in prices on Thursday.
Europe’s gas prices have soared in recent weeks amid strong demand during the economic recovery from the pandemic. European Union stocks were also depleted after a cold winter.
Read more at: Europe's energy crisis: Prices drop after Putin orders Gazprom to fill EU stocks | Euronews
The Russian president instructed the country’s state-controlled natural gas company to pump more supplies into the EU, prompting the immediate fall in prices on Thursday.
Europe’s gas prices have soared in recent weeks amid strong demand during the economic recovery from the pandemic. European Union stocks were also depleted after a cold winter.
Read more at: Europe's energy crisis: Prices drop after Putin orders Gazprom to fill EU stocks | Euronews
10/28/21
Italy - G20: China's Xi will not attend Rome G20 summit in person - source
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend a Rome summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in person, a source close to the matter said on Tuesday.
Read more at: China's Xi will not attend Rome G20 summit in person - source | Reuters
Read more at: China's Xi will not attend Rome G20 summit in person - source | Reuters
Kurdistan: PKK second-in-command appears to distance movement from pro-US Rojava strategy
KURDISTAN Workers Party (PKK) second-in-command Cemil Bayik has appeared to distance the movement from the Rojava administration in northern Syria, insisting that the future for Kurds lay with Damascus.
In an interview with the al-Nahar newspaper today, he said that the PKK remained committed to Syrian unity, supporting an end to foreign occupation.
He cited the “close and warm” relations with former president Hafez al-Assad and his family, while welcoming plans for decentralisation announced in April which “opened the door to reconciliation.”
“We have always wanted the autonomous administration to solve its problems with Damascus,” the Kurdish leader said, adding that talks between the two are encouraged.
Read more at: PKK second-in-command appears to distance movement from pro-US Rojava strategy | Morning Star
In an interview with the al-Nahar newspaper today, he said that the PKK remained committed to Syrian unity, supporting an end to foreign occupation.
He cited the “close and warm” relations with former president Hafez al-Assad and his family, while welcoming plans for decentralisation announced in April which “opened the door to reconciliation.”
“We have always wanted the autonomous administration to solve its problems with Damascus,” the Kurdish leader said, adding that talks between the two are encouraged.
Read more at: PKK second-in-command appears to distance movement from pro-US Rojava strategy | Morning Star
U.S. President Biden announces 'historic' deal, asks"bickering" Democrats for votes
U.S. President Joe Biden declared Thursday he has reached a "historic economic framework" with Democrats in Congress on his sweeping domestic policy package, a hard-fought yet dramatically scaled-back deal announced hours before he departs for overseas summits.
Biden's remarks at the White House came after he traveled to Capitol Hill to make the case to House Democrats for the still robust domestic package -- US$1.75 trillion of social services and climate change programs the White House believes can pass the 50-50 Senate.
Read more at: U.S. President Biden announces 'historic' deal, asks Democrats for votes | CTV News
Biden's remarks at the White House came after he traveled to Capitol Hill to make the case to House Democrats for the still robust domestic package -- US$1.75 trillion of social services and climate change programs the White House believes can pass the 50-50 Senate.
Read more at: U.S. President Biden announces 'historic' deal, asks Democrats for votes | CTV News
Russia: Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs -by Tom Balmforth and Andrew Osborn
The Russian capital brought in its strictest COVID-19 related lockdown measures in more than a year on Thursday as nationwide one-day pandemic deaths and infections hit new highs amid slow vaccination take-up across the world's biggest country.
Read more at: Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs | Reuters
Read more at: Moscow locks down as Russian COVID-19 deaths surge to new highs | Reuters
10/27/21
USA: QAnon coalition wants to 'control the election system' - by April Siese
A Qanon conference held in Las Vegas last weekend saw far-right conspiracy-mongers lay out their ambitious plans to “take back the secretaries of state offices around the country,” according to Jim Marchant, who’s running for Nevada secretary of state. Marchant was among a handful of political hopefuls who’ve formed a coalition in hopes of solving the nonexistent issue of voter fraud.
“I can’t stress enough how important the secretary of state offices are. I think they are the most important elections in our country in 2022,” Marchant said at the “For God & Country Patriot Double Down” event. “And why is that? We control the election system. In 2022 we’re going to take back our country.”
The mastermind behind the coalition appears to be a fringe figure known by the name Juan O. Savin, whom many in the QAnon world believe to be JFK Jr. Savin rarely shows his face except for by accident while filming live streams, so it came as a surprise when he appeared at the conference and held court for upwards of an hour. Emcee Andre Popa pushed the theory despite the fact that yet another person suspected to be JFK Jr. was in attendance. Somehow Savin has the ear of prominent QAnon believers like Jim Caviezel, who welcomed Savin to the stage over the weekend with a warm embrace. It was Savin and Marchant who initially met shortly after the 2020 election to hatch their plan. They held their first meeting as a coalition in May, alongside backers like MyPillow and election fraud fetishist Mike Lindell, former Maria Butina lover and disgraced former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, and Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft.
Though the group appears to have lots of money behind it, there’s not a chance all four candidates who attended the conference—Rachel Hamm, Kristina Karamo, Mark Finchem, and Marchant—will win their elections.
Hamm is running for secretary of state in California, where she is largely predicted to lose simply because the state is so blue. She’s likely not helping her candidacy efforts by continuing to espouse her “prophetic” dreams that involve killing alleged witches and likening Donald Trump to a doting father trying to teach the country a lesson.
Marchant was previously endorsed by Trump during his failed 2020 bid for House representative in Nevada. He has yet to receive an endorsement for his Nevada secretary of state bid. Karamo, meanwhile, already has Trump’s blessing in her bid for Michigan secretary of state, as does Mark Finchem, who currently serves as an Arizona house representative and sees the secretary of state position as a way to help thwart alleged election wrongdoings.
There are 26 states with secretary of state positions up for election on the 2022 ballot. Now more than ever is a great time to get into politics and combat the fringe views of QAnon Republicans. Otherwise, these folks could be running an election in your own community.
Read more at: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/27/2060513/-QAnon-coalition-wants-to-control-the-election-system
“I can’t stress enough how important the secretary of state offices are. I think they are the most important elections in our country in 2022,” Marchant said at the “For God & Country Patriot Double Down” event. “And why is that? We control the election system. In 2022 we’re going to take back our country.”
The mastermind behind the coalition appears to be a fringe figure known by the name Juan O. Savin, whom many in the QAnon world believe to be JFK Jr. Savin rarely shows his face except for by accident while filming live streams, so it came as a surprise when he appeared at the conference and held court for upwards of an hour. Emcee Andre Popa pushed the theory despite the fact that yet another person suspected to be JFK Jr. was in attendance. Somehow Savin has the ear of prominent QAnon believers like Jim Caviezel, who welcomed Savin to the stage over the weekend with a warm embrace. It was Savin and Marchant who initially met shortly after the 2020 election to hatch their plan. They held their first meeting as a coalition in May, alongside backers like MyPillow and election fraud fetishist Mike Lindell, former Maria Butina lover and disgraced former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, and Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft.
Though the group appears to have lots of money behind it, there’s not a chance all four candidates who attended the conference—Rachel Hamm, Kristina Karamo, Mark Finchem, and Marchant—will win their elections.
Hamm is running for secretary of state in California, where she is largely predicted to lose simply because the state is so blue. She’s likely not helping her candidacy efforts by continuing to espouse her “prophetic” dreams that involve killing alleged witches and likening Donald Trump to a doting father trying to teach the country a lesson.
Marchant was previously endorsed by Trump during his failed 2020 bid for House representative in Nevada. He has yet to receive an endorsement for his Nevada secretary of state bid. Karamo, meanwhile, already has Trump’s blessing in her bid for Michigan secretary of state, as does Mark Finchem, who currently serves as an Arizona house representative and sees the secretary of state position as a way to help thwart alleged election wrongdoings.
There are 26 states with secretary of state positions up for election on the 2022 ballot. Now more than ever is a great time to get into politics and combat the fringe views of QAnon Republicans. Otherwise, these folks could be running an election in your own community.
Read more at: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/27/2060513/-QAnon-coalition-wants-to-control-the-election-system
USA How to fix democracy: in America Move beyond the two-party system, experts say - by (Astrid Riecken
Dissatisfaction with two-party politics is at an all-time high, new Gallup polling shows, with 62 percent of Americans saying Democrats and Republicans are doing such a poor job of representing their constituents that a third party is needed.
But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.
Read more at: How to fix democracy: Move beyond the two-party system, experts say - The Washington Post
But the zero-sum, winner-take-all dynamics of U.S. elections make it nearly impossible for third parties to gain electoral traction, despite survey data that shows fully half of Americans do not identify with any party and label themselves independents. This was underscored this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, when former president Donald Trump ruled out creating a third political party to promote his brand of nationalist conservatism.
Read more at: How to fix democracy: Move beyond the two-party system, experts say - The Washington Post
The Netherlands: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape
With more than 10 years of Rutte at the helm of Dutch government, he is very close to breaking Ruud Lubbers record of 11 years and 291 days to become the longest-serving PM of the Netherlands; a record that is bound to be broken if Rutte IV materialises. By presenting himself as the country’s national crisis manager, Rutte has held onto his popularity by pragmatically steering the Netherlands through the pandemic, thus strengthening his mandate to form a fourth cabinet under his leadership. However, soon after ‘scouts’ started their exploratory post-election research into cabinet formations, what appeared to become an easy path to Rutte IV took an unexpected turn. Research notes were accidentally leaked revealing Rutte’s now infamous statement: “positie Omtzigt, functie elders” (Omtzigt’s position, function elsewhere), a statement interpreted as exploring means to silence critical members of parliament. The PM’s initial denial of mentioning Omtzigt as part of the talks, followed by his claims of forgetting it, triggered an eruption of political and public outrage, threatening the future of a fourth Rutte cabinet
Read more at: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape | Global Risk Insights
Read more at: Rutte for Fourth Term? Splintered Dutch Political Landscape | Global Risk Insights
EU-Russia Relations: Russia puts the freeze on EU, gas supplies limited, prices spike
With gas prices surging, Members of the European Parliament have called for an investigation into market manipulation from state and non-state actors, and into the EU carbon market speculation to measure the impact that both factors are having on prices.
During the debate between the European Parliament, Commission and Council in plenary on October 6, many MEPs insisted on the need for immediate measures to protect the most vulnerable from rising bills, the EU Parliament said in a press release.
Read more At Russia puts the freeze on EU, gas supplies limited, prices spike | New Europe
During the debate between the European Parliament, Commission and Council in plenary on October 6, many MEPs insisted on the need for immediate measures to protect the most vulnerable from rising bills, the EU Parliament said in a press release.
Read more At Russia puts the freeze on EU, gas supplies limited, prices spike | New Europe
EU-Polish Relations: Poland hit with record €1M daily fine in EU rule-of-law dispute
Poland was hit with a record-high daily fine of €1 million for not complying with an EU court order to suspend the country’s controversial disciplinary mechanism for judges, the bloc’s highest court announced on Wednesday.
The decision comes at a decisive moment in the years-long conflict between Brussels and Warsaw over the rule of law, as the European Commission is looking into how to use different forms of financial pressure to make the Polish government reverse some of its contested
The fine is the highest daily penalty the Court of Justice of the European Union has put on an EU member state in its history.
Read more at: Poland hit with record €1M daily fine in EU rule-of-law dispute – POLITICO
The decision comes at a decisive moment in the years-long conflict between Brussels and Warsaw over the rule of law, as the European Commission is looking into how to use different forms of financial pressure to make the Polish government reverse some of its contested
The fine is the highest daily penalty the Court of Justice of the European Union has put on an EU member state in its history.
Read more at: Poland hit with record €1M daily fine in EU rule-of-law dispute – POLITICO
10/26/21
The Netherlands: Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures
The Dutch government is seeking advice from a panel of experts on whether it needs to reintroduce COVID-19 restrictions amid sharply rising infection rates, the health minister said Monday.
The Netherlands has one of the fastest-rising infection rates in Europe. The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases increased over the past two weeks from 13.43 new cases per 100,000 people to 29.27 new cases per 100,000 people on Oct. 24.
Read more at: Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures
The Netherlands has one of the fastest-rising infection rates in Europe. The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases increased over the past two weeks from 13.43 new cases per 100,000 people to 29.27 new cases per 100,000 people on Oct. 24.
Read more at: Dutch government looking at reintroducing COVID-19 measures
NATO: Afghanistan: two decades of Nato help leaves a failed and fractured state on the brink of civil war
Afghanistan is falling apart. With US and Nato troops leaving the country earlier than planned, experts are warning that the Taliban could take control of the country within six months. Currently the insurgents control the strategically important province of Helmand, and control or contest territory nearly every province in the war-torn country.
