Omicron

Just to say that yesterday, the 26th of November, while the news about the big concern (as mentioned by the WHO) of the South African variant and its multiple mutations was spreading across the world, the stocks of one of the biggest biotechnological company, Moderna Inc, were rising by more than 20% .

In this context, the Botswana government has just officialy said that the new COVID variant, named Omicron, was first detected in four patients who were fully vaccinated for COVID.

From the Nuremberg trial (1945) Hermann Goering to the question "How did you convince the German people to accept all this?", he replied: "It was easy and has nothing to do with Nazism. The only thing a government needs to turn people into slaves is fear. If you can find something to scare them, you can make them do anything you want".

Pharma companies' abusive vaccine deals

The world's largest pharmaceutical company, which is in talk with about 100 countries around the world, will be delivering 2 billion vaccine doses this year. But a lot of people don't know that the company ask some countries in South America to create a guarantee found. 

When the Covid-19 epidemic began to spread across the Northern hemisphere in early 2020, the CEO of the world's largest pharma company hypocritically said: "We believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard and cared for. That's why from the very beginning our vaccine development program, our company has been firmly committed to working towards equitable and affordable access of Covid-19 vaccines for people around the world".

According to the pharma companies' deals, Brazil and other countries have to take in consideration delay in vaccine delivery. It means that the Brazilian government can not penalise pharmaceutical companies for delayed delivery. 

In addition to this, manufacturer of pharmaceuticals will be exempted from all civil liability. The company also wants sovereign assets as guarantee, such as military bases, embassy buildings and sovereign founds. In other words, a vaccine maker asks for a country's military basis in return of vaccines.

While EU, Chinese and Indian pharmaceutical companies are selling free vaccines to poorer countries, there are big vaccine makers which are bullying countries. Not to mention of someone who refuses to sell vaccine raw materials and says no to sharing vaccine formulas to developing countries.

Meanwhile, while Covid-19 cases were increasing in the EU, Austria's government announced strict lockdown measures. There are fears other EU countries might do the same. It's easy to see that current vaccines may not be the ideal match for new variants, although pharmaceutical and biotech stocks have been rising on the markets.

Blunting the edge of fiscal paradises

Two weeks ago leaders of world's 20 richest countries gathered for summit in Rome with the aim of adopting corporate tax rules. The agreement is aimed at "blunting the edge of fiscal paradises". As it is known, multinational companies make money in one country and move their profits to another.

In this contexts, about 14 countries representing more than 90% of global economic output endorsed the agreement which aims to raise more revenue for most governments and offer stability to international businesses. Consequently, profits of big companies will face tax at least 15% under pact approved at the 2021 Rome's G20 summit.  In addition to this, companies have to be taxed in territories where they sell their products and services, rather than where they are headquartered. But four countries (Pakistan, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Kenia) rejected the deal, as they said it will not be sustainable. 

I hope the agreement will be useful to end decades of competition between countries to attract foreign investments.

The 1st picture above shows the neighborhood of Rome where the G20 summit was held in late October. The tall white building in the picture, which was designed in 1938, is an example of the Italian Rationalism (someone would like to call it as fascist architecture). The style resembles that of the ancient Rome. This neighborhood is a business district, nowadays. And the building is known in everyday speech as "Swiss cheese" or "Square Colosseum".

Italian Constitution: fundamental principles don't exist any more

From the 15th of October we (Italians) can no longer work without a vaccine passport. The fundamental human right to work stripped away. Silence from our government, silence from all governments and silence from Amnesty. 

With regards to my previous post, this is the comment sent from an anonymous blogger:

"I think some of you are delusional. Clearly the covid certificate is a nazy style papers please kind of fascist ideology".

Constitutional clashes on the EU's green pass

Everything surronding Covid-19 has become politicized since many EU countries use the Digital Covid Certificate to grant or deny access to nightlife venues, restaurants, cafees, and other public spaces.  The vaccine passport has become a condition for every day life also in Italy, although most Italian people are still observing social distancing rules perfectly. Italian people are also wearing masks everywhere.

According to many researches, people who have been vaccinated or previously infected with the Covid-19 are able to catch and spread the virus. That's the main reason why last month Spain's Supreme Court ruled against using vaccine passport to restrict access to public spaces. It's the first judicial authority to do so in Europe, as using vaccine passport to prevent access to public spaces may not be useful to prevent the spreading of the infection. In this perspective, it seems that Italian policy makers still pretend to misunderstand the EU principles of effectiveness, necessity and proportionality.  

In many EU countries people who haven't a green pass are banned from public spaces, basic freedoms and services, although it is already clear that there is no difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated with regards to the Delta variant. In this context, it's easy to see that pharmaceutical and health product companies are spending billions on lobbying politicians around the world. At the moment, in Spain it is not the case. 

In Italy, the protests against the Covid health pass have now been going for 10 weeks.

Surplus vaccine doses

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear global inequality of our time, as only two percent of people who live in the African continent has been fully vaccinated.

According to Airinfinity Ltd, a science information company headquartered in London, western developed countries could have 1.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of this year. As a matter of fact, surplus COVID-19 vaccine shots in US, UK, EU and Japan will not be shipped to poorer countries.

As said by the WTO spokeperson, Keith Rockwell, if we were to delocalise part of vaccine production in developing countries, more shots would go into arms in Africa and Andean countries. Not mention of Israeli data which shows vaccinated people are becoming ill with COVID-19, but that's another story. 

Neha

 

This week an Afghan eight-year-old girl, Neha, was very happy after she had landed at Melsbroek airport in Belgium. "I never want to return to Afghanistan", she said.

A picture of the Afghan girl jumping at the Belgian airport then went around the world. Her happiness symbolizes the hope and relief of many people who fled the taliban regime in Afghanistan 🇦🇫

Sharia law in Afghanistan

As soon as the US and other Westerners pullout from the Afghan territory, Taliban leaders will be able to impose the Sharia law in Afghanistan. This means that religion will be mixed with government, as we have already seen in Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

The two islamic countries just above mentioned, which are respectively a theocratic monarchy and an islamic republic, often give conflicting interpretations of the Sharia law.  For istance, there are differences with regard to dispute settlements, legal matters, punishment, and marital disputes. In this context, Taliban leaders are going to establish Sharia regime in Afghanistan.  

On the contrary, everything including religion must evolve with time. That's the reason why religion law may not have a place in modern societies governed by constitutional systems.

Taliban advance as the US withdraws

On August 15th, Taliban fighters entered the outskirts of the Afghan capital virtually unopposed. This indicated the end of a Western political experiment which lasted two decades. In this context, it seems not easy to understand the reason why the US and the EU have been ignoring Taliban's cruelty toward Afghan people. 

Actually, the main objective of the world superpower is always the same: control over oil and gas resources which are located in central Asia (mainly Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan). Taliban and the US are now allies in that corner of the world where there is still a Russian (and maybe Chinese) influence.  

Ideology of racism

An interesting article written by Hamid Dabashi, an Iranian professor at Columbia University in New York, defines the ideological conviction of the social construction of races. The author says there are powerful interests vested in sustaining the bloody history of racism in Western countries. This means that the ideology of racism is an useful tool for those in power to divide people to rule them better.

In this context, the richest 1% of people use racial categories, such as black, red or yellow, to conceal the real battleground, which is the clash between the upper class and the middle class. A poor person branded as "white" has nothing in common with a rich manipulator of such racist ideologies.

Low-taxes havens

As it is known, after many governments around the world had declared a state of emergency, citizens were encouraged to stay at home. As a consequence, since March 2020 an increasing number of people have been buying what they need online. And it seems unavoidable that many stores will permanently shut down. Unfortunately, the more big tech companies sell their products and services online, the more retailers shut down their businesses. The picture below shows an old shop whose owner had been selling olive oil and wine for decades. Since early march 2020 it has been shut down. 

The main problem is that big tech companies, such as Amazon and Google, shift their profits to low-taxes havens. And countries where revenues are earned haven't been allowed to tax big tech multinationals. That's why big tech companies can be very competitive and so able to destroy retailers around the world. In other words, they're destroying the middle class slowly and gradually.

In this perspective, two days ago in Venice, finance chiefs of the G20 large economies have just endorsed the first step of a plan to stop multinationals shifting profits to low-taxes havens. The deal would establish a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15%, as big tech companies would be taxed on where they sell products and services, rather than on the location of their headquarters.  

Fourth wave or false information

Since late June there has been a great deal of talk about a fourth wave of coronavirus. Many countries, such as France, Italy, and Ireland are likey to have a fourth wave of the COVID-19 virus, as the new variant begins to take hold. It seems that the rapidly transmissible strains were first identified in India, where government imposed restrictions.

Unfortunately, these bad news have a big impact on people's mental health, not to mention of false information, which are important in manipulating public opinion and creating an atmophere of uncertainty.

Menanwhile, many people in the EU would like to enjoy beaches, coffees, and restaurants, although governments have painted a bleak picture of the Summer ahead.

Effects of Israel's 11-day offensive in May

 

With regards to my previous post, it is to be noted that  Gaza's sewage treatment plant was hit during Israel's 11-day offensive in May. The electricity distribution company is unable to provide sufficient energy for treatment plants and waste water pumping stations. That's the reason why Gaza's authorities have no choice but to pump that waste into the sea.

