World & Politics
German government: Liquefied gas is as environmentally unfriendly as coal and oil - 10/12/2020
The use of liquefied shale gas is much more harmful to the climate than the supply of conventional gas via pipelines, according to the German Ministry of the Environment. The German government considers liquefied natural gas (LNG), produced using controversial hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology, as harmful to the climate as coal. This is stated in the response of the German...
G20 countries fail to agree on tech giants taxation - 10/08/2020
The G20 countries will not be able to meet the target previously set by the end of 2020 to agree on the taxation of digital companies. This was reported by the Kyodo agency. It is noted that the ministers of finance and the heads of the central banks of the association will clarify the details on this score following an online meeting scheduled for October 14. The main obstacle was the...
EU Court outlaws massive collection of user data - 10/07/2020
The Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest court in the EU, has severely restricted mass continuous collection and storage of user data via mobile and internet providers for EU governments, including law enforcement agencies and intelligence services. An exception is permitted only if national security is threatened. The court emphasized, however, that the collection of data to...
WHO: 10% of the world's population could already be infected with COVID-19 - 10/06/2020
The number of people infected with the COVID-19 in the world may amount to 10% of the world's population, said Michael Ryan, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergency Program. In total, more than 7.8 billion people live in the world "Current estimates tell us that about 10 percent of the world's population may have been infected with the virus... There are variations by...
Biden is ready to postpone debates until Trump feels better - 10/05/2020
Democratic Party presidential candidate Joseph Biden is ready to postpone the next TV debates because the current US president Donald Trump has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. It was stated by the representative of Biden's election headquarters Kate Bedingfield on October 4 on the air of ABC TV company. She noted that the debate should be held on the planned date, October 15, but it...
Over 19,000 Amazon employees tested positive for COVID-19 - 10/05/2020
Amazon.com, the largest Internet retailer in the world, stated that 19,816 of its employees were tested positive for the coronavirus. In total, the company employs more than 1.3 people in the US. This is the first time when a US employer this large provided such data. Amazon expected to receive 33,952 coronavirus-positive tests given the level of incidence in the country as a whole. The U.S....
Coronavirus spread accelerates in France - 10/02/2020
In France, the daily growth of COVID-19 cases continues to increase: 13,970 new infections were recorded in 24 hours, The Guardian reports, citing the country's Ministry of Health. According to the publication, this is 9% higher than the previous figure - 12,845 coronavirus infection cases were diagnosed in the country on Wednesday. In addition, over the past day, another 63 deaths from...
US refuse to impose sanctions against Belarus because of EU - 10/01/2020
The United States refrained from joint sanctions with the UK and Canada against Belarus due to disagreements on this issue in the European Union, sources told Reuters. The agency previously reported that the three countries should have introduced joint sanctions. According to Reuters interlocutors, Washington dropped the sanctions in the hope that Brussels would develop a common position on the...
World Bank to allocate $12B to help poor countries with COVID vaccine - 09/30/2020
The World Bank (WB) has announced a $ 12 billion funding plan that will allow poor countries to purchase the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available, the Guardian newspaper writes. It is reported that the organization is asking key players from developed countries to support the initiative, under which funding will be allocated over the next 12-18 months. The initiative is needed,...
US healthcare network hit by massive cyberattack - 09/29/2020
The American company Universal Health Services, which operates about 400 medical facilities, fell victim to a massive cyberattack over the weekend, according to NBC News, citing sources. It can be one of the largest cyberattacks against the US medical system. According to the channel, computers began to fail over the weekend at various Universal Health Services facilities. Doctors had to write...