Monthly Archives: June 2021

Relationality and learning in Oceania: contextualizing education for development is an important and timely publication. Important in that it offers an alternative approach that challenges conventional approaches to development aid projects; and timely because, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now a valuable window of opportunity for development aid agencies to rethink aid delivery mechanisms and reassess reporting systems an opportunity to do things differently.

The edited volume draws on four years of research findings and experiences from two aid-funded education interventions launched in 2014: the Temotu Literacy Support (TLS) program in Solomon Islands and the Literacy and Leadership Initiative (LALI) in the Kingdom of Tonga. Funded by the New Zealand Government, in partnership with the governments of the countries involved, and implemented by a consortium of the University of Auckland and University of the South Pacific, the interventions aimed to enhance primary level literacy knowledge and skills in Oceania.

The success of the overall program design is verified to some extent in the footnote on p.128. This notes that in preference to other pilot study programs being trialled around the same time, the approaches developed through LALI, in particular the formative assessment practices, are now being mainstreamed across all Tongan primary schools under the leadership of the MET [Ministry of Education and Training].

Notably, however, showcasing the specific outcomes of each program is not the aim of this narrative. Rather, it seeks to provide insight into how an intentionally nuanced, inclusive and adaptive design approach engaged school leaders, teachers, ministry officials and community members with collaborative communities of practice. Within these spaces, co-designed interventions emerged that were both credible and helpful for teachers because they were designed for their children and woven with rather than for their school communities (p.161; emphasis added, original quote found here).

The iterative solutions that emerged generated change in teachers practice. This in turn clearly validated, legitimised and strengthened interventions on the ground. For example, teachers shared illustrations of change, reflecting on how they might increase student engagement beyond rote and recitation (p.112) and, in providing more text comprehension opportunities teachers noticed the children were engaged for a higher proportion of the time and participated much more in talanoa [conversation] during reading (p.113).

By and large, the authors deflate past development paradigms that regard literacy teaching as imparting basic knowledge for the achievement of a basic skill. Instead, they highlight the intrinsic complexity of literacy and language development, particularly in bilingual and multilingual contexts. They seek to highlight and embrace learners highly contextual surroundings influenced by their own language experience and crucially by the cultural and linguistic social relations that surround them, their teachers and communities. Conceptually, context is framed as a lived dynamic which is inherently relational (p.7). That is, interactions, ideas and institutions are constantly influenced by dynamic sets of relationships between social actors at various levels, at different phases, and within or across spaces.

To embed such a notion of relationality within an educational intervention that also satisfies donors results-based management conditions required a robust theoretical and methodological framework, and a tenacious research-practice team. Central to the design was to instil a learning for all approach for all parties involved and at every level in program delivery. By motivating school leaders and teachers to view themselves as learners, classrooms were turned into productive co-learning environments and resource development spaces. Products to emerge from these spaces included early grade mother-tongue literacy resources to support vernacular learning, and locally developed, easy-to-use assessment and monitoring tools. Documenting insights from this approach not only informed later developments, but also provided important indicators for project reporting.

Divided into three sections, the book takes the reader first through the context of each intervention site, discusses the context behind the context in terms of domain of social relationships, and explains how the design methodology framed the interventions. Part 2 provides valuable insight into how literacy and language are inextricably entwined within learners cognitive, social and cultural experiences. Part 3, Learning for International Development, describes some of the inevitable reporting tensions that arose between the program implementation team and the principal funder.

The authors describe how an adaptive monitoring, evaluation and learning framework centred on indigenous epistemologies and methodologies can successfully tackle tensions relating to validating evidence (what justifies reporting?); notions of accountability (accountable for, to or by whom? relational vs independent); resourcing priorities (resourcing learning or results?); and integrating indigenous epistemologies and research methodologies (whose knowledge and ways of knowing count?).

The lessons learned in overcoming these tensions are particularly pertinent in todays travel-restricted world. Several Devpolicy posts have already highlighted windows of opportunity opened by the pandemic, in terms of progressing the localisation agenda (e.g. here, here and here) and challenging traditional models for monitoring, evaluation and accountability, and integrating research learning into aid programs at all levels (see here, here, here and here). This book adds voice to these calls.

