Montagnac, France (AFP) April 17, 2021 French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Saturday pledged more than one billion euros in aid for farmers and winemakers reeling from the worst frost in decades. Across France, agriculturists are counting their losses after the freeze – which followed a period of unseasonably warm weather – affected hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops and vines in 10 of … Continue reading France to give one bn euros aid to farmers hit by frost

United Nations, United States (AFP) April 15, 2021 The United Nations on Thursday released $1 million from its emergency fund to provide aid to the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines following a series of devastating volcanic eruptions, the body’s spokesman said. The funds will provide for “urgent humanitarian assistance to impacted people, especially those who have been evacuated,” Stephane Dujarric said in … Continue reading UN releases $1 mn in emergency funding for Saint Vincent

Brazzaville (AFP) April 16, 2021 The Republic of Congo’s veteran ruler, Denis Sassou Nguesso, was sworn in Friday for a new five-year term as president, vowing to protect the forests of the Congo Basin, a biodiversity jewel. Sassou Nguesso, who has been in power for a total of 36 of his 77 years, took the oath of office before 18 other African heads of state, … Continue reading Veteran Congo ruler pledges to shield forests at inauguration

Washington (AFP) April 16, 2021 The United States on Friday welcomed Brazil’s renewed promise to end illegal deforestation but urged immediate action to protect the Amazon, a major factor in global climate change. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, a longtime scourge of environmentalists, in a letter to President Joe Biden ahead of next week’s US-led climate summit voiced support for a previous Brazilian goal of stoppinghttp://dlvr.it/Rxs8Qz Continue reading US asks Brazil for ‘immediate’ action on Amazon

This year’s revised federal tax code plus new Covid-19 initiatives provide additional incentives for startup companies, as well as small and medium-sized businesses. If you received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, you may qualify to have that indebtedness forgiven; and other tax incentives this year provide new deductions to lower your tax bill.http://dlvr.it/RxpGF0 Continue reading Tax Benefits That Can Help Small Tech and Entrepreneurs Now

Wellington (AFP) April 14, 2021 New Zealand will force banks to reveal the impact their investments have on climate change under world-first legislation intended to make the financial sector’s environmental record transparent, officials said. Commerce Minister David Clark said the law would make climate reporting mandatory for banks, insurance companies and investment firms. “Becoming the first country in the world tohttp://dlvr.it/RxkQV2 Continue reading In world first, New Zealand to make banks report climate impact

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 13, 2021 Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Fred Upton, R-Mich., introduced bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to designate PFAS as hazardous substances and set a national drinking standard for the “forever chemicals.” Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of synthetic compounds used in a variety of industrial processes and found in dozens of household items. They havehttp://dlvr.it/RxkQRY Continue reading Legislation calls for ‘forever chemicals’ to be regulated as hazardous substances

With an increasing amount of workers turning to part-time, freelance, and contract work for a variety of reasons, a growing number of businesses are now based on the gig economy model. The E-Commerce Times spoke with several experts familiar with the ins and outs of the gig economy to find out what’s evolving and changing in this burgeoning field.http://dlvr.it/RxkPv5 Continue reading The Growing Gig Economy

West Lafayette IN (SPX) Apr 09, 2021 An invention from Purdue University innovators may provide a new option to use directed energy for biomedical and defense applications. The Purdue invention uses composite based nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs) for a complete high-power microwave system, eliminating the need for multiple auxiliary systems. The interest in NLTLs has increased in the past few decades because they offer ahttp://dlvr.it/RxfNrV Continue reading All-in-one device uses microwave power for defense, medicine

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