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Serum Institute Pledges $66 Million To Oxford University For Research

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Serum Institute of India is currently run by Adar Poonawalla. (File)
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Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has pledged 50 million pounds ($66.2 million) to the University of Oxford for setting up a research campus that would also house the institute behind the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 shot.
The investment was made through the company's Serum Life Sciences unit, Oxford University said on Wednesday. The research building would be named after Serum's owners, the Poonawalla family. The pledge builds on the collaboration between Oxford University, AstraZeneca and SII, the world's largest maker of vaccines and the producer of a version of the British duo's COVID-19 shot for low- and middle-income countries.
SII has also agreed with the Jenner Institute, which was behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, to produce and develop Jenner's R21/Matrix-M malaria shot on a large scale. The shot is currently in late-stage trials.
SII was founded in 1966 in the Western Indian city of Pune by Cyrus Poonawalla, son of a horse breeder, and India's fifth-richest person, according to Forbes. In 2019, Cyrus was also conferred an honorary degree by Oxford University.
It is currently run by his son Adar Poonawalla, whose wife Natasha Poonawalla heads Serum Life Sciences.
The Poonawallas in September invested 50 million pounds in Oxford Biomedica to help fund the development of a plant that manufactures COVID-19 shots.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/serum-institute-of-india-adar-poonawalla-astrazeneca-oxford-vaccine-serum-institute-pledges-66-million-to-oxford-university-for-research-2651830">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/serum-institute-of-india-adar-poonawalla-astrazeneca-oxford-vaccine-serum-institute-pledges-66-million-to-oxford-university-for-research-2651830</a>

news world Serum Institute Pledges $66 Million To Oxford University For Research

Serum Institute of India is currently run by Adar Poonawalla. (File) Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) has pledged 50 million...

Google Says Unvaccinated Employees Will Eventually Be Fired: Report

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Google Says Unvaccinated Employees Will Eventually Be Fired: Report" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2018-10/dl56ce8_google-generic-reuters_625x300_08_October_18.jpg" title="Google Says Unvaccinated Employees Will Eventually Be Fired: Report" /></div>
Google could eventually fire employees if they do not follow vaccination rules, reports said.
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Alphabet Inc's Google told its employees they would lose pay and eventually be fired if they do not follow its COVID-19 vaccination rules, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing internal documents.
A memo circulated by Google's leadership said employees had until Dec. 3 to declare their vaccination status and upload documentation showing proof, or to apply for a medical or religious exemption, according to the report.
After that date, Google said it would start contacting employees who had not uploaded their status or were unvaccinated and those whose exemption requests were not approved, CNBC reported.
Employees who have not complied with the vaccination rules by Jan. 18 will be placed on "paid administrative leave" for 30 days, CNBC reported, followed by "unpaid personal leave" for up to six months and termination.
When contacted by Reuters, Google did not directly comment on the CNBC report, but said, "we're committed to doing everything possible to help our employees who can get vaccinated do so, and firmly stand behind our vaccination policy."
Earlier this month, Google delayed its return-to-office plan indefinitely amid Omicron variant fears and some resistance from its employees to company-mandated vaccinations. It earlier expected staff to return to office for about three days a week from Jan. 10.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/google-google-covid-vaccination-google-rules-google-says-unvaccinated-employees-will-eventually-be-fired-report-2651826">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/google-google-covid-vaccination-google-rules-google-says-unvaccinated-employees-will-eventually-be-fired-report-2651826</a>

news world Google Says Unvaccinated Employees Will Eventually Be Fired: Report

Google could eventually fire employees if they do not follow vaccination rules, reports said. Alphabet Inc's Google told its employe...

