Category: Life & Style

On Saturday, the Saudi government eased COVID curbs and allowed 1 million people to join the Hajj pilgrims this year. The government will expand the key event to allow participants outside the nation after two years of restriction.

The Saudi Haj Ministry “has authorised one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the Haj”, which will take place in July.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement on April 9 that the pilgrims visiting Mecca must be under 65 years of age and should be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Visitors coming from different nations will be allowed on the basis of a negative COVID PCR test shall be taken within 72 hours of travel and health precautions must be taken.  The authorities took special measures to reduce the spread of infection.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia lowered the annual limit to 60,000 domestic participants in Hajj, one of Islam’s five main pillars as compared to pre-pandemic 2.5 million.

As per the official data of Arabs, the visit to the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj and the lesser year-round umrah pilgrimage earned the country $12 billion a year.

On Thursday, Germany’s parliament rejected the government’s proposal for mandatory Covid vaccines for people above 60. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition lost the bid, which in November touted compulsory jabs for all adults as the surest way to overcome the pandemic.

Scholz has set a goal of introducing the jabs in “late February or early March”. However, his government’s proposal for over-60s to get immunized failed, receiving only 296 votes in favour while 378 voted against it.

On Thursday, a proposal for over-60s to receive vaccinations was put to a vote after weeks of wrangling to find a majority-winning formulation,

Even though Covid infections remain high in Germany, the push for vaccinations has slowed as hospitals have not been overwhelmed. Covid restrictions have also been eased in Germany, including the requirement for masks in schools and shops, while the public’s attention is also focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The decision by Austria in March to suspend mandatory vaccinations for all adults further strengthened the opposition to mandatory vaccinations. Approximately 76 per cent of the German population has received the vaccine twice, with 58.9 per cent receiving the booster dose.

Those who oppose mandatory vaccinations cite individual freedom as a point of contention.

United Nations panel pats Kolkata for the much-maligned public transport. The city has been recognised internationally in detail in the report published on climate change.

The report titled “Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change” is cited as an “illustrative case study” that showcases how integrated action can combat climate change.

The report explains how several public transport modes “contribute positively in bringing down the trend of greenhouse gas emission per unit of GDP to half in one decade” in Kolkata “with potential for further reduction”.

Kolkata is among the nine international case studies from Indonesia, Brazil, Ghana, China, European Union, Germany, Finland and Uganda that showcase transport model figures. Kolkata’s illustration is in chapter 5 of the 2,900-plus-pages report.

UN body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report mentioned, “The megacity of Kolkata in India provides a useful case study. As many as twelve different modes of public transportation, each with its own system structure, actors and meanings co-exist and offer means of mobility to its 14 million citizens”.

According to the research, “the state government, in partnership with other stakeholders, plays a crucial role in improving the system as a whole and formalising certain semi-formal forms of transportation.”

On Sunday, Musicians Ricky Kej and Falguni Shah from India won the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas. Composer Rickey won the award for the second time along with Stewart Copeland for  Best New age Album.

Indian-American singer-songwriter Falguni won her first award for Best Children’s Music Album at the awards ceremony for her album A Colorful World. Based in New York previously worked with AR Rahman on Slumdog Millionaire. Her early training in music took place in Mumbai, where she studied with the legendary sarangi and vocal master Ustad Sultan Khan.

In her acceptance speech, she said, “Who would have thought that having my mother sing an old children’s lullaby from India would get a response from parents in America? I have no words to describe today’s magic. What an honour to perform for the opening number of the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, and then take home a statue on behalf of all the incredible people who worked on A Colourful World”.

Meanwhile, Kej added, “Won the Grammy Award today for our album Divine Tides. Filled with gratitude and love this living-legend standing with me – @copelandmusic. My 2nd Grammy and Stewart’s 6th. Thank you to everyone who ever collaborated, hired, or listened to my music. I exist because of you.”

Sweden’s government has recommended a fourth COVID-19 vaccine for people above 65 years along with the people who are living in nursing homes or getting home care.

According to the Swedish authorities, the new guidelines drop the age from the previous recommendation of 80 years and above. It also includes the fourth shot for the aged 18-64 years having moderate to severe immune deficiency.

Sweden’s public Health Agency chief Karin Tegmark Wisell said in a statement, “The goal is just as before to prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19”.

Tegmark Wisell added that it is “justified to give a second booster for COVID-19 to wider age range as the danger of infection in Sweden and rest of countries continue to significantly multiply. The protection against the virus caused by the vaccine is starting to decline for the older age group.

She said, “For people aged 65 and over, it is now four months since the previous vaccine dose and the vaccine’s protective effect diminishes over time”. She further added that “the pandemic is not over and we still have in Sweden a significant spread of infection in society”.

Infection control was largely left to individual responsibility. There was never a lockdown or a closure of businesses.

India’s wheat export hits a record high with 7.85 million tonnes in the fiscal year to March. The sharp increase is from 2.1 million tonnes from the previous year.

