GENEVA: Three years since the Covid pandemic began, nearly 200 prominent world figures called on Saturday for the vaccine inequity seen during the crisis to be relegated to history.
“We ask world leaders to pledge ‘never again’,” the current and former dignitaries said an open letter.
It was published to mark the three-year anniversary since the World Health Organization first described the Covid-19 crisis as a pandemic.
The letter, coordinated by the NGO coalition People’s Vaccine Alliance, was signed by Timor-Leste President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside the former leaders of more than 40 countries.
Several other Nobel laureates, faith leaders, and former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon were among the signatories, alongside a range of current and former UN agency heads.
With the end of the pandemic in sight, “the world is at a critical juncture,” they wrote.
“Decisions made now will determine how the world prepares for and responds to future global health crises. World leaders must reflect on mistakes made in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic so that they are never repeated.”
The letter criticized the glaring inequity that characterised the response to the pandemic, which has officially killed nearly seven million people worldwide, although the true toll is believed to be far higher.
While a number of highly effective vaccines against Covid-19 were developed at record speed, wealthy nations were quick to snap up most of the initial doses, leaving vulnerable people in many poorer nations waiting in vain for jabs.
Still today, fewer than a third of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose, while three quarters of people have in high-income countries, according to UN data.
“There are decades of publicly funded research behind Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and tests,” the letter said.
“Governments have poured taxpayer money by the billions into research, development and advance orders, reducing the risks for pharmaceutical companies,” it said.
“These are the people’s vaccines, the people’s tests and the people’s treatments,” it insisted.
But “instead of rolling out vaccines, tests and treatments based on need, pharmaceutical companies maximized their profits by selling doses first to the richest countries with the deepest pockets,” it said.
The letter pointed to a study last year in the science journal Nature estimating that 1.3 million fewer people would have died of Covid if the jabs had been distributed equitably in 2021, amounting to “one preventable death every 24 seconds” that year.
The letter urged leaders to support the tricky, ongoing international negotiations toward a pandemic accord, to ensure that equity is a key feature in the final agreement.
This, it stressed, would require governments to agree on the thorny issue of waiving intellectual property rules automatically if international public health emergencies arise, to ensure the sharing of medical technology and knowhow.
It also called for large-scale investments to develop scientific innovation and manufacturing capacity in the global south, to ensure that vaccines and treatments can be quickly developed and rolled out in all regions.
With such actions “world leaders can begin to fix the structural problems in global health that have held back the response to Covid-19, HIV and AIDS and other diseases,” it said.
“It is time to embed justice, equity and human rights in pandemic preparedness and response.”
Leaders say ‘never again’ to vaccine inequity
https://arab.news/gva28
Leaders say ‘never again’ to vaccine inequity
- While a number of highly effective vaccines against Covid-19 were developed at record speed, wealthy nations were quick to snap up most of the initial doses, leaving vulnerable people in many poorer nations waiting in vain for jabs
Dutch colonial rule cost Indonesia $31 trillion, president says
- Dutch colonial administration exploited Indonesia’s natural resources for over 300 years
- ‘Forced Planting System’ in Java once contributed 30% to Netherlands’ GDP
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday that the Netherlands extracted as much as $31 trillion in wealth from Indonesia during more than 300 years of its colonial rule over the region.
Indonesia declared independence in 1945, following centuries of Dutch colonial exploitation that began at the end of the 16th century.
With the archipelago being its primary source of spices, the Dutch East India Co. established a virtual monopoly on the global spice trade, when nutmeg, cloves and pepper were considered the most expensive and luxurious spices in Europe.
Its profits were so vast that they made the Netherlands one of the wealthiest European powers in the 17th century.
Prabowo highlighted the impacts of the colonization of Indonesia in a speech at the opening of a defense exhibition in Jakarta.
“There was just one research from a few weeks back, which says that during the period of Dutch colonization, the Netherlands took away $31 trillion of our wealth,” he said, but did not reference the quoted study.
“When the Dutch occupied Indonesia, the Netherlands enjoyed having the world’s top GDP per capita … (History) teaches us that if we had been able to protect our wealth, maybe our GDP would have been among the highest in the world.”
Prabowo, who formerly served as Indonesia’s defense minister before assuming the country’s top office, was making a case on the importance of defense spending.
“A nation that does not want to invest in its defense usually will experience their independence being stolen away, will experience the nation being subjugated to the will of others (and witness) the wealth of the nation being stolen — this is the lesson of humankind,” he said.
The period included schemes like the “Cultivation System” — locally known as the “Forced Planting System”— in Java, under which Indonesians were forced to grow export crops like coffee and sugar cane for the Dutch at the cost of their own livelihood and staple food crops to make significant profits for the colonial power. The system led to widespread famines on the island of Java.
