[ad_1]
Main article: ‘We reject on a first come, first served basis’
Hi, I’m Warren Murray and I’m going to leave this here.
Britain is on a collision course with the European Union over vaccine shortages after Brussels refused to accept that people in the UK have the first claim on Oxford / AstraZeneca doses produced in British plants. Stella Kyriakides, the EU health commissioner, said the UK should not gain any advantage by signing a contract with AstraZeneca early. “We reject the first-come, first-served logic,” Kyriakides said. “That may work in a butcher shop, but not in the contracts and not in our advance purchase agreements.” Peter Liese, a MEP from the German ruling party, foreshadowed a “trade war” if the EU were to retaliate by blocking exports to the UK of the “very good” BioNTech / Pfizer alternative vaccine that is “produced in Europe, backed with money. European … So the company [AstraZeneca] and the UK better think twice. “
At home, coronavirus cases have started to decline in England, but must decline faster to ease pressure on the NHS, according to an analysis from Imperial College London. Leaders in North West England have said it is “absolutely unforgivable” that the region’s vaccine supply is cut by a third next month, as other areas scramble to catch up on vaccinating the elderly. Doctors are calling for better targeting of vaccines to make sure socially vulnerable groups are prioritized: Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the board of the British Medical Association, said: “In addition to those over 80 and over 70, etc. ., there should be a parallel approach to program implementation to address health inequalities, especially in disadvantaged communities, and insofar as they apply to ethnic minorities. “For the global developments of the coronavirus, there is only our blog Live.
‘Environment of greatest threat’ – The US Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin, warning of the lingering potential for violence by people motivated by anti-government sentiments after the election of Joe Biden. The bulletin suggests that the riots by Donald Trump supporters in the US Capitol on January 6 may embolden extremists. He does not cite any specific plot, but points to “a more threatening environment in the United States” that he believes will “persist” for weeks.
Biden warned that the climate crisis poses an “existential threat” to the world when he revealed a radical change in direction from the Trump era by halting fossil fuel activity on public lands and ordering the US government to begin an effort. full frontal to lower the planet. -heating emissions. “We see it with our own eyes, we feel it in our bones. It’s time to act, ”Biden said.
The wind carries the coal Renewable electricity surpassed fossil fuel generation for the first time in 2020 in Britain and could remain the largest source of electricity in the future, according to Ember, an independent think tank. Nearly a quarter of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind turbines last year, double the share of wind power in 2015 and a fifth of the UK’s electricity in 2019, although renewable energy has surpassed fossil fuels during the previous summer months, 2020 was the first time that renewables were the UK’s main source of electricity for a year. Renewable energy also surpassed fossil fuels across the EU for the first time, according to the report, following a collapse in coal use in 2020.
Italy embarrassed by mass ship drowning Italy failed in its duty to protect human life by delaying the rescue of a sinking ship in the Mediterranean, the UN Human Rights Committee has found. More than 200 people drowned on October 11, 2013 after repeated requests for help were ignored, according to a ruling on a case brought by Syrian and Palestinian survivors. According to the investigation, the Italian authorities forwarded the distress calls to the Maltese coastguard, whose help only arrived five hours later when the ship had already capsized. Italian authorities could have been there “no later than two hours before it sank,” committee member Hélène Tigroudja said, adding that it was within Malta’s search and rescue zone, but “closer to Italy and of one of his warships. ” Last week 43 people were killed when a ship capsized in the Mediterranean, also after leaving the Libyan coast.
Driven – UK car production fell to its lowest level since 1984 last year amid turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Nissan overtook Jaguar Land Rover as the largest British manufacturer. The output of British car factories fell by 29% compared to the previous year, to around 921,000. It was the first time that annual production fell below 1 million since 2009, during the deepest financial crisis. The numbers were “the worst in a generation,” said Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Engine Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the industry lobby group that collected the data. UK car sales for 2020 were the lowest since 1992, hitting demand for the fifth of British-made cars remaining in their home market.