The core message of this Pacific-centric book is to challenge the positioning of aid recipients as reliant on external experts imparting knowledge. Instead, it calls for creating facilitatory conditions that allow emergent local solutions to generate change from within, based on partners mutual understanding and learning. In viewing development through a relational lens, it positions partnerships as two-way learning opportunities where, to draw on a quote from Kabini Sanga used in the book (p.159):

It is not the forms of aid that matter but the relational space created within and through relationships of aid. From this perspective, it is the relational processes that are involved in the business of aid that leads to change, not the entity of aid itself.

Relationality and learning in Oceania: contextualizing education for development is edited by S Johansson-Fua, R Jesson, R Spratt and E Coxon and was published in 2020 by Brill.

Hilary Tolleys doctorate in Development Studies was supervised by Dr Eve Coxon (2009-12) but she has not been involved in the interventions described in this volume.

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Oceania, education and promoting change from within - devpolicy.org

The Oceania Invitational - the first meet in the 2021 Athletics New Zealand High Performance Gold Coast Tour - takes place at the Runaway Bay Performance Centre on Saturday and will include a group of emerging Kiwi athletes and a smattering of Tokyo-bound Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The tour - which is proudly supported by the City of Gold Coast - comprises a number of athletes who were targeting competing at the World U20 Championships and the World University Games, while a number of other New Zealand athletes seeking extra competition will also take their place on the start line.

Saturday is the first of two competitions on the tour, with the second Oceania Invitational taking place the following week at the same Gold Coast venue on June 12.

Athletics NZ High Performance Director Scott Goodman said: "When we made the decision to withdraw a team from the World U20s in Nairobi, and also found out at a similar time that World University Games were postponed, we wanted to help the athletes out with some extra competition.

"Tim Driesen, the Athletics NZ High Performance Development Leader, was liaising with Australia to talk about a competition because both countries had been impacted by the same decisions on World U20s and World University Games.

"Oceania Athletics planned to have some events in June and July and the tour emerged out of that. Meanwhile, the opportunity also presented itself for some of New Zealands senior athletes to compete in the meets through Oceania Athletics."

A few New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic long list members travelling separately to the tour are also attending the Oceania Invitational meets to try and qualify, or help prepare for their campaigns towards Tokyo.

Leading the Kiwi contingent is Tokyo-bound discus ace Connor Bell, who will look to build on a year of high promise in the mens discus.

Bell, 19, set a New Zealand resident record with a mighty hurl of 64.29m in Hastings in January and also banked his maiden national senior title on his return to Mitre 10 Park later in the summer.

He will be a little disappointed following the late withdrawal of high-class Australian Matt Denny, who finished sixth at the 2019 World Championships, however, Bell will face the challenge of fellow Aucklander Alex Parkinson, the 2020 New Zealand discus champion, among others.

Another Olympic-bound New Zealand athlete in action in Queensland is 2018 World U20 champion Maddison-Lee Wesche, and the Aucklander will look to put in a strong display against teenage Kiwi rivals: national U20 champion Kaia Tupu-South and Natalia Rankin-Chitar.

New Zealand javelin record-holder Tori Peeters, who has been given a conditional spot for the Tokyo Olympics, still needs to hurl the spear beyond 62m or twice beyond 61.50m to confirm her place and the South Islander will be seeking to achieve her goals in Gold Coast.

In a high-class javelin competition, Peeters will face powerhouse Australian trio; World champion Kelsey-Lee Roberts, Commonwealth gold medallist Kathryn Mitchell and former World U18 champion Mackenzie Little.

World shot put F37 champion Lisa Adams is among the star names in New Zealand Para athletics and although better known in that event, Lisa is nonetheless the world leader in the discus F37 following her 28.95m toss in Hamilton in February. Competing in the mixed Para discus on Saturday, the Rotorua-based athlete will be eager to better that performance as she steps up her preparations for the Paralympic Games.

The tour presents an opportunity for other high profile New Zealand athletes to make their mark, with speedsters Zoe Hobbs and Eddie Osei-Nketia both having half-an-eye on the automatic Olympic entry standard for their respective 100m events of 11.15 and 10.05.

