Landslide Injures at least 10 in Norwegian Town of Ask
A landslide (山体滑坡)has smashed into a residential area near the Norwegian capital at midnight on Dec. 30. injuring at least 10 people, leaving 21 unaccounted for and (destroy) several homes, authorities said.
About 700 people have been brought to safety for fear of further landslides.
The landslide cut across a road, leaving a deep gap that cars not pass. Video footage showed dramatic scenes including one house falling into the gap. Photographs showed at least eight destroyed homes.
Rescue workers continued to search the area for children and adults (believe) to have been caught in mud and debris (废墟), police said. "We're still looking for survivors? police spokesman Roger Pettersen told a news conference.
Pettersen said there were no reports of missing people, but officials could not rule out the possibility there might be survivors in collapsed buildings. He said 21 people registered as living in the area arc unaccounted for.
One of the injured was seriously hurt, while nine had (light) injuries. Weather at the time was reported to be challenging, with snowstorm sweeping the village of Ask, about 5,000 people inhabited.
Norway's King Harald said the landslide had made a deep impression on him. "My thoughts are with all those who are affected, injured or have lost their homes and chose who now live in fear and uncertainty of damage the disaster has caused," he said in a statement released by the royal palace.
The area in which Ask (locate) is known to have a lot of quick clay, which can change from solid to liquid from. Previous landslides have been reported in the region.
Helicopters continued to circle over the area as night fell (lower) rescuers towards the debris of collapsed houses.
"There could be people trapped ... but at the same time we can't be sureit is the new year's holiday, which means people could be elsewhere," Ema Solberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister, told reporters after visiting the site.
|
A. outdated B. polish C. struggling D. historically E. exchange F. promotional G. stylized H. floods I. witnesses J. interchangeably K. declining |
Why Dutch Officials Want You to Forget the Country of Holland
The Dutch nation has long been dealing with its identity crisis. For decades, the government used "Holland" and "the Netherlands'' to describe the country known for its iconic canals, tulip (郁金香)fields and windmills.
Rut starting from Jan, I, all official government communications andmaterials will use the Netherlands as its name.
The government has been working on a campaign that mightthe country's image in the face of growing international competition for the past 18 months, said Ingrid de Beer, the head of the public diplomacy section in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Our international image faces some challenges," she said. Research showed that many people do not know of the Netherlands or have concepts of the country. Young people, particularly those in countries farther away, are unfamiliar with the country.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of 12 provinces, two of which — Noord (North) Holland and Zuid (South) Holland make up Holland. Amsterdam, which about) 9 million travelers annually, and Keukenhof, one of the world's largest flower gardens and a popular attraction, are both in the Holland region.
The country's tourism board,to handle millions of tourists, stopped promoting its most famous attractions in favor of trying to encourage travelers to go to lesser-known destinations, according to a 2019 report. By 2030. the report predicted, the Netherlands could see of up to 42 million tourists - an enormous number for a country of 17 million.
The region of Holland hascontributed the most to the country's economy and wealth, resulting in its name commonly being used to indicate the entire country.
But not anymore, the Dutch government insists. "We are fully aware that internationally, a strong image of the Netherlands contributes to achieving political objectives, promoting trade, attracting talent, investment and tourists and encouraging cultural and scientific ," Ms. de Beer said.
Part of the campaign includes an updated logo, a "NL"to look like an orange-tulip, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The logo replaces the "Holland tulip/ which was created by the tourism board 25 years ago and used to promote the country.
As consumers, we are very wasteful. Annually, the world generates 1.3 billion ions of solid waste. This is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2025. The developed countries are 1for 44% of waste, and in the U.S. alone, the average person throws away their body weight in rubbish every month.
Traditional wisdom would seem to suggest that companies have no interest in2the life cycle of their products and reduce the revenue (营收)they would get from selling new goods.3, more and more businesses are thinking about how to reduce consumer waste. This is4 driven by the rising price of raw materials and metals. Also, both consumers and companies becoming more aware of the need to protect our environment is another force that contributes.
When choosing what products to buy and which brands to buy from, more and more consumers are looking into sustainability, which is5 just price and performance they were concerned about in the past. In a survey of 54 of the world's leading brands, almost all of them reported that consumers are showing increasing care about environmental lifestyles. At the same time, surveys on consumers in the U.S. and the U.K. show that they also care about 6 energy use and reducing waste.
7, consumers control what happens to a product. But some companies are starting to realize that placing the burden of recycling entirely on the consumer is not an effective strategy, especially when8something seems like the easiest and most convenient option.
Some retailers and manufacturers in the clothing, footwear, and electronics industries have launched 9programs, They want to make their customers interested in 10 their products and preventing things that still have value from going to the landfill. By offering services to help expand the longevity of their products, they're promising quality and 11 to consumers, and receiving the12 gains for being environmentally friendly and socially responsible.
