标题: 2022.05.02 印度4月份的用电量创下了历史新高 [打印本页] 作者: shiyi18 时间: 2022-5-2 20:10 标题: 2022.05.02 印度4月份的用电量创下了历史新高 Around 100 people were evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, a port-city in south-eastern Ukraine, before Russian shelling resumed. According to one official, at least two more such evacuations are needed to rescue those still trapped inside. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, speculated that the effort is aimed at trying to spirit away Western officers or mercenaries. He also dashed hopes that Russia would quit the war by May 9th, the anniversary of the Allies’ victory in the second world war. Meanwhile more blasts were heard near military sites on Russian territory; Ukraine has declined to say how or whether it stages cross-border attacks.
Energy ministers from the EU are convening in Brussels to discuss the effects of Russia’s cutting gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. They were reported to be weighing a complete ban on Russian oil that could be instituted by year-end. Any such plan may be scuppered by Hungary, however. A Hungarian minister said it would veto any proposal that restricts its imports from Russia. Meanwhile Germany’s foreign minister emphasised that her country’s sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until it withdraws from all Ukrainian territory, including the Donbas and Crimea.
Israel has demanded an apology from Russia for remarks by Sergei Lavrov, suggesting that Adolf Hitler had Jewish ancestry. Mr Lavrov’s comments came during an interview with Italian television, when asked to justify Russia’s claim that it wanted to “denazify” Ukraine, even though its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. Israel’s foreign minister, Yair Lipid, called it an “unforgivable, scandalous statement”.
Electricity usage in India hit a record high for April thanks to a spell of extreme temperatures that rose above 45°C (113°F) in some northern areas. The year-on-year increase in demand for power, as calculated by Reuters, was 13% for the country as a whole, but over 70% in Sikkim, a northern state. May is usually hotter still than April, but cooler temperatures are expected—at least at first.
Fewer than 10,000 covid-19 cases were recorded in Shanghai for the second day in a row, suggesting that the outbreak in China’s biggest city may be easing. On Sunday, officials said that six of 16 districts had reached “zero-covid” status. However, in Beijing, the capital, restrictions were tightened further. Data released on Saturday revealed that manufacturing activity in April had plummeted to its lowest level in more than two years, largely due to lockdowns in several cities.
America pledged to increase its diplomatic engagement with Pacific-island countries amid anxiety about China’s growing military presence in the Solomon Islands. Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific co-ordinator, said leaders from across the Pacific would be invited to the White House later this year. He added that America would also fund more development projects in the region.
The world’s longest long-hauls are getting longer. Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, announced direct flights connecting Sydney to London, by end-2025. It placed an order for 12 Airbus jets capable of flying between any two airports in the world, opening the door to even more distant cities (if there were any). Buckle up for a journey of 19 hours or more.
Fact of the day: 17%, how much the population of Warsaw, Poland’s capital, has expanded in recent weeks. Read the full article.
Amazonians of the world, unite!
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
A month ago workers at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island voted to form a union—a first at the mega-retailer, after years of unsuccessful efforts. Their victory may well beget more: on Monday ballots will be counted at another facility, in the same borough of New York.
That New York produced Amazon’s first—and possibly second—union is explained partly by its tradition of supporting labour rights. Among the states it has the second-highest share of unionised workers, at 22.2%, compared with a national average of 10%. The other reason is that the drives were directed not by a national outfit, but by the Amazon Labour Union, a small, independent group, which originated in Staten Island and is led by current and former employees.
Amazon surely hopes its loss will not be repeated. But the recent experience of Starbucks suggests otherwise. Since the first café in America voted to unionise in December, roughly 40 have followed. Nearly 250 have sought votes to form unions. Unionisation, it seems, can be contagious.
Russia’s detention centres in Ukraine
On Saturday Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, claimed that more than 1m people have been evacuated from Ukraine to Russia since the conflict started on February 24th. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, says that at least half a million people have been moved—but forcibly. Either way, many have passed through Russian “filtration camps”: detention centres first built after the second world war to stamp out anti-Soviet ideology among returning prisoners of war and displaced peoples. The camps were known for their human-rights abuses, including rape, extortion and torture.
The parallels in Ukraine are disturbing. In March a satellite image showed Russian-backed forces building a temporary camp on the outskirts of Mariupol, in south-eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainians were to be interrogated and deported to Russia. Some who escaped claim to have witnessed torture and killings by Russian security services. Russia insists the relocations are benign and voluntary. But filtration camps appear to be a tool of war to erase Ukrainian identity.
Get the briefing in your inbox
Delivered before breakfast six times per week.
Sign up
Europe scrambles to respond to Russia’s energy “blackmail”
PHOTO: EPA
On Monday the energy ministers of EU members meet in France to discuss how to deal with Russia’s decision to cut off gas to Poland and Bulgaria on April 27th. It will be a heated debate. Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy giant, says it halted supplies after the countries missed a deadline to pay for them in roubles. Other deadlines are looming for much bigger importers of the fuel, including Germany and Italy.
Most European buyers have ruled out paying directly in roubles. Some seem ready to accept a compromise solution, where they would pay in euros, then convert the money into roubles after opening accounts in the two currencies at Gazprombank in Russia. But the EU has said even this would breach sanctions. And this week the EU is expected to approve an embargo on Russian oil. The brinkmanship between Russia to Europe is becoming ever less predictable.
Narendra Modi courts Europe
After a spate of visits from Western diplomats, many seeking to change India’s neutral stance on Ukraine, it is now Narendra Modi’s turn to do some wooing. On Monday India’s prime minister embarks on a European tour. He will visit Denmark, France and Germany over three days and participate in 25 meetings.
In Germany, his first stop, Mr Modi will meet his counterpart, Olaf Scholz; they will lead a business roundtable aimed at strengthening commercial ties between Germany and India. In France, he will “reaffirm the close friendship between the two countries”. The war in Ukraine will also be on the agenda. According to Tobias Lindner, a German foreign-office minister, “no major problem can be solved without India”, referring to climate change and security. Mr Modi has described European countries as “important companions” in India’s “quest for peace and prosperity”. This week the nature of that companionship may become clearer.
Wimbledon’s forced error?
PHOTO: EPA
Last month the All England Club, which runs the Wimbledon tennis tournament, announced that Russian and Belarusian players would be banned from its competition in 2022. This means that five of the top 50 men and eight of the top 50 women will be excluded. But by opting to follow the lead of the British government, Wimbledon, which claims to have had “no viable alternative”, has provoked the ire of much of the tennis world. So far, no other tournament has followed suit.
For a start, one Russian player, Andrey Rublev, who is opposed to the war in Ukraine, says the decision is discriminatory. This week Mr Rublev will play in the Madrid Open as a “neutral athlete”, thus not representing any country. He will do the same at the French Open in May. Meanwhile, the Women’s Tennis Association is considering sanctions against Wimbledon, believing the decision to be against the association's rules. A difficult decision could be about to backfire.
Daily quiz
Our baristas will serve you a new question each day. On Friday your challenge is to give all five answers and tell us the connecting theme. Email your responses (and include mention of your home city and country) by 1700 BST on Friday to QuizEspresso@economist.com. We’ll pick randomly from those with the right answers and crown one winner per continent on Saturday.
Monday: What term, developed in America in the late 19th century, is used for a ground beef patty served as a main course with gravy (not in a bun!)?
Poor is the pupil that does not surpass his master.