The rapid spread of the omicron variant could be a major setback for efforts to reverse sharp inequality in the accessibility of effective coronavirus vaccines around the world, public health experts Continue Reading
Three separate teams of scientists on two continents have found that Omicron infections more often result in mild illness than earlier variants of the coronavirus, offering hope that the current Continue Reading
Fed by rain and snowmelt from mountains, this valley nestled among northwestern Afghanistan’s jagged peaks was once fertile. But the climate has changed in the last few decades, locals say, Continue Reading
India is reviewing a proposal to stop new coal-fired capacity construction under a plan to meet its climate pledges, Indian outlet The Economic Times reported on Wednesday, quoting sources familiar Continue Reading
India’s decision this week to ban agricultural trading contracts marks Narendra Modi’s latest effort to ease popular fears about rising inflation ahead of crucial state elections early next year. The Continue Reading
China is redoubling efforts to control new virus outbreaks with a lockdown of the 13 million residents of the northern city of Xi’an following a spike in coronavirus cases. The Continue Reading
China has locked down 13m people in the central city of Xi’an, as the country battles to contain increasingly frequent coronavirus outbreaks that threaten its economic recovery in the run-up Continue Reading
China has approved the merger of three leading rare earths companies, creating a state-owned powerhouse that will be the world’s largest producer of the strategic resource and strengthen government control Continue Reading
China’s independent refiners’ demand for bitumen blend has been slipping in recent weeks amid tepid margins for producing asphalt, largely due to seasonal slowdown in construction activity in winter, sources Continue Reading
Chinese property developers have been hit by record numbers of downgrades from international credit rating agencies this year, as Evergrande’s collapse fuels concerns over the health of China’s economy. The Continue Reading
U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of Continue Reading
The United States on Wednesday authorized Pfizer Inc’s (PFE.N) antiviral COVID-19 pill for at-risk people aged 12 and above, making it the first oral treatment and which can be taken Continue Reading
The pipes are laid, the taps installed and the village tank is under construction — all promising signs that, come spring, Girja Ahriwar will get water at her doorstep and Continue Reading
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the largest Chinese importer of liquefied natural gas, has signed a deal with U.S. firm Venture Global LNG to buy LNG from a new Continue Reading
Highlights CNOOC deals cover 3.5 million mt/year of LNG Flurry of activity this year as end-user prices soar An affiliate of China’s largest LNG importer, CNOOC, has agreed to buy Continue Reading
As the global pandemic hit, the world’s biggest maker of electric car batteries, a Chinese company now worth more than General Motors and Ford combined, suddenly faced its own crisis. Continue Reading
China’s gasoil output from refinery hit a record high of 16.45 million mt, or 4.09 million b/d, in November in response to Beijing’s call to ensure domestic supply, data from Continue Reading
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster than the Delta variant and is causing infections in people already vaccinated or who have recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the Continue Reading
The Omicron variant caused more than 70% of recent Covid-19 cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday, highlighting its substantial increase in infectiousness compared with earlier Continue Reading
China’s voracious appetite for natural gas has sparked a wave of deals with US exporters of the fuel, strengthening energy trade between the world’s two biggest economies even as their Continue Reading
A growing body of preliminary research suggests the Covid vaccines used in most of the world offer almost no defense against becoming infected by the highly contagious Omicron variant. All Continue Reading
Chinese companies are laying off tens of thousands of workers as Beijing’s regulatory clampdowns weigh on the technology, education and property sectors, which in many cases offered higher salaries than Continue Reading
Highlights Jan-Nov exports at 38.5 mil mt, exceeds 2021 export quotas Exports include quota-free re-export barrels Gasoil exports rise as oversupply at home China’s gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel exports Continue Reading
A booster shot of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine significantly raises the level of antibodies that can thwart the Omicron variant, the company announced on Monday. The news arrives as Omicron Continue Reading
Officials and public health experts are strengthening their calls for people to get booster shots as the omicron variant proliferates across the United States, where less than a third of Continue Reading
