USA - Coronavirus- statistics: Florida Won't Release Number of COVID Deaths in Individual Counties Despite Surge in Cases

The exact number of COVID deaths in counties in Florida remains unconfirmed as the state reportedly will not reveal the data as cases surge amid the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Florida releases data related to COVID deaths on a state level, but hasn't been disclosing the number of deaths on a county level for three months, The Palm Beach Post reported.

Read more at: https://www.newsweek.com/florida-wont-release-number-covid-deaths-individual-counties-despite-surge-cases-1628067?utm_source=PushnamiMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=automatic&UTM=1631368618680&subscriberId=5ef650d523994a6b87f208b6

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 213 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 213 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.45 million and vaccinations soared to over 4.99 billion, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Wednesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and vaccination tally stood at 213,098,413, 4,450,408 and 4,995,430,625, respectively.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 38,053,653 and 630,663, respectively, according to the CSSE.

Read more at: Global Covid-19 caseload tops 213 mn - Netindia123.com

Covid Updates From Around the World

Europe: Starting today, people in England will be able to see what the inside of a pub looks like for the first time in months thanks to an easing of restrictions. And countries including Greece and Portugal are gradually opening their borders for the all-important summer tourist season. But at least in England, officials are worried about the growing prevalence of the highly transmissible B16172 variant first found in India.

Southeast Asia: Despite early successes at taming the coronavirus, Singapore and Taiwan are clamping down aggressively to combat new outbreaks. Singapore is sending most kids back to Zoom school this week, and Taiwan is limiting indoor social gatherings to five people.

North America: The one-week average of new cases in the US hit its lowest level since June. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has started to discuss reopening the border with the US, which has been closed since March 2020.

Read more at: Covid Updates From Around the World

European Cancer statistics: The Netherlands has the third highest incidences of cancer in Europe after Ireland and Denmark

The Netherlands has relatively more cancer cases than any other country in Europe apart from Ireland and Denmark, with colon, melanoma and breast cancer the most common forms of the illness, the Dutch cancer centre IKNL said on Friday.

Cancer of the oesophagus, bladder and lung cancer are also far more prevalent in the Netherlands than in most other European countries, the IKNL said. The data comes from combined Dutch and European sources.

Women in the Netherlands suffer from cancer more often, particularly breast cancer and lung cancer while incidences of prostate cancer among men is also higher than in other European countries. The high incidence rate of lung cancer is down to more women smokers as a result of the ‘early emancipation wave’ of the 1970s,

IKNL cancer specialist Otto Visser told broadcaster NOS. ‘ ‘You can see this in other countries where the emancipation of women started relatively early,’ Visser said. ‘In Denmark many women took up smoking during the 70s and 80s and that country is in the top three.’

 Read more:
The Netherlands has one of the highest incidences of cancer in Europe - DutchNews.nl

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

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

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

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

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

EU: COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 19 July 2020

Read all the details re Coronavirus EU/EEA Statistics
COVID-19 situation update for the EU/EEA and the UK, as of 19 July 2020

Coronavirus: Cases and Deaths in the U.S. | CDC

For the latest update click here: 
Cases and Deaths in the U.S. | CDC

EU-Turkey relations, Politics versus Reality: Why hasn't the EU lifted travel ban on Turkey?

Beginning with July 1, The European Union opened its borders to visitors from 15 countries. The full list of the first 15 countries ranges from Algeria to Uruguay, from Georgia to South Korea, from Serbia and Montenegro to New Zealand, from Morocco to Canada. Europe will open its borders to China as well, provided China opens up to travelers from the EU. 

European doors will remain closed to travelers from the United States, Brazil, and Russia, due to the rate of the spread of coronavirus. Turkey, a candidate member of the EU, which performed well above the EU average in the Covid-19 struggle, however, is among those countries that the travel ban from and to the EU will remain in effect. 

Given the success of the Turkish Covid-19 strategy, the disappointment expressed by the spokesperson of the Turkish Foreign Ministry for the decision was not unexpected.  

