Batteries capable of fully charging in five minutes have been produced in a factory for the first time, marking a significant step towards electric cars becoming as fast to charge as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles.
Electric vehicles are a vital part of action to tackle the climate crisis but running out of charge during a journey is a worry for drivers. The new lithium-ion batteries were developed by the Israeli company StoreDot and manufactured by Eve Energy in China on standard production lines.
Read more at:
Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars | The Guardian
Showing posts with label Breakthrough. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Breakthrough. Show all posts
1/19/21
4/11/19
EU-China Relationship: EU, China hail 'breakthrough' trade agreement that contrasts Trump's 'America First' agenda
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has promised the European
Union Beijing will no longer force foreign companies to share sensitive
know-how when operating in China, and it is ready to discuss new global
trading rules on industrial subsidies.
Key points:
- China said it is ready to open up to foreign companies and end demands for trade secrets
- EU and Chinese negotiators agreed on a final communique of cooperation
- The two sides agreed to intensify talks on subsidies and pledged a deal by 2020
Marking a significant shift, Mr Li's pledge at the annual EU-China leaders' meeting last night follows similar offers to the United States, and potentially signals an opening for which European companies have long lobbied.
"European companies will enjoy equal treatment," Mr Li told a news conference following the three-hour summit in Brussels, offering to set up a disputes mechanism to handle complaints.
Summit chair Donald Tusk talked of a major turning point in the relationship between the EU and China. "It is a breakthrough", he said. "For the first time, China has agreed to engage with Europe on this key priority for WTO [World Trade Organisation] reform."
Read more at: EU, China hail 'breakthrough' trade agreement that contrasts Trump's 'America First' agenda - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
3/12/19
EU: Britain and EU hail breakthrough in Strasbourg talks
Brexit: UK and EU hail breakthrough in talks. It does however still need to pass through the British Parliament, which still seems difficult
Read more at:
https://p.dw.com/p/3EpSd
https://p.dw.com/p/3EpSd
3/11/19
Britain - Gartner Data and Analytics Summit: Use of big data analytics keeps the Netherlands dry and transforms fashion brands
The use of big data analytics has helped everything from
water management in the Netherlands to both the retail and insurance
industries to undergo digital transformation, as proven in a number of
case studies at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit.
From defending the Netherlands against the type of flood that claimed 1,800 lives 66 years ago to helping fashion brands sail confidently through the perilous waters of online shopping, the use of big data analytics has never had such a profound effect.
Sensor technology interconnected through the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and data analysis have been applied to water management to keep Dutch communities safe in an era when climate change is beginning to cause the country real concern.
And in business, they have traditional industries such as retail and insurance to meet customer demand and improve internal processes.
A range of case studies were put forward at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit in London this week to highlight how almost any sector or business function can undergo digital transformation through intelligent data insight
Read more: Use of big data analytics keeps Holland dry and transforms fashion br
From defending the Netherlands against the type of flood that claimed 1,800 lives 66 years ago to helping fashion brands sail confidently through the perilous waters of online shopping, the use of big data analytics has never had such a profound effect.
Sensor technology interconnected through the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and data analysis have been applied to water management to keep Dutch communities safe in an era when climate change is beginning to cause the country real concern.
And in business, they have traditional industries such as retail and insurance to meet customer demand and improve internal processes.
A range of case studies were put forward at the Gartner Data and Analytics Summit in London this week to highlight how almost any sector or business function can undergo digital transformation through intelligent data insight
Read more: Use of big data analytics keeps Holland dry and transforms fashion br
1/12/18
Germany: German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next
The all-nighter appears to have focused minds: Germany's two biggest
political parties — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) — announced on Friday morning that they had made a breakthrough in their exploratory talks, paving the way to formal coalition negotiations and, if all goes to plan, another iteration of the grand coalition.
The new agreement represents an important stage victory in the marathon negotiations for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who would certainly prefer a grand coalition to the other two options currently on the table: heading an unstable minority government, or a new election.
Should the negotiations with the SPD fail, a new election could well usher in the end of Merkel's time in office, as her CDU attempts to revive its fortunes following its worst election results ever. Her party took 32.9 percent in September's election, a drop of 8.6 percentage points on the 2013 result. This has resulted in much self-reflection in the party, along with speculation that Merkel's era was drawing to a close — and even debate about potential successors.
Read more: German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 12.01.2018
The new agreement represents an important stage victory in the marathon negotiations for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who would certainly prefer a grand coalition to the other two options currently on the table: heading an unstable minority government, or a new election.
Should the negotiations with the SPD fail, a new election could well usher in the end of Merkel's time in office, as her CDU attempts to revive its fortunes following its worst election results ever. Her party took 32.9 percent in September's election, a drop of 8.6 percentage points on the 2013 result. This has resulted in much self-reflection in the party, along with speculation that Merkel's era was drawing to a close — and even debate about potential successors.
