Do you bathe in milk, gobble up kimchi or dress in getups straight out of the 80s? If you don t, you might soon -- Facebook predicts those trends could go global in 2020. For its 2020 Topic and Trends Report, Facebook collected country-specific topics users in 13 countries had shared that it says could become mainstream next year. When patterns in topics emerged, the company said it relied on third-party researchers to "inform and validate" the findings. This year s edition predicts everything from DIY projects in Brazil to scaled-back skincare in the Philippines to craft coffee in Thailand. Last year s report focused solely on the US and predicted everything from a zero-waste economy and cerebral horror films to ASMR and healthy soul food. We ll have to wait a year to find out how accurate their 2020 trends forecasts are, but until then, browse through a few of the trends Facebook says could break through. Americans are talking more about methane emissions associated with animal agriculture, but they re not willing to give up meat entirely. Facebook says the rise of flexitarianism -- a majority plant-based diet that occasionally incorporates meat and fish -- could become a 2020 movement. Another major topic of conversation in North America -- houseplants and succulents. Canadians are greening up living spaces with indoor plants and sharing the results widely -- "plant parent" influencers are encouraging their followers to get greener. Self-care is now synonymous with luxuriating in the US, so it s fitting that baths could come back in a big way. Specifically, Facebook predicts, milk baths will become en vogue. Rumored to be a pastime of Cleopatra, the baths are supposedly moisturizing for dry skin some centuries later. Podcasts already seem like they rule the world. But they ll increasingly inform what US viewers see on screen, Facebook predicts. Pointing to "The Farewell," the acclaimed film based on a segment in NPR s "This American Life" and podcasts like "Dirty John" and "2 Dope Queens" that were adapted as TV series, the company says we ll see the audio medium become so massive that Hollywood will increasingly capitalize on its fandom and creative freedom. Australia could see a surge in gut-friendly foots like kimchi and ghee, or clarified butter. They re packed with probiotics that strengthen the "gut biome" -- the good bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract. The country s also a major purveyor of high-fiber foods like chickpea and lentil pasta, a protein-packed alternative to traditional wheat flour fare. The US adopted avocado toast from the Aussies, so maybe the American masses will follow Australia s lead again. Kimchi, a stalwart of Korean fare, and kombucha have already crossed over into the US. Astrology isn t all horoscopes and zodiac signs. In Argentina, Facebook users are considering how their birth charts impact their emotional intelligence, with a Buenos Aires hospital even incorporating astrological personalities into its workshops for mental health patients. Top searches included "tarot" and "Mercury" -- when the planet s in retrograde, astrology buffs believe the backward movement causes changes in mood and a greater likelihood for errors and frustration. Millennials and Gen Zers in Brazil are embracing the nostalgia of a time they never lived in. Facebook says 1980s cultural touchstones, like neon and lamé clothing and vintage tech like cassettes and 8-bit video games, hearken back to a "simpler time." Adults who lived through the 80s might beg to differ, but Facebook says callbacks to the decade could be big in Brazil.

The Arctic has experienced its second warmest year since 1900, according to a report published Tuesday, raising fears over low summer sea ice and rising sea levels. The North Pole has been warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet since the 1990s, a phenomenon climatologists call Arctic amplification, and the past six years have been the region s warmest ever. The average temperature in the 12 months to September was 1.9 degrees Celsius higher than the 1981-2010 average, according to the Arctic Report Card of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA). The end-of-summer sea ice cover measured that month was the second lowest in the 41-year satellite record, tied with 2007 and 2016, the annual report said. “2007 was a watershed year,” Don Perovich, a Dartmouth engineering professor who co-authored the report, told AFP. “Some years there s an increase, some years there s a decrease, but we ve never returned to the levels we saw before 2007,” he added. The year up to September has been surpassed only by the equivalent period in 2015-16 — the warmest since 1900, when records began. In the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska, the last two winters have seen maximum sea ice coverage of less than half the long-term average. The ice is also thinner, meaning airplanes can no longer land with supplies for the residents of Diomede, a small island in the Bering Strait, who now depend on less reliable helicopters. Melting permafrost Thick ice is also vital for locals who travel by snowmobile and stow their boats, or hunt seals and whales. As the ice forms later in the fall, the inhabitants are isolated for a greater part of the year. The “shorefast ice,” anchored to the sea floor, is increasingly rare, and it is on this ice that fishermen and hunters store their equipment. “In the northern Bering Sea, sea ice used to be present with us for eight months a year. Today, we may only see three or four months with ice,” indigenous residents wrote in an essay included in the report. It is not just sea ice that is receding, according to the report: ice on Greenland is also melting. For the rest of the world this melt is measured by rising sea levels. Each year ice melting from Greenland alone raises global sea levels by 0.7 millimeters. The snow reflects the sun s rays back to space, but when it melts it uncovers more area for the sun s heat to be absorbed and melts the permafrost, the soil that remains constantly frozen. Greenland has the world s second largest ice sheet after Antarctica, which is melting at a slower pace. Scientists noted Tuesday that Greenland is struggling too, however. It has lost 3.8 trillion tonnes of ice since 1992, enough on its own to add 10.6 millimeters (1.06 centimeters, 0.4 inches) to sea levels, according to a study in the journal Nature. If all of Greenland s ice melted, or were diverted into the ocean as icebergs, the world s oceans would rise by 7.4 meters, scientists say.

