Norway says it will keep supplying fuel to US navy after company calls for boycott

 Norway made clear that it will continue supplying fuel for U.S. Navy ships after a private marine fuel supplier threatened to boycott the U.S. in response to deteriorating U.S.-Ukraine relations.

"We have seen reports raising concerns about support for U.S. Navy vessels in Norway. This is not in line with the Norwegian government's policy," Norway's Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said in a statement Sunday, according to a report from Reuters.

The statement comes after privately held Norwegian fuel supplier Haltbakk Bunkers took to social media Friday and threatened a boycott of the U.S. Navy in response to President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s heated Oval Office exchange.

"Huge credit to the president of Ukraine restraining himself and for keeping calm even though USA put on a backstabbing TV show. It made us sick... No Fuel to Americans!," the company said in a Facebook post that has since been deleted.

The company’s CEO, Gunnar Gran, confirmed to the Norwegian newspaper VG that he had decided not to supply the U.S. military, according to the Reuters report, though the company also acknowledged that the move would only have a "symbolic" impact, since Haltbakk Bunkers does not have a fixed contract with the U.S. government.

The company’s threat comes after a heated exchange in the Oval Office among Trump, Zelenskyy and Vice President JD Vance on Friday, when Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being "disrespectful" to Trump in the White House.

"Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance told Zelenskyy. "Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines, because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for bringing it, to bring it into this country."

Vice President JD Vance, right, speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, as President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov)

Trump then joined the fray after Zelenskyy claimed that the U.S. would feel the war "in the future," an argument the American leader did not appreciate.

"You don't know that," Trump responded. "Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel."

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as U.S. Vice President JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 28, 2025.  (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Photo)

The exchange caused some to express concerns about not only the U.S.'s commitment to Ukraine’s continued war effort but also Trump’s apparent strained relationship with European allies overall.

But Norway, a NATO ally, made clear that the country has no plans to join the threats to cut off the U.S. military.

"American forces will continue to receive the supply and support they require from Norway," Sandvik said.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/norway-keep-supplying-us-navy-fuel-despite-company-boycott-call

Starmer dismisses calls for Trump's state visit to be canceled

 Keir Starmer has dismissed calls for Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK to be cancelled in the wake of his Oval Office row with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The prime minister said he was “not going to be diverted” by those calling for King Charles to withdraw his invitation to the US president.

Starmer handed over a letter from the monarch to Trump when he visited the White House on Thursday.

It is the first time ever that a US president has been granted the honour of a second state visit.

But calls have been growing for the visit to be shelved after Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, ganged up on Zelensky on Friday.

SNP leader John Swinney said: “Right now, given [Friday’s] shocking events, it is hard to believe the visit can happen.”

Shadow home affairs minister Alicia Kearns said: “State visits should be conferred to the most honourable of allies, not to curry favour.

“No state visit should proceed until the steadfastness of the US’s commitment to her allies is assured. His Majesty should not have to carry the weight of Keir’s diplomatic failings.”

Asked about the row on BBC1′s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Starmer said: “I’m not going to be diverted by the SNP or others trying to ramp up the rhetoric without really appreciating what is the single most important thing at stake in Europe.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Kemi Badenoch slapped down Alicia Kearns.

He said: “Personal views of individual MPs are not official Conservative Party positions.

“In practical terms, the state visit is a matter for the King who extended the invitation, and not for MPs. As Kemi said on TV this morning, it is imperative that the UK remains close to America and they don’t disengage from Nato if we are going to get a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey also insisted the state visit should go ahead.

He said: “What we’ve said in the Liberal Democrats all along is that the state visit should be used to secure guarantees for Ukraine.

“Therefore, I think we should use every single card that we have, and I think it should be made clear to the White House that the state visit would be a genuine one, we would welcome him here, but on condition that he steps up, that the US steps up, to work with the UK and Europe to support and defend Ukraine.”

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/keir-starmer-dismisses-calls-donald-111022984.html

Germany weighs special funds for defence and infrastructure, sources say

 The parties in talks to form Germany's new government are considering quickly setting up two special funds potentially worth hundreds of billions of euros, one for defence and a second for infrastructure, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters

Economists advising the parties that will likely form a new government coalition estimate around 400 billion euros ($415 billion) are needed for the defence fund and 400 billion to 500 billion euros for the infrastructure fund, the people said.

Friday's heated White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump increased a sense of urgency in Berlin to act faster on spending for Germany's own defence and for Ukraine, they said.

