Germany will review the order of its coronavirus vaccine priority list following a recommendation from its vaccine authority not to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals 65 and older.
"We will now have to review the order of vaccination [because] of the age limitations of the AstraZeneca vaccine," said health minister Jens Spahn, according to AFP.
Read more at:
Germany recommends AstraZeneca COVID vaccine only for people under 65 | Euronews
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January 31, 2021
January 30, 2021
The Netherlands: New Economic Theory: Could Amsterdam's New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism? - by Ciara Nugent
In April 2020, during the first wave of COVID-19, Amsterdam’s city government announced it would recover from the crisis, and avoid future ones, by embracing the theory of “doughnut economics.” Laid out by British economist Kate Raworth in a 2017 book, the theory argues that 20th century economic thinking is not equipped to deal with the 21st century reality of a planet teetering on the edge of climate breakdown. Instead of equating a growing GDP with a successful society, our goal should be to fit all of human life into what Raworth calls the “sweet spot” between the “social foundation,” where everyone has what they need to live a good life, and the “environmental ceiling.” By and large, people in rich countries are living above the environmental ceiling. Those in poorer countries often fall below the social foundation. The space in between: that’s the doughnut.
Amsterdam’s ambition is to bring all 872,000 residents inside the doughnut, ensuring everyone has access to a good quality of life, but without putting more pressure on the planet than is sustainable. Guided by Raworth’s organization, the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL), the city is introducing massive infrastructure projects, employment schemes and new policies for government contracts to that end. Meanwhile, some 400 local people and organizations have set up a network called the Amsterdam Doughnut Coalition—managed by Drouin— to run their own programs at a grassroots level.
Now, Amsterdam is grappling with what the doughnut would look like on the ground. Marieke van Doorninck, the deputy mayor for sustainability and urban planning, says the pandemic added urgency that helped the city get behind a bold new strategy. “Kate had already told us what to do. COVID showed us the way to do it,” she says. “I think in the darkest times, it’s easiest to imagine another world.”
Read more at: Could Amsterdam's New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism? | Time
Amsterdam’s ambition is to bring all 872,000 residents inside the doughnut, ensuring everyone has access to a good quality of life, but without putting more pressure on the planet than is sustainable. Guided by Raworth’s organization, the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL), the city is introducing massive infrastructure projects, employment schemes and new policies for government contracts to that end. Meanwhile, some 400 local people and organizations have set up a network called the Amsterdam Doughnut Coalition—managed by Drouin— to run their own programs at a grassroots level.
Now, Amsterdam is grappling with what the doughnut would look like on the ground. Marieke van Doorninck, the deputy mayor for sustainability and urban planning, says the pandemic added urgency that helped the city get behind a bold new strategy. “Kate had already told us what to do. COVID showed us the way to do it,” she says. “I think in the darkest times, it’s easiest to imagine another world.”
Read more at: Could Amsterdam's New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism? | Time
January 29, 2021
QAnon: The Making of QAnon: A Crowdsourced Conspiracy
On January 6, chaos descended on Washington D.C. as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol Building. Amid the melee, a longtime QAnon promoter known as “the Q Shaman” made his way onto the Senate floor and occupied the speaker’s rostrum. He was far from the only QAnon supporter on the scene that day: another led the charge into the Capitol.
Once again, this dangerous and eclectic conspiracy is in the spotlight. It has come a long way since its birth on a forum barely three years ago.
On October 28, 2017, an anonymous user browsing the /pol/ section of 4chan, a notorious alt-right imageboard, saw a post that read, “Hillary Clinton will be arrested between 7:45 AM — 8:30 AM EST on Monday — the morning on Oct 30, 2017,” and decided to respond. This user would later adopt the name “Q Clearance Patriot” (soon shortened to “Q”). Q hinted that they were a military officer in President Trump’s inner circle; their writings — almost 5,000 posts to date — gave birth to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Most accounts of QAnon present this first “Q drop”, as Q’s posts are known by their acolytes, as the starting point of the Q movement. This is mistaken for two reasons. One is trivial: Q first gained an audience with a different set of drops, because their earliest efforts sank without a trace and weren’t rediscovered by anyone on 4chan until November 11 that same year. The other is deeply significant: Q’s origins can’t be divorced from the culture of /pol/, which was a rich slurry of racism, anti-Semitism, and (especially relevant here) right-wing conspiracy theories.
Therefore, QAnon was both an outgrowth and an evolution of /pol/ culture: not only were many of Q’s claims already popular on /pol/, but Q borrowed key themes and ideas from predecessors. The key to understanding the roots of Q is to understand the culture of /pol/.
Read complete rreport at: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/07/the-making-of-qanon-a-crowdsourced-conspiracy/
Once again, this dangerous and eclectic conspiracy is in the spotlight. It has come a long way since its birth on a forum barely three years ago.