‘I already had a Bernie pattern’ – Bernie Sanders went from becoming a hit meme to a nearly $ 20,000 crochet doll in less than a week. After an Inauguration Day image of the Vermont senator went viral, showing him sitting in a folding chair, socially estranged from other guests, wearing thick knit gloves, Tobey King in Texas went crocheting. The doll sold for $ 20,300.
“It’s amazing because I knew Bernie was trending because of that image, and he already had a Bernie pattern and a Bernie doll. So, I went and got it and modified it super fast, ”King said. Recreating that envied Sanders look took King around seven hours of non-stop crochet. The auction proceeds will be donated to Meals on Wheels America.
Podcast Today in Focus: Brazilians are fighting Covid on their own
Tom Phillips, Latin America correspondent for The Guardian, discusses the surge in infections in the Brazilian state of Amazonas that has left many hospitals without the most basic supplies and sparked even more protests against Jair Bolsonaro.
Today in focus
The lonely Covid fight of the Brazilians
Lunchtime Reading: Trillions of Reasons to Feel Better
Could a Trillion Dollars End the Covid Pandemic? Eradicate the disease? Provide universal health care and fund vaccine research? Rowan Hopper considers the idea.
Sport
Manchester United suffered a shocking defeat to Sheffield United, the last team to score just a second win of the season and the first at Old Trafford since 1973, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær criticizing his team for conceding “two bad goals”. Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of Chelsea ended in frustration after his team managed only a goalless draw at home to the Wolves at Stamford Bridge. On a busy night of top-notch football, there were also draws between Everton and Leicester, and Brighton and Fulham, but Burnley won in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. Elsewhere, Chelsea women broke records at Aston Villa when they extended their unbeaten streak in the Women’s Super League to 32 matches.
Former tennis world number one Serena Williams has praised Australia’s “intense but good” quarantine procedures ahead of the Australian Open.
Johanna Konta knows that she is one of the lucky ones as the end of the quarantine period of the British number one for the first grand slam of the year looms. More than a third of black, Asian and ethnic minority cricketers say they have experienced racism in the game, according to a survey of professional players in England. Organizers of the Olympics and Euro 2020 are increasingly optimistic that the two biggest sporting events of the year will go ahead. And new questions have been raised as to whether the Six Nations will go ahead as scheduled, as the Brexit bureaucracy represents an obstacle to the tournament.
Deal
Asia-Pacific markets have slumped after a reality check on the long-term economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic gave Wall Street its worst day since October. The benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, Australia and China declined today. The FTSE at the time of writing is following to open 60-70 points lower. The British pound is worth $ 1,366 and € 1,130 right now.
The papers
“Britain and the EU in a dispute over who gets hit first by Oxford” – the guardian The cover carries this ugly episode of vaccine nationalism, like many. “No, the EU cannot accept our blows,” says the Mail, which underlines “I can’t.” Things get even nastier in the Quick: “Wait your turn! The selfish EU wants our vaccines.”
“The EU requires a share of British vaccines,” says the I and the Of the telegraph The welcome title is a few words away from being the same. the Financial times The theme continues: “The EU requires UK Covid vaccines from AstraZeneca to cover the shortfall.”
the Times tries to dignify the issue: “UK vaccine supply ‘more than necessary'”, citing industry sources who claim Britain will end up having enough to share with other countries. It also covers the intriguing battle of short sellers versus redditors for GameStop’s share price. “Schools until spring”: that’s the Mirror on the news that the gates will remain closed for most at least until March 8. “My baby Covid miracle” – the Meter has the story of a nurse who was seriously ill with coronavirus when she gave birth and is just now meeting her daughter. the Sun alleges that Rita Ora tried to pay a restaurant to host a 30th birthday party.
Sign up
Subscribe to The Guardian’s morning briefing
The Guardian Morning Briefing is sent to thousands of inboxes early every day of the week. If you are not receiving it by email yet, you can register here.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
