Biden calls for de-escalation of Gaza conflict
Pressure from the US has been mounting for ‘de-escalation’ of the Gaza conflict, with President Biden voicing his support for a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be gathering his security cabinet to discuss this possibility in the coming days, sparking hopes of an imminent truce. This week on BBC Radio’s 5 Live, an Israeli teenager and a young Palestinian, both of whom are connected to the conflict, spoke to each other for the first time about their views of the situation and their hopes for peace; “We’re all human at the end of the day. If people talk to each-other we can maybe find a solution, we can maybe end this conflict.”
Rising uncertainty about final lockdown lifting
The Indian variant has been a cause for concern following the most recent loosening of lockdown restrictions, prompting fears it could cause another wave of the virus in the UK. While findings have shown that its transmission rate is less than the previously estimated 50%, the variant is still likely to wreak havoc with the government’s plans. So far, Downing Street said it is, “Keeping a close eye on the data,” but it is still too early to determine whether the spread of the Indian variant could delay lifting all coronavirus restrictions on the 21st of June. Any decision would depend partly on hospitalisation rates in the outbreak areas and work to determine how much more transmissible the variant is than the Kent strain, which is currently most widespread in the UK. In other COVID-related news, Prince William has received his first vaccine dose, thanking health workers for, “All they have done in the past year.”
Cecil Rhodes statue to remain despite objections
The statue of British imperialist Cecil Rhodes will remain standing at Oriel College, Oxford, despite the university’s commission set up to examine its future declaring support for its removal. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement, calls to remove it were reignited last year, but Oriel College said it would now not seek to move the statue due to costs and “complex” planning processes. Campaigners say Rhodes represented white supremacy and was steeped in colonialism and racism, so should not be honoured in any way at the university. In the 19th century, he had been a student at Oriel and then left £100,000 (roughly £12.5m in today’s money) to the college in his will in 1902.
Glastonbury obtains license for September concert special
A licence for a concert at the Glastonbury festival site in September has been approved, paving the way for a one-day event, entitled Equinox, to replace the usual five-day June celebration. The licence allows for up to 50,000 attendees, who will not be able to camp overnight. More detailed information on the line-up and events available is expected to follow in the coming weeks. After the festival was officially cancelled in January due to the pandemic, in March, organisers applied for planning permission for a smaller event to take place later on in 2021, which could still host up to 50,000 fans.
Governments achieve target of protecting land and ecosystems
An area greater than the land mass of Russia has been added to the world’s network of national parks and conservation areas since 2010, amid growing pressure to protect nature. As of today, about 17% of land and inland water ecosystems and 8% of marine areas are within formal protected areas, with the total coverage increasing by 42% since the beginning of the last decade. It seems as though governments are finally taking decisive action to mitigate the disastrous effects of the climate crisis! Though there are doubts about the quality of protection offered, and the effectiveness of attracting biodiversity, many environmentalists have received this as welcome news.
