Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola, North America introduces five new programs under the Imola Ceramica brand known for Italian design and artistry, and spanning multiple segments and formats.

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 6 during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California. Apple unveiled the two new iPhones the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple's latest mobile operating system — iOS 8 — is now available, and with it, a new technical hurdle for law enforcement. The company says it will be technologically impossible to access data on phones and iPads running iOS 8, because it won't allow user passcodes to be bypassed.

Our phones, of course, contain troves of information — contacts, messages, recordings — which can be helpful for investigative or prosecutorial purposes. The Supreme Court earlier this year ruled law enforcement cannot access that kind of data without a warrant. Prosecutors had already feared the warrant hurdle would be too much — Rockland County, N.Y., District Attorney Thomas Zugibe told the Wall Street Journal in June that technology "is making it easier and easier for criminals to do their trade," while the court "is making it harder for law enforcement to do theirs."

Now, even with a warrant, data from Apple devices running iOS 8 will be tough — and, Apple says, impossible — for law enforcement to get its hands on.

As The Washington Post reports, the move "amounts to an engineering solution to a legal quandary: Rather than comply with binding court orders, Apple has reworked its latest encryption in a way that prevents the company — or anyone but the device's owner — from gaining access to the vast troves of user data typically stored on smartphones or tablet computers."

Not so fast, writes an iOS forensics expert, Jonathan Zdziarski. Just because Apple will no longer help police doesn't mean police can't find ways to use existing commercial forensics tools to extract the data themselves. Wired Magazine describes how Zdziarski proved his own point:

Zdziarski confirmed with his own forensics software that he was still able to pull from a device running iOS 8 practically all of its third-party application data — that means sensitive content from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, web browsers, and more — as well as photos and video. The attack he used impersonates a trusted computer to which a user has previously connected the phone; it takes advantage of the same mechanisms that allow users to siphon data off a device with programs like iTunes and iPhoto without entering the gadget's passcode.

"I can do it. I'm sure the guys in suits in the governments can do it," says Zdziarski.

And, Apple will still be able to turn over user data stored outside its phones, for example, on its iCloud service, The Washington Post notes. Users often back up photos, videos, emails and more to iCloud, as the recent nude photo theft reminded us.

Apple, in creating plausible deniability for itself, is also using its strongly worded new privacy stance as a marketing opportunity. It's reinforcing what it says is a commitment to privacy and transparency when it comes to government data requests. Apple says so far this year, it has received fewer than 250 government requests for data, including requests to unlock encrypted iPhones.

The company started with a 100-year-old family cookie recipe, passed down through generations.

Hace 40 años, D. B. Cooper secuestró un avión que cubría el trayecto entre Portland y Seatle, obtuvo un rescate de 200.000 dólares de las autoridades, y luego saltó en paracaídas en una zona desértica. Nunca más se supo de él, hasta que hace unos meses una mujer de Oklahoma se presentó en el FBI y aseguró ser su sobrina. 

[SNA] Moscow -- Minister of Energy and Oil Dr. Mohi-Eddin Naeem Mohamed Saeed has arrived in Moscow heading a high-level delegation from the ministry in the fields of oil exploration and production, oil pipelines and oil companies.

Republicans in North Carolina plan to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of an immigration and school choice bill in their closing days of session.

Police say 29 cases have been registered. Probe by district joint registrar of Cooperative department finds 26 persons, mostly members of previous director boards, accountable for irregularities to the tune of ₹33.33 crore

One Data's AI matching platform Wavetrade allows semiconductors and chips to be exchanged, purchased and sold

(Telecompaper) MTS Belarus, in cooperation with the Belarusian Ministry of Education and Unicef, has started a project to develop recommendations for schools...

The car you see in these pictures needs no introduction. An icon of the Mr Bean series and The Italian Job movies, the Mini Cooper is perhaps more famous than the characters behind its wheel. It has been the benchmark for fun, fast, small hatchbacks, and this new Cooper S is the last to be petrol-powered, as from here on, it will be an EV-only model. So, let’s see if it lives up to its legacy.

2024 Mini Cooper S: design

The new triangular tail-lamps get individual configurable LED elements.