Read more: German coalition talks reach breakthrough: A look at what comes next | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 12.01.2018
3/18/16
CUBA - USA: What’s Ahead in Cuba for US Entrepreneurs - by Kevin Gale
 |
| Capitol, Havana, Cuna |
The Cuban populace has been risk
averse in the past, Seleski says. “If you needed a box moved from here
to there, they wouldn’t do it.” However, the government realizes the
mindset needs to change and is encouraging Cubans not to be so risk
averse.
Seleski was on a panel presented by
the South Florida Executive Roundtable (https://goo.gl/7ADtXA) in Coral
Gables. The roundtable is an invitation-only organization for C-level
executives. SFBW is a media partner.
Also on the panel was Maria Elena
“Mel” Lagomasino, CEO and managing partner of WE Family Offices.
Lagomasino was born in Cuba and immigrated to the United States with her
family when she was 11. She is on the board of the Walt Disney Company,
the Coca-Cola Company, Avon Products and the Cuban Study Group, a
nonpartisan, nonprofit group that seeks to provide leadership skills,
problem solving and wealth creation for the people of Cuba. She has also
worked with a foundation that has trained 8,000 micro-entrepreneurs in
Cuba.
Lagomasino’s hope is that the
creation of entrepreneurs will allow more Cubans to manage their own
destiny and lessen dependence on the state for their livelihoods. The
wave of entrepreneurs could also help fuel expectations for further
change in Cuban society, just like in Eastern Europe and China, she
says.
Seleski indicated he’s been impressed
by the resourcefulness of some of the Cuban entrepreneurs. He talked
about the founders of Fonoma, a company that allows people to recharge
cellular telephone service in Cuba, such as for friends and family who
live there. One founder studied computer codes without an Internet
connection, while another studied computer science without a computer,
he says.
If the embargo falls, Seleski says he
has been told that Cuban programmers could be attractive to U.S.
companies. “Obviously, you don’t have to pay them nearly as much as
American programmers,” he says. “The comment was that they are better
than Americans because they have less to work with and are more
creative. The education system in Cuba is extremely good.”
A major challenge in Cuba is
infrastructure. “Imagine if you left this building and no one touched it
for 40 or 50 years, what it would look like,” Seleski says. If the
embargo ends and the Cuban economy or investors start to provide funds
for investing in infrastructure, Florida’s ports will benefit by
shipping materials.
Read more: What’s Ahead in Cuba - South Florida Business MagazineSouth Florida Business Magazine
3/9/16
EU Refugee Crises: Merkel's Turkish gamble: breakthrough or landmine in migrant crisis? - by Paul Taylor
 |
| Angela Merkel |
After rolling out the welcome mat in September for Syrian refugees streaming into Europe, to the alarm of many European leaders who were not consulted, she has now gambled on a last-minute deal with Turkey to stop the migrant flow.
Whether that tentative bargain - improvised in the middle of the night a week before German regional elections in which her party faces losses - will turn out to be a breakthrough or a landmine in the migrant crisis remains to be seen.
Reaction at home to Merkel's Turkish gamble has been mixed. Top-selling Bild newspaper welcomed the deal with the headline "Ball in Turkey's court", but some of her own conservative lawmakers object to giving Turks visa-free travel in exchange.
German officials say it was Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who surprised everyone by arriving at a meeting with Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Brussels on Sunday night with a bold plan offering to take back all migrants who cross into Europe in return for political and economic rewards.
Merkel immediately sensed that the deal could "change the whole dynamic", a German official said, adding that the gains would far outweigh concessions the EU would make in return.
Davutoglu's price was a doubling of European money to keep Syrian refugees in Turkey, faster visa liberalization for Turks and accelerated EU membership talks for Ankara.
European Union diplomats and officials in Brussels were flabbergasted by the proposal sprung on them at a summit on Monday, with some irritated at having been kept in the dark during the preparations.
"Ask Mrs Merkel," one responded when asked how the idea of sending back all migrants, including Syrian refugees, to Turkey was compatible with international law.
Note EU-Digest: if you like her or not, Mrs. Merkel is sticking "head-and-shoulders" above just about any European political leader, if not, probably also most Global leaders, when it comes to long-term vision.
Read more: Merkel's Turkish gamble: breakthrough or landmine in migrant crisis? | Reuters
4/2/15
Iranian nuclear deal: Barack Obama hails tentative agreement
U.S. President Barack Obama heralded a frameworknuclear understanding with Iran as an "historic" agreement that could pave the way for a final deal that would leave the U.S., its allies and the world safer.
"The issues at stake here are bigger than politics," Obama said during remarks in the White House Rose Garden. "These are matters of war and peace, and they should be evaluated based on the facts."
