Beijing (AFP) March 11, 2021 Daily life in China follows a rhythm of digital check-ins, with the QR code – at offices, malls and transport hubs – an integral defence against Covid-19 that helps to track, trace and isolate patients. Now the country where the coronavirus was first detected is launching a digital “health passport” for its 1.4 billion population which it hopes will eventually … Continue reading QR codes, health passports: China’s tech arsenal against a pandemic

The United States government is trying to get smarter about getting smart. Throughout the federal government, and especially in defense and national security, artificial intelligence is getting an increased amount of attention, including the adoption of hefty AI budgets. That should lead to increasing contract opportunities for information technology vendors with high competence in AI.http://dlvr.it/RvMQsg Continue reading AI Contract Spending Set to Grow in Federal Market

Yangon (AFP) March 9, 2021 Kneeling before them in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng begged a group of heavily armed police officers to spare “the children” and take her life instead. The image of the Catholic nun in a simple white habit, her hands spread, pleading with the forces of the country’s new junta as they prepared to … Continue reading ‘Shoot me instead’: Myanmar nun pleads with junta forces

Paris (AFP) March 9, 2021 A third of all the world’s man-made greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food, according to new global research that tracked produce from field to fork to landfill. Land clearing and deforestation, fertiliser use, livestock and waste all contribute to the emissions from the system to feed Earth’s 7.7 billion people. While numerous reports have looked to quantify the climate … Continue reading Food drives a third of global emissions: report

Algiers (AFP) March 7, 2021 At least seven people died and three were unaccounted for after floods caused by torrential rains in northwestern Algeria, the country’s civil protection agency said. Three men, two women, a five-year-old boy and a girl of 12 died after vehicles they were travelling in were swept away in the Chlef region on Saturday, the agency said in a statement. Rescue … Continue reading Seven dead in Algeria floods: civil protection

Beijing (AFP) March 7, 2021 Shirley Shi has received three offers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 – through her hometown, her Beijing residential area and her office area – but the human resources manager is in no rush. “I’d like to keep an eye out for any adverse effects first,” said Shi, who like many Chinese seems happy to take a wait-and-see approach. Through aggressive … Continue reading Chinese urgency on Covid-19 goes missing in jabs drive

Singapore (AFP) March 8, 2021 Singapore Airlines will begin trialling a coronavirus digital travel pass developed by aviation’s industry body next week, the carrier said Monday, the first airline to pilot the scheme as the pandemic-hit sector seeks to recover. The app, developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), will store information on passengers’ health, including whether they have had virus testshttp://dlvr.it/RvFPqc Continue reading Singapore Airlines to pilot digital Covid travel pass

Boston MA (SPX) Mar 05, 2021 In the era of social distancing, using robots for some health care interactions is a promising way to reduce in-person contact between health care workers and sick patients. However, a key question that needs to be answered is how patients will react to a robot entering the exam room. Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently set … Continue reading The Robot will see you now

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Mar 05, 2021 Customised flight routes can help to limit the rise in global temperatures caused by human activities. If this goal is to be achieved, air traffic management must be automated to a far greater extent than it is today. The ‘Individual and automated air traffic’ project recently launched by the German Aerospace Center will combine research work over the next … Continue reading Customising individual flight routes for more climate friendly outcomes

Manila (AFP) March 5, 2021 Philippine authorities have seized illegally harvested giant clam shells worth $3.3 million as smugglers turn to the endangered creatures as a substitute for the illicit ivory trade. In one of the biggest operations of its kind in the country, 80 tonnes of the tropical species were discovered in a village on a remote island in the western archipelago of Palawan, … Continue reading Giant clam shells worth $3.3 million seized in Philippine raid