1 China, EU for closer engagement (San Francisco
Chronicle) Top diplomats from China and the European Union have pledged closer
cooperation, highlighting their common interests in peace and security and
pushing a message of free trade and open engagement in contrast to fears that
the US is turning inward under President Donald Trump.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini
co-chaired the Seventh EU-China Strategic Dialogue with State Councilor Yang
Jiechi, China's highest-ranking diplomat. Mogherini said China and the EU had
"a big responsibility" during "times of uncertainty."
Mogherini met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who
said that the international community was looking at how China and the EU would
work together to tackle challenges including the world economic recovery,
global conflicts and terrorism, and Britain's pending withdrawal from the EU.
Unlike Trump, who was elected promising to tear up
trade deals, impose new tariffs and bring jobs back to America, Chinese
President Xi Jinping has cast his country as a champion of free trade and
stability, and spoken out against protectionism.
Beijing and Brussels have disagreements on trade,
however, including complaints by European and other foreign companies that they
are blocked from acquiring Chinese assets while China's companies are buying
major global brands. They also say they are barred from or sharply restricted
in telecoms, information technology, finance and other promising industries in
violation of Beijing's free-trading pledges.
Beijing, meanwhile, wants the EU to grant it market
economy status, which would make it harder for the EU to impose punitive
tariffs on Chinese imports that it deems to be unfairly cheap. Other points of
dispute include China's increasingly restrictive environment for civil society
and internet censorship.
2 Facebook for brain-control of computers (Dave Lee
on BBC) Facebook says it is working on technology to allow us to control
computers directly with our brains. It is developing “silent speech” software
to allow people to type at a rate of 100 words per minute, it says.
The project, in its early stages, will require new
technology to detect brainwaves without needing invasive surgery. "We are
not talking about decoding your random thoughts,” assured Facebook's Regina
Dugan.
"You have many thoughts, you choose to share
some of them. We’re talking about decoding those words. A silent speech
interface - one with all the speed and flexibility of voice." Ms Dugan is
the company’s head of Building 8, the firm’s hardware research lab. The company
said it intends to build both the hardware and software to achieve its goal,
and has enlisted a team of more than 60 scientists and academics to work on the
project.
On his Facebook page, Mark Zuckerberg added:
"Our brains produce enough data to stream four HD movies every second. "The problem is that the best way we
have to get information out into the world - speech - can only transmit about
the same amount of data as a 1980s modem.
Other ideas detailed at the company’s developers
conference in San Jose included work to allow people to “hear” through skin.
The system, comparable to Braille, uses pressure points on the skin to relay
information. “One day, not so far away, it may be possible for me to think in
Mandarin, and you to feel it instantly in Spanish,” Ms Dugan said.
3 One in four young Aussies in distress (BBC) Almost
a quarter of young Australians are living with "probable serious mental
illness", according to a study. The number of people aged 15-19 in psychological
distress is higher than five years ago, said the report.
It also showed girls and indigenous Australians are
more likely to suffer serious mental illness. The report recommended more
investment in evidence-based online support tools and improving mental health
education.
Key areas of concern for young people include coping
with stress, school and study problems, and depression, according to the
Mission Australia and Black Dog Institute findings. Black Dog Institute
director Helen Christensen said: "These findings confirm that mental
illness is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st Century, and one that has
to be tackled by the community, health services and families."
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