UN Calls On US, Iran To Return To Terms Of 2015 Nuclear Deal

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="UN Calls On US, Iran To Return To Terms Of 2015 Nuclear Deal" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-05/6c7epapg_iran-flag-reuters-650_625x300_20_May_19.jpg" title="UN Calls On US, Iran To Return To Terms Of 2015 Nuclear Deal" /></div>
Iran Nuclear Deal: Talks continue on reviving the 2015 deal between Iran and other nations.
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United Nations:
The UN Tuesday urged Washington to lift sanctions on Tehran in line with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while calling on the Islamic republic to return to commitments to limit its nuclear program.
"I appeal to the United States to lift or waive its sanctions as outlined in the plan and extend the waivers regarding the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
"Also important is the extension of US waivers regarding certain civilian nuclear-related activities," she told the UN Security Council, as negotiations resumed in Vienna on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, as the nuclear deal is formally known.
She added waiver extensions were also needed for exchanging enriched uranium out of Iran for natural uranium.
The deal has been on life support since 2018, when former president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the accord, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program, prompting Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments.
DiCarlo called on Iran "to reverse the steps it has taken that are not consistent with its nuclear-related commitments under the plan."
In a joint statement, Germany, Britain and France, all signatories of the nuclear deal along with Russia and China, said "the diplomatic door is firmly open for Iran to do a deal now."
"Iran has to choose between the collapse of the JCPOA and a fair and comprehensive deal, for the benefit of the Iranian people and nation," the statement added.
Iran's UN ambassador, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said that to resume its commitments under the nuclear agreement, his country was not "imposing any preconditions or new conditions" and that all the measures it has taken since Washington left the accord were "reversible."
His US counterpart, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Washington was "prepared to return to US compliance and to stay in compliance, so long as Iran does the same."
Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, mostly carried out by European powers, resumed at the end of November in Vienna in an attempt to resuscitate the agreement that was aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-nuclear-deal-iran-nuclear-talks-un-calls-on-us-iran-to-return-to-terms-of-2015-nuclear-deal-2651822">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-nuclear-deal-iran-nuclear-talks-un-calls-on-us-iran-to-return-to-terms-of-2015-nuclear-deal-2651822</a>

news world UN Calls On US, Iran To Return To Terms Of 2015 Nuclear Deal

Iran Nuclear Deal: Talks continue on reviving the 2015 deal between Iran and other nations. United Nations: The UN Tuesday urged Washin...

Millions of children could slip into poverty if the expanded child tax credit ends

