DONALD TRUMP BAN THE TIKTOK AND...............

Political News

1.Govt Watchdog: Politics Caused ‘sharpie gate’ Frantic Rebuke.

-11 JULY 2020

Political pressure from the White House and a series of “crazy in the middle of the night” texts, emails and phone calls caused top federal weather officials to wrongly admonish a weather office for a tweet that contradicted president Trump about Hurricane Dorian in 2019, an inspector general report found.

Commerce Department Inspector General Peggy Gustafson concluded in a report issued Thursday that the statement chastising the National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Alabama, could undercut public trust in weather warnings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and for a short time ever hindered public safety.    

2.Political Depression: How Bad is India’s Politics for our Mental Health.

-10 JULY 2020

This phrase, coined by Feminist scholar carol Hamish, has been used as a rallying slogan of student’s movement and second wave feminism from the late 1960s. It aimed to talk about the underscoring connection between personal experiences and a larger socio-political structure. Even though this slogan has been used predominantly to emphasize upon the live experience of women under patriarchal power structure, It has now been increasingly used to denote the interrelation between an individual and the socio-political structure which exist around them.

Politics plays a large part in a rapidly growing society and nation like India. Similarly, the political structure of a society can plays a dominant role in the basic socialization, ideology and lived experiences of an individual. However, what we tend to gloss over is the mental and physical impact of politics on the masses, especially those who involve themselves extensively into the political happening in their nations and across the world.

3.Noting green-shoots, PM Modi beckons global investors.

-9 JULY 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told a virtual meeting of diaspora and other individuals based across the globe that India is already witnessing ‘green-shoots’ of economy recovery and beckoned global investors by offering them a red-carpet welcome.

Addressing over 5,000 participants in various countries in an event called ‘India Global Week 2020’ organized by the London-based group India Inc. headed by Manoj Ladwa, Modi set out details of the initiative taken to encourage foreign investment.

4.Donald Trump considering ban on TIK TOK to punish China.

-8 JULY 2020         

US President Donald Trump said he is considering a ban on the video-sharing app TIK TOK as a way to punish China over the corona virus pandemic.

‘It’s something we’re looking at,’ Trump said on Tuesday when asked about a possible ban. ‘It’s a big business. Look’ what happened with China with this virus, what they’ve done to this country and to the entire world is disgraceful.’

Trump said the banning of the app was ‘one of many’ option he was considering against China.

 5.Trump insists that school open, but teacher isn’t so sure.

-7 JULY 2020

President Donald Trump has made his position clear: ‘SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!’ he tweeted Monday. As covid-19 surges in part of the US, many teachers aren’t convinced.

The pandemic’s even-shifting nature has robbed school districts of the ability to plan with certainty—not only for instruction, but to provide protective equipment and intensive cleaning. Ever if a sustained decline in infections allows them to open their doors, many are preparing a mix of in person and remote education that is certain to fall short of the president’s expectation.

6.Top Xi Jinping critic arrested in China.

-6 JULY 2020

Beijing police arrested a law professor who had criticized President Xi Jinping’s style of functioning and recently questioned the government’s handling of the covid-19 pandemic on Monday.

Xu Zhang Run, 58, was arrested from his house in a Beijing suburb, Geng Xiao nan, his friend, told Bloomberg. She got to know about the arrest from his domestic helper, wife and students, Geng added.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijiang said at regular ministry briefing that he had no information about the arrest.

7.Iran mandates masks as public shrugs off resurgent corona virus.

-5 JULY 2020

Iran on Sunday instituted mandatory mask wearing as fears mount over newly spiking reported deaths from the corona virus, even as its public increasingly shrugs off the danger of the Covid-19 illness it causes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicized an image of himself in a mask in recent days, urging both public official and the Islamic Republic’s 80 million people to wear them to stop the virus’s spread.

But public opinion polling and a walk through any of the streets of Tehran show the widespread apathy felt over a pandemic that saw Iran on February among the first countries stuck after China.

