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☆ Global stockpile of cholera vaccines 'empty or extremely low' - WHO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GENEVA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A World Health Organization official said on Friday that the global stockpile of cholera vaccines it helps manage is "currently empty or extremely low" amid a resurgence of the disease around the world. The U.N. health agency says there are around 30 countries around the world that have reported cholera outbreaks this year which is about a third higher than a typical year. More countries are continuing to request (them) and it's extremely challenging," said Dr Philippe Barboza, Team Lead for Cholera and Epidemic Diarrhoeal Diseases, at the World Health Organization. He was referring to an emergency stockpile held by the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision that is managed by the WHO and other partners. The shortage of vaccines has already prompted the WHO to temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination strategy in October.

☆ India-China border clash video shows troops fighting with sticks and bricks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Though they’re separated by barbed wire, the footage appears to show Indian troops beating the Chinese soldiers with makeshift weapons, including what look like wooden sticks and metal pipes. In several instances, Indian soldiers can be seen throwing bricks or stones. Many of the Chinese soldiers, gathered on the other side of the wire, also appear to be holding long sticks or batons. Speaking to lawmakers on Tuesday, India’s defense minister accused Chinese troops of trying to cross the LAC, saying they were trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo. Later that evening in a statement posted online, the Chinese military’s Western Theater Command accused Indian troops of “illegally” crossing into the Chinese side of the border.

☆ Exclusive: Russian oil sold to India below price cap in buyers' market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Also on Dec. 5, the Group of Seven leading economies implemented a $60 price cap on Russian seaborne oil to try to limit Moscow's ability to finance its war in Ukraine. The Western actions have left Russian producers in fierce competition with each other and with suppliers from Asia, Europe and the Middle East, meaning their best hope of finding buyers is to lower prices, two traders said. Russian oil suppliers are trying to handle Urals oil transport to India themselves using their own vessels and shipping partners, which can reduce transport costs, traders said. But many oil producers still rely on trading firms, which means they have to share any profits they have. India, the second largest consumer of oil in Asia, is better located to buy Urals than China because of a shorter transport route, and its refineries are well-suited to processing Russian oil.

☆ Long Covid has contributed to more than 3,500 deaths in the U.S. since start of pandemic, CDC says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The analysts then looked more closely at these death certificates to identify language indicating long Covid played a role in the death. As a result, the analysts chose common terms for the condition including "chronic Covid," "long Covid," "long haul Covid," "long hauler Covid" and "post Covid" among others. Long Covid deaths peaked at 3.8% of all Covid fatalities in April 2022, according to the report. Seniors ages 75 and older accounted for about 57% of the 2,490 long Covid deaths with detailed demographic information. Long Covid can range widely from mild to debilitating symptoms impacting multiple organ systems that prevent people from returning to work.

☆ U.S. finalizes $2.5 billion loan to GM, LG battery joint venture
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters first reported in July the planned loan to Ultium Cells LLC from the government's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program. Last week, workers at the $2.3 billion Ultium plant in Ohio voted to join the UAW, a win for the union, which is seeking to organize the growing EV supply chain. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant. The Energy Department said the $3 billion would provide an estimated $40 billion in additional loan authority for a total estimated available authority under ATVM of about $55.1 billion before the Ultium loan. The ATVM loan program in July closed on a $102.1 million loan to Syrah Technologies LLC (SYR.AX) for expansion of a facility producing a key component for batteries.

☆ Indian, Chinese troops suffer minor injuries in clash on Dec 9: Indian army
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Indian and Chinese troops suffered minor injuries in a clash in the Tawang sector of India's Arunachal Pradesh state on Dec. 9, the Indian army said on Monday, the first such incident since the deadly clash between the two neighbours in June 2020. An Indian foreign ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, while a defence spokesperson declined to comment on injuries sustained by Indian or Chinese soldiers during the skirmish. Neither the Chinese foreign ministry nor its embassy in New Delhi responded to a request seeking comment. In June 2020, Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, abutting the Chinese-held Tibetan plateau. The incident led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers, while China suffered an undisclosed number of casualties.

☆ Buzzy clothing brand Something Navy owed an Indian supplier $364,000 — and didn't pay the full balance until we started reporting on it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Katie Warren | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It only paid one supplier in full right after Insider started reporting a story about delayed payments. According to Warren's correspondence with the supplier, Something Navy paid the remaining $20,000 it owed on Tuesday, just days before Insider's story was published. Murarka finally received the payment in full around the same time the other supplier received his payment, Insider reported. Former Something Navy told Insider that they've been caught in a flood of emails since the spring from suppliers asking about late payments. A Something Navy representative claimed that all outstanding payments referenced in Insider's story were made before Insider provided the company with fact-checks last week.

NEW DELHI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold an annual in-person summit this year, an Indian government source said on Friday, after the two held discussions on the sidelines of an event in September. Bloomberg News reported earlier in the day that the decision to cancel the summit was taken after veiled threats by Putin to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war. The government source, who declined to be named citing the sensitivity of the matter, said the decision not to hold a summit was taken much earlier and that the nuclear angle was not a factor. Putin visited New Delhi in December last year for the 21st India–Russia annual summit. A Russian official told Bloomberg that India’s decision not to hold a summit was clear at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan, where Modi told Putin that this was "not an era of war".

