Author: Alan Lorenz

Formula 1 Wants to See Young Talent More Often in Free Training Sessions
9Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Sports, News

Formula 1 Wants to See Young Talent More Often in Free Training Sessions

Formula 1 wants to see young talented drivers more often in free practice sessions during race weekends.   In this way, the upcoming generation can also make kilometres and gain experience in a Formula 1 car, argued director Stefano Domenicali of the highest motorsport class in Monza, where the Grand Prix of Italy will be held this weekend. "We will definitely talk about that in the next meeting with the teams in October. Our commitment is to mandate the presence of a young driver in free practice," he told Autosport.com. New rules for free practice sessions are necessary, according to Domenicali, because, among other things, the number of test opportunities on the circuits has decreased drastically in recent years. For example, there were only three days of testing this spring in...
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The European Parliament is Suddenly Without Its Next President
8Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, News

The European Parliament is Suddenly Without Its Next President

The European Parliament is suddenly without its next president. German Christian Democrat Manfred Weber relinquishes the presidency he promised during the hard-fought division of top Brussels jobs in 2019. That could clear the way for a Dutch candidate.   Weber was the first man from the Christian Democratic EPP in the 2019 European elections to head the European Commission, the executive board of the European Union. The Christian Democrats remained the largest party, but the EU heads of government subsequently passed 'Spitzenkandidat' Weber. Instead, they chose his compatriot Ursula von der Leyen, then Minister of Defence, as committee chair. Weber was given a prospect of the presidency of the European Parliament (EP) as a consolation. The Social Democrat who is now waving the ham...
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Eurozone Economy Grew Somewhat Faster in the Second Quarter
7Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Business, Europe, News

Eurozone Economy Grew Somewhat Faster in the Second Quarter

The eurozone economy grew faster in the second quarter than previously measured. Based on final figures, the European statistical office Eurostat reports a growth of 2.2 percent compared to the first three months of the year.   In an earlier estimate, this was still 2 percent. The economy performed better in all areas than in the first quarter. At that time, there were still strict corona measures in many European countries. However, these were mostly relaxed in the months of April to June, which led to economic growth. In the Netherlands, the economy grew by 3.1 percent in the second quarter, which is one of the higher percentages in the eurozone. Ireland led the way with a growth of 6.3 percent. In Malta, the economy contracted by 0.5 percent. For the whole of the EU, growth wa...
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Facebook Apologizes for Video Labelling Black People as Primates
6Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Technology, News

Facebook Apologizes for Video Labelling Black People as Primates

Facebook has apologized after the networking site's artificial intelligence (AI) technology mislabeled a video of black men arguing with white police officers and civilians as "about primates."   Social media users who had watched the video were asked afterwards if they wanted to "continue to see videos about primates." The video was published by the Daily Mail. "This was clearly an unacceptable mistake," Facebook spokesman Dani Lever said in a statement to USA Today. "We disabled the topic recommendation feature as soon as we become aware so that we can investigate the cause and avert this from happening again. While we've made improvements to our AI, we know it's not perfect and needs improvement. Our apologies to anyone who saw these offensive recommendations." The event is th...
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Russia Threatens Apple and Google with Fines for Navalny App
3Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Technology, News, Russia

Russia Threatens Apple and Google with Fines for Navalny App

Russian media and internet regulator Roskomnadzor threatens fines for Apple and Google if they do not remove the app of the detained opposition leader Aleksei Navalny from their app stores.   A Russian court previously banned Navalny's anti-corruption foundation because the foundation is extremist. Navalny's websites were already blocked by Roskomnadzor, after which supporters of the Kremlin critic posted messages on the app. The government of President Vladimir Putin is doing everything it can to hinder the opposition in the run-up to parliamentary elections later this month. Navalny, 45, was sent to a penal camp earlier this year after returning from Germany. He was treated there for poisoning. By this treatment, he violated the provisions of his suspended sentence. As a result,...
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Amazon Wants to Hire 55,000 People Worldwide with Mainly Technological Profiles
2Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Technology, Business, News

