Global oil prices jumped Friday to their highest in a year.The price gains came amid growing hopes the U.S. will pass a massive economic stimulus plan, which would revive demand across the board, especially for refined products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.Demand hopes are also been fueled by the vaccine rollout. Traders are betting global oil consumption will pick up when vaccination levels get to a point where governments ease up on lock-down restrictions.The global health crisis has kept people close to home, severely limiting the need to travel, sending oil demand into the dumps.But even as vaccine hopes fuel talks of a rebound in energy use, OPEC doesn't expect oil consumption to return to pre-crisis levels until next year.That's why the world's group of leading oil producing nation's has cut supply in order to keep a floor under prices.OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, maintained their production cut at a meeting earlier this week. The price of a barrel of oil is closing in on $60 a barrel - a high not seen since the health crisis began early last year.
Moradabad (UP), Feb 06 (ANI): Farmer unions have called for ‘chakka jam’ on February 06. It will take place between 12pm to 3pm. He urged farmers across the nation to block roads wherever they are. Authorities have also geared up for the proposed ‘chakka jam’ and adequate security arrangements have been put in place. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said, “All preparations are undertaken from our end on all the locations proposed by them.”
This Malaysian restaurant is offering a drive-in servicefor customers to devour meals inside their carsLocation: Cyberjaya, MalaysiaEach set meal comes with a customized traythat fits between the driver’s seat and steering wheelSOUNDBITE) (English) RESTAURANT OWNER, LEOW KIM NGAN, SAYING:"Our sales dropped about 80% over, for almost 10 to 11 months. This is very challenging. We have to think of a new way to improve and then to find a way to get more resources for (our) income. // People are going out, they work hard and so they wish to have a proper dinner meal, so we came up with a menu. You order the main course and you are set, we give it together with drinks and the dessert. The lunch time weather is very hot, Malaysia weather is very hot, so we are giving ice cream also."
It’s “game on” again for some day traders. Shares of GameStop and other social media-hyped stocks jumped on Friday after online broker Robinhood lifted all buying curbs it put up at the height of the trading frenzy. Shares of videogame retailer GameStop skyrocketed more than 50% in early trading Friday. Headphone maker Koss zoomed up by more than a fourth, and cinema operator AMC Entertainment rose 14%. But the wild gyrations seen in the past two weeks appear to have fizzled out. Robinhood is the commission-free broker popular among the young that’s credited with fueling the trading frenzy of heavily shorted stocks favored in a Reddit chat room. Last week, the trading platform imposed restrictions on those stocks due to a surge in clearing house deposit requirements. As a result, GameStop’s stock that had peaked at $483 last week nose-dived to about $53 a share by Thursday. But it’s still nearly triple what it was at the start of the rally. Robinhood said late Thursday it had removed all buying restrictions. Earlier this week, Fiduciary Trust chief investment officer Hans Olsen said the retail revolution - that pits the small guy versus the powerful hedge funds that bet against these stocks - may have legs. “There isn’t any reason why this couldn’t tumble around as additional stimulus checks get written and the like. And you know, people feel empowered by this.”On WallStreetBets on Reddit, participants urged investors to stick with GameStop. One wrote, “I WILL NOT SELL!” On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with top officials to discuss the market’s wild swings. Sources told Reuters the Securities and Exchange Commission was looking at all aspects of the rally and all parties involved.
Chennai, Feb 05 (ANI): Chennai Air Cargo custom officials have seized 24.5 of pseudoephedrine that was hid in four coconut scrappers which was packed in wooden boxes. Pseudoephedrine is a type of hard drug. The market valuation of 24.5 kg drug is Rs 2.45 crore.
New Delhi, Feb 05 (ANI): Additional Secretary of Union Health Ministry, Manohar Agnani said that total hospitalisation till date of people who are vaccinated against COVID are 27 and no hospitalisation has been recorded in last 24 hours. “Deaths so far are 22. New death in past 24 hrs is 1, a 77-yr-old male - a resident of Agra. He was hospitalised 7 days after vaccination with shock with pre-existing diabetes,” he said. A total of 52,90,474 beneficiaries have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the country, till 6 pm on February 05.