☆ Ohio workers vote to unionize GM, LG battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners. The UAW petitioned in October to represent about 900 workers at the Ohio plant after a majority of employees signed cards authorizing the union to represent them. Production began in August at the Ohio plant, the first of at least four planned Ultium U.S. battery factories. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant. Last week, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra expressed support for unionizing the Ohio plant.

“And the pulse oximeter is used from any age to geriatrics,” he said. The US Food and Drug Administration is mulling over next steps for the regulation of pulse oximeter devices, which may give less accurate readings for people of color. A panel of its Medical Devices Advisory Committee met in November to review clinical data on the issue. “I think of the pulse oximeter reading in the same way. Of course this can be dangerous.”Ultimately, the pulse oximeter can estimate the amount of oxygen a person has in their blood without the need for a blood sample.

Therefore, experts say, hiring Black teachers is necessary to address the racial disparities that lead to poor educational outcomes and criminalization for Black children. Furthermore, advocates say that Black students who don’t have Black teachers are less likely to become teachers themselves, so commitments to diversifying the industry must start early on in the classroom. The Black Teacher Project in Oakland, California, works with Black teachers to “reimagine schools as communities of liberated learning,” the Project’s website reads. It also teaches educators how to implement restorative practices in their classrooms and invites them to retreats to foster community among Black teachers. “Therefore, the Black Teacher Project’s motto is ‘Every child deserves a Black teacher.’”

The much-awaited regulations are seen shaping the future of India's gaming sector that research firm Redseeer estimates will be worth $7 billion by 2026, dominated by real-money games. Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital have in recent years backed Indian startups Dream11 and Mobile Premier League, popular for fantasy cricket. Chance games - considered akin to gambling, which is mostly banned across India - were set to stay under the purview of individual state governments which would be free to regulate them, Reuters has previously reported. Modi's office and the IT ministry, which is drafting the rules, did not respond to a request for comment. One of the government sources said Modi's administration continues to be concerned about potential addiction of such platforms.

☆ GM, LG joint venture to invest $275 million in Tennessee battery cell plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) and LG Energy Solution Ltd (373220.KS) said Friday they are investing another $275 million in their Tennessee joint venture battery cell plant to increase production by more than 40%. It is one of at least four U.S. joint venture battery plants planned to supply GM electric vehicles as the largest U.S. automaker ramps up production. The first Ultium joint venture plant in Warren, Ohio began production in August. GM and LG Energy are also considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant expected to cost around $2.4 billion. They are also building a $2.6 billion battery cell plant in Lansing, Michigan, set to open in 2024.

☆ 5 things Starbucks baristas want you to stop doing right now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Angela Hatem | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider asked current and former Starbucks baristas what annoys them the most on the job. They shared five customer pet peeves, including not cleaning up your cups or utensils. "Love red-cup season," Tayla, a former Starbucks barista who's based in the UK, told Insider. Insider spoke with three current and former Starbucks baristas about their biggest customer pet peeves, and what customers can do to make the holiday season more cheerful. "I did love working at Starbucks," Tayla said.

[1/2] A memorial is seen in the parking lot after a mass shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S. November 23, 2022. A system meant to help workers get compensated for workplace injuries could make it difficult for the lawsuit to succeed. But while many of those shootings occur in the workplace, employers are rarely held responsible. That is in part because nearly all U.S. states, including Virginia, require employers to buy workers compensation insurance to pay workers for medical expenses and lost wages stemming from workplace injuries. Workers' compensation is "a tough defense to overcome," said Jeffrey Harris, a Georgia-based plaintiffs' attorney who has handled numerous workplace injury cases.

Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, has formed a campaign to run for governor in 2024, according to paperwork filed Tuesday. The development, first reported by Politico, had been expected for months, with Braun hinting hard that he was interested in the race. The state's other GOP senator, Todd Young, was re-elected by a convincing margin this month. In a statement Wednesday morning, Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl greeted Braun's candidacy with derision. "As a so-called businessman, Mike Braun has done very little to improve Indiana as a U.S. senator and he surely won’t do it as governor," Schmuhl said.

☆ Drug overdose deaths among seniors have more than tripled in two decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Deaths from drug and alcohol use are rising among America's seniors. Drug overdose deaths more than tripled among people age 65 and older during the past two decades while deaths from alcohol abuse increased more than 18% from 2019 to 2020, according to data published Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics. While some drug deaths among seniors are from accidental misuse of drugs, many are suicides from overdosing on opioids, Kuerbis said. Drug overdose deaths were highest among Black seniors. Alcohol deaths were highest among American Indian seniors followed by Hispanics, white Americans, Black Americans and Asian Americans, according to the data.

