China Rolls Out Pilot Test of Digital Currency

    China's central bank has just introduced digital currency in four municipalities as part of a full-scale test. This is a first for an institution of this scale.

     The cities of Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Xiong'an - a district of Beijing- have been chosen by China to try out a nationwide initiative in cryptography.

China Rolls Out Pilot Test of Digital Currency

     The pilot program aims to test the functionality of such currency at the local level as a first step, according to an official statement made Monday, April 20, by the People's Bank of China.

     As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the full-scale tests are the result of several years of work by the Chinese central bank's research institute since 2014.

No official name

     Named by its internal shortcut "DC/EP", or "digital currency/electronic payment" in the absence of an official name, the new currency should have certain functionalities in common with better-known crypto money such as Bitcoin or even Libra, currently being developed by the Facebook group.

     Anonymity is - obviously - less of an issue, even though central bankers have promised to protect users' privacy.

     Already on track for six years, the project aims to replace the cash in circulation in the country and part of its monetary base.

     But it is not about replacing bank deposits and balances held by private payment platforms, Yi Gang, the governor of China's central bank, warned last year.

Government employees are the first experimenters

Monday's announcement is part of the preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the central bank's research institute said.

     Evidence that the institution remains cautious. The dissemination of money will not be done on a large scale and in the short term in order not to increase inflation. 

     The test will be carried out in several stages. In Xiangcheng, a district in the city of Suzhou, the government will, for example, distribute half of the transportation subsidy to its officials via this crypto-money in the course of next month, according to the Wall Street Journal.

     The same officials have been invited to download an app to retrieve the digitized money.

     Once collected, the money could be transferred to their regular bank accounts or used in shops that are partners in the network.

     China is ahead of many other countries regarding the digital component of official currency.

     In recent years, the traditional use of paper banknotes and cash has declined sharply, and payments via smartphones have become ubiquitous.

     Many Chinese, especially young urban dwellers, no longer carry their wallets or money with them when shopping.

     Instead, they use Wechat Pay or Alipay, a solution affiliated with the Alibaba Group. 

Behind the innovation, a political will

     China's central bank said the move to a digital payment system run directly by the government will help combat money laundering, gambling, and terrorist financing.

     These are elements that gravitate in a grey area that is difficult to grasp, especially for a country with one of the world's largest mafia networks: the Triads.

     Another advantage, according to the authorities, is the boosted efficiency of transactions.

     Four of China's largest state-owned banks have already joined the central bank in the development of digital money.

     Even though according to official statements, the currency "is ready to be launched", there is still no timetable for deploying this new currency in the country.

Source: Wall Street Journal

iPhone 12: 4 new models, 5G and a new design

iPhone 12: 4 new models, 5G and a new design

     A fan rendering based on rumors
     
     The next iPhone range is on the horizon in 2020, the iPhone 12 should be entitled to a new design and 5G.

     Like every year, Apple is preparing a new generation iPhone for the start of the school year in September. This year is all the more important as we should see the 5G make its arrival on the iPhone.


     This is confirmed by Bloomberg sources, always well informed when it comes to Apple's plans.

     These sources indicate that the brand is not planning two or even three new iPhones, but four models.

Four models of iPhone 12

     For the first time, Apple should, therefore, launch 4 new smartphones at the end of the year. Two high-end models, probably the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and two more accessible models to replace the iPhone 11.

     Both Pro models should be entitled to a new design with straight edges, reminiscent of what Apple is offering with the new iPad Pro.

     This new design would be reminiscent of what Apple could offer with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. This has been a recurring rumor for several months.


     It's not the only thing that the iPhone would inherit from the iPad Pro since the iPhone 12 Pro would, in turn, be entitled to a LIDAR system for better 3D recognition of the environment.

     Another design change, the iPhone 12 would finally say goodbye to the very large notch that still appears on the front of the iPhone 11 Pro.

     Face ID would still be there, but the notch around the sensor would have been reduced.


     Bloomberg sources say less about the more accessible iPhones, and we'll be content to know that their photo modules should integrate only two cameras, like the iPhone 11.

