Paris (ESA) Dec 09, 2020 In early 2020, ESA launched a contest asking the general public to submit ideas on how Earth observation data can help monitor the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, one of the winning ideas has been integrated into the ‘Rapid Action on COVID-19 with Earth observation’ dashboard – a joint initiative from ESA and the European Commission. This new idea … Continue reading Monitoring European air traffic with Earth observation

Farnborough UK (SPX) Dec 07, 2020 Airbus Defence and Space has successfully completed a new test flight campaign for its Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) in Arizona, U.S.A. The 2020 flight campaign succeeded despite global slowdowns due to the Covid19 pandemic. It focused on aircraft agility, control and operations to build upon previous campaigns, which have already proven the day and night stratospheric persihttp://dlvr.it/RnHSBq Continue reading The Airbus Zephyr, Solar High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) concludes a successful new test flight campaign in Arizona, USA

London (AFP) Dec 7, 2020 The mother of a young London girl who died after a series of severe asthma attacks said on Monday she would have moved if she had been aware of the dangers of air pollution. Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lost her daughter Ella in 2013, said “moving would have been the first thing” to do if she had known the danger it … Continue reading UK pollution inquest family would have moved if health risks were known

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 07, 2020 Researchers and public health officials in the United States could soon be using wastewater surveillance to monitor local rates of COVID-19 transmission. New research showed settled solid samples collected from sewage treatment facilities hosted higher concentrations of coronavirus viral fragments. According to the new analysis, detailed Monday in the journal Environmental Scienchttp://dlvr.it/RnCl1G Continue reading Wastewater testing for COVID-19 could soon be a reality

Beijing (AFP) Dec 7, 2020 Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech has secured half a billion dollars in extra funding to produce its Covid-19 vaccine, it said Monday, as the country races to roll out a jab for general use. Beijing has largely brought the virus under control, with only 281 active cases still receiving treatment, according to official figures. But it has promised to make … Continue reading Chinese Covid-19 vaccine maker gets major funding boost; Indonesia gets Chinese vaccine supply

Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 6, 2020 A Hong Kong pro-democracy politician who fled overseas is being investigated for national security crimes, police said Sunday, confirming they have frozen some of his bank accounts. The revelation comes as international banks in the semi-autonomous city become increasingly tangled up in political tensions as the US threatens to sanction businesses that aid Beijing’s crackdown on dissent.http://dlvr.it/Rn71Jf Continue reading Police say runaway Hong Kong politician probed for security crime

Washington (AFP) Dec 5, 2020 The US State Department said Friday it was terminating five Chinese-funded exchange programs with the United States, calling them propaganda tools for Beijing. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that these programs, conducted under a US law called the MECEA that permits American government employees to travel using foreign government funds, were “disguised as ‘cultural exchanhttp://dlvr.it/Rn4zwR Continue reading US ends China-funded exchange programs, calls them ‘propaganda tools’

Oslo (AFP) Dec 4, 2020 The deputy governor of Norway’s central bank resigned on Friday after he was denied security clearance because he is married to a Chinese citizen, the bank said. “The Norwegian Civil Security Clearance Authority informs me that the reason that I will not receive a renewed security clearance is that my wife is a Chinese citizen and resides in China, where … Continue reading Norway central bank deputy denied security clearance over Chinese wife

Mobile shopping apps have in the midst of the pandemic become central to online retail operations, and they’re clearly here to stay. The E-Commerce Times spoke with m-commerce specialists to find out what’s behind the rapid growth of consumers shopping on mobile devices, what mobile shoppers require from shopping apps, and how retailers can provide a better experience for their customers who shop on mobile … Continue reading The Rise of Mobile Shopping Apps

United Nations, United States (AFP) Dec 2, 2020 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday denounced a “suicidal” failure to combat global warming and said recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic could be humanity’s chance for a reset to save the planet. “The state of the planet is broken. Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal,” the UN chief said in a speech at Columbia … Continue reading UN chief slams ‘suicidal’ failure to combat global warming