Hobbs blitzed to a share of the long-standing New Zealand womens 100m record, posting 11.32 to snare the national title in March, and the Auckland-based sprinter faces a strong field led by Australian 100m champion Hana Basic - who ran a PB of 11.18 in March.

Osei-Nketia, 20, has also enjoyed an impressive year, climbing to number two on the all-time New Zealand mens 100m rankings after coming within a tantalising 0.01 of the national record set by his father, Gus, following a blistering 10.12 clocking in Brisbane in March.

The Wellington-based sprinter will face top-class sprint talent from across the Tasman and gets the opportunity to reoppose Aussie champion Rohan Browning - who set a PB of 10.05 ahead of Osei-Nketia in Brisbane.

Another athlete hunting an entry standard for Tokyo (55.40) will be New Zealand 400m hurdles record-holder Portia Bing. The 28-year-old Aucklander enjoyed an impressive domestic season, highlighted by a 55.99 clocking in Hamilton for a New Zealand Resident record, and she will be hoping for favourable conditions in Queensland to produce a top-quality performance.

A trio of leading New Zealanders also take to the start line in a highly competitive mens 800m. Melbourne-based Kiwi Brad Mathas set a PB of 1:46.01 earlier this year in Canberra and the Commonwealth finalist will be hoping for more in Gold Coast.

Other competing Kiwis in the two-lap race are national 800m champion James Preston and 17-year-old James Harding, who ran a scintillating 800m mark of 1:48.95 in April. The New Zealand contingent will face formidable opposition in the shape of Aussie champion Peter Bol (PB 1:44.56) - a training partner of Mathas.

Watch out too for Kiwi Para sprinters Anna Steven and Mitch Joynt. Both T64 athletes compete in the 100m and the 200m with the former ranked seventh in the womens world rankings for the half-lap distance with a seasons best of 29.33 and the latter at world number three following a 23.80 performance at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in February.

World number three Ben Tuimaseve set a New Zealand shot put F37 record of 13.65m in Auckland in mid-March and is another who will be looking for a prominent showing in Gold Coast.

The two Gold Coast Oceania Invitational events will also comprise the revived Oceania Cup, in which U23 athletes are eligible to score points for the team. Each athletes competition performance will be converted to points via the World Athletics scoring tables. The points will then be combined and divided by the number of athletes competing from each country to decide a winner. The cup will be contested by New Zealand, Australia and an Oceania team.

The action on Saturday gets underway at 2.30pm (NZ time).

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Kiwis hope to shine on the Gold Coast at first Oceania Invitational - Voxy

Rugby sevens powers New Zealand, Fiji and Australia will clash in an Olympic warmup tournament in Townsville, Queensland from June 25-27, Oceania Rugby said on Thursday.

Both the men's and women's sides from each of the southern hemisphere nations will compete in four-team tournaments along with an invitational Oceania Barbarians team.

The Australian government is supporting the travel costs for Fijis national teams.

"The impact of COVID-19 continues to be felt in all sports across the Oceania region and without this targeted support, we would not have been able to provide this much needed international competition," Oceania Rugby President Richard Sapias said in a statement.

Fiji won the men's gold as sevens made its Olympic debut at Rio five years ago. The women's gold was won by Australia.

New Zealand were crowned World Rugby Sevens champions last year in both the men's and women's categories after the 2019/20 series was abandoned due to the pandemic.

New Zealand's men whitewashed Australia 6-0 in an Olympic warmup tournament in Auckland last month. The New Zealand women also dominated their Australian opponents, winning 5-1.

Continue reading here:

Southern hemisphere rugby sevens powers to warm up for Tokyo in Queensland - Japan Today

There are so many islands around the world that no one knows exactly how many there are. There are also many different types of islands. Indeed, islands come in many shapes and sizes. There are islands that are so small that they do not even have names. There are also islands that are so large, you could fit several countries in them. In fact, some large islands do contain two or more countries. Here are the worlds 10 largest islands by land area.

Greenland is the worlds largest island. The total land area of Greenland is 2.16 million sq. km, though this figure also includes some small, offshore islands. The island is situated in the far north, to the east of Baffin Bay, across which is northern Canada. Greenland traverses the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Oceans. Most of the island is covered by a vast sheet of ice, which measures 1.8 million sq. km. Greenland has a population of about 57,000, most of whom are Inuit. The island is under Danish sovereignty, though it does have autonomy to govern its own internal affairs.

