tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27574783451336546912024-03-13T22:04:05.463+07:00Cempaka Land, Water and AirNews, Subjects Related to Road, Rail, Water & Air Transportation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2532125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-19996223049107223832022-11-18T03:37:00.004+07:002022-11-18T03:37:45.882+07:00Three sentenced to life for flight MH17 downing<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/dutch-judges-long-awaited-flight-035838399.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Danny KEMP, November 17, 2022</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw4HW0n8mV5NpN0dFNVUBrTrt1AgmHyEqVrN5zyIc1LmOMJK1JmO3_Yr3M__ELQVxaj3gF0f9HGzUmHXVKrgqAaiImX-2BhiLPp2bFrPpfLf3bG-ncjW49xcmANrrW9D-GRFoX2QBKoS944ddMSWzW5wZZmjFzJkjGx9PbpOvezKwnBXef6TSoAqW2Q/s705/02e6324d9987ea9c56998e19afb7211e.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="705" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw4HW0n8mV5NpN0dFNVUBrTrt1AgmHyEqVrN5zyIc1LmOMJK1JmO3_Yr3M__ELQVxaj3gF0f9HGzUmHXVKrgqAaiImX-2BhiLPp2bFrPpfLf3bG-ncjW49xcmANrrW9D-GRFoX2QBKoS944ddMSWzW5wZZmjFzJkjGx9PbpOvezKwnBXef6TSoAqW2Q/w400-h265/02e6324d9987ea9c56998e19afb7211e.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A Dutch court on Thursday sentenced three men to life imprisonment over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, in the early stages of a war that eight years later would put the world on edge.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Russians Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko were found guilty in absentia of murdering all 298 people on board and of bringing down the Boeing 777 with a Russian-supplied missile. A fourth man was acquitted.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Moscow slammed the "scandalous" verdict as politically motivated, while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky -- battling a full-scale Russian invasion after years of low-level fighting in the east -- praised it as "important".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Relatives of MH17 victims blinked away tears as the verdicts were read out in a courtroom packed with families who had travelled from around the world for the end of the two-and-a-half-year trial.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The court calls the proven charges so severe that it holds that only the highest possible prison sentence would be appropriate," head judge Hendrik Steenhuis said.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDKlsNk2AthGXqpZrweZURii-wuzpvv70Xv6GoSA_8BKzsujonvAwKoyNe-qomvUQk-xxzX4Fwd1I6xXAnWmj2yL03XWToB9qoVKox3RoOxTfJJjC2IEochSETCbsegRan5TCfGNpGB0EPknPho9zwXj_EA5UsvX76PoS1AlQkF5TEZOuhGvdqIAjcw/s704/09e6af48d43fa0d8b40af63438b6d77e.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="704" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDKlsNk2AthGXqpZrweZURii-wuzpvv70Xv6GoSA_8BKzsujonvAwKoyNe-qomvUQk-xxzX4Fwd1I6xXAnWmj2yL03XWToB9qoVKox3RoOxTfJJjC2IEochSETCbsegRan5TCfGNpGB0EPknPho9zwXj_EA5UsvX76PoS1AlQkF5TEZOuhGvdqIAjcw/w400-h270/09e6af48d43fa0d8b40af63438b6d77e.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <span face="Arial, sans-serif">"Imposing these sentences cannot take away the pain and suffering, but there's hope that today clarity has been provided about who is to blame."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But none of the suspects was at the high-security court on the outskirts of Schiphol Airport, where the doomed plane took off, after Russia refused to extradite them.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Justice has spoken'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The trial represents the end of a long search for justice for the victims of the disaster, who came from 10 countries, including 196 Dutch, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australians.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Justice has spoken. We wanted justice to be done and that happened, in a very well-balanced verdict," Piet Ploeg, chairman of the MH17 foundation, who lost his brother, sister-in-law and nephew, told AFP.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The role of Russia has been very clearly confirmed by the court."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was cruising at 33,000 feet (10,000 metres) over war-torn eastern Ukraine when a BUK missile exploded near the cockpit on July 17, 2014, tearing the plane apart.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq1vCthnMTipJ-a-EjkJGmx6qYxXQoSl6tdxU3pfwkVJ48r2U2alhaMHV5mQfv7Uz45Bfcj6cfOyuDrKpcQRt8GmXuEWGDJkz97NPuJ7riuEJ7489q-HHjm_2w48Ou3XQU4OqEfCTNMTlsJASs7sOFdtyzbB4i_UZGZAbfRESTuXzdUvNqqn_dk0AzQ/s704/57ebcf42e0b49341026322b5f8a17e2e.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="704" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq1vCthnMTipJ-a-EjkJGmx6qYxXQoSl6tdxU3pfwkVJ48r2U2alhaMHV5mQfv7Uz45Bfcj6cfOyuDrKpcQRt8GmXuEWGDJkz97NPuJ7riuEJ7489q-HHjm_2w48Ou3XQU4OqEfCTNMTlsJASs7sOFdtyzbB4i_UZGZAbfRESTuXzdUvNqqn_dk0AzQ/w400-h270/57ebcf42e0b49341026322b5f8a17e2e.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The crash triggered global outrage and sanctions against Moscow, with Ukraine's famed sunflower fields littered with bodies and wreckage. Some victims, including children, were still strapped into their seats.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Judges found Girkin, Dubinsky and Kharchenko could all be held responsible for the transport of the missile from a military base in Russia and deploying it to the launch site -- even if they did not pull the trigger.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There was not enough evidence to show the involvement of Oleg Pulatov, the only suspect to have legal representation during the trial, they said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">All the suspects were members of the Donetsk People's Republic, an armed group fighting Ukraine's government that judges ruled was directly controlled by Russia.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Ample evidence'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Girkin, 51, a former Russian spy who became the so-called defence minister of the DPR, was in regular contact with Moscow, particularly over the return of the missile after the tragedy, the court ruled.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJMWKIFzJkzZJsL0Wfr4X6ChfpoiP9fss5N72axKyvzaZC5MYCkB4AuxYzFnbmHgYZDbXizyPD7y5fN2-cc3tSb6E2jfvkqUsBLZwkf7PqP2idrWPkOt5FpHB8SN0ToYABcqTcvXw2mA1-yykI7jFylXrBXAIxhtlg0BDjZUBqVyRtyVc6Q8FDmXlPw/s704/ca188cde27bd6e1a8e61d56a425b921c.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="704" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJMWKIFzJkzZJsL0Wfr4X6ChfpoiP9fss5N72axKyvzaZC5MYCkB4AuxYzFnbmHgYZDbXizyPD7y5fN2-cc3tSb6E2jfvkqUsBLZwkf7PqP2idrWPkOt5FpHB8SN0ToYABcqTcvXw2mA1-yykI7jFylXrBXAIxhtlg0BDjZUBqVyRtyVc6Q8FDmXlPw/w400-h219/ca188cde27bd6e1a8e61d56a425b921c.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kharchenko, 50, who allegedly led a separatist unit, received direct orders from Dubinsky, 60, who has also been tied to Russian intelligence, to escort the missile to the final launch site, the court ruled.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The defendants had apparently intended to shoot down a Ukrainian military plane rather than a civilian jet but that did not affect their guilt, the judges said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Russia's continued denials that it controlled the DPR meanwhile meant the defendants could not claim immunity from prosecution as formal combatants, they added.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The court ruled there was "ample evidence" to show the plane was brought down by the missile, and ruled out "alternative scenarios" suggested by the defence, including that it was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The BUK missile had been identified as coming from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade from Kursk in Russia, prosecutors said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Unprecedented pressure'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Moscow has denied all involvement in the crash, and on Thursday it accused the Dutch court of giving its verdict under "unprecedented pressure" from politicians and the media.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH00A8sc7UnIbTfiO8XuOvoVWnyEgnrY-sZJnGKz5KbqZWSHb8GMtRrr32VzdwWxvHLbjw2hZ9G5oQo1_qeluyeFkt4tgn20YvfbSxdi9Z_Rfl37UHsBkKL8_cbiR204LvkBzIFvyWIFRPCZNAEBjARzYIgaQEOmop-zpm7hWp_CnVoeQAOm4dkECx6Q/s705/807aa7b728e970af4c2d991cd9591c91.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH00A8sc7UnIbTfiO8XuOvoVWnyEgnrY-sZJnGKz5KbqZWSHb8GMtRrr32VzdwWxvHLbjw2hZ9G5oQo1_qeluyeFkt4tgn20YvfbSxdi9Z_Rfl37UHsBkKL8_cbiR204LvkBzIFvyWIFRPCZNAEBjARzYIgaQEOmop-zpm7hWp_CnVoeQAOm4dkECx6Q/w400-h266/807aa7b728e970af4c2d991cd9591c91.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The Russian foreign ministry said the trial could go down history as "one of the most scandalous in the history of legal proceedings with its extensive list of oddities, inconsistencies and dubious arguments of the prosecution".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ukraine's Zelensky said on Twitter that "holding the instigators to account is crucial too because a sense of impunity leads to new crimes".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The United States welcomed the verdict as "an important moment in ongoing efforts to deliver justice for the 298 individuals who lost their lives".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the convictions were "not the end", while NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg they were an "important day for justice and accountability".</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-67863134229563597352022-10-27T02:16:00.003+07:002022-10-27T02:17:08.470+07:00UN satellite analysis tracks Ukraine cultural damage<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/un-satellite-analysis-tracks-ukraine-161750488.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, October 26, 2022</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RUfs1DEVdwwk7CcJUVpaXwhcpZorkDHc76RaaacTthpNBZ4R7zI2A443X2ZfjTZoLuZGzjT8NTul2m5SM-tbUvxGmUZcE64K-sTy6DIM5kNwUIanj-YJThB6njUnpRK3UJpaRLY-zZBXQGJh7mXbS5uGr6NYSoIiROSKSfpltWpbAZg2yLWH58BL/s705/41ad04fd35cfe9b65829b9aeafedc8f5.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RUfs1DEVdwwk7CcJUVpaXwhcpZorkDHc76RaaacTthpNBZ4R7zI2A443X2ZfjTZoLuZGzjT8NTul2m5SM-tbUvxGmUZcE64K-sTy6DIM5kNwUIanj-YJThB6njUnpRK3UJpaRLY-zZBXQGJh7mXbS5uGr6NYSoIiROSKSfpltWpbAZg2yLWH58BL/w400-h266/41ad04fd35cfe9b65829b9aeafedc8f5.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The United Nations is using before-and-after satellite imagery to monitor the cultural destruction inflicted by Russia's war in Ukraine, announcing Wednesday it will launch its tracking platform publicly within days.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The UN's culture agency UNESCO said it had verified damage to 207 cultural sites in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They include 88 religious sites, 15 museums, 76 buildings of historical and or artistic interest, 18 monuments and 10 libraries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Our conclusion is it's bad, and it may continue to get even worse," UNESCO's cultural and emergencies director Krista Pikkat told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So far in the war, none of the seven world heritage sites have been damaged.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">UNESCO -- the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- has joined forces with the UN Satellite Centre UNOSAT.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Based on reports on the ground, UNESCO sends a list of potentially damaged sites to UNOSAT. It then asks for satellite images from commercial suppliers and a small team of experts studies the difference in before-and-after pictures.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The team matches up the images and is then able to give a time window in which the damage took place.</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00M2z2K2laXIigQQn1clFdP8AlktQknZYkgMlScduVX8kU2dN03Zug6hVvzoSpv9hu8FgDCLeACqtCn6Vbh_N8-lLmTSB1lnHnBxDB3cFHjywa1jmONx2Nzn07Ujai-MASvqAoUGRQzZTdfbk5PD7XNX4AUBr0Np5mrlssTf-5oWyGWA-0J-JCvfV/s705/9b794a1102e5b84b1471a8fc565ce189.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00M2z2K2laXIigQQn1clFdP8AlktQknZYkgMlScduVX8kU2dN03Zug6hVvzoSpv9hu8FgDCLeACqtCn6Vbh_N8-lLmTSB1lnHnBxDB3cFHjywa1jmONx2Nzn07Ujai-MASvqAoUGRQzZTdfbk5PD7XNX4AUBr0Np5mrlssTf-5oWyGWA-0J-JCvfV/w400-h266/9b794a1102e5b84b1471a8fc565ce189.webp" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">It does not attribute blame for the damage.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This is a kind of pilot experiment to see how we can usefully compile this information, and possibly in the long term, the ambition would be to widen the scope beyond Ukraine and take the tool to a global level so we can really have a kind of real-time, interactive tool for our experts," said Pikkat.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">UNESCO is also working with museums and collections in Ukraine to try to combat against the threat of looting -- a common problem in war.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">UNESCO has been discussing with Kyiv about possibly removing cultural heritage items from the country for the duration of the war, but Pikkat acknowledged that it was a "difficult call", with the first move being to evacuate collections to safer parts of Ukraine.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-21599591992772361292022-06-30T04:29:00.005+07:002022-06-30T04:29:29.674+07:00EU approves end of combustion engine sales by 2035<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/business-and-tech/20220629-eu-approves-end-of-combustion-engine-sales-by-2035" target="_blank">Rfi – AFP</a>, 29 June 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzEirUO-DLYnBTLQNpnbK9eh-AdBthB8NAwTLN0ODKw80A5pwtRslIqGkEy5_YGfJ1shsHmCLbgTsR9fukoJFsSP7aXSULbOt7TYSWYdc8k2zLBds7IUf0DBJ5-XtDQbnM6OWCBLeiX4Jc21McuHXx2wi7jVzblbYyrPX4pZhEQ7bk0X2Qb64WRjy/s1024/53a96e8edc218107248c16395c88c06f01bef2e1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzEirUO-DLYnBTLQNpnbK9eh-AdBthB8NAwTLN0ODKw80A5pwtRslIqGkEy5_YGfJ1shsHmCLbgTsR9fukoJFsSP7aXSULbOt7TYSWYdc8k2zLBds7IUf0DBJ5-XtDQbnM6OWCBLeiX4Jc21McuHXx2wi7jVzblbYyrPX4pZhEQ7bk0X2Qb64WRjy/w400-h225/53a96e8edc218107248c16395c88c06f01bef2e1.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">EU approves plan for a complete shift to electric engines in the European <br />Union from 2035 RONNY HARTMANN AFP/File</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Luxembourg (AFP) – The European Union approved a plan
to end the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2035 in Europe, the
27-member bloc announced early Wednesday, in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions to
zero.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The measure, first proposed in July 2021, will mean a
de facto halt to sales of petrol and diesel cars as well as light commercial
vehicles and a complete shift to electric engines in the European Union from
2035.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The plan is intended to help achieve the continent's
climate objectives, in particular, carbon neutrality by 2050.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At the request of countries including Germany and
Italy, the EU-27 also agreed to consider a future green light for the use of