Health News

Difference between covid-19 symptoms and seasonal allergy symptoms-https://healthmantraocean.blogspot.com/2020/07/difference-between-covid-19-symptoms.html

1.7 Reasons why kissing is good for health and why we should kiss more often

6,July,2020

1.It boosts your ‘happy hormones’

Kissing triggers your brain to release chemicals such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin, which make you feel euphoric, encourage feelings of affection and bonding and ignite the pleasure centre of the brain. It also lowers your cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

2.Stressbuster

Kissing could be the best distraction you can get as it takes your mind off dozens of problems and stress-inducing issues. As the levels of oxytocin rise, you feel calmer and more relaxed. According to a 2013 study, oxytocin is particularly important in helping men bond with a partner and stay monogamous. Women, on the other hand, experience a flood of oxytocin during childbirth and breastfeeding, strengthening the mother-child bond.

 

3.Reduce allergic response

Kissing may provide significant relief from hives and other allergic reactions associated with pollen and household dust mites. Stress is also known to worsen allergic reactions, so kissing’s effect on stress may help to reduce allergic responses.

 

4.Burns calories

If you thought that rigorous gymming and running could get you to burn some calories, here’s something you might actually like! You can burn anywhere from 2 to 26 calories per minute depending on how passionate your kiss is. It may not be directly linked with weight loss but it will definitely keep you calm and low on stress, in turn helping you stay happy.

5.Tones facial muscles

This is a natural facelift of sorts. Kissing can stimulate over 30 facial muscles and regular kissing is a workout for your face and neck. Working out your facial muscles can also up collagen production, contributing to firmer, younger-looking skin. The blood circulation helps with a healthy glow too!

6.Bid tooth decay goodbye

Kissing can aid dental hygiene as it stimulates the salivary glands, which helps increases saliva production. Saliva keeps the mouth lubricated, aids in swallowing food and also helps food debris from sticking to your teeth, in turn protecting against tooth decay and cavities.

The extra saliva washes bacteria off your teeth, helping to break down oral plaque, says Mathew Messina, DDS, a private practice dentist in Fairview Park, Ohio, and consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. “Still, I would not go around advocating kissing after meals instead of brushing,” he adds.

7.Kissing a romantic partner boosts your libido

Romantic kissing leads to sexual arousal and is often considered the driving force behind a woman’s decision to have sexual intercourse with someone. Saliva also contains testosterone — a sex hormone that plays a key role in sexual arousal.

Anthropologist Helen Fisher describes kissing as a “mate assessment tool.”

According to Fisher, “the kiss plays a role in each of the three phases of our evolved reproductive strategy: first, the kiss helps inspire and direct the libido, which causes us to desire sex with multiple partners. Later, the kiss works to stoke the fires of romantic love, the deep infatuation that motivates us to choose one of many partners. Finally, the kiss helps us sustain and reinforce the ongoing attachment bonds, which allow us to endure together long enough to raise our children (our gene carriers) into sexual maturity.”

Kissing makes both partners feel good about themselves and can help strengthen their bond. So kiss more, and kiss often because it’s good for you.

 

2.Covid-19: Novel air filter to “catch and kill” coronavirus developed

8,July,2020

Scientists have designed a “catch and kill” air filter which they say can trap the novel coronavirus and neutralise it instantly, an invention that may reduce the spread of COVID-19 in closed spaces such as schools, hospitals and health care facilities, as well as public transit environments like airplanes.

According to the study, published in the journal Materials Today Physics, the device killed 99.8 per cent of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in a single pass through its filter.

It said the device, made from commercially available nickel foam heated to 200 degrees Celsius, also killed 99.9 per cent of the spores of the deadly bacterium Bacillus anthracis which causes the anthrax disease.

“This filter could be useful in airports and in airplanes, in office buildings, schools, and cruise ships to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Zhifeng Ren, a co-author of the study from the University of Houston (UH) in the US. “Its ability to help control the spread of the virus could be very useful for society,” Ren added. The researchers said they are also developing a desk-top model for the device which is capable of purifying the air in an office worker’s immediate surroundings.

