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Asia could possibly be the primary and final of the Covid pandemic, says a journey service supplier

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A health worker prepares a vial containing a Chinese Sinovac vaccine for Covid-19 coronavirus disease at a movie theater that was converted into a vaccination center in suburban Taguig City, Manila on June 14, 2021.

Ted Aljibe | AFP | Getty Images

SINGAPORE – Asia was the first epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak and could be the last region to emerge from the pandemic – especially in terms of travel, according to the Asia-Pacific president of a travel services company.

“Unfortunately, Asia was the first … in the pandemic and we predict it will likely be the last out of the pandemic based on vaccination rates,” said Todd Handcock of the Collinson Group, which offers a range of travel-related services including insurance and the operation of airport lounges.

According to Our World in Data, only 22.26% of people in Asia have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. This compares to 53.03% in the US and 63.56% in the UK

The distribution of vaccines around the world is very unfair … and Asia suffers, especially Southeast Asia.

Alicia Garcia-Herrero

Chief Economist for Asia Pacific, Natixis

Handcock told CNBC’s Street Signs Asia on Wednesday that more people are returning to the US, UK and Europe.

“We have actually seen good domestic travel in markets like China, the United States and Russia in the past few months,” he said.

“But from an international perspective, we are starting to see vaccination rates increasing in these markets – the UK is one of the leaders in the world right now – we are seeing travel certainly increasing,” he added.

Slow vaccination campaigns

Beyond that, however, Garcia-Herrero pointed out that there is a “huge” discomfort about vaccines in Asia that “we somehow don’t find in Europe or in other parts of the world – or at least not to the same extent. “

Some parts of Asia, including Taiwan and Vietnam, have been largely successful in containing the virus, but have seen a resurgence since then.

A Natixis report released in May said that “more effective containment has resulted in less urgency” for vaccines in Asia. Apart from the skepticism about the newly developed vaccines, it says in the report.

Carrot or whip approach?

Some Asian countries have introduced incentives to encourage more vaccination, similar to the lotteries and freebies offered in the US

Hong Kong has a raffle for residents who get vaccinated. The main prize? A new one bedroom apartment valued at approximately Hong Kong $ 10,800,000 ($ 1.39 million).

India’s largest passenger airline IndiGo gives discounts to customers who have received at least one dose of a vaccine. You can get a 10% discount off the base fare when you book a flight, according to a company press release.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened prison terms.

“You choose vaccine or I’ll have you locked up,” Duterte said on Monday, according to Reuters. This comment came after reports of low participation in vaccination centers in the capital, Manila.

The president’s statement contradicts instructions from his health officials who say the vaccine is voluntary, Reuters reported.

– CNBC’s Christina Farr, Hannah Miao and Yen Nee Lee contributed to this report.

Justin Timberlake urges Britney Spears’ household to “do that proper”

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Justin said that both he and his wife Jessica Biel stand behind the pop star. “Jess and I send our love and absolute support to Britney at this time,” he wrote, adding, “We hope the courts and her family get this right and let her live the way she wants to live.”

Jessica retweeted this thread to reinforce the message.

This year is the ‘N SYNC Alum has come under increasing criticism for how he treated Britney during their relationship 20 years ago. After watching the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” on Hulu, fans asked him to apologize to the 39-year-old star.

“I’ve seen the news, tags, comments and concerns and I want to respond,” Justin wrote on Instagram in February. “I am deeply sorry for the time in my life when my actions added to the problem where I got out of line or did not advocate what was right.”

The father of two apologized to both Britney and his Super Bowl co-performer Janet Jackson, “Because I care for and respect these women and know that I have failed.” He admitted, “I also feel compelled to respond, partly because everyone involved deserves better and mostly because this is a bigger conversation that I want to wholeheartedly participate in and grow in.”

According to Britney’s hearing, celebrities are like Mariah Carey, Halsey and Khloe Kardashian also spoke out in favor of the princess of pop.

E! News has reached out to Jamie and Britney’s attorneys for comment. Jamie’s attorney read a statement at the hearing saying that he was “sorry to see his daughter suffer” and “loves his daughter and misses her very much”.

