New York (AFP) April 12, 2021 Microsoft is to acquire artificial intelligence and cloud computing company Nuance for $19.7 billion, bolstering its healthcare presence with a leader in voice recognition technology. Nuance’s technology includes a conversational AI tool versed in specialized medical terms, freeing physicians from note-taking and allowing better patient-physician interactions in person or in the telemedicinehttp://dlvr.it/RxfNWP Continue reading Microsoft bets big on health with $19.7 bn purchase of Nuance

Microsoft has announced it is purchasing Nuance Communications, a natural language to computer processing company, in a deal valued at $19.7 billion. “Nuance’s popular healthcare-focused products and services will provide Microsoft an instant revenue stream and relationships with existing Nuance customers,” noted Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT.http://dlvr.it/RxfMzj Continue reading Microsoft Nabs Nuance for $19.7B to Bolster Cloud for Healthcare

St. John’S, Antigua And Barbuda (AFP) April 11, 2021 Massive power outages struck the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent before dawn on Sunday, as officials recorded more explosive activity at a long-dormant volcano that launched into a series of eruptions. After remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, La Soufriere rumbled back into life Friday, blanketing the island in ash and permeating the air with the … Continue reading Power and water outages strike Saint Vincent after volcanic eruption

Yaounde (AFP) April 11, 2021 Cameroon received a gift of 200,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine against Covid-19 on Sunday, state television reported. The vaccine will be used in the first phase of the central African country’s inoculation campaign. Health Minister Malachie Manaouda urged Cameroonians to get the jab, “especially priority targets”, in a statement dated Friday. The country of around 26 millionhttp://dlvr.it/RxZQ7z Continue reading China gives 200,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Cameroon

Abuja (AFP) April 9, 2021 Nigeria’s military said Friday that security forces killed 10 armed criminals after they ambushed and murdered soldiers in the central state of Benue, where gangs are known to operate. Violence erupted in the state when two communities clashed over a land dispute, prompting a military operation, officials said. On Monday, an army battalion was attacked by armed criminals locally known … Continue reading Nigeria gunmen killed after attacking soldiers: army

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 8, 2021 Neolithic herders were tending flocks of sheep and goats as early as 8,000 years ago on the slopes of Central Asia’s mountains. The earliest crops and domesticated livestock originated around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia and the mountains of Western Asia. During the millennia that followed, the so-called Neolithic Revolution spread north in Europe and … Continue reading Shepherds were tending sheep in Central Asia at least 8,000 years ago

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 8, 2021 The Department of Defense is prioritizing distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals deployed overseas, officials said Thursday. Army Lt. Gen. Ronald J. Place, director of the Defense Health Agency, told reporters Thursday that deployed personnel are being prioritized due to limited availability of vaccinations from local health providers, according to a Pentagon press releasehttp://dlvr.it/RxVVTn Continue reading DoD to prioritize overseas personnel in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

Sydney (AFP) April 12, 2021 Two small Western Australian towns suffered “widespread damage” when Cyclone Seroja struck a part of the country that rarely experiences tropical storms, emergency services said Monday. The storm, which devastated parts of Indonesia and East Timor last week, brought lashing rain and winds of up to 170 kilometres per hour (105 mph) to areas officials said had not seen a … Continue reading Cyclone Seroja causes ‘widespread damage’ in Australia towns

Buenos Aires (AFP) April 10, 2021 Two rare white Bengal tigers from Argentina are due to arrive Saturday at a spacious sanctuary in the US state of Colorado in hopes of a “better quality of life,” their space-challenged Eco-park in Buenos Aires said. Rhiano, a 14-year-old born in the Argentine capital’s old zoo – later transformed into today’s Eco-park – and Cleo, a 12-year-old originally … Continue reading Argentine zoo transfers two rare Bengal tigers to the US

Salto Do Jacui, Brazil (AFP) April 9, 2021 Brazil is on track to harvest record amounts of soy, corn and other grains this year, fueled by newly booming demand for commodities, particularly from China. Farmers in the world’s number one soy producer and number three corn producer have been harvesting at a record pace, capitalizing on prices that have leapt to multi-year highs on world … Continue reading Brazil eyes record grain harvest as China demand booms