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Environmental science and conservation news

IPCC warns of ‘last chance’ to limit climate change via drastic emissions cuts
By John Cannon [2023-03-20]
Humans must make “deep, rapid, and sustained” cuts to greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst effects of climate change, according to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s March 20 assessment warns that the 2020s will be perhaps the last chance to keep the global rise in temperature within 1.5° […]






A liquid biofuels primer: Carbon-cutting hopes vs. real-world impacts
By Sean Mowbray [2023-03-20]
Harvested sugarcane in Karnataka, India.Biofuels have long been held up as a viable high-tech climate solution, but in practice they’ve often not lived up to their promise, causing environmental harm and in some cases being more carbon-intensive than fossil fuels.






Five years since the death of Sudan, new film highlights hope for rhinos
By Mongabay.com [2023-03-20]
A wildlife ranger comforts Sudan, the last living male Northern White Rhino left on the planet, moments before he passed away March 19, 2018 at Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya. Photo courtesy of Ami Vitale.Sudan, a 45-year-old rhino believed to be the world’s last surviving male northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), died five years ago at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19, 2018. He had been battling ill health for months, and after his condition worsened considerably, veterinarians decided to euthanize him. Since then, an […]






In Chile’s Patagonia, another salmon plant angers water defenders
By Maxwell Radwin [2023-03-20]
A recently opened salmon processing plant in southern Chile is raising concerns about whether environmental regulations were properly carried out to prevent contamination of marine ecosystems and clean drinking water. The Dumestre salmon plant near the city of Puerto Natales is receiving backlash from conservationists and residents who say the facility is at risk of […]






Sámi rights must not be sacrificed for green energy goals of Europe (commentary)
By Karin Nutti Pilflykt [2023-03-20]
A member of the Sámi Indigenous people tends a reindeer in Sweden.Growing up in Gällivare/ Váhtjer, a Swedish village in Sápmi, north of the Arctic Circle, the threats facing Sámi people were a daily reality. We are Europe’s only Indigenous people, but colonialism means our territory, Sápmi, is split across four countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia. But across these national borders, the same pressures bear […]






Bearded pigs a ‘cultural keystone species’ for Borneo’s Indigenous groups: Study
By John Cannon [2023-03-20]
A Bornean bearded pig family.Bearded pigs play a prominent role in the lives of many people living on the island of Borneo. For some ethnic groups, they’re a hunter’s most-prized quarry, providing an important source of protein, and a shared pig is often a central part of community celebrations. Now, a recent study provides quantitative evidence for the first […]






Brazil’s plan to issue credits for recycling gets a boost, but experts call for more
By Marina Martinez [2023-03-20]
Reverse logistics, a principle introduced in Brazil in 2010 in the Brazilian government’s National Policy for Solid Waste (PNRS), is an approach that seeks to minimize levels of waste generated after the consumption or at the end of the life cycle of consumer products, such as electronics, light bulbs, tires and packaging in general. It’s […]






On wildlife and the Metaverse, some ethical considerations (commentary)
By Nikolas Kozloff [2023-03-17]
Example of the kind of virtual environments that gaming companies are currently creating. Image via Unreal Engine, a 3D creation tool for photo realistic visuals and immersive experiences.In the fight against climate change, will the Metaverse be helpful or hinder environmental efforts?  Essentially an updated internet and virtual world where participants can pose as avatars and interact with others inside a three-dimensional simulation, the Metaverse relies on artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), both of which require wasteful data processing. Hailed […]






Video of rare West African lion cubs sparks hope for the population
By Liz Kimbrough [2023-03-17]
West African lioness Florence with one of her cubs.New video of a West African lioness and her three cubs is exciting news for the conservation community, sparking hope for the slow recovery of a population perilously close to extinction in Senegal’s Panth (NKNP). The lioness featured in the clips is known to researchers as Florence or “Flo.” She was the first lion fitted […]






