American pop star Rihanna tweeted about ongoing farmers’ protests in India this week, sparking attention from other big names on social media and anger from the Indian government.
“Why aren’t we talking about this?!” Rihanna tweeted on Tuesday, with a link to a CNN article about ongoing protests.
The tweet, which has been liked more than a half-million times in the past day, sparked attention from climate activist Greta Thunberg and the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris.
But its reception in India was mixed.
In a statement released Wednesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that the issue was a domestic one and accused “vested interest groups” of mobilizing international support against India.
“Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the statement went on. [[link:
The statement claims that only a “very small section” of farmers have protested three new bills, which farmers fear would put them at the mercy of large corporations. However, tens of thousands of farmers have been camped out near India’s capital of Delhi for nearly two months as talks with the government have stalled.
Indian newspapers have reported that journalists reporting along the Singhu border near Delhi have been arrested or prevented from entering secured areas to report. The Indian government has also reportedly shut down the internet in various parts of the state of Haryana, where many farmers have set up camp.
While many Bollywood celebrities have echoed the rhetoric of the ruling party, famous musicians from Punjab — the state known as the “bread basket” of India where most protesters have traveled from — have welcomed the international attention.
Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi musician and actor who has been vocal in his support of the protests, produced a song called “Riri” in honor of Rihanna less than twelve hours after her tweet.
The farmers’ protest has emerged as a major challenge for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the government refusing to repeal the laws and farmers refusing to settle for anything less.
The government has defended the laws saying they would modernize agriculture and help farmers raise their incomes by affording them new opportunities to market their produce to private companies.
But farmers say the laws favor powerful corporations and fear they will dismantle the protection afforded by a decades-old system under which the government buys farm produce such as rice and wheat at what is called a “minimum price.”
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Day: February 3, 2021
UNICEF has announced a deal with the Serum Institute of India to produce 1.1 billion doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford and Novavax vaccines at a cost of $3 per dose.
“This is, of course, just an initial tranche of COVAX vaccines. More will follow. We will continue to work on the supply agreements to meet the needs of the COVAX vaccine requirements for the first half of 2021,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement Wednesday.
COVAX is a coordinated partnership of the World Health Organization (WHO); GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance; the Center for Epidemics Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and others to ensure vaccines are distributed to the world’s poorest countries.
“For countries which have already initiated vaccination drives, and those yet to begin, this information is a hopeful marker on the winding path out of a pandemic that will not be truly over until it is over for us all,” Fore said.
COVAX already has plans to distribute 100 million doses by the end of March and 200 million more by July.
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Israel has announced it is opening its coronavirus vaccination campaign to anyone over the age of 16, as one-third of the population has already received the first dose. But in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority has received just 2,000 doses from Israel that went to front-line health care workers. Palestinians hope to start receiving larger quantities of the vaccine later this month.Israel continues to move forward with its vaccination drive, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hopes that 90% of Israelis over the age of 50 will be inoculated in the next two weeks. The campaign includes Arab citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in east Jerusalem who are covered by the Israeli health care system. But close to 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have yet to receive the vaccine.The first 2,000 Palestinians, most of them front-line health care workers, received a vaccine after Israel delivered the doses, and promised 3,000 more in the next few days. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said that medical teams will be first in line. She did not say the vaccines made by Moderna came from Israel, although both Israeli and Palestinian officials later confirmed it.The Palestinian Authority has contracted to buy millions of doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine which was supposed to have been delivered last month. Now officials say they hope it will come later this month.Palestinian officials say they are especially concerned about the densely populated Gaza Strip, where the virus has been spreading quickly and hospitals are on the verge of collapse. Officials said some of the first 2,000 doses were also sent to Gaza.A Palestinian health worker is vaccinated against COVID-19 after the delivery of doses from Israel, in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Feb. 3, 2021.DisparityThe disparity between the Israeli and Palestinian vaccination campaigns has led to renewed calls on Israel to vaccinate the Palestinians as well. Phyllis Bennis of the U.S.-based Institute for Policy Studies told Al-Jazeera that Israel, as an occupying power, is responsible for Palestinian health care.“Israel is obligated under international law under the Geneva Conventions, Article 56 requires it, to provide all the materials needed for public health and specifically preventive measures to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics, exactly what we’re facing here,” Bennis said.Israeli officials say that according to the 1990 Oslo Accords with the Palestinians, the Palestinians are responsible for their own health care. Israel will offer help if the Palestinians ask for it, they say, and that hasn’t happened yet.The Oslo Accords gave Palestinians limited self-governance in the West Bank and Gaza.Speaking by teleconference to the World Economic Forum last week, King Abdullah of Jordan, where a significant part of the population is Palestinian, said Israel needs to vaccinate Palestinians for its own good. “The Israelis have had a very successful rollout of the vaccine, however, the Palestinians have not. If you look at the connectivity of the Israeli-Palestinian people, you can’t vaccinate one part of your society and not the other and think you’re going to be safe,” Abdullah said.Some Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, agree. They say that as long as tens of thousands of Palestinians continue to work in Israel, and hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, Israel should also vaccinate its Palestinian neighbors.
