Guelph, Canada (The Conversation) Feb 19, 2021 Agriculture’s impact on the planet is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 per cent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing. The number of domestic animals far outweighs remaining wild populations. Every day, more primary forest falls against a tide of crops and pasture and each year an area as large as the United … Continue reading Three technologies poised to change food and the planet

Yangon (AFP) Feb 19, 2021 A young protester died Friday, more than a week after being shot in anti-coup demonstrations in Myanmar, offering a fresh source of anger inside the country as international pressure grows on the generals who seized power. Much of the country has been in open revolt since troops deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, with disparate strands … Continue reading First death hits Myanmar’s anti-coup movement as pressure swells against generals

Harare (AFP) Feb 18, 2021 Zimbabwe’s vice president was first to be inoculated Thursday as the southern African country began coronavirus immunisation three days after receiving jabs donated by China. Constantino Chiwenga, wearing a rosary around his neck, received a dose of Sinopharm vaccine at a hospital in the capital Harare and urged citizens to register for the shots. The 64-year-old was first swabbed to … Continue reading Zimbabwe, Algeria begin vaccine roll-outs with Chinese jabs;

Online shoppers beware: a fast-selling marketplace of fake reviews is trying to lure you into buying products on major digital store sites and social media outlets. This latest review scam involves an under-wrap false review network operating among Amazon sellers. Trading in phony reviews may or not be legal, but such practices are clearly unethical and will have repercussions if discovered, warns Amazon.http://dlvr.it/Rt2FWw Continue reading Fake Review Schemes Conning Online Shoppers

As they become more prominent, consumers will enjoy shopping experiences that no longer rely on payments from a piece of plastic with a four-digit pin. Instead, consumers will use unique motion sensors in smartphone devices to passively authenticate people using their walking behavior and other contextual biometric signals. Some of these contactless procedures are already being deployed.http://dlvr.it/RszsmS Continue reading How Biometric Authentication Methods Will Revamp the Commerce Experience

Beijing (XNA) Feb 10, 2021 China has published six documents detailing technical requirements and test methods for key civilian products using the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS). The documents have been issued to facilitate the construction of a certification system for key BDS-3 products, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office. Technical requirements and test methods were drafted for chttp://dlvr.it/RsyHC7 Continue reading China publishes technical requirements for key civilian BDS products

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 17, 2021 The world’s oldest DNA, recovered from 1.2-million-year-old mammoth teeth, has offered scientists new insights into the genomic history of mammoths. Scientists recovered and sequenced DNA from the teeth of three mammoth specimens preserved in the permafrost of eastern Siberia. Using the latest genomic sequencing technologies, including new methods for distinguishing between mammohttp://dlvr.it/RsyH3D Continue reading World’s oldest DNA reveals new mammoth lineage

Washington (AFP) Feb 17, 2021 Millions were left without power as a winter storm gripped the southern and central United States Tuesday with record-low temperatures in ill-prepared areas, and a tornado claiming three lives. More than 20 storm-related deaths have been registered so far, including in traffic accidents in Texas, Kentucky and Missouri, according to local media. In hardest-hit Texas – where freezing condhttp://dlvr.it/RstsDv Continue reading Millions struggle without power as deadly cold snap grips US

Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 12, 2021 A Hong Kong government proposal that could give “apparently unfettered power” to the immigration director to stop anyone from leaving the city is deeply concerning, barristers said Friday. Hong Kong’s influential Bar Association (HKBA) submitted a paper to the city’s legislative council expressing alarm over the law, which could bar any individual – Hong Kong resident or not – … Continue reading Concern over proposed Hong Kong law that could bar anyone from leaving

Yangon (AFP) Feb 15, 2021 Myanmar’s junta deployed extra troops around the country and choked the internet for the second night in a row as it intensified a crackdown on anti-coup protests, but defiant demonstrators again took to the streets on Monday. The military has steadily escalated efforts to quell an uprising against their seizure of power two weeks ago, which saw civilian leader Aung … Continue reading More protests after Myanmar junta cuts internet, deploys troops