Kenyan science interns turn Lake Victoria’s fish waste into oil and flowers
By Mactilda Mbenywe [2023-03-17]
Fishermen going fishing at Dunga beach, Kisumu.KISUMU, Kenya — At Dunga Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria, numerous varieties of fish, such as tilapia, Nile perch and mudfish, are processed for consumption and distribution. Every day after processing, the fish remains create tons of waste that threatens the environment. The process of converting Nile perch into chilled fish fillets for […]






Peru congress debates stripping isolated Indigenous people of land and protections
By Yvette Sierra Praeli [2023-03-16]
Malocas (traditional longhouses) of Indigenous communities in isolation on the Peru-Brazil border. Image by ORPIO.A new legislative proposal, criticized by opponents as a step backwards in recognizing the rights and protections of uncontacted and recently contacted Indigenous people, is currently under debate in Peru’s congress. The controversial proposal, which seeks to alter the current Law for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact Situations (known as […]






Can gaming solve a puzzle for camera trap conservationists? (commentary)
By Zhengyang Wang [2023-03-16]
Sample footage from the game "Horizon" developed by Guerrilla Games.A few years ago I was catching butterflies in a strip of rainforest in Panama. One day the camp welcomed a team of jet-lagged vagabonds dragging their rollers full of flashlights and 3D scanners. I thought they were a film crew, but if so they didn’t seem to have much of a script: they photographed […]






Brazil tackles illegal miners, but finds their mercury legacy harder to erase
By Sean Mowbray [2023-03-16]
Illegal mining areas inside Yanomami land near the Mucajaí River.In 2015, researchers in Brazil started a project to address a tricky challenge: Reducing exposure to mercury contamination in the region of the Tapajós River, a major tributary of the Amazon. Artisanal miners use the heavy metal to separate gold from ore, then burn it off. The waste mercury then ends up in the air, […]






Nepal’s vultures, recovering from a poisoning crisis, fly into another
By Abhaya Raj Joshi [2023-03-16]
vulture NepalKATHMANDU — As dawn breaks over the forest in the Kawasoti area on the edge of Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, early risers can catch a glimpse of rare vultures roosting in their nests perched in the tall trees. This was the sight Ankit Bilas Joshi, vulture conservation program manager at the NGO Bird Conservation Nepal, […]






How we built a database of conflicts driven by Indonesia’s palm oil smallholder scheme
By Tom Walker [2023-03-16]
In Sumatra, villagers occupied an oil palm plantation and set tires on fire; in the Bangka-Belitung Islands, they filled the local parliament building demanding action; in Borneo, paramilitary police were deployed to control the protests. Each of these incidents appeared in local media reports in Indonesia in the past few years and told what was […]






In Sri Lanka and beyond, seagrass key to livelihoods, marine habitats
By Malaka Rodrigo [2023-03-15]
COLOMBO — The fishers in Illuppaikadawei village in the northern district of Mannar mostly use fence fishery, where they erect a series of poles and tie a net around them during high tide. When the tide retreats, the fish get trapped in the net. “We prefer to set up these traps near the seagrass beds, […]






Fishy business of squid vessels needs stronger regulation, study says
By Elizabeth Claire Alberts [2023-03-15]
Squid fishing could be getting out of control due to the industry’s lack of regulations, scientists say, prompting calls for greater oversight. Thousands of squid fishing vessels operate across the world, using light to lure the eight-armed cephalopods to the surface and catching them with nets or jigging equipment. While some research suggests that squid […]






Loss of wetlands threatens South Sumatra’s rich fish-preserving tradition
By Fadhil NugrahaMahesa Putra [2023-03-15]
PALEMBANG, Indonesia — Lithan, 68, grew up eating fish caught from the rivers and freshwater swamps near his village in Ogan Ilir district, near the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. Fish were so abundant, he recalls, that the villagers would smoke them, salt them, ferment them, even make fish crackers out of them. […]






‘They will not put us in a display case’: Q&A with Indigenous artist Daiara Tukano
By Mariana Della Barba [2023-03-15]
Whether you’re looking at her giant paintings of Indigenous women creators or having a chat before the interview, Daiara Tukano always transmits her power, her well-honed critical viewpoint and excellent sense of humor. Daiara Tukano, who is also a political activist, educator and communicator, hails from the Yepá Mahsã people, also known as the Tukano, […]






