Passive immunity: re-engineering antibodies may help in fight against Covid-19

Sudharma Times

{2 august 2020 ~ 8 august 2020}

Health News

 ~by NIKHIL  

1.Passive immunity: re-engineering antibodies may help in fight against Covid-19

3,August,2020

With millions of COVID-19 cases reported across the globe, people are turning to antibody tests to find out whether they have been exposed to the coronavirus that causes the disease.

Antibody tests look for the presence of antibodies, which are specific proteins made in response to infections. Antibodies are disease specific. For example, measles antibodies will protect you from getting measles if you are exposed to it again, but they won’t protect you from getting mumps if you are exposed to mumps.

“Antibodies are important because they prevent infection and heal patients affected by diseases,” said Victor Padilla-Sanchez, a researcher at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.

“If we have antibodies, we are immune to disease, as long as they are in your system, you are protected. If you don’t have antibodies, then infection proceeds and the pandemic continues,” added Sanchez.

This form of foreign-antibody-based protection is called passive immunity -- short-term immunity provided when a person is given antibodies to a disease rather than producing these antibodies through their own immune system.

“We’re at the initial steps of this now, and this is where I’m hoping my work might help,” Padilla-Sanchez said.

Padilla-Sanchez specializes in viruses. Specifically, he uses computer models to understand the structure of viruses on the molecular level and uses this information to try to figure out how the virus functions.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the first new infectious disease identified in the 21st century. This respiratory illness originated in the Guangdong province of China in November 2002. The World Health Organization identified this new coronavirus (SARS-CoV) as the agent that caused the outbreak.

Now we’re in the middle of yet another new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019. COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has become a rapidly spreading pandemic that has reached most countries in the world. As of July 2020, COVID-19 has infected more than 15.5 million people worldwide with more than 630,000 deaths.

To date, there are not any vaccines or therapeutics to fight the illness.

2. Covid-19: Face mask by Japan startup helps you speak in 8 languages

4,August,2020

C-Mask, a smart mask by a Japanese robotic startup, has unveiled a tech face mask that lets users stay connected to their smartphones, make calls remotely, send text messages and more without accessing their smartphones.

The white silicone C-mask fits over standard face masks and connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone and tablet application that can transcribe speech into text messages, make calls, or amplify the mask wearer’s voice.“We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society,” said Taisuke Ono, the chief executive of Donut Robotics when speaking with Reuters.

Engineers at Donut Robotics came up with the idea of this mask as they were looking to work on a product that would keep the startup, launched in 2014, afloat amid the pandemic. It had secured a contract to supply robot guides and translators at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, just shy of when the virus outbreak began. The translation software being created for a robot called Cinnamon has since been put on hold as it’ll be a while before air travel is able to resuscitate with full gusto in the post-pandemic world.

3. Hope for Covid-19 vaccine: Novel coronavirus strains show little variability

4,August,2020

In some “good news” for scientists working on a viable vaccine for COVID-19, a latest study has found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind the disease shows little variability, despite having at least six strains.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, the “most extensive” study ever carried out on SARS-CoV-2 sequencing drew from the analysis of 48,635 coronavirus genomes, which were isolated by researchers in labs all over the world.

The researchers at the University of Bologna in Italy mapped the spread and the mutations of the virus during its journey to all continents.

The findings show that the novel coronavirus presents little variability, approximately seven mutations per sample.

Common influenza has a variability rate that is more than double, the researchers said.

“The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is presumably already optimised to affect human beings, and this explains its low evolutionary change,” said Federico Giorgi, a researcher at University of Bologna, and coordinator of the study.

“This means that the treatments we are developing, including a vaccine, might be effective against all the virus strains,” Giorgi said.

The researchers noted that currently there are six strains of the novel coronavirus.

The original one is the L strain, that appeared in Wuhan in December 2019. Its first mutation -- the S strain -- appeared at the beginning of 2020, while, since mid-January, we have had strains V and G, they said.

To date strain G is the most widespread: it mutated into strains GR and GH at the end of February, according to the researchers.

“Strain G and its related strains GR and GH are by far the most widespread, representing 74 per cent of all gene sequences we analysed,” said Giorgi.

“They present four mutations, two of which are able to change the sequence of the RNA polymerase and Spike proteins of the virus. This characteristic probably facilitates the spread of the virus,” he said.

Besides the six main coronavirus strains, researchers identified some infrequent mutations that, they said, are not worrying at the moment but should be monitored.

