Reuters | July 12, 2017 | 5:36 AM: BEIJING (Reuters) – Apple Inc on Wednesday said it is setting up its first data center in China, in partnership with a local internet services company, to comply with tougher cyber-security laws introduced last month. The U.S. technology company said it will Read more…
The FCPA Blog | By: Richard L. Cassin | Monday, July 10, 2017 at 9:28AM: Three fund managers and a national government said in SEC filings last week that Odebrecht’s corruption scandal has become a problem and a risk factor for them. Brazil-based Odebrecht, an engineering and construction giant with Read more…
UPI | By Brooks Hays | July 10, 2017 at 3:46 PM: “The future long-term trend based on paleoclimate reconstructions is likely towards diminishing precipitation,” researcher Sevag Mehterian said. July 10 (UPI) — New analysis of Iranian stalagmites have offered a detailed history of water resources in the region. The Read more…
Xinhua | Editor: Mengjie | 2017-07-10: BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) — China has made progress in addressing environmental misconduct at drinking water sources in cities along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said Monday. In May 2016, the ministry began an operation to inspect the management Read more…
Xinhua| Editor: An | 2017-07-10: With an area of about 400 square kilometers, the Purog Kangri glacier in Tibet is considered to be the third largest glacier in the world. It is melting at an accelerated rate, which has caused the formation of plenty of rivers and lakes, according to Read more…
The Washington Post | By: Kevin Sieff | July 10 at 7:32 PM: WINDHOEK, Namibia — Near the southern tip of Africa, 8,000 miles from Pyongyang, this capital city is an unlikely testament to North Korean industry. There’s the futuristic national history museum, the sleek presidential palace, the sprawling defense Read more…
Xinhua| Editor: Liangyu | 2017-07-11: BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) – China’s sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) said Tuesday that its overseas investment returned to profit in 2016 despite uncertainties in the global investment environment. CIC posted a U.S. dollar-denominated net return of 6.22 percent in overseas investment last Read more…
Xinhua| Editor: Yamei | 2017-07-11: HAMBURG, Germany, July 11 (Xinhua) — The just-concluded G20 summit sent a positive signal that the world’s major economies, of which China is a bellwether, will push for “interconnected” growth, enhance economic cooperation and improve global governance. The Hamburg summit, themed “shaping an interconnected world,” Read more…
Bloomberg | By: Brian K Sullivan | 7 July 2017: Texas struggled through its driest year in history in 2011. Four years later was its wettest ever. The Mississippi River rose to all-time-high flood levels in 2011. In 2012, its second-lowest. After a six-year drought that made agricultural irrigation a Read more…
Privacy Laws & Business | July 10, 2017: The EU Commission hopes to issue Japan with an adequacy decision on international data transfers by early 2018. A joint statement of 4 July by Věra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, and Haruhi Kumazawa, a Commissioner of Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission, Read more…
The FCPA Blog | By: Richard L. Cassin | Monday, July 10, 2017 at 7:28AM Wall Street’s independent regulator warned that people claiming to be involved in the hiring process for legitimate organizations are using Skype and similar apps to phish for personal information and money. The Financial Industry Regulatory Read more…
Reuters | By: Phil Stewart and Valerie Volcovici | Jul 10, 2017 | 6:42am EDT: U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticized by Republicans Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Telis Demos | July 9, 2017 7:00 a.m. ET: Big banks start rollout of machines that could be accessed with customers’ biometric data via a smartphone. In 2015, Citigroup Inc. C 0.41% began testing an ATM that would scan a customer’s iris and make Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Paul Hannon and David Harrison | Updated July 9, 2017 8:03 a.m. ET: Weak growth in prices questions traditional model of linking output and prices. Leading central banks plan to withdraw some of the stimulus measures they have put in place since the financial Read more…
