Colombo (AFP) June 14, 2021 The Russian skipper of a container ship that caught fire and burned for almost two weeks before sinking off Sri Lanka’s coast has been arrested and is expected to be charged with marine pollution, police said Monday. The island nation is seeking $40 million in damages from the operators of the ship, which released tonnes of plastic raw materials that … Continue reading Sri Lanka arrests captain over ship fire pollution

Washington (AFP) June 15, 2021 The Chinese scientist at the center of theories that the coronavirus pandemic originated with a leak from her specialized lab in the city of Wuhan has denied her institution was to blame for the health disaster. “How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?” Dr Shi Zhengli told the New York Times in … Continue reading Chinese scientist at center of virus controvery denies lab leak theory

Beijing (AFP) June 15, 2021 A huge red banner welcomed nearly 9,000 students in Wuhan for a massive graduation ceremony over a year after the city was battered by the first global outbreak of Covid-19. Students in navy gowns and mortarboards sat in crowded rows, without social distancing or face masks, beneath the sign that read: “Welcoming the graduates of 2020 back home. We wish … Continue reading Masks off, mortarboards on: Wuhan sheds Covid for mass graduation

Carbis Bay, United Kingdom (AFP) June 12, 2021 Britain is using its G7 summit to mobilise allies ahead of the COP26 conference in November in Glasgow amid pressure from environmental groups to make the meeting count. The climate emergency, with the Covid-19 pandemic, is high on the agenda at the summit for wealthy nations in bucolic Cornwall in southwest England this weekend. On Friday, British … Continue reading UK’s G7 gives a taste of upcoming climate conference

Los Angeles (AFP) June 12, 2021 Lakes at historically low levels, unusually early forest fires, restrictions on water use and now a potentially record heat wave: even before summer’s start the US West is suffering the effects of chronic drought made worse by climate change. Eighty-eight percent of the West was in a state of drought this week, including the entire states of California, Oregon, … Continue reading Across US West, drought arriving dangerously early

Paris (AFP) June 11, 2021 French officials said Friday they had broken up a smuggling operation that shipped millions of baby eels to Asia where they are a prized delicacy that can command up to $5,000 euros per kilogram. The inquiry began in 2017 when customs officers seized nearly 800 kilos of the silvery eels near the southwestern city of Bordeaux destined for China, as … Continue reading France breaks up eel smuggling ring serving Asia

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 11, 2021 Every year, landslides – the movement of rock, soil, and debris down a slope – cause thousands of deaths, billions of dollars in damages, and disruptions to roads and power lines. Because terrain, characteristics of the rocks and soil, weather, and climate all contribute to landslide activity, accurately pinpointing areas most at risk of these hazards at any given … Continue reading Machine Learning Model Doubles Accuracy of Global Landslide ‘Nowcasts’

Seattle WA (SPX) Jun 11, 2021 The Uttarakhand region of India experienced a humanitarian tragedy on Feb. 7, 2021, when a wall of debris and water barreled down the Ronti Gad, Rishiganga and Dhauliganga river valleys. The event began when a wedge of rock carrying a glacier broke off of a steep ridge in the Himalayan mountain range. The resulting debris flow destroyed two hydropower … Continue reading Cause, scope determined for deadly winter debris flow in Uttarakhand, India

Artificial intelligence may well be the Holy Grail solution for more effective shopping optimization for merchants. The list is almost endless when you tally the potential uses. It can be anywhere, from classification issues like recommendations to search and merchandising personalization. It also aids retailers in things like optimization and visual modeling.http://dlvr.it/S1ScJl Continue reading New AI Tools Help Level the Playing Field for Retailers

Beijing (AFP) June 8, 2021 China has approved the emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine for those as young as three, the drugmaker confirmed Tuesday, making it the first country to offer jabs to young children. Since the coronavirus first emerged in central China, Beijing has mostly managed to bring the country’s outbreak under control, and has administered over 777 million vaccine doses after a … Continue reading China to offer Covid-19 vaccine to children as young as three