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Here is a masonry blog layout with no sidebarCOVID-19: India records 24,712 new cases
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,93,173 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.75 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the third consecutive day.
There are 2,83,849 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 2.80 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Govt starts contest for strengthening digital network platform for COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Massive cyberattacks that shook the world in 2020
The biggest of them perhaps came to light towards the end of the year when cybersecurity company FireEye earlier this month revealing that it became a target of hackers who accessed tools that the company uses to test its customers’ security.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, suspected Russian hackers installed a malware in the Orion software sold by the IT management company SolarWinds, and accessed sensitive data belonging to several US government agencies, at least one hospital and a university.
Youth unemployment: a scourge of the COVID-19 economy
Data show that periods of youth unemployment cause serious long-term damage. A study by the London-based Centre for Economic Policy Research found that even one month of unemployment for those aged 18-20 knocked 2% of total lifetime income.
Beyond the immediate damage to education and job prospects is the risk of what economists call “scarring,” where the knock-on effects do long-term harm to income levels, access to training, career prospects and even mental well-being.
“The deal is done”: EU and UK clinch narrow Brexit accord
Laptops, desktop sales see ‘renaissance;’ shortages won’t ease until 2022
Some computers coming to market in the next few months address new needs. They feature better cameras and speakers for video conferencing, analysts said. More models will have a cellular chip, aiding users who can access 4G or 5G mobile signals but not traditional Wi-Fi.
Sam Burd, president at PC maker Dell Technologies Inc, this month said the industry “renaissance” would soon bring devices with artificial intelligence software to simplify tasks like logging on and switching off cameras.
Annual global shipments of PCs, the industry’s collective term for laptops and desktops, topped out at about 300 million in 2008 and recently were sinking toward 250 million. Few expected a resurgence.
But some analysts now expect 2020 will close at about 300 million shipments, up roughly 15% from a year ago. Tablets are experiencing even faster growth.
EU trade deal brings little progress for UK’s giant financial sector
The City of London finance hub secured no special treatment, leaving it on a par with arch rival New York 3,500 miles away as the EU seeks to reduce reliance on UK financial services.
Brussels has only granted financial market access, known as “equivalence”, for two financial activities from Jan. 1, when Britain will have left the EU’s single market.
The Bank of England has said there could be disruption in markets if no further access is allowed.
Just minutes after Britain and the EU hailed their agreement on trade, the bloc’s executive said it wanted a “series of further clarifications” on how Britain will diverge from EU rules after Dec. 31.
Serum Institute develops first indigenous vaccine against pneumonia; to be launched next week
The vaccine will be much more affordable than the existing ones produced by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, the sources said.
Since pneumonia is a respiratory ailment, vaccination of children with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) assumes utmost significance during the current Covid-19 pandemic, an official source said.
Studies find having Covid-19 may protect against reinfection
Researchers found that people with antibodies from natural infections were “at much lower risk … on the order of the same kind of protection you’d get from an effective vaccine,” of getting the virus again, said Dr. Ned Sharpless, director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
“We don’t know how long-lasting this immunity is,”said Joshua Wolf, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis added. Cases of people getting Covid-19 more than once have been confirmed, so “people still need to protect themselves and others by preventing reinfection.” he said.
Another new coronavirus variant found in Nigeria, says Africa CDC
The news comes after Britain and South Africa both reported new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that appear to be more contagious, leading to new travel restrictions and turmoil in markets.
“It’s a separate lineage from the UK and the South African lineages,” John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told an online news conference from Addis Ababa.
Delhi Police creates green corridor for heart patient
FASTag to be mandatory for vehicles from Jan 1, says Nitin Gadkari
FASTags, which facilitate electronic payment of fee at toll plazas, was introduced in 2016. Making the tags compulsory would also help in ensuring that vehicles pass seamlessly through the toll plazas as fee payment would be done electronically.
Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari has announced that FASTag is being made mandatory for all vehicles in the country from the new year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.
World Bank, govt ink pact for $500-mn project to develop green highways
COVID-19: India records 23,950 new cases
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,63,382 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.69 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent.
The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the second consecutive day.
There are 2,89,240 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 2.86 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Hiring, better appraisals back on India Inc agenda amid Covid-19 pandemic
The pandemic emerged the biggest inflection point for the Indian job landscape. For corporates, work-from-home and remote workers became the new normal, while for professionals, online learning and digital skills took centre stage.
“Yes, the market is showing positive signs of recovery with almost all industries showing growth in hiring but with caution. Overall, the intent to hire recovered smartly from 11 per cent during the lockdown period to 18 per cent for HY (half year), and this number is growing,” said Deval Singh, business head, mobilization (hiring), at TeamLease Services.
COVID-19 immunity lasts at least 8 months hope for longevity of vaccinations Study
While earlier studies have shown that antibodies against the coronavirus wane after the first few months of infection, raising concerns that people may lose immunity quickly, the new research, published in the journal Science Immunology, puts these concerns to rest.
The scientists believe the findings give hope to the efficacy of any vaccine against the virus, and also explains why there have been very few examples of genuine reinfection across the millions of those who have tested positive for the virus globally.
Insolvencies, cyber threats and ESG scrutiny are top risks for directors and officers in 2021:Allianz
Forthcoming insolvency warnings are among the top concerns for the D&O insurance sector as insolvency is a key cause of D&O claims – insolvency administrators usually look to recoup losses from directors.
According to Euler Hermes, the bulk of insolvencies is still to come through the first half of 2021, with its global insolvency index likely to hit a record high for bankruptcies, up 35% by end of 2021, and with top increases expected in the US, Brazil, China and core European countries such as UK, Italy, Belgium and France.
Launch of the first parametric tropical cyclone insurance product in Africa
The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group(ARC) has developed a model capable of correctly estimating the risk and economic losses resulting from tropical cyclones, which is suitable for SOOI countries, such as Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles and Tanzania.
“Our goal is to continue to diversify our insurance product offering in order to effectively meet the needs of our Member States. This new offer will allow our Member States to better anticipate and manage extreme weather events while ensuring that the impact of such events on the population is mitigated, ” said Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. and Chief Executive Officer of the Panafrican Mutual of Risk Management Group ( ARC Risk Capacity Group ).