According to the scientists, since the virus can remain in the air for about three hours, a filter that could remove it quickly was a viable plan, and with businesses reopening across the world, they believe controlling the spread in air conditioned spaces was urgent.

The study noted that the novel coronavirus cannot survive temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius, so by making the filter temperature far hotter -- about 200 degree Celsius, the researchers said they were able to kill the virus almost instantly.

 

3.Scientists discover protective Alzheimer’s gene, develop rapid drug-testing platform

10,July,2020

In breakthrough research, a gene has been discovered that can naturally suppress the signs of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain cells. The scientists have also developed a new rapid drug-screening system for treatments that could potentially delay or prevent the disease.

The research led by the Queen Mary University of London was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

The main challenge in testing Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials is that participants need to have symptoms. But once people have symptoms, it is usually too late for treatments to have a significant effect, as many brain cells have already died.

The only current way to test potential preventative treatments is by identifying participants who are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s and seeing if treatments prevent the onset of their disease. This includes people with Down’s syndrome (DS) who have around a 70 per cent chance of developing Alzheimer’s during their lifetime. This is because the extra chromosome 21 they carry includes the gene for amyloid precursor protein which causes early Alzheimer’s when overdosed or mutated.

In the study, published in the Nature group journal Molecular Psychiatry, the researchers collected hair cells from people with DS and reprogrammed them to become stem cells, which were then directed to turn into brain cells in a dish.

In these brain-like cells, the researchers saw Alzheimer’s-like pathology develop rapidly, including the hallmark trio of signs of Alzheimer’s progression - amyloid plaque-like lesions, progressive neuronal death and abnormal accumulations of a protein called tau inside neurons.

 

Business News

1.Emirates airline to cut up to 9,000 jobs: Report

-11 JULY 2020

Emirates airline has cut a tenth of its workforce during the novel coronavirus pandemic in layoffs that could rise to 15 percent, or 9,000 jobs, its president said, according to a report on Saturday.

The Middle East's largest carrier, which operates a fleet of 270 wide-bodied aircraft, halted operations in late March as part of global shutdowns to stem the spread of the virus.

It resumed two weeks later on a limited network and plans to fly to 58 cities by mid-August, down from about 157 before the crisis.

However, its president Tim Clark has said previously that it could take up to four years for operations to return to "some degree of normality", and the airline has been staging rounds of layoffs, as recently as last week, without disclosing numbers. Before the crisis hit, Emirates employed some 60,000 staff, including 4,300 pilots and nearly 22,000 cabin crew, according to its annual report.

Clark said in an interview with the BBC that the airline had already cut a tenth of its staff and that Emirates "will probably have to let go of a few more, probably up to 15 percent". A company spokeswoman told AFP the airline had nothing to add to the report.

2. S&P warns Dubai economy to shrink 11%, cuts 

property giants to junk

-11 JULY 2020

S&P Global warned that Dubai's economy was set to shrink 11% this year, as it cut the credit ratings of two of the emirate's biggest property firms to 'junk' status.

Dubai, the Middle East's trade and tourism hub, has been hit hard by coronavirus-containment measures and is set for an economic contraction almost four times worse than during the global financial crisis in 2009, S&P said.

"We now expect Dubai's real GDP will shrink by about 11% in 2020, compounding the economic slowdown that began in 2015," S&P analysts wrote in a note dated July 9, adding that the emirate's fiscal deficit was expected to balloon to about 4% of GDP this year.

A growth rebound of about 5% is expected next year, but real GDP growth will then slow to 2% through to 2023, which would be half of what it has averaged for the last 10 years.

S&P downgraded Emaar Properties, the United Arab Emirate's largest property firm and the builder of the world's tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, to a BB+ 'junk' rating from an investment grade BBB- score.

It said it expected a 30%-40% slump in Emaar's earnings in 2020, a 15%-20% dive in overall revenues, while the anticipated recovery next year would be only partial. 

