Category: Life & Style

Aspen Pharmacare has signed a contract with the Serum Institute of India to manufacture and sell four Aspen-branded vaccines for Africa, as it looks to make use of its almost non-working Covid-19 vaccine production lines in eastern South Africa.

Aspen has an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to package its Covid-19 vaccine into vials and in early 2022, it extended its deal to allow it to package, sell and distribute the vaccine under its own brand name Aspenovax in Africa.

But it is yet to get a single order for the Covid vaccine and its J&J orders under its earlier contract was also reducing, risking its 450-million-dose line of vaccine production.

In early August, Aspen CEO Stephen Saad and other executives told Reuters the company might consider turning on the Covid vaccine lines to manufacture anesthetics or other products.

The vaccines under a deal with Serum will include hexavalent, pneumococcal, polyvalent meningococcal, and rotavirus, Aspen said in a statement.

“Aspen SA Operations has secured a license to the enabling know-how from the Serum Institute,” it said, adding the two parties might also talk about expanding the agreement to bring in new products or new versions of products.

Mr. S Jaishankar was on a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates where he visited a Hindu temple under construction in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Asserting that this is the first traditional temple built on the Arabian peninsula, the minister expressed his happiness to see ‘rapid progress.

He Tweeted on his official handle, “On Ganesh Chaturthi, blessed to visit the @BAPS Hindu temple construction in Abu Dabhi. Glad to see the rapid progress and deeply appreciate the devotion of all involved. Met the BAPS team, community supporters and devotees, and workers at the site.”

The Indian Embassy in UAE also tweeted, “Auspicious beginning to the visit of EAM @DrSJaishankar. EAM visited the @BAPS@AbuDhabiMandirsite and laid a brick in its intricate architecture. Also hailed the efforts of all Indians in building the iconic Temple, a symbol of peace, tolerance, and harmony.”

In 2015, Narendra Modi visited the UAE for the first time in his capacity as Prime Minister of India and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi gave land for the construction of a temple to BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

During their meeting, the minister also thanked UAE’s Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, for his cultural efforts and support of the Indian diaspora.

On Thursday, Indonesia witnessed nearly 4,77,000 foreign visitors in July. This is considered one of the highest tourist arrivals in a month as compared to the basis that Covid-19 decimated the global travel industry.

While it was the highest since February 2020, the number was still far below pre-pandemic levels despite a 38% increase from the previous month. Head of Statistic Indonesia Margo Yuwono from Indonesia said in a press conference, “This is good news because these tourists will provide a multiplier effect for the economy”.

A total of 1.22 million foreign visitors visited the Southeast Asian country from January to the end of July, compared with 79,500 in 2021, when broad travel restrictions were in place. During the pre-pandemic months of January-July of 2018 and 2019, Indonesia received about 7 million foreign tourists.

This was made possible as the Indonesian Government has reopened its Visa Exemption Services for tourism and governmental visits. Due to covid-19 pandemic, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague cannot issue the regular visa and opted for the E-visa applications that are required to submit through an Indonesian sponsor to the Directorate General of Immigration.

The United Arab Emirates is expected to launch its new five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, to boost tourism to the country, particularly in Dubai. The attempt is mainly to focus on Indian travelers, who make up the highest number of visitors to the gulf nation. Emirates Airlines will soon start the Airbus A380 service from Bengaluru to Dubai on October 30, which would increase the number of tourists and business flyers.

Bader Ali Habib, South Asia International Operations region head of the Dubai department of economy and tourism, who hosted the Dubai Tourism evening in Bengaluru on Tuesday, said that the new visa for tourists would draw more travelers from India, especially from Bengaluru.

“From January to June, we had over 8.5 lakh Indians fly to Dubai…,” he added. He said that there were no plans to introduce e-visas soon.

“Over 8.5 lakh Indians flying to Dubai from January to June is indeed a clear sign of tourists returning to their favorite destination in the UAE post-pandemic after we relaxed most Covid rules,” Habib added.

Habib further said the five-year multiple entry visa would be put into action this year, and apart from that, there was no further information available. Currently, Indians traveling to the UAE have the facility of a 30 to 90-day visa which is processed within three days of application through authorized agents.

Gautam Adani, Chairman of Business conglomerate Adani Group, is now the world’s third-richest person after overtaking Louis Vuitton chief Bernard Arnault of France, according to a report published in Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

60-year-old Adani’s total net worth stands at USD 137.4 and is now just behind business tycoon Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the ranking, whose total worth is currently at USD 251 billion and USD 153 billion, respectively.

Another Indian who is in the latest Bloomberg Billionaires Index is Reliance chief Mukesh Ambani at number 11, with a net worth of USD 91.9 billion.

This is the first time an Asian person has been enlisted into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Adani Group which is the third largest conglomerate (after Reliance Industries and the Tata Group) in India comprises 7 publicly listed entities with businesses in diverse fields such as energy, ports and logistics, mining and resources, gas, defense and aerospace, and airports. In every field of its business, the Group has cemented a leadership position in India.

Adani Group companies comprise Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Adani Power, Adani Total Gas, and Adani Transmission.