New Guinea is the worlds second largest island, measuring at 785,753 sq. km. It is situated in the Pacific Ocean, to the north of Australia and the Coral Sea, to the west of the Solomon Islands, to the east of the Banda Sea, and to the south of the Philippine Sea. The island traverses two continents, Asia and Oceania. The border between Asia and Oceania is generally considered to be the border between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Papua New Guinea, on the eastern side of the island, is considered part of Oceania, while the western, Indonesian part is considered part of Asia. New Guinea is very multilingual. In fact, Papua New Guinea alone is the most linguistically diverse country in the world, with more than 700 languages spoken therein.

Borneo is a large island in Southeast Asia. Three countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei share the island. Indonesia controls 73% of Borneos territory, while Malaysia controls 24%, in the north of the island, including most of the islands northern coast, which faces the South China Sea. The remaining 1% of Borneo is controlled by the small sultanate of Brunei, which is also situated on the islands northern coast. Borneo has a total land area of 743,330 sq. km. The indigenous people of the island are known as the Dayaks. They are divided into 50 ethnic groups and have 140 different languages and dialects.

Madagascar, which is also the name of the country situated on it, is an East African island in the Indian Ocean. Its western coast faces the Mozambique Channel, across which is the African mainland. Madagascar has a total land area of 587,713 sq. km, making it the largest island in Africa and the largest in the Indian Ocean. The island has a population of approximately 28 million. Madagascar contains 0.5% of all known plant and animal species in the world.

Baffin Island is located in northern Canada. It is part of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, whose capital, Iqaluit, is based on the southern end of the island. Iqaluit is home to about half of Baffin Islands total estimated population of 11,000. The total land area of Baffin Island is 507,451 sq. km, making it the largest island in Canada. The islands wildlife includes snowy owls, narwhal, polar bears, and beluga whales. Baffin Island also features spectacular views of the Northern Lights.

Sumatra is the westernmost of the large islands of Indonesia. To its north is the Andaman Sea, and to its south and west is the Indian Ocean. To the east of the northern end of Sumatra is the Malacca Strait, across from which is Malaysia. The island of Borneo also lies to the east, as does the Java Sea. The southeast of Sumatra borders the narrow Sunda Strait, across from which is the island of Java. The total land area of Sumatra is 443,066 sq. km. About 40 million people live on the island, which is also home to an abundance of wildlife, including monkeys, Sumatran tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants.

Honshu is the largest island in the archipelago and country known as Japan. It has a total land area of 225,800 sq. km, and an estimated population of 103 million, which means that it is home to the majority of Japans total population. Tokyo, the worlds most populous city and capital of Japan, is situated on the southern end of Honshu. In addition, all of Japans highest mountain peaks, including Mt. Fuji, are on Honshu, as is the countrys largest lake, Lake Biwa.

Victoria Island is another northern Canadian island. The island is split between the Canadian territories of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Mainland Nunavut lies to Victoria Islands south. The island is bigger than 36 of the 50 U.S. states. Its total land area is 217,291 sq. km. Despite its size, however, just under 2,000 people live on the island. In fact there are many more caribou and musk-ox on the island than there are people.

Great Britain is Europes largest island, and of course, the main territory of the United Kingdom. Its total land area is 209,331 sq. km. Although it is common for people to refer to Great Britain simply as England, England is just one of three countries on the island. Scotland and Wales are the other two. Out of a total population of about 67 million people, approximately 64 million of the U.K.s people live on the island of Great Britain. On the west coast of Great Britain is the Irish Sea, across from which lies the island of Ireland. The North Sea lies to the east. An undersea tunnel, called the Channel Tunnel, or Chunnel, links Great Britain to France, across the English Channel to the south.

Ellesmere Island is the northernmost island in Canada. Its total land area is 183,965 sq. km. Like Victoria Island, Ellesmere Island lies entirely in the Arctic Circle. Just 146 people live on the island. Most of the island consists of a mountain range called the Arctic Cordillera. This feature makes Ellesmere Island the most mountainous island in the entire Canadian Arctic archipelago.