On October 28, 2017, an anonymous user browsing the /pol/ section of 4chan, a notorious alt-right imageboard, saw a post that read, “Hillary Clinton will be arrested between 7:45 AM — 8:30 AM EST on Monday — the morning on Oct 30, 2017,” and decided to respond. This user would later adopt the name “Q Clearance Patriot” (soon shortened to “Q”). Q hinted that they were a military officer in President Trump’s inner circle; their writings — almost 5,000 posts to date — gave birth to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Most accounts of QAnon present this first “Q drop”, as Q’s posts are known by their acolytes, as the starting point of the Q movement. This is mistaken for two reasons. One is trivial: Q first gained an audience with a different set of drops, because their earliest efforts sank without a trace and weren’t rediscovered by anyone on 4chan until November 11 that same year. The other is deeply significant: Q’s origins can’t be divorced from the culture of /pol/, which was a rich slurry of racism, anti-Semitism, and (especially relevant here) right-wing conspiracy theories.
Therefore, QAnon was both an outgrowth and an evolution of /pol/ culture: not only were many of Q’s claims already popular on /pol/, but Q borrowed key themes and ideas from predecessors. The key to understanding the roots of Q is to understand the culture of /pol/.
Read complete rreport at: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/07/the-making-of-qanon-a-crowdsourced-conspiracy/
January 28, 2021
The EU's vaccine strategy - the key points
The European Commission, on behalf of member states, has sealed deals with six companies for up to 2.3 billion vaccine doses. The BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are so far the only jabs authorised in the EU, but the vaccine jointly developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca is expected to be approved on Friday (29 January) by the European Medical Agency (EMA).
With two doses per person needed for both authorised vaccines, the EU could vaccinate at least 380 million people - covering approximately 80 percent of the European population.
Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/150747
With two doses per person needed for both authorised vaccines, the EU could vaccinate at least 380 million people - covering approximately 80 percent of the European population.
Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/150747
January 27, 2021
Covid-19 vaccines: Less Than 1% of People Experienced Side Effects From Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine, CDC Says - by Alexa Lardieri
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that 0.03%, or 1,266, of the more than 4 million people who have received the first dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine experienced adverse events.
Of the recipients with side effects, 108 were identified for further review as severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis – a life-threatening allergic reaction that the CDC says can occur after a vaccination, although rarely. It typically occurs within minutes to hours.
Read more at: Less Than 1% of People Experienced Side Effects From Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine, CDC Says | Health News | US News
Of the recipients with side effects, 108 were identified for further review as severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis – a life-threatening allergic reaction that the CDC says can occur after a vaccination, although rarely. It typically occurs within minutes to hours.
Read more at: Less Than 1% of People Experienced Side Effects From Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine, CDC Says | Health News | US News
January 26, 2021
The Netherlands shaken by third night of riots over Covid curfew
A third night of rioting has shaken the Netherlands as protesters rampaged through towns and cities around the country after government introduced a night-time curfew.
More than 180 people were arrested on Monday in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where shops were vandalised and looted and the mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, issued an emergency decree giving police broader powers of arrest.
“These people are shameless thieves, I cannot say otherwise,” Aboutaleb said.But trouble also flared in smaller centres around the country such as Den Bosch, Zwolle, Amersfoort, Alkmaar, Hoorn, Gouda – where several cars were set on fire – and Haarlem, where police were attacked with stones.
Read more at: Netherlands shaken by third night of riots over Covid curfew | Netherlands | The Guardian
More than 180 people were arrested on Monday in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where shops were vandalised and looted and the mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, issued an emergency decree giving police broader powers of arrest.
“These people are shameless thieves, I cannot say otherwise,” Aboutaleb said.But trouble also flared in smaller centres around the country such as Den Bosch, Zwolle, Amersfoort, Alkmaar, Hoorn, Gouda – where several cars were set on fire – and Haarlem, where police were attacked with stones.
Read more at: Netherlands shaken by third night of riots over Covid curfew | Netherlands | The Guardian
January 25, 2021
The Netherlands: Dutch police clash with anti-lockdown rioters in two cities
Authorities on Sunday used water cannon and dogs in a square in central Amsterdam, where hundreds of people gathered during the curfew that began on Saturday, public television NOS reported. Videos showed police spraying people grouped against a wall of the Van Gogh Museum.
Read more at: Dutch police clash with anti-lockdown rioters in two cities | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera
Read more at: Dutch police clash with anti-lockdown rioters in two cities | Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera
January 24, 2021
USA: Covid-19 - another Biden heritage from Donald Trump: : US tops 25 million coronavirus cases
More than 25 million cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed across the United States. Experts say the true number is likely to be higher. More than 417,500 in the US have died with the virus.
The daily number of deaths has exceeded 4,000 in recent weeks - including on Wednesday when Joe Biden was sworn into office.
President Biden signed a raft of new measures last week, including boosting vaccinations and testing.
Read more at: Covid-19: US tops 25 million coronavirus cases - BBC News
The daily number of deaths has exceeded 4,000 in recent weeks - including on Wednesday when Joe Biden was sworn into office.
