WORLD

  Washington, United States | AFP | A coalition of consumer groups filed a complaint Thursday with US regulators claiming the popular video app TikTok has failed to live up to an agreement last year limiting data collection from children. The 20 organizations said in a Federal Trade Commission complaint that …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is no mood to speak with China’s Xi Jinping, warning darkly he might cut off ties with the rival superpower over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “I have a very good relationship, but I just — right now I don’t want …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has the world’s second-highest number of coronavirus cases but has registered 10 times fewer deaths than Britain, France, Italy and Spain. So many are wondering: why is the country’s mortality rate so low? Critics have accused Russian authorities of under-counting the number of deaths to …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | A vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be ready in a year’s time under an “optimistic” scenario, based on trials that are underway, the European Medicines Agency said Thursday. The Amsterdam-based EU agency also played down fears expressed by the WHO that the virus might …

Rome, Italy | AFP |  For years, the Ronda della Solidarieta (Solidarity Patrol) charity has served up free dinners twice a week for Rome’s needy, passed out at twilight in the shadow of the city’s ancient ruins. But as Italy begins to feel the effects of its most punishing economic crisis …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Chinese hackers are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, US authorities said Wednesday, ratcheting up tensions between the superpowers as markets slumped on warnings from the US Federal Reserve that prolonged shutdowns could cause “lasting damage.” Europe, meanwhile, pushed ahead with plans to gradually reopen …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The new coronavirus may never go away and populations around the world will have to learn to live with it, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday. As some countries around the world begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions imposed in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus …

Paris, France | AFP | The rebalancing of the oil market is underway and will accelerate, the OPEC cartel said Wednesday, days after some of its members voluntarily increased their production cuts. The world oil market was thrown into disarray earlier this year as lockdown measures imposed by governments to slow the spread of the …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Sylvie Briand, the World Health Organization’s infectious hazards management chief, said the UN body was surprised by certain countries’ lack of preparation for a pandemic before the coronavirus crisis. Here is a question-and-answer with the French scientist: – Are you surprised by how quickly the pandemic …

Washington, United States | AFP | US authorities warned healthcare and scientific researchers Wednesday that Chinese-backed hackers were attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. Organizations researching the disease were warned of “likely targeting and network compromise by the People’s Republic of China,” a statement from the FBI …