Britain: UK Covid Booster Vaccine Shots for Vulnerable Groups May Start From September - by Katharine Gemmell

The country’s independent vaccination committee recommended that the government plan to offer boosters in a two-stage program alongside the annual flu vaccination drive. The rollout will depend on further data and the guidance could change, according to the Department of Health & Social Care.

“We want to be on the front foot for Covid-19 booster vaccination,” Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said in a statement. The goal is to “keep the probability of loss of vaccine protection due to waning immunity or variants as low as possible, especially over the coming autumn and winter.”

The shots would first be made available to extremely vulnerable and immunosuppressed adults, those ages 70 or older, residents of elderly care homes and front-line health workers, the health department said. Those eligible in the second stage would include people over 50 and household contacts of the immunosuppressed.

The benefits of vaccinating other groups, including young adults who may not have had a second dose yet, will be evaluated at a later date.

Final recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization will be published before September, the statement said. It will consider data from a government-funded trial that is evaluating the effectiveness of different Covid-19 vaccines as booster shots, as well as any new information on the immunity levels from the current inoculation program.

Read more at: UK Covid Booster Vaccine Shots for Vulnerable Groups May Start From September - Bloomberg

Italian US Relations -Tariffs: US duties on oil, wine and pasta put exports at risk

A bottle of prosecco that costs €5-6 a bottle in Italy can cost up to the equivalent of €10-15 at large retailers in the United States. With the application of 100% duty, that price would go up to €20-30. Prosecco exports

Read more at: US duties on oil, wine and pasta put exports at risk - Corriere.it

Coronavirus patents: India, South Africa bid to ban COVID vaccine patents finds few takers in Latin America

In May, India and South Africa called on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to temporarily waive intellectual property (IP) rules related to COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other technologies.

The draft was co-sponsored by more than 60 countries that had warmed up to the idea. It was initially proposed in October last year amid snail-paced vaccine deliveries during the pandemic as rich countries cornered the bulk of the supplies.

Read more at: India, South Africa bid to ban COVID vaccine patents finds few takers in Latin America | Business| Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 28.06.2021

The Netherlands to welcome back Americans today, with little restriction-by Caroline Tanner

As of Thursday, June 24, Americans can travel freely to the Netherlands: no vaccine, negative COVID-19 test or quarantine required upon arrival.

The Dutch government’s decision to expand entry options follows the June 18 announcement by the Council of the European Union to open EU borders to visitors from additional “safe” countries, including the United States, given the low risk of contracting COVID-19.

Read more at: The Netherlands to welcome back Americans today, with little restriction

Delta Plus Coronavirus: As U.S. grapples with Delta variant, India raises alarm over a new COVID strain mutated from it - by Arshad R. Zargar

Doctors and epidemiologists are closely monitoring the rise of yet another coronavirus variant that has been detected in almost a dozen countries, including the U.S. Concern that the so-called Delta Plus variant — a mutation of the now-widespread Delta strain first detected in India — could be more infectious and cause more significant health problems than other variants prompted Indian officials this week to label it a "variant of concern."

Read more at: Delta Plus: As U.S. grapples with Delta variant, India raises alarm over a new COVID strain mutated from it - CBS News

USA: Warren Buffett resigns from Gates Foundation

Warren Buffett is resigning as a trustee from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The announcement comes weeks after the couple announced that they were divorcing after 27 years of marriage but would continue to jointly run the foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. Gates was formerly the world's richest person and his fortune is estimated at well over $100 billion.

Read more at Warren Buffett resigns from Gates Foundation | CBC News

Netherlands to Offer Free-of-Charge COVID-19 Tests for Travellers During July & August

The Dutch Government has announced that 3.5 million COVID-19 tests have been set aside to be made available for everyone planning to travel to the country during July and August.

Read more at: Netherlands to Offer Free-of-Charge COVID-19 Tests for Travellers During July & August - SchengenVisaInfo.com

Insurance: Europe’s Insurers Expect Robust M&A Activity and Strong Earnings in 2021: Moody’s

Europe’s insurance industry is emerging from the coronavirus crisis with a stronger appetite for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), along with expectations for strong earnings growth in 2021, according to Moody’s annual survey of chief financial officers (CFOs) from 21 leading European insurers.

