Science

Saeb Erekat, one of the most experienced and high-profile advocates for the Palestinian cause over decades of dispute with Israel, died on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19. He was 65. Having sat down with Israeli and U.S. leaders in the 1990s and 2000s, in recent years Erekat was the principal face …

The United States formally exited the Paris Agreement on Wednesday, fulfilling an old promise by President Donald Trump to withdraw the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter from the global pact to fight climate change. But the outcome of the tight U.S. election contest will determine for how long. Trump’s Democratic …

The World Health Organization’s special envoy on COVID-19 urged world leaders earlier this month to reconsider ‘using lockdowns as the primary control method’ of battling Covid-19. After first creating global panic by putting the Covid-19 mortality rate higher than 3 percent and urging governments in an unprecedented move to lockdown …

The virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on banknotes, glass and stainless steel for up to 28 days, much longer than the flu virus, Australian researchers said on Monday, highlighting the need for cleaning and handwashing to combat the virus. Findings from the study done by Australia’s national science agency, …

Europe’s top oil companies are not yet aligned with UN-backed targets to combat climate change despite their plans to slash carbon emissions and pivot to renewable energy, a report from major investors has found. The study by the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which unites investors with $22 trillion in holdings, …

Israel’s tourism minister resigned on Friday in protest at a new law that curbed demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the measure left him without a “shred of trust” in the veteran leader. Azaf Zamir will be replaced by Orit Farkash Hacohen, a fellow member of the Blue and …

U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged to a journalist early in the coronavirus pandemic that he played down the danger of the health crisis despite having evidence to the contrary, according to a new book. “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told author Bob Woodward on March 19, days …

Kallman Worldwide Inc., one of the global leaders in organising U.S. participation at the most influential international trade events, has signed a partnership with Saudi International Airshow 2021 to strengthen the show’s American industry presence through their USA Partnership Pavilion. The inaugural event held in Riyadh in 2019 received great …

Abu Dhabi state defence and security entity Tawazun is to build a satellite assembly, integration and testing centre with Airbus in the United Arab Emirates’ oasis city of Al Ain, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. The centre also intends to manufacture components for small to medium-sized communication, navigation …

The foreign ministers of longstanding regional foes Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed on Sunday that they would strive to cooperate during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a video call during which they also exchanged greetings for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan told his Iranian …

Sixteen people have been caught and fined SR10,000 ($2,666) each in the past week for violating a ban on entry into the holy sites, according to the Saudi Public Security spokesman. Hajj pilgrims are to self-quarantine to ensure their compliance with confinement before heading to the holy sites, the Saudi …

The Egyptian regime has reacted in an unexpected way to the global pandemic—with civilian, technocratic, and expert bodies leading the way and even some (admittedly officially patrolled) political debate being allowed to emerge. Does this portend a real change in Egyptian governance, and if so, why, what kind, and will …

The United Arab Emirates launched its first mission to Mars on Monday as it strives to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil. The Hope Probe blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 1:58 a.m. UAE time/6:58 a.m. Japanese time Monday (2158 GMT Sunday) …

A new launch date for the UAE’s mission to Mars has been set for July 20, officials have announced. Lift-off from Japan’s Tanegashima Island, 1,000 kilometres to the south west of Tokyo, will take place at 1.58am UAE time. The launch of the Hope probe has already been delayed twice …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld and strengthened a law banning the broadly unpopular but ubiquitous telemarketing practice known as robocalls, striking down an exemption to the measure that had allowed automated calls for collection of certain money owed to the government. The court’s 7-2 ruling, written by conservative …

The coronavirus outbreak may not have originated in China and instead lay dormant around the globe waiting for the right conditions to activate, a university expert has suggested. Rather than the city of Wuhan being the centre for Covid-19, the disease might have been lying in wait in several countries …

Almost 30% of genome sequencing data from samples of the COVID-19 virus collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown signs of mutation, but there is no evidence this has led to more severe disease, a top WHO official said on Friday. “I think it’s quite widespread,” Soumya Swaminathan, …

Two Israeli defense contractors said on Friday they were partnering with Abu Dhabi-based Group 42 to develop technologies that will help fight the new coronavirus. Israel has no diplomatic relations with Gulf Arab countries, but common concerns over Iran’s regional influence have led to a limited thaw in ties. Last …

Iran will reimpose restrictions to stem a surge in coronavirus cases if health regulations are not observed, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday. After gradually relaxing its lockdown since mid-April, Iran has seen a sharp rise of new daily infections in recent weeks. While compliance with health protocols was as …

U.S. immunotherapy company Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (INO.O) on Wednesday said its experimental vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection was shown to produce protective antibodies and immune system responses in mice and guinea pigs. The company’s shares, which have more than quadrupled this year, surged 17.7% to $17.13 in trading before the …

Global carbon dioxide emissions could fall by up to 7% this year, depending on ongoing restrictions and social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, research published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed on Tuesday. The study, by a group of scientists from institutions in Europe, the United States and …