alternative technologies such as synthetic fuels or plug-in hybrids.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">While approval would be tied to achieving the complete
elimination of greenhouse gas emissions, the technologies have been contested
by environmental NGOs.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg also
approved a five-year extension of the exemption from CO2 obligations granted to
so-called "niche" manufacturers, or those producing fewer than 10,000
vehicles per year, until the end of 2035.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The clause, sometimes referred to as the "Ferrari
amendment", will benefit luxury brands in particular.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">These measures must now be negotiated with members of
the European Parliament.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This is a big challenge for our automotive
industry," acknowledged French Minister of Ecological Transition Agnes
Pannier-Runacher, who chaired Tuesday night's meeting.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But she said it was a "necessity" in the
face of competition from China and the United States, which have bet heavily on
electric vehicles seen as the future of the industry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">These decisions will "allow a planned and
accompanied transition", the minister said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Openness to synthetic fuels<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Europe's automotive industry, which is already
investing heavily in the move to electric vehicles, fears the social impact of
a too-rapid transition.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The overwhelming majority of car manufacturers
have chosen electric cars," said Frans Timmermans, the EU Commission Vice
President in charge of the European Green Deal, at a press conference.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He affirmed the EU body's willingness to be
open-minded to other technologies -- like synthetic fuels, which are also
referred to as e-fuels.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We are technology neutral. What we want are
zero-emission cars," he explained.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"At the moment, e-fuels do not seem a realistic
solution, but if manufacturers can prove otherwise in the future, we will be
open."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The technology of synthetic fuels, currently under
study, consists of producing fuel from CO2 from industrial activities using
low-carbon electricity, in a circular economy approach.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Like the oil industry, the automotive sector has high
hopes for these new fuels, which would extend the use of internal combustion
engines now threatened by the emergence of completely electric vehicles.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But environmental organisations object to the use of
this technology in cars, as it is considered both expensive and
energy-consuming.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The synthetic-fuelled engines also emit as much
nitrogen oxide (NOx) as their fossil fuel equivalents, they say.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Cars are the main mode of transport for Europeans and
account for just under 15 percent of total CO2 emissions in the EU. It is also
one of the main gases responsible for global warming.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In response to manufacturers' concerns about
insufficient consumer demand for 100 percent electric cars, the Commission has
recommended a major expansion of charging stations.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Along the main roads in Europe, there must be
charging points every 60 kilometres (37 miles)," said European Commission
President Ursula von der Leyen last year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Manufacturers regularly complain about the lack of
such infrastructure, especially in southern and eastern European countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-39678320240952715022022-03-24T03:52:00.008+07:002022-03-24T03:53:53.941+07:00Elon Musk hands over first 'made in Germany' Teslas<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-hands-over-first-154813540.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Florian CAZERES, March 22, 2022</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dWPkfWKa8WkNNTWH_4VIDb2qnrn-ny3qFXt1rEkZG684tT0_QtIyb6hX3kro7dqOH4n4RJasLZMgKyFNY8-s9j8DzI54fOuYDxqHx7nsm4uOX-IqA9vlJnpnncyhBAQMixAEx-1bXExDfKRnoklzIA2vanK2pHlT86_VtMTSoQRM1ujz4iQoxd99/s705/f6b53fb0c443ebc1bedb64037ed5ca48.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="705" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dWPkfWKa8WkNNTWH_4VIDb2qnrn-ny3qFXt1rEkZG684tT0_QtIyb6hX3kro7dqOH4n4RJasLZMgKyFNY8-s9j8DzI54fOuYDxqHx7nsm4uOX-IqA9vlJnpnncyhBAQMixAEx-1bXExDfKRnoklzIA2vanK2pHlT86_VtMTSoQRM1ujz4iQoxd99/w400-h286/f6b53fb0c443ebc1bedb64037ed5ca48.webp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">Elon Musk tweeted "Danke Deutschland!" </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="text-align: left;">(Thank you, Germany) after inaugurating <br />Tesla's first production site in Europe (AFP/Patrick Pleul)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Tesla CEO Elon Musk danced for joy at the inauguration
of his "gigafactory" electric car plant near Berlin on Tuesday,
shrugging off two years of bureaucracy and delays to watch customers drive off
with the first Model Y vehicles made in Europe.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Danke Deutschland!" (Thank you, Germany)
Musk tweeted after the red ribbon ceremony, where he joined workers in
applauding the first 30 drivers to get behind the wheel of their new cars.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The US billionaire even broke into a little dance
during the handovers, reviving memories of the slightly awkward jig he did at a
launch event in Shanghai in 2020 that lit up the internet.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The factory opening caps an arduous two-year approval
and construction process that saw Tesla run into a series of administrative and
legal hurdles, including complaints from locals about the site's environmental
impact.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Having started construction at its own risk, Tesla
finally won the formal go-ahead from regional authorities to begin production
earlier this month.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The "gigafactory" in Gruenheide, in
Germany's eastern state of Brandenburg, is Tesla's first production site in
Europe and local officials are hoping it will help the region position itself
as a hub for electric vehicle production.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Californian company aims eventually to employ some
12,000 workers at the site who will churn out around 500,000 Model Y cars
annually, the firm's all-electric, compact SUVs.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We are extremely confident that the world can
transition to a sustainable energy future with the combination of solar, wind,
plus battery storage and electric vehicles," Musk said in a speech at the
ceremony.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I really want to assure everyone that you can
have hope in the future, you should have hope in the future," he added.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">'New era'</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Tesla's arrival is expected to jolt Germany's flagship
car industry, setting the stage for fierce competition with rivals Volkswagen,
BMW and Mercedes-Benz as they pivot from traditional engines to cleaner
electric vehicles.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The new era in the auto industry has now arrived
in Germany," said analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer from the Center for
Automotive Research.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Tesla's focus on Europe comes as the continent
grapples with sky-high energy costs that have sent petrol prices soaring,
prompting some drivers to take a closer look at electric alternatives.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The "Giga Berlin-Brandenburg" is "one
of the biggest strategic endeavours for Tesla over the last decade and should
further vault its market share within Europe over the coming years as more
consumers aggressively head down the EV path," analysts at investment firm
Wedbush said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Tesla has not been spared the pain from shortages
of key materials and supply chain disruptions, linked in part to Russia's
invasion of Ukraine, that are also plaguing other carmakers.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Musk tweeted last week that the company was seeing
"significant recent inflation pressure" in raw materials and
logistics.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Away from Russian oil</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who attended Tuesday's
inauguration along with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said it was "a special day
for Germany's mobility transformation".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a nod to efforts to reduce reliance on Russian
energy, Habeck said electric cars took Germany "one step further away from
oil imports".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He also called for more "Tesla speed" in
other infrastructure projects, including the expansion of renewable energies.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Although Musk was frequently frustrated by the red
tape that slowed down his Gruenheide plans, by German standards the factory was
up and running in record time.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The inauguration was not universally welcomed,
however, with environmental campaigners protesting near the site.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Among their demands was a call for better and free
public transport instead of "yet more cars", said spokeswoman Lou
Winters from the Sand in the Gears environmental group.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-58038758020498404422021-10-26T03:13:00.000+07:002021-10-26T03:13:07.501+07:00Hertz orders 100,000 Tesla electric autos<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/hertz-orders-100-000-tesla-123033433.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/hertz-orders-100-000-tesla-123033433.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, October 25, 2021</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaSeN0IYW4ky9foT8tzwal4UjLvusgrWbKw0GIyxUJV58Oko2vUP1jRjw_N18LX0pY9AJLvbDdIlfwJ4nKkAMC1HTmrxrEhDdvEyiFMKKJLxlq7jlgQ1WBUs6F-1cp1o2CWzMaoWumt0/s705/84e71c963b09ee6a9a1baa6fddb9bba1.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaSeN0IYW4ky9foT8tzwal4UjLvusgrWbKw0GIyxUJV58Oko2vUP1jRjw_N18LX0pY9AJLvbDdIlfwJ4nKkAMC1HTmrxrEhDdvEyiFMKKJLxlq7jlgQ1WBUs6F-1cp1o2CWzMaoWumt0/w400-h266/84e71c963b09ee6a9a1baa6fddb9bba1.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hertz announced it will buy 100,000 autos from Tesla by the end of 2022<br />(AFP/SCOTT OLSON)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Hertz announced Monday an order to buy 100,000 autos
from Tesla by the end of 2022 in the latest embrace of electric car technology
by the auto industry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The car rental giant, which emerged from a bankruptcy
reorganization earlier this year, said the electric vehicles (EV) would be
available "in US major markets and select cities in Europe" beginning
in early November, according to a Hertz press release.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Hertz is also installing EV charging stations at its
locations.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we've
only just begun to see rising global demand and interest," said interim
Hertz Chief Executive Mark Fields.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a
mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America
and a commitment to grow our EV fleet."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Hertz exited the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in
June, a little more than a year after filing to reorganize its finances as the
coronavirus pandemic devastated the travel industry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">However, with the global economy reopening in the wake
of Covid-19 vaccines, the car rental market has revived and rental companies
are renewing their fleets.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Led by Elon Musk, Tesla has been ramping up production
rapidly by increasing output at existing factories and building new plants in
Germany and the US state of Texas.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the last year, conventional automakers like General
Motors and Volkswagen have also announced significant new EV plans.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">With the current order, EVs will comprise 20 percent
of Hertz's global fleet. The company will have EV chargers in around 65 markets
by the end of 2022 and more than 100 markets by the end of 2023, Hertz said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-21480543602061002032021-10-13T03:06:00.004+07:002021-10-13T03:06:31.122+07:00“Coming Discoveries” – (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.kryon.com/CHAN2021/k_channel21_Discoveries.html" target="_blank">Kryon.com</a>, August 25, 2021</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Live Kryon Channelling. Healing Wednesday livestream</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxFSecumdX-RddnSFZ6ozoLmDsovyMQceZR5-nNOHY5EHrpRsdIkrWzdPk_N6wYgTYwH7Lv0Q509NJHS7z6BEVbULJPfBbIezLELu9wocB4VLQpPSmzplAtnNtDSmB7hZeyP04N-F7kc/s183/Lee+Carroll+150.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="150" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxFSecumdX-RddnSFZ6ozoLmDsovyMQceZR5-nNOHY5EHrpRsdIkrWzdPk_N6wYgTYwH7Lv0Q509NJHS7z6BEVbULJPfBbIezLELu9wocB4VLQpPSmzplAtnNtDSmB7hZeyP04N-F7kc/s0/Lee+Carroll+150.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Lee Carroll</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Greetings, dear ones, I am Kryon of Magnetic Service</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This is the fourth channel of the month regarding
change. The past three weeks, we’ve discussed several attributes of change that
are beginning to happen on this planet. The changes are mostly consciousness,
and we have given you some examples which show that many of these were
expected, and they coordinate with the messages of the indigenous. They revolve
around the cycle of our time, the precession of the equinox, and the 2012
shift.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So, here you sit in a time of expected change, and the
first thing that happens is COVID. You have to ask, <i>“Is it related?”</i> And we’ve
given the answer now many times. Indeed (it is related)! More than related, it
is the catalyst to what follows next. This virus has almost stopped the normal
operational attributes of this planet, and I told you that this is like
stopping a large factory so that it can retool.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We have discussed the metaphor of a factory that
cannot stop. After some time, it starts to be dysfunctional, and those
operating it start a process of greed and lack of integrity. It becomes so bad
that it becomes badly inefficient, yet, nobody can stop it. It’s too big.
