They also discussed bilateral trade issues and cooperation on climate change responses as well as ways to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic…reports Asian Lite News.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to step up efforts to boost the supply of Covid-19 vaccines to developing nations.
Joining forces with our African partners to find solutions to common challenges – tackling the COVID19 pandemic, economic recovery and climate change.
Moon met with the European Union leader on the sidelines of the 16th G20 Summit that opened in the Italian capital on Saturday for a two-day run, reports Yonhap news Agency.
The two leaders agreed to jointly take steps to increase the supply of vaccines to developing nations in a smooth and equitable manner as the pandemic has proven that no one is safe until everyone is safe, the South Korean presidential office said in a statement.
They also discussed bilateral trade issues and cooperation on climate change responses as well as ways to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moon praised the EU’s cooperation with South Korea as Seoul’s vaccination rate exceeded a key milestone of 70 per cent earlier this month.
He also briefed the EU leader on the recent situation of the Korean Peninsula and asked the bloc to continue to work together to establish peace on the peninsula, according to the statement.
Iran’s Health Ministry on Saturday reported 6,809 new Covid-19 cases, taking the country’s total infections to 5,916,211…reports Asian Lite News
The pandemic also claimed 128 lives in the past 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 126,126, said the update by Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
A total of 5,494,689 people have recovered from the disease or been discharged from hospitals across the country, while 3,942 remain in intensive care units, according to the Ministry.
Iran reports 6,809 new Covid-19 cases
By Saturday, 52,379,057 Iranians have received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and 33,674,073 of them have taken two jabs, Xinhua news agency reported.
The report added that 35,403,860 tests have so far been carried out across the country.
Speaking on Saturday at a meeting of the country’s National Task Force Against Coronavirus, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the Health Ministry, along with the Ministries of Science and Education, should jointly plan to reopen schools and universities in December according to the guidelines.
“With the set of preventive and appropriate measures that have been taken through the relevant agencies… we hope to prevent the next wave and to protect the health of the people effectively,” he added.
The global coronavirus caseload has topped 246.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.99 million and vaccinations soared to over 6.94 billion…reports Asian Lite News
In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload, death toll and the total number number of vaccine doses administered stood at 246,367,237, 4,994,637 and 6,947,883,074, respectively.
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 45,949,951 and 745,665, according to the CSSE.
Global Covid-19 caseload tops 246.3 mn
In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 34,260,470 cases.
The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (21,804,094), the UK (9,062,710), Russia (8,338,053), Turkey (8,009,010), France (7,262,178), Iran (5,916,211), Argentina (5,288,259), Spain (5,011,148), Colombia (5,000,677), Italy (4,767,440), Germany (4,594,059), Indonesia (4,243,835) and Mexico (3,802,287), the CSSE figures showed.
Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (607,694), India (457,740), Mexico (287,951), Russia (233,063), Peru (200,197), Indonesia (143,388), the UK (140,981), Italy (132,074), Colombia (127,258), Iran (126,126), France (118,612) and Argentina (115,942).
In his address at G20 Leaders’ Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s contribution in the fight against the pandemic and also mentioned medical supplies to over 150 countries, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that once the World Health Organization (WHO) approves Covaxin, India’s indigenous vaccine against Covid-19, New Delhi can supply five billion dosages to the developing countries as its contribution to reducing jab inequities.
He made the remarks on Saturday while was speaking at the first session on ‘Global Economy and Global Health’ at the inaugural ceremony of the G20 Leaders’ Summit with the other leaders of the world’s biggest economies in Rome.
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s contribution in the fight against the pandemic and also mentioned medical supplies to over 150 countries.
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 106 Crore landmark milestone (1,06,07,39,866) today. More than 61 lakh (61,99,429) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm today, Union Health Ministry said in a statement
“The Prime Minister conveyed that India has not only vaccinated over a billion of our citizens but more importantly, we are ready to produce over five billion vaccine dosage by the end of next year and this would be available for not only our citizens but also for the rest of the world. And that, this is our own contribution to reducing vaccine inequities, especially in the developing world,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told mediapersons.
“We also believe that the WHO’s approval for emergency use authorisation for Covaxin, our indigenous vaccine, pending with them, would facilitate this process of assisting other countries.”