President Biden signed a raft of new measures last week, including boosting vaccinations and testing.
Read more at: Covid-19: US tops 25 million coronavirus cases - BBC News
January 23, 2021
The Netherlands: Everything you need to know about the curfew in the Netherlands
The curfew will be in effect from 9pm on January 23 until (at least) 4.30am on February 10. During these hours, members of the public will be expected to stay at home.
The Dutch government hopes that implementing a curfew will (significantly) reduce the number of social gatherings. The Outbreak Management Team said it would be particularly effective in preventing young people from attending / holding parties or meeting one another on the streets. Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte hopes it will stop people from visiting the homes of family members and friends.
Read more at: Everything you need to know about the curfew in the Netherlands
The Dutch government hopes that implementing a curfew will (significantly) reduce the number of social gatherings. The Outbreak Management Team said it would be particularly effective in preventing young people from attending / holding parties or meeting one another on the streets. Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte hopes it will stop people from visiting the homes of family members and friends.
Read more at: Everything you need to know about the curfew in the Netherlands
January 22, 2021
Suriname: Oil Majors Are Eyeing A Suriname Offshore Boom - by Felicity Bradstock
Majors are eying Suriname as the next big oil player. With recent success in neighbouring Guyana, Suriname offers hope for low-cost oil exploration and production going into 2021. Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Apache are all showing interest in the South American state, hoping Suriname will provide oil for as little as $30 to $40 a barrel thanks to lower production costs. This is well below the average US production cost of almost $50 per barrel.
After years of political unrest, Suriname is eager to make a name for itself in the oil world and encourage economic stability and growth. The hard-hit economy has been further hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the new government looking at the country’s oil potential to drag them out of economic disaster.
Read more at: Oil Majors Are Eyeing A Suriname Offshore Boom | OilPrice.com
After years of political unrest, Suriname is eager to make a name for itself in the oil world and encourage economic stability and growth. The hard-hit economy has been further hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, with the new government looking at the country’s oil potential to drag them out of economic disaster.
Read more at: Oil Majors Are Eyeing A Suriname Offshore Boom | OilPrice.com
January 21, 2021
The Netherlands: MP's approve 9 p.m. curfew in the Netherland starting Saturday
A majority of the members of parliament in the Netherlands voted in favor of a curfew from 9 p.m. through 4:30 a.m. The curfew will begin at 9 p.m on Saturday a half-hour later than what was proposed by the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte.
The issue was up for debate on Thursday in Parliament as it was considered a controversial policy that should not be enacted by a caretaker Cabinet two months before the general election. The vote took place just after 6:30 p.m., over eight hours after hearings on the curfew started. Exiting coalition party D66 submitted a motion several hours into the debate to shift the start of the curfew back from 8:30 p.m., as Rutte proposed. That won the support from the outgoing prime minister's VVD party, and the other coalition parties of CDA and Christen Unie. Additionally, Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party (SP) and 50Plus voted in favor, representing a combined total of 101 seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament.
Read more at: MP's approve 9 p.m. curfew in the Netherland starting Saturday | NL Times
The issue was up for debate on Thursday in Parliament as it was considered a controversial policy that should not be enacted by a caretaker Cabinet two months before the general election. The vote took place just after 6:30 p.m., over eight hours after hearings on the curfew started. Exiting coalition party D66 submitted a motion several hours into the debate to shift the start of the curfew back from 8:30 p.m., as Rutte proposed. That won the support from the outgoing prime minister's VVD party, and the other coalition parties of CDA and Christen Unie. Additionally, Labour (PvdA), the Socialist Party (SP) and 50Plus voted in favor, representing a combined total of 101 seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament.
Read more at: MP's approve 9 p.m. curfew in the Netherland starting Saturday | NL Times
January 20, 2021
The Netherlands bans flights from UK, S-Africa, S-America, plans to introduce curfew – by Eline Schaart
The Dutch government announced Wednesday that it will ban flights from the U.K., South Africa and South America as of Saturday in an effort to prevent more virulent strains of the coronavirus from taking hold across the country.
The new restrictions also mean everyone flying to the Netherlands will need to take a rapid antigen test, on top of the already existing requirement for a PCR-test conducted within 72 hours of departure."We're getting out of this, but first we have to brace ourselves again now that more contagious variants are coming our way,” caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
Rutte also announced plans to impose a curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. However, the government needs the support of a majority of MPs to implement the curfew given that the Cabinet is in caretaker mode after resigning last week. Opposition parties have been critical of a curfew, but local media reported that the GreenLeft and Labor parties are now leaning toward supporting the government line.
Read more at: The Netherlands bans flights from UK, plans to introduce curfew – POLITICO
The new restrictions also mean everyone flying to the Netherlands will need to take a rapid antigen test, on top of the already existing requirement for a PCR-test conducted within 72 hours of departure."We're getting out of this, but first we have to brace ourselves again now that more contagious variants are coming our way,” caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
Rutte also announced plans to impose a curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. However, the government needs the support of a majority of MPs to implement the curfew given that the Cabinet is in caretaker mode after resigning last week. Opposition parties have been critical of a curfew, but local media reported that the GreenLeft and Labor parties are now leaning toward supporting the government line.