The easiest way to tell that this is the latest Cooper S is to look at the rear end. The Mini Cooper now gets triangular tail-lamps with individual LED elements that can be configured to display three different animations, including the famed Union Jack pattern. Similarly, the iconic round headlights are bezel-less, and they, too, have custom animations. The octagonal front grille is larger and features a blanked-off trim in the centre. In keeping with its sporty theme, there are no chrome elements on the outside; instead, you get a generous dose of gloss black surrounding the grille, the mirrors, the roof and the tailgate. There’s also some cladding around the wheel arches and stylish 17-inch alloys.

A special mention must go to this Sunny Side Yellow paint on our test car, which grabs many eyeballs. Notably, this new Cooper S forgoes the air intakes in the bumpers and, more controversially, visible exhaust tips.

2024 Mini Cooper S: interior, features

In the pursuit of minimalism, Mini has forgone the instrument cluster, giving the dashboard a clean look. The 9.4-inch OLED centre touchscreen doubles up as the instrument cluster, showing relevant driving information, depending on which mode you’re in. This Android-based screen is the cabin’s highlight, and it controls most functions, too.

The screen is high in resolution, and the touch is slick. However, the multiple menus and sub-menus mean that you need time to get accustomed to it. Mini has used sustainable materials on the dashboard, door cards and seats, which look nice and rather unconventional but will be challenging to keep clean. The steering is nice to look at, with its two-spoke design, and the tensioned fabric piece that acts like the third spoke is a cool touch. However, the steering’s rim is too thick, much like those of several M Sport BMWs. The front seats are accommodating; they hold you well in place around corners and offer good adjustability, but electrical adjustment is part of an optional pack. Entry to the rear seat is tight, and it isn’t particularly spacious, but adults can fit here for shorter journeys. What does help matters is the dual-pane sunroof, which opens up the feeling of space in the cabin.

As for features, the Cooper S packs in quite a bit of standard equipment, and our test car was also fitted with an optional Classic pack worth Rs 5.85 lakh, which brought in a couple of feel-good bits. Chief among them are the superb-sounding Harman Kardon sound system and the head-up display, which shows you the necessary information, such as speed, gear and tachometer. Uniquely, it also brings in an inside camera for taking photos or videos while you’re out on a drive. Standard features include auto climate control, LED lights, a rear camera, a large wireless charging pad in the centre console, ambient lighting and cruise control. 

2024 Mini Cooper S: powertrain, performance

Underpinning the new Mini Cooper S is a heavily updated version of the outgoing Mini’s platform. The engine is also the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol but uprated for this latest version. Output stands at 204hp and 300Nm, up from the older car’s 178hp and 280Nm, and it continues to send power to the front wheels.

Twist the toggle switch in the centre console, and the four-pot burbles to life. This simple twist switch makes you feel like you’re operating an aircraft and adds to the cool factor. The exhaust, while not particularly loud, does have a nice raspy tone to it. And like most modern, sporty cars, the Cooper S also pipes an artificial exhaust sound into the cabin through the speakers. While some might say this is sacrilege, I actually think it enhances the experience. The BMW-sourced motor is a highlight of this car as power is plentiful, and its rev-happy nature just eggs you on to drive harder. It leaps off the line, and the instant power delivery never leaves you wanting more.

Cooper S leaps off the line, and the instant power delivery never leaves you wanting more.

The engine is paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that is quick and responsive, and depending on which drive mode you’re in, it’ll either upshift at the earliest to conserve fuel or hold on to lower gears longer for maximum performance. One of the biggest misses with this new Cooper S, though, is that it lacks any form of manual control for the gearbox: no paddles, no Tiptronic function and not even a proper gear lever, with only a toggle switch to select drive direction. The only way to get it to downshift is by pressing the accelerator hard and then waiting for the gearbox to kick down. For a hot hatch like the Mini Cooper S, this is a big letdown. Another miss is a handbrake lever, so there’s no scope for fun manoeuvres such as handbrake turns and J-turns. 