4. Good sleep quality may helps us for forgetting old memories, says study

5,August,2020

While getting proper sleep has been proven to play a critical role in our health, in a new study, researchers report that sleep may also help people to learn continuously through their lifetime.

The study led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine was published in the journal eLife. In the study, researchers used computational models capable of simulating different brain states, such as sleep and awake, to examine how sleep consolidates newly encoded memories and prevents damage to old memories.

“The brain is very busy when we sleep, repeating what we have learned during the day. Sleep helps reorganise memories and presents them in the most efficient way. Our findings suggest that memories are dynamic, not static. In other words, memories, even old memories, are not final. Sleep constantly updates them,” said Maksim Bazhenov, PhD, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at UC San Diego. “We predict that during the sleep cycle, both old and new memories are spontaneously replayed, which prevents forgetting and increases recall performance.”

Bazhenov said that memory replay during sleep plays a protective role against forgetting by allowing the same populations of neurons to store multiple interfering memories. “We learn many new things on a daily basis and those memories compete with old memories. To accommodate all memories, we need to sleep.”

5. how common cold infection may train the body to recognise novel coronavirus

6,August,2020

The immune system’s memory helper T cells which recognise the common cold virus and help the body fight it off, also identifies some parts of the novel coronavirus, according to a study whose findings may explain why some people have milder COVID-19 cases than others.

The research, published in the journal Science, noted that the immune system’s memory T cells keep track of the viruses they have seen before, giving the cells a headstart in recognising and fighting off repeat invaders.

However, the scientists, including those from La Jolla Institute (LJI) in the US, cautioned that it is too soon to say whether such pre-existing immune cell memory affects COVID-19 clinical outcomes.

“We have now proven that, in some people, pre-existing T cell memory against common cold coronaviruses can cross-recognise SARS-CoV-2, down to the exact molecular structures,” said Daniela Weiskopf, a co-author of the study from LJI. “This could help explain why some people show milder symptoms of disease while others get severely sick,” Weiskopf said.

Alessandro Sette, another co-author of the study from LJI, noted that the reactivity of the immune system may translate to different degrees of protection.

“Having a strong T cell response, or a better T cell response may give you the opportunity to mount a much quicker and stronger response,” Sette said.

An earlier study by Sette and his team had shown that 40 to 60 per cent of people who were never exposed to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 had T cells that reacted to the virus.

According to the study, the immune systems in these individuals recognised fragments of the virus it had never seen before -- a finding which was also reported among people in the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, and the UK.

In the current research, the scientists assessed samples collected from study participants who had never been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

They defined the exact parts of the virus that are responsible for the cross-reactive T cell response. Their analysis showed that unexposed individuals can produce a range of memory T cells that are equally reactive against SARS-CoV-2, and four types of common cold corona viruses.

Based on the finding, the scientists said fighting off a common cold corona virus could teach the T cell compartment to recognise some parts of SARS-CoV-2 as well. They believe this process provides evidence for the hypothesis that common cold viruses can, in fact, induce cross-reactive T cell memory against SARS-CoV-2.

“We knew there was pre-existing reactivity, and this study provides very strong direct molecular evidence that memory T cells can ‘see’ sequences that are very similar between common cold coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2,” Sette said.

The scientists found that while some cross-reactive T cells targeted the SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein -- the region of the virus that recognises and binds to human cells -- pre-existing immune memory was also directed to other SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Sette noted that the finding is relevant since most vaccine candidates target the spike protein. The findings, according to the researchers, suggest the hypothesis that inclusion of additional SARS-CoV-2 targets might enhance the potential to take advantage of this cross reactivity, and could further enhance vaccine potency.

6. Worried about your kids’ mental health

7,August,2020

It has been over a hundred days since the nationwide lockdown was imposed, in lieu of the corona virus scare. While restrictions have been eased, certain things are still a big no-no, one of these being reopening of educational institutions. Keeping in mind the well-being of children, most state governments announced that schools would remain closed for the foreseeable future. While the decision came as a sigh of relief for parents, the threat of dipping mental health of children looms large.

School has and will always remain the most memorable part of life for most of us. But for children these days, classrooms have turned into mobile phones, and teachers into virtual assistants. And this lack of exposure to the outside world has put parents in a fix.

“Society plays a major role in a child’s development,” asserts Maanwi Malik Sharma, a city-based psychologist, adding, “Children learn through mimicry and observation. What we show is what a child will repeat. When they are constantly surrounded by caregivers and do not interact with the society, they lack the connection to understand others, their ability to explore and apply problem-solving skills, leading to dependency and doubt. Additionally, they lack the ability to manipulate self and others.”