Obama's statement came as the United States, Iran and five other world powers on Thursday announced an understanding outlining limits on Iran's nuclear program so it cannot lead to atomic weapons, directing negotiators toward achieving a comprehensive agreement within three months.
Note EU-Digest: whatever way one wants to look at the Obama administration, one will have to agree, that it has had some HISTORIC AND DRAMATIC SUCCESSES, INCLUDING; OBAMACARE; THE CAPURE OF BIN LADEN; RESTORATION OF THE US ECONOMY; RE-OPENENING OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND THE US; AND THE IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT. GOOD JOB MR.PRESIDENT.
Read more: Iranian nuclear deal: Barack Obama hails tentative agreement - World - CBC News
1/20/13
A big brainstorm is on the horizon in neuroscience - by Ivan Semeniuk
For much of its relatively short history, the science of the human brain has been a piecemeal affair: Neuroanatomists have charted the organ’s creases and folds down to the microscopic level.
Behaviourists have devised a carnival of ingenious puzzles, mazes and perceptual challenges to test their bemused subjects. In another domain, therapists and clinicians have listened, observed and recommended treatments for patients labouring in the shadows of brain injury or mental illness.
But these avenues into what makes us tick have always fallen short of answering deeper questions about the field’s mysterious core: How does the brain work? How does it develop in response to the world around it? How does it break down?
Experts say that getting at such questions requires an understanding well beyond treating the brain as the sum of its parts, its responses or its pathologies. Instead, they say, the brain must be considered it in its entirety: a vast and interconnected whole, the most complex system in the known universe.
Now, a remarkable confluence of tools and techniques is bringing the brain into focus as never before. Propelled by novel imaging technologies, massive computing power and the genetic revolution, several large-scale projects around the world promise to accelerate an already fast-changing field. At last, researchers are seeing their dream of comprehending the brain at its most fundamental level turn into a realizable goal.
“Almost everything we know about the brain we know from the last 10 or 15 years,” says David Kaplan, Canada Research Chair in cancer and neuroscience at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children. “This is a time of exponential learning.”
But Dr. Kaplan, who also co-chairs a scientific advisory council for Montreal-based Brain Canada, which solicits and shepherds research funds, cautions that the unfolding revolution comes with a price tag. “Technology has really helped us,” he says. “Unfortunately, technology is expensive.”
To help Canadian researchers stay in the brain game in an era of budget austerity, Brain Canada wants to maximize a major opportunity announced by the federal government last May. If the organization can raise up to $100-million over the next six years, Ottawa will match the amount, dollar for dollar, to support innovative Canadian research.
In just eight months, private donors have put more than $22-million on the table, says Brain Canada president Inez Jabalpurwala. The first call for proposals drew 165 submissions, at least five of which will be selected this month by an international panel. In making the case for increased investment, she points to a sobering reality. “The collective impact of brain disease is greater than cancer and cardiovascular disease combined. It’s the single biggest health burden for this century.”
The scale of the effort, significant for Canada, is paralleled by a growing international trend toward bigger, more collaborative projects that approach the brain at a deeper, systemic level. The change reflects not only the new tools that make such an approach possible but a transition by many brain researchers into the domain of “big science.” Instead of an army of small teams working away in their selected specialties, the field is spawning big-picture projects reminiscent of the Human Genome Project or the space program.
A U.S. effort that invites this comparison is One Mind for Research, an organization founded by former congressman Patrick Kennedy, son of the late senator Edward Kennedy, and philanthropists Garen and Shari Staglin. Launched in May, 2011, on the 50th anniversary of president John F. Kennedy’s famous speech committing the U.S. to putting a man on the moon, it aims to channel billions in private and government funding toward research into brain disease and dysfunction over the next decade, fuelling a “moon shot to the mind.”
The basic science of the brain is also scaling up. In 2011, the U.S. National Institutes of Health committed $38.5-million over five years to the Human Connectome Project, which unites teams at several universities in seeking to map the entire spaghetti-like tangle of major neural connections that make up the healthy human brain. Instead of the older, coarser model of the brain as a pastiche of regions that light up when certain tasks are performed, the new panoramic view is closer to the brain’s true nature: a stunningly intricate set of interconnected neural networks.
Looking still further, some neuroscientists continue to pursue the elusive goal of simulating the brain in its entirely as a computer program. The task is daunting, says Chris Eliasmith, director of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo, in part because with 100 billion neurons capable of forming thousands of connections, the complexity of the brain dwarfs its would-be digital mimics. “The single biggest challenge is trying to reproduce the amount of communication that there is in the brain,” he says.
A process known as diffusion scanning is what makes the mapping possible, says Arthur Toga, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and one of the project’s leaders. “It allows us to mathematically derive bundles of fibres and how they course through the brain. That’s an important bit of information that can help us to understand how the brain is organized.”
