Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic – by Sharan Burrow

Scientists are performing magnificently in developing vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus with unprecedented speed, but BigPharma is calling the shots and governments are being left to squabble over what are, to begin with, inadequate supplies. Vaccine nationalism is rearing its ugly head, with devastating consequences for poorer countries and eventually for the whole world.

The moral and humanitarian case for fair access to vaccination is obvious and so is the public-health case: where vaccines are scarce, there will be more cases, each one an opportunity for the virus to continue to mutate, as all RNA viruses do. This means new variants could emerge which are different enough from the original virus that existing vaccines won’t work against it them. If those circulate widely, people who have been vaccinated will once again be susceptible to severe illness and death.

Read more at: Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic – Sharan Burrow

Coronavirus and warmer weather: Why we need to rethink COVID-19 risk as the weather warms up

It's been almost a year of "Stay home. Do nothing. Save lives." And people are tired.

Pandemic fatigue has turned to pandemic restlessness as the weather shows signs of improving and vaccines gradually roll out across the country.

Hope is on the horizon, but if last spring is any predictor of what lies ahead we can expect to see Canadians flocking outdoors in search of safe ways to gather as temperatures rise.

Read more at: Why we need to rethink COVID-19 risk as the weather warms up | CBC News

The Netherlands: More than 100 North and South American Companies go Dutch in 2020

In 2020, 305 foreign companies chose to establish or expand operations in the Netherlands, according to the annual results of Invest in Holland and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) released today. These companies from around the globe expect to create more than 8,600 direct jobs in the first three years and invest 1.9 billion euros in their projects. Although the coronavirus is causing the Netherlands to attract fewer foreign companies, there is a constant flow of new companies as a result of Brexit.

U.S. and Canadian companies like Beyond Meat, Crocs, MSD, Inshur and McCain Foods tallied 100 direct investment projects in the Netherlands in 2020, accounting for nearly one-third of the foreign investment projects that NFIA and its partners were directly involved in worldwide.

Companies from North and South America are expected to invest close to 1.1 billion euros and generate 3,971 new jobs in the Netherlands by 2023. Expansion and relocation projects involved marketing and sales offices, distribution centers, European headquarters, manufacturing facilities and R&D in a range of industries from information technology and agrifood to life sciences & health.

Read more at: More than 100 North and South American Companies go Dutch in 2020

The Netherlands- one year anniversary of Corona virus: Lockdowns, masks and vaccines: a year of coronavirus in the Netherlands

On Saturday, February 27, it will be a year since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the Netherlands. Here is a timeline of how the disease spread through the country and the government’s response. Click on the link below to see complete time-line.

Read more at: Lockdowns, masks and vaccines: a year of coronavirus in the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

USA: Christian Evangelical Leaders Raise Alarms About Christian Nationalism In Their Ranks

A coalition of evangelical Christian leaders is condemning the role of "radicalized Christian nationalism" in feeding the political extremism that led to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

In an open letter, more than 100 pastors, ministry and seminary leaders, and other prominent evangelicals express concern about the growing "radicalization" they're seeing, particularly among white evangelicals.

The letter notes that some members of the mob that stormed the Capitol carried Christian symbols and signs that read, "Jesus Saves," and that one of the rioters stood on the Senate rostrum and led a Christian prayer. The letter calls on other Christian leaders to take a public stand against racism, Christian nationalism, conspiracy theories and political extremism.

Read more at: Evangelical Leaders Raise Alarms About Christian Nationalism In Their Ranks : NPR

The Netherlands extends curfew, relaxes other coronavirus measures – by Eline Schaart

The Netherlands is extending its nighttime curfew for another three weeks in an attempt to further reduce the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but will also relax other measures, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Tuesday.

High school and secondary vocational school students will be allowed back in the classroom on a part-time basis as of March 1. Two days later, most professions involving close contact — such as hair stylists, beauticians and some massage providers — will also be allowed to return to work.

Read more at: The Netherlands extends curfew, relaxes other coronavirus measures – POLITICO

Boeing 777: UK temporarily bans Boeing 777 planes with engine that blew apart in US

The United Kingdom will temporarily ban Boeing 777 planes with the same engine that blew apart in the US over the weekend, transport secretary Grant Shapps said.

