The virtual universe of metaverse will alter technology addiction and diversify its effects, according to an Istanbul-based expert.

Social media specialist Deniz Unay told Anadolu Agency that the metaverse will be a much-debated topic in the years to come, leading to an evolution of our understanding of addiction.

The metaverse transforms the common smart device experiences into virtual and augmented reality through equipment such as virtual reality glasses and gloves, which will allow people to have near-realistic experiences in a virtual environment, he said.

Unay added that events such as business meetings and doctor’s appointments which do not require medication are expected to find more place in daily life with the metaverse.

“In fact, we will do most of our work on the metaverse faster and with the comfort of our home or office,” he said.

Touching on the environmental advantage of the new technology, Unay said that the opportunity to perform everyday activities virtually will gradually reduce the carbon emission rate.

He stated that the majority of private cars and public transportation systems use fossil fuels, and electric-based systems may still depend on the energy produced from fossil fuels.

“Humanity needs to act immediately to reduce its carbon footprint for future generations. The first step to achieve this is to decrease the need for transportation,” Unay remarked.

Addiction, impacts on health

The expert said that people will be spending long hours wearing virtual reality glasses and gloves, which can turn into an addiction over time.

“The metaverse will not only be used for business, education, and shopping but will also completely change people’s understanding of games and entertainment,” Unay argued. “In the virtual universe of metaverse, games, entertainment and dating conversations will attract people even more with augmented reality.”

Still, the overall impact of metaverse on people will be negative, he warned, citing a study conducted by the University of Leeds, in which children who used virtual reality glasses for 20 minutes had difficulty in understanding the distances of real objects as a result of a condition known as vergence-accommodation conflict.

Besides, the long-term use of virtual reality glasses within a few centimeters of the human eye will cause serious eye problems besides the difficulty in distinguishing virtual from reality, Unay added, as people will be exposed to more powerful and light-intensive images detrimental to the eye.

He underlined that the technology will also entail a more sedentary life that can lead to a range of diseases from heart failure to pancreatic problems, certain types of cancer, and muscle and cardiovascular ailments.

Unay further stated that people’s perception of reality will gradually change after experiencing virtual life for an extended period.

“People will experience internal indecisions between the real and virtual world, and as a result, the brain will prefer the virtual universe more with the effect of dopamine,” he explained.

Restrictions necessary to protect children

Unay said that the positive and negative effects of the virtual universe on people should be observed and monitored. “It is necessary to apply certain age and time restrictions, especially in order for it not to adversely affect children and young people.”

He warned that certain applications in the metaverse may threaten the physical and cognitive development of children and young people, which makes precautions necessary for lower age groups.

Unay further advised avoiding virtual reality glasses or other apparatus for extended periods of time, and complying with the legal and ethical rules for applications set from the beginning./agencies

The Bank of England on Thursday increased interest rates by 0.15 percentage points, to 0.25%, for the first time in more than three years, a bank statement said.

The Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 in favor of the increase from a record low of 0.1%.

Citing concerns over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the bank said "additional measures will push down on GDP in December and in 2022 Q1."

The bank also said upward pressure on inflation is expected to dissipate over time, as supply disruption eases, global demand rebalances from goods to services, and energy prices stops rising.

"Inflation was projected to fall back materially from the second half of next year," it added.

The bank will also continue the stock of UK government bond purchases, financed by the issuance of central bank reserves, at £875 billion ($1.16 trillion), and so the total target stock of asset purchases at £895 billion," it said./aa

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that omicron has become the dominant variant of coronavirus, accounting for 73% of cases in the country.

In a statement, the CDC said the rate of omicron in sequenced cases had increased six times in just one week.

In the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest, the new variant is responsible for 90% of new infections.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a tweet: "National genomic surveillance estimates Omicron accounts for around 73% of COVID19 cases. This sharp rise is similar to what has been seen in other countries."

"CDC continues to closely monitor Omicron and respond to this surge," she added./aa

Spanish police said Tuesday that they rescued 105 migrants who were adrift at sea in a small boat between the Canary Islands and the West African coast.

They had been at sea for more than two weeks but were still 440 miles from the Spanish Canary Islands and 160 miles from Nouadhibou, Mauritania.

When Spanish police arrived, many people could not walk due to exhaustion and dehydration.

It took three days to reach Spain on the rescue ship and most were able to recover by the time they arrived at the Spanish island of Tenerife. Three people, however, had to be treated in a local hospital.

Police said everyone on the cayuco, a small homemade canoe, was male and from Sub-Saharan Africa.

So far this year, nearly 21,000 migrants have successfully taken the treacherous journey through the Atlantic to reach the Canary Islands, according to the Interior Ministry.

That is just 4.8% fewer people than at the same time in 2020 when the migration system of Gran Canaria island basically collapsed due to the historic influx of arrivals.

Yet, this year, the route has claimed more lives than ever before.

