Top Stories of the Week: November 8-12

                              A roundup of this week's top stories:

• Brazil's Embraer unveils concepts for green planes

  Brazilian airliner Embraer has unveiled a series of concepts for a family of four green planes as the global aviation sector looks to curb carbon emissions over the coming decades amid continued pressure from activist groups...

• 8.4 million tonnes of plastic waste generated by Covid-19, study finds

  The Covid-19 pandemic has generated around 8.4 million tonnes of "mismanaged" plastic waste worldwide, with more than 25,000 tonnes of that finding its way into the oceans, according to a newly published study...

• Alphabet launches Isomorphic Labs to boost AI drug discovery

  Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. has launched Isomorphic Labs, a new artificial intelligence company that will specialise in the discovery of new drugs...

• VW hopes to turn a profit in South America with €1bn investment

  German automaker Volkswagen has revealed its plans to invest €1 billion over the next five years into new schemes in South America, hoping to turn a profit in the region for the first time since 2013...

• Business leaders prepare for GMIS 2021 to discuss future of manufacturing

  The fourth edition of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) in Dubai will bring together CEOs and business leaders from some of the largest global and local companies to explore the latest advances in manufacturing...

• Greenland imposes uranium mining ban, halting huge rare earths project

  Greenland's parliament has narrowly passed legislation imposing a near-total ban on uranium mining, and effectively stopping further development of the mine at Kuannersuit, one of the largest known rare earth deposits in the world...

• The EU's bid to regulate AI could endanger the social safety net

  Concerns have been raised over how the European Union's latest bid to regulate artificial intelligence could have "global ramifications", potentially undermining the social safety nets that keep many of its citizens out of poverty...