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

AstraZeneca Covid Vaccination Age Limitation: Germany recommends AstraZeneca COVID vaccine only for people under 65

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

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

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/

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

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

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