Alan Lorenz, Author at Zoom News

Millions of Rapid Coronavirus Tests Will be Available in the UK Soon

3Aug

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

UK, News

Millions of Rapid Coronavirus Tests Will be Available in the UK Soon

Millions of rapid corona tests will be available in the UK soon. The British government reports this. Such a rapid test must show within 90 minutes whether someone is infected with the coronavirus. The test can also detect flu and colds. "That's also handy in case there might be a flu wave in the winter months," said British Health Minister Matt Hancock. Britain is most severely affected by the virus in Europe. To date, more than 306,000 people have been infected, and more than 46,000 have died as a result of Covid-19 disease.

Fewer Rhinoceroses Killed in South Africa Due to the coronavirus

31Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

South Africa, News

Fewer Rhinoceroses Killed in South Africa Due to the coronavirus

The number of rhinos killed by poachers in South Africa in the first six months of 2020 is more than half compared to the same period last year. The Ministry of the Environment has announced that 166 rhinoceroses have been illegally killed. Poachers were less able to access natural areas due to strict measures against the coronavirus. "For the first time in a decade, no rhinos were killed in April in Kruger National Park," said Environment Minister Barbara Creecy in a statement. About 20,000 white rhinos live in South Africa, which is 90 percent of the entire population in the world. The horns of the animals are very popular in East Asia, where they are thought to be good medicines. The horn consists mainly of keratin, which is also found in people's nails and hair.

Bangladesh Hit By Heavy Rainfall and Floods

29Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Bangladesh, News

Bangladesh Hit By Heavy Rainfall and Floods

Heavy rainfall during the annual monsoon has caused significant flooding in Bangladesh. According to experts in the country, 4.8 million inhabitants have been affected by the rising water, and the violence of nature has already killed 41 people. According to the flood control centre, the situation will worsen in the coming days, as water levels in major rivers around the capital Dhaka continue to rise. Since the onset of rainfall in late June, about a million people have become trapped in their homes. Among the 41 dead, 31 were children. Most drowned. Observers fear that the floods will be the worst since 1988. In that year, Bangladesh was flooded for about two thirds for two months, and massive damage was done.

Spanish Unemployment is Rising Again Due to the Corona Crisis

28Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Business, Europe, News, Spain

Spanish Unemployment is Rising Again Due to the Corona Crisis

Spanish unemployment rose in the second quarter as a result of the corona crisis. The Spanish statistics agency has calculated this. Unemployment has declined in recent years, but this has now come to an end. The number of unemployed rose by 55,000 to just under 3.4 million people. This brings unemployment to 15.3 percent. In the first quarter of this year, this was still 14.4 percent. However, the actual figures could be even higher because, during the lockdown in the country, people were unable to look for work actively. They, therefore, did not meet the definition of unemployment used by the statistical office. This could apply to up to 1.1 million people. Employees who are temporarily at home and paid via a government schedule, about 1.8 million people do not count as unemp...

Australian Police Warn of False Kidnapping of Chinese Students

27Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Australia, China

Australian Police Warn of False Kidnapping of Chinese Students

The Australian police warn of a strange form of fraud with mainly Chinese students as targets. These students are forced to pretend they have been kidnapped to get money off their family in China. At least eight such false kidnappings have already been reported this year, New South Wales police said on SBS. The fraud is as follows. A Chinese student receives a call from someone claiming to be from the Chinese government. The student is told that he risks being arrested in China. To avoid this, the student must transfer money or stage his kidnapping and ask money from his family in China. That family must then pay a certain sum for the student's release. The police estimate that the people behind the kidnapping fraud have extorted 3.2 million Australian dollars. One family paid ...

China Orders Closure of US Consulate in Chengdu

24Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, China, US

China Orders Closure of US Consulate in Chengdu

The Chinese government has ordered the closure of the US Consulate in Chengdu. It is, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, "a legal and necessary response to unjustified US action," The South China Morning Post reported. Beijing responds to the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston. Washington decided to do this because hackers, with support from the People's Republic, would gather confidential information from companies in the US, among others. The countermeasure, according to Beijing, is "following international law, customs in international relations and diplomatic practice". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeated the allegations in a speech Thursday, saying the Houston consulate is a hub of espionage and "theft of intellectual property." The consulate is du...

Israeli Coalition Tottered Over Gay Healing Conflict

23Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Israel, News

Israeli Coalition Tottered Over Gay Healing Conflict

Within the Israeli government coalition, there has been considerable concern about legislation to prohibit 'gay healing'. The Blue-White coalition party voted in favour of a ban, to the anger of ultra-Orthodox allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The legislation would prohibit psychologists from continuing to use the controversial therapy for homosexuals. The proposal has yet to be finally approved but took a hurdle in parliament on Wednesday. Ultra-Orthodox MPs, who see homosexuality as sinful, were visibly outraged after the vote, according to the Times of Israel. They shouted "you will not become prime minister" to Blue-White leader Benny Gantz, the defence minister. That could be seen as a threat to drop the government before Gantz can take office as prime minister ...

The Trial of Former Sudan Leader Omar Hassan Al-Bashir Has Started in Khartoum

21Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Sudan, News

The Trial of Former Sudan Leader Omar Hassan Al-Bashir Has Started in Khartoum

The trial of former Sudan leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir has started in Khartoum. He must answer for the military coup he committed as a senior officer in 1989. The coup against democratically elected Prime Minister Sadeq al-Mahdi narrowly prevented the Prime Minister from making peace with the rebellious South and ending a civil war in what eventually became independent South Sudan in 2011. Al-Bashir remained in power until April last year, plunging the vast country into decades of bloodshed and economic disaster. He isolated the country politically and economically, for example, by long-term housing of terrorists such as Osama bin Laden (1957-2011). He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the bloody persecution of populations in northwestern Darfu...

The First Trial in Italy Against Captain for Returning Migrants to Libya

20Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Italy, Europe, News

The First Trial in Italy Against Captain for Returning Migrants to Libya

A captain of an Italian flagship that has returned rescued migrants to Libya will be brought to trial in an Italian court. This is evident from documents that the French news agency AFP has had access to. It is the first time that such a process takes place in Italy. The ship "Asso 28" rescued a total of 101 migrants near an oil platform in international waters at the end of July 2018. Still, it subsequently returned the migrants to the port of Tripoli where they were handed over to the Coast Guard, according to the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office. The ship's captain and company representative Augusta Offshore is accused of violating international law. It states that people should not be driven back to countries where their rights are threatened. Among the rescued people, the...

Ryanair Plane Lands Safely After Bomb Threat, Man Arrested

17Jul

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News

Ryanair Plane Lands Safely After Bomb Threat, Man Arrested

A Ryanair passenger plane landed safely on Friday at the final destination in Oslo after an alarm was raised about a possible explosive on board. Danish F-16s escorted the plane to the Norwegian capital, where the police were ready. He says in a statement that a 51-year-old Briton has been arrested who is said to be behind the threat. The plane had left London and was in the air when the explosive was reported. An airline spokeswoman said crew members found a "note saying that there may have been a safety risk on board." The Norwegian authorities say that all passengers could be safely evacuated after landing. Explosives experts will investigate the aircraft.