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Here is a masonry blog layout with no sidebarAlpha, Delta and more: Why coronavirus variants are causing alarm
The four variants of concern — alpha, beta, gamma and delta — all carry multiple mutations affecting the spike protein. That raises questions about whether people who have developed antibodies to the “regular” or “wild type” strain — either from a vaccine or from having recovered from Covid — will be able to fight off the new variants.
India’s monsoon rainfall forecast to be above average in September
Weather disasters becoming more frequent and costly, UN agency says
“Thanks to our early warning service improvement we have been able to have a decrease of the casualties at these kind of events, but the bad news is that the economic losses have been growing very rapidly and this growth is supposed to continue,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas told a press conference.
“We are going to see more climatic extreme because of climate change and this negative trend in climate will continue for the coming decades,” he said.
Amazon app seeks share of India’s farm market, offers advice on crops
The Seattle-headquartered giant has begun offering real-time advice and information through a dedicated mobile app to help farmers make decisions on crops and even deploy machine learning technology. The program–which Amazon dubs Reactive and Proactive Crop plans–promises to provide growers with cutting-edge technology and insights.
US govt asks Tesla how Autopilot responds to emergency vehicles
Covid breakthrough infections in India within expected numbers: INSACOG
The number of reported vaccination breakthroughs in India are well within the numbers expected from the total number of infections, the fraction of population that is vaccinated and the known reduction in the effectiveness of Covishield/Covaxin against infections by Delta.Vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and remain a cornerstone of public health strategy, the bulletin dated August 30 said.
Madras HC puts order on `bumper-to-bumper cover’ for new vehicles on hold
Atal Pension Yojana subscriber count cross 33 mn-mark, says PFRDA
A guaranteed pension scheme of the government, APY ensures Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month pension, depending upon the contribution made, to a subscriber from the retirement age of 60 years.
Public sector banks accounted for the highest number of APY subscribers at over 2.33 crore, as per PFRDA data.
Axis Bank raises $600 mn through ESG-compliant AT1 bonds sale overseas
DGCI gives nod for phase 2/3 trials of Biological E’s Covid vaccine on those aged between 5 & 18
More than 4 billion people still lack any social protection, ILO report
Social protection includes access to health care and income security, particularly in relation to old age, unemployment, sickness, disability, work injury, maternity or loss of a main income earner, as well as for families with children.
There are significant regional inequalities in social protection. Europe and Central Asia have the highest rates of coverage, with 84 per cent of people being covered by at least one benefit.
The Americas are also above the global average, with 64.3 per cent. Asia and the Pacific (44 per cent), the Arab States (40 per cent) and Africa (17.4 per cent) have marked coverage gaps.
Government spending on social protection also varies significantly. On average, countries spend 12.8 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on social protection (excluding health), however high-income countries spend 16.4 per cent and low-income countries only 1.1 per cent of their GDP on social protection.
UN hails end of poisonous leaded gas use in cars worldwide
Petroleum containing tetraethyllead, a form of lead, was first sold almost 100 years ago to increase engine performance. It was widely used for decades until researchers discovered that it could cause heart disease, strokes and brain damage.
UNEP said studies showed leaded gas caused measurable intellectual impairment in children and millions of premature deaths.
“The cost of environmental degradation is real,” said UNEP’s executive director, Inger Andersen, citing what she described as a “very, very ballpark number” of USD2.45 trillion in damage to the global economy prevented by the ban.
Construction industry accelerating innovation, risk management: KPMG
Risk management is central to improving organisational resilience. Nearly 60 per cent of survey respondents say they want to gain a more holistic view of risks by increasing integration and visibility between enterprise risk management, portfolio risk management and project risk management. And two-thirds plan a moderate or high level of investment in risk management.
Suneel Vora, Partner for major projects advisory at KPMG in India, said the pandemic has taught important lessons to businesses implementing capital programmes and construction projects around resilience, integrated approach to risk, portfolio management, leveraging diversity and putting technology to work. KPMG’s Global Construction Survey 2021 reflects on the views of over 186 global industry leaders to provide specific answers to these aspects.
Covid 19 Pandemic: Almost 1 in 3 affected due to work stress, ICICI Lombard survey
Sanjay Datta, Chief – Underwriting, Reinsurance & Claims, ICICI Lombard General Insurance , said, “With the transformed perception of the masses, our consumer base today looks at a health insurer not only for financial immunity during times of ill-health but we are now looked up as a partner in their holistic wellness journey. Additionally, through this survey, we observed a mindset change taking place with 47% of people and 42% of the younger age group (25-35 years) wanting to adopt a healthy lifestyle to not just get a better appearance but also feel better about themselves. Therefore keeping overall wellness as a focus, ICICI Lombard intends to act as a conduit towards a health-conscious India.”
Tesla closer to making its official debut in India
Tesla has had its vehicles certified as being roadworthy in India, a posting on the website of the nation’s ministry of road transport and highways showed.
“The tests ensure the vehicle matches the requirements of the Indian market in terms of emission and safety and road worthiness,” according to the site. A Tesla fan club earlier tweeted about the development, saying the cars were probably Model 3 and Model Y variants.
India to China: Where investors managing $3 trn are putting their money
Bloomberg News spoke with institutional investors with $3 trillion in combined assets under management to ask how they’re navigating economic turmoil caused by unpredictable recoveries and China’s shifting rules, which have frozen U.S. listings and almost erased the online education sector.
All recommended heightened caution and warned of a difficult recovery ahead.