The engine, designed by Pratt and Whitney, failed shortly after United Airlines flight 328 took off from Denver, Colorado, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing on Sunday.

Read more at: UK temporarily bans Boeing 777 planes with engin

The Netherlands: 747 engine turbine blades spear cars in the Netherlands

Longtail Aviation Boeing 747-400 freighter, operating Flt LGT-5504 from Maastricht in the Netherlands to New York has suffered an engine explosion, and turbine blades from the damaged engine showered down on cars in the village of Meerssen.

According to the Aviation Herald, an elderly lady was “hit by the debris and received minor injuries.”

The pilots declared an emergency and entered a hold to dump fuel and diverted to Liege (Belgium) for a safe landing about one hour after departure. A number of cars on the ground received damage as a result of debris falling. Aviation Herald says a resident in Meerssen reported he “heard a loud bang, spotted the aircraft with streaks of flames from one of the right-hand engines, then metal rained from the sky.”

Read more at: 747 engine turbine blades spear cars in the Netherlands - Airline Ratings

The Netherlands: Appeals court set to rule on legality of Netherlands coronavirus curfew

A court in the Netherlands is expected to decide next week whether ministers lawfully used emergency powers to introduce a coronavirus curfew.

The Court of Appeal in The Hague heard a government appeal on Friday after a lower court said earlier in the week that the curfew should be stopped.

Read more at:Appeals court set to rule on legality of Netherlands coronavirus curfew | Euronews

Coronavirus: US life expectancy falls by a year amid pandemic

Life expectancy in the US fell by a full year in the first half of 2020, a change experts say was fuelled by the growing coronavirus pandemic.

The life expectancy for the entire population dropped to 77.8 years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control.

"This is a huge decline," Dr Robert Anderson, the CDC's Chief of Mortality Statistics, told the Associated Press.

Read more at: Coronavirus: US life expectancy falls by a year amid pandemic - BBC News

France versus Radical Islam: : French MPs back controversial law aimed at cracking down on Islamic radicalism

French MP's on Tuesday approved a contreversial law on stopping intenet hate speech and separatism and ending foreign funding of religious groups.

Read more at: French MPs back controversial law aimed at cracking down on Islamic radicalism | Euronews

The Netherlands - confusion court rulings : Covid: Dutch crisis as court orders end to Covid curfew - but later, a higher court ruled curfew could stay in place

A court in The Hague has told the Dutch government that an overnight curfew to reduce the spread of coronavirus should be lifted, ruling that it breaches the right to free movement.

The court said the 21:00 to 04:30 curfew was imposed by an emergency law when there was no "acute emergency".

Later, a higher court ruled that the curfew could stay in place pending an appeal on Friday.

The curfew, imposed in January, led to rioting in several Dutch cities.

Police were patrolling streets near the Dutch parliament on Tuesday evening but no unrest has been reported so far.

The earlier court ruling - which said the curfew should be lifted immediately - was a victory for campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) and a major upset for the government.

Read more at: Covid: Dutch crisis as court orders end to Covid curfew - BBC News

The Netherlands: Brexit: Amsterdam surpasses London as Europe’s leading share trading hub - by Ben Chapman

Amsterdam has surpassed London as Europe’s leading share trading hub in the wake of Brexit.

An average €9.2bn shares a day were traded on Euronext Amsterdam and the Dutch arms of CBOE Europe and Turquoise in January, according to data from CBOE Europe first reported by the Financial Times.

EU-based financial firms are banned from trading in London because the EU has not recognised UK regulations on exchanges as equivalent to its own.

Read more at: Brexit: Amsterdam surpasses London as Europe’s leading share trading hub | The Independent

The Netherlands: New Code Red weather warning issued for the Netherlands on Monday

Dutch meteorological agency KNMI issued a Code Red weather warning for the entire country over concerns that roadways, particularly local streets, will be very icy. “On Monday, overnight and into the morning, there is a risk of treacherous slippery conditions on an extensive scale due to freezing rain,” the KNMI stated, saying that the conditions will persist when combined with residual snow.

