The number of fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest jumped 28% in July from a year ago, official data showed on Saturday, as some environmentalists warned a jump this week could signal a repeat of last year’s surging destruction of the world’s largest rainforest. Brazil’s space research agency Inpe recorded 6,803 …
Read More »FA Cup final will be latest chapter in Arsenal and Chelsea’s thrilling final history
Chelsea and Arsenal meet this Saturday evening in the FA Cup final at what will be an eerily empty Wembley. But while the supporters must stay away, it promises to be an entertaining contest with both Frank Lampard and Mikel Arteta desperate to win their first trophy in management. This …
Read More »Russia plans mass vaccination against coronavirus from October, RIA reports
Russia is preparing to start a mass vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus in October, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday, RIA news agency reported. The minister, who did not give details about the vaccine to be used, said doctors and teachers would be the first to be vaccinated. …
Read More »Trump says he will ban TikTok in US within 24 hours
US President Donald Trump has vowed to prohibit the Chinese-owned video sharing platform TikTok in the United States, saying that he might do this via an executive order the next day, amid allegations of IP theft by Beijing. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United …
Read More »Florida Teenager Is Charged as ‘Mastermind’ of Twitter Hack
The authorities arrested a 17-year-old who they said ran a scheme that targeted the accounts of celebrities, including former President Barack Obama and Elon Musk. A Florida teenager was arrested early Friday in connection with the recent high-profile hack of 130 Twitter accounts, including the accounts of celebrities like former …
Read More »Overusing Hand Sanitizers With Methanol Could Have Deadly Consequences
Using hand sanitizer can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but overusing a product that contains methanol can cause serious health complications. The Food and Drug Administration warns people not to use more than 90 different hand sanitizers because tests revealed they contain methanol. Methanol is not an “acceptable …
Read More »Air Vent or Tomb? Secrets of the Great Pyramid Probed by Robot
Despite their efforts to explore the shaft within the pyramid, behind the so called Gantenbrink Door, the researchers admitted that they “do not know what that stone is blocking access to”. Scholarly efforts to gain a better understanding of probably one of the most famous monuments of the ancient world, …
Read More »Google says 20 U.S. states, territories ‘exploring’ contact tracing apps
Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday that 20 U.S. states and territories, representing about 45% of the country’s population, are “exploring” contact tracing apps for the novel coronavirus using a tool it developed with Apple Inc. In addition, the company said public health authorities in 16 countries and regions outside …
Read More »‘Back Up to 2000 a Day’: Bill Gates Warns of Potential COVID-19 Death Toll Increase in United States
Despite his warnings, Gates also noted an apparent reduction in the risk of death from the coronavirus, describing it as “a sign of progress” in the treatment of severe cases. As countries around the world battle the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, tech mogul and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has made …
Read More »Record 12.1% collapse in second quarter eurozone GDP
The European economy was hit by its sharpest recorded contraction in the second quarter, with GDP down 12.1 percent in the eurozone and 11.9 percent across the EU. The official Eurostat agency said that, with much of the economy paralyzed by coronavirus lockdowns, the fall was “by far” the largest …
Read More »Iraq augments oil exports and pumps above OPEC+ target
A survey conducted by Reuters concluded that Iraq’s oil production rose in July, despite Baghdad’s pledge to cut supplies in compliance with the OPEC+ agreement to support prices. The research indicated that OPEC oil production increased by about one million barrels per day in July, after Saudi Arabia and other …
Read More »Jordan ‘rotten meat’: Child dies and 800 poisoned near Amman
A shawarma restaurant in Jordan that did not refrigerate its meat despite a 40-degree heatwave has been blamed for an outbreak of food poisoning, which has left a child dead and 826 people hospitalized. Reports from the Middle Eastern nation say everyone who fell ill, including the five-year-old boy who …
Read More »U.S. imposes human rights sanctions on Chinese company, individuals
The United States imposed human rights sanctions on a Chinese company on Friday, targeting the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, also known as XPCC, along with two individuals, according to the Treasury Department’s website. The move was yet another step in the deteriorating relations between the United States and China …
Read More »U.S. records nearly 25,000 coronavirus deaths in July
U.S. coronavirus deaths rose by almost 25,000 in July and cases doubled in at least 18 states during the month, according to a Reuters tally, dealing a crushing blow to hopes of quickly reopening the economy. The United States has recorded nearly 1.8 million new cases in July out of …
Read More »Twitter says hackers used phone to fool staff, gain access
Twitter says the hackers responsible for a recent high-profile breach used the phone to fool the social media company’s employees into giving them access. The company revealed a few more details late Thursday about the hack earlier this month, which it said targeted “a small number of employees through a …
Read More »Saudi-backed consortium pulls out of bid to buy Newcastle United
A Saudi Arabian-backed consortium has withdrawn its bid to buy the English Premier League side Newcastle United. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) had been part of a three-party deal fronted by PCP Capital Partners, a venture capital and private equity company founded and run by British businesswoman Amanda Staveley, …
Read More »There is no ‘zero risk’ in easing travel restrictions, WHO says
There is no “zero risk” strategy for countries easing international travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and essential travel for emergencies should remain the priority, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. In a long-awaited update to its guidance on travel, the United Nations global health agency said cross-border trips for …
Read More »German economy shrinks by record 10.1% in Q2 on virus hit
The German economy shrank by a record 10.1 percent in the second quarter as coronavirus lockdowns took their toll, official data shows, but experts say a recovery is already under way. Federal statistics agency Destatis called the quarter-on-quarter decline in gross domestic product “historic” and far bigger than any slump …
Read More »WHO urges countries to support ‘COVAX’ vaccine scheme
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist said on Thursday that any country that supports the COVAX financing initiative has a better chance of getting a successful COVID-19 vaccine. Soumya Swaminathan told a news briefing in Geneva that the more countries that joined COVAX, a scheme designed to guarantee fast and …
Read More »US economy collapsed 32.9 percent in the April-to-June period
The US economy collapsed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in the April-to-June period, contracting 32.9 percent in the second quarter, the government reported Thursday. The decline, though slightly less bad than expected, was the worst on record for the world’s largest economy, dating back to 1947. However, the …
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