India only G20 nation well on track to achieve Paris agreement goal: Niti Aayog CEO

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said India introduced the faster adoption of electric mobility policy which is facilitating India’s transition to clean mobility.

Heads of the delegations react at the end of the final session of the COP24 summit on climate change in Katowice, Poland

India’s efforts in mainstreaming sustainability and reducing carbon footprint should inspire countries across the world, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, while pointing out that India is the only G20 nation well on track to achieve the goals mentioned under the Paris Agreement.

Addressing ‘Schneider Innovation India summit 2021’ virtually, Kant said India introduced the faster adoption of electric mobility policy which is facilitating India’s transition to clean mobility.

Our efforts in mainstreaming sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint should inspire countries across the world,” he said.

Kant mentioned that when “we talk of sustainability, and a future which is cleaner and greener, one cannot ignore the dangers posed by climate change”.

“India is not responsible for the situation. In fact, India is one of the only G20 countries well on track to achieve its nationally determined contributions,” he emphasised.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s first major scientific assessment since 2014 shows unequivocally that global warming is unfolding more quickly than feared and that humanity is almost entirely to blame.

Noting that independent studies rate India’s efforts highly compliant with the requirements under UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, he said, “A coalition of 14 global think tanks has rated that India is the only G20 that has 1.5 degrees C compliant policies.”

Under the Paris agreement, the goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.Also, Kant pointed out that India for the first time has been ranked amongst the top 10 countries in the climate change performance index.

Kant said when it comes to roads, a sector that contributes to 90 per cent of emissions from the transport sector, India is moving towards electric mobility rapidly.

Observing that 2021 has been a defining milestone for the startup ecosystem in India, the Niti Aayog CEO said that on average three startups are turning unicorns every single month.

“We have seen 26 startups enter the unicorn club so far this year, and we are witnessing a record number of IPOs. This is totally unprecedented,” he said.

Kant said the vast scale of data and the massive digital footprint is India’s biggest strength for the technological leapfrogging in artificial intelligence and machine learning development.

“As India moves from being data-rich to data intelligent, it’ll use machine learning and AI to find solutions to a vast number of its challenges, water availability, learning outcomes, and of course sustainability and reduction of our carbon footprint,” he observed.According to Kant, during this transformation, the industry should also strive to maintain sustainability and become greener.

US to reopen land borders in November for fully vaccinated travelers.

The US had already announced that it would lift bans in November on all vaccinated air passengers who undergo testing and contact tracing

In this file photo taken on August 9, 2021 a vehicle approaches the USA-Canada border to enter the USA,

which is still closed to Canadians for non-essential travel.

Washington: The United States will open its land borders with Mexico and Canada in early November to non-essential travelers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a senior White House official announced Tuesday.

The official said the administration would give the “precise date very soon” — both for land crossings as well as international air travel, which would be timed to “go together.”

The United States had already announced in September that it would lift bans in November on all vaccinated air passengers who undergo testing and contact tracing.

In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, US borders were closed in March 2020 to travelers coming from the European Union, Britain and China, with India and Brazil added to the list later. Overland visitors from Mexico and Canada were also banned.

The nearly 19 months of restrictions led to both personal and economic suffering.

The White House source said the land border re-opening would happen in two phases.

Initially, vaccines will be required for “non-essential” trips — such as visiting family or tourism — though unvaccinated travelers will still be allowed into the country for “essential” trips as they have been for the last year and a half.

A second phase beginning in “early January” 2022 will require all visitors to the United States to be fully vaccinated, no matter the reason for their trip.

“This phased approach will provide ample time for essential travelers such as truckers or others to get vaccinated, enabling a smooth transition to the new system,” the official said.The new schedule means the land border restrictions, which are currently set to expire on October 21, would have to be extended one more time before the new rules enter into force, the official indicated.

Which vaccines?

The senior official pointed to recent recommendations from US health authorities for guidance on which vaccines would allow travelers entry.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) would be accepted for entry by air, the official pointed out.

“While the CDC hasn’t made a final determination here, I anticipate that that would be the same for land travel as well,” the official said, explaining that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not administered in the United States, would be accepted.The rule change will only apply to legal land crossings into the country, the official said.

“Title 42” — the controversial Trump-era rule continued by the Biden administration which allows those crossing illegally to be deported for public health reasons — will remain in place, the official said.

WHO: Mortality from COVID-19 around the world dropped to lowest level.

To date, the WHO has reported 238,229,951 cases of coronavirus infection worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic and 4,859,277 deaths.

