CORONA VIRUS: BREAKING: WHO declares global emergency over coronavirus

The World Health Organization declared the corona virus outbreak a global emergency on Thursday. The new virus from China has been exported to more than a dozen countries, and the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week.

The UN health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is.

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NetherlandsSmallest coalition party calls for Netherlands to become 'drug-free' country

Smallest coalition party calls for Netherlands to become ‘drug-free’ country

Read more at:
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/01/smallest-coalition-party-calls-for-netherlands-to-become-drug-free-country/

The Dutch way: What the Netherlands can teach us about digitisation

Chief pharmacy informatics officer Pieter Helmons will be talking about St Jansdal's approach at a HIMSS event in Cambridge later this week.

Read more at:
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/europe/dutch-way-what-netherlands-can-teach-us-about-digitisation

Coronavirus | About | Prevention and Treatment | CDC

CDC Coronavirus: About prevention and treatment - Describes how to reduce your risk of getting coronavirus infection, and how to relieve symptoms if you get infected.

Read more at :
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/prevention.html

Posted by EU-Digest at 4:29 PM

USA - Visas: US imposes visa rules for pregnant women on 'birth tourism'

The Trump administration is imposing new visa rules aimed at restricting “birth tourism," in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have U.S....

Read more at:
news.com/d4c42c5311ba8a6661855cadd12f0fed

The Netherlands: Amazon is finally expanding its services in the Netherlands

Amazon has been available in the Netherlands since 2014, but only as a vendor for e-books. Now, the giant multinational is set to expand, finally offering the full Amazon experience currently enjoyed by many other countries around the world.

From this week, both domestic and international companies can register to offer products. This year, you will be able to order millions of products through Amazon.nl.

Read more: Amazon is finally expanding its services in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Away winter blues! Netherlands marks National Tulip Day

Tulip growers in the Netherlands beat back winter — if only for a day — with a riotous explosion of color Saturday as they turned an Amsterdam square into a multi-colored feast for cold-dulled senses to mark National Tulip Day.

Several thousand people converged on Dam Square in front of the Royal Palace to enjoy and pick the 200,000 free tulips, making gorgeous bunches for themselves from the rainbow of vibrant colors on offer.

Read more at: Away winter blues! Netherlands marks National Tulip Day

Britain: Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer'

Research is at an early stage but scientists said it had huge potential for destroying cancers.

Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51182451

EU-Turkey relations: EU denies reports of further Turkey aid cuts

Media reports about massive cuts in funding "are completely wrong and misleading," an EU spokesman has said. The bloc cut pre-accession funds to Turkey in 2017 and is not planning further cuts.

Read more at:
https://www.dw.com/en/eu-denies-reports-of-further-turkey-aid-cuts/a-52060306

Switzerland-Davos 2020: American politics is the biggest risk facing the world right now, say experts

American politics is the biggest threat facing the world in 2020 and the looming presidential election will stress the country's institutions, influence economic and foreign policy and further divide an already polarized electorate, with potentially huge consequences for the climate, business and investors.

That's the view of experts at consultancies Eurasia Group and Control Risks.

The World Economic Forum, which is preparing to hold its annual meeting of political leaders and CEOs next week in Davos, is also warning of increased turbulence this year from trade conflicts and political polarization that makes it harder to tackle global challenges.

Read more: Davos 2020: American politics is the biggest risk facing the world right now, say experts

The Netherlands: Solar park taking shape along 40 km of road in the Netherlands – by Emiliano Bellini

The Dutch water management agency plans to install solar panels along both sides of the A37 highway in Drenthe province, as well as on the median strip, to cover 300 hectares in total. The project is part of a plan to build projects on state land, as the domestic PV industry continues to search for alternative surfaces on which to deploy solar.

The agency is now holding meetings with the Drenthe provincial government and the municipalities of Coevorden, Emmen, and Hoogeveen – as well as network operator Enexis Groep and distribution system operator Rendo – to discuss how the solar park will be developed.

The project, which is part of a government program to build renewable energy pilot projects on state land, will involve the installation of PV modules along either side of a 40-kilometer (25 miles) stretch of the highway, in addition to solar panels on the median strip between the two lanes. The project will span roughly 300 hectares in total, and will be built without having a strong visual impact on the surrounding landscape, Rijkswaterstaat explained. The agency conducted a preliminary spatial exploration study for the project in 2016.

Read more: Solar park taking shape along 40 km of road in the Netherlands – pv magazine International

 

 

 

 

The Netherlands - tourism: Keukenhof plants more bulbs to tackle unpredictable temperatures

Keukenhof plants more bulbs to tackle unpredictable temperatures

Read more at:

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/01/keukenhof-plants-more-bulbs-to-tackle-unpredictable-temperatures/

EU: Where is the ‘deal’ in the European Green Deal? – by Estrella Durá Ferrandis and Irina de Sancho Alonso

The New Deal was a social contract with the American people. A European Green New Deal must likewise enshrine social alongside ecological aspirations.