Indeed, Turkey’s coronavirus statistics, for instance, in comparison to EU member Sweden, are much better. The Turkish population is almost nine times as much as Sweden, but the number of cases per 1 million is 2,370 in Turkey, while the figure stands at 6,777 in Sweden. The death rate in Turkey is 60.8 per 1 million in Turkey, and 528.1 in Sweden. Even in comparison to Germany, which has roughly the same population as Turkey and is lauded for a successful Covid-19 strategy, Turkey seems to be doing as well as Germany. The number of total confirmed cases in Germany is some 200,000 and in Turkey is some 195,000.  

The reason for Turkey’s exclusion from the EU’s reopening can be explained by political reasons instead of public health concerns.

Read more at:

Why hasn't the EU lifted travel ban on Turkey?

Coronavirus cases in Austria are 'twice the reported numbers'

Read more at
Coronavirus cases in Austria are 'twice the reported numbers' - The Local

USA: Gun violence in the United States by state

Gun violence in the United States by state - Wikipedia

Slaverey: Are there more people in slavery now than during the transatlantic slave trade? - by Emma Beswick

With estimates stating 40.3 million people are currently in slavery worldwide, Gary Haugen, CEO of the International Justice Mission said there are more people in slavery today than were extracted from Africa over 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade.

Read more: Are there more people in slavery now than during the transatlantic slave trade? | Euronews

Global Beer Sales: Who are among the biggest beer drinkers in Europe? - by Chris Harris

The Czech Republic, Germany and Poland are among Europe’s biggest beer drinkers, latest figures reveal.

The data, obtained by Euronews to mark International Beer Day on August 4, shows wide disparities across the continent.

Drinkers in the Czech Republic knocked back 146.3 litres per person last year, according to statistics from market research firm Euromonitor.

It’s equivalent to nearly 300 large beers (500ml) per individual.

That’s around five times as much as wine-producing countries like France and Italy, who came bottom of the European countries studied.

There is a broad geographical divide: central and eastern European countries consume more beer and western Europe and Scandinavia less.

The amount of beer consumed has a weak link with death rates from liver cirrhosis, a condition linked to alcohol abuse. There is a stronger correlation if we compare cirrhosis death rates and all alcohol consumed, not just beer.

Read more: Who are among the biggest beer drinkers in Europe? | Euronews

EU Educational Sector: 80% of graduates in the field of education are women

Almost 5 million tertiary education students graduated in the European Union (EU) in 2015: 58% were women and 42% men.

Male dominated fields are 'Information and Communication Technologies' (where men account for 81% of the graduates) and 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction' (73%).

On the other hand, four out of five graduates in 'Education' are women (80%). Another field where women are largely over-represented is 'Health and welfare', with 74% female graduates.

One in four graduates studied 'Business, administration and law'

The largest share of graduates in the EU studied 'Business, administration and law' (24%). This was the most popular field in all Member States except for Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, where the largest share of graduates were in 'Health and welfare', and Portugal, where the most popular field was 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction'.

'Business, administration and law' was particularly popular in Luxembourg, with 39% of all graduates. It accounted for a large share also in Cyprus (35%), Bulgaria and France (both 34%).

One in five graduates in Germany (22%), Portugal (21%) and Austria (20%) received their diplomas in 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction'.

The share of graduates in 'Health and welfare' was the highest in Belgium (26%), where one in four graduated in this field. 22% of graduates in Sweden and Denmark studied this subject.

'Arts and humanities' were a popular field in the United Kingdom and Italy (both 16%).

16% of the graduates in Bulgaria followed the 'Social sciences, journalism and information' programme.

The largest share of 'Education' graduates was in Cyprus (18%).

With 13%, the United Kingdom had the highest share of 'Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics' graduates.

Read more: 80% of graduates in the field of education are women - Product - Eurostat

The Netherlands - Migration: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands

People joining their families was the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands in 2015, the Dutch statistics service announced on Monday. The CBS says that a third of the 159,000 people who migrated to the country in 2015 came to join family members already here. In 2003, half came for this reason, although since the number of migrants has increased, this figure was 36,655 compared with 51,920 in 2015. There was a dramatic rise in asylum-related migration in 2015, to almost 27,000, but more people actually moved to the Netherlands for work that year, and almost 20,000 came to study. Most of those joining their families came from Poland, Syria, Germany, India and the UK in 2015. The figures exclude people of Dutch nationality moving to the country.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/07/family-is-the-biggest-reason-for-migration-to-the-netherlands/

People joining their families was the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands in 2015, the Dutch statistics service announced on Monday. The CBS says that a third of the 159,000 people who migrated to the country in 2015 came to join family members already here.

