Joe Biden shows toughness
The
new US President Joe Biden has not yet really been tested in
foreign and security policy
.
But he already signals to the bad guys of this world that he is quite willing to show hardship.
During the night,
on the orders of the President
,
US fighter jets
bombed a camp in Syria that is used by militias allegedly supported by Iran.
It was the first military strike under Biden's leadership.
The attack follows an attack a few days ago: the militia attacked a
US base in
Iraq
with rockets, killing an American and injuring other people in the facility.
Almost at the same time, Biden makes a first attempt
to rebalance
the relationship between the
US and
Saudi Arabia
.
The rulers in Riyadh had always been treated like best friends by his predecessor Donald Trump, despite numerous serious human rights violations.
Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman
, the de facto ruler, was courted by Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Icon: enlarge
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was courted by Washington when Donald Trump was in office
Photo: Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS
This should obviously end: Biden waited a long time before he was ready to call Riyadh for the first time after taking office.
And: He did not speak to the Crown Prince, but to his elderly father,
King Salman
.
In the conversation with the king, Biden had reaffirmed the importance that the US
attaches to
human rights and the rule of law
, it was said afterwards - in Trump's reign such tones were hardly heard from Washington.
Biden is also likely to continue to treat Saudi Arabia as an ally.
But the new US government wants to have as little as possible to do with Crown Prince bin Salman.
The US secret services hold him responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate general in Istanbul.
The Biden government plans to publish the services' report on this soon.
The Trump administration had so far kept the document secret to protect the Crown Prince.
He can no longer hope for so much consideration.
US President Biden: Telephone conversation with the Saudi King
Merkel and the incidence 35
When two things don't really go together, one speaks of a dilemma.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and the prime ministers of the federal states are currently experiencing this.
Before their
Corona summit
on March 3, they have to think about how they can bring two opposing developments under one roof: On the one hand, there is a growing
longing for relaxation of the Corona measures
in the population and in the economy
.
On the other hand, the
notorious incidences are
stagnating or
rising in many regions
.
Chancellor Merkel
has so far stuck to the fact that there should only be loosening, for example in retail, from a stable seven-day incidence value of below 35 corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
She could now slowly but surely say goodbye to this position, there is a rethinking, reports the news agency Reuters.
One of the reasons: The pressure from several federal states on this issue is becoming too strong.
Icon: enlarge
Angela Merkel wants to proceed very carefully with possible opening steps
Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP
In fact, Merkel said at the
EU summit
on the corona pandemic that it should be checked "whether we can work out a buffer through more testing with these self-tests, so that the
incidence
can go slightly higher than 35".
This check should be done "thoroughly".
So is something really moving?
In the federal states, they have been thinking in this direction for some time.
The prime ministers do
not
want to make
easing
dependent on
the incidence value alone
, but also take other factors into account.
For example the
infection rate among the elderly, the R value or the occupancy of intensive care beds
.
The idea behind it: If the number of severe cases in a region falls, because more and more old people are vaccinated, it can also be opened at higher overall incidences.
With more rapid tests, it would also be possible to ensure that the infections do not rise again immediately after opening.
Should this concept prevail at the Bund-Länder summit next week, Merkel's magical 35 would soon be history.
Corona situation in Flensburg and Emden: Municipalities are fighting against B.1.1.7 - with varying degrees of success
Von der Leyen promises more vaccinations
After the series of bankruptcies and mishaps in Brussels, there are certainly some people who have given up believing overly full-bodied announcements by the
EU Commission
regarding Covid-19.
Commission head
Ursula von der Leyen
continues to exercise optimism.
What else can you do?
Now she finds out that they are well on the way to being able to offer vaccinations to 70 percent of adults in the international community by the end of the summer.
That would be
255 million people
, announced von der Leyen after the consultations at the
EU pandemic summit
.
Icon: enlarge
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen relies on rapid vaccinations
Photo: POOL / REUTERS
In terms of
"Green Passport"
for vaccinated there are in the EU probably tentative progress.
The common vaccination card system, which is supposed to make travel easier, could be ready for use in three months, i.e. for the summer season.
EU Council President
Charles Michel
said that the 27 states are getting closer and closer in their ideas.
Each country would then decide for itself which rights are linked to the common document.
In other words: If, for example, Greece allows entry for vaccinated persons from Germany, it could be sufficient to show the new vaccination pass on the mobile phone.
The EU summit continues today (virtually).
Then the EU heads of state and government want to advise on more independence of the community in security and defense policy.
Race between British and Germans: who will be the first to throw his towel on Mallorca's loungers?
Winner of the day ...
Icon: enlarge
Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EPA
... is the spokeswoman for the
US House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi
.
Since Donald Trump is no longer president, the Democrat can be seen more relaxed, sometimes even joking.
Now a Republican senator has been the subject of their ridicule.
In connection
with the attack on the Capitol on January 6th,
Ron Johnson
had spread the conspiracy myth that it was not Trump supporters but left-wing provocateurs who were responsible for the attack.
So many in Washington shook their heads.
Above all Pelosi.
She called the MP now "Don Johnson", after one of the main actors in the TV series
"Miami Vice"
from the 1980s.
Then she added, jokingly, “What's his real name, Don or Ron?
Oh, I'll just say: the Senator. "
The latest news from the night
Trump supporters want to "blow up the Capitol", according to the chief of police:
Members of the militias who were present in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 are apparently playing with the idea of a terrorist attack.
The occasion has already been determined, says the acting chief of the responsible police
US Army attacks facilities of pro-Iranian fighters in Syria:
After the rocket attacks last week on positions used by the USA in Iraq, the US military launched a counter-attack: The target was facilities of pro-Iranian militias in Syria
Woelki's crisis management when dealing with abuse was a "disaster":
The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, sharply criticized Cardinal Woelki from Cologne.
Bätzing himself - as well as other dignitaries - has to defend himself against accusations
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I wish you a good start to the day.
Your Roland Nelles