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PqCG2dnQQOsebiZk-JA2UELUi10=/0x103:5856x3169/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23085876/GettyImages_1328725400.jpg" /></div>
For the past <a href="https://www.vox.com/22388062/child-tax-credit-expanded-biden-2021-stimulus">six months,</a> families with kids have received monthly payments from the federal government as part of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22543868/biden-child-tax-credit-july-15-monthly-payment">expanded child tax credit</a> — a policy that has slashed <a href="https://www.vox.com/22744783/expanded-federal-child-tax-credit-2021">child poverty in the US</a>.
If Congress doesn’t act, however, this measure is set to expire in 17 days. The last monthly payment is scheduled to go out on <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/tompor/2021/12/14/child-tax-credit-payment-due-dec-15-what-about-2022/6506134001/">December 15</a>, after which these installments will end. (This year, six monthly payments have been sent out; one larger payment will be distributed next year during tax season 2022.)
The policy, approved this spring as part of the American Rescue Plan, made three key changes to the child tax credit, a provision that enables families with kids to reduce their tax liability. The credit got bigger, up to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 and $3,000 for children between the ages of 6 and 17, an increase from the $2,000 families could previously receive for children 16 and under. It became fully refundable, meaning low-income households could benefit even if they didn’t earn enough to owe taxes. And it made the payments monthly, giving families the option to receive something other than an annual lump sum, as had been the case in the past.
The payments have only been going out since July, but they’ve already had a major impact. In October, they reduced child poverty rates by as much as 28 percent compared to what they would have been otherwise, <a href="https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/news-internal/monthly-poverty-october-2021">according to the Columbia University Center on Poverty and Social Policy</a>. If the expanded benefits were to continue long term, it could cut child poverty by as much as 40 percent in a typical year, <a href="https://www.urban.org/research/publication/expanding-child-tax-credit-could-lift-millions-children-out-poverty">per analyses by the Urban Institute</a>, drastically improving the lives of many of the nearly <a href="https://www.childrensdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Child-Poverty-in-America-2019-National-Factsheet.pdf">10.5 million US children who lived in poverty as of 2019</a>.
Democrats’ social spending and climate package, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/13/22799436/build-back-better-senate-manchin-parliamentarian">the Build Back Better Act (BBB),</a> would extend the policy for another year, but its fate is increasingly uncertain.
According to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), Congress needs to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/13/politics/december-child-tax-credit-payment/index.html">approve an extension by December 28</a> in order for the Internal Revenue Service to ensure there isn’t a break in payments in January.
Democrats hope to advance the BBB Act by Christmas, though the prospects for doing so are still up in the air, largely because of opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
With Christmas rapidly approaching and growing concern among the caucus that the bill may fall apart, there’s hope that, if nothing else, the child tax credit — a policy that is perceived as broadly popular and a boon to Democrats’ electoral chances in 2022 — will push Manchin to support the BBB Act despite his misgivings.
It’s “the single best deadline that might get us finally to act,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/585380-child-tax-credit-expiration-adds-pressure-for-democrats">previously told the Hill</a>.
Manchin wasn’t too concerned about the urgency of the deadline when asked about it last week, however, signaling that he believes these payments could be addressed retroactively if needed. “I’ve never seen a situation where we weren’t able to make up whatever you thought time would be lost,” <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/164664/child-tax-credit-expires-schumer">he said at the time.</a>
If Democrats don’t pass the BBB Act before the end of the year, the monthly payments and expansion to the credit will likely end, and child poverty could increase once again as a result.
<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/if-congress-fails-to-act-monthly-child-tax-credit-payments-will-stop-child">The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities</a>, a think tank focusing on social programs, estimates 9.9 million children could fall back into poverty or deeper into poverty if the credit is not extended. It estimates, too, that poverty rates for Black, Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) children, in particular, will be hardest hit. If BBB doesn’t pass, poverty rates would be 22 percent for Black children compared to 13 percent if it did, 21 percent for Latino children compared to 12 percent, and 18 percent for AIAN children compared to 10 percent.
All told, the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/13/politics/december-child-tax-credit-payment/index.html">families of roughly 61 million children</a> have received the monthly tax credit payments so far, with many using the funds for <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/blog/9-in-10-families-with-low-incomes-are-using-child-tax-credits-to-pay-for-necessities-education">basic household needs like food, utilities, and rent payments</a>. Because of the boost that it’s provided, it’s played a major role in helping families navigate economic uncertainty during the pandemic, when many have experienced major child care challenges and a fluctuating employment market.
“Getting these payments now, I know that at least I have help covering food,” David Watson, a technician and single parent of two, <a href="https://www.vox.com/first-person/22585804/child-tax-credit-parents-spend-money">told Tiffanie Drayton for Vox</a> in July. “Now I can pull back on overtime. I need sleep, man.” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/13/food-insecurity-dropped-after-first-advance-child-tax-credit-payment.html">A Census Bureau survey</a> found that food insecurity among families dipped dramatically after the first expanded child tax credit payment. For those making less than $50,000 a year in household income, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/13/food-insecurity-dropped-after-first-advance-child-tax-credit-payment.html">food insecurity declined from 26 percent of families to 18.5 percent</a>.
Longer term, the credit could enable families to build up their emergency savings and invest in additional activities and opportunities for their children, which they might otherwise be unable to afford. <a href="https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/news-internal/2021/child-allowance/cost-benefit-analysis">Columbia University researchers</a> found that each $1 distributed via the child tax credit translates to a long-term societal return of $8 in lower health care costs and increased earnings for children who benefited.
An abrupt lapse in these payments, ultimately, could be a major shock.
“In the absence of the CTC, more families — and low-income families in particular — will go hungry more often and be at risk for things like eviction, utility shut-offs, and other hardships,” Stephen Roll, a research professor at Washington University in St. Louis who has studied the effects of the expanded child tax credit, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22744783/expanded-federal-child-tax-credit-2021">previously told Vox</a>.
While most Democratic senators are in favor of the expanded child tax credit, uncertainty surrounding the Build Back Better Act is putting the potential of an extension in doubt.
Democratic leaders have been confident that they’d be able to pass the BBB bill before Christmas, but it’s not clear they’ll have the votes by then. Because Democrats are using the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill with a simple majority, they need all 50 members of their caucus on board to approve the legislation.
Manchin, a moderate who has had longstanding concerns about adding to the debt, has repeatedly warned that he believes the costs of the legislation could be much higher if certain programs in the measure are made permanent, indicating that more cuts may be needed to win his support.
He’s pointed to a score from the Congressional Budget Office, which concluded that BBB would add $3 trillion to the debt if its programs were made permanent, instead of sunsetting after a short period of time, though Democrats note that the current bill does not extend policies in this way. The expansion of the child tax credit, for example, is scheduled to sunset after a year, though Manchin argues that its expenses should be evaluated as if it’s being put in place long term.
“I don’t think that’s a fair evaluation of saying we are going to spend X amount of dollars but then we are going to have to depend on coming back and finding more money ... I’m concerned about paying down debt too,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/13/politics/biden-manchin-build-back-better/index.html">Manchin has argued</a>.
Relatedly, Manchin has suggested the expanded child tax credit’s true cost has been vastly underestimated because of the duration that’s currently used to determine its cost, <a href="https://www.axios.com/manchin-child-tax-credit-a743799b-333a-4028-8c04-1b4e54311f85.html">according to an Axios report</a>. Additionally, Manchin has noted that he believes lawmakers could address an extension even after the policy expires at the end of the year.
Were BBB to stall, lawmakers could also approve an extension of the expanded child tax credit in a standalone bill, though such legislation would require 60 votes in the Senate if Republicans chose to filibuster it. And although there is some Republican interest in the child tax credit, it’s unlikely Democrats could secure the 10 GOP votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
If Manchin’s position doesn’t change, and Congress fails to pass the Build Back Better Act or another bill addressing the issue, the extended child tax credit payments could sunset soon. It would be the premature end of one of Democrats’ most important recent policy achievements, a big loss for their party. And it could have devastating impacts on the millions of children it has helped lift out of poverty in the last six months.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/14/22826684/build-back-better-child-tax-credit-expires-poverty">https://www.vox.com/2021/12/14/22826684/build-back-better-child-tax-credit-expires-poverty</a>

