Firefighters in Brazil say strong winds and hot dry weather are making it difficult to battle thousands of blazes burning in the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said it spotted more than 3,100 fires in the first two weeks of August — five times as many as the same … continue reading -> “Fires Ravage Brazil’s Pantanal, World’s Largest Wetland”
Police on Mauritius have arrested the captain of the Japanese carrier that ran aground off the coast last month, spilling 1,000 metric tonnes of oil and causing possible irreparable damage to coral reefs.Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the Indian captain of the MV Wakashio, was charged Tuesday with “endangering safe navigation.” He faces a bail hearing next … continue reading -> “Mauritius Arrests Captain of Japanese Ship Responsible for Oil Spill”
The World Meteorological Organization says temperatures of 54.4 degrees (Celsius) reported Sunday at Furnace Creek, Death Valley in the U.S. state of California, may be the third hottest on Earth.The U.N. weather agency is assembling an international team of atmospheric scientists to verify the temperatures reported in Death Valley are legitimate. The WMO says that … continue reading -> “Scorching Temperatures in Death Valley May Be Third Hottest on Earth”
One of the hottest air temperatures recorded anywhere on the planet in at least a century, and possibly ever, was reached on Sunday afternoon at Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert where it soared to 130 Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius). An automated observation system run by the U.S. National Weather Service in the valley’s sparsely populated … continue reading -> “World Temperature Record Set in California’s Death Valley”
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) director-general Tuesday issued another warning against “vaccine nationalism,” — countries putting their own interests ahead of others in trying to secure supplies of a possible vaccine. At the agency’s regular briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Nationalism exacerbated the pandemic and contributed to the total failure of … continue reading -> “WHO Chief Warns of ‘Vaccine Nationalism’”
A U.S. based vaccine development company is set to begin the second phase of human testing for its COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, which is in the midst of a surge in coronavirus cases. Novavax said in a statement that the clinical trials will include 2,665 healthy adults in South Africa. The trials will also compare the vaccine’s effect on 240 medically stable adults … continue reading -> “US Company to Begin Second Phase of Human Trials in South Africa for COVID-19 Vaccine “
The Trump administration announced on Monday it will further tighten restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co, aimed at cracking down on its access to commercially available chips. The U.S. Commerce Department actions, first reported by Reuters, will expand restrictions announced in May aimed at preventing the Chinese telecommunications giant from obtaining semiconductors without a special license … continue reading -> “US Tightening Restrictions on Huawei Access to Technology, Chips”
NASA scientists say a small but significant “dent” in Earth’s magnetic field is expanding and splitting and continuing to weaken intensity, which could impact low-orbit satellites circling the globe.According to scientists, Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield, blocking and trapping charged particles — or radiation — from the sun that could otherwise cause … continue reading -> “NASA Scientists Monitor Changes in ‘Dent’ in Earth’s Magnetic Field”
Work began Monday to remove the two pieces of a grounded Japanese ship that leaked tons of oil into the protected coast of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius and broke apart. Tug boats will pull the bow — the smaller part of the shipwrecked MV Wakashio — out to sea and allow it … continue reading -> “Mauritius Copes With Split Japanese Ship That Spilled Oil”
As the novel coronavirus began to spread through Minneapolis this spring, Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant tore up her budget to find funds to combat the crisis. Money for test kits. Money to administer tests. Money to hire contact tracers. And yet even more money for a service that helps tracers communicate with residents in dozens … continue reading -> “Politics Slows Flow of US Virus Funds to Local Public Health”
Geoff Woolf gave his sons a love for literature. When he got sick with COVID-19, they turned to books to help him — and others. The 73-year-old retired lawyer was hospitalized in London in March, and within days he was on a ventilator in intensive care. Unable to visit, his family could only watch … continue reading -> “Sons Use E-books to Help Virus-Stricken Dad, Other Patients”
A U.S. disease expert says COVID-19 survivors may expect to be immune from another case for as long as one year. Former Food and Drug Administration official Dr. Scott Gottleib appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday to talk about new findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say a three-month immunity is a certainty. “But it’s probably the case that you’re going to have a period of immunity that lasts anywhere … continue reading -> “Recovered COVID Patients May Have 6-12 Months Immunity, US Expert Says”
