Category: Life & Style

On Monday, The White House announced a global summit to put an end to the COVID-19 crisis and prepare for the future upheaval that will occur on May 12.

Despite President Joe Biden’s struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress, the virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the US with the current G7 German president, G20 president Indonesia, African Union chair Senegal, the current chair of the CARICOM Caribbean grouping and Belize.

A joint statement was released by the countries stating, “The summit will redouble our collective efforts to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health threats”. Conference hosts emphasized the urgency of the situation.

A similar summit was hosted by Biden last September, in which he urged partners to boost vaccine production in order to ensure that 70 per cent of the world’s population is protected by September.

Congress has yet to pass a bill ensuring $10 billion in continued funding for the domestic Covid response, while no agreement has been reached regarding additional funding for vaccine donations abroad.

The virus continues to spread globally, preventing many countries from lifting all restrictions, while Shanghai in China is under a draconian lockdown.

A week-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence was started by the Indian Consulate USA, in collaboration with a city-based cultural organization and a children’s museum, which featured traditional Indian paintings, music and storytelling.

On Monday, The Culture Tree said in a statement that The Consulate General of India in New York, The Culture Tree and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) launched the special activities along with interactive programs that focus on celebrating the diversity of India and its people through music, dance, literature, drama, puppetry, and food and art.

Consul General Randhir Jaiswal said while launching the India@75 in New York, “We are extremely excited to bring a celebration on India to all the children and their families in New York. We are committed to celebrating freedom, culture and achievements of India in all these years”.

The partnership with the Children’s Museum and The Culture Tree was hailed as a way to “celebrate India during this milestone year.”

Using language, art, puppet shows, dance, food and the holidays, The Culture Tree provides South Asian themed educational and cultural programs for children and their families that nurture a deep connection with their roots and the world around them.

On Monday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) approved a new system for residence visas and entry permits. It will offer new types of residence permits for skilled employees, investors, family members, self-employed persons, and the UAE media office.

The official statement from UAE said, “The new system of entry and residence aims at attracting and retaining global talents and skilled workers from all over the world, boosting the competitiveness and flexibility of the job market and fostering a high sense of stability among UAE residents and families”.

In this regard, the UAE Cabinet, headed by Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, approved the executive regulations of the Federal Decree-Law on entry and residence of foreign nationals.

The new residence and entry permit Golden Residence visa will include 10 years of renewable residence and the time of stay outside the UAE will not nullify the visa. There will be no maximum number of support service labourers and the entry visa will be valid for six months with multiple entries to proceed with residence issuance. For the residence purpose, no sponsor or employer will be required and residence for family members will include spouses, and children with no specific age limit. Meanwhile, if the death happens off the Golden Residency holder, the family member will be eligible to stay in UAE till the end of their residence permit.

The coastal city of Abu Dhabi is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to the impact of climate change as it is threatened by rising sea levels and researchers suggested that it could be too hot to live in by the end of this century.

Mangroves, which are woody, salt-tolerant trees that grow along tropical coastlines, protect coastal areas from erosion, wave surges and floods by creating buffer zones and regulating tides. These trees are helping Abu Dabhi fight the climate crisis.

The head of Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency (EAD) Shaika Al Dhaheri said, “Mangroves are the first line of defence for any coastal city”. They are breeding grounds for fish, home to several species of birds and fight to keep the planet’s temperature from rising more than a critical 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

As per the study done by Abu Dhabi’s government, one hectare of mangrove forest can store nearly 3,754 tons of carbon which is equivalent to taking 2,651 cars off the road for a year. It can store twice as much as the region’s rainforests.

UAE is among the highest CO2 emission per capita in the world.

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.