Category:

Eco/Invest/Demography

63 nations to see ratings downgrades by 2030 for ignoring climate change

The U.S. is projected to lose 20 per cent of its per-capita gross domestic product by 2050 in a worst-case scenario, with nations closer to the equator or with high-carbon economies even more vulnerable, according to the FTSE Russell report.

Malaysia could see the worst economic hit at 31 per cent. The projections, based on trends of greenhouse-gas emissions and countries’ mitigation efforts, show the risk for investors of long-term bets on sovereign bonds.

read more

Google’s ‘Nest Hub’ screen wants to snoop on your sleep from your bedside

Google says it honed the technology by studying 15,000 sleeping people over a combined 110,000 nights.

That kind of help may sound appealing to the millions of people who have trouble sleeping. But the feature may also raise privacy concerns _ especially given Google’s long history of online surveillance to collect personal details such as interests, habits and whereabouts to help sell the digital ads that generate most of its revenue.

read more

Vaccine nationalism may hit WHO’s 2021 goal of 2 bn doses: Adar Poonawalla

Poonawalla’s comments highlight the continuing challenge of vaccine inequality that threatens to prolong the pandemic after richer nations raced to stockpile supplies. Few African nations received a single shipment of shots before March, while more than 20% of the population in countries including Israel, the U.K., Bahrain and the U.S have received at least one shot.

read more

Have to take quick and decisive steps to stop the second peak of coronavirus cases in the country: PM Modi

In a virtual interaction with state chief ministers over the pandemic situation and the ongoing vaccination drive, Modi said in states like Maharashtra, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh the number of COVID cases has seen a rise while nearly 70 districts in the country have have seen an increase in the positivity rate by over 150 per cent of late.

read more