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Citigroup gearing up to launch mobile wallet app

CitiBank is set to launch its own proprietary mobile wallet, in partnership with Masterpass, that will allow users to make online and in-app purchases across 33 countries. The move is part of Citi's plans to engage more customers and lift revenue. The mobile wallet is also an opportunity for the bank to create a "cross-selling opportunity" and introduce users to its other digital offers, including peer-to-peer (P2P) service Zelle. In-store mobile payments in the US are estimated to reach $75 this year, rising to $503bn by 2020.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/citi-has-unveiled-its-own-mobile-wallet-called-citi-pay-2016-11

BI Intelligence This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Later this year, Citi will launch Citi Pay, its own proprietary mobile wallet that will allow its customers to make online, in-app, and in-store payments. In partnership with Masterpass, all customers will be able to make online and in-app purchases at “thousands” of merchant partners in 33 countries. Android users will also be able to make contactless NFC-based payments in-store at eligible terminals. Citi’s move follows similar wallets from other banks, including Capital One and Wells Fargo. The wallet will launch later this year in Australia, Mexico, and Singapore, and in the US in early 2017. The bank could capitalize on consumer trust and convenience to facilitate adoption. The new product fragments an ecosystem already struggling with adoption issues, which could eschew users. But Citi Pay helps eliminate friction for online purchasing, which might push Android customers to then test the wallet they’re using online in the store. Even more, 75% of customers trust their banks most to provide mobile wallets, which could help Citi Pay pick up users who might be fearful of security issues from competitors. Citi Pay may be part of a broader strategy to more effectively engage consumers through digital channels. Citi has been adding mobile banking features quickly. The bank has signed on with bank-owned digital peer-to-peer (P2P) service Zelle. And Citi recently launched the ability to initiate credit card disputes from its mobile banking app. Like these functionalities, Citi Pay could help drive up mobile banking engagement and tie customers more closely to Citi over third-party services. The bank has signed on with bank-owned digital peer-to-peer (P2P) service Zelle. And Citi recently launched the ability to initiate credit card disputes from its mobile banking app. Like these functionalities, Citi Pay could help drive up mobile banking engagement and tie customers more closely to Citi over third-party services. That could help the firm increase lifetime customer value. In itself, wallet adoption could help increase spending on Citi cards, which could lift revenue. But even more, mobile banking customers tend to consume more banking products and have considerablylower attrition rates. That means that Citi could channel this engagement into a cross-selling opportunity and capitalize on customers that turn to the bank on a more regular basis. Mobile payments are becoming more popular, but they still face some high barriers, such as consumers' continued loyalty to traditional payment methods and fragmented acceptance among merchants. But as loyalty programs are integrated and more consumers rely on their mobile wallets for other features like in-app payments, adoption and usage will surge over the next few years. Evan Bakker, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on mobile payments that forecasts the growth of in-store mobile payments in the U.S., analyzes the performance of major mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay, and addresses the barriers holding mobile payments back as well as the benefits that will propel adoption. Here are some key takeaways from the report: In our latest US in-store mobile payments forecast, we find that volume will reach $75 billion this year. We expect volume to pick up significantly by 2020, reaching $503 billion. This reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 80% between 2015 and 2020. Consumer interest is the primary barrier to mobile payments adoption. Surveys indicate that the issue is less the mobile wallet itself and more that people remain loyal to traditional payment methods and show little enthusiasm for picking up new habits. Integrated loyalty programs and other add-on features will be key to mobile wallets taking off. Consumers are showing interest in wallets with integrated loyalty programs. Other potential add-ons, like in-app, in-browser, and P2P payments, will also start fueling adoption. This strategy has been proved successful in China with platforms like WeChat and Alipay. In full, the report: Forecasts the growth of US in-store mobile payments volume and users through 2020. Measures mobile wallet user engagement by forecasting mobile payments' share of their annual retail spending. Reviews the performance of major mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Addresses the key barriers that are preventing mobile in-store payments from taking off. Identifies the growth drivers that will ultimately carve a path for mainstream adoption. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: START A MEMBERSHIP Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of how mobile payments are rapidly evolving.

Football and eSports: The Future is to Play For

Esports is on course to hit £1 billion in revenue and reach over 600 million audiences by 2020. FIFA eWorld Cup and PES League and the recently launched ePremier League are great examples of footballing future. Esports popularity has caught the eye of a number of professional football clubs who see the opportunity to grow their club, improve their brand and fanbase, and enable clubs to connect with new generations. Teams involved include Paris Saint Germain, Ajax, Barcelona, Boavista F.C., AS Monaco, FC Nantes, Celtic and Schalke 04.

https://all-in.global/football-and-esports-the-future-is-to-play-for/

The football industry is making a new and deeper connection to esports in ways that could change the shape of both sectors. Since the world of esports has blown up in recent years (with no signs of it slowing down), it has become a key focus for many gaming brands and sport teams to further explore. Esports is on course to hit £1 billion in revenue and reach over 600 million audiences by 2020. So the big illuminated signs that read ‘Massive Potential’ are being noticed by everyone. While esports is described as a form of sport entertainment that can over time become more popular than traditional sports, the future might bring a mixed picture as football and esports are getting more intertwined. FIFA and PES: The origin Gaming and football have never been a million miles away from each other with the hugely popular and competing FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer computer games. These games played on Xbox, PlayStation and many other platforms have a huge following and paths are being created to lead them over to the esports world. With players crossing over from video game player to esports follower, esports player or punter, the potential is clear as daylight. There have been many tournaments played over the years to find the best players, but with esports, it’s got bigger, much bigger. Watching the highest quality of football gaming isn’t like watching the actual World Cup but there is a very attractive factor there that will appeal to many casual video game players and football fans alike. The FIFA eWorld Cup and PES League and the recently launched ePremier League are great examples of how casual video game players can cross over into esports. Gamers can live their own reality of being a ‘footballer’ and compete against each other through qualification, playoffs and finals that are broadcasted to huge audiences. You may not have made it as a professional football because of ‘injuries’ or whatever other excuse, but if you’re good at this, you can make it a lucrative esports profession and that’s another attractive element to the casual player. Football clubs are getting more involved The unrivaled rate of esports popularity has caught the eye of a number of professional football clubs who see the opportunity to grow their club. These activities in the gaming sector improve their brand, their fanbase and enable clubs to connect with new generations, such as the computer loving millennials. The audiences are somewhat similar and there are numerous examples of football clubs getting involved. French Champions Paris Saint Germain have their own esports franchise. Dutch-side Ajax have done a great job in linking esports with real-life soccer by using FIFA players in their social outreach, such as filming training sessions with the players or offering home game tickets. 5-time Champions League winners Barcelona, Portuguese historical team Boavista F.C., French sides AS Monaco and FC Nantes, Scottish Champions Celtic, and German side Schalke 04 have partnered up with the eFootball.pro league through their esports Pro Evolution Soccer team, forging their way into the booming esports industry. Since All-in Translations is an official sponsor of Boavista F.C., it’s pretty easy to guess for whom we’ll root during the competition. Lower-league teams are also jumping at esports as an avenue to attract a worldwide audience. League Two’s average game attendance is fewer than 5000 while FIFA eWorld Cup figures reached over 160,000 online viewers. Esports is a new opportunity for a lower league teams to make it as a top tier club in the world (of esports). Danish side Brondby IF and German second-tier VFL Bochum are a prime example of esports success. It’s great exposure on a global scale, clubs with fewer fans can make a name for themselves and become more recognised. Recognising this development opportunity, football clubs have started to employ some of the most talented FIFA or PES gamers to represent them at the esports tournaments, many on a full-time basis! The German top division sees the majority of their clubs feature professional gamers on the books, whilst the Premier League only has a few teams who employ gamers, but this is just the beginning. Esports players are yet to reach their peak when it comes to earning a contract with a club, but more and more clubs are doing it. Betting on the new football forms Is your fake-shot-roulette combo a bit too clumsy to monetize on your esports football skills? There is always a possibility to compete for a profit with betting; a well-known football alongside activity that is also changing and adapting to esports. It’s no secret that football betting is the largest betting market, it is the most popular sport in the world after all! Most of us like a punt on the footy, whether it be a 10-fold accumulator or a ‘safe’ double. Football betting is so much more now, in-play betting entered our lives, then cash out betting and now it’s spilling over into esports and Fantasy Football Leagues, there is something for everyone. Punters can now bet on esports football tournaments, as some major sportsbooks are now including competitions such as the FIFA eWorld Cup in their betting portfolio. Moving away from traditional sports betting, fantasy betting is attracting more players with free to play leagues that offer huge cash prizes and high stake leagues. US based leagues such as FanDuel, DraftKings or European newcomers such as Fantasy Bet are now offering extended betting possibilities to fantasy football fans. The betting industry is making a move toward fantasy sports with the acquisition of fantasy sports league FanDuel by betting giant Paddy Power Betfair. The esports game is on Are there limits to the potential growth of football-based esports? FIFA and PES esports games have now hit the world stage thanks to the viewership, player base and quality that comes with their product. Social Media will certainly add fuel to the growing fire, with a young, social-savvy digital consumer base sharing, boasting and posting about thrashing their friend in a game. And it doesn’t end at standard gameplay as old and new forms of football games are lining-up to hit the esports charts. Football Manager, a football management game that has grown over a long time outside the scope of esports, being played mainly in solo mode on PC, now has its very own esports competition; something we covered in depth here. There’s plenty of room for a creative twist as well, with games mixing football with the most popular esports gameplays such as first player shooting and multiplayer online battle arena. One example would be the Rocket League, which can only be described as ‘football with rocket-powered cars’, providing a more ‘action-packed’ version of the sport. Launched in 2015, Rocket League has grown tremendously in the last couple of years on its esports version, and is now labeled as one of the most promising games to shape the future of esports. Get in touch with All-in Global and our content writing service to publish great esports and sports content with up-to-date, research-based articles such as this one. Featured image: Rocket League is a game mixing football and MOBA elements. Photo under cc-by-sa-2.0 license by BagoGames.

Hackers target ERP systems for sensitive corporate information

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned businesses of hackers targeting vulnerabilities in enterprise resource planning systems (ERP); ERP systems are an attractive target due to its housing of sensitive corporate information and running of business-critical processes. Companies such as Oracle issue patches for their ERP products but installing them often leads to difficulties, partly arising from complex system architectures, that hackers can exploit. Cybersecurity firm Digital Shadows recently released a report that warned of nation-state attackers exploiting ERP vulnerabilities, proving similar to the Chinese-backed hack of the United States Information Service in 2014.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/erp-security-warning-as-hackers-step-up-attacks-on-systems/

Video: Major firms are failing to learn from the Equifax breach The US Department of Homeland Security has warned businesses of the growing risk of attackers targeting enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. An alert posted by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) warned that attackers are seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in ERP systems to access sensitive information. ERP systems make an appealing target for hackers, as they run business-critical processes and house sensitive corporate information, which can be used for cyber espionage, sabotage, and fraud. In some cases, systems are left exposed, with thousands of ERP applications directly connected to the internet, providing a tempting -- and lucrative -- target for attackers. The US-CERT alert follows the release of a joint report by security firms Digital Shadows and Onapsis into the threats hackers pose to ERP systems. While companies like SAP and Oracle issue patches for their ERP products, customers can struggle to apply them due to complex system architectures, customised functionality, or even lack of knowledge about the patching process. These difficulties can then be exploited by attackers. "You've got the real holy grail, which is the remote code execution exploits, then if that's combined with an internet-facing application, that's really sought after," Mike Marriott, security analyst at Digital Shadows, told ZDNet. ERP systems can be more vulnerable to attack if the applications they support are connected to the internet. Researchers identified more than 17,000 SAP and Oracle ERP applications connected to the internet, many of which belonged to large commercial and government organisations in the US, UK, and Germany. See also: What is malware? Everything you need to know about viruses, trojans and malicious software "There are lots of internet-facing SAP and Oracle applications that are quite easy to find through Google Dorks, then lots of exploitable vulnerabilities available online with remote code execution," said Marriott. Many of these exposed applications are vulnerable to attack and information about those at risk is shared on the dark web and in criminal forums. According to the report, there's been a 160 percent increase in the activity and interest in ERP-specific vulnerabilities from 2016 to 2017. One way that attackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in ERP infrastructure is by using them to infect corporate networks with malware. The latest incarnation of a common banking trojan malware Dridex has the ability to target SAP systems. Once installed on a system, this version of Dridex seeks out users of SAP software and harvests their credentials, along with sensitive business data. But it isn't just criminals targeting these systems -- the report warns that nation-state sponsored attackers are targeting ERP applications for cyber espionage and sabotage. Perhaps the most infamous example of this is the breach at the United States Information Service (USIS), which at the time was the biggest commercial provider of background information to the US federal government. The attack, later found to be the work of state-sponsored Chinese hackers, began with an exploited SAP vulnerability and resulted in the exposure of thousands of sensitive records. SEE: A winning strategy for cybersecurity (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic) The Digital Shadows report warns that nation-state attackers continue to use ERP vulnerabilities as backdoors into systems. "These attacks are under-reported and that can lead people to have to take the security of these applications less seriously than they should," said Marriott. "People have to face up to how these applications hold really sensitive information, there a lot of vulnerabilities, a lot of them are still internet facing and criminals are making use of this. So make sure you're patching regularly and not using default passwords." READ MORE ON CYBER CRIME

TalkTalk Altnet’s tips to help Boris deliver a full fibre UK by 2025

Alternative internet service provider (ISP) Zzoomm has called on new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend some rights to property, planning and access; to suspend immigration restrictions for skilled full-fibre workers; and to alter advertising rules to remove confusion between fibre and full-fibre services to achieve universal full-fibre coverage across the UK by 2025. The ISP expects £20bn ($24.4bn) will be needed to achieve this and says most of this should come from private investment.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/07/altnet-isp-zzoomm-proposes-changes-to-deliver-a-full-fibre-uk-by-2025.html

Friday, Jul 26th, 2019 (12:01 am) - Score 2,434 Oxford-based ISP Zzoomm, which hopes to cover 1 million homes with a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network by the end of 2024 (here), has proposed a series of changes that new PM Boris Johnson could make to help achieve universal “full fibre” coverage of the UK by 2025. At the time of writing Boris Johnson has only just taken office and thus it’s probably a bit too soon to expect much in the way of any solid detail on how he intends to deliver upon his pledge to have “fantastic full fibre broadband sprouting in every household” by 2025 (we haven’t yet heard the seemingly unachievable 2025 date repeated since he took office). As usual there’s a lot of speculation about watering down the definition of “full fibre” (to include Virgin Media) or “premises passed“, making significant market changes, ploughing huge sums of public money into the project and so forth. At present nobody really knows (except Boris, hopefully..) but no matter what route he takes, 2025 still looks a bit on the unachievable side. In the meantime new start-up Zzoomm, which has yet to begin its own rollout (here), has proposed a few changes of its own. “We will need to make this a national priority just as we did in the 19th Century during the development of the UK’s railway infrastructure,” said the ISP. According to ZZoomm, the successful delivery “requires tough decisions and willingness to tolerate the temporary suspension of certain rights related to property, planning and access.” If this is done then the provider believes that we could be passing c.4 million premises per year. We think they’d need to be closer to c.5 million when allowing time for policy creation and remember, that has to be sustained in rural areas too (not so easy). However the provider also warns that all of this needs to happen “immediately,” which probably isn’t realistic for all of the required changes. The wheels of democratic government simply do not turn that fast. Zzoomm’s Proposals As a country, we need to amend or suspend regulations and bylaws that are designed to provide checks and balances to new infrastructure build, and as a result slow down and increase the cost of that build. And in parallel, we must remove any barrier that delays or prevents consumers switching to full fibre broadband at pace. * Suspend planning law Full fibre build no longer requires public consultation or negotiation with planning authorities over the location or size of equipment. * Suspend highways law Modern construction techniques such as narrow trenching, on site recycling and liquid reinstatement must be permitted. Permits and notices are not charged and granted automatically. Fines are not applied. Section 58 and other notices that restrict access to work in the highways are disregarded. All works can commence following a 7 day notice. Road closure procedures accelerated to 7 day notice for closures of less than 24 hours. No limits, formal or informal, on the number of gangs operating in any specific location. * Suspend private property law Automatic right of access to all properties to deliver full fibre into the residential or business property. Automatic grant of wayleaves over private land for infrastructure with no lasting visual impact for a standard, national rate card payment to the landowner by land type. * Suspend immigration restrictions for full fibre labour Ensure easy access to full fibre construction workforce through simple work visa processes irrespective of worker’s nationality. Provide support to operator and contractor led training schemes to build in the UK full fibre skills and expertise. * Change broadband advertising rules and empower consumers Clear advertising and communication so that consumers can easily identify and switch to full fibre broadband services compared to other technological solutions. Remove all barriers that delay or prevent migration from copper-based broadband to full fibre broadband. Interestingly Zzoomm doesn’t mention the need to extend the business rates holiday beyond its current 5 year run (like Scotland has already done), although that’s probably just an oversight on their part. In reality there are quite a few other things that may need to be considered but we’ll wait to see what the new Government proposes before digging into those. The ISP also suggested that around £20bn may be needed and the “vast majority” of this should come from “private investors,” although it’s unclear how many investors would be willing to throw billions to connect up those in the final 30-40% of premises that are traditionally much slower and more expensive to reach. We should say that private investment is already in the process of funding the first c.50% of premises, although it’s hard to be precise due to the ever uncertain element of overbuild between rival operators. Zzoom Statement To unlock private capital quickly, the Government should provide medium term regulatory certainty and support with access to low cost long-term debt financing early in the construction phase. In addition, we must foster an environment of collaboration between full fibre builders and local authorities to resolve issues on the ground quickly. As well as between competing full fibre builders to limit inefficient overbuild of networks that risk some properties suffering disruption from multiple full fibre builds in the same streets at the cost of substantial delays to full fibre upgrades in other areas. Changes to our regulations and bylaws, along with greater collaboration, will enable operators to deliver high quality fibre infrastructure rapidly and encourage consumers to switch to full fibre broadband services. If these measures are implemented in early 2020, we can achieve national full fibre by 2025 and enjoy the economic prosperity and competitiveness that full connectivity will bring across the UK. Fostering collaboration between competitive full fibre builders is a nice thing to say but in reality tends to be like herding cats, due to all of the competing interests involved, although we salute Zzoomm for putting some actual ideas down on paper. Sadly you can’t rush complicated changes to laws and regulation, particularly when Brexit is likely to be Boris’s focus for the next few months and some believe he may not even survive until 2020. In that sense Boris can probably get away with promising the moon on a stick right now.

Applying to stay in UK 'will take minutes': Theresa May

In an 'open letter' to the three million EU citizens living in the UK, the Prime Minister has urged them to stay. She thanks them for their contributions, saying the "country would be poorer if you left and I want you to stay", adding she is delighted with what the UK and EU have achieved in their first round.

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/theresa-may-we-have-honoured-our-pledge-to-protect-you-our-eu-citizens-a3715721.html

D ear EU citizens, As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I am proud that more than three million of you, EU citizens, have chosen to make your homes and livelihoods here in our country. I greatly value the depth of the contributions you make — enriching every part of our economy, our society, our culture and our national life. I know our country would be poorer if you left and I want you to stay. So from the very beginning of the UK’s negotiations to leave the European Union I have consistently said that protecting your rights — together with the rights of UK nationals living in EU countries — has been my first priority. You made your decision to live here without any expectation that the UK would leave the EU. So I have said that I want you to be able to carry on living your lives as before. But I know that on an issue of such significance for you and your families there has been an underlying anxiety that could be only addressed when the fine details of some very complex and technical issues had been worked through and the foundations for a formal agreement secured. So I am delighted that in concluding the first phase of the negotiations that is exactly what we have achieved. The details are set out in the Joint Report on progress published on Friday by the UK government and the European Commission. When we leave the European Union, you will have your rights written into UK law. This will be done through the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill, which we will bring forward after we have completed negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement itself. Theresa May: Brexit agreement guarantees 'no hard border' in Ireland Your rights will then be enforced by UK courts. Where appropriate, our courts will pay due regard to relevant European Court of Justice case law, and we have also agreed that for a period of eight years — where existing case law is not clear — our courts will be able to choose to ask the ECJ for an interpretation prior to reaching their own decision. So as we take back control of our laws, you can be confident not only that your rights will be protected in our courts but that there will be a consistent interpretation of these rights in the UK and in the European Union. We have agreed with the European Commission that we will introduce a new settled status scheme under UK law for EU citizens and their family members covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. If you already have five years of continuous residence in the UK at the point we leave the EU — on March 29, 2019 — you will be eligible for settled status. And if you have been here for less than five years you will be able to stay until you have reached the five-year threshold. As a result of the agreement we have reached in the negotiations, with settled status, your close family members will be free to join you here in the UK after we have left the EU. This includes existing spouses, unmarried partners, children, dependent parents and grandparents as well as children born or adopted outside the UK after March 29, 2019. Your healthcare rights, pension and other benefit provisions will remain the same as they are today. This means that those of you who have paid into the UK system — and, indeed, UK nationals who have paid into the system of an EU member state — can benefit from what you have put in and continue to benefit from existing co-ordination rules for future contributions. We have also agreed to protect the rights of those who are in a cross-border situation at the point of our withdrawal and entitled to a UK European Health Insurance Card. This includes, for example, tourists for the duration of their stay, students for the duration of their course and UK nationals resident in another EU member state. The agreement we have reached includes reciprocal rules to protect existing decisions to recognise professional qualifications — for example, for doctors and architects. And it also enables you to be absent from the UK for up to five years without losing your settled status — more than double the period allowed under current EU law. There will be a transparent, smooth and streamlined process to enable you to apply for settled status from the second half of next year. It will cost no more than applying for a passport. And if you already have a valid permanent resident document you will be able to have your status converted to settled status free of charge. We are also working closely with Switzerland and European Economic Area (EEA) member states to ensure their citizens in the UK also benefit from these arrangements. I have spent many hours discussing these issues with all of the other 27 EU leaders over the past 18 months as well as with Mr Juncker, President of the European Commission, European Council President Tusk and the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. I am confident that when the European Council meets later this week it will proceed on this basis. And I will do everything I can to ensure that we do. So right now, you do not have to do anything at all. You can look forward, safe in the knowledge that there is now a detailed agreement on the table in which the UK and the EU have set out how we intend to preserve your rights — as well as the rights of UK nationals living in EU countries. For we have ensured that these negotiations put people first. That is what I promised to do and that is what I will continue to do at every stage of this process. I wish you and all your families a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Yours, Theresa May

Egypt picks China Gezhouba Group to install 500 MW of solar

The Egyptian government has signed an €261.3m ($281m) three-year agreement for China Gezhouba Group to build 500 MW of solar and 500 MW of wind power plants across the country. The capacity will help Egypt achieve its 2035 target for its energy mix to include 42% of renewables.

https://www.afrik21.africa/en/egypt-china-gezhouba-group-to-build-500-mw-of-solar-power-plants/

A new contract has recently been initialled and signed between the Egyptian government and China Gezhouba Group company. As part of this collaboration, the Chinese company will build several wind power plants in Egypt, with a total capacity of 500 MW. The deal was made public on January 3, 2020 by the holding company, China energy engeneering coorporation. It will run for a period of three years for an amount of 261.3 million euros. The contract covers the design, construction, equipment procurement, installation, commissioning and maintenance of all the solar power plants that will be built as part of the deal. China Gezhouba group company Limited is a subsidiary of the China Energy Engineering Corporation. In 2018, this company had already collaborated with Egypt on a unit within the more global framework of the construction of the Benban solar park. The latter is installed over an area of 36 km² and includes 32 solar power plants with a cumulative production capacity of 3.8 TWh/year. When completed, it will be one of the largest solar parks in the world. Egypt is on the list of (minority) African countries that have already achieved 100% access to electricity. The country has a renewable energy capacity of 5.5 GW, with a large share of hydropower (2.8 GW) and the rest (2.7) divided between solar and wind power. Yet the ambitions are far from being the most modest. The government wants to install 61 GW of green power plants by 2035. For some years now, Egypt has been engaged in a programme to further improve access to electricity throughout the country, called 2035 Sustainable energy strategy. Through this programme, the North African country hopes to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix to 42 per cent by 2035. Luchelle Feukeng

Alibaba's Ant hosts third-party finance firms on its app

The financial services business of Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba will allow non-affiliated mutual funds and banks to set up virtual shops within its app-based marketplace. Fortune Account, embedded in Ant Financial's wealth-managment app, will enable financial services companies to sell direct to consumers, the company's senior VP Fan Zhiming said. Among the first 10 companies to sign up are Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Citic Bank and Bosera Asset Management. Ant hasn't detailed its fee structures.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2017-06/14/content_29746925.htm

Ant Financial Services Group announced today it will allow third-party financial institutions to set up virtual shops through an indigenous app, another push to vie for supremacy in the country's burgeoning online financial sector. Banks, securities firms and mutual funds now can publish content and sell their own financial products in a newly unveiled function, the "Fortune Account", via Ant Fortune, the wealth management app of Ant, according to company's Senior Vice-President Fan Zhiming. "The overarching goal of the platform is to allow financial services to reach end-users directly, and to form an online community discussing wealth management options," he told a packed audience, mostly from the financial sector in Beijing. Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Ltd, China Citic Bank Corp Ltd and Bosera Asset Management Co Ltd are among the first 10 institutions to have such services go live. Ant did not disclose whether or how it charges businesses commission fees. According to Fan, the dashboard for the Fortune Account owners would provide data analysis and customer relations management tools using data technologies and artificial intelligence. Users are free to raise a variety of questions on asset allocation and are given wealth management advice 24/7 by AI. Ant Financial's own Alipay app, which provides a wide variety of payments and other mobile services, also has such a channel to access this business.

NESF raises $120m to repay debt and fund UK subsidy-free solar

NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF) has raised £100m ($120m) in funding to repay debt and develop subsidy-free projects in the UK. Around £90m of the funding will go towards servicing short-term debt facilities, with the remaining funds set to be invested in pipeline opportunities. NESF began construction on its first subsidy-free solar project in the UK in June.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/nesf_raises_100_million_to_pay_down_debt_pursue_subsidy_free_pipeline

NextEnergy Solar Fund has raised around £100 million through a share issue to repay short-term debt and pursue new subsidy-free developments. The investor has entered into a subscription agreement with an investment vehicle owned by a universities superannuation scheme, issuing 100 million preference shares in exchange for gross proceeds of £100 million. The significant majority - £90 million - of those proceeds are to be used to repay existing short-term debt facilities, however the remaining balance will be ploughed into pipeline opportunities, most of which, NESF said, are subsidy-free. NESF is one of a handful of companies committing to build out subsidy-free solar projects in the UK this year, and in June confirmed that construction work had started on its maiden foray into unsubsidised UK solar. That project is due to complete in Q3 2019, with somewhere between 100 - 150MW of subsidy-free solar expected to be energised this financial year. Earlier this week Solar Power Portal revealed that the UK’s large-scale solar pipeline had surged to 5GW, with project developers returning to action as solar economics continue to shift.

NZ insurtech Cove plans chatbot claims technology

Cove Insurance, an insurtech planning to offer car, home and contents insurance, is hoping to allow clients to make claims via chatbot. The firm, which plans to launch next year, believes that by using chatbot technology it can settle claims in as little as three seconds, provided the claim is straightforward. Cove plans to use artificial intelligence and image-recognition technology to facilitate its claims process. The insurtech's founders point to the success of US-based Lemonade's claims technology as evidence of the viability of using chatbots.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11937450&ref=rss

Cove Insurance co-founders Brett Wilson, Andy Coon and Rob Coon want to use chat-bot technology to help speed up insurance claims. Photo/Supplied Cove Insurance co-founders Brett Wilson, Andy Coon and Rob Coon want to use chat-bot technology to help speed up insurance claims. Photo/Supplied A Kiwi start-up insurance company plans to use chat-bot technology to allow people to apply for insurance and make a claim via their mobile phone. Chat-bots are computer programs that mimic conversation with people using artificial intelligence. They aim to transform the way you interact with the internet from a series of self-initiated tasks to a quasi-conversation. Andrew Coon, chief executive and one of three co-founders of Cove Insurance, wants to use the technology to move insurance from being a series of form filling exercises to a much more user-friendly experience. Coon, who is the son of Chris Coon who helped found New Zealand life insurers Sovereign and Partners Life and is on the board of the start-up, said and he and his brother Rob, another co-founder, had grown up around insurance. But more recently the brothers had come back from Europe where they were with insurance start-up Finance Fox and they were looking to use a technology approach to insurance. The pair point to the success of US insurance start-up Lemonade which has used chat-bot technology to speed up claims. "Lemonade in New York is a good example of the sort of thing we would like to achieve." Coon said consumer research pointed to claims being both the best and worst thing about dealing with insurers. Lemonade promises to pay out claims within three seconds and Coon believes it is plausible that Cove Insurance will be able to offer the same service here for straightforward claims. The company plans to launch in the first quarter of next year and will focus on providing car, house and contents insurance, with an initial focus on one of those areas. Coon said it hoped to use a lot of artificial intelligence technology, including image recognition. Photos of people would allow the company to identify customers, and work out their age and general health. Photos of a car would help it pre-populate data based on number plate details and photos of contents could help with working out how much an item was worth and with prevention of dishonesty claims. Coon said Cove hoped to tap into a growing proportion of the population that did not want to speak to a person on the phone, although people will also be able to speak to a person if they want to. "I think a younger market will naturally gravitate towards it," he said. The company will partner with a yet to be announced significant player in the insurance industry who would have all the capital and licensing requirements needed.

