A woman runs along Millennium Bridge backdropped by the Shard and Tower Bridge in London, Britain, on Feb 1, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]
The United Kingdom made a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday. A move that is understandable given it has snubbed its largest trade partner and there are enormous benefits to be gained from the membership of the 11-country free trade deal.
Announcing the move on Monday, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the agreement would mean lower tariffs for car manufacturers and whisky producers. It would also create high-value jobs, help rebuild the global trading system, and position Britain at the heart of some of the world s fastest-growing economies .
Mr Leth, of Greenland’s largest private firm Polar Seafood, said an agreement would help slash the price of cod and keep fish and chips on the menu in Britain. And he insisted a new UK-Greenland trade pact would help the Arctic state fight back against Brussels.
He also accused Eurocrats of attempting to squeeze Greenland into signing an inferior deal after losing its main consumer within the bloc, the UK. Mr Leth said: “We were pushed quite hard to make a fisheries agreement with the EU many years ago as a condition to have access to their market.
But now, the biggest market within that, the UK, has disappeared. We should be paying less money for access but it is the same cost.
N.Y. Has Fewest Cases Since December; Merkel’s Vow: Virus Update Bloomberg 2/1/2021
(Bloomberg)
The U.S. recorded more than 95,500 Covid-related deaths in January, the worst monthly total since the pandemic began, though fatalities this month are expected to be lower. A major snowstorm forced New York City to halt vaccinations for two days.
Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to offer all Germans a vaccine by the end of September, even if new shots aren’t approved. Europe’s largest economy will have sufficient supplies to stand by its target despite delivery delays, she said after crisis talks with pharmaceutical executives, regional German leaders and European Commission officials.
The Government has ordered an extra 40 million doses of the Valneva Covid-19 vaccine which is being manufactured in Scotland. The move means 100 million doses of Valneva have now been put on order, enough for every adult in the UK, with the latest batch earmarked for delivery in 2022. The Government has also retained options over a further 90 million doses for supply between 2023 and 2025. Valneva said the total value of the entire order was up to 1.4 billion euro (£1.24 billion). The vaccine is still in clinical trials, with the early-stage phase 1/2 study expected to read out within the next three months. The jab is expected to be given as two doses and is being made at a site in West Lothian, with the Government saying the new deal “will bolster long-term vaccine production in Scotland”.