PM @narendramodi spoke about our vision of one earth one health which is essentially need for the collaborative approach in the international domain in the fight against the corona pandemic: Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary in Rome, Italy pic.twitter.com/hZZhFnhnUG
Modi spoke about India’s vision of ‘One Earth One Health’, which is essentially the need for a collaborative approach in the international domain in the fight against corona pandemic, Shringla said, adding: “Collaboration in R&D to collaborations in combating pandemics, collaborations across the board in developing mechanisms that can cope with future pandemics and future global health issues.
“There was an emphasis on vaccine research, manufacturing, and innovation. We have invested a fair amount in that effort in order to make it available for our citizens and citizens all across the world.”
#COVID19Update 106.14 cr vaccine doses administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
The Prime Minister stressed on the need for resilient global supply chains, and also mentioned India’s bold economic reforms, and the lowering of the cost of doing business in India, according to the Foreign Secretary.
He spoke about innovations in India, efforts at developing a culture of innovations. He invited the G20 countries to make India their partner in economic recovery and supply chain diversification.
“The Prime Minister also brought out the fact that despite the challenges of the pandemic, India continued to be a trusted partner in the context of reliable supply chains, the IT sector, the BPOs, we did not allow the pandemic to come in the way of our contribution in the overall chain in the global processes.
“The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over G20’s decision to come up with the 15 per cent minimum Corporate Tax. It was at the 2014 G20 Summit that the Prime Minister had first proposed this idea of a minimum corporate tax in order to prevent to some extent the evasion of taxes.
“Today there is satisfaction over the fact that the G20 has actually adopted this. This has become a global norm. And this is a very important step in ensuring more rationalised global tax structures and better cooperation in the international domain when it comes to issues like tax evasion, money laundering, corruption and so on and so forth, some of the issues that G20 is currently dealing with,” Shringla added.
Earlier at the G20 Summit venue, Modi and the other world leaders, first interacted informally with each other, posed for a family photo, and generally exchanged pleasantries.
Modi held two bilateral meetings, with French President Emmanuel Macron and the Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Prior to the G20 Summit, the Prime Minister had met Pope Francis at the Vatican and also attended a cultural event.
IOM deported 140 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Libya
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that it has deported 140 illegal Bangladeshi migrants to their country of origin…reports Asian Lite News
The migrants, including nine with medical conditions, were assisted to return to Bangladesh from Benghazi last week, in the first Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) flight from the city since the resumption of the IOM’s VHR program, Xinhua news agency quoted the UN migration agency as saying.
IOM deported 140 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Libya
“Closely facilitated and supported by the Embassy of Bangladesh, the returning migrants underwent health checks and were provided with counselling services and protection screening, as well as personal protective equipment and Covid-19 tests before boarding,” the statement said.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
The VHR program, run by the IOM, arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their homelands.
Since 2015, more than 53,000 migrants have been returned from Libya through the VHR programme, with support from the European Union and the Italian Migration Fund, according to the IOM.
In recent years, Indian government has promoted electric vehicles and aimed for establishing infrastructure for gradually switching from dependence on fossil fuels…writes Divyanshu Jindal
As world leaders gear up for highlighting their national policies, achievements, and aspirations towards mitigating climate change issues at the UN Climate Change Conference (or COP-26) happening in Glasgow, the geopolitical focus has shifted towards leadership credentials through the lens of energy policies and ambitions.
Indian delegation for the conference, as well as the G-20 summit which will precede the climate conference, will be headed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the run up to the events, PM Modi has highlighted India’s success in being among the top countries in the world in terms of installing renewable energy and has emphasised on India’s continued commitment towards mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
In recent years, Indian government has promoted electric vehicles and aimed for establishing infrastructure for gradually switching from dependence on fossil fuels. Indian government also recently launched the National Hydrogen Mission which aims at making India a frontrunner for assimilating cleaner fuel technologies in coming decades. India has worked towards increasing penetration of energy-efficient lighting systems, creating LNG filling stations, and solar capacity in the recent years.
India Foreign Secretary, Harshvardhan Shringla, also recently highlighted that India increased its renewable energy capacity by 250 percent in the last six-seven years and is on course to achieve the target of 450 Gigawatt of renewable energy by 2030.
While it is not to say that India has succeeded perfectly in all desired goals, India has attracted undue criticisms from several critics. More often than not, these criticisms have failed to consider the wider realm of geopolitics which hugely affects the national policies being considered and adopted.
The Coal Factor and the Net-Zero Target
Coal stands as the most emission producing fossil fuel among others like oil and gas. Several nations have been phasing out coal usage in the recent years and several others have adopted policies to phase out coal from their portfolio of energy generation in the coming years. COP-26 aims at securing agreements from nations to end coal power by 2030 for developed nations and by 2040 for developing nations, and an agreement for non-commissioning of any new coal-based power plants from now on. However, for many, it’s not as simple as switching to other alternatives as investment and infrastructural changes required to switch over can take decades in emerging economies like India. Increasing electricity accessibility in remote regions as well as ensuring uninterrupted power supply in most regions is a work in progress, depending heavily on thermal power plants.
Going into the COP-26, many nations have already announced their targets for achieving carbon neutrality or ‘net zero’ emissions, which means that the amount of greenhouse gases emitted is same as the amount of gas removed from the atmosphere by any means like carbon capture, separation, or absorption. The world’s top energy body, International Energy Agency (IEA), has said that all new oil-and-gas projects (and more importantly coal) need to be immediately halted if the world wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, which is the deadline that COP-26 aims for through securing an agreement among nations.
While Australia has pledged to achieve the net-zero target by 2050, others like China and more recently Saudi Arabia have announced their target as 2060. Russia aims at achieving net zero emissions by 2060, and the US’ Biden administration too is looking towards coming up with a similar policy to achieve this target mid-century.
However, announcing net-zero emission deadline does not amount to much in absence of clear-cut policies which will be applied in surety. This stance has been emphasised by India’s Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change as well. As the national governments around the world will be keen to focus on the 2030 targets in short term, coming up with concrete policies and steps to achieve the net zero target by mid-century is a complexity that most leaders and governments would happily want to leave for their successors in office.
For countries like Australia, Saudi Arabia and Russia, the net-zero target does not take in account the emissions by exports. Being world’s top energy exporters (Australia- coal, Saudi Arabia- oil and Russia- gas), their targets will have to take different routes than others like India which stands as world’s leading energy importer. The duality is visible in Saudi Arabia’s plan to increase Aramco oil production from 12 million barrels per day to 13 million barrels per day by 2027. This will help Saudi Arabia to infuse funds into transition to renewable sources from oil exports. This possibility does not exist for nations like India.
Currently, India’s energy sector is predominantly dependent on coal. India depends more than 54 percent on coal-based power plants for its total power generation. This alone results in 75 percent of India’s green-house gas emissions. Reducing coal-dependence is touted as India’s ticket to achieve climate change mitigation goals. But setting a target like Australia and Saudi Arabia, who do not account for emissions export in their targets, will put undue pressure on India to announce a date which can be much later than 2060, thus making India look like an outlier. On the other hand, an overambitious target like 2050 can also raise more questions and scepticisms.
Invariably, India needs coal for its development in coming years. However, unlike Australia whose economy majorly depends on coal for both internal usage and exports, Indian credentials in establishing renewable capacity has been commendable. In an unpredictable world, setting a target date decades ahead in future will amount to nothing if the realities of the present would not be taken in serious consideration. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown how any disturbances to global economic landscape can lead to a forced roll back of decades of achievements in cooperation, in a matter of weeks. Any such disturbances in the near future are bound to affect the climate change mitigation targets as well when impetus on economic recovery can lead to environmental concerns taking a back seat.
The Technical Factor
With exponential improvements in technology with each passing year, the options for deploying renewable and alternative sources of energy as well as for carbon sequestering are expanding. With decreasing cost of electricity storage due to technical improvements, preserving energy generated from renewable sources like solar and wind power can become more affordable. A similar phenomenon has been witnessed in realm of solar energy where the price per unit has substantially decreased in the last few years. For developing nations like India, deploying renewable infrastructure at an early stage also means deploying costlier options. In this scenario, a few years can make a large difference in terms of switching from conventional sources of energy. While it can be argued that not everything should be seen in terms of finances, it is a bitter reality that promises made by the developed nations to fund the clean energy transitions in the developing world have not seen fruition in any sense in the last few years. The developing nations further got a taste of ‘Trumpism’ where the world’s leading nation withdrew from the Paris Agreement and looked towards adopting isolationist policies to pump its own economy while engulfing in a trade war with another leading emitter-China. This is just one example which highlights how national interests can cloud global needs at times of distress.
