Ferry lines which transport passengers from the United Kingdom across the North Sea to the Netherlands will not be permitted from Monday as the Dutch government attempts to prevent a highly-contagious variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from spreading through the Dutch population. After a considerable rise in infections in the UK, many parts of that country went back into a strict lockdown over the weekend.
At the very start of Sunday, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge sent a letter to Parliament announcing that the Netherlands banned passenger flights from the UK effective immediately, and for an initial duration of about ten days. Belgium followed suit with a ban that included trains, meaning Eurostar rail service from the UK could no longer reach the Netherlands.
Read more at:Ferries from UK banned from sailing to Netherlands: Reports | NL Times
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December 21, 2020
Britain: EU to hold crisis talks as countries block travel from UK over new Covid strain
EU ambassadors are to hold a crisis meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss travel restrictions on the UK as multiple countries began closing their doors to travellers from Britain after the discovery of a fast-spreading strain of Covid-19.
As the World Health Organization called on European members to step up measures, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday announced the suspension of air links – and in some cases rail and ferry routes – from Britain.
Read more at: EU to hold crisis talks as countries block travel from UK over new Covid strain | World news | The Guardian
As the World Health Organization called on European members to step up measures, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday announced the suspension of air links – and in some cases rail and ferry routes – from Britain.
Read more at: EU to hold crisis talks as countries block travel from UK over new Covid strain | World news | The Guardian
December 19, 2020
USA Economy: Disparity for everyone to see in a country which claims to be the greatest in the world ?
North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) distributed more than 600,000 pounds of food for about 25,000 people on Saturday, according to spokeswoman Anna Kurian. There were 7,280 turkeys distributed to families, Kurian told CNN.
Read more at: Thousands of cars form lines to collect food in Covid-hit Texas - CNN
Read more at: Thousands of cars form lines to collect food in Covid-hit Texas - CNN
The Netherlands: Schiphol overcrowded and airlines cancel flights to holiday destinations
Over the weekend and throughout this week, Schiphol was reportedly overwhelmed by travellers, with images of long queues and crowds in the departure hall shocking many - including the government Minister for Infrastructure, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen. In an interview with NOS on Wednesday, Van Nieuwenhuizen said she was “disappointed and angry” to see how busy Schiphol was, and stated she had repeatedly asked airport management and various airlines to take action and reduce / manage crowds.
Read more at: Schiphol overcrowded and airlines cancel flights to holiday destinations
Read more at: Schiphol overcrowded and airlines cancel flights to holiday destinations
December 17, 2020
Eurozone reform—it’s not just the fiscal rules –by Willi Koll
The Covid-19 pandemic has eclipsed the general overhaul of the economic-policy framework of the European Union and the eurozone initiated in February by the European Commission. Comprehensive reform of economic governance remains nevertheless urgent and indispensable.
Reform of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the Regulation on the Prevention and Correction of Macroeconomic Imbalances (MIP), within the framework of the ‘six-pack’ and ‘two-pack’ of the European Semester and other regulations, should again be at the centre of discussions, as soon as—at the latest—the consequences of the pandemic have been dealt with.
Read more at: Eurozone reform—it’s not just the fiscal rules – Willi Koll
Reform of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and the Regulation on the Prevention and Correction of Macroeconomic Imbalances (MIP), within the framework of the ‘six-pack’ and ‘two-pack’ of the European Semester and other regulations, should again be at the centre of discussions, as soon as—at the latest—the consequences of the pandemic have been dealt with.
Read more at: Eurozone reform—it’s not just the fiscal rules – Willi Koll
December 16, 2020
The Netherlands: Reactions to Rutte's 5-week coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands
Speaking from his official office in The Hague, Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed the people of the Netherlands and, before announcing the new measures that would place in the country under lockdown, delivered a speech that served to remind the public of the severity of the situation and the importance of following the rules.
Almost 8,4 million people tuned in to listen to what the Prime Minister had to say - the highest number of viewers ever garnered by a coronavirus press conference or speech. Nearly 90 percent of all the people who were watching TV on Monday evening were watching Rutte’s speech.
People may have been eager to hear what Rutte had to say, but how have people responded to the strict lockdown measures that have been introduced just before the Christmas holidays?
Read more at: Reactions to Rutte's 5-week coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands
Almost 8,4 million people tuned in to listen to what the Prime Minister had to say - the highest number of viewers ever garnered by a coronavirus press conference or speech. Nearly 90 percent of all the people who were watching TV on Monday evening were watching Rutte’s speech.
People may have been eager to hear what Rutte had to say, but how have people responded to the strict lockdown measures that have been introduced just before the Christmas holidays?
Read more at: Reactions to Rutte's 5-week coronavirus lockdown in the Netherlands
December 15, 2020
Pollution By Ocean Energy Exploration Companies: Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane - by Hannah Seo
Out on the deck of a research boat, Tara Yacovitch looked out to the water. In the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the seascape is peppered with lights. And every light is part of an offshore oil or gas platform.
Offshore platforms can vary greatly in size—some are as big as multi-storied buildings, while others resemble small but very tall rooms. The boat carrying Yacovitch and her team also housed a variety of science equipment: methane isotope readers, spectrometers, and other tools to measure methane levels in the air around these sites.
Yacovitch, an instrument scientist at Aerodyne Research, is trying to understand the scope of what some scientists say is a massive environmental issue lurking below our seas. Wells are routinely drilled into the sea floor for oil and gas production, and abandoned when they stop being economically viable—sometimes this is after years of oil or gas extraction, sometimes it's part way through drilling before the well is even finished. But not all of these wells are plugged and properly maintained before being left behind. The result: methane and other gases leaking in unknown quantities for years on end from tens of thousands of holes in the ocean floor.
The harms for the ocean and its inhabitants, and the atmosphere above, are largely unknown. But we do know that methane is about 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, measured over a 20-year period, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Read more at: Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane - The Daily Climate
Offshore platforms can vary greatly in size—some are as big as multi-storied buildings, while others resemble small but very tall rooms. The boat carrying Yacovitch and her team also housed a variety of science equipment: methane isotope readers, spectrometers, and other tools to measure methane levels in the air around these sites.
Yacovitch, an instrument scientist at Aerodyne Research, is trying to understand the scope of what some scientists say is a massive environmental issue lurking below our seas. Wells are routinely drilled into the sea floor for oil and gas production, and abandoned when they stop being economically viable—sometimes this is after years of oil or gas extraction, sometimes it's part way through drilling before the well is even finished. But not all of these wells are plugged and properly maintained before being left behind. The result: methane and other gases leaking in unknown quantities for years on end from tens of thousands of holes in the ocean floor.
The harms for the ocean and its inhabitants, and the atmosphere above, are largely unknown. But we do know that methane is about 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, measured over a 20-year period, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
Read more at: Abandoned oil and gas wells leave the ocean floor spewing methane - The Daily Climate
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