Read more at:
https://www.socialeurope.eu/where-is-the-deal-in-the-european-green-deal

The Netherlands: 2,500 children 'disappear' from Dutch refugee centres

More than 2,500 children have disappeared from refugee centres in the Netherlands over the past decade, the NRC newspaper reported on Monday. Most of those came from Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Albania, Eritrea, Syria and Vietnam. According to the refugee agency COA, a proportion of these children may end up in the hands of human traffickers or in prostitution.

If you live in the EU and suspect any human trafficking or unauthorized prostitution going on in your area please contact the Human Trafficking hotline in your area (see telephone number for your EU country at https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/citizens-corner-national-hotlines/national-hotlines_en  

If you live in the US  call  the National Human Trafficking Hotline  1 (888) 373-7888  Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week Languages: English, Spanish and 200 more languages  Website: www.humantraffickinghotline.org

Read more at: 2,500 children 'disappear' from Dutch refugee centres

Suriname: Total and Apache tout ‘significant’ oil find in Suriname waters - by Myles McCormick and David Sheppard

Oil producers Total and Apache announced a “significant oil discovery” on Tuesday that they said proves oil-rich rock formations off the coast of Guyana cross into Suriname waters, where they are exploring.

The companies heralded the potential for “prolific” oil production after drilling work at the Maka Central-1 well off the coast of the South American nation showed that the neighbouring Guyanese Cretaceous oil play — in which rival ExxonMobil has discovered billions of barrels equivalent of recoverable oil and gas — extends into local waters.

The two companies each own a 50 per cent stake in ‘Block 58’ where the well was drilled, after Total bought into it last month. Shares in Apache rose 20 per cent on the news to their highest level since May last year. Total shares were unmoved.

Read more at: Total and Apache tout ‘significant’ oil find in Suriname waters | Financial Times

European Troop Deployment in Iraq: 3,000 troops from 19 EU states in Iraq. Will they stay?

Around 3,000 soldiers from 19 EU states were deployed in Iraq, plus another 200 from 10 EU states stationed under Nato command, as of late 2019, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a global think tank.

With tensions flaring following the killing of general Qassem Suleimani in a US drone attack last week, the EU is scrambling to use diplomacy to de-escalate the brewing conflict and possible ensuing war.

Read more: 3,000 troops from 19 EU states in Iraq. Will they stay?

Passports: Italy has 'world's fourth most powerful passport'

An Italian passport is one of the world's most useful to have, according to an index that ranks how many countries each passport allows its holders to visit without applying for a visa in advance.

Almere-Digest

China - EU - Iran - Russia -Turkey -- a new Dawn? : Donald Trump′s risky short-sightedness - by Frank Sieren

New World  Order? China,-EU Russia

Like the rest of the world, Beijing was forced to look on idly as US President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last Friday. Even the Iraqi government in Baghdad, which considers Iran an enemy, called on the US to withdraw. On Tuesday night, Iran responded by launching missile attacks on US bases in Iraq.

For now, the situation seems to be, if not de-escalated, at least not re-escalated. But the stakes in the Middle East are also high for China now. As the country with the second-highest oil consumption in the world, it sources a good 50% of its imports from the region. Although Iran is ranked only seventh in the list of oil exporters to China, it has become a close economic and diplomatic partner of Beijing's in recent years.

China is also Iran's largest trading partner. China's investments in Iran are also rising steadily, amounting to over $27 billion (€24.3 billion) between 2005 and 2018. Last summer, the two governments agreed that China would invest $280 billion in Iran's energy sector and $120 billion in its infrastructure and manufacturing sector over the next 25 years. In return, Beijing would receive cheaper oil as well as other benefits. The idea is also that the transactions be conducted in Chinese yuan or Russian rubles, as Russian companies will also be involved.

Iran is playing an increasingly important role for China's "New Silk Road." One of the most important axes of the geostrategic project of the century leads from China to Turkey, via Pakistan and Iran, and then from Istanbul to the Greek port of Piraeus.

Not far from the Pakistan-Iranian border and the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40% of the world's oil transports pass, lies the deep-sea port of Gwadar. In future, the idea is that this be used to transport oil and goods directly to China via an economic corridor in Pakistan. Pakistan shares a common border with both Iran and China, while goods still have to cross three Central Asian countries to get to China via the northern route.

Note EU-Digest: China, the EU and Russia for some time now are starting to cooperate on trade and technology much closer and in the process are by-passing the US at an ever increasing rate, specially following the election of Donald Trump.

Read more: Sieren’s China: Donald Trump′s risky short-sightedness | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 09.01.2020

EU Green Transition: EU's green transition 'will have slightly positive economic effect'

EU's move towards a carbon-neutral economy to tackle climate change will have a "slightly positive" economic effect, it's been claimed.

Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU's economy commissioner, speaking to Euronews in Berlin, admitted the green transition would have winners and losers but that it should be done in a "socially acceptable way".

EU countries reached a deal last month on making the bloc climate neutral by 2050.

