Thus far, Mexico has only received 1.9 million doses of the Pfizer and the Oxford-Astra Zenica vaccine. A veritable drop in a swirling ocean of infection, because it`s barely enough to inoculate one million people in a population of one hundred and twenty six million.
We`re told that more than two million infections are officially reported and one hundred and seventy five thousand deaths. That is pale reflection of the true number, which could be as many as seventy thousand more. Only time will tell. Exhausted, hard pressed medical specialists say that 189,000 thousand elderly have been injected with phase one, but the population of over sixties here is 15.7 million people.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who`s in overall charge of all of this administration, says he`s broaching the subject of unequal access for non producing nations, with the UN`s Security Council.
Mexico has created a website, encouraging countless online users to fill in a questionaire, press the send button and then wait their turn. The site has crashed several times. Only those who stay up to wee early hours, have much of a chance of successfully waving it off into cyberspace. Then they`re met with an unnerving and deafening silence.
Mexican President Andres Lopez Obrador, who doesn`t wear a mask most of the time, contracted covid 19, recovered and is back of work. No sign of a mask on his table and he doesn`t wear one at his daily press conferences either.
Every holiday season, we all hear about the alleged war on Christmas in the United States. On any social media platform, users are bound to find someone outraged about the use of more inclusive phrases like “Happy Holidays” and resentful about these perceived attacks on Christmas.
For someone like me, a Hindu American, the xenophobic rhetoric deployed against the phrase “Happy Holidays” is deeply hurtful because it implies that I, and millions of others like me, are not truly American, that our identities don’t belong here. Simple, common words we use can carry greater meaning than perhaps intended. The phrases we use must evolve to reflect the diversity of our society and to promote a more inclusive future.
To say “Happy Holidays” is not to attack Christianity, or any religion for that matter. Its use does not mean the replacement of holiday-specific salutations. When you know someone’s religious beliefs, there is nothing wrong with wishing someone well for a specific holiday like Christmas. However, society must distinguish between private circles, where you already know the beliefs of your friends and family, and society as a whole, where beliefs are much more diverse and where diversity should be respected.
When a society deems one religious salutation the norm in the public sphere — a mere example being “Merry Christmas” — society isolates those who don’t conform and spawns hurtful, xenophobic rhetoric, whereby people are told they are inferior, that they should get out of the country or shut up and conform. This dangerous tendency not only undermines the free exercise of religion, but it is also extremely harmful to those whose beliefs differ from the majority’s. In essence, when a society refuses to treat all religions in an equal and positive manner, the implication for religious minorities is that our views don’t matter and that we’re inferior members of society, which only perpetuates discriminatory practices.
Some people may question how great a difference the phrase “Happy Holidays” can actually make. But the truth is that, even though it has been a source of division, “Happy Holidays” can in fact be a source of unity. By apportioning respect for every religious belief, this phrase makes clear that one’s religious beliefs do not determine whether or not they belong to society. This phrase makes clear that religious minorities do not have to give up their traditions; it removes pressures to conform and gives everyone the freedom to choose how they want — and if they want — to find faith. This acceptance is beneficial to everyone in society, regardless of their stance on religion, as it allows us to celebrate our differences and serves as a catalyst for societal progress toward a more accepting and inclusive world.
I know from personal experience this phrase can work. While Georgetown University is a Catholic institution, its decision to use “Happy Holidays” in its official messaging to students before winter break, and consequently, to neither assume nor demand adherence to any one ideology, has helped create an environment in which members of many different faiths can be part of the community and interfaith discourse is possible. While I can only speak with regard to myself, I know this neutral messaging has helped me feel welcome at Georgetown, though everyone should take note of others’ experiences with religious tolerance or intolerance at Georgetown.
Certainly, there is work to be done in achieving full religious tolerance and acceptance at Georgetown, but the administration’s decision to use “Happy Holidays” in official messaging has definitely made a positive difference in making tolerance a reality, and the phrase can do the same throughout the country.
So when the next holiday season rolls around and we all prepare to celebrate our holiday of choice — if we choose to at all — when we hear those inevitable mentions of the war on Christmas, remember that the use of inclusive language like “Happy Holidays” has the potential to promote acceptance and tolerance in the United States. By using and embracing this phrase in the public sphere, all Americans can be a part of creating and normalizing this tolerance and harmony.
Fortnite creator Epic Games has taken its fight against Apple to European Union antitrust regulators, escalating its dispute with the iPhone maker over its App Store payment system and control over app downloads.
The two companies have been locked in a legal dispute since August, when the game maker tried to avoid Apple’s 30% fee on some in-app purchases on the App Store by launching its own in-app payment system.
