Steve McGookinTexas struggles with response to unprecedented weather event
For the people of Texas it has been a week from the dark ages as a slow-rolling catastrophe of power failures played out across a state devastated by deadly winter storms in what could prove to be one of the most costly events in US history.
With millions of people left without heat or water, President Joe Biden signed an emergency declaration in an attempt to alleviate the damage done by the devastating combination of extreme weather and inadequate infrastructure; compounded by political partisanship.
The events of the past week have shown why President Biden will likely need to aim for an adventurous plan on infrastructure spending, once he manages to steer his Covid Relief plan through Congress.
Deaths from the storm continue to mount, and a final total of fatalities will likely not be known for weeks.
* Get the latest from the Texas Tribune here
The reaction from some of the state’s local politicians was found wanting.
In contrast…
On Friday, meanwhile, the US formally rejoined the Paris Climate Accord.
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PM to lay out ‘road map’ for lockdown exit
As the US closed in on half a million Covid-related deaths, the White House expanded the national vaccine effort and announced it was planning to spend $4bn to support Covax, the global effort to distribute vaccines equitably.
In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to lay out his plan for the nation’s – or at least, England’s – way out of lockdown on Monday, with the emphasis on gradually expanding levels of social contact.
Here in Northern Ireland, the current lockdown restrictions imposed after Christmas have been extended until April 1st, although children in P1-P3 are set to return to school on March 8th. Health officials said the plan was to avoid a possible spike around St Patrick’s Day. In the Republic, meanwhile, the current Level 5 restrictions are set to continue until at least the end of April.
See Also:
Catching Your Breath: Lobbying For Lung Health In The Time Of Covid-19
Leaders Need To Lead: The Executive and Covid-19
Life Is Harder Right Now. We Should Be Kinder To Ourselves
The Covid-19 Vaccine Explained
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Opponents of Protocol ramp up the rhetoric
Ahead of a debate on the Northern Ireland Protocol in the House of Commons on Monday, unionist parties opposed to the measure said they were supporting an appeal for judicial review.
But there were also ominous noises from those who say they want the contentious aspect of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to be abandoned.
EU Vice-President Maros Sefcovic met with local business and civic leaders on Thursday. He acknowledged that the introduction of the Protocol had been “administratively extremely challenging” but said it remains the “only solution” to the issues Brexit presents for Ireland.
Meanwhile…
See Also:
The Long Way Home – Finding A Way Through The Brexit Debacle?
Northern Irish Parties And Europe
Reinforcing Northern Ireland’s In-Betweenness
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Facebook faces off Down Under
By imposing a ban on users sharing Australian news in a dispute over proposed regulation, the social media giant appeared to take a gamble by calling the bluff of the Australian government this week, and soon discovered that Australia wasn’t bluffing.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted on his own Facebook page that “Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing.”
“These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behavior of BigTech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them. They may be changing the world, but that doesn’t mean they run it.”
Australia’s proposed new law, which would force both Facebook and Google to reach commercial deals with Australian publishers, is –understandably – being closely watched in other countries.
See Also:
Talking Past Each Other: Social Media in a Changing Northern Ireland
Fake News Report Slams ‘Digital Gangsters’
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Life on Mars?
The biggest-ever search for life on the Red Planet kicked into high gear this week with the spectacular touchdown on the Martian surface of the NASA rover Perseverance.
You can follow the rover on Twitter here:
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