What’s more, increased exposure to gadgets amid the lockdown has led to addiction in children. “Since many children have not stepped out from their homes from long, behavioural changes are quite obvious. Kids can’t express their emotions in words, so they throw temper tantrums,” observes Dr Shanu Srivastava, a senior psychologist.

To minimise the impact of the pandemic, Dr Srivastava believes parents should pay keen attention to what their children have to say. “Listen to them, so that they can vent out their anger, anxiety or negativity. Also, schools should organise fun activity classes every day online, which includes various forms of dance, music, etc.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Dr Prerna Kohli, a clinical psychologist, feels parents need to ensure their children spend adequate time on three domains, that is, academic, social and physical (exercise).

“While children are at home, teachers need to modify the curriculum to a more practical, experience-based learning. Parents need to step up in providing social and physical outlets to children. For example, if parents and children together practised bhangra for 60 minutes daily, this would be a fun activity to address both social and physical exercise needs of school-going children,” she suggests, adding that the key is to create a schedule and adhere to it.

Business News

~by JATIN

1. Mark Zuckerberg becomes a centibillionaire as anticipation grows over TikTok rivalry

-8 August 2020

·       Being a centibillionaire

Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth passed $100 billion for the first time Thursday after Facebook Inc. hit a record high on optimism about the release of its TikTok competitor Reels, reports Bloomberg. The 36-year-old joins fellow tech titans Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as the only people in the world who currently have centibillionaire status, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Zuckerberg’s fortune is largely derived from his 13% stake in Facebook.

·       Mind-boggling wealth

The founders of America’s largest technology companies have enjoyed a mind-boggling accumulation of wealth this year as the coronavirus pandemic drives more people online, despite the U.S. economy contracting at its fastest pace on record. Zuckerberg has gained about $22 billion this year, while Bezos is up more than $75 billion.

·       Big tech

The staggering numbers have put Big Tech under increased scrutiny, with Zuckerberg, Bezos, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Alphabet Inc. head Sundar Pichai testifying before Congress last month to defend allegations that their power and influence are out of control.

 

·       phere of influence

The five largest American tech companies -- Apple, Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet, Facebook, and Microsoft Corp. -- currently have market valuations equivalent to about 30% of U.S. gross domestic product, nearly double what they were at the end of 2018.

·       Philanthropic largesse

Zuckerberg, who founded the social media giant from his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, has said he plans to give away 99% of his Facebook shares over his lifetime.

·       Global phenomenon

Even overseas, tech giants are among the top gainers this year. Tencent Holdings Ltd. CEO Pony Ma has added $17 billion, taking his fortune to more than $55 billion, while the wealth of Pinduoduo Inc.’s Colin Huang has gained $13 billion to $32 billion. India’s Mukesh Ambani has become $22 billion richer as the digital unit of his Reliance Industries Ltd. got investments from firms including Facebook and Silver Lake. He’s now worth $80.3 billion.

2.Donald Trump’s orders on WeChat and TikTok are uncertain. That may be the point.

-7 August 2020

President Donald Trump’s sudden decision late Thursday to restrict two popular Chinese social media services from the United States has created confusion about how broad the bans on doing business with China could ultimately be.

That confusion may be part of the point.

Citing national security concerns, the Trump administration announced that it would bar people and property within U.S. jurisdictions from carrying out “transactions” with WeChat and TikTok, the two Chinese-owned apps, after 45 days. But the White House did not define what those transactions included, leaving companies bewildered about whether they may be forced to fundamentally change their business within a matter of weeks.

Stoking this kind of uncertainty is something that the Trump administration has not been apologetic about in the past. Some White House advisers see it as a feature rather than a bug of their policy process, arguing that the risk of further crackdowns will dissuade U.S. companies from operating in China.

That, they said, is a good thing because Chinese policies like “civil-military fusion” have undermined the ability of both Chinese and U.S. companies to operate independently in China.

“Mobile apps like TikTok and WeChat that collect your personal or business information and that can track, surveil or monitor your movements put you and your family in the crosshairs of an Orwellian regime,” Peter Navarro, White House director of trade and manufacturing policy, said in an interview. He posed a question to mothers in the U.S.: “It’s 10 p.m. Does the Chinese Communist Party know where your children are at?”

