PARIS: Spain and Germany were among the countries tightening restrictions on Tuesday (Jul 28) in a bid to cool coronavirus hotspots that have sparked fears of a second wave. The World Health Organization warned that the virus did not appear to be affected by seasonality, as the global death toll […]
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An independent review of UK food policy is calling for “a gold standard level of scrutiny” to ensure new trade deals do not undermine the environment. Verification schemes should address concerns such as imports of beef reared on land recently cleared of rainforest. And the government should press on with […]
WASHINGTON: The United States warned Tuesday (Jul 28) that elections planned in Venezuela later this year would be deeply fraudulent, accusing leftist leader Nicolas Maduro of seeking to manipulate the outcome. Venezuelan authorities have called December 6 elections for the National Assembly, the only government branch led by the opposition […]
WASHINGTON: The chief executives of four of the world’s largest tech companies –Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google – plan to argue in a congressional hearing on antitrust on Wednesday (Jul 29) that they face intense competition from each other and from other rivals. The testimony from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s […]
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump groused on Tuesday (Jul 28) about medical expert Anthony Fauci’s high approval ratings and joked that “nobody likes me” as he struggles to improve his standing with voters for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It can only be my personality,” said Trump. Fauci, an infectious […]
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts: Moderna on Tuesday (Jul 28) said its experimental COVID-19 vaccine induced a robust immune response and protected against infection in a study on monkeys. The vaccine, MRNA-1273, given to non-human primates protected against infection in the lungs and nose, and prevented pulmonary disease in all animals, the company […]
MANILA: The Philippines was the deadliest country in Asia for land and environmental defenders again last year, while slipping to second most dangerous in the world behind Colombia, a watchdog said on Wednesday (Jul 29). A total of 43 defenders were killed in the archipelago – the vast majority on […]
PARIS: France’s recently installed interior minister dismissed on Tuesday (Jul 28) the term “police violence” and told lawmakers the police exercise “legitimate violence”. “When I hear the term ‘police violence’, personally I choke,” said Gerard Darmanin, whose predecessor lost his job three weeks ago after becoming embroiled in a controversy […]
BOSTON: US prosecutors brought tax charges on Tuesday (Jul 28) against a Harvard University professor accused of lying to authorities about his ties to a China-run recruitment program and funding he allegedly received from the Chinese government for research. Charles Lieber, the former chair of Harvard’s chemistry and chemical biology […]
OTTAWA: Canada’s chief public health officer warned on Tuesday (Jul 28) that Canadians could face tighter health restrictions again as COVID-19 case numbers creep higher, particularly in the West. Theresa Tam told reporters that as businesses and social spaces reopen, Canadians must still follow guidelines on social distancing and avoiding […]