Wednesday Morning Briefing: Japanese researchers say ozone effective in neutralizing coronavirus

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

The ozone effect
Japanese researchers said low concentrations of ozone can neutralize coronavirus particles, potentially providing a way for hospitals to disinfect examination rooms and waiting areas.

Scientists at Fujita Health University told a news conference they had proven that ozone gas in concentrations of 0.05 to 0.1 parts per million, levels considered harmless to humans, could kill the virus.

The experiment used an ozone generator in a sealed chamber with a sample of coronavirus. The potency of the virus declined by more than 90% when subjected to low level ozone for 10 hours.

Fears of second wave in France
A second wave of the coronavirus pandemic could hit France in November, a government advisor told local media, as the city of Marseille tightened restrictions to fight the outbreak. Authorities in Marseille said that bars and restaurants would have shorter opening times, and they also broadened mandatory mask-wearing in the southern port city between Aug. 26 and Sept. 30.

Seoul doctors ordered back to work
South Korea ordered doctors in the Seoul area to return to work on Wednesday as they began a three-day strike in protest against several government proposals, including one to boost the number of doctors to deal with crises like the coronavirus. Trainee doctors have been staging ongoing walkouts, and thousands of additional doctors were due to stage a three-day strike.

Lessons from India’s Silicon Valley
The early COVID-19 response in Bengaluru, dubbed India’s Silicon Valley for its tech firms and startups, was lauded by India’s government as a model, for its use of health surveys combined with efforts to tap tech expertise and cutting-edge software to analyse the spread of the disease. But after India eased a nationwide lockdown in early June, officials say tens of thousands of travelers streamed in from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, many unwittingly bringing the virus. The neighbouring states have been the two worst hit by COVID-19 in India. “We didn’t look at the inbound travellers as a major source of infections,” said one official involved in Bengaluru’s response. “We never anticipated that many people would come.”

From Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Drugs, Gold miner, Japan food M&A.
COVID-19 vaccine makers may provoke unfortunate consequences by seeking protection from lawsuits, and the pandemic burnishes UK-listed gold miner Polymetal’s allure. Catch up with the latest financial insights here.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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U.S.

Melania Trump offered sympathy for victims of the coronavirus pandemic and a plea for racial understanding in a Republican convention speech on Tuesday aimed directly at the women voters who have abandoned President Trump.

The first lady led an array of Americans making the case at the Republican National Convention for re-electing Trump over Joe Biden in November. Here is a takeaway from Tuesday’s program.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Trump’s foreign policy record in a Republican National Convention speech that Democrats criticized as a breach of protocol and perhaps the law.

Vice President Mike Pence takes center stage on Wednesday to make the case that his boss will bring the U.S. economy back to its pre-pandemic heights if given four more years in office.

A third night of street protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake erupted into gun violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two people and wounding one, police said. Social media videos showed chaotic scenes of people running and screaming amid a volley of gunfire and others tending to gunshot wounds. The bloodshed followed a night of skirmishes that had appeared to turn calm after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who defied a curfew.

The United States hit back at a U.N. women’s rights panel that said some U.S. states limited access to abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic, rejecting its interference and the notion of “an assumed right to abortion”. “The United States is disappointed by and categorically rejects this transparent attempt to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to assert the existence of such a right,” the U.S. mission in Geneva said in a release posted on Twitter.

Business

Framework review complete, Fed's Jerome Powell starts hard sell for higher inflation

After a nearly two-year review, Federal Reserve officials feel they’ve hit on a better way to meet their key goals of steady inflation and maximum employment. On Thursday, Fed Chair Powell begins what may be the tougher task: convincing the public that the central bank can and will deliver in the wake of a pandemic that has arguably eroded trust in U.S. institutions and put a huge chunk of the labor force on the unemployment rolls.

6 min read

U.S. to spend $625 million in five quantum information research hubs

The Department of Energy said it will provide $625 million over the next five years for five newly formed quantum information research hubs as it tries to keep ahead of competing nations like China on the emerging technology. The funding is part of $1.2 billion earmarked in the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018.

3 min read

Exclusive: Amazon faces new antitrust challenge from Indian online sellers, legal documents show

A group of more than 2,000 online sellers has filed an antitrust case against Amazon in India, alleging the U.S. company favours some retailers whose online discounts drive independent vendors out of business, a legal filing seen by Reuters showed.

4 min read

Ex-Trump adviser Cohn seeks $600 million for blank-check company IPO

Gary Cohn, the former economic adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, has teamed up with investor Clifton S. Robbins to seek $600 million in an IPO for a new blank-check acquisition company, filings showed.

2 min read

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