With spike in ageing population, China is now scrambling for damage-control by finding out ways to tackle the imminent crisis. In this quest, Beijing is now planning to raise its retirement age gradually and in phases, country's state media outlet Global Times reported on Tuesday quoting a senior expert from China's Ministry of Human Resources.

Jin Weigang, president of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences, said China was aiming to have a "progressive, flexible and differentiated path to raising the retirement age."&nbsp;This suggested that the retirement age will initially be delayed for just a couple of months however, it can later be increased in phases.&nbsp;

"People nearing retirement age will only have to delay retirement for several months," Jin said.&nbsp;"The most important feature of the reform is allowing people to choose when to retire according to their circumstances and conditions."

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But there has been no official announcement on the same and things are still in the pipeline as the country find its way to implement the new norms and changes in the face of shrinking youth working population.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Currently, China's retirement age stands at 60 for men and 55 for white-collar women. Meanwhile, the retirement age for for women working in factories is 50 years.&nbsp;Li Qiang, who took over the reins of China's new premiere on Saturday, is already embarking to tackle the country's economic challenges, both domestic and international.

He is a close ally of the Chinese President Xi Jinping and is expected to achieve a shake up of the country's slumbering economy.&nbsp;Li on Monday said that the China will follow an analytical&nbsp;approach before it rolls out any policy. China's 1.4 billion population is the largest in the world, even though as per reports India will overcome China in terms of population in 2023.&nbsp;

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China's now scrapped one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2015, also proved to be a significant setback for the country as its implementation led to a fall in population. Now, as the nation's ageing population increases the country is also coming under pressure for pension budgets. Paying pensions to the spiking ageing population is not seen as a sustainable approach.&nbsp;

A total of 31 provinces are fronting the issue of pension budget deficit. The situation is so dire that as per the data by the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences the pension system will run out of money by 2035. Now, the policymakers are thinking on their feet to address the crippling issue that has marred the nation in recent years.&nbsp;

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Country's life expectancy has also risen from around 44 years in 1960 to 78 years as of 2021. This is higher than in the US and is projected to exceed 80 years by 2050.

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With spike in ageing population, China is now scrambling for damage-control by finding out ways to tackle the imminent crisis. In this quest, Beijing is now planning to raise its retirement age gradually and in phases, country's state media outlet Global Times reported on Tuesday quoting a senior expert from China's Ministry of Human Resources.

With spike in ageing population, China is now scrambling for damage-control by finding out ways to tackle the imminent crisis. In this quest, Beijing is now planning to raise its retirement age gradually and in phases, country's state media outlet Global Times reported on Tuesday quoting a senior expert from China's Ministry of Human Resources. Jin Weigang, president of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences, said China was aiming to have a "progressive, flexible and differentiated path to raising the retirement age." This suggested that the retirement age will initially be delayed for just a couple of months however, it can later be increased in phases. "People nearing retirement age will only have to delay retirement for several months," Jin said. "The most important feature of the reform is allowing people to choose when to retire according to their circumstances and conditions." Also Read | ISRO officials and Bhutan government inaugurate ground station of Indo-Bhutan satellite But there has been no official announcement on the same and things are still in the pipeline as the country find its way to implement the new norms and changes in the face of shrinking youth working population. Currently, China's retirement age stands at 60 for men and 55 for white-collar women. Meanwhile, the retirement age for for women working in factories is 50 years. Li Qiang, who took over the reins of China's new premiere on Saturday, is already embarking to tackle the country's economic challenges, both domestic and international. He is a close ally of the Chinese President Xi Jinping and is expected to achieve a shake up of the country's slumbering economy. Li on Monday said that the China will follow an analytical approach before it rolls out any policy. China's 1.4 billion population is the largest in the world, even though as per reports India will overcome China in terms of population in 2023. Also Read | India's top court rejects plea on increased compensation for 1984 industrial disaster victims China's now scrapped one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2015, also proved to be a significant setback for the country as its implementation led to a fall in population. Now, as the nation's ageing population increases the country is also coming under pressure for pension budgets. Paying pensions to the spiking ageing population is not seen as a sustainable approach. A total of 31 provinces are fronting the issue of pension budget deficit. The situation is so dire that as per the data by the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences the pension system will run out of money by 2035. Now, the policymakers are thinking on their feet to address the crippling issue that has marred the nation in recent years. Watch | Indonesia's new capital at the cost of environment? Country's life expectancy has also risen from around 44 years in 1960 to 78 years as of 2021. This is higher than in the US and is projected to exceed 80 years by 2050. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China to raise retirement age to tackle ageing population

10 countries projected to have the largest populations by 2100

Scientists have recently discovered remnants of ancient humans who lived in Africa about half a million years ago.

The genes of these humans continue to live on in people inhabiting the planet contemporarily, The Guardian reported.

It has been dubbed the ''ghost population''

The researchers stumbled upon the traces while analysing genomes from populations in West Africa.