Read more at: The Netherlands bans flights from UK, plans to introduce curfew – POLITICO
Coronavirus vaccine: Scientists racing to understand new COVID-19 variants and whether they will derail vaccination efforts
Multiple new coronavirus variants have been discovered across several continents, from Europe to Africa to South America. Confirmed cases keep popping up in dozens of countries, Canada included.
Scientists are now racing to understand these sets of mutations, all while concerns are growing over their ability to infect people more easily or, in some cases, potentially evade the army of antibodies we create after being infected or vaccinated.
Read more at: Scientists racing to understand new COVID-19 variants and whether they will derail vaccination efforts | CBC News
Scientists are now racing to understand these sets of mutations, all while concerns are growing over their ability to infect people more easily or, in some cases, potentially evade the army of antibodies we create after being infected or vaccinated.
Read more at: Scientists racing to understand new COVID-19 variants and whether they will derail vaccination efforts | CBC News
January 18, 2021
The Netherlands: Dutch outgoing Rutte government criticized for chaotic start of vaccination program - local city health centers still in the dark when elderly will be vaccinated
The Dutch government continues to come under heavy criticism from lawmakers and the Public over their chaotic handling of the COVID-19 vaccination plan.
Local city health care center when called by people, young and old, are not able to give answers as to the schedules or details (dates) when the vacinations.
Read more at: EU-Digest
Local city health care center when called by people, young and old, are not able to give answers as to the schedules or details (dates) when the vacinations.
Read more at: EU-Digest
January 17, 2021
The Netherlands: "If we reelect Mark Rutte "the Dutch political Houdini" we don't deserve any better" - by Johan Fretz
The fall of the Rutte III cabinet took place in such a slow motion that its impact was spread out over a week. That was precisely Rutte's intention: if you move more slowly towards the ground, the impact will be less hard. Even in his own fall, Rutte remained the merciless strategist. If there was no other option, then only with as little damage to himself as possible.
Earlier this week, he had put on the table a sample of genuine “Rutlet logic”. Before the Christmas holidays, he had pretended that he thought it was all so intense and had to deal with it first. Now, after the holidays, he said that stepping down was a thing of the past. He may have thought we were all stupid and blame him: he has never been punished for anything in ten years. But the dynamics suddenly changed rapidly.
Lodewijk Asscher of thr PVDA labor party, the only one who had said aloud since the beginning that he felt shame and regret about his part in the benefits affair, still resigned. As is so often the case, it is the politicians who prefer integrity over power who pay the highest price, even though Asscher's choice was very justified and inevitable.
In looking back on his years in The Hague, he will have to reflect on the fact that he and his party entered Rutte II so indiscriminately, a cabinet that aimed to develop the public sector and human scale and in which it was established from the outset that such accidents would happen. That is why support for Asscher has crumbled so quickly in recent weeks: the affair reminded many voters how angry they were about this fatal government participation.
Even after Asscher's departure, Rutte continued to stop the fall of his cabinet behind the scenes. After all, it was not necessary from his VVD party viewpoint, and he undoubtedly felt strengthened by the voters behind the forty polled seats, who don't give a damn. But on Friday, Rutte solemnly said at the press conference: “We had to take responsibility,” as if it came from his deep inside. Those who listened more closely heard his cunning again: "Of course, it is always my ultimate responsibility in the end." In other words, I, the Good Samaritan, now fall for other people's sins, but have clean hands myself.What Typical Rutte B.S.
Political reality and public pressure can force a cabinet's resignation, but what they clearly cannot enforce is an inner realization in those responsible that they have failed morally. Mark Rutte does not resign out of regret or shame. He resigns because he had no other option. In doing so he devalues the symbolic value of the fall, which if it had been sincere could have contributed to the healing and the initial restoration of trust in the institutions.
Now our political Houdini PM has again freed himself from the chains underwater and has escaped from the steel box. On March 17 last year, he happily emerges, with that tirelessly cheerful grin that for ten years has kept others from seeing his brutal politics of hollowing out and reckoning behind it. Do we deserve better? If we re-elect him or not ?
Read more in the original Dutch version of "Het Parool" from where this translated version came: Als we Rutte opnieuw herverkiezen, verdienen we niet beter | Het Parool
Earlier this week, he had put on the table a sample of genuine “Rutlet logic”. Before the Christmas holidays, he had pretended that he thought it was all so intense and had to deal with it first. Now, after the holidays, he said that stepping down was a thing of the past. He may have thought we were all stupid and blame him: he has never been punished for anything in ten years. But the dynamics suddenly changed rapidly.
Lodewijk Asscher of thr PVDA labor party, the only one who had said aloud since the beginning that he felt shame and regret about his part in the benefits affair, still resigned. As is so often the case, it is the politicians who prefer integrity over power who pay the highest price, even though Asscher's choice was very justified and inevitable.
