We cover the swearing-in of Iran’s new president, plans for boosted Covid shots in Europe and a US push for electric cars.
Iran’s hard-line new president sworn in
Ibrahim Raisi, a very conservative cleric, was sworn in as president on Thursday, Bringing a close ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader to powerAyatollah Ali Khamenei.
He takes office at a turbulent time. Iran Economic weakness, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, water shortage and very adverse effects US sanctionsIts most pressing problem.
Tensions are also rising with Israel. Israeli officials Iran accused of carrying out a drone attack Last week, an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean operated by an Israeli company. Israel May revenge soon for this attack.
Who is my boss? Before his election, Raisi, 60, was Iran’s chief justice. He spent much of his career as a public prosecutor while in US sanctions list for human rights record.
France and Germany adhere to the vaccine promotion plan
France and Germany It will provide booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the elderly and the frail in the coming months, despite a call by the World Health Organization to freeze those shots to send doses to poor countries.
President Emmanuel Macron said France would start providing a third dose to people starting in September, especially “for the most vulnerable and the elderly”. German officials have made similar statements, arguing that they need to take care of their population while continuing to donate millions of doses.
The announcements came just a day after the World Health Organization Called to stop booster shots So supplies can be focused on countries that have not yet vaccinated at least 10 percent of their population. According to the World Health Organization, more than 80 percent of the vaccines administered worldwide have been used in wealthier countries.
US moves to phase out gas-powered cars
President Biden announced a plan that would rapidly shift Americans from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars over the next decade.
the plan, Which calls for stricter car pollution rules and increases mileage standards, sets a goal that half of the cars sold in the United States will be electric by 2030. The three largest automakers signed the plan on the condition that Congress approve an infrastructure bill that includes funding for a national network of electric car charging stations.
Addressing climate change: Biden has pledged to cut greenhouse emissions 50 percent from 2005 levels by the end of this decade. But that promise will be impossible to fulfill without a radical shift away from gas-powered cars and trucks.
China corner: Biden has expressed concerns that the United States is falling behind China in the manufacture of electric cars. He believes that making cars and retooling batteries can create jobs and boost American commercial power.
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In the Olympics
Since coming to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has clamped down on freedoms across mainland China and brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Now many in Taiwan are concerned: Are they next?
arts and ideas
Empty Olympic Games
One of the first things you’ll notice at the Tokyo Games: the empty stadiums.
Organizers have banned spectators from all places in Tokyo to prevent the outbreak of Covid-19. “For athletes who once envisioned themselves performing for crowds of raucous fans, the laid-back atmosphere was a nuisance,” Andrew K wrote in The Times.
grunts echoed across vacant squares; The cicada hum provides a soundtrack for outdoor competitions. At a boxing match, K notes, the sounds of punches were accompanied by a noisy hallway door. “It’s not really here,” said Britain’s Caroline Dubois, one of the boxers.
But not everyone misses the hustle and bustle of the crowd. For some of the lesser known Olympic sports – such as taekwondo and archery – empty seats are the norm, such as Joshua Robinson and Andrew Peyton. Write for the Wall Street Journal. “If there was a full court, I would have been more nervous and made a mistake,” said Japanese archer Takaharu Furukawa.
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