vox Millions of children could slip into poverty if the expanded child tax credit ends

For the past six months, families with kids have received monthly payments from the federal government as part of the expanded child tax c...

Poll Finds Trump is More Admired Than Biden or The Pope

A new poll has found that Donald Trump is more admired than Pope Francis or Joe Biden.
The survey, conducted by YouGov, places Trump at number 13 for the world’s most admired man, while the Pope is below him at number 16 and Biden further down in 20th place.
Trump’s relatively high placing is all the more impressive given the sustained media campaign against him and the former president being blamed for the January 6 “siege.”
The most admired man in the world remains Barack Obama, despite the fact that compared to many others on the list he is rarely even that much of a public figure these days.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="9.8121546961326">
World's Most Admired Men 2021 (1-10)
1. Barack Obama 🇺🇸 
2. Bill Gates 🇺🇸 
3. Xi Jinping 🇨🇳 
4. Cristiano Ronaldo 🇵🇹 
5. Jackie Chan 🇨🇳 
6. Elon Musk 🇿🇦 
7. Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 
8. Narendra Modi 🇮🇳 
9. Vladimir Putin 🇷🇺 
10. Jack Ma 🇨🇳<a href="https://t.co/oBV8X1gh6E">https://t.co/oBV8X1gh6E</a> <a href="https://t.co/IedkTP2d7c">pic.twitter.com/IedkTP2d7c</a>
— YouGov (@YouGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1470691613483614211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
Indeed, the top three remains unchanged, with Chinese President Xi Xinping at number 3 and Bill Gates at number 2, despite the fallout from Gates’ notorious divorce.
Michelle Obama remains the world’s most admired woman, with actress Angelina Jolie bizarrely keeping her place at number 2 above the likes of the Queen of England and Malala Yousafazi.
Perhaps emphasizing the dubious nature of the survey, Kamala Harris, who has an favorability rating of just 40 per cent, is in 11th place just above Hillary Clinton, who is in 12th position.
Trump is once again expected to run for president in 2024, with Hillary Clinton complaining that another win for the Donald would mean “the end of democracy.”
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/12/14/poll-finds-trump-is-more-admired-than-biden-or-the-pope/">https://summit.news/2021/12/14/poll-finds-trump-is-more-admired-than-biden-or-the-pope/</a>

