WORLD

Paris, France | AFP | The rebalancing of the oil market is underway and will accelerate, the OPEC cartel said Wednesday, days after some of its members voluntarily increased their production cuts. The world oil market was thrown into disarray earlier this year as lockdown measures imposed by governments to slow the spread of the …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Sylvie Briand, the World Health Organization’s infectious hazards management chief, said the UN body was surprised by certain countries’ lack of preparation for a pandemic before the coronavirus crisis. Here is a question-and-answer with the French scientist: – Are you surprised by how quickly the pandemic …

Washington, United States | AFP | US authorities warned healthcare and scientific researchers Wednesday that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Organizations researching the disease were warned of “likely targeting and network compromise by the People’s Republic of China,” a statement from the FBI …

Rome, Italy | AFP | Formula One team Ferrari announced Wednesday they have helped develop a new low-cost ventilator which can be used in the fight against coronavirus. The F15 project has been developed in five weeks by the Maranello team in conjunction with the Genoa-based Italian Institute of Technology. “We started working on March …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Pinning down the source of the coronavirus pandemic should help in working out how COVID-19 has “invaded the human species” so quickly, a senior WHO official told AFP. The outbreak has triggered a fierce diplomatic spat between China and the United States — with the World …

Darmstadt, Germany | AFP |  The high-ceilinged workshop in Darmstadt is usually open to anyone — from hobbyists trying new machinery or techniques to high-tech startup workers tinkering with prototypes. During the coronavirus pandemic, it has been turned into a hub for dropping off plastic parts made at home by volunteers …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Before entering coronavirus lockdown with the rest of Britain in March, 73-year-old Pamela Cox had never shopped or banked online. Zoom was something you did with a camera lens. Now the retiree is one of many in her generation finding a new IT proficiency later …

Washington, United States | AFP |  A Washington judge put on ice Tuesday the Justice Department’s extraordinary move to drop its prosecution of former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn, after an outside group calling themselves “Watergate Prosecutors” sought to intervene in the case. Judge Emmet Sullivan said in a …

United Nations, United States | AFP |  Germany and Estonia submitted Tuesday a resolution to the UN Security Council on a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world during the coronavirus pandemic, to replace one drafted by France and Tunisia that the United States has blocked. Encompassing five major points — …

Milan, Italy | AFP | The coronavirus pandemic, set to provoke a severe global recession this year, is hitting multinational companies disproportionately. Here is a list of winners and losers, according to a study published on Tuesday from the research unit of Italian bank Mediobanca, based on results from the first quarter of 2020. THE …