The Washington Post | By: Aaron Gregg | July 9, 2017 | 2:00 PM: The Pentagon is taking initial steps to more closely enforce so-called “Buy American” laws, elevating a series of Depression-era statutes that require manufacturers to rely on U.S. materials when they make guns, equipment, uniforms and food Read more…
The Hill | By: Rebecca Savransky | July 09, 2017 | 12:47 PM EDT: In a surprise move coming out of the G-20 meetings with the world’s most powerful leaders, President Trump on Sunday shifted conversation from trade or healthcare or climate change — all key topics at the summit Read more…
The Washington Post | By: Elizabeth Douglass | July 8 at 7:00 AM: LAKE STATION, Ind. — This hard-luck town just south of Chicago is weighing a decision confronting many small and midsize cities with shrinking populations and chronic budget deficits: whether to sell the public water system to a Read more…
The FCPA Blog | By: Richard L. Cassin | Friday, July 7, 2017 at 7:28AM: The World Bank debarred Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG for fifteen months after a former employee took bribes to influence contract awards on a project in Africa. Stuttgart-based Fichtner has about 1,500 employees worldwide. It Read more…
Financial Times | July 08, 2017: Seizure warrants are latest attempt to put financial squeeze on Pyongyang. Eight of the world’s biggest banks have been pulled into the US government’s efforts to isolate North Korea after officials secured warrants to seize funds that could have ties to the country. A Read more…
Reuters | By: Lisa Lambert | Fri Jul 7, 2017 | 6:12pm EDT: Many of the major risks U.S. banks face lay beyond their control, according to a review released by banking’s top federal regulator on Friday that found the sector’s financial performance remains strong. The U.S. Office of the Read more…
Renewable Energy World | By: John Farrell | July 6, 2017: Two key moves will propel San Francisco toward an all-renewable electricity mix by 2030, potentially making the city — the 13th largest in the nation — a model for others eyeing a similar transition. In April 2016, city policy Read more…
Clean Technica | The Guardian | By: Steve Hanley | July 7th, 2017: Sea walls and barriers built by the Romans have endured for 1,500 years — far longer than anything made with modern concrete, which relies almost exclusively on Portland cement. A group of scientists was curious about Read more…
Renewable Energy World | By: Jess Shankleman, Bloomberg | July 6, 2017: BlackRock Inc. exceeded a $1 billion fundraising target for wind and solar investments for its latest global clean energy fund, underscoring investor interest in renewable energy amid policy uncertainty in key markets. The second Global Renewable Power Fund, Read more…
Circle Of Blue | By Brett Walton | GPE – July 07, 2017: Some wells gurgle and hiss before they die. Others expire with a puff of sand. Either way, the result is the same: no more running water. Report From Summer 2015: The rate of drinking well failures is Read more…
Newsdeeply.com | By: Mark Grossi | July 5, 2017: Drought conditions continue for thousands of rural residents in the San Joaquin valley who rely on groundwater. And the race to dig deeper wells is a losing game for small communities and those on private wells. MADERA, California – Evelyn Rios Read more…
Reuters | By: Jonathan Stempel | Fri Jul 7, 2017 | 5:06am EDT: U.S. authorities have tried to seize millions of dollars associated with several companies that deal with North Korea, including the country’s military, from eight large international banks, according to court filings made public on Thursday. The effort Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Jacob Gershman, Ian Talley and Aruna Viswanantha | July 6, 2017 8:37 p.m. ET: A federal court in May gave the department authority to investigate alleged money laundering involving a Chinese coal-trading network. A federal court in Washington, D.C., has granted the Justice Department Read more…
Reuters | By: David Ingram | Jul 6, 2017 | 5:46pm EDT: A U.S. judge ruled on Thursday that Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) could move forward with a lawsuit that aims to free technology companies to speak more openly about surveillance requests they receive from the U.S. government. U.S. District Judge Read more…
Reuters | By Elias Gebreselassie | Tue Jul 4, 2017 | 6:57am EDT: Ethiopia is enlisting the cooperation of people in and around its forests to manage woodland better, hoping to protect the country from the effects of climate change while boosting development prospects for its population of 100 million. Read more…