Continue reading here:

10 Largest Islands In The World - World Atlas

FASANOC has highlighted the importance of athlete monitoring during athletics competitions like the Coca-Cola Games.

Through the years prominent athletes like Sisilia Seavula, Younis Bese and Fane Sauvakacolo have been through the system to secure themselves a scholarship in the states through the Oceania Australia Foundation.

FASANOC Chief Executive, Lorraine Mar believes young Fijian athletes have the ability to also follow through the system to secure scholarships.

Mar says Athletics has the potential to rake in more medals during the Pacific Games and more attention needs to be given to its members.

Athletics, as you know, is a multi-medal sport at the Pacific Games its important that Athletics monitor and identify their talent and then provide this kind of opportunity.

Mar says athlete development is an important tool.

They shine at the games and then sometimes you dont hear about them later and thats where I think athletics needs to improve their programs.

Athletics Fiji has over the years recruited elite athletes from the Coca Cola Games for the Oceania Foundation Scholarship Program.

Link:

More attention to be given on athlete monitoring - FBC News

June 6 (UPI) -- Coronavirus deaths are in surging on the Western Hemisphere, the side of the globe that comprises nearly 48.6% of the fatalities and five nations in the top 10 with the most fatalities despite only 12.7% of the world's population.

Worldwide, the pandemic is diminishing with a weekly 12% decrease in deaths and 16% in cases. And COVID-19 is no longer as intensive in India as cases increased Sunday by 114,460 compared with a record 414,188 on May 8 and 2,6677 deaths, down from a record 4,529, also in May. India is third in the world for deaths at 346,759 and second in cases at 28,809,339.

So far Sunday, the pandemic has caused the deaths of 3,741,032 people, including 914,613 in South America and 902,371 in North America, according to Worldometers.info. The hemisphere had an increase of nearly 70 million, for 40.7% of the total 173,799,395.

In North America, the United States leads the world with 597,561 deaths, as well as 33,359,991 cases, according to Johns Hopkins tracking. Mexico is fourth in the world with 228,754 deaths and 2,432,280 cases, which is 15th.

In South American, Brazil ranked No. 2 for most fatalities with 472,629, including 1,661 Saturday and third in infections with 16,907,425, including 65,471 most recently. In the past week, Peru moved to fifth in the world with 186,073 deaths but around 110,000 were added last week that were reclassified in a change of criteria from only testing positive for a coronavirus test, which numbers only 13.1 million. The testing rate is only 393,220 per million compared with 1,461,188 in the United States and 232,951 in Brazil.

Peru's cases are 1,980,3921, which is 17th in the world, including 4,255 Saturday.

Three other South American nations are in the top 20 worldwide for most deaths. No. 10 Colombia has 91,422, including 532 Saturday, which was third in the world behind India and Brazil. Argentina's 456 was fourth with the total 13th at 80,867. Last week Peru was 15th.

Also in South America, Chile is 23rd with 29,816, including 120 Saturday.

In the past week, South America's deaths decreased by 4%, not counting the revision in Peru, and cases rose by 4%. In North America, fatalities dropped 14% and infections 23%.

Peru now has the worst per-capita death rate in the world with 5,572 per million, compared with 1,840 in the United States, 2,209 in Brazil, 249 in India.

On Sunday, Peru is conducting a presidential run-off election between leftist Pedro Castillo and right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.

Godofredo Talavera, the president of the Peruvian Medical Federation, said he was not surprised about the increased toll.

"We believe this occurs because our health system does not have the necessary conditions to care for patients," he said. "There has been no government support with oxygen, with intensive care beds. We do not have enough vaccines at the moment. The first line of care has not been reactivated. All this makes us the first country in the world in mortality."

Peru has only vaccinated 9% of its 33.4 million population with at least one dose.

A total of 2.09 billion shots in the world have been given in a population of 7.9 billion with a two-dose regimen required for most brands.

North America leads with 63 doses administered per 100 people, followed by Europe at 51, South America at 29, Asia at 25, Oceania at 14 and Africa at 2.5, according to tracking by The New York Times.

