George Soros has called for countries including Germany and the Netherlands to “think again” and consider his proposal that the EU should issue perpetual bonds to fund the two trillion Euros needed to tackle COVID-19 and climate change. The financier and philanthropist says these threats are the “crisis of my lifetime” that “endangers the survival…
5 months ago UK Labour lost a general election with a landslide defeat. Remarkably, under their new leader Sir Keir Starmer, they look as though they could reverse their catastrophic decline under Corbyn. In his first television broadcast responding to the Prime Minister’s statement on Sunday night about how the UK will emerge from lockdown,…
The Commission has invited Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to extend the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU for another 30 days, until 15 June. While some EU and Schengen Associated States are taking preliminary steps towards easing the measures for fighting the spread of the pandemic, the situation remains fragile…
Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Prime Minister of Mongolia by John Grogan, Chairman of the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce On the evening of Saturday 25th January I organised the annual Burns supper in Ulaanbaatar where the night-time temperature can drop to -40c. A piper from Glasgow dressed in a kilt and fortified by the finest Scotch whisky…
As we move into the next stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across Europe are beginning to ease their respective lockdowns, and this is causing challenges to all of our communities as it is an experience unprecedented in recent human history. But there are examples of how to reopen, and reopen safely. In recent weeks,…
The UK Government has faced calls for greater transparency over the scientific advice given to ministers on the coronavirus outbreak. The calls came after it was revealed that the Prime Minister’s top aide, Dominic Cummings, had been attending meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Ministers have said they are following ‘the best…
A new opinion poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of British citizens want any coronavirus contact-tracing app to take account of civil liberties and people’s privacy. The Survation poll for the Open Knowledge Foundation has found widespread support for the introduction of a contact-tracing app in the UK at 65 per cent, but 90…
Yesterday 4th May, the Commission registered €7.4 billion, equivalent to $8 billion, in pledges from donors worldwide during the Coronavirus Global Response pledging event. This includes a pledge of €1.4 billion by the Commission. This almost reaches the initial target of €7.5 billion and is a solid starting point for the worldwide pledging marathon, which begins today….
Today 29th April is International Dance Day and a Finnish folk dance group is showing how you can fight COVID-19 with polka. At the moment most of the world is in lockdown mode, but the Finnish folk dance group Polokkarit has found a way to combine dancing and social distancing. Ever since Finland introduced official…
Are you among the many who are getting restless with the seemingly never-ending confinement? If so, that is perfectly understandably and a feeling that will be shared by people everywhere. But spare a thought also for those whose jobs are directly on the line during the terrible health crisis. One of the sectors worst hit by…