As many as 188 of Afghanistan’s 407 districts are directly under Taliban rule. With up to 85,000 full-time fighters), the insurgents have already forced thousands of troops belonging to the US-trained Afghan army to surrender or flee.
In response to the Taliban’s onslaught, local militias are fighting back. Most notable among them is a coalition of militias in northern Afghanistan called the Second Resistance, led by Ahmad Massoud (the son of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated in September 2001).
The Second Resistance has several thousand fighters and militia commanders who have fought against the Taliban, mostly of Tajik origin. Massoud insists that the Taliban will not have the same success in fighting his coalition due to far greater resolve of his soldiers compared to the Afghan military. But henceforth he will have to operate without the help of Nato troops.
Read More at: Afghanistan: two decades of Nato help leaves a failed and fractured state on the brink of civil war
As many as 188 of Afghanistan’s 407 districts are directly under Taliban rule. With up to 85,000 full-time fighters), the insurgents have already forced thousands of troops belonging to the US-trained Afghan army to surrender or flee.
In response to the Taliban’s onslaught, local militias are fighting back. Most notable among them is a coalition of militias in northern Afghanistan called the Second Resistance, led by Ahmad Massoud (the son of Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated in September 2001).
The Second Resistance has several thousand fighters and militia commanders who have fought against the Taliban, mostly of Tajik origin. Massoud insists that the Taliban will not have the same success in fighting his coalition due to far greater resolve of his soldiers compared to the Afghan military. But henceforth he will have to operate without the help of Nato troops.
Read More at: Afghanistan: two decades of Nato help leaves a failed and fractured state on the brink of civil war
The Netherlands: 9 Reasons Retirees Love The Netherlands
According to Global Finance Magazine, the Netherlands is number 5 on the list of the happiest countries in Europe to live in. That is a pretty good ranking, and you will see why retirees, locals, and foreigners, love to spend their later life in this beautiful European country. The Netherlands is a small country: It’s a little less than twice the size of New Jersey, and the United Kingdom is six times bigger. It is bordered in the east by Germany, in the south by Belgium, and in the north and west by the North Sea. The location is responsible for the moderate maritime climate which generally means mild winters and cool summers.
That doesn’t mean that there can’t be snowfall, hot days in summer, and rain showers year round. The Netherlands is a kingdom and its current king, Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima (who was born in Argentina) are very popular with their people. So if retirees love a bit of pomp and circumstance and a few colorful festivals, they will love the Netherlands.
Read more at: 9 Reasons Retirees Love The Netherlands - TravelAwaits
That doesn’t mean that there can’t be snowfall, hot days in summer, and rain showers year round. The Netherlands is a kingdom and its current king, Willem-Alexander, and Queen Maxima (who was born in Argentina) are very popular with their people. So if retirees love a bit of pomp and circumstance and a few colorful festivals, they will love the Netherlands.
Read more at: 9 Reasons Retirees Love The Netherlands - TravelAwaits
The American Dream Unraveling: US public health in crisis as Covid prompts curbs on officials’ powers - by Melody Schreiber
More than half of US states have introduced new laws to restrict public health actions, including policies requiring quarantine or isolation and mandating vaccines or masks. Between the new laws and the massive workforce departures during the pandemic, public health in America is now in crisis, experts say.
The new restrictions and shortages not only affect responses to the coronavirus but also make it harder to contain outbreaks of the flu, measles and other health crises, and they put the US in a weaker position to combat future pandemics.
“We’re very, very concerned about the rolling back of public health powers,” Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the Guardian. “We thought there was going to be a renaissance for public health, and we may be at the cusp of a major decline.”
Read more at: US public health in crisis as Covid prompts curbs on officials’ powers | US healthcare | The Guardian
The new restrictions and shortages not only affect responses to the coronavirus but also make it harder to contain outbreaks of the flu, measles and other health crises, and they put the US in a weaker position to combat future pandemics.
“We’re very, very concerned about the rolling back of public health powers,” Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the Guardian. “We thought there was going to be a renaissance for public health, and we may be at the cusp of a major decline.”
Read more at: US public health in crisis as Covid prompts curbs on officials’ powers | US healthcare | The Guardian
USA: Is Biden’s entire agenda about to shrink into nothingness? - by Robert Reich
This week, Democrats either reach an agreement on Biden’s social and climate agenda or the agenda may shrink into meaninglessness. The climate measures in particular need to be settled before Biden heads to Scotland for the UN climate summit this weekend, so other nations will see our commitment to reduce carbon emissions.
On Sunday, Biden met with key Democrats to work out spending and tax provisions. Yet every senate Republican and at least two senate Democrats continue to assert that Biden’s agenda is too costly.
Too costly? Really? Compare the Biden’s social and climate package’s current compromise tab of $2tn (spread out over the next 10 years) with:The $1.9 trillion Trump Republican tax cut that went mostly to the wealthy and large corporations.
Americans were promised that its benefits would “trickle down” to average workers. They didn’t. Corporations used them to finance more stock buybacks. The wealthy used them to buy more shares of stock (and shares of private-equity and hedge funds).
Read more at: Is Biden’s entire agenda about to shrink into nothingness? | Robert Reich | The Guardian
On Sunday, Biden met with key Democrats to work out spending and tax provisions. Yet every senate Republican and at least two senate Democrats continue to assert that Biden’s agenda is too costly.
Too costly? Really? Compare the Biden’s social and climate package’s current compromise tab of $2tn (spread out over the next 10 years) with:The $1.9 trillion Trump Republican tax cut that went mostly to the wealthy and large corporations.
Americans were promised that its benefits would “trickle down” to average workers. They didn’t. Corporations used them to finance more stock buybacks. The wealthy used them to buy more shares of stock (and shares of private-equity and hedge funds).
Read more at: Is Biden’s entire agenda about to shrink into nothingness? | Robert Reich | The Guardian
10/25/21
EASTERN EUROPE: COVID-19 cases recorded in eastern Europe hit 20 million - by R.Abraham, S. Ahluwalia, R.Biswas
The number of coronavirus infections recorded so far in eastern Europe surpassed 20 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region grapples with its worst outbreak since the pandemic started and inoculation efforts lag.
Countries in the region have the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, with less than half of the population having received a single dose.
Read more at: COVID-19 cases recorded in eastern Europe hit 20 million | Reuters
Countries in the region have the lowest vaccination rates in Europe, with less than half of the population having received a single dose.
Read more at: COVID-19 cases recorded in eastern Europe hit 20 million | Reuters
Canada: The Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to travel to the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced he will travel to Europe for a bilateral visit to the Netherlands before participating in the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Italy and the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in the United Kingdom.
The Prime Minister will travel to The Hague, the Netherlands on October 29, 2021 where he will meet with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and other Dutch representatives to discuss both countries’ shared priorities and further the strong ties between Canada and the Netherlands.
Read more at: Prime Minister to travel to the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom | Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister will travel to The Hague, the Netherlands on October 29, 2021 where he will meet with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and other Dutch representatives to discuss both countries’ shared priorities and further the strong ties between Canada and the Netherlands.
Read more at: Prime Minister to travel to the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom | Prime Minister of Canada
Global Rankings: Best Countries Rankings - Canada Ranks No. 1 in 2021 - by Elliott Davis
Ranked first in both the Quality of Life and Social Purpose subrankings, meaning that it is seen as a stable and safe society in which individuals can develop and prosper, and is open, fair and equitable. Most of the countries that ranked highest for 2021 come from Western Europe. But Australia, New Zealand and Japan – which is ranked No. 2 overall – also appeared in the top 10.
The Top 10 Countries in the World include:
1. Canada 2. Japan 3. Germany 4. Switzerland 5. Australia 6. United States 7. New Zealand 8. United Kingdom 9. Sweden 10. Netherlands
Read more at: U.S. News Releases 2021 Best Countries Rankings | Best Countries | US News
The Top 10 Countries in the World include:
1. Canada 2. Japan 3. Germany 4. Switzerland 5. Australia 6. United States 7. New Zealand 8. United Kingdom 9. Sweden 10. Netherlands
Read more at: U.S. News Releases 2021 Best Countries Rankings | Best Countries | US News
USA: Right-Wing Democrats Ramp Up Assault on Biden Agenda
When Joe Biden entered office in January, Democrats knew they had two years to enact a mountain of critical legislation before midterm elections threatened their slim majorities in the House and Senate. That two-year window is now down to roughly one. But much of that time will be spent campaigning, meaning that the next month or two will shape the direction of not just the Biden administration, but arguably also the course of U.S. and global politics for decades to come.
Note EU-Digest: Yes indeed, and they, just as some of their Republican colleagues on the other side of the Isle, who are also "supported" financially by the Pharmaceutical, Fosil fuel and several other industries, who see this great plan by the Biden Administration to improve the quality of life for most of the US population as a threat to their present control of the American economy..
Read more at: Right-Wing Democrats Ramp Up Assault on Biden Agenda
Note EU-Digest: Yes indeed, and they, just as some of their Republican colleagues on the other side of the Isle, who are also "supported" financially by the Pharmaceutical, Fosil fuel and several other industries, who see this great plan by the Biden Administration to improve the quality of life for most of the US population as a threat to their present control of the American economy..
Read more at: Right-Wing Democrats Ramp Up Assault on Biden Agenda
USA: The failed US coup of January 6th. : U.S. House holds Trump ally Bannon in contempt, seeks prosecution
Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon could face criminal prosecution for refusing to cooperate with a probe into the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol after the House of Representatives voted Thursday to hold him in contempt of Congress.
The Democratic-led chamber voted 229 to 202, with nine Republicans joining Democrats to recommend the charges against Bannon, who served as chief strategist for the Republican former president.
Read more at: U.S. House holds Trump ally Bannon in contempt, seeks prosecution | Reuters
The Democratic-led chamber voted 229 to 202, with nine Republicans joining Democrats to recommend the charges against Bannon, who served as chief strategist for the Republican former president.
Read more at: U.S. House holds Trump ally Bannon in contempt, seeks prosecution | Reuters
10/24/21
The Netherlands: Turkey moves to expel Dutch ambassador and nine others, over Kavala detention
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the Dutch ambassador and the ambassadors of nine other countries to leave after they urged Turkey to release jailed businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala. Erdogan said in a speech that he had told the country’s foreign minister to ensure the 10 ambassadors are declared persona non grata.
Read more at: Turkey moves to expel Dutch ambassador and nine others, over Kavala detention - DutchNews.nl
Read more at: Turkey moves to expel Dutch ambassador and nine others, over Kavala detention - DutchNews.nl
China: After 9/11, China grew into a superpower as a distracted U.S. fixated on terrorism, experts say
As the U.S. was bogged down fighting Islamist militants in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, China's economic and military power grew exponentially. Beijing built up its missile arsenal, extended its reach in the South China Sea by constructing artificial islands, stole intellectual property on a massive scale and pursued predatory trade tactics, experts say.
"After 9/11, China very quickly realized that Washington's strategic focus would be shifting 3,000 miles away, away from the East China Sea, away from the Taiwan Strait and into Afghanistan," said Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank. "It was an opportunity to quietly develop very coercive military capabilities that were all designed and intended to expand its power in East Asia."
Read more at: After 9/11, China grew into a superpower as a distracted U.S. fixated on terrorism, experts say
"After 9/11, China very quickly realized that Washington's strategic focus would be shifting 3,000 miles away, away from the East China Sea, away from the Taiwan Strait and into Afghanistan," said Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank. "It was an opportunity to quietly develop very coercive military capabilities that were all designed and intended to expand its power in East Asia."
Read more at: After 9/11, China grew into a superpower as a distracted U.S. fixated on terrorism, experts say
Britain: Scientists urge UK to prep rapid return to COVID restrictions
The British government’s scientific advisers urged the government on Friday to ensure coronavirus restrictions can be introduced rapidly, as the rate of new infections continues to grow.
Britain has recorded an average of 47,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day in the past week, up 18 percent from the week before, according to figures released on Friday. There was an average of 135 deaths a day, a 16 percent rise from the previous week. Britain has recorded more than 139,000 coronavirus deaths during the pandemic, the highest toll in Europe after Russia.
Many scientists are urging the government to reintroduce some of the measures that it lifted three months ago when more than a year of restrictions ended, including mandatory mask-wearing indoors, social distancing and work-from-home advice.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/22/scientists-urge-uk-to-prep-rapid-return-of-covid-measures
Britain has recorded an average of 47,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day in the past week, up 18 percent from the week before, according to figures released on Friday. There was an average of 135 deaths a day, a 16 percent rise from the previous week. Britain has recorded more than 139,000 coronavirus deaths during the pandemic, the highest toll in Europe after Russia.
Many scientists are urging the government to reintroduce some of the measures that it lifted three months ago when more than a year of restrictions ended, including mandatory mask-wearing indoors, social distancing and work-from-home advice.