However, COVID stopped it! This gives a space, does it not? It’s a space that
no one expected, given in order to see the inefficiencies of the factory (the
systems of Earth). It’s a time to retool and clearly see the dark things that
have grown in the dark corners where you never were able to look before. It’s a
chance to see more light than ever and identify those who are keeping you from
seeing it.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Dear ones, that’s just the beginning of what we
discussed. We’ve given you some messages of change in the past and said, “watch
for this,” or “look for that.” These things are coming. There are some things
coming that would surprise you, that are truly sensational and filled with
great things, and when I tell you about some of these things, you may ask, <i>“How
soon, Kryon, how soon?”</i> Every single one of these things that I’m going to give
you now actually already exists. They already exist in some form or are being
developed. Let me be clear: Some of these things lay on humanity, waiting for
the aha experience. <i>“Kryon, what are you talking about?”</i></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><i> </i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Inventions are Given when They are Needed</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Let me go back and revisit some messages you may have
heard before: Major inventions that have changed the culture of this planet
often seem to happen all at once, all over the globe, almost like they were
delivered to consciousness all at once from somewhere else.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Seldom do you have just one individual with an idea
that then changes the planet. That may be the story they tell you in history,
but these profound inventions and discoveries usually happen simultaneously,
and the first individual to manifest it is the one who gets the credit.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Electricity:</b> Some of the inventions that manifest
themselves on the planet seem odd in their timing. You might look back and ask,
<i>“Why did it take so long? How is this possible?”</i> If you start looking at the
facts, the discovery of electricity is one. How long has this energy been
obvious to mankind in so many ways? Whether it’s static (electricity), like the
sparks you make when you move your feet on certain substances, or whether it’s
lightning in the sky … why did it take until only a couple of hundred years ago
for it really to be looked at, or the question asked: “I wonder if this is
energy we could use?” As to who actually invented it, you knew it was Michael
Faraday, right (or did you get another story)? And – that it wasn’t actually
electricity – but rather, electromagnetic induction (magnetics)?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Flight is another one.</b> The Chinese have been flying
kites and have known about wind currents for 3,000 years. Why weren’t there men
in the sky, using kites and updrafts with the profound understanding that
humanity already had of these things? What took so long? Even today, you see
those who leap off mountain tops without powered flight – with a kite strapped
to them. Where was that? It should have been intuitive and should have occurred
a thousand years ago. You had watched the birds, you flew kites, yet, for
thousands of years, nobody did it. Does this make sense? It took until the
Wright brothers gave it to you using powered engines. That wasn’t that long
ago, dear ones, and they only beat the French with their famous first flight by
two weeks! Do you see what I’m saying? This invention was “delivered to the
Field” when it was ready – and all over the Earth at the same time.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Inventions that change the Earth profoundly in this
way happen when it’s time. You may disagree. You may say, <i>“Oh, we can think of
these things any time we want.”</i> This is not true or many inventions that were
completely “there and ready and intuitive” would have happened even sooner than
they did.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There are some things coming that are already here,
dear ones, in certain ways. They are already in the Field, waiting to be
plucked out. I want to tell you about them. Some have heard this before.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>The Best Coming Inventions Will Not Be High Technology</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Don’t be surprised if the most advanced discoveries
that you’re going to make, which are going to change this planet profoundly,
have nothing to do with artificial intelligence or massive amounts of
computing. You might say, it’s “back to basics” because some of the best
inventions will be using patterns and basic physics that were always there, but
which you just haven’t thought of yet.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Kryon, what are you talking about?”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">THE END OF BATTERIES – AND THE GRID</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Let me talk about the magnetic energy wheel. It might
be two, or even three wheels, but there is a simple pattern, an array of
magnets that, when placed correctly, can keep a wheel spinning – forever.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Using the simple push/pull energy of small or large magnets
together in a specific array, you can keep this wheel going forever. You’re
aware, are you not, that natural magnets are very powerful, and they push and
they pull with a great deal of force, with no rest or refresh time, and no side
effects, and no fuel. This is a huge secret! Why have you not seen this before?
Put them together in an array where they will push and pull against each other
and spin whatever size wheel you wish – until the end of time! All you have to
do is oil the bearings occasionally. Have you thought of that? Dear ones,
listen: If you can make something spin, you can connect it to an electric
generator. Electricity, in any quantity, forever!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I want you to think of what this means. Imagine: No
batteries. <i>“Kryon, what are you talking about. You’ve got to have batteries.”</i>
Dear ones, that statement is soooo yesterday! Imagine your favorite device. A
phone, perhaps? What if, instead of a battery, it had a tiny, miniature,
spinning magnetic motor that powered the device in real-time – forever! Not
only are there no batteries in the future, but no charging anything. Every
electronic thing you have has its own tiny, spinning generator built-in.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><i>“Kryon, how big can this wheel be?” </i>Well, let’s think:
Everything I have said can be enlarged. So, instead of a battery in an electric
car, there is a larger spinning electric engine underneath, always supplying
electricity to what we will now call <i>super capacitance</i> (something we have only
briefly discussed). You will always have enough electricity to go for hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of miles without ever stopping. And even while you
sleep, electricity is still being generated to the “super cap.” It never stops.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><i>“Kryon, I still don’t understand how all this is going
to change the entire planet.”</i></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Dear ones, I’m talking about individual power for
every single building that exists on the planet – without being connected to
any grid. NO WIRES AND NO OUTSIDE SOURCE. No weather pattern will ever shut
down a city again or cause those to die because they can’t get electricity –
because it’s right outside in a little spinning motor that never stops and
always is running, to power whatever is needed. Magnetics is the answer. It’s
free, instant, and mobile electricity for all.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Every continent on this planet could have as much
electricity as they wanted or needed to instantly power villages, hospitals,
communications, teaching through the internet, and more. The internet would
work, no matter what. Can you imagine when everybody could talk to everybody? Cultures
and continents would start healing themselves and would finally start to be
educated.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">All of this can happen from one undiscovered pattern –
a magnetic array. Putting those magnets together so they will push and pull in
a way that they will spin forever, can be customizable to any size –
miniaturized or massive. They can power ships and cars – and they go forever.
There is no resource that is easier and safer to use to power this planet than
magnetics. No natural resources are burned, no pollution, and entirely safe.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kryon – This Can’t Work</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><i>“Kryon: If I had this invention, there are forces out
there who would never let it be developed. I would be afraid to have it! The
power companies of the planet will buy it and pocket it because they want to sell
what they’ve got. They will never let this happen.”</i></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Let’s stop for a moment. Dear ones, this is not your
father’s world. What have I told you about change for the past 30 years? DO NOT
POSTULATE THE FUTURE ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST. The shift is changing
the consciousness of the planet.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Right now, the power companies all over your land are
in trouble. Fossil fuel is in trouble, if you haven’t noticed. Nuclear power,
the former Holy Grail of power, has shown itself clearly to be exceptionally
dangerous! Every one of the accepted mass power generation systems is failing.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I will tell you that the power companies of this land
(USA), even if they are using steam or wind or sunlight, are all anxious for
this invention! It’s simple, efficient, no huge investment needed, and (ready?)
THEY will then be the ones to manufacture and sell the units, improving them
and finding more and more uses to free all of you from any kind of power grid.
So I’m telling you, it’s a new world, and those in the “power business” will be
the first to want to use this.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>The Highest and Most Powerful Force of Humanity</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Let me give you my favorite one: There are things that
this body of yours does, which has only to do with consciousness, nothing else.
In the last twenty years, there has been a revelation of proof. <b>Consciousness
is energy. It can alter physics.</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This realization was not always thought to be the
case. In the past, consciousness was something esoteric, not well definable,
and it didn’t belong in physics. Now it does. There is now a slow awareness
that consciousness absolutely must be considered energy.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Think: If consciousness is energy, then, like all
other physical energies, there must be rules or axioms. It becomes predictive
science. When you start to figure that out and you understand what those are,
you will have some profound answers to some of the greatest mysteries of
health: The energy of consciousness is the reason for the placebo effect!
Someone takes a sugar-coated pill, and they are told that the pill is going to
create a cure – and then it does! What is the process? How is that possible?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Someone takes a homeopathic tincture, a chemistry that
is too small to create a chemical reaction. Yet, it cures! What is happening?
How does that work? The answer is the energy and the physics of consciousness
combined with something called mirror neurons: What the body sees and expects,
it often creates by itself. Perhaps, you see someone else eating a meal and you
salivate. That’s consciousness over chemistry, dear ones.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Have you ever wondered if mirror neurons could play a
powerful and larger part in a coming system of healing? What if you could
convince your body that it was healing? Mirror neurons can’t tell the
difference between what you believe or what is happening chemically. Therefore,
consciousness instructs the body to heal itself, and it does! Now you
understand how spontaneous remission may work. When you convince the body that
a healing is occurring, it believes it so completely that it heals itself. This
will be a new healing process. It will be the best of any that ever existed –
using the energy of consciousness in new, measurable, scientific ways.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">No artificial intelligence – no super hi-tech
advancements</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Instead, this becomes the revelation of what you as
Humans have always had. Powerful!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I want you to ponder these changes because they are in
the Field. Do you think when science discovered that <b>consciousness is energy</b>,
they just left that alone? No. They wanted to find out more about what it is.
The first thing they realized is that they are dealing with a multidimensional
energy. Indeed, science may not think immediately about the self-healing
potentials that exist, but eventually, they will</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">How long will it take? That’s up to you. How many of
you believe these things? For the belief itself, you might say, is a
transmitter of reality, because when you believe something, you can make it
happen.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Changes are coming to this planet, dear ones, and I
have told you this. We continue to tell you about the ones that will enhance
humanity, and there will come a time when the last thing you will ever want to
do to each other is to kill one another. There is precedent for this in other
places that I have talked about, so I have seen it. I have seen it.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I am Kryon, in love with humanity.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">And so it is</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">KRYON</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-46629229167143660662020-11-24T03:33:00.001+07:002020-11-24T03:33:18.881+07:00Uber barred from sacking 10 staff who refused to take redundancy<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/11/uber-refused-permission-to-sack-10-workers-who-resisted-redundancy-call/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, November 23, 2020 </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBk0uAq3xLKyXIyxF0VIfXLxQkgkQWuIZ90RwMuIBAXRL34aRovOVkwXcrrCCHGQmThDD42VafJgsikpGKoG-L3hqOLAFgLTpbXKy-EZ0EHfoN8OT_TLsEanjYon0h-wNjFLTGKIyCps/s560/Uber-advert-at-Schiphol-560x367.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="560" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBk0uAq3xLKyXIyxF0VIfXLxQkgkQWuIZ90RwMuIBAXRL34aRovOVkwXcrrCCHGQmThDD42VafJgsikpGKoG-L3hqOLAFgLTpbXKy-EZ0EHfoN8OT_TLsEanjYon0h-wNjFLTGKIyCps/w400-h263/Uber-advert-at-Schiphol-560x367.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;">Online taxi agency Uber
has been refused permission to sack workers at its international headquarters
in Amsterdam, the <a href="https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/11/20/uwv-uber-mag-werknemers-niet-ontslaan-a4020835" target="_blank">NRC has reported</a>. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;">State jobs agency UWV, which has to assess
all formal applications for redundancy, has ruled that there were no valid
grounds for dismissal because the company could not demonstrate that the
downturn in the workload was structural. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;">The UWV also referred to comments made
by Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who told a staff meeting on
September 1 that the job cuts, first announced in May, were more severe than
strictly necessary. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;">The decision is being seen as a vindication for some 10
Uber workers who <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/11/uber-pressured-workers-to-resign-breaking-dutch-labour-law-nrc/" target="_blank">refused to leave</a> when the company pressured almost 200 staff
in Amsterdam into leaving before the redundancies had been approved by the UVW. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;">Uber announced in May that it would sack <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/06/uber-cuts-amsterdam-workforce-by-15-some-200-jobs-to-go/" target="_blank">25% of its 27,000 global workforce</a> as
the coronavirus pandemic has led to an 80% drop in its revenue. Some 1,000
people work for Uber in Amsterdam, mainly in app development, design, marketing
and sales. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;">The company applied to the UWV for approval for the redundancies, as
required by Dutch redundancy law, but before the agency could rule, nearly all
the workers who were being let go had already signed the relevant paperwork and
been paid off, the NRC said earlier this month. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;"><b>Systems </b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;">‘The workers who were
affected were shut out of all the company’s systems the day after they were
told they had to leave,’ the paper said. ‘They were also given a daily reminder
about signing the agreement and told that their job would cease to exist.’ </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;">Many
were expats from outside the EU with little knowledge of Dutch labour law, the