The world’s second-largest producer of grain benefited from a rally in global prices earlier this month as per the top government official, India would export a record 7 million tonnes of wheat in 2021-22.

However, the target of 7 seven million was surpassed indicating robust exports in the 2022-23 fiscal year starting from April 1. According to traders, wheat shipment including cargoes sold to Bangladesh by land was about 7.85 million toned in  2021-2022.

A top New Delhi-based trader, Rajesh Paharia Jain said, “Business has been very brisk and both Mundra and Kandla port has been very busy handling outbound wheat cargoes”.

Apart from Bangladesh, wheat was exported to South Korea, Sri Lanka, Oman and Qatar out of which maximum deals were signed between $225 and $335 a tonne free on board.

The new season of wheat harvest for India is underway as this year they aim for 111.32 million tonnes- the sixth straight surplus output which focuses to encourage traders to pull off more export deals.

On Wednesday, the European Union issued a warning to consumers to avoid using their garments as throwaway facial tissues and announced plans to combat the polluting usage of trendy fast fashion.

In the EU, almost three-quarters of all textiles and clothing are imported. In 2019, the EU’s 27 nations imported more than 80 billion euros (USD89.2 billion) in clothes, mainly from China, Bangladesh, and Turkey, and consumers discard 11 kilograms (more than 24 pounds) of textiles each year.

As per the new rule, the EU executive arm call for a mandatory minimize the use of recycled fibres by 2030 and also aim to ban the destruction of many unsold products.

Additionally, the European Commission regulations seek to contain the release of microplastics and improve global working conditions in the garment industry. The Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said, “We want sustainable products to become the norm. The clothes we wear should last longer than three washes”.

It would require a major shift in a sector that, in order to keep costs low, produces items with a short shelf life in developing nations in Asia and Latin America, often under poor working conditions.

A $7.3 billion plan was unveiled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cut carbon emissions. The nation aims to meet its target by significantly reducing the oil-and-gas sector. 

According to the plan announced on Tuesday, $2.3 billion (2.9 billion Canadian dollars) will be invested in zero-emission vehicles and related infrastructure, as well as $800 million (one billion Canadian dollars) to “green” Canadian homes and buildings.

On Tuesday, PM Trudeau linked Europe’s effort to reduce the dependency on Russian oil and natural gas after its invasion of Ukraine. He said, “The leaders I spoke with in Europe over the past few weeks were clear: They don’t just want to end their dependence on Russian oil and gas, they want to accelerate the energy transformation to clean and green power. The whole world is focusing energy and Canda cannot afford not to do that”.

As a part of this effort, the provincial and territorial governments will work together to develop a plan for capping oil-and-gas emissions so that net-zero emissions will be achieved by 2050 and oil-and-gas methane emissions can be reduced by at least 75 per cent by 2030.

India’s power project replaces the Chinese venture in Sri Lanka which was cleared by Colombo last year.

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet announced in January 2021 that Sinosoar-Etechwin had won the competitive bid for renewable energy projects in Nainativu, Delft or Neduntheevu, and Analaitivu islands. The Indian government expressed concern to Sri Lanka over the Chinese project in Palk Bay, only 50 km off the coast of Tamil Nadu.

The same project could be executed with a grant instead of a loan by New Delhi. Colombo was unable to decide and later suspended the project for over a year, apparently deterring China.  In a recent press briefing, the Chinese ambassador in Colombo criticised the projects being interrupted for “unknown reasons”, saying it sent the wrong message to potential foreign investors.

Meanwhile, India is set to build a hybrid power project on three Islands off Jaffna. This project was signed during the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and G.L. Peiris EAM of Sri Lanka.

The upcoming project is the third on the list to be built in Sri Lanka’s north and east. The new project comes post recent agreements for National Thermal Power Corporation’s solar venture in the eastern Sampur town along with the Adani Group’s renewable energy projects in Mannar and Pooneryn in the north.

“CODA”, a sweet heartwarming story of a child of Deaf adults (the acronym in the title) finding her way with her family and fulfilling her dreams won the Academy Award for best picture, a win that no one could have imagined when awards season began. Perhaps Marlee Matlin, the first person cast in “CODA”, could have imagined it.

 The Oscar for adapted screenplay went to writer-director Siân Heder. Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to win the industry’s most prestigious award on Sunday.

Despite only having three nominations, “CODA” won the best picture. A film hasn’t won the best picture with fewer than four nominations since 1932’s “Grand Hotel”

Producer Patrick Wachsberger on winning the award said, “I really want to thank you for recognizing a movie of love and family at this difficult time that we need today.”

Despite Mattlin’s unshakeable faith, “CODA” stands out as one of the most unlikely best picture winners in Oscar history. The Academy has rarely recognized feel-good family stories in the past, so even getting a nomination was far from guaranteed. Family dramas are often viewed negatively at the Oscars.

“CODA” earned three awards, including for Heder and Kotsur, a low total for the best picture contender