Good morning,
France Covid
As of today the French Government will require anyone who wants to go to a restaurant or cafe or travel on public transport, to show they have received a vaccine with an electronic pass.
I am here near Nice, and coincidentally on our arrival Saturday there were protests across the Nation by anti vaccine campaigners in a Country where vaccine concerns run deep, driven by disinformation on the internet.
The numbers in hospital are still way off previous highs seen in the pandemic, but there were 1,510 people in intensive care with Covid-19 on Saturday compared with 1,099 just one week ago.
President Macron hopes the plan will further accelerate the vaccination drive in France where over 55 percent are now double-jabbed. Aides have noted that almost seven million new bookings were made for first jabs since the plans were outlined.
Airlines coming to France are confused by rules which seem to be changing by the minute. British Airways told us at the airport in London we needed to redo covid tests at the airport, including for our children, which we did. But on arrival French border guards only wanted to see vaccine confirmations for over 18’s and waved us through.
Sensibly, most people are wearing masks here, and limiting numbers of people in the bakery and grocery store. I will write more on France as it implements its vaccine passport and the publics angry reluctant reaction to Macron’s tough stand on getting vaccinations to avoid another lockdown as the Covid variant spreads rapidly in Europe.
Afghanistan
The Taliban refuses to stop its armed advance across Afghanistan in the wake of U.S. troop withdrawals. Five Cities have fallen including the provincial capital of Kunduz, with three of the five being seized on Sunday.
The Afghan Government is struggling to hold ground and retake what it’s lost, and the Afghan army appears to be on the run in many places.
Why does President Biden have no apparent strategy to support what U.S. forces paid so dearly to establish after 9/11? And is this the darkest moment for his foreign policy record?
On a Back Story podcast we spoke to former Canadian Ambassador Chris Alexander on Pakistans role in all this. Have a listen, it’s really great background.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8832536
Cuomo
The end of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political career seems almost complete with the resignation this weekend of his key political aid Melissa DeRosa.
She stood by Cuomo through thick and thin, and was accused of spearheading efforts to retaliate against at least one of the women, who have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment.
Cuomo will have to resign or he will be removed from office as more accusers including a female State trooper came forward, to say she was touched by Cuomo in an inappropriate manner.
Climate Change
The UN will publish the worlds largest report on climate change soon, and it couldn’t be anymore timely. Scientists say it will likely be bad news - but with "nuggets of optimism".
And environmental experts have said it will be a "massive wake-up call" to governments to cut emissions.
It comes as an unprecedented heatwave roasted Greece’s mainland was burning up for eight days with city temperatures exceeding 40 degrees. The continuous windless days, along with the high humidity, created a lethal combination. In some places the temperature reached 47 celcius or 116 degrees F.
“It’s a biblical catastrophe” said one local politician.
Other News
-The second largest forest fire in California’s history continues to burn.
-The Tokyo Olympics ended Sunday. Most athletes had already been sent home because of Covid.
-The coronavirus is running rampant in Florida as case numbers climb to an all-time high and hospitals start to fill up. On Sunday, approximately 1 in 4 hospital beds in the state had a COVID-19 patient in it.
Have a good Monday! Please share this newsletter with one other person and if you wish to comment, you can become a paid subscriber.
Dana
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210809-france-to-implement-coronavirus-health-pass-despite-protests
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/08/nyregion/melissa-derosa-resign-cuomo.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58141129
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/07/greek-firefighter-killed-athens-fires
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/08/08/1025964502/florida-hospitals-covid-19-cases-record-high?t=1628489295783