Mar132020 TechmanNo Comments

Pentagon Reconsiders Microsoft Contract After Amazon Protest

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The Pentagon is reconsidering its awarding of a major cloud computing contract to Microsoft after rival tech giant Amazon protested what it called a flawed bidding process.U.S. government lawyers said in a court filing this week that the Defense Department "wishes to reconsider its award decision" and take another look at how it evaluated technical aspects of the companies' proposals to run the $10 billion computing project.The filing doesn't address Amazon's broader argument that the bidding was improperly influenced by President Donald Trump's dislike of Amazon and its CEO, Jeff Bezos. Bezos owns The Washington Post, a news outlet with which Trump has often clashed.Amazon Web Services is a market leader in providing cloud computing services and had long been considered a leading candidate to run the Pentagon's Joint Enterprise…
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

Spain Looks at Italy For Clues on Dealing With New Coronavirus

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Over 60,000 people have been confined to four towns in Spain's first mandatory lockdown as infections for the new coronavirus increase sharply, putting a strain on health services and pressure on the government for more action.      The situation in and around the Spanish capital, Madrid, with nearly 2,000 positive cases of the new virus and hospitals rapidly filling up, is a source of particular concern for authorities, as Spain follows hot on the heels of Italy in the coronavirus pandemic.      The country had more than 3,800 cases by Friday morning and at least 84 deaths.      The government has closed museums and sports centers, sent home nearly 10 million students and has asked people to work remotely, while limiting crowds at public events in high…
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

Trump Declares National Emergency Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

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U.S. President Donald Trump said he is declaring a national emergency, invoking the Stafford Act to allow more federal aid to stream to states and cities to combat the coronavirus pandemic.   "We will overcome the threat of the virus,” the president said Friday afternoon at a nationally-televised news conference from the White House Rose Garden.Trump, who has declared five previous national emergencies, had come under increasing pressure, especially from opposition Democrats, in recent days to take such action as governors and mayors across the United States declared states of emergency, ordering the cancellation of public gatherings and closure of schools.The action by the president will free up tens of billions of dollars in funding in the Disaster Relief Fund. It allows a state to request the federal government pay…
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

Nepal Cancels Spring Mountain Climbing Season Due to Virus

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Nepal's government announced Friday that it was suspending climbing permits for Mount Everest and all of the other peaks in the country due to concern over the spread of the coronavirus.The decision effectively shuts down the world's tallest mountain since China already closed its side of Everest over similar fears. Everest straddles the border between Nepal and China and can be climbed from both sides.      Shutting down the popular spring climbing season across the country was a precautionary measure to block any possibility of the spread of the virus, said Surendra Thapa, an official with Nepal's Department of Tourism, which issues climbing permits.      The government also said it was canceling all visas on arrival for tourists and that those arriving after Saturday would be subject to…
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

Trump to Hold Press Conference as He Seeks to Calm Virus Fear

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President Donald Trump will hold a press conference to address the spiraling coronavirus pandemic as he seeks to calm a panicked nation amid mixed messages and growing criticism of his administration's scattershot response. "I will be having a news conference today at 3:00 P.M., The White House," Trump tweeted. "Topic: CoronaVirus!"I will be having a news conference today at 3:00 P.M., The White House. Topic: CoronaVirus!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020The news conference comes as the virus edged ever closer to the world's power centers, including a positive test for a Brazilian official who spent time with Trump and top administration officials last weekend and an Australian Cabinet minister who met with U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Trump's daughter Ivanka, and other top aides. And it comes as…
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

Airports Turn Into Ghost Towns Amid Coronavirus Fears

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 WATCH VIDEO:The coronavirus outbreak is dealing a severe blow to the airline industry, as governments impose travel restrictions and would-be passengers stay away from traveling by plane for fear of catching the virus. Some analysts say the impact on airlines may become as bad as it was after 9/11. VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. Embed" />Copy  ...
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Mar132020 DmediaNo Comments