Deforestation on the rise in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as Mennonite communities move in
By Robin CanulVALERIA CONTRERAS [2023-03-15]
BACALAR, Mexico — Less than a decade ago the El Bajío ejido — a form of communal land in Mexico —consisted primarily of rainforest. Today, the landscape is vastly different, with vast open fields of soybeans, sorghum and corn. This transformation was brought about by the mechanized agricultural activities of Mennonite families who began settling […]






Features

Conservation news

Environmental science and conservation news

IPCC warns of ‘last chance’ to limit climate change via drastic emissions cuts
By John Cannon [2023-03-20]
Humans must make “deep, rapid, and sustained” cuts to greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst effects of climate change, according to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s March 20 assessment warns that the 2020s will be perhaps the last chance to keep the global rise in temperature within 1.5° […]






A liquid biofuels primer: Carbon-cutting hopes vs. real-world impacts
By Sean Mowbray [2023-03-20]
Harvested sugarcane in Karnataka, India.Biofuels have long been held up as a viable high-tech climate solution, but in practice they’ve often not lived up to their promise, causing environmental harm and in some cases being more carbon-intensive than fossil fuels.






Five years since the death of Sudan, new film highlights hope for rhinos
By Mongabay.com [2023-03-20]
A wildlife ranger comforts Sudan, the last living male Northern White Rhino left on the planet, moments before he passed away March 19, 2018 at Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya. Photo courtesy of Ami Vitale.Sudan, a 45-year-old rhino believed to be the world’s last surviving male northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), died five years ago at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on March 19, 2018. He had been battling ill health for months, and after his condition worsened considerably, veterinarians decided to euthanize him. Since then, an […]






In Chile’s Patagonia, another salmon plant angers water defenders
By Maxwell Radwin [2023-03-20]
A recently opened salmon processing plant in southern Chile is raising concerns about whether environmental regulations were properly carried out to prevent contamination of marine ecosystems and clean drinking water. The Dumestre salmon plant near the city of Puerto Natales is receiving backlash from conservationists and residents who say the facility is at risk of […]






Sámi rights must not be sacrificed for green energy goals of Europe (commentary)
By Karin Nutti Pilflykt [2023-03-20]
A member of the Sámi Indigenous people tends a reindeer in Sweden.Growing up in Gällivare/ Váhtjer, a Swedish village in Sápmi, north of the Arctic Circle, the threats facing Sámi people were a daily reality. We are Europe’s only Indigenous people, but colonialism means our territory, Sápmi, is split across four countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia. But across these national borders, the same pressures bear […]






Bearded pigs a ‘cultural keystone species’ for Borneo’s Indigenous groups: Study
By John Cannon [2023-03-20]
A Bornean bearded pig family.Bearded pigs play a prominent role in the lives of many people living on the island of Borneo. For some ethnic groups, they’re a hunter’s most-prized quarry, providing an important source of protein, and a shared pig is often a central part of community celebrations. Now, a recent study provides quantitative evidence for the first […]






Brazil’s plan to issue credits for recycling gets a boost, but experts call for more
By Marina Martinez [2023-03-20]
Reverse logistics, a principle introduced in Brazil in 2010 in the Brazilian government’s National Policy for Solid Waste (PNRS), is an approach that seeks to minimize levels of waste generated after the consumption or at the end of the life cycle of consumer products, such as electronics, light bulbs, tires and packaging in general. It’s […]






On wildlife and the Metaverse, some ethical considerations (commentary)
By Nikolas Kozloff [2023-03-17]
Example of the kind of virtual environments that gaming companies are currently creating. Image via Unreal Engine, a 3D creation tool for photo realistic visuals and immersive experiences.In the fight against climate change, will the Metaverse be helpful or hinder environmental efforts?  Essentially an updated internet and virtual world where participants can pose as avatars and interact with others inside a three-dimensional simulation, the Metaverse relies on artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), both of which require wasteful data processing. Hailed […]






