Page 2 - Coronavirus

Did Covid cut India's life expectancy by 2.6 years? Here's what Centre says

A recent report revealed that India saw a 2.6-year reduction in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020, with Muslims and Scheduled Tribes (STs) experiencing the most severe impacts

Health ministry terms study on Covid deaths in India as 'misleading'

The findings of a paper published in academic journal Science Advances on life expectancy during the Covid pandemic in India in 2020 are based on "untenable and unacceptable" estimates, the Union health ministry said on Saturday after the findings were highlighted in some media reports. While the paper's authors claim to have followed standard methodology of analysing the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), there are critical flaws in the methodology, the ministry said in a statement. "The most important flaw is that the authors have taken a subset of households included in the NFHS survey between January and April 2021, compared mortality in these households in 2020 with 2019, and extrapolated the results to the entire country," it said. The NFHS sample is representative of the country only when it is considered as a whole. The 23 per cent of households included in this analysis from part of 14 states cannot be considered representative of the country, the statement said. "T

Biden faces intensified calls to step aside after diagnosed with Covid-19

Nearly two-thirds of Biden's own party say he should withdraw from the race, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll released hours before Biden's Covid diagnosis

N Korea to launch major tourism site in 2025 despite blocking tourists

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a major tourism site being constructed on the country's eastern coast and discussed steps to open the zone by next year, state media reported Thursday, though the country still blocks visits by most foreign tourists. The Wonsan-Kalma zone is one of Kim's most talked-about tourism projects. For years North Korea has been building luxury hotels and recreational facilities there to create a key attraction for international visitors. But the project reportedly suffered setbacks due to shortages of construction materials as a result of toughened UN sanctions and COVID-19 restrictions. Kim toured the Wonsan-Kalma zone with top deputies on Tuesday and discussed preparations for its opening by May 2025 as decided by a ruling party meeting in January, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. A coastal wonderland to be known to the world as the best tourist resort of (North Korea) would be successfully built, Kim was quoted as saying by KCN

President Biden's Covid announcement targets Musk, Trump in political jibe

Biden, 81, tested positive on Wednesday, a day after he attended the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas

Risk of developing Long Covid falls, but remains substantial, shows study

The World Health Organization says tens of thousands of Covid cases are being reported globally. The actual number of infections is likely to be significantly higher

President Biden tests positive for Covid-19, has mild symptoms: White House

US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said on Thursday. Earlier today following his first event in Las Vegas, President Biden tested positive for COVID-19. He is vaccinated and boosted and he is experiencing mild symptoms, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Biden will be returning to Delaware where he will self-isolate and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time. The White House will provide regular updates on the president's status as he continues to carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation, she said. The president was scheduled to speak at the Unidos event in Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon. His symptoms remain mild, his respiratory rate is normal at 16, his temperature is normal at 97.8 and his pulse oximetry is normal at 97%. The President has received his first dose of Paxlovid. He will be self-isolating at his home in Rehoboth, t

51% of applications under PM Cares scheme for Covid orphans rejected

9,331 applications were received for scheme, according to data shared by the Women and Child Development Ministry

Sanjay Singh surrenders in 2021 Covid norms violation case, gets bail

AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh on Thursday surrendered before an MP-MLA court here in a case related to the violation of COVID-19 norms in 2021, and was granted bail. His advocate Madan Pratap Singh said, "Sanjay Singh surrendered in the MP/MLA court here in compliance of bailable warrant issued by the court. The hearing was done before Special Magistrate Shubham Verma in the court. The court granted bail to Singh on a bond of Rs 20,000." The court had issued the warrant against Singh after he failed to appear in several hearings. An FIR was registered at the Bandhu Kala police station on April 13, 2021 in which it was alleged that Sanjay Singh held an election meeting at the Hasanpur village in favour of the AAP's district panchayat member Salma Begum, Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Pandey said. Around 50 people attended the meeting that was held during the COVID-19 pandemic without taking permission from the local administration, Pandey said. He said the public meeting w

Reliance Retail plans to launch sports format to compete with Decathlon

Reliance is in talks to lease 8,000-10,000 sq ft space across malls and high streets in top cities for the new venture. The name of the new brand has not been disclosed yet

Here's why Singapore govt is making life tougher for global talent

The programme was announced in 2022 to assess an employment pass's complementarity with the local workforce

High costs, safety worries hurt Paris Olympics turnout; hotel bookings drop

Flight bookings to the French capital - an indicator of tourist activity - are expected to increase by 10 per cent year-on-year from June 6 onwards

