EU-DIGEST: 2020

Showing posts with label 2020. Show all posts

8/22/21

Afghanistan: Trump’s Deal With the Taliban: Why Is Biden Being Blamed?

There are people who are of the opinion that Biden has mishandled the situation in Afghanistan, and that his choice to withdraw the troops is a betrayal of both our allies and our troop’s sacrifices over the last twenty years. What is receiving far less press is the fact that Biden’s decision was based on a deal that Trump cut with the Taliban.

Read more at: Trump’s Deal With the Taliban: Why Is Biden Being Blamed? | Muslim Girl

5/12/21

The Netherlands: Record number of people euthanized in Netherlands in 2020: report

A record number of people were euthanized in the Netherlands last year. Some who died suffered from psychiatric issues, according to Dutch News NL. Both the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium are known for their progressive euthanasia laws that have expanded the scope beyond patients suffering from a terminal disease.

Each year, the RTE Regional Euthanasia Review Committees analyze all deaths by euthanasia to check whether they met the six criteria dictated by the law for euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide. In total, 6,938 patients died in this manner in the Netherlands last year. The RTE determined that two cases didn't meet the six requirements.

Read more at: Record number of people euthanized in Netherlands in 2020: report | World | The Christian Post

2/26/21

The Netherlands: More than 100 North and South American Companies go Dutch in 2020

In 2020, 305 foreign companies chose to establish or expand operations in the Netherlands, according to the annual results of Invest in Holland and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) released today. These companies from around the globe expect to create more than 8,600 direct jobs in the first three years and invest 1.9 billion euros in their projects. Although the coronavirus is causing the Netherlands to attract fewer foreign companies, there is a constant flow of new companies as a result of Brexit.

U.S. and Canadian companies like Beyond Meat, Crocs, MSD, Inshur and McCain Foods tallied 100 direct investment projects in the Netherlands in 2020, accounting for nearly one-third of the foreign investment projects that NFIA and its partners were directly involved in worldwide.

Companies from North and South America are expected to invest close to 1.1 billion euros and generate 3,971 new jobs in the Netherlands by 2023. Expansion and relocation projects involved marketing and sales offices, distribution centers, European headquarters, manufacturing facilities and R&D in a range of industries from information technology and agrifood to life sciences & health.

Read more at: More than 100 North and South American Companies go Dutch in 2020

1/31/21

U.S. economy contracted an estimated 3.5% in 2020, worst drop since WW2

The U.S. economy contracted 3.5 per cent in 2020, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, the worst economic freeze since the end of the Second World War.

The report estimated that the nation's gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — slowed sharply in the October-December quarter after a record 33.4 per cent surge in the July-September quarter. That gain had followed a record-shattering annual plunge of 31.4 per cent in the April-June quarter.

The economy grew at a four per cent annual rate in the final three months of 2020.

Read more at:U.S. economy contracted an estimated 3.5% in 2020, worst drop since WW2 | CBC News

12/19/20

2020 Music Year in Review: Sheffield on How Fandom Went Underground - by Rob Sheffield

In 2020, being a music fan meant listening by yourself, more than ever, as the coronavirus ravaged the country and our lives. Being a fan in 2020 was crazy in ways that were totally new, because everything about pop life changed overnight. We didn’t get to hear “WAP” in the club or at a party. We didn’t rock out to our favorite new songs live. We didn’t get that shared public experience of music. Isolation became a major fact of life, and the music reflected that. For so many of us, music is key to how we connect to the outside world. But in 2020, music became the outside world, as public spaces were few and far between. It was a shared experience at a time when we really needed that.

Pop music got lustier and hornier all year as a direct response. Ariana Grande made a fantastic album called Positions, basically a grinding-at-the-club thirst trap. It really encapsulated the year in pop fandom — a sex-crazed fantasy lovingly crafted by, for, and about people who aren’t doing any of the wild and crazy things in the songs. Remember the Ariana who sang “Break Up With Your Boyfriend, I’m Bored”? So does she, and there was something heroic about keeping that spirit alive this year.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion dropped everyone’s favorite summer sex jam, “WAP,” announcing the presence of whores in the house. When “WAP” hit Number One, it replaced Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” — I love that: two songs about the same thing, as different musically as two songs could be, yet kindred spirits as two of the year’s filthiest hits in the least Hot Girl Summer of all time. Part of why “Watermelon Sugar” felt timely was the video Harry filmed on the beach in January, right before lockdown, with the intro: “This video is dedicated to touching.”