Video of rare West African lion cubs sparks hope for the population
By Liz Kimbrough [2023-03-17]
West African lioness Florence with one of her cubs.New video of a West African lioness and her three cubs is exciting news for the conservation community, sparking hope for the slow recovery of a population perilously close to extinction in Senegal’s Panth (NKNP). The lioness featured in the clips is known to researchers as Florence or “Flo.” She was the first lion fitted […]






Kenyan science interns turn Lake Victoria’s fish waste into oil and flowers
By Mactilda Mbenywe [2023-03-17]
Fishermen going fishing at Dunga beach, Kisumu.KISUMU, Kenya — At Dunga Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria, numerous varieties of fish, such as tilapia, Nile perch and mudfish, are processed for consumption and distribution. Every day after processing, the fish remains create tons of waste that threatens the environment. The process of converting Nile perch into chilled fish fillets for […]






Peru congress debates stripping isolated Indigenous people of land and protections
By Yvette Sierra Praeli [2023-03-16]
Malocas (traditional longhouses) of Indigenous communities in isolation on the Peru-Brazil border. Image by ORPIO.A new legislative proposal, criticized by opponents as a step backwards in recognizing the rights and protections of uncontacted and recently contacted Indigenous people, is currently under debate in Peru’s congress. The controversial proposal, which seeks to alter the current Law for the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact Situations (known as […]






Can gaming solve a puzzle for camera trap conservationists? (commentary)
By Zhengyang Wang [2023-03-16]
Sample footage from the game "Horizon" developed by Guerrilla Games.A few years ago I was catching butterflies in a strip of rainforest in Panama. One day the camp welcomed a team of jet-lagged vagabonds dragging their rollers full of flashlights and 3D scanners. I thought they were a film crew, but if so they didn’t seem to have much of a script: they photographed […]






Brazil tackles illegal miners, but finds their mercury legacy harder to erase
By Sean Mowbray [2023-03-16]
Illegal mining areas inside Yanomami land near the Mucajaí River.In 2015, researchers in Brazil started a project to address a tricky challenge: Reducing exposure to mercury contamination in the region of the Tapajós River, a major tributary of the Amazon. Artisanal miners use the heavy metal to separate gold from ore, then burn it off. The waste mercury then ends up in the air, […]






Nepal’s vultures, recovering from a poisoning crisis, fly into another
By Abhaya Raj Joshi [2023-03-16]
vulture NepalKATHMANDU — As dawn breaks over the forest in the Kawasoti area on the edge of Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, early risers can catch a glimpse of rare vultures roosting in their nests perched in the tall trees. This was the sight Ankit Bilas Joshi, vulture conservation program manager at the NGO Bird Conservation Nepal, […]






How we built a database of conflicts driven by Indonesia’s palm oil smallholder scheme
By Tom Walker [2023-03-16]
In Sumatra, villagers occupied an oil palm plantation and set tires on fire; in the Bangka-Belitung Islands, they filled the local parliament building demanding action; in Borneo, paramilitary police were deployed to control the protests. Each of these incidents appeared in local media reports in Indonesia in the past few years and told what was […]






In Sri Lanka and beyond, seagrass key to livelihoods, marine habitats
By Malaka Rodrigo [2023-03-15]
COLOMBO — The fishers in Illuppaikadawei village in the northern district of Mannar mostly use fence fishery, where they erect a series of poles and tie a net around them during high tide. When the tide retreats, the fish get trapped in the net. “We prefer to set up these traps near the seagrass beds, […]






Fishy business of squid vessels needs stronger regulation, study says
By Elizabeth Claire Alberts [2023-03-15]
Squid fishing could be getting out of control due to the industry’s lack of regulations, scientists say, prompting calls for greater oversight. Thousands of squid fishing vessels operate across the world, using light to lure the eight-armed cephalopods to the surface and catching them with nets or jigging equipment. While some research suggests that squid […]