Read more at: https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/22/scientists-urge-uk-to-prep-rapid-return-of-covid-measures
10/23/21
USA: How Do You Make 7 Million Workers Disappear? - by Derek Thompson
The U.S. economy is experiencing the disorienting superposition of multiple timelines and while Wall Street still rules, it has the potential of becoming a Fata-Morgana economy.. Let us hope it wont.
Read more at: How Do You Make 7 Million Workers Disappear? - The Atlantic
Read more at: How Do You Make 7 Million Workers Disappear? - The Atlantic
USA: Are lobbyists trying to gut Biden’s budget? No one knows – and that’s the problem - by David Litt
West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, who raised more than $400,000 from the oil and gas industry while the bill was being negotiated, is now poised to gut Biden’s clean-energy plan. Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema spent the summer and fall collecting checks from corporate groups and Trump donors who oppose the Biden agenda, then helped cut the size of the reconciliation package by approximately half.
READ MORE AT: Are lobbyists trying to gut Biden’s budget? No one knows – and that’s the problem | David Litt | The Guardian
READ MORE AT: Are lobbyists trying to gut Biden’s budget? No one knows – and that’s the problem | David Litt | The Guardian
Turkey to declare US, 9 other ambassadors ‘persona non grata’ after call for release of jailed opposition figure – says President ErdoganErdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he instructed the foreign minister to declare 10 ambassadors, including Washington’s envoy, ‘persona non grata’ over a rare joint statement urging release of a jailed opposition figure.
“I gave the necessary instructions to our foreign minister, I said that you will handle the denunciation of the 10 ambassadors as soon as possible,” Erdogan said.
Read more at: Turkey to declare US, 9 other ambassadors ‘persona non grata’ after call for release of jailed opposition figure – Erdogan — RT World News
“I gave the necessary instructions to our foreign minister, I said that you will handle the denunciation of the 10 ambassadors as soon as possible,” Erdogan said.
Read more at: Turkey to declare US, 9 other ambassadors ‘persona non grata’ after call for release of jailed opposition figure – Erdogan — RT World News
10/22/21
China’s Naval Modernization: The Dragon Going Global? - by Rubiat Saimum
n 1890, American Naval officer and historian Alfred Mahan published his magnum opus ‘The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783’. The book revolutionized the way Naval power was perceived in the in the strategic thinking in the contemporary America. Mahan theorized that ‘Naval power’ would be the key to dominate the future global order. He pointed out that it is a vast navy that allowed the British to forge a global empire spanning six continents and outflank its rivals like Germany and Russia. Mahan’s ideas were later integrated in US Naval strategy that made the country a global superpower after the Second World War. Now more than a century later, the China is pursuing a similar strategy, taking lessons directly from Mahan’s playbook.
Note EU-Digest: the question which arises always is: why not? Is the US the only nation on earth which is allowed to have a strong naval force, or to decide which country it considers to have an aggressive foreign policy ?
Read more at: China’s Naval Modernization: The Dragon Going Global? - Modern Diplomacy
Note EU-Digest: the question which arises always is: why not? Is the US the only nation on earth which is allowed to have a strong naval force, or to decide which country it considers to have an aggressive foreign policy ?
Read more at: China’s Naval Modernization: The Dragon Going Global? - Modern Diplomacy
The Netherlands: New Covid sub variant is in the Netherlands, but remains minor: RIVM
A new sub variant of the Delta coronavirus strain, currently being monitored in the UK, has been in the Netherlands for the past 10 weeks, public health institute RIVM has confirmed. The AY.4.2 sub strain accounts for 0.1% to 0.2% of cases, and the fact it has not increased since it was first identified is an indication that it is not a highly infectious variant, a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.
Read more at: New Covid sub variant is in the Netherlands, but remains minor: RIVM - DutchNews.nl
Read more at: New Covid sub variant is in the Netherlands, but remains minor: RIVM - DutchNews.nl
EU-Polish Relations: Brussels wins support for further legal steps in dispute with Poland -S, Fleming, H. Foy, V. Pop and M. Khan
European leaders warned Poland that the union was prepared to deploy further legal sanctions against Warsaw in response to its defiance of EU law, as they urged the country to walk back its challenges to the bloc’s judicial foundations.
In their first face-to-face talks since Poland’s top court ruled that key parts of EU law are not compatible with the country’s constitution, leaders voiced strong support for the European Commission’s pledge to hit back at Warsaw.
However, numerous leaders also called for political dialogue to be prioritised alongside legal measures, as they sought to ease a bitter row that has triggered fears that Poland could ultimately exit the Union.
Read more at: Brussels wins support for further legal steps in dispute with Poland | Financial Times
In their first face-to-face talks since Poland’s top court ruled that key parts of EU law are not compatible with the country’s constitution, leaders voiced strong support for the European Commission’s pledge to hit back at Warsaw.
However, numerous leaders also called for political dialogue to be prioritised alongside legal measures, as they sought to ease a bitter row that has triggered fears that Poland could ultimately exit the Union.
Read more at: Brussels wins support for further legal steps in dispute with Poland | Financial Times
US Defense Budget out of control: The Afghanistan War Is Over. But the Defense Budget Is Still About to Go Up.
After the United States military stopped fighting wars in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, Congress went on to appropriate less funding for defense in subsequent years. But now that the US has pulled out of Afghanistan, ending the longest war in American history, it seems unlikely that the pattern will repeat itself.
With the House set to vote on a defense policy bill this week, Congress is preparing to increase the Pentagon budget in fiscal year 2021-22 to around $740 billion, a figure that surpasses President Joe Biden’s request by roughly $25 billion. That would be nearly $37 billion more than Congress approved in Donald Trump’s last year in office.
When Biden issued his budget proposal in April, he requested $715 billion for the Pentagon, a slight increase over last year’s $704 billion budget. This increase—at a time when Biden’s party controls both the House and Senate—is a reminder of how bipartisan support for more military spending is one of the only things you can predict in Washington. MOTHER JONES TOP STORIES Steve Bannon Doesn’t Want to Testify. We Already Know What He Did.
Read more at: The Afghanistan War Is Over. But the Defense Budget Is Still About to Go Up. – Mother Jones
With the House set to vote on a defense policy bill this week, Congress is preparing to increase the Pentagon budget in fiscal year 2021-22 to around $740 billion, a figure that surpasses President Joe Biden’s request by roughly $25 billion. That would be nearly $37 billion more than Congress approved in Donald Trump’s last year in office.
When Biden issued his budget proposal in April, he requested $715 billion for the Pentagon, a slight increase over last year’s $704 billion budget. This increase—at a time when Biden’s party controls both the House and Senate—is a reminder of how bipartisan support for more military spending is one of the only things you can predict in Washington. MOTHER JONES TOP STORIES Steve Bannon Doesn’t Want to Testify. We Already Know What He Did.
Read more at: The Afghanistan War Is Over. But the Defense Budget Is Still About to Go Up. – Mother Jones
China-US relations:China's latest missile test raises the stakes for Biden's nuclear weapons review
China's test of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile has given new fuel to critics of President Joe Biden's ambitious agenda to scale back America's nuclear arsenal, with intelligence and defense officials warning that the Chinese launch marked a significant technological leap that could threaten the US in new ways.
News of the launch is coming to light publicly as the administration nears the end of its nuclear posture review. Biden's national security team has been working toward a policy of increased restraint and more limited spending on nuclear modernization and production. The President has also been weighing a "no first use" policy for U.S. nuclear weapons, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Others within the administration are waving red flags, however. Intelligence officials told the Senate Intelligence Committee in private briefings that the Chinese test -- which they tracked closely as it was happening -- marked a substantial advancement in China's ability to launch a strategic first strike against the United States, according to people familiar with the briefings.
Read more at: https://www.wral.com/chinas-latest-missile-test-raises-the-stakes-for-bidens-nuclear-weapons-review/19938942/
News of the launch is coming to light publicly as the administration nears the end of its nuclear posture review. Biden's national security team has been working toward a policy of increased restraint and more limited spending on nuclear modernization and production. The President has also been weighing a "no first use" policy for U.S. nuclear weapons, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Others within the administration are waving red flags, however. Intelligence officials told the Senate Intelligence Committee in private briefings that the Chinese test -- which they tracked closely as it was happening -- marked a substantial advancement in China's ability to launch a strategic first strike against the United States, according to people familiar with the briefings.
Read more at: https://www.wral.com/chinas-latest-missile-test-raises-the-stakes-for-bidens-nuclear-weapons-review/19938942/
10/21/21
USA: Internet providers collect "staggering" amounts of data - U.S. FTC chair
nternet service providers collect a “staggering” amount of detailed data on consumers, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said on Thursday in discussing an agency staff report on information collected by major providers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
“We intend this report to be the continuation of an ongoing discussion about commercial data practices, and user privacy,” said Khan, who noted that the data collected could also crop up as an issue in merger reviews.
Read more at: Internet providers collect "staggering" amounts of data - U.S. FTC chair - Metro US
“We intend this report to be the continuation of an ongoing discussion about commercial data practices, and user privacy,” said Khan, who noted that the data collected could also crop up as an issue in merger reviews.
Read more at: Internet providers collect "staggering" amounts of data - U.S. FTC chair - Metro US
Turkey: Double pandemic feared as COVID-19 cases rise in Turkey
As COVID-19 cases continue on an upward trend in Turkey, the pandemic may get even worse in the coming winter months amid the risk of a flu epidemic.
Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board member professor Serap Şimşek Yavuz warned that several respiratory viruses, such as the Rhinovirus, have been detected much earlier this year.
“With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the flu epidemic may well make a comeback. This is our biggest concern,” she said.
Read more at: Double pandemic feared as COVID-19 cases rise in Turkey | Daily Sabah
Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board member professor Serap Şimşek Yavuz warned that several respiratory viruses, such as the Rhinovirus, have been detected much earlier this year.
“With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the flu epidemic may well make a comeback. This is our biggest concern,” she said.
Read more at: Double pandemic feared as COVID-19 cases rise in Turkey | Daily Sabah
EU - Inflation Sutge: ECB's Rehn warns of risk if inflation surge lasts much longer
The surge in inflation in the euro zone is still mostly temporary but households and firms will start to lift their price expectations if it lasts much longer, European Central Bank policymaker Olli Rehn said on Tuesday.
Inflation in the euro zone hit 3.4% last month according to flash estimates amid higher energy prices and supply constraints pushing up the price of a range of goods.
Read more at: ECB's Rehn warns of risk if inflation surge lasts much longer - Metro US
Inflation in the euro zone hit 3.4% last month according to flash estimates amid higher energy prices and supply constraints pushing up the price of a range of goods.
Read more at: ECB's Rehn warns of risk if inflation surge lasts much longer - Metro US
10/20/21
Europe: Covid-19 surge: Morocco suspends flights from the UK over fears of Covid surge
Morocco is suspending until further notice all flights to and from the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands amid rising coronavirus infections in those countries.
The new restriction will come into force just before midnight Wednesday, the North African kingdom's airports authority said.
In a tweet, national carrier Royal Air Maroc said the move was due to "the pandemic situation." It did not provide further detail.
Read more at: Morocco suspends flights from the UK over fears of Covid surge
The new restriction will come into force just before midnight Wednesday, the North African kingdom's airports authority said.
In a tweet, national carrier Royal Air Maroc said the move was due to "the pandemic situation." It did not provide further detail.
Read more at: Morocco suspends flights from the UK over fears of Covid surge
G20: Russia's Putin won't attend G20 summit in person
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit in Rome in person this month due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but will take part in it via video link, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The Kremlin said Putin informed Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi about his plans in a telephone call during which they also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral issues.
Separately, the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin’s decision was driven by the epidemiological situation.
Putin briefly self-isolated last month after dozens of people in his entourage were diagnosed with COVID-19. Last week, after coughing repeatedly at a government meeting, Putin said he had caught a cold.
Read more at: Russia's Putin won't attend G20 summit in person - Metro US
The Kremlin said Putin informed Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi about his plans in a telephone call during which they also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and bilateral issues.
Separately, the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Putin’s decision was driven by the epidemiological situation.
Putin briefly self-isolated last month after dozens of people in his entourage were diagnosed with COVID-19. Last week, after coughing repeatedly at a government meeting, Putin said he had caught a cold.
Read more at: Russia's Putin won't attend G20 summit in person - Metro US
Britain: 'Green is good' says UK's Johnson, wooing Wall Street dollars - by William James-
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced nearly 10 billion pounds ($13.72 billion) of private investment in green projects on Tuesday and courted the “trillions of the markets” in a speech to the world’s top financiers and executives.
The Global Investment Summit in London marks post-Brexit Britain’s biggest push to woo investors, even leveraging the soft power of drinks with Queen Elizabeth at her castle, as it seeks cash and partners to get ahead in the international race for green technology.
“We need urgent government action, but we must mobilise the markets, we must bring in the private sector,” Johnson said in an opening address on meeting the challenge of climate change.