COVID-19 Cases Grow to 24 in South Africa, Outside of False Positive

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South Africa's health minister on Friday announced that the nation has seen eight new cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the nation's total caseload to at least 24.That number does not include a case reported Thursday, when South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases erroneously said the nation had seen its first locally transmitted case of novel coronavirus."We humbly apologize for the error in reporting the first case of local transmission of COVID-19 in our earlier report," the agency said on Twitter late Thursday. "On verification, the case was found to be negative."A robotic pulsating UV machine sterilizes a consulting room at the Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, March 11, 2020 as a precaution against the new coronavirus.The false positive could allay fears that the virus is spreading through South Africa. Authorities…
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Mar122020 DmediaNo Comments

Pray and Wash: Religion Joins With Science Amid Virus Crisis

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The coronavirus pandemic has prompted multiple religious faiths to change or cancel services as houses of worship try to help contain the disease. But some church leaders are also tackling another task: communicating a message that elevates both faith and science.      That goal is particularly challenging in a time of sharp political polarization, as partisan scuffles over religion's influence on policymaking can caricature Christians as skeptical of science. For pastors across Christian denominations, however, rising public anxiety over coronavirus only reinforces the importance of believing in God while heeding the advice of public health experts.      “Science is a wonderful arena of truth and understanding truth. It is an amazing tool that can help human flourishing. We just believe it can't address all truth that exists,” said…
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Mar122020 DmediaNo Comments

Canada: Trudeau Stays at Home After Wife’s Flu-Like Symptoms

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is quarantining himself at home after his wife exhibited flu-like symptoms.      Trudeau's office said Thursday that Sophie Gregoire Trudeau returned from a speaking engagement in Britain and had mild flu-like symptoms, including a low fever late, Wednesday night.      She is being tested for the COVID-19 disease and is awaiting results. Her symptoms have since subsided.       “Out of an abundance of caution, the Prime Minister is opting to self-isolate and work from home until receiving Sophie's results,” the statement said.      His office said the doctor's advice to the prime minister is to continue daily activities while self-monitoring, given that he is exhibiting no symptoms himself. He is spending the day in briefings, phone calls, and virtual meetings from…
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Mar122020 DmediaNo Comments

What Happens if US Declares a Coronavirus National Emergency

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With the World Health Organization classifying the global coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday a series of emergency measures, including an unprecedented 30-day suspension of all flights from Europe.But Trump, who spoke from the Oval Office, stopped short of resorting to an even more dramatic measure urged by some members of Congress: a national emergency proclamation under the 1976 National Emergencies Act.  The administration already has declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency, giving local health officials greater flexibility to respond to the crisis.  A national emergency declaration would put a vast reservoir of additional powers at the president's disposal by triggering sweeping authorities contained in more than 100 statutes, according to Elizabeth Goitein, director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National…
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Mar122020 DmediaNo Comments

Russian-European Mission to Mars Postponed Until 2022 Over Coronavirus

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Russia's space agency Roscosmos and the European Space Agency have decided to postpone the launch of a joint research mission to Mars until the fall of 2022 because of the situation around coronavirus in Europe, Roscosmos said on Thursday."...The parties had to recognize that the final phase of ExoMars activities are compromised by the general aggravation of the epidemiological situation in European countries," the Russian agency said in a statement.  ...
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Mar122020 DmediaNo Comments

Locked out: Europeans Grapple With new US Travel ban

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A Las Vegas wedding with an Elvis impersonator: Canceled. A 3,500-kilometer (2,200-mile) trans-America road trip, a voyage of a lifetime that took months to prepare: On ice, too.The new anti-virus travel ban announced by U.S. President Donald Trump threw Europeans’ best-laid plans — family reunions, birthday celebrations, vacations, trips for both business and pleasure — into utter disarray Thursday.For Europeans brought up on imports of American television, music, sports and fast food, the idea of suddenly being temporarily unwelcome on the other side of the Atlantic was a psychological shock, too, akin to being spurned by an old and familiar friend.“We were going to get married in Las Vegas, with Elvis. It was going to be epic,” said Sandrine Reynaert, a Parisian who was having to cancel the ceremony on…
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Mar122020 TechmanNo Comments