Enormous opportunities also13e-waste. It is estimated that in 2014 the world produced some 42 million metric tons of e-waste (discarded electrical and electronic equipment and its parts) with North America and Europe accounting for 8 and 12 million metric tons 14. The materials from e-waste include iron, copper, gold, silver, and aluminum-materials that could be reused, resold, recovered, or recycled. Together, the value of these metals is estimated to be about $52 billion. Electronics giants like BestBuy and Samsung have provided e-waste 15programs over the past few years, which aim to refurbish (翻新)old electronic components and parts into new products.
Not long after Tony Berlin began working at the state driver's license facility in Niles in 1985, he noticed that some truck drivers who should have failed their exams mysteriously passed them. For six years, starting in 1992, he collected evidence to show why: He believed truck drivers were bribing state workers to get licenses. In another turn of the screw, the workers were using those bribes to buy tickets to the then secretary of state George Ryan's fundraisers, including for his successful bid for governor. Berlin tried to expose the corruption (腐败)-he went to the FBI and the upper ranks of the secretary of state's office - but was repeatedly met with indifference. Then he began to suspect that the truck driver in a 1994 accident that killed six children, all from the same family, got his license through the scheme. In a moment that changed everything, Berlin reached out to the Reverend Scott Willis, the children's father.
It was his call to Willis that connected the crash to what would become known as the licenses — for — bribes scandal (丑闻), "Berlin's the one who started it says the Willises' lawyer. A few months after that phone call, the U.S. attorney's office initiated Operation Safe Road, an ongoing federal investigation that by the end of November had disclosed 34 offenses.
The investigation ultimately netted 75 offenses, including that of Dean Bauer, Ryan's inspector general. He pleaded guilty in 2001 to obstructing (妨碍)justice and was sentenced to 12 months in. prison. Bui the biggest catch was Ryan himself, who was sentenced in 2006 to six and a half years tor fraud and blackmailing. As for Berlin, he continued to work a stale license facilities, in Streator and Pontiac, choosing to stay out of the public eye.
We understand that in light of the latest government CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL ADVICE, your travel plans will be changing. To reflect this, some terms & conditions for refunding tickets or changing journeys are different to usual.
Refunds on Unused Tickets for Travel
• You can apply for refunds up to four weeks from the last day that the ticket was valid.
• Unused Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets can be refunded and a service fee applies. Advance tickets are not refundable. Alternatively, you can change your ticket io travel at a later date — See 'Changing Tickets or Requesting a Travel Voucher' below.
• PLEASE NOTE that if the train you are booked on does not ran or is canceled due to irresistible forces, refund: will be made on ALL TICKETS TYPES with no service fee.
If you are uncertain about travelling, you may wish to consider purchasing a more flexible ticket — such as Anytime or Off-Peak - for travel.
Changing Tickets or Requesting a Travel Voucher
• If you bought an Advance ticket before the National Lockdown was announced on 4lh January and will no longer be travelling, you should apply for a travel voucher or reschedule your journey free of charge. You need to do this be lore your first train departs and pay the difference if your new ticket is more expensive. Please note you will not be entitled to a travel voucher if your Advance ticket was purchased after 4lh Jan. Speak to the original retailer of your ticket for advice.
• Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets are more flexible and can be changed any time before you travel There is no fee to change these tickets. you will only need to pay any difference in fare.
Refunding Season Tickets
•Unexpired(未逾期的)Season Tickets can be submitted for refund at any time and train companies calculate how much is refunded by bow much value is left on your ticket, they do this by deducting (扣除)the value of any other tickets you could have travelled with in the same lime until you stopped using and return your Season Ticket Refunds can only be backdated with evidence that illness prevented you from travelling. (National Rail Conditions of Travel. Condition 40.4).
• To see how much you could get back from your Season Ticket, try the Season Ticket Refund Calculator below. For more information, including if you require a refund due to sickness that prevented you from using a Season Ticket see the link here,
• Customers can still claim refunds remotely online, minimizing contact between customers and staffs keeping everyone safer. Please see your retailer's website for details.
Travelling on Another Train Company's Service
• In areas where there is cancellation, train companies may agree acceptance of tickets routed via another company For more details, please contact your rail service provider.
The urgency and importance of Covid-19 over (he past year have driven almost everything else from most leaders5 minds. But since the vaccine is kicking in, Britain's government is once again beginning to think about the things that will matter later. Next week, it is expected to publish a 'plan for growth" to boost productivity, with innovation at its centre.
The world may be on the point of a technological boom with life sciences, at which Britain excels. Innovation is crucial to productivity, but on this front Britain's performance has lagged behind its competitors' in recent years. Its low spending on Research and Development (R&D) argues for a boost. Those who attributed the financial failure in the 1970s to the insufficiency of research funds may regard this as a threat to economic growth. Promoting innovation can quickly (um into an exercise in picking winners - or, as is more often the case, losers.
