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Vaccination drive in India: Near 158-cr jabs administered
International Desk
17 Jan 2022, 19:51
Photo: Collected
A year after the vaccination drive took off, India has administered over 157.70 crore doses to fight the Corona pandemic. Around 93% of the adult population has been vaccinated with the first dose and 70% with the second dose of the vaccine, according to the Union health ministry.
India’s vaccine drive was rolled out on January 16, 2021, and three vaccines – Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik – are being administered. The 100-crore mark was reached on October 21 last year and the 150-crore mark on January 7. The highest single-day vaccination of 2.5 crore vaccines was achieved on September 17, 2021.
In the last 365 days, 91.07 crore of the first doses and 65.63 crore second doses have been administered. Till Sunday evening, 43.10 lakh precautionary doses had been administered and 3.44 crore children in the 15-18 age group had received their vaccine. Nearly 135.61 crore of the Covid-19 vaccines administered in the country were Serum Institute of India’s Covishield doses while 21 crore were Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin doses. Till date,11 states and Union Territories have achieved 100% first dose vaccination. Three states/UTs have achieved full vaccination. Total registrations on the Co-Win digital platform are nearing the 100-crore mark.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India’s vaccination programme had added great strength to the fight against Covid-19 and it has led to saving lives and protecting livelihoods. He saluted the people associated with the vaccination on completion of the one-year drive and said the role of our doctors, nurses and healthcare workers is exceptional. “Today, as we celebrate one year of the world’s Largest Vaccine Drive, we have witnessed what happens when 1.3 billion people come together for a common goal,” the PM said.
“When the Covid-19 pandemic first struck, we did not know much about the virus. However, our scientists and innovators immersed themselves in developing vaccines.” he said.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya released a commemorative postal stamp on the first anniversary of India’s National Covid Vaccination programme. The stamp features a healthcare worker inoculating a senior citizen with the Covid-19 vaccine along the image of a Covaxin vial. Mandaviya credited the indigenous research and development, streamlined production and distribution of vaccines for reaching this landmark amidst the environment of criticism, doubts, disbelief and misinformation in the country. Till date, eight vaccines have been approved in the country, the minister said.
Source: The Financial Express
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Castaways rescued after writing 'HELP' in palm fronds
Three men in their 40s washed up on a desert island found an ingenious way to be noticed by rescue teams — they spelled out "HELP" in palm fronds. The US Navy spotted the message and rescued the trio in good health.
Three men stranded on a Pacific island for a week were rescued after a US Navy aircraft found their "HELP" sign written out in palm fronds.
"In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out 'HELP' on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location," said search and rescue mission coordinator Lieutenant Chelsea Garcia.
In a statement, the US Coast Guard said the men and their equipment were rescued on Tuesday and brought to Polowat Atoll. They were all in good health. No information was shared regarding their nationalities or identities.
Where were they going
The three were found on the deserted 32-acre Pikelot island, a part of the Federated States of Micronesia, 415 miles (667 kilometers) southeast of Guam, about 100 miles from where they had started their journey.
The trio, all in their forties and experienced mariners, had started a journey on March 31 on a 20-foot open skiff with an outboard motor from Polowat atoll.
Their niece informed authorities after they failed to return for six days, after which the Coast Guard and Navy began a search in an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles.
Within a day, the Navy's P-8 Poseidon aircraft spotted their "H-E-L-P" sign. A photograph taken by the Coast Guard showed they had made two makeshift shelters near the sign.
In August 2020, three other sailors were rescued from the same island after they wrote "SOS" on the beach sand and were spotted by Australian and US warplanes.
Argentina's Milei meets Elon Musk at Tesla factory
The two like-minded men bonded over free markets and the need to defend liberty. Argentina, which is undergoing economic reforms, is home to lithium deposits required for rechargeable batteries like those in Teslas.
Argentine President Javier Milei met tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday at a Tesla plant in Austin, Texas, where they agreed on the "need to free markets."
Musk shared an image of the two on his microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter, with the pair giving a thumbs up. Under the image was written: "To an exciting and inspiring future!"
Milei shared a picture of them shaking hands in a conference room with a caption saying, long live freedom.
One of the richest men in the world, Musk has previously shown his admiration for Milei's full-throated embrace of private enterprise and his disdain for what he sees as socialist excesses.
What did Musk and Milei talk about?
A spokesperson for the president said Milei and Musk "agreed on the need to free markets and defend the ideas of freedom" as well as the importance of eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to business.
