The Economist Continental Europe Edition June 12, 2021

The numbers of new cases and deaths are steadily falling, according to the World Health Organisation, with “marked declines” in Europe and South-East Asia. But infections in Africa are rising. Unicef stepped up its campaign ahead of the G7 meeting to persuade rich countries to donate more vaccines to poor ones. Joe Biden was ready to donate 500m doses of the Pfizer jab. Japan sent 1.2m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan to help fill a shortage. Chinese officials were quick to condemn the move for what they see as turning vaccine assistance into “a tool of political self-interest”. Taiwan accuses China of obstructing its attempts to buy the Pfizer jab. In England 80% of adults were estimated to have antibodies against covid-19, either through vaccination or having had the disease. → For…

Politics The leaders of the g7 countries headed to the Cornish resort of Carbis Bay for a summit, their first in two years and the first for Joe Biden as America’s president. Ahead of the summit G7 finance ministers met in London, where they proposed the biggest shake-up of corporate tax since the 1920s, backing a minimum global rate of at least 15% and a clampdown on companies that park profits in tax havens. But the proposals will need the support of other countries and will be a hard sell in China and India, among other places. Democrats had to rethink their plan to pass comprehensive legislation on electoral reform, known as the For the People Act, when Joe Manchin, a Democratic senator from West Virginia, said he would not support it…

Politics The leaders of the g7 countries headed to the Cornish resort of Carbis Bay for a summit, their first in two years and the first for Joe Biden as America’s president. Ahead of the summit G7 finance ministers met in London, where they proposed the biggest shake-up of corporate tax since the 1920s, backing a minimum global rate of at least 15% and a clampdown on companies that park profits in tax havens. But the proposals will need the support of other countries and will be a hard sell in China and India, among other places. Democrats had to rethink their plan to pass comprehensive legislation on electoral reform, known as the For the People Act, when Joe Manchin, a Democratic senator from West Virginia, said he would not…

The numbers of new cases and deaths are steadily falling, according to the World Health Organisation, with “marked declines” in Europe and South-East Asia. But infections in Africa are rising. Unicef stepped up its campaign ahead of the G7 meeting to persuade rich countries to donate more vaccines to poor ones. Joe Biden was ready to donate 500m doses of the Pfizer jab. Japan sent 1.2m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan to help fill a shortage. Chinese officials were quick to condemn the move for what they see as turning vaccine assistance into “a tool of political self-interest”. Taiwan accuses China of obstructing its attempts to buy the Pfizer jab. In England 80% of adults were estimated to have antibodies against covid-19, either through vaccination or having had…

AS THE WORLD economy wakes back up, shortages and price spikes are affecting everything from the supply of Taiwanese chips to the cost of a French breakfast. As we explain this week, one kind of bottleneck deserves special attention: the supply-side problems, such as scarce metals and land constraints, that threaten to slow the green-energy boom (see Briefing). Far from being transitory, these bottlenecks risk becoming a recurring feature of the world economy for years to come because the shift to a cleaner energy system is still only in its infancy. Governments must respond to these market signals, facilitating a huge private-sector investment boom over the next decade that increases capacity. If they don’t, they stand little chance of keeping their promises to reach “net-zero” emissions. Scientists and activists have worried…

IMAGINE AN INVESTMENT that would earn a return of 17,900% in four years. Better yet, the initial outlay would be easily affordable. Who on Earth would pass up such an opportunity? The answer, it seems, is the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), a club of rich democracies which holds its annual summit this week. By failing to act fast enough to inoculate the world against covid-19, they are passing up the deal of the century. That is not just economically foolish, it is a moral failure and a diplomatic disaster, too. On the face of things, the G7 is the very picture of concern. Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister and the host of the summit, wants it to come up with 1bn doses of vaccine to donate. America alone plans…