The CDC group says there’s not sufficient information but to advocate booster injections

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A group of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that there is currently insufficient data to support the recommendation of Covid-19 booster vaccinations for the general population, but that more vulnerable groups such as the elderly or Transplant recipients may need an additional dose.

The CDC’s Covid-19 Working Group on Immunization Practices Advisory Committee did not rule out the possibility that the general population may need booster vaccinations if immunity to the vaccines wanes or a variant reduces the effectiveness of current vaccinations.

“Boosters can be needed for a large population. However, it could also be that the need for boosters of the Covid vaccine can only be demonstrated in some populations, “said Dr. Sarah Oliver, co-leader of the working group and medical epidemiologist with the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases of the CDC.

A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that booster shots can be beneficial for people with compromised immune systems. Oliver said the agency should monitor residents of long-term care facilities, the elderly, medical workers and the immunocompromised.

The working group recommended that the CDC only consider booster vaccinations “after signs of waning protection,” Oliver said, which means if the vaccines became less effective over time or if the antibodies to Covid waned over time. The agency could also consider using booster syringes if a variant emerges that significantly reduces the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Vials of Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccine labels can be seen in this illustration image dated March 19, 2021.

Given Ruvic | Reuters

“I have to agree with the interpretation of the working group in the sense that there is currently no data to support recommendations to support boosters,” said Dr. Sharon Frey, ACIP member and clinical director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Saint Louis University Medical School. “There is currently no evidence against the denial of protection.”

However, Frey said she was open to giving transplant patients a third chance or if infections increase in the general population, indicating many landmark cases in fully vaccinated individuals. There have been at least 3,729 breakthrough infections in the United States to date, leading to hospitalization or death, according to CDC data.

“I think the only thing we can do right now is if we see an increase in reinfection in people or new infections in people who have been vaccinated, that’s our indication that we need to act quickly,” Frey said.

Dr. Grace Lee, chair of the ACIP safety group and professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, also said she would like to see more evidence of breakthrough cases before recommending a booster vaccination.

“I’d like to see more certainty with the safety data if we talk about an increase before it is clear what the risk data will be,” said Lee. “When we see serious breakthrough cases, I think decision-making continues even when the security data is uncertain.”

Key determination: what to do with ideas – information

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A debt-free life usually offers more opportunities and possibilities, but then there is also the temptation to use low interest rates to build up wealth during such times.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many of us to reconsider our finances.

With uncertainty about jobs and wage cuts affecting monthly household budgets, the question always arises of whether to continue funding retirement plans or to reduce debt first.

A debt-free life usually offers more opportunities and possibilities, but then there is also the temptation to use low interest rates to build up wealth during such times. So where do you walk the fine line and how should you make financial decisions that will make you happy in the long term?

We consider both scenarios:

Pay off loans

Prioritizing debt settlement as opposed to saving for retirement depends on several factors, such as:

“The DTI ratio is defined as the total monthly debt payments divided by the monthly gross income. If a person has a DTI rate of 20 percent or less, they are considered financially stable and can choose to reserve tips for retirement. Central banks define a DTI rate of 40 percent or more as a financial distress situation in which the worker is required to use his tip to pay off loans. If a different decision is made, the continued 40 percent DTI may affect its ability to borrow, ”said Vijay Valecha, Century Financial’s chief investment officer (CIO).

A person’s age, coupled with their current retirement provision, is also a decisive factor in deciding whether or not to pay off loans. “A younger person may choose to continue to accumulate debt because he / she has more human capital to pay off debt in the future and wants to save something. While an older employee should work to ensure that they can live stress-free in the future, ”added Valecha.

Another important factor is the type of debt and the interest rate charged on it. “Pay off the most expensive debts first instead of trying to reduce the number of loans. Also, check the cost of early payment. Know if there are penalties associated with early foreclosure so that total costs are measured correctly, ”said Vishal Dhawan, Certified Financial Planner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Plan Ahead.

So what debts need to be paid off first?

Credit card debt must always be paid first, especially if you only pay the minimum amount each month. An outstanding amount of Dh 10,000 may take more than a decade to repay the loan and you will pay the bank or financial institution about 2.7 times the original amount.

