Category:

Disaster & Management

India tops a million coronavirus cases as pandemic hits villages

India recorded 34,956 new infections on Friday, taking the total so far to 1.004 million, with 25,602 deaths from COVID-19, federal health ministry data showed. That compares to some 3.6 million cases in the United States and 2 million in Brazil – both countries with populations under 400 million.

Epidemiologists say India is still likely months away from hitting its peak of cases, suggesting the country’s already overburdened healthcare system will come under further strain.

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IMF chief warns global economy ‘not out of the woods,’ dangers lurk

The IMF last month further slashed its 2020 global output forecasts, predicting a 4.9% contraction and weaker-than-expected recovery in 2021.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said $11 trillion in fiscal measures by G20 members and other countries, as well as massive central bank liquidity injections, have put a floor under the global economy.

Even so, dangers lurked, she said, including a major new wave of infections, stretched asset valuations, volatile commodity prices, rising protectionism and political instability.

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Russia requires firms to develop financial/insurance contingency plans for oil spills

The law makes it mandatory for companies to have sufficient financial reserves to prevent potential spills or clean them up if they occur. The financial reserves can take various forms, including an insurance contract or a letter of guarantee to pay the damage from a given accident.The law also requires companies handling hydrocarbons to draw up plans to prevent and clean up spills by Jan.1, 2024.

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Afghanistan faces ‘catastrophe’ as COVID-19 cases grow: Red Crescent

Red Crescent Secretary General Nilab Mobarez said acute protective equipment shortages and difficulties in accessing remote regions were hampering its COVID-19 response. But it was expanding mobile health teams and adding thousands of community volunteers to try and detect and prevent the disease, which it said it expected to spread over coming weeks

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Positive news on Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine could come Thursday:report

AstraZeneca’s experimental vaccine is probably the world’s leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said in June.

The company has signed agreements with governments around the globe to supply the vaccine should it be cleared for use.

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UK Plans to spend $6.6 billion on building flood defenses through 2027

Under the plans, the UK’s Flood Re insurance program will also be modified to allow claims to include the installation of flood resilience measures as well as repairs for affected properties.
“For every pound spent improving protection from flooding and coastal erosion, we avoid around 5 pounds of property damages,” Environment Agency Chairman Emma Howard Boyd said. “The long-term commitments announced today will make homes, businesses and infrastructure more resilient to the accelerating impacts of the climate crisis.”

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India’s COVID-19 tally crosses 9 lakh with 28,498 fresh cases; death toll climbs to 23,727

The march of coronavirus infection in the country has picked up pace with the number of cases increasing by more than 26,000 for the fifth consecutive day. It took 110 days for the COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh and just 56 days more to go past the nine-lakh mark.
Around 63.02 per cent of patients have recovered so far.

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Human clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccine initiated in India:ICMR

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has permitted two vaccines — one developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and another one by ZydasCadila Healthcare Ltd to go in for the first and second phase of human clinical trials.

There are two Indian vaccine candidates that have undergone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits and these data was submitted to the DCGI, following which both got clearance to start an early phase human trials earlier this month, Bhargava said at a press briefing.

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