News – Page 20 – Zoom News

Record Number of Infections, But Fewer Deaths: South Africa Seems Past Peak of Omicron Wave

31Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, South Africa

Record Number of Infections, But Fewer Deaths: South Africa Seems Past Peak of Omicron Wave

In South Africa, the fourth corona wave seems to have reached its peak. As a result, the authorities are abolishing the curfew. Although the omicron variant has led to a record number of infections, fewer people have been hospitalized and died from the virus compared to other waves. The omicron variant was first discovered on November 23 in South Africa. Immediately several countries cancelled flights to and from the country. The fourth wave had thus started in South Africa. The variant also caused the highest number of infections yet identified: more than 23,000 cases were recorded per day in mid-December. The variant is now causing a new wave of infections worldwide. Yesterday, the South African authorities announced that the fourth corona wave appears to have peaked. As a result, th...

Fortnite was Down for 7 Hours Due to Server Problems

30Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Technology

Fortnite was Down for 7 Hours Due to Server Problems

The still wildly popular battle royale game Fortnite from Epic Games was down for more than 7 hours on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the server issues have been resolved. Loyal players will agree: Fortnite has been dealing with regularly recurring server problems for the past two weeks. With last night's 7-hour breakdown as the low point. The problems started on Wednesday evening around 4 p.m. UK time. The game's servers remained offline "due to stability issues," according to Fortnite's Twitter account. There were also reports worldwide of problems logging into the Epic Games Store. After more than 7 hours, Epic Games announced that the issues had been resolved. Fortnite seems to have been struggling with capacity or scaling issues since Chapter 3 kicked off this month. Additio...

United Kingdom Struggles With Rapid Test Rush

29Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, UK

United Kingdom Struggles With Rapid Test Rush

The British authorities are struggling to keep up with the demand for rapid tests. Citizens can request these via a government site. However, according to Sky News, the UKHSA health service warns that they may be temporarily unavailable there due to "exceptionally high demand". The British authorities are providing rapid tests on a large scale to the population in the hope of detecting more infections in time. The tests can be ordered online and then delivered to your home. They can also be picked up at particular collection points in libraries. Britons can also go to the pharmacy for rapid tests. The country has recently reported record numbers of corona infections, which is also increasing pressure on testing capacity. Residents of parts of England were temporarily unable to or...

Polish Senator Accuses Government of Hacking

28Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, News, Poland, Technology

Polish Senator Accuses Government of Hacking

The Pegasus scandal around espionage software of the NSO group gets a tail in Poland. Senator Krzysztof Brejza's smartphone has been hacked up to 33 times there around the 2019 elections. That writes news agency AP News, based on research by Citizen Lab, the media laboratory of the University of Toronto. Brejza is a politician of Poland's largest opposition party, Civic Platform. His smartphone has been attacked about 33 times between April 26 and October 23, 2019, the period of regional elections in Poland. It was eventually won by the Law and Justice party. The espionage attacks included the stolen text messages, according to AP News. This was allegedly used to spread fake reports on the state broadcaster about Brejza; for example, he created groups to spread anti-government pr...

Heavy Snow Storms and Freezing Temperatures in Western US and Canada

27Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Canada, News, US

Heavy Snow Storms and Freezing Temperatures in Western US and Canada

While ours is abnormally warm for this time of year, the western US is groaning under a cold snap and masses of snow. As a result, some regions are cut off from the outside world. Thousands of people were without power in the western United States last weekend due to the heavy snow showers. In some places in northern California, up to 76 centimetres of snow fell in 24 hours, making many roads inaccessible. And it is also freezing in western Canada. Avalanche warnings have been in effect in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and California since Sunday. The heavy snow showers have left large regions with unstable snow, the BBC's public broadcaster reported Monday. For example, in Washington and Oregon, there were power outages due to the bad weather. Northern California was t...

Japan Also Does Not Send Government Representatives to Beijing Winter Olympics

24Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

China, Japan, News

Japan Also Does Not Send Government Representatives to Beijing Winter Olympics

The diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February is gaining weight. After the US and Australia, Japan has now decided not to send ministers or government officials. Yasuhiro Yamashita, the chairman of the Japanese Olympic Committee, will probably descend on the Chinese capital. Seiko Hashimoto, the chairman of the Olympic Organizing Committee of the past Summer Games in Tokyo, will also attend. But Japan does not plan to send additional officials to Beijing, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said. Earlier, the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom had already decided to proceed to a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games. They are protesting against human rights violations in China. According to human rights groups, Uyghurs and other Muslim...

Italy Corona Ticket Validity Back to Six Months

23Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, Italy, News

Italy Corona Ticket Validity Back to Six Months

Italy will shorten the validity of the corona ticket from nine months to six months after the second vaccination. After that, a booster shot is needed to keep the so-called green pass valid. That is one of the measures taken by the government on Thursday to limit the number of new corona cases. The green pass is required in Italy to access catering establishments, football stadiums and ski slopes. There will also be a mouth cap obligation in the outdoors. A government statement states that it is also considering closing discotheques and nightclubs until New Year's Eve, but that decision has not yet been decided. The government has arrived at these measures after consultation, but they have yet to be formalized.

22Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, News, Technology

Microsoft to Acquire Nuance from EU

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of Nuance by Microsoft without attaching any additional conditions. The tech giant wants to take over speech company Nuance for a sloppy 17 billion euros. Microsoft already announced in April of this year that it wanted to acquire Nuance. The deal was previously approved by, for example, the cartel watchdogs of Australia and the United States. The United Kingdom has just started its investigation. According to the European Commission, the deal would certainly not cause competition problems in the European market. The two companies have been working together for some time. Nuance specializes in speech technology but is also working on developments for e-health, an application it already collaborated with Microsoft. Therefore, t...

Catalonia Announces Stricter Corona Rules

21Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Europe, News, Spain

Catalonia Announces Stricter Corona Rules

The Spanish region of Catalonia has announced new corona measures that will take effect next Friday. In the region, including Barcelona, corona infections have risen rapidly in recent weeks. Nightclubs, bars and cafes have to close, there will be a curfew from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., and the maximum occupancy in restaurants will be significantly reduced. People are also allowed to receive fewer guests at home. The rules apply for a period of fifteen days. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday about the corona situation in the country with the leaders of the Spanish regions. The regions largely determine their own corona policy. The consultations are about possibly stricter measures, such as in Catalonia, and about harmonizing all the rules. S...

Multiple Dead and Missing After Severe Flooding in Malaysia

20Dec

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Asia, Malaysia, News

Multiple Dead and Missing After Severe Flooding in Malaysia

In Malaysia, torrential rain has caused severe flooding in places over the past few days. Several people were said to have died as a result. Dozens of people are still missing, and more than 40,000 people had to be placed in emergency shelters as a result of the flooding, authorities report. The storm hit seven states and the capital Kuala Lumpur, the national news agency Bernama reported Monday. Cars were washed away, and the water swept entire houses. The situation is especially critical in the Selangor region, the wealthiest state in the country around Kuala Lumpur. There it came to an unprecedented amount of precipitation. The armed forces and the police and fire brigade were deployed to rescue the residents and distribute relief supplies. However, dozens of roads had to be ...