On the move, the Cooper S feels energetic and quick despite its 1,360kg kerb weight. And that’s backed up by the performance figures. Mini claims a 0-100kph time of 6.6 seconds, but we managed to time it a shade quicker at 6.48 seconds in Go-Kart mode. And despite having no manual control, the gearbox is quick enough to kick down, which enables you to dart in between the gaps in slow-moving traffic. In-gear acceleration, then, is strong, too, taking 3.62 seconds for the 20-80kph sprint and 4.56 seconds for 40-100kph.

The new Cooper S offers seven modes, each with unique ambient lighting and screen graphics, with the Classic pack. However, only three of them – Core, Go-Kart and Efficient – actually alter the driving experience. Core is the standard mode, offering the best balance between performance and efficiency. Efficient, as the name suggests, is the eco mode, which dulls throttle response in the interest of efficiency. 

The Cooper S is sprightliest in the Go-Kart mode, where it feels quite literally like a go-kart. It’s in this mode where the engine, gearbox and throttle are the most responsive, and the car feels like it shrinks around you. The other four modes only alter the ambient lighting and graphics and play an audio track.

2024 Mini Cooper S: ride, handling

The brakes are sharp, with a strong initial bite followed by progressive stopping power. In our test, it took 25.76 metres to come to a halt from 80kph. On Mumbai’s less-than-perfect streets, the Cooper S felt stiffly sprung, and the larger bumps were jarring. There’s no scope for adjustability, as it doesn’t get adaptive dampers. The run-flat tyres don’t help either. The optional 18-inch alloys will have even slimmer side walls, which will further hamper the ride quality. But drive it on a perfectly paved road like the new coastal road in Mumbai, and it is just super.

The stiff ride means that it feels tight and agile around the bends, with absolutely no body roll. The steering is also sharp, and the Cooper S is quick to turn into corners, making it feel like it shrinks around you. There’s barely any slack at the centre position, and you’ll like the fact that it is communicative, too. You’ll also notice torque steer when driving flat-out, but it’s nothing that’s not manageable; here, it is actually fun and adds to the drama. Like Coopers of the past, this new one remains a hoot to drive. Then, there’s also the fact that Mini is saving its best for the full-blown John Cooper Works (JCW) version, which is expected to arrive at a later date, and that should dial things up further.

2024 Mini Cooper S: price, verdict

The Mini Cooper S is a car you clearly buy with your heart rather than your head, especially considering it costs Rs 44.90 lakh (ex-showroom), before options. Then, there’s the lack of manual control for the gearbox, and it’s a stiff ride to contend with. Beyond that, though, it is simply a hoot and remains as charming as ever. It’s packed with more tech than before and has a superb engine. Moreover, you won’t be able to buy this petrol-powered hot hatch after a couple of years. That might be reason enough to get the Mini now. 

Also see:

2024 Mini Cooper S video review

New Mini Convertible revealed

Electric Mini Cooper JCW gets 258hp

Nicole reflects on an interview she watched this week between comedian Stephen Colbert and journalist Anderson Cooper, in particular, the divergent ways grief affected their sense of time. (Watch the interview here. The intro and outro of this episode is "Idea" and "Remedy for Melancholy" by Kai Engel.

Jesus's question to the paralytic, "Do you want to be made well?" is at the heart of our Christian life. Fr Thomas explains the important doctrine of synergy, or cooperation with God, as the key to our daily growth in life, faith, and spiritual understanding.

