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Eco/Invest/Demography

Europe ‘must grit teeth’ on COVID-19 as vaccine euphoria fades

As the euphoria that followed Pfizer’s announcement faded, European shares slipped back from their eight-month highs, with poor economic data from Britain adding to doubts about the rebound from the brutal slump caused by the first lockdowns.Its economy lost steam in September, hardening expectations that it will shrink again as 2020 ends.

Britain passed 50,000 COVID-19 deaths this week, and the 33,470 new cases registered on Thursday were its highest daily tally to date.

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Asia-Pacific closes in on world’s biggest trade deal

RCEP includes China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
One of the deal’s biggest draws is that its members already have various bilateral or multilateral agreements in place, so RCEP builds on those foundations.

It will allow for one set of rules of origin to qualify for tariffs reduction with other RCEP members. A common set of regulations mean less procedures and easier movement of goods.

This encourages multinational firms to invest more in the region, including building supply chains and distribution hubs.

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WHO to set up centre for traditional medicine in India

“This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

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India’s COVID-19 caseload reaches 87.28 lakh, recovery rate rises to 92.97 pc

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.47 per cent.

There are 4,84,547 active cases in the country which comprise 5.55 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
The 547 new fatalities include 122 from Maharashtra, 104 from Delhi, 54 from West Bengal, 25 each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, 23 from Punjab, 21 each from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, 20 from Chhattisgarh and 19 from Haryana.

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PM inaugurates Ayurveda research & teaching instituteJamnagar,

“Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda will be the first institution with institution of national importance status in the AYUSH sector, and this will enable the institution to be independent and innovative in the matter of deciding course content and pedagogy. The decision to set up the institute comes at a time when global interest in health solutions based on traditional wisdom is at an unprecedentedly high level and ITRA is poised to take Ayurveda education to new vistas,”

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Signed, sealed, delivered: Japan to all but scrap centuries-old custom of stamping paperwork

The use of seals will be abolished for all but 83 instances such as automobile registration, the official said, affecting transactions carried out by millions of Japanese every day. The official said no specific timetable has been set for phasing out seal use.

The radical switch comes as newly installed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga seeks to boost use of digital technology to streamline processes and spur lacklustre growth in the world’s third-biggest economy.

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India to get 100 million AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccines next month: Serum Institute head

Drugmakers are just now getting data that will show how well their vaccine candidates work, but there are plenty of hurdles remaining as the global race to find an effective shot against the pathogen reaches its final stages. Astra and co-developer University of Oxford still need to see testing results. And even if their vaccine proves effective and gets a nod from regulators, there are questions over how easily and quickly the shot can be distributed

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