BBC News | By: Matt McGrath | 5 July, 2017: The global use of untreated waste water from cities to irrigate crops is much more widespread than previously estimated, says a new report. According to this updated assessment, nearly 30 million hectares are now using untreated water within 40km of Read more…
Reuters | By: Gabriele Pileri and Isla Binnie | Wed Jul 5, 2017 | 9:05am EDT: Baking summer heat has forced Rome to close some of the drinking fountains known as “big noses”, or “nasoni”, that constantly gush fresh water on thousands of street corners, causing a public outcry. Hit Read more…
Renewable Energy World | By: Joe Ryan, Bloomberg | June 29, 2017: As Elon Musk races to finish building the world’s biggest battery factory in the Nevada desert, China is poised to leave him in the dust. Chinese companies have plans for additional factories with the capacity to pump out Read more…
The Washington Post | By Darryl Fears | July 4 at 10:18 AM: The $19 billion bid to clean the Chesapeake Bay and restore its health rests on a simple plan: cut the amount of nutrient waste — involving nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment — that causes most of the bay’s Read more…
Clean Technica | By: Joshua S Hill | July 4th, 2017: Germany reached a new renewable energy record in the first half of this year, generating 35.1% of its electricity from renewable energy sources, according to the country’s trade body, the German Renewable Energy Federation. In news published only days Read more…
Renewable Energy World | By: Renewable Energy World Editors | June 27, 2017: The U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami yesterday approved a resolution calling for 100 percent renewable energy in cities across the U.S. by 2035. “What better way to kick off Donald Trump’s energy week than with a Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: James Mackintosh | July 3, 2017 10:15 a.m. ET: Unusually volatile reaction of investors to last week’s news about monetary policy is alarming in itself. Some dates deserve a place in market history. Black Monday 1987 and Black Thursday 1929 occurred before the VIX Read more…
Reuters | By: Andrés González and Arno Schuetze | Tue Jul 4, 2017 | 1:18pm EDT: Spanish power company Gas Natural (GAS.MC) has fired the starting gun in what is expected to be the biggest upheaval among European utility companies for a decade. Chairman Isidre Faine has contacted his counterpart Read more…
Reuters | By: Andrea Shalal | Tue Jul 4, 2017 | 7:34am EDT: Germany is a big target of spying and cyber attacks by foreign governments such as Turkey, Russia and China, a government report said on Tuesday, warning of “ticking time bombs” that could sabotage critical infrastructure. Industrial espionage Read more…
The SPIFIS Foundation – A Global Project Engineering Solution: GPE proposes the use of a Single Purpose Infrastructure Foundation In Switzerland (SPIFIS). The choice of Switzerland is to take advantage of the management flexibility afforded by the Swiss Law. Swiss Foundations can do both for-profit and non-profit work within the Read more…
Aviation Week & Space Technology | By: Michael J Dyment and Mark G. Mykityshyn | June 26 – July 09, 2017: The rapid growth of the U.S. small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) market is being driven almost entirely by the private sector, with thousands of professionals and companies working to Read more…
Reuters | Mon Jul 3, 2017 | 12:30pm EDT: Torrential rain lashed parts of central and south China on Monday, with floods damaging crops, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes and killing at least 33, while the north wilted in a heat wave and drought-like conditions. Water levels Read more…
Reuters | Tue Jul 4, 2017 | 5:43am EDT: The Three Gorges and Gezhouba, two of China’s top hydropower plants, have closed capacity by as much as two-thirds, state media said on Tuesday, as torrential rains across the south triggered drastic steps to ease pressure on the Yangtze River. Days Read more…
Reuters | By: John McCrank | Mon Jul 3, 2017 | 11:29pm EDT: The prices of several big-name Nasdaq-listed (NDAQ.O) stocks appeared on some websites to either spike or plummet well after the closing bell on Monday, seemingly due to a glitch related to the market data that runs the Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Keiko Morris June 29, 2017 6:49 p.m. ET: Jury finds office building at 650 Fifth Ave. in New York connected to U.S. sanctions violations. Federal prosecutors won a court victory Thursday that paves the way for the government to seize a Midtown Manhattan office Read more…