revolution summit Poll Finds Trump is More Admired Than Biden or The Pope

A new poll has found that Donald Trump is more admired than Pope Francis or Joe Biden. The survey, conducted by YouGov, places Trump at num...

More GOOD News About Omicron

Data coming out of South Africa indicates that the Omicron outbreak of COVID-19 is already “running out of steam,” and according to one expert, “the world has nothing to fear.”
“Cases in the province of Gauteng – which had surging infections from November – appear to be levelling off, while seven-day infections in Tshwane, one of the early epicentres, are now “relatively flat,” states a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/12/13/south-africas-omicron-covid-outbreaks-may-already-running-steam/">report</a> written by the Telegraph’s science editor.
“Case growth is steeper than last week but still has slowed down versus November,” said Louis Rossouw, of the Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group.
Data also shows that the percentage of people who die from a COVID infection has dropped significantly since the arrival of Omicron.
“With the delta variant, around three per cent of infections – one in 33 – were resulting in death, but now that figure has slumped to 0.5 per cent – one in 200 – the lowest it has been throughout the pandemic in South Africa and 10 times lower than in September last year,” states the report.
According to Peter Streicher, a research associate at the University of Johannesburg, death data has already caught up with infection data and there is no significant rise in deaths from Omicron.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="9.453488372093">
❓Are South Africa's omicron Covid outbreaks already running out of steam?
🇿🇦The country’s virus death rate now one in 200 – the lowest it has been throughout the pandemic and 10 times lower than last September<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thread?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thread</a> 👇<a href="https://t.co/s5bw81xX5i">https://t.co/s5bw81xX5i</a> <a href="https://t.co/qCuedc8md0">pic.twitter.com/qCuedc8md0</a>
— Telegraph World News (@TelegraphWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/TelegraphWorld/status/1470485548108288002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“Omicron is extremely mild. The rest of the world has nothing to fear,” said Streicher.
As we <a href="https://summit.news/2021/12/14/doctor-who-discovered-omicron-says-it-could-help-achieve-herd-immunity/">highlighted</a> earlier, the South African doctor who first discovered Omicron says “Britain is overreacting” by imposing more draconian restrictions and that the panic “is out of all proportion to the risks posed by this variant.”
Doctor Angelique Coetzee also suggested that lockdowns to stop the spread of the variant would harm the opportunity that Omicron provides to reach “herd immunity.”
Authorities in the UK have also <a href="https://summit.news/2021/12/14/uk-government-refuses-to-reveal-details-about-first-omicron-death/">refused</a> to reveal any further information behind what is believed to be the world’s first Omicron death.
Professor Karol Sikora has accused the government of creating “unnecessary alarm,” while asserting the victim probably had co-morbidities and was elderly or died with Omicron and not from it.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/12/14/more-good-news-about-omicron/">https://summit.news/2021/12/14/more-good-news-about-omicron/</a>

revolution summit More GOOD News About Omicron

Data coming out of South Africa indicates that the Omicron outbreak of COVID-19 is already “running out of steam,” and according to one expe...