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Archive

World

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Sweden to resume AstraZeneca jabs for over 65s
Europe

Sweden to resume AstraZeneca jabs for over 65s

  • The vaccine is of great use for the elderly, among whom many fall seriously ill each day.
  • "At the same time, we haven't seen these rare and serious side effects among our elderly. That is the background to why we are lifting the suspension for people older than 65."
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:53pm
Fed's Barkin says watch the data, rate hikes no article of faith
USA

Fed's Barkin says watch the data, rate hikes no article of faith

  • "I don't think it matters. I think what matters is the outcomes we actually get," Barkin said.
  • The Fed's pledge not to raise rates or curb $120 billion in monthly bond purchases until the economy more clearly recovers "is quite explicit and outcome based," Barkin said.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:45pm
Turkey says conveyed sensitivity about Uighurs to Chinese minister
Europe

Turkey says conveyed sensitivity about Uighurs to Chinese minister

  • Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Cavusoglu on Thursday as Uighur Muslims protested in Turkey against the treatment of their ethnic kin in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang.
  • In a tweet after their talks, Cavusoglu said Turkey and China would enhance their cooperation in the pandemic and on vaccines.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:40pm
Macron's Covid strategy: 'third way' or wrong way?
Europe

Macron's Covid strategy: 'third way' or wrong way?

  • Faced with surging new coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced the new measures last Thursday for around 20 million people living in Paris as well as regions in the north and south-east.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:36pm
Russia begins producing third COVID-19 vaccine
Europe

Russia begins producing third COVID-19 vaccine

  • The most well-known Russian coronavirus vaccine is Sputnik V. Moscow has also given emergency approval to two shots, EpiVacCorona and CoviVac.
  • The third Russian vaccine is entering civilian circulation and will appear in the regions in the coming days.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:36pm
EU to further study blood clot cases linked to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine
Europe

EU to further study blood clot cases linked to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

  • External medical experts and two public representatives are expected to give their views on possible reasons for the clots, how they are occurring and other possible risks, the European Medicines Agency said.
  • The EMA and World Health Organization backed the vaccine's safety last week, but a poll showed European confidence had taken a hit after at least 17 countries suspended or delayed use following reports of hospitalisations with clotting issues and bleeding.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:25pm
Merkel: EU joint debt plan must remain 'one-off' instrument
Europe

Merkel: EU joint debt plan must remain 'one-off' instrument

  • German chancellor urges lawmakers to back EU recovery fund.
  • Merkel calls fund 'indispensable' tool to overcome crisis.
  • Bundestag lower house of parliament ratifies legislation.
  • Legal challenges could slow down further ratification.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:13pm
OneWeb launches 36 satellites from Russia to extend internet orbit
Europe

OneWeb launches 36 satellites from Russia to extend internet orbit

  • OneWeb said this was the second in a five-launch programme that will enable its connectivity to reach all regions north of 50 degrees latitude by the middle of 2021.
  • "These services will cover the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic Seas and Canada, and will be switched on before the end of the year," it said.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 08:10pm
Fed to support economy until recovery 'well and truly done,' Clarida says
USA

Fed to support economy until recovery 'well and truly done,' Clarida says

  • It will take some time for economic activity and employment to return to levels that prevailed at the business cycle peak reached last February. We are committed to using our full range of tools to support the economy until the job is well and truly done.
  • The Fed now sees the US unemployment rate falling to 3.5%, roughly where it was before the pandemic, by the end of 2023.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 07:54pm
'Helpless': alarm after India delays vaccines to COVAX programme for poor countries
South Asia

'Helpless': alarm after India delays vaccines to COVAX programme for poor countries

  • UNICEF, a UN agency responsible for distributing vaccines through the global COVAX programme, it expects deliveries of the vaccines to be delayed this month and next.
  • We understand that deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income economies participating in the COVAX Facility will likely face delays following a setback in securing export licenses for further doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), expected to be shipped in March and April.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 07:52pm
Nigeria's parliament could pass oil reform bill in April
Africa

Nigeria's parliament could pass oil reform bill in April

  • "The National Assembly has expressed the intent to pass the PIB bill in April 2021," said Timipre Sylva, speaking to reporters in the capital Abuja.
  • The bill would change the structure of state oil company NNPC, amend oil and gas taxes and revenue-sharing and create new regulatory bodies, among other things, to make Nigeria's oil sector more dynamic and efficient.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 07:36pm
Canada's top court upholds pillar of Trudeau's plan to fight climate change
USA

Canada's top court upholds pillar of Trudeau's plan to fight climate change

  • Noting that climate change is a threat to the country as a whole, the country's top court upheld the legality of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, which had been challenged by the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
  • "Parliament has jurisdiction to enact this law as a matter of national concern," Chief Justice Richard Wagner wrote in the ruling.
Updated 25 Mar, 2021 07:34pm
UK offers tax relief to more companies with 1.5bn-pound plan
Europe