How millennium investors are different from their predecessors

Millennial investors expect lower market returns in comparison to previous generations which can be seen as a beneficial thing. During the global financial crisis, which occurred between 2008 and 2009, the stocks almost halved and so the millennials' new balances fell alongside them. They don't think that the markets will be smooth and so they take a sensible approach when it comes to their financial lives.

http://wealthmanagement.com/client-relations/6-ways-millennial-investors-are-different

Millennial investors expect lower market returns than their parents. That’s probably a good thing. The formative experience for young investors was the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. Stocks lost nearly half of their value – and Millennials’ new 401(k) balances fell right along with them. Now, in an echo of those events, we have had a midsummer correction and spike in volatility. In many ways, Millennials were prepared for this. They haven’t wholly accepted the idea that investments will work out for them. They don’t expect markets to be smooth. And, so, they’ve adopted a generally pragmatic approach to their financial lives. Recently, Natixis Global Asset Management surveyed 750 investors throughout the United States. We discovered some contrasts – both positive and not – between Millennials and their older counterparts. Among six key differences, Millennials: Anticipate lower returns : Millennials (age 18 to 35) say they can live with lower returns than their elders and still meet their long-term needs. The target for Millennials is 9.8% a year, after inflation, compared with 10.6% for members of Generation X (age 35 to 49) and 10.3% for Baby Boomers (age 50 to 69). : Millennials (age 18 to 35) say they can live with lower returns than their elders and still meet their long-term needs. The target for Millennials is 9.8% a year, after inflation, compared with 10.6% for members of Generation X (age 35 to 49) and 10.3% for Baby Boomers (age 50 to 69). Define their goals : More than half of Millennials (57%) have a clear set of financial goals, a key ingredient of financial success. That figure is 10 percentage points more than for Gen Xers and Boomers (47% each). : More than half of Millennials (57%) have a clear set of financial goals, a key ingredient of financial success. That figure is 10 percentage points more than for Gen Xers and Boomers (47% each). Seek alternatives : Millennials are open to alternative ways of reaching financial goals. Seventy-six percent invest in alternative assets (such as private equity or long-short funds), compared with 62% of Gen Xers and 32% of Boomers. : Millennials are open to alternative ways of reaching financial goals. Seventy-six percent invest in alternative assets (such as private equity or long-short funds), compared with 62% of Gen Xers and 32% of Boomers. Are wary of stocks : Millennials are the least bullish stockholders. Just 35% think stocks will be the best-returning assets in the next year, compared with 46% for Gen X and 53% for Baby Boomers. Perhaps surprisingly, more than a quarter of Millennials think cash will be the No. 1 category. : Millennials are the least bullish stockholders. Just 35% think stocks will be the best-returning assets in the next year, compared with 46% for Gen X and 53% for Baby Boomers. Perhaps surprisingly, more than a quarter of Millennials think cash will be the No. 1 category. Take a risk : It may be a function of age, inexperience or having a longer time horizon, but 71% of Millennials are willing to take more investment risk than they were a year earlier. For Gen Xers, that number is 61%; for Boomers, just 25%. : It may be a function of age, inexperience or having a longer time horizon, but 71% of Millennials are willing to take more investment risk than they were a year earlier. For Gen Xers, that number is 61%; for Boomers, just 25%. Want to retire early: An ambitious 57% say it’s realistic to expect they’ll retire by the age of 60. Only 24% of Gen Xers think they’ll stop working by 60. All in all, the numbers show Millennials as a mix of drive and caution. They’re willing to accept the risks of investing, yet put a lot of faith in cash. They expect to end their careers early, while earning relatively modest returns. They know what they’re saving for and they branch out beyond conventional investing categories to get what they need. 401(k)s, Tech and Advice Where does that leave Millennials? Are they better off than older investors? A few factors tilt in their favor. More than Gen Xers and Boomers, their financial futures depend on their own efforts to save. The Millennial generation is the first to live entirely in the 401(k) era. For good reasons, they don’t think Social Security will contribute much to them when they retire. Luckily, the data shows Millennials are participating in workplace-sponsored retirement plans at the same rates or higher than the older generations. Chipping away at retirement goals – even in the face of student loan payments and high housing costs – will work in their favor over the long haul. Millennials have also come of age as personal technology flourished. But they like a human touch, too. Finance-related apps and websites have improved and expanded, helping Millennials invest smarter and with more confidence. At the same time, Millennials are comfortable working with personal advisors; 68% consult with a financial professional. The combination of tech and advice could be a big advantage, one Gen Xers and Boomers haven’t had until recently. There’s still a long way to go. Millennials would do well to rein in a natural tendency to believe they’ll meet their goals simply because they identified what they want to do. Life could surprise them. Markets don’t move in straight lines. But they already know that. Edward Farrington is the Executive Vice President of Business Development and Retirement with Natixis Global Asset Management. Twitter: @NatixisGlobalAM

Novel Israeli Iron Flow Energy Storage Solution

Beit Shemesh, Israel, March 2016 - Electric Fuel Energy (EFE) has developed a novel Iron Flow energy storage technology that is projected to be less costly, safer, and more environmentally friendly than other large-scale battery storage solutions. The EFE development team was drawn from leading Arotech experts with over 20 years of experience, and EFE thus holds a broad knowledge base regarding every aspect of battery development and energy storage.   As considerable market growth is expected for stationary storage applications, EFE has made the strategic decision to enter this market segment and has successfully developed a tailor-made solution.   The patent pending Iron Flow battery will bring a breakthrough solution for stationary energy storage that is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and safe.  

http://www.pes.eu.com/misc/novel-israeli-iron-flow-energy-storage-solution-will-drive-down-costs-and-optimize-the-use-of-renewables/6519/

Electric Fuel Energy’s storage solution prepares the way for renewables toward battery storage grid and diesel parity Beit Shemesh, Israel, March 2016 – Electric Fuel Energy (EFE) has developed a novel Iron Flow energy storage technology that is projected to be less costly, safer, and more environmentally friendly than other large-scale battery storage solutions. EFE is a newly formed subsidiary of Arotech Corporation (NASDAQ: ARTX), a leading provider of advanced power supplies and multimedia interactive simulators/trainers. The EFE development team was drawn from leading Arotech experts with over 20 years of experience, and EFE thus holds a broad knowledge base regarding every aspect of battery development and energy storage. As considerable market growth is expected for stationary storage applications, EFE has made the strategic decision to enter this market segment and has successfully developed a tailor-made solution. The patent-pending Iron Flow battery will bring a breakthrough solution for stationary energy storage that is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and safe. The new battery’s technology is particularly suited for renewable integration, load shifting, peak shaving, and other long-duration storage applications. The new Iron Flow technology consists of a proprietary iron anode and a liquid cathode. This combination provides a solid foundation for a low-cost battery with an overall system price of $200/kWh, even at low manufacturing volumes.

Courts will hold firms accountable for climate change: Guardian

Three legal cases are currently taking place which could see companies held accountable for their contribution to climate change, according to an op-ed in The Guardian. The article argues that such action is “an important way of reframing the climate crisis as a human rights emergency”. In the Philippines, lawyers are arguing that polluters violated human rights by helping create favourable conditions for Typhoon Haiyan, which killed over 7,000 people. In Germany, utility RWE is being sued in relation to flooding in Peru. In the US, Californian counties are suing 37 fossil fuel firms over flooding caused by rising sea-levels.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/10/the-guardian-view-on-climate-change-see-you-in-court?CMP=share_btn_tw

Recent days have seen Houston, Texas literally sunk under sheer weight of rain, Carribbean islands battered by powerful storms barrelling across the Gulf and now Florida homes blasted by Irma, the largest of three hurricanes churning in the Atlantic basin. It seems almost certain that man-made climate change has a role in such events. Scientists used to be circumspect at attributing any single extreme event to global warming. No longer. Now scientists make the link between climate change and droughts in Kenya, record winter sun in Britain and torrential downpours in south-west China. The unmistakeable fingerprint of extreme weather at the crime scene of global warming seems intuitively obvious: consider that Houston is reckoned to have been hit by three “500-year floods” in three years. A 500-year flood does not have to happen only twice a millennium. But a run of three indicates that past climate is no longer a reliable guide to the present weather. The explanation is that the climate itself is changing. Such thinking should be a wake up call for the world, which has to understand how profoundly we must make a shift in the way we produce, distribute and consume energy, and how disruptive this will be for the real economy. While governments have, via the Paris agreement, signalled the end of the fossil-fuel era, the political processes by which states will decide how to meet their mitigation targets have been hijacked and influenced by Big Carbon. Fossil-fuel companies, hydrocarbon billionaires and their allies, particularly in the west, have for years now been funding a massive and sophisticated campaign to mislead voters about the environmental harm caused by carbon pollution. They have good reason to: a landmark study released earlier this year revealed 50 corporations account for more than one-fifth of all carbon released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution began. The groundbreaking research not only helps establish legal accountability for climate change, it also weakens any corporate defence of wilful blindness. A major polluter cannot say it was going ahead with its activities because it was unaware its products caused great harm. Corporations have made handsome profits as the globe ended up a degree warmer than it should be. These polluters privatised the fossil-fuel profits and socialised the cost to the world’s poor, global taxpayers and future generations. Big Carbon entities and individuals who claim their lobbying activities are just an expression of their democratic rights sound a lot like Big Tobacco when it was denying the health dangers of smoking. Three major legal actions will test such thinking. First in the Philippines, where it is being determined whether polluters violated the human rights of Filipinos for their role in creating the conditions for Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever tropical storm to make landfall, which left more than 7,000 dead. Second in Germany, where a German utility company is being sued for costs associated with glacial lake flooding in Peru. Last in the US, where two California counties are suing 37 oil, gas and coal companies, claiming they knew their products would cause sea-level rise and coastal flooding, but failed to reduce their greenhouse gases. Fossil-fuel companies should be held accountable for the effects of climate change. Legal warfare has a two-fold aim: to overhaul transgressors’ business models so that they are in line with the global commitment to phase out fossil fuels and limit temperature rises to 1.5°C; and to get them to pay for damages resulting from global warming. Climate litigation is the inevitable result of a failure of two decades of talks. But it is also an important way of reframing the climate crisis as a human rights emergency.

Boeing expects first jets from Chinese factory by end of year

Boeing is on track to deliver the first aircraft from its finishing plant in China to state-owned Air China by December. Established in 2016, the Zhoushan-based facility is the company’s first plane-finishing site outside the US, where it carries out final assembly work for the 737 jetliner. With the establishment of a local completion site, Boeing aims to continue its expansion into China, the world’s second-largest aviation market.

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-11-05/boeings-china-plant-to-deliver-first-jet-by-december-101343003.html

* Plant does final assembly work for Boeing’s popular 737 jetliner * Establishment of Zhoushan facility came years after Airbus set up its own China production facility in 2008 (Beijing) — Boeing Co. is poised to deliver the first aircraft from its overseas finishing plant in China in December, as the commercial aircraft giant ramps up expansion in the world’s second-largest aviation market. The newly completed 737 jetliner from the so-called Completion and Delivery Center in the city of Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) southeast of Shanghai, will be delivered to state-owned Air China Ltd., according to Boeing China President John Bruns, who revealed the development at a media event in Beijing on Friday. In late 2016, Boeing entered an agreement with its Chinese partner, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd., to establish the Zhoushan center. Boeing takes a controlling stake. The facility is Boeing’s first overseas plane-finishing site outside the U.S. The plant doesn’t assemble entire jets, but mainly engages in final assembly work for the popular 737 model, including installation of entertainment systems, seats and other interior elements. The facility started construction early last year, and is expected to have the capacity to deliver 100 planes per year. “The Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan will only serve our Chinese customers, supporting them to expand the fleet and become more successful in the market,” Bruns was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency over the weekend. With a local plane-completion site, Boeing hopes to further expand its business in China, where its delivery of 202 new aircraft last year comprised nearly 30% of its global total. Boeing predicted in September 2017 that China’s commercial airlines will likely buy up to 7,240 new carriers worth about $1.1 trillion over the next two decades, as the market is on its way to replace the U.S. as the world’s largest aviation market. The establishment of Boeing’s Zhoushan facility came years after chief rival Airbus SAS set up its China production facility in 2008 in the port city of Tianjin, its first outside its home European market. Late last year, the French aircraft-maker delivered the first A320neo aircraft assembled in the city to Malaysia’s budget carrier, AirAsia. As one of the world’s biggest aircraft buyers, China has lobbied for years to get both Boeing and Airbus to set up production facilities and transfer more of their respective technologies to the country. China has also developed its own airliner, the Comac C919, which made its maiden flight early last year, as Beijing vies for a slice of the lucrative global commercial aviation market. Contact reporter Mo Yelin ([email protected])

TalkTalk TalkTalk launches new pay-as-you-go TV store

TalkTalk has launched a new pay-as-you-go film and TV streaming service for customers to pay for a film, one TV episode, an entire series for a lower cost than charged by its competitors such as Amazon Prime, iTunes, Sky and BT. Five devices can be registered to one account, allowing viewers to watch on one device while streaming or downloading on a different one. However, a telecoms expert at Cable.co.uk said the TalkTalk TV Store needs to offer a unique selling point, other than cheaper rates.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/talktalks-new-film-tv-streaming-7836640

Will TalkTalk's new film and TV streaming service stop its customers defecting to Amazon Prime and Sky? TalkTalk's new film and TV streaming service claims to let you watch Game of Thrones episodes 'on the cheap' TalkTalk has launched a new film and TV streaming service, which it hopes will discourage customers from switching to Amazon Prime, Netflix or Sky. The new service, called TalkTalk TV Store, operates on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing viewers to pay for one episode or film at a time, or entire series in one go. The service offers popular TV shows such as The Walking Dead or Suits , as well as films fresh from the cinema for around £3.45 a pop - which TalkTalk claims is Britain’s lowest price in comparison to Amazon Prime, iTunes, Sky and BT. Although the TalkTalk TV Store is open to everyone, existing TalkTalk customers get the widest range of features, including the ability to rent or buy a show on their home TV then watch it on a mobile device. Viewers will be able to register up to five devices to their account, and watch one film or programme on their TalkTalk TV while streaming or downloading another on a different device. Image: Getty) Getty) Existing TalkTalk customers can also access the new service using their TalkTalk login details, meaning they don't need to create another account or provide credit card details. At the end of the month, any purchases will be added directly to their monthly bill. "It's all about choice and flexibility – you can opt for anything from Star Wars to Game of Thrones , only pay for what you watch, and switch easily between devices," said Aleks Habdank of TalkTalk TV. "It puts you back in control, as you can enjoy all the shows and movies you love on your own terms." A TalkTalk spokesperson told Mirror Online that, currently, only seasons 1-5 of Game of Thrones are available on TalkTalk TV Store. However, it hopes to add season 6, which is currently airing on Sky Atlantic, in the near future. Episodes can be purchased for £1.89 in standard definition or £2.49 in high definition, and a full series costs £16.99 in SD or £22.99 in HD. By contrast, a Now TV Entertainment Pass costs £6.99 a month. Whether or not TalkTalk's service works out cheaper really depends on how quickly you get through a series. But it's worth noting that, as well as Game of Thrones, the Now TV Entertainment Pass gives you unlimited access to 250 box sets, as well as 13 live channels. Read more:Game of Thrones season 6 premiere sparks online piracy frenzy The launch of TalkTalk TV Store comes after TalkTalk bought Blinkbox from Tesco in January 2015. The platform has since been updated to offer more than 7,000 of the latest films and TV shows. TalkTalk said there will be no changes to the service for former Blinkbox customers, and personal digital libraries continue to remain the same. However, Dan Howdle, telecoms expert at broadband, TV and mobile advice site Cable.co.uk , said the TalkTalk TV Store appears to be struggling to find a unique selling point. "Netflix specialises in original high-quality programming while offering a decent range of generally older movies and TV shows. Conversely, Amazon Prime Instant Video does the opposite, specialising in newer movies to rent, buy or stream as part of the service, while dabbling in its own original content," said Howdle. "Parting those waves is Sky's Now TV, which offers the most up-to-date subscription-inclusive movies and TV of the three, but does not offer one-off rentals or movies 'only just out'. "When Tesco ran this service as Blinkbox, it struggled because it couldn't find a comfy spot between these heavyweight contenders. I'm not seeing anything here beyond the average rental coming in marginally cheaper. That won't be enough." Users can register for the TalkTalk TV Store here . Read more:Amazon steps up fight against Netflix with monthly subscription plans for Prime service

BSES, Ola to partner on New Delhi battery-swapping stations

BSES is to deploy battery-swapping stations across Delhi to accelerate the adoption of electric rickshaws, bikes and cars. Under a three-year memorandum of understanding with Ola Electric, BSES Rajdhani Power will launch stations in South and West Delhi, and BSES Yamuna Power will cover the centre and east of the city. In addition, Ola Electric will offer cloud-based operations and management, and BSES will identify ideal locations for stations.

https://mercomindia.com/bses-ola-battery-swapping-new-delhi/

Delhi’s DISCOM BSES has announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with Ola Electric to set up battery swapping and charging stations in parts of New Delhi in a move to boost electric vehicle adoption in the national capital. The agreement, which is valid for three years, will see BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) set up the station in South and West Delhi while BSES Yamuna Power (BYPL) will set up its stations in East and Central Delhi. Two and three-wheeled electric vehicles and e-rickshaws will be able to charge or swap their batteries at these stations, BSES said. They will also have a provision for charging electric cars. Ola Electric will be in charge of managing and operating these stations through cloud-based software, while BSES will work on identifying strategic locations for the stations. “Setting-up of battery swapping stations will virtually eliminate the wait-time for charging, thus removing a major impediment preventing the adoption of EVs,” BYPL’s CEO PR Kumar said in a media statement. In battery swapping, a fully charged lithium-ion battery replaces a depleted one at a swapping station in a few minutes, which in turn reduces the time to charge the electric vehicles. This is a likely incentive for potential EV buyers to switch over from combustion engines as it eliminates the inconvenience of waiting hours for the EV batteries to charge.

Ormat acquires Pomona battery storage facility in California

Nevada-based alternative power company Ormat Technologies has purchased a 20 MW / 80 MWh battery energy storage facility in California. The Pomona site, which came online in 2015, partly in response to gas leak-induced blackouts, has been purchased from AltaGas Holdings for $47m. The acquisition brings Ormat's energy storage portfolio to 73 MW / 136 MWh of assets. The move represents a continuation of the firm's emphasis on the fast-growing energy storage market, having experienced a decrease in its product backlog due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Energy Storage News reported.

https://www.energy-storage.news/news/geothermal-company-ormat-buys-80mwh-world-record-california-energy-storage

Ormat has been developing as well as acquiring energy storage assets for some time, to add to a 933MW generation portfolio, while the company claims to have engineered, manufactured and constructed 3,000MW gross capacity of power plants to date, which are either under its ownership or were projects executed for utilities and developers in a number of different countries. The company’s emphasis on energy storage appears to have stepped up not only in response to commercial opportunities for battery projects, but more recently also has been seen by Ormat as a means to offset a slowdown in its other key industry segments. In late June, Ormat Technologies then-CEO, Isaac Angel, said that there had been a decrease in the company’s product backlog “affected by the continuation and increasing severity of the COVID-19 global pandemic”. A “significant product sale contract in the coming months in a different market,” was no longer expected. “In light of this current situation, we are continuing our efforts to expand and expedite our growth in the electricity segment and energy storage segment,” Isaac Angel had said, before stepping down as CEO at the beginning of July. Last week, new chief executive officer Blachar said that the Pomona acquisition “is an important addition to our energy storage segment, and it strengthens our activity in the California market, which is the largest and most attractive market in the US for renewables in general and for energy storage in particular”. Blachar called the energy storage market “one of the most rapidly growing parts of the energy sector” and said Ormat “continues to expand its presence and capabilities” in the sector. Ormat began its move into the segment with the purchase of energy storage and demand response project developer Viridity Energy in 2017, while its most recent own project to come online was the 10MW Rabbit Hill battery system in Texas, which went into commercial operation providing ancillary services and energy optimisation in April. Pomona: A ‘world record’ fast-track deployment back in 2016

JPMorgan equity desk plans to use AI for 50% of trades

JPMorgan Asset Management’s Asia Pacfic equity trading desk is planning on using artificial intelligence to facilitate 50% of its trade by then end of this year. The firm has developed an AI tool, which was introduced gradually last year, allowing the firm to determine the best outcomes for trading orders while also being able to adapt to market conditions. While the model is being used presently to provide advice to human traders, it is being used more frequently to execute automated trades. 

https://www.thetradenews.com/jp-morgans-trading-team-develop-machine-learning-model-equity-desk/

JP Morgan Asset Management’s equity trading team has developed a new model using machine learning to make the execution of orders more efficient and less expensive. The proprietary model was created by quantitative analysts and traders on the equity desk, led by Lee Bray, head of equity trading for Asia Pacific at JP Morgan Asset Management, using data patterns to find the best execution strategy for trading orders. The artificial intelligence model constantly learns the best outcomes for trading orders and adapts as market conditions change and new data is available, according to the firm. Using these patterns and algorithms, the model can target the probability of the best performance, then auto-route and execute orders accordingly. “To develop the model with machine learning, we tapped into techniques more commonly found at companies like Facebook and Google,” Bray said. “By creating a systematic, adaptive model able to alter actions based on mathematical patterns rather than relying on human input, we’re transitioning equity trading to be more scientific and quantifiable.” JP Morgan added that currently the model provides recommendations to human traders, but it is increasingly taking over an automated role in executing transactions. The Asia Pacific equity trading team at JP Morgan Asset Management is now targeting to have around 50% of the notional value of all regional trading activity automated with the machine learning model by the of this year. “With myriad options available for executing any given order, particularly smaller or more routine orders, an intelligent model can identify the best execution more efficiently than a human,” Bray concluded. JP Morgan Asset Management said it invested significant resources in building machine learning tools to improve the global equity trading business.

Saurea's panels convert solar into mechanical rotation

Saurea has developed an electric motor that directly converts solar energy into mechanical rotation. The French start-up claims the technology guarantees 20 years of maintenance-free operation, making it ideal for deployment in isolated areas. The solar engine costs up to €3,500 ($3,867), depending on its application.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/09/10/french-start-up-launches-solar-engine/

From pv magazine France. Auxerre-based start-up Saurea has unveiled an electric motor technology that converts solar energy directly into mechanical rotation. The company’s first product provides rotary motion able to draw water for agricultural irrigation and to supply fresh air to ventilate buildings. “It’s the first solar engine in the world,” said Isabelle Gallet-Coty, one of Saurea’s founders. “It revolves entirely around renewable energy and has the particularity of never breaking down.” Perpetual motion Unlike conventional electric motors, Saurea’s technology directly converts solar energy to rotary motion without the need for power conversion components, giving the solar engine unusual resilience. “Electronic power conversion components often need to be replaced,” said Gallet-Coty. Saurea claims it can guarantee maintenance-free operation of its first product for 20 years. Popular content According to the start-up, that will offer financial savings to customers and make the engine particularly well suited for use in isolated areas. The innovative nature of the product has attracted the attention of the EDF Pulse jury, which selected Saurea as one of the finalists in the Sustainable Territories category of its annual competition – the public vote is open until September 26. Family start-up The solar engine is the result of research and development work spanning three generations. Inventor Alain Coty has filed five technology patents during his lifetime. His daughter-in-law Isabelle and his son took the product to market and their daughter, Louise, is in charge of business development. The family business, officially founded three years ago, assembles the solar engines in a workshop in Burgundy in central France and is establishing a distribution network. Isabelle Gallet-Coty said the sale price of the solar engine is €2,500-3,500, depending on the application. Saurea also offers to deliver the integrated product to pumps assembled by its partners and the start-up intends to expand its product range. “Right now we are launching our first 130 W mechanical solar engine for pumping air and water applications,” added Isabelle, “for example, to water green walls or power city foggers [which issue clouds of spray and are widely used to combat mosquitoes]. But it’s our intermediate engine. Currently, two more are developed with powers of 50 W and 250 W.”

American college debt crisis continues to grow

Students from poorer backgrounds studying for degrees at America’s non-selective private colleges, offering higher education to students from poorer backgrounds, are being left with staggering amounts of debt, according to a study by Credit Karma. Some students were facing debts of USD 100,000 after a four-year course, with one college’s average pay on graduation reaching USD 32,700. The study also found the financial problem was compounded by the fact many students didn’t graduate, with just 16 % of students graduating from one college.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/05/18/hopes-dreams-debt/fR60cKakwUlGok0jTlONTN/story.html

