Good morning folks! Tensions in Israel, Palestine have escalated as predicted, hopefully international pressure will stem the rot, but the effects may linger. India’s vaccination drive is not doing well, and we check how climate change hits different people differently. Also, WhatsApp is changing policy again that could seriously affect you, but News of Today will still be available
Coronavirus News
⚕️Global Concern: After the UK, WHO marks Indian virus variant as variant of concern: “No evidence to suggest our diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines won’t work (against this variant).”
🧮 Numbers Game: 80% of India under lockdown, 24% in Mumbai and 27% Delhi vaccinated (min 1 dose), 50% of all new cases in India (weekly avg)
🧗🏻♀️ Mountaineers’ Help: Nepal is asking mountaineers not to abandon their empty cylinders.
🏔️ Line On Peak: To prevent spread, China will draw a line on the Everest summit that mountaineers from Nepal side will not be allowed to cross.
🤨 Criminal: Thousands gather to for funeral of Muslim cleric in Badaun.
😱 Holy Ganga!: Over 40 bodies washed up on Ganga banks bordering Bihar and UP. Officials say they may be Covid patients whose kin could not bury or cremate them.
🗣️ We Didn’t Help: Centre’s affidavit in SC on vaccines states (i) did not provide financial aid to the developers, but ICMR collaborated with Bharat Biotech, (ii) is against compulsory licensing, (iii) our orders large, states’ small so they have to pay more, (iv) all states said they’ll vaccinate for free, so citizens unaffected (v) vaccines approved internationally will be marketed directly while bridging trials go on simultaneously
💉 Vaccine Programme: Vaccinations is at lowest point since March. Entry barriers: only online registration, CoWin website and Aarogya Setu app available only in English), Delay: ability of hospitals to procure vaccines. Wide difference between private hospitals pricing: from Rs 700 to Rs 1,500.
💉💉Only Residents: Vaccinations in UP for those between 18-44 years only for those who can show residence/work proof in respective districts.
👨👩👧 For Kids: US approves vaccinating 12-15 year olds with Pfizer, Germany to approve J&J vaccine for all
🇪🇸 Spanish Masala: Parties across country as six-month state of emergency ends. Country suffered 79,000 deaths.
👷🏻Flagship Saves Day: MGNREGS’ demand 2X in April, Kerala records its most number of labour days at 10.23 crore.
Other India News
✋ Conged Off: Cong working committee unanimously decides to put off elections to party president post for three months. Panel blames factionalism, weak local leaders for party loss in Assembly polls.
🙏 Dead: Footballer Fortunato Franco (84) part of gold-medal winning India team in 1962 Jakarta Asian Games
😖 Feels Unreal: Rape accused marries complainant in “compromise” at a police station in Rajasthan.
⚔️ Post-poll clashes: Centre gives X-categorysecurity to its 77 MLAs in Bengal.
🌟 Micro Politics: Hindu-dominated Ayodhya village elects Muslim man as head.
⛽ Economy: Oil companies raise prices to record highs to compensate for the four months they lost income due to polls, while int’l prices up. Manufacturing down, auto sales dipped 25% after 6 months of growth.
🤳WhatsThat?: WhatsApp once again changes stance: If not agreeing to privacy update, user cannot see chat list and eventually not answer video/audio calls.
World
🥵 Heating up: Israeli police storms al-Aqsa mosque injuring 180. Gaza militants fire rockets into Israel and Israel responds with airstrike that kills 20, including children. 500 Palestinians, 20 policemen injured
🔍 Who Paid It?: After allegations of corruption over house makeover, UK PM Boris Johnson now under lens for 2019 Caribbean holiday.
😨 Don’t Look!: A man clinged on to dear life atop a 100-m high glass bridge in China when fast winds blew away the glass panel on the floor.
🇳🇵Nepal Govt Falls: KP Sharma Oli loses confidence, PMship. Likely new govt: Nepal Communist Party Maoist Centre+Nepali Congress
🌏🌎 Climate Change : The island of Madagascar is suffering its worst drought in 40 years forcing people to eat termites, clay; 30% California hit by drought and tells residents to limit outdoor watering, turn off tap while brushing teeth.
🇲🇲 Only 1 View : Myanmar universities suspend 11K “anti-Junta” staff
🏆 Award Wapsi: Tom Cruise returns Golden Globes after it was revealed that Hollywood Foreign Press Association suffered corruption and no diversity.
👾 Hackers ID’d: Eastern European group DarkSide behind last week’s US pipeline cyberattack, says FBI.
🏳️🌈Defiance: Over 100 Roman Catholic parishes in Germany bless gay couples, against Vatican’s refusal to recognise such unions. German Church is one of the most powerful in the world and its action can reverberate.
News of Yesterday: IBM computer Deep Blue beats Garry Kasparov in chess tournament on May 11, 1997.♟️
News Of Today 