COVID-19 Alert and news - 02 & 03 August 2020
Hello! I returned to the platform after 2 years of inactivity. I will post a daily list of current news, among other interesting topics.
Actions by Governments
- 36 crew members test positive for coronavirus on cruise ship docked in Norway (New York Daily News)
- Australia is now being presented as a cautionary tale for Covid resurgence (New Zealand Herald)
- China condemns Germany for suspending Hong Kong extradition agreement (Global News Canada)
- Germany steps up the fight against Holocaust denial (Deutsche Welle)
- Global report: curfew in Australia’s second-largest city as Mexico racks up daily record (The Guardian)
- In Spain, fruit pickers ditched as COVID-19 spreads (Taipei Times Online)
- India 5th highest in death count (Yahoo! India)
- Ireland to escape a second wave of Covid, says expert (Irish Independent)
- Israel to resume international flights on August 16 (Businessworld India)
- Japan’s summer season transformed by coronavirus (News On Japan)
- Norway Targets Lower Oil-Wealth Spending in Budget, Sanner Says (Bloomberg)
- Portugal holidays: FCO issues worrying update for Portugal – major blow for travel (TheWashingtonTime.com)
- Public bath houses in Japan struggle to survive during Covid-19 pandemic (News On Japan)
- Russia plans mass COVID-19 vaccination for October (IANS Live)
- Seven ‘migrants’ arrested after being found in the back of lorry that arrived in the UK from France (Mail Online UK)
- Surge in domestic visitors as coronavirus restrictions lifted in China (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
- TUI provides update on holidays as they extend the cancellation of trips to Spain (Manchester Evening News)
- The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada for Aug. 2 (NationalPost.com)
- Thousands protest against Germany virus curbs (BBC)
- Trump’s Germany troops pullout may be his last gift to Putin before the election (CNN)
- UK – Boris Johnson must be ready to close pubs and gyms if the evidence demands it (The Independent)
- UK – Boris Johnson told to resume daily coronavirus press conferences to keep ‘confused’ public informed (The Independent)
- UK – Coronavirus England: Boris Johnson looking at second wave lockdown scenarios (The Guardian)
- UK – Over 50s could face stay at home order in ‘nuclear plans’ drawn up by Boris Johnson (Mail Online UK)
- UK – Scottish Government’s illiberal hate crime bill must be sent to the knackers yard (Herald Scotland)
- US – 20,000 more Americans could die from Covid-19 in the next 21 days, CDC ensemble forecast shows (Buffalo News)
- US – 260 at Georgia overnight camp test positive for coronavirus, CDC says (MSN Canada)
- US – Arizona lawmaker 2nd in week to catch virus (Arkansas Online)
- US – Coronavirus Update: CDC Issues New Guidance, Shortens Isolation Period Of COVID-19 Patients (International Business Times)
- US – How California lost control over COVID-19 despite early successes (ABC News)
- US – New Mexico congressman tests positive for coronavirus (Today Online)
- US – Trump administration ‘vastly overpaid for COVID-19 ventilators’ (9News.com.au)
- US – U.S. CDC reports 4,542,579 coronavirus cases (Reuters UK)
- US – Virus hits Florida state prisons chief and his top aide (Daytona Beach News Journal)
- US – ‘Not sparing anyone’: Texas funeral homes can’t escape virus (Today Online)
- WHO’s latest situation report (WHO)
Actions by Companies
- ‘Walk for jobs’ march in Caerphilly over General Electric cuts (BBC)
- 4.40pm Woolworths impose product limits in Victoria (Melbourne Age)
- Apple purges 30,000 apps from its China store (Seeking Alpha)
- British GP: Renault violates Formula 1 curfew to fix Daniel Ricciardo’s car (DNA India)
- CIBC says third wave of returning staff depends on new headquarters (Toronto Star Online)
- Canon Solutions America Announces IDEAS COVID-19 Assist for Auto Dealers (NewKerala.com)
- Centre looking to offload its stake in IDBI Bank in FY21: Govt official (Business Standard India)
- Chow Tai Fook foundation plans to support more underprivileged women in Hong Kong as recession bites (South China Morning Post)
- Creditors of Asiana Airlines mull counterproposal over due diligence (Yonhap News Agency)
- Facebook deletes video for false COVID-19 claims, then Trump shares it on Twitter (MSN Canada)
- Goldman Sachs bankers held office drinks event during Covid lockdown (Telegraph)
- Hero MotoCorp sees robust recovery in July sales as rural demand picks up (Livemint.com)
- IKEA Alexandra, Wisma Atria burger joint among new locations visited by COVID-19 cases while infectious (Channel NewsAsia)
- Kotak Mahindra Group announces Kona Kona Umeed (Equity Bulls)
- MHI Launches MH32A Air Purifier in Vietnam (JARN)
- Marathon Petroleum Says It Won’t Restart Two Idled Refineries (Bloomberg-Quint)
- Microsoft, Bytedance put TikTok acquisition talks on hold: Report (Hindustan Times)
- Moderna and Pfizer plan to enroll 30,000 subjects across the U.S., in separate trials, to determine whether their v… https://t.co/ZLi7tAsOx8 (WSJ – Twitter)
- Nestlé distributes 3m food & beverage servings in Saudi Arabia (Arab News)
- Nordea drops JBS shares over environment, COVID-19 response (Reuters)
- Oil Crisis Presents BP’s New CEO With a Chance to Change (Bloomberg-Quint)
- Our health is all we have. But now Google wants it too (The Guardian)