Read more at: 'Green is good' says UK's Johnson, wooing Wall Street dollars - Metro US
The Global Investment Summit in London marks post-Brexit Britain’s biggest push to woo investors, even leveraging the soft power of drinks with Queen Elizabeth at her castle, as it seeks cash and partners to get ahead in the international race for green technology.
“We need urgent government action, but we must mobilise the markets, we must bring in the private sector,” Johnson said in an opening address on meeting the challenge of climate change.
Read more at: 'Green is good' says UK's Johnson, wooing Wall Street dollars - Metro US
Japan: COVID-19 Made Life Even Worse for Japan’s Foreign Trainees – by Moeka Iida
Phuong is hunkered down with around 20 fellow Vietnamese – now fellow seekers of refuge – at Daionji, a Buddhist temple in Honjo, in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture.
The 22-year-old had been working at a food manufacturing factory in Kagoshima Prefecture for nearly three years under Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program. However, as she developed a hernia and started to suffer from severe pain, she became unable to perform her daily tasks.
Read moreat: COVID-19 Made Life Even Worse for Japan’s Foreign Trainees – The Diplomat
The 22-year-old had been working at a food manufacturing factory in Kagoshima Prefecture for nearly three years under Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program. However, as she developed a hernia and started to suffer from severe pain, she became unable to perform her daily tasks.
Read moreat: COVID-19 Made Life Even Worse for Japan’s Foreign Trainees – The Diplomat
10/19/21
EU - Polish relations: EU lays out options to punish Poland's challenge to bloc law - by William James
The European Commission laid out its options – ranging from legal action to withholding funds – for a response to a Polish court ruling that questioned the supremacy of EU law, stressing that action must be taken to protect the bloc’s common values.
“The European Commission is, at the moment, carefully assessing this judgment,” the European Union’s executive president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Tuesday.
“But I can already tell you: I am deeply concerned,” she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg ahead of a speech to the assembly by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Read more at: EU lays out options to punish Poland's challenge to bloc law - Metro US
“The European Commission is, at the moment, carefully assessing this judgment,” the European Union’s executive president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Tuesday.
“But I can already tell you: I am deeply concerned,” she told the European Parliament in Strasbourg ahead of a speech to the assembly by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Read more at: EU lays out options to punish Poland's challenge to bloc law - Metro US
China versus USA: the final verdict "there must be dialog, not confrontation - will they listen?"
It seems highly unlikely that when Richard Nixon famously announced his visit to China 50 years ago he had much of an inkling of where relations between the US and the world’s most populous nation would lie today.
His diplomatic olive branch was firmly aimed at levering China away from the sphere of influence of its enormous northern neighbour and fellow traveller, the Soviet Union.
After 50 years of diplomatic sparring, the US and China are now openly rivals, seeking dominance in diplomatic clout, economic heft, military might,
Read more at: US v China: the final verdict
His diplomatic olive branch was firmly aimed at levering China away from the sphere of influence of its enormous northern neighbour and fellow traveller, the Soviet Union.
After 50 years of diplomatic sparring, the US and China are now openly rivals, seeking dominance in diplomatic clout, economic heft, military might,
Read more at: US v China: the final verdict
The Netherlands: Floriade Expo 2022 - A once every 10 years International Horticultural Exhibition = Green solutions to living.
Once every 10 years the gates open to the International Horticultural Exhibition Floriade. On the 14th of April 2022 we open to show everyone a celebration of green solutions to living.
At the international horticulture exhibition Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere, you can enjoy greenery for six months from April 14 to October 9, 2022. Here you will discover green solutions from national and international innovators and brainiacs that make our cities more fun, more beautiful and more sustainable. You will also enjoy the scent and colors of flowers, plants, vegetables and fruit. Dive into the theme ‘Growing Green Cities’ and learn more about developments in the field of greenery, food, health and energy.
Read more at: Floriade Expo 2022 - English - Floriade
At the international horticulture exhibition Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere, you can enjoy greenery for six months from April 14 to October 9, 2022. Here you will discover green solutions from national and international innovators and brainiacs that make our cities more fun, more beautiful and more sustainable. You will also enjoy the scent and colors of flowers, plants, vegetables and fruit. Dive into the theme ‘Growing Green Cities’ and learn more about developments in the field of greenery, food, health and energy.
Read more at: Floriade Expo 2022 - English - Floriade
‘Social media - Facebook: :market power and the health of democracy – by Piergiuseppe Fortunato
According to its former employee Frances Haugen, Facebook algorithms consciously amplify dangerous misinformation and privilege the most divisive content posted on the network. Such content is more frequently shared by users and foregrounding it maximises traffic on the platform—and so turnover.
This modus operandi, which became still more aggressive from 2018, is generating perverse incentives pushing even relatively moderate users to sharpen and polarise their content to obtain visibility. It is a Darwinian struggle for prominence which, given the rules of the game, leads to the survival of those users most fit for division and risks skewing public opinion and altering political outcomes. A recent working paper I co-authored shows that exposure to political information through ‘social media’ has been closely associated with the diffusion of divisive ideas in Europe in the last decade.
Read more at: ‘Social media’, market power and the health of democracy – Piergiuseppe Fortunato
This modus operandi, which became still more aggressive from 2018, is generating perverse incentives pushing even relatively moderate users to sharpen and polarise their content to obtain visibility. It is a Darwinian struggle for prominence which, given the rules of the game, leads to the survival of those users most fit for division and risks skewing public opinion and altering political outcomes. A recent working paper I co-authored shows that exposure to political information through ‘social media’ has been closely associated with the diffusion of divisive ideas in Europe in the last decade.
Read more at: ‘Social media’, market power and the health of democracy – Piergiuseppe Fortunato
10/18/21
Covid-19: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter
Last December and January, the United States and much of the world experienced the deadliest surges of the pandemic. At one point, more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day of Covid-19. Nearly 250,000 people died in the United States over December, January, and February.
But this winter may be different, at least in America. Last year, almost nobody was vaccinated against Covid-19. As of October 7, 56 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times’s tracker. That includes 84 percent of people over 65, who are generally the most vulnerable to dying from the virus. The Food and Drug Administration will soon consider whether to authorize a vaccine for children as young as 5, which would push vaccination rates higher.
Read more at: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter
But this winter may be different, at least in America. Last year, almost nobody was vaccinated against Covid-19. As of October 7, 56 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times’s tracker. That includes 84 percent of people over 65, who are generally the most vulnerable to dying from the virus. The Food and Drug Administration will soon consider whether to authorize a vaccine for children as young as 5, which would push vaccination rates higher.
Read more at: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter
Our world: “We have built a civilization based on a world that doesn’t exist anymore"
Until now, human civilization has operated within a narrow, stable band of temperature. Through the burning of fossil fuels, we have now unmoored ourselves from our past, as if we have transplanted ourselves onto another planet. The last time it was hotter than now was at least 125,000 years ago, while the atmosphere has more heat-trapping carbon dioxide in it than any time in the past two million years, perhaps more.
Read more at: “We have built a civilization based on a world that doesn’t exist anymore"
Read more at: “We have built a civilization based on a world that doesn’t exist anymore"
USA: 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades - "are international sport events in danger to being cancelled in US ?"
So far, 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades, surpassing even the high levels last year.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15, a total of 14,516 people died from gun violence in the U.S. That's 1,300 more than during the same period in 2020, a 9% increase. Mass shootings are also on the rise. Through Sept. 15, there have been 498 mass shootings across the U.S., or an average of about 1.92 per day. That's 15% higher than last year, when there were a total of 611, a rate of 1.67 per day, according to data from the GVA. Advertisement
CNN and GVA define a mass shooting as an incident with four or more people killed or wounded by gunfire -- excluding the shooter.
Note EU-Digest:International Sport Events: Given the serious increase in gun violence in the US, it seems several international sporting organizations are planning to call for a temporary ban on US international sport events, as they feel the safety of the participants and spectators in these events could be compromised, without better gun control laws in the US.
Read more at: https://www.kcra.com/article/gun-violence-spike-2021/37665216?fbclid=IwAR3qFJ2YaAp-QkuDhnJs9nBgexAfKYY2WtUNhMhST07Yf18W-eRkECQUcq4
According to the Gun Violence Archive, from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15, a total of 14,516 people died from gun violence in the U.S. That's 1,300 more than during the same period in 2020, a 9% increase. Mass shootings are also on the rise. Through Sept. 15, there have been 498 mass shootings across the U.S., or an average of about 1.92 per day. That's 15% higher than last year, when there were a total of 611, a rate of 1.67 per day, according to data from the GVA. Advertisement
CNN and GVA define a mass shooting as an incident with four or more people killed or wounded by gunfire -- excluding the shooter.
Note EU-Digest:International Sport Events: Given the serious increase in gun violence in the US, it seems several international sporting organizations are planning to call for a temporary ban on US international sport events, as they feel the safety of the participants and spectators in these events could be compromised, without better gun control laws in the US.
Read more at: https://www.kcra.com/article/gun-violence-spike-2021/37665216?fbclid=IwAR3qFJ2YaAp-QkuDhnJs9nBgexAfKYY2WtUNhMhST07Yf18W-eRkECQUcq4
Canada: Inflation rate dips to 3.1% as shelter and transport costs rise
Canada's inflation rate came in at 3.1 per cent in June as prices for shelter and transportation rose quickly, while increases for things like food, clothing and recreation slowed down from May's level.
Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that shelter costs have increased by 4.4 per cent in the past year, and transportation costs went up by 5.6 per cent compared to June 2020.
But the inflation rate was dragged lower because the price of many goods has come down from where it was last year, including beef, which has declined by 11 per cent, fresh vegetables (down by 7.5 per cent) and cellular services (down an eye-popping 21 per cent).
R%ead more at: Inflation rate dips to 3.1% as shelter and transport costs rise | CBC News
Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that shelter costs have increased by 4.4 per cent in the past year, and transportation costs went up by 5.6 per cent compared to June 2020.
But the inflation rate was dragged lower because the price of many goods has come down from where it was last year, including beef, which has declined by 11 per cent, fresh vegetables (down by 7.5 per cent) and cellular services (down an eye-popping 21 per cent).
R%ead more at: Inflation rate dips to 3.1% as shelter and transport costs rise | CBC News
EU: Three lessons for Europe from the fall of Afghanistan - by Jean-Marie Guéhenno
Europeans were never serious about Afghanistan. This is probably because, deep down, they knew that the buck did not stop with them. It now seems likely that the Taliban’s takeover of the country will make Europeans even more inward-looking and fearful of a world they do not understand. And the rapidly emerging consensus that state-building is impossible may heighten their anxiety about foreign engagements.
That mindset is an acid that destroys the bonds that should tie Europeans together, leading to the kinds of xenophobic attitudes that were in evidence during the migration crisis created by the Syrian war. As refugees fled the violence in Syria, Europeans were confronted with an unpalatable choice between building ever higher walls, cutting unsavoury deals with so-called buffer countries, or losing control of migration flows. Yet there is only a small distance between accepting that some people cannot be helped and thinking that they are not worth helping. The self-confidence of Europe – which is essential if it is to actively shape its own future – has been damaged by not just its weak operational capacities but, even more so, the ethical crisis of a continent that claims to be universalist but reserves that universalism for its privileged tribes.
Read more at: Three lessons for Europe from the fall of Afghanistan – European Council on Foreign Relations
That mindset is an acid that destroys the bonds that should tie Europeans together, leading to the kinds of xenophobic attitudes that were in evidence during the migration crisis created by the Syrian war. As refugees fled the violence in Syria, Europeans were confronted with an unpalatable choice between building ever higher walls, cutting unsavoury deals with so-called buffer countries, or losing control of migration flows. Yet there is only a small distance between accepting that some people cannot be helped and thinking that they are not worth helping. The self-confidence of Europe – which is essential if it is to actively shape its own future – has been damaged by not just its weak operational capacities but, even more so, the ethical crisis of a continent that claims to be universalist but reserves that universalism for its privileged tribes.
Read more at: Three lessons for Europe from the fall of Afghanistan – European Council on Foreign Relations
10/17/21
The Netherlands: ‘The Forgotten Battle’: An Immersive New Dutch Movie On WWII On Netflix - by Sheena Scott
The Forgotten Battle (De Slag Om De Schelde), Netflix’s NFLX -0.9% first Dutch film, has jumped to the streamer’s Top 10 list in many countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and France, one day after its release on October 15. The war film won five awards for Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design and Sound Design at the Nederlands Film Festival awards ceremony earlier this month.
The Forgotten Battle opens in September 1944, on the island of Walcheren in Zeeland, a southwestern province of the Netherlands that borders with Belgium. In the midst of the Second World War, three young lives, Netflix’s official synopsis tells us, find themselves inextricably connected.
