Latest news

Vaccination against covid-19 in Pakistan. Fareed Khan/AP  

 

The global spread of the coronavirus  

Pharmaceutical giants accused of cashing in on pandemic: 'Never again'  

 

At the same time that the vaccines against covid-19 have been developed with the help of public funds, the pharmaceutical companies have exploited them to "fertilize extraordinary profits", write representatives of the non-profit organization "The people's vaccine" in an open letter. Among those who signed the letter are former UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and South Africa's former first lady Graça Machel.  

 

Instead of distributing vaccines and tests based on need, the companies sold the doses to the "richest countries with the deepest pockets," the letter says. In the first year of the pandemic, inequality caused 1.3 million avoidable deaths, according to the organization.  

 

The organization is now calling on the outside world to take certain measures so that the same thing cannot be repeated in a new similar situation. Among other things, they want to establish a pandemic agreement under the auspices of the WHO that will ensure equality and that human rights are upheld in future pandemics.  

 

"Only then can we truly turn the page on this chapter of history and say, 'never again'.

 

" Boris Johnson at a meeting in November 2020. Adrian Dennis / AP  

The coronavirus The infection in Europe  

Leaked Whatsapp chats show lockdown warning: 'Must be brutally honest'  

 

Britain's former prime minister Boris Johnson was warned that a lockdown would have "devastating effects" - just two days before the country shuts down in autumn 2020, The Telegraph reports. 

 

The Telegraph has obtained over 100,000 leaked Whatsapp messages sent between ministers and government officials during the pandemic. In one of them, sent in early November 2020, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case wrote that you need to be "brutally honest with citizens". A full-scale lockdown would certainly prevent the spread of infection - but could hit school, work and mental health hard.  

 

The decision to shut down the UK was met with great criticism and frustration. Criticism did not diminish when it later emerged, in the spring of 2022, that ministers – including Johnson himself – were partying together during the shutdown. 

 

Corsica. Georges Walther / Ap  

 

The struggle for independence in Corsica 

Anger in Corsica when only French is allowed in parliament  

 

A court on the French island of Corsica has caused great anger since it banned the use of Corsican in the local parliament, French media write. The court cited the French constitution in ruling that it is unconstitutional to use the language in public office.  

 

The decision has been called both "shameful" and "insulting" by politicians on the island. 

 

- This decision means depriving Corsican MPs of the right to speak their language during debates. Accepting this is unthinkable, said among others the President of the Corsican Assembly Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis in a comment.  

 

The decision comes in parallel with the recent opening of President Emmanuel Macron and his government to give Corsica greater autonomy. 

 

San Miguel on the border between Colombia and Ecuador. Dolores Ochoa / Ap  

 

The threat to the Amazon Colombia's 

Amazon in danger due to staffing shortages  

 

Protected areas in Colombia's parts of the Amazon are at risk of irreversible damage due to staff shortages, Reuters reports.  

 

According to the news agency, a large number of park workers are needed to care for the reserves, but a tight budget has meant that the new government has yet to renew any contracts with temporary employees this year. Not least, park rangers are needed to protect the forest from criminals. 

 

- Nobody takes care of the forest now because there are so few of us who work, says one of the permanent park workers Reuters spoke to. 

 

The global challenges  

Algae cluster as big as two United States spreads out in the Atlantic 

A huge accumulation of sargasso seaweed, a genus of brown algae, is moving westward in the Atlantic. The seaweed spreads over an area of more than 800 miles, about twice the width of the entire United States, and is clearly visible on satellite images. That's what NBC News writes. 

In the coming weeks, hundreds of tons of seaweed are expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. That can be bad news for corals, ecosystems and water quality, but also for people. On the one hand, the seaweed emits health-threatening hydrogen sulphide when it rots, and on the other hand there is concern about reduced tourism.  

Scientists describe it as the algal bloom has "exploded" since 2011 and is now predicting another record year. The development is linked to human activity and climate change.

Ursula von der Leyen. Andrew Harnik/AP

 

US climate policy  

von der Leyen: We want to match US investment  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is currently in Washington for a meeting with US President Joe Biden. On the agenda is a settlement in the climate area, the relationship with China and the EU's efforts to reduce the need for Russian gas.  

 

A concern among European companies is that they will find it difficult to match the United States, which has invested many billions in climate-friendly development. 

 

- It is wonderful that there are such massive investments in green technologies, von der Leyen said before the meeting.  

 

- We want to match that.