paper said. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;">Uber has not yet commented on the UWV’s findings. However, the FNV
union’s spokesman on taxi platforms, Amrit Sewgobind, told the NRC he was very
pleased with the UWV’s decision.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; color: #212529;">‘This shows a powerful company like Uber has
to comply with Dutch redundancy law if it wants to sack staff,’ he said.</span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-64992192115188659362020-10-29T04:21:00.002+07:002020-10-29T04:21:11.931+07:00Liberty flying car cleared for road use, talks ongoing for aviation permit<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/10/liberty-flying-car-cleared-for-road-use-talks-ongoing-for-aviatio" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, October 28, 2020 </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ev2ujHQR7WhqmaARDfQyNORbxVydhFvB1USm9e0aS-DIFzMJi3htQbg-mmqaiUiNcjMqq1LKgHpwPNC0icw9KOYIcTGEk4JkT-ssWizYqH8ft9mxjeYTC0WksOUfw6I7N5LWjKbi-iE/s560/Flying-Car-PAL-V-Liberty-5-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ev2ujHQR7WhqmaARDfQyNORbxVydhFvB1USm9e0aS-DIFzMJi3htQbg-mmqaiUiNcjMqq1LKgHpwPNC0icw9KOYIcTGEk4JkT-ssWizYqH8ft9mxjeYTC0WksOUfw6I7N5LWjKbi-iE/w400-h266/Flying-Car-PAL-V-Liberty-5-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: Pal-V</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A flying car
developed by Dutch company Pal-V has been cleared for use on the Dutch roads by
vehicle licensing agency RDW. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Work started on designing the Liberty in 2012 and
it has now passed stringent road admission tests allowing a prototype to drive
on public roads for further trials.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">‘We have been cooperating with the road
authorities for many years to reach this milestone,’ chief technical officer
Mike Stekelenburg said. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">‘The excitement you feel in the team is huge. It was
very challenging to make a “folded aircraft” pass all road admission tests. The
trick in successfully making a flying car is to ensure that the design complies
with both air and road regulations.’ </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Work on winning aviation certification
with the European safety agency Easa started in 2015 and the company expects to
get the green light in 2022. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">‘Over 1200 test reports need to be completed
before the final 150 hours of flight testing can take place. After this the
deliveries to customers will start,’ the company said in a <a href="https://www.pal-v.com/" target="_blank">statement</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The
Liberty is a two-seater vehicle which converts in five to 10 minutes into a
gyrocopter, which can land and take off vertically in a small space. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">According
to the Financieele Dagblad, some 30 people in the Netherlands have already
ordered and paid for a flying car, at a cost of €499,000 each. Owners must also
pass their flying certificate to be able to use the vehicle in the air.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-73210408273136570162020-10-29T04:11:00.004+07:002020-10-29T04:12:13.779+07:00Qatar faces scrutiny after women 'forcibly examined'<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/qatar-faces-scrutiny-women-forcibly-023226955.h" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Gregory Walton, October 27, 2020</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqqggMk-6idwhOfXqBYv4ZYmZC8n9RNyHjZibdOnt0QchoK8YX6RxaYsbzjua5X_RJwoGqiqWCjwIQWt25ivjR0TL7nDjpaL6CuLXuIcaW13UjhpPMPVu1bUqINAFG9wau9x6L2fisjEG/s768/1e6759e38f76afa416eb59e401bee245.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="768" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqqggMk-6idwhOfXqBYv4ZYmZC8n9RNyHjZibdOnt0QchoK8YX6RxaYsbzjua5X_RJwoGqiqWCjwIQWt25ivjR0TL7nDjpaL6CuLXuIcaW13UjhpPMPVu1bUqINAFG9wau9x6L2fisjEG/w400-h234/1e6759e38f76afa416eb59e401bee245.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Qatar Airways crew prepare to enter Sydney international airport to fly a repatriation <br />flight back to France on April 2, 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">Qatar Airways crew prepare to enter Sydney
international airport to fly a repatriation flight back to France on April 2,
2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Revelations that passengers flying through Doha were
forced to endure vaginal inspections have upended Qatar's efforts to boost its
reputation before the Gulf state hosts World Cup 2022, experts say.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Officers marched women off a Sydney-bound Qatar
Airways flight earlier this month and forced them to undergo intimate
examinations after a newborn baby was found abandoned in an airport bathroom.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The incident sparked a diplomatic row between
Australia and Qatar and comes as a setback for the gas-rich emirate, which has
worked extensively to grow its soft power.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Doha has invested heavily in its airline, Al-Jazeera
broadcaster and social projects that include women's health and educational
initiatives.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But the conservative Muslim monarchy, where sex and
childbirth out of wedlock are still punishable by jail, has struggled to
reassure critics that its promises on women's rights, labour relations and democracy
are credible.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mark Gell, founder of Sydney-based consultancy
Reputation Edge, said "it could get out of hand from a reputational point
of view for the airline", the state-run Qatar Airways.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Was it the airline's responsibility? We don't
know. But absolutely it could impact their business," he told AFP.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"If I shared this with my wife, I'm sure she'd
turn around and say 'I'm never going through there again'."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Adverts packed with top-flight footballers including
Neymar have aired worldwide, touting Qatar Airways' extensive network,
ultra-modern aircraft and glitzy Doha airport hub.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnk20VGL_woNm7srtl4dDxmNWl_pf6HrPzB0w4dOShIqElyagnNQxIW94hlAH8A_kX8Fp4gtZ4OGFAsCaB1AsGxAKga1GxZFsy_xiVd9nU1H7skNJq2gwrdPNLQHp0hrras792DX4_hh9d/s768/5a0e55bb91169fdf9d96dd59d6d590ec.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnk20VGL_woNm7srtl4dDxmNWl_pf6HrPzB0w4dOShIqElyagnNQxIW94hlAH8A_kX8Fp4gtZ4OGFAsCaB1AsGxAKga1GxZFsy_xiVd9nU1H7skNJq2gwrdPNLQHp0hrras792DX4_hh9d/w400-h266/5a0e55bb91169fdf9d96dd59d6d590ec.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">World Cup 2022 host Qatar has struggled to reassure critics that its promises <br />on women's rights, labour relations and democracy are credible</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Australia is a particularly important market for the
carrier, which before the coronavirus pandemic served six cities Down Under and
promoted repatriation flights for stranded nationals when other airlines
grounded their fleets.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Avoid Qatar Airways'</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Alex Oliver of Sydney-based think tank the Lowy
Institute said Australians -- especially women -- would "avoid Qatar
Airways like the plague" after the October 2 incident.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's a shocking move from a country that has
spent billions of state funds on attempting to convey perceptions of a more
liberal Gulf state," she said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But it is sport on which Qatar has staked its
reputation, winning not just the 2022 World Cup and bidding for summer Olympics
but also pouring cash into developing sport in poorer countries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar has nonetheless had to contain several public
relations crises in recent years linked to its shock victory in the competition
to host the 2022 football tournament.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As it began to ramp up construction, rights groups
condemned Qatar's treatment of the hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers
recruited from South Asia and other developing countries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Activists have long called on Qatar to decriminalise
"love cases", women who become pregnant outside of marriage and give
birth without the help of medics who are required to report such cases.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Human Rights Watch told AFP Qatar should "examine
the policy that led to the event in the first place".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOjJLW0MpDtRN9aLY8LSGzPO8iF5w9EJlX4infB4KD8ir-mBdsX2aOZS8k7Z_AoqdetnOz19D7mx0UHBmrsCk_AuKTkDFtWpQ50T-CxIQOABBR2UQqNoV9qSpxHJrdgUEKivmbrsOy56r/s768/0%252C%252C3577804_4%252C00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="768" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOjJLW0MpDtRN9aLY8LSGzPO8iF5w9EJlX4infB4KD8ir-mBdsX2aOZS8k7Z_AoqdetnOz19D7mx0UHBmrsCk_AuKTkDFtWpQ50T-CxIQOABBR2UQqNoV9qSpxHJrdgUEKivmbrsOy56r/w400-h251/0%252C%252C3577804_4%252C00.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Doha has invested heavily in its airline, Al-Jazeera broadcaster and social <br />projects to boost its image</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b>'Betrayed'</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The ultra-wealthy country of 2.75 million people has
also faced scrutiny over LGBT rights, jihadist fundraising, and its overseas
military interventions since its 2010 victory in the battle to host the global
soccer spectacle.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar's government has yet to address the airport
allegations, despite a furious rebuke by Australia's Foreign Minister Marise
Payne who called the incident "grossly disturbing, offensive (and)
concerning".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Late on Sunday, airport management released a
statement claiming that "individuals who had access to the specific area
of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the
query".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It gave no details about the procedures they were
required to undergo and made no apology for the incident, but said the child
was still alive and being cared for.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gell said it would not be enough for the airport
management to downplay the allegations and suggest the women had merely been
asked to help trace the abandoned baby's mother.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"That's not going to hold up. In fact, that'll
probably inflame it, to suggest that these women have voluntarily done this. I
would find that difficult to believe," he said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Oliver said she was surprised the response "was
so hardline and intransigent".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"With the World Cup now getting very close, you
would expect it to be back-pedalling madly."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Expatriate women in Doha have reacted with shock and
fear to the disclosures.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I can't help but think of my daughters if they
had been on that plane," said one expatriate woman living in Doha who
declined to be named for fear of retribution.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"It makes me sick. I feel betrayed by the country
I call home," said another.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-54889657132753013742020-10-14T01:59:00.003+07:002020-10-14T01:59:56.691+07:00It is not just pensioners who are using electric bikes, new study shows<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/10/it-is-not-just-pensioners-who-are-using-electric-bikes-new-study-shows/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, October 13, 2020 </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmgJvR3IZU8N7wxX8Lv4RG4jI9qHK_6-oPFpcZgHwE4435dF5JXuCg26OJfSLNlfQWYiPITk0QQzzi5wQORoOrb3l9SO3EL3LpTDqjCj7xbesq6Kph9MGYHt-NOhFWhXJEF1CROt-DVA/s560/6277a3decf35ae289fc079411895d861a0ee4a85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="560" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfmgJvR3IZU8N7wxX8Lv4RG4jI9qHK_6-oPFpcZgHwE4435dF5JXuCg26OJfSLNlfQWYiPITk0QQzzi5wQORoOrb3l9SO3EL3LpTDqjCj7xbesq6Kph9MGYHt-NOhFWhXJEF1CROt-DVA/w400-h268/6277a3decf35ae289fc079411895d861a0ee4a85.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: Depositphotos.com</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">More
people in the Netherlands are using electric bikes and they are growing in
popularity among the young as well as pensioners, <a href="https://www.kimnet.nl/publicaties/brochures/2020/10/12/fietsfeiten-nieuwe-inzichten" target="_blank">figures</a> from the government
mobility institute KiM have shown. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2019 18% of all bike trips were made on
electric bikes, compared to only 8% in 2013. Almost 10% of cycle trips made by
the under-35s are now on an electric bike, which their use by 35 to
65-year-olds has more than doubled in six years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The KiM said electric bikes
are increasingly used to travel to and from work although recreational use had
doubled as well. Initially electric bikes were popular among the elderly but
use among the under 65s is growing fast, the KiM said. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Electric bike sales have
been superseding the sale of ordinary bikes since 2017 and demand exploded
earlier in the coronavirus crisis when people were wary of using public
transport. In May the sale of electric bikes went up some 38% compared to the
same month the year before. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">At the same time, the <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/03/e-bike-thefts-soar-40-organised-gangs-behind-the-rise-ad/" target="_blank">theft of electric bikes</a> went
up as well, by almost 40% in the last year. ‘Ordinary bikes are targeted by
opportunists, but e-bikes are being stolen by organised gangs,’ a spokesman for
bike insurer Enra said at the time.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-6886304150560686752020-09-14T03:22:00.000+07:002020-09-14T03:22:08.454+07:00Dutch minister says survival of Air France-KLM 'not a given'<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/dutch-minister-says-survival-air-151329713.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, September 13, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPB7tff__suPwfi-FLcOxaLokeOnCSWFlzxw742ujuiw5JnsYVnBtQinx4a8w4m8_sQ83za1y54Gt3Qqq3AqJYSGNrl7J1w11ldsaQXXW-RDgSb1Oiv_iq6GiawHj8e3siCuHBHuBp2Uw/s1600/a9e263c8b9871f379d1884293683d323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPB7tff__suPwfi-FLcOxaLokeOnCSWFlzxw742ujuiw5JnsYVnBtQinx4a8w4m8_sQ83za1y54Gt3Qqq3AqJYSGNrl7J1w11ldsaQXXW-RDgSb1Oiv_iq6GiawHj8e3siCuHBHuBp2Uw/s400/a9e263c8b9871f379d1884293683d323.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Many Air France-KLM planes have been grounded for months because of <br />the coronavirus</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The survival of the Air France-KLM group is not
guaranteed if the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues,
Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra warned Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">France and the Netherlands, each with a 14-percent
share of the group, have poured out billions of euros in aid to help national
carriers that virtually came to a standstill in the first half of 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It's not a given," Hoekstra said in an
interview with Dutch public television NPO, stressing the need to cut costs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the spring, Paris gave Air France seven billion
euros ($8.3 billion) in loans, and The Hague granted KLM similar aid worth 3.4
billion euros.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bailout for KLM must be accompanied by "a
comprehensive restructuring plan" as well as commitments to reestablish
performance and competitiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hoekstra said he had insisted in talks with KLM on the
importance of changing direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dutch press agency ANP said KLM has to develop a
restructuring plan by October 1.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Air France-KLM suffered a loss of 2.6 billion euros in
the second quarter as air traffic virtually shut down because of the
coronavirus pandemic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This followed a loss of 1.8 billion euros in the first
quarter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Air France said it would cut almost 7,600 jobs by the