Senior figures from Germany's conservatives and Social Democrats began exploratory talks on Friday about forming a coalition government in the hope that Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative bloc which came first in last week's election, would form a government by Easter.

But the hope is that the funds would be approved in March during the current parliament before a new government is formed, the people said.

The two special funds are being discussed by three parties - the Christian Democrats (CDU), the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Scholz - and they are working on details, the people said on condition of anonymity.

No final decisions have been made yet, they added.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-03-02/exclusive-germany-weighs-special-funds-for-defence-and-infrastructure-sources-say

Trump says cryptocurrency 'strategic reserve' includes XRP, SOL and ADA

 U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his recent executive order on digital assets directed his team to create "a Crypto Strategic Reserve that includes XRP, SOL, and ADA."

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-03-02/trump-says-cryptocurrency-strategic-reserve-includes-xrp-sol-and-ada

Bessent Says He Sees Inflation Reaching Fed’s 2% Target Quickly

 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he’s confident US consumer price increases will slow over the course of the year after a poll suggested Americans want President Donald Trump to focus more on bringing down inflation.

Bessent defended Trump’s economic plans on CBS News’ Face the Nation, saying the president is seeking “a holistic approach that there will be tariffs, there will be cuts deregulation, there will be cheaper energy” over time.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-02/bessent-says-he-sees-inflation-reaching-fed-s-2-target-quickly

USDA Approval Imminent for H5N1 Bird Flu Vaccine in Cattle

According to a Medgene press release:

Medgene’s H5N1 vaccine for dairy cattle has met all requirements of USDA’s platform technology guidelines and is in the final stages of review for conditional license approval.

Medgene has also just signed a distribution agreement with Elanco Animal Health, which includes “commercialization of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccine for use in dairy cattle.”

According to Mark Luecke, CEO of Medgene:

With our critically important H5N1 vaccine for dairy cattle in the final stages of approval, we’re excited to partner with Elanco to quickly bring this much needed solution to U.S. dairies.

Medgene CTO, Alan Young explains:

We have been working with USDA-CVB who has been reviewing the data for our H5N1 vaccine for several months. We believe our most recent data will completely satisfy the standard for ‘reasonable expectation of efficacy’ and conditional license approval. Vaccines need to be made available quickly to animal owners and veterinarians who need them, so the partnership with Elanco helps to make sure our H5N1 vaccines for dairy cattle can be distributed without delay once the USDA makes a final decision to vaccinate.

The Medgene H5N1 vaccine is a protein-based subunit vaccine developed using the company's “prescription platform technology”. The production process involves a baculovirus expression system in insect cell culture, where only specific viral proteins, such as the hemagglutinin (HA) protein, are generated. The vaccine is created by inserting the H5N1 gene sequence into the platform vector, leading to the production of the target protein, which is then purified, inactivated, and combined with an adjuvant to enhance the immune response.

Mass vaccination of cattle against H5N1 using a non-sterilizing vaccine amid a widespread animal pandemic can lead to serious risks:

• Accelerated Viral Evolution: Non-sterilizing immunity allows the virus to replicate in vaccinated hosts, applying selective pressure that can lead to antigenic escape mutations.

• Increased Risk of Zoonotic Spillover: Mutations under immune pressure could enhance the virus's ability to bind human receptors, raising the risk of cross-species transmission and human infection.

• Silent Reservoirs in Vaccinated Cattle: Subclinical infections in vaccinated cattle could create undetected viral reservoirs, allowing the virus to mutate and circulate without obvious signs of illness.

• Inadequate Testing of Rapidly Updated Vaccines: The prescription platform technology enables quick adaptation of the vaccine, but there is a risk that insufficient testing could fail to catch safety or efficacy issues in new formulations.

For field testing of H5N1 livestock vaccines, the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics has stated:

Studies that are limited to non-viable, non-replicating vaccines do not cause virus shedding. Vaccinated cattle will not transmit virus to other animals, milk, meat, people or into the environment. Therefore, these cattle and their products do not present a risk to human health and will stay in normal production.

In other words, meat and dairy products from cattle vaccinated with the Medgene H5N1 vaccine have likely already entered the food supply, as these cattle were included in the field testing phase.

In conclusion, approval of mass cattle vaccination against H5N1 using a non-sterilizing vaccine poses significant risks, including the potential for accelerated viral evolution, antigenic escape, and the creation of silent viral reservoirs in vaccinated cattle. Given these dangers, moving forward with a mass vaccination campaign could worsen the current outbreak, leading to more resilient and transmissible H5N1 strains.

Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation

https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-usda-approval-imminent-for