Choices made today on how to grow Africa s economies will determine not only if the continent prospers but if global warming can be tamed, diplomats and experts told AFP at UN climate talks in Madrid. With two-thirds of its population lacking electricity, much of Africa s energy future remains a blank slate. But unless the continent s leaders can forge a development pathway fuelled by clean and renewable energy, they risk following the same pollution-laden trajectory that causes two million premature deaths in India and China every year. Growth driven by oil, gas and especially coal would also heat the planet well beyond the safety threshold dictated by science, and enshrined in the Paris climate treaty. So far, Africa is essentially blameless when it comes to climate change. The continent is home to 17 percent of the world s population and more than a quarter of its nations, but only accounts for four percent of the greenhouse gas emissions pushing the planet toward runaway warming. Remove South Africa and the oil- and gas-fuelled economies of north Africa from the picture, and the share of CO2 pollution drops to one percent. But this negligible carbon footprint is due mostly to poverty and underdevelopement — something, experts say, that could rapidly change. “Africans have not been responsible for the beginning of the story of the climate crisis, but they will have a huge impact on how the story ends,” Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa and a veteran of UN climate talks, told AFP. “The continent is on the cusp of sweeping development that can either go down a clean energy path, or one based on fossil fuels.” Not an outrageous ask As that transformation unfolds, Africa will accommodate at least half the projected global population growth over the next 30 years, according to the UN. The number of people — overwhelmingly young — in Sub-Saharan Africa will likely double. For Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, senior negotiator at the climate talks for the Democratic Republic of Congo, the path Africa takes depends heavily on the help it gets from other countries and international institutions. “If we are going to live in a world where warming is limited to 1.5C, Africa has a role to play,” he told journalists. “But we have to receive means of implementation, financial resources, technology transfer — these are not outrageous asks.” Mohamed Nasr, an official in Egypt s foreign ministry and chair of the 54-nation Africa Group, a negotiating bloc at the climate talks, agrees. “We need to understand the dilemma our policymakers are facing,” he told journalists in Madrid. “We want to take action on climate change,” he said. “But poverty is very high, there is a need for education, for health care. And most African countries are highly indebted.” In many regions, the resources most readily available to fuel the growth that can satisfy those needs are the same ones overheating the planet. Africa s fossil fuel vs renewables dilemma is, perhaps, best encapsulated in Nasr s home country. On the one hand, Egypt has almost completed the world s largest solar park, with funding from the World Bank s investment arm, the International Finance Corporation. Avoided emissions But it s estimated 2,000 megawatt capacity will be dwarfed by the Hamrawein coal-powered station, under construction with funding from Chinese banks and state-run investment corporations. China is also behind coal-fired development — for electricity and to power mining operations — in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, according to the Global Coal Finance Tracker. “Chinese finance is backing 30 gigawatts of coal-fired power projects currently under development in Africa,” Christine Shearer, program director for coal at the Global Energy Monitor, told AFP. “Many of these projects would come online in the next five to ten years — locking the countries into coal use precisely at the time when prices for solar and wind power are projected to fall below coal power.” Currently, South Africa is the only country on the continent with a large coal industry — and all the public health problems that come with it. “At the same time, there are budding renewable energy sectors and projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco and Algeria,” noted Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst for the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The tug-of-war across Africa between fossil fuels and renewables is sure to continue, and it may be years before a clear winner emerges. For clean energy to prevail, however, the rest of the world must recognize the value of avoiding carbon emissions, not just cutting them, said Adow. “The UN needs to incentivize Africa to stay on a clean path,” he told AFP. “But to do this it needs finance and technology so it can leap-frog fossil fuels.”

Apple s new Mac Pro is about to go on sale. The top-of-the-line Mac, anticipated by power users for its jaw-dropping specs, and by Apple design fans for its cheese-grater-like appearance, will be available for preorders beginning Tuesday. It s the computer s first update in six years and it looks drastically different than its predecessor. Apple ditched the previous "trash can" cylinder design for a more traditional tower shape that has several holes for cooling and a handle on top. The computer is loaded with a 28-core Intel (INTC) and 1.5 TB of system memory. It comes at a cost: $6,000 for the computer alone. Cusotmers can also have to buy the 32-inch 6K retina LCD display, called the Pro Display XDR, for an additional $4,999. There s also a $999 monitor stand, but the computer can be used without it if you lean the monitor against the computer or purchase a mount adapter. Apple (AAPL) first showed off the Mac Pro at its World Wide Developers Conference in June. Although it preorders will be available Tuesday, when it will actually ship remains unclear. The computer is built in the United States because of a federal tariff exclusion it received for several key parts of the device. Over the summer, reports indicated Apple might move assembly of the product from a Texas plant to China because of the US-China trade war. President Donald Trump toured the plant in November, where he falsely claimed he "opened" it despite the fact that Apple has been making the Mac Pro at the Austin facility since 2013.

As the world grapples with a climate emergency, scientists are exploring satellite technology solutions to help us combat climate change and the damage already done. DW visited the Space Tech Expo in Bremen. For more than three decades, space agencies like NASA and ESA have been observing Earth from space and monitoring weather patterns and the global climate. The most comprehensive European earth observation program, Copernicus, includes a satellite fleet operated by ESA. Its Sentinel satellites are monitoring Earth s environment, including CO2 levels in the atmosphere, rising sea levels, floods, earthquakes, and rising global temperatures. However, one of the upcoming satellite missions presented at the Space Expo, called the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMap), is promising an even greater potential when it comes to observing Earth from above. Developed by the German satellite manufacturer OHB , the mission is managed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). EnMap uses a high-resolution hyperspectral sensor technology to monitor Earth s ecosystem. It s designed to serve as a successor to the current multispectral technology that has far lower resolution, and limited possibilities in capturing images. The new satellite captures much more than what is visible to the naked eye. Satellite imagery also contains physical evidence about minerals and other materials on the surface, and enables scientists to draw conclusions about any potential change that may have occurred. For example, if the ocean s surface contains microplastics, a hyperspectral satellite can detect evidence of existing polymer molecules by capturing the data contained in the reflected sunlight. Cornelius Schalinski, OHB s business developer, told DW that the new EnMap technology is highly advanced, and it would replace the traditional "in situ" measurements that require digging and analysis out in the field. Schalinski pointed out that the new generation of satellites would be supplementing information about the global environment provided by the existing Copernicus program. "We want to measure environmental parameters every day, or at least every few days, globally. Climate scientists can only work if they have all the information," Schalinski said. EnMap, which is set to launch in 2021, is an instrument to measure the effects of climate change on both the Earth s ocean and land ecosystems. Harmful effects of the climate emergency, like prolonged drought and heavy flooding, are increasingly impacting agriculture. It s becoming more and more difficult to feed a growing population, which is expected to reach 11 billion people by the end of this century. EnMap creators say they aim to provide continuous data that could help farmers prevent crop failures by predicting nutrient deficiency, pest infestations, and water shortages. The satellite data could also be used by decision makers, like EU institutions, to create better policies for agricultural subsidies, as it would be possible to monitor farmers declarations on food production. It s also important to protect the world s forests, since they are capable of absorbing 2.6 billion tons of CO2, or around one third of all carbon emissions each year. These new satellites could identify whether the management of forests is done in a sustainable way by monitoring deforestation. In comparison to the current measurement tools that use the Moisture Stress Index (DRMSI), the new satellite could also detect early signs of drought, map tree species, and the structure of forests. Rising sea levels are increasingly affecting coastlines, as well as both coastal and inland water quality. If the melting continues, there could be a 30-60 cm rise in sea levels by 2100. The planned satellite mission will monitor the erosion of fragile coastlines, as well as detect pollution and particles in water, from organic matter to plankton and dominant algae species. Managing urban areas, especially those increasingly affected by climate change catastrophes, is also a top priority. It s predicted that by 2050, almost 70% of the global population will be living in cities. The new satellite could be used to plan sustainable cities by measuring the extent to which areas are covered in vegetation, as opposed to concrete and buildings. But it s not all good news Despite offering powerful solutions, satellite technology doesn t come without a price. Launching satellites still requires rockets burning solid and liquid fuel. While liquid hydrogen fuel emits water vapor and is less damaging for the environment, solid fuel emits black carbon, as well as other particles like aluminum oxide that damage the climate and the ozone layer. Although emissions from rocket launches have until now been insignificant compared to aviation, this is only because we have been launching far fewer rockets than we have been flying aeroplanes. "Indeed there s a pollution effect by satellite launches, but the effect is so small that it does not contribute significantly. If we look at the global scale, there is absolutely not a measurable change in the atmosphere from rockets," Schalinski told DW. He added that the benefits of satellites and observations from space for society are far bigger than aviation, because they enable climate scientists to better understand and measure the effects of climate change, as well as inform their climate models. In reality, the carbon footprint of rocket launches remains mostly unknown. Extensive scientific research is still required in order to comprehend the scale of the environmental impact of rockets. One thing, however, is certain. The space industry is growing with accelerating speed after a period of stagnation. Last year saw 114 rocket launches, mostly coming from China and the US. It s predicted that by the year 2030, there will be around 400 launches per year, and with it, an inevitable surge in harmful emissions if a sustainable solution is not found. Crucial for reporting on climate progress Paradoxically, satellites remain a crucial and most efficient instrument in providing valuable environmental data. The conference on the new perspectives in Earth observation in Cologne brought together numerous start-ups, firms and organizations that are further developing tools that use satellite imagery. Read more: Better vision with two eyes - ESA s Sentinel-3b satellite marks the next step in the Copernicus earth observation program Among the instruments presented there was the GEO Classifier Toolbox that was supported by several projects including the Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS). The tool uses data provided by Copernicus satellites and enables viewing, downloading, and analyzing images of remote, inaccessible places on Earth. Wetlands are a crucial part of our natural environment as they mitigate sea level rise, serve as a carbon sink, provide nursery for wildlife, filter pollutants, and provide fertile farm land for agriculture. The GEO Toolbox can track the extent and status of wetlands, as well as their potential to degrade. Wetlands serve as a carbon sink, filter pollution, and support fertile farm land There s a booming market of similar software applications to help governments track and report their progress when it comes to achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals. But the political will to actually use such technology is still lacking. Read more: International development: Poor data holds back human progress The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands obliges its signatories to report on their progress in protecting wetlands. And the satellites can provide national governments with the necessary data to file their reports. Kathrin Weise is a project manager at the company Jena-Optronik GmbH. Her company developed the GEO Classifier Toolbox. She would hope that more signatories start using such satellite based geoinformation services. But she acknowledged that more could be done. One reason holding us back, Weise told DW, is that if signatories don t report, there aren t any penalties.