Recently, the Group Furthermore declared it would set up a 4.1 mtpa integrated alumina refinery and a 30 mtpa iron ore beneficiation plant in Odisha that could cost more than Rs 580 billion.

BEST buses, the iconic double-deckers that dominate Mumbai’s streets, are reviving with an electric power source. There used to be over 800 double-decker BEST buses in India’s financial capital, but only 48 are left in 2021.

After undergoing an ‘electrifying’ makeover, the double-decker may return to the city. A subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, the maker of BEST double-deckers, is producing the new EVs through its subsidiary Switch Mobility.

Mumbai was the first city in the country to unveil the Switch EV 22 bus this week. It is expected that Mumbai will receive 200 such buses by June next year after receiving the first one in March. These buses will seat 90 passengers and cost about Rs 2 crore each.

According to the company, the bus can run 250 kilometers on a single charge, which makes it ideal for commuting within cities. With a double staircase at the front and the back, the new e-buses will offer greater fire safety and accessibility than vintage buses.

According to reports, the buses will be owned by OHM, another Ashok Leyland subsidiary, which will also run operations, charge the vehicles, and perform maintenance. Through its dealer partners, the switch will examine the annual maintenance contract (AMC).

Tens of thousands of Indian-origin people gathered in Toronto on Sunday to celebrate India Day and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav after two years of forced virtual celebrations due to COVID-19 restrictions.

More than 15 marching groups joined the festivities in downtown Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, which lasted nearly 12 hours. The parade featured floats representing 25 Indian states. There were several Indian food stalls and cultural performances that attracted festival-goers.

More than 15 marching groups joined the festivities in downtown Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, which lasted nearly 12 hours. The parade featured floats representing 25 Indian states. Food stalls and cultural performances were some of the main attractions for festival-goers.

An array of similar celebrations have been held throughout the country this month, culminating in the India Day Parade. Approximately 5,000 people attended Independence Day celebrations in Calgary, Alberta, on August 15.

Twenty-two neighborhood organizations came together to organize the event, which was held in the City Hall Plaza. Additionally, a Tiranga Yatra car rally was organized by the Gurukul Intercultural Society in British Columbia last Sunday to mark the day. Nearly 300 vehicles participated in the rally.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden signed democrat’s landmark climate change and health care bill into law. As he aims to boost his party’s standing with voters less than three months from the midterm elections, he called it the “final piece” of his pared-down domestic agenda.

Over the next decade, the government will invest $375 billion in fighting climate change. Prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients would also be capped at $2000 per year out of pocket. By extending subsidies provided during the Coronavirus pandemic, an estimated 13 million Americans would be able to purchase health insurance.

Additional funds are being used to reduce the federal deficit by raising taxes on large companies and stepping up IRS enforcement of wealthy individuals and entities. As he road-tested a line he’ll likely repeat later this fall ahead of the midterm elections, Biden cited the law as proof that democracy- however long or messy- can still deliver for voters in America.

He said, “The American people won and the special interest lost. In this historic moment, Democrats sided with the American people, and every single Republican in congress sided with the special interest in this vote.

8-year-old Ayaan Saboor Mendon created history on August 4 as he summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. With frozen and cramped limbs, he unfurled the flags of UAE and India from the top. He became the youngest human from the GCC to summit the mountain. The biting -10 degrees did not prove an impediment to the determined youngster who inherited his passion for adventure from his parents, Vani Mendon and Saboor Ahmed, who accompanied him on the demanding 7-day trek to the peak.

“We were preparing (to summit) Mount Elbrus before Covid. He tried convincing us to take him but he was just six then, which made it nearly impossible,” said Ayaan’s mother.

“I started my strength training two years ago to summit a peak,” said the young lad. “It was a tough journey, but all I knew was I wanted to do it, and my parents supported me in it.”

The family, along with guides and helpers, started their journey on July 28 and climbed to a height of 2000 meters to reach the initial base camp. “I was all excited as I was undertaking an expedition nearly no children of my age are interested in,” said Ayaan.

On Monday, Sierra Leone’s parliament enacted two laws said to empower the rights of rural landowners and women.

The Customary Land Rights Act and the Land Commission Act, both passed on the same day, give rights to local landowners to negotiate the value of their land with investors. The laws also entitle them to prevent the land from being leased out without their prior informed consent.

It was reported by Ngo Action for Large-Scale Land Acquisition Transparency (ALLAT) that between 2009 and the end of 2012, foreign agribusiness investors had obtained 50-year leases with possible extensions to 21.4% of Sierra Leone’s total cultivable land.

Even though there is no conclusive evidence on the prevalence of land disputes through courts, inter-family disagreements, inter-village disputes, and conflicts between landowners and companies were believed to be increasing in the last ten years.

“This is a win-win situation for both business and Sierra Leoneans, including rural landowners,” Lands Minister Turad Senessie told Reuters.

Ngo Namati welcomed the implementation of laws that “grants robust rights to communities facing environmental harm”.

One of the laws will also terminate a provision that prevents successors of freed slaves locally known as Creoles from possessing land outside the capital, Freetown.