The Current Status Of The Electricity Market: The Electricity market should be viewed as 2 separate branches: The Production Level The Transport Level The majority of electricity production today is still primarily using carbon-based fuels, which are highly polluting. In different countries, non-polluting renewable energy production today is between 10 Read more…
Dealing With The Results Of Mismanagement: Due to the lack of foresight and poor management of the water cycle as a whole, the following damages are recurring with increasing frequency: Water rationing even in countries with rainy climates; Destructive flooding; Destructive landslides; Potable water poisoning; Broken pipes; …and so on Read more…
Renewable Energy World | By: Brian Parkin, Bloomberg | June 30, 2017: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition is widening access to the solar power market for people who rent their homes in a move to boost green power’s expansion in an election year. Lawmakers moved to pass legislation dubbed “Tenant Power” Read more…
Clean Technica | By: Joshua S Hill | June 30th, 2017: Renewable energy sources generated more than a quarter of the UK’s electricity in the first quarter of this year, with onshore wind setting a record high of 8.3%, helping to further dismantle the UK’s reliance upon coal energy. In Read more…
Defense One | By: Amy Zegart | June 29, 2017: It is hard to imagine more fitting names for code-gone-bad than WannaCry and Eternal Blue. Those are just some of the computer coding vulnerabilities pilfered from the National Security Agency’s super-secret stockpile that have been used in two separate global Read more…
Defense One | By: Stanislav Shalunov | June 29, 2017: The NSA, which sees its mission as collecting signals intelligence (by breaking into networks) as well as protecting vital U.S. systems, is partially to blame for Tuesday’s massive global cyber attack that hit utilities across Ukraine and Europe and even Read more…
Tribune de Geneve | By: Pierre-Alexandre Sallier | June 29, 2017: BNP Paribas is attacked in Paris for its role in arms sales at the time of the genocide. NGOs exhort the forgotten role of an account then opened in the Geneva bank UBP. The name of the Geneva-based asset Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Melanie Evans June 29, 2017 4:58 p.m. ET: Petya attack forces Princeton Community Hospital to use paper records as it scraps, rebuilds computer network. Princeton Community Hospital in rural West Virginia will scrap and replace its entire computer network after being struck by Read more…
Clean Technica | June 29th, 2017 | By: John Farrell: While most programs so far have targeted home comfort (central air conditioning or electric water heating), there are other sources of electricity consumption that remain untouched. In the past decade, two major trends have threatened the ability of electric utilities Read more…
The Wall Street Journal | By: Bradley Olson | June 29, 2017 7:00 a.m. ET: After weathering years of protests, pipeline operator TransCanada is struggling to attract customers amid low crude prices and competing oil-transportation options. Keystone XL is facing a new challenge: The oil producers and refiners the pipeline Read more…
Rocky Mountain Institute | By Courtney Fairbrother, Leia Guccione, Mike Henchen and Anthony Teixeira: PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT: This report explores challenges to effective innovation at U.S. electric utilities, with a focus on pilot and demonstration projects. We offer recommendations for utilities, regulators, and DER technology providers to support more Read more…
Yale Environment 360 | By: Richard Schiffman | June 29, 2017: The breadbasket regions of India and Pakistan are rapidly depleting their underground aquifers. In a Yale e360 interview, climatologist Sonali McDermid explains why this overexploitation, combined with global warming, is creating an urgent need to change local farming practices. Read more…
Defense One | By: Alyza Sebenius | June 28, 2017: The Washington Post’s report last week on Russian cyber efforts to disrupt the 2016 election—and the Obama administration’s months-long debate over how to respond—ended on a foreboding note. Among the measures apparently adopted in response to the hack was “a Read more…