The risk of reinfection with the Omicron coronavirus variant is more than five times higher and it has shown no sign of being milder than Delta, a study showed, as Continue Reading
Independent Chinese refineries increased its crude oil imports from Iran last month as the government issued a new batch of import quotas. Total crude imports were up by almost 40 Continue Reading
China extended its defense of coal’s future after diluting demands for action at the COP26 climate summit, insisting a transition away from the dirtiest fossil fuel must be gradual. “In Continue Reading
Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, the United States is confronting another dark winter, with the red-hot Omicron variant threatening to worsen an already dangerous surge of cases. Hospitalizations for Continue Reading
Watch time-lapse footage showing the long Eurostar queue at London’s St Pancras station on Friday evening The Omicron variant is “spreading at lightning speed” in Europe and will likely become Continue Reading
AstraZeneca said on Thursday a lab-study of its COVID-19 antibody cocktail, Evusheld, found that the treatment retained neutralising activity against the Omicron coronavirus variant, showing promise for wider use of Continue Reading
India is going all-in on renewable energy, with big plans to scale up its solar sector. As a part of the move, India is looking to cut ties with China Continue Reading
Driven by high refinery throughput, China likely drew crude oil from its commercial and strategic inventories in November, according to estimates from Reuters columnist Clyde Russell . Chinese crude imports Continue Reading
Residents of America’s biggest cities are struggling to book vaccine appointments because of the rising wave of the Omicron coronavirus variant and a rush in demand for booster shots before Continue Reading
The U.K. recorded the highest number of confirmed new COVID-19 infections Wednesday since the pandemic began, and England’s chief medical officer warned the situation is likely to get worse as Continue Reading
India’s refinery runs to rise by 370,000 b/d in 2022: Platts Analytics Refiners say it’s too early to alter throughput plans due to omicron State refiners seal multiple crude deals; Continue Reading
A combination of China’s policies to curb pollution in time for the Winter Olympics, its crackdown on illegal practices at independent refiners, and its zero-COVID policy with intermittent lockdowns are Continue Reading
China’s Economy Slows as Property Slump Deepens China is likely to set a floor for economic growth of 5% next year as it tries to balance a desire to rein Continue Reading
China and Qatar have signed another long-term LNG contract, with Qatar set to send 1 million tons per annum to China starting in 2024 As a key U.S. ally and Continue Reading
The omicron variant appears to cause less severe disease than previous versions of the coronavirus, and the Pfizer vaccine seems to offer less defense against infection from it but still Continue Reading
The first large real-world study of how vaccines hold up against Omicron found that two shots of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccine lowered the risk of hospital admission by 70% for patients infected with the Continue Reading
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been less effective in South Africa at keeping people infected with the virus out of hospital since the Omicron variant emerged last month, a real-world study Continue Reading
Executive Summary Absent any additional policies, our analysis in this alternative International Energy Outlook 2021 (IEO2021) case indicates that an increase in wages in China does not lead to a Continue Reading
Highlights Refining margins remain high ZPC raises throughput on the back of sufficient quotas Feedstock inventories fall for second month in a row China’s independent refiners in Shandong province lifted Continue Reading
China’s economy took a knock last month from an ongoing property market slump and sporadic Covid outbreaks, prompting economists to warn that recent easing measures may not be enough to Continue Reading
Highlights January-November throughput up 5% to 14.2 million b/d Throughput in 2022 to rise 512,000 b/d: Platts Analytics November crude output gains 2.7% on year to 3.99 mil b/d Chinese Continue Reading
Pfizer’s oral Covid treatment, Paxlovid, being produced in a laboratory in Freiburg, Germany. It includes a new pill, nirmatrelvir, as well as an existing medicine, ritonavir, that helps it remain Continue Reading
Top federal health officials warned in a briefing Tuesday morning that the omicron variant is rapidly spreading in the United States and could peak in a massive wave of infections Continue Reading
The Netherlands will extend COVID-19 restrictions through the Christmas holidays, including the early closure of schools, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday. The rapid spread of the Omicron Continue Reading
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a meeting of the College of Commissioners, in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday, Dec. 14 2021. The College will discuss on a comprehensive Continue Reading