US Senators Seek to Ban Federal Employees From Using TikTok on Their Phones

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Two Republican senators on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at banning federal employees from using Chinese social media app TikTok on their government-issued phones, amid growing national security concerns around the collection and sharing of data on U.S. users with China's government.The bill by Senators Josh Hawley and Rick Scott comes as several U.S. agencies that deal with national security and intelligence issues including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security have banned employees from using the app.It is also the latest attempt to rein in technology companies by Hawley, who has repeatedly clashed with big tech companies and has a notably nuanced and aggressive approach when questioning tech executives in congressional hearings."TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that includes Chinese Communist Party members on its board,…
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

Coral Reef Resilient to Climate Change Threatened by Tourists

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Scientists are calling on UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to declare a unique coral reef system off the Egyptian coast a Marine World Heritage Site.  So far, the location has resisted the effects of climate change bleaching coral reefs around the world.  But as VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, experts say visitors are now threatening the reef’s existence. ...
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

Reporter’s Notebook: World Travel in the Time of Coronavirus

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The U.S. immigration officer shifted uneasily on his feet, and self-consciously told a handful of travelers exiting the fast-track Global Entry gate: "Oh, wait I have to ask you something. Has anyone traveled from China or…?"He trailed off, seemingly scrambling to recall what else he was supposed to ask. "Oh, yes, and Iran?" We all said we had not. When he appeared to think he had forgotten something, I volunteered. "or Italy?" "Oh, yes, Italy," he concurred.I responded I had, but that I had not been in the most affected parts of the country in the north. "Okay," he replied. And that was the end of my exhaustive screening at Washington's Dulles International Airport. There was no mention by the officer of the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control…
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

Tests Show New Coronavirus Lives on Some Surfaces for Up to 3 Days

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The new coronavirus can live in the air for several hours and on some surfaces for as long as two to three days, tests by U.S. government and other scientists have found.Their work, published Wednesday, suggests that the virus can spread through the air as well as from touching things that were contaminated by others who have it, in addition to direct person-to-person contact.Since emerging in China late last year, the new virus has infected more than 120,000 people worldwide and caused more than 4,300 deaths -- far more than the 2003 SARS outbreak caused by a genetically similar virus.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. Embed" />CopyFor this study, researchers used a nebulizer device to put…
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Mar112020 TechmanNo Comments

US Needs Top Cyber Coordinator, Better Hacker ‘Deterrence’: Panel

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The US needs a top-level cybersecurity coordinator and a better strategy of "deterrence" to protect against hackers and other cyber threats, a congressionally mandated commission said Wednesday.Defense in cyberspace requires a series of government reforms and policies to strike back at attackers, according to the report by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.The bipartisan panel which included lawmakers and private sector experts made more than 80 recommendations ranging from reforms in the executive and legislative branches to better cooperation with allies to secure cyberspace."The reality is that we are dangerously insecure," said a statement from Senator Angus King and Representative Mike Gallagher, co-chairs of the panel which took its name from an Eisenhower-era foreign policy project."Your entire life -- your paycheck, your health care, your electricity -- increasingly relies on networks of…
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

News Agency: Iran VP, 2 Cabinet Members Have New Virus

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Iran's senior vice president and two other Cabinet members have contracted the new coronavirus, a semiofficial news agency reported Wednesday as the death toll in the Islamic Republic from the outbreak rose by 62 to 354.      The report by the Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, comes as President Hassan Rouhani took control of the country's much-criticized response to the virus and the COVID-19 illness it causes. Authorities announced that there were some 9,000 confirmed cases of the virus across Iran.      The Fars story also comes amid days of speculation about the health of Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri. Jahangiri has not been seen in pictures of recent top-level meetings, raising concerns about him.      Fars says the others sick…
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

Turkey Confirms First Coronavirus Case, Wins WHO Praise for Vigilance

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Turkey confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Wednesday, becoming the last major economy to report an outbreak after taking what the World Health Organization (WHO) described as "vigilant, cautious" measures to delay the disease.Turkey's tourism sector, which accounts for about 13% of its economy, stepped up calls on the government for financial help to deal with the expected negative impact of the outbreak.Health Minister Fahrettin Koca confirmed early on Wednesday that a Turkish man with a high fever and cough had been diagnosed as having the virus and had been isolated."This is the first case confirmed in our country. The findings show the diagnosis of coronavirus was made early and if the virus has spread it is limited," he told a news conference. "Our country is prepared for…
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Mar112020 DmediaNo Comments