The populist leader also offered his alliance to Musk in the legal battle in Brazil, the spokesperson said in a statement. Tesla's founder is currently under investigation in Brazil after he accused a Supreme Court judge of censoring social media networks. Musk called the judge a "dictator" and vowed to disobey rulings to block users spreading disinformation.
In his meeting with Milei, Musk agreed to take part in an event in Argentina in the near future to promote the value of freedom.
What is at stake for Argentina?
Smiley photo ops, a video of Milei riding a futuristic cybertruck and bonding over free markets aside, much was at stake for Milei.
Argentina is home to massive lithium deposits, which are used for rechargeable batteries, like those that power Tesla electric cars.
Argentina's incoming ambassador to the US, Gerardo Werthein, noted that Musk and Milei also discussed lithium.
"We talked about the investment opportunities in Argentina in lithium... We're very committed not only to exporting raw materials but also to adding value," Werthein said in comments published by Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
"[Musk] said he wants to help Argentina," he added.
The newly appointed president is facing severe backlash for his market-oriented economic reforms, with thousands of Argentinians protesting on the streets. He has even received pushback from some of his conservative allies.
It is now key for Argentina to maintain support from the United Statesand the International Monetary Fund — to which it owes $42 billion (€39.36 billion) — to boost investor confidence in the South American nation.
Historic Tibetan Buddhist monastery is being moved to make way for dam
Monks have petitioned to have the relocation order reversed, but to no avail.
Atsok Monastery in Dragkar county, Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in western China's Qinghai province, in an undated picture.
Citizen journalist
Authorities have begun relocating a 19th-century Tibetan Buddhist monastery in China that is expected to be submerged under water after the completion of the world’s tallest 3D-printed hydropower dam, two sources from the region told Radio Free Asia.
The expansion of the Yangqu hydropower station on the Yellow River – known as the Machu River among the Tibetans – in Qinghai province was started in 2022 and will be completed later this year.
For the past two years, monks from Atsok Gon Dechen Choekhorling Monastery in Dragkar county, or Xinghai in Chinese, have petitioned authorities to rescind relocation orders issued by China’s National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC, a Tibetan source said, insisting on not being identified to protect his safety.
But in April 2023 the government’s Department of National Heritage declared that the artifacts and murals inside the monastery were of “no significant value or importance” and that its relocation would proceed, he said.
Chinese authorities have announced to local residents that they will fund the costs of dismantling and reconstructing the monastery, and performing ceremonies and rituals at the relocated area, the sources said.
However, many of the murals and surrounding stupas cannot be physically moved and so will be destroyed.
Tibetans also believe that the place is sacred: That it has been made holier over 135 years of prayers and practice by generations in the same venue.
Disregard for cultural heritage
The dam’s construction, Tibetans say, is yet another example of Beijing’s disregard for their culture, religion and environment.
Videos obtained by RFA showed a relocation ceremony being held earlier this month outside Atsok Monastery while authorities addressed local residents from a stage flanked by trucks and cranes on both sides.
“The resettlement work could begin with the government’s approval and the support of the local population,” a local Chinese official can be heard saying in one video.
Other footage obtained by RFA show scores of Tibetan residents praying and prostrating themselves on the road and in the fields before stupas near Atsok Monastery in what sources said was their way of “bidding farewell to this ancient monastery that has been their place of devotion for generations of Tibetans.”
The monastery, founded in 1889 and named after its founder Atsok Choktrul Konchog Choedar, is home to more than 160 monks. In 2021, the government issued an order forbidding monks under the age of 18 from enrolling or studying and living in the monastery.
And while authorities have announced that the monks and residents of nearby villages will be relocated to Khokar Naglo, near Palkha township, no alternative housing has been built for the monks, the sources said.
Seizing land
Tibetans often accuse Chinese companies and officials of improperly seizing land and disrupting the lives of local people, sometimes resulting in standoffs that are violently suppressed.
In February, police arrested more than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks, who had been protesting the construction of a dam in Dege county in Sichuan’s Kardze Autonomous Tibetan Prefecture, that would submerge at least six monasteries and force several villages to be moved.
The NDRC said the Yangqu dam will force the relocation of 15,555 people – nearly all ethnic Tibetans – living in 24 towns and villages in three counties — Dragkar, Kawasumdo and Mangra. Dragkar county sits in Tsolho, or Hainan in Chinese, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the historic Amdo region of Tibet.