The forgotten battle in question is the Battle of the Scheldt. Months after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy (D-Day and the Battle of Normandy), the Allies are rapidly advancing west, defeating the Nazi troops. The Allies liberate the Belgian port of Antwerp—crucial in getting access to the North Sea and thus secure supply lines. In order to use the port though, the Allies needed to clear the region between Antwerp and the North Sea along the Scheldt River, which was occupied by Nazi troops. This task was given to the First Canadian Army, and is considered the largest operation in the Netherlands during the war.
Read more at: ‘The Forgotten Battle’: An Immersive New Dutch Movie On WWII On Netflix
The Forgotten Battle opens in September 1944, on the island of Walcheren in Zeeland, a southwestern province of the Netherlands that borders with Belgium. In the midst of the Second World War, three young lives, Netflix’s official synopsis tells us, find themselves inextricably connected.
The forgotten battle in question is the Battle of the Scheldt. Months after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy (D-Day and the Battle of Normandy), the Allies are rapidly advancing west, defeating the Nazi troops. The Allies liberate the Belgian port of Antwerp—crucial in getting access to the North Sea and thus secure supply lines. In order to use the port though, the Allies needed to clear the region between Antwerp and the North Sea along the Scheldt River, which was occupied by Nazi troops. This task was given to the First Canadian Army, and is considered the largest operation in the Netherlands during the war.
Read more at: ‘The Forgotten Battle’: An Immersive New Dutch Movie On WWII On Netflix
USA - Nuclear Arsenal: US reveals number of nuclear bombs after Trump blackout
Increasing the transparency of states' nuclear stockpiles is important to nonproliferation and disarmament efforts," the State Department said in a statement.
The Trump administration had kept updated figures a secret after 2018 and had also turned down a request by the Federation of American Scientists to declassify them.
Read more at: US reveals number of nuclear bombs after Trump blackout | News | DW | 06.10.2021
The Trump administration had kept updated figures a secret after 2018 and had also turned down a request by the Federation of American Scientists to declassify them.
Read more at: US reveals number of nuclear bombs after Trump blackout | News | DW | 06.10.2021
USA: Why the American west’s ‘wildfire season’ is a thing of the past - its now year round
t’s only October, and 2021 has already been a horrendous year for wildfires in the American west. The Dixie fire leveled the town of Greenville. The Caldor fire forced the evacuation of tens of thousands in Lake Tahoe. Some fires sent plumes so high into the atmosphere that the toxic air reached the east coast thousands of miles away.
Fire is an important part of life in the American west and essential for the health of the landscape, but as the climate has changed so have wildfires in the region.
Read more at: Why the American west’s ‘wildfire season’ is a thing of the past – visualized | Wildfires | The Guardian
Fire is an important part of life in the American west and essential for the health of the landscape, but as the climate has changed so have wildfires in the region.
Read more at: Why the American west’s ‘wildfire season’ is a thing of the past – visualized | Wildfires | The Guardian
10/16/21
Germany: Corona Vaccine: Booster Shot - Germany recommends booster shots for over 70s
Germany's vaccination authority, STIKO, recommended COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for people older than 70 on Thursday.
All residents of care homes, as well as workers who come into direct contact with them, should also be offered a third vaccine dose, the body said. The same was also recommended for medical workers in direct contact with patients.
Read more at: Germany recommends booster shots for over 70s | News | DW | 07.10.2021
All residents of care homes, as well as workers who come into direct contact with them, should also be offered a third vaccine dose, the body said. The same was also recommended for medical workers in direct contact with patients.
Read more at: Germany recommends booster shots for over 70s | News | DW | 07.10.2021
USA - Poll: Hope for America’s Future Fades
Americans have lost hope in the nation’s future since last year and only a third now believe the country’s best days are ahead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 33% of American Adults now say America’s best days are in the future. That’s a steep decline from last November, when 47% of Likely Voters believed the nation’s best days were still ahead. As recently as April 2019, an absolute majority (54%) of voters saw America’s best days in the future.
Read more at: Hope for America’s Future Fades - Rasmussen Reports®
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that only 33% of American Adults now say America’s best days are in the future. That’s a steep decline from last November, when 47% of Likely Voters believed the nation’s best days were still ahead. As recently as April 2019, an absolute majority (54%) of voters saw America’s best days in the future.
Read more at: Hope for America’s Future Fades - Rasmussen Reports®
The Netherlands: Geldmaat and the future of cash -"Geldmaat presently riddled with technical problems"
Geldmaat is a collaboration between ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank and by 2020 will take over all their cash machines. But with so much talk that fewer and fewer people use cash, why have a business like Geldmaat based on what looks like a disappearing market?
Then, the Dutch Bank (DNB) has done research to identify which population groups still pay with cash. Many people have the idea that it is highly-educated people and young people that like to pay electronically. But that is not the case. You see all walks of life have a preference to be able to pay with cash, whatever their background. And, if you look at budgeting, we see that at times when salaries are paid out, the peak times on our ATMs are the greatest.
The second aspect is that the Dutch Bank and the government emphasize that cash must remain available. That is one of our most important tasks: the availability of cash.
Note EU-Digest: presently Geldmaat in some areas of the Netherlands is riddled with technical problems.
read more at: Geldmaat and the future of cash | Odgers Berndtson
Then, the Dutch Bank (DNB) has done research to identify which population groups still pay with cash. Many people have the idea that it is highly-educated people and young people that like to pay electronically. But that is not the case. You see all walks of life have a preference to be able to pay with cash, whatever their background. And, if you look at budgeting, we see that at times when salaries are paid out, the peak times on our ATMs are the greatest.
The second aspect is that the Dutch Bank and the government emphasize that cash must remain available. That is one of our most important tasks: the availability of cash.
Note EU-Digest: presently Geldmaat in some areas of the Netherlands is riddled with technical problems.
read more at: Geldmaat and the future of cash | Odgers Berndtson
10/15/21
EU: North Sea Link: World's longest undersea power cable linking Norway and UK is now operational
The world's longest undersea power connection was today switched on, allowing Norway and the UK to share renewable energy.
The North Sea Link should see the UK reduce its carbon emissions by 23 million tonnes by 2030.
Read more at: North Sea Link: World's longest undersea power cable linking Norway and UK is now operational | Euronews
The North Sea Link should see the UK reduce its carbon emissions by 23 million tonnes by 2030.
Read more at: North Sea Link: World's longest undersea power cable linking Norway and UK is now operational | Euronews
10/14/21
Biased News: It pays to stay well informed - stay away from biased news
Tired of watching biased US news channels like CNN, Fox News etc. Get Euronews (EU) Other excellent neutral international and local news providers in the English language include ; PBS (USA), BBC (British), Aljazeera (Qatar ), France24 (France), Deutsche Welle (Germany).
You can also download all the above mentioned stations apps on your Smart Phone, Tablets or Computers. It pays to stay well informed !!
Read it at: http://www.eu-digest.blogspot.com
You can also download all the above mentioned stations apps on your Smart Phone, Tablets or Computers. It pays to stay well informed !!
Read it at: http://www.eu-digest.blogspot.com
The Netherlands - Coronavirus: Red-orange-red: the Netherlands’ warning level due to go up on the European coronavirus map
Throughout September, and pretty much for as long as we can remember actually, the whole of the Netherlands has been red. Last week, however, the Netherlands turned orange — we all love orange, don’t we? 🍊 It was even predicted that certain provinces could turn green — the lowest warning colour.
If that all felt a little too good to be true, that’s probably because it was. This week the RIVM’s official coronavirus figures showed a huge increase from last week, meaning that no provinces will be going green — wat jammer. In fact, if more than 4% of the tests taken this week are positive, the Netherlands will be going right back to red again, RTL Nieuws reports.
Read more at: https://dutchreview.com/news/red-orange-red-netherlands-warning-level-due-to-go-up-on-european-coronavirus-map/
If that all felt a little too good to be true, that’s probably because it was. This week the RIVM’s official coronavirus figures showed a huge increase from last week, meaning that no provinces will be going green — wat jammer. In fact, if more than 4% of the tests taken this week are positive, the Netherlands will be going right back to red again, RTL Nieuws reports.
Read more at: https://dutchreview.com/news/red-orange-red-netherlands-warning-level-due-to-go-up-on-european-coronavirus-map/
U.S. inflation rate rises to 13-year high of 5.4%
The U.S. inflation rate rose to a 13-year high in September as rising costs for food and shelter pushed the rate up to 5.4 per cent.
Higher prices for food and shelter made up half of the increase in the overall rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics said in a release. But the biggest individual category increase was energy, the cost of which has risen by almost 25 per cent in the past year.
Economists were expecting the number to come in at around 5.3 per cent, which would have been the highest rate since 2013. But the figure ended up being higher than it's been since 2008, right before the financial crisis.
+ Read more at: U.S. inflation rate rises to 13-year high of 5.4% | CBC News
Higher prices for food and shelter made up half of the increase in the overall rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics said in a release. But the biggest individual category increase was energy, the cost of which has risen by almost 25 per cent in the past year.
Economists were expecting the number to come in at around 5.3 per cent, which would have been the highest rate since 2013. But the figure ended up being higher than it's been since 2008, right before the financial crisis.
+ Read more at: U.S. inflation rate rises to 13-year high of 5.4% | CBC News
Coronavirus digest: US to reopen land borders from November
The United States is set to reopen its land borders to fully vaccinated travelers from Canada in arly November, lawmakers have announced.
The US has also decided to allow fully vaccinated travelers from Mexico to enter the country for nonessential travel through all ports of entry, the office of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said.
Vehicle, rail and ferry travel between the US and Canada, and the US and Mexico, has been largely restricted to essential travel, such as trade, since March 2020.
Read more at: Coronavirus digest: US to reopen land borders from November | News | DW | 13.10.2021
The US has also decided to allow fully vaccinated travelers from Mexico to enter the country for nonessential travel through all ports of entry, the office of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said.
Vehicle, rail and ferry travel between the US and Canada, and the US and Mexico, has been largely restricted to essential travel, such as trade, since March 2020.
Read more at: Coronavirus digest: US to reopen land borders from November | News | DW | 13.10.2021
Britain - EU relations:Brexit: why does Northern Ireland matter so much? – by Robin Wilson
T today the vice-president of the European Commission for inter-institutional relations, Maroš Šefčovič, presented a pragmatic solution to the conflict. He offered to remove the majority of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, introduced as part of the protocol to avoid the risk of unregulated ware entering the single market via the Irish border.
Read more at: Brexit: why does Northern Ireland matter so much? – Robin Wilson
Read more at: Brexit: why does Northern Ireland matter so much? – Robin Wilson
10/13/21
EU Energy Costs: Russia denies weaponising energy amid Europe gas crisis
Russia, one of Europe's biggest natural gas providers, has been accused of intentionally withholding supplies.
President Vladimir Putin said such claims were "complete rubbish... and politically motivated tittle-tattle".
Read more at: Russia denies weaponising energy amid Europe gas crisis - BBC News
President Vladimir Putin said such claims were "complete rubbish... and politically motivated tittle-tattle".
Read more at: Russia denies weaponising energy amid Europe gas crisis - BBC News
USA: The largest COLA hike in 40 years is coming to Social Security in 2022 --- what that means for your retirement
The cost-of-living adjustment in 2022 will be 5.9%, according to the Department of Labor. It will be the largest increase to COLA in 40 years, and a boost to Social Security beneficiaries’ checks.
For more than a decade, these adjustments have averaged below 2%, which in many cases has done little for Social Security beneficiaries – or nothing, in instances when their expenses have risen dramatically but their benefit checks have barely adjusted for inflation.
Read more at: The largest COLA hike in 40 years is coming to Social Security in 2022 --- what that means for your retirement - MarketWatch
For more than a decade, these adjustments have averaged below 2%, which in many cases has done little for Social Security beneficiaries – or nothing, in instances when their expenses have risen dramatically but their benefit checks have barely adjusted for inflation.
Read more at: The largest COLA hike in 40 years is coming to Social Security in 2022 --- what that means for your retirement - MarketWatch
10/12/21
The Netherlands: Love is love: Gay marriage possible for Dutch monarch
In the country that first legalised gay marriage, the Dutch crown princess has the right to marry a person of any gender without giving up her right to the throne, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, has not made any comments on the matter, and little is known of her personal life. The question arose after recently published books argued that the country’s rules exclude the possibility of a same-sex royal couple.
Read more at: Love is love: Gay marriage possible for Dutch monarch - Metro US
Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, has not made any comments on the matter, and little is known of her personal life. The question arose after recently published books argued that the country’s rules exclude the possibility of a same-sex royal couple.
Read more at: Love is love: Gay marriage possible for Dutch monarch - Metro US
COVID in Europe: Romania's situation a 'catastrophe' as Russian death toll increases
COVID-19 cases continue to surge in some European countries while governments work to extend vaccination campaigns to prevent more deaths due to the virus.
