Wuhan, China (AFP) Sept 17, 2020 Wuhan pensioner Zhong Hanneng endured every parent’s worst nightmare when coronavirus claimed her son in February, and – alongside other bereaved relatives – she wants to sue the local government she blames for his death. But they have had their lawsuits abruptly rejected, dozens of others face pressure from authorities not to file, and lawyers are being warned against … Continue reading Wuhan next-of-kin accuse China of blocking Covid lawsuits

Belgrade (AFP) Sept 16, 2020 Just down the road from Belgrade’s historic city centre, gates open for trucks to pass to the banks of the Danube, where they dump raw sewage into Europe’s venerated river. It’s not a secret operation, but rather a business nobody likes to mention in the Serbian capital – the only one in Europe to spew all of its unfiltered wastewater … Continue reading Brown Danube: How Belgrade’s sewers taint Europe’s famous river

Braunschweig, Germany (SPX) Sep 10, 2020 The integration of new types of aircraft into the air transport system requires it to change. Over the coming years, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will be working together on research into how the air transport system can be transformed to meet these new … Continue reading NASA and DLR study the transformation of the air transport system

Automated purchasing bots, also known as “sneaker bots,” “click bots,” “Instacart bots” and other names, are ruining the online shopping and gig economy experience for both consumers and workers. These bots can cause considerable damage to a mobile business’ reputation and bottom line. There are a number of measures that e-tailers should take a to protect their mobile apps from sneaker bots.http://dlvr.it/Rgp3xb Continue reading How to Protect Mobile Apps Against Sneaker Bots

Munich, Germany (SPX) Sep 16, 2020 Rupert Seidl (Professor of Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management in Mountain Landscapes at TUM) and his colleague Cornelius Senf (lead author of the study) for the first time produced a high-resolution map of all openings in the canopy of European forests. They have analyzed more than 30,000 satellite images and identified more than 36 million areas where large trees … Continue reading Satellite images display changes in the condition of European forests

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 10, 2020 Island nations like the Seychelles are uniquely vulnerable to the barrage of plastic pollution pouring into the world’s oceans, and research published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports suggests the cleanup bill is prohibitively expensive. “The Indian Ocean is fringed with countries that have poor waste management infrastructure,” lead researcher April Burt told UPI in an email.http://dlvr.it/Rgk6vg Continue reading For small island nations, marine plastic cleanup is prohibitively expensive

Copenhagen (AFP) Sept 14, 2020 Europe will face a rising death toll from the coronavirus during autumn, the World Health Organization warned on Monday as the number of daily infections around the world hit a record high. Israel is among the countries battling a new spike, announcing a three-week lockdown from Friday when people will not be allowed more than 500 metres from their homes. … Continue reading WHO delivers Europe death warning as infections hit new high

Khartoum (AFP) Sept 10, 2020 Archaeologists feared the worst when record Nile floodwaters threatened to overwhelm priceless ancient royal baths in Sudan, but prompt action averted disaster – for now, at least. Authorities last week declared a three month national state of emergency over the flooding affecting swathes of land adjoining the Nile, and more than 100 people have lost their lives to the elevated … Continue reading Sandbagging saves ancient Sudan gem from record floods

A proposal to avoid the banning of the popular social media app TikTok was submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department over the weekend. The plan submitted by ByteDance, which owns TikTok, calls for the company to enlist Oracle as a “trusted technology provider” in order to address national security concerns raised about the video-sharing software by the Trump administration.http://dlvr.it/Rgcdkp Continue reading TikTok Enlists Oracle to Evade Trump’s Executive Order

E-commerce is experiencing rapid growth with no sign of slowing down. Retailers and brands are finding that the new normal in retail and e-tail marketing is much like trying to hit a moving target. They have to take a refined aim and build in some lead time. This marketing strategy requires businesses to adjust their digital infrastructure and tactics. Otherwise, they will miss the target … Continue reading A Unique Moment in Time for E-Commerce