They warned the head of the monastery and residents that they “will be punished for any disturbance caused,” the sources said.
The Yangqu hydroelectric plant — expected to generate about 5 billion kilowatts of power annually to Henan province — is an expansion of the Yangqu Dam that was first built in 2010 and began operating in 2016 as a 1,200-megawatt hydropower station.
The expanded hydropower dam is expected to be the world’s tallest structure built with 3D printing, as detailed by scientists in the Journal of Tsinghua University.
The first section of the dam, said to be over 150 meters (about 500 feet) tall, is scheduled to become operational this year, and the entire project operational the following year.
Source: rfa
Europe for Tibet campaign launched In Brussels
A campaign “Europe for Tibet” was officially launched in the European Parliament on April 9 in Brussels, Belgium with a meeting with Members of the European Parliament in anticipation of the forthcoming European elections slated for June 6-9. The initiative, known as EU4Tibet, is a collaborative effort among various Tibet Support Groups across Europe.
Facilitated by entities such as the Tibet Interest Group in the European Parliament, alongside the Offices of Tibet in Brussels, Geneva, and London, as well as the International Campaign for Tibet in Europe and the International Tibet Network, the campaign aims to garner support for Tibetan rights and freedom on the international political and grassroots circuits.
Additionally, it seeks to provide a platform through the website eu4tibet.org, where groups advocating for Tibetan causes within member states can secure pledges of support from candidates participating in the 2024 European elections and question their respective political parties on their stance concerning Tibet.
The 2024 European elections will see the election of 720 EU citizens to the European Parliament for five years. In light of this, the campaign implores these future parliamentarians to commit to championing Tibet’s cause throughout their tenure. The campaign calls on the future members of the European parliament to pledge to take a stand for Tibet during their mandate.
The European Parliament has been an active supporter of the Tibetan cause and the Dalai Lama’s non-violent approach. It has advocated for dialogue to resolve differences between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, pushing for autonomy in Tibet to safeguard religious and cultural freedoms. Since 1988, the Parliament has provided a platform for discussions on Tibet, hosting the Dalai Lama despite objections from China.
Over the years, the European parliament has raised awareness about Tibet’s human rights situation through hearings, exhibitions, and conferences. It has passed around 50 resolutions focusing on Tibet, human rights, and China, addressing issues like religious freedom restrictions and linguistic rights violations.
Source: Phayul
EU pledges €3.5 billion to protect world's oceans
The European Union has bledged billion of dollars to embrace the idea of a "blue economy" to protect the world's oceans from damage caused by human activity.
The European Union has pledged €3.5 billion ($3.71 billion) to protect the world's oceans and promote sustainability through a series of initiatives this year, the EU's top environment official said on Tuesday.
Virginijus Sinkevicius, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, said the "ocean is part of who were are, and it is our responsibility" while announcing the initiatives at the "Our Ocean" conference in Athens.
The annual conference, attended by about 120 countries, include supporting 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal worth about €1.9 billion.
Another €980 million under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility will be used in in Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy and Spain's to support four investments and two reforms to fight marine pollution.
The aim of the conference is to promote and support the idea of the "blue economy" which the World Bank defines as “sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit economies, livelihoods and ocean ecosystem health.”
Greece strongly embraces idea given its location
Greece, which includes thousands of islands and which has the longest Mediterranean coastline of any littoral state, also plans to present its national strategy on marine biodiversity protection at the conference.
The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month that ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, in a dataset that goes back to 1979. Overfishing and plastic pollution are also major threats to oceans.
Plastics entering the world's oceans could nearly triple by 2040 if no further action is taken, research has shown.
China’s gold markets under strain
China’s gold markets under strain as horde of new buyers hunts for stable investment.
April has been a busy month for the Hualin International Jewelry Market in Guangzhou. A scrum of eager buyers has descended upon the venue, looking to join a new gold rush as prices soar and the precious metal takes on new life as a vehicle for investment.
Standing out as one of the few bets considered safe in China at present – with stocks, property and banking having lost their lustre in an environment of heightened uncertainty – gold has not only attracted new buyers, but also provided opportunities for the country’s middle class and youth to cash out.
The Guangzhou market, originally known for its bustling jade and jewellery trade, has been “flooded” with newly opened gold stores, with dozens emerging according to a store owner earlier this week.