But just how true is this truism about college lifting low-income students out of their circumstances, Horatio Alger style? In fact, like the actual story of author Horatio Alger, who was born into a well-established family and graduated from Harvard, there’s more myth than truth. That’s been especially so in recent years, as nonselective private colleges from around the region have increasingly filled their freshman classes with low-income students — often the first generation in their families to go to college — from Boston and other urban areas. Quite a few of these small schools are former junior colleges and women’s colleges with rich histories of opening doors to students traditionally shut out from higher education, an admirable pursuit that officials refer to as “access.” Many of the colleges are also in tough financial straits, struggling with rising costs, stunted endowments, and declining enrollments. IT’S ONE OF THE MOST enduring selling points for the value of higher education: The best route out of poverty is through the college quad. Spend four years in college, and all that book learning, mind opening, and network expanding will help even the lowest-income student jump up several rungs on the economic ladder. Nowhere is that message preached as often or with as much evident authority as in Massachusetts, the nation’s historic capital of private, nonprofit higher education, where the concentration of colleges in some areas is surpassed only by the number of Dunkin’ Donuts franchises. Advertisement So whether they are actively recruiting these low-income students for reasons of open-the-door altruism or keep-the-lights-on capitalism — or, more likely, some combination of the two — there has been a huge, largely hidden byproduct of this dramatic increase in access: These students are often being loaded up with staggering debt that is completely out of whack with the earnings boost they’ll likely get from a degree at a nonselective or less selective college. Already, average student loan debt is higher in Boston than any other metro area in the country, 44 percent above the national average, according to Credit Karma. But more troubling, many of these low-income students — and, at some colleges, most of them — are not graduating. That means these non-completers are leaving campus saddled with lots of debt but none of the salary gains that traditionally come with a bachelor’s degree. RELATED STORY: Poor at an Ivy League school Advertisement Dean College sits on a pretty, leafy campus in Franklin. A former two-year college, it began offering a selection of bachelor’s degrees only about a decade ago. It now accepts about 70 percent of the students who apply, the same rate as Fitchburg State University. Last year, Dean sent a financial aid award letter to an accepted student whose family, the federal government had determined, was so poor that the “expected family contribution” (EFC) to that student’s education was zero. The college awarded the student a Dean Presidential Grant of $17,000 and another nearly $13,000 in institutional, federal, and state grants, meaning that almost $30,000 of the bill was covered and never had to be paid back. Sounds great, right? Yes, until you look at the larger numbers on the award letter. The total cost of attendance — tuition, room, board, and fees — was $53,120. That meant the gap that this “zero-EFC” student had to cover through loans and other means in order to attend was more than $23,000. Per year. Over four years — and with only modest rises for inflation factored in — that total gap could be expected to climb to around $100,000, not counting future interest payments. That’s a ton of debt, particularly for a degree from a college whose median annual salary for alumni 10 years after enrolling is just $32,700. Advertisement RELATED STORY: Schools struggle to cope with rising mental health needs To Dean’s credit, about half of its students who pursue a bachelor’s degree manage to graduate. Contrast that with Becker College in Worcester. On its website, Becker talks about being able to trace its roots back to two signers of the Declaration of Independence. It does not, however, mention what US Department of Education data from 2012-2013 show: namely, that just 16 percent of Becker’s students managed to graduate in four years, a number that inches up only to 24 percent when the time frame is extended to six years, the federal standard for completing a bachelor’s degree. In other words, 3 out every 4 students who enrolled as freshmen at Becker failed to graduate. Nor does the website mention that, after all grants and discounts are applied, a typical zero-EFC low-income student is required to come up with more than $25,000 every single year to cover the costs of attending Becker. Advertisement This seems to be the operating calculus at many small, private, nonselective or less selective colleges across the region, which routinely accept more than 60 percent of applicants. Consider the average annual “net” prices — after discounts and grants have been deducted — that these colleges are charging students coming from families whose total adjusted gross annual income is $30,000 or less. At a surprising number of colleges, this annual net price represents nearly all of that family’s total income for the year. So the net price for one year at Wheelock College would consume 80 percent of a family’s $30,000 total income. Same at Becker. The figure is 81 percent at Endicott College, 82 percent at Emmanuel College and Mount Ida College, and 92 percent at Lesley University. At Fisher, a former junior college in Boston, it’s 94 percent, a cost that’s basically the same as the $28,200 median annual salary that Fisher alumni are making 10 years after enrolling. For small, non-elite colleges to crack the top 10 in a U.S. News ranking would normally be cause for celebration. The problem is, this particular U.S. News ranking was titled: “10 Colleges That Leave Graduates With the Most Student Loan Debt.” Mount Ida in Newton ranked No. 7. Anna Maria College, a similarly small school in the Central Massachusetts town of Paxton, clocked in at No. 3. Average debt at Anna Maria is 76 percent above the roughly $28,000 national average. About half the students at both schools are low-income. Advertisement Keep in mind that those debt figures, like the college-loan-crisis statistics that Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren regularly toss around before crowds of aggrieved millennials, are for students who graduate. At Mount Ida, for instance, federal data show that only 1 out of every 3 low-income students manages to graduate. In the universal campaign to propel more disadvantaged students into college, few education officials seem willing to broach this sad, painful reality: If you come from a family of very limited resources and you’re not going to be able to finish college, you’d be better off never going at all. To be clear, there’s no evidence to suggest that these small private colleges are engaging in the kind of corrupt practices that made so many for-profit colleges notorious. The worst of those for-profit diploma mills used returning veterans and single mothers as mules to convey federal dollars into their coffers, with little institutional investment in the students’ well-being. In contrast, at every one of these nonprofit private colleges, you can find some impressive student success stories as well as dedicated faculty, staff, and administrators who continue to believe deeply in the mission of higher education to make disadvantaged students’ futures better than their pasts. But are those good intentions now largely misplaced? Is there a better way for struggling colleges to remain afloat than by sinking poor students further into debt? If not, that means college, long accepted as society’s Great Equalizer, will actually be widening the country’s yawning economic divide rather than helping close it. It’s probably not surprising that many college officials avoid these types of uncomfortable, existential questions. Still, a few have come to see the urgency of grappling with them. Noting the poor completion rates for low-income students around the country, Lesley University president Joe Moore says, “If we’re getting them here to generate our numbers and having them be the transmitters of federal financial aid, that’s just not right.” At Mount Ida, after nearly 50 percent of the freshman class that entered in 2012 had dropped out by the following fall, the administration began confronting the need for radical change. “If you’re seeing half the students disappear after the first year, you’ve got to ask yourself what business you’re in,” provost Ron Akie concedes. “Because it isn’t education.” Jennifer Roberts, a consultant and former senior financial aid official at several local colleges, is even more pointed. Having grown up in a Southie triple-decker as the youngest of six children to a single mother, she can’t help but see herself in the low-income students who are now mortgaging their futures for college. “I think students are being duped by being told this is the American Dream,” she says. “The American Dream cannot be to live in debt for the rest of your life.” Dina Rudick/Globe Staff JASMIN JOHNSON High school Newton South, 2009 (via Metco) Attends Bridgewater State. Johnson enrolled at Pine Manor in 2009 but dropped out after two years when she couldn’t cover the costs; she later transferred to UMass Boston while working full time, then faltered academically. Now 25, she works full-time and part-time jobs and attends Bridgewater State. Current debt $65,000 THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING at Pine Manor College, with its twin turrets and august interior, looks like the petrified home of a turn-of-the-century industrialist, and it smells like a Yankee Candle shop. In the center of the reception room, sandwiched between an exquisite mahogany staircase and marble fireplace, sits a small desk. It is vacant. “We can’t afford a receptionist,” Dick Regan, the college’s executive vice president of finance and administration, says as he comes out to greet me. Leading me through several stately rooms, he explains, “Twenty-five fireplaces. None of them working — or at least nobody wants to risk trying them.” I mention that Pine Manor’s gorgeous 50-acre campus in Chestnut Hill is surrounded by what must be some of the most exclusive real estate in New England. He nods in agreement, explaining that it used to be 70 acres, but in the 1990s the college began selling off chunks to its wealthy abutters to keep the place going. “Bob Kraft’s house is behind the student center,” he says. “Brady’s is by the soccer field.” Three years ago, Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen expanded their property by buying 5.2 acres of the campus for $4.5 million. Reebok honcho Paul Fireman’s property, he says, includes “land we used to own.” Regan has been in his job for just eight months, but that’s been plenty of time to appreciate the difficulty of the task ahead of him. Pine Manor began in 1911 as a two-year finishing school for well-heeled young women with more modest academic credentials. It became a four-year college in 1977, but enrollment dropped steadily. Six years ago, the small college earned laudatory coverage in The New York Times for repositioning itself, from proud bastion of privilege to proud door-opener for the underprivileged. That same year, U.S. News ranked Pine Manor, where more than half of the students identified as black or Hispanic, as the most diverse liberal arts school in the country. The problem was that short of selling off a whole lot more of the campus, the college didn’t have anywhere near the resources to see these low-income students through to completion. After enrollment plunged 25 percent in one year, to just 309 students, Pine Manor tried increasing grants by a couple thousand dollars but found that was not sustainable. Two years ago, the women’s college went coed. The lifeline keeping it afloat these days is an arrangement with Kings Education, which rents space to teach international students — mostly from China — enough English so they can attend college in the United States. After intensive English instruction, many matriculate at Pine Manor, with Kings keeping 40 percent of the tuition as its finder’s fee. Regan says most of these foreign “pathway” students end up transferring to a higher-ranked American college after a few semesters of seasoning at Pine Manor. But while there, they help fill the college’s coffers by doing something relatively rare on campus: paying Pine Manor’s full rack rate of $43,410. Despite that infusion of cash, the loan burden on the low-income students who continue to dominate the student body has simply become too high. “If we’re going to be here in five to ten years,” Regan says, “we have to find a way to reduce the student loan debts.” If he and his staff are successful in doing that, it will come too late for Jasmin Johnson. She grew up in Dorchester and attended schools in Newton through the Metco program before enrolling at Pine Manor in 2009. She says she and her parents were in over their heads when making financial decisions about college. After two years of stretching to cover the gap in costs at Pine Manor, she couldn’t find a way to take on the new loans she needed to remain there. She left to begin working full time at a bank while also going to UMass Boston full time. She thought she could juggle both, but she faltered academically and left school. RELATED STORY: She's crowdfunding her college education Now 25 and more self-directed, she resumed her studies this semester, this time at Bridgewater State University, while also working full time as a bank teller and part time for a radio station. Johnson is frustrated that her degree is still at least a year off, when it should have come three years ago. And she’s depressed that her total student loan debt already exceeds $65,000. When I meet her at the Pine Manor student center, she tells me many of her friends from her time here had similar experiences. Overall, only 3 out of every 10 Pine Manor entering freshmen manage to graduate (though, interestingly, that figure is closer to 4 out of 10 for low-income students). Pointing out the window to the elegant administration building just over the hill, I mention that Pine Manor used to be a finishing school for wealthy young suburban women. Johnson nods. “Yeah, but it’s not anymore,” she says. “Now it’s for city girls who can’t afford it and don’t know any better.” BEING “DEGREELESS AND IN DEBT” could well represent the worst, but least examined, bind of the college loan crisis. As former US education secretary Arne Duncan has noted, “Students who drop out of school are three times as likely to default on their student loans as those who graduate.” The average loan debt for a dropout from Pine Manor is about $14,000. It climbs to nearly $24,000 for a dropout from Northeastern University. However, those numbers very likely underestimate the extent of the problem, for two reasons, says Mary Nguyen Barry, a senior policy analyst at the Washington think tank Education Reform Now. First, those averages are specific to each institution, while students can rack up debt at multiple colleges. Second, those figures do not include private loans or the often hulking loans that students’ parents take out to fund their child’s education through the federal Parent PLUS program. Even a relatively small amount of debt can become a large burden, since students have to begin paying back the loans six months after they leave school, whether or not they have a degree. At Newbury College in Brookline, only 30 percent of students are graduating. At Bay State, a for-profit college in Boston, it’s less than 15 percent. And if students don’t leave college with a degree, their earning power is barely any better than it would have been with just a high school diploma. The median earnings for a working Boston resident with only a high school education is $29,000, while those with some college but no degree make $32,100. The real gains don’t come until workers earn an associate’s degree ($37,400) or a bachelor’s ($52,000). Yet the worker who tried college has to live on meager wages while paying down student loans, a financial vise that tightens if they go into default. Even students who declare bankruptcy can’t expect to be freed from their college loan debt. Only death or permanent disability does that. The college debt crisis has its roots in the 1980s, when institutions began jacking up tuition and fees to compensate for cuts in federal and state aid. Changes in the early 1990s made it easier for students to take out loans, and the push to boost college access increased the demand. Things worsened after the Great Recession struck in 2008, when states made deeper cuts. To compensate for this disinvestment in public higher education and to goose their rankings, public colleges — particularly flagship state universities — have been shifting their admissions and aid policies to try to attract more affluent out-of-state students. Even though these students pay higher tuition rates, they’re more likely to enroll if the public college offers them some non-need-based “merit” aid. That, in turn, has left fewer institutional dollars and fewer slots for low-income in-state students, prompting more of them to consider small private colleges, which have often been eager to fill seats. A new study by the Washington think tank New America finds that nearly 50 percent of public four-year colleges nationally are leaving the poorest students on the hook for more than $10,000 a year, a figure that has jumped by a third in just four years. But at private colleges, it’s close to 100 percent. Apart from the elites, most privates, despite all those hefty tuition hikes, have even fewer resources than public institutions and can’t come close to meeting students’ entire need. In 1971, the average price for tuition, fees, and room and board at a private four-year college was just shy of $3,000 per year. If that price tag had increased at the rate of inflation, it would be only around $17,000 today. Instead, it is nearly $44,000. And here’s a little-appreciated truth about the college debt landscape: It’s more of a regional crisis than a national one. In states where there has long been a history of robust public support for the state education system and where most students attend public colleges, the student debt loads tend to be considerably less than they are in the Northeast. States with deep rosters of private colleges have historically invested far less in their public higher education systems. The subtitle of the New America study, which is the third installment of a long-term examination of college affordability for poor students, may say it all: “The News Keeps Getting Worse for Low-Income Students.” But in an interview, study author Stephen Burd is even blunter, telling me: “After doing this research, I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really make sense for low-income students to go to private colleges unless those colleges have the resources to meet the students’ full financial need and have high success rates with graduation.” photographs by Keith Bedford/Globe Staff RENATA CAINES (left) High school Boston Latin Academy, 2007 Attends Northeastern University. “I was 17 when I entered this process,” says Caines, now 27, who has attended both Lesley and Hofstra, amassing debt. “I didn’t understand anything about large amounts of money.” Current debt $65,000 LUISA CENTENO SILVA (center) High school Boston Latin Academy, 2007 Graduated Northeastern University, 2016. During her senior year at Emmanuel College, Centeno Silva ran out of funds, dropped out, and tried to save money to transfer to another school. Emmanuel wouldn’t release her transcript until she’d paid off her balance there. Current debt $84,000 ASHLEY CHARRON (right) High school Manchester (N.H.) Memorial, 2007 Graduated University of New Hampshire, 2011. Charron didn’t qualify for a Pell grant, so her financially savvy father prepared a spreadsheet for her showing what each school’s loan payments would be after graduation. She chose the least expensive option, but it still involved heavy loans. Current debt $50,000+ THE THREE ROOMMATES who occupy a first-floor apartment in Jamaica Plain illustrate the complexities of the college debt crisis. Renata Caines graduated from Boston Latin Academy in 2007, believing a lifetime of messages that she shouldn’t aim for anything less than a four-year college. She enrolled at Lesley University in Cambridge with plans to become a teacher. Even after signing on to the full complement of federal loans, she had to pay $4,000 out of pocket to cover the gap freshman year. But sophomore year, that gap grew to $7,000, and she needed to take a private loan. She had been volunteering as a Big Sister but stopped because she was embarrassed that she couldn’t afford the bus fare to meet her charge. Going into her junior year, Caines decided she needed a fresh start. Instead, she ended up making her financial situation much worse, a sequence that, unfortunately, is not uncommon for students in her circumstances. She transferred to Hofstra University, but when aid didn’t come through, she was on the hook for $25,000 for just one semester and unable to continue. Since then, Caines has swirled around, taking courses at a couple of other colleges, all while working in a series of low-paying jobs. She is now enrolled at Northeastern, but the distance between her and her degree sometimes feels as though it will never recede. Her current student debt tops $65,000. “I was 17 when I entered this process,” Caines says. “I didn’t understand anything about large amounts of money.” She is now a 27-year-old trying to reckon with the fallout from those early decisions. To prepare for the future, she recently attended a class for prospective home buyers and was stunned at how comparatively transparent the process was. “You should have to be preapproved before taking on college debt. You’re buying an education, after all. For the debt I have, I could have almost bought a house in Florida.” Instead, Caines continues to rent, sharing the bills with Luisa Centeno Silva, who is a close friend from high school, and a third friend. After Boston Latin Academy, Centeno Silva enrolled at Emmanuel College, a Catholic women’s school in the Fenway area that went coed in 2001. Early in her senior year, she found herself tapped out financially. Her parents, who had emigrated from Venezuela, were unable to help. She had already maxed out on credit cards and exhausted her network of family friends, having twice persuaded her godmother to cosign loans for her. She says Emmanuel notified her she had to pay a balance of about $10,000. She knew she’d have to cover at least that same gap again in the spring. (Emmanuel officials declined to comment on her situation, even after Centeno Silva provided the college with written permission to discuss it with me.) “I felt hopeless,” she says. She dropped out and began working full time at a deli and baby-sitting, to try to save enough to transfer to a new college. That’s when she learned of a little-known but often crippling policy at many colleges. Although she’d paid a lot of money to Emmanuel, in the form of cash and loans, none of the course credits she’d earned were accessible to her. In effect, they were being held hostage. To transfer them, she needed an official transcript from Emmanuel. But the college refused to release it until she paid her balance in full. If she had used that money to buy a car, she could have sold it and used a portion of the proceeds to pay off the bank. But there is no resale market for three-quarters of a college education. She began putting aside $1,000 a month from her wages and reluctantly traveling to Emmanuel to pay down her balance in installments. “It killed me to write that check every month,” she says. After 10 months, the college released her transcript. She took courses at local community colleges and, in 2014, enrolled at Northeastern, which accepted 90 of her 120 credits. Earlier this month, the 27-year-old Centeno Silva donned her cap and gown and collected her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern. Her total loan debt now stands at more than $84,000, with the bulk of that from her time at Emmanuel. Both Centeno Silva and Caines say they and their families were ill-equipped for the financial decisions they faced at the start of the college process. But the third roommate is proof that even deep family knowledge about finance does not insulate against major debt. Ashley Charron grew up in a middle-class family in Manchester, New Hampshire. When it came time to decide on college, she fell in love with Quinnipiac, a private university in Connecticut. Her father, who works as a credit manager, makes too much money for her to qualify for federal Pell grants but not enough for her to afford college without her taking on considerable debt. (Although this article focuses on low-income students who qualify for federal Pell grants, those whose family incomes fall a hair above Pell eligibility can sometimes find themselves in an even tougher position. The majority of Pell recipients come from families with total annual incomes under $30,000.) Charron’s father prepared a spreadsheet for her detailing what her monthly loan payments would be after graduation at the various colleges she was considering. She prudently opted for the one that showed a monthly loan payment in the hundreds rather than the thousands. That was the University of New Hampshire. Charron, who is now 27, says her total loan debt for her four-year degree turned out to be uncomfortably north of $50,000. Perhaps it should be no surprise that New Hampshire, with its legendary live-free-or-die aversion to taxes and its location in private-college-dense New England, has frequently held the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest per-capita college loan debt in the country. Still, it could be worse. While I sit with the three roommates in their JP living room, Charron texts her father to ask what her total debt would have been at Quinnipiac. Less than a minute later, her phone buzzes with the answer: $140,000. RELATED STORY: Who should pay for higher education? JUST OUTSIDE THE GATES of Curry College in a nice section of Milton, trophy homes are being erected in new cul-de-sacs. Outside its student center, flags on vintage-looking lampposts sport messages like “Focus on Quality” and “Preparing Students.” Inside, small clusters of Curry students are grabbing an early dinner in the upscale dining hall. Though he hasn’t returned to campus in a long time, Johnny Charles has agreed to meet me here. “To be honest, I have no relationship with Curry,” he says. When he applied to the college as a standout football and basketball player from Brighton High School, he was accepted, like about 88 percent of Curry’s applicants. The son of Haitian immigrants, he felt largely on his own sorting out how to pay for it. He lived in a dorm for his first semester but became a commuter when the money got too tight. He left the football team and started working full time, taking the No. 24 MBTA bus to get to campus from Roxbury. Still, he found it harder and harder to cover his costs. “Every semester was survival mode,” he says. “It was a traumatizing experience.” At the start of each semester, he says, a college official would ask, “What do you want to do?” But the only option seemed to be taking out yet another supplemental loan. “I had no idea,” he says, “from the moment I walked through these doors to when I graduated if I was going to make it.” The good news is that he did, busting his tail to graduate in four years despite also working full time. Yet the costs were significant, and not just financial. “I never had the space to be a student,” he says. Even in 2006, degree in hand, he didn’t feel he could exhale. “I was a communications major and business management minor,” he says, “and I couldn’t find any jobs.” He continued working for a security company, a position he’d previously held without a degree. Then his loan repayments kicked in. Eventually, his father called, telling him bills were arriving at the house and saying, “You’re going to have to take care of these.” Charles, who now cuts an extremely professional figure, admits that back then, “I didn’t know what to do, so I ignored it. Fear.” Things changed two years after graduation, when he began working for a Roxbury nonprofit. In 2009, he received a social justice scholarship that covered all his tuition at Brandeis University’s Heller graduate school. That helped him earn not just his MBA in nonprofit management but also the job he now holds as associate director of admissions at Heller. His undergraduate and graduate experiences were profoundly different. After finally confronting his college loan debts and getting on a regular payment schedule, his total burden stands at more than $66,000. All of it is from his years at Curry. Like Charles, Kenny Jean comes from a Haitian family and was a standout athlete at Brighton High. After graduating in 2010, Jean enrolled at Mount Ida. Charismatic, highly sociable, and a three-sport athlete — football, basketball, and volleyball — he enjoyed his time there as a big man on a very small campus. He pushed himself to graduate in four years, to avoid taking on any additional debt. Even with his degree, though, he struggled to find a job. On interviews, he found some hiring managers had never heard of the private college he’d paid so much to attend. Some of his friends from Mount Ida who had received associate’s degrees in fields like funeral science and dental hygiene had a much easier time landing a good-paying job than he was having with his bachelor’s in business administration. Eventually, he got hired by a telecommunications company. When I ask him for his total college debt, he says he’s not sure. He makes his loan payments every month but has avoided digging any deeper into the numbers. “It’s discouraging,” he admits. “I don’t want to think about things I can’t control.” One reason so many people are hazy about the extent of their college debt is that when they log into the federal Department of Education database, the figure listed next to their name does not include private loans or federal Parent PLUS loans. Congress created the PLUS loan in 1980, mainly to help middle-class parents who didn’t qualify for federal aid, to fill small gaps in the cost of their children’s college education. But over time it has mushroomed into something quite insidious. Parents, as long as they don’t have bad credit, can now borrow up to the full cost of attendance for each year their child is in college. Unlike pretty much any other conventional loan on the planet, there is no debt-to-income ratio calculated for PLUS loans. Conceivably, a single parent making $5,000 a year could take out a PLUS loan for $40,000, every year. Many colleges have become so reliant on PLUS loans to make it possible for students to enroll that they have resisted even modest federal efforts to tighten eligibility. Some colleges list PLUS loans under the aid section on their financial award letters to accepted students, even though the Department of Education has urged them not to, deeming the practice deceptive. Jean’s mother, who works as a nurse’s assistant, had signed for PLUS loans, though it would be his responsibility to pay them back. Eventually, Jean uncovers just how much he and his mother owe for his education. “The total is $83,210, which includes $46,580 for the PLUS loan,” he reports. “It’s worse than I thought.” Dina Rudick/Globe Staff/Globe Staff DERRICK BELL High school Charlestown, 2005 Graduated Northeastern University, 2013. Bell runs an after-school program in Randolph. He advises high school students to consider community college. He says his experience at Bunker Hill Community College, after two previous stops, put him on the right path. Current debt $31,000 (Not counting Parent PLUS loan of unknown amount) EVERY OFFICIAL I speak to at these small private colleges makes some variation of the same value-proposition argument to me: Yes, college costs way too much. And, unfortunately, unlike Harvard, with its $38 billion endowment, our institution cannot afford to meet all of our students’ demonstrated financial need. However, we feel the enriching experience we offer — with our small faculty-to-student ratio, the beautiful campus, and the array of specialized, award-winning programs — is worth a premium. My response to each is the same: “I agree.” If you’re a low-income student, college selection, from a purely financial perspective, is a no-brainer. If you can get into Harvard or Amherst College or another elite school that uses some of its ample resources to meet all of its students’ demonstrated need (sadly, not all well-heeled colleges do), then you go there. But the reality is this elite pathway will be available only to the outliers. If you’re not one, the financially sensible decision is to do your first two years at your local community college. For a low-income zero-EFC student, the combination of federal and state grants will just about cover the entire cost of education at a community college. (A new mayor’s initiative will expand the number of lower-income Boston students who can go to community college tuition-free.) After that, you can transfer to a state college, preferably one close enough to commute to. Derrick Bell, who grew up in Boston’s South End, racked up lots of debt for a few semesters at a historically black college in Atlanta and then Lasell College, a small private in Newton. His brother did the same at Becker and Fisher. These days, Bell runs an after-school program in Randolph. He advises students of limited means to give serious consideration to community college. He says he didn’t find his groove until his third college stop, when he enrolled at Bunker Hill Community College. “It was by far the best college I’ve experienced,” he says. He continued on to earn his bachelor’s from Northeastern. Yet college is more than a purely financial decision, and it’s understandable that some low-income students might resist community college. Maybe their public or charter high school has drilled them on the importance of getting a bachelor’s degree, printing on its graduation programs the percentage of the class accepted at a four-year college. Or maybe they come from a neighborhood with dangerous turf battles and feel the need to get away. Or maybe their impression of community college is tainted because they can name dozens of cousins and neighbors who attended Roxbury Community College but can’t think of a single one who graduated. (RCC’s graduation rate is 12 percent.) Whatever the reason, it may well be worth it for some to pay a premium to attend a private college. But in my interviews with officials at these small colleges, things get tricky when I pose a simple follow-up: How much is that premium worth? “It’s up to the individual student and their families to make that decision,” Jennifer Porter, Emmanuel’s associate vice president for student financial services, tells me. All the college officials I speak to stress that their institution has substantially increased the amount of institutional aid it awards. But that number turns out to be much less illuminating than the cost to students after grants and discounts. So I steer our discussions back to the net prices they’re charging their lowest-income zero-EFC students whose families earn $30,000 or less. I ask each official: How much pure debt would be too much for low-income students to incur for a degree from your institution? Porter refuses to put a number on it. Same for her counterpart at Curry College, Stephanny Elias. “I think it’s different with every family,” Elias says. Same answer from Frank Mullen, dean of student financial planning at Dean College. They all stress that their college provides extensive financial counseling to students and their parents. “We encourage them to sit down as a family to discuss it,” Mullen says, “and find out if this is the right decision for them.” All three point out that some zero-EFC students might have access to additional resources, such as a noncustodial parent with a decent salary. That’s fine, I say, but let’s focus on the vast majority of these poor students who don’t have additional resources. I had shared with Mullen the award letter that Dean had sent to a zero-EFC student, suggesting a four-year gap of around $100,000. To him and his counterparts, I sharpen the focus of my question: “Is $100,000 in debt too much for a low-income student to take on to get a bachelor’s degree from your institution?” “I’d want to reflect on that question and get back to you,” Curry’s Elias tells me, though in follow-up correspondence, the college declines to answer the question. Emmanuel’s Porter says, “We don’t want to treat students with a broad brush here.” Mullen tells me, “I think in some cases, no, and in some cases, maybe.” My exchange starts out the same when I pose the “$100,000 question” to Becker’s vice president of enrollment management, Greg Potts. Eventually, he moves closer to a helpful answer: “You really want to keep the debt burden to around the size of your expected first-year salary for the career you’re going into.” Federal data show the median salary for Becker alumni 10 years after they first enrolled there is $35,800. So I ask Potts again, “Would you say $100,000 in total debt is too high for any low-income student coming to Becker?” He pauses. “Yes. That’s not a wise amount.” POOR STUDENTS AT HARVARD aren’t being asked to take on heavy debt — if their families make less than $65,000 a year, they pay nothing. The students being shackled with debt are generally going to colleges that are simply incapable of providing the kind of name-brand diplomas that can reliably lead to lucrative salaries the way an Ivy degree can. And, of course, far too many of these students are racking up debt without obtaining any degree at all. The standard repayment schedule for college loans is 10 years, but nationally the average bachelor’s degree holder is taking twice as long, dramatically delaying homeownership and other markers of settled adulthood. Those who earned their bachelor’s in 2012 have an average monthly loan payment of $312 — one-third more than their counterparts from the Class of 2004. Even the widely cited finding that a bachelor’s degree boosts a worker’s career earnings by an average of $1 million masks the stark unevenness of those gains. New research from the Brookings Institution finds that low-income students with bachelor’s degrees start their careers earning about two-thirds as much as affluent graduates; that ratio declines to about half by the midpoint of their careers. Poor grads with a bachelor’s earn 91 percent more over their careers than their counterparts with only a high school degree. But this “bachelor’s bump” in career earnings is nearly twice as powerful for grads from wealthier families, at 162 percent. These trends signal trouble not just for students of limited means but also for colleges of limited means. Debt expert Kevin Fudge says his job involves trying to “deflate the college loan bubble.” His actual title is manager of consumer advocacy and government relations for American Student Assistance, a Boston-based national nonprofit that helps people manage college debt. (Disclosure: Fudge serves with me on the volunteer board of a small nonprofit that helps Boston students return to college after a setback. None of the students in this article are affiliated with that nonprofit.) Fudge warns that unless trends shift dramatically, some students may decide college is no longer worth it if it means a lifetime of debt. While it’s true that about two-thirds of American jobs are expected to require some kind of post-secondary education by 2025, that doesn’t necessarily mean a four-year college degree. In fact, the bachelor’s degree is already an imperfect tool for certifying preparedness. Many employers are using a bachelor’s simply as a marker to screen out applicants, rather than as a guarantor of skills required for that particular job. Research by Ohio University economist Richard Vedder finds that nearly half of jobs currently held by college graduates were previously held by people without a degree and do not require the higher-level critical thinking that colleges aim to teach. Colleges are starting to see the warning signs, according to a 2014 study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Despite increasing their “discount rate” to attract more students, nearly half the colleges reported declines in undergraduate enrollment. Two-thirds of the officials from those colleges attributed the drop to price sensitivity. If awareness is the first step toward solving a problem, I take it as a good sign when I ask Mount Ida president Barry Brown how much debt a low-income student should take on for the premium of an education there, and he doesn’t hesitate to say, “It’s not worth $100,000.” How about the $80,000-plus in debt that Mount Ida graduate Kenny Jean took on? “No, not $80,000,” Brown says. “How much then?” “Maybe $25,000,” he says, “and even that makes me sick.” Whether Mount Ida will ever get to a point where it can institute a debt ceiling like that for its students, however, is a different matter. Brown is candid about the excesses in the system, calling higher education’s heavy reliance on PLUS loans, which are untethered from a parent’s ability to repay, “an abomination.” Brown joined Mount Ida as president in 2012, and he says it took time to grasp how off track things had become with increased student debt and lowered admissions requirements. He and provost Ron Akie say they’ve made marked improvements on both counts. Mount Ida charged its low-income zero-EFC students who entered this past fall an average net price of $20,848, which the administrators acknowledge is still high, but is 15 percent less than it was three years ago. Back then, the net price represented 82 percent of a family’s $30,000 annual income; now it’s 69.5 percent. They hope to keep driving that number down. Also, the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate has improved, from about 50 percent for the 2012 entering class to 68 percent for the class entering in 2014. Akie mentions how hard college officials work to explain to parents that the big dollar figure on the student’s award letter shows the gap for just one year of college, not all four. “Why don’t you put the four-year number on your award letters?” I ask. “You could acknowledge that costs might rise, but describe this as the estimated minimum total payment the family would need to cover over four years. After all, they print that total number on 30-year home mortgages. Do you do that?” Brown strokes his chin. “We don’t, but I kind of like that idea.” While it might seem reasonable for colleges to say “We just provide students and families with the information about costs and let them make the decision,” that approach seems less supportable with closer scrutiny. For many first-generation immigrant families, the student is the one translating this information to his or her parents in their native language. Keep in mind this is an 18-year-old, who society has decided needs seven more years of maturation before being allowed to rent a car without incurring a crazy surcharge. Moreover, because of our strong cultural climate of aspiration around college, most parents will want to think We can make this work. “There’s very little accountability right now for colleges making sure that young people get into school and finish with as little debt as possible,” says Bob Giannino, the CEO of uAspire, a Boston-based national nonprofit focused on college affordability. “Almost all of the accountability is foisted on the shoulders of young people and their families, and they’re usually not equipped to handle it.” Lesley University president Joe Moore, retiring next month, has introduced the Urban Scholars Initiative, which includes a tuition discount for low-income students like Natalia Rosa who are recommended by local partner nonprofits. Dina Rudick/Globe Staff Joe Moore, president of Lesley, doesn’t disagree, telling me, “That refuge that higher-ed people seek in saying ‘In the final analysis, it’s the family’s decision’ is more than troublesome.” Three years ago, Moore pushed through a move to lower Lesley’s tuition list price, from $32,000 to $24,000. That didn’t substantially decrease the ultimate cost of education for students, since Lesley also lowered its average discount rate. But it increased transparency while also addressing the problem of “sticker shock” for potential applicants. When I ask him what the reasonable debt cap should be for Lesley students, he says he told his financial aid office: “I am quite comfortable up to $20,000, $25,000, maybe even $30,000 in total debt, but when I saw the totals when I got here — people with $50,000, $60,000, $70,000; there weren’t many — that’s too much.” (In a follow-up e-mail, he stresses, “This is my personal opinion, not institutional policy.”) Moore, who will retire next month after nine years on the job, says many small private colleges in the Northeast have long and impressive track records of helping provide upward mobility for students, yet those legacies are at serious risk if schools can’t get student debt under control. Lesley has introduced two programs to make it more affordable for low-income students. The Urban Scholars Initiative offers a four-year, 50 percent tuition discount for promising students who are recommended by partner nonprofits in the area. It’s structured so that a zero-EFC commuter student wouldn’t have to take on more than about $8,000 a year in federal and state loans. The other program is a partnership with Bunker Hill Community College, where students who complete their associate’s there can continue to take classes on the community college campus, but taught by Lesley faculty, and finish with a Lesley bachelor’s, all for a discounted Lesley rate. That partnership with Bunker Hill somewhat resembles the new Commonwealth Commitment Plan announced by Massachusetts officials in April to provide a smoother, less expensive pathway from community college to a state college or university. Students who meet that program’s requirements would see no tuition or fee hikes during their time in school, paying only the amounts in place when they entered the program, and would receive rebates totaling about $5,000. The program sounds promising, though time will tell whether it manages to overcome the bureaucratic hiccups that made the previous Mass Transfer program problematic for so many students. And, tellingly, there will be no new state funding to support the program. Still, it’s a sensible idea. At this point, in light of how bleak the landscape is and how elusive wholesale solutions appear to be, that may be the best we can hope for: some practical initiatives twinned with a greater awareness of the dangers of saddling more low-income students with an ever-larger albatross of debt. Moore was the first in his family to go to college but dropped out of both Fairfield and Rutgers and worked at a shipyard and a factory. He got lucky while working at a bookstore in Boston, when a customer who happened to be a professor at UMass Amherst persuaded him to enroll there and even allowed him to live at his house, rent-free. “It’s an absurd, ironic comedy that I’m in this position,” the retiring college president says. So he can relate to students who are trying to better themselves through college without a lot of support. But he also knows that a misstep these days can be so much costlier than it was when he was feeling his way around. “If I dropped out again, I wouldn’t have gotten a degree,” he says. “But I wouldn’t have had $40,000 in debt.” TO GRASP THE CONTOURS of this problem, there may be no substitute for personal experience with college when things didn’t go as planned. In my effort to get past generalities, I begin asking college officials, “If this were your niece, and she came from a single-parent family of limited means and was presented with an award letter that required her to fill a $25,000 gap every year, what would you tell her?” I get a lot of conditional answers, like this one from Frank Mullen: “I would tell her the same thing I tell students considering coming to Dean. If it doesn’t work financially, then they shouldn’t attend.” But when I pose that question to Debbie Gravel, the financial aid director at Pine Manor, she surprises me with the clarity of her answer: “I’d tell her to enlist in the Air Force and let them pay. I only have one niece, and that’s what I told her.” And that’s what she did. Neil Swidey is a Globe Magazine staff writer. Send comments to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @neilswidey. SOURCES: This report relies heavily on US Department of Education data from 2012-2013, the most recent academic year for which final comprehensive numbers are available. It was prepared with analytical support from Mary Nguyen Barry of Education Reform Now.