By Hazem Samir | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-05-15 11:38 After China won its fierce battle with coronavirus epidemic, it joined other countries in fighting their own outbreaks of the deadly virus. Driven by moral commitment, China shipped a huge amount of medical aid to more than 80 countries around the …

Humanity is imprisoned by the Covid-19 pandemic. People are being arrested for walking together in a park, or sitting with more than three persons in one car. Economies are collapsing, and it will be a matter of weeks before millions of people around the globe will start rioting for food. …

Antibodies from Winter, a 4-year-old llama with great eyelashes, have neutralized coronavirus and other infections in lab experiments. Some scientists hope she might be an important figure in the fight against the coronavirus. Winter is not a superpowered camelid, she was simply the lucky llama chosen by researchers in Belgium, …

The first part of ‘The Hidden Agenda Behind Covid-19’ a new film by Plandemic went viral on the internet in the past 24 hours. The documentary reveals the agenda of the scientific and political elite who run the global health system and shows the sinister role of U.S. president Donald …

The Trump administration is drafting a legal blueprint for mining on the moon under a new U.S.-sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords, people familiar with the proposed pact told Reuters. The agreement would be the latest effort to cultivate allies around NASA’s plan to put humans and space stations …

The Trump administration stepped up assertions that the coronavirus originated at a laboratory in Wuhan, adding more fuel to a point of tension between the U.S. and China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said he also has seen “enormous evidence” that Covid-19 virus originated in a laboratory in …

Dutch pollster and data-analyst Maurice de Hond exposed a relationship between the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the weather (especially specific humidity). Which can be found here. In his second contribution to The Levant News he elaborates how aerosols play an important role in the infection with the virus. …

A patent has been granted by the UAE Ministry of Economy for the development of an innovative and promising treatment for COVID-19 infections using stem cells. The treatment was developed by a team of doctors and researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center (ADSCC) and involves extracting stem cells …

An online petition calling for the immediate resignation of World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus over his handling of the Coronacrisis has reached more than 1 million signatures. By Arthur Blok The petition states that the WHO chief is “unfit” for his role as head of the organization …

Dutch pollster and data-analyst Maurice de Hond exposed a relationship between the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the weather (especially specific humidity). He calls for further scientific research on this phenomenon. His recent findings are currently being analysed by scientists. By Maurice de Hond A highly respected virologist sent …

The group of 20 rich and emerging economies on Sunday launched an international initiative to accelerate access to health tools needed to fight the new coronavirus. The finance minister of Saudi Arabia, the current G20 chair, said the group is still working to bridge an estimated $8 billion funding gap …

US President Donald Trump has lambasted the WHO as being slow to react to the outbreak and being “China-centric” and announced a suspension of funding. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will help launch a global initiative on Friday to accelerate work to fight COVID-19, the World …

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force said on Wednesday it had launched the country’s first military satellite which had gone into orbit. It said a “Messenger” satellite carrier was used to launch the Noor (light) satellite, without going into further detail on the technology used. The launch took place at a time …

A petition to investigate the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for “crimes against humanity” and “medical malpractice” has amassed more than 385,000 signatures from concerned citizens. Almost four times the number required to get a response from the White House. By Arthur Blok The “We the People” petition asks the …

The world is so focussed on the latest figures of Covid-19 deaths and infection statistics, only few people realize what is pending in the background; a new global systematic war. Dutch political scientist Ingo Piepers (PhD) expects a new systematic war to erupt in the nearby future: “It has not …

An Oxford professor has claimed that a vaccine for Covid-19 could be ready by autumn. Sarah Gilbert is a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford and leads a team of researchers in developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, which has so far infected more than 1.7 million worldwide. The …

Even amidst a pandemic, life goes on. That’s certainly the case at Praram 9 Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, where on Thursday, two newborn babies were given tiny face shields to help protect them from COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — while they traveled home from the …

Chinese scientists identified a ‘wet market’ – where live and dead animals, including many endangered wildlife species, are sold for consumption – as the chief suspect for the origin of the coronavirus. The virus is closely related to the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which transmitted to …

President Trump has turned to a French virologist with a history of criticizing climate science to offer the world hope amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Last week, Trump tweeted that the combination of two medicines could dramatically alter the often deadly course of COVID-19. “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have …

The Coronavirus-hysteria has gone viral. Global media outlets report on nothing else but the consequences of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) stamped a pandemic weeks ago. In unprecedented moves people are told (forced) to stay home under lockdowns. Economies are being shut down, while the future consequences are largely …

Dubai – Despite the global panic surrounding the spread of coronavirus as cases and deaths continue to jump in the European Union (EU) and the United States, there is some positive news on potential vaccines, promising recovery rates and people coming closer together. By Arthur Blok | More than 470,000 …

A month ago, predictions about the course of the Corona virus were varied.  Many insisted it was merely a typical mild winter sickness that would quickly dissipate when the weather got warmer.  Others warned this was a pandemic that could impact the world and how we live for decades. It …

Graham E. Fuller (grahamefuller.com) 20 March 2020   These are not, of course, strictly speaking, end times. But for the first time in a long time, there is a whiff of the apocalyptic in the air. The Black Swan has come out of the blue. Events utterly unanticipated in any …