The EconomistJanuary 30th 2021 7For our latest coverage of the
virus please visit economist.com/
coronavirus or download the
Economist app.The world this week Politics
The spectre of vaccine nation-
alismstalked Europe as a row
erupted between Britain and
the European Commission
over supply of the Astra-
Zeneca-Oxford vaccine. Be-
cause of manufacturing pro-
blems at one of its European
factories, AstraZeneca has said
it will deliver less to theeu
than it had planned in the
coming months. The commis-
sion wants some of the short-
fall to be made up with vaccine
allotted for Britain. That risks
breaching contractual obliga-
tions. But there are threats
from the euthat if AstraZeneca
does not agree, then supplies
to Britain of other vaccines
made in Europe, in particular
the Pfizer jab, may be affected.Large protests took place in
Moscow and many other Rus-
sian cities, following the arrest
of Russia’sleading opposition
figure, Alexei Navalny. There
were thousands of arrests.
More rallies are planned. The
situation may come to a head
when Mr Navalny appears in
court on February 2nd.Giuseppe Conte, the prime
minister of Italy, tendered his
resignation after losing his
majority in the Senate. The
country’s president, Sergio
Mattarella, embarked on a
round of consultations to see if
a new government can be
formed, under Mr Conte or
someone else. If not, a snap
election may have to be called,
though this will be the presi-
dent’s last resort.Rioting broke out across the
Netherlands after the govern-
ment imposed a national
curfew, the first since the Nazi
occupation, to curb the spread
of covid-19. Shops were looted
and cars set on fire.In Mali, French and Malian
troops have killed more than
100 jihadists this month during
an offensive in the north of the
country. Mali has been battling
jihadists since 2012.Muhammadu Buhari, the
president of Nigeria, replaced
the country’s highest military
leaders amid mounting criti-
cism of his government’s
response to a jihadist insur-
gency in the north-east.Three senior government
officials in Zimbabwe died
after contracting covid-19.
Among them was Sibusiso
Moyo, the foreign minister,
who became the face of a coup
in 2017 that toppled Robert
Mugabe. In Tanzania President
John Magufuli falsely de-
scribed covid-19 vaccines as
dangerous and instructed his
government not to rush to
order them.The Biden administration
announced that it would re-
store diplomatic relations with
thePalestiniansand resume
sending aid, reversing Donald
Trump’s punitive approach.
The new government also
reaffirmed America’s support
for a two-state solution to the
conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians.Protests continued in Tunisia.
Demonstrators are angry about
a lack of jobs and police brutal-
ity. The parliament approved a
cabinet reshuffle aimed at
calming the unrest, but Presi-
dent Kais Saied indicated that
he would reject the new min-
isters, saying some have con-
flicts of interest and noting the
absence of women.Canada’sgovernor-general,
Julie Payette, resigned after
allegations that she had verbal-
ly abused her employees. Ms
Payette, a former astronaut,
was the Canadian representa-
tive of Queen Elizabeth, Cana-
da’s head of state.The farc, which fought a
52-year guerrilla war against
the Colombian state until 2016
and then became a political
party, changed its name to theCommon People’s Party, or
Comunes. Many Colombians
blame the group for a war that
killed perhaps 220,000 and
displaced 7m. Comunes will be
“the party of peace, reconcilia-
tion and love for life”, tweeted
its spokesman.Carlos Holmes Trujillo, Colom-
bia’sdefence minister, died
with covid-19. He was seen as a
possible successor to the presi-
dent, Iván Duque. Mexico’s
president, Andrés Manuel
López Obrador, and the coun-
try’s richest man, Carlos Slim,
also contracted the disease.Chineseand Indiantroops
again clashed on the border
between the two countries, in
the Indian state of Sikkim. Last
year the two sides skirmished
repeatedly on the fringes of the
Indian part of Kashmir.Farmers protesting against
free-market reforms stormed
the Red Fort inDelhi, prompt-
ing widespread condemna-
tion. Hundreds of thousands of
protesters have been camped
around India’s capital city
since November.The prime minister of
Mongoliaresigned after prot-
ests against the treatment of a
new mother with covid-19 at a
government hospital, and over
the broader handling of the
pandemic. A close ally from
the ruling Mongolian People’s
Party has taken the job.Only five Republican senators
joined Democrats in a vote that
will allow the impeachment
trialof Donald Trump to pro-
ceed. The lack of support from
Republicans suggests that the
two-thirds majority required
in the Senate for a conviction
does not exist. The trial is due
to start on February 9th.Mr Biden issued more exec-
utive orders overturning the
edicts of Mr Trump. Among
them was a reversal of a ban on
transgenderpeople from
serving in the armed forces.
The president also signed a
series of actions to improve
“equity” in policing, prisons
and public housing.CoronavirusbriefsThe cumulative number of
recorded infectionsworld-
wide reached 100m. The true
figure is thought to be much
higher.In Britainthe recorded death
toll passed 100,000, the
world’s fifth-highest and far
ahead of other European
nations. England’s lockdown
will last until at least March
8th. Restrictions at the coun-
try’s borders were tightened.With infections falling,
Cyprusis to ease its lock-
down, allowing schools to
reopen on February 8th.The White House banned
non-American travellers from
South Africa, where a viru-
lent strain of the disease has
been discovered, from enter-
ing the United States.The International Olympic
Committee said that the
postponed games in Tokyo,
scheduled to start on July
23rd, will definitely go ahead.Weeklyconfirmeddeathsbyarea,’To 6am GMT January 28th 2021VaccinationdosesSources: Johns Hopkins University CSSE;
Our World in Data; United NationsTotal Per 100
This week, ’000 ’000 people
Israel 1,200 4,253 49.
UAE 634 2,764 27.
Seychelles 11 21 21.
Britain 2,402 7,639 11.
Bahrain na 144 8.
United States 7,207 23,541 7.
Malta 8 22 5.
Bermuda 2 3 4.
Serbia 145 320 4.
Iceland 7 16 4.3020100
2020 2021Western
EuropeUSOtherLatin
America