Foreign affairs updates 07-07-2021

Pfizer vs. Delta: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine showed reduced performance against the delta variant of the coronavirus compared to other strains, a new I

Foreign affairs updates

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• Pfizer vs. Delta: Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine showed reduced performance against the delta variant of the coronavirus compared to other strains, a new Israeli study has found. The vaccine was found to be 64 percent effective against infection, a drop from the 94 percent efficacy against previous variants. The study suggested a stronger protection—93 percent efficacy—against serious illness and hospitalization. Both Pfizer and Israeli health authorities have cautioned that the findings were based on preliminary data.
• The new Big Five: The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday canceled a cloud-computing contract with Microsoft which would have eventually been worth $10 billion. The move puts an end to a legal challenge brought by Amazon, which contended that the company was not considered fairly in the bidding process in part because of then-President Donald Trump’s animosity toward Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Pentagon will instead separate the cloud program previously known as Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) into smaller parts in a renamed Joint Warfighter Cloud Capability. The move now means that Silicon Valley’s five cloud computing giants—Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle—could all potentially win contracts with the program.
• Iran nuclear worries: Iran began the process of making enriched uranium metal, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on 6th July, a move which the United States called “an unfortunate step backwards” while France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said the process fulfilled “no credible civilian need.” Development of uranium metal was banned under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal due to its use in the core of a nuclear weapon. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative at indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations in Vienna noted Iran’s breach of the deal on Twitter while offering a reminder that Biden’s failure to lift Trump-era sanctions on Iran also constitutes a breach. Ulyanov said another round of Vienna talks and a full restoration of the deal was the “only way out of this vicious circle.”
• Four days work week: A large-scale trial of a four-day workweek in Iceland proved an “overwhelming success” according to the authors of a new report which analyzed worker productivity and wellbeing over a 2017-2019 trial period. The study, which involved the participation of 2,500 people—or 1 percent of Iceland’s working population—found that productivity largely remained the same or improved across participating industries while workers were able to exercise more, reduce stress, take care of errands, and spend more time with their families. Some workplaces even found an increase in applicants when a four-day workweek was mentioned in job advertisements.
• KBS in Washington: Prince Khalid bin Salman—Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, son of King Salman, and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—visited Washington. Prince Khalid, a former ambassador to Washington, is the highest profile member of the Saudi royal family to visit since President Biden took office in January '21. A declassified U.S. intelligence report released in February found that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered Khashoggi’s killing, however Biden avoided placing direct sanctions on the de facto Saudi leader.

 

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