Government avoiding London property market intervention to claim stamp duty revenue

A new article by Business Insider UK has outlined the government’s avoidance of London property market intervention; due to the market’s contribution of 46.9% of total national stamp duty revenue, the State is highly incentivised to avoid implementing any restraints on sales activity. The leading Conservative Party have been repeatedly asked for regulatory action to be taken to intervene in the capital’s ballooning housing market, where the average house price nearly double the national average.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/knight-frank-on-londons-stamp-duty-dominance-2015-9

A mock up of a monopoly set outside St Paul's Cathedral as part of anti-capitalist protests in London, October 27, 2011. REUTERS/Paul Hackett London's property market is an insane world of its own, with average house prices almost double the national average (£513,000 against £277,000). The government has been urged to step in and do something to stop rocketing price rises, with one suggestion a ban or curb on foreign investors buying property in the capital. The idea has been proposed both by right-wing think-tank Civitas and left-wing paper The Guardian. But there's one big incentive for the government not to do that — stamp duty. Upmarket property consultancy Knight Frank put out its latest quarterly London residential review on Thursday and the report underlines just how crazily dominant the capital is when it comes to stamp duty, the tax charged on property transactions. Here's Knight Frank (emphasis ours): Although London accounted for 13% of all transactions in the first quarter of this year, it contributed 46.9% of stamp duty revenue, up from 43.4% in the same period in 2014 under the old system. Meanwhile, properties worth in excess of £1 million in London accounted for 1% of deals in England and Wales but the revenue contribution has increased to 25.8% from 19.8% last year. Given that the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates the government will make £11.5 billion from stamp duty this year, that means London is contributing around £5.3 billion in revenue this year. And a crazy £2.9 billion of that is made up by deals that represent just 1% of all national sales — London properties worth over £1 million. The top end of London's market is a great little earner for the government, just less than what it makes taxing spirits. And London's £1 million+ market is hugely international — Knight Frank recently pinned changing rents in areas like Mayfair on fluctuations in the Chinese yuan. The government would be shooting itself in the foot to actively curb or ban foreign buyers. Chancellor George Osborne reformed stamp duty in the autumn statement last year, making the system cheaper for those buying a property under £937,500, but more expensive for those buying above that level. That's taken some of the air out of the top of the market. Knight Frank reports a 21% drop in the number of property deals for London homes above £1 million and the rate of price increases is slowing. But that hasn't done much to dent tax receipts. The percentage of stamp duty contributed by £1 million+ deals in London has actually risen from 19.8% t0 25.8%. Overall stamp duty income across Britain fell 16% in the first 9 months of the year. Clearly it wouldn't be in the Chancellor's interest to do much more to rein in this part of the market. And the strong pound and stamp duty changes already appear to be deterring many foreign investors anyway. The bad news for ordinary Londoners is that the cooling at the top end of the market doesn't seem to be having any effect on prices lower down. In fact, Knight Frank found house prices below £1 million are the fastest rising price band in London right now.

Comma.ai offers open-source autonomous car alternative research

American hacker and entrepreneur George Hotz will be offering research from his autonomous car venture Comma.ai as open-source data. Comma.ai’s proprietary tech can be assembled through online, freely available plans, with the software also available for free. Hotz believes that its use in autonomous vehicles will be the most important application of AI over the next five years, and will have the biggest impact on the cultural perception of the technology.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/07/george-hotz-wants-comma-ai-to-be-the-android-of-autonomous-drivi/

Hacker, entrepreneur, rabble rouser and freeform rapper George Hotz joined us on the Engadget stage at CES to talk about the decision to open-source his autonomous car research and the state of self driving. He also weighed in on California's regulatory system (he's not a fan) and how he's excited about the future of augmented reality.

Insurers fear 20% of business will be lost to startups

Half of insurers are concerned they could lose a fifth of their business to fintech companies in the next five years. New research by PwC shows these fears are driven by a fivefold increase in insurtech startup investments in the past three years. PwC said that while companies are looking to cut costs, customers are seeking personalised insurance products. Insurtech companies are capitalising on this, through not being hindered by legacy systems in the way that incumbent competitors are. PwC UK insurance leader, Jonathan Howe, stated that the differences between incumbents and start-ups are both vital to the success of the industry and should be embraced. He added that combining long-term experience with start-up creativity could result in innovative products.

http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/half-of-insurers-fear-20-of-business-will-be-lost-to-tech-start-ups-pwc/1418667.article

Almost half (48%) of insurers fear that up to one-fifth of their business could be lost to standalone fintech companies within the next five years. According a new research by PwC, this fear has been driven by annual investments in insurtech start-ups that have increased fivefold over the past three years. Key points: Insurtech start-ups have increased fivefold in past three years Two-thirds of insurers have taken ‘concrete’ steps to address challenges Customers demand personalised products In response, over two-thirds (68%) of insurance companies say they have taken concrete steps to address fintech challenges and opportunities. Customers demand personalised insurance products at a time when companies are looking to cut costs, PwC said. As a result, insurtech start-ups are accessing and analysing data in new ways and in record time, not hindered by legacy technology systems as their incumbent competitors are. The research listed the top three threats and opportunities for insurers from insurtech: Pressure on margins (73%) and loss of market share (69%) are highlighted as the top threats fintech poses to the industry Cost reduction (81%) and differentiation (65%) are highlighted by insurers as the most significant potential gains from fintech Incumbent insurers see IT security as the biggest barrier to working alongside start-up companies. The start-ups themselves highlight “difference in management and culture” as the biggest challenge in the relationship. PwC UK insurance leader Jonathan Howe said: “The differences between start-ups and incumbents should be embraced as both are vital to the future of the industry. “If the long-term mindset and experience of insurance companies can successfully be partnered with the creativity and agility of start-up companies, the industry as a whole will make progress in solving problems and bringing truly innovative products to market.” PwC global insurance leader Stephen O’Hearn added: “There is a risk of missing an opportunity to deliver customers a similar experience to one they already receive from retail and technology companies. One size simply does not fit all in insurance anymore and, by working alongside insurtech companies, companies can begin to reposition themselves at the cutting edge of customer interaction.”

New bill would prohibit sharing of users' mobile location data

Legislation proposed by Democratic New York City Councilmember Justin L Brannan could prevent the sale of customer mobile location data, with fines of up to $10,000 per day for those in violation. The bill, set for review by the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio, would only permit location data sharing when firms provide a service customers explicitly requested. If passed, the legislation could threaten US location-targeted advertising sales, which generated approximately $21bn in 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/nyregion/cellphone-tracking-location-data.html

Telecommunications firms and mobile-based apps make billions of dollars per year by selling customer location data to marketers and other businesses, offering a vast window into the whereabouts of cellphone and app users, often without their knowledge. That practice, which has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism in recent years, is now the subject of a proposed ban in New York. If the legislation is approved, it is believed that the city would become the first to forbid the sale of geolocation data to third parties. The bill, which was introduced on Tuesday, would make it illegal for cellphone companies and mobile app developers to share location data gathered while a customer’s mobile device is within the five boroughs. Cellphone companies and mobile apps collect detailed geolocation data of their users and then sell that information to legitimate companies such as digital marketers, roadside emergency assistance services, retail advertisers, hedge funds or — in the case of a class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T — bounty hunters.

Unemployment down but still out of pocket

Although the employment gap in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) area fell from 20.3 million in 2010 to 5.6 million in 2015, the worst affected countries including Greece, Ireland and Spain still maintain an employment gap of around 10%. It is believed that comprehensive policy responses are required to further help the situation including “second chance” programs such as the Jobs Corps in the US. They have further recommended subsidised childcare to encourage Latin American women to seek employment.

http://www.brinknews.com/making-the-rent-back-at-work-still-out-of-pocket/

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Although crisis-level unemployment has been stemmed, labor continue to struggle in efforts to recoup the ground lost in wages suffered during the global financial crisis. According to a recent report on labor markets, 75 percent of OECD countries “still face either a sizeable unemployment gap (measured as 2 percentage points or more above the pre-crisis level) or a sizeable wage gap (average wages at least 5 percent below the crisis level) or both.” Low investment, anemic productivity gains and weak job creation along with stagnant wages combine to form what the report calls “a low-growth trap” for labor markets. The report cites an “urgent need” for macroeconomic and structural policies to be brought to bear on the crisis. The good news underlying the dismal wage picture is that, at least for the OECD area, “jobs recovery has been underway since the first quarter of 2010,” when the average employment rate reached its post-crisis trough of only 58.6 percent of the population employed, the report said, resulting in 20.3 million “missing jobs.” Despite slow growth and a rash of economic headwinds, the jobs deficit shrank to 5.6 million by the of 2015, the report said. That gap is projected to finally close sometime next year, the report said. But averages have a way of burying more brutal truths: The hardest hit countries, such as Greece, Ireland and Spain, are still fighting a jobs gap that hovers near 10 percent. “While it is encouraging that employment is now rising quite rapidly in these hardest-hit countries, a full jobs recovery remains some way off and there is a risk that it will not be achieved before a new recession arrives,” the report said. Given weak productivity growth, the report wonders “whether workers can ever recuperate the potential lost wage gain” since the crisis hit. “The prospects for returning to vigorous wage gains (are) closely tied to whether the global economy manages to move from the current low growth equilibrium characterized by low investment, subpar productivity growth and historically weak international trade, which in turn calls for a comprehensive policy response, including more ambitious use of fiscal policy and additional structural reforms,” the report said. A bright spot in the report is the fact that the number of long-term unemployed finally started falling during 2015, “suggesting that this group is beginning to share more of the benefits of the overall labor market recovery,” the report said. “However, it is far too early to declare victory,” the report said, adding, “Governments need to continue to assist this group, who are often shunned by employers, to move back into suitable jobs.” Governments bear the brunt of jump-starting the process. The report notes that governments need to “redouble their efforts level the playing the field” for vulnerable groups, such as the long-term unemployed. One way governments can do so is by investing more in so-called “second chance” programs such as École de la Deuxième Chance in France or the Jobs Corps in the United States. One of the key needs is to help women in the workforce “better reconcile their family responsibilities with employment.” The report cites subsidized childcare as a method that’s been proven effective “in enhancing women’s employment in several Latin American countries.”

Rise in krill fishing threatens Antarctica: Greenpeace

Industrial krill fishing is threatening the future of Antarctica, according to a study by environmental campaign group Greenpeace. The global krill industry is expected to grow 12% per year over the next three years. Demand for krill is increasing as it is used in health products that claim to combat depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. A combination of industrial fishing and climate change has seen the krill population decline by 80% since the 1970s. Krill remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by eating carbon-rich food, while also providing a food source for penguins, seals and whales.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/13/krill-fishing-poses-serious-threat-to-antarctic-ecosystem-report-warns

Industrial fishing for krill in the pristine waters around Antarctica is threatening the future of one of the world’s last great wildernesses, according to a new report. The study by Greenpeace analysed the movements of krill fishing vessels in the region and found they were increasingly operating “in the immediate vicinity of penguin colonies and whale feeding grounds”. It also highlights incidents of fishing boats being involved in groundings, oil spills and accidents, which it said posed a serious threat to the Antarctic ecosystem. The report, published on Tuesday, comes amid growing concern about the impact of fishing and climate change on the Antarctic. A global campaign has been launched to create a network of ocean sanctuaries to protect the seas in the region and Greenpeace is calling for an immediate halt to fishing in areas being considered for sanctuary status. Frida Bengtsson, from Greenpeace’s Protect the Antarctic campaign, said: “If the krill industry wants to show it’s a responsible player, then it should be voluntarily getting out of any area which is being proposed as an ocean sanctuary, and should instead be backing the protection of these huge swaths of the Antarctic.” Last month a study found a combination of climate change and industrial-scale fishing is hitting the krill population, with a potentially disastrous impact on larger predators. Krill fishing in the vicinity of Trinity Island. Photograph: Daniel Beltrá/Greenpeace The study warned that the penguin population could drop by almost one-third by the end of the century due to changes in krill biomass. Krill are a key part of the delicate Antarctic food chain. They feed on marine algae and are a key source of food for whales, penguins and seals. They are also important in removing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by eating carbon-rich food near the surface and excreting it when they sink to lower, colder water. There is a growing global demand for krill-based health products which are claimed to help with a range of ailments from heart disease to high blood pressure, strokes and depression. A recent analysis of the global krill industry predicted it was on course to grow 12% a year over the next three years. Krill populations have declined by 80% since the 1970s. Global warming has been blamed partly because the ice that is home to the algae and plankton on which krill feed is retreating. However, campaigners say recent developments in fishing technology are exacerbating the problem. Tuesday’s report analysed the krill fleet’s “mandatory automatic identification systems” [AIS] which shows the trawlers’ routes and when they were at “fishing speed.” In doing so researchers say they were able to get a record of industrial fishing in the feeding grounds of whales and penguins. A global campaign has been launched to turn a huge tract of Antarctic seas into ocean sanctuaries, protecting wildlife and banning all fishing. One was created in the Ross Sea in 2016, another 1.8m sq km reserve is being proposed in a vast area of the Weddell Sea, and a third sanctuary is under consideration in the area west of the Antarctic peninsula – a key krill fishing area. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), whose members include 24 national governments and the EU, manage the seas around Antarctica. It will decide on the Weddell Sea sanctuary proposal at a conference in Australia in October, although a decision on the peninsula sanctuary is not expected until later. Humpback Whales Feeding in Paradise Bay, Antarctic Peninsula. Photograph: Christian Åslund/Christian Åslund / Greenpeace Keith Reid, a science manager at CCAMLR said the organisation sought “a balance between protection, conservation and sustainable fishing in the Southern Ocean.” He said although more fishing was taking place nearer penguin colonies it was often happening later in the season when these colonies were empty. He added: “The creation of the a system of marine protected areas is a key part of ongoing scientific and policy discussions in CCAMLR.” Cilia Holmes, sustainability director at Aker BioMarines, one of the leading krill fishing companies based in Norway, said they were looking forward to working with Greenpeace and other environmental groups to ensure the region was protected. “Our long-term operation in the region depends on a healthy and thriving Antarctic marine ecosystem, which is why we have always had an open dialogue with the environmental NGOs, and especially WWF. “We strongly intend to continue this dialogue, including [with] Greenpeace, to discuss improvements based on the latest scientific data. We are not the ones to decide on establishment of marine protected areas, but we hope to contribute positively with our knowledge and experience.”

German e-bike sales roar as shops re-open

Following the German government’s announcement to re-open bicycle shops on 27 April, both dealers and producers have seen sales skyrocket. Georg Honkomp, CEO of the German dealer cooperative ZEG, stated, “In the first few days after reopening, the customers literally overrun the stores despite strict hygiene regulations”. Customer demand for e-bikes has shifted with these becoming a daily necessity as opposed to just strictly leisure, following the end of the lockdown. If sales persist declines resulting from Covid-19 may no longer mark a significant dent for some dealers. Some categories are already exceeding previous losses, Honkomp added

https://www.bike-eu.com/sales-trends/nieuws/2020/05/german-e-bike-sales-increase-rapidly-after-shop-re-openings-10137814?utm_source=Vakmedianet_red&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200512-bikeeurope-std&tid=TIDP2450527X540C1FED824547A6A00A4167C12AB9B6YI4&utm_content=Email&_ga=2.80997591.176515843.1589806771-1599437341.1589806771

German e-bike sales increase rapidly after shop re-openings COLOGNE, Germany – The opening of bicycle shops in Germany after the corona lock-down has resulted in a more than expected increase in sales. Particularly e-bikes are very popular now lock-down has ended as customer demand changes from leisure only to daily use. These initial results provoked ZEG CEO Georg Honkomp to state that, “if things go better again in the next few months, the 2020 sales decline as a result of corona will be limited.”

Tesla tops Toyota to become largest automaker by market value

Shares of Tesla gained 5% to hit a new all-time high of $1,135, giving the company a valuation of roughly $206.5 billion. The milestone underscores the vast investor enthusiasm for Elon Musk's automaker, which has yet to turn a profit on an annual basis. The stock has more than doubled this year, surging 170%, as investors continue to pile into the electric car maker.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/01/tesla-tops-toyota-to-become-largest-automaker-by-market-value.html

GP: A Tesla Model 3 automobile is on display during the first press day of the Paris Motor Show at the Parc des Expositions at the Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018 in Paris. The Paris Motor Show will present the latest models from the world's leading car manufacturers at the Paris Expo Exhibition Center from October 4 to 14, 2018. Tesla became the world's most valuable automaker on Wednesday, when the electric vehicle company's market capitalization surpassed Toyota's for the first time. Shares of Tesla gained 5% to hit a new all-time high of $1,135, giving the company a valuation of roughly $206.5 billion, compared with Toyota's valuation of about $202 billion. The milestone underscores the vast investor enthusiasm for Elon Musk's automaker, which has yet to turn a profit on an annual basis. The stock has more than doubled this year, surging 170%, as investors continue to pile into the electric car maker. While Tesla may have exceeded Toyota on market value, it lags the Japan-based company by a wide margin on actual car production. For the period ended March 31, Tesla said it produced about 103,000 vehicles — 15,390 Model S and X and 87,282 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. In the same period, Toyota produced 2.4 million vehicles. Additionally, when looking at each company's enterprise value, which includes debt, Toyota's $290 billion value exceeds Tesla's $252 billion, according to FactSet data through March. While investors have sent shares soaring, some on the Street believe the stock, which trades at more than 300 times full-year earnings, isn't supported by the underlying fundamentals. "We continue to be cautious on Tesla, but anything EV related is red-hot for investors now and there is a scarcity of ways to invest in the theme, thus we see the stock continuing to 'work' near-term despite our caution on competitive positioning over time and valuation," Cowen analyst Jeffrey Osborne said in a note to clients Tuesday night, while reiterating his underperform rating on the stock. - CNBC's Michael Wayland contributed reporting. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.

Researchers suggest formal verification to increase AV safety

Researchers at the Technical University in Munich have developed an algorithm they claim can "drastically" reduce the number of accidents involving autonomous vehicles (AVs). The team said its formal verification technology attempted to predict all possible outcomes when changing lanes, avoiding pedestrians and turning left at a junction. Assuming everyone behaved legally, they said the algorithm planned several "fallback" solutions to minimise harm. The researchers are focusing on identifying a standard of operation before putting their algorithm into a real-world car.

https://www.insidescience.org/news/can-new-algorithm-make-self-driving-cars-safer

Driverless cars may soon routinely join human motorists on roads around the world. Katharine Gammon, Contributor (Inside Science) -- A driverless car isn't driven by a person but is controlled by a system of sensors and processors. In many countries, tests of autonomous driving have been happening for years. Germany wants to permit driverless cars across the country by 2022. As the technology develops, researchers are continuing to explore ways to make the algorithms used to make driving decisions better, and roadways safer. A team of three doctoral students at the Technical University in Munich published details of their approach today in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence. They employ a theoretical computer science technique known as formal verification, says Christian Pek, the study’s lead author. “With these kind of techniques you can ensure properties of the system, and in this case we can ensure that our vehicle doesn’t cause any accidents.” The paper shows for the first time that this approach works in arbitrary traffic scenarios, Pek said, as well as in three different urban scenarios where accidents most often occur: turning left at an intersection, changing lanes and avoiding pedestrians. “Our results show that our technique has the potential to drastically reduce accidents caused by autonomous vehicles,” he said. Whether the algorithm represents a substantial improvement over current techniques, which are based on accepting an inherent amount of collision risk, would have to be proved in tests. Other researchers believe that depending on algorithms as the primary source of improvement may overlook the opportunity for human drivers to collaborate with artificial intelligence. More driverless cars stories from Inside Science It works by predicting all potential behaviors in a driving scenario, said study author Stephanie Manzinger. “We do not consider only a single future behavior, like a car continuing at its speed and direction, but instead consider all the actions that are physically possible and legal under traffic rules,” she explained. The algorithm then plans a range of fallback measures to ensure it doesn’t cause any harm. Driverless cars have the ability to use advanced sensors to compute thousands of possible scenarios, and choose the safest course of action, said Pek -- something people can’t necessarily do in the moment of decision. “But most methods are not able to predict what could be in the future, but our method could predict all potential future evolutions of the scenario, given the traffic participants perform legal behaviors.” One challenge is that the algorithm assumes the car is able to see the road, any obstacles or other drivers, like people or bicycles. It also assumes that other cars on the road follow physical and legal constraints like not speeding too much. They also tested the algorithm in urban situations, not in rural or high-risk environments. While research in this area of vehicle safety is crucial, a better algorithm may not be the answer to autonomous driving concerns, says Bryan Reimer, a research scientist in the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. “Society hasn’t answered, how safe is safe enough?” he said. The premise in many academic papers is that driverless cars can be adopted once they can be trusted to drive more safely than humans do. But Reimer says that doesn’t go far enough. “We are not ready for robotic error to harm people,” he said. It’s important to define what is appropriately safe. Different countries are still trying to wrestle legal standards to fit a future driverless world. Robotic error will differ from human error. They're not going to fall asleep or get distracted when a text message pings. But they will err in other ways, for example mistaking a blowing piece of trash for a person. “Machine intelligence is really good at black-and-white decisions and getting better at others, while humans are adept at making decisions in gray areas,” said Reimer, who gave a TedX talk called “There’s More to the Safety of Driverless Cars than AI.” “We need to be thinking less algorithmically,” said Reimer. He points to the aviation industry as an example: Decades ago, there were plans to automate the pilot out of the cockpit, but the industry soon discovered that wasn’t the best plan. Instead, they aimed to couple human expertise with automation. “In airplanes, people work with automation and leverage it and take on new responsibilities,” Reimer explained. “That’s what has driven aviation safety to where we are today.” So how safe is safe enough? Reimer says that it’s about creating a culture of safety. To start, anything that is shown to be substantively safer, even a 5%-10% improvement, would be a starting point, but is not going to be acceptable in the long haul. Instead of a safety standard, the goal should be a continual process and improvement -- something akin to the way the FDA certifies new drug therapies or medical devices. “Anything that is safe enough today is not safe enough tomorrow,” he said. The study authors Pek and Manzinger plan to further advance their technique by helping find a standard of operation and to get their algorithm out of a computer model and into a production vehicle. “It’s one step closer to bringing this to reality,” said Manzinger.

Biggest risk to Estonia's banks come from the Nordic countries

The biggest risk to Estonia’s banking sector comes from Nordic countries where their parent banks are based, according to the Bank of Estonia. The country’s banks are in a strong position, it said, but faced risks from high levels of debt in Nordic countries and the dependence of Nordic banks on market-based financing of that debt. The parent banks will become less significant to their Estonian operations, however, as the Estonian banks seek increased backing from international markets. The recent money laundering scandal involving Danske Bank is now expected to have limited impact on Estonia, said the Bank.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/01/c_137572581.htm

Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-01 00:21:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TALLINN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The biggest risk to banking in Estonia continues to come from the Nordic countries despite of the strong financial position of the Estonian banking sector, the Bank of Estonia said on Wednesday. The financial position of the Estonian banking sector is strong. The level of own funds of the banks is high, the quality of the loan portfolio of the banks is very good, and loan losses are small, the Estonian central bank said in a press release. The biggest risk to banking in Estonia continues to come from the Nordic countries. The sources of risk there are the high indebtedness of households and high dependence of banks on market-based financing large debt of households. If developments were to turn bad, the ability of Estonia to export could be reduced and the funding conditions for Estonian companies could be tightened, it added. The departure of some foreign banks has reduced the relations between the Estonian banking sector and the Nordic countries, but this brings a new danger to financial stability in Estonia, it noted. The role of Nordic parent banks in funding the banks will decline in future and they will start more and more to access funding from international financial markets. The banks operating in Estonia largely fund themselves with client deposits and loans from their parent banks, but financial markets are a more volatile source of funding, said the press release. The overall trustworthiness of the Estonian financial sector, which has been shaken of late by the money laundering scandal, will also become more important, said the press release. However, the impact of the money laundering scandal on the Estonian financial sector overall remains small, as Danske Bank, which has been in the centre of the suspicions of money laundering, has ended its business with non-residents in Estonia, while small Estonian bank Versobank AS was closed in March over failures to remedy regulatory breaches in areas such as money laundering after a request from the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority, it added. The major share of the funding for the Estonian banking sector comes from resident client deposits, and the share of non-resident deposits has fallen over the years and is now only 7 percent, while companies from outside the European Union are now less than 1 percent of all clients, according to the Bank of Estonia. Another risk to financial stability alongside the risk from the Nordic countries is the rapid growth in the real estate and construction sector in Estonia, as it is sucking in labour, investment and funding, said the press release.

Three babies with Zika-linked defects born in US

Three babies with Zika-linked birth defects, including microcephaly, have been born in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the first time outcomes of pregnant women with the Zika virus have been made known. The CDC revealed birth defects were presents in three pregnancies which were "ended", but did not specify whether it was stillbirth, termination or miscarriage. All the cases were linked with travel to areas with outbreaks of the virus. The CDC said 234 pregnant women had been diagnosed with Zika so far this year, with some babies born with no signs of defects. Many of the pregnancies are still ongoing.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/three-zika-virus-affected-babies-born-in-us_1896813.html

Zee Media Bureau New York: The federal health officials on Thursday announced that three babies with Zika-linked birth defects have been born in the US, making it the first accounting of outcomes for pregnant women infected with the virus. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the three babies, whose mothers were infected with Zika, had brain problems like microcephaly, excess fluid in the brain, abnormal eye development and more. All the cases are connected to travel to areas with outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus, primarily Latin America and the Caribbean. The birth defects from Zika were also seen in three other pregnancies that ended. However the CDC did not say whether it was from miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. There's been no local spread of Zika in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been tracking the pregnancies of women with Zika infections since the beginning of the year. So far, 234 pregnant women residents and visitors have been diagnosed with Zika. Some babies have been born with no immediate signs of problems, according to the CDC's Dr. Denise Jamieson, but she would not say how many. Most of the pregnancies are ongoing. While the women had Zika infections, the officials said they did not know whether the birth defects were caused by the virus or other factors. Most people infected with Zika never develop symptoms, and Jamieson said not all of the six women had them. Others get a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes, and recover within a week. But during the Zika epidemic in Brazil, the virus was identified as a cause of fetal deaths and potentially devastating birth defects. In its birth defects numbers, the CDC is counting a range of conditions. Chief among them is microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which a baby's skull is much smaller than expected because the brain hasn't developed properly. But also in the count are calcium deposits in the brain; excess fluid in and around the brain; abnormal eye development; and other problems resulting from damage to the brain that can include clubfoot or inflexible joints. The CDC's Jamieson said the numbers are concerning but consistent with what's been seen in other countries affected by Zika outbreaks. Researchers estimate that for every 100 pregnancies involving women infected early in their pregnancy, 1 percent to 15 percent will develop severe birth defects. The CDC report appears to include the two known cases of babies born in the US with Zika-linked birth defects. One was a baby girl born to a Honduran woman at a New Jersey hospital. The other was born in Hawaii to a woman who had lived in Brazil. Jamieson wouldn't confirm the two were included, but said the cases meet the criteria. Overall, 756 cases of Zika have been reported in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. All were people who had traveled to outbreak areas, or who had sex with someone who had traveled to affected areas. Researchers are yet to be determine whether the risk of Zika is highest when a woman is infected early in pregnancy. The symptoms of Zika virus are similar to other arbovirus infections such as dengue, and include fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache. However, there are no symptoms in most cases. There's no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease, the best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites. (With Agency inputs)

Desalination Is Booming

Desalination facilities typically fall into one of two categories: thermal and membrane. Advances in membrane technology mean facilities require less and less pressure, and therefore energy, to filter seawater. With thermal, 75 percent of the water you bring in might leave as brine; With RO, it’s more 50-50 freshwater to wastewater.

https://www.wired.com/story/desalination-is-booming-but-what-about-all-that-toxic-brine/

If only humans could drink seawater without dying, we wouldn’t find ourselves floundering in a water crisis. To not die, first you have to boil saltwater and collect the pure vapor, or get yourself a fancy membrane that filters out all the salt and, conveniently, sea life. This is the controversial idea behind large-scale desalination—great big expensive facilities that turn saltwater into a liquid that won’t kill you. The classic criticism of desal is that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to process seawater, and we really shouldn’t be burning any more fossil fuels than we need to be. But a less chattered-about problem is the effect on the local environment: The primary byproduct of desal is brine, which facilities pump back out to sea. The stuff sinks to the seafloor and wreaks havoc on ecosystems, cratering oxygen levels and spiking salt content. Unfortunately, scientists haven’t had a good idea of just how much brine the 16,000 operating desal facilities worldwide have been producing. Until now. Researchers report today that global desal brine production is 50 percent higher than previous estimates, totaling 141.5 million cubic meters a day, compared to 95 million cubic meters of actual freshwater output from the facilities. Bad news for the environment, to be sure, but things aren’t altogether dire: Desal tech is rapidly evolving, so plants are getting far more efficient, both in the brine they produce and the energy they use. LEARN MORE The WIRED Guide to Climate Change Desalination facilities typically fall into one of two categories: thermal and membrane. With thermal, you suck in seawater, heat it up to get the pure vapor, and pump the remaining brine back out to sea. With membranes, you push seawater at great pressures through a series of filters, which pull out all the salt and other contaminants. Thermal is the more old-school method—prior to the 1980s, 84 percent of desalinated water went through this process. Since the beginning of the new millennium, though, a particular kind of membrane technology, reverse osmosis (we’ll call it RO for short), has proliferated exponentially. RO facilities now produce 69 percent of desalinated water worldwide. Why? Because RO is cheaper and more efficient. Advances in membrane technology mean facilities require less and less pressure, and therefore energy, to filter seawater. As an added benefit, RO produces less brine. With thermal, 75 percent of the water you bring in might leave as brine. With RO, it’s more 50-50 freshwater to wastewater. “It also depends on the feedwater,” or input water, says Edward Jones, coauthor on the new study and an environmental scientist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. “Reverse osmosis is least efficient when you're desalinating highly saline water, such as seawater. And it gets more and more efficient as feedwater salinity drops.”