end of 2022 and KLM up to 5,000 jobs.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Realted Article:</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://cempaka-green.blogspot.com/2020/09/dutch-will-press-ahead-with.html" target="_blank">Dutch will press ahead with controversial carbon tax for industry: FD</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-33413179838669084022020-08-04T03:46:00.001+07:002020-08-04T03:46:10.868+07:00Virgin seeks to revive supersonic commercial flight -- but faster<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200803-virgin-seeks-to-revive-supersonic-commercial-flight-but-faster" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 3 August 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aB-gKN8i3_wj2MEaLsdMzyp50k-56GWRRbIi9wymkGApsj0vHBe-cjPCQao9j-D_cfYxDqMsSMfOc90d6segI18LTVq2Qiuih9tP70m2VYmwcoeJuP_ZEeWyuys0LYSSc0yHR-HaU8c/s1600/ccf342c82788e6a25d1edfbf2756b7dfe024dd69.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aB-gKN8i3_wj2MEaLsdMzyp50k-56GWRRbIi9wymkGApsj0vHBe-cjPCQao9j-D_cfYxDqMsSMfOc90d6segI18LTVq2Qiuih9tP70m2VYmwcoeJuP_ZEeWyuys0LYSSc0yHR-HaU8c/s400/ccf342c82788e6a25d1edfbf2756b7dfe024dd69.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Virgin Galactic unveiled its design for a supersonic aircraft and announced a <br />partnership with Rolls-Royce to build the engine Handout Virgin Galactic/<br />The Spaceship Company/AFP</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Washington (AFP) - Space tourism company Virgin Galactic on Monday announced a partnership with engine-maker Rolls-Royce to build a supersonic commercial airplane that flies at three times the speed of sound.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The aircraft would travel at Mach 3 -- rather than the Mach 2 speed of Concorde, the pioneering jet that operated from 1976 to 2003.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Any new supersonic plane would have to solve the problems that doomed Concorde, in particular noise and fuel consumption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We are excited to... unveil this initial design concept of a high speed aircraft, which we envision as blending safe and reliable commercial travel with an unrivalled customer experience," said George Whitesides, chief space officer at Virgin Galactic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The aircraft's draft design showed a plane with a triangular "delta wing" carrying between nine and 19 passengers at an altitude of more than 60,000 feet, or 18,000 meters -- about twice as high as normal commercial flight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The plane would take off and land at existing airport runways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Virgin Galactic said its team would "work to address key challenges in thermal management, maintenance, noise, emissions, and economics that routine high speed commercial flights would entail."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The company signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Rolls-Royce to develop an engine for the aircraft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Virgin Galactic's main focus this far has been its part-plane, part-rocket craft that is being developed to carry tourists to the edge of space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is awaiting more test flights, and no launch date for commercial journeys has been set.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The company, which was listed on the stock exchange last year, is seeking to diversify and in May it announced an agreement with NASA to develop high-speed technology.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NASA has also been working for decades on a silent supersonic experimental aircraft, the X-59. A first prototype is being built by Lockheed-Martin in California.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The project hopes to make the supersonic boom -- the explosion caused by crossing the sound barrier -- almost inaudible on the ground.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-76938489781821122692020-08-03T02:46:00.002+07:002020-08-03T02:46:44.088+07:00America's first crewed spaceship in decade splashes down off Florida<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/us-astronauts-prepare-spacex-nasa-return-home-iss-155141383.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Issam AHMED, August 2, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXs5HbkepBoszmglpZkiqIV_s_9ARAFAsosxEV8c7ug6GAQiqIlUgupy_MXYHvmhDuphS9xhH_8U5rJKBFfIPnS3GhJ3z3Fovy4Ab_sMeuzoucF6NLFaTD5xVcFx_wh7RDBDoSbn9odo/s1600/2e081560ccc1d6f1fcf1317d1a7c502c011ca1c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="768" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXs5HbkepBoszmglpZkiqIV_s_9ARAFAsosxEV8c7ug6GAQiqIlUgupy_MXYHvmhDuphS9xhH_8U5rJKBFfIPnS3GhJ3z3Fovy4Ab_sMeuzoucF6NLFaTD5xVcFx_wh7RDBDoSbn9odo/s400/2e081560ccc1d6f1fcf1317d1a7c502c011ca1c1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley seen carrying out final preparations in <br />the SpaceX "Endeavour" which should land off the coast of Pensacola at <br />2:48 pm (1848 GMT) (AFP Photo/Handout)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Washington (AFP) - America's first crewed spaceship to
achieve orbit since the Space Shuttle era splashed down safely in the Gulf of
Mexico on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour's four main
parachutes gently floated down after the vessel landed off the coast of
Pensacola at 2:48 pm (1848 GMT).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pilot Doug Hurley, one of the two astronauts on board,
said: "It's truly our honor and privilege" as radio communications
became choppy and cut out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A recovery boat speeded to collect Hurley and
commander Bob Behnken, who spent two months on board the International Space
Station.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The successful mission demonstrated that the United
States once again has the capacity to send its astronauts to space and bring
them back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">President Donald Trump -- who had travelled to Florida
for the capsule's launch two months ago -- hailed its safe return.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Thank you to all!" he tweeted. "Great
to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month
mission."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The United States has had to rely on Russia for this
purpose since the last Space Shuttle flew in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmHnAjt-31jOYakh8c7pa3_Bbiop2alZ8pceVNHibVHcbxlM_oI1OJwSyhZfSZbzyW_TxCVhAOXYt8tU-QNTnwqjDSkufGFMp4NeHZkj5eRNdJkT5wDRDAkx5XzxoEPqEDGUlMBz67FI/s1600/4c6755b226865250c5ab13b045fb28116674b2eb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="768" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmHnAjt-31jOYakh8c7pa3_Bbiop2alZ8pceVNHibVHcbxlM_oI1OJwSyhZfSZbzyW_TxCVhAOXYt8tU-QNTnwqjDSkufGFMp4NeHZkj5eRNdJkT5wDRDAkx5XzxoEPqEDGUlMBz67FI/s400/4c6755b226865250c5ab13b045fb28116674b2eb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In this file photo taken on May 30, 2020 NASA
astronauts Bob Behnken (R) and </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Doug </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hurley prepare for lift-off to the
International Space Station (AFP Photo/JOE RAEDLE)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tropical Storm Isaias, which had scuppered Endeavour's
original landing site in the Atlantic, was nearing Florida's east coast Sunday
morning, hundreds of miles away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mission is also a major win for Elon Musk's
SpaceX, which was founded in only 2002 but has leap-frogged its way past
Boeing, its main competitor in the commercial space race.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The US has paid the two companies a total of about $7
billion for their "space taxi" contracts, though aerospace giant
Boeing's efforts have badly floundered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Atmospheric re-entry</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Crew Dragon capsule performed several precise
procedures in order to return home safely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 1:51 pm (1751 GMT), it jettisoned its
"trunk" that contains its power, heat and other systems, which will
re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Endeavour then fired its thrusters to maneuver itself
into the proper orbit and trajectory for splashdown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 2:32 pm (1832 GMT) re-entered the atmosphere at a
speed of around 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNBYrVmLWEQPH-xhd-hr0v8LmbyS0mOXDn3tHEXObyy8FT7rnvOEvXlWsncSY63paVszkNiIb5iUGPcZJ9S_IbuYav8T0oQwJW0ylWL1CPnWYY-BCsQKJX_-iHF8pU_3cV1dKO8wArBg/s1600/8888998619a7615afb75dfc8930da536b470fad5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNBYrVmLWEQPH-xhd-hr0v8LmbyS0mOXDn3tHEXObyy8FT7rnvOEvXlWsncSY63paVszkNiIb5iUGPcZJ9S_IbuYav8T0oQwJW0ylWL1CPnWYY-BCsQKJX_-iHF8pU_3cV1dKO8wArBg/s400/8888998619a7615afb75dfc8930da536b470fad5.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">NASA's first crewed mission since 2011 (AFP
Photo/Laurence CHU)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The ship's heat shield needed to withstand
temperatures of 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1900 degrees Celsius), which caused a
communications blackout for a few minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Endeavour then deployed two sets of parachutes on its
descent, bringing its speed down to a mere 15 mph (24 kph) as it hits the
water.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the next few minutes, two astronauts will be
brought on board a recovery ship for a medical checkup before being taken
ashore.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Astro dads</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft set off from the ISS
Saturday evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Footage showed the capsule drifting slowly away from
the ISS in the darkness of space, ending a two month stay for the crewmates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During a farewell ceremony on the station, Behnken
said that "the hardest part was getting us launched. But the most
important part is bringing us home."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Addressing his son and Hurley's son, he held up a toy
dinosaur that the children chose to send on the mission and said: "Tremor
The Apatosaurus is headed home soon and he'll be with your dads."<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbpI2tQ3iD77j9HAYhk382CRJF9nDthe7xVytlv1vpDUxbA25WjhHIZX8CvpOjzjsXimByDDhzhVG6fGOkG-HWaOMr58-5OY5ezmDHcO6euJueeQw4OHa6U_7NYzJNUGmR_r0Mo8BJG8/s1600/4476ef936ccf495148bfce38dc7b4daaa43b6797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="768" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbpI2tQ3iD77j9HAYhk382CRJF9nDthe7xVytlv1vpDUxbA25WjhHIZX8CvpOjzjsXimByDDhzhVG6fGOkG-HWaOMr58-5OY5ezmDHcO6euJueeQw4OHa6U_7NYzJNUGmR_r0Mo8BJG8/s400/4476ef936ccf495148bfce38dc7b4daaa43b6797.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This NASA video frame grab image shows SpaceX's Crew
Dragon spacecraft with </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken
watching an infrared view </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">of the </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">International Space Station on their screens
after undocking from it (AFP Photo/Handout)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Behnken and Hurley's return marks only the beginning
for the Crew Dragon as SpaceX and NASA look ahead to future missions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Endeavor will be brought back to the SpaceX Dragon
Lair in Florida where it will undergo a six-weeks-long inspection process, as
teams pore over its data and performance in order to certify the vessel as
worthy of future low-Earth orbit missions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next mission -- dubbed "Crew-1" -- will
involve a four member team: commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and
mission specialist Shannon Walker of NASA, along with Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency mission specialist Soichi Noguchi.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take-off is set for late September and the crew are
due to spend six months on the space station.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-52234610922650242020-07-19T05:03:00.006+07:002020-07-19T05:03:41.969+07:00Boeing 747 and Airbus A380: End of the jumbos of the skies?<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2020/07/18/boeing-747-and-airbus-a380-end-of-the-jumbos-of-the-skies.html" target="_blank">Jakarta Post – AFP</a>, ALI BEKHTAOUI WITH AFP BUREAUS, July
18, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfKz9_yKyJ_t9zsrbfUk85NvsgyB6-j7aSjZ3Lg4c-pziNy1VVKp9dxodB1vPsHtrshT9cmj3PqTzg1_ww_kE-FjRNWEVKN6NPOKlLbMTaoOzz7MgR8WuEs08YYVDVVbVLiXTtRGi0ME/s1600/2020_07_18_100454_1595052046._large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1360" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfKz9_yKyJ_t9zsrbfUk85NvsgyB6-j7aSjZ3Lg4c-pziNy1VVKp9dxodB1vPsHtrshT9cmj3PqTzg1_ww_kE-FjRNWEVKN6NPOKlLbMTaoOzz7MgR8WuEs08YYVDVVbVLiXTtRGi0ME/s400/2020_07_18_100454_1595052046._large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In this file photograph taken on May 3, 2019, a British Airways Boeing 747 <br />passenger aircraft prepares to land at London Heathrow Airport, west of <br />London. (AFP/Ben Stansall)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Boeing 747's slow descent into retirement from
commercial service just got steeper with British Airways' announcement Friday
it would be pulling the jumbo jet from the skies as the coronavirus pandemic
forces it to cut back operations and cut costs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BA's announcement follows moves by a number of other
airlines that have retired their 747s and their Airbus A380, another
jumbo-sized four-engine jet made by Boeing's European rival.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fact the planes have four engines means they
consume more fuel, which means they can cost more to operate and cause more
pollution if not full. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who has grounded their jumbos? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lufthansa announced in April that it is grounding five
of its 32 747s and 14 A380s, saying the move was related to their higher
environmental and economic footprint.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Air France, which had already planned to retire its
A380s in 2022 because of their higher operating costs, also took advantage of
the reduced demand for traffic due to coronavirus lockdowns to mothball them
early.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Australia's Qantas also accelerated its phase out of
its three 747s, and its A380s are also set to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Korean Air is only flying 12 out of its 23 Boeing 747s
-- 11 cargo and one passenger jet, according to the airline.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Air India's four 747s are being used to fly VIPs and
take part in evacuations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">America said goodbye to the Boeing 747 in December
2017, when Delta, the last US airline to use the jet, retired the aircraft. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coronavirus to blame? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Coronavirus is an accelerant," said Remy
Bonnery, an aviation expert at Archery Consulting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both the 747 and A380 "are much more difficult to
manage in a fleet... They are not the easiest aircrafts to fill, they consume
more" fuel, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Launched in 1970, Boeing's jumbo jet can transport
more than 600 passengers in certain configurations. The A380 can carry up to
853.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Even before the crisis there was a trend towards
smaller and more flexible aircraft" that are less costly to operate and
can be used very different types of routes, said Bonnery.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aviation expert Sebastien Maire at Kea & Partners
recently told AFP that the A380 offers airlines the lowest operating cost per
seat, provided every seat is occupied. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Filling the planes was proving difficult for airlines
on many routes, however.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">End of the giants of the skies? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It is clear there won't be trend towards jumbos
in the coming years," said Bonnery, adding that the "manufacturers
will above all focus on short-haul planes and single-aisle aircraft capable of
assuring long routes."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Emirates, which has the largest fleet of A380s at 115,
has said it will continue to fly the aircraft that entered service just 15
years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But Emirates acknowledged that the days are numbered
for jumbo jets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Airbus has already announced it will make the final
delivery of a 251st A380 next year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the final
747 will roll off the assembly line in two years, but the manufacturer has yet
to officially confirm when it will halt production.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is one customer still waiting for delivery of
new 747s: the White House. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two of the latest version the aircraft, the 747-8, the
largest, fastest an most fuel efficient version of the aircraft are due to made
to serve as Air Force 1.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-10766200955081995392020-07-10T03:32:00.000+07:002020-07-10T03:32:16.006+07:00Back clean energy post-virus, UN chief urges leaders<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/back-clean-energy-post-virus-un-chief-urges-115249205.html" target="_blank">Yahoo - AFP</a>,