Google is warning that Australians’ personal information could be “at risk” if the digital giant has to pay for news content. A proposed law would require firms like Google and Facebook to pay Australian news organizations for the content that appears on their websites. The law was drafted last month after months of negotiations between the … continue reading -> “Google Pushes Back Against Proposed Australian Law Over News Content ”
A U.S. disease expert says COVID-19 survivors may expect to be immune from another case for as long as one year. Former Food and Drug Administration official Dr. Scott Gottleib appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday to talk about new findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say a three-month immunity is a certainty. “But it’s probably the case that you’re going to have a period of immunity that lasts anywhere … continue reading -> “US Expert: Recovered COVID Patients Could Be Immune for a Year”
Germany’s antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Amazon’s relationship with third-party traders selling on its site, its head was quoted as saying Sunday.”We are currently investigating whether and how Amazon influences how traders set prices on the market-place,” Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.Germany is Amazon’s … continue reading -> “German Watchdog Launches Amazon Investigation: Report”
Canada announced Friday that the border it shares with the U.S. will remain closed to nonessential travel for another month as the U.S. continues to lead the world in COVID-19 deaths and coronavirus infections.Many Canadians remain concerned about reopening the border after Canada successfully flattened its epidemic curve.Canada has more than 123,000 confirmed cases of … continue reading -> “Canada Says US Border to Remain Closed to Nonessential Travel”
Canada announced Friday that the border it shares with the U.S. will remain closed to non-essential travel for another month as the U.S. continues to lead the world in COVID-19 deaths and coronavirus infections.Many Canadians remain concerned about reopening the border after Canada successfully flattened its epidemic curve.Canada has more than 123,000 confirmed cases of … continue reading -> “Canada Says US Border to Remain Closed to Non-Essential Travel”
There are more than 20 million COVID-19 cases around the world and with more than 759,000 deaths, the global community will likely soon reach the one million death tally. “Every single American should be wearing a mask when they’re outside for the next three months, at a minimum,” presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday, marking at least one difference in how he … continue reading -> “‘Every Single American Should Be Wearing a Mask’, Biden Says”
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a growing Ebola outbreak in its northwest Equateur province in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. At his COVID-19 news briefing in Geneva on Thursday, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is a “worrying” development, with 86 cases confirmed … continue reading -> “WHO: Congo Facing Growing Ebola Crisis”
This week the Trump administration announced $122 million in new programs and partnerships under the National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien speaks during a Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) online event, at the State Department, in Washington, Aug. 11, 2020.“This is the type of bold action to expand the efforts of the federal government, the … continue reading -> “Ivanka Trump Continues Women Empowerment Agenda Amid Pandemic “
A senior World Health Organization official is calling for the equitable distribution of a future COVID-19 vaccine in Africa, warning that the virus will continue to spread if some countries are left behind. WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti sees worrying signs that nations in Africa may be among those last in the queue of … continue reading -> “WHO Official Urges Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa”
Beginning Thursday, U.S. Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages — labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election. It’s the social network’s latest step to to combat election-related misinformation on its platform as the Nov. 3 election nears — one in which many voters … continue reading -> “Facebook Beefs Up Anti-Misinfo Efforts Ahead of US Election”
Two cities in China have found traces of the new coronavirus in imported frozen food and on food packaging, local authorities said on Thursday, raising fears that contaminated food shipments might cause new outbreaks.A sample taken from the surface of frozen chicken wings imported into the southern city of Shenzhen from Brazil, as well as … continue reading -> “Chinese Cities Find Virus in Brazilian Chicken Wings, Ecuadorian Shrimp Packaging”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting Thursday with leaders in Slovenia, where they are set to sign a joint declaration on 5G technology.Over the past year, European countries including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic have signed agreements with the United States pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by … continue reading -> “US, Slovenia to Sign 5G Joint Declaration”
Iran shut down a newspaper on Monday after it published remarks by an expert who said the official figures on coronavirus cases and deaths in the country account for only 5% of the real toll, allegations rejected by the Health Ministry. Mohammad Reza Sadi, the editor-in-chief of Jahane Sanat, told the official IRNA news agency that … continue reading -> “Iran Shutters Newspaper After Expert Questions Coronavirus Numbers”