In 2003, half came for this reason, although since the number of migrants has increased, this figure was 36,655 compared with 51,920 in 2015.

There was a dramatic rise in asylum-related migration in 2015, to almost 27,000, but more people actually moved to the Netherlands for work that year, and almost 20,000 came to study.

Most of those joining their families came from Poland, Syria, Germany, India and the UK in 2015. The figures exclude people of Dutch nationality moving to the country. 

 Read more: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

Refugee Meltdown: Conflicts, Disasters Displaced Nearly 28 Million People Worldwide In 2015, Report Shows

The stories of the hundreds of thousands of refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers, who have risked their lives to reach European shores in search of a safe haven, have drawn much attention to the phenomenon of displacement; but they represent only a fraction of a more complex issue, according to a new report, which highlights the global crisis of internal displacement.

Conflict, violence and disasters internally displaced 27.8 million people in 2015, taking the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) last year to a record 40.8 million, the report released Wednesday by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), said.

“There are now twice as many internally displaced people as refugees worldwide,” Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said in a statement. “IDPs often lose everything when they flee, and the trauma and upheaval of displacement leave many with deep psychological and physical scars.”

Some 8.6 million IDPs in 2015 — an average of 24,000 a day — were linked to conflict, including 4.8 million in the Middle East and North Africa. Other nations with the highest number of people fleeing were Ukraine, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Central African Republic and South Sudan.

The report also said that disasters displaced about 19.2 million people across 113 countries in 2015, more than twice the number who fled conflict and violence during the same year. India, China and Nepal had the highest numbers, with 3.7 million, 3.6 million and 2.6 million, respectively.

“Displacement in the Middle East and north Africa has snowballed since the wave of social uprisings known as the Arab Spring in late 2010 and the rise of the Islamic State [group],” with Yemen, Syria and Iraq accounting for more than half of the global total, the report said.

The total number of new displacements last year “is the equivalent of the combined populations of New York City, London, Paris and Cairo grabbing what they can carry, often in a state of panic, and setting out on a journey filled with uncertainty,” Egeland said. “Put another way, around 66,000 people abandoned their homes every day of 2015.”

The report also measured the number of people displaced by criminal violence associated with drug trafficking and gang activity, displacing at least a million people in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico as of December 2015.

“Studies have established a direct link between criminal violence and migration, but such displacement in the region tends to remain unquantified and unaddressed for reasons ranging from political to methodological,” the report said.

Read more: Conflicts, Disasters Displaced Nearly 28 Million People Worldwide In 2015, Report Shows

Mediterranean Disaster: Fears that 30,000 migrants could die crossing Mediterranean in 2015

A dire warning has been issued as survivors of Sunday’s shipwreck arrived in Sicily, after a disaster that left up to 900 people dead.

It is feared that if Mediterranean migrant deaths continue at the same rate, more than 30,000 people could drown before the year is through.

The warning comes from the International Organisation for Migration.

From the United Nations Refugee Agency too, the statistics are grim.

“April 2015 has truly been the cruellest month, the highest numbers that we have seen for deaths in any month on the Mediterranean,” UNHCR Spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva.

“We have had so far this year 1,776 reported dead on the Mediterranean.”
Europe is soul-searching after this worst such tragedy in living memory.

 Read more: Fears that 30,000 migrants could die crossing Mediterranean in 2015 | euronews, world news

Islam: Muslim population to grow fastest says new study

Mosque in Almere, the Netherlands

Muslim population worldwide is rising rapidly and could be nearly as much as the number of Christians in 2050, a new report called the "Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections 2010-2050" by the Pew Research Center has predicted.

The study, released on April 2, says that the world's religious profile is changing primarily due to differences in fertility rates among various communities and because of people switching faiths. "Over the next four decades, Christians will remain the largest religious group, but Islam will grow faster than any major religion," the research says.

The number of Muslims will be equal to those of Christians by 2050, the report predicts, even though some Christian countries and areas, like Latin America, Brazil, the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa, are also growing fast.

