Mint Lite | WHO & Covid vaccination, UK's India focus, lethal pollution & more
Stories, opinions, news and views that matter, from around the world
Germany’s foreign minister put the development of a global market for green hydrogen at the heart of the fight against climate change as a two-day conference in Berlin kicked off. Lawmakers and industry executives from around the world have gathered virtually for the government-backed German Energy Transition Dialogue 2021. Key speakers, including John Kerry and Ursula von der Leyen, will be discussing critical elements around how countries can speed the global energy transition through policy and the deployment of clean technologies. For more updates, here’s Mint Lite.
WHO urges not to halt vaccination
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The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to countries on Monday not to pause vaccination campaigns after two more European nations and one in Asia joined a handful that have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine over safety fears. Indonesia said it would wait after Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday. Denmark and Norway have reported isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count after the AstraZeneca vaccine. Iceland and Bulgaria had earlier suspended its use while Austria and Italy have stopped using particular batches. France, Germany and the UK say they have no concerns. The WHO said its advisory panel was reviewing reports related to the shot and would release its findings as soon as possible. But it said it was unlikely to change its recommendations, issued last month, for widespread use.
State of Mozambique’s children
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Aid agency Save the Children says Islamist militants are beheading children as young as 11 in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado, reports BBC. More than 2,500 people have been killed and 700,000 have fled their homes since an Islamist insurgency began in 2017. The militants are linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. In its report, Save the Children said it had spoken to displaced families who reported gruesome scenes in the gas-rich province. The insurgents are known locally as Al-Shabab, although they have no known links to the Somali jihadi group of the same name. They have publicly sworn allegiance to IS. IS says it has carried out a number of attacks in Mozambique, and appears to be promoting its involvement there as part of a “franchise" operation. The group has rarely given any indication about its motive, leadership or demands.
UK shifts focus to India
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday will unveil plans to shift Britain’s foreign policy focus toward India and the Pacific as the country adjusts to life after Brexit and a world in which China and Russia present an increasing threat to the nation’s security, reports AP. As part of the new policy, Britain is applying for partner status in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and Johnson will travel to India next month for his first major international visit since the UK left the European Union. The Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will be sent to the region later this year for its first operational deployment. The government also says it will make climate change and preserving biodiversity its top priority over the next decade.
North Korea’s warning for Joe Biden
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In North Korea’s first comments directed at the Joe Biden administration, Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister on Tuesday warned the US to “refrain from causing a stink" if it wants to “sleep in peace" for the next four years. Kim Yo-jong’s statement was issued as US secretary of state Antony Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Asia to talk with US allies Japan and South Korea about North Korea and other regional issues. They have meetings in Tokyo on Tuesday before speaking to officials in Seoul on Wednesday. Kim Yo- jong, a senior official who handles inter-Korean affairs, also criticized the US and South Korea for holding military exercises. She also said the North would consider abandoning a 2018 bilateral agreement on reducing military tensions and abolish a decades-old ruling party unit tasked to handle inter-Korean relations if it no longer had to cooperate with the South.
Lethal pollution high in 2020
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Deadly small particle pollution in four of five nations exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations last year despite covid lockdowns, according to a report released Tuesday. The partial or complete shutdown of transport and industry for months at a time in 2020 reduced average levels of so-called PM2.5 pollution across the world, including in major cities, the IQAir quality report found, reports AFP. Concentrations of the life-shortening particles—cast off by traffic pollution and burning fossil fuels—dropped 11% in Beijing, 13% in Chicago, 15% in New Delhi, and 16% each in London and Seoul. At least 60% of India’s cities were more breathable last year than in 2019, and all of them had cleaner air than in 2018. But only 24 of 106 countries monitored met WHO safety guidelines based on the world’s largest database of ground-level air pollution measurements.
Curated by Sohini Sen. Have something to share with us? Write to us at feedback@livemint or tweet to @shohinisen
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