In looking back on his years in The Hague, he will have to reflect on the fact that he and his party entered Rutte II so indiscriminately, a cabinet that aimed to develop the public sector and human scale and in which it was established from the outset that such accidents would happen. That is why support for Asscher has crumbled so quickly in recent weeks: the affair reminded many voters how angry they were about this fatal government participation.
Even after Asscher's departure, Rutte continued to stop the fall of his cabinet behind the scenes. After all, it was not necessary from his VVD party viewpoint, and he undoubtedly felt strengthened by the voters behind the forty polled seats, who don't give a damn. But on Friday, Rutte solemnly said at the press conference: “We had to take responsibility,” as if it came from his deep inside. Those who listened more closely heard his cunning again: "Of course, it is always my ultimate responsibility in the end." In other words, I, the Good Samaritan, now fall for other people's sins, but have clean hands myself.What Typical Rutte B.S.
Political reality and public pressure can force a cabinet's resignation, but what they clearly cannot enforce is an inner realization in those responsible that they have failed morally. Mark Rutte does not resign out of regret or shame. He resigns because he had no other option. In doing so he devalues the symbolic value of the fall, which if it had been sincere could have contributed to the healing and the initial restoration of trust in the institutions.
Now our political Houdini PM has again freed himself from the chains underwater and has escaped from the steel box. On March 17 last year, he happily emerges, with that tirelessly cheerful grin that for ten years has kept others from seeing his brutal politics of hollowing out and reckoning behind it. Do we deserve better? If we re-elect him or not ?
Read more in the original Dutch version of "Het Parool" from where this translated version came: Als we Rutte opnieuw herverkiezen, verdienen we niet beter | Het Parool
January 15, 2021
The Netherlands: Dutch government quits over 'colossal stain' of tax subsidy scandal - by Stephanie van den Berg
Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government resigned on Friday, accepting responsibility for wrongful accusations of fraud by the tax authorities that drove thousands of families to financial ruin, often on the basis of ethnicity.
Read more at: Dutch government quits over 'colossal stain' of tax subsidy scandal | Reuters
Read more at: Dutch government quits over 'colossal stain' of tax subsidy scandal | Reuters
Covid - will vaccinations work with different variants of Covid: How worrying are the UK, South Africa, and Brazil coronavirus variants? - by Michelle Roberts
New variants of coronavirus are emerging that are more infectious than the original one that started the pandemic.
Scientists are urgently studying these mutated versions to understand what threat they pose.
The current vaccines were designed around earlier variants, but scientists are confident that they should still work against the new ones, although perhaps not quite as well.
Lab studies are underway to check this.
Vaccines train the body to attack several parts of the virus, however, not just these sections of the spike protein.
Variants could emerge in the future that are more different again.
Read more: .Covid: How worrying are the UK, South Africa, and Brazil coronavirus variants? - BBC News
Scientists are urgently studying these mutated versions to understand what threat they pose.
The current vaccines were designed around earlier variants, but scientists are confident that they should still work against the new ones, although perhaps not quite as well.
Lab studies are underway to check this.
Vaccines train the body to attack several parts of the virus, however, not just these sections of the spike protein.
Variants could emerge in the future that are more different again.
Read more: .Covid: How worrying are the UK, South Africa, and Brazil coronavirus variants? - BBC News
January 14, 2021
The Netherlands: Shell cuts 900 jobs in the Netherlands as part of global restructuring
Shell is cutting some 900 jobs in the Netherlands as part of its earlier announced global reorganisation, website Nu.nl and the Financieele Dagblad said on Wednesday. The job losses, which do not include people working at petrol stations, will cut the company’s workforce in the Netherlands by some 10%, Nu.nl said.
Read more at: Shell cuts 900 jobs in the Netherlands as part of global restructuring - DutchNews.nl
Read more at: Shell cuts 900 jobs in the Netherlands as part of global restructuring - DutchNews.nl
The Netherlands: Dutch lockdown extended: Curfew under consideration, Schools could open early; PM: Don’t Travel - A confused message, also no clarity on vaccination schedules
The hard lockdown approach in the Netherlands since December 15 to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus will continue until at least February 9. Further, the ruling Dutch Cabinet will definitely consider the option of imposing a curfew in the Netherlands to make a deeper dent in the number of new coronavirus infections in the country, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during a nationally televisies press conference on Tuesday night.
“A curfew is a drastic measure that no one is hoping for,” Rutte said. He said that the Outbreak Management Team has said the curfew could have a favorable impact, but the Cabinet must also take into account the difficulty of the current lockdown situation for many people. “That is why there is a lot to be said for getting the maximum effect. We are going to ask the OMT for urgent advice on what a curfew can bring us."