Read more at: 2020 Music Year in Review: Sheffield on How Fandom Went Underground - Rolling Stone

12/14/20

EU Economy and Lithuania: Best EU Economy in Year of Covid Was Bloc’s Worst-Hit After 2008 -- by Milda Seputyte

The European Union’s worst-hit economy in the wake of the global financial crisis is looking like the bloc’s least affected during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lithuania suffered the deepest recession in 2009 as it became a testing ground for the harsh austerity that later ravaged Greece. This time, the European Commission reckons it will notch the shallowest contraction of all, with forecasts this month pointing to a dip in gross domestic product of just 2.2%.

Read more at: Best EU Economy in Year of Covid Was Bloc’s Worst-Hit After 2008 - Bloomberg

4/27/20

Meteorologists say 2020 on course to be hottest year since records began

This year is on course to be the world’s hottest since measurements began, according to meteorologists, who estimate there is a 50% to 75% chance that 2020 will break the record set four years ago.

Read more at:
Meteorologists say 2020 on course to be hottest

2/1/20

Global Political Calendar: Trump's last State of the Union address?

French President Emmanuel Macron visits Poland, U.S. President Donald Trump delivers State of the Union address, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov starts Latin American trip, and Irish House of Representatives election starts.

Read more at: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Poland, U.S. President Donald Trump delivers State of the Union address, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov starts Latin American trip, and Irish House of Representatives election starts.Global Political Calendar: Trump's last State of the Union address? - CGTN

1/6/20

USA: Housing market predictions for 2020 - by Kathy Orton

A strong job market and low mortgage rates should sustain the housing market in 2020. The problem will be finding enough homes for buyers.

With unemployment hovering at a 50-year low and interest rates well below historical norms, the real estate industry is being dragged down by scarcity in housing stock, especially at lower price ranges.

Not enough homes are being built, and homeowners are staying put longer, creating a bottleneck.

Still, the market is on better footing than it was a year ago, when economic uncertainty caused by global trade tensions, stock market volatility and a partial government shutdown, along with rising mortgage rates and home prices, put a damper on sales. Mortgage rates, which seemed poised to surpass 5 percent, a level they hadn’t reached since 2011, retreated in 2019.

The average rate of the most popular mortgage, the 30-year fixed, has remained below 4 percent for the past 32 weeks, according to Freddie Mac data. At the start of 2000, it was 8.5 percent.

1/2/20

Chinese and Russian Heads of State Exchange New Year Congratulatory Messages

On December 31, 2019, President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged New Year congratulatory messages.

In his congratulatory message, Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, extended sincere greetings and best wishes to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people. Xi Jinping pointed out, 2019 was an extraordinary year in the history of the development of China-Russia relations. In the friendly atmosphere marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations, President Vladimir Putin and I jointly announced that China-Russia relations have entered a new era and opened up a new chapter in bilateral friendship. We signed and issued a joint statement between the two countries on strengthening contemporary global strategic stability, demonstrating the firm determination of China and Russia to jointly safeguard global strategic stability. Our cooperation in economy, trade, energy, people-to-people and cultural engagement, science and technology and at the sub-national level has been fruitful, bringing tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples and making great contributions to world peace and development.

Xi Jinping pointed out, 2020 has been designated the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation between China and Russia. The two sides will jointly celebrate the 75th anniversary of victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations (UN). I stand ready to maintain close contact with President Vladimir Putin and work together to elevate bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields to new highs. China and Russia will jointly safeguard multilateralism and the international system with the UN at the core, so as to boost the development and revitalization of China and Russia, and add more stability and positive energy to a world changing in ways unseen in a century.

In his congratulatory message, Vladimir Putin extended his sincere New Year greetings to President Xi Jinping and wished the Chinese people happiness and good health. Vladimir Putin expressed, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides in 2019, Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has achieved significant progress. President Xi Jinping and I have met several times and reached a series of important consensuses, which have opened new prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields between Russia and China. The governments, legislative bodies and various departments of the two countries have engaged in productive coordination. The Russia-China east-route natural gas pipeline was completed and put into operation. The two sides successfully held activities marking the year of sub-national cooperation and exchanges, which further promoted mutually beneficial cooperation at sub-regional level. In 2020, we will usher in another major national theme year, the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation between Russia and China. The Russian side attaches great importance to it. I firmly believe that, with joint efforts, the two countries' all-round cooperation and our constructive coordination on international affairs will be upgraded to higher levels.

Note EU-Digest: What a difference in style and content, compared to the US President Donald Trump's "ranting and raving" against even his closest allies.