Vehicular Networks, including Vehicular Adhoc Networks (VANETs) and Vehicular Sensor Networks (VSNs), stimulate a brand new variety of services, ranging from driver safety services, traffic information and warnings regarding traffic jams and accidents, to providing weather or road condition, parking availability, and advertisement. 3G networks and sophisticated Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), including deploying costly roadside base stations, can indeed be used to offer such services, but these come with a cost, both at network and hardware levels. In this paper we introduce Cooperation as a service (CaaS): A novel architecture that will allow providing a set of services for free and without any additional infrastructure, by taking advantage of Vehicle-to-Vehicle communications. CaaS uses a hybrid publish/subscribe mechanism where the driver (or subscriber) expresses his interests regarding a service (or a set of services) and where cars having subscribed to the same service will cooperate to provide the subscriber with the necessary information regarding the service he subscribed to, by publishing this information in the network. CaaS structures the network into clusters, and uses Content Based Routing (CBR) for intra-cluster communications and geographic routing for inter-cluster communications.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to develop a research model derived from relevant literature to guide empirical efforts. Background: Companies struggle to innovate, which is essential for improving their performance, surviving in competition, and growing. A number of studies have discussed company innovation capability, stating that innovation capability is influenced by several variables such as cooperation and knowledge management. Therefore, further research is necessary to identify factors playing a role in enhancing innovation capability. Methodology: This study is based on systematic literature review. The stages are: (1) research scope review, (2) comprehensive online research, (3) journal quality assessment, (4) data extraction from journals, (5) journal synthesis, and (6) comprehensive report. The online research used Google Scholar database, by browsing titles, abstracts, and keywords to locate empirical research studies in peer-reviewed journals published in 2010-2020. Furthermore, 62 related articles were found, of which 38 articles were excluded from further analysis and 24 articles were selected because they were more related to the topic. Contribution: The results of this study enrich the research in the field of knowledge management, cooperation, and innovation capability by developing a conceptual framework of innovation capability. The proposed theoretical model may be fundamental in addressing the need of a research model to guide further empirical efforts. Findings: This study provides a research model derived from systematically reviewing relevant literature. The proposed theoretical model was done by incorporating the aspects of knowledge management, cooperation, and innovation capability. The model shows that knowledge management and cooperation are essential aspects of innovation capability. Furthermore, this study also provides the dimensions and sub dimensions of each variable that was established after synthesizing the literature review. Recommendations for Practitioners: Business practitioners can use the identified predictors of innovation capability and the dimensions of each variable to explore their company’s innovation capability. They can also take the relevant variables into consideration when making policies regarding innovation. Recommendation for Researchers: The theoretical model proposed in this study needs validation with further empirical investigation. Impact on Society: Readers of this paper can obtain an understanding that knowledge management and cooperation are essential aspects to consider in enhancing innovation capability. Future Research: Future studies should explore other dimensions of knowledge management and cooperation through alternative approaches and perspectives.

There is a growing consensus that cooperative goal structures are more effective at motivating groups than competitive goal structures. However, such results are based largely on studies conducted in highly-controlled settings where participants were provided with the necessary resources to accomplish their assigned task. In an attempt to extend the boundary conditions of current theoretical predictions, we undertook a field experiment within a base-of-the-pyramid setting where resource scarcity is extremely high. Specifically, we collected data on 44 communities within rural Sri Lanka who were tasked with contributing a portion of their resources to the construction of a school building; 24 were assigned to a competition condition and 20 to a cooperation condition. The results of our field experiment, and subsequent follow-up interviews and focus groups, collectively suggest that competitive goal structures generally lead to higher levels of motivation within a resource scarce environment. However, our results also suggest that cooperative goal structures can be highly motivating when groups are unfamiliar with one another, as cooperating with unfamiliar groups can provide access to valuable and rare knowledge within such settings.

JAKARTA: Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday and offered his congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump by phone during an official visit to Washington.

“I will work very hard to strengthen Indonesian-United States relationship, and I would like to work towards this end that we have a strong cooperation,“ said Prabowo.

Prabowo, who has said he will pursue a non-aligned foreign policy, met with Biden in the Oval Office after posting a video of his call to Trump.

He arrived in Washington straight from China, where he had met with President Xi Jinping on his first overseas trip since taking office last month.

Washington sees Indonesia, the most populous country in Southeast Asia, as an important partner in a region where its rival Beijing has deep trade and investment ties. Indonesia is also the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

While China is a key economic partner for Indonesia, Jakarta has also become a big buyer of U.S. arms, and it wants to sell the West more metals from its mines.

At the White House, Biden said the two leaders were discussing climate, conflict in the Middle East and the South China Sea.

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognize China's claims over the vast majority of the South China Sea, despite signing a maritime development deal with Beijing.

“We continue to encourage Indonesia to work with their legal experts to make sure any agreement they make with (the People’s Republic of China) is in accordance with international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,“ said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre at a press briefing.

TRUMP CALL

Prabowo's office said he made the call to Trump on Monday after arriving in Washington. It did not immediately respond when asked if he is scheduled to meet Trump in person.