According to a study by British historian and economist Angus Maddison, the Forced Planting System in Indonesia significantly drove up the Dutch state income, contributing to about 31.5 percent of its gross domestic product between 1851 and 1870.
Greenland ice melted much faster than average in May heatwave: scientists
- The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979
- In Greenland, the higher temperatures coupled with heavy rainfall can have numerous consequences on nature
COPENHAGEN: Greenland’s ice sheet melted 17 times faster than the past average during a May heatwave that also hit Iceland, the scientific network World Weather Attribution (WWA) said in a report Wednesday.
The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature.
“The melting rate of the Greenland ice sheet by, from a preliminary analysis, a factor of 17... means the Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise is higher than it would have otherwise been without this heat wave,” one of the authors of the report, Friederike Otto, told reporters.
“Without climate change this would have been impossible,” said Otto, an associate professor in climate science at the Imperial College London.
The data from the May 15-21, 2025 heatwave was compared to the average ice melt for the same week during the period 1980-2010.
In Iceland, the temperature exceeded 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) on May 15, unprecedented for that time of year on the subarctic island.
“Temperatures over Iceland as observed this May are record-breaking, more than 13 degrees Celsius hotter than the 1991-2020 average May daily maximum temperatures,” the WWA said.
In May, 94 percent of Iceland’s weather stations registered record temperatures, according to the country’s meteorological institute.
In eastern Greenland, the hottest day during the heatwave was about 3.9C warmer compared to the preindustrial climate, the WWA said.
“While a heatwave that is around 20 degrees Celsius might not sound like an extreme event from the experience of most people around the world, it is a really big deal for this part of the world,” Otto said.
“It affects the whole world massively,” she said.
According to the WWA, the record highs observed in Iceland and Greenland this May could reoccur every 100 years.
For Greenland’s indigenous communities, the warmer temperatures and melting ice affect their ability to hunt on the ice, posing a threat to their livelihood and traditional way of life.
The changes also affect infrastructure in the two countries.
“In Greenland and Iceland, infrastructure is built for cold weather, meaning during a heatwave ice melt can lead to flooding and damage roads and infrastructure,” the WWA said.
In Greenland, the higher temperatures coupled with heavy rainfall can have numerous consequences on nature.
In 2022, higher temperatures caused the permafrost to thaw, releasing iron and other metals into numerous Arctic lakes, it said.
Health and hygiene can also be affected, as rural Greenlandic households often lack sewage systems.
Filipino players ready to defend women’s esports title at World Cup in Riyadh
- 4 Philippine teams to compete in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang category
- Largest esports festival, 2025 World Cup features $70m in prize money
MANILA: Philippine competitors are preparing for next month’s Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, where they aim to defend a title in an all-female tournament of one of the most popular mobile multiplayer strategy games.
Set to take place in Riyadh from July 7 to Aug. 24, the upcoming Esports World Cup will be the globe’s largest esports festival, featuring $70 million in prize money, and 25 professional tournaments.
The event is a part of Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy — also by investing heavily in sports and tourism.
Four Philippine teams will be competing in the championship’s MLBB category.
MLBB, or Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game by Chinese developer Moonton. It is one of the world’s most popular mobile esports games, especially in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Keith Medrano, who leads Moonton’s public relations in the Philippines and the region, told Arab News: “Both men’s and women’s rep teams are representing the Philippines in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Women’s Invitational.”
He added: “We were given two slots per category, so two slots for the men’s and two slots for the women’s.
“We are actually the defending champions of the Women’s Invitational. So, it’s really important ... to defend our title as the strongest country in MLBB sports gaming for women.”
Duane “Kelra” Pillas, a player from the Onic Philippines team, told sports reporters on Tuesday that they would also try to reclaim the MSC title which Filipino players last held in 2022.
“In the upcoming EWC, we will make sure that one of us will win,” Pillas said.
“We are really preparing to get the MSC again since the Philippines has not been able to get it for several years.”
Filipino players have emerged as strong contenders in mobile esports in recent years — a discipline most popular in Southeast Asia and where they are seen to have their best title hopes at the upcoming Riyadh event.
“In the eSports World Cup, there are different esport titles. They’re all different — it’s like a multisport event,” said Marlon Marcelo, executive director of the Philippine Esports Organization.
“For now, we have a strong chance in Mobile Legends — both in the men’s and women’s category. That’s where our money’s at.”
He also observed an increasing popularity of esports among women, who just a few months after the Riyadh World Cup will be competing at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.
“We have a strong chance in the women’s category,” he said. “It’s heating up.”
‘No one can stop’ Duterte impeachment trial: Philippine House prosecutors
- Vice President Sara Duterte was impeached in early February
- A guilty verdict would see her removed from office and permanently barred from politics
MANILA: House of Representatives prosecutors said Wednesday that Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial could not be stopped despite the Senate sending the case back to them hours after convening as a court.