Amazon Wants to Hire 55,000 People Worldwide with Mainly Technological Profiles

E-commerce giant Amazon is looking for 55,000 new employees worldwide. That said, the new CEO Andy Jassy in an interview with Reuters. This mainly concerns technological profiles for robotics, engineering or the satellite program Project Kuiper.   The vast majority, about 40,000 jobs, are created in the United States. But the internet giant is also looking for 2,500 people in the United Kingdom. The other jobs mainly concern vacancies in Germany, India and Japan. According to the new CEO, Amazon needs the extra staff to keep up with its growth in retail, cloud computing, and advertising. In addition, there is the ambitious Project Kuiper, a competitor of Starlink (SpaceX, Elon Musk), in which satellites in space should provide better access to broadband internet. “We continue to gr...
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Afghan Doctor: Kabul’s Situation is Getting Worse by the Day
1Sep By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Afghanistan, News

Afghan Doctor: Kabul’s Situation is Getting Worse by the Day

Now that the evacuations by western countries have been completed, the situation in Kabul is getting worse by the day, says an Afghan doctor who wants to leave the country with his family.   The Taliban are increasing their presence around the Afghan capital, where fears of the new regime are growing. Meanwhile, people are fleeing to national borders and trying to get into neighbouring countries. The Taliban have set up checkpoints around Kabul. They question anyone who wants to pass, and the doctor tells the ANP. He also learns that the Taliban are becoming increasingly violent in other provinces. "I live in even more fear than before," said the Afghan. After the takeover, the Taliban promised that people were safe, but many residents do not believe this. After the first takeover ...
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Zoom’s Quarterly Revenue Breaks Through Billion Dollars
31Aug By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Technology, Business, News

Zoom’s Quarterly Revenue Breaks Through Billion Dollars

Video conferencing service Zoom has booked more than a billion dollars in a quarter for the first time. However, growth is beginning to slow, and investors sent shares in the United States down more than ten percent after hours.   Video meetings became a regular part of the working day for many people during the corona pandemic. That did not harm players like Zoom. Zoom was still able to grow in the second quarter of this year. Turnover was more than half higher than a year ago, at 1.02 billion dollars. Net profit rose more than seventy percent to $316.9 million. Zoom lived up to expectations. But investors mainly looked to the future, as more and more people start going back to work. As a result, zoom came out with a very cautious forecast, a disappointment to some. The company ex...
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WHO: Coronavirus could Claim Another 236,000 Lives in Europe by December 1
30Aug By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, News

WHO: Coronavirus could Claim Another 236,000 Lives in Europe by December 1

The coronavirus could claim another 236,000 lives in Europe by December 1. Hans Kluge, the director of WHO Europe, made that bitter prediction in a press briefing. Our compatriot is also concerned about the stagnation of vaccination campaigns in European countries.   In some countries, the higher infection rates are 'particularly alarming', especially when combined with low vaccination rates. Of the 53 countries that are part of WHO Europe, 33 have seen the number of infections grow by more than 10 percent in the past two weeks. "This is very worrying, especially given the low vaccination coverage among high-risk groups in a number of countries." According to the director, fewer and fewer new people are being pricked. "In the past six weeks, the number of vaccinations has decrease...
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Brexit Negotiator Barnier Wants to Become President of France
27Aug By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, France, News

Brexit Negotiator Barnier Wants to Become President of France

Michel Barnier has officially declared himself a candidate in the French presidential elections. Barnier, known as a Brexit negotiator on behalf of the European Commission, wants to be the candidate of Les Républicains next year.   Barnier officially announced this on Thursday evening on the French channel TF1. He had been hinting at his participation in the elections for some time. Barnier (70) has a long political career and has held various ministerial posts in France since 1993, including under the presidencies of Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2005, a year after taking office, he was fired as foreign minister after France said 'non' in the referendum on the European Constitution. In 2009 Barnier became European Commissioner for the Internal Market. Despite his prominen...
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