The pandemic – How well will vaccines work?

They will not simply eradicate covid-19. Governments need to start thinking about how to live with the virus

Business this week

Bitcoin surged to a record high, after Tesla revealed that it had bought $1.5bn-worth of the cryptocurrency and would accept it as payment for its cars. Elon Musk’s recent musings on digital money have bolstered the claims of bitcoin backers that it will one day be mainstream legal tender. Tesla’s investment in such a volatile market is a risky bet, however, and blemishes its green credentials. The amount of computer energy needed to mine bitcoin accounts for 0.56% of the world’s total electricity consumption, according to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance.

Politics this week
The impeachment trial of Donald Trump got under way in the Senate. Six Republicans joined Democrats in voting to reject the defence’s argument that Mr Trump should not be tried as he has left office, but it is unlikely that the prosecution will get the two-thirds majority of votes needed to convict Mr Trump of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6th. The proceedings are expected to be quick, certainly not as long as the three weeks of Mr Trump’s first impeachment trial a year ago.