Why Coronavirus Threat Means Lifestyle Changes

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One of the United States' top disease experts says Americans and Europeans should be prepared not to do the things they could do just a few months ago before the coronavirus outbreak."It doesn't matter if you’re in a state that has no cases or one case. You've got to start taking seriously what you can do now that if and when the infections will come," National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci said Tuesday. "And they will come, sorry to say, sad to say.”Fauci used hockey great Wayne Grtetzky as a metaphor for how to deal with an infectious disease -- Gretzky doesn't go where the puck is going, he goes where the puck is going to be."We want to be where the infection is going to…
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Mar102020 DmediaNo Comments

Virus Spread Puts UK’s Stiff Upper Lip Under Growing Strain

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Faced with the spread of COVID-19, the U.K. is advising its citizens to keep calm and carry on.      For some Britons, the stiff upper lip is starting to wobble. As Italy goes into lockdown and other European countries shut schools and ban large gatherings, U.K. authorities continue to advise most people to keep working, traveling and socializing as usual.      But with officials saying an epidemic of the new coronavirus in the U.K. is all but certain, critics argue that the Conservative government's low-key approach is inadequate.      “Schools should be shut now,” said Rory Stewart, a former government minister who is running to become mayor of London. “All medium and large gatherings should be canceled. All passengers coming from hot spots should be tested and…
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Mar102020 DmediaNo Comments

Health Experts Concerned About Spread of Coronavirus Around Clusters of Elderly

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Coronavirus is most dangerous to the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. Since the first fatalities in the US originated from a nursing facility in the state of Washington, there is deep concern among health experts, patients and their families that eldercare facilities are especially vulnerable.  VOA’s Julie Taboh has more.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can download this video to view it offline. Embed" />Copy ...
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Mar102020 DmediaNo Comments

South Korea Feels Economic Impact of ‘Social Distancing’

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As the coronavirus rattles global markets, some analysts are now warning of a possible global recession. The damage is already starting to show in some countries hit hardest by the outbreak.Lee Jae-hoon is standing in the Korean barbecue restaurant he owns in this normally busy office district of Seoul. There are almost no customers.He says at this time on Thursdays, the restaurant is always filled with customers. But as you can see, there is no one.This is what many restaurants in South Korea look like now, amid a voluntary “social distancing” campaign meant to contain the coronavirus.Lee says it’s the first time in his 59 years of life he’s ever seen sales drop this sharply - for any reason.At this Seoul flower shop, sales are also taking a big hit.Owner…
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Mar102020 DmediaNo Comments

Holi Festival Subdued in India Over Coronavirus Concerns

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Hindus threw colored powder and sprayed water in massive celebrations of the festival of Holi in India on Tuesday, but the enthusiasm was subdued compared to previous years because of fears of the new virus.      Brightly colored powder filled the air in most parts of North India. But in the capital, New Delhi, many events were canceled as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country rose to 47.      Holi, which marks the advent of spring, is widely celebrated in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries.      Most years, millions of people from toddlers to the elderly throw powder at each other and play with water balloons and squirt guns.      But this year Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he…
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Mar92020 TechmanNo Comments

SpaceX’s 20th Station Shipment Arrives With Candy, Science

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A SpaceX cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering the company's 20th batch of gear and treats.The Dragon capsule reached the orbiting lab after launching late Friday night. NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir used the station's robot arm to capture the spacecraft.The 4,300-pound (1,950-kilogram) shipment contains science experiments and equipment, as well as special goodies for the three-person crew aloft for months: grapefruit, tomatoes, Skittles, Reese's Pieces and Hot Tamales.This is the last of SpaceX's original-style Dragons. All future ones are designed to carry either cargo or crew, and will dock automatically rather than require robot-arm assistance. SpaceX has been sending up station cargo since 2012 and plans to start launching NASA astronauts this spring.From 260 miles (418 kilometers) up, Meir congratulated SpaceX on…
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