A second danger is that policy agendas get mixed up. The government has promised to "level up" poorer areas of the country, so deprived towns arc campaigning for more money for their universities. But trying to boost innovation by sending money to weak institutions is likely to make our leading universities lose their advantages, thus producing average ideas that could have been remarkable. Britain's research-funding system has always been elitist(精英主义的). It should stay that way.
The government's first move in boosting innovation was the announcement of a plan for an Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). ARlA's purpose is to fund high-risk, high-reward research. But money is not all that mailers. The successful translation of life science research into treatments during the pandemic suggests some inexpensive measures that can also make a difference.
One is to speed up governmental processes. The rapidity with which Britain's medical regulator moved during the pandemic is one reason why the vaccine rollout is racing through the population. Urgency is not unique lo pandemics. Getting things done quickly can make an investment worthwhile and determine where a businessman chooses as a base.
Another useful measure the government should use is its unique ability to overcome barriers. At the beginning of the pandemic. Covid-19 researchers were unable to gain access to different strands of health service data. The government eased restrictions on existing data and allowed researchers to ask people who had tested positive tor Covid-19 to join trials. Both were crucial to the effort.
A last principle is the value of connections between the government and the private sector. Kate Bingham, a venture capitalist who led the vaccine-purchase effort, understood how to deal with drug companies. Many of the civil servants working with her had commercial experience. The governments closeness to business during the pandemic has been criticized. But without it, the vaccine effort would not have succeeded.
Innovation took human beings from caves to computers. Good education, a welcoming immigration policy and a friendly business environment will do most to tend it. But a new sensible principles can help keep the flame burning.
China's Entering a New Era of AI
They have beaten us at chess and co-written a Europop album with human beings. Now computers are taking a step into a very human territory: the reading comprehension test, a headache of schoolchildren everywhere. Alibaba on Monday said its artificial outperformed mortals (凡人) in a global reading comprehension.
Luo Si, chef scientist of natural language processing at Alibaba's research department, the Institute of Data Science of Technologies, called the machines' victory "a milestone".Some of these uses are already being handled by chatbots globally.
In the test administered last week, companies subjected their artificial intelligence systems to questions from the Stanford Question Answering Dataset, which assessed reading comprehension. In top place were
Microsoft, the US software giant, and Alibaba, the Chinese tech group that began with e-commerce and is - like its peers at home and abroad investing more funds into AI.
Baidu made an early bet on AI. and is leading its rivals in autonomous driving, some of which was on show at Customer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Tencent, which boasts of I billion monthly active users on its social media WeChat app, and Alibaba have adopted AI in operations such as customizing news and ads, and are investing in new fields.
China aims to make use of its vast treasures of data, collected from its 1.4 billion population including 730 million who are online, and deep pockets to overtake the US in creating a SI50 billion industry that is seen as the next industrial revolution. Excitedly, AI is already being applied in many fields from driverless cars to text analysis. The most asked ones include "Where's my package?" especially on Alibaba's Single Day shopping festival.
A. Though China s drive is led by government, it is cultivating homegrown tech giants to leap ahead of the US.
B. Private investment in the AI sector has been expanding 62 percent a year on average for the past four years.
C. The technology has many applications, from customer service to museum tutorials to medical inquiries.
D. The computers' answers to the questions were compared against average human responses and ranked.
E. For example, this technology has already been used to answer general questions on e-commerce platforms.
F. Like all utilities, AI will be boring, even as it transforms the Internet, the global economy, and civilization.
What You Will Need to Live to 100
A new approach to retirement preparation known as “longevity planning” has been on the rise for years, with the global population of centenarians (B1岁老人)steadily growing. In about 40 years, the number of people 100 and older will be six times as high as it is now. What, as you may wonder, enhances longevity? While a previous study underlined the link between longevity and higher education, having a degree doesn't necessarily guarantee you a longer lief. Actually, the growth in the 100-plus age group are more likely to result from a combination of improved lifestyle factors.
Genetic, as new research has revealed, is a force that cannot go ignored. Dr. Peris of medicine and geriatrics at Boston University points out that longevity is not distributed equally. Being blessed with the certain genetic component that extend your life span is like winning the lottery. Only one in 5000 is lucky enough to possess the magical power that help make it to the century mark. Rare as it may appear, the genetic component is a factor in 40 percent to 50 percent of people who make it to 100 and 70 percent for those reaching 106.
Deliberate mental, social and physical activities during retirement also matter. That means continuing to learn new things, staying involved in the community and working to some degree. Activity is critically important, said Mitch Anthony, a consultant in Rochester, who trains financial planners in life planning. People tend to do best when they remain socially and mentally vibrant.
The research continues to uncover that despite their struggle to identity how they improve longevity, most of the researchers agree that purpose and meaning throughout life provide people with better chances to live longer. These factors may offer a mental and possibly physical shelter from stressful events in life. Having purpose in life may motivate refraining stressful situations to deal with them more productively, thereby facilitating recovery from stress and disorder.