"We expect Dubai's balance sheet to deteriorate, reducing its ability to provide extraordinary financial support to its related entities," S&P's analysts said. 

3. Harley-Davidson to cut hundreds of jobs as part 

of turnaround strategy

-10 JULY 2020

Harley-Davidson Inc on Thursday said it will lay off 500 employees this year as part of new Chief Executive Jochen Zeitz's efforts to revive the struggling motorcycle maker.

As part of the overhaul, Chief Financial Officer John Olin will leave the company effective immediately. Darrell Thomas, treasurer, will become interim chief financial officer, it said.

Harley-Davidson's sales have been declining for the past five years in the United States, its largest market, as its baby-boomer customer base ages. The economic pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic has further dented retail demand.

In response to weak sales, the Milwaukee-based company has cut production, leading to 140 job cuts last month at its factories in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The latest cuts are in addition to those layoffs, a company spokeswoman said.

Zeitz, who took over in February, is hailed for turning around the Puma brand's near-bankrupt business.

His restructuring strategy, dubbed The Rewire, is aimed at making Harley a leaner and more nimble organization. It seeks to reset product lines, focus on the company's core strengths and prioritize profitable markets.

4. Chinese banks prepare contingency plans over threat of U.S. sanctions: Sources

-9 JULY 2020

Chinese state lenders are revamping contingency plans in anticipation of U.S. legislation that could penalize banks for serving officials who implement the new national security law for Hong Kong, sources at five state financial institutions said.

In worst-case scenarios under consideration by the Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the lenders are looking at the possibility of being cut off from U.S. dollars or losing access to U.S. dollar settlements, two sources said.

The dollar is the dominant global currency for international payments and central bank reserves.

"We are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. You never know how things will turn out," one of the sources said.

Reflecting concern over the erosion of the former British colony's autonomy, the U.S. House and Senate unanimously passed the bill last week. It has yet to be signed into law by President Donald Trump.

The bill calls for sanctions on Chinese officials and others who help violate Hong Kong's autonomy and on financial institutions that do business with them. But it does not spell out what the sanctions would look like.

5. Six candidates battle it out for WTO leadership

-8 JULY 2020

Six candidates are vying to become the next head of the World Trade Organization -- an institution which faced mammoth challenges even before the pandemic-driven global economic crisis struck.

The window to enter the race slams shut on Wednesday, in a speeded-up contest to replace the outgoing WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo -- the Brazilian career diplomat who is stepping down one year early at the end of August.

The six candidates in the running are from Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Nigeria and South Korea.

The new chief must revive stalled trade talks, lay the ground for the 2021 ministerial conference -- one of the WTO's major events -- and thaw relations with Washington.

The United States, which has threatened to leave the WTO, has blocked the organization’s dispute settlement appeal system since December, and wants China moved up from the developing economies category.

In a surprise move in mid-May, Azevedo, 62, announced that he would end his second four-year term early for personal reasons, forcing the Geneva-based WTO's 164 member states to come up with a successor in just three months instead of the usual nine.

6. Hong Kong’s richest man is losing friends in China 

and the West

-7 JULY 2020

To some he is the “Cockroach King,” accused of being a closet supporter of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and a traitor to China. To others — namely the Trump administration and its allies — he is a Chinese Communist Party loyalist who can’t be trusted with critical infrastructure.

Li Ka-shing, who built Hong Kong’s biggest fortune by straddling the divide between China and the West, is now finding it harder than ever to keep both sides happy. As Beijing spars with western governments on everything from Hong Kong to trade and the coronavirus, the 91-year-old billionaire’s business empire has become an important test case for whether international companies can navigate what many are calling a new Cold War.

The odds of success are getting smaller by the day, if the stock market is any guide. CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., the largest piece of Li’s empire, now trades at less than half the value of its net assets, the most depressed level since the company was formed in a 2015 restructuring. The stock has tumbled 30% over the past year, versus a 7% decline for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index.

7.UK watchdog asks big 4 to separate audit practices

-6 JULY 2020

The UK dominant accounting firms must separate their audit units from other businesses by June 2024 as the country’s accounting watchdog reacts to shortcomings that led to the collapse of several companies.