Islam will also replace Judaism as the second largest religion in the United States by 2050 and Muslims in Europe will constitute 10 percent of the overall population. India will also have the largest number of Muslims in the world by the mid- 21st century, Pew researchers say.

Read more: Muslim population to grow fastest says new study | Europe | DW.DE | 03.04.2015

India growth figures baffle economists

The Indian economy grew by 7.5% between October and December compared with the same period a year earlier, official figures say.

But there was confusion regarding the statistics after the way in which the gross domestic product (GDP) figure was calculated was changed.

Economists warned the figures needed to be treated with caution.

Growth for the previous three months was also revised up sharply to 8.2% from an earlier figure of 5.3%.

And India's statistics ministry revised up its forecast for annual economic growth to 7.4% for the year to the end of March.

That compared with a previous forecast of 6.9% using the new formula, and 4.7% before the revised formula was introduced.

The country's new way of calculating GDP has baffled analysts since its release last month.

India said the new formula is closer to international standards. But analysts say the new data does not correlate with other economic indicators, including industrial and factory production.

Read more: BBC News - India growth figures baffle economists

Netherlands has between 39,000 and 75,000 expats according to the National Statistics Office

The Netherlands has between 39,000 and 75,000 expats, according to new research by the national statistics office CBS.

The researchers define an expat as someone who was born outside the Netherlands and does not have Dutch nationality, who is aged 18 to 75 and earns a salary at the upper end of the norm in their sector.

The CBS research shows one in four ‘foreign employees’ with a high wage comes from England or Germany. Indians account for the third largest group of men and while Poland is third on the women’s list.

Most expats, according to the CBS, are aged 18 to 40 and one third are single.

The four big cities and their surrounding areas are home to most expats, while university cities also host a significant number, the CBS says.

The report also shows the business services, healthcare, academia, trade and the hospitality industries are most likely to employ expat staff.

Almere-Digest

Global Economy: European economic figures far more accurate than those from the US - by RM

Transparency key to success Atlantic Alliance

When listening to or reading US financial reports there are some remarkably disturbing facts popping up.

One of these is the fact that it was actually the US which caused the 2007/2008 financial crash but this has been completely swept under the mat by the US.

Keep in mind though that all the media outlets in the US, except very few, which are "not for profit organizations" (who mainly get their income from public/private donations and grants) are mostly profit based multi-national corporations. This should immediately raise a red flag as to the impartiality and balance of the news/financial reports they release.

Possibly, this is also the reason that at the same time there is this constant barrage of attacks coming from those same US media circles bashing and critizicing the EU/ECB for not adopting the US QE financial policies (printing more money and pumping this" monopoly money" into the marketplace) in order to get the EU economy going again.

As to the US QE policies,  many economists believe this could eventually be a recipe for future US economic disaster.

Also, looking at some of the official figures put out by the US Government and reading between the lines, the attentive reader will quickly find a lot of nebulous statistics on a variety of issues and items, including employment, trade, debt, infrastructure, military and security expenditures.

In this volatile scenario Wall Street is a special "Chapter" by itself.  Some critics call Wall Street a financial "fairyland" where words and phrases as versatility, headwinds, optimize, boldness, performance, choices, transparency, bubbles, wealth, growth, state of the art, profitable, opportunity are used in different ways as shares go up and down and traders turn out the big winners in dividing up the spoils.

Obviously without any doubt there are also "forces" in Europe ( Britain) who are following and would love to have the EU adapt this "flawed" US financial model.

Fortunately, and maybe unfortunately for some,  the EU is a Union of 28 countries with 28 central banks.  Of these 28 countries 18 belong to the so called European Economic Zone (Eurozone) that have adopted the euro (€) as their common currency.and sole legal tender.

The ECB is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy for the whole Eurozone.

Any report or statistic on or about the state of the EU economy issued by the ECB  is scrutinized very carefully by all 18 members of the ECB before they become public.Canada which is a Federated country also applies similar rules.

Official EU financial reports and statement are therefore without any doubt far  more accurate and reliable than those coming from US government agencies.

Isn't it time for the EU to get to the point with our friends across the other side of the pond on this issue? And what better venue to do it than during the ongoing EU-US trade negotiations?

EU-Digest