England lockdown: Boris Johnson issues new stay-at-home order

England will go into a new monthlong lockdown on Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday.

Read more at: England lockdown: Boris Johnson issues new stay-at-home order | News | DW | 31.10.2020

Coronavirus - Flu Vaccination: A Flu Shot Might Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Early Research Suggests - by Melinda Wenner Moyer

U.S. health officials are urging Americans to get their flu shots this year in the hopes of thwarting a winter “twindemic”—a situation in which both influenza and COVID-19 spread and sicken the public. But a new study suggests that there could be another key reason to get a flu jab this year: it might reduce your risk of COVID-19. The research, released as a preprint that has not yet been peer-reviewed, indicates that a flu vaccine against the influenza virus may also trigger the body to produce broad infection-fighting molecules that combat the pandemic-causing coronavirus.

n the new study, Mihai Netea, an infectious disease immunologist at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and his colleagues combed through their hospital’s databases to see if employees who got a flu shot during the 2019–2020 season were more or less likely to get infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Workers who received a flu vaccine, the researchers found, were 39 percent less likely to test positive for the coronavirus as of June 1, 2020. While 2.23 percent of nonvaccinated employees tested positive, only 1.33 percent of vaccinated ones did. Netea and his team posted their findings on the preprint server MedRxiv on October 16.

Read more at: A Flu Shot Might Reduce Coronavirus Infections, Early Research Suggests - Scientific American

Germany: Only one in ten Germans would vote for Trump

If the Germans were allowed to take part in the presidential election in the United States, their vote would be clear: only 10% would vote for incumbent President Donald Trump, a clear majority of 56% his challenger Joe Biden.

Read more at: Only one in ten Germans would vote for Trump | – re:Jerusalem

The Netherlands: Current coronavirus rules will last well into December, Dutch prime minister says

The partial lockdown imposed in the Netherlands two weeks ago will last deep into December, prime minister Mark Rutte and health minister Hugo de Jonge told reporters on Tuesday evening.

‘You can assume that you will celebrate Sinterklaas in a small group, with no more than three people from outside your household,’ Rutte said. ‘It is still too early to say about Christmas.’ Ministers are also working on new recommendations for holiday travel, both in the Netherlands and abroad, and that could be published as early as later this week, Rutte said.

Read more at: Current coronavirus rules will last well into December, Dutch prime minister says - DutchNews.nl

Democracy: A free press and a continuous and active involvement of private citizens in matters of public interest

"The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by its private citizens" - Alexis de Tocqueville - It was as true then as it is today. Don't sit on your hands, do your part and voice your opinion. Check out all our MORBIR Electronic Publications. Scan the QR codes below📱

From top to bottom: EU-Digest, Turkish-Digest, Almere-Digest and Insure-Digest.

Almere-Digest For all your advertising requirements, please see the advertising application form on each of the above mentioned MORBIR publications.

EU -Britain: Vaccine hopes rise as Oxford jab prompts immune response among old as well as young adults - by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Kelland, Kate Holton

The vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc AZN.L, which is helping manufacture the vaccine, said on Monday.

Read more at: Vaccine hopes rise as Oxford jab prompts immune response among old as well as young adults | Reuters

The Netherlands: Experts call for shorter and sharper coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands - by Victoria Séveno

The Red Team is advising the Dutch government to put the Netherlands into a stricter lockdown as soon as possible, closing everything - including schools - for two weeks and only leaving supermarkets and pharmacies open for necessities. Wim Schellekens, former inspector at the Health Care Inspectorate and member of the Red Team, told RTL Nieuws: “If we opt for a strong lockdown now, we can resume our life somewhat normally in a few weeks.”

Read more at: Experts call for shorter and sharper coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands

America's Latest Export: The Conspiracy Theorists Crazies have crossed the Atlantic and QAnon is now in Europe–by Mark Scott

If you don't know what QAnon is this is how wikileaks divines the cult - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon.

At first glance it’s not a natural fit. The U.S. conspiracy theory — now with millions of acolytes worldwide — alleges a vast deception to undermine U.S. President Donald Trump. It blends anti-government, anti-lockdown and anti-Semitic rhetoric with unfounded beliefs about a vast pedophile ring run by the global elite. Its followers adhere to a quasi-religious belief that a great savior — aided by “Q,” an anonymous government insider from whom QAnon gets its name — will protect followers from the dark forces behind the conspiracy.

In the U.S., discussion about QAnon has broken into the political mainstream. When Trump was asked to disavow the group at a recent town hall event, he first said he knew “nothing about QAnon” but then added: “I do know that they are very much against pedofiles.