12/12/19

Aircraft Industry: Boeing 737 Max won't return to service before 2020

Boeing on Thursday abandoned its goal of winning approval this month to unground the 737 Max after chief executive Dennis Muilenburg met with senior U.S. aviation officials.

Read more at:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/boeing-wont-return-737-max-before-2020-1.5394335

12/10/19

USA - the economy and the nation will face a "perfect storm" politically and economically:the 2020s will see 'real turmoil' as US debt woes come home to roost, says Gundlach - by Julia La Roche

Influential bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach, the CEO of $150 billion DoubleLine Capital, sees trouble brewing in the debt market, despite interest rates hovering near historic lows.

In a recent discussion with Yahoo Finance, Gundlach compared the current expansion to the boom that took place nearly 100 years ago. But the next decade will be the opposite of the roaring 1920s, he said, as the debt bomb the U.S. is sitting on becomes untenable in the next economic downturn.

"It's pretty interesting because the 20s in the 20th century, the 20s were super boom times. And weirdly, I think the 20s this time will be very much different than that, with real turmoil," the 60-year-old billionaire said in a recent wide-ranging interview with Yahoo Finance.

In Gundlach's view, the 2020s will see "the crescendo" of many unattractive trends that have been talked about for years, but finally come home to roost.

"[We're] going to have to face Social Security, health care, all of these things, deficit-based spending — all of that is going to have to be resolved during the 2020s because the compounding curve is just so bad," the billionaire added.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal deficit will top $1 trillion every year beginning in 2022. Yet Gundlach said the agency’s forecast may be too rosy, given that it assumes a "pretty benign future" with no recession and interest rates that are not very high.

Interest costs to the government, as a percentage of gross domestic product are expected rise from 1.25% to at least 3% by 2027. “That's a big, big increase. And that's coming,” the investor told Yahoo Finance.

“And when you do that, it kind of says, ‘Hey, GDP is going to be knocked by 2%-2.5% because we have to pay interest,’” he added.

Note EU-Digest: these economic problems will be compounded by a totally inept Trump Administration, which has turned the Republican party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan into a Trump loyalist party which is now based on State Planning and Crony Capitalism

10/19/19

USA: G7 meeting June 10-12 - Next years meeting to be held at Trumps Doral Golf resort in Miami

U.S. President Donald Trump will host next year's Group of Seven economic summit of developed nations' leaders at his Florida golf resort, a move Democrats and others decried as more evidence of the president misusing his office for personal gain.

9/25/19

US Presidental Elections 2020: Elizabeth Warren tops list of Democratic Presidential candidates

Elizabeth Warren tops Democratic candidates in national poll for first time.

7/16/19

US Presidential Elections: Trump's xenophobic targeting of progressive Democrats could signal what's to come in 2020

Trump's xenophobic targeting of progressive Democrats could signal what's to come in 2020

4/20/18

US 2020 Republican primaries:Nikki Haley could beat Donald Trump hands-down in Republican primaries and become America's first female president?

Political insiders in the US and overseas rate Nikki Haley, (42) the most politically attractive, candidate given she has lots of Government Administrative and International experience re: former governor of South Carolina and presently US Ambassador to the United Nations,

Insiders are estimating that if she ran in 2020, she would win hands-down against Donald Trump in the Republican primaries .

More important - however-for the Republican party is that she would probably also beat any candidate the Democrats could come up with if she was elected as the Republican Presidential candidate.

Given that she is also of Indian-American origen would make her also an attractive Presidential candidate for other US ethnic minorities. Bottom-line she certainly has the potential to topple Trump in the Republican 2020 primaries and become the next US President.

EU-Digest

8/5/17

USA Politics: Mike Pence Preparing 2020 Election Run Against ‘Weak’ Trump? - by Jason Le Miere

Mike Pence’s press secretary has denied an explosive report from The New York Times Saturday that the vice-president is among a group of Republicans already preparing a “shadow campaign” for president in 2020. President Donald Trump is just over six months into his first term and has never suggested that he would not seek re-election for a second term.

An outspoken Democratic critic of President Donald Trump's is leading the call for Vice President Mike Pence to become the next commander-in-chief. California Representative Maxine Waters, who has become an internet sensation among the left for her frank criticism of the president in recent months, tweeted Saturday: "Mike Pence is somewhere planning an inauguration. Priebus and Spicer will lead the transition."

Read more: Mike Pence Preparing 2020 Election Run Against ‘Weak’ Trump? Vice-President’s Team Denies Explosive Claim

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