Economic recovery around the world could come faster if any COVID-19 vaccine is made available to all as a public good, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday. He was speaking in an online panel discussion with members of the Aspen Security Forum in the United …
Read More »10 countries account for 80% of Africa COVID-19 testing: Africa CDC
Ten countries account for 80% of the new coronavirus testing taking place across Africa, a regional body said on Thursday, indicating that little testing is taking place in many countries around the vast continent. COVID-19 confirmed cases across Africa have accelerated and are close to hitting a million this week, …
Read More »AstraZeneca in first COVID-19 vaccine deal with Chinese company
Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products will produce AstraZeneca Plc’s potential COVID-19 vaccine in mainland China, the British drugmaker said on Thursday, its first deal to supply one of the world’s most populous countries. The deal underscores Astra’s frontrunner position in a global race to deliver an effective vaccine, given that Chinese …
Read More »Oil prices pull back from five-month highs as rising product stocks weigh
Oil prices slipped off five-month highs on Thursday as bearish sentiment about fuel demand undermined support from a weak dollar .DXY and falling U.S. crude inventories. Brent crude LCOc1 fell 23 cents to $44.94 a barrel by 1100 GMT, while U.S. crude CLc1 was down 48 cents at $41.71, breaking …
Read More »Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei condoles with Lebanese govt., nation over massive blast in Beirut
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has offered condolences to the Lebanese nation and government over a recent deadly massive blast in the Arab country that killed more than 100 people. “We sympathize with the dear citizens of #Lebanon and stand by them in the painful tragedy of the …
Read More »Facebook, citing virus misinformation, deletes Trump post
Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false …
Read More »No evidence of TikTok misusing users’ data, says Australian PM
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said there was no evidence that Chinese-owned TikTok had abused the data of its hundreds of millions of users. “We have had a good look at this, and there is no evidence for us to suggest…that there is any misuse of any people’s data,” …
Read More »One death every 80 seconds: The grim new toll of COVID-19 in America
Over the last seven days, a grim new COVID-19 calculus has emerged: one person died every 80 seconds from the coronavirus in America. And the pace at which those 7,486 people died appears to be accelerating. In July, a total of 26,198 deaths were reported, meaning one every 102 seconds. …
Read More »Reels: Facebook launches TikTok-like product inside Instagram
Facebook rolled out its own version of social media rival TikTok in the United States and more than 50 other countries on Wednesday, embedding a new short-form video service called Reels as a feature within its popular Instagram app. The debut comes days after Microsoft said it was in talks …
Read More »What Africa, approaching a million cases, is doing to fight coronavirus
The World Health Organization has warned the coronavirus pandemic could overwhelm strained public health systems in Africa. On Wednesday, the continent was approaching a million infections and around 21,000 deaths, according to a Reuters tally. Here are measures some countries are taking to curb the virus. SOUTH AFRICA With more …
Read More »BMW loses 212 million euros in Q2, sees rebound in China
German automaker BMW AG lost 212 million euros ($250 million) in the second quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns cut vehicle sales by a quarter in the April-June period. The company saw a rebound in China, its biggest market. The net loss compared to a profit of 1.48 billion euros …
Read More »Oil edges up to highest since March on hopes for U.S. stimulus
Brent oil futures on Tuesday closed at their highest since early March on hopes the United States is making progress on a new economic stimulus package, as well as curbing the coronavirus spread. Brent rose 28 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $44.43 a barrel, its highest close since March …
Read More »Global COVID-19 cases top 18.3 million, over 694,000 dead
More than 18.3 million people have so far tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and over 694,000 others have lost their lives to the illness across the world, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Data shows that 18,306,842 people have contracted COVID-19 and 694,406 have …
Read More »Footballers to be shown red card if they deliberately cough at other players
Footballers could be sent off if they deliberately cough at an opponent under new rules issued during the coronavirus pandemic. Referees will be told that coughs aimed at the face of another player or an official can be deemed a red-card offence. The guidance has been announced by the International …
Read More »Turkish annual July inflation dips below 12%, lira firms
Turkey’s consumer price inflation fell to a lower-than-expected 11.76% year-on-year in July, official data showed on Tuesday, reversing two months of rising inflation as the economy continued to emerge from lockdown. The figures boosted the lira TRYTOM=D3, which firmed to 6.9270 against the dollar. The currency weakened last week to …
Read More »UN says 1 billion students affected by closures
The United Nations chief says the coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education in history, with schools closed in more than 160 countries in mid-July affecting more than 1 billion students. In addition, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that at least 40 million children worldwide have missed …
Read More »Next big COVID-19 treatment may be manufactured antibodies
As the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine, the next big advance in battling the pandemic could come from a class of biotech therapies widely used against cancer and other disorders – antibodies designed specifically to attack this new virus. The development of monoclonal antibodies to target the virus has been …
Read More »Microsoft talks to buy TikTok’s US operations spark ire in China
A potential shotgun wedding to Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) for TikTok’s US operations provoked an outcry on Monday on Chinese social media as well as criticism from a prominent Chinese investor in TikTok owner ByteDance. The US tech giant formally declared its interest on Sunday after President Donald Trump, who has …
Read More »Dr. Birx says coronavirus is “extraordinarily widespread” in rural areas
Dr. Deborah Birx warned on Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic has entered “a new phase” in the U.S. and said the virus is “extraordinarily widespread” in rural areas that missed earlier waves. “What we are seeing today is different from March and April,” Birx, the White House coronavirus task force …
Read More »PS4 DualShock won’t work with PS5 games, Sony confirms
Sony has revealed more details on how PlayStation 4 peripherals and accessories will work with PlayStation 5, including that the DualShock 4 will not work with PS5 games. Revealed on PlayStation.Blog, the DualShock 4 will still work with “supported PS4 games” on PS5, but Sony believes PS5 games should “take …
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