Navarro acknowledged that some multinationals might oppose the measures but said that “the American public is tired of the corporate greed that, before the Age of Trump, sent our jobs overseas and now endangers our national security and privacy.”

Critics countered that the Trump administration’s unpredictable actions threaten to compromise the secure business environment that the United States is known for, in which rule of law prevails and the government rarely interferes in the market.

“The government inserting this much uncertainty into the business landscape and into the user landscape is deeply problematic,” said Matt Perrault, a professor of Duke University’s Center for Science & Technology Policy.

On Friday, TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet conglomerate Byte Dance, said in a statement that it was “shocked by the recent executive order, which was issued without any due process.” It said it had sought to work with the U.S. government for nearly a year but instead found the White House “paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.”

A spokesman for Tencent, the parent company of WeChat, which is widely used in China and around the world as a messaging and payments app, said it was “reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding.”

The Trump administration has steadily ramped up its actions in a broader economic and geopolitical fight with China, starting with a trade war that put tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese products in 2018 and 2019. It also introduced restrictions on other kinds of Chinese technology, including clamping down on exports to Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

3.Philippine economy dives into recession in worst slump on record as cases continue to rise

-6 August 2020

The Philippine economy plunged by much more than expected in the second quarter, falling into recession for the first time in 29 years, as economic activity was hammered by one of the world's longest and strictest coronavirus lockdowns.

The Southeast Asian nation's economy shrank by 16.5% in April-June from the same period last year - the biggest slump in the government's quarterly GDP data dating back to 1981, the Philippine Statistics Authority said on Thursday.

Gross domestic product fell by much more than the 9% contraction forecast in a Reuters poll and was worse than a revised slump of 0.7% in the first quarter. Seasonally adjusted GDP fell 15.2% in the second quarter from the first three months of the year.

The economic hit from the pandemic could worsen with the government reimposing tighter quarantine controls in the capital Manila and nearby provinces for two weeks from Tuesday amid resurging coronavirus cases.

"The Philippine economy crash-landed into recession with the 2Q GDP meltdown showcasing the destructive impact of lockdowns on the consumption-dependent economy," said ING senior economist Nicholas Antonio Mapa.

"With record-high unemployment expected to climb in the coming months, we do not expect a quick turnaround in consumption behaviour, all the more with COVID-19 cases still on the rise."

The Philippines main share index showed little reaction to the data.

Some businesses have been ordered shut and movement restricted again in Manila and nearby provinces, which accounts for a quarter of the country's population and most of its economic activity.

The Philippines recorded 115,980 confirmed infections as of Wednesday, just behind Indonesia's 116,871 cases, which is the highest in East Asia.

With inflation expected to remain subdued throughout the year, the central bank has room for further policy easing if needed, analysts say.

It has slashed the benchmark interest rate by a total of 175 basis points this year to a record-low of 2.25%.

4.Apple replaces Phil Schiller with Greg Joswiak as its top marketing executive

-5 August 2020

Apple announced Tuesday that its long-serving chief marketing officer, Phil Schiller, would step down and be replaced by Greg Joswiak, a prominent product marketing executive at the company.

The company said that Schiller would continue to work at the company as an “Apple Fellow” and oversee the Apple App Store and the company’s communications, among other duties. He will continue to report to Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook.

“Phil has helped make Apple the company it is today, and his contributions are broad, vast, and run deep,” Cook said in a statement. He added that Joswiak’s many years of leadership at the company made him “perfectly suited to this new role.”

The move follows the departure of some prominent company leaders in the last few years, including Jony Ive, Apple’s former head of design, and Angela Ahrendts, who once served as the company’s head of retail.

“I’ll keep working here as long as they will have me,” Schiller, 60, said in the company’s statement. “I also want to make some time in the years ahead for my family, friends and a few personal projects I care deeply about.”

Schiller’s title as head of marketing was, in some ways, an understatement for his actual role at the company. The Apple executive was involved in the conception and design of the company’s most important products, including the iPhone and iPad, working closely with Steve Jobs, Ive and Scott Forstall, the former head of software. Schiller has worked at Apple since 1987.

In an interview in October, Schiller reflected on the development of the original iPad. Around 2005, he and other Apple executives watched a demonstration from Bas Ording, an interface designer, on multitouch technology, in which he pretended to scroll on the screen and the screen moved up and down, mimicking realistic physics. The team decided to table the development of a tablet and focus on bringing multitouch technology to a smartphone, which would eventually become the iPhone. The iPhone’s success, followed by the introduction of the App Store, laid a foundation for Apple to develop the iPad.