- QNB expects Euro area to outperform in second half of 2020 (Qatar Tribune)
- Samsung Electronics to halt production at its last computer factory in China (FOXBusiness.com)
- Shop where you can buy heavily discounted items from M&S, Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose (Liverpool Echo)
- Tech at Work: Amazon caravan protest, Genderify’s algorithmic bias and using ‘BIPOC’ (Finanzen.net)
- Two-Wheeler Sales July 2020: Honda Registers Drop Of 29.32 Per Cent In Year On Year Sales (NDTV)
Drugs, Treatments & Vaccines
- Big ways life will change for seniors after there’s a COVID-19 vaccine (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- COVID-19 treatments will come before a vaccine, doctor says (CBS News)
- Here’s a look at where the race for a Covid-19 vaccine stands and how soon an effective one might be available https://t.co/oqH5U0LBOd (WSJ – Twitter)
- Large numbers of people hit by coronavirus could be being missed due to antibody tests failing (Mail Online UK)
- Russia plans to roll out a Covid-19 vaccine to the general population starting in October, hoping to be the first c… https://t.co/lh3ZLiiLRK (WSJ – Twitter)
- Russia says it will roll out a coronavirus vaccine to citizens in October (Sky News Latest)
- Russian Health Minister Says Mass COVID-19 Vaccination is Being Planned for October (MSNBC Newsweek)
- Sanofi, GSK to supply 100 mn doses of COVID-19 vaccine to US, in talks with EU for 300 mn doses (Express Pharma)
- TheEconomist – How would an effective vaccine against covid-19 be distributed? Our article from July explains how scientific bodie… https://t.co/VaXObiwzhw (TheEconomist – Twitter)
- Vaccine Confronts Humanity With Next Moral Test (Bloomberg)
Societal & Economic Impact
Andhra couple commits suicide after recovering from COVID-19 Yahoo! India Anantapuram (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 02 (ANI): A couple from Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapuram died allegedly by suicide on August 01. Both husband and wife were infected with COVID-19, and were under home isolation and their treatment was completed…. Berlin protest over coronavirus restrictions draws thousands The Straits Times All News August 01, 2020 10:19 PM BERLIN (AFP) – A Berlin protest against coronavirus restrictions drew thousands, from the hard left and right to conspiracy theorists on Saturday (Aug 1). Coronavirus pandemic must not drown out children’s voices on climate change MSN News Singapore The climate crisis is already a menace to countries in the Asia-Pacific battered by extreme weather events. But as much worse is to come for future generations, it is also a child rights crisis. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrines… Economies savaged as virus spikes anew Times Live South Africa Devastating economic figures poured in on Friday as nations counted the cost of their efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, even as fresh spikes led many countries to put the brakes on a return to normality. Six months after the World Health… Environmentalists fear increase in plastic pollution amid coronavirus pandemic CBS News The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted, among other things, the fight to limit single-use plastics and plastic pollution. Bans on plastic bags in some cities and states were overturned, and N95 masks, plastic gloves and other items are turning up in… Negotiations on economic relief resume after U.S. unemployment benefits expire Global News Canada President Trump is signaling interest in extending some type of weekly economic lifeline to help millions of unemployed Americans. The softening of the White House and Republican positions follows weeks of opposition to offering what they described… Spain could extend coronavirus furlough scheme to year’s end: Minister Al Arabiya Spain’s Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz on Saturday suggested the government would extend its coronavirus furlough scheme for an extra three months until the end of the year. Speaking after talks in Majorca with the regional government and union bosses,… Thousands protest in Berlin against coronavirus restrictions Arab News The demonstration, entitled “The end of the pandemic — freedom day,” was planned for weeks and drew people from various parts of Germany Officials have warned against complacency as the number of new cases crept up in recent weeks Ukraine reported a… U.S. economy sees largest quarterly drop in history amid coronavirus pandemic MSNBC Economist Julianne Malveaux, and “One Fair Wage” President, Saru Jayaraman talk to MSNBC's Alicia Menendez about the disastrous second-quarter GDP report, and how the devolving economy is hurting ordinary Americans. They also discuss how people of… World economy’s sputtering recovery threatened by flaring coronavirus JapanTimes.co.jp The Asia-Pacific region has been hit hard by a resurgence in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
Geopolitical Impact
China sends team to Hong Kong to do widespread COVID-19 testing Channel NewsAsia HONG KONG: Seven Chinese health officials were due to arrive in Hong Kong on Sunday (Aug 2), the first members of a 60-person team that will carry out widespread testing for COVID-19 in the territory as the global financial hub races to halt a third… China to Help Hong Kong Boost Virus Tests, Build Mobile Hospital Bloomberg-Quint (Bloomberg) — China is sending mainland technicians and medical experts to Hong Kong to help the city boost testing for coronavirus and build a makeshift “cabin hospital” for Covid-19 patients ami… Editorial: Trump’s trade war has cost billions and ensnared farmers in federal dependency STLtoday.com While Congress ponders whether and how much additional relief money will be needed to support workers and businesses during a resurgent pandemic, the funding faucet that President Donald Trump opened to farmers before the coronavirus pandemic is… Fauci voices concern over China, Russia vaccines Gulf Times Agencies/Washington America’s top infectious diseases official has raised concerns over Covid-19 vaccines being developed by China and Russia as the world scrambles for answers to a pandemic the WHO warned will be felt for decades. Six months after the… In South China Sea, Philippines is stuck between a pebble and a hard place MSN Philippines A s Philippine and Chinese diplomats seek to strengthen their relationship and describe the disagreement over the South China Sea as a "little pebble" in the road to closer participation, a survey has highlighted how this view is not shared by many… Punjab water resources department sets up 40-bed isolation facility Times of India CHANDIGARH: The Punjab water resources department has set up an isolation centre at Ranjit Sagar Dam Hospital, besides establishing a quarantine facility at Shahpurkandi Township, to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Chief engineer of the Ranjit… South China Sea dispute: US signs MoU to support Vietnamese fishermen India Blooms Hanoi: In a move to support the Southeast Asian nation, the U.S. and Vietnam have signed a memorandum of understanding, which includes support against illegal “intimidation” of the latter’s fishermen at sea. VIetnam and China are engaged in a bitter… South China Sea: Indonesia Asks China to Honor UNCLOS Tempo.co TEMPO.CO , Jakarta – Expressing concern over the escalating tensions in the South China Sea , Indonesia has urged China to abide by international laws, including the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in settling disputes. Duri… Suing China over COVID-19 pandemic would be “huge mistake”: U.S. senator Pekingpress.com WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — Allowing U.S. citizens to sue China over the COVID-19 pandemic would be a "huge mistake," a Californian senator has said. "We launch a series of unknown events Water Resources Dept takes steps to check spread of Covid 19 in dams within Punjab United News of India Chandigarh, Aug 1 (UNI) Punjab Water Resources Department has fully geared up to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The department has set up an Isolation Centre in Ranjit Sagar Dam Hospital, besides establishing a quarantine facility at Shahpurkandi…
Cybersecurity Impact
COMMENT:Telstra Cyber Attack Shows How Easy Australia Can Be Attacked Channel News Australia A cyber-attack against Telstra’s network that left tens of thousands of homes without broadband is a real problem for all carriers and the Australian Government, because it shows how quickly Australia could be bought to a shuddering halt by Chinese… CyberScoopNews – Google finds Indian hack-for-hire firms exploiting coronavirus fears via spearphishing schemes https://t.co/3AR1aYip3B CyberScoopNews – Twitter Google finds Indian hack-for-hire firms exploiting coronavirus fears via spearphishing schemes https://hubs.ly/H0tbRrl0 How FBI tracked down the celebrity Twitter hackers: Cyber criminals were ‘extremely sloppy’ Mail Online UK high-profile Twitter accounts were hacked The hackers then sent out a tweet to hundreds of millions of users encouraging them to give $1000 to a Bitcoin address Accounts belonging to Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Joe Biden and Kanye West all sent out the… InfosecurityMag – As business transitioned to mass #RemoteWorking cyber-criminals moved in their droves to exploit the pandemic with… https://t.co/PLUHcLh0GQ InfosecurityMag – Twitter As business transitioned to mass #RemoteWorking cyber-criminals moved in their droves to exploit the pandemic with numerous tailored scams and #attacks. Join our #IMOS20 session to get practical advice to stay one step ahead of the attackers–… Securityblog – RT @ChloeMessdaghi: I recently discussed the Twitter attack and how mobile phishing is on the rise during the pandemic with @forbes. Read… Securityblog – Twitter RT @ChloeMessdaghi: I recently discussed the Twitter attack and how mobile phishing is on the rise during the pandemic with @forbes. Read more below…. Textile Cutting Expert ‘Lectra’ Struck by the Maze Ransomware Group TechNadu Maze actors have compromised ‘Lectra,’ a textile cutting equipment expert from France. The ransomware group has already leaked 5% of the stolen data, and they are threatening to release more soon. There has been a wave of ransomware attacks in France… cybersecboardrm – See our Recent Interview – Navigating Cybersecurity’s Ever-Changing Landscape. A pandemic isn’t the only thing forc… https://t.co/45ofb0cCjo cybersecboardrm – Twitter See our Recent Interview – Navigating Cybersecurity’s Ever-Changing Landscape. A pandemic isn’t the only thing forcing companies to revisit their digital security efforts. Paid Post on The New York Time by @Mastercard. https://lnkd.in/gwZAbsi…