Apple announces the new iPhone SE, its affordable smartphone at 489 euros

Late release due to COVID-19

     The ongoing coronavirus pandemic could pose challenges to the preparation and production of this, particularly ambitious iPhone range.

     As with the iPhone X, the release of the new iPhone could, therefore, be delayed until October.


     An autumn release would still be planned for the time being, even though there are currently too many uncertainties on a global scale to plan events exactly several months in advance.

Born out of a crisis, Bitcoin is perfectly adapted to the current situation

Born out of a crisis, Bitcoin is perfectly adapted to the current situation

     The institutional investor PlanB is a formal investor, there is no reason to be depressed about the health of Bitcoin in the midst of this crisis.

     In his recent interview with Anthony Pompliano, the investor who has a degree in Economics in Quantitative Finance and Financial Markets Law shared some key reasons why the BTC is suited to the crisis we are currently experiencing and is expected to appreciate - not depreciate - over time.

Is Bitcoin a good investment?

     bitcoin news

     Among other things, he discussed the Bitcoin network effects, the strengthening of "cointegration", etc. Read on instead.

     Bitcoin is like the Internet. It will survive any crisis.
What will be the fate of Bitcoin in the economic downturn that has just begun with general containment?

     PlanB answers that digital assets were created in the midst of the 2008 global financial crisis and add that even if "we haven't had crises to test it", Bitcoin is fit for the current situation.

     Drawing inspiration from the underlying workings of the Internet, the investor asserts that "Bitcoin is very decentralized, a bit like the Internet," recalling in passing that "the Internet was conceived as a communication protocol that continued to function even during the great wars...".

     By analogy, he concludes, even when there is a "big crisis or nuclear war, Bitcoin would continue to relay transactions" because there are "hundreds and thousands of nodes and thousands of relay nodes around the world.


     For the rest of the interview, the institutional investor refers to the fundamentals of the BTC to support his point of view on the future of the BTC.

     Cointegration" is getting stronger, the Sharpe ratio of the BTC is greater than 1.


     In justifying the accuracy of the CTS price forecasts based on the stock-to-flow model, PlanB reminds us that it is important to keep in mind that cointegration continues to increase.

     Indeed, he notes, there are no exchanges in almost every country, with markets for derivatives, futures, and options, whereas "in the beginning, it wasn't as easy to get in or out of the cryptographic ecosystem.

     He also points out that Bitcoin has a characteristic that very few - if any - cryptographic assets have: a Sharpe ratio greater than 1.

     Technically, this means that its rate of return is higher than its rate of risk.

     He believes that this is why there are people - HODLers - who really believe in Bitcoin no matter what happens, who cares about it, and who keep the cryptography for as long as the crashes last.

     For PlanB, these "true owners" are like "loyal shareholders of a company" who don't try to sell their shares when that company goes through the rough waters, but give it time to build itself up, because they believe in it.


     Once again, we understand that the BTC crisis is a crisis of confidence that is not related to the fundamentals of crypto.

     The game will, therefore, be played over time. Investors will have to hold on.

     And if you really want to, this crypto-Monnaie that just dethroned the BTC could be a good bet for you.

Zoom meetings: the very popular but not very secure videoconferencing service

Zoom meetings: the very popular but not very secure videoconferencing service

     Zoom is a video-conferencing application that allows you to create a video meeting in a matter of seconds where you can see your colleagues, send text messages and files, as well as share your PC's desktop and application views.

     Security breaches, questionable development techniques, blurred marketing... The new darling of confined teleworkers is far from being a panacea in the world of videoconferencing.

     What should we really think about Zoom? Since half of the world has been confined, this videoconferencing service has been steadily gaining in popularity, apparently with good reason.

     The interface is pleasant and the audiovisual quality is of a very good level. But more and more shadows are appearing in the picture, in terms of security and protection of personal data.


     Last week, as you may recall, the company had to make several back-pedals. According to the Vice site, its iOS application was sharing user data with Facebook without this being clearly mentioned.

     At the same time, a Harvard researcher alerted in a blog post about Zoom's potential sale of personal data for advertising purposes.

     Last Friday, the app was updated to stop this exchange with Facebook. In the wake of this, the company modified its personal data protection policy by adding the following sentences:

     "Zoom does not monitor or use customer content for any reason other than the provision of our services. Zoom does not sell customer content to anyone and does not use it for advertising purposes. "End of controversy? Not really.

Is Zoom a safe app?

     The Intercept site has now revealed that Zoom's audio and video communications are not encrypted end-to-end, despite the company's strong suggestion to that effect on its website and in a technical white paper.

     In its words, this would make it possible to "secure a meeting with end-to-end encryption. But in reality, only instant messaging can be end-to-end encrypted.

     Audio and video streams are only encrypted in TLS between client terminals and Zoom's servers, as is the case for any other secure website.

     In theory, the company can, therefore, listen to and view the content of meetings... and government authorities can do the same if they wish.

     Zoom's marketing communication is therefore far from clear on this subject, probably because the company is trying to hide this technical weakness.

     Other services offer end-to-end encryption. This is the case, for example, for Signal voice calls and Apple FaceTime audio and video conferencing.

     Security researcher Matthew Green told The Intercept that end-to-end encryption of a multi-person video conference is difficult to achieve because you need to be able to detect who is talking in real-time.

     When everything is encrypted, you have to implement specific mechanisms, which is "doable, but not easy," he says.

     And that's not all. Time and time again, we discover bugs and quirks in Zoom's software. The Vice site has just revealed that people who shared the same domain name in their e-mail addresses were automatically grouped together in the same address book.

     They could, therefore, access profile information and make video calls to complete strangers.

     At the company level, this may make sense, but for personal addresses from Internet Service Providers, this is already much less the case.

     The Zoom developers had the presence of mind to exclude addresses from large providers such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, but they obviously didn't think about the other cases.

A vulnerability in the Windows client

     Hackers have also just found a rather simplistic vulnerability in the Windows client. Instant messaging allows injecting external links in the Windows network format.

     If the user clicks on them, the person controlling the external server in question can retrieve the user's password fingerprint, a data that a hacker can decipher quite easily.

     On macOS, Zoom's reputation has long been quite deplorable. In July 2019, remember, a security researcher revealed that any website could activate a Mac user's webcam, due to a permanent local web server that Zoom installed on the computer that was neither seen nor known.

     A quirk that Apple finally ejected manu militari through an emergency update.

Techniques worthy of a hacker

     But this is not the end of bad practice. In a Twitter thread, another security researcher has now analyzed the installation procedure of the current software client on macOS.

     Result: to improve user comfort, Zoom's developers do not hesitate to use techniques worthy of a hacker.

     All these discoveries show that while Zoom's engineers have succeeded in creating a powerful videoconferencing software, security and personal data protection were not really at the heart of their concerns. Let's hope that this will change.

Huawei P40 Pro: Full phone specifications! the best smartphone without Google?

Huawei P40 Pro: Full phone specifications! the best smartphone without Google?

     Huawei launches the P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro+, its three new premium 5G compatible smartphones.

     A year ago, everything was going well in Huawei. The Chinese brand was breaking record after record, enjoying an excellent surge in popularity and offer, with its P30 range, what the press around the world called "the best camera in a smartphone".

     There seemed to be no stopping Huawei, whose destiny was clearly heading for world number one status.

     A year later, much has changed. Having been blacklisted by the United States in May 2019, Huawei can no longer offer Google services on its smartphones, making many applications incompatible with its new devices.

     By a stroke of bad luck, a pandemic struck the world, preventing the brand from holding its major global reconquest conference originally planned for Paris.

     Instead, its new smartphones, the Huawei P40, had to be presented during a live-stream, which is immediately less sexy.

A sumptuous screen

     This year, Huawei is offering its P range in three models. In addition to the small P40 (with a 6.1-inch uncurved screen), there are the P40 Pro and P40 Pro+, two smartphones with a 6.58-inch OLED screen.

     A special feature is that the OLED display is curved on all four sides of the smartphone, which is a first.

     This gives the impression of only holding a screen in your hand, although, we'd rather warn you, it's much less impressive in reality than in photos. Still, this new design is quite sublime.

     Importantly, the screen curvature of the P40 Pro is less pronounced than on the Mate 30 Pro. The latter left no room for physical buttons, which is not the case here. The P40 Pro retains volume and power buttons.

     Another new feature, which for the moment only concerns the P40 Pro and P40 Pro+, is that Huawei now offers a 90 Hz refresh rate on its mobile screens. We would have preferred 120 Hz, as on the Galaxy S20, but we'll make do with that.

     We notice from the very first minutes again in fluidity at the level of navigation, which is pleasant.

     On the other hand, it's hard to understand why the Chinese brand chose to insert such a wide punch in the upper left corner of its mobiles. The latter, which contains a front camera (32 Mpix) and a depth sensor, takes up far too much space. A single small camera would have done the trick.

A new, extremely attractive color

     Finally, it's impossible to mention the design of the P40 without saluting the new colors invented by Huawei.

     The color "frosted grey" on the back of our test products is particularly successful. Thanks to the matt glass coating, the back does not catch fingerprints.

     The way the back reflects the light as if we were looking at a cloud, is also to be commended. In all objectivity, it is one of the most beautiful colors of recent years.

     The camera module of smartphones, housed in a rectangle that creates a slight protrusion at the top left, is better integrated into the device than that of other smartphones (Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra comes to mind).

     The Huawei P40 Pro+ has a ceramic back. It is clearly intended for those who love more luxurious products.

Kirin 990 5G and ultra-fast charging

     The Huawei P40 belongs to the high-end smartphone category.

     All three are 5G compatible and use Huawei's powerful Kirin 990 processor in its new 5G version with even finer engraving (7 nm EUV). A boosted version of the Kirin 990 that was already found in the Mate 30 Pro. 8 GB of RAM is included.

     Like the P30s, the P40s have a fingerprint sensor under the screen. The latter offers a 30% larger surface area and, according to Huawei, is also faster.

     Our initial tests still find it sometimes inaccurate, even though there is nothing catastrophic about it. The P40s are also the brand's first Wi-Fi 6-compatible smartphones, and Huawei is now moving into eSIM.

     Like Apple, Google or Samsung, the Chinese company offers to set up a virtual package without going to its operator (although the latter must offer such a service). It is still possible to insert two Nano SIMs or a Nano-SIM and an NM card to extend storage.

     The Huawei P40 has a 3800 mAh battery, the P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ have a 4200 mAh battery.

     This seems a little bit right for a high-end 5G smartphone, but the Chinese brand has already proven in the past its excellence in optimizing energy consumption. So let's trust them.

     Finally, the Huawei P40 Pro can handle the ultra-fast 40W charge, while the classic model only needs 22.5W. Only the Pro and Pro+ models are compatible with wireless charging, up to 27W.

Huawei P40 Pro cameras 

     The Huawei P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ do not have the same camera modules. To make it easier for you to read this article, here's what each of these smartphones offers in terms of camera equipment.

     Let's start with the small Huawei P40. It's a triple camera module that can be found on the back of the smartphone.

     The main sensor, which is a record size (1/1.28", compared to 1/1.33" at Samsung), offers a definition of 50 Mpix (with a lens that opens at f/1.9).

     It uses SuperSpectrum technology, like the P30 Pro. This means that the color filters placed between the lens and the photosensor are RYYB (red, yellow, yellow, blue) and not RGB (red green blue).

     This allows more light to enter the sensor, which improves the quality of night shots. The P40 also features a telephoto lens with a 3x zoom, an 80mm equivalent, which opens at f/2.4 (8MP sensor) and an ultra-wide-angle module that opens at f/2.2, attached to a 16MP sensor.

     The Huawei P40 Pro improves on last year's recipe. It is equipped with the same 50 Mpix sensor as the classic P40 but has three other modules.

     Among them is the same ultra-wide-angle lens as the Mate 30 Pro, with a 40 Mpix sensor attached.

     This extra-large (1/1.54-inch) sensor is also used for video recording functions and offers super slow motion at 7,680 frames per second.

     We'll have the opportunity to test its capabilities further in the near future. There is also a ToF radar dedicated to a depth of field measurement.

     Of course, the Huawei P40 Pro also features an exceptional periscopic zoom, just like its predecessor.

     Attached to a 12 Mpix sensor, it offers 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and 50x digital zoom.

     The main difference from last year is that Huawei has decided to equip its super-telephoto lens with the same SuperSpectrum technology as its main sensor.

     The promise: to allow you to take night shots from far away without any degradation in quality.

     Our first tests are quite disappointing, there are big problems with white balance management (hopefully Huawei will fix them in a future software update).

     On the other hand, let's salute the smartphone's foolproof optical stabilization. On one hand, even at 50x zoom, the image is not degraded by any shaking. Like Samsung with its Galaxy S20 Ultra, Huawei hits hard.

     Finally, with its Penta camera module, the Huawei P40 Pro+ is the most impressive mobile phone ever announced by the brand.

     The smartphone shares with the P40 Pro it's 50 Mpix main sensors, 40 Mpix ultra-wide-angle and ToF sensor but differs in terms of zoom.

     In fact, it has two. In addition to a telephoto lens with a 3x zoom (like the classic P40), this camera comes with the first periscope with... 10x optical zoom.

     Attached to an 8 Mpix sensor (also SuperSpectrum), this one can go up to 100x digital.

     The most mocking people will say that Samsung does the same with its S20 Ultra but let's remind them that Korean's mobile phone only has a 4x optical zoom. Chances are that Huawei's phone is much better.

     There are also a few new features common to all three smartphones, such as new algorithms for portrait mode (which improves skin color accuracy) and a glare removal system. A new mode similar to Apple's Live Photo also allows you to record a short video before and after taking a picture to keep more memories.

Software, always the Huawei's ball and chain

     As incredible as these Huawei P40s are, remember that these smartphones are deprived of Google services. This poses huge problems to the use.

     For example, in the first configuration, it is impossible to recover many applications from your old smartphone.

     All Google, Facebook, Uber, etc. apps are grayed out... If you want to get them back yourself, by downloading their APK, you will then discover that they don't all work.

     Citymapper, Uber, YouTube, Yuka, PathéGaumont, to name but a few, don't boot on the Chinese giant's new devices (they use Google APIs, which are absent from this smartphone).

     Instead, Huawei recommends that you go through your browser and opt for their web versions. It works, but do you really want a smartphone that's incompatible with a bunch of popular applications?

     In the long term, Huawei is banking on its HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) to fill the gap. Many apps reach its AppGallery app store every day, even if, let's face it, it is still very empty today.

     Next to the Play Store, it looks really pale (especially since there are some very strange interface bugs, like texts written in Chinese.

     New for 2020, when the AppGallery doesn't have the application you're looking for, it can redirect you to its publisher's site or third-party platforms.

     However, this solution has one important negative point: your applications won't be updated by themselves.

     Instead, we recommend that you opt for third-party stores such as the Aurora Store, even if, once again, nothing tells you that an application will work once it is installed.

     Getting a Huawei smartphone these days is a bit of a lottery. Fortunately, the brand promises many improvements in the course of 2020, including a notification system to alert you when APK updates the installed applications when they become available.

     Another novelty introduced with the P40s is that Huawei replaces Google's search engine with Qwant's search engine.

     The brand is also launching its video calling service MeeTime (a competitor to FaceTime and Google Duo) and Huawei Music, its competitor to Spotify (with three months free and then a subscription at 9.99 euros per month).

Huawei p40 pro price

     As it stands, we find it difficult to recommend the P40 range. Marketed respectively at 799 euros, 1099 euros and probably more than 1300 euros for the top of the range if it arrives in France, the Huawei P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro+ still encounter major software problems and are not intended for all audiences.

Can Huawei make it?

Huawei has assured us that a VIP hotline for customers of these devices will answer all their questions about installing applications.

     We still find this difficult to manage in the long term. Moreover, according to our information, Google would now remotely block the clandestine installation of its services on Huawei devices... Can we create the best smartphone in the world without Google?

Coronavirus: a Russian disinformation campaign would agitate the Web

Coronavirus: a Russian disinformation campaign would agitate the Web

     According to European diplomats, the Kremlin is trying to use the crisis to sow chaos and discord within Europe through rumors and misinformation.

     Are Russian trolls taking advantage of the pandemic to distill their information poison? According to the European Union, the answer is yes.

     According to a report of analysis carried out by its diplomatic staff, and recovered by Reuters, the Russian media would have set in motion a "major disinformation campaign" to aggravate the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow mistrust in Western countries.

     According to the nine-page document, the campaign is spreading false information in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.

     "The primary objective of the Kremlin's misinformation is to worsen the public health crisis in Western countries (...) in line with the Kremlin's broader strategy of trying to overthrow European societies," the authors wrote.

    They have documented more than 80 cases of misinformation since 22 January.

     This false information has been listed on the EuvsDisinfo.eu website, which is maintained by European diplomats.

     More than a hundred cases are currently listed. Many of the ideas conveyed are conspiratorial: SARS-CoV-2 is said to be a biological weapon of American or British origin, the epidemic was brought to Lithuania by an American soldier, the pharmaceutical industry is exaggerating the crisis to increase drug sales, Italy is exaggerating the crisis to get European subsidies, and so on.

     Other messages - more or less contradictory - seek only to generate fear.

     EUvsDisinfo.eu - Latest news on coronavirus Rumors

     It would soon be the end of the world, Pope Francis would be ill and about to die, the European Union would be unable to manage the crisis, the political institutions would be on the verge of collapse, the political leaders would take advantage of the coronavirus to establish a dictatorship, etc.

     For its part, the Russian government has obviously rejected these accusations outright.

     "The Kremlin's spokesman Dimitri Peskov told Reuters: "These are again unfounded allegations which, in the current situation, are probably the result of an anti-Russian obsession.

     Moreover, not all Western experts fully agree with the European Union's analysis.

     Questioned by Deutsche Welle, Ben Nimmo, a member of the Atlantic Council think-tank, thinks that there is no special campaign led by the Kremlin, but that this is simply the daily work of Russian trolls.

     A normal and natural kind of animosity. Which is not necessarily more reassuring.

Sources: Reuters, Deutsche Welle

Coronavirus: Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19, announces British royal family

Coronavirus: Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19, announces British royal family

     Piscine Wpa / Getty Images

     Prince Charles tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.

     The United Kingdom is in shock. In an official statement, the services of Harry and William's father reported that he is "showing mild symptoms" of a new coronavirus.

     The heir to the British crown was unable to pass the virus on to his 93-year-old mother, whom he has not seen since 12 March. Given the incubation period, he was not contagious at that time.

     At 71 years of age, Prince Charles "remains in good health", except for these symptoms, Clarence House assured in a statement relayed by the British media The Guardian.

     "In accordance with government measures and medical advice, the Prince and Duchess are isolating themselves at home in Scotland," the Clarence House statement said.

     Prince Charles arrived at his residence in Birkhall on Sunday. He was tested the next day.

     "It is not possible to know by whom the Prince contracted the virus, due to the high number of engagements he has carried out in the last few weeks," the statement continued.

     The tabloid The Mirror says that Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, tested "negative" for the coronavirus.

          Pool New / Reuters

     Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend the Commonwealth Reception at Marlborough House in London on March 9.

     Both spouses are confined to the same house but in "separate" apartments in Scotland.

Buckingham Palace declared the Queen herself to be in good health.

     "The Queen last saw the Prince of Wales briefly on the morning of March 12 and is following all appropriate advice concerning her well-being," a statement said.

     At least 8,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the UK and 422 people have died.

Spreading the message: Five steps to eliminate coronavirus

Spreading the message: Five steps to eliminate coronavirus

23 March 2020 Press release

     FIFA and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have joined forces to combat the coronavirus (Covid-19).

     The two entities are launching a new awareness campaign led by world-class footballers, calling on all people around the world to follow five key measures to stop the spread of the virus.

