Bolivia’s immunization drive against COVID-19 is being hit by anti-vaccine misinformation that is stoking skepticism and leaving inoculation centers half empty, a challenge for the government facing a wave of new infections. Health workers and officials have raised concerns about low turnout at some vaccination sites, saying jabs are going …
Read More »EU freezes China investment deal ratification until Beijing lifts sanctions
The European Parliament halted on Thursday ratification of a new investment pact with China until Beijing lifts sanctions on EU politicians, deepening a dispute in Sino-European relations and denying EU companies greater access to China. The resolution to freeze ratification passed with 599 votes in favor, 30 votes against, and …
Read More »Microsoft to unplug Internet Explorer next year as it seeks edge in browser war
Microsoft Corp is pulling the plug on its once omnipresent browser, Internet Explorer, next year as it prepares to battle market leader Chrome with its slicker Edge browser. Launched in 1995, Internet Explorer became the dominant browser for over a decade as it was bundled with Microsoft’s Windows operating system …
Read More »World’s largest iceberg breaks off from Antarctica
A huge iceberg, the world’s largest, has broken off from an ice shelf in Antarctica and is floating through the Weddell Sea, the European Space Agency said. Called A-76 and roughly the shape of Manhattan but more than 70 times bigger, it was picked up on satellite images and is …
Read More »Juventus wins Coppa Italia as Cristiano Ronaldo cements domestic dominance
After what has been a difficult season, Juventus did at least give its fans something to cheer about with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final. Federico Chiesa scored a 73rd-minute winner for Juventus after Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskiy had canceled out Dejan Kulusevski’s opener. The victory means …
Read More »Number of IDPs in the world reaches a record high of 55m
Intense storms, persistent conflicts, and explosions of violence forced 40.5 million people to become newly displaced within their countries last year. Conflicts and natural disasters forced someone to flee within their own country every second of last year, pushing the number of people living in internal displacement to a record …
Read More »Iraq GDP per capita in 2020 dropped 30% to touch 4 thousand dollars
Iraq’s Ministry of Planning revealed, on Wednesday, that in 2020, the GDP per capita in Iraq has trended to nearly five million dinars. “According to the report of the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Iraq GDP per capita was projected to 4.950 million dinars (about 4.2 thousand dollars) in 2020, …
Read More »EU wants firm pledges from tech giants in fake news fight
Facebook, Alphabet unit Google, and other tech giants will have to pledge to do more to curb the monetisation of false information through advertisement placements, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. The EU executive also wants smaller social media or search services, private messaging services, ad exchanges, …
Read More »Mexico’s president sees central bank controlling inflation
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday he was confident the country’s central bank will act to control inflation as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Mexican annual inflation accelerated slightly faster than expected in April to 6.08%, its highest level since December 2017.
Read More »NASA and ESA capture twin solar eruptions in incredible detail for 1st time in proof-of-concept for early warning system
Using a variety of probes including the new Solar Orbiter, NASA and the ESA have captured multiple solar eruptions, made up of billions of tons of plasma, in unprecedented detail. NASA and the European Space Agency launched the Solar Orbiter probe in February 2020 and it made its first close …
Read More »EU agrees to open doors to vaccinated foreigners
European Union countries agreed on Wednesday to ease COVID-19 travel restrictions on non-EU visitors ahead of the summer tourist season, a move that could open the bloc’s door to all Britons and to vaccinated Americans. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries approved a European Commission proposal from May 3 to …
Read More »China releases first photos from Mars rover Zhurong as it successfully lands on red planet
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has published images taken by the Martian rover Zhurong during the landing process of the country’s first Mars exploration, the Tianwen-1 mission. On Wednesday, the CNSA published two images taken by Zhurong, showing a successful landing on the red planet. The images show the …
Read More »India records the pandemic’s highest daily death toll for a single country.
India recorded 4,529 Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, the pandemic’s highest single daily death toll in any country so far, the authorities said on Wednesday, as the virus spread into the country’s vast hinterlands. The previous deadliest day for a single country was recorded in the United States in January when …
Read More »Malawi becomes the first African country to burn thousands of Covid-19 vaccine doses
Health authorities in Malawi have incinerated 19,610 expired doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, saying it will reassure the public that any vaccines they do get are safe. It is the first African country to publicly do this. The World Health Organization initially urged countries not to destroy expired doses …
Read More »Bitcoin slides below $40,000 after China’s new crypto ban
Bitcoin tumbled below the $40,000 mark on Wednesday to a 3-1/2 month low as selling in digital coins intensified after China banned financial and payment institutions from providing cryptocurrency services. Bitcoin, the biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, had already been under pressure from a series of tweets from Tesla boss Elon …
Read More »IOC seeks to allay Tokyo Olympics fears amid cancellation call
Sporting body chief offers Tokyo medical help, says most residents at Olympic Village will be vaccinated. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sought to reassure a Japanese public anxious over Tokyo’s hosting of the Summer Games during the coronavirus pandemic, announcing that most athletes will be vaccinated before the sporting …
Read More »Benzema named in France’s squad for Euro 2020
Recall ends the striker’s five-and-a-half-year absence over alleged role in a blackmail plot. Karim Benzema has been named in France’s provisional Euro 2020 squad, giving the Real Madrid striker an international recall after a five-and-a-half-year absence over his alleged role in a blackmail plot. The 33-year-old has not played for …
Read More »Iraqi Health Ministry warns: The third wave is the next challenge for the country
The Ministry of Health and Environment has warned of a third epidemic wave of Coronavirus in the country. The Director-General of the Ministry’s Public Health Department, Riyadh Abdel-Amir Al-Halfi, said in a press statement today, Tuesday: “The infection rates have begun to be waived and we expect to continue in …
Read More »Tokyo doctors call for cancellation of Olympic Games due to COVID-19
A top medical organization has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games. The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association representing about 6,000 primary care doctors …
Read More »Bank of America to raise US minimum hourly wage to $25 by 2025
Bank of America plans to raise its minimum wage for U.S. workers to $25 an hour by 2025, the latest among major firms promising to pay employees more after a year of pandemic risks and government subsidies that fueled conversations on whether companies pay their workers enough. Bank of America’s …
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