☆ Indiana prosecutor seeks to punish doctor in 10-year-old's abortion case
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of "violating a patient’s privacy rights" and the obligation to immediately report child abuse to Indiana authorities. Rokita has been investigating whether Dr. Bernard followed state law requiring doctors to report abortions, even though public records showed Dr. Bernard promptly reported the abortion as required. The attorney general is not questioning whether the girl met the Indiana statutory requirement that she be no more than 22 weeks pregnant. When Dr. Bernard learned of the situation, the girl was three days past the six-week limit in Ohio. News of the 10-year-old's case launched a bitter legal battle between Dr. Bernard and Rokita.

☆ Drug and alcohol deaths increasing among US adults 65 and older, CDC data shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In 2020, more than 5,000 adults 65 and older in the United States died of a drug overdose. Though drug overdose death rates for older adults tend to be lower than for other age groups – and made up just 0.2% of total deaths among adults 65 and older in 2020 – such deaths have been climbing. Between 2000 and 2020, the rates rose from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 people among adults 65 and older. Between 2000 and 2020, drug overdose deaths increased more among men than women, rising from 2.7 to 12.3 deaths per 100,000 men compared with 2.3 to 5.8 per 100,000 women. “Because of ageism, we typically do not think of older adults as having a substance use disorder nor do we think of older adults for being at-risk for a drug overdose.

[1/3] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attend a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, November 8, 2022. India is keen to boost trade in this way, said the source, as it tries to narrow a ballooning trade deficit with Russia. During the Moscow visit, Jaishankar said India needed to boost exports to Russia to balance bilateral trade that is now tilted towards Russia. The list of items from Russia, which runs to nearly 14 pages, includes car engine parts like pistons, oil pumps and ignition coils. India is hoping to boost its exports to nearly $10 billion over coming months with Russia's list of requests, according to the government source.

☆ India's first private rocket company looks to slash satellite costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Employees pose in front of Vikram-S rocket, India?s first private rocket developed by Skyroot, an Indian Space-Tech startup, at a spaceport in Sriharikota, India, November 18, 2022. The Hyderabad-based company, backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, says the $68 million it has raised will fund its next two launches. Skyroot faces both established and up-and-coming rocket launch rivals that also promise to bring down costs. India opened the door to private space companies in 2020 with a regulatory overhaul and a new agency to boost private-sector launches. The Skyroot rocket that reached 89.5 kilometers altitude in last week's test launch used carbon-fibre components and 3D-printed parts, including the thrusters.

☆ Analysis: ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ strips down a true crime origin story
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

So in the coming weeks, we shall be switching things up and putting a little meat on the bone. Three things to watch‘Welcome to Chippendales’Kumail Nanjiani in a scene from Hulu's "Welcome to Chippendales." This new limited series, starring Kumail Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett, among others, also doubles as a true crime tale. Let me grab my dollar bills now, because the first two episodes of “Welcome to Chippendales” are streaming now. Grime is a British genre of hip-hop/electronic music, and Stormzy is one of its best-known stars.

☆ Explainer: Why Pakistan's army chief matters far beyond its borders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Even when a civilian government holds power, Pakistan's generals retain a dominant influence over security matters and foreign affairs. He later headed Pakistan's two most influential intelligence agencies - Military Intelligence (MI) in 2017 and then the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2018. WHY IT MATTERS GLOBALLYPakistan's army chief will play a key role in managing risks of conflict with nuclear-armed rival India on its eastern border, while dealing with potential instability and friction with Afghanistan on its western frontier. The incoming army chief could potentially play a key role in lowering the political temperature as Pakistan attempts to survive an economic crisis and recover from historic floods. He even summoned Pakistan's top industrialists to a meeting at army headquarters to encourage them to pay more tax.

☆ A jet built by China and Pakistan may soon be the most widely operated combat aircraft in the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China and Pakistan jointly developed the JF-17 combat jet, which first entered service in 2007. At the same time, China was showcasing the JF-17 at the annual China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zuhai, China. The events were the latest attempts by China and Pakistan to market their jointly developed fourth-generation fighter jet to international customers. JF-17 ThunderA Pakistan Air Force JF-17 takes off at a base in northern Pakistan in June 2013. The single-seat, single-engine jet is known in Pakistan as the JF-17 Thunder and as the FC-1 Xiaolong in China.

☆ Around 300 militants active in Indian Kashmir, Indian military official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Fayaz Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SRINAGAR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - An estimated 300 militants are operating in Indian Kashmir, an Indian military commander in the disputed region said on Tuesday, as New Delhi seeks to stabilise the restive Himalayan territory that it reorganised three years ago. New Delhi has long accused Pakistan of backing armed militants, along with separatist groups in India's portion of the region. "All such allegations by Indian military officials are completely absurd, unfounded, frivolous and baseless," a Pakistan security official said, asking not to be named. An Indian security official, who declined to be named since he is not authorised to speak to media, said this is the highest number of militants operating in Indian Kashmir in a decade. Dwivedi said that the security situation in Indian Kashmir had improved since the reorganisation but weapons and ammunition were still coming through from across the border.

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