“We all got excited because when you think of all of the best products from Apple through history, usually the user interface model is essential to that departure from the past — whether it’s the mouse and the Mac, the click wheel on the iPod — this was going to be one of those moments,” he said.

When Jobs took a leave of absence from the company before his death, Schiller hosted the company’s marketing events to introduce new products. Some believed Schiller was among those who could succeed Jobs, though it eventually became clear that Cook would take over.

Schiller has long overseen the App Store, which faces scrutiny for taking a 30% cut of app sales and in-app purchases. Lawmakers questioned Cook about the store last week on Capitol Hill, arguing that the policy was anti-competitive and asking why Apple ranked its own apps ahead of rivals’ offerings. Among other issues, they noted that Apple tried to collect its commission on the sales from businesses like Class Pass and Airbnb when they began selling virtual classes during the coronavirus pandemic.

Joswiak, 56, another longtime Apple veteran known for his gregariousness, oversaw marketing for the iPhone and the iPod. He has worked more often behind the scenes, giving presentations of new products to media professionals. He made few onstage appearances but became more actively involved in events over the last few years.

5.Aviation sector has biggest pandemic default risk: Insurance survey

-4 August 2020

The aviation sector carries the biggest risk of corporate default as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey of insurers published by broker Gallagher on Tuesday.

Only 29% of credit and political risk insurers had seen claims directly related to the virus so far, the survey of underwriters, conducted in June and July, showed.

Companies or lenders buy credit insurance to get cover for non-payment for goods or services.

Pandemic-related credit insurance claims are, however, likely to rise later this year or early next year, as businesses struggle to stave off default, said Matthew Solley, managing director of structured credit and political risks at Gallagher.

Aviation, oil and energy, and tourism were the three sectors in their portfolios that concerned insurers the most.

Virgin Australia, Air Mauritius and Colombia-based Avianca are among airlines to have ceased operations in the past few months, with planes grounded by lockdowns around the world.

Insurers also worry about non-payment by governments, with Zambia seen the biggest risk.

In the broader political risk insurance market, which can cover issues ranging from expropriation to war, Argentina was seen as the biggest concern.

The survey of 76 underwriters from 46 firms in Lloyd's of London and the broader London commercial insurance market was carried out between June 24 and July 9.

6.German laser tech company Mynaric says government blocked exports to China

-3 August 2020

A German company that specializes in laser communication says it is pulling out of uncompleted deals in China after the German government barred it from delivering hardware to the country. Mynaric said on Friday that it had requested official clearance of a planned export of products to a Chinese customer, which it didn't identify.

It said it received a notification "that clearly prohibits Mynaric from delivering laser communication hardware to China."

Asked on Monday about the company's announcement, Economy Ministry spokesman Korbinian Wagner had no immediate comment and said the government typically doesn't confirm, deny or comment on individual cases.

Mynaric, which said it hadn't yet delivered any laser communication hardware to China, said it is ceasing business in China immediately and would start extricating itself from uncompleted transactions.

It said it "considers its clear commitment to national interests of its core markets as critical to its business success."

"This commitment is even more important now, considering pending governmental opportunities in the US - a market that is currently gaining significant momentum," it added, citing as one example the Space Development Agency's current examination of proposals related to a U.S. government communication network.

Mynaric said it "has received high interest from numerous international actors." Increasing antagonism between the United States and China is rattling governments and companies around the world, with the role of China's Huawei in 5G telecommunications networks one major source of tension.

7.More than 1,000 companies boycotted Facebook. Did it produce any noticeable results?

-2 August 2020

The advertiser boycott of Facebook took a toll on the social media giant, but it may have caused more damage to the company’s reputation than to its bottom line.

The boycott, called #StopHateForProfit by the civil rights groups that organized it, urged companies to stop paying for ads on Facebook in July to protest the platform’s handling of hate speech and misinformation. More than 1,000 advertisers publicly joined, out of a total pool of more than 9 million, while others quietly scaled back their spending.

The 100 advertisers that spent the most on Facebook in the first half of the year spent $221.4 million from July 1 through July 29, 12% less than the $251.4 million spent by the top 100 advertisers a year earlier, according to estimates from the advertising analytics platform Pathmatics. Of those 100, nine companies formally announced a pullback in paid advertising, cutting their spending to $507,500 from $26.2 million.

Many of the companies that stayed away from Facebook said they planned to return, and many are mom-and-pop enterprises and individuals that depend on the platform for promotion.

