Covid 19 coronavirus

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, famed for the Terracotta Warriors and other imperial relics. Representative Image: AP) Beijing on Saturday said it would allow primary and secondary schools to resume in-person classes and Shanghai’s top party boss declared victory over COVID-19 after the city reported zero new local cases for the first time in two months. The two major cities were among several places in China that implemented curbs to stop the spread of the Omicron wave during March to May, with Shanghai imposing a two month-long city-wide lockdown that lifted on June 1. The efforts, part of China’s adherence to a zero-COVID policy that aims to eradicate all outbreaks, have brought case numbers down but many of the heavy-handed measures have fuelled anger and even rare protests and taken a heavy toll on the economy. Beijing shut its schools in early May and asked students to move to online learning amid a spike in locally transmitted COVID cases. Senior year … [Read more...] about Beijing to reopen schools, Shanghai declares victory over COVID

(Image: Reuters) India is not considering lowering the eligibility of COVID-19 vaccine administration in children below 12 years, an official from the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) told Moneycontrol. NTAGI is India’s vaccine think tank, an apex advisory body on immunisation, which provides guidance and advice to the Union health ministry. “We have not considered vaccinating kids below the age group of 12 years. The uptake of COVID vaccine in the age group above 12-8 years is tepid and we are just focusing on the population that is susceptible to severe infection,” said an official who is part of NTAGI, asking not to be named. Responding to a query related to the US starting COVID vaccination for children aged six months to five years, the NTAGI official said, “The Indian government is in no hurry to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children below 12 years of age.” Also read: Oncologists welcome FDA’s proposal to limit nicotine in cigarettes, … [Read more...] about Not planning to inoculate children below 12 years for COVID: NTAGI on US vaccinating children under five

- A + A (June 26): China's capital city is offering subsidies for purchases of new-energy vehicles to replace old cars, the latest attempt by local authorities to boost consumption in a slowing economy. The financial aid provided by the city of Beijing ranges from 8,000 yuan (US$1,196) to 10,000 yuan for qualified buyers who scrap or resell cars owned for more than a year, among other conditions, the local commerce bureau said in a statement on Sunday. The capital city's move follows similar measures announced by Shanghai late last month that also involved raising a cap on car ownership and cutting a purchase tax for some passenger vehicles. Passenger vehicle sales in China slid 17% in May from a year earlier, and not a single new car was sold in Shanghai in April as the virus gripped the city. China's central government was considering extending tax exemptions on new-energy car purchases in a bid to boost an auto sector battered by strict Covid-19 lockdowns, state … [Read more...] about Beijing offers cash subsidies to spur demand for new-energy cars

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Photo by Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Sunday expressed concern over the increasing number of bankrupts among youths. In view of the situation, Ismail Sabri said he will hold discussions with Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus on measures to curb the problem. Talks will also be held with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to review relevant legislation. "I am concerned when looking at the latest statistics on bankruptcy among youths and I am also concerned that the numbers will rise further. "The government has previously raised the threshold. We also delayed legal action involving bankruptcy during the pandemic… the future of youths is a priority agenda," he said when officiating at the closing of Barisan Nasional Youth's Career Fair at the World … [Read more...] about PM concerned over bankruptcy among youths, to hold talks with BNM governor

Representative Image To look at the way richer countries are spending money on the energy transition, you might think we’re within reach of bringing Climate Change under control. Investment in clean energy has only accelerated in the years since COVID-19 struck. In the second half of the last decade, it grew at a 2 percent annual rate. Since 2020, that’s risen to 12 percent a year. This year, it will hit $1.4 trillion, the International Energy Agency wrote in its annual investment report on June 22, putting green power comprehensively ahead of the roughly $1 trillion that’s being spent on fossil fuels. If you assume those trends will continue, it looks even more promising. Just continuing to inflate existing spending at current growth rates would imply that advanced economies and China spend in the region of $650 billion a year on clean power over the remainder of this decade, the IEA wrote — within sight of the $850 billion-odd that’s needed to put the world on track to … [Read more...] about The rich-poor divide on clean power is getting wider

Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti. (Representative image) Emphasising the pressing need for an enhanced surveillance of Zika virus cases in India, an Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) study has shown that the infection has silently spread to almost all parts of the country. The ICMR scientists conducted a retrospective screening of dengue and chikungunya negative clinical samples which were stored in labs to understand the extent of the spread of Zika in India. The scientists who conducted the study revealed the virus was in circulation in Delhi, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Telangana, in addition to Kerala, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh in 2021. Dr Pragya Yadav, top scientist at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), said that the vector control method (mosquito control method) is an important step that should be employed rigorously by state governments. Also read: … [Read more...] about Zika’s silent spread calls for urgent need to strengthen virus surveillance: ICMR study

Representative Image | Wheat sacks are loaded onto a truck at the grain market in Punjab. Amid rising inflation, the government, on May 13, banned exports of wheat. India has exported 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to a dozen-odd countries, including Bangladesh and Afghanistan, since the country banned exports of the grain on May 13, according to Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey. About 33,000 tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance has already been supplied to Afghanistan against the commitment of 50,000 tonne, he said. Pandey, addressing a ministerial conference on ’uniting for global food security’ held at Berlin, Germany on June 24, said India has always taken the needs of the world into consideration, even while meeting the onerous obligations of feeding its population of 1.38 billion people, an official statement said. The secretary said, "It is important here to explain that the recent decision by the Government of India (GoI) to bring about regulation on wheat … [Read more...] about India exported 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to several countries since ban: Food Secy

Ikea Gwangju pickup point was opened last month. [IKEA] Major retailers are expanding their so-called omni-channels because customers are demanding the convenience. People became accustomed to using online channels during the Covid-19 pandemic, and many are enjoying going back to bricks-and-mortar stores now that it's over. That's where "omni-channel" comes in. Omni-channel is a buzzword in retail that means giving customers a choice of "channels" to buy things: in stores, online or on shopping apps. Ikea Korea opened an Ikea pick-up point in Gwangju's Buk District last month, which will be open on a trial basis for six months. The service allows customers in Gwangju, which doesn't have an Ikea, to pick up items in person after placing an order online. There are only four Ikea stores in Korea. Delivery fees for Ikea furniture run as high as 49,000 won ($37.70), but the pickup service only costs 9,000 won. The second floor of the pick-up point will have a showroom … [Read more...] about Shop ’til you drop means on all retail channels now

Oil pumping jacks, also known as "nodding donkeys", in an oilfield near Neftekamsk, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, Nov. 19, 2020. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Oil prices skidded in early trade on Wednesday amid a push by U.S. President Joe Biden to bring down soaring fuel costs, including pressure on major U.S. firms to help ease the pain for drivers during the country's peak summer demand. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $1.34, or 1,2%, to $108.18 a barrel at 0031 GMT, while Brent crude futures dropped $1.33, or 1.2%, to $113.32 a barrel. As the United States struggles to tackle soaring gasoline prices and inflation, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected on Wednesday to call for temporarily suspending the 18.4-cents a gallon federal tax on gasoline, a source briefed on the plan told Reuters. Biden had disclosed on Monday he was considering whether to call for a pause in the tax. "Even oil traders acknowledged that higher oil … [Read more...] about Oil prices slide as Joe Biden pushes for US fuel cost cuts

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): While the public welcomed the government's decision not to raise electricity tariff surcharge in the coming six months, the move is a negative surprise for Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), which already saw cash flow squeeze, rising debt levels and record-high receivables in the first quarter as a result of rising fuel costs. TNB, which procures coal and natural gas for Peninsular Malaysia's power generation, may need to borrow more to fund the procurement if it cannot quickly recover the earlier spending on fuel costs, analysts said. Last Friday (June 24), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government had maintained the 1H22 (first half of 2022) electricity tariff surcharge of 3.7 sen/kwh for non-domestic users, and a rebate of two sen/kwh for domestic users for the July-December 2022 period. In a nutshell, TNB pays upfront for fuel costs before they are compensated six months down the road through a higher tariff … [Read more...] about Electricity tariff surcharge status quo a negative surprise for TNB