“The number of customers is also increasing day by day,” said the owner, who asked not to be identified by name. “Sometimes it feels like a crowded wet market.”
“Today’s buy-back price is 554 yuan (US$77) per gram,” the merchant said. “Just now, a lady who got married last year sold me the gifts she received at her wedding, including necklaces, pendants and bracelets.”
The retail price for gold from major brands, including Chow Tai Fook and Chow Sang Sang, had risen to over 730 yuan per gram as of Friday, a multi-year high. Previous monthly peaks were observed at around 630 yuan per gram in January and 600 yuan per gram in December.
The People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, bought 160,000 ounces of bullion in March to bring its total reserves to 72.74 million ounces – its 17th consecutive monthly purchase according to official data – as the nation seeks to diversify its holdings away from US bonds amid frayed bilateral ties.
Rapid price changes have made for a mercurial scene. “From the beginning of the year until now, there have been customers buying gold bars for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of yuan,” he said. “But since the current price is extremely high, consumers are becoming cautious. Most of the new customers are buying products with lower grams.”
According to another merchant, many have begun to sell their stock.
Source: South China Morning Post
Chinese exodus leaves Cambodia boomtown with 500 'ghost buildings'
Sihanoukville saddled with unfinished projects due to casino clampdown and COVID.
An exodus of Chinese real estate companies has left this Cambodian seaside resort littered with hundreds of half-finished projects.
The concrete skeleton of one of these buildings stands on a piece of land owned by 51-year-old elementary school teacher Pan Sombo.
"This was completely unimaginable," Pan Sombo said, looking up at a high-rise with no prospect for completion.
A Chinese investor first came forward with a proposal to construct a 10-story apartment building in 2019, just when Cambodia was experiencing an unprecedented real estate boom. The investor wanted to use the teacher's roughly 750-sq. meter vacant lot.
With promises the building would be completed in 2021 and generate around 20 million riel ($5,000) a month in land usage fees -- 10 times the teacher's income -- Pan Sombo agreed to the project.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the investor returned to China, saying he couldn't come back to Cambodia. That was the last the teacher heard from the investor. Pan Sombo turned to the local authorities to start the process of dissolving the contract.
Sihanoukville has no shortage of such ghost buildings. According to the city government, there are roughly 360 unfinished buildings and about 170 others that are completed but remain empty.
With an enviable location on the Gulf of Thailand coast, Sihanoukville became a boomtown in mid-2010s on wave of Chinese money. Cambodia's pursuit of economic growth found a way forward in China's cross-border Belt and Road Initiative.
Cambodian developer Prince Real Estate Group began a string of construction projects, including a luxury hotel and a shopping mall. Sihanoukville was being called the second Macao as dozens of casinos cropped up.
Then the pandemic hit. Last year, Cambodia drew only about 550,000 Chinese tourists, down 77% from 2019, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Just 15,754 passengers arrived at Sihanoukville international airport last year, a 98% decline from 2019.
This is in stark contrast to the dramatic tourism recovery seen in Siem Reap, known for the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Money has been slow to return to Sihanoukville after the pandemic due to the Cambodian government's clampdown on casinos and China's real estate slump. It will take $1.1 billion in additional investment to complete the unfinished buildings, according to a government estimate.
In January, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced tax breaks and preferential treatment for permit applications to try to encourage investors to rescue Sihanoukville's ghost buildings.
But with the global economy expected to slow, those measures will struggle to be effective, said Ky Sereyvath, the director-general of the Institute of China Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
Chinese investors have poured money into neighboring Asian countries, leaving them more exposed to China's economy. Cambodia is not the only example. Chinese real estate giant Country Garden Holdings' debt crisis has spilled over to Malaysia, where the fate of a $100 billion mixed-use development in Johor is in limbo.
Cambodia has a heavy dependence on Chinese money. In 2022, the Council for Development of Cambodia approved about $1.9 billion worth of foreign investments. Roughly 90% came from China.
"It'd be hard to fill the hole left by China with investments from other countries," said the manager at a Cambodian construction firm.
Long Dimanche, vice governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said Sihanoukville needs to diversify both its industry and investor countries to have a more dynamic economy. Hun Manet's government has shown an openness to attracting foreign investment.
One possibility could be Japan. Japanese companies have a smaller presence in Cambodia than in larger Thailand or Vietnam, but Japan has provided support for the port of Sihanoukville -- Cambodia's only deep-water port -- for about three decades.
Source: Nikkei Asia
