Category:

Policy

Diet impacts COVID-19 risk, severity: Study

The results also suggest that public health strategies that improve access to healthy foods and address social determinants of health may help to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our findings are a call to governments and stakeholders to prioritize healthy diets and wellbeing with impactful policies, otherwise we risk losing decades of economic progress and a substantial increase in health disparities,” said Merino.

read more

China launches wealth management product pilots for retirement in four cities

Last month, China set up a state pension company with registered capital of 11.2 billion yuan, with 17 bank-affiliated wealth management units, insurers and state institutions taking stake, to help boost funds for retirees.

Despite looming changes, China’s retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women, civil servants and white-collar workers.

read more

U.S. lawmakers seek $1 bln to fund FTC privacy probes

The proposal, which Democrats plan to include in a $3.5 trillion spending measure, would fund a new bureau over 10 years to address “unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to privacy, data security, identity theft, data abuses, and related matters,” according to a summary released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The committee will meet on Monday to take up the wide-ranging spending proposal that includes $30 billion to remove lead pipes and $13.5 billion for zero emissions vehicle infrastructure buildout.

read more

U.S. FDA to ask for more time before deciding on Juul e-cigarettes -WSJ

The agency said last month it received applications from over 500 companies covering more than 6.5 million tobacco products. E-cigarettes have operated in a regulatory gray area for years. The products, which vaporize a nicotine-laced liquid, have been available in the United States since at least 2007, but the FDA did not formally get jurisdiction over the industry until May 2016.

read more

Govt extends ITR filing deadline for individuals to December 31

Earlier, the deadline was extended to September 30, 2021. Usually, the last date for filing the ITR (Income Tax Returns) for the individual taxpayers is July 31.

”On consideration of difficulties reported by the taxpayers and other stakeholders in filing of Income Tax Returns and various reports of audit for the Assessment Year 2021-22 under the Income-tax Act, 1961, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to further extend the due dates for filing of Income Tax Returns and various reports of audit for the Assessment Year 2021-22,” the finance ministry said in a statement.

The CBDT has also extended the ITR filing deadline for companies till February 15, 2022 from November 30, 2021.

read more