Also, the Indian subcontinent’s Covid-19 chaos and Africa’s vaccine fight to Europe’s football upheaval and Afghanistan’s endangered Children – the top developing news stories from around world this week.
Highlights – The World This Week
- Kathmandu also calls SOS like New Delhi with Nepal two weeks behind India’s Covid-19 catastrophe, which is set to peak this week.
- Who will protect the children of Afghanistan? – As America decides to withdraw troops, the question haunts the war-torn country.
- Africa is putting up a brave vaccine patent waiver fight amid fears of a fresh wave and stumbling national inoculation drives.
- Israel is on edge amid the security forces’ brutal crackdown on Palestinians protesting eviction from their homes in East Jerusalem.
- Myanmar military is wary of outside intervention but the country is reeling not just under Covid-19 fatalities at 3210 but those killed by the junta at 774.
- Football fan’s rebellion hasn’t deterred the elite Super League trio Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, who have denounced UEFA’s pressurizing tactics.
- New York is gearing up for major opening and easing of most Covid-19 restrictions with wild parties and sex fests in May.
Much ado about nothing? – Out of control Chinese Long March 5B rocket, predicted to hit Earth this weekend, disintegrated over the Indian Ocean. There were no casualties or crashing of tonnes of Chinese rocket as per latest videos. It ended up with debris falling near the Maldives. Of course, the warnings had come from US Military Intelligence. Watch the video of Chinese Long March 5B rocket debris hitting Earth at the end of this article.
Hi Readers,
I’m Chitresh Sehgal, the Editor here and this is the weekly DKODING newsletter – The World This Week.
1/7
Nepal also calls SOS, India set to peak this week
What happens when a rampaging virus meets an open international border? Covid-19 chaos and catastrophe spreads untamed from New Delhi to Kathmandu. Some two weeks behind in Covid-19 community spread, India’s extremely poor neighbour Nepal is watching in fright the catastrophe unfold, and awaiting its dire fate.
Nepal with around 3 crore population is averaging more than 8,000 new Covid-19 cases every day. Extrapolated to India’s population that comes to around 400,000 new cases per day. The mountain country has 87,000 active cases and community transmission in full flow. Moreover, Nepal’s healthcare infrastructure makes India’s look first world. The government has called for foreign help and called in the troops.
Meanwhile, latest pandemic modelling data claims that India’s catastrophic second Covid-19 wave is set to peak this week. Reporting around 4,000 deaths a day currently and over 400,000 new Covid-19 cases every day. India’s health infrastructure is stretched beyond limits. Active cases are over 4 million.
The government claims it is doing all it could. Foreign aid has arrived. But medical oxygen shortage continues to persist.
Read more on the issue:
Report Card: How India Is Handling The Brutal Second Wave Of Covid-19
“Grab & Run” — What’s Causing India’s Tragic Oxygen Shortage
India’s Vaccine Shortage Isn’t Just Simple Math Gone Wrong
When Will India’s Oxygen Horror Show End?
2/7
Who will protect the children of Afghanistan?
American military has begun to exit war-torn Afghanistan. In its backdrop, a girls’ school bombing in capital Kabul last week sent shockwaves of terror across the country. Over 50 have died and more than 150 have been injured.
For the past 14 years, five Afghan children on average are “killed or maimed” every single day. Nearly 1,600 Afghan children have lost their lives as collateral in international coalition backed in air strikes in the last 5 years. That’s 40 percent of all civilian deaths.
Foreign troops or not, Afghanistan has been for years and continues to remain the most dangerous country for children.
3/7
Wary of a brutal Covid-19 wave, Africa puts up a brave Vaccine Fight
African nations have cold feet just looking at India’s current state. The continent is reeling from Covid-19’s economic impact. A next wave would be brutal. Even then, inoculation drives which started a few weeks ago have come to abrupt halts in many countries as they run out of vaccine vials.
To end this inability to inoculate on time, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is leading the global fight to get the developed world to waive vaccine patents. Backed by India, he now has the US onboard. But Europeans are not amused.
First Germany and then France have raised concern. In an opposing jibe, French president Emmanuel Macron called on US President Joe Biden to waive America’s vaccine export ban.
Read more on the issue:
Vaccine Patents Divide A World In Dire Need Of Solidarity
4/7
Jerusalem on edge as Israel evicts Palestinians from their homes
The clashes, worst that the city has seen in years, started at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. Thousands of Palestinians had gathered at the east Jerusalem mosque on the final day of Ramadan. Several hundreds stayed back to protest recent Palestinian home evictions in the city.
Israeli security forces stormed the mosque with pellet guns and stun grenades. Palestinian Red Crescent puts the number of injured at over 200 on the day. Since then, clashes have continued for the third day.
Saturday saw 90 injuries. Israelis and Palestinians are expected to clash again tonight.
5/7
In the past year, Covid-19 killed 3210 in Myanmar, Army killed 774
Myanmar’s military dictator Min Aung Hlaing has walked back on its commitment to ASEAN. Architect of the 2nd February coup, Hlaing has rejected the visit of an ASEAN envoy to the country until stability is restored. The visit was among the five point the leader of the military junta agreed in the recently concluded summit with other ASEAN leaders.
Labelling pro-democracy protests and opposition groups as terrorists, the military has detained over 3,700 dissenters apart from the 774 that have been killed in the last three months.
Read more on the issue:
The Free World Is Divided On The Myanmar Coup. Here’s Why
6/7
European Football’s fan rebellion hasn’t deterred the elite Super League trio
9 out of 12 founding clubs who withdrew within 48 hours have now been sanctioned. UEFA has announced the clubs apologized and acknowledged their mistake will take a five percent cut on European revenue next year. They have also signed a “Club Commitment Declaration.”
But the three holding out, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus have denounced UEFA. The elite clubs have hit out at the continuous pressure. While they won’t drop the idea, they have decided to reconsider the approach.
Meanwhile, the fan movement against club owners is seeing mounting pressure on Manchester United’s Glazer family. Protesting fans forced FA to call off United’s match against rival Liverpool last weekend. Fresh anti-Glazers protests are planned for this week’s rearranged clash.
7/7
New York gears up to reopen with Invite-only VIP Sex Fests
NYC is up for its major reopening when most restrictions come off on May 19. As the city gears up to test itself against Covid-19, there are wild nights planned ahead. But even before the date, New Yorkers have wild sex fests organized, like the VIP, invite-only, 80-people sex bash by SNCTM on the 15th of May. It’s happening at a luxurious, 3-storey penthouse in downtown Manhattan.
The costume code for men is Tuxedos and for women its Dresses with lingerie. The masks have to be like the “Eyes Wide Shut” type.
Now, back to the out-of-control Chinese Rocket, here’s the video.
We’re in for a wild week ahead. Stay on your toes, folks!
