Ukraine war: EU member states agreed in principle, to jointly procure amunition worth several billion Euro's, for Ukraine war effort.

EU countries on Wednesday agreed to speed up supplies of artillery rounds and buy more shells to.   help Ukraine but still have to work out how to turn these aims into reality.

Under a plan drawn up by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, EU states would get financial incentives worth €1 billion ($1.06 billion) to send more of their artillery rounds to Ukraine while another €1 billion would fund joint procurement of new shells.

"There has been a general agreement on this procedure but there are questions pending. Everything has to be discussed in detail," Borrell said after a meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm also attended by their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov.

Borrell said he hoped the plan would be finalized at a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers on March 20.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com

Russia Ukraine Invasion:EU seeks to ban Russian gold in seventh sanctions package

The European Commission formally announced its proposal for a seventh package of sanctions against Russia on Friday in light of its monthslong war against Ukraine.

The sanctions are expected to target Russian gold imports into the EU and "to close exit routes" for actors

trying to get around earlier sanctions, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said. The EU is looking for ways to "slap a sanction regime on gold, which is an important commodity for exports from Russia" following the announced ban of Russian gold imports by G7 members in June, Sefcovic said.

Read more: EU seeks to ban Russian gold in seventh sanctions package | News | DW | 15.07.2022

China - Netherlands relations: China Wants a Chip Machine From the Dutch. The U.S. Said No._ "Is this US Interference in a foreing country's trade policies ?"

Beijing has been pressuring the Dutch government to allow its companies to buy ASML Holding ASML -2.35% NV’s marquee product: a machine called an extreme ultraviolet lithography system that is essential to making advanced microprocessors.

The one-of-a-kind, 180-ton machines are used by companies including Intel Corp. INTC -1.51% , South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and leading Apple Inc. supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make the chips in everything from cutting-edge smartphones and 5G cellular equipment to computers used for artificial intelligence.

China wants the $150-million machines for domestic chip makers, so smartphone giant Huawei Technologies Co. and other Chinese tech companies can be less reliant on foreign suppliers. But ASML hasn’t sent a single one because the Netherlands—under pressure from the U.S.—is withholding an export license to China.

The Biden administration has asked the government to restrict sales because of national-security concerns, according to U.S. officials. The stance is a holdover from the Trump White House, which first identified the strategic value of the machine and reached out to Dutch officials.

Washington has taken direct aim at Chinese companies like Huawei and has also tried to convince foreign allies to restrict the use of Huawei gear, over spying concerns that Huawei says are unfounded. The pressure aimed at ASML and the Netherlands is different, representing a form of collateral damage in a broader U.S.-China tech Cold War.

Read more at: China Wants a Chip Machine From the Dutch. The U.S. Said No. - WSJ

EU vaccination chaos: How many vaccine doses have arrived in EU countries and how do they get there?

More than 85 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been distributed by vaccine manufacturers to EU and EEA countries and millions more are expected to arrive before the summer months.

Four vaccines are approved for use in the bloc - the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines, as well as the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and the single dose jab from Johnson & Johnson.

But the EU has been heavily criticised for its slow vaccine rollout, with critics emphasising that they needed to incentivise companies better to scale up vaccine production before the vaccines were authorised.

Read more at:How many vaccine doses have arrived in EU countries and how do they get there? | Euronews

Turkey- US Relations: Turkey, U.S. in talks to form joint working group on S-400s, sanctions -minister

Turkey and the United States have started talks to form a joint working group regarding U.S. sanctions imposed over Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Read more at: EU-Digest

EU: Coronavirus -Remdesivir: Commission signs a joint procurement contract with Gilead for the supply of Remdesivir

 The Commission has signed a joint procurement framework contract with the pharmaceutical company Gilead for the supply of up to 500,000 treatment courses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, and the opportunity to increase supply beyond the 500,000 treatment courses. There are  36 signatories of the Joint Procurement Agreement participating in this joint procurement, including all EU countries, the EEA countries of Norway and Iceland*, the UK, as well as six candidate countries and potential candidates (Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo** and Bosnia and Herzegovina). All participating countries can now place their orders to procure Veklury directly. Veklury is at this stage the only medicine with a conditional marketing authorisation in the EU for the treatment of COVID-19 patients needing oxygen supply.

Read more at: Coronavirus: Remdesivir

USA: Germany confirms that Trump tried to buy firm working on coronavirus vaccine

 Read more at
Germany confirms that Trump tried to buy firm working on coronavirus vaccine – POLITICO

Greenland: Trump tweets image of enormous Trump Tower on Greenla

Trump tweets image of enormous Trump Tower on Greenland

Read more at: 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/19/trump-greenland-tower?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger

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Turkey-US Relations:Turkey chafes at U.S. pressure over Russian defenses - by Daren Butler

"Turkey chafes at U.S. pressure over Russian defenses" -Turkey said on Tuesday a U.S. House of Representatives' resolution condemning Ankara's purchase of Russian defense systems and urging potential sanctions was unacceptably threatening.

Relations between the two NATO members have been strained on several fronts including Ankara's plans to buy Russia's S-400 air defense systems, the detention of US Consular staff and difference of opinion about Syria, Iran and Iraq policies.

Read more at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-turkey-security/turkey-chafes-at-u-s-pressure-over-russian-defenses-idUSKCN1TC0QQ 

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Retirement: Europe’s Top 5 Affordable Retirement Havens

Imagine the smell of freshly-baked croissants wafting through the air, or the satisfying swallow of wine made from grapes grown just down the road. Perhaps you muse about living on a sun-drenched Mediterranean beach or tucked down a cobbled lane savoring the cosmopolitan delights of a history-rich city…

A retirement in Europe is a dream for many folks. And it can easily be a reality. If it’s culture, history, and variety you’re after, Europe has it all, and at a cost much lower than you may think… Here we explore the five best low-cost options for enjoying your perfect European retirement.

Here you’ll find properties to rent for less than $600 a month or to buy for under $110,000. A filling three-course meal in a local restaurant can be had for $10, while a bag of fresh produce grown locally can be got for under $6.

In all five countries you’ll find fabulous beaches, idyllic rural retreats, and cities where history is thickly layered with stunning architecture and grand museums. For each country, our experts have nominated an area they think is particularly worthy of your interest, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide what type of lifestyle you’re after.

Not surprisingly, Europe delivers strongly on healthcare; in each of our five picks, you’ll find healthcare professionals and facilities of a world-class standard. But perhaps more surprisingly, the care on offer in these countries won’t leave you counting pennies. Many of these nations benefit from universal coverage and strong public healthcare systems, and even their private healthcare can be accessed for a sliver of the cost in the U.S. Doctors’ visits, for instance, can run well under $100, and other services are similarly reasonable.

You’re guaranteed to find an ideal place for yourself in Europe. Though a small continent, it packs in so much diversity that the perfect retirement for you is bound to be hiding somewhere.

Read more: Europe’s Top 5 Affordable Retirement Havens