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Hollywood period drama “Mank” got a leading six nominations on Wednesday for the 2021 Golden Globe awards in film, while television shows “The Crown” and “The Mandalorian” will be among those competing for best series.
Streaming service Netflix Inc dominated the nominations in both film, with 22 nods, and television (20) after a year in which the coronavirus pandemic prompted Hollywood studios to push back dozens of their film releases, and many movie theaters were closed for months.
The contest for the Golden Globe best drama film awards will also include modern Great Recession-era story “Nomadland,” 1960s Vietnam War protest drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” #MeToo revenge story “Promising Young Woman and aging family drama “The Father.”
Sacha Baron Cohen’s satire on former President Donald Trump’s America, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm;” the film version of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton;” LGBTQ musical “The Prom;” “Music” and time-loop comedy “Palm Springs” will compete in a separate category for musicals and comedies.
The Golden Globe awards, which kick off a pandemic-era Hollywood awards season, are due to be handed out at a ceremony on Feb. 28, hosted by actors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The nominees and winners are selected by the small Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
Three of the five directors nominated on Wednesday were women, including Regina King for Black drama “One Night in Miami,” Britain’s Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” and Chinese-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland.”
Among the actors nominated were Baron Cohen for “Borat,” the late Chadwick Boseman in his last film role in jazz period piece “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” British actor Riz Ahmed as a drummer losing his hearing in “Sound of Metal” and Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.”
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The recent pledge by General Motors to produce all electric vehicles by 2035, except for heavy duty trucks, is expected to give a huge boost to the move away from gasoline-fueled cars. Mike O’Sullivan reports on what analysts say is a global trend.
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A coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University cut transmission of the virus by two-thirds, according to a study released by the university Wednesday.
The study has not been peer-reviewed, but Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC the findings are “good news.”
“It does show the world that the Oxford jab works, it works well,” Hancock said.
The vaccine has come under criticism from other nations in Europe in recent days with officials expressing concerns about the lack of data regarding its effectiveness in older people.
France’s top health advisory body recommended the vaccine only be used in those under the age of 65.
In Belgium, the government said it would only give the vaccine to those under the age of 55.
“We don’t have enough info to be sure to say that it is good for the elderly,” Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said.
Oxford’s vaccine trial chief Andrew Pollard told the BBC on Wednesday that despite the lack of data about its exact effectiveness, the vaccine provides good immune responses in older people.
“We have good immune responses in older adults very similar to younger adults, the protection that we do see is in exactly the same direction, and of a similar magnitude,” Pollard said.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, regulators on Wednesday gave approval for the provisional use of a vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech. The first vaccinations are expected to begin by the end of the first quarter of 2021, with a priority on border workers in the country that has strict quarantine measures in place for those arriving from abroad.
Wednesday also brought the start of a vaccination campaign in Pakistan, which is using a vaccine from China’s Sinopharm.
Asia
Like many countries, the first people to get the vaccine are frontline health workers. Pakistan’s minister for planning and development said at a ceremony in Islamabad that the workers are the “real heroes” as they put their own health at risk to help those infected with COVID-19.
Pakistan has received 500,000 doses of the vaccine, and it plans to vaccinate 70% of its high-risk population by the end of the year.
In South Korea, officials are limiting travel and gatherings during next week’s Lunar New Year holidays and urging people to stay home to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.
Health officials also said Wednesday they have detected the first local transmissions of virus variants first identified in Britain and South Africa.
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Mexico’s regulatory agency approved emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, shortly after Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced Tuesday the country’s plan to combat the novel coronavirus would involve use of the vaccine. The Associated Press reports Mexico is launching its vaccination program as its capital, Mexico City, is struggling to accommodate a growing number of coronavirus patients and provide adequate oxygen to hospitals. Meantime, Lopez-Gattel said the first batches of the 7.4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will arrive this month through April. The Sputnik V vaccine’s credibility was elevated Tuesday after late-stage clinical trial results published in The Lancet international medical journal revealed it was 91.6% effective in preventing people from developing COVID-19. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about purchasing 24 million doses of the vaccine. Argentina joins Mexico in ramping up its efforts to secure an ample supply of the Sputnik V vaccine. Lopez Gatell said on Monday Mexico would receive between 1.6 million to 2.75 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program this month. Mexico has one of the highest coronavirus tallies in Latin America with about 159,100 confirmed deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.