The warning’s initial duration was set for seven hours, beginning at various times in the morning depending on the region. “From 3 a.m., Code Red applies to Noord- and Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. From 5 a.m. for the Wadden Islands, Friesland, Flevoland, Utrecht, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant. From 7 a.m. for Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and Limburg.”

Read more at: New Code Red weather warning issued for the Netherlands on Monday | NL Times

Cuba: Biden Will Try to Close Guantanamo After ‘Robust’ Review – by Ben Fox

President Joe Biden will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project begun under the Obama administration, the White House said Friday.

Read more at: ttps://www.nbcmiami.com/news/politics/biden-administration/biden-will-try-to-close-guantanamo-after-robust-review/2382249/

The Netherlands: The Coronavirus exposes the Netherlands as a tax haven – again – by Boris Kowalski

Governments miss out on billions of tax revenues annually as the result of tax havens such as the Netherlands. The Coronavirus pandemic tellingly shows how such tax havens undermine public policy and cohesion within the EU, argues Boris Kowalski.

Read more at: The Coronavirus exposes the Netherlands as a tax haven – again – EURACTIV.com

Historic winter weather: Will the Netherlands see these weather phenomena?

The so-called “cold invasion” the Netherlands is experiencing this week is extremely rare: the combination of heavy snowfall, very low temperatures, and bitter winds is “only experienced by an average person a few times in their life,” according to meteorologist Alfred Snoek.

Considering the fact that this weather is so unusual means that many are starting to wonder whether they can look forward to any other naturally-occurring weather phenomena - beyond the canals freezing over.

Temperatures in the Netherlands have settled at around -2 or -3 degrees during the day, dropping to as low as -15 degrees overnight. Thanks to these absolutely freezing temperatures, there are a handful of natural delights that you might be lucky enough to experience over the coming days.

Read more at: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/historic-winter-weather-will-netherlands-see-these-weather-phenomena

'WHO - Coronavirus: Extremely unlikely' COVID originated from a laboratory leak, says WHO official - by Luke Hurst

It is "extremely unlikely" COVID-19 originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China, an expert with the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

The team of experts sent by the WHO to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city also said they found no evidence of an outbreak related to the virus in the city prior to 2019.

Read more at: 'Extremely unlikely' COVID originated from a laboratory leak, says WHO official | Euronews

The Netherlands: Roads and trains disrupted, schools shut as winter grips the Netherlands

The wintry weather continued to cause problems on the roads and railways on Monday morning. No newspapers have been delivered and primary schools remain closed in many places, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Leiden, due to the transport problems. They were due to open on Monday after six weeks of closure due to coronavirus.

The KNMI weather bureau has revised down its weather warning to code orange because of the continuing slippery conditions, but both motoring organisation ANWB and the transport ministry’s roads department say people should avoid all travel unless their journey is absolutely necessary.

Read more at: Roads and trains disrupted, schools shut as winter grips the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: First snowstorm in the Netherlands since 2010

Between 11 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, an average wind force of 8 was measured for an hour between Enkhuizen and Lelystad. This, in combination with the snowfall, has officially caused a snowstorm, Weerplaza reports. The last time that happened in the Netherlands was in January 2010.

Read more at: First snowstorm in the Netherlands since 2010 | NL Times

EU taxation of multinationals—bypassing the unanimity blockage – by Tommaso Faccio and Francesco Saraceno

he French car-service company Heetch recently displayed an advertising campaign on the streets of Paris (see photo), which proudly affirmed its presence in many French cities but not in Luxembourg—a clear allusion to the tax headquarters of some of its competitors. The fact that ‘paying taxes in France’ has become a commercial argument shows that the issue of corporate avoidance is rising up the public agenda in many countries.

Yet the G20 process on taxing digital firms and introducing a global minimum tax to limit tax competition, led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, failed to reach consensus in 2020, mostly because of determination by the United States to protect its digital giants. The European Commission has made clear that, were the G20 to fail to deliver a global solution by mid-2021, it will act. But the EU is stuck between a rock—the US position will likely not change with the new administration—and a hard place: its own tax havens.