Read more at: Europe’s Insurers Expect Robust M&A Activity and Strong Earnings in 2021: Moody’s

Coronavirus Vaccine: AstraZeneca must deliver 50m doses by September or face fines - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás

A Brussels court on Friday (18 June) ordered AstraZeneca to deliver 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to EU member states by September, in a legal case brought by the European Commission - with both sides claiming victory. <

AstraZeneca is now expected to supply 15 million doses by 26 July, 20 million doses by 23 August, and 15 million doses by 27 September.

Responding to the ruling, the company said it would "substantially exceed" these deliveries by the end of June

Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/152192

Coronsvirus: Brazil exceeds 500,000 COVID-19 deaths

Brazil hit the tragic milestone of half a million COVID deaths on Saturday when it added 2,495 fatalities to its count.

Read more at: Brazil exceeds 500,000 COVID-19 deaths | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 19.06.2021

EU: Coronavirus ′still has the upper hand,′ warns WHO Europe head

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned European countries against becoming complacent in their efforts to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Across the continent, governments have been increasingly easing pandemic-related restrictions as new case numbers in the region continue their downward trend. More social gatherings, sports events and travel across borders are also being permitted.

Read more at: Coronavirus ′still has the upper hand,′ warns WHO Europe head | News | DW | 17.06.2021

EU-US Trade Relations: EU and US make peace on trade before Russia summit - by Andrew Rettman

The EU and US have ended their oldest trade war in a show of transatlantic unity one day before US president Joe Biden meets his Russian counterpart.

The 17-year old trade dispute over subsidies for rival aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus had seen billions of euros of punitive tariffs imposed on other products, such as tobacco and spirits.

But these will now be lifted for a provisional period of five years, while a special trade council will monitor compliance on state aid for the air firms. The move still left in place t

Read more at: EU and US make peace on trade before Russia summit

USA: U.S. Republicans vow to oppose Yellen’s G7 tax deal, casting doubt on its future - by David Morgan and David Lawder

Several top U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday rejected Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s G7 deal to impose a global minimum corporate tax and allow more countries to tax big multinational firms, raising questions about the U.S. ability to implement a broader global agreement.

The opposition from Republicans may push President Joe Biden to attempt to use budget procedures to pass the initiatives with only Democratic votes.

Read more at: U.S. Republicans vow to oppose Yellen’s G7 tax deal, casting doubt on its future | Reuters

Vaccines: COVID-19 Vaccines Are Better Than We Ever Expected

Amid a global tragedy, the striking effectiveness of vaccines against the coronavirus stands out as one of the pandemic’s few good-news stories for humanity.

And the vaccines are the success story that, so far, has kept on going. Vaccinations are proving to be just as effective in the real world as they were in clinical trials, while remaining highly protective against the more contagious variants spreading worldwide. And two recent studies found that immunity to the virus could last for years.

Read more at: COVID-19 Vaccines Are Better Than We Ever Expected

Bitcoin skids to two-week low, but technical analyst says the slump is not a ‘decisive breakdown’ — she’s watching the next two closes

Bitcoin was under fresh selling pressure Tuesday, dragging the world’s No. 1 cryptocurrency to lows not seen since late May. At least one technical analyst, though, says the slump doesn’t represent a decisive breakdown of the bitcoin uptrend unless and until the asset registers weaker closes today and tomorrow.

Read more at: Bitcoin skids to two-week low, but technical analyst says the slump is not a ‘decisive breakdown’ — she’s watching the next two closes - MarketWatch

G7 agree to back 15% global minimum corporate tax rate, more taxes for tech giants

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed Saturday to support a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15% in order to deter multinational companies from avoiding taxes by stashing profits in low-rate countries.

Read more at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/taxes/2021/06/05/g-7-nations-support-15-global-minimum-tax-corporations-tech-giants/7560398002/

Coronavurus: Virus variants in Asia threaten the whole world

If the new rotation government headed by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett ultimately gets sworn in (still a big if), it would be the first time since 2015 that the ultra-Orthodox parties were not part of the ruling coalition. It would be the first time Israel has a prime minister who wears a yarmulke (though in the tradition of a certain type of Orthodox Jew, Bennett’s is very small).