     The "Spread the Message to Stop Coronavirus" campaign aims to safeguard the health of all people in line with WHO recommendations and includes the following five key messages: wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoid touching your face, keep your distance and stay home when you feel unwell.

     "From the very beginning, FIFA and its President, Gianni Infantino, have been actively involved in spreading the message against this pandemic," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, at the virtual launch of the campaign at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

     "FIFA is fighting the coronavirus through a series of campaigns and funding, and I am delighted that world football is helping WHO to eliminate the virus.

     I am confident that with this kind of support, we will win together. »

     "Teamwork is essential in the fight against coronavirus," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

     "FIFA has joined forces with the WHO because health comes first.

     I call on the world football community to join us and support this campaign to spread this message more widely.

     Many of the world's great footballers have been keen to take part in this campaign and join forces to spread the message and eliminate Covid-19. »

Here is the list of twenty-eight players appearing in the video campaign, which will be published in 13 languages.


Sami Al-Jaber (KSA)       Alisson Becker (BRA)

Emre Belözoğlu (TUR)   Jared Borgetti (MEX)

Gianluigi Buffon (ITA)   Iker Casillas (ESP)

Sunil Chhetri (IND)         Youri Djorkaeff (FRA)

Han Duan (CHN)               Samuel Eto'o (RMC)

Radamel Falcao (COL)    Laura Georges (FRA)

Valeri Karpine (RUS)      Miroslav Klose (GER)

Philipp Lahm (GER)        Gary Lineker (ENG)

Carli Lloyd (USA)              Lionel Messi (ARG)

Mido (EGY)                          Michael Owen (ENG)

Park Ji-sung (KOR)         Carles Puyol (ESP)

Célia Šašić (GER)              Asako Takakura (JPN)

Yaya Touré (CIV)              Juan Sebastián Verón (ARG)

Sun Wen (CHN)                 Xavi Hernández (ESP)

     The video campaign, which will be published on the digital channels of FIFA and the players involved, is also being provided as individual localized files to FIFA's 211 member associations and media agencies - accompanied by a graphic toolkit - for social media distribution to get the message across.

wash your hands

     "It starts with the hands," says Alisson Becker, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Health Promotion, the goalkeeper for Liverpool FC and Brazil, and winner of The Best - FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year 2019.

     "Please wash them frequently, with soap or a hydro-alcoholic solution. »

     Washing your hands frequently with soap and water - or preferably with a hydro-alcoholic solution - removes viruses that may be on your hands. It's simple, but also very important.

Elbow

     "With your elbows bent, please cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze," says Carli Lloyd, two-time winner of the Women's World Cup FIFA™ with the United States.

     "If you use a tissue, throw it away immediately after use and wash your hands. »

     The droplets spread the coronavirus. By adopting good respiratory hygiene, you protect those around you from viruses such as colds, flu or coronavirus.

Face

     "For the face, avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth. This can prevent the virus from entering your body," adds Barcelona and Argentina striker Lionel Messi, multiple FIFA Ballon d'Or winner and winner of The Best - FIFA Player of the Year 2019.

     Your hands are in contact with a lot of surfaces covered with viruses. Once your hands are infected, the virus quickly finds its way to your face, where it can enter your body and make you sick.

Distance

     "In terms of social interaction, please keep your distance," recommends Han Duan, who has represented China PR 188 times in an 11-year international career. "A distance of at least one meter should be kept from anyone who coughs or sneezes".

     By maintaining such a distance, you will avoid inhaling droplets from someone sneezing or coughing nearby.

Felt - know your symptoms

     "If you don't feel well, stay at home," concludes Samuel Eto'o, a former Barcelona striker with 114 caps for Cameroon.

     "Please follow all instructions issued by the local health authorities. »

     If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, see a doctor but call ahead.

     Stay informed - the local health authorities provide regular updates on the situation in your area. Follow their specific instructions and call ahead to allow them to redirect you to the nearest health facility.

     This will help protect you and prevent the spread of the virus and other infections.

     FIFA has also pledged USD 10 million to support the WHO solidarity fund for the fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

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Source: World Health Organization " WHO "