July 9, 2020</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmTwGh4P-F4vzJTeGBrLA49_Pi0X0fCw2CUYTmbjqIfkepaIqNM31oO3lX0R5j0G5cQVmwNaN-DUZW-8xazf1V5bE8owWhScxEl0rL0-nYBSg4L5WhOWyrMKxZMDNtHBq_kM5cVV0Q-k/s1600/74b1a85f2af6cdcceb13f241cdd605956c63e2f7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="768" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmTwGh4P-F4vzJTeGBrLA49_Pi0X0fCw2CUYTmbjqIfkepaIqNM31oO3lX0R5j0G5cQVmwNaN-DUZW-8xazf1V5bE8owWhScxEl0rL0-nYBSg4L5WhOWyrMKxZMDNtHBq_kM5cVV0Q-k/s400/74b1a85f2af6cdcceb13f241cdd605956c63e2f7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Guterres urged governments to make climate-friendlier action a condition for<br />bailing out airlines and others (AFP Photo/KARIM SAHIB)</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paris (AFP)
- United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged world leaders to
favour clean energy solutions as they pour money into their economies to save
them from a coronavirus-induced meltdown.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Governments
should exit coal, stop subsidising other fossil fuels, and pressure polluting
industries to clean up their act in exchange for bailing them out, the UN
Secretary-General told an International Energy Agency conference by video link.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Today
I would like to urge all leaders to choose the clean energy route for three
vital reasons -- health, science and economics," Guterres said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Bailout
support to sectors such as industry, aviation and shipping should be
conditioned on alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement," he said,
referring to the 2015 treaty that commits signatories to capping global warming
at 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We
need to stop wasting money on fossil fuel subsidies and place a price on
carbon," Guterres said, adding that "coal has no place in COVID-19
recovery plans".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He also
called on investors "to demand that companies reveal transition plans to
reach net zero emissions" and said that renewables offered "three
times more jobs than the fossil fuel industry".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Governments
across the world have pledged unprecedented sums to support their economies to
cope with the fallout from COVID-19, with many politicians and NGOs calling for
green policies to become an integral part of the spending plans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
European Parliament, for example, has urged EU governments to put "the
green deal at the core" of their proposed 750-billion-euro recovery plan.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Germany,
where the government has agreed to rescue flagship airline Lufthansa, the
environment minister said that climate-friendlier policies by the airline would
be part of the deal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
neighbouring Austria, the government made "necessary measures in terms of
climate protection" a condition for bailing out Austrian Airlines.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; 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line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.kryon.com/cartprodimages/2017%20downloads/download_SLC-17.html" target="_blank">20TH KRYON SUMMER LIGHT CONFERENCE, US (7), June 2-4, 2017 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)</a></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><b style="line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><b style="color: black; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></b></span></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b><b style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<a href="http://www.kryon.com/CHAN2017/k_channel17_yellow.html" target="_blank">Text version <span style="color: red;">"The State of the Earth"</span></a>)</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">".... </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">A mini ice age is coming</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"Kryon, isn't that doom for the planet?"</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Many have seen the artist's rendering of major earth cities under ice and all of the other things that go very well with science fiction movies. That's simply a painting of someone's doom scenario, not reality based in the history of the cycle. If you want to know what a mini ice age is like, just flash back in history and study what took place in about <a href="http://cempaka-green.blogspot.nl/2012/01/volcanic-origin-for-little-ice-age.html" target="_blank">1650</a>. That was a mini ice age. Due to the change in the Gulf Stream (the ocean), the river Thames froze in London. Dear ones, it was cold, but it did not doom the planet. </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">That's a mini ice age</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's what you're facing, and I'll say it again. If you live in a cold climate, heed this advice: It's going to get colder. </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Get off the grid! Within the next 15 years, find a way of producing electricity independently or in smaller groups. This can be done neighborhood-wide or separately in homes. You're going to need this, dear ones, because the grid as it exists right now all over the world is not prepared for this coming cold, and the grid will fail.</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> That's not doom and gloom, that's just practical, commonly known information. Your electricity infrastructure is delicate, too delicate. Prepare for a cold spell that may last for a couple of decades. That's all it is. Technology is racing forward to allow this. Don't let your politics get in the way of your survival. ..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"... This is controversial. The planet can't just "change the water". It does it instead with a "reboot of life in the ocean" using the </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">water cycle</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Watch for evidence of this as it occurs, and then remember this channel. This weather cycle is to refresh the life in the ocean so that everyone on the planet will have needed food from the ocean. Gaia does this by itself, has </span><a href="http://cempaka-green.blogspot.nl/2012/01/volcanic-origin-for-little-ice-age.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">done it before</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and it does it for a reason - so it will not stagnate.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dear ones, indeed, you have put compromising things into the air and the water, but it has not caused this cycle. We have said for a very long time, <span style="color: red;">stop killing the environment!</span> The reason? It's going to kill you, not Gaia. Gaia is spectacularly resilient and will survive anything you do. However, it is you who may not survive if you continue polluting. All this is starting to change with your awareness, and you're starting to see this and move with it. But Humans are not causing the current weather shift. This will be known eventually.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is happening has happened before, and it's almost like a <i>reboot</i> for the oceans and it carries a lot of dichotomous events. You're going to see reports of a <i>dying ocean</i>, but at the same time you're going to see unusual reports of too many fish and other sea life in places that were supposed to have a decline. You're going to see the life cycle of the ocean itself start to change and reboot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The chief player in this renewal is a place you would not expect: Antarctica. I want you to watch for magic in Antarctica. It has always been the core of the refreshing of microbes and other kinds of life in your oceans and it's especially active during these mini ice ages. The process will cause currents under the sea to be filled with new life, delivering it to both hemispheres almost like an under-sea conveyor belt. ..."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><a href="https://www.kryon.com/cartprodimages/download_Dallas_12.html" target="_blank">"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll)</a> - </b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Subjects: <a href="http://www.kryon.com/k_channel11_sacramento.html" target="_blank">(Old) Souls</a>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Midpoint on 21-12-2012</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">1</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">2</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Humans will change react to drama,</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> 3</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - Civilizations/Population on Earth, </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">- Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind),</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">5</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">6</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - News/Media/TV to change, </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">7</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">8</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> – Wars will be over on Earth</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, Global Unity, … etc.) </span><i color="#222222" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">- <a href="http://www.kryon.com/k_channel12_Dallas.html" target="_blank">(Text version)</a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“… </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4 - Energy <span style="color: #cc0000;">(again)</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade.</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>(finally)</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand.</span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet; <span style="color: #cc0000;">again</span> about <span style="color: #3333ff;">geothermal</span>, about <span style="color: #3366ff;">tidal</span>, about <span style="color: #3333ff;">wind</span>.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Again</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. </span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much…</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Water</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next <i>gold</i>, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "<i>on the shelf</i>." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was number four</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.”</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kryon.com/k_channel10_shasta_.html" target="_blank">THE RELATIONSHIP TO GAIA - April 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)</a></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span lang="EN-US"><i><b><span lang="EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #f22300;"><b>New Mini Ice Age</b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></i></span></b></b></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><b><b><span lang="EN-US"><i><b><span lang="EN-US"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #f22300;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></i></span></b></b></span></i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The weather you have today, and all the alarming attributes of it, is a scenario of what </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was scheduled to happen on Earth anyway</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I review again that the weather changes you are seeing prophesied by myself, 21 years ago, are not a surprise. <b>The changes are not caused by the pollutants you put in the air. You call it global warming and that's a nice phrase, and perhaps that will get you to put less pollutants in the air – </b></span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a very good thing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. But what you are seeing in the weather shift today was not caused by Humans putting things into the air. It would have happened anyway in about 300 years."</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"We've called this process the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">water cycle</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">, since it's all about water, not about air. The water is the predominant attribute of Gaia and of the weather cycle you're seeing. More predominant is the temperature of it. The cycle is ice to water and water to ice, and has been repeated on this planet over and over and over. It is not new. It is not exceptional. It is not frightening. But it's a cycle that modern humanity has not seen before, and it's a long cycle that is beyond the life span of a Human Being. Therefore, it tends to be overlooked or not seen at all !"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">"In the days of the Lemurians, the water level of the Pacific Ocean was almost 400 feet lower, and that's only 50,000 years ago. <b>[Kryon invites science to check this out – the water level at that time.]</b> That was a water cycle working, and the reason it was lower was due to so much of the water being stored as ice.<b> </b>Today you're going through another water cycle that will eventually lead to cooling. </span><a href="http://cempaka-green.blogspot.nl/2012/01/volcanic-origin-for-little-ice-age.html" target="_blank"><b>The last one was in the 1400s</b></a><b>.</b>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">"Science sees that at about 1650. As mentioned, they are so slow there is no remembrance that a Human has of them except in past writings and in the rings of the trees. <b>The time span of the changes is so great that environmental record keeping does not exist in the form that it does today. But you can still look at the rings of the trees and at the striations of the rocks and can generally figure out that a few hundred years ago, you had a mini-ice age. </b></span><b>Now you're going to have another one." </b></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-73139073799600356762020-07-09T03:13:00.001+07:002020-07-09T03:13:17.117+07:00€30m spend on charging points aims to get electric car sales moving <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/07/e30m-spend-on-charging-points-should-get-electric-car-sales-moving/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, July 8, 2020 </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JY9It_3KX_qQDBc4W7KJPWDfSq9_r-lUqkwZIkmxrT5gfSAjAMNSu1mG3nNYnczOMItZ6VMrS5jAmUYcUL9-8gNrceN5dodtVpuFZVSwubow4NjlWvrLebwUhhpWjWEKZ7SD1rW5hQ/s1600/electric-car-560x344.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="560" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JY9It_3KX_qQDBc4W7KJPWDfSq9_r-lUqkwZIkmxrT5gfSAjAMNSu1mG3nNYnczOMItZ6VMrS5jAmUYcUL9-8gNrceN5dodtVpuFZVSwubow4NjlWvrLebwUhhpWjWEKZ7SD1rW5hQ/s400/electric-car-560x344.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A charging station in Amsterdam. Photo: DutchNews.nl </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the government, provinces and local councils <a href="https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/ministerie-van-infrastructuur-en-waterstaat/nieuws/2020/07/08/aanleg-laadpalen-in-stroomversnelling" target="_blank">announcing</a> a €30m investment in a comprehensive network of electric car charging points, car buyers are still wary, <a href="https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/plan-voor-landelijk-laadnetwerk-e-auto-s~b40b9670/" target="_blank">Trouw </a>reports. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">An estimated 1.7 million electric charging points will be needed to keep a projected 1.9 million electric vehicles moving by 2030. This is the target in order to meet limits for traffic pollution set out in the country’s climate accord. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The new €30m will go towards choosing locations and preparing them for large-scale charging, including of electric buses and taxis. However, Trouw claimed, no agreement has been reached yet on locations and who will carry out the installation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Not everyone has room for a charging point in front of their homes,’ a traffic ministry spokesman told the paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The government and provincial authorities reportedly do not want the job of installing the charging points to fall completely to network operators but prefer tenders from companies which would install them quickly and in bulk. Local authorities are also considering measures such as ‘smart charging squares’ in carparks or supermarkets, according to the paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But Trouw reports that ‘charging fear’ is proving to be a brake on the government’s ambitions, with people reluctant to purchase an electric car because they fear they will be stranded without a charging point in sight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A projected new subsidy for the purchase of second hand electric cars could make electric driving more attractive to a broader public outside the ‘bubble’ of the very wealthy, the paper said.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-12735282282726361712020-07-01T03:44:00.003+07:002020-07-01T03:44:31.239+07:00Pakistan's PIA suspended in Europe over fake pilot licence scandal<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/pakistans-pia-suspended-europe-over-fake-pilot-licence-152756543.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