A record 937 people were confirmed to have died on the route this year, but the phenomenon of “invisible shipwrecks” could account for hundreds of more deaths, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The organization Caminando Fronteras estimates that 2,087 people died in the first half of 2021 – nearly the same number thought to have died throughout the whole of 2020.

This year, the route to the Canary Islands has been the scene of around one-third of all 2,720 confirmed deaths on migration routes to and within Europe. It also represents more than one-fifth of the 4,470 migrant deaths that the IOM has confirmed so far this year across the globe.

“Mass tragedies involving migration have increasingly become normalized,” said the organization in a statement, urging states to do more to reduce the risks that people are forced to take during migration journeys./aa

Oil prices increased on Tuesday, but concerns remain over anticipated lower global oil demand from surging COVID-19 omicron variant cases and the potential adoption of more restrictive measures.

International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $72.16 per barrel at 0700 GMT for a 0.89% increase after closing the previous session at $71.52 a barrel.

American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was at $69.47 per barrel at the same time for a 1.25% gain after trade ended at $68.61 a barrel in the previous session.

American firm Moderna said on Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appeared to protect against the omicron variant in laboratory testing, providing some hope of economic recovery and support to the oil market.

A 50 microgram booster dose produced a 37-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies, the company said in a statement.

The results add to a growing body of evidence that three shots will be needed to neutralize the fast-spreading variant.

Earlier this month, Pfizer-BioNTech also claimed that a third shot of their vaccine neutralizes the omicron variant.

However, oil markets are cautious over the rapid spread of omicron globally on global economies, as more countries consider imposing restrictions.

According to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus more than 3.3 million people have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year.

Tedros also said 'there is now consistent evidence that omicron is spreading significantly faster than the delta variant.'

Investors are now awaiting US crude oil inventory data from the American Petroleum Institute that will be released later in the day./aa

Japan on Tuesday hanged three convicts marking a first under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who assumed power in October this year.

It is also the first time in two years that Japan has hanged death-row inmates.

Japan’s Ministry of Justice identified the three convicts as Yasutaka Fujishiro, 65, who had killed seven of his relatives in Hyogo province in 2004, and Tomoaki Takanezawa, 54, and Mitsunori Onogawa, 44, who were convicted of killing two employees at two separate pachinko parlors in Gunma province in 2003, Kyodo News reported.

At a time when two-thirds of countries around the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, Kishida’s government has insisted that Japan cannot abolish the law.

“Many Japanese think the death penalty is unavoidable in the case of extremely malicious crimes,” Seiji Kihara, Japan’s deputy chief cabinet secretary, told reporters following the executions./aa

At least 14 are dead in floods that have ravaged Malaysia since Saturday, local news reported on Tuesday.

Eight bodies have been recovered in the western state of Selangor, where the capital Kuala Lumpur is located, along with six others in the neighboring Pahang state, and four more still reported missing the Bernama news agency reported.

"This brings the tally of people who perished in the floods which struck eight states to 14," it said.

Despite an improvement in the weather, the floods have not receded in most of the states affected by the natural disaster since Saturday, it added.

More than 60,000 flood victims across the country have been evacuated from their homes, according to the National Disaster Management Agency, including nearly 35,000 in Pahang.

In a statement, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced intensified efforts to evacuate residents still trapped in their flooded homes.

"The government has allocated 100 million Malaysian ringgits ($23.7 million) for post-flood recovery activities to repair damaged houses and infrastructure," he said.

The prime minister said the Social Welfare Department was also preparing cooked meals to be sent to victims at home and relief centers.

Malaysia's worst flooding in decades took place in 2014, forcing about 118,000 people to flee their homes./agencies

The Kuwaiti Cabinet on Monday decided to impose a third shot on those who got vaccinated against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) nine months earlier, as of January 2nd. The Cabinet meeting was held under chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Bassel Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said. The Cabinet listened to a detailed presentation made by Dr. Bassel, who also Acting Foreign Minister and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, on the latest developments in the country.

Efforts
The minister briefed the Cabinet on the ongoing efforts and precautionary measures to control the variant and maintain the heath situation in the country. Moreover, the Cabinet studied the ministerial coronavirus committee’s recommendations and took some relevant decisions. Due to the tangible increase in the coronavirus cases in many countries around the world, the Cabinet advised both citizens and expats not to travel, unless necessary, and to follow all health guidelines and precautions to overcome this phase.

The Cabinet tasked the field teams and committees with implementing accurately the health requirements to stem the outbreak of coronavirus, Dr. Bassel said. The Cabinet said that all incoming passengers must have a negative PCR test 48 hours ahead of arrival in Kuwait. After arriving in Kuwait, the passengers are subject to a 10-day home quarantine, but they can end the quarantine before this period if they have a negative PCR test 72 hours after their arrival. This decision will come into effect as of December 26./Agencies