Read more at: Dutch lockdown extended: Curfew under consideration, Schools could open early; PM: Don’t Travel | NL Times
“A curfew is a drastic measure that no one is hoping for,” Rutte said. He said that the Outbreak Management Team has said the curfew could have a favorable impact, but the Cabinet must also take into account the difficulty of the current lockdown situation for many people. “That is why there is a lot to be said for getting the maximum effect. We are going to ask the OMT for urgent advice on what a curfew can bring us."
Read more at: Dutch lockdown extended: Curfew under consideration, Schools could open early; PM: Don’t Travel | NL Times
January 13, 2021
USA: What saved American democracy? – By Bo Rothstein
Democracy is a fragile form of government. History has shown democracies can be undermined in several ways. It can happen quickly, as in a coup, but democracies can also erode more slowly, as is now taking place in Poland and Hungary.
Based on research on how democracies have collapsed, political science has highlighted what to be especially wary about. If political leaders do not unequivocally take a stand against political violence, do not respect the democratic rights of their opponents and refrain from promising to respect an election result that goes against them, then democracy is in danger.
During his election campaign and even more during his time as president, Donald Trump undoubtedly violated these three principles. His many false claims that the election was rigged, and that he actually won, his support for his Republican party colleagues’ efforts to impede minority turnout and his incitement to the mob that forcibly broke into Congress on January 6th were clear examples.
Read more at: What saved American democracy? – Bo Rothstein
Based on research on how democracies have collapsed, political science has highlighted what to be especially wary about. If political leaders do not unequivocally take a stand against political violence, do not respect the democratic rights of their opponents and refrain from promising to respect an election result that goes against them, then democracy is in danger.
During his election campaign and even more during his time as president, Donald Trump undoubtedly violated these three principles. His many false claims that the election was rigged, and that he actually won, his support for his Republican party colleagues’ efforts to impede minority turnout and his incitement to the mob that forcibly broke into Congress on January 6th were clear examples.
Read more at: What saved American democracy? – Bo Rothstein
January 11, 2021
British and Netherlands Relations: Meet the Brexiles who have swapped the UK for the Netherlands to escape Brexit
Britain might be out of the EU, but many Remainers have upped sticks and are now starting a new life in a member state. We meet the Brexpats in the Netherlands and find out what made them leave Brexit Britain behind.
Read more at DutchNews.nl: Meet the Brexiles who have swapped the UK for the Netherlands to escape Brexit - DutchNews.nl
Read more at DutchNews.nl: Meet the Brexiles who have swapped the UK for the Netherlands to escape Brexit - DutchNews.nl
January 9, 2021
The Netherlands- coronavirus vaccinations: more action required by Rutte Government to speed-up vaccination process and prioritise the vulnerable elderly
The rising number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in the Netherlands coupled with the new threat from mutant variants, makes it more urgent to vaccinate the oldest and most vulnerable, experts say.
Vaccine supplies are now coming into the Netherlands, and doctors say they need to get them into many more arms. So far Prime Minister Mark Rutte has not been very clear explaining how he plans to speed-up the vaccine rollout or give a precise schedule on the plan of action.
More than 60 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in the Netherlands have been among residents at the elder care homes and those aged 70 and older, according to an epidemiology update. More hands-on action is needed urgently.
Read more at: Almere-Digest
Vaccine supplies are now coming into the Netherlands, and doctors say they need to get them into many more arms. So far Prime Minister Mark Rutte has not been very clear explaining how he plans to speed-up the vaccine rollout or give a precise schedule on the plan of action.
More than 60 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in the Netherlands have been among residents at the elder care homes and those aged 70 and older, according to an epidemiology update. More hands-on action is needed urgently.
Read more at: Almere-Digest
January 8, 2021
Netherlands reports sharp 36% jump in coronavirus infections
Another 9,737 people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, data from Dutch public health agency RIVM showed. That figure was 36 percent higher than on Wednesday, and less than one percent more than New Year's Eve exactly one week ago.
The total released on Thursday was the highest since Boxing Day, and snapped a 15-day streak where the moving daily average number of infections fell. It was also the first time in six days that the number of new infections was higher than the rolling average, which stood at 7,749.
That average was still higher than it was on December 12, when Cabinet members crafted a plan to put the Netherlands into the ongoing full lockdown. The lockdown restrictions were initially expected to last until January 19, but with many advising the government to keep the measures in place, the Cabinet was reportedly considering a two-week extension.
Read more at: Netherlands reports sharp 36% jump in coronavirus infections | NL Times
The total released on Thursday was the highest since Boxing Day, and snapped a 15-day streak where the moving daily average number of infections fell. It was also the first time in six days that the number of new infections was higher than the rolling average, which stood at 7,749.
That average was still higher than it was on December 12, when Cabinet members crafted a plan to put the Netherlands into the ongoing full lockdown. The lockdown restrictions were initially expected to last until January 19, but with many advising the government to keep the measures in place, the Cabinet was reportedly considering a two-week extension.