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China put 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020, according to new international research, more than three times the amount built elsewhere around the world and potentially undermining its short-term climate goals. The country won praise last year after President Xi Jinping pledged to make the country “carbon neutral” by 2060. But regulators have since come under fire for failing to properly control the coal power sector, a major source of climate-warming greenhouse gas. Including decommissions, China’s coal-fired fleet capacity rose by a net 29.8 GW in 2020, even as the rest of the world made cuts of 17.2 GW, according to research released on Wednesday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a U.S. think tank, and the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). “The runaway expansion of coal-fired power is driven by electricity companies’ and local governments’ interest in maximizing investment spending, more than a real need for new capacity,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, CREA lead analyst. The country’s National Energy Administration (NEA) didn’t immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. China approved the construction of a further 36.9 GW of coal-fired capacity last year, three times more than a year earlier, bringing the total under construction to 88.1 GW. It now has 247 GW of coal power under development, enough to supply the whole of Germany. A team of central government environmental inspectors delivered a scathing assessment of China’s energy regulator last Friday, accusing officials of planning failures and focusing too much on guaranteeing energy supply. The NEA had allowed plants to be built in already polluted regions, while projects in less sensitive “coal-power bases” had not gone ahead, they said. China has been criticized for pursuing an energy-intensive post-COVID recovery based on heavy industry and construction, and experts say new coal plants could end up becoming heavily-indebted “stranded assets.” Christine Shearer, GEM’s coal program director, said China needs to ensure its short-term development plans align with long-term climate goals. “Hopefully as the Chinese government determines its coal power capacity targets for the next five-year plan (for 2021-2025), it will severely restrict if not end new coal plant builds and accelerate retirements,” she said.
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Whether anyone will be attending the Golden Globes in person remains uncertain and improbable. But nominations to the 78th Globes will be announced Wednesday, nevertheless. Hollywood’s strange and largely virtual awards season lacks the usual kind of buzz and red-carpet glamour that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association annually feasts on. More than perhaps any other award show, the Globes depend on a cavalcade of stars — something that won’t materialize when the awards are handed out February 28 in a ceremony hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Virtual announcementNominations will be announced virtually at 8:35 a.m. ET Wednesday by presenters Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson. They will reveal 12 categories on NBC’s “Today” show, with full nominees announced live on E! digital channels and the Golden Globes’ website. Without any in-person screenings or photo ops with stars, little is known about how the roughly 90-member press association — a notoriously unpredictable group, in normal times — is swaying this year. But one thing may be a lock: Netflix will land a whole lot of nominations. Several of the streaming service’s films — including Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” David Fincher’ “Mank” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” — are considered frontrunners, as are Netflix TV series “The Crown” and “Ozark.” At last year’s Globes, Netflix also led all studios with 34 nominations. Also widely expected to be nominated Wednesday are Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” with Frances McDormand; Regina King’s directorial debut “One Night in Miami”; and George C. Wolfe’s August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” with Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman all but assured of nods. The Globes’ splitting of nominees between drama and comedy/musical could also mean one wildcard of the season — “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” — may emerge. The film could be nominated for best feature, comedy or musical, along with acting nods for Sacha Baron Cohen (also a contender for his supporting performance in “The Trial of the Chicago 7”) and Maria Bakalova. Also of note in the category: the “Hamilton” film, ineligible for the Academy Awards, is a likely nominee at the Globes. In the television categories, expect “The Mandalorian,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Flight Attendant,” “Ted Lasso” and the final season of “Schitt’s Creek” to be in the mix. Awards ceremonyThe HFPA has yet to announce what form its awards ceremony — typically a bubbly dinner gathering with flowing drinks — will take this year. In August, the group’s president, Lorenzo Soria, died at age 68. He was replaced by Ali Sar. This year’s Globes were postponed nearly two months because of the pandemic and to adjust to the delayed Oscars. Those are set for April 25. Last year’s Golden Globes culminated in awards for “1917” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” The telecast, hosted by Ricky Gervais, couldn’t buck the overall ratings trend for awards shows, drawing an average of 18.3 million viewers, down 2% from the previous year.
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