YouTube has revealed the videos most popular with the UK public in 2019. Football fans made Liverpool s 4-0 win against Barcelona in the Champions League the most-watched non-music video of the year, as the Reds made a dramatic comeback to reach the final of the competition. Next up on the UK top trending list was beauty creator James Charles video "No More Lies," which detailed his response to a spat with fellow creator Tati Westbrook. The most popular music video of the year was "Vossi Bop" by UK grime star Stormzy, followed by "Dancing With A Stranger" by Sam Smith and Normani, and "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish. Ariana Grande s "7 rings" was the fourth most popular music video, followed by a remix of "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, and "Boasty" by Wiley, Sean Paul and Stefflon Don, featuring actor Idris Elba. YouTube, which is owned by Google (GOOGL), also ranked the most-subscribed UK creators for the year, with dancer Dianne Buswell, who performs on the TV show "Strictly Come Dancing," gaining 230,000 subscribers since launching her channel in March. Other breakthrough creators include Connor and Liana, who make video skits, and Grace Sharer, who uploads comedy videos. "Whether it s unbelievable football comebacks, the continued popularity of Grime music or mainstream Strictly stars turning their hand to YouTube, the 2019 Rewind lists demonstrate the true variety of content now being consumed by UK audiences," Roya Zeitoune, head of YouTube trending for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said in a statement. "As more people continue to seek out entertaining and informative content in different ways, YouTube is constantly evolving to provide an accessible and varied video platform that everyone can enjoy." Earlier this week Spotify revealed the most-streamed musicians of the decade, with audiences listening to Drake more than any other artist.

The gene editing performed on Chinese twins last year meant to immunize them against HIV may have failed in its purpose and created unintended mutations, scientists said Tuesday after the original research was made public for the first time. Excerpts from the manuscript were released by the MIT Technology Review for the purpose of showing how Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui ignored ethical and scientific norms in creating the twins Lula and Nana, whose birth in late 2018 sent shockwaves through the scientific world. He made expansive claims of a medical breakthrough that could “control the HIV epidemic,” but it was not clear whether it had even been successful in its intended purpose — immunizing the babies against the virus — because the team did not in fact reproduce the gene mutation that confers this resistance. A small percentage of people are born with immunity because of a mutation in a gene called CCR5 and it was this gene that He had claimed he had targeted using a powerful editing tool known as CRISPR which has revolutionized the field since bursting on the scene in 2012. Fyodor Urnov, a genome-editing scientist at the University of California, Berkeley told the MIT Technology Review: “The claim they have reproduced the prevalent CCR5 variant is a blatant misrepresentation of the actual data and can only be described by one term: a deliberate falsehood. “The study shows that the research team instead failed to reproduce the prevalent CCR5 variant.” While the team targeted the right gene, they did not replicate the “Delta 32” variation required, instead creating novel edits whose effects aren t clear. Moreover, CRISPR remains an imperfect tool because it can lead to unwanted or “off-target” edits, making its use in humans hugely controversial. Here, the researchers claimed they had searched for such effects in the early-stage embryos and found just one — but this glossed over the fact that it would be impossible to carry out a comprehensive search without inspecting each of the embryo s cells and thus destroying it. Further ethical concerns included that the parents of the babies might have wanted to take part for the wrong reasons. The father was HIV positive, which carries a significant social stigma in China and makes it almost impossible to have access to fertility treatment, even though a well-established technique known as “sperm washing” prevents the infection from being passed on to unborn children. Their lack of access to any kind of fertility treatment may have motivated them to take part in the experiment despite the huge risks to their children, Jeanne O Brien, a reproductive endocrinologist at Shady Grove Fertility told the MIT Technology Review. The authors also appeared to have taken steps to make it hard to find the family, like leaving the names of the fertility doctors off the paper, and including a false date of birth (Hu claimed November 2018 while multiple reports have indicated it was in fact October 2018). He attempted to shop his manuscript around to prestigious journals including Nature and JAMA, but it remains unpublished.

Apple is expected to release four 5G-capable iPhones in 2020, according to a forecast report from JPMorgan released Monday. According to analysts at JPMorgan, the new iPhones will likely roll out in the second half of 2020 and come in a number of sizes, including one measuring 5.4 inches, another at 6.7 inches and two at 6.1 inches. The report noted the largest iPhone will likely have sensor shift technology, allowing for better quality videos and photos when capturing motion. None of the projections detailed in the report, which are based on supply chain checks, are a certainty. The report s predictions differ a bit from other speculation, some of which suggest the 2020 iPhone lineup will resemble the 2019 models with higher-end iPhones at 5.4 and 6.7-inches and a cheaper 6.1-inch phone. The report comes as companies including Samsung and OnePlus launch 5G-capable devices and carriers such as Verizon, AT&T (which owns CNN s parent company WarnerMedia) and T-Mobile (TMUS) work on expanding their 5G networks. 5G technology, the next generation of ultra-fast wireless connections, is expected to usher in more smartphone innovation, including better video streaming, and encourage significant technical advancements, such as connecting self-driving cars. Following the iPhone 11 launch in September, some critics questioned Apple (AAPL) s decision to hold off on launching a 5G-capable device this year, arguably giving rivals such as Samsung -- with its two existing 5G-capable models -- and OnePlus an edge in the market. At a time when Apple s smartphone sales are slumping and its new models look the same as older models, a 5G iPhone could have provided a jolt to the business. But Apple s shift away from Qualcomm (QCOM) components to those made by Intel (INTC) over the past couple of years reportedly stalled development for 5G modems in time for this year s cycle. The delay may also represent a calculation that consumers are not clamoring for 5G just yet. It s also worth noting that although Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T) and T-Mobile (TMUS) are expanding their 5G networks in the US, service is still somewhat limited.

