Growing list of countries to suspend the Anglo-Swedish vaccine

On Tuesday, 30th March, Germany became the latest in a growing list of countries to suspend use of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to younger age group. Health Ministry had found 31 cases of a type of rare blood clot among nearly 2.7 million people who received the vaccine in Germany. 

Obviously, the European Medicines Agency said there was not enough evidence to establish a link between the problem and the vaccine.

Meanwhile, trees blooming and flowering announce the beginning of Spring and new life. 

EU digital certificate

In 2020 bosses of the top EU companies had weekly earned the same amount that an average worker in Europe earns in an entire year.  And according to the Economic Policy Institute, despite the spreading of Covid-19 epidemic, chief executives of the 350 largest US companies earned an average of $ 20 million in 2020. In other words, there are evidence that top bosses continue to earn high salaries while coronavirus pandemic is exposing low-income populations to job losses and health risks. 

The executive's price-driven salaries began in the early 1980s, when CEOs pay become connected with share prices (companies' share prices on stock markets). The problem is that sometimes an excellent company has nothing to do with the CEO. Not to mention of companies that operate in an oligopoly, as we can see nowadays in the emerging vaccine industry. 

While people at the top are maintaining their wealth and society is suffering higher levels of inequality, the EU unveils plan for Covid-19 digital pass to allow travel  within member states with the aim of helping entrepreneurs and workers who are involved in travel industry and tourism. 

The digital pass is expected to consist of QR code that can easily be scanned at airports, as it will be in digital or paper format. On the one hand, some EU states say the digital pass discriminates people who didn't receive the injection to prevent Covid-19 illness. On the other hand, EU Commission says the certificate is not discriminatory and would be suspended after pandemic ends. 

The following pictures show some popular tourist destinations in EU ... I hope tourists will come back there in the next months.  

Munich, Marienplatz

Bruges, the inner canals

                                                              Paris, Louvre Museum

Rome, theatre of Marcellus    

Covid-19 cases are still rising

Starting on Monday 15th, in the most populated Italian regions will be required to stay home except for work, health and other essential reasons.

The whole country, which has recordered more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths, will be locked down on Easter weekend for the second year in a row. I am sorry to see that Italy has the second highest coronavirus death toll in Europe after the UK.

Meanwhile, some trees begin to show small leaves on their branches.

UN Climate Change Conference, UK 2021

In 2015, during the Conference on climate change, many countries signed up to limit global warming. These countries will get togheter again in November, at the Scottish Event Campus, in Glasgow, with the aim of discuss the escalating issue of climate change.

On the one hand, people around the world are aware of what is happening in terms of global warming. On the other hand, for the biggest World's CO2 exporters, such as Qatar, Norway, and Iran, oil and gas has been a very important  source of income. That's why it is politically difficult to turn down some activities, which can create terrible impact that can not be reversed. But the time has come to turn down those activities.

Every country can make something, and we need to act now, as climate change  affects us all. This is a global challenge.

https://www.sec.co.uk/cop26

US rejoins the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement

I'm glad to see that the US is officially to rejoin the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, reversing the withdrawal by Donald Trump.  Each year we wait to not invest into mitigation today will exacerbate in the future the cost of adapting. Actually, we would need greenhouse gas level to be net to zero by the end of 2050. 🌲🌳🌳🌲

From the early 1800s, coal, oil and gas have been burnt, and have been releasing gases that trap heat from the sun. That's the main raison why there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been for million of years.

Unfortunately, despite governments around the world are aware of planet earth's ecological limits, temperature is still going up. 🏭🚢✈

The last picture of the two donkeys has nothing to do with global warming. I took it yesterday while I was walking through the countryside. There was some grass around the fence, on the side, so I decided to feed them. 🐎🐎

Trump's second impeachment trial

Since US senate proceedings began early this week, House managers have shown evidence that Trump "incited insurrection". There are evidence that many phrases have been used by the former US President to urge his supporters, such as "the election was stolen" and "fight to stop the steal". He also said that the only way to take back the country is to fight. That's really dangerous!

Prosecutors have even produced evidence that Trump was no "innocent bystander", but the inciter-in-chief. On 6th January, he said: "stop the fraud, take the Capitol right now!".  That day he used that word "fight" twenty times in his speech.

Furthermore, some prosecutors also said Mr. Trump had the power to stop the attack, but he didn't. Five people lost their lives. If Americans want to stop something like that from ever happening again, that man must be convicted. 

A small wave of optimism

On the economic front, many experts can see a wave of optimism, as vaccination programmes progress and expectations of large stimulus by US President Joe Biden are driving global markets near record highs.

Meanwhile, in my country former European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, is tapped for Prime Minister role, in bid to avoid early elections. Hope he will probably lead the country out of the political crisis.    

                                                          (View of Naples)

(An ancient gate in Naples. It was built in 1484)

              (The port of Naples and Vesuvius volcano covered with clouds)

                                      (Naples and its sky on a cloudy morning) 

       (Rome, 1st February, a department store in the Eastern part of the Italian 

       capital shows that people are still wearing a mask and respecting social 

       distancing rules seriously)