Soaring prices have left basic goods outside the reach of more than half of country’s population For more than a decade, Ahmad Hussein would spend the last few days of Ramadan assembling arrays of sweets in his shop in south Beirut, preparing for the bonanza to follow. Eid al-Fitr, the ... Read More »
UN launches new initiative to fight COVID-19 misinformation through ‘digital first responders’
A new UN initiative aims to push back against the tide of lies and hate that has risen in tandem with the COVID-19 pandemic, by empowering people worldwide to share accurate information to help save lives and promote global solidarity. UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday launched Verified, which ... Read More »
Lebanese prime minister: The coronavirus is pushing Lebanon toward a major food crisis
Hassan Diab is the prime minister of Lebanon. Once the breadbasket of the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon is facing a dramatic challenge that seemed unimaginable a decade ago: the risk of a major food crisis. A few weeks ago, Lebanon witnessed its first “hunger protests.” Many Lebanese have already stopped buying ... Read More »
Facebook to launch new shopping feature across apps
Facebook Inc (FB.O) is launching Shops, a service that will allow businesses to display and sell products on the world’s largest social network’s platforms, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday. The move to build up e-commerce offerings follows Facebook’s launch last year of limited shopping options on photo-sharing app ... Read More »
WHO and UNHCR join forces to improve health services for refugees, displaced and stateless people
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency today signed a new agreement to strengthen and advance public health services for the millions of forcibly displaced people around the world. The agreement updates and expands an existing 1997 agreement between the two organizations. A key aim this ... Read More »
Report: Lebanon Still in ‘Serious Danger’ of Coronavirus
Lebanon’s success in controlling the spread of coronavirus could go “in vain” if the safety precautions continue to be neglected, “Lebanon is still in the circle of danger,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. “Lebanon is in serious danger, neglecting the safety measures and failure to abide by the health and ... Read More »
Monkeys infected with COVID-19 develop immunity in studies, a positive sign for vaccines
Two studies in monkeys published on Wednesday offer some of the first scientific evidence that surviving COVID-19 may result in immunity from reinfection, a positive sign that vaccines under development may succeed, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday. Although scientists have assumed that antibodies produced in response to the new coronavirus ... Read More »
Apple, Google release technology for pandemic apps
Apple and Google on Wednesday released long-awaited smartphone technology to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus. The companies said 22 countries and several U.S. states are already planning to build voluntary phone apps using their software. It relies on Bluetooth wireless technology to detect ... Read More »
Scientists propose a 50 days on, 30 days off coronavirus lockdown strategy
Fifty days of strict lockdowns followed by 30 days where measures are eased could be an effective strategy for reducing Covid-19 deaths while ensuring some level of economic protection, scientists claim. In an EU-backed study published on Wednesday, a cohort of researchers from nine countries simulated how various lockdown strategies ... Read More »
Coronavirus particles spread by talking can remain in the air for up to 14 minutes, NIH researchers find
A recent study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health has found that particles of the coronavirus released by talking can remain in the air for 8 to 14 minutes, a warning sign that airborne transmission may be even more widespread than previously thought. While it’s been long accepted ... Read More »