Read more at: Netherlands reports sharp 36% jump in coronavirus infections | NL Times
January 7, 2021
USA - discrimination alive and well in America: Black activists say double standard at play in response to pro-Trump rioters
Trump supporters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington D.C. Black activists are decrying what they saw as a double standard when it comes to police responding to protests involving Black social justice activists and white pro-Trump supporters. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press)
The co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Canada said she believes police would have responded more aggressively if protesters storming the U.S. Capitol had been members of the anti-racism group instead of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I want to be very clear that if those were Black Lives Matter protesters I think that would have been a massacre," Sandy Hudson told CBC News. "I think that we would all be dead."
Read more at: Black activists say double standard at play in response to pro-Trump rioters | CBC News
The co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Canada said she believes police would have responded more aggressively if protesters storming the U.S. Capitol had been members of the anti-racism group instead of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I want to be very clear that if those were Black Lives Matter protesters I think that would have been a massacre," Sandy Hudson told CBC News. "I think that we would all be dead."
Read more at: Black activists say double standard at play in response to pro-Trump rioters | CBC News
USA: Totale chaos in Amerika: 'Dit is een aanval op de democratie'
Na de verkiezingsuitslag in Georgia, voor de Senaat, zijn extreme rellen ontstaan bij het Capitool in Washington. Trump-demonstranten zijn het gebouw binnengedrongen, er zijn schoten gelost en de Nationale Garde van Virginia is onderweg.
Read more at: Totale chaos in Amerika: 'Dit is een aanval op de democratie'
Read more at: Totale chaos in Amerika: 'Dit is een aanval op de democratie'
January 5, 2021
The Netherlands: Back-of-the-pack Dutch Rutte Government under fire for slow coronavirus vaccine rollout – by Eline Schaart
The Dutch government's vaccine strategy has been flawed, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday as he admitted watching on with frustration as other countries' citizens were given a jab against the coronavirus.
“Because the government's approach was not agile enough, vaccination will start later than in other European countries,” Rutte said during a debate in parliament.
The Netherlands will only vaccinate its first citizen, a care home nurse, on Wednesday — making it one of the last countries in the EU to begin giving coronavirus vaccines.
read more at: Back-of-the-pack Dutch under fire for slow coronavirus vaccine rollout – POLITICO
“Because the government's approach was not agile enough, vaccination will start later than in other European countries,” Rutte said during a debate in parliament.
The Netherlands will only vaccinate its first citizen, a care home nurse, on Wednesday — making it one of the last countries in the EU to begin giving coronavirus vaccines.
read more at: Back-of-the-pack Dutch under fire for slow coronavirus vaccine rollout – POLITICO
January 4, 2021
Global Happiness list: Netherlands one of the top 10 happiest countries globally in 2020 ranking 6th - Finland No 1 - US 18 th.- Turkey 79 th. - lowest: Afghanistan 110 th.
The World Happiness Report ranks 156 countries around the world according to how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. 2020 marks the eighth edition of the report and has the theme “environments for happiness”. It examines data from 2017, 2018, and 2019 to put together a conclusive ranking.
The ranking is compiled using data from the Gallup World Poll, in which respondents are asked to evaluate the happiness of their own lives on a scale of one to 10. Using the survey results, the ranking also shows the estimated extent to which six different factors impact happiness:
Gross Domestic Product per capita, Life expectancy, Social support, Freedom, Corruption,
According to the 2020 report, the 10 happiest countries in the world are: 1) Finland 2) Denmark 3) Switzerland 4) Iceland 5) Norway 6) The Netherlands 7) Sweden 8) New Zealand 9) Austria 10 Luxembourg
Read more at: Almere Digest
The ranking is compiled using data from the Gallup World Poll, in which respondents are asked to evaluate the happiness of their own lives on a scale of one to 10. Using the survey results, the ranking also shows the estimated extent to which six different factors impact happiness:
Gross Domestic Product per capita, Life expectancy, Social support, Freedom, Corruption,
According to the 2020 report, the 10 happiest countries in the world are: 1) Finland 2) Denmark 3) Switzerland 4) Iceland 5) Norway 6) The Netherlands 7) Sweden 8) New Zealand 9) Austria 10 Luxembourg
Read more at: Almere Digest
January 3, 2021
The Netherlands: Dutch border police bar 10 British nationals from entering the Netherlands
Dutch border police have refused 10 British nationals entry to the Netherlands since January 1, when UK visitors were no longer covered by EU regulations, broadcaster NOS said on Sunday.
Since January 1, the UK is no longer considered an EU country and its nationals are barred from visiting the Netherlands unless their journey is essential, because of coronavirus rules.
‘They all had a negative PCR test, but had forgotten the basic rule, that they need to have an urgent reason to come, such as work or serious family issues,’ border police spokesman Robert van Kapel told NOS.
Read more at: Dutch border police bar 10 British nationals from entering the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl
Since January 1, the UK is no longer considered an EU country and its nationals are barred from visiting the Netherlands unless their journey is essential, because of coronavirus rules.
‘They all had a negative PCR test, but had forgotten the basic rule, that they need to have an urgent reason to come, such as work or serious family issues,’ border police spokesman Robert van Kapel told NOS.