Amazon has removed a number of Christmas ornaments featuring images of the Auschwitz concentration camps from sale, amid anger from the museum that manages the site. Pictures of the Nazi death camp complex were used on a variety of tree ornaments, a mouse pad and a bottle opener, which the Auschwitz Memorial described as "disturbing and disrespectful." Images used showed the train tracks leading to the entrance of Auschwitz II-Birkenau and a number of scenes inside the camps, where around 1 million Jewish people are estimated to have been killed during World War II. Amazon removed the products, which were being offered by third-party sellers, when the Auschwitz Memorial tweeted about them. The memorial then noticed more products for sale also bearing images of the death camp, which operated in Nazi-occupied Poland. Those products also appear to have been pulled from sale. Most of the sellers products feature pictures from tourism sites around the world. One company, which offered a tree ornament showing a freight car on the tracks to Auschwitz, is also still selling Christmas ornaments featuring the Genbaku Dome on the Hiroshima bomb site. An Amazon (AMZN) spokesperson told CNN Business in a statement: "All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account. The products in question have been removed." This is not the first time the site has been forced to pull products from its marketplace. Earlier this year, a range of products were removed after complaints that they were offensive to Muslims. In March, a number of anti-vaccination documentaries were taken down from its Amazon Prime Video streaming services following a CNN Business report.

Thousands of activists on Saturday occupied several opencast coal mines in eastern Germany, seeking to put pressure on the government to phase out the fossil fuel — a divisive issue in the country s rust belt. Wearing masks and dressed in white, hundreds of campaigners stormed into the Jaenschwalde Ost mine while another 450 sat down on a railroad connected to the site. Similar action hit the Welzow-Sued mine, also in the Lausitz basin. Meanwhile, MIBRAG which operates another mine — the Vereinigtes Schleenhain site — south of Leipzig said about 1,200 protesters blocked a coal-excavator, forcing the group to halt operations. “We have nothing against peaceful protests and the exercise of democratic rights, but we reject all forms of breach of laws and violence,” MIBRAG chairman Armin Eichholz said in a statement. Both MIBRAG and Czech-controlled LEAG which operates the two Lausitz mines said they were filing legal action against the protesters. Police were able to clear the mines only after several hours. In these mining regions, thousands of jobs depend on coal. But some residents are also threatened with the loss of their homes over a planned expansion of mining. Underlining the division over the coal industry, dozens of pro-coal militants also gathered in the Lausitz basin. “Ende Gelaende wants to destroy our infrastructures, it s not the right way to do it… we need coal in the region,” Thomas Hauke, 62, told AFP, referring to the anti-coal group organising the protest. – Lost year – All three mines hit Saturday produce lignite, a low-grade type of brown coal that is considered the most harmful to human health and the environment. Calling Saturday s coordinated action a success, a spokeswoman Ende Gelaende (Game Over) said around 4,000 turned up for the blockades and related protests. “Despite all the nice speeches and promises, 2019 was another lost year for the climate,” said Nike Malhaus. The occupation is being supported by other environmental groups, including the German branch of Fridays for Future which is also holding a protest at a power station in the region. It marks the second time this year that Ende Gelaende has occupied a coal mine. In June, several hundred climate activists carrying sleeping bags blocked the vast Garzweiler lignite mine near Cologne for several days. Campaigners say the government s plans to phase out coal by 2038 announced this year do not go far enough. They want that date brought forward for Germany to meet its international commitments to slash carbon pollution. “Germany pretends to be a pioneer in climate protection abroad, yet its climate policy making is disastrous. We will not be standing by while politicians and corporations destroy our future,” said Malhaus. – Far-right surge – The mining industry in the Lausitz basin, which stretches all the way into Poland, is vital to the local economy. LEAG is one of the region s largest employers with 8,000 workers. Opposition to the government s plants to shut down coal mines was seen as a factor behind a surge for the far-right AfD party in regional elections in September. The AfD is now second after the center-left Social Democrats in the Brandenburg region where the Lausitz mines are located. The local council in Cottbus, a city a few kilometers from the Lausitz basin, passed a motion condemning the occupation with the support of all parties except the Greens. Malhaus admitted there was “a climate of defiance towards our movement on the local level”. But she also pointed to local support in the Lausitz. “We have a lot of campaigners here so it s not true to say that all inhabitants of this region are in favour of coal,” she said. LEAG has also faced strong opposition to its plans to expand lignite mining in the region, which would result in the resettlement of two villages. Germany s decision in 2011 to abandon nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster in Japan has made the country more dependent on coal as renewables struggle to fill the gap.