Anand Mahindra asks industry to boost capital investment to 'ride the tide'

Indian companies need to enhance capital investment in order to take advantage of the growth opportunities available in India and abroad, according to Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra. Addressing shareholders in the company's annual report for 2023-24, the leading industrialist noted that the interplay of geopolitics and economic linkages in the post-COVID era has seen India's position strengthen. India's emerging role as one of the vital nodes in future-proofed supply chains across industries opens the door for growth within the country and expansion beyond, he stated. "How can we, in private industry, ensure that we ride this upsurging tide? ..In the spirit of 'ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country', I would argue that the most important thing industry can do at this critical juncture is to increase private investment," Mahindra said. Private capital investment is the key to capitalising on this opportunity as it is a key driver of .

3% more babies with low birth weight born during pandemic in India: Study

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, number of babies in India born with a low birth weight rose sharply -- by about three per cent, a new study has found. Babies born during the pandemic were also found to be at double the risk of having a low weight at birth. The increase in babies born with a low weight could impact the development of "human capital" in the long term, as these infants are known to often "struggle with school", corresponding author Santosh Kumar, an associate professor of development and global health economics at the University of Notre Dame, US, said. "Children who have lower birth weight as infants often go on to struggle with school and this limits their capacity to develop what economists often call 'human capital' -- the key knowledge and skills that will affect their ability to earn a good living and support themselves and their families," Kumar said. Roughly one in every four babies (3 crore) around the world are born with a low weight, which the World Health ..

Covid norms violation case: AAP's Sanjay Singh skips hearing at UP court

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh did not appear before an MP-MLA court here on Saturday in a 2021 COVID-19 norms violation case, citing his preoccupation with the ongoing Parliament session. The court will now hear the matter on July 6. Sanjay Singh's advocate Madan Singh said his client could not appear before the special MP-MLA court due to the ongoing Parliament session. An application on his absence was filed in the court, which fixed July 6 as the next date of hearing. During the last hearing, the court had issued a bailable warrant against Sanjay Singh for skipping several hearings and fixed June 29 as the next date of hearing. Special Public Prosecutor Vaibhav Pandey said that on April 13, 2021, an FIR was registered against Sanjay Singh at Bandhu Kala police station alleging that he held a meeting in Hasanpur village in favour of the AAP's district panchayat member Salma Begum. Around 50 people attended the meeting that was held during the COVID-19 pandemic without taking

India has taken lead in pushing 'one health' goals: Niti Aayog's Dr VK Paul

India is ahead of several countries in drafting a legal framework to support the implementation of the 'One Health' initiative, which shows its leadership in the matter, Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul said on Thursday. The 'One Health' approach that integrates the health of people, animals and the environment, is crucial for addressing complex health challenges such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and food safety. Inaugurating a two-day National Consultation on Legal Environment Assessment for the 'One Health' initiative, here, Paul said, "COVID-19 has forced us to re-focus our attention on the importance of zoonotic diseases and the intricate linkages between the human, animal and plan ecosystems," Paul said. Issues of critical health challenges posed by zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food safety, and climate change are interconnected and require a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to breaking down the silos between human health, animal health

Indian diaspora breaks record with $107 billion remittance surge in FY24

According to a survey by the Reserve Bank of India on post-Covid-19 remittances, the United States emerges as the primary contributor, constituting 23% of the total amount

Norway starts stockpiling grain, citing pandemic, war & climate change

The Norwegian government on Tuesday signed a deal to start stockpiling grain, saying the COVID-19 pandemic, a war in Europe and climate change have made it necessary. The deal to store 30,000 tons of grain was signed by agriculture and food minister Geir Pollestad and four private companies. The wheat, that will belong to the Norwegian government, will be stored by the companies in facilities across the country. In a statement, Norway's ministry for agriculture and food said the building up of a contingency stock of food grains is about being prepared for the unthinkable." Norway will sign further stockpiling contracts in the coming years, with the goal of building up the reserve until 2029. The aim is to have some 82,500 tons of grain in store by the end of the decade "so that we then have enough grain for three months' consumption by Norway's population in a crisis situation that may arise, Pollestad told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. As of the first quarter of this year, Norway has

Pandemic exposure lowered wage aspirations of rural women: World Bank

The research was conducted in Haryana on a sample of 3,180 female vocational trainees between June and August 2022

ADB approves $170 million loan to strengthen health sector in India

The $170 million policy-based loan will help in the implementation of the government's National Health Policy 2017