“Wherever you are, I’m willing to fly to congratulate you personally, sir,“ Prabowo said in the video of the call posted on his social media accounts.

“We’ll do that, anytime you want,“ Trump replied.

Trump described his own election victory as amazing, and said it gave him a big mandate.

He also said the Indonesian president was “very respected,“ and praised his English, to which Prabowo, a former special forces commander, replied: “All my training is American, sir.”

Prabowo also met with several U.S. company representatives in Washington, his office said, including from Freeport McMoRan and energy company Chevron, and urged the companies to invest in Indonesia. (Reporting by Stanley Widianto in Jakarta and Jeff Mason in Washington; Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by John Mair, David Gregorio and Rosalba O'Brien)

PUTRAJAYA: Active collaboration from industry players is needed for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution to offer programmes that are of a higher quality and more relevant to market needs.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said strong cooperation between the industry players and the TVET institution was crucial to ensure the comprehensive matching of demand and supply.

He said consistent input from the industry players on the workforce skills and needs was also needed by the TVET institution to develop suitable curricula and programmes.

“Forging close cooperation with industry players can create a new skilled workforce to master the latest technology, which will have a spillover effect on encouraging economic growth.

“I call for the active involvement of industry players in Malaysia to collaborate with the government in supporting the agenda to empower TVET,” he said at the 2024 Prime Minister’s Gold Hand Award and Skilled Person Award ceremony here today.

Meanwhile, Fadillah said the government is aware that the TVET stream in Malaysia needs to be improved for it to be more systematic and effective.

He said the organisation of skills competitions was one of the government’s efforts to promote and ensure the quality of delivery of TVET training in Malaysia is in line with international standards.

“I call on all TVET agencies to hold skills competitions at institutional levels so that we can pick the best talent for national and international-level competitions,” he said.

In his speech, Fadillah also thanked and congratulated the national contingent which made sure the Jalur Gemilang was hoisted proudly at the WorldSkills Competition Lyon 2024 at the Euroexpo Lyon in France from Sept 10-15.

In the competition, Malaysia, represented by 15 participants across 14 categories, captured five medals - one bronze medal in the Beauty Therapy category through Wong Hsun Wei and four Medallion for Excellence.

The four Medallion for Excellence recipients were Muhammad Nasran Ahmad in the Hairdressing category; Ahmad Muizuddin Mohd Razi in the Bricklaying category; Muhammad Hakimi Abu Bakar in Electrical Installations; and Stephen Sim Shan Siong in the IT Software Solutions for Business category.

The Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg offers in cooperation with GEO BON and iDiv the position of Executive Director for the duration of 30 months (initially limited till September 30th, 2016 with possibility of extension). The Executive Director will work in close collaboration with the incoming Chair of the GEO BON Steering Committee, Prof. Henrique M. Pereira (iDiv) and the incoming vice-chair, Dr. Mike Gill (Environment Canada), thematic workgroup coordinators, regional BON coordinators, the GEO BON Steering Committee and the GEO secretariat.

Requirements:
• Ph.D. in ecology or related field
• excellent diploma or master degree in a relevant field
• demonstrable experience in project management with executive leadership in organizations a plus
• excellent communication skills, fluency in English, knowledge of other languages being a plus
• willingness to travel abroad frequently, outgoing and at ease in multicultural backgrounds

Topic/job description:
• Providing visible leadership for GEO BON and representing GEO BON at scientific and policy meetings
• Creating funding opportunities through engagement with potential donors
• Coordinating activities of GEO BON Working Groups and Regional Observation Networks
• Liaising with national and regional organizations involved in biodiversity monitoring and reporting
• Organize the Steering Committee, All-hands and other meetings of GEO BON and manage the communication activities of GEO BON, including a regular newsletter and a website
• Manage, as and when required, activities and inputs requested by the GEO secretariat

Applications should be directed to emily.keller@idiv.de and addressed to Henrique M. Pereira, Professor of Biodiversity Conservation, iDiv. Applications should be in a single PDF file with reference file number (D 189/2013). Applications are accepted until January 6th, 2014.

For more information see attached the full text of the job offer.