Second, don’t look down on smaller loans first and keep the big one for later. An honest assessment of which loan to keep should be based on the calculated interest rate. “You should pay off your credit card fees and personal loans first. Secured loans like home loans and auto loans can wait. When prepaying a loan, individuals often overlook the costs involved, such as: B. Foreclosure Fees. It may be tempting to close a high yield personal loan due to a sudden influx of funds, but the early settlement fees incurred must be considered before making such decisions. If cash flows allow, borrowers should try to split the prepayment or exclude high-priced, unsecured loans. Secured loans, especially home loans, can be paid in EMI (equal monthly installments) over the long term as they are generally low cost loans, ”Valecha said.

Invest in yourself

Think about taking on debt isn’t always a bad move, especially when it means investing in yourself.

Its usefulness depends on the benefits you get from it. “Whether it’s getting a college degree, buying a home or buying a car, the final factor of whether the debt you are taking out is good or bad is based on the question, will this debt repay me more than I will? have deposited? ? A simple rule is that if the loan increases your net worth or has future worth, then it is good debt. If it doesn’t and you don’t have cash to pay for it, it is bad debt, ”Valecha said.

The king of all debts is a mortgage.

“Investors need to be wise and mortgage a property that is likely to increase in value every year. For example, if you buy a house for Dh2 million and it increases in value by four percent every year, the house will be worth Dh4.38 million when your 20 year mortgage is paid off (more than double the investment made) . This is quality fault. In addition to home loans, student loans are also considered good debt as they improve the ability to have a well-paying career in the future, ”he added.

Conversely, car and payday loans, as well as credit card debt, are components of bad debt. Plastic debt can ruin financial health, and interest rates are a killer.

Additionally, there is the hidden fee with card loans that naïve investors are unfamiliar with. Car loans may not have the highest interest rate, but the value of the vehicle is rapidly depreciating and therefore is considered a bad debt unless the vehicle is a necessity and not a luxury.

The bottom line is, if an investor is a mile away from retirement and has low-interest debt to pay off, he or she can put their money into a monthly systematic investment plan (SIP) in the stock markets that will generate high returns. The idea is to leverage the time value of longer term investments as well as the ability to take risks while they can afford it.

– suneeti@khaleejtimes.com

This is easy methods to share tweets straight together with your Instagram tales on iOS as a substitute of utilizing screenshots

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If you are an iOS user, you no longer have to hassle to take a screenshot of a tweet in your Twitter app, switch to Instagram, and separately upload it to your Instagram Stories. You can now do this directly with Twitter with the new option to share Instagram Stories.

This follows a similar function Introduced for Snapchat on iOS late last year– Basically, users of both apps can post a tweet as a sticker in a snap that also takes you back to the original tweet on Twitter.

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to share Tweets on your Instagram Stories:

First, find the tweet you want to post on your Stories and tap the Share icon below it.

Illustration for the article titled How to Share Tweets Directly Using Your Instagram Stories on iOS Instead of Using ScreenshotsScreenshot: Emily Long

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Next, tap the Instagram Stories icon in the pop-up menu, which will take you to Instagram and drop the screenshot of this tweet right into a draft story

Illustration for the article titled How to Share Tweets Directly Using Your Instagram Stories on iOS Instead of Using ScreenshotsScreenshot: Emily Long

Finally, edit the story as usual – resize or move the screenshot, add text, insert music, etc. – then share or send it to its destination

Note that there are some limitations with this new feature. First, it doesn’t work with protected tweets that Twitter won’t let you share. Also, videos embedded in tweets will appear as static images once they are uploaded to Instagram. So this is simply an easier option for uploading screenshots to your Stories than browsing your phone’s photo album. After all, the screenshots won’t take you back to Twitter.

Unfortunately, like the Snapchat integration, Instagram Stories sharing isn’t available on Android – at least not yet. And if you don’t already see the option in your iOS app, then you probably need to update Twitter to the latest version of the app on your iPhone.

You may lock your seedy incognito tabs with this hidden Face ID setting

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Google is testing a new feature for Chrome on the iPhone and iPad that will allow you to lock incognito tabs with Face ID if they are left open in the background. (Unfortunately, the feature isn’t available on Android – at least not yet).