Despite its digital roots, this conspiracy based, populst, ultra -right-wing QAnon has extended its reach into the real world, with attendees at protests against anti-coronavirus measures and supportive of conspiracy theories spreading its talking points across Europe, the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Read more at: QAnon goes European – POLITICO

EU-France-Turkey relations: France recalls envoy after Turkey scolds Macron over Muslims -by Daren Butler, Geert De Clercq

France recalled its ambassador on Saturday after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said his counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed mental help over his attitude towards Muslims.

The French leader this month declared war on “Islamist separatism”, which he believes is taking over some Muslim communities in France.

Read more at: France recalls envoy after Turkey scolds Macron over Muslims | Reuters

US Presidential elections: Biden leads Trump by 10 points nationally in new Quinnipiac poll

Former Vice President Joe Biden maintains a wide national lead over President Trump heading into the final 12-day stretch before Election Day, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Thursday.

The Democratic nominee has a 10-point advantage in the race, garnering the support of a slight majority of likely voters — 51 percent — while Trump lagged behind him at 41 percent, according to the latest poll. That margin is virtually identical to the lead Biden held in two Quinnipiac polls from September that showed the former vice president ahead of Trump 52 percent to 42 percent.

Read more at: Biden leads Trump by 10 points nationally in new Quinnipiac poll | TheHill

The Netherlands: Last Dutch municipality without coronavirus confirms first infected resident

The municipality of Schiermonnikoog, located on the Dutch island of the same name, reported its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on Sunday. The island was the last of 355 municipalities in the Netherlands without an infection.

The infection was not reported to the GGD in time to be included in Sunday’s data from public health agency RIVM. The organization announced 8,184 new infections in the Netherlands with the data, a single-day record.

Read more at: Last Dutch municipality without coronavirus confirms first infected resident | NL Times

Dutch economy outperforming others because of “intelligent lockdown”

While the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic dealt an unprecedented blow to the Dutch economy, the Netherlands is still doing better than many other European countries, Statistics Netherlands reported on Tuesday. This may have to do with the Netherlands' "intelligent lockdown" keeping more sectors open than in other countries with stricter lockdowns.

In the second quarter, the Dutch economy contracted by 8.5 percent compared to the previous quarter. "This was the strongest contraction ever recorded," the stats office said. But compared to other European countries, the Dutch economy came off favorably. Germany's economy shrank by 9.7 percent, Belgium's by 12.1 percent, and France's by 13.8 percent

Read more at: Dutch economy outperforming others because of “intelligent lockdown” | NL Times

The Netherlands: Churchgoers in Dutch 'Bible Belt' defy coronavirus instructions

Hundreds of Dutch worshippers from a deeply conservative branch of Protestantism gathered in churches across the Netherlands on Sunday, defying government instructions to limit indoor groups to 30 to try to contain surging coronavirus infections.

Although Dutch churches are exempt on constitutional grounds from the government order, almost all church associations had said they would follow the rules, after massive gatherings in some Protestant churches last week had sparked outrage.

Reformed Protestant churches in what is known as the Dutch Bible Belt had made it clear they would continue to receive considerably more than 30 faithful at a time, despite the heavy criticism.

Read more at: 
Churchgoers in Dutch 'Bible Belt' defy coronavirus instructions | Reuters

The Netherlands: Coronavirus leads to increased risk of extremist attack in the Netherlands - by Victoria Séveno

The Dutch counter-terrorism unit (NCTV) has warned in its quarterly threat assessment that, while there is no indication that an attack is imminent, there is nonetheless an increased risk of attack in the Netherlands from radicalised right-wing extremists. 

Read more: 
NCTV: Coronavirus leads to increased risk of extremist attack in the Netherlands

Soccer: Italy 1-1 Netherlands: Improved Oranje earn point in Bergamo - Italy

The Netherlands kept their chances of progressing in the Nations League alive with a well-earned point against Italy in Bergamo.

Frank de Boer is still searching for his first win after four games as manager, but his team looked far more assured and incisive than they did in the goalless draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.

Read more at:
Italy 1-1 Netherlands: Improved Oranje earn point in Bergamo - DutchNews.nl

The US Economy and the US Dollar: the US is facing a dollar collapse by the end of 2021 and an over 50% chance of a double-dip recession, economist Stephen Roach says - by Shalini Nagarajan

• The US dollar could collapse by the end of 2021 and the economy can expect a more than 50% chance of a double-dip recession, the economist Stephen Roach told CNBC on Wednesday.
• The US has seen economic output rise briefly and then fall in eight of the past 11 business-cycle recoveries, Roach said.
• Grim second-quarter data cannot be dismissed, he said, pointing out that "the current-account deficit in the United States, which is the broadest measure of our international imbalance with the rest of the world, suffered a record deterioration."
• Roach last predicted a crash in the dollar index in June, when it was trading at about 96. He said at the time that it would collapse 35% against other major currencies within the next year or two.

