January 2021 – Page 69 – THE OVAL CIRCLE

EU

EU member states cannot negotiate their own Covid-19 vaccine deals – von der Leyen

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The European Commission’s president has warned EU member countries against ordering Covid-19 vaccines in side deals, saying it undermines the bloc’s own efforts to tackle the virus. … Read More >EU member states cannot negotiate their own Covid-19 vaccine deals – von der Leyen

EU

EU regulator gives green light to take an extra dose from Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine vials

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The European Medicines Agency has approved increasing the number of doses in a vial of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech from five to six, boosting available doses of the jab by 20 percent. … Read More >EU regulator gives green light to take an extra dose from Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine vials

‘Completely untrustworthy’: Iran BANS import of coronavirus vaccines from US and Britain

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has prohibited the import of any Covid vaccines from the US and UK, questioning their efficacy and suggesting developers might be willing to “test” their drugs on foreign nations. … Read More >‘Completely untrustworthy’: Iran BANS import of coronavirus vaccines from US and Britain

EU

Hungary’s Orban says he’s still in vaccine talks with China, Russia, & Israel, as EU’s von der Leyen warns about unilateral deals

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The Hungarian prime minister has doubled down on pursuing talks with producers of Covid-19 vaccines, in defiance of a Brussels-managed procurement scheme. Viktor Orban is unhappy with the pace of vaccination the EU can support. … Read More >Hungary’s Orban says he’s still in vaccine talks with China, Russia, & Israel, as EU’s von der Leyen warns about unilateral deals

Sri Lanka rejects plea to stop cremating Muslim Covid-19 victims

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The government of Sri Lanka has rejected pleas to stop cremating Muslim Covid-19 victims and follow their faith’s burial traditions, laying them to rest facing Mecca. … Read More >Sri Lanka rejects plea to stop cremating Muslim Covid-19 victims

EU

Outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus detected in Lithuanian poultry

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The World Organisation for Animal Health has reported a new outbreak of bird flu among backyard poultry in Lithuania. Suspicions were raised after the sudden death of several chickens and turkeys in the city of Kaunas. … Read More >Outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu virus detected in Lithuanian poultry

EU

Out of puff: Amsterdam mayor pushes for ban on marijuana-loving tourists visiting coffee shops

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

Tourists could soon be barred from Amsterdam’s famous cannabis-dealing coffee shops as Mayor Femke Halsema, continues her battle to rid the city of its image as a drug and prostitution haven. … Read More >Out of puff: Amsterdam mayor pushes for ban on marijuana-loving tourists visiting coffee shops

EU

Denmark restricts travel from all countries to ‘win time’ in battle against Covid-19

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The Danish Foreign Ministry has raised its travel guidance to the maximum level for all countries on Friday, in an effort to limit the spread of more transmissible Covid variants discovered in the UK and South Africa. … Read More >Denmark restricts travel from all countries to ‘win time’ in battle against Covid-19

USA

After Capitol Hill riots, children rat out their right-wing parents to the media

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

With authorities tracking down the Trump supporters who barged into the US Capitol, teenagers have eagerly turned in their own family members who took part in the riot, and the media has encouraged the Stasi-style snitching. … Read More >After Capitol Hill riots, children rat out their right-wing parents to the media

Russia

German region approves creation of fund to bypass US sanctions designed to stop Gazprom’s vital Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Posted on January 10, 2021January 10, 2021By Editor

The parliament of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has voted to establish a fund to circumvent American sanctions preventing the construction of the Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline that will connect Russia and Germany. … Read More >German region approves creation of fund to bypass US sanctions designed to stop Gazprom’s vital Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline