ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
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ዘመኑ ባፈራው የቴክኖሎጂ ግብአት በመጠቀም ለህብረተሰባችን ስራ ለሁሉም በሚል ግብ የተሻለ የስራ አማራጭ፣ ለተሻለ ኑሮ፣ ለተሻለ የገበያ ትስስር ፣ ለተቀናጀ የገበያ ተደራሽነት ገዥን ከደንበኛ የማስተሳሰሪያ የቴክኖሎጂ አማራጭ ይዘን መተናል በሁሉም የስራ መስክ በሁሉም የስራ እርከን ስራ ለሚገኙ ባለሙያዎች እና ድርጅቶች የስራ አጋጣሚን መፍጠር
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Shares in Nvidia have fallen despite the artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant comfortably beating expectations after more than doubling its sales.
Nvidia announced record revenues of $30bn (£24.7bn) over a three-month period.
The company has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom, with its stock market value soaring to more than $3 trillion.
But while analysts have grown used to Nvidia producing "spectacular" sales growth, the latest results indicate "that rate of growth was starting to slow," said Simon French, head of research at Panmure Liberum.
Analysts had forecast sales growth of $28.7bn for the three months to 28 July.
Nvidia surpassed this with revenues increasing by 122% compared to the same period last year.
But Nvidia's share price fell by 6% in after-hours trading in New York.
"It’s less about just beating estimates now," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. "Markets expect them to be shattered and it’s the scale of the beat today that looks to have disappointed a touch."
Announcing the latest results, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said: "Generative AI will revolutionise every industry."If you’re going to raise expectations that high then you’ve got to keep growing at spectacular rates."
He added that while its current AI chip - called Hopper - is selling well, the next generation Blackwell chip "has faced some production delays and that perhaps is one of the reasons why Wall Street after hours sold off the stock".
Nvidia's results have become a quarterly event which sends Wall Street into a frenzy of buying and selling shares.
A "watch party" had been planned in Manhattan, according to the Wall Street Journal, while Mr Huang, famed for his signature leather jacket, has been dubbed the "Taylor Swift of tech".
Alvin Nguyen, senior analyst at Forrester, told the both Nvidia and Mr Huang have become the "face of AI".
This has helped the company so far, but it could also hurt its valuation if AI fails to deliver after firms have invested billions of dollars in the technology, Mr Nguyen said.
"A thousand use cases for AI is not enough. You need a million."
Mr Nguyen also said Nvidia's first-mover advantage means it has market-leading products, which its customers have spent decades using and has a "software ecosystem".
He said that rivals, such as Intel, could "chip away" at Nvidia's market share if they developed a better product, though he said this would take time.
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Western technology and finance are helping Ukraine carry out hundreds of long-range strikes inside Russia.
That is despite Nato allies still refusing to give Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied munitions to do so – mostly because of fears of escalation.
Ukraine has been stepping up its long-range strikes inside Russia over the past few months, launching scores of drones simultaneously at strategic targets several times a week.
The targets include air force bases, oil and ammunition depots and command centres.
Ukrainian firms are now producing hundreds of armed one-way attack drones a month, at a fraction of the cost it takes to produce a similar drone in the West.has been briefed by a number of those involved in these missions. They include one of Ukraine’s largest one-way attack drone manufacturers, as well as a big data company which has helped develop software for Ukraine to carry out these strikes.
Francisco Serra-Martins says the strategy is already creating huge dilemmas for Moscow. He believes that with extra investment, it will turn the tide of the war in Ukraine’s favour.
Eighteen months ago, the company he co-founded, Terminal Autonomy, didn’t even exist. It is now producing more than a hundred AQ400 Scythe long-range drones a month, with a range of 750km (465 miles). The company also makes hundreds of shorter range AQ100 Bayonet drones a month, which can fly a few hundred kilometres.
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በ2016 በጀት ዓመት ከቡና ወጪ ንግድ 1 ነጥብ 43 ቢሊየን የአሜሪካ ዶላር ገቢ መገኘቱን የኢትዮጵያ ቡናና ሻይ ባለስልጣን አስታወቀ።
የባለስልጣኑ የሕዝብ ግንኙነትና ኮሙኒኬሽን ሥራ አስፈጻሚ አቶ ሳህለማሪያም ገ/መድህን ለፋና ብሮድካስቲንግ ኮርፖሬት እንዳሉት÷ከቡና ምርት የሚገኘውን ገቢ ለማሳደግ በትኩረት እየተሰራ ነው፡፡
በዚህም መሰረት የቡና ምርት ጥራትን ማሳደግ፣ የግብይት ሰንሰለቱን ማዘመንና የውጪ ምንዛሬ ማስገኘት ላይ በትኩረት መሰራቱን አንስተዋል፡፡
በተጠናቀቀው በጀት ዓመት ከ299 ሺህ ቶን በላይ ቡና ወደ ተለያዩ ሀገራት በመላክ 1 ነጥብ 43 ቢሊየን የአሜሪካ ዶላር ገቢ መገኘቱን ተናግረዋል፡፡
ይህም ኢትዮጵያ ቡናን ወደ ውጪ መላክ ከጀመረችበት ጊዜ አንስቶ በታሪክ የመጀመሪያው ከፍተኛ ገቢ መሆኑን ነው የገለጹት፡፡
ቡና ወደ ውጪ ከተላከባቸው ሀገራት መካከል ሳዑዲ ዓረቢያ፣ አሜሪካ፣ ጀርመን፣ ቤልጂዬምና ደቡብ ኮሪያ ቀዳሚውን ድርሻ እንደሚይዙ አመልክተዋል፡፡
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Passengers on a round-the-world cruise have been left stranded in Belfast for three months after their voyage was beset by delays.
Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey arrived at Queen’s Island in the Northern Ireland capital to be outfitted before it was scheduled to leave on 30 May for the first leg of a three-year cruise.
But the ship has still not left yet thanks to problems with its rudders and gearbox.
Florida resident Holly Hennessey is among those on board to have "hunkered down" and made the city their unexpected home.Travelling with her cat, Captain, has meant the self-proclaimed "cruise addict" has been unable to leave Belfast while waiting for the ship to be ready.
Passengers are allowed to spend time on the ship during the day, but must disembark in the evenings.
"We can spend all day aboard the ship, and they provide shuttle buses to get on and off," Ms Hennessey said.
"We can have all of our meals and they even have movies and trivia entertainment, almost like cruising except we're at the dock."Despite enjoying the sights, the damp weather has been a shock for the US native.
"I've never had so much use for my umbrella in my life, and I carry my raincoat everywhere I go."
Passengers on the cruise were given the option of buying their cabin outright rather than paying a daily rate for their room like a traditional hotel.
It allows them to remain onboard beyond the Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey's initial three-year tour.
"I want to stay just as long as I am able,” she said. “I have always wanted to live on a ship, and it will be a dream come true for me."Villa Vie Residences' website states that the cost of buying a cabin can range from $99,999 to $899,000.
Ms Hennessey’s cabin has space for a double bed, small living area with room for the cat and a balcony.
"Villa Vie is a community and a real community has pets,” she said.
The company says they are trying to do everything they can to "relieve the anxiety" of passengers by planning trips and other cruises or putting them up in hotels.
Angela and Stephen Theriac lived in Nicaragua and have made the most of their wait.
Since May they have travelled by train around Spain, taken weekend trips to England, and visited Greenland.
"We are travellers, and we want to make the most of the place we are in,” said Ms Theriac.
“We keep teasing we will apply for residency here in Belfast."
Her husband Stephen says they have settled in with the locals.
"We have eaten in every restaurant and had a Guinness in every pub,” he said.
“It is just all part of our adventure."Dr David Austin, from Georgia in the United States, says he has "stopped counting down" the days until the ship launches.
"The payoff of seeing the world in this fashion is too great to feel too disappointed with each delay announcement," he said.
“I was committed, having sold my house right before my arrival, and I’ve stayed committed to this adventure with every delay."CEO Mike Petterson said that he expects the ship to launch by the end of next week.
"We're not focused on the next days or weeks, we are focused on the rest of our lives and what this company will do for the residents and the industry," he said.
Mr Petterson explained that Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey is the first "affordable" residential cruise ship.
"When you're the first at doing something, you will run into hiccups, but we're definitely getting there, and although we are late, we will launch," he added.
SOERCE:BBC
The Israeli military called in reinforcements as it escalated its assault on the occupied West Bank for a second day.
At least 12 people have been killed since the start of the operation across the territory, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Thursday.At least 20 Palestinians, including children, have so far been imprisoned by Israeli forces, according to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, who warned on Thursday that the number could rise as the raids continue.
In the Nur Shams refugee camp, the Israeli military claimed on Thursday that it had killed five Palestinian fighters who were hiding in a mosque.
Among them was the commander of the Tulkarem Battalion, Mohamed Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja’a, it said. The military said Abu Shuja’a had directed the shooting and killing of an Israeli man in Qalqilya in June.
The Israeli raids started on Wednesday in the areas of Jenin, Tulkarem and the Far’a refugee camp near Tubas in the largest assault there in 20 years as the military claims to be targeting “armed terrorists who posed a threat to security forces”.
Reporting from Tulkarem, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said while the Israeli military has been launching daily attacks on the territory “this one is on a different scale” as its forces “have raided four refugee camps at the same time.
“There is a lot of fear and anxiety among residents,” she said.The operations widened overnight to the south of Bethlehem, the Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, Nablus city, and the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, according to Wafa.
Ibrahim also reported that the escalation comes as “no surprise” to Palestinians “who have seen raids intensify and expand every day since October 7”.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 136 Palestinians have been killed and 41 injured in Israeli air strikes.
All of the killings, except one, occurred in the occupied West Bank’s northern governorates.
In a statement, Amnesty International condemned Israel’s military assault as a “horrifying spike in lethal force
“It is likely that these operations will result in an increase in forced displacement, destruction of critical infrastructure and measures of collective punishment, which have been key pillars of Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians and of its unlawful occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz had on Wednesday already suggested the forced displacement of Palestinians.
He wrote on X that addressing the threat of “terror infrastructures ” in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps by all necessary means includes “intense combat” and “in some cases … allowing the population to temporarily evacuate from one neighbourhood to another within the refugee camp”.
Israel’s temporary evacuation orders have been repeatedly used in Gaza, displacing tens of thousands of people to so-called “humanitarian safe zones” which are then attacked by the military.
Palestinian rights groups, including the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq, and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, warned on Thursday of Israeli tactics in the territory that “mirror” those used in “Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza”
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point in your life,” she said. “But, as you see, everything happened -and nothing.” “There was something missing from your talk about the Road to Santiago ,” said a pilgrim to the wanderer as they were leaving the conference together. “I have noticed that the majority of pilgrims,” she said, “whether on the Road toSantiago or on their paths through life, always seek to follow the same pace as the others. At the beginning of my pilgrimage, I tried to walk at the same pace as my group. I got tired, I demanded more of my body than it could deliver, I was tense, and I wound up with problems in the tendons of my left foot. It was impossible for me to walk for two days, and I learned that I would be able to get to Santiago only if I went at my own pace. It took me longer than the others, and I walked alone for many stretches along the road. But it was only because I respected my own pace that I was able to walk the entire road. Since then, I have applied that lesson to everything I do in my life.” Croesus, the king of Lydia , had made the decision to attack the Persians, but nevertheless wanted to consult with a Greek oracle. “You are fated to destroy a great empire,” the oracle said. Happily, Croesus declared war. After two days of battle, Lydia was invaded by the Persians, its capital was sacked, and Croesus was taken prisoner. Revolted, he asked his ambassador to Greece to go back to the oracle and tell him how wrong he had been. “No, it was you who were wrong,” said the oracle to the ambassador. “You destroyed a great empire: Lydia .” The master says: “The language of signs is there is before us, to teach us the best way to act. But many times we try to distort those signs so that they “agree” with what we wanted to do in the first place. Buscaglia tells the story about the fourth of the Magi, who also saw the star shining over Bethlehem . But he was always late in arriving at the place where Jesus might be, because along the way, the poor and needy stopped him to ask him for help. After thirty years of following in Jesus's footsteps, through Egypt , Galilee and Bethany , the magus reached Jerusalem , but was again too late. The child Jesus was now a man, and the magus had arrived on the day of the crucifixion. The king had brought pearls to give to Jesus, but had sold everything in order to help those whom he had met along the way. Only one pearl remained, but the Saviour was already dead. “I have failed in the mission of my life,” the king thought. And then he heard a voice: “Contrary to what you are thinking, you have been with me all your life. I was nude, and you dressed me. I was hungry, and you fed me. I was imprisoned, and you visited me. I was in every poor soul along the way. Thank you for so many presents of love.” A science fiction story tells of a society where almost everyone is born ready to perform a function: technicians, engineers or mechanics. Only a few are born without any skills: these are sent to an insane asylum, since only crazy people are unable to make a contribution to society. One of the insane rebels. The asylum has a library, where he attempts to learn everything there is to know about the arts and sciences. When he feels that he knows enough, he decides to escape, but he is captured and taken to a research center outside the city. “Welcome,” says one of the people in charge of the center. “It is those who have been forced to make their own way that we admire most. From now on, you may do as you please, since it is thanks to people like you that the world is able to progress.” Before leaving on a long trip, a businessman was saying good-bye to his wife. “You have never brought me a present that was worthy of me,” she said. “You ungrateful woman, everything I have given you cost me years of work,” the man answered. “What else can I give you?” “Something that is as beautiful as I am.” For two years, the woman awaited her present. Finally, her husband returned. “I was able to find something that is as beautiful as you,” he said. “I wept at your ingratitude, but I resolved that I would do as you asked. I thought all this time that there couldn't be a present as beautiful as you, but I found one.” And he handed her a mirror. The German philosopher, F. Nietzsche, once said: “It's not worthwhile to spend time discussing everything; it is a part of the human condition to err from time to time.” The master says: “There are people who insist that they be right about even minor details. They often do not permit themselves to make a mistake. What they accomplish with that attitude is a fear of moving ahead. Fear of making a mistake is the door that locks us into the castle of mediocrity. If we are able to overcome that fear, we have taken an important step in the direction of our freedom.” A novice asked the Father Superior Nisteros at the monastery at Sceta: “What are the things I should do in order to please God?” Father Nisteros answered: “Abraham accepted strangers, and God was happy. Elijah did not like strangers, and God was happy. David was proud of what he did, and God was happy. The Roman publican, before the altar, was ashamed of what he did, and God was happy. John the Baptist went into the desert, and God was happy. Jonah went to the great city of Ninevah , and God was happy. Ask your soul what it wants to do. When your soul is in agreement with your dreams, it makes God happy.” A Buddhist master was traveling on foot with his disciples, when he noted that they were discussing among themselves who was the best. “I have practiced meditation for fifteen years,” said one. “I have been charitable ever since I left my parents' home,” said another. “I have always followed the precepts of Buddha,” said a third. At noon, they stopped under an apple tree to rest. The branches of the tree were loaded down with fruit, to the point that its branches reached to the ground. “When a tree is laden with fruit, its branches bend to touch the ground. The truly wise is he who is humble. When a tree bears no fruit, its branches are arrogant and haughty. The foolish man always believes that he is better than others.” Antonio Machado says: “Blow by blow, step by step, Pathfinder, there is no path, The path is made to be walked. By walking, the path is made, And if you look back, All you will see are the marks Of footsteps that one day Your feet will once again take. Pathfinder, there is no path, The path is made to be walked.” At the Last Supper, Jesus accused -with the same gravity and using the same phrase -two of his apostles. Both had committed the crimes foreseen by Jesus. Judas Iscariot recovered his senses and condemned himself. Peter also recovered his senses, after denying three times everything he had believed in. But at the decisive moment, Peter understood the true meaning of Jesus' message. He asked forgiveness and went on, humiliated. He could have chosen suicide, but instead he faced the other apostles and must have said: “Okay, speak of my error for as long as the human race exists. But let me correct it.” Peter understood that Love forgives. Judas understood nothing. A famous writer was walking with a friend when a boy started to cross the street in front of an oncoming truck. The writer, in a fraction of a second, threw himself in front of the truck and was able to save the boy. But, before anyone could praise him for his act of heroism, he slapped the boy across the face. “Don't be fooled by appearances, my boy,” he said. “I saved you only so that you couldn't evade the problems you will have as an adult.” The master says: “Sometimes we are afraid of doing good. Our sense of guilt always tries to tell us that -when we act with generosity -we are merely trying to impress others. It is difficult for us to accept that we are good by nature. We mask our good acts with irony and indifference, as if live were synonymous with weakness.” Jesus looked at the table before him, wondering what would be the best symbol of his passage on Earth. On the table were pomegranates from Galilee, spices from the deserts of the south, dried fruits fromSyria and Egyptian dates. He must have extended His hand to consecrate one of them, when suddenly he recalled the message that he brought was for all men everywhere. And perhaps pomegranates and dates did not exist is some parts of the world. He looked about him, and
US Vice-President Kamala Harris defended her shifts on policy, President Joe Biden, and her time in the White House in her first interview since becoming the Democratic nominee.
Ms Harris argued that the Biden administration was able to reduce illegal border crossings in recent months and "recover the economy" after the pandemic.
She called the White House's policies a "success", specifically pointing to a decline in prescription drug costs and the unemployment rate: "That's good work. There's more to do."
Ms Harris appeared in the pre-recorded CNN interview with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. It was her first as a presidential candidate.
The vice-president was forced to defend the White House's economic track record, as inflation and high cost-of-living prices continue to sting American pocketbooks. Polls have regularly suggested that voters would prefer Republican candidate Donald Trump's handling of the economy.
But the most tense exchanges between Ms Harris and CNN interviewer Dana Bash centred on the assertion that the Democratic nominee's policy positions had undergone "changes" during her time as vice-president and as a presidential candidate.
"I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed," she said when asked why her positions shifted in recent years.
Trump had already dismissed the vice-president's first interview, which lasted 27 minutes, before its release because it was pre-taped and included Mr Walz.
He used a single-word in his review after it concluded.
"BORING!!!" the former president wrote on Truth Social.Ms Harris referred to her effort to address climate change and support of the Green New Deal, a Democratic proposal to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, as something that remains a steadfast value when pressured about her shifting policy positions.
"I have always believed, and I've worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter," she said.
The vice-president pointed to the Biden administration's work on the Inflation Reduction Act, which funnelled hundreds of billions of dollars to renewable energy and electric vehicle tax credit and rebate programs.
"We have set goals for the United States of America, and by extension the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions."
Ms Harris did not explain her reversal on banning fracking - a technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock used by an industry that is particularly strong in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Ms Harris had said that "there is no question I'm in favour of banning fracking" during a CNN town hall in 2019. But she has backpedalled on that view since becoming vice-president - even casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate on new fracking leases.
In the CNN interview on Thursday, she said: "As president, I will not ban fracking."
Brian Fallon, a campaign spokesperson, said on social media that the Biden administration's "clean energy investments have proven the ability to make progress on climate without those past stances".Ms Harris once held more progressive immigration views as a senator and in her campaign for president in 2020. She had previously advocated for the closure of immigration detention centres and the decriminalisation of illegal crossings.
But on the subject of "securing our border" Ms Harris said "my values have not changed" and referenced her time "prosecuting transnational, criminal organisations" as California attorney general.
Earlier this year, the vice-president supported a hardline bipartisan border security deal that would have included hundreds of millions of dollars for border wall construction.
Trump pressured Republicans in Congress to kill the deal, but Ms Harris has promised to "sign it into law" if elected. She committed to passing it again during the CNN interview.
To explain her moderated immigration view, the Democratic nominee told CNN that her travels across the country as vice-president had made her "believe it is important to build consensus, and it is important to find a common place of understanding of where we can actually solve problems".
Along those lines, Ms Harris committed to include someone "who was a Republican" in her presidential cabinet. She said it would fulfill her promise to be a president “for all Americans”.
"I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views."
Ms Harris also was asked about the war in Gaza, and re-iterated the White House's position that both Israel and Hamas must "get a deal done" and that the Palestinians deserve to have their own country neighbouring Israel.
"This war must end, and we must get a deal that is about getting the hostages out," she said.
She would not commit to an arms embargo on Israel, as some on her party's left flank have demanded.Mr Walz, who served for decades in the US National Guard, was asked to clarify a comment he in made in which he said he "carried" an assault rifle in "war".
The campaign has clarified that Mr Walz was never in a war zone.
In the interview, the governor said he wore "his emotions on his sleeve" and was "speaking passionately" about the subject of gun crime in schools when he made the inaccurate statement.
That "passion" also extended to his incorrect assertion that his wife had received in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments - which have become a political lightning rod in the US debate over abortion access - to conceive their children.
She received intrauterine insemination, not IVF, though doctors have said that the two fertilisation treatments are often referred to interchangeably.
Mr Walz said his record speaks for itself. He said he did not believe that Americans were "cutting hairs" between the two.
The Minnesota governor was also asked about his son, Gus, who went viral when he proudly proclaimed "That's my dad" at the Democratic National Convention.
"It was just such a visceral, emotional moment that I'm grateful I got to experience it - and I'm so proud of him."Ms Harris described the moment that President Biden called her to share that he had decided to end his re-election bid in July.
She said her family was visiting her when she received the phone call. They had just eaten pancakes and bacon and were working on a puzzle.
"My first thought was not about me, to be honest with you, my first thought was about him," Ms Harris said when asked whether she asked for his endorsement.
The vice-president also maintained that the president could have served again.
"He is so smart, and I have spent hours upon hours with him being in the Oval Office and in the situation room. He has the intelligence, the commitment and judgment and disposition that I think the American people rightly deserve in their president."
She said Trump, by contrast, had none of those qualities.Ms Harris has faced criticism from Republicans and some pundits for refusing to hold a press conference or an on-the-record, in-depth interview until now. Her critics argued that she was avoiding having her record challenged.Mr Biden's disastrous performance in that debate was widely seen as what sparked the effort for the president to withdraw from the race.
Until recently, Oropouche virus was a relatively-unknown disease largely confined to within the Amazon basin in South America. But since late-2023, the virus has been spreading beyond its usual range.
It has already caused more than 8,000 cases of the disease – often known by its nickname "sloth fever" – in five countries during the first seven months of 2024. The virus also recently caused the deaths of two women in Brazil and the potential deaths of two unborn children.
The rapid increase in cases of Oropouche, which is spread by biting insects, led the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a health advisory alert to doctors in the US. The first cases of the virus in Europe were detected in June and July 2024 in travellers who had been infected while visiting Brazil and Cuba.
What is this mysterious virus, where did it come from and why is it causing concern?What is Oropouche virus?
Oropouche is a virus endemic to the Amazon region of South America that is spread by biting insects.
The virus causes a feverish disease in humans but is also found in a number of animals including howler monkeys, marmosets and sloths, along with a number of different insects.How does the virus spread?
Oropouche is transmitted when a person or animal is bitten by insects carrying the virus. It is thought to be spread most commonly by the pinhead-sized midge species Culicoides paraensis, which are abundant across large parts of the Americas. But the virus may also be spread through bites by the Culex quinquefasciatus and Ochlerotatus serratus mosquitoes.
Direct human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been observed.
Once in the blood stream it can quickly spread around the body, and can cross the blood-brain barrier to get into the central nervous system. It appears to particularly accumulate within both the brain and liver.The virus itself carries a single strand of genetic material known as RNA that is encapsulated within a protective protein shell. It is thought to employ a "Trojan-horse" approach once in the bloodstream, getting inside immune cells known as phagocytes, allowing it to then pass undetected around the body to reach the tissues and organs it targets, where it then infects cells and replicates.
The effects of climate change are meaning the virus is likely to continue expanding beyond its historic range in South America
Where does Oropouche come from?
The virus gets its name from the village where the first case was recorded. In 1955, the virus was isolated from the blood of a feverish 24-year-old forest worker in the community of Vega de Oropouche in Trinidad and Tobago.
Since then, the virus has been responsible for sporadic outbreaks across the Brazilian Amazon, with some reported to reached up to 100,000 cases. In total, researchers estimate that more than 500,000 cases have been diagnosed, but this number may be an underestimate due to misdiagnosis, as many of the symptoms are similar to other fever-causing illnesses.
From the late-1980s, outbreaks of the virus began to be reported in Panama, Peru and Ecuador. But since 2000, the number of countries reporting the virus has increased to include Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and French Guiana.What has led to the most recent outbreaks?
In late-2023, large outbreaks began to occur in the Amazon basin, where the virus was already endemic, and in new areas of South America. In June 2024, Cuba confirmed cases of the virus.
Between 1 January and 20 July 2024, the World Health Organization recorded 8,078 cases of Oropouche. The majority – 7,284 including the two deaths – were in Brazil, with Bolivia recording 356, Peru reported 290, Colombia with 74 and Cuba with 74.Most worryingly for public health officials, a growing number of cases are now occurring in non-Amazonian areas, and they have been documented in 10 states outside of the Amazon region in Brazil, as well as Cuba.
Recent unpublished analysis of the virus behind the latest outbreaks suggests its genetic code has undergone some reshuffling that led to it replicating more efficiently in the cells of infected individuals. This means the virus can produce far higher numbers of itself once it infects a cell and hijacks the cellular machinery.This would not only allow the virus to potentially cause more severe disease in infected individuals, it also increases the chances of biting insects picking up the virus when feeding and passing it on.
While the virus's ability to hide within immune cells means it could remain relatively hidden from the body's defence system, there are some signs the virus may be more resistant to the immune response of people previously infected with Oropouche.
Scientists also believe that increased urban development into areas that were once forest may also be playing a role in the new outbreaks. They say that the effects of climate change are increasing the number of areas where the insects that spread the virus can live, meaning the virus is likely to continue expanding beyond its historic range in South America.
What are the symptoms of Oropouche?
The virus causes a flu-like fever in infected people, along with a headache, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, chills, sensitivity to light and vomiting. In severe cases it can cause meningitis. In general, the symptoms are similar to other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, Zika and malaria.
According to the CDC, symptoms typically start three to 10 days after being bitten and last for three to six days. Symptoms can reoccur a few days or weeks later in up to 60% of patients, and tend to be similar on relapse. It is not clear what causes these relapses; it could be the same infection re-emerging, or people living in areas with a high prevalence of virus-carrying insects being re-infected.How deadly is Oropouche fever?
On 25 July, authorities in Brazil recorded the known first deaths from Oropouche fever. The two women were aged 21-years-old and 24-years-old, with neither having any pre-existing health conditions.
A report by the Brazilian Ministry of Health has also suggested that the virus could be transmitted from pregnant women to their foetuses, and reported the death of one unborn child. It has also reported a miscarriage associated with Oropouche infection. Four cases of newborns with microcephaly – a birth defect where the baby's head is smaller than expected – were also reported to be associated with the virus.
However, the effects of Oropouche on pregnancies and unborn children remains unproven and is being investigated.
Why is it known as sloth fever?
While the first wild animals found to carry the virus were howler monkeys, in 1960 it was also isolated from a pale-throated sloth in Brazil.But the main wild host of the virus has yet to be identified. A number of wild animals have been found to carry the virus, including a number of primates and three-toed sloths.
However, a number of other wild animals are also thought to carry the virus. And the main wild host of the virus has yet to be identified.
What treatment is available?
An article in the academic journal The Lancet Microbe classifies outbreaks of Oropouche fever as "an emerging threat to global health" and warns of the lack of research into new treatments.
Other researchers have underlined the "urgent need for effective vaccines" against Oropouche. While vaccines are being tested in animal models, there aren't any yet available or known to be effective in humans.
There are currently no specific treatments for the disease.
The Pan American Health Organization recommends rest, fluids and painkillers as the best treatment for symptoms.
Brazil's Ministry of Health says that "patients must rest, with symptomatic treatment and medical monitoring".
Anyone infected should also continue to use insect repellents, to reduce the likelihood of their being bitten by insects, which could then transmit the virus to other people.
Can Oropouche be prevented?
Without vaccines to control infections, the best way people can protect themselves against Oropouche is to avoid being bitten by midges and mosquitoes. Health authorities suggest using fine mesh nets on doors and windows. As the midge that carries the disease is smaller than mosquitoes, standard mosquito nets are thought to be less effective.
Wearing clothing that covers arms and legs and using insect repellents can also help to protect against bites.
SOURCE:PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION
