Sunday 1 November 2020

Israel begins coronavirus vaccine trials

Israel began clinical trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine on Sunday, authorities said, as the government loosens a second lockdown imposed to stem soaring infections.

Iran imposes travel restrictions as virus deaths hit record

Iran on Sunday said it will restrict travel to the cities hit hardest by the novel coronavirus, state TV said, amid a record high of daily COVID-19 deaths.

Geneva shutters bars, restaurants over virus

Geneva said Sunday it would go beyond Swiss national measures and close all bars, restaurants and non-essential shops in a bid to rein in skyrocketing cases of the novel coronavirus.

More US patients to have easy, free access to doctor's notes

More U.S. patients will soon have free, electronic access to the notes their doctors write about them under a new federal requirement for transparency.

Google ad costs, not its alleged monopoly, irks businesses

When asked about Google, Bryan Clayton voices a familiar lament among small business owners.

New English lockdown could last longer than month, govt says

A new four-week coronavirus lockdown in England will be extended if it fails to reduce infection rates, the government said Sunday, as it faced criticism over the abrupt decision to shut down again.

England to lock down again as virus surges in Europe

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new four-week coronavirus lockdown in England, which will join several European countries in imposing the measure for a second time, as Slovakia took a different tack and began testing its entire population.

Johnson announces month-long virus lockdown for England

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a new four-week coronavirus lockdown across England, a dramatic shift in strategy following warnings hospitals would become overwhelmed within weeks under his current system of localised restrictions.

'National donut': Australia records zero new community COVID cases

Australia reported zero new locally transmitted coronavirus cases Sunday, the country's health minister announced, sparking celebrations online of the first "national donut" since June.

Austria announces 4-week partial lockdown starting Tuesday

Austria on Saturday announced a partial shutdown that will see restaurants and bars closed for four weeks, cultural, sports and leisure activities canceled, and residents asked to stay home after 8 p.m. as the government tries to stem a sharp rise in coronavirus infections.

Neurosurgeons and malpractice suits

We live in a litigious world. With respect to medicine, this manifests in medical malpractice suits. Patients sue doctors for unexpected adverse outcomes. One field prone to litigation is neurosurgery, which "treats acute pathology and refractory pain." Patient's dissatisfaction with the outcomes of neurosurgical procedures sometimes shifts over into the legal world where it forms the basis of medical malpractice suits.

Ransomware surge imperils hospitals as pandemic intensifies

Hackers are stepping up attacks on health care systems with ransomware in the United States and other countries, creating new risks for medical care as the global coronavirus pandemic accelerates.

Millions online, 6,000 live see Koreans win top eSports title

More than 6,000 mostly young spectators watched at a Shanghai stadium and millions tuned in online to see Damwon Gaming win the League of Legends world championship on Saturday.

Real-world politics invade video games ahead of US election

Fans of US President Donald Trump can insert his character in some video games, even protect him from assassination in notoriously lawless Grand Theft Auto.

KLM 3.4bn bailout in crisis as unions refuse paycut plan

The Dutch government on Saturday suspended plans to help beleaguered national carrier KLM with a multi-billion-euro bailout package after unions declined to sign a deal involving a five-year pay-cut plan.