Conclusion
India stands among the world’s leading economies today. However, unlike many other leading economies which have entrenched themselves firmly in infrastructural aspects, committing to a deadline is much more complex for India. India’s report to UN highlights that even after 1990, when the nation entered a period of rapid economic growth, India’s contribution to global cumulative emissions was only 4.9 percent, while it is home to 17.8 percent of the global population. In 2015, India voluntarily enhanced its ambition to reduce the emission intensity of its Gross Domestic Product by 33-35 percent (having declared in 2010 to reduce it by 20-25 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels). India has successfully achieved the target it had set for 2020. With India partnering actively with other nations like France (for International Solar Alliance) and venturing into hydrogen technology, India’s credentials are stronger than most. Instead of setting dates, India has signalled that actions should be more important than mere promises.Â
China, under Xi, no longer feels compelled to cooperate – or at least be seen as cooperating – with the United States and its allies on anything other than its own terms…reports Asian Lite News
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s lack of face time with world leaders signals a turn inward on domestic issues and a reluctance to compromise on the global stage, The New York Times reported.
“When the presidents and prime ministers of the Group of 20 nations meet in Rome this weekend, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, won’t be among them. Nor is he expected at the climate talks next week in Glasgow, where China’s commitment to curbing carbon emissions is seen as crucial to help blunt the dire consequences of climate change. He has yet to meet US President Joe Biden in person and seems unlikely to any time soon”, the report said.
“Mr Xi has not left China in 21 months – and counting.
The ostensible reason for Xi’s lack of foreign travel is Covid-19, though officials have not said so explicitly. It is also a calculation that has reinforced a deeper shift in China’s foreign and domestic policy”, the report added.
China, under Xi, no longer feels compelled to cooperate – or at least be seen as cooperating – with the United States and its allies on anything other than its own terms, NYT reported.
Still, Xi’s recent absence from the global stage has complicated China’s ambition to position itself as an alternative to American leadership. And it has coincided with, some say contributed to, a sharp deterioration in the country’s relations with much of the rest of the world, the report added.
“Instead, China has turned inward, with officials preoccupied with protecting Xi’s health and internal political machinations, including a Communist Party Congress next year where he is expected to claim another five years as the country’s leader. As a result, face-to-face diplomacy is a lower priority than it was in Xi’s first years in office”, NYT said.
“There is a bunker mentality in China right now,” said Noah Barkin, who follows China for the research firm Rhodium Group.
That apart, China is typically risk averse and with its economic slowdown, it will tread a more cautious path before opening its purse strings…reports Mahua Venkatesh
After Chinas much publicized promise to help Afghanistan with about $31 million in aid to rebuild the war torn country, it seems only a tiny fraction of the total amount has reached the Taliban led regime. TOlO News in a tweet said that China has provided $1 million to Afghanistan and has promised to provide $5 million more in humanitarian aid, especially medicine and food.
Just for better understanding, $1 million, if converted into Indian Rupee, amounts to a mere Rs 7.5 crore.
Former acting governor of Da Afghanistan Bank – the country’s central bank tweeted, “I often get asked whether China could replace the financial power of the US/EU/WB/IMF in Afghanistan…..I think this pledge clearly answers that question: $1M + $5M.”
Earlier India Narrative reported that the first tranche of aid reached the country only on September 30.
“China makes commitments but how much of those commitments actually flow is not analysed in details, It is impossible for China to rebuild Afghanistan..until the US or EU steps in, China alone will be an insignificant player,” the late Shakti Sinha, who was director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Policy Research and International Studies told India Narrative in an exclusive interview.
That apart, China is typically risk averse and with its economic slowdown, it will tread a more cautious path before opening its purse strings.
