ESMH Media Review – February 17, 2021

In the spotlight

How the Covid pandemic could end – and what will make it happen faster

guardian, 15.02.2021

Most people have already adjusted their expectations to a spring of disruption – but most are quietly hoping that by the summer, and into the autumn, life in the UK will have returned more or less to normal. Are they right to be confident?

Young people’s despair over coronavirus deepens as crisis drags on

smh, 15.02.2021

“Many feel they’re paying the price not of the pandemic, but of the measures taken against the pandemic,” said Dr Nicolas Franck, the head of a psychiatric network in Lyon, France. In a survey of 30,000 people that he conducted last spring, young people ranked the lowest in psychological well-being, he said.

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1361245740010528770

'The strangeness of COVID': What it's like living with debilitating after-effects for nearly a year

skynews, 14.02.2021

She told Sky News: "I've had weird tingling in my hands, arm weakness - I couldn't pick up a cup of tea without using two hands - unable to stay awake, not able to sit up to eat my meals... I've become intolerant of standing up. "It's just an ongoing battle.

Number of news on 'coronavirus' retrieved by the system in the last month

Digital transition

https://twitter.com/Cambridge_Uni/status/1359823249878757376

https://twitter.com/EPSocialAffairs/status/1359796816104075264

Study by the European Parliament - 'Liability of online platforms'

europarl, 05.02.2021

Given the central role that online platforms (OPs) play in the digital economy, questions arise about their responsibility in relation to illegal/harmful content or products hosted in the frame of their operation.

A network of Twitter bots has attacked the Belgian government's Huawei 5G ban

zdnet, 29.01.2021

Social media research group Graphika has published a report today exposing a small network of 14 Twitter accounts that engaged in a coordinated campaign to criticize the Belgian government's plan to ban Huawei from supplying 5G equipment to local telecommunications providers.

Environmental sustainability press review picture

‘We need a global vision of sustainability’

swissinfo, 11.02.2021

What bothers you about the concept of free trade? Free trade aims to reduce or abolish all tariffs and non-tariff measures, which are extremely important for fair trade and to avoid distorting competition.

https://twitter.com/ERC_Research/status/1359811331352887297

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1359810162832375808

Pulses: More than just a meat alternative

deutschewelle-en, 10.02.2021

Pulses like peas and lentils, however, produce some 0.9 kg of CO2-equivalent for every kilo grown. And they provide a far higher protein yield per square kilometer than a herd of cattle or flock of chickens, meaning existing farmland can be used more efficiently and untouched forests can be spared.

Volkswagen taps Microsoft's cloud to develop self-driving software

reuters-it, 11.02.2021

Volkswagen AG on Thursday said it will use Microsoft Corp’s cloud computing services to help it streamline its software development efforts for self-driving cars.

https://twitter.com/EU_ScienceHub/status/1359890487902093318

Viewpoint: how Horizon Europe could change the face of earthquake prediction

sciencebusiness, 09.02.2021

Earthquakes are still the number one cause of death from natural disasters - and carry huge economic costs to society. But today, an opportunity for Europe to advance research and innovation in the field of earthquake prediction is opening up thanks to the advance of cheap detectors, intelligent sensor systems and deep learning algorithms.

Finland promotes urban farming for carbon-neutral living

ec-europa, 04.02.2021

Turning bare urban rooftops into lush green gardens that help residents relax while they grow their own food is helping to build a circular economy and reduce carbon emissions. This is the goal of Finland’s ERDF-funded CircularHoodFood project.

Pig farmers to Boris Johnson: Please save our bacon

politico-eu, 03.02.2021

Increased bureaucracy is hindering pig farmers exporting their products to the EU, while minimal U.K. tariffs are allowing in cheap EU imports, according to the U.K.’s National Pig Association, or NPA. More than 100,000 pigs are now stuck on British farms, unable to be exported, the group says.

Pandemic showcases Belgium as Europe’s vaccine valley

timesofmalta, 12.02.2021

A small country with an outsize reputation in research and pharmaceuticals, Belgium has emerged with a strategic role in the world’s battle against the coronavirus. The drugs giants racing to develop and produce new vaccines at scale in record time are international, but many of their global supply chains intersect here.

https://twitter.com/KadriSimson/status/1359903017760411653

Accurate data is key in 'quality of life' comparisons

RTERadio, 05.02.2021

Just before Christmas, the UN Human Development Index 2020 ranked Ireland joint second in the World across a range of indicators which measure quality of life, just below Norway. There was a minor kerfuffle on Twitter. Hurrah, shouted some. Bah, shouted others. Quality of life means many things to many people.

Science policy & Communication press review picture

Life without Google: Australia faces unthinkable in spat with search giant

business-standard, 12.02.2021

Imagine a world without Google, the search engine so pervasive it’s the starting point for more than five billion queries a day. That’s the reality facing Australia, where the tech giant is threatening to unplug its homepage in a standoff with the government. Google opposes a planned law that would force the company and Facebook Inc.

Safer Internet Day: Let’s deliver on digital literacy

euractiv-en, 11.02.2021

On Safer Internet Day, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel writes for EURACTIV that young people should be given more support in media literacy, allowing them to avoid the pitfalls of disinformation across the online world. Mariya Gabriel is EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.

Facebook banned more COVID-19 anti-vax Content

sciencealert, 09.02.2021

In a significant move, Facebook has announced it will remove any misleading claims and misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines from both Facebook and Instagram. It's part of a broader move to help combat fake news about the , the platform has been removing claims about the coronavirus that have been debunked by health experts.

Scientists develop method to detect fake news

alphagalileo, 03.02.2021

Social media is increasingly used to spread fake news. The same problem can be found on the capital market – criminals spread fake news about companies in order to manipulate share prices. Researchers at the Universities of Göttingen and Frankfurt and the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana have developed an approach that can recognise such fake news, even when the news contents are repeatedly adapted. The results of the study were published in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems.

EU initiatives

Confidentiality of electronic communications: Council agrees its position on ePrivacy rules

consilium-europa, 10.02.2021

An update to the existing ePrivacy directive of 2002 is needed to cater for new technological and market developments, such as the current widespread use of Voice over IP, web-based email and messaging services, and the emergence of new techniques for tracking users’ online behaviour.

https://twitter.com/KadriSimson/status/1359894544184139779

Lift-off for Europe's biggest ever R&D programme

eubusiness, 05.02.2021

The EU's Portuguese presidency launched the "Horizon Europe" programme Tuesday with a budget of around EUR 95 billion for research and innovation all over Europe from 2021-2027.

Commission (finally) releases Europe’s Beating Cancer plan

politico-eu, 03.02.2021

Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas touted the Commission's plan as setting "ambitious" goals and deadlines in his presentation, as well as activating €4 billion worth of funding with its budget.

Curious news

Bringing the future to life in Abu Dhabi

wired-co-uk, 11.02.2021

A cluster of shipping containers in a city centre is about the last place you’d expect to find salad growing. Yet for the past year, vertical farming startup Madar Farms has been using this site in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, to grow leafy green vegetables using 95 per cent less water than traditional agriculture.

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ESMH Media Review – February 17, 2021

In the spotlight

Digital transition

Environmental sustainability

Mobility & Energy

Agriculture & Food

Health

Science policy & Communication

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