Good morning!
Covid
The slow rollout of Covid19 in Europe is being hailed as an advertisement for Britains departure from the European Union. Britain is well ahead of the EU already vaccinating more than 8 million people. Britain was slow to lockdown and has more than 100 thousand deaths. But it has been quick and agile on securing vaccines, already giving vaccines to 15% of the population vs 3% in the EU and there is anger in France and Spain and Portugal with the slow rollout out.
Also in the headlines in Europe is the fact that Britains exports to The EU have fallen by 68% since the Brexit many consider to be a disaster. (Aside from vaccines)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9233181/British-exports-EU-plummeted-68-cent-January.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/uk-vaccine-gambles-paid-off-while-eu-caution-slowed-it-down-eu-uk-company-vaccine-vaccines-b1798758.html
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210206-how-the-eu-s-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-became-an-advert-for-brexit
Covid Transmission
The Express newspaper says a new study by Astrazeneca which has yet to be peer reviewed by other scientists shows the vaccine does prevent transmission by at least 2/3rds. And end of lockdowns would be the result if this promising study holds up:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1392791/lockdown-end-date-april-AstraZeneca-transmission-coronavirus-vaccine-variant-EVG
But, the South African variant is spreading all over The World. Astrazeneca may have limited protection against that spread of this variant unfortunately, but it may limit severity of illness, so hospitalizations may be reduced. Vaccine manufacturers are already working on reworking their vaccines to adapt to strain changes for Covid variants and claim they could have new versions by Autumn.
Soon the discussion will focus more on vaccine passports, where your travel will depend on proof you have had the vaccine of some countries won’t allow you to enter? And what about inside a country where you need to present proof you had a vaccine before you could attend work or go to a large gathering like a concert? And of course forgery will be a huge problem.
Canada Covid
The pandemic has taken a big toll on Canada, and hidden in the unemployment statistics which are bad enough and show unemployment at 9.4 per cent., is the fact if the Gov had included those who want to work but have not actively searched for jobs lost in the pandemic, the unemployment rate would really be over 12%.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7622060/canada-job-losses-january/
China
The W.H.O. investigation of the outbreak of Covid continues inside China. We may never get an answer to the obvious, did this virus begin in The Wuhan lab? And we know bats and strengthening natural virus’ did indeed take place in the lab in previous years.
Listen to two of the best experts on infectious disease and biological warfare on Back Story with Dana Lewis podcast and your eyes will open wide, one of them is a former Assistant U.S. Defense Sec. under The Obama Admin. and the other a virus hunter.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/6565870
Meantime the first high level meeting between America and China under The Biden administration has taken place.
"Secretary Blinken stressed the United States will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and pressed China to join the international community in condemning the military coup in Burma," White House spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. Myanmar is also referred to as Burma.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/u-s-china-top-diplomats-talk-tough-on-myanmar-and-taiwan-in-first-call-since-biden-took-office/ar-BB1ds1gC
Russia
Russia has further angered Europe by tossing out the diplomatic reps from Poland, Sweden and Germany for showing support for demonstrations after the sentencing of Russian opposition leader Navalny.
Europe’s leading representative notes relations with Russia are reaching new lows.
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/02/05/russia-expels-swedish-polish-german-diplomats-over-navalny-protests-foreign-ministry-a72850
On Back Story podcast we reveal that the investigative platform Bellingcat will soon reveal it believes it has evidence of an FSB (formerly KGB) Kill Squad that tried to poison Navalny but may also be linked to at least 8 other assassinations/attempted assassinations in Russia.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/episodes/7650367
Trump Impeachment
Trumps second impeachment trial in the Senate will begin on Tuesday. Impeachment managers argued Mr. Trump was "singularly responsible" for the January 6 attack in their brief, and that case will be strongly made in the hearings which will then likely fail in a vote to convict because Republicans still view there loyalty to Trump as essential to reelection, rather than through a more sober moral prism of whats good for the country. It’s important none-the-less the nation hears the evidence against Trump and people understand he tried to overthrow the levers of democracy by initiating a storming of The Capitol to resist a free and fair election.
Think about what I just wrote. It’s still sounds like fiction as the words are written, and the brain tries to fathom how close America came to disaster if those who stormed the building has taken hostages such as V.P. Pence and Speaker Pelosi, and Trump still represents a monumental threat to American democracy as he may try to run again in 2024. The Democrats are often accused by The Republicans of political theatre, and visa versa, but this trial is important to understand the events leading to the storming of the Capitol, while just holding the trial may further divide the country. But it seems to me, in most Nations a public inquiry would have been held, and this impeachment is a form of that process.
The disinformation being spread over the legality of the U.S. election will be aired in civil law suits such as those being filed by the voting machine company Smartmatic against Fox News, and the likes of Trump lawyer Rudolph Guiliani who spewed lies about the election results. Trump has already fired one anchor and more are in the crosshairs.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/04/media/smartmatic-fox-news-giuliani-powell-lawsuit/index.html
What will Trump take from the failure to convict? It won’t be good.
A good comment in The New Yorker to read:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/10/trumps-impeachment-and-the-degrading-of-presidential-accountability
It’s going to be a huge news week.
Have a good day everyone. And if you would like to become a paid subscriber for 5 dollars a month, please do. But you don’t have to.