Category:

Eco/Invest/Demography

Merchant ship crews still stuck at sea amid Pandemic

Some have been stranded for as long as 20 months, which contravenes the International Labor Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention, which allows a maximum of 11 monthsMore than 80% of world trade is transported by sea, meaning seafarers play a critical role in global commerce. The International Chamber of Shipping estimates that 200,000 are affected by travel restrictions, either stuck at sea or unable to leave home to get to their ships.

.

read more

India to come out with space transportation policy, onboard

According to the Department of Space (DoS), globally, the participation of private agencies in providing launch services has increased and some of them have become significant players in the commercial market for launch services.

India is also witnessing the emergence of a ”New Space” wherein the private players in the space sector aim to tap the commercial potential of small satellite launch services by developing small satellite launchers for the global market, it said.

read more

On climate change frontline, indigenous provide pointers to save planet

After an analysis of the growing threats confronting the communities and their sustainable ways of life, the authors of the report maintained that indigenous peoples worldwide play a vital role in countering global threats such as the destruction of nature, climate change, biodiversity loss and the risk of future pandemics.

read more

Pharmeasy to acquire diagnostics chain Thyrocare in a deal worth over Rs 6,300 crore

Pharmeasy is primarily into medicine deliveries.

At present, Thyrocare has a network of 4,000 partner labs while Pharmeasy serves 17 million customers monthly through its network of 6,000 digital consultation clinics and 90,000 partner retailers.

”We feel diagnostics is very important, Thyrocare has an outstanding backend, a very low cost structure and we have an unbelievable front end,” API Holdings’ Chief Executive Siddharth Shah told after signing the agreement.

read more

Many large e-comm firms have blatantly flouted laws of land: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that many of the practices which these companies follow are against the interest of consumers and the government has recently come out with draft rules for e-commerce companies or marketplace models, which are applicable to all entities including Indian.

These rules are to protect consumer interest, he said at a webinar.

read more

Ixigo clocks 10 lakh searches for travel bookings, 3 lakh for vaccine slots

The travel app has witnessed a surge in both flights as well train bookings fuelled by people returning to metro cities from tier two and three cities like Patna, Darbhanga, Ranchi, Varanasi and Gorakhpur.

Even leisure travel queries are also picking up for popular summer getaway destinations like Leh, Ladakh, Shimla and Mussoorie. Industry data shows there is a sharp reversal from recent weeks with the number of domestic air passengers hovering around 1.1 lakh per day. Daily train bookings stand at over 9 lakh. 

read more

Novel method to accurately, quickly detect COVID-19 from phone swabs

The new method, described in the journal eLife on Tuesday, detected the COVID-19 virus on the phones of 81 to 100 per cent of contagious people with a high viral load, suggesting it is as accurate as antigen tests.

The researchers noted that globally active screening for COVID-19 is still a priority as new variants keep emerging and the vaccination rollout is not guaranteed in many countries.

However, testing is expensive and can be physically unpleasant, both of which are significant hurdles on the road to an effective test and trace system, they said.

read more

EVs to dominate sales 5 years sooner than expected in US, Europe: EY

In terms of EV sales volumes, Europe is expected to lead the way until 2031, with China taking the lead from 2032 to 2050.

According to Randall Miller, EY Global Advanced Manufacturing and Mobility Leader: “A mix of changing consumer attitudes, ambitious climate-focused regulations and technology evolution is about to change the landscape of vehicle buying forever. While the automotive industry has begun to more fully embrace the move toward electrification, the impact of this seismic shift is arriving sooner than many expected.”

read more