The protests have been taking place in Yangon since Tuesday night (February 2), following Monday's (February 1) coup in which the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, derailing Myanmar's long and troubled transition to democracy.On Thursday (February 4), the military government blocked Facebook, where opposition to the junta has emerged very strongly, citing the alleged spreading of fake news.International pressure on the junta increased with the U.N. Security Council urging the release of detainees and Washington considering sanctions on the ruling generals.
Hyderabad, Feb 05 (ANI): A fire broke out at a sanitation building in Troop Bazaar of Hyderabad on February 05. Fire tenders are present at the spot. No casualties have been reported so far. More details are awaited.
Shimla, Feb 5 (ANI): One of the most visited places in the country is attracting large number of tourists in shivery winters. Fresh spell of snowfall has turned Shimla into Singapore. Tourists are enjoying the snow-poured city and clicking selfies to take back the beautiful shivery memories of Shimla with them. Current temperature in Shimla is 5.5 degree Celsius, as per India Meteorological Department (IMD).
New Delhi, Feb 5 (ANI): Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain on February 05 said that the AAP government has floated nation's biggest tender for EV (electric vehicle) charging stations. He said, "With provision for 500 charging points at 100 locations in Delhi so that electronic vehicles can be charged outside homes too. It'll be our effort to complete this within a year”.
New Delhi, Feb 05 (ANI): Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released a book ‘Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan’ in Delhi on February 05.Speaking at the event, Naidu said, “Members of Parliament must be like role models for other public representatives in conduct and criticism. Nowadays, the level of debates sometimes gets undermined and the impression of politicians, particularly public representatives, is going down in eyes of people.” The book gives insight into initiatives undertaken through the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) on Dr Abhishek Singhvi's recommendation in Rajasthan.
Jammu, Feb 5 (ANI): Shivani Manhas, one of the 4 pilots who flew Air India's flight over North Pole recently shared her experience of the voyage. The crew was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on which she said, “What can be more exciting than that for a citizen.” Sharing her experience, Shivani said, “We were trained but didn't know flying schedule until last moment due to weather conditions.” In a historic move, Air India's longest direct route flight with the all-women pilot team landed at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on January 11 from San Francisco, flying over the North Pole and covering a distance of about 16,000 kilometers. It was the first direct non-stop flight between the west coast of the United States and southern India.
Guwahati (Assam), Feb 5 (ANI): Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal distributed 29,701 appointment letters in a ceremony at Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati. According to reports, 4,260 schools and thousands of teachers, who have been offering services for more than 25 to 30 years without payment, will be provincialised. “This is a big day for us. We have filled up the vacancy in the education department. We have resolved many pending issues regarding appointment of teachers. Now the department will be able to focus more on the quality,” said Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
The three metre tall object was found on Friday (February 5) near Gobeklitepe, a 12,000 year-old temple in Turkey which recently became a UNESCO World Heritage site.According to local media reports, the shiny metal monolith is inscribed in an script with the phrase "If you want to see the moon, look at the sky."Security forces were called to the scene as curious locals sought to get a look at the monolith, which resembles a mysterious object which appeared in a desert in Utah in America last year, but then vanished.
Dwyer said the team in Wuhan had received the access it requested from Chinese authorities as it tries to understand the early days of the novel coronavirus outbreak first identified in Wuhan."Everybody knows how it really exploded out of Huanan market in Wuhan, but the key is what was happening around that time and before," Dwyer said.The origin of the coronavirus has become highly politicized following accusations that China was not transparent in its early handling of the outbreak. Beijing has pushed the idea that the virus could have originated elsewhere.Dwyer, an Australian specialist in HIV/AIDS who previously worked with the WHO during the SARS and avian flu outbreaks, said the "conundrum" of COVID-19 was that early asymptomatic carriers may not have known they had it."It would be naive to think that we're going to get virus zero," Dwyer said.