The number of weekly coronavirus deaths worldwide continues to decline and is now at its lowest level in nearly a year. This was announced on Wednesday at a briefing in Geneva by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, quoted by TASS.

The number of reported deaths from COVID-19 continues to decline and is now at its lowest level in nearly a year,” he said. However, this number is still unacceptably high – almost 50 thousand cases per week, and the real number is undoubtedly even higher,” said the head of the WHO.

“Mortality is declining in all regions except Europe, where several countries are facing new waves of disease and death,” Gebreyesus said, stressing that mortality is highest in countries and populations that “have the least access.” to vaccines against COVID-19 ‘.

To date, the WHO has reported 238,229,951 cases of coronavirus infection worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic and 4,859,277 deaths.

Uttarakhand rains updates: Death toll rises to 34, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announces compensation for affected families.

The death toll in rain-related incidents in Uttarakhand rose to 34, with five people still missing. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 1.9 lakh for those who lost their houses in the rain-related incident

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased in rain-related casualties in the state and ₹1.9 lakh to those who lost their houses. At least 34 people died and five people were reportedly missing owing to heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand that has brought all activities in the state to a standstill.

Dhami said that people who have lost their livestock will be extended help as well. Earlier in the day, the chief minister undertook an aerial survey to take stock of the situation. The state government said that there are several more people who could still be missing due to the flood and could be trapped in the debris from the landslides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his condolences to those who lost their lives to the natural calamity. In a tweet he requested the citizens of the state to stay safe.

Eastern Uttarakhand received heavy rainfall with Nainital and adjoining districts leading to loss of life and damage of property. Nainital’s Mukteshwar received 340.8 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours. The state recorded the highest rainfall on September 18, 1914 when it reported 254.5 mm rainfall, according to a report published in Hindustan Times.

The India Meteorological Department showed Uttarakhand reported 178.4 mm rain, 485% more than the average.

Dhami also asked the visitors embarking on Chardham Yatra to stay put owing to the inclement weather. The director general of Uttarakhand police Ashok Kumar said roads, bridges and railway tracks have been damaged in Kathgodam and Lalkuan in Nainital. Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar also reported damaged bridges and railway tracks.

Nearly 100 women sworn in as judges in Egypt judicial body.

The swearing-in came months after President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi asked for women to join the State Council and the Public Prosecution, two judicial bodies that until recently were exclusively male.

CAIRO: Nearly 100 women Tuesday became the first female judges to join Egypt’s State Council, one of the country’s main judicial bodies.

The 98 women were sworn in before the council’s chief judge, Mohammed Hossam el-Din, in a celebratory event in Cairo.

The swearing-in came months after President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi asked for women to join the State Council and the Public Prosecution, the two judicial bodies that until recently were exclusively male.

El-Sissi’s decision in March was applauded by many women’s rights activists. Egypt’s National Council for Women said at the time that the move represented a political will to further empower women.

Established in 1946, the State Council is an independent judicial body that mainly handles administrative disputes, disciplinary cases and appeals. It also reviews draft laws, decisions and contracts to which the government or a government-run body is a party.

The council had repeatedly rejected women applicants. In recent years, many women challenged council decisions, arguing that they were discriminated against.

Pakistan Navy claims it ‘blocked’ Indian submarine entering waters.

The Pakistan Army also released a short footage of the purported incident to the media

The Pakistan Navy on Tuesday claimed that it had allegedly “detected and blocked” an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani territorial waters last week. According to reports in the Pakistani media, that country’s military said in a statement that the incident had occurred on October 16 when an Indian submarine was detected by a Pakistan Navy patrol aircraft. The Pakistan Army also released a short footage of the purported incident to the media.

While there was no official statement by the Indian Navy, sources said the claims by the Pakistani military were incorrect. “If you will see the video released by the Pakistan military, it shows that the position of the submarine, or whatever it is, is around 250-260 km from Karachi port, which is in international waters. The territorial waters of a country is around 20-21 km”, a source said.

The Pakistani statement came as the Indian Navy’s top commanders are attending the Naval Commanders’ Conference from October 18 to 22 in New Delhi. This is being attended by the Indian Navy’s operational and area commanders and is discussing major maritime security threats.

In the past too, the Pakistan military has claimed that it had blocked Indian submarines from entering its territorial waters. The last such statement was made in March 2019, when Pakistan had released video footage saying it was that of an Indian submarine.

“Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognizance of such propaganda,” the Navy had then said.