Chrome’s incognito mode prevents your device from saving your browsing history, which can be helpful if you need to look up something secretly. However, if you don’t close your incognito tabs every time you quit using Chrome, someone could easily open your background tabs to see what you’re up to. However, by enabling the new privacy feature, you can safely keep incognito tabs open in Chrome without fear of someone sniffing into the object you are hiding while you are not looking.

The feature is available in the stable iOS Chrome app, but it’s hidden in the experimental flags menu and not readily available in the app settings. It’s possible that Google will make it a standard feature in a future app update, but here’s how to enable it for now:

  1. to open chrome: // flags in a new Chrome tab on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Use the search bar to find “Device authentication for incognito.”
  3. Put the flag on “Activated” from the drop-down list.
  4. Tap to restart Chrome when prompted to save and apply your changes.
  5. Open Chrome again and then go to Settings> Privacy.
  6. Activate the new “Lock incognito tabs when you close Chrome” Possibility.

With the feature enabled, it’s safe to leave incognito tabs open in the background as anyone trying to access your active incognito tabs will need to provide a matching Face ID in order to unlock them.

This is how it works:

  1. Reopen an incognito tab in the background in Chrome.
  2. Click around “Unlock with Face ID” when prompted.
  3. Let your device do the face scan. If it matches, your tabs will be unlocked and you can pick up where you left off.

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While locking your incognito tabs will keep other people away, keep in mind that Chrome’s incognito mode is not an anonymous browser mode. Websites and ISPs can still track a lot of data from Incognito Mode, so it shouldn’t be used in place of other privacy tools like. be used Tracker blocker and VPNs.

[Bleeping Computer]

Found Khloe Kardashian for the primary time since breaking apart with Tristan Thompson

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Khloe Kardashian stops after her last separation from. head up Tristan Thompson.

On her first sighting since breaking up with the basketball player, the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star stepped out with his 3-year-old daughter True Thompson on Monday June 21st. The mother-daughter duo was photographed in Los Angeles, where Khloe was spotted without the large diamond ring that has been a staple in recent months.

The Good American co-founder has been wearing the stone on her wedding finger since February, but Khloe appears to have put the accessory away for now. Instead, she complemented her all-black athleisure ensemble with a Prada belt bag, oversized sunglasses and white Nikes.

Khloe’s outing with True coincided with news that she and the Boston Celtics player had split up. On Monday, a source told E! News that Khloe “recently” broke up with Tristan.

John McAfee discovered lifeless after Spanish court docket accepted extradition for tax crimes

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John McAfee, Co-Founder of McAfee Crypto Team and CEO of Luxcore and Founder of McAfee Antivirus, speaks at the Malta Blockchain Summit in St. Julian’s, Malta on November 1, 2018.

Darrin Zammit Lupi | Reuters

Eccentric antivirus software company founder John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona, ​​Spain, on Wednesday, shortly after the Spanish national court approved his extradition to the United States to face criminal tax evasion charges Reuters and Associated Press.

According to the Catalan Ministry of Justice, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo initially reported that 75-year-old McAfee was dead.

El Mundo also reported, citing the Catalan Ministry of Justice, that the prison’s medical workers were trying to resuscitate him. McAfee was being held in Brian’s 2 prison in Catalonia.

McAfee was arrested at Barcelona International Airport last October on tax evasion allegations pending in federal court in Tennessee. Since then he has been in prison in Spain.

According to the indictment, McAfee earned millions in revenue from promoting cryptocurrencies, advising, lecturing, and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary film.

“From 2014 to 2018, McAfee allegedly did not file any tax returns, despite having received significant income from these sources,” the US Justice Department said in October.

McAfee was also charged in federal court in Tennessee in March for failing to report his cryptocurrency mining income.

CNBC policy

Read more about CNBC’s political coverage:

The Justice Department has said that McAfee and others involved in this so-called scalping program bought large amounts of cheap altcoins in cryptocurrency and then aggressively advertised them online with “false and misleading confirmation tweets” to artificially inflate their market prices.

