A ROMAN TRAVELLING anywhere in the empire from modern-day Carlisle to Damascus was said to have his safety guaranteed by declaring: “Civis Romanus sum.” The Maastricht treaty of 1992 created a similar notion of European citizenship, affording the bearer rights superior to domestic law throughout the bloc, which compel officials, bosses and judges to treat all Europeans as the equals of their compatriots.
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THE VOTE in the House of Commons to approve Britain’s membership of the European Economic Community on October 28th 1971 was greeted with widespread jubilation. The “yes” vote was larger than expected, and it passed with a majority of 112. Leading politicians went off to celebrate in different ways—some to parties, while the famously buttoned-up prime minister, Edward Heath (pictured), returned to Downing Street in a mood of elation and played the first prelude and fugue from Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier”. Читать дальше...
THE TRADE deal that Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, struck on December 24th is better than no deal. That is about the best that can be said for it. It does not cover all of Britain’s trade, nor does it provide stability. An eternity of negotiations lies ahead. Britain’s relationship with the EU will look rather like that of Switzerland, which has spent years battling over details.
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IT IS A ritual almost as frequent and as fleeting as observing the cherry blossoms each year. A new Japanese government pledges to move more public services online. Almost as soon as the promise is made, it falls to the ground like a sad pink petal. In 2001 the government announced it would digitise all its procedures by 2003—yet almost 20 years later, just 7.5% of all administrative procedures can be completed online (see article). Only 7.3% of Japanese applied for any sort of government service online... Читать дальше...
IN 1916 CINCINNATI decided to construct a magnificent new subway system. After decades of cock-ups it was abandoned in 1948, and today there are two miles of tunnels beneath the city that have never been used. That cautionary tale is still relevant. Politicians everywhere are calling for more infrastructure spending (see article). Yet few industries have a worse record of coming through on time and on budget. If the incipient boom is to produce better results, governments and firms must learn to adopt best practice from around the world. Читать дальше...
THE WINTER solstice may have passed, but in the land of covid-19 the nights are still growing longer. In recent weeks two variants of the coronavirus have spread with ferocious speed in Britain and South Africa. They have mutations that make them a lot more contagious. Although, so far, they do not seem to be any deadlier, for every ten people that older variants would infect in Britain the new one infects 15. Early data suggest that the South African variant burns just as fiercely.
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The tale of Eastern Airlines
Bartleby summarised a new book by David Bodanis on fairness in business (December 12th). The column narrated the story of Eastern Airlines by describing it as a corporation built by Eddie Rickenbacker, “who had granted mechanics a 40-hour week, profit-related pay and a pension”, but “when Frank Lorenzo took over the company in the 1980s, he cut wages, alienated the staff and pursued a policy of asset-stripping the company. Читать дальше...
On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) became the first senator to officially announce he will formally object to the certification of the Electoral College results when presented to Congress.
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Chloé Véro is harnessing her creativity.
Approximately the same amounts of carbon dioxide and methane gas are released to produce a pound of organic meat and a pound of non-organic meat, according to calculations by a trio of German scientists.
ESPN's top college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said he tested positive for COVID-19 and will call Friday's Sugar Bowl from home. The Sugar Bowl is one of two College Football Playoff semifinals.
Now, 800 devotees can visit Siddhivinayak Temple per hour from January 1
(Telecompaper) Deutsche Telekom's discount brand Congstar is extending the promotion on the the Allnet Flat tariff with 10 GB internet data instead of 5 GB until 10 January...
Chennai City FC's new head coach Satyasagara outlined the importance of promoting the local players that have been brought through the ranks at the club for the upcoming season of the I-League
The fourth Asian Youth Athletics Championships, scheduled to be held in Kuwait City from March 1 to 4, has been postponed to October 2021, the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) said
The Buckeyes have two of the major keys needed to win a national championship in this day and age
January is always a tough month to sign new players and even more so in 2021. What can clubs learn from some of the summer's best deals?
What a rollercoaster of a year it has been for Aston Villa. It was only a few months ago that we were fighting for our lives in a relegation battle, but now we find ourselves 5th in the Premier League with 2 games in hand over many sides. My highlight of 2020 comes in the […]
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It was 'immediately apparent' to firefighters that he was not breathing
A homeless advocacy group in Washington state has been occupying a Travelodge motel since Christmas Eve and is refusing to pay the bill until the city's homeless population is guaranteed free, long-term housing.
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(Telecompaper) Magenta Telekom said that it has started to operate 1,200 mobile sites to provide 5G throughout Austria...
TIER 4 areas now cover three-quarters of England Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced today. But with the rules changing constantly, some Britons are wondering how this affects them. Are gyms and swimming pools open in Tier 4?
