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U.S.-China sparring, Europe vaccine chaos: Weekend Reads

March 20, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden called on Congress to send him new legislation on hate crimes and for Americans to "change our hearts" to combat racially motivated attacks on Asian Americans, following the shooting murders of eight people in the Atlanta area.

Top diplomats from the U.S. and China held their first meeting since Biden's administration took office, with the talks failing to end in any agreements.

Countries including Germany and France banned and then reinstated AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, causing even more problems for the stuttering inoculation campaign in Europe. 

And Tanzania's Covid-denying president — who urged people to heal themselves from the virus with prayer — died.

Dig deeper into these and other topics with this edition of Weekend Reads. — Rosalind Mathieson

Protesters after the shootings in Atlanta.

Photographer: Megan Varner/Getty Images

Click here for this week's most compelling political images and tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.

How Europe Injected More Doubt Into a Vaccine the World Needs
The week started with Germany and other European nations suspending AstraZeneca Covid-19 shots and ended with countries restarting them. But, as Stephanie Baker, Ania Nussbaum, Arne Delfs and Suzi Ring lay out, the damage may be done.

  • Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was vaccinated on Thursday against the virus, has tested positive for Covid-19.

U.S. and China Must Figure Out What's Next After Talks Clear Air
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials traded acrimony and accusations over two days of talks in Anchorage, Alaska, that both sides hope will clear the air. Nick Wadham explains the hard work that lies ahead.

Drought Is the U.S. West's Next Big Climate Disaster
Much of the U.S. West is facing the driest spring in seven years, setting up a climate crisis that could strangle agriculture, fuel deadly wildfires and even hurt power production. Brian K Sullivan, Michael Hirtzer, Kim Chipman and Marvin G Perez look at how global warming is exacerbating the problem.

A dried-out lake near the Navajo Nation town of Thoreau, New Mexico. 

Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

Economy Poses Netanyahu's Main Challenge as Crisis Fades
Top contenders in Israel's vote next week have shared few details of their plans to tackle widespread unemployment, raising questions about how nearly a fifth of the workforce will find jobs. Ivan Levingston examines what yet another inconclusive election result might mean for policy making.

Kids as Prey Spur U.S. Outrage, Bid to Cut Social Media's Shield
Targets of online exploitation and harassment say they face indifference from platforms that operate under the protection of a decades-old U.S. law that limits liability for content their users post online. Todd Shields writes that child advocates and families are now demanding change. 

  • Read how the modern American political apology is in a precarious state due to polarization, faster-than-ever news cycles and a new shamelessness among the political class.

Venezuelan Immigrants Get a Lifeline From Chile Start-Up
Many Venezuelans who fled to Chile in recent years, as their homeland descended into chaos and hunger, have degrees yet are unable to work in their profession or even raise funds for a deposit to rent an apartment. As Philip Sanders explains, that is where start-up Migrante comes in.

Venezuelan migrants walk along a highway after crossing from Bolivia to Chile on Feb. 17.

Photographer: Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

China Targets Jack Ma's Empire, But Chairman Rabbit Thrives
As China moves to strip media outlets from Jack Ma's Alibaba Group, authorities are allowing several patriotic upstarts to blossom in one of the world's most restrictive media spaces. Colum Murphy, Jing Li and Lucille Liu look at the rise of Harvard University-educated princeling Ren Yi, better known on social media as Chairman Rabbit.

Putin fired back on Thursday at Biden's accusation he's a killer. He also insisted the U.S. will have to take Russia's interests into account even as the leaders trade insults.

Trump Fortune Falls to $2.3 Billion as Covid and Riot Hit Empire
Donald Trump upended the American presidency after stepping away from the company that made him rich and famous. As he returns to his empire four years later, Sophie Alexander, Max Abelson and Andre Tartar explain, what he finds may upend him.

Tanzania's Next Leader to Face Predecessor's Covid Denialism
The successor to deceased President John Magufuli, whose unorthodox response to the pandemic drew international consternation, faces the task of fixing Tanzania's virus response. Fumbuka Ng'Wanakilala explains how Samia Suluhu Hassan could be very different to a leader whose abrasive style earned him the tag 'The Bulldozer.'

Newspapers announcing the death of Magufuli in Dar es Salaam on March 18.

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Jobs for Saudis Is Crown Prince's Generational Challenge
Job creation is a big domestic challenge for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he reshapes an economy reliant on exported oil and imported labor. As Vivian Nereim outlines, high unemployment risks impoverishing a middle class previously cushioned by state spending — and things are set to get worse.

And finally ... A small but growing number of research organizations, universities and at least one European government have started war gaming the gritty geopolitical implications of a globe dominated by green energy. Marc Champion looks at the challenge of mapping out how clean energy might change the world.

Smoke and steam billows from a state-owned steel plant in Hebei, China.

Photographer: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images AsiaPac


 
 

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