The SUSTAIN EU-ASEAN project aiming at establishing a more sustainable and integrated research and innovation cooperation between the EU and the ASEAN region in the areas of climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials has now published its first project newsletter.

This first issue of the SUSTAIN EU-ASEAN Newsletter contains information about the outcomes from the first project Networking and Cluster Session that took place on 23 January 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as features a news item about the forthcoming sessions scheduled for 28 Match 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. More can be found in the Newsletter available here.

The SUSTAIN EU-ASEAN coordinating action will focus on climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials issues and will aim to enhance collaboration between researchers in the EU and the ASEAN region. Addressing these issues in a coherent way is vital for sustainable development that leads to economic prosperity, social cohesion and environmental integrity. Both regions have developed innovative ideas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to adapt to climate change, improve resource efficiency and manage raw materials.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out common objectives and areas of cooperation in the field of Earth observation and the environment over the coming years, announces a news item published on the EEA website.

Satellite data, such as that provided by the ESA, is a key component of environmental knowledge. The broader view satellite measurements offer of a particular subject at a particular time have improved environmental monitoring, leading to more evidence based policy and, ultimately, better environmental management.

The Memorandum of Understanding sets objectives for the exchange of scientific expertise and technical information between the agencies, providing the basis for mutual access to data and the promotion of joint activities.

Read more in the original news item here.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art’s academic facility at 41 Cooper Square in New York, attained LEED Platinum certification. ASSA ABLOY supplied door and hardware products.

The newly acquired Cooper Street Bakery will operate independently from the Cooper Street Snacks brand but will play a crucial role in supporting the company’s expanding product lines.

With the release of Skillet's latest album, "Revolution," lead singer John Cooper is more impassioned than ever, sounding an alarm over what he sees as a pivotal moment in America’s history. 

This week on After The Score, Thomas Bradley talks to a reporter with Columbus Business First about Cooper Stadium and the Smart City grant. How are the two related? How can they both help shape the future of transportation?

The two most abundant CaCO3 polymorphs, calcite and aragonite, are universally recognized for the richness of their morphology to which different twins make relevant contributions. The epitaxial transformation calcite ↔ aragonite has long been debated. While the twinning has been thoroughly treated, the homo-epitaxy occurring within each of these minerals has, inexplicably, been overlooked to date, both experimentally and theoretically. Twinning can be deceptive to the point where it can be mistaken for homo-epitaxy, thus making the proposed growth mechanism in the crystal aggregate wrong. Within the present work, the first aim is a theoretical investigation of the homo-epitaxies among the three {10.4}-cleavage, {01.2}-steep and {01.8}-flat rhombohedra of calcite. Accordingly, the specific adhesion energies were calculated between facing crystal forms, unequivocally showing that the {01.2}/{01.8} homo-epitaxy competes with the generation of both {01.2} and {01.8} contact twins. Secondly, the calculation of the specific adhesion energy was extended to consider homo-epitaxy for the {10.4} rhombohedron. The two-dimensional geometric lattice coincidence has been tried for the {00.1} pinacoidal form as well.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and China, the world's two biggest carbon polluters, agreed to cooperate to curb climate change with urgency, just days before President Joe Biden hosts a virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue.

The agreement was reached by U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during two days of talks in Shanghai last week, according to a joint statement.

The two countries "are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands," the statement said.

China is the world's biggest carbon emitter, followed by the United States. The two countries pump out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet's atmosphere. Their cooperation is key to a success of global efforts to curb climate change, but frayed ties over human rights, trade and China's territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea have been threatening to undermine such efforts.

Meeting with reporters in Seoul on Sunday, Kerry said the language in the statement is "strong" and that the two countries agreed on "critical elements on where we have to go." But the former secretary of state said, "I learned in diplomacy that you don't put your back on the words, you put on actions. We all need to see what happens."

Noting that China is the world's biggest coal user, Kerry said he and Chinese officials had a lot of discussions on how to accelerate a global energy transition. "I have never shied away from expressing our views shared by many, many people that it is imperative to reduce coal, everywhere," he said.

Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the April 22-23 summit. The U.S. and other countries are expected to announce more ambitious national targets for cutting carbon emissions ahead of or at the meeting, along with pledging financial help for climate efforts by less wealthy nations.

