Page 26 - Coronavirus

Merck's Covid medicine linked to virus mutation patterns, says study

Findings adds weight to earlier work by the same team of researchers that suggested that drug-induced mutations of Covid were spreading in some populations, although not in great numbers

Number of MSMEs in Bengal to have reached 10 mn after Covid: Official

The number of MSME units in West Bengal is estimated to have reached 1 crore with the economy bouncing back after the pandemic, a senior official said. Addressing a programme, West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation Ltd (WBSIDCL) executive director V Teja Deepak said there were 90 lakh MSME units in the state before the pandemic. "There were 90 lakh Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Bengal before the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it must have reached 1 crore after the pandemic," he said. Maintaining that the state government's schemes such as 'Shilper Samadhan' have been a great help to the sector, he said the time taken to give various permissions for setting up businesses has also come down significantly. "Bengal is doing well in the export of textile and leather, and the 'Biswa Bangla' marketing is attracting buyers across the globe," he said. Speaking at the programme organised here by SBI and The Statesman on Saturday, PSU Andrew Yule and Company's CMD

As many as 412 infra projects show cost overruns of Rs 4.77 trn in August

As many as 412 infrastructure projects, each entailing an investment of Rs 150 crore or more, have been hit by cost overruns of more than Rs 4.77 lakh crore in August this year, an official report said. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above, out of 1,762 projects, 412 reported cost overruns and as many as 830 projects were delayed. "The total original cost of implementation of the 1,762 projects was Rs 25,01,400.62 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 29,78,681.31 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 4,77,280.69 crore (19.08 per cent of original cost)," the ministry's latest report for August 2023 said. According to the report, the expenditure incurred on these projects till August 2023, is Rs 15,57,188.10 crore, which is 52.28 per cent of the anticipated cost of the projects. However, it stated that the number of delayed projects decreased to 6

Biden admin announces $600 mn to produce Covid tests; will reopen website

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases that has typically come during colder months. The Department of Health and Human Services says orders can be placed at COVIDTests.gov starting Sept 25, and that no-cost tests will be delivered for free by the United States Postal Service. Twelve manufacturers that employ hundreds of people in seven states have been awarded funding and will produce 200 million over-the-counter tests to replenish federal stockpiles for government use, in addition to producing enough tests to meet demand for tests ordered online, the department said. Federal officials said that will help guard against supply chain issues that sparked some shortages of at-home COVID tests made overseas during past surges in ..

WHO chief urges China to give full access to probe origins of Covid: Report

These comments from the WHO chief come as health authorities update vaccines in response to a surge in Covid-19 cases

WHO chief pushes China for 'full access' to determine Covid's origins

Ghebreyesus has for long been pressing China to share its information about the origins of Covid-19, saying that until that happened all hypotheses remained on the table

59% growth in TOEFL test takers in India post-pandemic, rise in share: ETS

TOEFL test takers in India have grown by 59 per cent since international travel resumed following suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Educational Testing Service (ETS). Corresponding with the trend, Indians accounted for 12.3 per cent of the total test takers globally in 2022, up from 7.5 per cent the previous year, showed data from the Princeton-based ETS which conducts the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE). According to data exclusively accessed by PTI, there was a 53 per cent growth in Indian TOEFL test takers in 2021 compared to the previous year. In 2022, the number of test takers saw a 59 per cent rise over 2021. "The numbers are clearly indicative of the rising aspirations of Indians in exploring foreign shores. The growth in Indian test takers is in sync with the rise in the number of Indians moving abroad for studies or immigration purposes. "The trends show that the interest is no longer limited to the US

Demand for champagne softens after post-Covid boom years, says LVMH

"2023 is a bit more complicated, because this effect of Covid is fading out, and there's a lot of inflation in all countries," Schaus said. "So we see that we are going back to normal

World disappointed by United Nations now looks elsewhere for answers

With dozens of world leaders descending upon New York for the United Nations General Assembly's annual gathering, global problems are showing up fast and thick at the world body's door

Try extending benefits of Covid schemes to all orphans: SC to govt

An orphan is an orphan, irrespective of how the death of his or her parents happened, the Supreme Court has said, asking the Centre if there are ways the benefits of schemes, including PM Cares fund, which were meant for children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic, can be extended to all orphans. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra on Friday asked Additional Solicitor General Vikramjeet Banerjee, appearing for Centre, to seek instructions in the matter. "You have rightly brought out a policy for orphans, whose parents died due to the COVID pandemic. An orphan is an orphan, irrespective of whether the parents died in an accident or illness. By bringing these schemes, you are attending to the condition and not the parentage. "You seek an instruction on whether benefits of schemes including PM Cares fund meant for children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic can be extended to other orphaned children," the bench told Banerjee. The ASG

Delhi Metro crosses pre-coronavirus passenger journeys from March-August

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) witnessed the highest growth in June at 114.3%

Australia's highest court finds Qantas illegally fired 1,700 ground staff

Qantas Airways lost its challenge to a court ruling on Wednesday that the Australian flag carrier had illegally fired 1,700 baggage handlers, cleaners and other ground staff at the height of pandemic travel disruptions. Seven High Court judges unanimously rejected Qantas' appeal against a Federal Court full-bench decision. That court upheld a Federal Court judge's ruling that the sacking of Qantas staff at 10 Australian airports in 2020 was illegal. The ruling is another major blow for the airline which Australia's consumer watchdog is suing for more than 250 million Australian dollars ($160 million) for allegedly selling thousands of tickets mid-2022 for flights that already been canceled. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission initiated the Federal Court lawsuit two weeks ago for what it considers Australia's most serious-ever breach of consumer law. That prompted Qantas former chief executive Alan Joyce to retire last week two months ahead of schedule. The Transport ...