EU leaders criticized Russia's expulsion of diplomats from Sweden, Germany, and Poland on Friday (February 5).They've been accused of taking part in illegal protests last month against the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.It came on the same day Navalny was back in court for a slander trial.He is accused of slandering a World War Two veteran who took part in a promotional video last year.The video supported reforms that allowed Putin to run for two more terms after 2024 if he wanted to.He called the people in the recording "corrupt lackeys" and "traitors without a conscience."This audio from Friday's trial shows Navalny telling the court to "burn in hell," and also accused the prosecution and relatives of the veteran of using the 95-year-old "as a puppet."Earlier this week, Navalny was jailed for three years for parole violations - accusations he said were "trumped up."Western governments have condemned that trial, which spurred talks of sanctions.The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell was in Moscow on Friday for rare talks."My visit coincided with arrest and sentencing of Alexei Navalny and the arrest of thousands of demonstrators. As you can expect I have conveyed to Mr. Lavrov our deep concern and reiterated our appeal to his release and a launch of an impartial investigation over his poisoning."Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave a harsh response to the possibility of EU sanctions."We are used to the European Union more and more often drawing on one-sided restrictions that have no legal base. We are building our life on the basis that the EU is an unreliable partner at least for the time being.The slander charge is punishable by up to two years in jail.Navalny's lawyer has argued he cannot be sentenced because the alleged crime was committed before the law was changed to make it a jailable offense.
This Cambodian couple finally tied the knot after a year-long delay(SOUNDBITE) (Khmer) 31-YEAR-OLD GROOM, LEANG PHANNARA, SAYING:"I am really happy that we are finally married and have become husband and wife legally."Leang Phannara and Kim Bethyliza had been waiting patiently to get marriedSo when the government lifted the lockdown in Januarythe couple jumped on the chance(SOUNDBITE) (Khmer) 28-YEAR-OLD BRIDE, KIM BETHYLIZA, SAYING:"Well, I feel satisfied to dress up and I'm happy, but I've also been a bit worried."
India head coach Ravi Shastri has called for a break for India players after Indian Premier League 2021, saying staying in the bubble takes a toll on players
''We wanted to make the solar energy available to every single household in Lithuania. And we took it to the extreme."Lithuania’s solar parks are helping apartment-dwelling citizens power their houses with clean energy.Residents can buy solar panels located in solar parks up to 30 miles away from home.The ideal solution for those who want to be green, but don’t have the right to install panels on their shared roofs.Andrius Kavaliauskas is head of the private client department at energy holding company Ignitis Group."We want to make the solar electricity available to the majority of the population so that is the main goal. Because before this platform the customers could only put the solar plant on their roof, but not everyone lives in houses. We have a lot, around half of the population living in apartments in Lithuania, and they have no ability to produce electricity from solar (plants) themselves.’’The company says customers can make big savings using energy from the solar parks, with electricity bills slashed by up to 70%.Vytautas Plunksnis bought a 1.5kW panel located at one such solar park."You invest upfront, but then for the next 20-25 years, you save on electricity costs. So, with this zero-interest-rate environment, it's a small but good investment. And another thing that you contribute to society so, basically there is less pollution because solar energy is one of the cleanest and the best sources of energy. So, you gain for yourself and society gains as well."Customers have to pay fees for maintenance such as cleaning the panels and also to the national grid to bring electricity to their houses.But for many, it’s still worth it."Because if you wanted to install on your rooftop, so it's a lot of work to do. You have to convince your neighbors, you have (to), you know, for yourself take care of this installation, find the suppliers and for me, it's easier that you know by paying money you get the solution."Lithuania aims to get a third of the country receiving electricity from people's own solar panels by 2030. That's about 420,000 households.