Read more at: Dutch border police bar 10 British nationals from entering the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl
January 2, 2021
EU-US Relations: The Total Failure of the Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy and the consequences for the EU - by RM
The fall of the Soviet Union handed the U.S. a unique opportunity, as the surviving superpower, to lead the world toward a period of greater cooperation and conflict resolution through the use of diplomacy, global organization, and international law. This great opportunity to change US foreign policy doctrine was completely squandered by successive US presidents, who chose "the stick above the carrot" and consequently making the world a more dangerous place today.
The differences between the foreign policies of the EU, based on cooperation, trade , the environment,and Human Rights, and that of the United States became especially aparent during the Trump Administration, when Europe started staking out separate, clashing positions, on everything, from telecommunications to energy. The EU and US both issued sharp disagreements on the basic building blocks of foreign relations—namely, how the international system should work. French President Emmanuel Macron seized the spotlight, and sent the hearts of European federalists aflutter, by calling for “a European way” while raising the possibility of a French-led European nuclear deterrent, a precondition for any true independence from the United States.
If opinion polls are to go by, we are already separated. Nowhere is this felt more acutely than in Germany, the most important country in Europe. In January, Pew Research released a poll showing that 57 percent of Germans hold an outright unfavorable view of the United States. A few months earlier, in September, the European Council on Foreign Relations reported that 70 percent of Germans want their country to remain neutral in any conflict between Moscow and Washington.
For some European, Anglo-Saxon capitalism is seen as ruthless and rootless, mowing down the social order in the service of individual greed. For others, the United States’ dominance of the West breeds resentment, especially in an era of globalization, when even the slightest shocks from across the Atlantic hit the EU's bottom line or derail its diplomacy.
With the US Biden Administration in charge soon, the overall relationship between the two Transatlanic Super Power partners certainly will get off to a better start, but the US administration must certainly not expect that the status quo is re-established. Take note America, your former "lap dog" now considers itself an independent partner with its own voice.
EU-Digest
The differences between the foreign policies of the EU, based on cooperation, trade , the environment,and Human Rights, and that of the United States became especially aparent during the Trump Administration, when Europe started staking out separate, clashing positions, on everything, from telecommunications to energy. The EU and US both issued sharp disagreements on the basic building blocks of foreign relations—namely, how the international system should work. French President Emmanuel Macron seized the spotlight, and sent the hearts of European federalists aflutter, by calling for “a European way” while raising the possibility of a French-led European nuclear deterrent, a precondition for any true independence from the United States.
If opinion polls are to go by, we are already separated. Nowhere is this felt more acutely than in Germany, the most important country in Europe. In January, Pew Research released a poll showing that 57 percent of Germans hold an outright unfavorable view of the United States. A few months earlier, in September, the European Council on Foreign Relations reported that 70 percent of Germans want their country to remain neutral in any conflict between Moscow and Washington.
For some European, Anglo-Saxon capitalism is seen as ruthless and rootless, mowing down the social order in the service of individual greed. For others, the United States’ dominance of the West breeds resentment, especially in an era of globalization, when even the slightest shocks from across the Atlantic hit the EU's bottom line or derail its diplomacy.
With the US Biden Administration in charge soon, the overall relationship between the two Transatlanic Super Power partners certainly will get off to a better start, but the US administration must certainly not expect that the status quo is re-established. Take note America, your former "lap dog" now considers itself an independent partner with its own voice.
EU-Digest
January 1, 2021
The Netherlands : Passengers out of Schiphol airport need to produce a useless certificate costing € 180 they have been tested Coronavirus negative
Need to travel somewhere by plane? On top of your ticket cost, also count on dishing out an additional € 180.00, to do a coronavirus test at a KLM approved Healthcare Services Center.
Inquiries, however, made with Government authorities (RIVM) show it is completely pointless to undergo a corona test if you have no symptoms. There is no proven validity to be linked to the result of these tests, because the results can vary from day to day.
The GGD -"Dutch Government municipal health organisation for preventive healthcare", will perform this Coronavirus test for free at local municipality health centers in the Netherlands,in case a local resident believes he or she has the symptoms of the virus. Unfortunately this free test is not considered acceptable by the KLM ticketing services at Schiphol.
Hopefully the government authorities will be looking at this absurd procedure, which looks more like a money making scam by the KLM Schiphol authorities.
Almere-Digest
Inquiries, however, made with Government authorities (RIVM) show it is completely pointless to undergo a corona test if you have no symptoms. There is no proven validity to be linked to the result of these tests, because the results can vary from day to day.
The GGD -"Dutch Government municipal health organisation for preventive healthcare", will perform this Coronavirus test for free at local municipality health centers in the Netherlands,in case a local resident believes he or she has the symptoms of the virus. Unfortunately this free test is not considered acceptable by the KLM ticketing services at Schiphol.
Hopefully the government authorities will be looking at this absurd procedure, which looks more like a money making scam by the KLM Schiphol authorities.
Almere-Digest
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