It's unclear how much Kerry's China visit would promote U.S.-China cooperation on climate issues.

While Kerry was still in Shanghai, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng signaled Friday that China is unlikely to make any new pledges at next week's summit.

"For a big country with 1.4 billion people, these goals are not easily delivered," Le said during an interview with The Associated Press in Beijing. "Some countries are asking China to achieve the goals earlier. I am afraid this is not very realistic."

During a video meeting with German and French leaders Friday, Xi said that climate change "should not become a geopolitical chip, a target for attacking other countries or an excuse for trade barriers," the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

On whether Xi would join the summit, Le said "the Chinese side is actively studying the matter."

The joint statement said the two countries "look forward to" next week's summit. Kerry said Sunday that "we very much hope that (Xi) will take part" in the summit but it's up to China to make that decision.

Biden, who has said that fighting global warming is among his highest priorities, had the United States rejoin the historic 2015 Paris climate accord in the first hours of his presidency, undoing the U.S. withdrawal ordered by predecessor Donald Trump.

Major emitters of greenhouse gases are preparing for the next U.N. climate summit taking place in Glasgow, U.K., in November. The summit aims to relaunch global efforts to keep rising global temperatures to below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as agreed in the Paris accord.

According to the U.S.-China statement, the two countries would enhance "their respective actions and cooperating in multilateral processes, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement."

It said both countries also intend to develop their respective long-term strategies before the Glasgow conference and take "appropriate actions to maximize international investment and finance in support of" the energy transition in developing countries.

Xi announced last year that China would be carbon-neutral by 2060 and aims to reach a peak in its emissions by 2030. In March, China's Communist Party pledged to reduce carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 18% over the next five years, in line with its goal for the previous five-year period. But environmentalists say China needs to do more.

Biden has pledged the U.S. will switch to an emissions-free power sector within 14 years, and have an entirely emissions-free economy by 2050. Kerry is also pushing other nations to commit to carbon neutrality by then.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The Challenge is part of Small Steps to Health and Wealth�, a national Cooperative Extension program developed to motivate Americans to take action to simultaneously improve their health and personal finances. SSHW was built around a framework of 25 research-based behavior change strategies. The Challenge was originally developed in a �paper and pencil� format with printed worksheets and is now available online.

Jeff Carpenter, who will begin new duties as Cooperative Extension Director on September 1, 2010, will oversee delivery of services to meet the Extension mission of sustaining agriculture and forestry, protecting the environment, maintaining viable communities, developing responsible youth and developing strong, healthy and safe families.

Area youth participating in the NC Cooperative Extension�s 4-H program helped children at Catawba County Public Health plant vegetable seeds. The activity was one of a series of visits by local North Carolina Cooperative Extension staff and volunteers to Public Health�s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinic designed to encourage WIC families to grow and eat fresh vegetables.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) recently selected winners for its University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.

The president of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and the presidents of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS), U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) have signed a five-year agreement to continue their cooperation on studies, workshops, and other activities in areas of mutual interest.

As a novel coronavirus spreads throughout the world and the number of cases and deaths continues to rise, almost no country or community remains untouched by this rapidly evolving threat.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.

A new rapid expert consultation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Societal Experts Action Network says strategies such as giving advance notice, partnering with trusted sources, and offering incentives can encourage individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to respond to health department contact tracing and share information about people they may have exposed to the virus.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) today announced winners of its annual Graduate Research Awards.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) today announced nine winners of its annual Graduate Research Awards.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has selected winners for its annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs. Now in its 16th year, the prestigious competition encourages students to design innovative and practical solutions to challenges at airports.

The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) has announced the winners of its annual Graduate Research Awards. The prestigious awards focus on applied research on airport and related aviation system issues to help the public sector continue to improve the quality, reliability, safety, and security of the U.S. civil aviation system.

Cooper & Thief, producers of a portfolio of spirits barrel-aged wines, unveiled its new bourbon barrel-aged wine: Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Christian Edward Cooper, MBA, serves as a strategic account manager at Veritas Technologies LLC

Dr. Cartrell Cooper has earned extraordinary success as a canine training expert