Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Apr 4, 2025 06:41 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Costas Velis

Lecturer in Resource Efficiency Systems, University of Leeds
I am a Lecturer in Resource Efficiency Systems at the School of Civil Engineering (SoCE), University of Leeds. As Principal Investigator I lead a team with core research focus on enabling a sustainable circular economy and on preventing plastics pollution.

My research portfolio is spread all over the world and covers innovation for closing the materials loop and recovering value for secondary material resources and energy (after-use items, waste) – I set up the Circualr Economy & Resource Recovery network, as part of the Cites University Theme. I conduct interdesciplinary research, funded by UK research bodies (UKRI, NERC, EPSRC, ESCR, British Council, Innovate UK, BBSRC, Royal Academy of Engineering) and international organisations (The World Bank, GIZ, UN Habitat, UNESCAP, The PEW Charitable Trusts, ISWA, Grid-Arendal, SYSTEMIQ).

I lead the ISWA Task Force on Marine Litter established by the International Solid Waste Association to prevent plastics pollution from mismanaged solid waste in the Global South. Recently my research team led or substantially contributed to the development of a suite of models to quantify plastics pollution (P2O, WFD, ISWA Plastic Pollution Calculator, SPOT).

My research collaboration outputs are in receipt of prestigious international awards, including those from the CIWM James Jackson Award (2015), the ICE Thomas Telford Award (2014) and twice the ISWA Publication Award (2015 and 2013).

Health crisis: up to a billion tonnes of waste potentially burned in the open every year

Jan 14, 2021 07:27 am UTC| Health

As much as one billion tonnes of waste could be burned in open and uncontrolled fires around the world each year, according to one estimate close to half of all the municipal solid waste generated on Earth. But even if...

Economy

U.S. Imposes 26% Tariff on Indian Imports, Spares Pharma Sector

The U.S. has imposed a 26% tariff on imports from India, dealing a blow to New Delhis hopes for leniency under President Donald Trumps global trade policies. A baseline 10% tariff begins Saturday, with the full rate...

South Korea Scrambles to Mitigate Impact of Harsh U.S. Tariffs on Exports

South Koreas acting President Han Duck-soo has ordered emergency support measures for industries affected by sweeping new U.S. tariffs, including a 25% tariff on Korean automobile exports. The move follows President Donald...

Australia Criticizes Trump’s 10% Tariff, Rules Out Retaliation

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to impose a 10% tariff on Australian imports, calling it not the act of a friend. The move impacts Australian beef exports,...

Australia’s Trade Surplus Drops to Four-Year Low on Weak Exports, Strong Imports

Australias trade surplus plummeted to its lowest level in over four years in February, as a sharp drop in exports and a rise in imports dealt a double blow to the countrys trade performance. The trade balance came in at...

Japan's Nikkei Tumbles as Trump Slaps 24% Tariff on Japanese Goods

Japans Nikkei 225 plunged to an eight-month low on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs, including a 24% duty on Japanese imports. The index dropped as much as 4.6% in early...

Politics

Senate Passes Bill to Block Trump’s Canada Tariffs Despite GOP Resistance

In a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate passed a bill on Wednesday to halt newly proposed tariffs on Canada, just hours after Trump announced sweeping duties on global imports. The bill, approved...

Disability Rights Groups Sue Trump, Musk Over Social Security Cuts

Disability rights organizations and Social Security recipients have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk, accusing them of illegally slashing the Social Security...

Canada Vows Strong Response to Trump’s Tariffs

Canada will take decisive action against U.S. President Donald Trumps recently imposed tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters before a high-level cabinet meeting, Carney...

Trump Imposes 10% Reciprocal Tariffs, Targets China and EU

President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs aimed at addressing what he calls unfair trade practices by foreign nations. Starting April 5, a baseline 10% reciprocal tariff will be imposed on all imported goods...

French Judge Faces Threats After Barring Marine Le Pen from 2027 Presidential Race

French judge Benedicte de Perthuis is under police protection after barring far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in Frances 2027 presidential election. De Perthuis, who led the three-judge panel that found Le Pen...

Science

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on...

A new study reveals the structure of violent winds 1,300 light years away

The planet WASP-121b is extreme. Its a gas giant almost twice as big as Jupiter orbiting extremely close to its star50 times closer than the Earth does around the Sun. WASP-121b is so close to its star that tidal forces...

Technology

Nintendo Switch 2 Launches June 5 at $449.99 with Major Upgrades

Nintendo (NYSE:SWCH) has officially announced the launch of its next-generation gaming console, the Switch 2, set for release on June 5. Priced at $449.99 in the U.S., the highly anticipated device features significant...

ReliaQuest Secures $500M to Boost AI Cybersecurity, Hits $3.4B Valuation

ReliaQuest, a leading AI-powered cybersecurity company, has raised over $500 million in a new funding round led by EQT, KKR, and FTV Capital, pushing its valuation to $3.4 billion. Other backers in this round include Ten...

GlobalFoundries and UMC Explore Merger Amid U.S. Chip Strategy Shift

United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), a major Taiwanese semiconductor foundry, and U.S.-based GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ: GFS) are reportedly in early talks about a potential merger, according to sources cited by Reuters. If...

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Outlines Bold Turnaround Strategy at IntelVision 2025

At the IntelVision 2025 conference, new Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) CEO Lip-Bu Tan unveiled a transformative vision to revitalize the tech giant. Since taking the helm on March 12, Tan has prioritized customer engagement and...

OpenAI Secures $40B from SoftBank, Reaches $300B Valuation Amid AI Boom

OpenAI announced Monday it has raised $40 billion in a funding round led by Japans SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984), pushing the AI firms valuation to a staggering $300 billion. This marks a major leap from its $157 billion...