reduction | Common News Update

Mar172021 by adminNo Comments

Covid: NHS warns of ‘significant reduction’ in vaccines

Health

The NHS has warned of a "significant reduction in the weekly supply" of Covid vaccines in England next month in a letter to local health organisations.The letter says there has been a "reduction in national inbound vaccines supply" and asks organisations to "ensure no further appointments are uploaded" to booking systems in April.The health secretary said it was a "standard" letter.The BBC understands no-one who has booked a vaccine should lose a slot. Asked about it during a Downing Street coronavirus briefing, Matt Hancock said the NHS regularly sent out "technical letters" that explained the "ups and downs" of supply.BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has been told that fewer AstraZeneca vaccines are available than expected. I'm told the problem is fewer Astra Zeneca vaccines are ava...

Nov172020 by adminNo Comments

US announces sharp reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq

World

US President Donald Trump will cut his country's military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon has announced.Acting defence secretary Christopher Miller said the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan will fall from 4,500 to 2,500 by the time Mr Trump leaves office early next year. The number of troops in Iraq will be reduced from around 3,000 to 2,500.This is expected to be completed just five days before Joe Biden takes over as president on 20 January, although President Trump has still refused to acknowledge his election loss. Image: These US soldiers returned from Afghanistan in 2013 but thousands of their colleagues remain The plan comes despite arguments from senior military officials in favour of a slower withdrawal, es...

Jun152020 by adminNo Comments

U.S. confirms plan for troop reduction in Germany

Business

June 12 (UPI) -- A plan to remove one-third of U.S soldiers currently stationed in Germany was confirmed this week by the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Germany. "American taxpayers no longer feel like paying too much for the defense of other countries," said Ambassador Richard Grenell in an interview on Thursday. Advertisement "There will still be 25,000 soldiers in Germany, that's no small number," Grenell said. "No one should be surprised that [President] Donald Trump is pulling troops and bringing them home. There has been a lot of discussion." He added that plans include U.S. troop reductions in Japan and South Korea. Earlier this month Grenell formally resigned as ambassador to join Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. There are more than 34,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Germa...

Oct172019 by adminNo Comments

Lockheed to study risk reduction, deliverability of redesigned nuclear warhead

Business

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $ 108.3 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for research on the Mk21A Reentry Vehicle for use with a redesigned nuclear warhead. The deal, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, calls for risk reduction and technology maturation studies to offer a low-cost, low technical risk re-entry vehicle capable of delivering the W87-1 nuclear warhead using the Air Force's Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Weapon System. The re-entry vehicle components include a high velocity nose tip, high impulse transducer, fuse, electronic devices, and various shells and other external bodywork. The W-78 series is one of the oldest nuclear warheads in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, dating to 1979. A modification program, W87-1, began with feasibility stud...

Feb22019 by adminNo Comments

RBI may hit pause button on interest rate reduction

Finance

A rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India, which was seen as a certainty until Thursday, looks unlikely now thanks to the expansionary budget. Economists said that by increasing spending and borrowing, the government will be boosting consumption and widening the fiscal deficit. This, in turn, will put a pressure on inflation, thereby reducing the headroom for the RBI to cut key interest rates. According to Radhika Rao, economist with DBS Bank, RBI is likely to factor in the modest slippage in the fiscal deficit target at its February 7 monetary policy review. “Nonetheless, with the broader fiscal targets not deviating sharply from the consolidation path, we expect the RBI to prioritise its price stability mandate,” she said. Next week’s policy is likely to see RBI shift i...