New supply of retail space in shopping malls to rise 43% by 2027: JLL India

New supply of retail real estate space is expected to rise 43 per cent across seven major cities by 2027 as developers are expanding their business amid strong revival post COVID pandemic, according to JLL India. Real estate consultant JLL India on Monday released its report 'India Retail: Evolving to a new dawn' that highlighted the operational retail real estate space in shopping malls stood at 89 million square feet. The operational retail stock as of H1 2023 in the top seven cities (Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad) stands at 89 million square feet as of June-end this year. Out of the total retail stocks in malls, Delhi NCR has the maximum 28 million square feet, followed by Mumbai with 17 million square feet and Bengaluru 14 million square feet. "The physical retail space segment has an expected supply pipeline of over 38 million sq ft of retail developments between H2 2023 and 2027, across the top seven cities," JLL said. Out of the 38 mill

Covid body bags purchase scam: Ex-Mumbai mayor Pednekar appears before EOW

Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar appeared before the Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing on Monday in connection with an alleged scam in the purchase of body bags for COVID-19 victims, a police official said. On September 6, the Bombay High Court granted interim protection from arrest for four weeks to Pednekar, noting the case probe was on and at this stage custodial interrogation was not warranted. The court also directed Pednekar to cooperate with the probe in the case and appear before the city police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on September 11, 13 and 16 for questioning. On Monday, Pednekar reached the EOW office here at around 11 am to face an inquiry into the case, the official said. Pednekar approached the HC after a sessions court rejected her pre-arrest bail plea, saying she was accused of an economic offence involving a huge amount of public money. The EOW had registered a case against Pednekar and two senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

Implementation of technology changed dynamics of healthcare delivery: Min

Speaking on National Digital Health Mission, mansukh Mandaviya said that the government is opening the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA)

Updated Covid-19 shots are coming soon, to be part of trio of vaccines

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. And this fall, the first vaccines for another scary virus called RSV are rolling out to older adults and pregnant women. Doctors hope enough people get vaccinated to help avert another tripledemic like last year when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and yet another winter coronavirus surge. COVID-19 hospitalizations have been steadily increasing since late summer, although not nearly as much as this time last year, and RSV already is on the rise in parts of the Southeast. Approval of updated COVID-19 shots is expected within days. They are among the tools the new director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says will help put the US in our strongest position yet to avoid another chaotic respiratory season. There will be a lot of virus this winter. That's why we want to get ahead of it, CDC chief Dr. Mandy Cohen .

'Post Covid global reconstruction chance to create sustainable societies'

As the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosaon Saturday said the "global reconstruction" post the Covid 19 pandemic has brought a unique opportunity to accelerate transition to low carbon, climate resilient, sustainable societies. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the South African President expressed delight over the African Union becoming a member of the G20. "Global reconstruction in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition to low-carbon, climate resilient, sustainable societies. Developing economies are bearing the brunt of climate change, despite carrying the least responsibility for this crisis," Ramaphosaon said on Saturday. "As African and other developing economy countries, we face the task of meeting our climate commitments in the midst of significant developmental challenges like poverty, inequality and unemployment. "Climate change, environmental degradation, ...

Court scales back order on Biden admin contact with social media platforms

A federal appeals court Friday significantly whittled down a lower court's order curbing Biden administration communications with social media companies over controversial content about COVID-19 and other issues. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Friday said the White House, the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI cannot coerce social media platforms to take down posts the government doesn't like. But the court threw out broader language in an order that a Louisiana-based federal judge issued on July 4 that effectively blocked multiple government agencies from contacting platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to urge that content be taken down. Even the appeals court's softened order doesn't take effect immediately. The administration has 10 days to seek a Supreme Court review. Friday evening's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in northeast Louisiana that accused administration officials of coercing platforms to take down conte

Spain's Prez tests positive for Covid-19, to skip G20 Summit in New Delhi

Sánchez is the third world leader to have pulled out of the G20 Summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are the other two leaders who will not be visiting Delhi

Unprecedented failure of Modi govt not to come out with Census: Congress

The Congress slammed the Narendra Modi government on Friday for its failure to conduct the decadal Census due in 2021 and said as many as 14 crore Indians would be excluded from their food entitlements because of this. In a statement, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh dubbed the Modi government as "inept and incompetent", and said not conducting the Census is an unprecedented failure in the history of the country. Ramesh said even other developing countries in the G20 bloc, such as Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa, have conducted their Census despite COVID-19. The Congress demanded that the BJP-led Centre stop denying 14 crore Indians their basic rights under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and increase the beneficiary quota until the Census is carried out. It also sought the conduct of an updated national caste census and said efforts to oppose a state-level caste census should stop. "The start of the 18th G20 summit with India's rotational preside