Romania's president said the situation was now "a catastrophe" while Latvia entered a new state of emergency to encourage vaccination. Deaths due to COVID-19 in Russia, meanwhile, have been increasing.
Read more at: COVID in Europe: Romania's situation a 'catastrophe' as Russian death toll increases | Euronews
Romania's president said the situation was now "a catastrophe" while Latvia entered a new state of emergency to encourage vaccination. Deaths due to COVID-19 in Russia, meanwhile, have been increasing.
Read more at: COVID in Europe: Romania's situation a 'catastrophe' as Russian death toll increases | Euronews
Chinese Economy: China crackdown: How much pain can the economy take?
The future of China's economic miracle has been preying on investors' minds this year in the wake of a far-reaching crackdown by Beijing on many of its key industries.
Billions of dollars have been wiped off the value of several Chinese technology firms as a result of new anti-monopoly and data security rules. Online shopping behemoth Alibaba and its peers have been hit particularly hard.
The curbs have been extended to many other areas of the economy, including the burgeoning cryptocurrency market, where transactions of digital currencies — including Bitcoin — are now effectively illegal. The private education and energy sector have also not been spared.
Read more at: China crackdown: How much pain can the economy take? | Business | Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 07.10.2021
Billions of dollars have been wiped off the value of several Chinese technology firms as a result of new anti-monopoly and data security rules. Online shopping behemoth Alibaba and its peers have been hit particularly hard.
The curbs have been extended to many other areas of the economy, including the burgeoning cryptocurrency market, where transactions of digital currencies — including Bitcoin — are now effectively illegal. The private education and energy sector have also not been spared.
Read more at: China crackdown: How much pain can the economy take? | Business | Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 07.10.2021
China - Taiwan conflict: Taiwan won′t ′bow′ to China, says President Tsai
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took a strong stance against what Taipei sees as Chinese aggression on Sunday, saying in a speech that her country would "not bow to pressure" from Beijing.
Tsai said she hoped for an easing of tensions, but that "we will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us... as it offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people."
Read more at: Taiwan won′t ′bow′ to China, says President Tsai | News | DW | 10.10.2021
Tsai said she hoped for an easing of tensions, but that "we will continue to bolster our national defense and demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves in order to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us... as it offers neither a free and democratic way of life for Taiwan, nor sovereignty for our 23 million people."
Read more at: Taiwan won′t ′bow′ to China, says President Tsai | News | DW | 10.10.2021
Christianity: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test - by Leah MarieAnn Klett
When a monthslong independent investigation found credible evidence that Ravi Zacharias leveraged his reputation as a world-famous apologist to carry out years of sexual abuse, the response from the evangelical community was predictably one of shock, horror and grief.
Many questioned how this pastor could effectively masquerade as a humble servant of Christ and fool millions of adoring supporters? How could this respected intellectual who preached the Gospel of Jesus with clarity and passion brazenly manipulate vulnerable women into providing him with sexual stimulation?
Read more at: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test | Church & Ministries News
Many questioned how this pastor could effectively masquerade as a humble servant of Christ and fool millions of adoring supporters? How could this respected intellectual who preached the Gospel of Jesus with clarity and passion brazenly manipulate vulnerable women into providing him with sexual stimulation?
Read more at: How Christian celebrities can avoid failing the fame test | Church & Ministries News
10/11/21
The Netherlands: Thousands in the Netherlands living in poverty as a result of COVID-19
According to figures from the aid organisation Red Cross, thousands of people up and down the country are living below the poverty line, relying on food banks and support to get by.
Figures show that single mothers, self-employed people, and low-income families have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, with thousands of vulnerable people being forced into a situation where they have to choose between buying food, paying rent, or buying other vital hygiene products.
“Vulnerable people often have no money for essential care products, such as sanitary towels, incontinence products, diapers, toothpaste or detergents,” explains Red Cross chief Marieke van Schaik. “If people cannot take good care of themselves and their household, it often makes it more difficult for them to get out of their predicament.”
Read more at: Thousands in the Netherlands living in poverty as a result of COVID-19
Figures show that single mothers, self-employed people, and low-income families have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, with thousands of vulnerable people being forced into a situation where they have to choose between buying food, paying rent, or buying other vital hygiene products.
“Vulnerable people often have no money for essential care products, such as sanitary towels, incontinence products, diapers, toothpaste or detergents,” explains Red Cross chief Marieke van Schaik. “If people cannot take good care of themselves and their household, it often makes it more difficult for them to get out of their predicament.”
Read more at: Thousands in the Netherlands living in poverty as a result of COVID-19
China - US Relations: The China Sleepwalking Syndrome by. - by Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
As US President Joe Biden’s administration implements its strategy of great power competition with China, analysts seek historical metaphors to explain the deepening rivalry. But while many invoke the onset of the Cold War, a more worrisome historical metaphor is the start of World War I. In 1914, all the great powers expected a short third Balkan War. Instead, as the British historian Christopher Clark has shown, they sleepwalked into a conflagration that lasted four years, destroyed four empires, and killed millions.
Back then, leaders paid insufficient attention to the changes in the international order that had once been called the “concert of Europe.” An important change was the growing strength of nationalism. In Eastern Europe, pan-Slavism threatened both the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, which had large Slavic populations. German authors wrote about the inevitability of Teutonic-Slavic battles, and schoolbooks inflamed nationalist passions. Nationalism proved to be a stronger bond than socialism for Europe’s working classes, and a stronger bond than capitalism for Europe’s bankers.
Read more at: The China Sleepwalking Syndrome by Joseph S. Nye, Jr. - Project Syndicate
Back then, leaders paid insufficient attention to the changes in the international order that had once been called the “concert of Europe.” An important change was the growing strength of nationalism. In Eastern Europe, pan-Slavism threatened both the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, which had large Slavic populations. German authors wrote about the inevitability of Teutonic-Slavic battles, and schoolbooks inflamed nationalist passions. Nationalism proved to be a stronger bond than socialism for Europe’s working classes, and a stronger bond than capitalism for Europe’s bankers.
Read more at: The China Sleepwalking Syndrome by Joseph S. Nye, Jr. - Project Syndicate
10/10/21
The Netherlands: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations
A Dutch court on Wednesday dismissed a call to scrap the ‘corona pass’ required to enter
The court in The Hague said the government had the right to demand proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to limit the spread of the coronavirus as most other social distancing measures were lifted last month.
Read more at: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations | Cyprus Mail
The court in The Hague said the government had the right to demand proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to limit the spread of the coronavirus as most other social distancing measures were lifted last month.
Read more at: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations | Cyprus Mail
EU - rebellious behavior of member states Hungary and Poland, as Hungary: Orban signs resolution supporting Polish court ruling
Hungary backs Poland in opposing Brussels
The Hungarian resolution comes as a result of what Orban terms "bad practice by European institutions."
"Efforts are being made to deprive member states of powers they never ceded to the EU without amending the EU treaties and through creeping extensions of competences," the resolution states in part.
The Hungarian resolution accuses the EU of overextending its powers.
Note EU-Digest: Hungary and Poland have shown a lack of solidarity with the EU. They want all the benefits but not to comply with the rules and regulations of the EU. With friends like that, you don't need any enemies.The EU Commission should now provide both Poland and Hungary with an ultimatum to either comply with the rules and regulations of the EU or end the relationship they enjoyed as members of the EU.
Read more at: Hungary: Orban signs resolution supporting Polish court ruling | News | DW | 09.10.2021
The Hungarian resolution comes as a result of what Orban terms "bad practice by European institutions."
"Efforts are being made to deprive member states of powers they never ceded to the EU without amending the EU treaties and through creeping extensions of competences," the resolution states in part.
The Hungarian resolution accuses the EU of overextending its powers.
Note EU-Digest: Hungary and Poland have shown a lack of solidarity with the EU. They want all the benefits but not to comply with the rules and regulations of the EU. With friends like that, you don't need any enemies.The EU Commission should now provide both Poland and Hungary with an ultimatum to either comply with the rules and regulations of the EU or end the relationship they enjoyed as members of the EU.
Read more at: Hungary: Orban signs resolution supporting Polish court ruling | News | DW | 09.10.2021
10/9/21
China-British-Netherlands - historical relatioms: How the British bungled relations with China during the Qing dynasty and the Dutch took advantage. Or did they?
It is a clash of empires that reads like Game of Thrones. The year is 1793. The Qianlong emperor of the Great Qing Empire grants an audience to Lord Macartney, ambassador from Britain’s King George III, at his summer resort of Rehe, now Chengde, a few days’ travel northeast from Beijing. But Macartney refuses to kowtow.
A new book on a Dutch mission in 1795 suggests that kowtowing was rewarded with the emperor’s favour, something denied to Britain’s ambassador when he refused
As a result, British requests for improvements in trade relations are denied and Macartney’s party is hurried out of China, bearing a written rebuke to the king that concludes George must, “tremblingly obey and show no negligence”.
But in 1842 and again in 1860, the British use military force to compel the Qing to surrender the same benefits Macartney had sought to negotiate. The Qing must open several Chinese ports to year-round foreign residence and allow permanent British diplomatic representation in Beijing. The British also gain possession of a certain island off the Guangdong coast with an excellent harbour.
Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3151540/how-british-bungled-relations-china-during-qing
A new book on a Dutch mission in 1795 suggests that kowtowing was rewarded with the emperor’s favour, something denied to Britain’s ambassador when he refused
As a result, British requests for improvements in trade relations are denied and Macartney’s party is hurried out of China, bearing a written rebuke to the king that concludes George must, “tremblingly obey and show no negligence”.
But in 1842 and again in 1860, the British use military force to compel the Qing to surrender the same benefits Macartney had sought to negotiate. The Qing must open several Chinese ports to year-round foreign residence and allow permanent British diplomatic representation in Beijing. The British also gain possession of a certain island off the Guangdong coast with an excellent harbour.
Read more at: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3151540/how-british-bungled-relations-china-during-qing
USA: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - by Willem H. Buiter
Since early 2020, central banks across the advanced economies have had to choose between pursuing financial stability, low (typically 2%) inflation, or real economic activity. Without exception, they have opted in favor of financial stability, followed by real economic activity, with inflation last.
As a result, the only advanced-economy central bank to raise interest rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been Norway’s Norges Bank, which lifted its policy rate from zero to 0.25% on Sept. 24. While it has hinted that an additional rate increase is likely in December, and that its policy rate could reach 1.7% toward the end of 2024, that is merely more evidence of monetary policy makers’ extreme reluctance to implement the kind of rate increases that are required to achieve a 2% inflation target consistently.
Read more at: Opinion: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - MarketWatch
As a result, the only advanced-economy central bank to raise interest rates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been Norway’s Norges Bank, which lifted its policy rate from zero to 0.25% on Sept. 24. While it has hinted that an additional rate increase is likely in December, and that its policy rate could reach 1.7% toward the end of 2024, that is merely more evidence of monetary policy makers’ extreme reluctance to implement the kind of rate increases that are required to achieve a 2% inflation target consistently.
Read more at: Opinion: The next financial crisis is fast approaching - MarketWatch
Russia - Serbia relations Covid 19 vaccine: Russians flock to Serbia for Western-made COVID-19 vaccines
When Russian regulators approved the country's own coronavirus vaccine, it was a moment of national pride, and the Pavlov family was among those who rushed to take the injection. But international health authorities have not yet given their blessing to the Sputnik V shot.
So when the family from Rostov-on-Don wanted to visit the West, they looked for a vaccine that would allow them to travel freely — a quest that brought them to Serbia, where hundreds of Russian citizens have flocked in recent weeks to receive Western-approved COVID-19 shots.
Read more at: Russians flock to Serbia for Western-made COVID-19 vaccines | Euronews
So when the family from Rostov-on-Don wanted to visit the West, they looked for a vaccine that would allow them to travel freely — a quest that brought them to Serbia, where hundreds of Russian citizens have flocked in recent weeks to receive Western-approved COVID-19 shots.
Read more at: Russians flock to Serbia for Western-made COVID-19 vaccines | Euronews
Intellectual monopoly capitalism—challenge of our times – by Cédric Durand and Cecilia Rikap
Scientia potentia est—knowledge is power. The old adage has acquired a sinister connotation with the alarming dominance of Big Tech in the economy and society as a whole. Corporate Europe Observatory recently revealed that the sector is now by far the leading business lobbyist of European Union institutions.
But this is only the tip of the Iceberg of what the Italian economist Ugo Pagano calls ‘intellectual monopoly capitalism’. Knowledge, which should be a (non-rival, non-exclusive) public good, has been privately appropriated by top companies as capital: the share of intangible assets among S&P 500 corporations increased from 17 per cent in 1975 to 90 per cent in 2020.