Facebook said that the top 100 spenders contributed 16% of its $18.7 billion in revenue in the second quarter, which ended June 30. During the first three weeks of July, Facebook said, overall ad revenue grew 10% over last year, a rate the company expects to continue for the full quarter.

Still, the boycott helped amplify discussion of toxic content on Facebook. The issue was raised in a congressional hearing this past week and in repeated meetings between ad industry representatives and Facebook leaders. In the face of the pressure, Facebook released the results of a civil rights audit last month and agreed to hire a civil rights executive.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said during the company’s earnings call that, like the boycott’s organizers, “we don’t want hate on our platforms, and we stand firmly against it.”

Companies like Beam Suntory and Coca-Cola have vowed to continue pressuring Facebook, especially as the presidential race heats up. On Thursday, ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s said it planned to keep withholding spending on product promotions through the end of the year “to send a message.”

 

Technology News

 ~by GAURAV

1.Intel investigating apparent leak of 20GB of 

classified documents

-7 August 2020

 Intel is looking into how more than 20GB of its classified files ended up being uploaded onto a public platform allegedly after being accessed on an unsecured server on Akamai CDN.

The documents were published on file sharing platform MEGA by swiss software engineer Tillie kottmann who said that they had been passed to them by an anonymous hacker. kottmann manages a telegram channel (@deletescape) for acquiring and subsequently sharing leaked confidential materials with the public.

The hacker claimed to have breached Intel earlier this year. According to kottmann: “most of the things here have NOT been published ANYWHERE before and are classified as confidential under NDA or Intel restricted secret.”

They said that this release contained documents relating to a range of products such as its cabby lake CPUs, which will launch in September and a sensor package developed for SpaceX. the materials included internal presentations,” very horrible training videos marketing materials and source code for various platforms. 

2.Trump orders ban on transaction with TikTok 

and TenCent

-5 August 2020

US president Donald trump has signed a pair of executive orders forbidding transactions with Tik tok parent company byte dance and WeChat parent company TenCent. trump claims that the Chinese app are national security threats. trump described Tik Tok (a video-sharing app wildly popular among young Americans) and WeChat (a messaging, social media and payment app widely used in china and by the Chinese diaspora) as posing a “national Chinese apps threaten national security foreign policy and the economy of the US.

The executive orders come amid escalating tensions between the white house and Beijing. trump has specifically targeted tech companies such as Huawei. ZTE and byte dance in his attacks on china restricting their freedom to do business the US and US allies.

3.India's move to protect citizens data is resonating

 globally say Ravi Shankar prasad 

-4 August 2020

NEW DELHI: India has the lead in ensuring data security and sovereignty of its citizens by blocking apps such as TikTok and US president Donald trump has taken note of this move in his executive orders said telecom and IT minister Ravi Shankar prasad on Friday.

“India has been pursuing all means to protect the digital security privacy and rights of its citizens. it has exercised sovereign power for defense and security of India while blocking apps including TikTok and the move is now resonating globally, “prasad told ET.

He was speaking a day after US president Donald Trump issued separate executive orders banning US residents from transacting with Byte Dance, owner of popular video – sharing app TikTok as well as with TenCent -owned We chat app. the order takes effect in 45 days.

4.ITI, Ilantus team up to deliver make in India 

Identity Access Management solutions

-3 August 2020

ITI a state -run telecoms and defense equipment manufacturing Company on Saturday joined hand with ILantus technologies to deliver identity and access management solution to government agencies defense and public sector firms amid rising concerns of cyber threats in India.

Under the partnership the two companies will deliver a single IAM product comprising all the features required to address the challenges

of fragment identity landscape further, ITI will market the solution to government organization in the country the PSU said in a release.

5.With reels launch mark Zuckerberg’s personal

 wealth hits $100 billon

-2 August 2020

The personal wealth of Facebook founder and CEO mark Zuckerberg has touched $100 billion after the social network launched a Tik Tok rival called Instagram reels this week.

With the launch of the short -video making app Facebook stock rose by more than 6% (Zuckerberg holds a 13 per cent stake in the social networking giant).

This rise, Zuckerberg has joined Amazona founder and CEO jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s bill gates in the exclusive the BBC.

Zuckerberg plant to donate 99 per cent of his Facebook share over his lifetime through the charitable foundation he set up with his wife priscilla Chan.

Amid uncertainties surround Tik Tok business in the US Facebook has introduced Instagram reels that will allow people to create and discover short entertaining videos.