France took over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union on Saturday with an ambitious programme for a "powerful" and "sovereign" Europe, but this is likely to be disrupted by the new outbreak of COVID-19 and the April presidential elections.
At midnight (23:00 GMT on Friday), France took over from Slovenia, which had held the presidency of the EU Council since 1 July, and will be replaced in the second half of the year by the Czech Republic.
As a symbol of this handover, the Eiffel Tower and the Elysée Palace were lit up at the same time in blue, the colour of Europe.
Read more at:
France sets out an ambitious programme for its presidency of the European Union | Euronews
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December 31, 2021
Netherlands Announces Plan To Give People Up to Six Doses of COVID Vaccine
Hugo de Jonge, health minister of The Netherlands, has indicated the country could be preparing another three coronavirus booster vaccines.
De Jonge wrote a letter to his country's parliament Wednesday suggesting the Netherlands should consider additional rounds of booster vaccines to fight new variants, with two of these in 2022 and another shot in 2023.
Read more at: Netherlands Announces Plan To Give People Up to Six Doses of COVID Vaccine
De Jonge wrote a letter to his country's parliament Wednesday suggesting the Netherlands should consider additional rounds of booster vaccines to fight new variants, with two of these in 2022 and another shot in 2023.
Read more at: Netherlands Announces Plan To Give People Up to Six Doses of COVID Vaccine
December 30, 2021
Global Energy Supplies: Europe needs an energy policy independent of US interference
It is no secret to the world that the US government has been obstructing the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline for many years by imposing all types of political and economic sanctions on related parties. The stake is high behind the US' suppression of the project, because the pipeline could enable more cheap gas supplies from Russia to Europe, depriving US suppliers of a prime export market.
Whether the Nord Stream 2 will promote energy cooperation between Russia and Europe, or become a trigger of tensions across the Atlantic will remain to be seen. While the US doesn't really care about Europe's energy security, Washington won't tolerate anything that threatens its energy trade.
What the US government wants is to preserve its global hegemony in the energy sector. The US energy hegemony is one of the important pillars of American global hegemony. So, the US will do everything in its position to ensure global energy supply patterns are in line with its global geopolitical power play. If the energy cooperation between Russia and Europe were allowed to unfold without any complications, it is conceivable that many things would be out of the control of the US.
If anything, the energy crisis is another example demonstrating why Europe needs to have the ability to independently form its own political and economic policies including energy security. Europe needs to be clear that its interests are not the same as the US', and it cannot completely follow the US lead on many issues, or it will end up hurting itself.
Read more at: GT Voice: Europe needs an energy policy independent of US interference - Global Times
Whether the Nord Stream 2 will promote energy cooperation between Russia and Europe, or become a trigger of tensions across the Atlantic will remain to be seen. While the US doesn't really care about Europe's energy security, Washington won't tolerate anything that threatens its energy trade.
What the US government wants is to preserve its global hegemony in the energy sector. The US energy hegemony is one of the important pillars of American global hegemony. So, the US will do everything in its position to ensure global energy supply patterns are in line with its global geopolitical power play. If the energy cooperation between Russia and Europe were allowed to unfold without any complications, it is conceivable that many things would be out of the control of the US.
If anything, the energy crisis is another example demonstrating why Europe needs to have the ability to independently form its own political and economic policies including energy security. Europe needs to be clear that its interests are not the same as the US', and it cannot completely follow the US lead on many issues, or it will end up hurting itself.
Read more at: GT Voice: Europe needs an energy policy independent of US interference - Global Times
December 29, 2021
The Netherlands: Omicron now dominant in NL, new coronavirus cases fall 11% in a week
The Omicron variant of coronavirus is now dominant in the Netherlands, public health institute RIVM said on Tuesday. The variant now accounts for over than 50% of new cases, the RIVM said in its latest weekly update. The number of positive coronavirus cases reported to the RIVM fell 11% to 84,400 in the past week, but experts say this is likely to rise as Omicron spreads.
Read more at: Omicron now dominant in NL, new coronavirus cases fall 11% in a week - DutchNews.nl
Read more at: Omicron now dominant in NL, new coronavirus cases fall 11% in a week - DutchNews.nl
December 28, 2021
Coronavirus - isolation period: US cuts recommended isolation period
US health authorities on Monday announced that quarantine periods for asymptomatic coronavirus patients would be shortened from 10 to five days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited evidence that those infected with the virus were most infectious during the two days before and then three days after symptoms developed.
Read more at: Coronavirus: US cuts recommended isolation period | News | DW | 27.12.2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited evidence that those infected with the virus were most infectious during the two days before and then three days after symptoms developed.
Read more at: Coronavirus: US cuts recommended isolation period | News | DW | 27.12.2021
December 27, 2021
The Netherlands: Dutch streets deserted as snap Christmas COVID lockdown starts
Dutch urban centres were largely deserted on Sunday as the country bega a snap lockdown that, aimed at stemming an expected COVID-19 surge caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, left people's Christmas plans in disarray.
Read more at: Dutch streets deserted as snap Christmas COVID lockdown starts | Reuters
Read more at: Dutch streets deserted as snap Christmas COVID lockdown starts | Reuters
December 25, 2021
Suriname: IMF board approves 3-year, $688 mln program for Suriname
The International Monetary Fund approved on Wednesday a three-year, $688 million program for Suriname, with some $55 million enabled for immediate disbursing.
“The program aims to rebuild Suriname’s foreign reserves, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. “The authorities’ decision to move to a market-determined exchange rate will strengthen the economy’s resilience to external shocks. This step, together with the program’s catalytic effect on external financing, will address external imbalances and contribute to increasing foreign reserves to prudent levels.”
Read more at: IMF board approves 3-year, $688 mln program for Suriname | Financial Post
“The program aims to rebuild Suriname’s foreign reserves, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. “The authorities’ decision to move to a market-determined exchange rate will strengthen the economy’s resilience to external shocks. This step, together with the program’s catalytic effect on external financing, will address external imbalances and contribute to increasing foreign reserves to prudent levels.”
Read more at: IMF board approves 3-year, $688 mln program for Suriname | Financial Post
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