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MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Vaping, or smoking battery powered devices known as e-cigarettes, may encourage youths to start smoking but may also help adults quit, said a US review of scientific research out Tuesday. The report by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is based on more than 800 peer-reviewed scientific studies on the health effects of electronic cigarettes. It was compiled at the request of the US Congress, amid a […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Two US astronauts floated outside the International Space Station on Tuesday for a seven-hour, 24-minute spacewalk to repair the orbiting outpost’s aging robotic arm, NASA said. During what NASA commentator Rob Navias described as a “textbook” spacewalk, NASA flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Scott Tingle replaced a faulty latching end on the 57-foot (17-meter) Canadian-made robotic arm, called Canadarm2. The arm is used to grasp incoming cargo ships and […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Intel on Monday called for a halt in deployment of patches for a troubling vulnerability in its computer chips because they could cause “unpredictable” problems in affected devices. Intel posted a list of chip models that could be tripped up by the patch, meant to prevent hackers from taking advantage of so-called Meltdown and Spectre flaws to steal data. The US chip giant recommended that computer makers, cloud service […]
by Marlowe HOOD Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Geoengineering schemes designed to deflect some of the Sun’s planet-warming rays would backfire if suddenly discontinued, wiping out species and entire ecosystems, a study published Monday warns. “Rapid warming after stopping geoengineering would be a huge threat to the natural environment and biodiversity,” said co-author Alan Robock, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Half-a-century’s worth of warming could rebound in a handful of […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Facebook acknowledged Monday that widespread use of social media can be harmful to democracy, while pledging to work to minimize these risks. The world’s biggest social network’s comments were the latest response to persistent criticism for its role in allowing the spread of misinformation, reinforcing “filter bubbles” and facilitating harassment of dissidents and activists. “Now, we’re as determined as ever to fight the negative influences and ensure that our platform is unquestionably a source […]
by Becky Davis and Lillian Ding, with AFP bureaus in Europe and the United States Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — For years China was the world’s top destination for recyclable trash, but a ban on certain imports has left nations scrambling to find new dumping grounds for growing piles of garbage. The decision was announced in July and came into force on January 1, giving companies from Europe to the United States barely […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Facebook said Monday that it will train 65,000 French people in digital skills in free schemes to help women set up businesses and the long-term unemployed get back to work. The internet giant also announced that it will pour an additional 10 million euros (8.9 million euros) into artificial intelligence in France by 2022, without saying how much it will invest in the training schemes. The US social network will work […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Aerospace company Rocket Lab said Sunday it had successfully fired a rocket into orbit for the first time from its New Zealand launch base. “Electron is orbital. Successful payload deployment,” the company tweeted. The Electron rocket, named “Still Testing,” took off from Mahia, on the east coast of the North Island, at 2.45 pm (0145 GMT) on Sunday and reached orbit eight minutes later. The 17-meter-long (55ft 7in) carbon-fiber rocket […]
https://youtu.be/1difufl1h9s The growing popularity of smartphones and tablets has created a mini-industry of app-enabled products, while consumer interest in health has led to a boom in the development of “wearable technology”. STÉPHANE KOGUC, KATHERINE LEVY SPENCER / AFP VIDEOGRAPHICS / AFP
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thai police have arrested an alleged kingpin in Asia’s illegal trade in endangered species, dealing a blow to family-run syndicate that smuggles elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts to Chinese and Vietnamese dealers. Boonchai Bach, 40, a Vietnamese national with Thai citizenship, was arrested on Friday evening over the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth around $1 million from Africa to Thailand. His downfall follows the December 12 arrest of […]
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — Jeanette Epps, 46, a former CIA agent turned astronaut, was about to become the first African-American to embark on a mission lasting several months at the International Space Station. It’s still unclear why, but plans for her June liftoff suddenly changed, and another astronaut was chosen in her place, NASA has announced. “A number of factors are considered when making flight assignments; these decisions are personnel matters, for which NASA […]
by Ben Simon Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The last three years were the hottest on record, the United Nations weather agency said Thursday, citing fresh global data underscoring the dramatic warming of the planet. Consolidated data from five leading international weather agencies shows that “2015, 2016 and 2017 have been confirmed as the three warmest years on record”, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said. It added that 2016 remains the hottest year […]
