Science

China has pledged to deliver 400,000 doses of Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine to Afghanistan, Afghan officials said on Monday, in a boost for an immunisation campaign begun last week. “China’s ambassador to Kabul said in a meeting with health officials that his country would provide Afghanistan with 400,000 doses of COVID-19 …

Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq, announced the addition of Moon Retreat to their eco-luxury tourism destinations, state news agency SPA reported. The retreat will open to guests during the first quarter of 2021 in the archaeological area of Mleiha. Moon Retreat will offer visitors stargazing activities as there is …

Ahmed Al-Natour was working at his Gaza market shoe stall when a fire started in a nearby bakery and swept through a crowd of shoppers last March. Twenty-five people were killed and Natour, 34, suffered severe burns to his face and other parts of his body. Back home after months …

Turkey aims to achieve first contact with the moon as part of its national space programme in 2023, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. “The first rough landing will be made on the moon with our national and authentic hybrid rocket that shall be launched into orbit in the end …

The UAE made history on Tuesday evening when it joined an elite club of five nations that have sent a spacecraft to the Red Planet. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and …

The Tawakkalna app that helps prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has been fixed following a massive surge in applications which caused it to crash. Almost 10 million users registered with Tawakkalna since May 2020 – that number recently rose by 22.5 percent to 12.5 million. But …

The Palestinians will receive 10,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine on Thursday, enough to cover 5,000 people, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila told Voice of Palestine radio. The Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, launched a vaccination campaign on Tuesday after a small delivery …

Mohammed El-Qousi, head of the Egyptian Space Agency, said that Egypt is preparing to launch a satellite in December 2021, in addition to other projects to establish space science in the country. He said that Egypt had an ambitious plan to build space systems and infrastructure, as well as strengthen …

The Palestinian Authority said on Sunday it expects to receive its first COVID-19 vaccine doses in March under a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca, and accused Israel of shirking a duty to ensure vaccines are available in occupied territory. While Israel has already become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday met with Minister of Telecommunication Amro Talaat and the Executive Chief of Egyptian Space Agency Mohammed Afifi to discuss future usage of the “TIBA-1” satellite, the Presidency’s Spokesperson Bassam Radi announced. Sisi called to ensure that the satellite be utilized with the utmost …

Communist-run Cuba said late on Friday it had signed an accord with Iran to transfer the technology for its most advanced coronavirus vaccine candidate and carry out last-stage clinical trials in humans of the shot in the Islamic Republic. The allies are both under fierce U.S. sanctions that exempt medicine …

The Saudi Space Commission (SCC) is counting down to announce a set of preparatory partnerships to help propel the Kingdom’s role in the space sector, the agency’s chairman, Prince Sultan bin Salman, has revealed. Once an integrated project proposal has been completed, it will be submitted to the Saudi government …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, on Friday to discuss regional threats, especially Iranian aggression. They also “discussed the ongoing military cooperation between the two countries and the opportunities that currently lie in the region,” Ofir Gendelman, the premier’s …

President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, prompting a track-and-trace effort across Europe following numerous meetings between the French leader and EU heads of government in recent days. Macron, who will turn 43 on Monday, is running France remotely and has gone into quarantine at the presidential …

Pope Francis urged countries on Saturday to work towards net zero carbon emissions and committed Vatican City – the world’s smallest state – to reaching the target by 2050. Francis, who has championed environmental causes since his election in 2013, told a U.N. climate summit the 108-acre (44-hectare) city-state surrounded …

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on every country to declare a “climate emergency” on Saturday, as world leaders marking the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate accord made mostly incremental pledges relative to the scale of the crisis. Guterres made his call at a summit aimed at building on momentum …

Two Saudi academics have registered a patent in the US Patent Office for an idea to generate electricity by walking on small pistons placed under floors, according to Al Ekhbariya TV. “We took years to register this patent,” said Dr. Abdul Hamid Al Khatib, assistant professor of medical engineering at …

The first ever Kuwaiti scientific experiment was launched into the International Space Station, a major achievement for the Gulf state. The experiment was designed by four Kuwaiti students, who were chosen after a competition held by the Scientific Centre, in support of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science …

According to new data, the U.S. currently ranks first in total COVID-19 cases, new cases per day and deaths. Genevieve Briand, assistant program director of the Applied Economics master’s degree program at Hopkins, critically analyzed the effect of COVID-19 on U.S. deaths using data from the Centers for Disease Control …

Top scientists have warned there is a ‘troubling lack of evidence’ that face masks prevent Covid-19 infection, after a major study in Denmark found they don’t protect people who wear them. By the Levant News newsdesk Governments around the world — including the UK — have made it mandatory to …

The pandemic is effectively over and can easily be handled by a properly functioning National Health System (NHS). Accordingly, the United Kingdom and many other European countries should immediately be permitted to get back to normal life, says a former VP of Pfizer. By the Levant News newsdesk While Pfizer …

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. …