That has not held back Henry Markram at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne from proposing the Human Brain Project, a massive effort to incorporate everything known about the brain in a massive computer simulation. Some experts question what it will show, but the project is shortlisted for as much as a billion euros from the European Commission over the next decade.
Even if Dr. Markram doesn’t succeed, the number and scale of brain-related projects now emerging suggests a turning point for the field, a sort of “Galileo moment” that could open the workings of the human mind as never before.
Read More: Globe and Mail
Behaviourists have devised a carnival of ingenious puzzles, mazes and perceptual challenges to test their bemused subjects. In another domain, therapists and clinicians have listened, observed and recommended treatments for patients labouring in the shadows of brain injury or mental illness.
But these avenues into what makes us tick have always fallen short of answering deeper questions about the field’s mysterious core: How does the brain work? How does it develop in response to the world around it? How does it break down?
Experts say that getting at such questions requires an understanding well beyond treating the brain as the sum of its parts, its responses or its pathologies. Instead, they say, the brain must be considered it in its entirety: a vast and interconnected whole, the most complex system in the known universe.
Now, a remarkable confluence of tools and techniques is bringing the brain into focus as never before. Propelled by novel imaging technologies, massive computing power and the genetic revolution, several large-scale projects around the world promise to accelerate an already fast-changing field. At last, researchers are seeing their dream of comprehending the brain at its most fundamental level turn into a realizable goal.
“Almost everything we know about the brain we know from the last 10 or 15 years,” says David Kaplan, Canada Research Chair in cancer and neuroscience at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children. “This is a time of exponential learning.”
But Dr. Kaplan, who also co-chairs a scientific advisory council for Montreal-based Brain Canada, which solicits and shepherds research funds, cautions that the unfolding revolution comes with a price tag. “Technology has really helped us,” he says. “Unfortunately, technology is expensive.”
To help Canadian researchers stay in the brain game in an era of budget austerity, Brain Canada wants to maximize a major opportunity announced by the federal government last May. If the organization can raise up to $100-million over the next six years, Ottawa will match the amount, dollar for dollar, to support innovative Canadian research.
In just eight months, private donors have put more than $22-million on the table, says Brain Canada president Inez Jabalpurwala. The first call for proposals drew 165 submissions, at least five of which will be selected this month by an international panel. In making the case for increased investment, she points to a sobering reality. “The collective impact of brain disease is greater than cancer and cardiovascular disease combined. It’s the single biggest health burden for this century.”
The scale of the effort, significant for Canada, is paralleled by a growing international trend toward bigger, more collaborative projects that approach the brain at a deeper, systemic level. The change reflects not only the new tools that make such an approach possible but a transition by many brain researchers into the domain of “big science.” Instead of an army of small teams working away in their selected specialties, the field is spawning big-picture projects reminiscent of the Human Genome Project or the space program.
A U.S. effort that invites this comparison is One Mind for Research, an organization founded by former congressman Patrick Kennedy, son of the late senator Edward Kennedy, and philanthropists Garen and Shari Staglin. Launched in May, 2011, on the 50th anniversary of president John F. Kennedy’s famous speech committing the U.S. to putting a man on the moon, it aims to channel billions in private and government funding toward research into brain disease and dysfunction over the next decade, fuelling a “moon shot to the mind.”
The basic science of the brain is also scaling up. In 2011, the U.S. National Institutes of Health committed $38.5-million over five years to the Human Connectome Project, which unites teams at several universities in seeking to map the entire spaghetti-like tangle of major neural connections that make up the healthy human brain. Instead of the older, coarser model of the brain as a pastiche of regions that light up when certain tasks are performed, the new panoramic view is closer to the brain’s true nature: a stunningly intricate set of interconnected neural networks.
Looking still further, some neuroscientists continue to pursue the elusive goal of simulating the brain in its entirely as a computer program. The task is daunting, says Chris Eliasmith, director of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo, in part because with 100 billion neurons capable of forming thousands of connections, the complexity of the brain dwarfs its would-be digital mimics. “The single biggest challenge is trying to reproduce the amount of communication that there is in the brain,” he says.
A process known as diffusion scanning is what makes the mapping possible, says Arthur Toga, a neurologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and one of the project’s leaders. “It allows us to mathematically derive bundles of fibres and how they course through the brain. That’s an important bit of information that can help us to understand how the brain is organized.”
That has not held back Henry Markram at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne from proposing the Human Brain Project, a massive effort to incorporate everything known about the brain in a massive computer simulation. Some experts question what it will show, but the project is shortlisted for as much as a billion euros from the European Commission over the next decade.
Even if Dr. Markram doesn’t succeed, the number and scale of brain-related projects now emerging suggests a turning point for the field, a sort of “Galileo moment” that could open the workings of the human mind as never before.
Read More: Globe and Mail
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