That prompted Apple to kick Epic’s Fortnite game off the App Store and threaten to terminate an affiliated account that would have effectively blocked distribution of Unreal Engine, a software tool used by hundreds of app makers to create games.
Epic Games founder and Chief Executive Tim Sweeney said Apple’s control of its platform had tilted the level playing field.
“The 30% they charge as their app tax, they can make it 50% or 90% or 100%. Under their theory of how these markets are structured, they have every right to do that,” he told reporters.
“Epic is not asking any court or regulator to change this 30% to some other number, only to restore competition on IOS,” he said, referring to Apple’s mobile operating system.
The company also accused Apple of barring rivals from launching their own gaming subscription service on its platform by preventing them from bundling several games together, even though its own Apple Arcade service does that.
Apple said its rules applied equally to all developers and that Epic had violated them.
“In ways a judge has described as deceptive and clandestine, Epic enabled a feature in its app, which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines that apply equally to every developer and protect customers,” the company said in a statement.
“Their reckless behaviour made pawns of customers, and we look forward to making this clear to the European Commission,” it said.
Epic Games’ EU complaint got the thumbs up from lawmaker Rasmus Andresen at the European Parliament, which will in coming months seek to reinforce EU tech rules proposed by the Commission to rein in U.S. tech giants.
“We as legislators need to ensure that these platforms who act as gatekeepers in the digital market have to respect a predefined set of rules in order to guarantee fair competition and balanced market powers,” he said in a statement.
Apple has been taking small steps in recent months towards changing its practices, including lower fees for some developers and giving them a way to challenge its rulings, both of which have not satisfied the company’s critics.
Fortnite is slated to come back to the iPhone at some point in the mobile Safari browser. Epic and Apple in recent weeks have been trading documents and conducting depositions ahead of a scheduled May trial in the Epic lawsuit filed last year.
The Commission, which is investigating Apple’s mobile payment system Apple Pay and the App Store, confirmed receipt of the complaint.
“We will assess it based on our standard procedures,” a Commission spokeswoman said.
Epic Games has also complained to the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and to the Australian watchdog.
Big companies such as Microsoft Corp, Spotify and Match Group Inc have also criticised Apple’s App Store fees and rules.
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
“Our global tests and challenges are getting bigger and more complex. Yet our responses remain fragmented and insufficient”, Secretary-General António Guterres said via videoconference.
“2021 must be the year to get back on track. Pandemic recovery is our chance”.
The UN chief stressed the need for available and affordable inoculations for everyone, everywhere.
“Vaccine equity is crucial for saving lives and for saving economies”, he said. “Countries need to share excess doses and provide the billions needed for the COVAX initiative to be in full swing”.
The UN-led vaccine initiative, COVAX, is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to equitably provide coronavirus diagnostics, treatments and vaccines to all people globally, regardless of their wealth.
“We also need at least a doubling of global manufacturing capacity, through sharing of licenses and technology transfer”, he continued, pointing to the G20 richest nations as being “well placed” to establish an Emergency Task Force that brings together countries, companies, international organizations and financial institutions with the required power, scientific expertise and production capacities to prepare a Global Vaccination Plan.
“I am ready to galvanize the full United Nations System in support of this effort, starting by the World Health Organization (WHO)”, affirmed Mr. Gutteres.
Tackling the climate crisis
Drawing attention to the environment, the UN chief spelled out: “Climate catastrophe is looming”.
He spotlighted the urgency to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, while flagging, “there is reason for hope”.
The Secretary-General detailed that countries representing more than 65 per cent of emissions and over 70 per cent of the world economy have “committed to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050”.
However, he urged an expansion of that coalition to 90 per cent by the November climate conference in Glasgow, saying that “all countries, cities, corporations and financial institutions should set benchmarks to implement the net-zero transition in the next 30 years”.
To this end, immediate and concrete steps should be taken, specifically to put a price on carbon, end subsidies and financing for coal and other fossil fuels, and reinvest those funds in renewable energy and just transition.
Peace on earth
Because the world’s most complex problems cannot be solved when its biggest powers are at odds, the UN chief underscored the need to “ease geopolitical tensions and enhance diplomacy for peace”.
“Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe into two opposing areas in a Great Fracture – each with its own dominant currency and trade and financial rules, its own Internet and its artificial intelligence capacity and strategy”, he maintained.
Moreover, a technological and economic divide that threatens a geo-strategic and military divide must be avoided “at all costs”.
“I also want to repeat my call for a global ceasefire”, Mr. Guterres said.
While recognizing some encouraging signs “in a few stubborn peace processes”, the top UN official lamented that “elsewhere, fighting continues” and “everyone is losing”.