A potential breakthrough discovery of new antibodies could lead to a universal vaccine. If successful, it could protect against all types of deadly influenza viruses and even prevent pandemics, a study shows. Immunologist Ali Ellebedy was working on a study analyzing the immune response to flu infection in humans. During his research, he spotted a new type of powerful antibody in a blood sample from a patient infected with human influenza virus. Ellebedy then sent samples of the antibody to Florian Krammer — a microbiologist who proved the effectiveness of the antibodies by testing them against extensive samples of virus proteins dating back to the 1970s. These proteins, called neuraminidase, enable the virus to spread through the human body. The study, which was jointly conducted by Scripps Research, Washington University s School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, was published in the October issue of Science. Future vaccine could survive antiviral resistance Krammer told DW that the beauty of this new antibody, called 10G1, is that it binds to the parts of the virus that never change. This means that even if new strains of influenza viruses are detected, a potential vaccine containing new antibodies would still be effective. Moreover, the antibody has a powerful potential to attack both A and B subtypes of influenza viruses, making it an even better candidate for a universal vaccine that would combat human, swine, and bird strains, as well as other rarer strains of lethal flu viruses. There are three types of influenza viruses that affect humans. These are A, B, and C. Type A causes epidemics of seasonal flu. Among these are swine H1N1, bird H5N1, and human influenza flu H3N2. Type A viruses circulate between humans and other species, whereas type B and C are only known to exist in humans, causing mild infections and usually without symptoms. DW analyzed data about virus activity throughout the US and Europe, sourced by the World Health Organisation s Global Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). The results, presented in the heatmap below, show that there has been a steady rise in influenza virus activity for both A and B virus subtypes, especially in the US, the UK, Portugal, Germany and Croatia. Moreover, the results point to a high activity in the first and last weeks of the year. Not only to prevent, but also to cure Even though commonly mistaken for a cold due to similar symptoms— like coughing, a runny nose, sneezing, and experiencing a high fever — seasonal flu can be very dangerous. Untreated influenza can have fatal outcomes, as it can lead to severe respiratory infections. This is particularly the case for sensitive groups like infants, pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic diseases. One of the biggest problems with current vaccines is that they usually last one season before the virus mutates. However, researchers working on this study also tried to create resistant viruses in the lab to test whether the new antibody would still work. The results proved that the antibodies still bound to the virus and neutralized it. The antibodies proved to be effective even against strains of the virus resistant to Tamiflu, a powerful cure used to treat severe cases of influenza viruses like swine and bird flu. "Infected mice [in the study] reacted very well to these antibodies even three days after they were infected, and the window for Tamiflu was closed. This means that the discovered antibodies would have a potential for the development of both vaccine and a cure," Krammer told DW. Rise in global deaths from flu There is a steady rise in global annual deaths from influenza viruses. Now, there are an estimated 290,000 to 600,000 mortality cases per year, but it is still hard to determine real numbers. "There is pretty good data for North America and Europe, so it really depends on how good the surveillance systems are. Unfortunately there are a lot of countries that don t have good surveillance systems for influenza." Further data analysis by DW shows that the year 2018 saw particularly high influenza virus activity compared to the past several years. The most common flu infections were caused by the virus A, which was not subtyped. Krammer told DW that unsubtyped A viruses mean that it is hard to identify if the virus belongs to the H1N1 swine flu, or H3N2, which is human influenza virus. A new report from the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests that influenza season in the United States started earlier this year, and that widespread virus type A activity has been recorded in Puerto Rico, and seven other states including Texas, Alabama, and Nevada. On the other hand, Krammer explained that flu seasons vary in the northern and southern hemispheres. In the north, flu seasons are common in winter, but in countries like China and Singapore, influenza is spread throughout the year because there is no real winter. That makes it even more difficult to determine the real burden of influenza. "It s still not quite clear to what extent influenza seasons are influenced by the changing weather and to what extent they are influenced by the changing behavior of humans during these weather changes," said Krammer. High risk of pandemic Krammer pointed out that the chances for a global pandemic are increasing. It s hard to predict when the next big pandemic will happen, he said, but he is certain it will happen again. He also explained that the most deadly influenza virus type, which dominated flu seasons over the past few years, is the human influenza virus H3N2. But it s impossible to say which virus will cause the next big outbreak and cause the most deaths. "We have approximately three to four pandemics per century. We had the one in 1918, 1957, 1968 and one in 2009, so it s not very predictable," he said. "The chances for a pandemic are, however, increasing because there is a lot more global interaction. Pandemic viruses come from avian species, like wild birds, chickens, ducks, where all these influenza viruses circulate. If we look at the number of chickens we raise for food, they are increasing, because the global population is increasing and we need to feed people." Prevention best way to avoid lethal flu infections Even though newly discovered antibodies have enormous potential for the development of a truly universal vaccine and cure for influenza, it will take years of costly clinical trials before it hits the market, Krammer said. The first step is to examine if it s possible for all humans to develop the 10G1 antibodies. Until a universal vaccine is developed, one of the best ways to stay safe is to take precautionary measures, Krammer suggested. "First, get vaccinated. The vaccines we have now are not perfect, but they really work. The second step is to keep ourselves healthy. If we are healthy, infections have less impact. The new generation of a vaccine we have now is against four viruses which circulate in humans which are H1N1, H3N2 and two types of influenza B viruses."

The Red Sea Protected Area will begin collecting fees from visitors in implementation of the Ministry of Environment s decision #204 of 2019. The areas included in this decision are Wadi al-Gemal in Marsa Alam, Jabal Elba, and the Hamata Islands, also known as the remote islands of the Red Sea. The Chamber of Diving and Watersports (CDWS) rejected the decision, saying it would resort to court. Numerous other owners of tourist boats and diving centers in Hurghada also slammed the decision and threatened to stop organizing diving trips. Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad defended the move, saying that its goal was to manage the reserves more professionally. Legal disputes arose between the board of directors of the CDWS and the ministry over the ministry imposing fees on areas outside the borders of the nature reserves. The CDWS said that increasing costs on tourists coming to Egypt will send them to competing tourist destinations, which will harm the already faltering tourism sector. Jabal Elba and the Hamata Islands do not fall under the authorization of the Environment Ministry, the CDWS added, thus it has no right to impose entry fees on the two areas. The CDWS, in partnership with a number of companies owning diving centers, yachts, and hotels filed a lawsuit, demanding the cancellation of the ministry s decision. The court set December 8 to consider the case. The decision set the fees for daily visits from eight am until sunset, while visits after sunset see all categories of fees doubled. Fees were set at five dollars for foreigners and at LE25 for Egyptians. Children less than seven years old were exempted from paying fees. Large car fees were set at $10 for foreigners and LE50 for Egyptians, while smaller car fees were set at LE25. According to the new decision, $10 will be charged for diving and snorkeling yachts from 17 to 20 meters long, $20 on yachts from 20 to 25 meters long, $40 on yachts from 25 to 30 meters long, and $60 on yachts over 30 meters long.

Head of the Egyptian Space Agency Mohamed El-Qousy has said that Egypt s first telecommunications satellite Tiba 1 will be launched on Monday night at 11:08pm Cairo time. According to El-Qousy, the satellite will cover all of Egypt and provide telecommunication and internet services in remote and isolated areas. The satellite will be launched on the Ariane 5 rocket from a space centre in French Guiana, near Brazil. The decision to launch came after intensive meetings between the French company Ariane Space and a high-level Egyptian delegation at the launching base in the city of Kourou in French Guiana. The French company briefed the Egyptian delegation on the latest in technical preparations for the launch platform after tests on the operating systems were completed. The Ariane 5 rocket was initially scheduled to launch last Friday, but the launch was postponed due to a malfunction in the power supply to the ground equipment on the launching platform minutes before launch. El-Qousy has previously stated that the satellite would be operational within three months of its launch day.

