Category:

Disaster & Management

Lebanon’s insurance claims from Beirut port blast total $425 million, so far

Caretaker Economy Minister Raoul Nehme said 2,500 claims have been filed, according to the presidency’s Twitter account. The ministry expects claims to reach 10,000

Insured losses from the Beirut port warehouse explosion are likely to total around $3 billion, similar to those from an explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in 2015, industry sources and analysts say.

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“Covid warriors will be first to get vaccinated, once we get it”: MoS Health

Phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials of two of the vaccine candidates, developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Zydus Cadila Ltd, are currently underway.

The Serum Institute of India has been permitted to conduct Phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the third vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University. The Pune-based institute has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the vaccine.

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USFDA clears simple saliva test for faster detection of COVID-19

With the FDA’s emergency use authorisation, the testing method is immediately available to other diagnostic laboratories that want to start using the new test, which can be scaled up quickly for use across the nation and, perhaps, beyond in the coming weeks, researchers said
”This is a huge step forward to make testing more accessible,” said Chantal Vogels, a Yale postdoctoral fellow, who led the laboratory development and validation along with Doug Brackney, an adjunct assistant clinical professor.

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Coronavirus: Lockdown in Maharashtra will be lifted in stepwise manner: Uddhav Thackeray

“The state government’s ‘Mission Begin Again’ initiative is being implemented step-by-step. The momentum of chase the virus campaign should not stop since the threat of the virus still persists, and monsoon is still active in the state. We have to be careful about rain-related ailments as well,” CM Uddhav Thackeray said.

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Obesity raises the risk of death from COVID-19 among men

Obesity and the coronavirus are a dangerous combination for a number of reasons.

Obesity causes restricted breathing, making it more difficult to clear pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Fat is biologically active and a source of pro-inflammatory chemicals, promoting a state of chronic inflammation in the body even before COVID-19 sets in. Obesity causes metabolic changes and abnormalities, even in the absence of diabetes.

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‘Canary in the coal mine’: Greenland ice has shrunk beyond return,study finds

That melting is already causing global seas to rise about a millimeter on average per year. If all of Greenland’s ice goes, the water released would push sea levels up by an average of 6 meters — enough to swamp many coastal cities around the world. This process, however, would take decades
The Arctic has been warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the world for the last 30 years, an observation referred to as Arctic amplification. The polar sea ice hit its lowest extent for July in 40 years.

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Extreme’ California wildfire forces hundreds to evacuate

No casualties were reported but the blaze threatened 5,420 homes and other structures in communities about 40 miles (65 km) north of downtown Los Angeles where residents have been told to prepare for possible evacuations over the weekend, Garrido said.

Across the United States, fires have been less ferocious so far in 2020, burning around 1.4 million fewer acres than in the same period of 2019. Conditions are expected to worsen in California next month when Santa Ana winds arrive in the south and El Diablo winds pick up in the North.

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Who pays for Mauritius oil spill and how much?

Under the 2001 International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution damage, which is referred to as the BUNKER convention and has been administered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) since it came into force in 2008, the owners of vessels are responsible for damage caused by oil leaks. That means Nagashiki rather than Mitsui OSK is liable.The Wakashio is insured by Japan P&I Club, the country’s only organization that underwrites protection and indemnity insurance for ocean going and coastal vessels. On Wednesday, a spokesman for Japan P&I said it was “trying to make internal estimates” for how much the clean up would cost.

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