Monday, October 7

Tag: Coronavirus

India made drug 2DG can reduce heart damage caused by Coronavirus
INDIA

India made drug 2DG can reduce heart damage caused by Coronavirus

Washington, Nov 8, 2022: 2DG, a drug developed by the Indian defence unit Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) may reverse the heart damage caused by a protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a study conducted in fruit flies and mice has found. Researchers from the University of Maryland identified how a specific protein in SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, damages heart tissue. They then used the drug, called 2DG, to reverse the toxic effects of that protein on the heart. Developed by Dr Reddy's Laboratories in collaboration with DRDO, 2DG is an oral drug. The SARS-CoV-2 virus depends upon glycolysis or breakdown of glucose for energy. The drug hinders the process of glycolysis and prevents the growth of the virus. "Our research shows that individual SARS-C...
How much Tokyo Olympics Cost to Japan
ANALYSIS

How much Tokyo Olympics Cost to Japan

In the latest study by the University of Oxford says the official price tag for the Tokyo Olympics is USD 15.4 billion, which is the most expensive on record. All but USD 6.7 billion comes from public money from Japanese taxpayers. According to the latest budget, the IOC's contribution is USD 1.3 billion. It also chipped in several hundred million more after the pandemic. The study found that all Games since 1960 have had cost overruns averaging 172%. Tokyo's cost overrun is 111% or 244% depending on which cost figure you select. Several Japanese government audits say the real outlay for the Tokyo Games is even more than the official figure, perhaps twice as much. "The IOC and host cities have no interest in tracking costs because tracking tends to reveal cost overruns, which have...
COVID19 effect on People With Diabetes
ANALYSIS

COVID19 effect on People With Diabetes

The history of the pandemic offers an informative overview of the entire section. In doing so, the importance of learning more about the risks COVID-19 poses to people living with diabetes. Diabetes has not yet been shown to increase the likelihood of infection, but progression to severe illness is more likely in people with diabetes. Neither the mechanisms underlying the increased risk nor the best interventions to limit it have yet been defined, but the studies in this issue offer important clues. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with diabetes and COVID-19 in association with glucose-lowering medication The study showed in ADA’s Diabetes Care journal, researchers analyzed data of 904 COVID-19 patients, of whom 136 had diabetes, to evaluate whether the type ...
Pet Care Industry Continues to Grow Amid Pandemic
BUSINESS

Pet Care Industry Continues to Grow Amid Pandemic

For many industries, travel, and hospitality to name a few, the pandemic has been extremely detrimental to sales. The list of businesses that can say the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have been beneficial is short. While the focus has mostly been on eCommerce and remote tech, which individuals and businesses have relied on as we shift to a digital world, one industry that has been quietly making steady growth is pet care.The demand for pet care, from food to veterinary services, rose over the course of the pandemic. One surprising and heart-warming reason for it is the growth in the number of people adopting and fostering pets. In the US, Wired reports that animal shelters have run out of pets that are available for adoption a remarkable problem to have in a country that’s overrun wit...
Work from home Job Search rise over 400% in India
INDIA

Work from home Job Search rise over 400% in India

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many jobs have rapidly become work-from-home jobs at least temporarily and with the flexibility and a variety of career options, it has become more popular than ever, global job site Indeed said in a report. The job postings grew in sectors such as software technology, healthcare and marketing, while opportunities for delivery person and IT manager saw a steady rise, it said. The report is based upon data from the Indeed platform from February to July. Employers are beginning to notice the benefits of increased production and morale, leading to more opportunities for work-from-home and remote jobs, it noted. According to the data, job searches for work from home in India have surged over 442 percent between February and July, the highest globally. ...
Global Remittances could fall $109 billion in 2020 because of COVID-19
News

Global Remittances could fall $109 billion in 2020 because of COVID-19

As per the latest report by the World Bank, due to Covid-19, the Global Remittances could fall by $109bn in 2020. The total value of remittances reached $714 billion in 2019. At least 60 low- and middle-income country's GDP depend on remittances that are the most affected now. Tajikistan and Bermuda, for example, both depend on remittances for more than 30% of GDP. Other heavily-dependent countries include Nepal and Haiti. And the countries which rely on remittances the most often have economies which are already fragile. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this money often helps even out trade deficits and provides a key source of tax revenue particularly in terms of indirect taxes like value-added tax and sales tax. Remittances to Asia and the Pacific, which ...
Smartphone shipments in China fall 16% in June
CHINA