Chinese firms are omnipresent at a Paris homeland security trade show, capitalizing on their vast experience in developing surveillance systems for Beijing to conquer the global market despite concerns the technology has been used to violate human rights. With 89 out of 1,100 companies demonstrating their wares at the Milipol security trade fair, China is the best represented of the 53 nations present save for host nation France. But contrary to weapons and ammunition on display at other stands, Chinese firms offer non-lethal equipment: helmets, bullet-proof vests and tactical clothing for special forces or riot troops. Jamming equipment. And cameras, lots of cameras. China is known for its heavy police surveillance, with market research firm IHS Markit estimating it has already deployed 176 million cameras to monitor public spaces across the country. That number is expected to expand to 2.76 billion, or nearly two for each citizen, by 2022. Coupled with facial recognition technology, in which China is also a world leader, the surveillance network is an important element of Chinese efforts to control its population. Concerns about the system appear to be well placed. According to a trove of government documents released by the New York Times recently the surveillance system was used against China s Uighur minority as part of a crackdown in Xinjiang. Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across the fractious region. Beijing, after initially denying the camps existed, now describes them as vocational schools aimed at dampening the allure of Islamist extremism and violence through education and job training. China s involvement in the tech fair has stirred controversy in the past. Organisers closed the stand of one Chinese firm at the previous fair in 2017 after human rights campaigners from Amnesty International called them out for allowing it to display handcuffs that deliver electric shocks and other equipment that could be considered torture instruments that are banned in the EU. The stand of Hytera Communications Corporation sports communications gear that integrate images from body cameras to smartphones equipped with big antennas. “Each police officer can have the tactical situation displayed on their smartphone,” said Sylvain Shuang, who represents the firm in francophone Africa. Coupled with images from the network of surveillance cameras, police in command centres have more information upon which to base decisions, especially since “we can integrate facial recognition systems,” he added. – Barred from US public contracts – The company already makes 40 percent of its sales outside of China, owing in part to having acquired firms in Britain, Canada and Spain. But Hytera Communications Corporation has found itself barred from seeking public contracts in the United States, as has fellow Chinese company Hikvision which is the world s top video surveillance firm. Hikvision, which has supplied cameras for the video surveillance system in the French city of Nice, is not present at Milipol this year. A number of the companies present come from the Shenzhen region near Hong Kong — home to telecommunications equipment maker Huawei. “It s the Silicon Valley of China,” said Yolen Ye, sales manager at GDU, which makes mini drones equipped with cameras. The firm has already sold a model to Thailand for use in monitoring forest fires, but the GDU says the drones are capable of tracking up to 30 targets while the cameras can feed systems that identify licence plates or faces. Chinese armaments firm Norinco is also present at Milipol, but with facial recognition technology rather than assault rifles or battle tanks. “In China, facial recognition is not a new technology and we realise this is a safe country because in most public spaces, we have this system to secure the situation,” said a representative of the state-owned firm who asked that his name not be used. It is more difficult to sell the technology in Europe as “they have fears that it impacts privacy,” he added. But he said it offers advantages in situations like preventing football violence as police can be alerted when persons known to commit violence arrive near stadiums.

Apple has abruptly canceled the Los Angeles premiere of "The Banker," a debut movie from the tech company that signaled its ambition to become a major player in streaming video. The film, which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie, was purchased by Apple earlier this year and was scheduled to be shown at the American Film Institute s annual festival. "The Banker" had already generated buzz as a potential contender at the Academy Awards. But Apple said that the film would not make its premiere as planned later on Thursday. "Last week some concerns surrounding the film were brought to our attention. We, along with the filmmakers, need some time to look into these matters and determine the best next steps," Apple said in a statement. Apple (AAPL) did not say what concerns about the film had been uncovered. It declined to comment further when asked for additional details. "The Banker" tells the true story of two African American men who hired a white man to be the face of their successful real estate and banking business in the 1960s. Apple said in a statement they were "moved by the film s entertaining and educational story about social change and financial literacy." The tech company had planned to release "The Banker" in theaters on December 6 before making it available on its new streaming video service, Apple TV+, in January. The long-awaited service launched earlier this month in more than 100 countries, marking Apple s entry into the "streaming wars," which pit Big Media against Big Tech in the battle for consumers time and money. It comes at an important moment for Apple. The iPhone s slumping sales mean the company has to convince customers to pay for services on the phones and laptops they already own. Apple is reportedly spending $6 billion on content for the streaming service.

Climate change could directly cost the world economy US$7.9 trillion by mid-century as increased drought, flooding and crop failures hamper growth and threaten infrastructure, new analysis showed Wednesday. The Economist Intelligence Unit s (EIU) Climate Change Resilience Index measured the preparedness of the world s 82 largest economies and found that based on current trends the fallout of warming temperatures would shave off three percent of global GDP by 2050. Its analysis, which assesses each country s direct exposure to loss as climate change brings more frequent extreme weather events, found Africa was most at-risk, with 4.7 percent of its GDP in the balance. In general, developing nations faired poorer in terms of resiliency than richer ones. “Being rich matters,” John Ferguson, EIU country analysis director, told AFP. “Richer nations are really able to be more resilient towards the impacts of climate change, so this really threatens growth trajectories of the developing world as they try to catch up with the developed world.” “When we are already dealing with global inequality, for the impacts of climate change the developing world s challenges are much greater,” he added. Of the countries evaluated, Angola stood to lose the most — as much as 6.1 percent of gross domestic product. The study put this down to a mixture of a lack of quality infrastructure, as well as its geographical exposure to severe drought, soil erosion and rising sea levels. Land degradation in Angola would prove a “significant” economic hindrance, the report said, given that agriculture is its largest employer. Nigeria (5.9 percent negative GDP), Egypt (5.5 percent), Bangladesh (5.4 percent) and Venezuela (5.1 percent) were the next most climate vulnerable nations identified in the analysis. – Act now, and later – The analysis said rising temperatures meant the global economy was projected to hit $250 trillion by 2050, as opposed to $258 trillion with no climate impact. While the United States — still the world s largest economy at market rates — is forecast to be one of the least impacted, the EIU noted that President Donald Trump s policies represented a “temporary setback” in the climate fight. Russia was predicted to lose five percent of GDP by 2050 and will “suffer more than most other countries in the world from the negative effects of climate change”, it said. This held true even when potential benefits in increased agriculture were taken into account. Melting permafrost — threatening infrastructure such as hydrocarbon pipelines — was forecast to be among the biggest drags on Russia s economy in the coming decades. Nations agreed in Paris in 2015 to work to limit temperature rises to “well below” two degrees Celsius, and 1.5-C if possible. To do so, the global economy must rapidly decrease its greenhouse gas emissions — a source of controversy in developing nations which say their economic growth shouldn t suffer after decades of fossil fuel use by wealthier countries. “The global economy is going to suffer so it s not really a case of act now or act later. We need to do both,” said Ferguson. “Developing countries can t do this on their own. There needs to be a coordinated global effort to deal with the impacts we are talking about.”

