University News
It’s exam session time! From the entire redazione of Tra i Leoni, we wish you good luck with your partials.
As the exam session started, endless queues took place to enter the library on Saturday morning and they are likely to continue this week. Little conundrum: what is the point of staying distanced once inside if we spend 30 min basically hugging each other earlier?
European News
Norway and Denmark suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over worries about blood clots. Although the AstraZeneca vaccine was widely used in the UK without any worth mentioning side effect, it was now suspended in Denmark, Iceland & Norway due to suspected cases of blood clots formation. EMA has immediately discouraged the suspension of the vaccine.
EMA recommended the use of J&J’s vaccine. The Janssen vaccine, developed by the American pharma company, became the 4th being authorized by the Commission upon EMA’s recommendation. This is the first vaccine for which only one shot is needed.
Novavax vaccine is 96% effective against original coronavirus and 86% effective against the British variant. A further vaccine candidate is Novavax that, according to the final analysis of the UK trials, performed greatly against both Covid-19 and its main variant.
World News
Hong Kong: China approves ‘patriotic’ plan to control elections. China’s legislature has approved a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system – it’s latest move to tighten control over the city. This will reduce democratic participation and allow a pro-Beijing panel to vet and elect candidates.
Myanmar’s military accuses Suu Kyi of taking $600,000 and gold. The allegation is the strongest yet levelled by the military since it overthrew Ms Suu Kyi and the country’s democratic leadership on February 1st. No evidence was provided. For the past five weeks, protesters have taken the streets to fight against the military’s control. So far, more than 60 civilians have been killed by security forces for protesting.
Covid-19: Brazil surge reaches new level as daily deaths pass 2,000. The country has the second highest death toll in the world, behind the US. Experts warn the transmission rate is made worse by more contagious variants. President Bolsonaro has downplayed the threat from the virus. Earlier this week, he told people to “stop whining”. On Wednesday, the country recorded 79,876 new cases, the third highest number in a single day.
US grants Venezuelan migrants temporary protected status. The US government is granting Venezuelan migrants who are living in the US temporary protected status (TPS). The decision will allow hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans the chance to stay and work legally in the United States. It will apply to those already residing in the US as of March 8, 2021 and will be in effect for 18 months.
Notizie Italiane
Enrico Letta è il nuovo segretario del PD. Dopo le dimissioni dell’ex segretario Nicola Zingaretti, Enrico Letta è stato nominato leader del Partito Democratico nel corso dell’assemblea tenutasi ieri con 860 voti favorevoli, 2 contrari e 4 astenuti. Le sue prime parole: “Il fatto che io sia qui, e uno una Segretaria donna, come avrebbe potuto essere il caso, dimostra che noi del PD abbiamo un problema”.
Il nuovo piano vaccinale nazionale è stato presentato. Il Commissario straordinario Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, recentemente nominato da Draghi in sostituzione di Domenico Arcuri, ha esplicitato il nuovo obiettivo della campagna vaccinale: immunizzare l’80% della popolazione italiana entro fine settembre, e farlo somministrando almeno 500 mila dosi al giorno. Come farcela? E’ spiegato in una presentazione da 25 slides.