Intellectual monopoly capitalism—challenge of our times – Cédric Durand and Cecilia Rikap
But this is only the tip of the Iceberg of what the Italian economist Ugo Pagano calls ‘intellectual monopoly capitalism’. Knowledge, which should be a (non-rival, non-exclusive) public good, has been privately appropriated by top companies as capital: the share of intangible assets among S&P 500 corporations increased from 17 per cent in 1975 to 90 per cent in 2020.
Intellectual monopoly capitalism—challenge of our times – Cédric Durand and Cecilia Rikap
EU: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation over corruption allegations
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Saturday that he plans to step down in an effort to defuse a government crisis triggered by prosecutors' announcement that he is a target of a corruption investigation.
Kurz, 35, said he has proposed that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg replace him. But Kurz himself will remain in frontline politics: he said he will become the head of his conservative Austrian People's Party's parliamentary group.
Kurz's party had closed ranks behind him after the prosecutors' announcement on Wednesday. But its junior coalition partner, the Greens, said Friday that Kurz couldn't remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him.
Read more at Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation over corruption allegations | Euronews
Kurz, 35, said he has proposed that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg replace him. But Kurz himself will remain in frontline politics: he said he will become the head of his conservative Austrian People's Party's parliamentary group.
Kurz's party had closed ranks behind him after the prosecutors' announcement on Wednesday. But its junior coalition partner, the Greens, said Friday that Kurz couldn't remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him.
Read more at Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces resignation over corruption allegations | Euronews
10/8/21
EU; Which countries in Europe are looking at making remote working a legal right post-COVID? - by Shannon McDonagh
In the space of less than two years, remote working has become commonplace for millions of Europeans.
Around 5 per cent of us were regularly working from home pre-pandemic; in some countries, this number more than quadrupled in the past 18 months.
Finland, Luxembourg, and Ireland have the highest share of remote workers in the continent, with over 20 per cent of people still in jobs that either give them the option to work from home.
The majority of businesses wouldn’t have survived COVID-19 without the aid of remote digital infrastructure.
Read more at: Which countries in Europe are looking at making remote working a legal right post-COVID? | Euronews
Around 5 per cent of us were regularly working from home pre-pandemic; in some countries, this number more than quadrupled in the past 18 months.
Finland, Luxembourg, and Ireland have the highest share of remote workers in the continent, with over 20 per cent of people still in jobs that either give them the option to work from home.
The majority of businesses wouldn’t have survived COVID-19 without the aid of remote digital infrastructure.
Read more at: Which countries in Europe are looking at making remote working a legal right post-COVID? | Euronews
The Netherlands: Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands
Finally! Some good news for us this Friday morning — the Dutch cabinet is working on plans to evacuate more Afghans to the Netherlands than they had previously calculated.
Initially, the outgoing parliament estimated that in addition to the interpreters, only about 70 Afghans would be eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. According to various sources from The Hague, this number is now seen to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people,
At this point, the plan is to bring anyone who has worked in visible public positions for Dutch organisations after January 1, 2019, to the Netherlands. This is around 900 people, including their immediate family members.
In addition, any Afghans who have worked for at least one year for the Ministry of Defense or Europol over the past 20 years are also entitled to come to the Netherlands. Several hundred people are included in this category.
Read more at: Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands – DutchReview
Initially, the outgoing parliament estimated that in addition to the interpreters, only about 70 Afghans would be eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. According to various sources from The Hague, this number is now seen to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people,
At this point, the plan is to bring anyone who has worked in visible public positions for Dutch organisations after January 1, 2019, to the Netherlands. This is around 900 people, including their immediate family members.
In addition, any Afghans who have worked for at least one year for the Ministry of Defense or Europol over the past 20 years are also entitled to come to the Netherlands. Several hundred people are included in this category.
Read more at: Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands – DutchReview
Britain heads further down the Brexit rabbit-hole – by Paul Mason
At my local petrol station a cadre of young men have suddenly appeared, in high-visibility jackets, to instruct car drivers in the fine art of the jammed-nose-to-tail refill. Each pump has three nozzles, for diesel and petrol—with some careful driving, and shouted instructions, two cars can use one at the same time.
That doesn’t stop the queue backing up 30 metres into the roadway, hazard lights flashing. After a while the jacketed men flip the makeshift sign, from ‘no petrol cans’ to ‘no petrol’, and the commotion ends. This is what happens when a country runs short of 100,000 truck and tanker drivers and the government says ‘don’t panic’.
In the supermarket next door there are rows of empty shelves. Fresh vegetables are a problem, fruit is a bigger problem and the remaining flowers look sad and wilted. The primary cause of the food shortage is said to be the absence of carbon dioxide for processing—itself a side-effect of the soaring price of natural gas.
Read more at: Britain heads further down the Brexit rabbit-hole – Paul Mason
That doesn’t stop the queue backing up 30 metres into the roadway, hazard lights flashing. After a while the jacketed men flip the makeshift sign, from ‘no petrol cans’ to ‘no petrol’, and the commotion ends. This is what happens when a country runs short of 100,000 truck and tanker drivers and the government says ‘don’t panic’.
In the supermarket next door there are rows of empty shelves. Fresh vegetables are a problem, fruit is a bigger problem and the remaining flowers look sad and wilted. The primary cause of the food shortage is said to be the absence of carbon dioxide for processing—itself a side-effect of the soaring price of natural gas.
Read more at: Britain heads further down the Brexit rabbit-hole – Paul Mason
USA - Coronavirus vaccine: Biden says vaccine mandates ′lifesaving′
US President Joe Biden on Thursday advocated for COVID-19 vaccine mandates to force roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults to get the jab, even as he acknowledged that the requirements weren't his "first instinct.''
"There is no other way to beat the pandemic than to get the vast majority of the American people vaccinated,'' Biden said in Chicago at an event promoting the mandates.
Read more at: Coronavirus digest: Biden says vaccine mandates ′lifesaving′ | News | DW | 08.10.2021
"There is no other way to beat the pandemic than to get the vast majority of the American people vaccinated,'' Biden said in Chicago at an event promoting the mandates.
Read more at: Coronavirus digest: Biden says vaccine mandates ′lifesaving′ | News | DW | 08.10.2021
EU: Polexit? Fury in Brussels after Warsaw court rules Polish Constitution overrides EU law
In a decision that has caused anger in Brussels and is likely to further damage Poland's troubled relationship with the 27-member bloc, the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw judged that some provisions of the EU treaties and some EU court rulings go against Poland’s highest law.
In a majority decision, the judges said the country's EU membership did not give EU courts supreme legal authority and did not mean that Poland had shifted its sovereignty to the EU. They said no state authority in Poland would consent to an outside limitation of its powers.
Reacting to the ruling on Friday morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "deeply concerned" and has instructed her executive to analyse it "thoroughly and swiftly" to decide what steps to take.
Read more at: Polexit? Fury in Brussels after Warsaw court rules Polish Constitution overrides EU law | Euronews
In a majority decision, the judges said the country's EU membership did not give EU courts supreme legal authority and did not mean that Poland had shifted its sovereignty to the EU. They said no state authority in Poland would consent to an outside limitation of its powers.
Reacting to the ruling on Friday morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was "deeply concerned" and has instructed her executive to analyse it "thoroughly and swiftly" to decide what steps to take.
Read more at: Polexit? Fury in Brussels after Warsaw court rules Polish Constitution overrides EU law | Euronews
10/7/21
EU: Statistics on migration to Europe
In 2020, 8.6 million non-EU citizens were employed in the EU labour market, out of 189.1 million persons aged from 20 to 64, corresponding to 4.6% of the total.
The employment rate in the EU in the working-age population is higher for EU citizens (73.3%), than for non-EU citizens (57.6%) in 2020.
Read more at: Statistics on migration to Europe | European Commission
The employment rate in the EU in the working-age population is higher for EU citizens (73.3%), than for non-EU citizens (57.6%) in 2020.
Read more at: Statistics on migration to Europe | European Commission
German-Turkish Relations: The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on
Sixty years on, about 3 million people with Turkish roots live in Germany. Burak Yilmaz is part of the third generation. In 1963, his grandfather traveled by train from Istanbul to Munich. The final destination of his long journey was the Ruhr valley industrial region in Germany's northwest. He first worked as a miner, before getting a job in the railways. According to the terms of the recruitment agreement, the first guest workers were supposed to return to Turkey after a limited stay. But that changed when the German government decided to allow family members to join the workers and begin a new life in Germany.
The total population of the EU presently stands at 447.3 million inhabitants.Of this number, Boris Kharkovsky, from the Center for Ethnic and Political Science Studies says that this figure includes up to 15 million Euro Turks, spread all over the EU They are widely seen as an asset to the EU, hard working, industrious, and also a business savvy segment of the EU population.
Read more at: The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on | Germany | News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 05.10.2021
The total population of the EU presently stands at 447.3 million inhabitants.Of this number, Boris Kharkovsky, from the Center for Ethnic and Political Science Studies says that this figure includes up to 15 million Euro Turks, spread all over the EU They are widely seen as an asset to the EU, hard working, industrious, and also a business savvy segment of the EU population.
Read more at: The German-Turkish Recruitment Agreement 60 years on | Germany | News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 05.10.2021
10/6/21
The Netherlands: 5 Dutch traditions parents in the US should be copying
My American family lived in the Netherlands for three years, and our Dutch neighbors showed us touching ways to commemorate milestones that we've continued even after repatriating to the United States.
The first time I passed a window with pink streamers and a giant decal spelling "Lotte," I didn't think much of it. When my Dutch landlord shook my hand to congratulate me on my son's ninth birthday, I thought he was just being polite. I soon learned that these are full-blown traditions across the Netherlands. And when backpacks start flying from flagpoles in every neighborhood in Holland, well, there's no mistaking how deep these customs go.
Read more at: 5 Dutch traditions parents in the US should be copying
The first time I passed a window with pink streamers and a giant decal spelling "Lotte," I didn't think much of it. When my Dutch landlord shook my hand to congratulate me on my son's ninth birthday, I thought he was just being polite. I soon learned that these are full-blown traditions across the Netherlands. And when backpacks start flying from flagpoles in every neighborhood in Holland, well, there's no mistaking how deep these customs go.
Read more at: 5 Dutch traditions parents in the US should be copying
France: the Catholic Curch: French clergy sexually abused over 200,000 children since 1950, probe finds
French clergy have sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years, a major investigation released on Tuesday found, and its authors accused the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye for too long.
The church had shown "deep, total and even cruel indifference for years," protecting itself rather than the victims of what was systemic abuse, said Jean-Marc Sauvé, head of the commission that compiled the report.
Read more at: French clergy sexually abused over 200,000 children since 1950, probe finds | CBC News
The church had shown "deep, total and even cruel indifference for years," protecting itself rather than the victims of what was systemic abuse, said Jean-Marc Sauvé, head of the commission that compiled the report.
Read more at: French clergy sexually abused over 200,000 children since 1950, probe finds | CBC News
Clothing Manufacturers: Toxic clothing; YouTube cracks down on anti-vaccine content:
Marketplace bought clothing and accessories from AliExpress, Boohoo, Fashion Nova, Shein, Zulily and Zaful and asked researchers at the University of Toronto to test for toxic chemicals.
The investigation found that out of 38 samples of children's, adult's and maternity clothes and accessories, twenty per cent had elevated levels of chemicals — including lead, PFAS and phthalates — that experts found concerning.
Some products sold by AliExpress, Shein and Zaful were found to contain potentially harmful levels of chemicals.
Read more at: Toxic clothing; YouTube cracks down on anti-vaccine content: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet | CBC News
The investigation found that out of 38 samples of children's, adult's and maternity clothes and accessories, twenty per cent had elevated levels of chemicals — including lead, PFAS and phthalates — that experts found concerning.
Some products sold by AliExpress, Shein and Zaful were found to contain potentially harmful levels of chemicals.
Read more at: Toxic clothing; YouTube cracks down on anti-vaccine content: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet | CBC News
China - USA relations re: Taiwan : China sends warplanes toward Taiwan for 2nd straight day
China flew more than 30 military planes toward Taiwan on Saturday, the second large display of force in as many days.
Taiwan's Defence Ministry said 39 aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone in two sorties, one during the day and one at night. That followed a similar pattern on Friday, when 38 planes flew into the area south of the self-governing island.
Read more at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-taiwan-1.6198080
Taiwan's Defence Ministry said 39 aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone in two sorties, one during the day and one at night. That followed a similar pattern on Friday, when 38 planes flew into the area south of the self-governing island.
Read more at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-taiwan-1.6198080
USA: Gun Crimes : At least four Black women and girls were murdered per day in the US last year
At least four Black women and girls were murdered per day in the United States in 2020, according to statistics released by the FBI last week, a sharp increase compared with the year before.
The FBI recorded at least 405 additional murders of Black women and girls last year as homicide surged across the country, and experts caution that even that stark number probably represents an undercount.
