Washington, United States | AFP | US officials moved Friday to cut off Chinese tech giant Huawei from global chipmakers, ramping up sanctions on the company seen by Washington as a national security risk. The Commerce Department said it was broadening its sanctions enforcement to include semiconductor designs that are developed …
Read More »Antimicrobial surface coating kills COVID-19 for 90 days
Washington, United States | AFP | A specially formulated antimicrobial coating can keep surfaces clear of a human coronavirus for up to 90 days with just one application, a preliminary study said Friday, suggesting a new line of defense against COVID-19. The paper by researchers at the University of Arizona …
Read More »Virus could cause 28 mn cancelled surgeries globally: study
Paris, France | AFP | Some 28.4 million planned surgeries could be cancelled or postponed globally due to the new coronavirus pandemic, according to new research warning that huge backlogs risk “potentially devastating” consequences for patients and health systems. The study, published this week in the British Journal of Surgery, modelled …
Read More »With few computers, Romania and Bulgaria face homeschool hurdles
Darova, Romania | AFP | Maria Avadanei is exhilarated: after receiving a tablet as a donation, she can finally take her online lessons. “I was afraid of failing my classes,” says the 15-year-old from Darova, a rural commune in Transylvania in western Romania. Avadanei is among hundreds of thousands at increased …
Read More »New York, New York? Prolonged shutdown raises doubts about future
New York, United States | AFP | New York City shows no sign of easing a two-month lockdown, even as a statewide stay-at-home order ends Friday, leaving America’s cultural and commercial capital wondering what its future holds. While many European cities begin the process of reviving their economies, the Big Apple …
Read More »Activists allege TikTok violated agreement on child protection
Washington, United States | AFP | A coalition of consumer groups filed a complaint Thursday with US regulators claiming the popular video app TikTok has failed to live up to an agreement last year limiting data collection from children. The 20 organizations said in a Federal Trade Commission complaint that …
Read More »Trump says does not wish to talk to Xi ‘right now’
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is no mood to speak with China’s Xi Jinping, warning darkly he might cut off ties with the rival superpower over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “I have a very good relationship, but I just — right now I don’t want …
Read More »Why is Russia’s coronavirus death rate so low?
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has the world’s second-highest number of coronavirus cases but has registered 10 times fewer deaths than Britain, France, Italy and Spain. So many are wondering: why is the country’s mortality rate so low? Critics have accused Russian authorities of under-counting the number of deaths to …
Read More »Coronavirus vaccine may be ready in a year: EU agency
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | A vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be ready in a year’s time under an “optimistic” scenario, based on trials that are underway, the European Medicines Agency said Thursday. The Amsterdam-based EU agency also played down fears expressed by the WHO that the virus might …
Read More »From opera to bread line: Italy’s surge in the ‘new poor’
Rome, Italy | AFP | For years, the Ronda della Solidarieta (Solidarity Patrol) charity has served up free dinners twice a week for Rome’s needy, passed out at twilight in the shadow of the city’s ancient ruins. But as Italy begins to feel the effects of its most punishing economic crisis …
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