While China has expressed its interest in extending its Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan, there is no blueprint of actual investments. “Will China invest? That is the big question. I believe it will not and even if it does, these are long term projects which take time to generate the desired results,” an analyst told India Narrative earlier.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Afghanistan’s economy could contract 30 per cent this year, resulting in a refugee crisis. The refugee crisis may impact its neighbouring countries, it said.
According to a Reuters report, with non-humanitarian aid halted and foreign assets largely frozen after the Taliban seized power in August, Afghanistan’s aid-reliant economy currently faces multiple challenges.
For a country, where grants have financed around 75 per cent of the public spending, choking of aid would lead to crumbling of the economy.
The US has frozen the $9.5 billion reserves that the country has in overseas accounts. Besides, flow of remittances has choked too.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, Rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua/IANS)
Earlier this week, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Taliban appointed Sardar Mohammad Shakib, who was the first secretary of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad …reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan embassy and consulates have resumed operations across Pakistan, Sputnik reported citing 1TV News broadcaster on Saturday.
Earlier this week, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Taliban appointed Sardar Mohammad Shakib, who was the first secretary of the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, a new interim head of the mission in Pakistan.
Pakistan has provided essential humanitarian assistance to neighbouring Afghanistan in recent months of insecurity in a form of food and medicines after the Taliban seized power in mid-August, the media outlet said.
Earlier in October, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi promised to provide humanitarian aid worth $280 million to Afghanistan to help the new Taliban-led government overcome a severe humanitarian crisis in the country. Other measures to support the Taliban government on Islamabad’s part also include resumption of flights with Afghanistan and boosting bilateral trade, according to Sputnik (ANI)
The two sides also discussed issues related to a number of Afghan-Turkmen joint projects, fibre optic and railway projects…reports Asian Lite News
Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund met with visiting Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov on Saturday, during which they discussed the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline Project in Afghanistan’s terrain.
The two sides also discussed issues related to a number of Afghan-Turkmen joint projects, fibre optic and railway projects, according to the statement by the General Directorate for Administrative Affairs of the President Office.
The key regional project is expected to transit gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, with Afghanistan getting about 500 million US dollars a year as royalty and thousands of Afghans are expected to find work from the project.
The TAPI project is supported by the United States and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It proposed to lay a 56-inch diameter and 1,680-kilometre pipeline with a capacity of transporting 33 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas per annum from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Fazilka near the India-Pakistan border.
The long-lasting war and insecurity had caused a delay in the inauguration of the TAPI project which was expected to be completed in 2020. The Afghan and Turkmen sides have resumed talks on the topic with prevailing security
The ADB is acting as the facilitator and coordinator for the project.
According to the statement, Meredov said that Turkmenistan was ready to provide humanitarian aid to Afghans and help them in the implementation of economic projects.
“Implementation of the joint projects would be helpful for the people of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and would enhance the regional cooperation,” he was quoted in the statement as saying.
Int’l recognition still nowhere near
The Taliban on Friday reiterated that it had completed all conditions for recognition by the international community, local media reported.
According to Tolo News, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson recently said that the “Taliban” should fulfil the expectations of the international community for recognition.
“The Islamic Emirate expects the regional and world countries to engage with the Afghans and recognise the current government under the leadership of the Islamic Emirate,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate.
“Therefore, the Islamic Emirate would be able to responsibly engage in (resolving) the problems and challenges with the world,” Karimi added.
“The Taliban should fulfil the expectation of the international community for the formation of an inclusive government based on ethnicity, countering the terrorism and freedom of citizens,” Tolo News quoted Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Federations’ foreign ministry as saying.
To resolve the ongoing challenges, political experts said that Afghanistan needs to be recognised by the world, Tolo News reported.
“(The people) pay for the price of the non-recognition of the Afghan government. Inclusivity and participatory government is the wish of all Afghans,” said Fazal Hadi Wazin, a university instructor. “If a government is not inclusive, it will be deprived of the support of the people.”
“(They) use recognition and impose conditions as pressure,” said Aziz Miraj, a former diplomat.
It has been over two months when the Taliban captured Kabul after an aggressive and rapid advance against Afghanistan government forces after US military drawdown. Meanwhile, Russia, the United States, Japan, Canada, France, UK have expressed that they are not planning to recognise the government formed by the Taliban. (ANI)