The situation will dangerously raise the water pollution in Gaza and its surroundings. And in addition to the environmental impact there will be also social problems, as for many families in Gaza the beach is the only public space they can socialize.

In Gaza Strip territory there is nothing except the sea, and now it is polluted.

It happened in the 2nd half of May 2021

 

In May 2021 families, women, children and infants were killed in their homes by israel airstrikes on a small strip of land where nearby two million people are crowded.

The crisis was triggered in early May, when Palestinians began to protest in East Jerusalem over an anticipated decision of the Supreme Court of Israel on the eviction of six Palestinian families in the West Bank town of Sheikh Jarrah. In addition to this, Israel's police threw shock grenades inside the al-Aqsa mosque on the last Friday of Ramadam in East Jerusalem. Israeli forces broke into the mosque prayer hall!

After Israel had bombarded the besieged Gaza strip for the fourth time in 12 years, the U.S. approved a $ 735 Millions weapons sale to Israel. The approval was criticized by legislators in Congress, and several Democrats introduced resolutions to block the sale of precision-guided missiles.

The news reported no sense of alarm, as they didn't mention the possible crime against umanity and the Amnesty International's call for a halt to U.S. weapons sales to Israel. 

According to the Statute of the International Criminal Court, a crime against humanity is committed "as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack" ... From 14th to 21st May Israel's military campaign killed at least 253 people, including 66 children. At least 12 people were killed by Palestinian armed groups.

Italy's underwater archaeological sites

There are many traces of human existence underwater, which are not protected by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. This Convention aims at preventing the distruction or loss of historic and cultural information and looting.

The pictures show some underwater archaeological sites dated back to over 20 centuries ago. They are located 70 Km North from Rome. Unfortunately, in the early 1970s some residential houses were built close to those underwater archaeological sites. The problem is that people, who build those houses, weren't prosecuted. If they had been adequately prosecuted in the 1970s, Italy's underwater cultural heritage would be protected. 

 

Cryptocurrencies' value continues to drop

 

With regards to my previous post about cryptocurrencies' regulation, I have just learnt that the American clean energy company based in Palo Alto, Tesla Inc., will no longer accept bitcoin for car purchase.

Many environmentalists and some Tesla's shareholders have been increasingly critical about the way cryptocurrencies are "mined" using vast amount of electricity generated with fossil fuels.

On 27 February, 2021, the British newpaper "The Guardian" wrote: "It's not just the value of bitcoin that has soared in the last year - so has the huge amount of energy it consumes".  In this perspective, a professor of economics at the University of New Mexico recently said that the amount of electricity used to mine bitcoin has been more than the electricity used by entire countries, like Ireland.

On the one hand, Tesla Inc. is accelerating the world transition to sustainable energy with electric cars and integrated renewable energy solutions for home and business. On the other hand, in the first two months of this year bircoin rose in value thanks to an endorsement by Tesla's Elon Musk, who planned to accept the cryptocurrency as payment. This inconsistency is often a major events that affect the markets! The perception of cryptocurrencies' value changes as the market seeks a new equilibrium making price reflect new information and major news. 

The pictures above show how electricity generated with fossil fuels may affect the environment (The power plants in the pictures are located in Italy). 

Another country have just banned cryptocurrencies

After many Asian countries had introduced tougher regulation with regard to all use of cryptocurrencies, last week the Turkish Central Bank banned payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, etc. According to the Central Bank, cryptocurrencies aren't subject to any central regulatory authority, and their market value can be excessively volatile.

In addition to this, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies may be used in illegal transactions due to their anonymous structures. I was astonished to hear that the Turkish Central Bank also said that wallets can be stolen or used without the authorization of their holders. The regulation outlaws the use of  cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services. Meanwhile, Bitcoin and Ethereum plunged to their lowest level in nearly two months. 

When we own cryptocurrencies we don't have anything in terms of dividends or profit. Cryptocurrency's value only increases when more people participate, and when fewer people participate the value decreases. This is a structure that creates a great deal of risk. 

Italian food

It seems that many people around the world think Italians are so obsessed with food. Actually, we (Italian people) have a bond with food, as it gives a sense of identity.  

In certain periods of history some foods were created and have become traditional and typical dishes of Italian culture. An article summarizing the relationship between Italians and food, just published in BBC website by Anna Bressanin, explains that in Italy "sharing a meal means daily joys, problems and sometimes our deepest neuroses and issues". It is an act of social conviviality that the author of the article defines as "a collective catharsis through pleasure".

I don't want to get off track, but increasing demand from East Asia, climate change, water shortages and pandemic-hit supply chains are all pushing up food prices.

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)