Pandemic

Maersk had more cash than it knew what to do with — but not anymore

Last week, Maersk management announced that the company was suspending its share buyback program and cutting its dividend by 88%, signaling the end of an era when managing and deploying an enormous excess of capital was the top concern for the shipping line’s executive team. Maersk’s stock price dropped by approximately 16%. Now that the company’s pandemic-era bonanza is well and truly over, it’s time to take a retrospective look at how Maersk invested its cash when profits were pouring in by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/maersk-had-more-cash-than-it-knew-what-to-do-with-but-not-anymore

RCL Offloads Aging Container Ships for Scrap During Earnings Decline

Credit: The Load Star/ Paul Jiang

Thai regional box carrier Regional Container Lines (RCL), seeing falling profits, has stepped up the demolition of its elderly tonnage. This month, with container freight rates still under pressure, RCL said its net profit for Q2 23 was down 37% year on year, to THB576m ($16.33m).

Q2 Revenue Decline
  • The average revenue in Q2 dropped from $394 per teu in Q1 23 to $353, driven by high competition after the market returned to the post-pandemic ‘normal’, with lower...

https://mfame.guru/rcl-offloads-aging-container-ships-for-scrap-during-earnings-decline/

American Sovereignty Is Not Ceded By The WHO’s Draught ‘Pandemic Pact’

Credit: Manuel/Unsplash

CLAIM: The World Health Organization will have the power to regulate U.S. policies during a pandemic, including those on vaccinations, lockdowns, school closures, and more, according to a legally enforceable “pandemic pact”.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The voluntary treaty, which is still in draught form and won’t be ratified for many years, does not preempt any country’s right to enact unique pandemic-related laws, according to numerous experts, including one engaged in the...

https://mfame.guru/american-sovereignty-is-not-ceded-by-the-whos-draught-pandemic-pact/

The Nature Of The Immune Responses Induced by Various COVID-19 Vaccines

Credits: Fusion Medical Animation/Unsplash

In a recent study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, researchers reviewed existing achievements and shortcomings in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine platforms, as well as future-generation vaccine considerations, reports News Medical Life Sciences.

Background

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many effective and safe vaccinations against various SARS-CoV-2 variants were developed....

https://mfame.guru/the-nature-of-the-immune-responses-induced-by-various-covid-19-vaccines/

Muscle Aches, Pains Now Among Top COVID Symptoms

Credits: Joshua Fernandez/Unsplash

According to ZOE Health Study (a health science company staking claim to running the “world’s largest COVID science project with over four million participants”), their latest data finds that the top symptoms reported by contributors with positive COVID tests are:

  • A sore throat
  • A runny nose
  • A blocked nose
  • Sneezing
  • A cough without phlegm

ZOE Health Study reportedly listed only the top five symptoms. But over time, the health science company said their COVID...

https://mfame.guru/muscle-aches-pains-now-among-top-covid-symptoms/

G20 Countries Are Looking For Guidance From One Health

Credits: Juliana Kozoski/ Unsplash

The G20 countries are looking for guidance from the One Health Quadripartite in operationalizing One Health (OH) approaches, says an article published on their site.

Seven recommendations

In 2022, the Quadripartite supported the Indonesian G20 Presidency by developing the Lombok G20 One Health Policy Brief. Multiple consultations with governments and input from the One Health High-Level Expert Panel helped identify seven recommendations for countries to scale up...

https://mfame.guru/g20-countries-are-looking-for-guidance-from-one-health/

Key Chinese Transport Hubs Shuts Down, Supply Chain Hobbles Again

Lockdowns in key Chinese port cities are again hampering supply chains, despite a “muted” peak season. And President Xi gave no indication of a change to China’s zero-Covid policy at the Communist Party Congress this week, where he is expected to obtain a record third five-year term in office, reports The Loadstar.

Impact on Supply chains

Indeed, in what has now become a regular occurrence, Covid restrictions are impacting supply chains in Ningbo, Shanghai, and Tianjin.

Ningbo is the worst...

https://mfame.guru/key-chinese-transport-hubs-shuts-down-supply-chain-hobbles-again/

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