“The members of the McAfee team have collectively made more than $ 2 million in illicit profits from their altcoin scalping activities,” the Justice Department said earlier this year.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil lawsuit against McAfee of generating more than $ 23 million in undisclosed revenue from false and misleading cryptocurrency recommendations.

McAfee left the anti-virus software company of the same name that he founded in 1994.

In 2013, he created a mundane spoof video explaining how users can uninstall the software.

And in 2019, he was sentenced to pay $ 25 million in damages for the 2012 murder of a former neighbor in Belize.

This is the latest news. Check back for updates.

Use this software to assert cash out of your kid’s tax credit score

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Illustration for the article titled Use This Tool To Collect Money From Your Child's Tax CreditPhoto: Monkey Business Images (Shutterstock)

Yesterday the IRS has launched a new portal to help you manage prepayments on the recently expanded child tax credit of up to $ 3,600 per child. The tax credit is complicated – as it is based on your estimated 2021 income – so be sure to use the portal to update your income and child dependency status (or opt out if you’d rather get a lump sum credit when filing your taxes) ). Here’s what you need to know.

How much is the child allowance worth?

The American Rescue Act increased the child tax credit from a maximum of $ 2,000 to $ 3,600 per child (but this varies based on income), with half that amount on the 15th month through the end of the year, either as a check or as a direct deposit .

These prepayments are limited to a maximum of $ 300 per month for each eligible child ages five and younger and $ 250 per month for children ages six to 17. This Lifehacker post provides more details on how the income limits work.

What does the Child Tax Credit Update Portal do?

For now is the Child tax credit update portal checks your eligibility for the payments and enables you (if you wish) to refuse to receive the monthly payments. However, per CNET, the portal will also be updated during this summer so that you can update your bank account information and mailing address and most importantly your income or Custody status.

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Why is that important? Because the prepayments are based on estimates based on your 2019 or 2020 income, your actual 2021 income may differ from what the IRS expects. For example, you could get a raise this year that would exclude you from being credited, forcing you to repay the prepayments later when you file your 2021 tax return. On the other hand, you may have had a child in 2021 that could entitle you to receive more cash as part of your prepayments. By keeping your income and child status updated, you can claim the money owed you with no surprises.

The opt-out option can be useful if you already know that your 2021 income will exclude you from the advance payment or another parent is already claiming your children as dependent.

Two other child tax credit tools to keep in mind

Yesterday the IRS did one too Child Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant, a questionnaire-like tool that can help you determine whether you are eligible for child tax prepayments.

Since the IRS also uses the income listed on your previous tax returns to determine if you qualify for the child tax credit, a Registration tool for non-filers was created for low income earners who typically do not file an income tax return (not required if you are making less than $ 12,000). For more information on how this tool works, see check out this Lifehacker post.

CDC says there may be possible a hyperlink between uncommon coronary heart infections in younger individuals after the Covid vaccination

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The headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tami Chapel | Reuters

A CDC safety group said there was a “likely link” between rare heart inflammation in adolescents and young adults, mostly after they received their second Covid-19 vaccine, citing the latest available data.

There have been more than 1,200 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis in 16- to 24-year-olds who received Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, according to a series of presentations released Wednesday for a CDC Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday Moderna received vaccination practices.

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle while pericarditis is the inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the heart.

“The clinical picture of myocarditis cases after vaccination was different and most often appeared within a week after the second dose, with chest pain being the most common manifestation,” said one of the presentations. CDC officials are collecting more data to fully understand the potential risks, how to deal with it, and if there are any long-term problems.

Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards

The agency said 267 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were reported after receiving one dose of the mRNA vaccines and 827 cases after two doses by June 11. There are 132 additional cases where the number of doses received is unknown, the CDC said.

By June 11, around 300 million shots had been administered, the CDC said.

Men under 30 make up the bulk of cases, the CDC said, and most cases appear to be mild. Of the 295 people who developed the disease and were discharged, 79% made a full recovery, according to the presentation. Nine people were hospitalized, according to the CDC, two of them in intensive care.

The CDC is coordinating its investigation with the Food and Drug Administration, which last month approved the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for adolescents ages 12-15. Symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath typically develop within a few days of receiving the vaccination, the agency said.

This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.

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