The United States has administered at least one dose to 51.3% of its population with Brazil at 22.8%, according to tracking by Bloomberg. Britain, which inoculated the first person in the world in December, is among the best in the world with 60.1%.

Chile has the best vaccination rate on the continent at 58.3% with Argentina at 23.9%, Colombia at 15.1%.

In North America, vaccination rates are much different in the two U.S. neighbors. Mexico is at 18.6%, though it was the first Latin American nation to begin vaccinating people. And Canada has risen to 57.5% and leading the United States by 6.2 percentage points after lagging by several points for months.

In the past week, the United States' deaths decreased 28% and cases 35%. In Mexico, it was a 61% gain in deaths, including 206 Saturday, and 30% cases with 2,809. Canada's deaths decreased 15%, with 33 Saturday and 10 so far Sunday, and cases were down 31%, including 1,666 Saturday and 856 Sunday.

Deaths are way down in Mexico from a one-day record of 1,803 in Mexico.

But three states, Baja California Sur, Yucatn and Tabasco, increased to high-risk orange on the updated coronavirus map presented by the federal Health Ministry on Friday night. Quintana Roo is already orange. Six advanced to low-risk green.

Mexican officials said Friday they will use 1 million U.S. doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to inoculate people along the border.

Along with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson, the other top vaccine makers are Moderna and Pfizer, which require two shots.

Canada has reported under triple digits for deaths since 142 on Feb. 3 and a record 257 on Dec. 29 for a total of 25,722.

Canada has been easing out of restrictions.

The nonessential travel ban among Mexico, Canada and the United States has been extended through June 21. It began one year ago in March.

In Asia, deaths decreased 17% and cases 25%. The continent has the most cases at 52,445,242 and is third in deaths at 711,382

The Indian western state of Maharashtra, which includes 114.2 million people, has been hard-hit by the pandemic with plans to ease restrictions Monday after they were put in place in April amid a second wave.

Maharashtra reported 13,659 cases Saturday, which is the lowest in two months, and deaths rose by 866.

India is a dominant manufacturer of vaccines worldwide, but the nation has inoculated only 13.5% of its population with at least one dose and 3.4% fully vaccinated.

The pandemic outbreak began in late 2019 in Mainland China, but the nation with the world's largest population of 1.5 billion has reported only a few deaths in the past 12 months and stands in 61st at 4,636 behind Georgia with 4,910. China added 30 cases Sunday and had administered 744 million doses, the most in the world.

The United States will give Taiwan 750,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, U.S. senators who visited the island said Sunday. Taiwan has administered nearly 43,000 doses daily.

The total confirmed cases were 11,298, including 260 deaths.

Iran has the second-most deaths in Asia in 12th at 80,941 with 122 reported Sunday.

Turkey ranks fifth in the world for cases at 5,707,683 with 6,126 Sunday and 19th in deaths at 48,068, including 92 most recently.

In the Far East, Indonesia has the most deaths, 51,612 in 17th place with 163 reported Sunday.

Japan is 36th with 13,598 deaths, including 50 on Sunday with a record 216 three weeks ago. Cases are 2,022 with the record 7,882.

Only 9.2% of the population has received at least one dose.

Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures are in a state of emergency through June 20, a little more than one month before the Summer Olympics are scheduled to start in the nation.

About 10,000 of the 80,000 registered volunteers for the athletic events had quit as of Wednesday, according to Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee officials. No foreign spectators are allowed into Japan for the Games but a group of United States public health experts warned athletes and the public are at risk.

"We believe the IOC's determination to proceed with the Olympic Games is not informed by the best scientific evidence," the authors wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine. "For us to connect safely, we believe urgent action is needed for these Olympic Games to proceed."

Also, the U.S. State Department is warning U.S. citizens against traveling to Japan.

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told CNN "none of the folks involved in the planning and the execution of the Games is considering a cancellation."

South Korea has vaccinated 14.4% of its population. The nation has 1,973 deaths, including two more Sunday, and 144,152 cases, with a rise of 479 on Sunday. The record is 40 deaths and 1,241 cases.

South Korea's restrictions are set to expire on June 13. People who have received at least one COVID-19 shot will be able to go outdoors mask-free starting in July.