One month after WeWork s former CEO, Adam Neumann, received a massive payout despite all but running the company into the ground, more than 12,000 global staffers are bracing for mass layoffs this week. On Monday, WeWork s executive chairman Marcelo Claure confirmed that layoffs are imminent in an email to staff obtained by CNN Business. In the email, Claure said an all-hands scheduled for Tuesday would be moved to Friday "out of respect for the people who will be separated this week." The specter of sweeping layoffs has hung over the company for much of the nearly two months since it failed to pull off an IPO. Staffers have repeatedly been told that cuts are coming to the embattled coworking startup, but details have been scarce. The unfolding saga highlights the risk of working for a high-flying tech startup. While some employees once saw their paper wealth soar as WeWork s valuation rose as high as $47 billion on the private market, WeWork s valuation has since plummeted to a fraction of that. WeWork reportedly delayed laying off staffers because it couldn t afford to pay severance, prior to accepting a massive bailout from SoftBank (SFTBF). In the email, Claure did not specify how many people will be laid off, only that "the necessary job eliminations" will "start in earnest this week in the U.S." Multiple reports in recent weeks have said WeWork could cut 4,000 jobs, if not more, with The New York Times reporting that many of those positions are part of its core coworking business. WeWork declined to comment for this story. Given the scale of the business -- which branched into co-living buildings, a gym and a school -- those impacted could include a broad mix of professionals, such as engineers, architects, interior designers and cleaning staff. About 1,000 cleaners and building maintenance staffers have already been told their jobs will be outsourced, according to a new grassroots coalition of WeWork employees advocating for them. Leading up to the layoffs, leadership has attempted to ease concerns about the cuts by promising to prioritize treating those laid off with "dignity and respect," Claure said in a separate company-wide email more than a week ago, which was also obtained by CNN Business. He emphasized that WeWork s business is secure. Claure is set to present an updated five-year plan on the business to the company s board of directors on Tuesday, according to this separate e-mail. The company plans to share the same document with staffers, which will include financial restructuring, on Friday. The company has previously said it will focus on its core co-working business moving forward, looking to sell off many of the startups it acquired over the years, as well as wind down its own business bets, including its school. Meetup, one of the startups acquired by WeWork, began cutting employees earlier this month, according to multiple reports. According to two sources, there are recurring calendar invites involving human resources and lawyers using the word "Huxley," thought to be a code name for the layoffs. The meetings began on October 28. WeWork has framed its decision to slash jobs as an attempt to "right-size" its operations and forge a way forward after nearly crumbling. In late October, SoftBank took majority ownership of WeWork as part of a deal to pump $5 billion into the company following its disastrous IPO attempt. The new package valued WeWork at $8 billion. But the impending layoffs have become a lightning rod issue because of Neumann s golden parachute included with the SoftBank bailout. Despite a flurry of criticisms for mounting losses and poor corporate governance under his watch, Neumann was given the ability to sell up to $970 million in stock back to SoftBank, a $500 million loan to repay a credit line and a $185 million fee for consulting to SoftBank. Claure has said the payout was necessary to take control of the business from Neumann. A former WeWork executive previously told CNN Business it was "disgusting" that Neumann could take so much money off the table while the fate of workers hangs in the balance. Neumann preached the importance of "community," a word that appeared 150 times in the company s IPO paperwork. There is also clear frustration about the terms of severance -- or lack thereof -- for certain employees. A newly-formed group, called WeWorkers Coalition, is advocating on behalf of the cleaners and building maintenance staffers in the US and Canada who were told their work would be outsourced beginning December 9, according to tweets from the Coalition. The cleaners and building maintenance staff have been given less than agreeable terms, the group said on Twitter. Last week, many of those workers were given offers to work at real estate services company JLL, one of the outsourcing partners, which they must sign by Monday or they will be involuntarily terminated from their job at WeWork with no severance, the group said. The staffers will lose their 401k employer contribution because they will be terminated before the end of the year, among other concerns, the group said. Those who choose not to accept the offer should be given severance like other laid off workers, according to the group. "The WeWorkers Coalition believes that the company is not following through on its promise to treat employees with dignity and respect during this restructuring process. Our hard-working colleagues deserve better than this," the group said in a tweet. After the publication of this article, a WeWork spokesperson sent over the following statement: "Those who are currently enrolled in WeWork s 401k program will receive a one-time lump sum payment equal to what they would have received as a 401k match for this year, less applicable taxes and deductions. This payment will be included in their last WeWork paycheck."

Robot versions of Japan s Olympic and Paralympic mascots thrilled hundreds of school children in Tokyo on Monday, striking sporting poses and displaying hearts in their electronic eyes. The event at a local elementary school was billed as a chance to showcase some of the technology Japan hopes will wow visitors at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Some 600 pupils clapped and shouted “kawaii (cute)!” as the toddler-sized versions of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled. The futuristic-looking pair, Miraitowa and Someity, can show “feelings” in their gleaming eyes by displaying hearts or stars. School principal Jun Ninomiya told children the “robots will play active roles behind the scenes” at the summer games. “Have fun and find out what functions they have and what they can do,” he told the children at Hoyonomori Elementary School in Tokyo. Blue-and-white Miraitowa is the mascot for the Olympics and pink-and-white Someity is for the Paralympics. With huge eyes and pointy ears, the mascot robots have multiple joints and arms which can be remotely controlled. The robots, paired with regular, full-sized mascots, demonstrated different poses representing various Olympic sports for the children to guess. The pint-sized pair can t talk but cameras inside their heads enable them to recognize expressions on the face of the person standing in front of them and respond. They can also mirror each other s moves, meaning one at a public viewing place could pass moves onto the other one at an actual Olympics venue, helping spectators feel like they were cheering at the venue, organizers say. The robots, developed in collaboration with auto giant Toyota, are part of a push by Japan to put its tech sector back on the map after years in which the country s reputation as an industry leader has flagged.

Government oversight officials issued a scathing report about delays in NASA s commercial crew program, warning that Boeing and SpaceX are facing "significant safety and technical challenges" with their spacecraft — which could leave NASA astronauts stranded on the ground next year. The report, published Thursday by NASA s Office of Inspector General, also said that the space agency unnecessarily allocated $187 million to Boeing. As a result, the OIG estimates that NASA will pay roughly $90 million per seat to fly its astronauts on Boeing s Starliner spacecraft. That s more than the space agency has paid Russia for use of its Soyuz capsule, which the United States has relied on to ferry people to and from the International Space Station since 2011. Soyuz seats have cost NASA up to $86 million, according to OIG, and $55.4 million on average. OIG estimates SpaceX s Crew Dragon will cost NASA about $55 million per seat for the first six missions. NASA and Boeing both pushed back on the assertion that Boeing was awarded additional money unnecessarily. NASA said it s currently working to purchase more seats from Russia to ensure its astronauts won t be left without a ride to space next year if the commercial crew program encounters more delays. NASA tapped SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to build vehicles capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The two companies were awarded fixed-price contracts worth $2.6 billion and $4.2 billion respectively, and both spacecraft were slated for completion by 2017. SpaceX and Boeing (BA) told CNN Business Friday that they now expect to be ready for their first crewed missions in early 2020. In a statement, Boeing disputed the OIG claim that seats aboard Starliner will cost $90 million. That calculation was based only on what NASA has agreed to pay for the first six flights, and for NASA to pay a premium for those missions when Boeing agreed to speed up Starliner production in 2016 to meet the space agency s scheduling needs. "The final prices agreed to by NASA and Boeing were reviewed and approved by numerous NASA officials at the Kennedy Space Center and Headquarters, culminating in a 29-page price justification memorandum for the record," NASA said in a letter responding to the OIG report. But OIG s report argues that NASA allocated the extra funds based on "flawed assumptions." Essentially, the oversight officials say, Boeing was paid to help fill a schedule gap that was, in part, the company s own fault. Shortly after that, the OIG report says, the space agency purchased more seats aboard Russia s spacecraft to close that same schedule gap--and bought those seats from from Boeing. (The company had the right to sell Soyuz seats as part of a settlement Boeing previously reached with a Russian manufacturer.) OIG said that boiled down to poor communication: The NASA and Boeing officials who negotiated those contracts weren t in direct contact with each other. Boeing did not dispute that characterization. The report warned that the commercial crew program continues to struggle with many of the same issues that have bedeviled program for years, a more negative view than the upbeat press releases coming from SpaceX s and Boeing s spacecraft development efforts lately. Both companies completed key tests of their vehicles this month and told CNN Business on Friday that they will be ready to fly their first crewed missions in early 2020. Even so, major milestones still lie ahead before Starliner and Crew Dragon can host astronauts. SpaceX needs to complete a full test of Crew Dragon s emergency abort system. And Boeing must have an uncrewed test mission that will send an empty Starliner capsule to the space station, a flight currently scheduled for December 17. OIG s report states that both companies face "significant safety and technical challenges with parachutes, propulsion, and launch abort systems that need to be resolved." It also cautioned that as NASA works to get commercial crews on schedule, it "continues to accept deferrals or changes" from SpaceX and Boeing. And, ultimately, that may "elevate the risk of a significant system failure or add further delays to the start of commercial crewed flights," the report said. NASA responded in a letter, saying that is a "well-known" concern, and the agency has "been careful" to "avoid undue schedule pressure."