Prosecutors told an afternoon press briefing their case had complied strictly with the constitution, adding they would seek clarification over what they called “confusing” Senate orders.
Duterte was impeached in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against former ally and running mate President Ferdinand Marcos.
A guilty verdict would see her removed from office and permanently barred from politics.
“No one can stop this anymore, because jurisdiction has been acquired already by the impeachment court,” said Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, pointing to the Senate’s issuing of a summons for Duterte late Wednesday night.
“There will be no... withdrawal (of the impeachment case) by the House. That is not allowed by the constitution.”
Tuesday night’s 18-5 Senate vote ordered the House to certify it had not violated the constitution by hearing three impeachment complaints before the one that ultimately went to a vote.
The constitution bars subjecting anyone to multiple impeachment proceedings within the same year.
But House member Ysabel Maria Zamora said the final impeachment complaint had “consolidated all the articles” of the first three into one.
A second order to guarantee the case would move forward after new House members take their seats on June 30 was “impossible” to fulfil as they could not speak for a future Congress, prosecutors said.
Outside the Senate, several hundred protesters gathered Wednesday, shouting slogans and pounding on the gates as they called for the body to follow through with the impeachment trial.
The Senate’s vote to remand was as much a matter of “political survival” as anything, lawyer and former senator Leila de Lima said Wednesday.
De Lima, who warned more than a week ago the Senate could move to kill the impeachment, said the specter of a still-powerful Duterte was likely on lawmakers’ minds.
“Loyalty, friendship, political survival. Maybe they are thinking the Dutertes are very much around even if the patriarch (ex-president Rodrigo Duterte) is in The Hague,” she said.
The elder Duterte has been imprisoned since March when he was arrested and transferred to the International Criminal Court to face charges tied to his deadly drug war.
His daughter has been widely mooted as a presidential candidate in 2028 should she survive the impeachment process.
Senators “were trying to protect their political ambitions,” agreed Congresswoman France Castro, who endorsed an early impeachment complaint against the vice president.
Asked at Wednesday’s press briefing if he believed the Senate was deliberately delaying the trial, Congressman Keith Flores said the answer was clear.
“I cannot speak for everyone but for me, yes.”
Russians struggle with ‘crazy’ prices
- Russia’s three-year-long military offensive on Ukraine has caused inflation to surge at home
- Western sanctions have disrupted supply chains and dozens of consumer brands have left the country
MOSCOW: Russian pensioner Roman Paltievich stared at the prices for apricots, tomatoes and watermelons stacked high on stalls at a Moscow market – foods that he now struggles to fit into his budget.
“The prices are crazy,” lamented the 84-year-old, who said he can no longer afford cherries – or even potatoes, a staple that is now three times more expensive than a year ago.
Russia’s three-year-long military offensive on Ukraine has caused inflation to surge at home, a thorn in the side for the Kremlin, which strives to shield Russians from the fallout of its campaign.
Western sanctions have disrupted supply chains and dozens of consumer brands have left the country, while inflation is now running above 10 percent.
Meanwhile, deep labor shortages caused by massive recruitment by the army and arms manufacturers, have seen both salaries and prices jump higher.
Russia’s Central Bank last week cut interest rates from a two-decade high, saying inflation – including food prices – was starting to come under control.
But for many hard-pressed Russians, it does not feel that way.
Paltievich’s wife, Tatyana, stood next to him clutching a small punnet of strawberries – a precious treat for her grandchildren that set her back 400 rubles ($5).
“We survived 1991, so now we’re not afraid of anything,” she said defiantly, in reference to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic chaos that followed.
Many of those navigating the aisles at Moscow’s Preobrazhensky market were also worried about high prices.
“I came here to buy chicken for my granddaughter. It’s more expensive in the supermarkets, so I don’t buy there anymore,” Nikolai Kucherov, a 62-year-old freelance artist said.
“I had to forget about traveling. For the past three or four years, I’ve only been thinking about filling up the fridge,” he said.
The Kremlin has hailed Russia’s economic performance since it ordered its troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
A huge surge in spending on the military has helped Moscow defy predictions that sanctions would collapse the Russian economy.
Engineer Konstantin Zelenkov, 38, is one of those who have benefited from rising wages amid the government spending boom.
“Some things are becoming more expensive but salaries are rising too, so it’s staying roughly the same,” he said.
Central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina has also pointed to rising wages and on Friday said inflation was starting to moderate, though it remains well above the institution’s four percent target.
“The high interest rate has led to a significant slowdown in inflation,” she told reporters.
Overall “the rate of increase in food prices has slowed,” she added.
But even Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced recently to address fears over a potato shortage that sent prices for the staple soaring.
For many across Russia, price rises feel never-ending.
“Starting even with bread, everything is getting more and more expensive,” Irina Yakovleva, 68, said.
“We just have to limit ourselves,” she added.