Israel, which is considered part of Asia, has fully vaccinated 60.3% of its population, among the best in the world. Its death toll is 6,418, rising by seven in one week.

Europe has posted the most deaths of the continents, 1,078,816, and cases are second in cases, 46,888,895.

Four European nations are in the top 10 for most deaths: Britain sixth behind Peru with 127,840, Italy seventh with 126,523, Russia eighth with 123,787 and France ninth with 109,998. Germany dropped to 11th in the past week with 89,829, Spain 14th with 80,196, Poland 1tth at 74,152 and Ukraine 18th at 51,182.

Of those countries, only Britain has vaccinated at least half its population. Germany is at 45.5%, France 42.9%, Italy 42.3%, Spain 41%, Poland 37.9, Russia 12.3% and Ukraine 3.2%.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on Twitter at this week's G-7 meeting in Cornwall on the South West coast of the Britain that he will push for global vaccine distribution.

"I will ask my fellow leaders to help vaccinate the world by the end of next year. We have a responsibility to do everything we can to defeat COVID around the world," he said.

On Sunday, Britain reported four deaths and 5,341 after 5,765 Saturday and 6,238 Friday, highest since mid-March. Italy gained 51 deaths and 2,275 cases, Russia 351 deaths and 9,163 cases Sunday, France 25 deaths and 5,070, and Germany 26 deaths and 1,845 cases so far Sunday.

Britain's totals are way down from the daily deaths record of 2,396 and cases of 68,053.

The spike could delay plans to end the lockdown, including all social distancing on June 21, especially in light of the variant that originated in India.

"Balancing, clearly, people's desire -- and there clearly is a built-up desire to get back to normal -- against the potential risk is a very difficult judgment call," Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist from Imperial College London whose modeling was key to the first lockdown in March 2020, told the BBC on Friday. "It's not my job to make that decision, thankfully."

The British government has most nations on a COVID-safe travel list, including adding Portugal last week. On an "amber list" are several countries, including the United States, Canada and most European nations, in which travelers must complete a 10-day quarantine at home.

Banned on the red lists are countries that include India, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Egypt.

The European Union agreed to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travelers, including those from the United States. Visitors who have received EU-approved vaccines will be allowed to enter EU countries without a test or quarantine upon arrival.

Member states will be allowed to set their own requirements.

Italy and Spain have already loosened their travel restrictions, according to Forbes. France plans to open Monday for international travel with Germany later this month.

Oceania, with only 42.3 million people, has 1,254 deaths and 69,365 cases.

New Zealand's deaths remain at 26 with the last one reported on Feb. 16 and Australia's toll stayed at 910 with one reported April 13.

New Zealand reported no cases Sunday, tallying 10 in one week, for a total of 2,682, and Australia was up 17, which is 79 in a week, for 30,175 total.

Australia has vaccinated 17% of its population, according to The New York Times tracking. New Zealand has administered first doses to 6.8% of its population.

The Australian state of Victoria with a population of 7 million, including Melbourne, has been in a lockdown. Two locally transmitted cases, a resident and a nurse were found in an aged care, which was also the site of the latest outbreak

Africa has reported 132,581 deaths and 4,961,706409 cases. In one week, it's a 0.2% increase of deaths and 15% gain in cases.

"The threat of a third wave in Africa is real and rising," Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization regional director for Africa, said in a statement. "It's crucial that we swiftly get vaccines into the arms of Africans at high risk of falling seriously ill and dying of COVID-19."

Moeti noted the pandemic is trending upwards in 14 countries and in the past week alone, eight countries witnessed an abrupt rise of over 30% in cases.

South Africa leads the continent with 56,929 deaths, including 91 Saturday with 591 in one week and 5,450 cases despite a more contagious strain originating there. Egypt is second with 15,309 and Tunisia third with 12,948.

Around 31.4 million doses have been administered to the African population of 1.2 billion.

"Many African hospitals and clinics are still far from ready to cope with a huge rise in critically ill patients. We must better equip our hospitals and medical staff to avert the worst effects of a runaway surge," Moeti said. "Treatment is the last line of defense against this virus and we cannot let it be breached."

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Western Hemisphere dominates COVID-19 with 49% of fatalities - UPI News