FAZ newsletter: Fight against Corona-Muante B.1.1.7

B.they are late at night Heads of State and Government of the EU yesterday over discussed a joint strategy to contain the corona mutant B.1.1.7 discovered in Great Britain, which is considered to be significantly more contagious than the original strain. How urgent the problem is is shown by the high number of infections in Ireland: The country has been leading the corona statistics based on its population for weeks, the Prime Minister spoke of an “infection tsunami”. After the Netherlands, for example, had already decided single-handedly to discontinue flight connections to the United Kingdom, it was now a matter of coordinating a European approach to travel restrictions. Read here what the heads of state and government have agreed on.

A could also prove to be helpful in the fight against B.1.1.7 and another mutant that was discovered in South Africa novel test prove, which promises to detect the variants without complex gene sequencing in positive PCR tests. My colleague Heike Schmoll reports.

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Another debate about Nord Stream 2

Does the poison attack on the Russian opposition politician Alexej Navalnyj still have consequences for the already controversial gas pipeline Nord Stream 2? The European Parliament After Navalnyi’s arrest in Russia yesterday, a large majority spoke out in favor of further sanctions against Russia and urged the Member States to prevent the natural gas pipeline. The decision on this is up to the member states. Germany has so far stuck to the project, Chancellor Merkel did not speak out against it yesterday either. But she wants to talk to the American President Joe Biden, who like his predecessor is against the project. The Germans’ adherence to the Nord Stream 2 “may be seen by some as a sign of national sovereignty,” comments FAZ editor Berthold Kohler. “The Kremlin, it is feared, rates such behavior rather than Consequence of dependence without alternative. “

Biden’s first days of office

The conversation with the Chancellor about Nord Stream 2 is likely to be just one point of many for the new American President Joe Biden these days. The first phone call with a foreign head of state should start with today Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeauas announced by the White House. In his own country, he is mainly concerned with the corona pandemic: Yesterday evening, he posted its 200 pages national Covid strategy before: In his first 100 days in office, he wants to have hundreds of million vaccine doses administered and increase the production of protective masks. Those who enter the United States should also initially be in corona quarantine. “Things will get worse before they get better,” Biden said in a speech. The number of deaths in the United States is likely to exceed 500,000 next month.

A look back at the inauguration and the appearance of the Poet Amanda Gorman Meanwhile, my colleague Sandra Kegel throws: She is investigating why the words of the 22-year-old moved the world.

And otherwise? The CDU announces the result of the postal vote for its new chairman Armin Laschet. The verdict against several men in the case of people smuggling and manslaughter in 39 cases is expected in London: In 2019, 39 people from Vietnam were found dead in a truck. The family’s funeral service for the late magician Siegfried Fischbacher takes place in Rosenheim.

The night in brief:

The leading Republican Mitch McConnell does not want to negotiate the impeachment of Donald Trump in the Senate until mid-February. The proposal could also help new President Joe Biden.