India's banks still remain vulnerable to massive financial fraud

India’s banking industry is still considered vulnerable to financial fraud despite fines imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for non-compliance in the use of SWIFT technology. Employees of state-owned Punjab National Bank had allegedly manipulated SWIFT in a seven-year, $2bn scam and, as a result, RBI imposed fines on 19 banks for non-compliance with its rules. The RBI has been calling for banks to improve their SWIFT systems for three years and security analysts have backed its call. The banks have ignored the warnings so far and say the problems revealed by the RBI are not glaring.

https://qz.com/india/1566092/rbi-fines-indias-sbi-yes-banks-for-lapses-in-swift-like-pnb/

The vulnerabilities in India’s banking system that exposed Punjab National Bank (PNB) to a mammoth financial fraud last year remain unpatched. Over the last few days, the country’s central bank has fined 19 lenders for non-compliance with its guidelines on using the SWIFT technology system. SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, was at the centre of the $2 billion (Rs14,000 crore) PNB scam. The state-owned bank’s employees had allegedly manipulated SWIFT in favour of the diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi for seven years before the fraud came to light. Advertisement The ones fined by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently include the country’s largest lender State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Union Bank, YES Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank. They have been levied penalties ranging between Rs1 crore and Rs4 crore, as per their filings with India’s stock exchanges. Bankers, meanwhile, have tried to downplay the issue, saying the loopholes the RBI autopsy revealed are not glaring. Experts, however, say it is about time the lenders took their security issues more diligently. “Banks need to step up the effort that they are taking on the technology front,” said Ashvin Parekh, who runs Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services, a global management consulting firm that works with several lenders in India. “I don’t think that at all the public sector banks’, or even in some of the older private banks’, technology has taken a leap to match the current standards. The focus has to be on completely removing manual intervention to reduce the margin for error.” It is unclear what the lapses pointed out by the RBI are, but it could range from not adhering to compliance timelines to issues with third-party vendors involved in software upgrades, according to Romit Dasgupta, founder, and CEO of 3rd.Life, a firm that provides a SWIFT-based middleware solution. Advertisement “RBI’s penalty is a clear signal that it is not taking any shortcomings lightly and is seriously looking at any loopholes that may creep up,” said Dasgupta. “Most banks have been moving in the right direction but more needs to be done to ensure people and processes are fully compliant.” What is SWIFT? Brussels-based SWIFT was formed in 1973 by a group of seven banks to replace Telex, the system that was then used to facilitate financial transactions. After about four years, SWIFT went live and was quickly adopted by several financial institutions as it reduces the room for error by limiting manual processes. Now, the financial system boasts of being employed by more than 11,000 banks, brokerage houses, and other institutions across 200 countries. For cross-border fund transfers, most lenders now use SWIFT technology, which is similar to a messaging system that uses encrypted channels for safety. Advertisement But the system is not foolproof. PNB wasn’t the first instance where tampering with SWIFT system had led to financial irregularities. Similar incidents have been reported in Bangladesh and Russia. In the case of PNB, it was found that its SWIFT system wasn’t linked to the core banking system, a centralised database of all transactions. This ensured that the alleged manipulation by employees went unnoticed. Even this time around, the banks have been fined for similar lapses—a clear sign that lessons have not been learnt. Scrutiny The RBI had been publicly telling lenders to strengthen their SWIFT systems since 2016. However, most banks have turned a deaf ear to these warning bells. In fact, Usha Ananthasubramanian, who served as the MD & CEO of PNB between August 2015 and May 2017 was fired from her post as the chief of Allahabad Bank, where she was serving in 2018, when the fraud came to light. The investigative agencies have levied charges against Ananthasubramanian, alleging she repeatedly failed to act upon the red flags issued by the RBI on bank’s security and SWIFT systems. Advertisement Soon after the scam surfaced, the RBI had issued another advisory in February asking all banks to comply with SWIFT guidelines within the stipulated time. Reportedly, in audits conducted in April last year, it was found that nearly 25 banks were still non-compliant and they were issued showcause notices in August, which prompted the latest penalties.

Turkey may have own referendum over stalled EU bid

The Turkish President has said that the country could hold a UK-style referendum, asking the people if it should continue with the long-stalled accession process to join the EU. He said the EU had promised Turkey membership in 1963 but had been stalling because Turkey is a 'Muslim-majority' country. Despite EU accession talks commencing in 2005, Turkey's membership bid has been beset by many problems, particularly its shift towards authoritarianism.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-could-hold-uk-style-referendum-on-stalled-eu-bid-erdogan-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100803&NewsCatID=338

Turkey could hold UK-style referendum on stalled EU bid: Erdoğan ANKARA AA photo Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has suggested Turkey could hold a referendum over whether to continue its long-stalled accession process to join the European Union.Angrily lashing out at the bloc’s treatment of Ankara, Erdoğan said Turkey could hold a referendum along the lines of that in Britain, where voters are deciding on June 23 whether to stay in the European Union or leave.“We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing,” Erdoğan said in a speech late June 22 at a fast-breaking dinner, quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency.“We would ask, ‘Should we continue the negotiations with the European Union or should we end them?’ If the people say ‘continue,’ then we would carry on,” Erdoğan said.He accused the EU of not wanting to accept Turkey as a member as it is a “Muslim-majority country.”Erdoğan said Turkey had been promised membership in 1963 but that nothing had happened despite the passage of 53 years. “Why are you stalling?” he asked.Ankara and Brussels inked an association agreement for the first time in 1963, asserting that Turkey would aim to become a member of the bloc.After applying in 1987, Turkey began EU accession talks in 2005 but its membership bid has been held up by an array of problems, particularly Turkey’s slide toward authoritarianism.With the question of Turkey’s possible membership being raised in the British referendum, Ankara has been angered by comments from London suggesting that it has no realistic chance of joining the bloc in the medium term.During the campaign, Prime Minister David Cameron said Turkish membership was not “remotely on the cards” and may not happen until the year 3000.

Bosch to unveil AI car camera that 'sees' danger before drivers

German firm Bosch has developed an AI-backed camera it claims can detect objects and assess their driver relevance better than a human. Bosch said the camera can enhance advanced driver-assistance systems and extend their range of application, potentially reducing crashes, as well as improve emergency braking and road-sign recognition. The camera will be unveiled at this month's Frankfurt Auto Show.

https://www.wardsauto.com/technology/bosch-ai-camera-sharper-human-eye

In the race to an automated future underpinned by surround sensing, German supplier Robert Bosch says it has developed a new camera with artificial intelligence to enhance driver-assistance systems and help pave the way for self-driving cars. The new camera, which will be shown at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show and appear on unspecified vehicles this year, detects objects and their relevance better than the human eye, Bosch says. “We want to make cars better drivers than people, and in this way to increase road safety,” says Bosch management board member Harald Kröger. “In other words, technology has to work more reliably than people,” he says in a statement announcing the breakthrough. Cameras, radar and ultrasound provide the surround sensing necessary for enhanced ADAS and, in the future, self-driving cars. Of those sensing technologies, cameras come closest to the marvel of the human eye, Bosch observes, but adding AI for object detection surpasses the vision of even the sharpest driver. In short, not only does the camera with AI detect an object, such as a roadside cyclist or pedestrian, it also recognizes the object’s relevance to the person’s driving strategy and quickly determines the appropriate action: brake, swerve or continue on the intended path. Bosch considers the system particularly helpful in avoiding crashes where the driver may have been looking in the correct direction but failed to pick up the other motorist. According to Bosch, 50% of crashes can be attributed to the phenomenon. The Bosch camera does not tire, unlike the human eye, and it works just as well after hours of driving as it does in the first few blocks. The camera (pictured, below) works in concert with other sensing technologies, but the AI helps determine, for example, if the edge of the road is passable despite the potential absence of lane markings. It also can improve legacy ADAS systems and extend their applicable range, as well as improve emergency braking maneuvers by detecting objects partially concealed. Road-sign recognition also is improved with an optical character recognition feature to reliably read text and numbers and present them to the driver on a dashboard display. The camera’s intelligence was developed in-house by Bosch and integrated into a chip, known as V3H and produced by Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Renesas. The technology won an internal Bosch innovation contest.

IWG Co-work/childcare combo trend is growing

With the co-working movement continuing to grow, the trend of offering childcare facilities as part of the service is also becoming increasingly common. Play areas, supervised babysitting, educational classes run by trained teachers and workshops aimed at parents are just some of the services now on offer at different co-working companies, with some also offering live video feeds of the facilities so parents can monitor their children while they work. Further services, such as a "parents night out" babysitting scheme or regular networking groups for working parents, are also on offer.

https://www.workingmother.com/beautiful-co-working-spaces-that-offer-babysitting-too#page-6

After over 40 years of serving working parents, the Working Mother chapter is coming to a close. We are moving in a new direction, focusing our efforts more fully on making transformational change within organizations to create equity and inclusion in the workplace for all. To the millions of you who have been with us for all or part of this journey since our inception in 1979, on behalf of the entire Working Mother team, we want to thank you all for your unending support over the years. We are extremely proud to have helped raise generations of strong, inspiring working moms—and we feel tremendously grateful to have had you in our community. We hope you’ll continue on this journey with us as Seramount, as we continue to provide groundbreaking research, guidance and tools, as well as all of our Best Company lists. Sign up for Seramount’s newsletter here to join the conversation surrounding the ever-changing landscape of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

IWG Office Evolution to outsource reception and answering services

Colorado-headquartered co-working firm Office Evolution has outsourced its reception and answering services to existing partner Davinci. Office Evolution COO William Edmundson said the move enabled the company, which has almost doubled its footprint in 2018, to continue its growth plans. Office Solutions is set to open bureaux in nine states, including Idaho, Wisconsin and New Jersey. Meanwhile, Martin Senn, CEO of virtual office solutions provider Davinci, said the move gave the company access to previously untapped suburban markets.

https://de.advfn.com/p.php?pid=nmona&article=78474735

DENVER, Oct. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As Office Evolution continues along its strong growth trajectory, the leading coworking space franchise continues strengthening its customer service experience. In its latest initiative, the brand expanded its partnership with virtual office solutions provider Davinci to outsource all live reception and live answering services for its corporate and franchise-owned locations. Office Evolution has seen explosive growth in 2018, nearly doubling its existing presence year over year. Because of this rapid expansion, the brand has been committed to implementing more scalable solutions. The recent initiative establishes a team of dedicated Davinci live receptionists to the Office Evolution account. This allows the shared office space company to continue offering its customers unparalleled service as it continues nationwide growth. "Office Evolution's approach is extremely customer-centric, so it's important for us to partner with vendors that share those same values," said Chief Operating Officer of Office Evolution, William Edmundson. "As we continue to expand into new markets, we want to ensure that our level of exceptional customer service remains consistent. Davinci gives us confidence knowing that our customers will be cared for with the same level of professionalism that we would expect of our team internally, giving us the opportunity to allocate more time and resources to our franchisees and future development." Office Evolution's unique approach to growth also gives Davinci the ability to enter new markets. The company's core customers are located in suburban markets outside of major metropolitan markets. And while Davinci has over 1,000 virtual office locations across the nation, fewer of them are located in the suburbs. "Office Evolution is growing rapidly, which gives us the opportunity to grow with them," said Davinci CEO and Co-Founder Martin Senn. "Because of the way their model is structured to focus on suburban growth, they are providing us with location coverage in areas where we may not have had a presence otherwise. For example, Davinci might have 70 locations in Manhattan, but very few locations in Ogden, Utah. Their unique footprint is great for our clients and also important for their own expansion." With Office Evolution's upcoming openings in suburban markets throughout Idaho, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Indiana, Arizona, Missouri, and Wisconsin, the recent engagement with Davinci will ensure the coworking franchise continues to provide best in class services to its members. ABOUT OFFICE EVOLUTION Office Evolution is a Colorado-based national B2B franchise offering co-working spaces, virtual office services and fully furnished offices and suites. The company built and successfully operated seven business centers across the Colorado Front Range before beginning to franchise in 2012. To date, they have awarded 129 franchise locations throughout the United States. Please visit http://www.officeevolution.com for more company information. For more information on Office Evolution's franchising opportunities, visit http://www.officeevolutionfranchise.com or call 877.475.6300. ABOUT DAVINCI Davinci Virtual Office Solutions was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. For the past decade, the company provided virtual office solutions to over 40,000 companies and entrepreneurs throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Central America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Clients can obtain prime business addresses, on demand meeting & work spaces, live web chat services and live receptionist services – instantly – with the click of a button. For more information please visit http://www.davincivirtual.com or http://www.davincimeetingrooms.com. SOURCE Office Evolution

Bird cuts operations, 40% staff in response to Covid-19

Micromobility firm Bird has reduced its 1,060-strong workforce by an estimated 40% across all departments due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The California firm was criticised for using a pre-recorded video to inform staff of the job cuts, which followed plummeting demand for its scooters in what are seen as key, post-winter months.

https://dot.la/bird-layoffs-meeting-story-2645612465.html

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

Extreme weather causes energy demand to grow to nine-year high

Unusually hot and cold weather in 2018 prompted an energy consumption spike, notably in the US, China and India, driving a 2.9% increase in demand—the highest since 2010—according to BP's annual Statistical Review of World Energy. It said despite near-record 14.5% growth in renewable energy, the world's mix was "depressingly" familiar, with greenhouse gas emissions up 2%, amid continued fossil fuel consumption.

https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/extreme-weather-drove-spike-energy-demand-emissions-bp-190611144800336.html

Extreme temperatures around the globe drove a sharp acceleration in both energy demand and carbon emissions last year, oil giant BP* said on Tuesday, warning that the world risks losing the battle against climate change. While 2018 saw further growth in renewable power sources such as wind and solar, continued growth in oil, gas and coal consumption meant that overall, the world’s energy mix remained “depressingly” unchanged, BP Chief Economist Spencer Dale said in the company’s benchmark 2019 Statistical Review of World Energy. The 2.9 percent rise in energy demand in 2018, the fastest rate since 2010, deals a blow to global efforts to meet the 2015 United Nations-backed Paris climate agreement to limit global warming by sharply reducing carbon emissions by the end of the century. China, India and the United States accounted for around two-thirds of the growth in energy demand. In the US, demand rose by 3.5 percent, the fastest rate in 30 years following a decade of declines. And as energy consumption grew, greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels – which account for around two-thirds of total emissions – rose last year by two percent. “It’s clear we’re on an unstable path with carbon emissions rising at their fastest rate since 2011,” Dale said in a briefing ahead of the release of the report. Dismal ‘pace of progress’ London-based BP and its rival oil and gas companies have faced growing pressure from investors and climate activists to meet the Paris climate-change goals. Earlier this year, BP agreed to increase its disclosure on emissions, set targets to reduce them, and show how future investments meet the Paris goals. But many investors and activists say it needs to do more. Energy consumption has historically been closely linked to economic growth. But while global economic activity cooled last year, energy demand growth was driven by a sharp increase in abnormally hot and cold days around the world, particularly in China, the US and India, which in turn led consumers to use more energy for cooling and heating. Parts of the northern hemisphere were hit by freezing cold weather fronts last winter, only to face record temperatures in summer that resulted in vast fires and droughts. In the US, the combined number of heating and cooling days was the highest since the 1950s, BP said. “There is a growing mismatch between societal demands for action on climate change and the actual pace of progress,” Dale said. Production increasing The BP review showed an increase in oil and gas production, driven largely by the rapid expansion of US shale output. While the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other producers continue to cut back oil production in an effort to boost prices, US drillers are rapidly increasing output, particularly from the prolific Permian Basin in western Texas and New Mexico. As a result, global oil supply rose 2.2 million barrels per day, more than double its historical average. The US boom also accounted for nearly half of an unprecedented increase in global natural gas supplies, which increased by five percent in 2018. The increase in US oil and gas production was the largest-ever annual increase by any country, BP said. But renewable energy also grew by 14.5 percent, nearing the record increase in 2017. The share of renewables in power generation nevertheless remained mostly flat, accounting for around one third of the increase.

Apple's Acquisition of Intel's Smartphone Modem Business Completed, Intel Admits 'Multi-Billion Dollar Loss'

Intel today announced it has completed the sale of the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple for $1 billion following regulatory approval.Apple now holds over 17,000 wireless technology patents, ranging from protocols for cellular standards to modem architecture and modem operation.Intel will retain the ability to develop modems for non-smartphone applications, such as PCs, internet-of-things devices, and autonomous vehicles.Last week, Intel admitted that it sold its smartphone modem business to Apple at "a multi-billion dollar loss," according to court documents unearthed by Reuters .Farther down the road, multiple reports have claimed that Apple plans to develop its own modems for iPhones by 2022-23, and this Intel deal would certainly help those efforts.

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/12/02/apple-intel-modem-deal-completed/

Intel today announced it has completed the sale of the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple for $1 billion following regulatory approval. The transaction was first announced in July and includes intellectual property, equipment, and approximately 2,200 Intel employees joining Apple. The deal sees Apple acquire a large portfolio of wireless patents from Intel. Apple now holds over 17,000 wireless technology patents, ranging from protocols for cellular standards to modem architecture and modem operation. Intel will retain the ability to develop modems for non-smartphone applications, such as PCs, internet-of-things devices, and autonomous vehicles. Last week, Intel admitted that it sold its smartphone modem business to Apple at "a multi-billion dollar loss," according to court documents unearthed by Reuters. Intel added that rival chipmaker Qualcomm's patent licensing practices "strangled competition" and effectively forced it to exit the market. Apple is expected to use Qualcomm modems for its first 5G-enabled iPhones next year, as part of a six-year licensing agreement between the companies. Farther down the road, multiple reports have claimed that Apple plans to develop its own modems for iPhones by 2022-23, and this Intel deal would certainly help those efforts.

Government delays export of £6.3m painting

An Academy by Lamplight by Joseph Wright of Derby has been issued with a temporary export ban. The painting which depicts students gathered around a classical marble sculpture, exhibited in 1769, was sold at Sotheby's in December 2017. The ban will now allow a British gallery or museum the opportunity to buy the painting, but the challenge is considerable, as the required sum would be close to £7.5m ($10.23m) to prevent the work leaving the country. Art minister Michael Ellis said “Wright is one of the most pre-eminent painters of the age of enlightenment".

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/may/01/uk-masterpiece-by-joseph-wright-of-derby-gets-temporary-export-ban

A temporary export ban has been set on a glowing masterpiece by Joseph Wright of Derby, which hit a record for the 18th-century artist when it sold for £6.3m at a Sotheby’s auction in December, almost twice the top estimate. An Academy by Lamplight, which depicts a group of young art students gathered around a classical sculpture, was an instant hit with the public when Wright first exhibited it in 1769. A slightly later version is in the Yale Center for British Art in the US, but this one had been in the same private family collection, at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk, since the 19th century. Timeline The 10 most expensive works of art sold at auction Show See a gallery of the world's most expensive paintings 15 November 2017 Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi sold for $400 million at Christie’s ($450.3m, including auction house premium) 2 May 2012 One of four versions of The Scream created by Munch and the only one that is privately owned. The painting sold for $119,922,500 30 April 2010 Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932) sold at Christie's in New York for $106,482,500 12 January 2010 L’homme qui Marche I (1961) by Alberto Giacometti sold for £65,001,250 ($105,182,398) at Sotheby’s in London 5 May 2004 Picasso’s Boy With a Pipe (1905) sold at Sotheby's in New York for $104,168,000 8 November 2006 Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912)went under the hammer at Christie’s New York and sold for $87,936,000 14 April 2008 Francis Bacon’s Triptych (1976) sold for $85.9m to oligarch Roman Abramovich 12 November 2010 A Chinese 18th century Qianlong dynasty porcelain vase sold for £53,100,000 ($85,921,461) at Bainbridges auction house in London 22 March 2006 Dora Maar au Chat (1941) by Pablo Picasso sold for £51,560,080 ($83,429,503) at Sotheby's in London 15 May 1990 Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet (1890) by Vincent van Gogh sold for $82,500,000 (£50,985,692) at Christie’s in New York Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Wright was nicknamed “the painter of light”, renowned for his theatrical effects of night scenes illuminated by candle or lamplight, so the painting is of the type most coveted by collectors. The government has delayed allowing its export to allow a British gallery or museum the chance to acquire it, but raising the price would be a considerable challenge: including fees they would have to find just under £7.5m. The export bar could be extended into next year if any institution had a serious chance of raising the money. The biggest public collection is in Derby, the city where Wright was born and spent most of his life, but as a local authority museum it has almost no acquisition funds. The export bar is imposed by the government on the advice of an expert committee, administered by the Arts Council, which considers art works deemed to be of national importance. The arts minister, Michael Ellis, called the painting extraordinary. “Wright is one of the most pre-eminent painters of the age of enlightenment. His works help us to better understand the mix of religion and science in this period of huge industrial development.”

UK Parliament at risk of 'catastrophic event' without £4bn repairs

The Palace of Westminster risks a "catastrophic event" unless £4bn of repairs are carried out, a parliamentary committee has warned. Proposals recommend that politicians move out while the work takes place, with the Commons chamber moving to the Department of Health's offices and the Lords to the QE2 conference centre. The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster says that the decision cannot be delayed any longer and estimates the work will take six years.

http://news.sky.com/story/parliament-at-risk-of-catastrophic-event-without-1634bn-repairs-10569690

The Palace of Westminster faces an "impending crisis" and a growing risk of a "catastrophic event" without £4bn repairs. The warning comes from a parliamentary committee of MPs and peers, which recommends politicians should move out for the work to take place. Under the plans, the Commons chamber would be shifted to the Department of Health's current offices, while the Lords would move to the nearby Queen Elizabeth II conference centre. The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster warned a decision on what to do could not be delayed any further and suggested the work, estimated to take six years, should start in 2023. :: Houses Of Parliament In Numbers Their report said: "The Palace of Westminster, a masterpiece of Victorian and medieval architecture and engineering, faces an impending crisis which we cannot responsibly ignore. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:10 Parliament Is Falling Down "It is impossible to say when this will happen, but there is a substantial and growing risk of either a single, catastrophic event, such as a major fire, or a succession of incremental failures in essential systems which would lead to Parliament no longer being able to occupy the Palace." A Deloitte study last year highlighted the poor condition of the Palace, with potentially deadly fire risks, collapsing roofs, crumbling walls, leaking pipes and a large amount of asbestos. The committee rejected the prospect of carrying out the repairs without politicians leaving the building, or completing the renovations in stages with each chamber moving out in turn. Advertisement The "full decant" option, with both Houses moving out temporarily, was estimated by Deloitte to cost between £3bn and £4.3bn, with the most likely figure being around £3.5bn. The joint committee's report said there was no risk of the building collapsing, despite "extensive erosion and water damage". But there were major issues with the services and utilities installed in the building, it said. Image: Collapsing roofs and crumbling walls have plagued Parliament in recent years "The main problem lies in the building's mechanical and electrical services: the vast network of pipes, cables and machinery that carry heat, ventilation, air conditioning, power, water, data and dozens of other essential services around the building," the report said. "Many of these systems were replaced in the late 1940s and reached the end of their projected life in the 1970s and 1980s. "The patch-and-mend approach which has seen the building through the decades since then is no longer sustainable. Intervention on a much larger scale is now required. "Unless an intensive programme of major remedial work is undertaken soon, it is likely that the building will become uninhabitable." Downing Street said Theresa May has not yet seen the report. The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said: "The PM's view is that we should carefully consider the proposals and will want to hear the views of MPs before deciding on the direction. "We will need to look at the way forward in discussion with Parliament."

McCarthy Building Companies expands drone programme

Missouri-based national construction firm McCarthy Building Companies is partnering with commercial drone technology provider PrecisionHawk to expand and refine its drone programme. McCarthy aims to develop custom software and algorithms using PrecisionHawk's open architecture to create an end-to-end solution that employs aerial intelligence to increase construction industry capabilities. Immediate projects include the use of ground penetrating radar data to reduce survey times and augmented reality techniques for more accurate information visualisation.

https://facilityexecutive.com/2017/09/mccarthy-building-companies-precisionhawk-partner-for-drone-program/

The oldest privately held national construction company in the United States, McCarthy Building Companies has announced its collaboration with PrecisionHawk, a provider of enterprise-grade, commercial drone technology. Through this partnership, McCarthy aims to scale its growing drone program. Using PrecisionHawk’s open software architecture, the two companies will develop custom software and algorithms, to boost capabilities of the construction industry using aerial intelligence. McCarthy will deploy several near-term initiatives, including: Automatically generating as-built 3D/4D BIM models from photogrammetry data captured by drones on job sites Applying Ground Penetrating Radar data to provide more accurate information to critical construction projects while reducing survey times Implementing augmented reality techniques for more accurate information visualization. “It is our aim to build a process that can automatically generate as-built 3D models with photogrammetry data and integrate those models across all phases of a project from early in the design phase through construction completion and turnover,” said McKenzie Lewis, McCarthy field solutions manager. “As drones become an increasingly important technology tool in our process, PrecisionHawk brings experienced and sophisticated development and deployment solutions that can scale with our business needs.” A number of years ago, McCarthy began its evaluation of how enterprise drone programs can increase efficiency, improve safety, reduce risk, and ultimately provide value for clients across all of its job sites. The company’s test of drone platforms and aerial stitching software showed that drones improve data analysis on complex building projects. “For the enterprise, we know the first step to building a drone program is simply proving the value of the technology. But to truly be an industry pioneer, you need to think beyond the ability to fly a drone or create a map,” said Jeffrey Freund, VP construction services at PrecisionHawk. “McCarthy understands that to lead the industry in photogrammetry technology means integrating an entire platform, which includes rapid data capture, intelligence and visualization, into the enterprise workflow. We are excited to bring our expertise in scaling a drone program to support their efforts.”

Scania to rent Danish drivers biomethane trucks in a trial

Scania is renting out bio-CNG G410 tractor units to its Danish truck customers so they can trial natural gas-powered trucks. Only 0.5% of Denmark’s trucks currently run on compressed natural gas (CNG), according to Anton Freiesleben from Scania Danmark. Furthermore, Freiesleben claimed that Scania could achieve in excess of 100% carbon dioxide emission reduction because the organic waste used to produce the biogas would otherwise have been used as agricultural fertiliser, leading to increased methane emissions.

http://www.ngvjournal.com/s1-news/c3-vehicles/denmark-scania-offers-customers-trial-rentals-of-biomethane-powered-truck/

Anaerobically digested waste can be processed for use as a fossil-free vehicle fuel, and shifting to biomethane operations is presently the quickest, most economical way of reducing the heavy transport industry’s carbon footprint. As many customers are still reluctant to make the switch, Scania Danmark has come up with an imaginative scheme: it is offering a bio-CNG G 410 tractor for rent. “In Denmark, only 0.5% of trucks run on natural gas. There is a definite potential to substantially raise that share. By offering customers trials through short-term rentals, we hope to demystify gas propulsion. We want to let customers discover for themselves just how good our modern gas trucks actually are and how simple they are to operate,” said Scania Danmark’s Sales Director Anton Freiesleben. There are now 17 filling stations in the country for CNG and the only fuel available at these stations is biogas. “So, we can claim more than 100% CO2 reduction. How, you might ask, can we exceed 100%? The answer is that if the organic waste from agriculture had not been anaerobically digested to biogas, it would be spread as fertilizer on farmland, emitting methane which is a much more harmful greenhouse gas than CO2,” he commented The biomethane truck for rent is a 4×2 tractor that suits the many common transport operations in Denmark. A tractor is more standardized than a rigid truck, which is usually configured for specific transport tasks. Source: Scania

China to become world's most popular holiday destination by 2030

China is set to leapfrog France and become the world's most-visited country by 2030, driven by increasingly affluent Asian tourists who have easier access to visas, according to Euromonitor International. It predicted China would have the highest number of outbound travellers by 2030, with 260 million, outstripping the US and Germany. Euromonitor 's study also said domestic travel would increase by 42.5% from 4.7 billion trips in 2018 to 6.7 billion by 2023. Tourism has become a crucial part of the Chinese economy since the 2017 launch of the all-for-one programme.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/nov/06/china-will-be-the-worlds-most-popular-holiday-destination-by-2030

China will overtake France as the world’s number one tourist destination by 2030, a new report from global research company Euromonitor International predicts. As well as receiving more visitors than any other country in the world, it will also have the largest number of outbound travellers, overtaking the US and Germany, with 260 million outbound tourist trips by 2030. Speaking at World Travel Market in London this week, Wouter Geerts, consultant at Euromonitor and author of the report, said tourism was now one of the key pillars of the Chinese economy. According to his research, China will be largest inbound market by 2030, with many tourists coming from within Asia, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and the surrounding region. The increase in visitors to China is mainly due to economic growth and higher incomes in nearby Asian countries. Access to the country is also improving for Asian visitors, who are able to obtain visas more easily than before. Currently, 80% of tourists visiting Asia come from within the continent, Geerts said. However, visa processes remain less simple and more costly for some countries, particularly for travellers from the US and UK, with a single-entry Chinese visa for a UK citizen currently costing £151. Domestic travel remains important in China, with 4.7bn trips taken in 2018, a figure forecast to rise by 42.5% to 6.7bn by 2023. The report also found that domestic trips in Asia overall are predicted to grow by 10% in 2018. With tourism becoming increasingly vital to the Chinese economy, an improved and more cohesive approach has been implemented by regional tourist boards, and tourism is being used to boost rural economies. In 2017, China also launched its “all-for-one” tourism programme, focusing on conservation, diversity of cultures and environmental sustainability. The Euromonitor report also predicted a fall in outbound tourism from the UK as a result of Brexit. “A ‘no-deal Brexit’ would result in five million fewer outbound departures in 2022 than would have been the case under the baseline scenario,” said Euromonitor’s head of travel, Caroline Bremner. She added that young people in the UK also have less money than in the past, “whereas it is the opposite in Asia.” However, a no-deal Brexit would lead to a rise inbound tourism as the pound falls in value.

Mexico football star on US blacklist

Rafael Marquez, Mexico's world cup captain, is on a United States Treasury Department blacklist. He was associated with laundering money for drug cartel's, however, has pleaded his innocence in the matter. Marquez is not allowed to fly with any American-owned airlines, or be seen in the media associated with any American companies, he drinks from different water bottles to his teammates, and often has to wear different training kit. He has also agreed not to get paid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/sports/world-cup/rafa-marquez-treasury-sanctions.html

MOSCOW — Rafael Márquez, one of the best-known stars on Mexico’s World Cup soccer team, is a standout of the tournament in Russia. But it has nothing to do with his prowess on the field. Márquez, 39, is on a United States Treasury Department blacklist of people it says have helped launder money for drug cartels. His inclusion on the list prohibits American individuals, businesses and banks from having anything to do with him. So Márquez does not drink from the same branded water bottles as his teammates or wear the same uniform at practices. Instead of being planted in front of sponsors’ logos at every opportunity, as is normally the case for prominent players, “Rafa,” as he is known, is kept away. If he is the best player in a game, he most assuredly will not be named the Budweiser Man of the Match. His lodging is carefully scrutinized to prevent him from staying in places that have any American connections, even if it means getting him a room away from the team. And however hard he works on the field, Márquez has agreed to not get paid.