Loss of wetlands threatens South Sumatra’s rich fish-preserving tradition
By Fadhil NugrahaMahesa Putra [2023-03-15]
PALEMBANG, Indonesia — Lithan, 68, grew up eating fish caught from the rivers and freshwater swamps near his village in Ogan Ilir district, near the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. Fish were so abundant, he recalls, that the villagers would smoke them, salt them, ferment them, even make fish crackers out of them. […]






‘They will not put us in a display case’: Q&A with Indigenous artist Daiara Tukano
By Mariana Della Barba [2023-03-15]
Whether you’re looking at her giant paintings of Indigenous women creators or having a chat before the interview, Daiara Tukano always transmits her power, her well-honed critical viewpoint and excellent sense of humor. Daiara Tukano, who is also a political activist, educator and communicator, hails from the Yepá Mahsã people, also known as the Tukano, […]






Deforestation on the rise in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as Mennonite communities move in
By Robin CanulVALERIA CONTRERAS [2023-03-15]
BACALAR, Mexico — Less than a decade ago the El Bajío ejido — a form of communal land in Mexico —consisted primarily of rainforest. Today, the landscape is vastly different, with vast open fields of soybeans, sorghum and corn. This transformation was brought about by the mechanized agricultural activities of Mennonite families who began settling […]






Wildtech news

Wildtech

Technology for Conservation

Experts hack away at portable DNA barcode scanner to fight timber and wildlife trafficking
By Julia John [2016-09-08]
Survey responses to the Wildtech needs assessment—especially from field researchers—put portable DNA analysis near the top of the research and conservation technology wish-list. How could we harness DNA barcode technology in an adaptable, handheld device that frontline officials in developing countries could use to combat timber and wildlife trafficking? The DNA Barcode Scanner Hack that […]






Hot stuff: improving chili fence effectiveness (in protecting crops from elephants)
By Sue Palminteri [2016-09-07]
Some tips from a chili fence expert on how to make the most of a low-tech approach to reducing crop raiding and retaliatory killing of elephants






Solving Global Grand Challenges, One MOOC at a Time
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-08-12]
A new online course aims to address the complex challenges facing conservation and development.






Understanding the ghost of the mountain
By Julia John [2016-08-10]
The grayish-white form of the ghost of the mountain slinks through the snowcapped slopes of Central Asia. Its remote, harsh habitat, cryptic coat and elusive nature have impeded investigation and made monitoring the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) arduous, if not impossible. Technological advances, however, are changing that. New population estimates for the big cat, based […]






How to use the Bloomberg Terminal for advocacy work: advanced tools
By Dan Williams [2016-08-08]
An oil-palm plantation with a few remaining rainforest trees in Sarawak, Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.Other stories in Mongabay’s series on using the Bloomberg Terminal in advocacy work: Part 1: How to use the Bloomberg Terminal for advocacy work: the basics Part 2: Tracking assets for environmental advocacy work with Bloomberg  The previous two articles in this three-part series detailed some of the basic functions of the Bloomberg Terminal — […]






Identifying the drivers of Amazon deforestation through high-tech maps and stories
By Suzanne Palminteri [2016-08-05]
A new logging road stands out against an otherwise intact rainforestThe MAAP project integrates a range of satellite imagery and analysis tools to detect and disclose deforestation across the Peruvian Amazon.






DART-TOFMS: Finding the chemistry in wood
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-08-03]
Earlier this summer, members of the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA) gathered in Washington, DC for their Semi-Annual Membership Meeting. As a precursor to the upcoming CITES COP17 meeting in September, the FLA member meeting focused on issues pertaining to illegally traded CITES-listed timber species, proposals to add new timber species to the CITES list and […]






Chew on this new way to detect disease in primates
By Julia John [2016-07-28]
Preoccupied with snipping a saliva-soaked plant part with a scalpel and placing it in a little tube of viral transport media, veterinary epidemiologist Tierra Smiley Evans thought she was alone, backed up against a big bush. But someone was watching close by with beady eyes. Suddenly, a shaggy black arm darted under her armpit and […]