UK offers tax relief to more companies with 1.5bn-pound plan

  • The move comes on top of the 16 billion pounds in business rates relief already paid to or earmarked for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.
  • By providing more targeted support than the business rates appeals system, our approach will help protect and support jobs in businesses across the country.
Updated 25 Mar, 2021 07:31pm
Thailand approves Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine
South Asia

Thailand approves Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine

  • Anutin Charnvirankul told reporters the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the vaccine, in addition to those of AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech, which have already been administered in the country.
  • J&J's vaccine is called COVID Vaccine Janssen after the J&J unit that developed it.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 07:06pm
UK PM Johnson says wants openness on EU vaccine trade
Europe

UK PM Johnson says wants openness on EU vaccine trade

  • "One thing I would say is that we're on the side of openness. That's where we are. I don't want to see blockades of vaccines or medicines, I don't think that's the way forward either for us or any of our friends," Johnson said in a pooled interview for broadcasters.
  • He also denied a report that he said capitalism and greed gave Britain its success in vaccinating its population.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 07:05pm
Russia's inflation may slow to 4pc target by year-end
Europe

Russia's inflation may slow to 4pc target by year-end

  • An increase in the inflation reading, which was driven by a depreciation of the rouble, prompted the central bank to raise rates this month.
  • The central bank is now expected to tighten its monetary policy further later this year to rein in a rise in consumer prices.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 06:55pm
Gold hub UAE toughens fight against financial crime
Middle East

Gold hub UAE toughens fight against financial crime

  • Through the adoption of these technical controls, the Executive Office hopes to strengthen the UAE's efforts to curb illicit flows of funds, promote asset recovery, and combat all forms of transnational financial crime.
  • The UAE in December declared its support for an initiative by the LBMA to improve regulation on matters such as money laundering and unethical sourcing of gold.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 06:37pm
UK public inflation expectations cool again in March
Europe

UK public inflation expectations cool again in March

  • Economists from Citi said improvements in the economic outlook appeared to be reducing fears of high inflation and uncertainty among members of the public.
  • "All of these developments suggest the risks surrounding inflation expectations - and in particular the risk expectations could become de-anchored to the upside - may be beginning to ease," the said.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 06:29pm
US ambassador tells Lebanese leaders it is time to form government
Middle East

US ambassador tells Lebanese leaders it is time to form government

  • "Now that we are almost eight months without a fully-empowered government, isn't now the time to let go of those demands? To begin compromising?" US ambassador Dorothy Shea said after meeting Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
  • "Right now, there is a need for courageous leaders, who are ready to put aside their partisan differences and work together to rescue the country from the multiple crises and self-inflected wounds it is facing," Shea said.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 06:19pm
Aussie Rules match falls short of post-COVID crowd record
South Asia

Aussie Rules match falls short of post-COVID crowd record

  • Authorities in Australia's southern state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, on Tuesday lifted a cap on crowds at sporting events to 75% from 50% of stadium capacity after declaring the state officially COVID-free.
  • The crowd was the biggest for a sporting fixture in the southern hemisphere since the shutdown of sport caused by the pandemic last year, bettering the 49,218 who turned out at the MCG last week for Carlton's match against Richmond.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 05:59pm
UK gives Facebook, Giphy five days to address competition concerns
Europe

UK gives Facebook, Giphy five days to address competition concerns

  • The UK's Competition and Markets Authority began an initial investigation in January at a time when the US-based social media network firm was under global regulatory scrutiny over antitrust concerns.
  • The company had said that Giphy's integrations with other social platforms like Twitter Snapchat and ByteDance's TikTok would not change.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 05:38pm
Biden aims to "absolutely" run for a second term, despite age: Reports
USA

Biden aims to "absolutely" run for a second term, despite age: Reports

  • President Joe Biden looks likely to run for a second term, despite his age and his image of a "transitional president" to bring the Democratic Party back in power.
  • Despite being the oldest President in American history at the age of 78, Biden would be 82 when running for his second term.
Updated 25 Mar, 2021 03:56pm
Saudi official denies threat to harm UN Khashoggi investigator
Middle East

Saudi official denies threat to harm UN Khashoggi investigator

  • A senior Saudi official denied on Thursday he had threatened to harm the human rights expert who led the U.N. investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after the United Nations confirmed the expert’s account of the threat.
  • She has called for sanctions against Prince Mohammed over the killing of Khashoggi. The prince denies any involvement but has said he bears ultimate responsibility as it happened under his watch.
Published 25 Mar, 2021 03:14pm