Esport players will need to be paid handsomely to avoid match-fixing

Esport is believed to have a high degree of match fixing associated with its consumption due to there not being a regulated betting platform for users. Estimates of the size of the legal sports gambling industry in America range check in at at least $67 billion, and even if the figures are a portion of this amount it would likely revolutionise the eSports industry forever. The solution therefore would be to pay the players an amount that would be a financial 'no-brainer', thus deterring gamers from accepting bribes to match-fix.

https://compete.kotaku.com/to-eliminate-match-fixing-in-esports-pay-the-players-m-1827227508

Spend an afternoon at a Top 8 Finals of any fighting game tournament, and you will find there is a robust side-betting culture in esports. Pseudo-gambling activities like “skin wagers” in Counter-Strike have been a part of esports culture from the beginning, and fringe sites like XLBet have included StarCraft games next to MLB games. But widespread casual betting like there is on traditional sports hasn’t come to esports yet. That could all change with the recent Supreme Court decision overturning America’s ban on sports gambling—New Jersey’s bizarre ban on esports betting notwithstanding. Teams in games like Counter-Strike (like Ninjas in Pyjamas) are already sponsored by websites like Betway and Bet365, and legalization could be just what is needed to take the negative stigma off of esports betting and open the industry to more suitors in America, where leagues like Overwatch League and the League of Legends Championship Series have prohibited teams from courting betting websites as team sponsors. The potential implications for the industry are huge, and not just because of the vast amounts of money that might be wagered on esports on a daily basis. Advertisement Gambling and competitive enterprises have always had tense relationships. Despite the fact that the National Football League officials like former security Milt Aherlich have described the potential public relations hits from gambling scandals as “the hydrogen bomb of the league,” the NFL and its absurd multi-billion dollar revenues would not be possible without the robust gambling world that surrounds the game of football. The potentially enormous amount of money that could pour into esports as a result is both an exciting and scary prospect for those in the esports world. It’s not just the cash that would be wagered—lucrative sponsorships from gambling portals could lift up events ranging from Overwatch League to major fighting game tournaments and everything in between. Estimates of the size of the legal sports gambling industry in America range check in at at least $67 billion; if esports gambling turns out to be even a fraction of that size, it would be a monumental shift in professional competitive gaming. Advertisement Advertisement Esports is ripe for a huge variety of wagers beyond just simple point spreads or over-unders. DraftKings already offers fantasy bets on League of Legends. Online gambling sites that cater to bettors who live in places where it’s legal have added esports contests in recent years for games with well-established competitive scenes, like League of Legends and Counter-Strike. Additionally, games like League or DotA could add wagering into spectator modes and take advantage of the lightning quick nature of esports, in which many games — and thus many potential wagering opportunities — are completed in the course of just a few hours. The rapid ascendancy of the MOBA in American esports, the rise of college esports scholarship programs, and the Overwatch League have all added to the status of esports as A Thing to Watch. Major league sports owners like Robert Kraft have purchased esports teams, Morgan Stanley is writing reports on them, and ESPN is perpetually just about to dip another toe in the esports pool. The esports industry — and an “industry” is absolutely what it has become, for good and ill — is churning along, and if we trust Morgan Stanley’s calculations, it could be worth 1.5 billion dollars by 2020 as it emulates “the business models of major league sports, complete with sponsorships, advertising, media rights, ticket sales, and merchandise.” Advertisement But, there’s that hydrogen bomb thing. Major American sports have somehow only had the one certainly fixed major championship—the 1919 Black Sox scandal. But the possibility that that represents has haunted the sports world since, and dictated a century of decisions. Another scandal like this, the logic went, would irreparably destroy fan confidence in the integrity of competition. As professional sports became more and more mainstream, any connection to the seedy underbelly of gambling (and in turn its frequent connections to organized crime) also threatened to blow up the extremely lucrative relationships sports leagues and teams had built with governments, sponsors, and broadcasters. Even if the role gambling had in building these leagues’ popularity was undeniable, the leagues couldn’t even acknowledge, much less throw institutional support behind gambling. Advertisement Esports has already had its own major match-fixing scandals, mostly in Korea, where StarCraft is a national institution and legalized betting is already a part of the esports scene. Lee “Life” Seung Hyun, a 10-time StarCraft 2 champion, received the equivalent of $60,000 to throw two matches in 2015. His winnings across the entire year of competition, throughout which he was one of the game’s top players, totaled $110,000. He made over half that across just two matches. And just this March, a StarCraft: Remastered player was arrested for taking a roughly $4,000 bribe to throw a quarterfinal set at an exhibition tournament held by G-STAR in late 2017. His winnings for placing in the 17th-22nd portion of the bracket earned him just $280. The calculus here is clear. American sports history is an ideal model for what actually fuels the kind of sport-destroying scandal Aherlich and other pro sports figureheads have been concerned about since the very beginning. And that history makes it clear that the animating question shouldn’t be, “Will gambling destroy esports?” It should be, “Will players be given enough of these new profits that they aren’t given incentives to throw?” Advertisement In every gambling scandal in early American sports history, the connective thread is that the players in question were given enough money that the decision not to fix games — or even, in one case, to merely associate with gamblers — was a financial no-brainer for the athletes. Black Sox players were offered five-figure sums at a time when the reserve clause made it impossible to secure a raise, even at a superstar level. Star Detroit Lions lineman Alex Karras (who may be better known for his illustrious acting career) was forced to sell his stake in a Detroit bar because it was connected to known gamblers. He told Dan Moldea, author of the 1989 book Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football: “The NFL asked me to leave the bar because of the unsavory characters who walked into the bar. I said, ‘Fine, I’ll do that, just as long as you don’t let the unsavory characters come into the stadium.’ The NFL did not reply to that. I never worried about whether the league gave me permission or not. I was making nine thousand dollars a year playing football and eighteen thousand with the bar. It didn’t make much sense to leave the bar to go play football.” Advertisement The dynamics haven’t really changed today. Match-fixing scandals simply do not appear in top-level professional sports since the advent of free agency — players negotiating their own salaries — in the 1970s and 1980s. Allowed to negotiate on an open market, player salaries swiftly ballooned to six-and-seven figure sums, and all of a sudden, it was impossible for any enterprising con man to find an athlete willing to go along with his match-fixing schemes. Even for a minimum salary NFL player, who is going to compete with $400,000 yearly, plus union benefits? Instead, the kind of match-fixing scams that dominate contemporary headlines are in third or fourth-division soccer leagues overseas, tennis matches involving players ranked outside the top 100 in the world, or mid-to-low-major NCAA basketball teams. What’s in common here? All of these athletes, just like Life, are good enough to turn their talent into profit, but none are great enough to turn it into a sustainable career, and for them, there is simply not enough to lose to disincentive match fixing. It’s obvious enough, but rarely said that pro sports work as discrete industries because they offer opportunities to their players that those players can’t or probably won’t get elsewhere. (That, and their federally protected monopolies.) Thousands of high school and college students play football for the enjoyment of the game, of course, just as I might boot up Rainbow Six: Siege to kill some time on a quiet night or to hang out with my friends. But thousands more continue playing because they know that they have a shot at making a livelihood out of the game itself. Before the endorsement deals, broadcasting rights, merchandising, and the rest, pro sports offer the one thing that anyone needs to put years of their life into one hyper-specific bucket: the promise of even a potential salary. Not the jackpot of an endorsement, mind you, but a predictable check and a stable career. Advertisement This isn’t going to be as big of an issue for an entity like Overwatch League, in which teams are bankrolled by multi-millionaires (the entry fee was $20 million) and lucrative sponsorships from the likes of Intel and HP and are able to sustain minimum salaries of $50,000 a year, with benefits, as a result. Similarly, League of Legends players in the North American League Championship Series (LCS) average $320,000 salaries, much of which can be attributed to the huge franchising fees recently instituted in LCS. But for esports gambling to grow, it needs games, and there’s no reason why anything from Dragonball FighterZ to StarCraft to Rocket League to NBA 2K should be exempt. Fighting games, as an example, offer substantial betting opportunities, with triple-digit entrant major tournaments for many games happening seemingly every weekend. Everybody understands that at esports’s grassroots levels, people from the players to the organizers to the viewers are taking time out of their lives and, at best, breaking even to put on a show for a community. But when gaming moves from avocation to vocation, from hobby to work, or even when the lines start to blur, it becomes impossible to ignore the kind of calculation somebody like Sky might make. When one thrown match can reap the same spoils as 20 tournaments — and the days grinding in-between them, with no guarantee of a payout unless you’re on your best form and/or getting the RNG in your favor — where is the incentive to say no? Why care about a ban when the payday might be more than you might make in the rest of your competitive life? Advertisement As long as esports continues to draw more and more eyeballs and competitors, a robust betting scene seems inevitable. Besides the fact that there’s too much money in it, there’s also too much interest. Sports went through these growing pains 100 years ago and has a clear lesson to offer esports. If esports organizations want to avoid the legal issues and the embarrassment that can come with gambling scandals, the path is clear: Pay the players, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

Temp agencies exposed in tax avoidance investigation: Guardian

Temp agencies supplying the public sector and leading brands cost taxpayers “hundreds of millions” of pounds each year through their use of tax avoidance schemes, according to an investigation by The Guardian newspaper. “Contrived” financial arrangements enable the agencies to reduce their employer’s national insurance (NI) contributions, whilst also generating millions by exploiting VAT rules designed to help small businesses. The number of firms marketing such schemes has increased since April following the closure of a different avoidance scheme prevalent in the sector. 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/15/revealed-temp-agencies-avoidance-scheme-costs-taxpayers-hundreds-of-millions

An aggressive tax avoidance scheme used by temp recruitment agencies is depriving the taxpayer of “hundreds of millions” of pounds a year, a Guardian investigation has found. A number of agencies have been making large windfalls by using “contrived” financial arrangements to slash their employer’s national insurance bills. The schemes also generate millions more pounds for participants by exploiting VAT rules that were originally designed to benefit very small businesses. Last year, HMRC advised anybody using such a scheme to notify it to “avoid the costs of litigation and minimise any interest and penalties due on underpaid national insurance”. However, despite that warning, the Guardian understands there has been a spike in the number of firms marketing similar schemes since April, when the government closed down a different tax avoidance scheme widely used by the employment agency sector. Guardian undercover footage shows Patrick Griffin of Premier Payco, a provider of the schemes, outlining how: Workers’ contracts are being transferred from a single employment agency into a web of thousands of tiny companies that benefit from the tax breaks. Each of the tiny employment companies are ostensibly run by overseas directors, who are based in locations such as the Philippines and Pakistan. Some agencies are keeping these schemes secret from the organisations they are supplying the workers to. Asked about the ethics of profiting at the expense of the taxpayer, the Guardian footage shows Griffin saying: “All I can do is explain to you what our product does. It’s right for some businesses and it’s wrong for other businesses. I’ve sat where you’re sat and you make your own judgments and decisions on that. All I can do is present to you the case that what we’re doing is effective, it works and it complies with all of the laws as they’re currently written.” He added: “I never like to comment on morals because everyone’s moral compass is different, isn’t it?” The discovery of these new schemes comes as part of a series of articles published by the Guardian about modern employment practices and a newly precarious workforce. They will add to the pressure on the already embattled employment agency sector, which has been reeling from separate scandals about the exploitation of low-paid workers at companies such as Sports Direct. Griffin said his firm has a QC’s opinion stating the Premier Payco scheme legally helps clients avoid taxes, because it is based on “genuine” commercial relationships between the interacting companies and had not been created specifically to avoid tax. However, not all tax lawyers agree. Having been shown Premier Payco marketing documents and viewing sections of the Guardian’s undercover footage, Jolyon Maugham QC, a tax barrister at Devereux Chambers, said: “It’s a not particularly sophisticated piece of failed tax avoidance because having read through the document I have no real doubt that the scheme doesn’t work. So what it does, it piles up tax liabilities in a [tiny] shell company and it does so in a way that the organisers of the scheme know that those tax liabilities will never be met. So that shell company will fold if HMRC ever catches up with it and HMRC – and indeed by extension the rest of us – will be kept out of the tax that we need to fund schools and hospitals and pensions and social care.” Maugham added that the salesman was “doing a soft-shoe shuffle on what is the critical question of law, which is whether one of the main purposes of these arrangements is to obtain a tax saving. As I listen to [Griffin’s] answer and as I read the documents you’ve been provided with, it’s abundantly clear to me that this is one of the main purposes. “It is perfectly reasonable to think the loss to the exchequer of this sort of abuse runs into the hundreds of millions if not billions of NICs [national insurance contributions], and prospectively VAT.” The sale of these schemes is being ramped up despite concern about their efficacy, the Guardian understands. Last year, HMRC issued a notice specifically about such schemes, following a BBC report on similar arrangements being marketed by a supplier called Anderson Group. HMRC issued a notice last year specifically about tax avoidance schemes involving the use of artificial and contrived arrangements to slash national insurance bills. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo In its notice , HMRC said: “Attempted avoidance schemes like this, which seek to use artificial and contrived arrangements to get an unintended advantage, do not work. HMRC’s firm view is that such schemes are notifiable under the disclosure of tax avoidance schemes (Dotas) rules. Anyone who comes within the meaning of a promoter for such a scheme who has not notified it under the Dotas rules could be liable for a fine of up to £1m”. However, Maugham added that his knowledge of the market suggested HMRC was “just letting it slide”. Meanwhile, the Guardian’s undercover footage shows Griffin questioning HMRC’s ability to prevent the schemes: “That [HMRC notice is] from June 2015 and the company they investigated doubled their size since then. I know that’s not very scientific. I know that’s not a piece of paper from HMRC but it’s relatively good anecdotal evidence that while they don’t like it, the way things are at the moment, there’s not a lot they can do about it. “Other ways they could attack it? You’ve already got Dotas but [ours is] not a tax avoidance scheme so you don’t have to declare it to Dotas. You’ve already got GAAR [general anti-abuse rule] … We’ve got a series of commercial transactions all of which have signed, legally binding contracts binding the parties to do what it is they’re supposed to do, so the advice that I’ve got is that at the moment, nothing that we’re doing falls under GAAR.” The employment agencies identified by the Guardian as using these schemes supply temporary labour to some of the UK’s best known brands, as well as the public sector. Premier Payco, which claims to have 6,000 workers enrolled on its system, cites recruitment group Mtrec as one of its clients. Mtrec supplies workers to the NHS as well as to a series of industrial clients. HRGo, an agency that uses a similar product, has a major contract with support services group G4S and says it supplies workers to the NHS as well as the prison service. Another employment agency called Jark, which also places its workers with the NHS as well as FTSE 100 companies such as Shell and Burberry, is understood to be using an employment allowance product supplied by the financial services group Contrella. Because each mini employment company created in these schemes employs only two or three workers, the taxes it has to pay on its wage bill are small. Premier Payco cites recruitment group Mtrec, which supplies workers to the NHS, as one of its clients. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA That small tax bill can be effectively eradicated by each mini company claiming a £3,000 government subsidy called the employment allowance, which can only be claimed once by a company and was designed to help very small businesses create more jobs or increase wages. The mini employment companies can also generate an additional windfall by charging VAT at 20% but paying it back to the government at about 12%, exploiting arrangements designed to free very small businesses with revenues of less than £150,000 a year from red tape. Marketing materials produced by Premier Payco, and seen by the Guardian, claim the company has 6,000 temporary workers enrolled in its scheme. Along with similar products supplied by providers such as Contrella and Anderson Group, one employment agency insider calculates the exchequer is losing about £100m a year from the schemes alone. A spokesman for Premier Payco said: “We are confident that we operate within all relevant guidance and legislation and we constantly review the regulatory landscape to ensure our ongoing compliance by reference to leading counsel, tax advisers and employment specialists.” Anderson Group said it had taken QCs’ advice on the services to ensure the arrangements were legal and compliant with any relevant legislation and that it had offered schemes on behalf of a client. Contrella did not respond to invitations to comment. Among the agencies using this type of arrangement, HRGo and Jark said they took compliance seriously and that they had taken legal advice before signing up with any suppliers of this type of scheme. Mtrec did not respond to invitations to comment. Burberry and G4S said they had not benefited from any of the tax arrangements of their employment agencies. Shell declined to comment.

Most electric vehicles won't be able to use fast chargers

Ultra-fast chargers currently hitting the market claim to recharge electric vehicle (EV) batteries in just minutes, yet there is debate among industry insiders as to whether this kind of product will be usable or necessary for the coming generation of EVs. Few cars will be able to make the most of the technology, as they would need substantial upgrading to handle the higher electricity flow rates, and the high costs associated with fast charging could be prohibitive to potential car owners.

http://wardsauto.com/engines/will-evs-be-ready-ultra-fast-charging

Ultra-fast electric-vehicle chargers on the way promise to replenish drained batteries in a matter of minutes, and many industry insiders believe a vast public network of such devices may be needed for these vehicles to win over larger numbers of new-car buyers. But it’s unclear how many of the dozens of battery-electric vehicles on the way for the early 2020s will be equipped to take full advantage of the advanced technology. Few BEVs can handle the maximum charging speeds already available today, and even if ultra-fast charging becomes ubiquitous, next-generation batteries will need extensive upgrading to accommodate the much higher electricity flow rates possible. Up for debate is whether the required investment in infrastructure and more-robust batteries even will be worth it. Ultra-fast chargers rated at 350 kW are now hitting the market and said to be capable of adding 124 miles (200 km) of range to a drained BEV in less than 10 minutes. But there are no BEVs today that can handle such flow rates. Tesla’s Supercharger, up to now considered the state of the art in fast charging, is rated at 120 kW and takes about 40 minutes to replenish a Tesla Model S battery to 80% capacity. Most other EVs charge at rates below 50 kW, although there are some that can handle higher flows. A Chevrolet Bolt can charge at least a portion of its battery at a rate of 80 kW and the Hyundai Ioniq reportedly can accept up to 100 kW. An ’18 Nissan Leaf also can be equipped to quick-charge at a rate of 100 kW. Tesla’s Model 3 is rumored to be capable of charging at a rate of 184-210 kW, but even that would fall short of the new ultra-fast technology on the way. Level 2 chargers, the type most widely available that can be installed in private homes and seen in retail and office parking lots, charge at rates below 20 kW, and many current EVs limit the flow to much less than that. To date, the high-performance Porsche Mission E BEV, due in 2019, is the only vehicle announced as targeting compatibility with the coming breed of 350-kW chargers. Additional compliant models from other automakers are likely, though it is unclear how many and at what price point. During a wide-ranging panel discussion on advanced powertrain technology at the recent CTI Symposium U.S.A. in Novi, MI, Giorgio Rizzoni, director-Center for Automotive Research at The Ohio State University, questions whether a vast fast-charging network that comes close to matching the speed of a gasoline fill-up will be practical or even necessary. Noting public chargers available today are fine for topping off the batteries in shorter-range plug-in hybrids, “when you go to pure battery-electric vehicles…you run into serious difficulties,” he says of the network of Level 2 systems. “Batteries (will) need to take charging rates that are…hundreds of kilowatts.” Rizzoni says the costs associated with a network of ultra-fast-charging stations – both for infrastructure and the batteries needed to use it – ultimately could be prohibitive, potentially limiting BEV market penetration predominantly to urban areas, where drivers have shorter commutes and Level 2 chargers more adequate. “I’m with you,” says Larry Nitz, executive director-Global Transmissions and Electrification for General Motors, noting he doesn’t believe BEVs are the industry’s endgame as some have suggested. Plug-in hybrids are a better answer, he says, contending the combination of short-range electric and long-range gasoline power offers “the best of both worlds.” V. Anand Sankaran, director-Electrified Powertrain Engineering for Ford, says fast charging, though convenient, could drive up the operating costs for BEVs, making them an even less attractive alternative for new-car buyers. “When you start to do a lot of fast charging, the cost of ownership starts to deteriorate, because the cost of electricity in the daytime is a lot higher than when you are charging (at night), when there’s less capacity on the grid,” he says. Denise Gray, CEO/President of LG Chem Power USA, appears confident battery suppliers will be able to meet whatever charging requirements automakers specify, but says potential targets remain murky. “The biggest challenge is honing in on what really are the requirements and the balance of those requirements (between) costs (and) fast-charge (capability),” she says. “It’s not so clear where the jury is on that.” She points out that when the U.S. Department of Energy first set goals for battery makers on performance and cost several years ago, fast charging wasn’t on the list of targets. “It was OK to charge for four hours for 80% of SOC (state of charge),” she says. “So that’s where the R&D activity happened.” Now automakers are seeing a need for faster charging, Gray adds, “so there’s a little bit of catch-up that’s happening, quite frankly, around fast-charging requirements and how that will have an impact on (battery) life and cost and trying to balance that. But it’s not unsolvable from my perspective.” Still, she cautions, sorting this out won’t be a snap. “Fast charge is one of those big, big inputs to determine the technology that’s being developed now and for 2020-2030,” she says. “Let me tell you, (one) thing that takes a long time is the technology development.” New industry targets are needed from automakers, the DOE and agencies in other markets, Gray says, “so we can really hear what those needs are, put them in the R&D portfolio and…ensure at the other end comes out a product (that) cost-wise…meets requirements.” @DavidZoia

Managing a manufacturing plant through the coronavirus crisis

Companies have temporarily shuttered factories in response to government restrictions as frontline manufacturing staff cannot work from home. Protecting the workforce is labelled as high priority, followed by continuing operations where possible, even if capacity is lowered.

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/managing-a-manufacturing-plant-through-the-coronavirus-crisis

As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, manufacturing organizations face significant operational challenges. Some companies have temporarily shuttered factories in response to government restrictions or falling demand, but others are facing significant increases in demand for essential supplies. Frontline manufacturing staff can’t take their work to the relative safety of their homes. Plant leaders are therefore looking for ways to operate through the immediate crisis—all while preparing for a potentially much longer period of heightened uncertainty regarding demand and supply, and a lasting need to maintain enhanced hygiene and physical distancing. Three areas of focus can help plant leaders navigate the transition from initial crisis response to the “next normal”: Protect the workforce: Formalize and standardize operating procedures, processes, and tools that help keep staff safe. Build workforce confidence through effective, two-way communication that responds to employees’ concerns through flexible adaptation. Manage risks to ensure business continuity: Anticipate potential changes and model the way the plant should react well ahead of the fluctuations to enable rapid, fact-based actions. Drive productivity at a distance: Continue to effectively manage performance at the plant while physical distancing and remote working policies remain in place. Protect the workforce The most critical focus for every organization is to keep employees safe in an environment where repeated outbreaks are a persistent threat. To achieve this, companies can deploy a comprehensive set of policies and guidelines, including enhanced hygiene measures, provision of additional personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary, physical distancing, and modifications to existing governance and behaviors. Protecting employees’ mental health has also emerged as a high priority, with companies in China (and elsewhere) providing counseling services to employees returning after prolonged quarantines. These measures, developed in the initial response to the crisis, can be integrated into an organization’s standard procedures as it makes the transition to next-normal operations. Communication is key Ramping up internal communications is vitally important, including regular sharing of information about the company’s evolving knowledge of the crisis and how it is using that knowledge to protect employees and the organization. Clarity, simplicity, and framing all matter—research from earlier epidemics shows that positive messages focused on best practices were more effective than negative messages designed to address misinformation. Frequency counts as well, as audiences need to hear a message repeatedly before fully absorbing it. And that implies consistent content, reflecting a single source of truth at the corporate center. Finally, the best communication is two-way, with managers answering questions and engaging in an open dialogue with employees at all levels. One equipment maker, for example, asks supervisors to collect queries and concerns from frontline team members every morning. The company’s HR department then publishes an updated daily list of questions and answers, which are displayed on monitors around the factory. After the introduction of the new policy, absenteeism among shop-floor staff dropped significantly and productivity returned to pre-crisis levels. As an additional, unintended benefit, the approach uncovered a number of frontline concerns unrelated to the pandemic, allowing managers to take additional steps to boost productivity and improve workforce satisfaction. Plant leaders are already telling us that their frontline personnel appreciate the increased frequency and clarity of two-way communication necessitated by the outbreak. Organizations can capitalize on these improvements by standardizing their enhanced communication approach, rather than letting things regress to pre-crisis norms as the situation stabilizes. Enabling workplace physical distancing To keep staff safe over the longer term, companies can retain and formalize appropriate parts of their emergency-response guidelines, so they become part of plants’ standard operating procedures. Such guidelines might include enhanced health surveillance, restrictions on the use of communal tools and areas, regular sanitization of equipment along with periodic deep cleans of whole workplaces, and HR policies that ensure workers can stay at home if they feel unwell. Regulatory changes also merit extra attention, as governments introduce new rules on mandatory sick pay, or requirements for employees to limit contact with products or one another. At the onset of the crisis, some companies began to ask employees to take a digital survey before starting on-site work, confirming that they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms, sharing their travel history since their last shift, and verifying they understand new health and safety guidelines. This approach provided valuable data that could aid contact tracing (where consistent with local practices) in the event of a positive test at the plant. It also helps to reinforce the importance of following health policies and reminds employees to avoid the risk of getting others sick. Would you like to learn more about our Operations Practice Minimizing the potential future impact of infections will require companies to alter team structures and working methods in order to limit contact across the workforce. One way this can be done is by establishing “pods” for all on-site personnel, organized for self-contained teams with clearly defined tasks and workspaces that can be physically and socially separated from each other as much as possible. Organizational changes to support the introduction of pods include dedicating workers to a single production line and removing “floating” workers—for example, by making pod members responsible for collecting materials and for conducting their own routine quality checks and maintenance. Shift handover meetings can be conducted remotely, using videoconferencing technology, while the start, stop, and break times of different pods can be staggered to minimize contact in communal areas of the plant. Plants may even choose to modify shift patterns, so lines in close proximity to one another are staffed and run at different times. Exhibit 1 shows how the pod approach might work on a packaging line. Before the changes, operators working on the line were responsible for multiple machines, supported by logistics, quality, and utility personnel who worked across multiple lines. Under the pod system, operators are assigned to fewer machines but responsible for more tasks within their work area, thereby minimizing contact with staff and equipment outside the pod. 1 Instead of multiple employees handling each pallet, for example, a single team member is responsible for its entire journey. Some tasks, such as quality assurance, are now conducted by remote specialists, aided by cameras and digital tools. New physical barriers guard against accidental contact between pod workers, while allowing the unimpeded movement of product. Manage risks to ensure business continuity The coronavirus crisis has dramatically increased risk for every business, with many experiencing shocks in both supply and demand. Manufacturing plants are at the center of that uncertainty, and their continued operation through the crisis and beyond will depend in large part on the organization’s ability to navigate these wider risks. We have written elsewhere about the necessary steps to build resilience into the wider supply chain, and plant leaders will play a central role in their organization’s response. Plant leaders can also plan their own response to risks that could directly affect operations in their facility—starting with what to do if an employee anywhere in the plant tests positive for a COVID-19 infection. Responses can include—but would not be limited to—consulting with health authorities, quarantining the affected person (together with any other staff who were working in close proximity), and isolating and sanitizing exposed products, tools, and workspaces. Facing higher levels of uncertainty over the medium term, plants will likely find it useful to ramp up their scenario planning, with a higher planning cadence and a wider range of potential scenarios included in their analysis. When closely tied to the organization’s wider response and recovery strategy, this accelerated planning helps the plant develop strategies to accommodate substitute materials, or produce hard-to-source parts in-house. Some companies are using digital twins of their facilities to simulate operation under different staffing levels and production scenarios. This approach can support many aspects of operational planning, from evaluating the impact of changes to plant layout to determining the mix of skills that on-site teams will require. The transition to the next normal in manufacturing plants will require both leaders and frontline teams to develop new capabilities. The introduction of pods on the production line, for example, may call for operators with a wider range of skills, so they can complete all the tasks required in their pod or cover for absent colleagues. New digital approaches can accelerate the capability-building process and allow employees to develop new skills remotely. Such techniques include the remote delivery of training using e-learning systems or the use of virtual-reality technologies to familiarize operators with new tasks or plant layouts. Augmented-reality systems help shop-floor staff to receive training, advice, and support from remote colleagues. Specialist contractors can use such systems to guide shop-floor staff through machine maintenance or troubleshooting. Drive productivity at a distance For as long as virus transmission among employees remains a risk, companies will naturally want to minimize unnecessary contact between personnel. Anybody not absolutely required on-site, including managers and many support functions, can be encouraged to work remotely as much as possible to protect the health of their shop-floor colleagues. To minimize the risk that an entire leadership cohort would need to enter quarantine at the same time, leadership staff who do need to stay on-site can be separated into at least two teams, with no physical contact between them. As they reconfigure their operations to keep employees safe and respond to changes in the wider value chain, companies still need to maintain manufacturing performance. In many plants, leaders have long managed performance face to face, using daily shift briefings, visual management, and regular “gemba walks”—observant walk-throughs of the shop floor and wherever else the “real work” is being done. Physical-distancing and remote-working policies will make these established approaches more difficult, compelling companies to find new ways to manage shop-floor performance. COVID-19: Implications for business The technology necessary to support these changes doesn’t need to be expensive. Staff working off-site can use secure remote-access programs from their personal devices to handle shift handover meetings and similar activities. Some plants have equipped operators with two-way radios, assigning channels to specific teams or functional groups. This approach can actually increase the speed at which issues are communicated and resolved. Now is a good time for companies to revisit the suites of metrics they use to track manufacturing performance. To make up for reduced in-person access to the shop floor, some factory-management teams are already beginning to identify and track leading key performance indicators (KPIs) in addition to the standard first- and second-level KPIs they usually rely upon. Exhibit 2 illustrates this approach with a simplified cascade of KPIs from a high-speed production line. Each of the top-level performance KPIs on the left of the chart sits over a number of second-level KPIs that describe the major sources of losses experienced on the line. The leading KPIs in the third column track previously agreed-on actions designed to minimize those losses. 2 Monitoring how often frontline teams are cleaning, checking, and adjusting critical parts of the equipment—perhaps using sensors, if available—can give team leaders and plant managers a useful early warning of potential problems before they weaken operational performance. Historically, senior managers would rely on line leaders to review these activities in person, but with only remote monitoring possible, these data points can fill critical information gaps for managers. For example, if the number of times the infeed rails are cleaned starts to fall on a filler line, managers can follow up with the operators rather than wait for jams to reduce the line’s overall equipment effectiveness—the standard KPI that leadership teams usually follow. Absenteeism rates are another important area of focus. Understandably, employees concerned about COVID-19 exposure could be reluctant to come to work, while others may be prevented from doing so by sickness or by quarantine rules. Some companies are proactively reaching out to employees the day before and the morning of their shifts to ask if they are planning to come to work, while others are offering hazard pay or soliciting volunteers to be “on call” for overtime, depending on vacancies. With advance notice of absenteeism and clear production priorities, plant teams stand a better chance of developing and executing efficient production plans. Managers can use a skills matrix (Exhibit 3) to identify potential shortages of critical capabilities on a day-to-day tactical basis and, together with scenario modeling, guide decisions about staff training or recruitment requirements. Even a simple spreadsheet can quickly highlight problems and identify opportunities for reskilling or upskilling to improve workforce resilience. 3 In the longer term, the organization’s response to COVID-19 should accelerate the digital transformation that is already under way in many manufacturing environments. For teams working remotely or under physical-distancing guidelines, real-time data collection and advanced-analytics technologies can provide a more detailed, accurate, and up-to-date picture of plant operations. Handheld cameras and smart glasses can give remote staff a virtual shop-floor presence, allowing them to assist frontline teams with troubleshooting tasks or even participate in gemba walks to support line supervisors and operators. Digital standard operating procedures (SOPs) and problem-solving guides can support frontline teams when managers or more experienced colleagues are not on hand. Online learning technologies can help staff develop new skills quickly, creating a more flexible, more technology-savvy workforce at every level of the organization (Exhibit 4). 4 The next normal is also likely to drive a change in the metrics and targets companies use to optimize manufacturing performance. Management systems that typically emphasize productivity and quality will expand to include a greater focus on flexibility (for example, the number of staff cross-trained to perform multiple tasks on the line) and resilience (the number of component shortages due to supply-chain or quality issues, or the skills that are in short supply because only a small number of employees have the necessary training or experience). Companies can reinforce those changes by adjusting targets and incentives for individual employees, such as by emphasizing adherence to health and safety guidelines. Staff could be rewarded for developing broader skill sets, reducing reliance on external contractors and increasing the overall resilience of the workforce. The coronavirus will have long-lasting—perhaps permanent—effects on manufacturing organizations, forcing companies to restructure their operations to maintain production while protecting their workers. The coming weeks and months will remain extremely challenging for plant leaders, but the crisis also creates an opportunity to reimagine the way work is done. By accelerating the adoption of new digital technologies and by drawing on the flexibility and creativity of their frontline staff, companies have the opportunity to emerge from the crisis with manufacturing operations that are safer, more productive, and more resilient.