Read more: The Brief: EU's green transition 'will have slightly positive economic effect' | Euronews

IRAN-US relations: In menacing Iran’s cultural sites, Trump threatens to commit ‘a war crime’

 The Trump administration has yet to offer any evidence backing its claim that last week’s killing of a senior Iranian official was legal under international law. Now the US president has also threate…

Read more at:
https://www.france24.com/en/20200106-in-menacing-iran-s-cultural-sites-trump-threatens-to-commit-a-war-crime

Internet: Pompeo warns that the U.S. will NOT share intelligence with countries using Huawei 5G infrastructure

* Mike Pompeo said any country that did so would be cut off from intelligence

Germany has so far joined UK, France and Netherlands in defying U.S. calls

Washington warns Huawei is a vassal of Beijing and poses an espionage threat 

Read more at: Pompeo warns that the U.S. will NOT share intelligence with countries using Huawei 5G infrastructure | Daily Mail Online

China en Rusland eensgezind: liquidatie Iraanse generaal lost niets op

De ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken spraken met elkaar én met hun Iraanse ambtgenoot over de Amerikaanse moordaanslag op generaal Soleimani.

Read more at:
https://nos.nl/artikel/2317306-china-en-rusland-eensgezind-liquidatie-iraanse-generaal-lost-niets-op.html

Iran-US Relations: Is the US On the Verge of a War with Iran?

Trump: we will help Saudi Arabia
in their struggle against Iran

"The main question is not whether Soleimani is responsible for carnage in the region (he is) or whether he has blood on his hands (he does), but whether Soleimani’s assassination increases or decreases the risk of a wider conflict between Washington and Tehran. Does this strike put American soldiers, diplomats, and citizens in the region at risk?"

The answers are as obvious as the day is long. The strike on Soleimani is a gigantic leap forward on the escalation ladder, a move so dramatic that Iran will be forced to respond. And it will do so at a time and place of its choosing. The 60,000-70,000 U.S. military forces in the Middle East are now all potential targets of Iranian retaliation, the extent to which Washington can’t fully estimate. The State Department’s travel advisory urging all U.S. citizens to leave Iraq immediately is an indication that the Trump administration recognizes that Americans on Iraqi soil could very well be sitting ducks for some kind of violent response.

Note EU-Digest: The Washington Post  reported that several European diplomats said Friday that they were not aware of any warning from Washington ahead of the strike on Soleimani in Baghdad, though the mission was almost certain to increase the security risk for hundreds of European troops and for other European citizens in the region.The Netherlands government advised all its citizens in Iraq to leave the country. Once again as he did with pulling troops out of Syria it shows he does not have any respect for his Allies and the lives of their troops, who have always supported the US, and put their lives at risk. it is high time the EU tells the US Trump Administration that " the party is over", and that they should start fighting their own ridiculous wars around the world.

Read more at: Are We On the Verge of a War with
ran? | The National Interest

EU in Defense mode on Trade: In Trade War, EU Is Force to Be Reckoned With-Netherlands Warns

The European Union will act as one if the U.S hits France with tariffs and must stop being naive with powers like China, the Dutch Finance Minister warned.

Adding to growing calls for the bloc to do more to boost its economic sovereignty, Wopke Hoekstra said in an interview that the EU shouldn’t sit idly as countries like China subsidize their companies, or Donald Trump’s administration turns against its member states.

Faced with a global stage that’s increasingly dominated by the U.S. and China, the EU has come under pressure from some members to ensure a level playing field for its companies so that they can better compete with rivals that receive a helping hand from their governments.

“It is simply unacceptable that we are playing by the rules and some others just do whatever they like and by state support have the ability to outcompete some of our companies,” Hoekstra said recently.

“If we lookat the airline industry it’s bizarre that a great company like Air France-KLM is competing in a completely unlevel playing field with some of the carriers from outside the EU.”

His comments follow a recent initiative by the Netherlands calling on the EU to overhaul its competition framework by granting the European Commission powers to perform checks on companies that could potentially distort markets.

The Dutch push comes as a new executive has just taken the EU’s helm in Brussels and as the issue of protecting the region’s industry is gaining more prominence amid the rise of economic nationalism across the world, including with Trump’s America first policies in the U.S.

Read more at: In Trade War, EU Is Force to Be Reckoned With, Netherlands Warns - Bloomberg

Spain: Spanish PM could end political impasse on weekend

Spanish lawmakers will this weekend begin debating whether to renew Pedro Sanchez as prime minister and end months of political deadlock in the major European Union country.

Read more at:
https://www.thelocal.es/20200101/spain-parliament-debate-could-end-political-impasse

EU-US Trade Relations: EU seeks to reset US trade relationship

EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan told the Irish Times newspaper that he was seeking to reset trade relations with the United States during a planned visit in Washington in January. "I will be seeking a reset of the EU/US trade relationship on issues like tariffs on steel and aluminium and the threat of US tariffs in response to a digital tax in Europe, " he said.

Read more at: EU seeks to reset US trade relationsh