Sexist comments made by Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori this week have caused a “major issue” for the global sporting event, the city's governor Yuriko Koike said on Friday (February 5).The 83-year-old set off a storm on social media by saying that women talked too much. He later retracted the comments and apologized but refused to resign, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it considered the issue closed.Tokyo’s governor said she was struck speechless by the comments, adding she'd heard the Tokyo government was fielding complaint calls from city residents.Student activist Momoko Nojo says Mori’s apology is not enough.She launched a petition calling for further action in addressing the comment. By Friday night it had gained over 85,000 signatures."I think Tokyo 2020 should think about taking action against Mori and discuss this issue so it will never happen again. I think it will have a big influence on other organizations (if they take action)."Nojo hopes this will be a catalyst for change in a society which she believes is still male-dominated.The sentiment is echoed by Tammy Parlour, the Chief Executive of the Women’s Sports Trust."The fact that it's actually getting called out now is really positive in my view and it provides us an opportunity to talk about this. But at the same time, I think it's important to not just focus on the comments, I see the comments as a symptom, and the cause is not having enough diversity and inclusion plumbed across the whole system. We need to as an industry look at that and start changing that."
Google has launched a new platform in Australia offering news it has paid for. The search giant has struck its own deals with publishers. It's paying seven outlets, including the Canberra Times, to use their content. The move is a bid to show that Australia's proposed new laws forcing it to pay for content are unnecessary. Draft rules on the subject are currently before a parliamentary inquiry. Google is lobbying ministers to drop the whole idea, calling the proposed law 'unworkable'. It's threatened to pull out of Australia if they go ahead. Now financial terms for the new platform have not been disclosed. Last month Reuters said its content would be among that featured on the News Showcase.
The jobs came back in January - but barely- after what turned out to be a far-worse December for job cuts.The Labor Department announced Friday hiring was up a smaller-than-expected 49,000 in January, compared to the loss of 227,000 jobs in December, proving the first drop in payrolls in eight months was much bigger than first reported.That, along with last month's modest rebound in hiring, could bolster the argument from the new Biden Administration for another big stimulus package for out-of-work Americans.The unemployment rate came in at 6.3 percent in January and the hiring last month barely but a dent in the more than 9 million jobs needed to get the labor market back to where it was before the health crisis forced millions out of work.And there was more pain for workers in those segments of the economy forced to shutdown or curtail operations. Leisure and hospitality lost another 61,000 jobs last month and retail jobs were down by nearly 39,000. One notable factor in January's weak hiring numbers: jobs in the health care and social services industry swung from a net gain to a loss of 40,000 in January.The latest jobs report is sure to weigh on Senate Democrats who are working to push Biden's $1.9 trillion economic relief plan through Congress, with or without the help of fellow Republicans.
This might seem like any other kids cartoon - but it's actually part of Hong Kong's controversial new guidelines for schools which teach children as young as six about national security, including subversion and collusion with foreign forces.The educational video released by the Chinese government shows an owl wearing glasses and a graduation hat, explaining Hong Kong's institutional architecture, its duties to Beijing and the national security law imposed in June 2020 after the anti-government protests back in 2019.Children in primary schools will also learn how to sing and respect China's national anthem, and gain an understanding of the four main offenses in the security law, including terrorism and secessionism.Some residents, like university student Jenny Lai, have their concerns."I am a little worried about the independent thinking abilities of primary school students in the future. As I learned, the National Security Law content in the textbook is complicated, so I am worried, but there is nothing I can do.''Others, like Ms. Feng, feel that patriotism is important as part of childhood study."It's a good start, no matter who you are and where you are from, you have to love your country.''Beijing has put semi-autonomous Hong Kong on a firmer authoritarian path in recent months.And the Education Bureau's guidelines show Beijing's plans for the region to go beyond quashing dissent.Its aim is seemingly for a societal overhaul.After the 2019 protests in which many of the demonstrators were teenagers, Chinese leaders have turned to re-education in a bid to tame the city's youth and make them loyal citizens.
Virat Kohli won hearts on Day 1 of the first Test between India and England in Chennai on Friday with his gesture for Joe Root in the final session of the day.