CSM: Why more football clubs are transitioning into esports

2020 has seen more football clubs transition into the virtual world by investing in the esports sector. Esports attracts a younger audience. Teams such as Schalke 04 have highlighted the possibility of creating an esports division after successfully launching a League of Legends team, creating potential revenue streams whilst globalising its brand. Esports can also act as a hedge against future decline in footballing revenues. The long term bull view on esports is they will have parallels with the growth in franchise value that we’ve seen in traditional sports over the last 20 years, we’re expecting significant growth on all revenue streams across sponsorship, broadcast, and merchandise.

https://insidersport.com/2020/08/19/csm-why-more-football-clubs-are-transitioning-into-esports/

Football is one of the biggest sports in the world, with Premier League clubs generating an estimated £1.55 billion in commercial revenue for the 2019/20 season, according to Deloitte. However, 2020 has seen more football clubs transition into the virtual world by investing in the esports sector, whether that be through marketing campaigns or creating a competitive gaming brand. Speaking at ESI Digital Summer, James Gallagher-Powell of CSM Sport & Entertainment, a global integrated marketing and brand experience agency, explained why the world of esports is so enticing to football clubs. “Why do football clubs and esports even make sense at all? So the reasons are fourfold. Firstly to attract a younger audience,” Gallagher-Powell stated. “In terms of this younger audience, I’m sure that many of you have seen the stats before, probably from a brand sponsor perspective. So why do brands think about sponsoring an esports property over traditional sports property? “The average age for a Premier League fan is 42 and rising, and no doubt is higher than 42 within developed fan markets like in the UK. This ageing fan base begs two questions to football clubs: How do the clubs ensure their longevity and remain relevant to the next generation of sports fans? And how do they ensure that their club remains attractive to potential sponsors? “Esports can provide the perfect channel for this. It’s a way that clubs can attract a younger audience to their core operations, i.e football, and it can help clubs to safeguard their future popularity and therefore their future profitability.” As Gallagher-Powell discussed, esports has a much younger demographic, compared to other traditional sports. According to the presentation, the average audience for esports is 26, which is nearly double that of the NFL (50). Already, teams such as Schalke 04 have highlighted the possibility of creating an esports division after successfully launching a League of Legends team whilst also being prominent in other games. This has allowed the club to creates potential revenue streams whilst globalising its brand, Gallagher-Powell added: “Esports can also act as a bit of a hedge against future decline in footballing revenues. The long term bull view on esports is they will have parallels with the growth in franchise value that we’ve seen in traditional sports over the last 20 years, we’re expecting significant growth on all revenue streams across sponsorship, broadcast, and merchandise. “Buy-ins in the last few years for some of the major franchise leagues have ranged from 10 million to 50 million, which is a fairly similar price to what European football cup valuations were 20 years ago.” The topic then shifted on to how football clubs can use esports to benefit its operations, with Esports Insider co-founder and managing director Sam Cooke honing in on two specific approaches – esports as a marketing tool and the ‘all in’ approach. Cooke commented: “The way that we did in terms of football clubs entering the space, is there’s the ‘all in’ approach and there’s the esports as marketing approach, what we mean by esports as a marketing approach can be best shown we think by the case of Manchester City. “City have been in esports for a while, longer than most big football clubs. To date, FIFA has been by large and first and foremost absolutely their focus. So they’ve had Various FIFA players over the past few years across the City Football Group’s teams. “It’s an extension of the existing football brand with a younger fanbase than they might typically have with just football and play future-proof themselves within that as well. “The flip-side somewhat so that is the PSG case. Which is certainly more costly, but what PSG have done in eSports quite broadly today is generally at least one of the few examples I use when showing football clubs the full potential of what they could gain and what they could benefit from for being involved in in esports, as we see here, there in Dota, they’re in FIFA, for sure, but they’re in Brawl Stars, they’re in League of Legends.” CSM Sport & Entertainment’s account director Debs Scott-Bowden highlighted the benefits of teams using sports-specific titles as an easy transition for clubs wanting to launch a competitive gaming brand, similar to Cooke’s example with Man City. However she did warn that, unlike other genres, football games are considered quite niche and so teams would not benefit from attracting as much of a global audience, compared to more traditional esports. She explained: “Real life football and esports football complement each other really well commercially. So the graphics and FIFA and PES provide clubs an additional output for their commercial partners. For example, Manchester United offering adidas and Chevrolet visibility through FIFA gameplay is an additional form of exposure to those sponsors. “But whilst FIFA and PES are good entry points for clubs to go into esports, for the wider esports communities, these titles are largely considered niche. So for clubs looking to reach a wider audience, football games aren’t necessarily the best route to achieve this.” The panel agreed that if a football club is looking to branch its own esports division, as opposed to using it as a marketing tool to bring in younger audiences, then the way forward would be to jump into titles such as League of Legends, CS:GO and Apex Legends. However, to do so would require not only determination to break into the sector, but the desire to put resources into the industry. “Clubs like Schalke, PSG, and FC Copenhagen to name a few, they’ve created eSports operations across a range of titles like League of Legends, Dota, Pub G, Fortnite, CS and others,” Gallagher-Powell commented. “This route is naturally higher risk than the ones that Debs and Sam have run through, but potential benefits are considerably greater. Firstly, the non football or non sport titles are the most watched and most followed with fan numbers that dwarf that of FIFA or Rocket League. If a club wants to attract a large number of new fans, naturally, they’re better off using games with the largest followings. “Greater levels of commercial viability come with operating in the biggest titles. So brand sponsorships in FIFA, or non tier one and tier two games often struggle to monetise. And this is in comparison to the seven figure sums that are now changing hands in the tier one titles. “The cost of operating these titles is significantly higher. You need upwards of you know $30 million for franchise fees now and player salaries. Salary costs in League of Legends and CS:GO dwarf everything in FIFA, you could probably run a whole FIFA operation with the salary of just one top League of Legends player.” In the end, the presentation did not discount any of the options that football clubs could use esports as an advantage, with every option having its own benefits. Nevertheless, what was showcased is that there seems to be more of a willingness than ever before to invest in the industry. Whether that be by using the FIFA ePremier League to create a sports-specific division in the club, using titles as a way to attract a younger demographic, or even creating a separate esports entity to branch into traditional title akin to the success Copenhagen has had with North.

Redrow Football tournament organised by Redrow raises £3,525 for charity

A charity football tournament has raised £3,525 to support a Devon-based theatre company for adults with learning difficulties. Housing developer Redrow's West Country and South West divisions organised the tournament, which saw staff from its offices in those regions competing against each other at the Goals Soccer Centre in Plymouth. Redrow, which has its national headquarters in Exeter, has supported the Get Changed Theatre Company for a number of years as its chosen charity.

https://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/business-daily-charities/football-event-scores-%C2%A33525-devon-charity

A Devon-based specialist theatre company for adults with learning difficulties is £3,525 better off thanks to the fancy footwork and money raised by a five-a-side tournament organised by Redrow Homes West Country. The funds raised by the footie competition will provide invaluable support to the participant-led arts and drama charity for adults with learning difficulties, the Get Changed Theatre Company. Get Changed has been Redrow West Country’s chosen charity for a number of years and staff based at Redrow’s Exeter head office regularly host events to raise vital funds for the charity. Twenty teams made up from Redrow staff from the West Country and South West divisions, subcontractors and consultants took part in the annual Redrow West Country football tournament, hosted at the Goals Soccer Centre in Plymouth. The money raised will help support Get Changed which aims to produce high quality arts projects that challenge public attitudes and raise the profile of the disability community. The attacking flair of Hays Recruitment saw the team come out on top in the competition, beating Contour Bricks 3 goals to nil. Reuben Cooke, Technical Manager at Redrow (West Country) commented: “The tournament was really good fun despite the rain and was a great way to bring together lots of people in the construction industry for such a worthwhile cause. We’re delighted to have raised £3,525 for Get Changed – the highest amount to date from our tournaments. Huge thanks to all those who slipped on their footie boots to fundraise with us and we hope to have another successful event next year.” Robert Wynne, of Get Changed commented: “We are so grateful to Redrow West Country for their continued support. The fundraising from events such as this football tournament has an incredible impact on our charity and directly upon the adults with learning difficulties whom we support and thanks to this unexpected funding we are planning a brand-new performance in early Spring 2018. Thank you to Redrow and all who took part in the tournament.” Redrow West Country are currently selling new homes across the region at the following locations: Bishops Court, The Harringtons and Saxon Brook in Exeter, Stanbury Meadows and The Greens in Newton Abbot, Potters Lea and Moorland Reach in Kingsteignton, Glenwood Park in Barnstaple, College Park in Bideford, The Copse and Warren Grove in Dawlish, Mellior Park in Pool and Vision in Plymouth.

Premier League plan B to be tested by Leicester lockdown

**Note - this game has since gone ahead** The Premier League could move or postpone games if local lockdowns, such as the one in place in Leicester, prevent fixtures from going ahead, the league's CEO Richard Masters has said. The comments came ahead of Leicester City’s home fixture against Crystal Palace on 4 July. Clubs have agreed to play games at a neutral venue if they cannot be played at home.

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2020/06/30/leicester-lockdown-puts-premier-league-contingency-plan-test/

June 30 – The Premier League has drawn up a contingency plan for Leicester City’s home fixture with Crystal Palace because of the government-enforced local lockdown in the city. A postponement has not been ruled out. From Saturday, coronavirus restrictions will be lifted further in England, but officials have recommended the current lockdown measures remain in force in Leicester for an extra two weeks due to a spike in cases. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the game will go ahead, but Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the game could be moved or postponed to a later date if needed. Masters said: “If what is happening in Leicester, we are waiting to hear, does affect the club’s ability to host home games, either this Saturday against Crystal Palace or subsequent matches, then we have contingency to put those matches elsewhere or postpone them until a date when it is safe to do so. “Of course contingency plans are discussed and part of our overall planning. I am yet to understand what the impact of the partial lockdown in Leicester is going to have on the club but clearly it demonstrates the fragile project we have on here. We cannot take it for granted.” The Premier League is confident that all its stadiums are secure. Before the league’s resumption, clubs agreed to use neutral venues in the event their games could not be played at home. Hancock had pointed out that Leicester had “10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week”. In the city, non-essential shops have closed and on Thursday schools will also close their doors. Pubs and restaurants will remain shut. On Wednesday, third-placed Leicester travel to Everton. Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1686593694labto1686593694ofdlr1686593694owedi1686593694sni@o1686593694fni1686593694

TalkTalk TalkTalk plans to address poor service reputation

TalkTalk will use the Pega 7 platform to assign a “dedicated case handler” to customers experiencing problems, according to Alex Birtles, head of customer loyalty strategy at the telecomms company. Speaking at the Pegasystems’ annual user conference, she acknowledged TalkTalk’s customer service reputation was poor, admitting the firm was “not always there with the quality”. Andrew Storer, lead architect, said TalkTalk were turning to the Pega 7 platform in a bid to better manage customer complaints, rather than trying to persuade customers to “self-serve” to rectify their issues.

http://diginomica.com/2016/06/07/talktalk-hopes-to-turn-around-poor-service-reputation-with-a-consumer-revolution/

If you do a quick Google of ‘TalkTalk customer service reviews’ it doesn’t take long to realise that the British telco doesn’t have the best reputation. Broadband.co.uk , which allows customers to vote on the service of their telco provider, literally has thousands of complaints from customers that have been poorly served by the company. And this is something TalkTalk readily admits itself. Alex Birtles, head of customer loyalty strategy, was speaking at Pegasystems’ annual user conference in Las Vegas this week, alongside her colleague Andrew Storer, lead architect at TalkTalk, where she said that the company had always had “a lot of big disruptive ambitions”, but had was “not always there with the quality”. Birtles said: We don’t have the best reputation for service experience. We know our customers have a choice, they don’t have to remain with us. [Thanks to new regulations] they don’t even have to talk to us if they want to leave us. We know we have to do better by our customers if we want to see lower churn. The pair explained that a big part of TalkTalk’s growth has been via acquisition, which has meant that the company has inherited a lot of different products, price plans and contract types, which has resulted in a lot of complexity. This has meant that there is a long-tail of legacy products that have to be managed and there is a lot of complexity in the company’s systems. Storer said: [This is also a challenge] for our agents, they have to understand all this. What that means is that it restricts our agility, restricts our ability to innovate. And worst of all it means that our customers don’t get the best customer experience, because they don’t get a consistent experience. Making TalkTalk simpler Storer explained that for all the challenges the company has, the systems it does have are relatively new and aren’t some of the mainframe applications that you’d perhaps see in similar organisations. He said that TalkTalk has a clear separation between its applications and that there is a ‘robust’ service layer in place, meaning that integration between applications can be done quite easily. However, there are obviously some specific challenges. And although the online platform for customer service and the company's desktop agents are using the same set of services and accessing the same set of data, the processes that they use are very different. Storer said: The process you go through online is exposing a different customer experience when you speak to an agent. We’ve also got some gaps in our capability in the agent desktop, which means agents having to ‘swivel chair’ to go into some of these back-end systems where they haven’t integrated. We don’t have a case management capability in the systems we have there. We established a programme called ‘Making TalkTalk Simpler’ to address these challenges. However, Storer said that this programme was too technology focused and wasn’t focused on developing value to the customer quick enough. So TalkTalk reassessed and started its ‘consumer revolution’, which meant that any technology change could only be successful if it was grounded in delivering value for the customer. Birtles said: Fundamentally value for money means that it’s a reliable service that works, not just a cheap price point. They do get that we get stuff wrong, but they want us to fix it, and fix it the first time they call us. They don’t want to have to call us repeatedly. If we can spot there is a problem before they have a problem, that’s better. Most of our customers don’t want to talk to us. When we do talk to them, they want it to be relevant, they don’t want us to continue to flog them products. That’s really where we start from when we think about omni-channel, that’s our service aspiration. A broken journey Storer explained that because of the different processes within the different channels, customers have previously experienced a poor customer journey if they ever were to have a problem and use multiple channels of support. He also said that TalkTalk’s old approach was to create a self service portal online for customers, which he believes fell into the problem of making the solution a ‘tech one’ rather than one that served the customers better. Storer said: They’re not necessarily bothered about online, they just want it fixed. What we did was take a step back and say, okay let’s not talk about omni-channel just yet. What we need to do first is build our customers a robust, reliable and efficient repair journey and get them back online as quickly as possible. The next step is then to say, okay now we have got that really good process, we can now put that available to other channels. IVR (interactive voice response) was the next one for us, which is where the customer phones us and the IVR system can say straight away that the customer has got a fault, they’ve told us they’ve got a fault, what we will do now is escalate a case, initiate some diagnostic processing and initiate a fix straight away without having to speak to an agent. Third stage is to go full omni-channel, which means the customer can choose a channel. The customer can talk to an agent, can initiate from IVR, do it online, and they can channel hop between all those. The customer can choose how they want to interact with TalkTalk. This means that we have one set of data, one case, one process, one customer experience. That’s what omni-channel means to us. However, ultimately, Storer and Birtles said that the ultimate goal is to make TalkTalk proactive and try to predict when customers have challenges. TalkTalk wants to be closely monitoring the state of a customer line, so when there is a problem or the line is degrading, then TalkTalk can issue a repair before the issue hits the customer. Pega 7 This is all being done via the implementation of the Pega 7 platform, starting with MyDesk, which is an application based on a customer service for communications framework and should give agents a full 360 degree view of the customer. Storer said that Pega gives TalkTalk a platform to run the customer processes it needs, handle the cases and gives the teams the management capability. Pega 7 also means improved integration for TalkTalk, which should solve the problem of agents having to ‘swivel chair’ and dive into disparate back-end systems to solve problems. Interestingly, Birtles said that TalkTalk doesn’t want to specify what channels its customers should be using. She said that over the years the company has adopted ‘digital first’ or ‘self serve’ projects, which have been about attempting to get the customer to use online in order to save money. Brittle said: Actually a lot of it, if we were really honest with ourselves, was rebranded cost cutting. It’s about shifting customers into a cheaper channel and being able to take out heads. The reality is it’s not always appropriate for a customer to self serve online. One of the complaints I get from customers quite frequently is: don’t try channel shift me when I’ve got a broadband fault, I’m calling because I can’t get online. It’s going to take time to build trust in our self-serve channels until our customers feel confident to use them, and we need to respect that. What we mean by digital first is building a process for digital, for a customer to self serve and then putting that back into the processes used by the agent. Because what we used to do was design for agents. And you compromise on things because you had a person that could tape bits together and flip between systems. Whereas if we design digital first it will be just as good for the agent and allow the customer to move through channels that work for them. Storer concurred and added that for TalkTalk the most important thing regarding the project has been sticking to the ‘vision’. He said that it takes a long time to develop that vision, but what he didn’t want to do was put a hold off progressing improvements to customer service whilst that vision was refined. As such, rather than wait for the strategic vision to fall into place with Pega, TalkTalk made the decision to implement tactical changes alongside the big strategic one. A good example of this was the decision to implement order management exceptions (OMX), which was focused on getting customers that weren’t happy with their service back on to a ‘happy’ customer journey. Storer said:

Iran offers opportunities to deploy oil drilling technology

Iran’s target to increase oil production by 0.2 to 0.4 million barrels per day (bpd) to achieve a maximum level of 4.2 million bpd will put pressure on the country’s outdated equipment, according to Hannah Lewendon, COO at Afraz Advisers. She says foreign companies, particularly those specialising in drilling equipment, but also advance tech like top drive systems, should be able to capitalise on the market gap via strategic partnerships with local companies.

http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/147264/Drilling_Companies_Must_Look_to_Iran_for_Growth

This opinion piece presents the opinions of the author. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Rigzone. Even under sanctions, the local drilling industry in Iran has flourished over the last 20 years, leading to the development of several major players. However, due to the country being isolated from the latest innovative technology and associated knowledge for the past decade, the majority of drilling equipment is old and in need of renovation. Foreign companies that know where the gaps are will be able to capitalize on this situation and enter the Iranian market via partnerships with well-matched local companies. Hannah Lewendon Chief Operating Officer, Afraz Advisers Despite OPEC’s agreement in September to remove up to 700,000 barrels per day from the global oil market, Iran remains committed to achieving maximum levels of 4.2 million barrels per day. However, in order for the country to raise an extra .2 to .4 million barrels per day and maintain it, Iran will require significant foreign investment in order to upgrade and modernize existing equipment and infrastructure across the oil and gas sector. One key area in need of investment is rigs, both onshore and offshore. Since the lifting of Iran’s nuclear-related sanctions in January 2016, international drilling contractors and drilling services providers are eying the country’s oil and gas sector, which holds the world’s largest proven gas reserves (34 trillion cubic meters) and the fourth largest proven crude oil reserves (157.8 billion barrels). U.S.-based companies will be absent on account of the remaining U.S. Primary Sanctions regime, which in turn has created further opportunities for companies outside of the United States. Mature producing fields in Iran are currently experiencing an array of production problems, namely issues with water production, high gas/oil ratio (GOR), drilling and completion and process or transport. Some fields have also encountered problems with asphaltene precipitation and sand production. These problems represent strong opportunities for drilling contractors and drilling services providers, who will be required to perform remedial operations on each field, in order to boost production. A key example of such operations is directional drilling services, which is currently essential for almost half of the major producing fields in Iran including Ahwaz and Gachsaran. On account of the National Iranian Oil Company’s (NIOC) target to increase the recovery rate at fields as well as improve the speed and reduce the cost of drilling, the company will be looking for the most efficient and optimal technologies and methods. Many major Iranian oil reservoirs are in the tertiary phase of production; hence average reservoir pressures have reduced to about half of their initial pressures. Conventional over-balanced drilling results in high mud loss and formation damage. Therefore, there is a need for experienced service providers of under balanced drilling (UBD) and the adoption of such technology in Iran’s reservoirs. For Asmari reservoirs, UBD is vital for new wells. In terms of new wells onshore, the majority of the 76 wells (appraisal and development) scheduled to be drilled this year (until March 2017) will be located in oil fields in Khuzestan. Most of the wells in the schedule will be drilled in the Azadegan, Marun and Ahwaz fields. Offshore since 2013 and the return of Minister Zanganeh, Iran has prioritized the development of near complete phases of the giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf. If all of the estimated 70 wells are to be drilled at the same time in South Pars (Phases 11 and 14), then six rigs will be required over 2016 to 2017. Iran’s steep targets for drilling and production, coupled with the increasing maturity of major producing fields will place substantial pressure on ageing oilfield equipment. In the case of drilling, this will create a multitude of opportunities for foreign providers of rigs and drilling services (outside of the United States) to partner with competent local service providers. Onshore, the National Iranian Drilling Company (NIDC) dominates the rig market. In contrast, international rig contractors mostly provide rigs offshore Iran. India-headquartered Aban Offshore and China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) are key players in this sector. Aside from opportunities originating from the required replacement of old drilling equipment, there will be a market for more technologically advanced equipment, such as top drive systems which have benefits of increased safety and efficiency. There is currently a move towards land rigs with top drive systems in Iran, creating further opportunities for international drilling contractors.

UK government confirms intention to close EV grant subsidy

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed he wants to end the government's Plug-in Car Grant subsidy. Although the decision is reportedly at odds with the government's Road to Zero decarbonisation strategy, Schapps didn't specify when the axe would fall. Speaking to The Times, he said people could be incentivised to buy electric or hydrogen cars by installing more charging points, rather than by offering "public bungs of taxpayers’ cash". To secure the £3,500 ($4,365) subsidy, a new car must have CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and travel at least 70 miles solely on electric power.

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/government-plans-scrap-35000-plug-car-grant-subsidy-electric-cars/

THINKING of upgrading to a new pure-electric car? You may want to consider putting your order in sooner rather than later, as the Department for Transport (DfT) plans to fully phase out the Plug-in Car Grant subsidy. In an interview with The Times, the transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the government wants to pull the plug on the grant, which allows buyers of eligible vehicles to save up to £3,500 on their new car purchase — though didn’t indicate when exactly the incentive will be scrapped. Shapps said: “I make no bones about it. We want to remove all the subsidy. So you can see this in two ways. If you are out there reading this, thinking of buying an electric car, buy it while the subsidy’s there, because it will go eventually.” While the transport secretary has personally benefitted from the scheme, having purchased a pure-electric Tesla Model 3 saloon, and believes the scheme is “helping people switch to the emissions-free cars of the future”, he said he can’t promise “lots of extra public bungs of taxpayers’ cash so you can buy your new car” in future. Phasing out the subsidy for pure-electric cars appears to be at odds with the government’s plans to reduce UK emissions and its Road to Zero strategy, which will require all new cars to produce “effectively zero” emissions by 2040. The transport secretary says he instead wants policy makers play their part in assisting drivers make the switch to zero emission vehicles, helping to “normalise electric cars as being the way forward”. Shapps said one way the government could do this is by increasing the number of charging points across the country: “I see government’s role as being to kick-start the market, to put in sufficient charging points, because not everybody will be able to achieve it at home. I have a drive I can put a charging point on and there happens to be a supercharger down the road. That influenced me to order the car — the fact I knew there was a charging point within a mile or two.” What type of cars are eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant? In order to benefit from the up-to-£3,500 subsidy, drivers are required to buy a new car that has CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km, and can travel at least 70 miles on electric power alone. By default, this covers pure-electric models including the Renualt Zoe, BMW i3, Nissan Leaf, Kia e-Niro, Jaguar I-Pace, the entire Tesla range and many more options on the way from the likes of Honda, Audi, Porsche and VW. The very small number of hydrogen fuel cell models available, including the Hyundai Nexo, are also eligible. Contrary to popular belief, the government hasn’t blacklisted plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars from the Plug-in Car Grant scheme. However, as no PHEV model on sale can be driven on pure electric power for more than 70 miles, none currently qualify for the grant. While PHEV buyers can no longer get a rebate on their purchase (which, before the Plug-in Car Grant scheme was revised in October 2018, was worth up to £2,500), the government hasn’t completely left them to their own devices. As long as the vehicle produces less than 50g/km 0f CO2 and can travel be driven with battery power alone for at least 10 miles, new PHEV owners are eligible for a £500 discount towards the cost of installing a charging point at their home. Tweet to @J_S_Allen Follow @J_S_Allen

Google targets extremist content with combination of humans and machines

Google is developing techniques to identify extremist and terrorism-related videos that violate its policies, the tech giant announced. It will dedicate more engineering resources to develop machine learning techniques that train "content classifiers" to identify and remove terrorism-related content. The company will also increase the number of experts working on YouTube's Trusted Flagger programme to make more nuanced judgements on the appropriateness of content. Additionally, if extremist content does not clearly violate Google's policies, it will appear behind an interstitial warning and won't be monetised. Google will also redirect advertising that targets potential ISIS recruits to anti-terrorist videos.

https://blog.google/topics/google-europe/four-steps-were-taking-today-fight-online-terror/

Editor’s Note: This post appeared as an op-ed in the Financial Times earlier today. Terrorism is an attack on open societies, and addressing the threat posed by violence and hate is a critical challenge for us all. Google and YouTube are committed to being part of the solution. We are working with government, law enforcement and civil society groups to tackle the problem of violent extremism online. There should be no place for terrorist content on our services. While we and others have worked for years to identify and remove content that violates our policies, the uncomfortable truth is that we, as an industry, must acknowledge that more needs to be done. Now. We have thousands of people around the world who review and counter abuse of our platforms. Our engineers have developed technology to prevent re-uploads of known terrorist content using image-matching technology. We have invested in systems that use content-based signals to help identify new videos for removal. And we have developed partnerships with expert groups, counter-extremism agencies, and the other technology companies to help inform and strengthen our efforts. Today, we are pledging to take four additional steps. First, we are increasing our use of technology to help identify extremist and terrorism-related videos. This can be challenging: a video of a terrorist attack may be informative news reporting if broadcast by the BBC, or glorification of violence if uploaded in a different context by a different user. We have used video analysis models to find and assess more than 50 per cent of the terrorism-related content we have removed over the past six months. We will now devote more engineering resources to apply our most advanced machine learning research to train new “content classifiers” to help us more quickly identify and remove extremist and terrorism-related content. Second, because technology alone is not a silver bullet, we will greatly increase the number of independent experts in YouTube’s Trusted Flagger programme. Machines can help identify problematic videos, but human experts still play a role in nuanced decisions about the line between violent propaganda and religious or newsworthy speech. While many user flags can be inaccurate, Trusted Flagger reports are accurate over 90 per cent of the time and help us scale our efforts and identify emerging areas of concern. We will expand this programme by adding 50 expert NGOs to the 63 organisations who are already part of the programme, and we will support them with operational grants. This allows us to benefit from the expertise of specialised organisations working on issues like hate speech, self-harm, and terrorism. We will also expand our work with counter-extremist groups to help identify content that may be being used to radicalise and recruit extremists. Third, we will be taking a tougher stance on videos that do not clearly violate our policies — for example, videos that contain inflammatory religious or supremacist content. In future these will appear behind an interstitial warning and they will not be monetised, recommended or eligible for comments or user endorsements. That means these videos will have less engagement and be harder to find. We think this strikes the right balance between free expression and access to information without promoting extremely offensive viewpoints. Finally, YouTube will expand its role in counter-radicalisation efforts. Building on our successful Creators for Change programme promoting YouTube voices against hate and radicalisation, we are working with Jigsaw to implement the “Redirect Method” more broadly across Europe. This promising approach harnesses the power of targeted online advertising to reach potential Isis recruits, and redirects them towards anti-terrorist videos that can change their minds about joining. In previous deployments of this system, potential recruits have clicked through on the ads at an unusually high rate, and watched over half a million minutes of video content that debunks terrorist recruiting messages. We have also recently committed to working with industry colleagues—including Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter—to establish an international forum to share and develop technology and support smaller companies and accelerate our joint efforts to tackle terrorism online. Collectively, these changes will make a difference. And we’ll keep working on the problem until we get the balance right. Extremists and terrorists seek to attack and erode not just our security, but also our values; the very things that make our societies open and free. We must not let them. Together, we can build lasting solutions that address the threats to our security and our freedoms. It is a sweeping and complex challenge. We are committed to playing our part.

Uber and Lyft are technically illegal in Philadelphia as of today

Ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft are now illegal in Philadelphia, following the ending of a temporary agreement by the Pennsylvania legislature to legalise the services in the city. As a result, the services are operating "without the approval" of the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA). An Uber spokesperson said: "We are hopeful the General Assembly will keep the commitment it has made to take up comprehensive ride-sharing legislation in October." Ride-hailing is legal throughout the rest of Pennsylvania.

http://mashable.com/2016/10/01/uber-philadelphia-illegal/?utm_campaign=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial#HHXStrLdL5qd

Legality was short-lived for Uber and Lyft in Philadelphia. A July agreement to legalize ride-sharing in the city ran out on Friday, leaving the two main ride-hailing companies in limbo. The Pennsylvania legislature approved a temporary agreement in July to legalize the services in Philly. An extension of the agreement doesn't look likely and there are no immediate plans to permanently allow ride-sharing, according to the (opens in a new tab)Philly Voice(opens in a new tab). Uber and Lyft are now operating without the approval of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, as they did before July's agreement. "Today we made an emergency filing with the PPA to extend the existing ride-sharing regulations that have been in place since the summer," an Uber spokesperson said. "We will continue operating in compliance with these legal requirements. We are hopeful the General Assembly will keep the commitment it has made to take up comprehensive ridesharing legislation in October." When the temporary legislation passed, Uber warned its Philadelphia customers that the agreement would expire. "Our work is not done," Uber General Manager for Philadelphia Jon Feldman wrote in a blog post(opens in a new tab) at the time. "This temporary authorization will expire on September 30, 2016 unless Harrisburg takes action to finalize pending legislation. We look forward to working with the General Assembly in the fall to pass comprehensive ridesharing legislation, ensuring that Philadelphia has access to options like uberX and uberPOOL for the long term." Money gained from taxing Uber and Lyft during their brief legal phase had been directed in part to the School District of Philadelphia. Ride-sharing is legal throughout the rest of Pennsylvania. UPDATE: Oct. 6, 2016, 5:11 p.m. EDT A judge on Oct. 6 ordered(opens in a new tab) both Uber and Lyft to stop operating some of their ride-hailing services in Philadelphia. For Uber, the ruling applies to UberX but not UberBlack. The ruling stems from a separate lawsuit, but followed the expiration of the agreement that legalized the companies. The parking authority responded to the judge's order that both services were "now illegal."