Ashraf KHAN, June 30, 2020</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pakistan's PIA has been barred from operating in the European Union after the<br /> state-run carrier grounded nearly a third of its pilots for holding fake or dubious <br />licences (AFP Photo/FAROOQ NAEEM)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Regulators
have barred Pakistan International Airlines from the European Union for six
months after the state-run carrier grounded nearly a third of its pilots for
holding fake or dubious licences, officials said Tuesday.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The EUAviation
Safety Agency (EASA) told PIA "it is still not sure" if all the
remaining pilots are properly qualified, and "they have lost their
confidence" in the airline, PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan told AFP.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
suspension is the latest fallout for PIA after Pakistan's aviation minister
told parliament last week that a government review had found 262 of the
country's 860 active pilots hold fake licenses or cheated on exams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More than
half of them were from PIA, and the airline said it would immediately ground
141 of its 434 pilots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The EASA
said it had suspended PIA and a smaller private Pakistan airline "in view
of the recent investigation reported on in the Pakistani Parliament which
revealed that a large share of pilot licenses issued in Pakistan are
invalid".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PIA is
filing an appeal, Khan said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The airline
has only flown limited international flights for months as a result of the
coronavirus. A resumption of domestic operations last month was followed by a
crash blamed on pilot error that killed 98 people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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recently resumed bookings for five European capital cities, including Paris,
Milan and Barcelona.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Flights to
Britain, which is no longer in the EU, have also been suspended, Khan said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The EASA
said it suspended PIA "due to concerns about the capability of competent
authorities to ensure that Pakistani air operators are in compliance with
applicable international standards at all times".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chaudhry
Manzoor Ahmed, a senior figure in the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, said
PIA's woes had "put the country's reputation at stake".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The
decision of the European Union is the result of successive follies of
incompetent rulers," Ahmed said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Reforms
'inevitable'</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prime
Minister Imran Khan told parliament he would reform PIA and other government
institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I
want to tell my nation: We have no other option, reforms are inevitable,"
he said Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aviation
minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has promised that a restructuring of PIA would be
completed by the end of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On May 22,
a PIA flight crashed into houses in Karachi, killing 97 people aboard the plane
and a child on the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Investigators
blamed the pilots, who were chatting about the coronavirus while they first
attempted to land the Airbus A320 without putting its wheels down.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until the
1970s, Pakistan's largest airline was considered a top regional carrier but its
reputation plummeted amid chronic mismanagement, frequent cancellations and
financial struggles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PIA, which
is helmed by a serving air force officer, currently has a fleet of 31 planes
and a payroll of about 14,500 workers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The high
staff-to-plane ratio has seen long-standing accusations the government and the
military use the airline to dish out jobs to cronies and retired military
officers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even before
the coronavirus, PIA was in a financial mess, and the EU suspension will only
make things worse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The airline
racked up $340 million in losses last year, compared to $266 million in 2018.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-2383206996941648112020-06-22T02:57:00.002+07:002020-06-22T02:57:52.303+07:00Canada launches investigation after 38 dead puppies found on plane<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/canada-launches-investigation-38-dead-puppies-found-plane-203915555.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
June 20, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C5tqbI_U1XkZsT_2fDue409z0oAm0Pt349KncY6nF7F_PoH9fnymCluAiDKrujr-kOtvrPemUNvasD51IK8f4Op5SFugtXqhaPTj25MbwsG-h1sO36p_13sSdLIxNTZVUpqfR3Khskw/s1600/b70fcbc0dab7c35a8077f0c5a9f59ddb11240bb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C5tqbI_U1XkZsT_2fDue409z0oAm0Pt349KncY6nF7F_PoH9fnymCluAiDKrujr-kOtvrPemUNvasD51IK8f4Op5SFugtXqhaPTj25MbwsG-h1sO36p_13sSdLIxNTZVUpqfR3Khskw/s400/b70fcbc0dab7c35a8077f0c5a9f59ddb11240bb5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">French bulldogs, like those pictured here, are a popular breed in Canada<br />(AFP Photo/Gary Gershoff)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Montreal
(AFP) - Canada has launched an investigation after some 500 puppies -- 38 of
them dead -- were found on board a Ukraine International Airlines plane at the
Toronto airport, officials said Saturday.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
surviving French bulldogs, a popular breed in Canada, were suffering from
symptoms including dehydration, weakness and vomiting when they were found on
the flight from Ukraine which landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on June 13, the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The agency
"will determine next steps once the investigation is complete," it
said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A dog
handler who was picking up another animal from the airport cargo area where the
puppies were discovered last Saturday told the CBC of a "horror
scene," adding: "It was a nightmare."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">UIA offered
its "condolences for the tragic loss of animal life on our flight"
and said on Facebook that it was working with local authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Puppy sales
are "lucrative" in Canada, Scott Weese of the University of Guelph
told the CBC.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most buyers
believe the animals are bred in Canada, but the reality is "we have no
idea how many dogs come in, where they go, where they come from," he said,
adding that there was "potentially some organized crime component."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"You
mentioned 500 French bulldogs. If those are going for sale at $3,000 to $4,000
a dog, that's a massive amount of money," he told the broadcaster.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-66509691258407582482020-05-29T02:52:00.000+07:002020-05-29T02:52:03.568+07:00Recycled plastic roads ready for rollout after bike paths prove successful<a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/recycled-plastic-roads-ready-for-rollout-after-bike-paths-prove-successful/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">DutchNews</a><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">, May
28, 2020 </span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjrgcW_dEkHF3RanNh6ignewlrP3l7_Zgjq9dmWCAjzpNMaoDvE_zABRGJltqWm1PBmP229MWtni4YZRT_PSu4lMVQ1LdOKK4uHz5AaIfmN5VaMANnjTLsU8sEayfafMtDE-h8L5Fn3E/s1600/PlasticRoad-photo-2-the-bike-path-in-use-560x373+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjrgcW_dEkHF3RanNh6ignewlrP3l7_Zgjq9dmWCAjzpNMaoDvE_zABRGJltqWm1PBmP229MWtni4YZRT_PSu4lMVQ1LdOKK4uHz5AaIfmN5VaMANnjTLsU8sEayfafMtDE-h8L5Fn3E/s400/PlasticRoad-photo-2-the-bike-path-in-use-560x373+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo: Plasticroad.eu</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two successful trial runs of <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/09/no-burning-rubber-here-plastic-road-opens-in-zwolle/" target="_blank">cycle paths madefrom recycled plastic waste</a> have paved the way for larger scale projects in the
Netherlands and abroad, the developers have said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">KWS, plastic pipe maker Wavin
and Total oil said on Thursday that after a 18 months of testing and
developing, they now have a design suited for industrial production and that
the technology is ready to be launched on the market in the first quarter of
2021. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The <a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2015/09/dutch-company-launched-plan-for-recycled-plastic-roads/" target="_blank">first plastic cycle paths</a>, which were built in Zwolle and Giethoorn
with local council support, have proved to be able manage excessive water from
rain, severe drought and everything in between, the makers said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The two 30
metre bike paths, which were made using 1,000 kilos of recycled plastic, were
also found to have reduced CO2 emissions by some 50% to 70% compared to
concrete or asphalt paths, the makers claim. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sensors in the paths were also
used to monitor wear and tear and the paths were found to stand up well to
heavy weights, like refuse and maintenance trucks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘We have proven that our
ground-breaking circular concept – a prefab road based on recycled plastic – is
feasible in practice,’ Marcel Jager and Anne Koudstaal of the PlasticRoad team
said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next generation of roads will be more robust still which will make
the concept a viable alternative for asphalt and concrete motorways and car
parks as well pavements and school yards, the group said. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The roll out will
initially be focused on clients in the Netherlands and neighbouring countries,
after which they expect to scale up to markets in other parts of the world, the
makers said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSQ9jvPmW8RraSL-wxa-gfNGLQHtKj_9EdUEH7UQ0ExGFz-WqqOalV0pDRQOFnduNZCf2K6m9iCQEUxv1ebDF3MXnoO5jDg53ZFTIgZuf491WaoJ3YpjVoiiWetYHZuKBdpsV8YjUffM/s1600/plasticroad-6-750x530-e1528445139189-560x362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="560" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSQ9jvPmW8RraSL-wxa-gfNGLQHtKj_9EdUEH7UQ0ExGFz-WqqOalV0pDRQOFnduNZCf2K6m9iCQEUxv1ebDF3MXnoO5jDg53ZFTIgZuf491WaoJ3YpjVoiiWetYHZuKBdpsV8YjUffM/s400/plasticroad-6-750x530-e1528445139189-560x362.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Artists impression: KWS </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br />Related Article:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/No%20burning%20rubber%20here:%20plastic%20road%20opens%20in%20Zwolle" target="_blank">No burning rubber here: plastic road opens in Zwolle</a></span></b></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-22497834502409315612020-05-15T02:57:00.002+07:002020-05-15T02:57:38.298+07:00Micro cars which park on Amsterdam pavements face €95 fine from July<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #212529;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/micro-cars-which-park-on-amsterdam-pavements-face-e95-fine-from-july/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, May 14, 2020 </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZBnHWc_8Ol-0N-d5oTmBGHaHB3gHkDar73McDz_M3pRciYhFOovqR01SjeYMVDJRM9IbkeUQutuC5MuKZFQcsypffVfW_mxvEc-1rva6YfxTTyNHDXjwGPk4QaPHXNfe20enm6lUwvY/s1600/bakfiets650_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="560" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZBnHWc_8Ol-0N-d5oTmBGHaHB3gHkDar73McDz_M3pRciYhFOovqR01SjeYMVDJRM9IbkeUQutuC5MuKZFQcsypffVfW_mxvEc-1rva6YfxTTyNHDXjwGPk4QaPHXNfe20enm6lUwvY/s400/bakfiets650_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo: DutchNews.nl</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The drivers of
micro electric cars such as Biros are being offered the chance to buy a
two-year Amsterdam-wide parking permit for the discounted price of €450 as part
of efforts to get them off the pavements. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The city plans to <a href="https://www.amsterdam.nl/nieuws/nieuwsoverzicht/betaald-parkeren-biro/" target="_blank">ban the micro cars from parking on the pavement</a> from July 1, but says wardens will only be able to
issue fines if the vehicles have number plates – and only about 50% currently
do so. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The coronavirus crisis has led to long delays at the licencing board RDW
and, according to alderman Sharon Dijksma, as long as owners do not have a
number plate, the city will not be able to fine owners who still park on
pavements, according to the Parool. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Dijksma said the city sees the micro cars
as a good alternative to the car, and a welcome addition to public transport
and bikes. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Initially, the city will issue 3,000 trial parking permits. The fine
for parking on the pavement from July 1 is €95. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">People who drive micro cars
because of a physical handicap will not have to have a licence plate but their
car must be specially adapted to meet their needs and be checked by the RDW.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-89243615736681317052020-05-15T02:25:00.001+07:002020-05-15T02:25:27.480+07:00Coronavirus could put export of Dutch cycle expertise into gear<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/coronvirus-could-put-export-of-dutch-cycle-expertise-into-gear/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, May 14, 2020 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r1E6PrCnPyAsJRbXFo6Om5fWQ2uN2DMPfxSGF_0L2KX683q8d0W7Cn_st7-OqNFdauwRJ2JX8_NjshcBdjAIVm_3NTVBhwiwt0iB3ZV7qaA1FWZp2-YJj6ChdQkAQ39cILl1vEk2LKA/s1600/Roetz-Bikes-2019-1-Road-Ladies-Pastel-Green-Childseat-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r1E6PrCnPyAsJRbXFo6Om5fWQ2uN2DMPfxSGF_0L2KX683q8d0W7Cn_st7-OqNFdauwRJ2JX8_NjshcBdjAIVm_3NTVBhwiwt0iB3ZV7qaA1FWZp2-YJj6ChdQkAQ39cILl1vEk2LKA/s400/Roetz-Bikes-2019-1-Road-Ladies-Pastel-Green-Childseat-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo: Depositphotos.com</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The coronavirus crisis could boost the export of Dutch
cycling infrastructure expertise and products as countries are turning to the
bicycle for a safer means of transport, <a href="https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/economie/business/artikel/5121146/corona-goed-voor-export-van-onze-fietscultuur" target="_blank">RTL Nieuws</a> reports. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Coronavirus is
accelerating the cycling infrastructure projects of many cities,’ says Lucas
Harms, who heads the Dutch Cycling Embassy, a network of Dutch companies
specialising in products like bike parks and other bike-related infrastructure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">As coronavirus is turning people away from using public transport, the local
authorities in Brussels have been turning car lanes into bike lanes over the
last few days, as has Paris, RTL said. And in Milan, plans have been presented
to limit space for cars in favour of bikes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘We don’t yet know if this is a
temporary thing. People may be just panicking and improvising but the good
thing is that a seed is planted,’ said Harms, whose Cycling Embassy has advised
hundreds of local authorities around the world on emulating Dutch cycling
infrastructure. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">To build an infrastructure for cycling involves expertise in
many areas, Harms said. ‘You need traffic experts, marketing people to create
awareness,</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">and policy advisors. We have
a lot of companies with specialised knowledge, just think of the multi-storey
bike parks, like the one at Amsterdam’s main railway station. We are used to
them but in other countries they are far from usual.’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not known how much
the export of cycle expertise and products is currently worth but, Harms said,
the 60 partners of his network are all involved in projects abroad.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-38236127824942434462020-05-13T02:24:00.004+07:002020-05-13T02:24:56.635+07:00Saudi Aramco tips difficult 2020 as virus hits quarterly profit<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/saudi-aramco-tips-difficult-2020-crisis-hits-quarterly-093731116.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