Piloting PALM Risk to detect palm oil-driven deforestation
By Julia John [2016-07-20]
What do lipstick, detergent and instant noodles have in common? They all contain palm oil. Half of every packaged product stocking supermarket shelves can be traced back to a ruthless army of oil palm trees rapidly occupying land that naturally supported rich tropical forests. Palm oil production razes and replaces biologically diverse ecosystems with monospecific […]






Wildlife Law Enforcement in Sub-Saharan African Protected Areas: A Review of Best Practices
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-07-15]
“Across Africa, illegal killing and trade in wildlife, especially of iconic species such as elephants and rhinos, has now reached crisis proportions. Illicit wildlife trafficking now comprises the fourth largest illegal trade internationally after arms and drugs trafficking, and trafficking in human beings. In recent years, tens of thousands of elephants have been killed every […]






New map of Malaysia’s limestone hills will help set conservation priorities
By Mike Gaworecki [2016-07-11]
Malaysia’s limestone hills, or karsts, have been described as “arks of biodiversity,” but they’re facing intense pressures from mining and other human activities. Limestone is a vital resource for the construction industry, meaning it is not likely that forest degradation and quarrying in a developing country like Malaysia, where 445 limestone hills have been recorded […]






GDELT: Mining and mapping global wildlife crime news
By Julia John [2016-07-07]
In the eighth grade, at an age most boys spend their time outside school watching sports and playing videogames, Kalev Leetaru was delving into large-scale web mining and founding his first web company. With his continued interest in investigating enormous amounts of data two decades since, he now heads the GDELT Project, a massive open-data platform that analyzes news media […]






Bringing Star Trek tricorder analysis to the 21st century
By Hina Alam [2016-07-04]
Handheld, palm-sized, lightweight DNA preparation and sequencing devices are coming your way soon.






Bridging the Gap between Land and Space
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-07-01]
The United Nations/Kenya Conference on Space Technology and Applications for Wildlife Management and Protecting Biodiversity aims to expand the use of space technology in conservation.






5 Tech Projects That Are Protecting Sharks
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-06-30]
Annually, approximately 100 million sharks are killed by commercial fisheries. Coupled with climate change and a decrease of food supply from overfishing, some shark populations are teetering on the edge of extinction. Bringing sharks into mainstream media, the brainchild of the Discovery Channel and the longest running cable TV program, Shark Week has aired every […]






A World of Tings
By Taylor Robb-McCord [2016-06-28]
The real-time wildlife sighting app, Latest Sightings, can help to link a global community of wildlife enthusiasts and promote conservation one “ting” at a time.






Combining high-tech and low-tech to turn satellite images into action
By Nathan Hahn [2016-06-24]
Dr. Lilian Pintea, Vice President of conservation science at the Jane Goodall Institute. Photo courtesy of JGI/Jeff Kerby.Since its founding, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) has been on the forefront of conservation science, and in recent years the group has been applying remote sensing, mobile phone technologies, and cloud-based mapping tools to its forest and […]






Drink beer, help the ocean?
By Julia John [2016-06-14]
Beer may have a bad rep among carb-fearing ab-chiseling fitness fans, but it could now be better for the environment than it was before. Well, at least the new kind packaged using edible six-pack rings from south Florida’s Saltwater Brewery. This Delray Beach microbrewery north of Miami, Florida, just launched the first ever 100% compostable […]






e-Eye of the tiger: Complex surveillance system extends watch over India’s wildlife sanctuaries
By Julia John [2016-06-10]
A new set of eyes is keeping watch over tiger reserves across India. They’re electronic, but they seem to have hawk-like observational faculties. And they may be related to how the country’s tiger population increased from 1,706 in 2010, one year before this digital monitoring system was first implemented, to 2,226 in 2014, the last […]






Tracking assets for environmental advocacy work with Bloomberg
By Dan Williams [2016-06-09]
Oil-palm estate in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.Other stories in Mongabay’s series on using the Bloomberg Terminal in advocacy work: Part 1: How to use the Bloomberg Terminal for advocacy work: the basics Part 3: How to use the Bloomberg Terminal for advocacy work: advanced tools The Bloomberg Terminal is Windows-based proprietary software that offers users real-time access to global news sources, financial […]