It s a flip phone in an age when no one makes calls anymore. The camera isn t great. The battery life stinks. The screen is plastic. The processor is slow. It s superdupercrazy expensive (think an iPhone 11, then double that). But ... I kinda want the new Motorola Razr. Motorola has brought back the Razr, the legendary flip phone from 2004 that became the bestselling phone of all time (before the iPhone stole that title several years later). The old Razr was impossibly thin — still, even by today s standards — and had that stunning blue-backlit metal keypad. We overuse the word "iconic," but the original Motorla Razr was one iconic piece of technology. That s why Motorola has been trying to replicate its Razr success for the past decade. It brought the brand back in 2011 with the Droid Razr, a super-thin smartphone that Motorola hoped would vault it back into relevance after Apple (AAPL) and Samsung had leapfrogged it. The Droid Razr failed to capture any significant attention. The new Motorola Razr isn t going to be ignored. It can t be. It s a stunning achievement: a modern smartphone (well, mostly — we ll get to that), that folds into something that very closely resembles the original Razr phone. It looks so cool, and the folding mechanism is a piece of engineering genius that could solve a smartphone problem that no one else is trying to solve. I m not sure Motorola was trying to do that, but it solves it nonetheless. Folding phones are all the rage in 2019, but they ve mostly been built to make a smartphone kinda-sorta-not-really tablet sized. That s a neat idea for people who want a better video, multitasking or typing experience on their smartphones. It s a niche thing now, but it has the potential to gain traction if the technology improves. Motorola, by contrast, is using its hinge to make a 6.2-inch smartphone-sized phone ... smaller. I m fairly certain Motorola s primary rationale for the hinge was a nostalgia play: to replicate its famous flip phone. But whether intended or not, the Razr is perhaps the most pocketable smartphone on the market. Women of the world rejoice! Men, too! A smartphone that will fit in your pocket. Motorola achieved this ultimate pocketability with an ingeniously well-engineered hinge. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Razr is perfectly flat when folded: it has no gap. The Razr has two pieces of metal that snap up against the screen to hold it firmly in place when it s opened. Everyone who played around with the phone during its unveiling event Wednesday night said opening and closing the phone was among the most satisfying features of the Razr. Hanging up a phone call with flip is a bygone of the last decade that I miss. Another byproduct of a flip phone is a second screen. When closed, the Razr s front screen displays the time, lets you quickly respond to texts and you can take selfies (the phone has just one camera, which faces front when flipped closed). The second screen offers some helpful tricks, but it s only helpful because you can t access most of the phone s features when it s closed. It s a convenience built in to overcome a built-in inconvenience that other smartphones don t possess. But the Motorola Razr isn t about engineering marvels, pocketability, tricks or convenience. It s about making a smartphone look like the 2004 Razr. It s about buying something that makes your friends jealous. It s about taking us back to those fond memories of our first cell phone. It achieves that. That s why, for some people, it won t matter that the phone is using yesterday s technology. It runs Android 9 a month after Android 10 hit the market. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor, which is decidedly mid-range. It has a 2510 milliampere hour battery, which is seriously puny. Its screen is plastic and not nearly as sharp as its competitors. And the camera is good on paper, but Motorola has never been known for top-notch camera software. For all that, it costs $1,500. And you can only get it on Verizon. I don t care. I ve convinced myself. I want it.

Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg said Tuesday that US President Donald Trump s climate change denialism was “so extreme” that it had helped galvanize the movement to halt long term planetary warming. She spoke in an interview with AFP on the eve of her departure from North America where she has spent almost three months. “He s so extreme and he says so extreme things, so I think people wake up by that in a way,” the 16-year-old said from on board a sailboat preparing to depart from the East Coast town of Hampton, Virginia for Europe early Wednesday. “I thought when he got elected, now people will finally, now people must finally wake up,” she continued. “Because it feels like if we just continue like now, nothing s going to happen. So maybe he is helping.” A young Australian couple have volunteered to aid her in her return journey. Elayna Carausu, 26, and Riley Whitelum 35, live on their catamaran with their 11-month-old boy and document their adventures on social media, and responded to Greta s appeal for help with an environmentally friendly return trip to Europe. They had originally planned to spend the winter in the United States but will now carry Greta and her father Svante Thunberg on their 14-meter (45 feet) catamaran, “La Vagabonde.” After months of campaigning in the US and Canada, including an appearance at a key UN climate summit in September, which was the reason for her visit, she offered a lukewarm assessment on the impact. “It depends,” she said, in her usual matter-of-fact way of speaking. “In one way, lots of things have changed, and lots of things have moved in the right direction, but also in a sense we have, we have gone a few more months without real action being taken and without people realizing the emergency we are in,” said the high-schooler, who will return to her education next year. The trip itself should last two to three weeks, depending on weather conditions. The young couple and their son Lenny (who has his own Instagram account) and the Thunbergs will be joined by professional British sailor Nikki Henderson who was called to lend a hand. Their destination is Portugal, some 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) away, in order to participate in the COP 25 UN climate summit in Madrid, Spain from December 2 to December 13. The venue was originally in Chile but was shifted because of political unrest, forcing Greta to change her travel plans. “If I get to the COP 25 in time, then I will participate in that, because I have received an invitation to do so,” she said, wearing a windbreaker emblazoned with the words “Unite for Science.” “And then I will go home, I think.”