He advocated for a ceasefire “beyond traditional battlefields”, namely in homes, workplaces, schools and public transportation, “where women and girls face an epidemic of violence”.
Citing “Wild West behaviour in cyberspace” that is creating “new vectors of instability”, the UN chief upheld that digital technologies must be a force for good that requires “a total ban on lethal autonomous weapons, the most dangerous dimension that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of war”.
Calling for “solidarity and international cooperation” to tackle these challenges, Mr. Guterres concluded by saying, “I am convinced that if we are determined, we can achieve our shared goals”.
US erases ‘any lingering doubt’
Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden said that his country would “work closely with our European Union partners”.
“Let me erase any lingering doubt”, he stated. “America is back … We are not looking backward. We are looking forward together”.
The European Commission has announced today €3 million in humanitarian aid to assist those affected by the recent large scale hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, including a significant number of displaced people. Since the beginning of the hostilities in September 2020, the EU has mobilised a total of €6.9 million in humanitarian assistance.
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “Following the cessation of hostilities, the humanitarian crisis in the region remains dire and is currently exacerbated by the harsh winter and the coronavirus pandemic. The EU is stepping up its support for the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. It will help provide emergency supplies to those most in need.”
The newly announced emergency support will help EU humanitarian partners to deliver food, shelter, winter items and other basic needs, as well as essential health services and psychosocial support to the affected population. All EU humanitarian funding is provided in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.
Background
The recent military confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which raged unabated for 6 weeks, has caused casualties, damages and displacement. The fighting pushed hundreds of thousands to flee their homes for safety. Houses and public infrastructure such as schools, health system, roads, utilities and communication networks, were badly damaged. Alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law include the targeting of civilian infrastructure and use of banned cluster munitions.
Despite the ceasefire agreement struck between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 9 November 2020, the humanitarian situation remains of concern. The coronavirus pandemic and cold temperature further worsen the situation. The EU is in close contact with humanitarian partners and other stakeholders on the ground to support the coordination of the humanitarian response.
The report, compiled by ECDC and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proposes options for monitoring strategies that will help to prevent and control spread of the disease.
It concludes that all mink farms should be considered at risk from SARS-CoV-2 and that monitoring should include active measures such as testing of animals and staff in addition to passive surveillance by farmers and veterinarians.
The report was requested by the European Commission following outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in mink farms across Europe in 2020.
As of January 2021, the virus has been detected at 400 mink farms in eight countries in the EU/EEA – 290 in Denmark, 69 in the Netherlands, 21 in Greece, 13 in Sweden, three in Spain, two in Lithuania and one each in France and Italy.
The European Union has announced today an additional €500 million for the COVAX Facility, doubling its contribution to date for the global initiative that is leading efforts to secure fair and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in low and middle-income countries. This new pledge brings us closer to achieving COVAX’s target to deliver 1.3 billion doses for 92 low and middle income countries by the end of 2021. Team Europe is one of the lead contributors to COVAX with over €2.2 billion, including another €900 million pledged today by Germany.
Announcing the new contribution at the G7 virtual leaders’ meeting, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Last year, as part of our Coronavirus Global Response, we committed to ensuring universal access to vaccines everywhere on Earth, for everyone who would need them. COVAX is best placed to help us reach this goal. This is why we decided to double the European Commission’s contribution to COVAX, to €1 billion. With this new financial boost we want to make sure vaccines are soon delivered to low and middle-income countries. Because we will only be safe if the whole world is safe.”
Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, added: “We are in a race against the virus and COVAX is our best hope that all our partners, in Africa and elsewhere, have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. The EU has been leading efforts in international fora, such as the G20 and G7, to guarantee that collectively we ensure that COVID-19 vaccines become a global public good. This is why today we are doubling our support to COVAX.”
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stressed: “Humanism and solidarity are essential values for Europe. These values have been our compass since the onset of the pandemic. The EU has invested close to €3 billion to pre-finance the production of safe and effective vaccines, which will benefit not only the EU but citizens across the world. Vaccines produced in Europe are now going all over the world and we as Team Europe are working to share doses secured under our advanced purchase agreements preferably through COVAX with the Western Balkans, Neighborhood and Africa – benefitting above all health workers and humanitarian needs.”
The contribution announced today is composed of a new €300 million EU grant and €200 million in guarantees by the European Fund for Sustainable Development plus (EFSD+) that will back a loan by the European Investment Bank. This is subject to the adoption of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) by the Council and the European Parliament. The EIB loan to be guaranteed by EFSD+ is subject to the approval of the EIB’s Board of Directors. These funds will complement a previous €100 million grant and €400 million in guarantees from the EU budget.