Read moree at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/06/black-women-girls-murder-rate-us?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">At least four Black women and girls were murdered per day in the US last year | Gun crime | The Guardian
The FBI recorded at least 405 additional murders of Black women and girls last year as homicide surged across the country, and experts caution that even that stark number probably represents an undercount.
Read moree at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/06/black-women-girls-murder-rate-us?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">At least four Black women and girls were murdered per day in the US last year | Gun crime | The Guardian
Fossil fuel industry gets subsidies of $11m a minute, IMF finds - by Damian Carrington
The fossil fuel industry benefits from subsidies of $11m every minute, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund.
The IMF found the production and burning of coal, oil and gas was subsidised by $5.9tn in 2020, with not a single country pricing all its fuels sufficiently to reflect their full supply and environmental costs. Experts said the subsidies were “adding fuel to the fire” of the climate crisis, at a time when rapid reductions in carbon emissions were urgently needed.
Read more at : Fossil fuel industry gets subsidies of $11m a minute, IMF finds | Fossil fuels | The Guardian
The IMF found the production and burning of coal, oil and gas was subsidised by $5.9tn in 2020, with not a single country pricing all its fuels sufficiently to reflect their full supply and environmental costs. Experts said the subsidies were “adding fuel to the fire” of the climate crisis, at a time when rapid reductions in carbon emissions were urgently needed.
Read more at : Fossil fuel industry gets subsidies of $11m a minute, IMF finds | Fossil fuels | The Guardian
10/5/21
The Netherlands: Dutch Covid hospital total up 6% in a day; New patients near 4-week high
Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 483 people with Covid-19 on Tuesday. The figure rose 6 percent since Monday afternoon, the third straight daily increase. It was caused in part by 82 patient admissions during the preceding 24 hours, the most in a day since September 9.
Seventeen of the new patients were sent directly to intensive care, a two-week high. Hospitals took on an average of 47 new Covid-19 patients each of the past seven days, including nine sent to an ICU.
Read more at: Dutch Covid hospital total up 6% in a day; New patients near 4-week high | NL Times
Seventeen of the new patients were sent directly to intensive care, a two-week high. Hospitals took on an average of 47 new Covid-19 patients each of the past seven days, including nine sent to an ICU.
Read more at: Dutch Covid hospital total up 6% in a day; New patients near 4-week high | NL Times
US economy; The richest Americans became 40% richer during the pandemic
The 400 richest Americans added $4.5tn to their wealth last year, a 40% rise, even as the pandemic shuttered large parts of the US, according to Forbes magazine’s latest tally of the country’s richest people.
The Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, retained top spot for a fourth consecutive year with a net worth of $201bn, followed by Elon Musk of Tesla and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, with net worths of $190.5bn and $134.5bn respectively.
READ MORE AT: The richest Americans became 40% richer during the pandemic | Forbes magazine | The Guardian
The Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, retained top spot for a fourth consecutive year with a net worth of $201bn, followed by Elon Musk of Tesla and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, with net worths of $190.5bn and $134.5bn respectively.
READ MORE AT: The richest Americans became 40% richer during the pandemic | Forbes magazine | The Guardian
10/4/21
Britain reports 35,077 new COVID-19 cases on Monday
Britain on Monday reported 35,077 new daily COVID-19 cases, up from the 30,439 cases reported a day earlier, government statistics showed, with a further 33 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test result.
Read more at: Britain reports 35,077 new COVID-19 cases on Monday | Reuters
Read more at: Britain reports 35,077 new COVID-19 cases on Monday | Reuters
COVID-19 pandemic causes devastating drop in global life expectancy, study finds - by Shelby Brown
The COVID-19 pandemic set off significant global mortality increases in 2020, according to a study published Sunday in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Females from 15 countries and males from 10 had a "lower life expectancy at birth in 2020 than in 2015," the researchers said.
Life expectancy, a metric used when looking at population health and longevity, refers to the average number of years a newborn could expect to live if they experienced the death rates observed at the time of their birth for their whole life.
Read more at: COVID-19 pandemic causes devastating drop in global life expectancy, study finds - CNET
Life expectancy, a metric used when looking at population health and longevity, refers to the average number of years a newborn could expect to live if they experienced the death rates observed at the time of their birth for their whole life.
Read more at: COVID-19 pandemic causes devastating drop in global life expectancy, study finds - CNET
USA: Facebook 'accountable to no one,' whistleblower will say in testimony
Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen will tell Congress Tuesday that the social media giant faces no oversight, comparing it to tobacco companies denying harm and government seatbelt mandates, according to testimony seen by Reuters.
Read more at: Facebook 'accountable to no one,' whistleblower will say in testimony
Read more at: Facebook 'accountable to no one,' whistleblower will say in testimony
The Netherlands: Aldi to test frictionless checkout tech in the Netherlands
German supermarket operator Aldi Nord plans to test frictionless checkout technology from Israel-based computer vision startup Trigo at a new grocery store in Utrecht, the Netherlands, during a pilot set to begin in early 2022, the companies announced Friday.
ead more at: Aldi to test frictionless checkout tech in the Netherlands | Grocery Dive
ead more at: Aldi to test frictionless checkout tech in the Netherlands | Grocery Dive
The Party is over: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are all down
Global users are experiencing outages on Facebook, including all social networks the company owns, which include Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. When navigating to these websites, a server error will appear — Instagram shows a “5xx server error,” which indicates that this is an issue with Facebook’s servers. Users are also unable to send messages or load new content on the mobile apps for these platforms. Even Oculus, Facebook’s virtual reality platform, and Workplace, its business communication tool, are down
It appears that the outage is caused by a DNS (domain name server) fail — this is the naming structure that forms the web’s infrastructure. So, if you try to navigate to facebook.com right now, the internet won’t know where to find facebook.com..
Read more at: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are all down | TechCrunch
It appears that the outage is caused by a DNS (domain name server) fail — this is the naming structure that forms the web’s infrastructure. So, if you try to navigate to facebook.com right now, the internet won’t know where to find facebook.com..
Read more at: Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp are all down | TechCrunch
10/3/21
Offshore Tax Havens: Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed
The Pandora Papers investigation has revealed that 35 current and former world leaders — including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the king of Jordan and Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta — as well as powerful billionaires were affiliated with companies that use offshore tax havens.
Offshore accounts are often used to secretly manage and move large sums of money to hide a person's true wealth.
Read more at: Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed | World | Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 03.10.2021
Offshore accounts are often used to secretly manage and move large sums of money to hide a person's true wealth.
Read more at: Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed | World | Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 03.10.2021
10/2/21
USA: COVID-19 deaths eclipse 700,000 in US as delta variant rages across the country
The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 700,000 late Friday — a number greater than the population of Boston. The last 100,000 deaths occurred during a time when vaccines — which overwhelmingly prevent deaths, hospitalizations and serious illness — were available to any American over the age of 12.
The milestone is deeply frustrating to doctors, public health officials and the American public, who watched a pandemic that had been easing earlier in the summer take a dark turn. Tens of millions of Americans have refused to get vaccinated, allowing the highly contagious delta variant to tear through the country and send the death toll from 600,000 to 700,000 in 3 1/2 months.
Florida suffered by far the most death of any state during that period, with the virus killing about 17,000 residents since the middle of June. Texas was second with 13,000 deaths. The two states account for 15% of the country’s population, but more than 30% of the nation’s deaths since the nation crossed the 600,000 threshold.
Read more at: COVID-19 deaths eclipse 700,000 in US as delta variant rages across the country - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The milestone is deeply frustrating to doctors, public health officials and the American public, who watched a pandemic that had been easing earlier in the summer take a dark turn. Tens of millions of Americans have refused to get vaccinated, allowing the highly contagious delta variant to tear through the country and send the death toll from 600,000 to 700,000 in 3 1/2 months.
Florida suffered by far the most death of any state during that period, with the virus killing about 17,000 residents since the middle of June. Texas was second with 13,000 deaths. The two states account for 15% of the country’s population, but more than 30% of the nation’s deaths since the nation crossed the 600,000 threshold.
Read more at: COVID-19 deaths eclipse 700,000 in US as delta variant rages across the country - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Netherlands: Dutch PM under protection as the ‘Mocro Mafia’ drug cartel sows fear in the Netherlands - by David GORMEZANO
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been placed under police protection in response to fears of an attack by the Mocro Mafia (Moroccan mafia), a North African criminal organisation linked to cocaine trafficking, two months after Dutch investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries was murdered in Amsterdam.
No more cycling alone through the streets of The Hague to get to meetings for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. On September 27, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported that the Royal and Diplomatic Security Services have deployed personal security guards to protect the prime minister, who is believed to be under threat from the Mocro Mafia.
The group operates out of the Netherlands and Belgium and controls a third of all cocaine traffic in Europe. One police union chief said in 2019 that the Netherlands was becoming a narco-state. The 2014 novel “Mocro Maffia”, co-authored by Marijn Schrijver and Wouter Laumans, coined the term and brought the criminal gang to the public’s attention, recounting how a group of Moroccan jewellery thieves in Amsterdam created one of Europe’s most powerful criminal organisations. After its success in the Netherlands, the book was made into a TV series.
Read more at: Dutch PM under protection as the ‘Mocro Mafia’ drug cartel sows fear in the Netherlands
No more cycling alone through the streets of The Hague to get to meetings for Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. On September 27, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported that the Royal and Diplomatic Security Services have deployed personal security guards to protect the prime minister, who is believed to be under threat from the Mocro Mafia.
The group operates out of the Netherlands and Belgium and controls a third of all cocaine traffic in Europe. One police union chief said in 2019 that the Netherlands was becoming a narco-state. The 2014 novel “Mocro Maffia”, co-authored by Marijn Schrijver and Wouter Laumans, coined the term and brought the criminal gang to the public’s attention, recounting how a group of Moroccan jewellery thieves in Amsterdam created one of Europe’s most powerful criminal organisations. After its success in the Netherlands, the book was made into a TV series.
Read more at: Dutch PM under protection as the ‘Mocro Mafia’ drug cartel sows fear in the Netherlands
USA: Why House Democrats May Be More United Than They Seem - by Nathaniel Rakich
Two factions of the Democratic Party in Congress are currently playing tug-of-war over the centerpieces of President Biden’s legislative agenda. Moderate Democrats have balked at the proposed $3.5 trillion reconciliation budget bill, attempting to delay a vote on it in the House and insisting that the price tag will have to come down in the Senate. At the same time, House progressives have threatened to block a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill unless the reconciliation bill passes first — with the current price tag intact. (The House is scheduled to vote on the infrastructure bill on Thursday.)
But it’s easy to blow these disagreements out of proportion. On one hand, they are certainly relevant in that they threaten to derail two potentially transformative pieces of legislation. But they do not mean that Democrats are a hopelessly — or even significantly — divided party. Instead, it’s really the narrowness of Democrats’ congressional majorities that makes passing big legislation difficult, as even a small number of defectors can make the difference in a bill passing or failing.
Read more at: Why House Democrats May Be More United Than They Seem | FiveThirtyEight
But it’s easy to blow these disagreements out of proportion. On one hand, they are certainly relevant in that they threaten to derail two potentially transformative pieces of legislation. But they do not mean that Democrats are a hopelessly — or even significantly — divided party. Instead, it’s really the narrowness of Democrats’ congressional majorities that makes passing big legislation difficult, as even a small number of defectors can make the difference in a bill passing or failing.
Read more at: Why House Democrats May Be More United Than They Seem | FiveThirtyEight
10/1/21
The Netherlands formally launched its online gambling market today October 1
The market for legal online games of chance in the Netherlands opened today, following the news earlier this week that the Dutch Gaming Authority Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) had confirmed that 10 companies had been granted a license to operate in the country. The operators are TOTO Online, FPO Netherlands, Holland Casino, NSUS Malta, Play North Limited, Tombola International Malta, Hillside, Bingoal Netherlands, Betent and LiveScore Malta Limited.
Read more at: The Netherlands formally launched its online gambling market today - Games Magazine Brasil
Read more at: The Netherlands formally launched its online gambling market today - Games Magazine Brasil
German- Turkish relations: Germany investigates man on suspicion of spying for Turkey
Germany's federal prosecutor general announced Friday that the investigation resulting from a raid on a Düsseldorf hotel that saw the arrest of a Turkish man identified as Ali D. was being treated as a case of suspected espionage on behalf of the Turkish state.
Federal Prosecutor General Peter Frank said Ali D. was under investigation on suspicion of collecting information on supporters of the Gulen movement in the Cologne area.
Read more at: Germany investigates man on suspicion of spying for Turkey | News | DW | 01.10.2021
Federal Prosecutor General Peter Frank said Ali D. was under investigation on suspicion of collecting information on supporters of the Gulen movement in the Cologne area.
Read more at: Germany investigates man on suspicion of spying for Turkey | News | DW | 01.10.2021
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