Smartphone shipments in China fall 16% in June

SHANGHAI, 13th July 2020 (Reuters) - Smartphone shipments in China fell 16% in June compared with a year earlier, according to government data released on Tuesday. The numbers suggest that handset demand in China remains lukewarm despite the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, boding poorly for Apple Inc AAPL.N and its local rivals like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. Phone makers shipped 27.7 million handsets in June, down from 32.7 million in June 2019, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a state-backed think tank. That follows a similar decline in May, when shipments dropped more than 10% annually, from 36.4 million in May 2019 to 32.6 million one year later. In April, after a slump in the previous months due to the ...
Middle East loses $270 bn oil income amid virus, recession
MIDDLE EAST

Middle East loses $270 bn oil income amid virus, recession

Dubai, Jul 13, 2020 (AP): The Middle East's energy producers are expected to earn $270 billion less in oil revenue compared to last year as the region's economic heavyweight, Saudi Arabia, sinks deeper into recession amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the International Monetary Fund's outlook released on Monday. The international lender expects an overall economic contraction of 7.3% in Mideast oil-exporting countries this year due to hits from the coronavirus outbreak and oil market turmoil. The contraction is 2% greater than the IMF's initial projections in mid-April. “We are in a year like no other and therefore developments are very fast and coping with them is challenging for everyone,” Jihad Azour, director of the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia department, told The...
Pizza Hut Franchise File for Bankruptcy
News

Pizza Hut Franchise File for Bankruptcy

World's largest Pizza Hut franchisee in the US filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to business loss in the Covid19 period. In its court filing, the franchise distributor of Pizza hut and Wendy restaurant's, NPC International Inc. listed estimated assets ranging from $1 billion to $10 billion and estimated liabilities in the same range.  NPC operates 1,227 Pizza Hut and 393 Wendy's franchise in the United States, representing about 20% of the domestic Pizza Hut system. One of NPC's hurdles has been Pizza Hut's performance in recent years, which created a "significant drag on profitability due to a lack of sales growth and a significant inflationary cost environment," the filing said. But the Covid19 pandemic causes a big loss for Pizza Hut sales, and NPC has struggled with...
Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production from July 1 for reorganization
Automobile

Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production from July 1 for reorganization

SHANGHAI, 1st July, 2020: China-based electric car startup Byton will suspend production from July 1 to conduct a reorganization of the firm after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The company, which is backed by state-owned automaker FAW Group and battery supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, said it was also actively raising funds to address issues relating to unpaid staff salaries and that it hoped to start paying employees from July. "The new coronavirus epidemic has brought great challenges to Byton's financing and production operations," it said in a statement. "After careful consideration and joint consultations with our shareholders and management, we have decided to, from July 1, kickstart a plan to lower employee costs and promote the company's strategic ...
Microsoft Changes Working Strategy, Closing Physical Stores, Focuses on Online Service
News

Microsoft Changes Working Strategy, Closing Physical Stores, Focuses on Online Service

REDMOND, Wash., June 26, 2020 -- Microsoft announced a strategic change in its retail operations, including closing Microsoft Store physical locations. The company's retail team members will continue to serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support. Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows, reaching more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets. The company will also reimagine spaces that serve all customers, including operating Microsoft Experience Centers in London, NYC, Sydney, and Redmond campus locations. The closing of Microsoft Store physical locations will result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450M, or $0.05 per share, to be recorde...
Amazon testing wearable device for Warehouse workers to maintain social distancing
Tech

Amazon testing wearable device for Warehouse workers to maintain social distancing

San Francisco, June 17: E-commerce player Amazon.com is testing a wearable device that will alert warehouse workers to maintain social distance at work during the Chinese Covid-19 epidemic. The wearable device will sound a loud beeping noise and flashes light when workers do not maintain the safe distance. According to a report in CNBC on Tuesday, the device comprises a clear plastic sleeve and a clip that has an LED light and audio system embedded in it. The device will be used by Amazon's facility in Kent, Washington, starting Wednesday, said the report, citing a private online group for warehouse workers. The report comes amid fierce criticism that Amazon has faced from its former and current employees regarding its safety measures for workers. Amazon is even being sued f...