Political and General News Events from March 8 nationalpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
there’s the credibility of the 25 years the consultancy has taken in building its own brand.
The Global Soft Power Index is a comprehensive research study into perceptions of nations as brands. The 2021 index has a different component to previous versions. A twenty per cent weighting has been given to the management of Covid.
Spain was sixteenth in the 2020 index. The country has fallen to twenty-second. The reason? A “terrible perception” of the response to the virus, with below average ratings for the three aspects of this - economic, health and international aid.
It isn’t all bad news, as Spain rates well in terms of, for example, a commitment to environmental protection, but the Covid element has contributed to Spain’s reputation and influence being looked upon negatively by some other European countries - Belgium, France, Italy, Norway and Poland.
King Felipe VI with Queen Letizia (Image: GETTY)
By contrast Britain has vaccinated 31 percent of its population.
There is fury across the EU at the sluggish pace of vaccine rollout, with the European Commission being accused of failing to order of vaccines that had a realistic shot at regulator approval.
A number of European countries, including Germany, Italy and Poland, have refused to authorise the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for those aged over 65.
French President Emmanuel Macron falsely claimed the British jab is “quasi-ineffective” for older age groups.
Queen Letizia and King Felipe appear after 2014 inauguration
Initial data from the UK suggests the vaccine is highly effective at preventing death and serious illness for all age groups.
- This diary is filed daily. Indicates new events - WEDNESDAY, MAR. 03 LONDON – OPEC + key ministers meet amid oil price recovery (to Mar.4). ISTANBUL – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will meet with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani and hold a joint news conference – 1030 GMT. OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne speak to reporters about the COVID-19 pandemic – 1630 GMT. BELGRADE – EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak visits Serbia, meets top officials including President Aleksandar Vucic – 1700 GMT.
KYIV/CHIȘINAU/TBILISI – President of the European Council Charles Michel will travel to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia (Final Day) BERLIN – 71st Berlin International Film Festival (to Mar. 5). NUR-SULTAN – President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov will make an official visit to Kazakhstan. (Final Day). LISBON �