To date, a total of 191 countries participate in the COVAX Facility, 92 of them low and middle-income economies eligible to get access to COVID-19 vaccines through Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Most of these are in Africa. Through these contributions, the Commission and its partners will secure purchase options for future COVID-19 vaccines for all the participants in the Facility.
Vaccines will be procured and delivered to countries by the UNICEF Supply Division and the PAHO’s Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines. The fast arrival of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines has shown that multilateralism and multi-actor partnerships work to solve the most pressing problems of our time.
Background
COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
The COVAX Facility aims to purchase 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, including at least 1.3 billion doses for low and middle-income country. It will help to develop a diversified portfolio of vaccines, negotiated with different suppliers, and covering different scientific technologies, delivery times and prices. The COVAX Facility is a risk-sharing mechanism: it reduces the risk for manufacturers who invest without being sure about future demand, and it reduces the risk that countries would fail to secure access to a viable vaccine.
The European Commission is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs a vaccine gets it, anywhere in the world, and to promote global health. This is why together with partners it has helped raised almost €16 billion since 4 May 2020 under the Coronavirus Global Response, the global action in support of universal access to tests, treatments and vaccines against coronavirus and for the global recovery. Team Europe’s contribution was as follows: EU Member States (€3.1 billion), European Commission (over €1.4 billion) and EIB (almost €2 billion pledged in May and €4.9 billion pledged in June).
The EU’s efforts to develop and produce an effective vaccine will benefit all in the global community. The EU investment in scaling up manufacturing capacity will be to the service of all countries in need. Through its Advanced Purchase Agreements, it requires manufacturers to make their production capacity available to supply all countries and calls for the free flow of vaccines and materials with no export restrictions. For instance, the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-GSK, with whom the Commission concluded an Advanced Purchase Agreement in September, will endeavour to provide a significant portion of their vaccine supply through the COVAX facility.
Building on the EU Vaccines Strategy, the EU is in the process of setting up vaccine sharing mechanism to allow EU Member States to redirect some of the doses procured under the advanced purchased agreement, preferably through COVAX.
Hajia 4 Reall born Mona Faiz Montrage in an interview with Pulse has said that she is a practising Muslim who takes her prayers serious.
Commenting on being a Muslim and how she reconciles her lifestyle that comes with racy photos sometimes, Hajia 4 Reall said: “I think religion is all about the heart, it’s not how you appear, it’s about who you are inside”.
“I am a Muslim, yes I pray” Hajia 4 Real who has now ventured into music, told Pulse.com.gh’s David Mawuli and when asked about how exposing herself in photos and videos is against her religion she said, “religion is not about how you appear”.
The truth is, Hajia 4 Real is one celebrity who takes delight in showing flesh and you can’t blame her either. Lady got the skin and beauty.
BRUSSELS. KAZINFORM - The European Union (EU) on Wednesday stepped up its efforts to detect and fight COVID-19 variants by bringing together various stakeholders to develop new and adapted vaccines, <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-02/18/c_139748689.htm" target="_blank">Xinhua </a>reports.
A new project called «HERA Incubator» will gather researchers, biotech companies, manufacturers and public authorities in the EU and globally to detect new coronavirus variants, provide incentives to develop new and adapted vaccines, speed up the approval process for these vaccines, and ensure the scaling up of manufacturing capacities.
The incubator will also serve as a blueprint for the EU’s long-term preparedness for health emergencies, the European Commission said in a statement.
«New variants of the virus are emerging fast and we must adapt our response even faster,» said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Thanks to the incubator, Europe is «tackling parallel or subsequent series of pandemics deriving from the variants,» said European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, adding that it is pooling resources to ensure solidarity across the EU and the world.
The EU will spend 75 million euros (90.3 million U.S. dollars) on detecting, analyzing and assessing virus variants by supporting genomic sequencing in its member states, and a further 150 million euros on stepping up research and data exchange on variants, according to the Commission.
Mechanisms have also been devised to improve clinical trials and ramp up the production of COVID-19 vaccines.
The actions, the Commission said, are in preparation for the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), which will be a permanent structure for risk modeling, global surveillance, technology transfers, supply chain risk mapping, flexible manufacturing, and vaccine and medicine research and development.
Around 461,300 asylum applications were received in EU member states last year, according to the EU Asylum Support Office (EASO). The year before, the number was around 671,200.
According to EASO, that is the lowest number of people seeking asylum in the EU since 2013.
The Office cites travel restrictions related to the corona pandemic as an important reason for the decline.
An estimated 4% of the applications came from unaccompanied minor asylum seekers.
On average, around a third of asylum applications are approved. The nationalities that receive asylum the most are Syrians (84%), Eritreans (80%), and Yemenis (75%).
The EASO says that the backlog in case processing has become somewhat smaller in the last year.
