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Hereās what you need to know
US president Joe Biden announces a surge in testing to battle omicron. 500 million free at-home tests will be distributed, alongside an increase in testing sites, and military assistance.
The World Health Organization urged people to curb their holiday plans. āAn event canceled is better than a life canceled,ā said WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as omicron spreads unabated.
Meanwhile, there are new restrictions and delays all over the world. Many countries have imposed travel bans, while Davos is postponed, and the NHL becomes the first major US sports league to be suspended.
The US tightened up vehicle fuel-economy standards. On average, passenger cars and light trucks must aim for 40 miles to the gallon by 2026.
China Mobile aims to raise $8.8 billion in its Shanghai listing. The worldās largest mobile network operator was removed from the New York Stock Exchange during the Trump administration.
An Indian Foxconn plant reportedly remains closed. According to Reuters, the iPhone-manufacturing facility, key to Appleās strategy in India, is still shut because of protests that followed a food-poisoning outbreak.
What to watch for
While Joe Biden outlinesĀ new measures against the spread of omicron, which now accounts for 73% of new US covid cases, on FridayĀ the White House covid-19 response coordinator blamed unvaccinated peopleāaround 40% of the eligible population in the USāand all but said they deserve to get ill. Still:
š Alongside the misinformed and gullible, people are unvaccinated for many reasons, including illness, age, poor communication, and lack of access.
š¤ The responsibility for a covid-19 outbreak canāt be put on individuals.
š¤ This approach could lead to disease stigmatization, and treating illness as a moral failure.
š¤ Itās unlikely public shaming will do anything to help vaccine skeptics change their minds.
Joe Manchin is wrong aboutā¦
The West Virginia senator seems determined to be the lump of coal in the presidentās stocking this year. Manchin said Sunday that he wouldnāt vote for Bidenās signature Build Back Better legislation, a $1.75 trillion climate and social bill. He balks at the price tag, but some of the reasoning heās given, publicly and privately, for his lack of support is just wellā¦ wrong.
ā Energy prices have never been driven by āthe markets.ā The US currently subsidizes oil and gas production to the tune of about $20 billion per year.
ā Forgoing infrastructure investments isnāt a good way to save money. In the long run, ignoring climate change will be far more damaging to the US economy.
ā Americans arenāt using the child tax credit to buy drugsāthey are paying down debt, growing their savings, and buying essential items for their families.
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Surprising discoveries
To teach foraging, orangutans hoard food from their kids. Juveniles that reach for their momās easy-to-find flowers will get the cold shoulder.
A professor put directions to a hidden cash prize in his syllabus. The $50 was still there at the end of the semester.
Youāll soon be able to order TikTok food. The video-sharing siteās delivery-only kitchen will feature the appās most viral meals and snacks.
Listening to Drake makes you run slower. A study found that hotline bling can only mean a longer race time.
Companies typically operate 95% defect-free. Six Sigma wanted perfection, but it wouldnāt last, as editor Oliver Staley discusses in the latest episode of the Quartz Obsession podcast.
š§ Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google
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