France just banned smartphone use in schools
The new legislation means that students between the age of 3 and 15 will either have to leave their phones at home or keep them turned off during the school day.
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New York just became the first city to give Uber drivers a minimum wage
New York City’s new regulations could set a precedent for other cities across the country that face increasingly congested roads and drivers frustrated with the depreciating value of their services.
Missouri voters just blocked the right-to-work law Republicans passed to weaken labor unions
It’s the first time voters have overturned right-to-work laws through a ballot referendum in recent years.
Research successfully transplant lab-grown lungs in pigs
Eventually, bioengineered lungs could replace donor ones altogether. And that could make the transplant waiting list a thing of the past.
World now has 1 TW of wind and solar capacity, 2 TW expected in 2023
The capital expenditure for constructing these plants totalled USD 2.3 trillion (EUR 1.99tr), while the next 1 TW of capacity will cost 46% less.
Lloyds Banking Group halts financing for new coal plants
Banking giant will no longer finance coal-fired power stations or thermal coal mines in support of Paris Agreement goals
LeBron James opens first-of-its-kind “I Promise” public school in Akron
“We are letting people know it is about true wrap-around support, true family integration and true compassion.”
New ‘flow battery’ could power green homes when the sun goes down and the wind stops blowing
Researchers report the discovery of a potentially cheap, organic molecule that can power a flow battery for years instead of days.
The island of Samoa to go 100% renewable by 2025
The local utility has worked with Tesla to install a key piece of that plan, battery storage, and also a software system that can control Samoa’s entire electricity supply.
#MeToo movement gathers momentum in China
A slew of sexual-misconduct allegations is surfacing in China, a sign of pent-up frustration about the treatment of women and a testament to the rise of a generation increasingly willing to speak up.