SYDNEY — The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in several new behaviors that health experts want to discourage, such as reusing the same mask, because they are detrimental to society. The good news is that social norms, which consist in communicating what others do—like two-thirds of people avoid reusing the same mask—or what one should do—say, not reusing the same mask is essential—are most beneficial to prevent people from adopting these behaviors. A meta-analysis of extant research on social norms to establish new empirical generalizations was recently performed by researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, HEC Montreal, and the University of New South…
Author: zenger.news
GABORONE, Botswana — Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi has termed Vaccine Global Access Facility, commonly known as Covax, through which African countries access the Covid-19 vaccines, a “scam”. “The Covax facility, which poor African countries were made to believe would help them once they contribute money to it, was merely meant to deceive us,” Masisi said when visiting health facilities in the capital, Gaberone, on July 22, 2021. “This was just a scam. Only a few vaccines were given to us. As you are aware, lately we had a shortage of AstraZeneca. This is a hoax we are talking about”. Masisi’s comments…
NEW DELHI — Australian Prime Minister’s Special Trade Envoy to India, Tony Abbott’s recent interview has shed light on the country’s strengthened trade and diplomatic relations with India and the mutual strategy China’s increasing dominance in the Indo-Pacific region. “Trade deals are about politics as much as economics; a swift deal between India and Australia would be an important sign of democratic world’s tilt away from China, as well as boosting the long-term prosperity of both our countries,” said Abbott. India is currently Australia’s seventh-biggest trade partner with annual two-way trade of about 30 billion dollars ($22.02 billion), despite being hampered by tariffs and mutual…
NEW DELHI — In a bid to restore the global ecosystem, India—the world’s seventh-largest country by area—has added three million hectares (7.3 million acres) of forest over the past decade to meet its national commitment of land degradation neutrality. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India is on track to achieve its national target of land degradation neutrality. He made the remarks during a keynote address at the United Nations “High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land degradation, and Drought.” Under the Bonn Challenge, India had pledged to revive 13 million hectares (32.12 million acres) of degraded and deforested land by 2020 and a further…
DJ Khaled’s 2010 hit, “All I Do Is Win” could well serve as the soundtrack for the Russell family’s boxing careers. With three brothers currently competing, they have an imposing combined record of 63–1. Their bond extends outside the sport of boxing, as they all bear the same name, differentiated only by different middle names. Saturday night, Gary Antonio Russell (18–0) looks for his next win while also seeking the interim World Boxing Association title. Looking to derail those plans is former International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Emmanuel Rodriguez (19–2) with 12 knockouts. Russell will have to put his entire…
Hundreds of police officers and members of the community honored slain Chicago Police Officer Ella French on Monday night on the city’s southwest side. French, 29, was fatally shot on Saturday night, Aug. 7, during a traffic stop. Her partner, also a member of the Chicago Police Department’s Community Safety Team, was hospitalized in critical condition. The man, who was not named, was said to be “fighting for his life.” “Tonight in the 6300 block of South Bell, 10th District & Community Safety Team officers organized a prayer service and balloon release in loving memory of fallen Officer Ella French.…
WASHINGTON — American singer-songwriter and record producer R. Kelly’s sex trafficking trial is about to take its first significant step forward after several delays waylaid the process. The lawyers for the R&B hitmaker’s case will begin jury selection on Aug. 16, 2021, in New York City, a full two years after he was charged with abusing women and girls for close to 20 years as his career allegedly shielded him from consequences. A federal court judge in Brooklyn will question potential jurors about whether they can keep an open mind about Kelly amid immense public scrutiny brought on mainly by the #MeToo movement.…
NEW DELHI — Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been appointed as United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) Celebrity Advocate for their global campaign EVAC (Ending Violence Against Children). Through the initiative, the “Article 15” actor wants to build awareness on a national level about online safety for children in India. Khurrana talked about the need for such an initiative and how children are at risk as the internet reach expands. “The internet, as we know, is a double-edged sword,” he said. “We have seen its myriad benefits during this pandemic. At the same time, it has its own risks. As the internet grows…
NEW DELHI — India has set a target to be tuberculosis-free by 2025. Tuberculosis is a major public health problem in India. The country has the largest number of tuberculosis cases in the world — over a quarter of global tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis burden. Indian Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, on Aug. 9, said collective efforts from all are needed to achieve the 2025 target. Naidu, who chaired a sensitization program for Members of Parliament on tuberculosis, said the infectious bacterial disease is one of the unfinished items on the agenda, and India has to strive towards eliminating…
NEW DELHI — Anurag Thakur, India’s Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, felicitated the country’s seven Olympic medalists at a gala felicitation program in New Delhi. Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Mirabai Chanu, P.V. Sindhu, Bajrang Punia, Lovlina Borgohain, and the men’s national hockey team were the ones who won the medals for India in the recently concluded Olympics. The occasion was also witnessed by Indian ministers, namely Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju; Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik; Secretary of Sports Ravi Mittal, and Director-General of Sports Authority of India Sandip Pradhan. Gold medalist Chopra,…