May 12, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLZe47Fx0VUxLjeUF9IuEia-OTqJX7D5uwimMUmMAMRaGuZbuLXoYsimrlQhKnchBK8rg9ByKqWvUXutnaMpPuunyEahUoBjt5sbxHdf7nsZXQTenUckI5Aal48YWCTADxTEMPcuU1iE/s1600/a526e0f71b9d08e0835d2651a62c94e5a636f45f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="768" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLZe47Fx0VUxLjeUF9IuEia-OTqJX7D5uwimMUmMAMRaGuZbuLXoYsimrlQhKnchBK8rg9ByKqWvUXutnaMpPuunyEahUoBjt5sbxHdf7nsZXQTenUckI5Aal48YWCTADxTEMPcuU1iE/s400/a526e0f71b9d08e0835d2651a62c94e5a636f45f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Aramco was listed on the Saudi stock market in December following the world's<br />largest initial public offering but has since been hit by a slump in world oil prices <br />as the coronavirus pandemic has sent the world into recession (AFP Photo/<br />Fayez Nureldine)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Riyadh
(AFP) - Energy giant Saudi Aramco on Tuesday posted a 25 percent slump in
first-quarter profit and said the coronavirus crisis which triggered a crash in
oil prices would weigh heavily on demand in the year ahead.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aramco was
listed on the Saudi stock market in December following a historic $29.4 billion
initial public offering -- the world's largest -- but since then has faced a
torrid environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oil prices
slumped to nearly two-decade lows in March, losing almost two-thirds of their
value as the coronavirus pandemic sent the world into recession.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prices
plummeted further in April amid a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia as
the major producers scrambled to secure market share.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The
COVID-19 crisis is unlike anything the world has experienced in recent history
and we are adapting to a highly complex and rapidly changing business
environment," CEO Amin Nasser said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aramco said
that a steep decline in global demand for energy and prices caused by the
pandemic would undermine its full-year results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Longer
term we remain confident that demand for energy will rebound as global
economies recover," Nasser said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The world's
largest listed firm posted a net profit of 62.5 billion riyals ($16.66 billion)
in the three months to March, compared to $22.2 billion a year earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The company
said the drop in earnings mostly reflected a decline in crude oil prices, as
well as shrinking margins in the refining and chemicals businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Price war
truce</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the
price war in April, Saudi oil production soared to a record 12.3 million
barrels per day, pushing stockpiles to unsustainably high levels and causing
chaos on global oil markets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However,
top producers agreed last month to slash output by 9.7 million bpd to try to
arrest the freefall.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the
crisis, prices for benchmark West Texas Intermediate dipped below zero for the
first time ever as abundant supplies wiped out storage capacity in the United
States.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
coronavirus lockdowns, which have kept billions of people in their homes in
order to contain the pandemic, have sapped global demand by more than 20
million bpd.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Monday,
Riyadh announced it would cut output by more than it had pledged -- shaving an
additional 1.0 million bpd -- providing markets with a much-needed boost as the
world economy cautiously emerges from the shutdown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The move
means that in June, Aramco production will drop to 7.5 million bpd -- its
lowest level since mid-2002, according to analysts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aramco said
Tuesday that its first quarter revenues were calculated on the basis of an
average production of 9.8 million barrels per day and an average oil price of
$51.8 a barrel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However,
factoring in the cuts in May and June, profits in the coming quarters are
likely to plummet, meaning that Saudi state revenues, which heavily rely on
Aramco results, will take a substantial hit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
kingdom, which has posted a budget deficit since 2014, resorted to austerity
measures on Monday, tripling value-added tax to 15 percent, delaying or
cancelling projects and abolishing citizens' cost-of-living allowance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The cuts
risk stoking public resentment over an already high cost of living and demands
for greater scrutiny of major projects such as the proposed purchase of English
Premer League football club Newcastle United.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Industry
reeling</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Almost all
global energy giants, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and BP, have reported huge
losses in the first quarter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aramco,
which is responsible for the stewardship of Saudi's huge energy reserves, has
relied on its extremely low production costs to remain profitable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The company
said however that capital spending will be trimmed this year, in a range
between $25 billion and $30 billion, down from $32.8 billion in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Investors
brushed off the drop in profits as Aramco's share price closed the day up 1.3
percent at 31.30 riyals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since the
start of the year, Aramco shares have lost 11.2 percent and its current market
value stands at $1.67 trillion, way down from levels of just over $2 trillion
that it hit soon after listing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aramco,
which is headquartered in the eastern city of Dhahran, last year posted a 20.6
percent decline in its annual net profit to $88.2 billion due to chronically
low oil prices and production levels.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-1397436587128320092020-04-30T03:16:00.003+07:002020-04-30T03:16:35.308+07:00Boeing to cut staff, plane output after big Q1 loss<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/boeing-cut-staff-plane-output-big-q1-loss-001336053.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
April 29, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHI3FLPniaR9DCfEFFAdRbLQ7pGqBMCXwirtkEKJhkxVFPGGg40sehqvURWF9rJMnl-WyW8TOewLnytFoqgkPXbWOxWBFZSQjmarXwuXjvx_skEZioMdDVSB3VtpBqPd1CBuOLCn6YyA/s1600/af2085dcddb72d235b8d901848cc31e9f15086a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="768" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHI3FLPniaR9DCfEFFAdRbLQ7pGqBMCXwirtkEKJhkxVFPGGg40sehqvURWF9rJMnl-WyW8TOewLnytFoqgkPXbWOxWBFZSQjmarXwuXjvx_skEZioMdDVSB3VtpBqPd1CBuOLCn6YyA/s400/af2085dcddb72d235b8d901848cc31e9f15086a3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Boeing announced sweeping cost-cutting measures after reporting a first-quarter loss <br />of $641 million following the hit to the airline business from the coronavirus pandemic <br />(AFP Photo/SCOTT OLSON)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">New York
(AFP) - Boeing announced sweeping cost-cutting measures Wednesday after
reporting a first-quarter loss of $641 million following the hit to the airline
business from the coronavirus pandemic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
aerospace giant plans to reduce its workforce by 10 percent through a
combination of voluntary and involuntary layoffs and will slash production of
its main commercial planes, including the 787 and 777, Chief Executive David
Calhoun said in a message to employees that accompanied an earnings release.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The
aviation industry will take years to return to the levels of traffic we saw
just a few months ago," Calhoun said. "We have to prepare for
that."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Calhoun
said the job cuts would be deeper -- more than 15 percent -- in commercial
airplanes and services, as compared with defense and space systems, where the
business has been more stable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
quarterly loss of $641 million compared to profits of $2.1 billion in the
year-ago period. Revenues fell 26.2 percent to $16.9 billion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Total debt
at the end of the quarter was $38.9 billion, up from $27.3 billion at the end
of December.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Calhoun
said the belt-tightening was needed to maintain adequate liquidity at a time
its revenues are depressed, adding that the company is "exploring
potential government funding options" in the wake of COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boeing has
previously called for $60 billion in government support for the US aerospace
industry. Federal relief legislation includes $17 billion aimed at Boeing.
Calhoun has previously balked at the idea of the US taking a stake in Boeing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The loss
reflected "abnormal production costs" connected to the temporary
suspension of Puget Sound manufacturing operations due to COVID-19 and due to
the suspension of production of the 737 MAX, which remains grounded following
two deadly crashes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boeing said
the pandemic crisis has hit demand for new planes and services, with airlines
delaying purchases of jets, slowing delivery schedules and deferring elective
maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It will cut
production of the 787 from 14 per month to 10 per month in 2020 and gradually
to seven per month by 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boeing also
will trim output on the 777 and lower its targets for the 737 MAX.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We
have done a tremendous job of increasing our production rates and services
offerings in recent years," Calhoun said. "But the sharp reduction in
our demand for our products and services over the next several years simply
won't support the higher levels of output."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boeing
shares jumped 4.1 percent to $136.36 in pre-market trading.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-69460850083741652952020-04-29T03:03:00.000+07:002020-04-29T03:06:33.752+07:00Icelandair Cuts 2,000 Staff Over Coronavirus Impact<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Barron’s – AFP, Alexander Klein, April 28, 2020</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGP9kCd1XR3k2o6LbEOEHbUUFRAJp-lp0kIg-oNkHA-drpINEqaKu0JRHeRJVkoGLAnBcIPN2u_SzfEDghiwT4baKV4R8-aWSMwq6sHaT6Ohmf8onNekZAStxgH_1f0nbOk8EroapjdY/s1600/AFP7524640302435263379056796371784990504950-germany-transport-airline-icelandair-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="768" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGP9kCd1XR3k2o6LbEOEHbUUFRAJp-lp0kIg-oNkHA-drpINEqaKu0JRHeRJVkoGLAnBcIPN2u_SzfEDghiwT4baKV4R8-aWSMwq6sHaT6Ohmf8onNekZAStxgH_1f0nbOk8EroapjdY/s400/AFP7524640302435263379056796371784990504950-germany-transport-airline-icelandair-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Icelandic airline Icelandair announced deep job cuts due to the effects of the <br />novel coronavirus crisis</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Icelandic
airline Icelandair said Tuesday it would lay off about 2,000 of its staff as
the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact air travel "for the
unforeseeable future."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In response
to the impact, Icelandair said the company was preparing for an "extended
period of minimum operations."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The company
said that "the employment of around two thousand employees will be
terminated," adding that crew, maintenance and ground operations, would be
most affected.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Icelandair
added that the "majority of the remaining employees continue in part-time
roles" and those in full-time positions would be affected by salary
reductions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"These
measures are very painful yet necessary. We are facing considerable uncertainty
for the unforeseeable future," Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair, said
in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bogason
added that they hoped to be able to offer those affected employment again once
markets started to recover.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2018,
Icelandair had some 4,600 full-time employees and carried 4.4 million
passengers, according to the company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As of
Tuesday, Iceland had confirmed 1,795 cases of the new coronavirus and 10
deaths.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Related Article:</b></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/british-airways-says-set-to-slash-12-000-jobs-01588093207" target="_blank">British Airways Set To Cut Up To 12,000 Jobs</a></b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2757478345133654691.post-27406593478122680822020-03-18T03:22:00.001+07:002020-03-18T03:22:07.643+07:00New Dutch law allows mass claim against Volkswagen over Dieselgate<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/03/new-dutch-law-allows-mass-claim-against-volkswagen-over-dieselgate/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, March 17,
2020 - By Robin Pascoe </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA9Swa5W7wbeqccQBoFr5DeI9dOwoSCTeWXVzyQ8TFARjRSkR9lWdVVnzeOqu_KQrVWxAvHVAaTDNsibvq0FX1r_fXojpbDkXRC8nIv9iFbzDGeqIOGzkNwVH3O7TkJc-3oPZvW84iHs/s1600/car-exhaust-fumes-pollution-560x374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA9Swa5W7wbeqccQBoFr5DeI9dOwoSCTeWXVzyQ8TFARjRSkR9lWdVVnzeOqu_KQrVWxAvHVAaTDNsibvq0FX1r_fXojpbDkXRC8nIv9iFbzDGeqIOGzkNwVH3O7TkJc-3oPZvW84iHs/s400/car-exhaust-fumes-pollution-560x374.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Photo: Depositphotos.com</span></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A Dutch foundation is taking
car maker Volkswagen to court on behalf of 8.5 million car owners to demand
compensation for manipulating emissions tests in the Dieselgate scandal. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The
<a href="https://www.emissionsjustice.com/en/" target="_blank">Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation</a> is taking advantage of new legislation in
the Netherlands allowing mass claims and giving plaintiffs the right to go to
court if the company concerned refuses to reach a settlement. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Robert Bosch, the
company which developed the software used to fiddle the emissions reports, car
importer Pon and a number of Dutch car dealers are also named on the legal
documents. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In autumn 2015, Volkswagen admitted that it had sold 11 million cars
worldwide with secret ‘defeat device’ software that ensured it would pass
emissions tests in a laboratory, while the cars emitted higher levels of
pollution on the road. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘This law offers access to justice for millions of
injured customers, both within and outside the Netherlands,’ said the
foundation’s managing director Femke Hendriks in a statement. ‘Volkswagen has
rejected our invitation to engage in negotiations, which compels us to go all
the way.’ </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The car company’s actions, she said, had caused ‘tremendous harm’ to
consumers, the environment and public health. ‘It is time for Volkswagen to be
presented with the bill for its fraudulent actions across Europe.’ </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Fines </b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Volkswagen has already paid billions in damages and fines as a result of legal
proceedings in the US, Australia, Canada and South Korea but has largely
escaped in Europe. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In February the company agreed to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/02/volkswagen-in-dieselgate-settlement-talks-with-400000-german-owners" target="_blank">pay out €830m to 400,000 drivers</a> following a case brought by German consumer groups. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘This is the first
time that Volkswagen has taken responsibility for its actions in Europe and is
attempting to dispel the past, although only for a small part of affected
consumers and for relatively small amounts,’ Hendriks said. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2017, the Dutch
consumer and markets association fined Volkswagen €450,000 for ‘unfair
commercial practices’ for advertising cars as eco-friendly ‘while the results
of emission tests had been manipulated by illegal software.’ </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>No basis </b></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Volkswagen
told DutchNews.nl in a reaction that when the case starts, Volkswagen will
defend itself, ‘as it believes there is no basis for the compensation of
damages or other remedies for consumers in the Netherlands’. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Our customers in
the Netherlands have not suffered any loss or damage, as all cars can be used
in traffic and are safe,’ the statement said. ‘They are still driven by more
than a hundred thousand customers every day. All necessary approvals are valid
and in place. For these reasons, we see no legal basis for customer complaints.
</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This new initiative does not change this position.’</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0