The "seemingly crazed idea" that the US dollar will collapse against other major currencies in the post-pandemic global economy is not so crazy anymore, the economist Stephen Roach told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Wednesday.

Roach,a former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, also said he sees a more than 50% probability of a double-dip recession in the United States.

He based that prediction on historical evidence, saying that in eight of the past 11 business-cycle recoveries economic output has risen briefly and then fallen.

"It's certainly something that happens more often than not," he said.

Roach last predicted a dollar crash in June, saying it would collapse 35% against other major currencies within the next couple of years. At the time, the dollar index traded at about 96. On Thursday, the index traded at about 94.41.

He said on Wednesday that he expected the collapse to happen by the end of 2021, but he did not say by how much.

Read more at: 
The US is facing a dollar collapse by the end of 2021 and an over 50% chance of a double-dip recession, economist Stephen Roach says | Markets Insider

The Netherlands goes into partial lockdown; face masks will be compulsory

Cafes, bars and restaurants in the Netherlands are to be shut for at least four weeks from Wednesday 10pm in an effort to get coronavirus under control, prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters on Tuesday evening.

The measures, in total, amount to a partial lockdown, Rutte said. ‘The number of social contacts and movements we make has to be cut drastically,’ he said. ‘It is the only way. We have to be tough on ourselves and on our behaviour.’

The number of newly notified positive coronavirus tests in the Netherlands soared by a further 7,393 cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday 10am and there were nearly 44,000 newly registered cases of coronavirus in the past week.

‘Too many people are not keeping to the rules,’ Rutte said.
‘Then we have no choice but to take tougher measures to make sure that we can no longer meet each other.’

The government also plans to make face masks compulsory in all indoor public spaces, but that still needs to be worked out legally. ‘We want to prevent discussion about the measures,’ Rutte said. ‘We want people to stick to them.’

 This is also why a ban on the sale of alcohol after 8pm is being introduced, Rutte said. ‘People were asking why cafes had to close at 10pm while they could still buy alcohol. So now we have dealt with that,’ he said.

 The measures, described by Rutte as a hammer, would be assessed after two weeks to see if any progress is being made. ‘But they will last at least four weeks and if that does not help, then we will go into a total lockdown.’

Read more at:
The Netherlands goes into partial lockdown; face masks will be compulsory - DutchNews.nl

The Global Pandemic: COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 12 October 2020

Since 31 December 2019 and as of 12 October 2020, 37 568 843 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 1 077 508 deaths.

Read more at: 
COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 12 October 2020

The Netherlands: Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial

New coronavirus measures cannot be avoided in the Netherlands if there is no improvement in the number of new infections in the coming 24 to 72 hours, prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters after the weekly cabinet
conference on Friday.

The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands continues to rise, with a further 5,983 cases registered with public health institute RIVM in the 24 hours to Friday morning.

Although the increase on Thursday’s total is 154, well down on the shock 800 increase between Wednesday and Thursday, Rutte said that officials need to see something ‘positive’ in the coming period. ‘I will want to know from experts what the weekend figures say.

The Netherlands now has one of the worst infection rates in Europe, and this has received widespread coverage in the foreign press.

The figures, Rutte said, are ‘very bad.’ ‘People are faced with not having the operation they expected, more people will die, are worried about jobs and loneliness… and that is because we are not taking the basic rules seriously,’ he said.

By Friday a further 69 people had been admitted to hospital, taking the total to 1,139, of whom 239 are in intensive care.

Read more at:
Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial - DutchNews.nl

EU-Saudi Relations: European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit

The European Parliament on Thursday voted to downgrade its attendance at the November G20 summit in Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns, and to urge for sanctions.

The bill is one of the strongest political messages the institution has ever issued on Saudi Arabia and comes on the two-year anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

MEPs approved a wide-ranging resolution that condemns Saudi human rights abuses and urges the European Union to downgrade its representation at the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit to avoid legitimizing human rights violations.

Belgian MEP and vice chair of the delegation for the relations with Arab Peninsula Marc Tarabella said: "We are all aware of the importance of Saudi Arabia as a partner of the European Union and for the stability of the Middle East. However, this must not be an alibi for violating human rights."

Read more at: 
European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit | News | DW | 08.10.2020

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

The Netherlands: brief overview of the Dutch governmental budget for 2021 - by Rachel Deloughry

The big question for anyone working in the Netherlands is how, when and to what extent the economic downturn due to the coronavirus will affect public finances in the long term. According to CBP, the Dutch economy will grow by 3,5 percent next year. Thanks, in part, to the support package for companies, unemployment is at the rate of 5,9 percent as opposed to the previously feared rate of 6,5 percent.

