Author: Steven Sahiounie

CNN — Updated Covid-19 boosters that carry instructions to arm the body against currently circulating Omicron subvariants offer some protection against infections, according to the first study to look at how the boosters are performing in the real world. However, the protection is not as high as that provided by the original vaccine against earlier coronavirus variants, the researchers say. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the new data “really quite good.” “Please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated Covid-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible to protect yourself,…

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customers and Ports Security in the UAE has altered the process by which visitors can apply for entry permit extensions in the country. Visitors can now apply for visit extensions directly through the government website or smartphone app, according to reports in the Arabic newspaper Emarat Al Youm. It comes as the authority looks to digitize operations in order to make the process more user-friendly. In addition, the authority has recently joined Tik Tok and Snapchat. If the correct criteria are met, people applying for updated entry permits online or via the app may…

Somali security forces backed by international partners killed 15 al-Shabab militants in a sting operation carried out in southern Somalia on Friday. The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, that the 15 al-Shabab militants had survived Wednesday’s joint operation in which the troops killed 49 al-Shabab fighters. It said the security forces backed by the international partners later tracked the 15 militants and neutralized them in the area of Bulo Madina located in the Lower Shabelle region. In a separate attack on Friday, the ministry said scores of al-Shabab…

After his father died of Covid last fall, Donkan Martinez was overwhelmed by grief and turned to an unlikely outlet: virtual reality. The 24-year-old found himself wading into an emerging field of virtual mental health care, via a service called Innerworld, which offers peer-led mental health support through its app. The idea is to bring the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, into the metaverse and enable users to interact with others as anonymous avatars through voice- and text-based chat. CBT aims to help patients change unhealthy thinking or behavioral patterns by developing relevant skills and coping strategies. The American…

Jennifer Lopez announced Friday that she will be releasing a new album titled “This Is Me…Now.”The news comes on the 20th anniversary of her third studio album, “This Is Me…Then.”Lopez shared a video of herself recreating the “This Is Me…Then” album cover. As the camera zooms in on her face, she takes off her beanie and the shot changes to show her in a different outfit with her hair blowing in the wind. “This is me now,” she says. Described as a “new era” for Lopez per a press release, “This Is Me…Now” will include “confessional songs, reflections on the…

Editor’s note: Ruqiya Anwar, a PhD scholar of Media and Communication Studies from Pakistan, is a researcher and socio-political analyst. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. As the world’s focus swings to Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the world’s most renowned corporations have entered a commercial race in which Chinese corporations are among the leading players. China Railway Construction Corporation developed and built the Lusail Stadium, which will host the final game. The athletes’ lodgings are energy-efficient mobile homes manufactured by a Chinese firm. Through their sponsorships of the World Cup, several Chinese enterprises…

CNN — Shortages of key medications used to treat common childhood illnesses like flu, ear infections and sore throats are adding to the misery of this year’s early and severe respiratory virus season.“Right now, we are having severe shortages of medications. There’s no Tamiflu for children. There’s barely any Tamiflu for adults. And this is brand-name and generic,” said Renae Kraft, a relief pharmacist in Oklahoma City. Additionally, “as far as antibiotics go, there’s not a whole lot.”Kraft often works in rural areas of the state, floating between pharmacies when extra help is needed. On Monday, she worked in Holdenville,…

Hong KongCNN Business — A violent workers’ revolt at the world’s largest iPhone factory this week in central China is further scrambling Apple’s strained supply and highlighting how the country’s stringent zero-Covid policy is hurting global technology firms. The troubles started last month when workers left the factory campus in Zhengzhou, the capital of the central province of Henan, due to Covid fears. Short on staff, bonuses were offered to workers to return. But protests broke out this week when the newly hired staff said management had reneged on their promises. The workers, who clashed with security officers wearing hazmat suits, were eventually…

New YorkCNN Business — Elon Musk is ready to try his troubled new verification system for Twitter once again. This time, in color.The CEO of Twitter announced – via a tweet of course – that Twitter will roll out its tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week. There’s changes to the program that he apparently hopes will stop people from paying the $8 a month fee just to impersonate celebrities or companies. “All verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates,” he tweeted. “Painful, but necessary.”Musk didn’t specify what will be done manually, or how much that might delay…

Hong KongCNN Business — Hikvision, a leading Chinese surveillance company, has denied suggestions that it poses a threat to Britain’s national security after the UK government banned the use of its camera systems at “sensitive” sites. The restrictions, announced Thursday, will prevent authorities from installing technology that is produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law, which requires Chinese citizens and organizations to cooperate with the country’s intelligence and security services. In a statement to CNN Business on Friday, Hikvision said it was “categorically false to represent Hikvision as a threat to national security.” The company said it was hoping to engage with…