They claimed that a fifth of the sample DNA came from the ''ghost population''.

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According to researchers, modern west Africans interbred with the yet-to-be-discovered archaic humans over thousands of years ago, similar to the copulation of ancient Europeans with Neanderthals.

“In the west Africans we looked at, all have ancestry from this unknown archaic population,” said Sriram Sankararaman, a computational biologist who led the research at the University of California in Los Angeles to The Guardian.

A long time ago, the world was inhabited by human species or subspecies that were related to each other. Upon interaction with each other, mating was inevitable.

<h6><img alt="pppp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1264ad2e-eaf9-458a-b7da-2f05508d40f2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%283%29.jpg" /> 
Handout photo released by the CNRS on September 2, 2014 shows lines engraved into rock made by Neanderthals at the Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar | AFP</h6>

&nbsp; 
Consequently, modern Europeans have bit of Neanderthal genes. Similarly, Australians, Polynesians, and Melanesians carry genes from Denisovans.

There were speculations earlier of ancient humans roaming Africa, but with no proof.

Arun Durvasula and Sankararaman, the researchers on the project gathered 405 genomes from multiple West African populations, and followed it up with statistical techniques.

The goal was to ascertain whether interbreeding had possibly happened in the past, which the results suggested it did.

Then the researchers looked out for inconsistencies in the DNA, ie, the ghost population. With extrapolation, they realised that these probably came from ancient relatives that had no proof of existence.

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“They seem to have made a pretty substantial impact on the genomes of the present day individuals we studied,” Sankararaman said. “They account for 2% to 19% of their genetic ancestry”, the researcher added.

The sample populations grouped as four came from three countries: two from Nigeria, and one each from Sierra Leone and the Gambia.

Even though difficult to ascertain, the researchers believe that that ''ghost population'' split from the ancestors of Neanderthals and modern humans between 360,000 and 1 million years ago.

“It’s very likely that the true picture is much more complicated,” he said.

“We do not know what this African population may have been. It is tempting to speculate. But I’ve got to say it is just too soon to know. We haven’t discovered enough fossils in most of Africa to say we know what was there”, Sankararaman added.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/scientists-warn-a-million-species-at-risk-of-extinction-216395">One million species risk extinction due to modern civilisation</a>

Scientists have recently discovered remnants of ancient humans who lived in Africa about half a million years ago. The genes of these humans continue to live on in people inhabiting the planet contemporarily, The Guardian reported.

Scientists have recently discovered remnants of ancient humans who lived in Africa about half a million years ago. The genes of these humans continue to live on in people inhabiting the planet contemporarily, The Guardian reported. It has been dubbed the ''ghost population'' The researchers stumbled upon the traces while analysing genomes from populations in West Africa. They claimed that a fifth of the sample DNA came from the ''ghost population''. Also read: California Academy of Sciences discovers 71 new species of animals and plants this year According to researchers, modern west Africans interbred with the yet-to-be-discovered archaic humans over thousands of years ago, similar to the copulation of ancient Europeans with Neanderthals. “In the west Africans we looked at, all have ancestry from this unknown archaic population,” said Sriram Sankararaman, a computational biologist who led the research at the University of California in Los Angeles to The Guardian. A long time ago, the world was inhabited by human species or subspecies that were related to each other. Upon interaction with each other, mating was inevitable. Handout photo released by the CNRS on September 2, 2014 shows lines engraved into rock made by Neanderthals at the Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar | AFP Consequently, modern Europeans have bit of Neanderthal genes. Similarly, Australians, Polynesians, and Melanesians carry genes from Denisovans. There were speculations earlier of ancient humans roaming Africa, but with no proof. Arun Durvasula and Sankararaman, the researchers on the project gathered 405 genomes from multiple West African populations, and followed it up with statistical techniques. The goal was to ascertain whether interbreeding had possibly happened in the past, which the results suggested it did. Then the researchers looked out for inconsistencies in the DNA, ie, the ghost population. With extrapolation, they realised that these probably came from ancient relatives that had no proof of existence. Also read: DNA research reveals two new species of eel that delivers strongest electric jolt “They seem to have made a pretty substantial impact on the genomes of the present day individuals we studied,” Sankararaman said. “They account for 2% to 19% of their genetic ancestry”, the researcher added. The sample populations grouped as four came from three countries: two from Nigeria, and one each from Sierra Leone and the Gambia. Even though difficult to ascertain, the researchers believe that that ''ghost population'' split from the ancestors of Neanderthals and modern humans between 360,000 and 1 million years ago. “It’s very likely that the true picture is much more complicated,” he said. “We do not know what this African population may have been. It is tempting to speculate. But I’ve got to say it is just too soon to know. We haven’t discovered enough fossils in most of Africa to say we know what was there”, Sankararaman added. Also read: One million species risk extinction due to modern civilisation

Ghost populations? Scientists find evidence of unnacounted human species in Africa

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