Here are the main points regarding the Dutch economy:

• The economy will contract by 5 percent in 2020 but will grow by 3,5 percent in 2021 provided there is no second lockdown
• National debt will reach 60 percent of GDP
• Unemployment will be at 5,9 percent
• Higher spending on unemployment benefits will reach an overspend of 230 million euros

 Read more at: 
A brief overview of the Dutch governmental budget for 2021

Coronavirus - The Netherlands: Dutch run out of anti-viral drug Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients

Dutch hospitals can no longer order supplies of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients because central supplies have run out, the Financieele Dagblad reported on Tuesday.



Read more at: 

Dutch run out of anti-viral drug Remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients - DutchNews.nl

Denmark: Government seeking to tap mobile phones of rejected asylum-seekers "program should also be adopted in the Netherlands and other EU countries"

The government is aiming to obtain data from the mobile phones of rejected asylum-seekers in a bid to hasten their repatriation.

The measure is one of seven proposals that are part of a new repatriation law,

According to the immigration minister, Mattias Tesfaye, many asylum seekers in Denmark have used YouTube and Snapchat to discuss routes and destination countries.

The new law aims to provide clear direction on the treatment of asylum seekers – from the moment they are rejected residence until the time they are sent home.

Read more at: 
Government seeking to tap mobile phones of rejected asylum-seekers - The Post

USA: Trump’s Turn From Immigration to the Enemy Within - by Ryan Devereaux

Trump’s shift from demonizing immigrants to targeting leftists is straight out of the fascist playbook.

Read more at: Trump’s Turn From Immigration to the Enemy Within

The Netherlands one of the most sustainable destinations for expats

In the first-ever Environment and Sustainability Ranking published by InterNations - a network of expats around the world - the Netherlands has been ranked 12th out of 60 destinations for expats when it comes to sustainable living.

The data for the ranking was gathered via InterNations’ annual Expat Insider Survey, one of the most extensive surveys about living and working abroad, in which participants were asked to rate, on a scale of one to seven, their personal satisfaction in eight separate areas: air quality, the natural environment, water and sanitation, the availability of green goods and services, energy supply, local waste management and recycling infrastructure. The rating also covers perception of local government support for environmental policies and how invested the local population is in environmental issues.

Over 15.000 expats took part in the Expat Insider 2020, representing a total of 173 nationalities and living in 181 different countries or territories. For a country to be included in the ranking, a sample size of at least 75 respondents was necessary - this year, 60 countries met this requirement. The survey covers a number of issues, including making friends as an expat and the best cities around the world for expats.

 Read more at:
The Netherlands one of the most sustainable destinations for expats

The Netherlands: Government has wishy washy poicy in wearing masks

Some things are hard to get your head around, even in 2020. The Dutch reluctance to don face masks is one of them. When I brought my daughter to get tested for Covid-19 recently, I was shocked to find that most people waiting in line weren’t wearing face masks. The medical professionals taking the swabs were in full gear, but even the workers checking our details were maskless. This was, after all, a place you could (in theory) only walk into if you had symptoms. Even more shocking was the man who checked-in my other daughter and I at the drive-thru testing centre at Amsterdam RAI. I asked him why he wasn’t wearing a mask. He said he had been, mostly to protect himself against the car fumes, but his bosses told him to take it off. Why has the Netherlands been virtually alone among its European neighbours—and much of the world—in its reluctance to mandate masks? Read more at: Despite the government u-turn, the Dutch are still unwilling to wear masks - DutchNews.nl

Italy: Mike Pompeo Denied Audience With Pope Francis | HuffPost

The Vatican denied U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s request for an audience with Pope Francis this week, saying the pope would not see Pompeo in the midst of the ongoing American election.

“Yes, he asked,” Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told The Associated Press as Pompeo is in Europe for a weeklong visit. “But the pope had already said clearly that political figures are not received in election periods. That is the reason.”

Pompeo will still meet with Parolin and other top Vatican officials during the visit, but the refusal was seen by some as the latest example of a political rift between the United States and the Vatican. During a religious freedom conference this week, Pompeo issued a strong denouncement of a deal the Catholic Church signed two years ago with China related to the appointment of bishops, which it is considering extending.President Donald Trump has taken a hard line against China, as has Pompeo, in the leadup to the U.S. election in November. The secretary of state has also taken unusual efforts to use his political authority to promote religious freedom.

Read more at:

 Mike Pompeo Denied Audience With Pope Francis | HuffPost

Netherlands: Hundreds of UK firms turn to Netherlands with Brexit transition wrapping up

 Hundreds of British companies are working on opening a branch in the
Netherlands by the end of this year, when the Brexit transition period
ends. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) is receiving
daily requests for information from British companies, AD reports.



Read more at:

Hundreds of UK firms turn to Netherlands with Brexit transition wrapping up | NL Times