Read more at: EU taxation of multinationals—bypassing the unanimity blockage – Tommaso Faccio and Francesco Saraceno

EU: In Europe Union, vaccines from Russia and China are now under study - by Loveday Morris

As the European Union's vaccination program stumbles, Russia and China are poised to fill the gap — with Moscow opening talks to produce vaccines in the heart of Europe and both building political cachet as they supply those scrambling for shots on the bloc's fringes.

Vaccines produced in Russia and China are already on the program in parts of the Balkans and Eastern Europe outside the European Union.

Speaking to the Atlantic Council on Thursday, Macron called China’s vaccine efforts a “clear diplomatic success” which is “a little bit humiliating for us.” He and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have expressed their openness to using vaccines from Moscow and Beijing if E.U. regulatory approval is granted.

Read more at: In Europe Union, vaccines from Russia and China are now under study - The Washington Post

The Netherlands: How corrupt is the Netherlands?

Out of 180 countries, the Netherlands ranks eighth, with a score of 82 points, placing it above the likes of Germany (80 points), the UK (77), France (69), the US (67) and Spain (62). Denmark and New Zealand topped the ranking with 88 points each and the Netherlands ranked just one place lower with a score of 82 points. On the other end of the scale, Somalia and South Sudan scored the worst, with a total of 12 points each.

Read more at: How corrupt is the Netherlands?

The urgency of gender justice in the digital economy – by Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami

The early years of the digital revolution came with unlimited promise for women and their world of work. A radical shift seemed close at hand: web-based entrepreneurship, lifelong skilling, access to global markets, flexible working and more. The reality today, however, is a sobering scorecard for women’s economic agency and citizenship.

In hindsight, this is no big surprise. With digital technologies becoming the handmaiden of neoliberal globalisation, the economic paradigm has witnessed a rapid deepening of inequality. Between 1980 and 2016, coinciding with the transition to the digital epoch, progress on economic inequality worldwide declined: intra-country inequality increased while inter-country inequality is not falling quickly enough.

As labour’s share of national income has steadily gone down, Big Tech firms have been able to amass wealth on an unprecedented scale, leveraging their ‘intelligence advantage’. Harnessing digital intelligence for market consolidation, platforms have upended old-world economic organisation. The shift is global and ubiquitous, with data barons making inroads in all sectors—from agriculture to retail trade, transport, logistics and services—not only displacing traditional players but also decimating small economic actors.Amid much debate about the impact of digitalisation in a globalised world, women have been largely invisible. The EU is the global actor that could change that.

Read more at: The urgency of gender justice in the digital economy – Anita Gurumurthy and Nandini Chami

The Netherlands: British' variant may account for two-thirds of new Dutch coronavirus cases: RIVM -

The number of positive coronavirus tests in the Netherlands has fallen by 20% over the past week, according to the latest seven-day update from public health institute RIVM.

In total, 28,628 people tested positive for the virus but the downturn in the number of tests meant there was little change in the positive test rate – which is now around 11.4%.

The RIVM also warned that the more infectious version of the virus first identified in Britain may now account for two-thirds of all new cases in the Netherlands. The estimate is based on computer models rather than actual lab results.

Read more at: https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/02/british-variant-may-account-for-two-thirds-of-new-dutch-coronavirus-cases-rivm/

The Netherlands: Fewer and fewer people in the Netherlands see themselves as meat-eaters - by Victoria Séveno

According to a recent survey, the number of people in the Netherlands who classify themselves as meat-eaters continues to decline, with a third of all households planning to cut their meat intake in 2021.

The Vegamonitor - an annual study published by non-profit organisation Natuur & Milieu - is designed to examine the eating habits of the people in the Netherlands and whether or not perspectives on different diets change over time. The 2021 study was conducted among more than 1.000 people.

Past studies have unveiled a trend towards eating less meat, but the trend has been slow to progress. Now, however, as everyone enters 2021, Natuur & Milieu found a “significant decrease” in the number of people who classify themselves as meat-eaters: 55 percent in 2021 compared to 59 percent a year earlier. Furthermore, 34 percent of households plan on eating less meat in the new year. 31 percent said they had taken this decision in order to preserve the planet for future generations.

Read more at: Fewer and fewer people in the Netherlands see themselves as meat-eaters