The Financial Reporting Council is asking the so-called Big Four — KPMG, Deloitte, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers LLC and Ernst & Young — to agree to operational separation to ensure audit practices don't rely on “persistent cross-subsidy from the rest of the firm,” it said Monday in an emailed statement.

Auditors are under greater regulatory scrutiny than ever after a serious of high-profile lapses in recent years, with Ernst & Young's role in the collapse of German payments provider Wirecard AG now under the microscope.

“These final principles follow extensive discussions with the audit firms,” the regulator said. “The FRC is now asking the Big Four firms to agree to operational separation of their audit practices on this basis and to provide a transition timetable to complete implementation by June 30, 2024 at the latest.”

Technology News

One Plus 8 Pro Is Better Then Motorola One Fusion Plus?-https://technicalocean2020.blogspot.com/2020/07/one-plus-8-pro-is-better-then-motorola.html

1.View from India: silver lining for app developers  

-6 JULY 2020

In Covid times when many organizations have shrunk in size with dwindling employee strength, mobile app developers in India are preparing for a new innings.

In an effort to promote app developers nationally, prime minister (PM) Narender Modi has introduced an App innovation challenge. the announcement, which was made earlier this month will roll out in two tracks aimed at tech entrepreneurs and the start-up community.

2.How did Apple’s supply chain evolve?

-7 JULY 2020

A visual analysis shows how Apple’s supplier network has evolved over past years, and what these changes mean for the tech giant’s future and competition.

Apple announced in July that it will begin making its own chips, confirming insider prediction of a move away from Intel chip the company will processors for its own desktop and laptop, which marks a big strategic shift.

It could affect Apple’s Intel supplier networks in nine location: three in the US (previously four) two in china and one each in Israel, Vietnam Malaysia and Ireland.

3.Reusable N95 Face mask created using silicone 

Rubber

-8 JULY 2020

A new type of face mask made from reusable silicone rubber has been designed that can be sterilized multiple times and should be able to stop viral particles as effectively as N95 masks

The durable silicon rubber face mask developed by MIT researchers can be manufactured using injection molding a process used widely in factories around the world. the mask also includes an N95 filter but it requires much less N95 material than a traditional N95 mask.

N95 masks are those which meet the US national Institute for Occupation in safety and Health (NIOSH) classification of air filter at least 95 per cent of airborne particles

4.Tik Tok deleted more 49 million videos breaking content rules 

-9 JULY 2020

The popular video-sharing app said took down 49,247,689 videos in the second half of which were removed before they were reported by users.

Around 5.5 per cent of those removed videos in December 2019 broke the sexual activities, with another 24.8 per cent violating rule designed to protect minors.

“Around the world tens of thousands of videos are uploaded on Tik Tok ever minute,” the firm said in a blog post. “with every video comes a greater responsibility on our end to protect the safety and wellbeing of our users.”

It added as a global platform we have thousands of people across the markets where TikTok operates working to maintain a safe and secure app environment for everyone.”

5.EVs, batteries and the multi-million- tone scrap 

Heap

-10 JULY 2020

As sale of electric vehicles start to soar, the thorny issue of what to do with end-of-life lithium ion batteries isn’t going away. we look at the problem and explore the solution s.

To say that the legacy of today’s electric vehicles is set to be a mountain of lithium-ion battery waste would be kind. in 2017 when worldwide sales of electrics vehicles exceeded one million cars per year for the first-time calculation from UK based University of Birmingham researchers revealed stark figures. these vehicles alone are destined to leave some 250,000 tons of unprocessed battery waste when they eventually reach the scrap heap in 2027 this is just the beginning.

Latest modelling from the Paris-based international energy agency indicates the number of electric cars on the road will lie between 125 million and 220 million by 2030. give this come the middle of this century the 250,000 –tone waste figure looks meagre against the tens of millions of tons of waste that could follow .and to make matters, recycling is playing catch-up.