Moving Mountains announce Ocado partnership

Plant-based meat alternative manufacturer Moving Mountains is partnering with online supermarket Ocado to sell its range of cook-at-home frozen food products. The Moving Mountains range offered by Ocado will include the iconic “bleeding” burger, previously only available in restaurants.

https://www.globalmeatnews.com/Article/2020/06/25/Moving-Mountains-expands-into-Ocado-with-plant-based-frozen-food-products

Consumers can now buy the Moving Mountains Mince, Meatballs and Sausage Burger on Ocado. The site will also stock the Moving Mountains iconic Burger, which until now has only been available at restaurants. Signature Bleeding Burger “We have partnered with Ocado to extend our cook-at-home range at a time when the nation needs more plant-based choices than ever,” ​said Simeon Van der Molen, founder, Moving Mountains. “With the launch of our Moving Mountains Mince and Meatballs, alongside our Sausage Burger and the exclusive retail launch of our signature bleeding Burger, we are fulfilling our mission to make inspiring flexitarian cuisine available to home cooks across the nation.​ “This exciting partnership with Ocado allows Moving Mountains to support UK consumers’ plant-based journeys every day, offering more flexitarian choice than ever and delivered directly to their doors.”​ Juliet Hall, buyer, Ocado ​added it was delighted to partner with Moving Mountains and said as consumers gain more awareness of plant-based alternatives that can be easily incorporated into their home cooked meals, Moving Mountains provides a delicious product for customers looking for healthy, flexitarian cooking inspiration. Ingredients The Moving Mountains Mince is made with plant-based ingredients, such as oyster mushrooms, onion, coconut oil and pea protein, which cooks in 10 minutes after defrosting, providing the same meaty taste, texture and adaptability as beef mince. The Moving Mountains Meatballs are made from 100% plant-based ingredients, including rice, oats, oyster mushrooms, coconut oil, pea protein and beetroot. The Meatballs can be baked from frozen in 20 minutes or pan-fried in 10 minutes. The Moving Mountains Bleeding Burger is now available for home cooking. Institutions like Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood are among the 3,000 outlets serving the burger nationwide. The burger is also distributor, Brakes Foodservice’s, best-selling burger, outselling its Beef and Vegetarian offerings The Burger is made from 100% plant meat, and when cooked, bleeds through the middle – with beetroot juice instead of animal blood. The Moving Mountains Sausage Burger​ is made from a combination of oyster mushrooms, pea and wheat protein, and combines the look and texture of a traditional sausage patty with the taste of pork. The 4oz burger can be cooked in 12 minutes from frozen in a frying pan.

Covid-19 death rate rises in polluted areas: SUNY, ProPublica

Research by ProPublica and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry has found that Covid-19 can be made even more serious in areas of hazardous air pollution in some US communities. The researchers reported the links after investigating Covid-19 deaths and pollution in 3,100 counties. One example is West Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana, part of the so-called “cancer alley”, which has health risks from local chemicals emissions and which, with 39 virus deaths, has a death rate among the top 3% of US counties. Other areas in Louisiana have similar virus death rates.

https://www.propublica.org/article/new-research-shows-disproportionate-rate-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-polluted-areas

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. This article was produced in partnership with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate, which was a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network in 2019. The industrial plants in the riverside Louisiana city of Port Allen have worried Diana LeBlanc since her children were young. In 1978, an explosion at the nearby Placid oil refinery forced her family to evacuate. “We had to leave in the middle of the night with two babies,” said LeBlanc, now 70. “I always had to be on the alert.” LeBlanc worried an industrial accident would endanger her family. But she now thinks the threat was more insidious. LeBlanc, who has asthma, believes the symptoms she experienced while sick with the coronavirus were made worse by decades of breathing in toxic air pollution. Get Our Top Investigations Subscribe to the Big Story newsletter. “That is the one time in my life I thought, I’m not going to survive this,” she said. “I’m going to become a statistic. I was that sick.” New research, conducted in part by ProPublica, shows she could well be right. COVID-19 can be made more serious — and, in some cases, more deadly — by a specific type of industrial emission called hazardous air pollutants, or HAPs, according to new peer-reviewed research by ProPublica and researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The study, published Friday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found this association in both rural counties in Louisiana and highly populated communities in New York. The analysis examined air pollution and coronavirus deaths in the roughly 3,100 U.S. counties and found a close correlation between levels of hazardous pollutants and the per-capita death rate from COVID-19. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines HAPs as chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer and other serious health problems. Under the Clean Air Act, industrial facilities emitting these pollutants are subject to regulations. Hazardous air pollution may help explain the disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths in communities like West Baton Rouge Parish, home to Port Allen. With 39 deaths as of Sept. 7, the parish’s per-capita death rate from COVID-19 ranked it among the top 3% of all U.S. counties with at least 30 deaths. Several of its neighbors in Louisiana’s industrial corridor also rank near the top of the list. COVID-19 and Air Pollution Exposure The coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed over 189,000 lives across the country, including more than 4,900 in Louisiana, offers a rare opportunity to study the public health outcomes of both short- and long-term air pollution exposure. Because the virus affects the respiratory system, researchers have rushed to study the potential association between mortality rates and air pollution. Early studies, including one looking at particulate matter — distinct from HAPs, but often found with them — have suggested a link. Last year, The Times-Picayune and The Advocate and ProPublica published the series Polluter’s Paradise, which used data from an EPA model to quantify levels of hazardous air pollution along the lower Mississippi River’s industrial corridor. As the virus battered many of those same communities this spring, we wanted to determine whether air quality was contributing to high death rates. The SUNY-ProPublica analysis uses pollution information from the EPA’s 2014 National Air Toxics Assessment, a screening tool aimed at helping state agencies identify and measure the sources of HAPs. These pollutants can come from industrial facilities as well as from power plants and vehicles. NATA combines information on pollutants that affect the respiratory system into a variable called the “respiratory hazard index.” The analysis found that an increase in the hazard index at the county level corresponded to an increase in COVID-19 death rates. This association existed at all levels of HAPs exposure, including levels that the EPA deems acceptable. The analysis controlled for a long list of variables, including population density, income, race and age, as well as community health indicators such as prevalence of smokers, adult obesity, preventable hospital stays and physical inactivity. Peer Review A recent study by researchers from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that long-term exposure to particulate matter made the coronavirus more deadly. But EPA officials and industry groups have dismissed the research primarily on the basis that it lacks peer review, a standard but time-consuming process where new research is evaluated by independent experts prior to publication. ProPublica and The Times-Picayune and The Advocate sent the EPA a copy of the new analysis on hazardous air pollutants, which has been peer reviewed, seeking comments. Enesta Jones, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that understanding the links between air pollution and COVID-19 is a “complicated process that will take many years.” “The research in this area is just beginning, and EPA looks forward to reviewing papers once they are peer-reviewed and published,” she said. Cancer Alley The industrial corridor that stretches alongside the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is nicknamed “Cancer Alley” because of the perceived health risks associated with local chemical emissions. LeBlanc considered herself lucky because no one in her family has had cancer. But she does have asthma, and so do two of her three children. According to EPA data, West Baton Rouge Parish has more air pollution that affects the respiratory system than 99% of counties nationwide. Research has long supported an association between asthma and exposure to air pollution. While researchers are not sure how this happens, they believe air pollutants could prevent the body’s immune system from being able to tell the difference between a harmless allergen and a dangerous particle, like a virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that people with asthma are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. In mid-March, LeBlanc began having flu-like symptoms. It started as a fever and cough. “Then, the second week it got doubly worse,” she said. LeBlanc went to a drive-thru site in Baton Rouge to get tested for coronavirus. Her test came back positive. She was sicker than she’d ever been. “I had nightmares. I had coughing. I had aches in my bones. I couldn’t even touch myself,” she said. “That’s how painful it was.” LeBlanc has nearly recovered. But she said she still has not regained her senses of smell and taste and she gets fatigued more quickly. She believes her debilitating symptoms owed partly to her compromised immune system. “Now what causes your immune system to be down? Is it the air you’re breathing?” she asked. Diana LeBlanc and her son David at her home in Port Allen, Louisiana. Diana, David and her other two children all have asthma. (David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune and The Advocate) Dr. Michael Brauer, a professor of public health at the University of British Columbia, said there is substantial evidence of a link between air pollution and respiratory infections. “If you’re exposed to a viral infection or bacterial infection and at the same time are exposed to air pollution, that infection is more likely to become severe,” he said. But air pollution can also have permanent effects on health that make COVID-19 symptoms more severe, whether or not a person continues to breathe in polluted air. Vijay Limaye, an environmental health scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Science Center, said that short-term declines in air pollutants in New York City due to lockdown measures in March and April did little to protect populations suffering from long-term exposure. “In some cases, damage to our lungs, our brains, our hearts from air pollution is irreversible. And there are certain harms inflicted by these exposures that can’t be mitigated even after months or years of breathing cleaner air,” said Limaye. Asthma Alley ProPublica and SUNY researchers created a nationwide ranking of counties by combining two variables: COVID-19 mortality rate and the quantity of pollution affecting the respiratory system. First on the list is the Bronx, a borough that was hit particularly hard by COVID-19. “The air quality issues here and the type of decision-making that’s happened over and over has made us Asthma Alley,” said Mychal Johnson, an organizer from the South Bronx, referencing the local nickname of an area with one of the highest asthma hospitalization rates in the country. “Waste transfer stations, fossil fuel power plants, heavy diesel trucking,” Johnson said, listing the various sources of pollution in the South Bronx. “We knew that what we had been fighting all these years was only going to make us more susceptible to COVID mortality.” While all of New York City’s five boroughs except Staten Island occupied slots in the study ranking’s top 20, the remainder of the list included more sparsely populated counties in Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia that contain industrial facilities or power plants. Five counties in the top 20 are located on the lower Mississippi River in Louisiana’s chemical corridor, including West Baton Rouge Parish. Read More This Cop Got Out of 44 Tickets by Saying Over and Over That His Girlfriend Stole His Car Chicago police officer Jeffrey Kriv used the same alibi to contest dozens of traffic tickets over the years. A deeper look at his career sheds light on Chicago’s troubled history of police accountability. LeBlanc’s son moved his family to a farm farther away from chemical plants in the parish because of his concern about air pollution, and his mother is moving there soon. But a trucking company just north of the property is seeking a permit from the state to increase its air pollution. “I do worry about my grandchildren,” she said. One of her grandsons has severe asthma and allergies, at times requiring a nebulizer. “It’s just something we’ve had to live with, and that’s the terror of it,” she said. When LeBlanc’s children were young she had a bag packed at all times in case an industrial accident happened and they needed to evacuate. “I lived in fear of just having to pick up my babies and run,” she said. “I did everything I could for them and here it’s come to the next generation.”

IWG New York landlords divided over WeWork and Knotel

Landlords in New York are split between the city's two largest flexible office space companies, WeWork and Knotel. While the former and older company is seen as an attractive partner due to the amount of space it's willing to lease, some landlords are put off by WeWork's aggressive bidding style, preferring Knotel's more relaxed approach which favours multiple deals with the same owners. Furthermore, the younger firm focuses on offerings for medium-sized companies with branding for the tenant rather than Knotel, whereas WeWork mostly provides large offices to be occupied by smaller corporations, under the umbrella of WeWork branding.

https://commercialobserver.com/2019/08/cold-war-why-some-landlords-prefer-wework-and-others-reach-for-knotel/

Like a Soviets-versus-U.S. space race, New York landlords have to figure out which side of the Iron Curtain they want to be on: WeWork (WE)’s or Knotel’s. WeWork and Knotel are the two biggest flexible office space providers in the city, competing for tenants and offices with relatively few overt acts of aggression, with both brands nabbing large chunks of space in buildings and sometimes even working with the same landlords. SEE ALSO: How Affordable Housing Treasury and Payments Shift During an Economic Disruption “I did lease space to WeWork, and WeWork has done incredible,” said Alex Sapir, the CEO of the Sapir Organization, who invested in Knotel last year. “I think what [WeWork] has been doing is great, but I’m a Knotel guy now.” Last September, WeWork officially became the city’s largest office tenant, with more than 5.2 million square feet (and counting). The timing was prescient, with Cushman & Wakefield (CWK) dubbing 2018 the “Year of the Coworking/Flex Office Sector.” WeWork has since closed on a $6 billion fundraising round led by SoftBank (SFTBY) Group and is zeroing in on a public offering that’s rumored to start next month. But Knotel hasn’t been sitting idly by. This summer, the younger firm nabbed space in its 100th building in New York City, bringing its presence in the Big Apple to nearly 2.5 million square feet, the company said. It has reportedly been in talks to close on a $200 million Series C funding round. (Disclosure: Joseph Meyer, Commercial Observer’s publisher, is an investor in Knotel.) “It kind of reminds me of the whole Sweetgreen and Dig Inn play,” said Ash Zandieh, the chief research advisor at CREtech who monitors the space. “They are in relatively the same location, but Dig Inn always goes in after Sweetgreen, and Sweetgreen pays a higher price per square foot.” Zandieh likened the deep-pocketed WeWork to Sweetgreen and said landlords like to work with the company because it “can absorb more square footage than Knotel can.” [protected-iframe id=”ce4616f24de234c7dd9ecd74a5836413-39571588-141847028″ info=”https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/5d51aaa70e405f0014c7a8d6?method=iframe” width=”700″ height=”500″ frameborder=”0″] WeWork fully occupies at least five buildings around the city and occupies at least 50 percent of the space in a dozen other properties, The Real Deal reported. “[WeWork] has been a pleasure to work with,” said David Zar, a principal at Zar Property NY who leased his entire 46,000-square-foot 349 Fifth Avenue to WeWork in 2011. “We frequently discuss upcoming lease opportunities and are confident in future transactions between us.” But doing deals with WeWork isn’t easy compared to other flexible workspace brands, some property owners say. A landlord — who requested anonymity — who has leased multiple spaces to Knotel said there was nothing “out of the ordinary” working with Knotel, and said he has never inked a deal with WeWork. “[WeWork was] often extremely aggressive when they made offers, which we found to be a turnoff,” the owner said. A spokesman for WeWork declined to comment for the story. One landlord — who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because he has leased offices to the company — said the amount of space WeWork can take makes it an attractive tenant, especially if a spot has been vacant for a while. “If I was an owner [who had a building vacant] after five years, I would lease it to these guys in a heartbeat,” the landlord said. Coworking and flexible workplace companies had a surge in leasing activity the past year, with a stratospheric 200 percent jump from 2017 to 2018, according to a year-end CBRE (CBRE) report released in January. Coworking firms accounted for 18 percent of all Manhattan deals inked in 2018, compared to the 6 percent they comprised in 2017, the report found. Eugene Lee, Knotel’s chief investment officer, credited the 3-year-old company’s massive growth to forging relationships with landlords who sign multiple deals. Depending on the market, 20 to 40 percent of Knotel’s portfolio has been signed with repeat owners. “It has always been part of the plan with us to develop these deeper relations with owners,” Lee said. “It was a lot of education. We spent a lot of time getting to know the owner community and developing relationships with landlords. It took a little bit of time [for them] to get comfortable with us and how we’re different from coworking.” Unlike traditional coworking which has shared desks for freelancers and packs several start-ups into the same office block, Knotel tends to lease space on a flexible basis to more established companies and offers them more private offices, Lee said. Lee said once Knotel has signed one lease with a landlord, future deals become a quicker process because they’ll follow a similar deal structure. But the landlord who has leased to WeWork before said that wasn’t the case with them; in fact, he said that as the coworking behemoth grew, it became harder and harder to sign more deals. “They are in a strong position,” he said, adding that WeWork has been a “pleasure” to work with as an actual tenant. “They’re gobbling up space weekly. When they make proposals they’re very competitive and they ask for generous amounts of [tenant improvements] and free rent. Owners may have no choice but to bite the bullet and give it to them.” And, even if Knotel can be a bit less aggressive in asking for free rent or tenant improvements, it still asks for a generous amount of concessions from owners, the landlord said. He added he’s turned down offers from every other coworking brand but WeWork. “WeWork has a track record,” he said. “Some of these companies are just two guys that may have managed a coworking space. If we had to lease to any coworking it would definitely be to WeWork.” Lee didn’t agree that Knotel asked for an unreasonable amount from landlords and its “concession packages probably look materially different from folks who are doing more traditional coworking.” Some owners can’t choose between the two. In May, WeWork signed a deal for 67,858 square feet at Walter & Samuels’ 419 Park Avenue South and will install signage on the front of the 20-story building, as Commercial Observer previously reported. However, Knotel has had a 9,000-square-foot outpost in that property since 2017 when it took over coworking company Grind’s space. A spokeswoman for Walter & Samuels did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On its website, Knotel touts to potential landlords that it has less turnover, more established companies, and the same impact on a space as a standard office compared to other coworking companies. Sapir heaped praise on the types of tenants Knotel has attracted to its 45,000-square-foot space at 261 Madison Avenue and has recommended Knotel to other landlords. “From a landlord’s perspective, they’re fast, they fill the space and they’re profitable,” Sapir said. “Which, I think, are the three most important things for a landlord.” Knotel has also made a push to enter into management agreements — which can include profit-splitting — with owners since its founding, which Lee said has been a big reason they’ve been able to nail down multiple deals with the same landlords. Lee said management agreements account for 20 to 25 percent of Knotel’s portfolio. Last year, WeWork followed suit with a big push into partnership agreements by poaching top CBRE producer Sarah Pontius to become the global head of a real estate partnership division as it faces competition from the likes of Knotel, Industrious, and other landlords opening coworking brands. “A lot of landlords have the perception that WeWork in some sense is being competitive to their business,” Peter Hansen, a vice president in WeWork’s real estate partnership division, previously told CO. “We’re now complementary to their business. They are sharing in the upside of the operation.” “It’s no longer an ‘us versus them’ in trying to capture the tenants,” he added. But the differences between WeWork and Knotel don’t just begin and end at the deal table with landlords. The two have very different vibes to offer prospective tenants. Knotel — which focuses mainly on mid-sized firms — constantly publicizes that its office spaces are branded for the company and not Knotel itself. While WeWork itself started HQ by WeWork last August to host mid-size tenants, it is still known for its large blocks of glass office spaces occupied by smaller companies, with WeWork branding all over. “[WeWork] was crowded,” said Yan Karklin, an engineer at health start-up Bayesian Health who helped the five-person company search for space in New York City this summer. “The vibe was very ‘young people’ and not super professional.” He added that the spaces tended to be louder than other places the start-up toured. Karklin considered three other coworking brands, a shortlist which didn’t include Knotel, before ultimately signing a deal at Serendipity Labs in the Financial District last month.

Microsoft wants to create an Xbox controller for blind users

Microsoft has filed a patent for a braille controller, catering to blind and visually-impaired gamers. The proposed design includes paddles on the rear of the Xbox controller that can be configured to allow braille input, as well as offering haptic feedback to the user. While the patent does not contain high levels of detail, it does demonstrate that Microsoft is following the trend towards accessibility in the gaming world, which is particularly geared towards those with disabilities like visual impairments.

https://assistivetechnologyblog.com/2019/05/xbox-braille-controller.html

More recently, we have seen accessibility becoming more prominent in the gaming world. To make things a lot more accessible and easier, especially for visually impaired or blind gamers, Microsoft has filed for a patent design for a braille controller. This proposed controller will have paddles at the back that can be set up in various configurations. These paddles will be used to provide input using Braille as well as to receive output in the form of haptic feedback to the person holding the controller. The patent design doesn’t have a lot of details but this design obviously will revolutionize the way blind people interact with gaming console. Filed in August 2018, we are not sure if Microsoft will really make this patent a reality. If Microsoft doesn’t, others can, right? It is great inspiration for us to make every day objects accessible for blind people using Braille. Read more about the patent here. Source: Engadget

AfDB okays €138m investment in Tunisia's power grid

The African Development Bank's (AfDB) board of directors has given the green light for a €138m ($154m) investment in the state-run Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG). The financing, which will consist of a €108m loan and €30m from the Africa Growing Together fund, will go towards the country's distribution network and infrastructure. As such, the investment will facilitate the construction of solar projects, enable the purchase of high and medium-voltage transformer stations and help STEG deal with anticipated increased electricity demand over the next few years.

https://www.pv-tech.org/news/AfDB-approves-138-million-package-for-Tunisian-grid-improvements

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) board of directors have approved a €138 million (US$154 million) investment for Tunisia’s state-run electricity distribution network. The financing earmarked for the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) includes a €108 million loan and €30 million from the AfDB-administered 'Africa Growing Together' fund. The infrastructure investment paves the way for PV projects set to come online in the North African country over the coming years. This includes 15MW of PV projects being developed by Italian oil and gas major Eni and state oil company ETAP in the country’s south. “STEG will be in a better position to deal with a continued rise in demand and transport a larger flow of electricity, in particular solar and wind power plants currently being developed,” said Mohamed El Azizi, AfDB managing director for North Africa in a statement. The funds will enable the purchase and installation of high- and medium-voltage transformer stations, around 250 kilometres of electrical connections and a remote-control device. While much of the AfDB’s solar activity to date has focused on microgrids, the financier is working on larger-scale projects and electricity grid enhancements in countries to Tunisia’s south through its new ‘Desert to Power’ initiative. Launched in September, the initiative wants to catalyse 10GW of solar across the Sahel. As part of that project, it provided Chad's first utility-scale PV project, a 32MW plant that will include storage, with an €18 million (US$19.6 million) loan in early October. News of the Tunisian investment comes the same week as the development financier announced that it had hired the non-profit Coalition for Greener Capital to explore avenues for national climate change funds and green banks in African countries. CGC will work with six African countries on the study, which hopes to ultimately to accelerate investment in clean energy across the continent.

Europe feels the financial cost of the Paris terror attacks

Europe is feeling the financial strain caused by the terror attacks in Paris this month.  The financial hit to France's tourist industry has been predictably bad, with the French government revealing it has lost £1.4bn so far in earnings since the attacks, in a country that was already struggling following previous attacks in Paris and its surrounding areas in January this year.  A recent wave of cancellations at hotels, airlines and restaurants, has hit Paris particularly.  The trend in cancellations is particularly strong among Chinese, who had booked flihts to Paris.  Chinese visitors are usually the most avid shoppers in Paris, keeping luxury boutiques especially busy, despite weak French consumer spending.  This slowing of France's economy is raising huge concerns about the country's already fragile recovery, since it is heavily dependent on toursts.  Furthermore, the Belgium government says it has lost as much as €51.7m ($55m) a day in Brussels following the sudden closure of its metros, schools and shops; Italy and Germany are also witnessing a significant drop in tourists, as fears of possible terror attacks and bad weather worries hamper businesses. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3338173/Terror-attacks-Paris-means-visitor-numbers-Europe-tumble-France-lost-1-4bn-tourism-revenue.html

The devastating terror attacks in Paris have left France and other European countries's tourism industry struggling as businesses expect a difficult time over the Christmas period. The French government has estimated that the country has suffered an estimated €2bn (£1.4bn) worth of losses as a result of the terror attacks. A significant fall in tourism has been blamed for the losses and the government has been quick to try and assist struggling businesses by offering delays for tax payments. Scroll down for video The French government has estimated that the country has suffered as much €2bn (£1.4bn) worth of losses as a result of the terror attacks A significant fall in tourism has been blamed for the losses and the government has been quick to try and assist struggling businesses by offering delays for tax payments Large amounts of emergency aid has also been offered to business owners in a bid to shore up the economy during the recent difficult times. A wave of cancellations at hotels and a decline in customers in shops and restaurants has deeply affected France, in particular Paris. The burden of the heightened terror threat has also been seen in Belgium, with the government revealing the substantial cost of putting Brussels into lockdown for six days. As much as €51.7million (£36million) a day had been lost in Brussels following the sudden closure of the city's metros, schools and shops, according to Belgian broadcaster VRT. French special forces clear people from the Bataclan theatre where 89 people were killed over two weeks ago Terror: A body lies in the street after the attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris Horrific: The terror attacks have led to a significant security crackdown in the hunt for the perpetrators of the attacks A group of police officers stand guard in the street where Salah Abdeslam's explosive belt was discovered Italy has also felt the force of the terror attacks on their tourism and leisure industry seeing cinema takings in Rome falling by 50 per cent over the last two weeks, according to The Independent. Similarly Berlin has seen a drop in the number of Christmas shoppers as fears of possible terror attacks and bad weather hamper businesses in the city. The evacuation of the German national football team at Hanover's stadium added to the concerns that the country could face its own terror issues. Germany has also revealed it is planning to deploy 1,200 troops to help France in the fight against ISIS jihadists in Syria, its army chief said Sunday, in what would be the military's biggest deployment abroad. 'From a military point of view, around 1,200 soldiers would be necessary to run the planes and ship,' army chief of staff General Volker Wieker told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that the mission would begin 'very quickly once a mandate is obtained'. Wieker confirmed that any deployments would only go ahead if the the government manages to obtain a mandate. A soldier and a police officer pictured patrolling Brussels Grand Place when the city was still in lockdown Belgian soldiers patrol during the opening night of the annual Christmas market in Brussels Berlin has already offered France Tornado reconnaissance jets, a naval frigate, aerial refuelling and satellite images in the fight against the IS group. Between four and six Tornados would be deployed to deliver images of the ground, even in poor weather and during the night, Wieker said. Asked why Germany had shied away from participating in direct air strikes, Wieker said the coalition already had 'sufficient forces and means' dealing with that aspect of the battle. 'What is needed is reconnaissance on the ground, so that these forces can be deployed effectively. Our Tornados can contribute a lot in that area,' he said. Talks are ongoing with Turkey and Jordan on stationing the planes in Incirlik - which also serves as a base for US jets, as well as in Amman. Wieker swiped aside any criticism that Germany had opted for 'the least dangerous' tasks, saying: 'This allegation is not justified. What is the difference when you fly a bomber jet or a reconnaisance plane over the same area? The levels of threat and danger are the same.' Post-war Germany has been traditionally reluctant to send troops abroad, although it has joined UN-mandated missions in the Balkans and elsewhere, and the NATO coalition in Afghanistan. Germany has not taken part in air strikes against the IS in Syria and Iraq, which have been mainly flown by US and French aircraft.

Detroit-Hamtramck to be GM’s First Assembly Plant 100 Percent Devoted to Electric Vehicles

DETROIT — General Motors’ (NYSE: GM) vision of an all-electric future is coming into clearer focus and gaining momentum with a $2.2 billion investment at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.Detroit-Hamtramck will be GM’s first fully-dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant.Since the fall of 2018, GM has committed to invest more than $2.5 billion in Michigan to bring electric vehicles to market through investments at Orion assembly, GM battery lab in Warren, Brownstown and today’s announced direct investment in Detroit-Hamtramck.

https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/jan/0127-dham.html

Detroit-Hamtramck to be GM’s First Assembly Plant 100 Percent Devoted to Electric Vehicles $2.2 billion investment will support 2,200 good-paying manufacturing jobs Back DETROIT — General Motors’ (NYSE: GM) vision of an all-electric future is coming into clearer focus and gaining momentum with a $2.2 billion investment at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs. GM’s first all-electric truck will be a pickup with production scheduled to begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a shared, electric, self-driving vehicle unveiled by Cruise in San Francisco last week. Detroit-Hamtramck will be GM’s first fully-dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant. “Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality,” said Mark Reuss, GM president, during a press event at the plant with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other local and state officials. “Our electric pickup will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.” When the plant is fully operational, this investment will create more than 2,200 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs. GM will also invest an additional $800 million in supplier tooling and other projects related to the launch of the new electric trucks. Since the fall of 2018, GM has committed to invest more than $2.5 billion in Michigan to bring electric vehicles to market through investments at Orion assembly, GM battery lab in Warren, Brownstown and today’s announced direct investment in Detroit-Hamtramck. The plant’s paint and body shops and general assembly area will receive comprehensive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls and tooling. GM’s joint venture with LG Chem – which is investing $2.3 billion to manufacture battery cells in Lordstown, Ohio – will supply battery cells for the electric vehicles manufactured at Detroit-Hamtramck. A key driver behind GM’s decision to make the commitment to Detroit-Hamtramck was the support this project received from the state of Michigan. “The support from the state of Michigan was a key element in making this investment possible,” added Reuss. “This investment helps ensure that Michigan will remain at the epicenter of the global automotive industry as we continue our journey to an electrified future.” Detroit-Hamtramck currently operates on one shift of production and builds the Cadillac CT6 and the Chevrolet Impala. Approximately 900 people are employed at the plant. As previously confirmed, the plant will be idled for several months beginning at the end of February as the renovations begin. The plant has built more than 4 million vehicles since opening in 1985. Hourly employees at Detroit-Hamtramck are represented by UAW Local 22. General Motors (NYSE:GM) is committed to delivering safer, better and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Cadillac, Chevrolet, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety and security services, Maven, its personal mobility brand, and Cruise, its autonomous vehicle company, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

The reinvention of Japan’s power supply is making little headway

Renewable generation has grown from 10% of the power supply in 2010 to 17% in 2018, almost half of which comes from old hydropower schemes. Most nuclear plants, which provided more than a quarter of the country’s power before the disaster, have been shut down. The current government wants nuclear plants to provide at least 20% of electricity by 2030.

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/06/21/the-reinvention-of-japans-power-supply-is-making-little-headway

IN THE WAKE of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, enthusiasm for renewable energy in Japan swelled. Kan Naoto, the prime minister at the time, declared that the country would draw up a new energy strategy “from scratch” and “elevate” renewables. One of his government’s last acts before losing power was to pass a law to stimulate renewable energy. Dozens of small firms sprang up. Fukushima prefecture itself pledged to get all its power from renewable sources by 2040. The hoped-for transformation, however, has been slow. Renewable generation has grown from 10% of the power supply in 2010 to 17% in 2018, almost half of which comes from old hydropower schemes. Most nuclear plants, which provided more than a quarter of the country’s power before the disaster, have been shut down, at least for the time being. But for the most part they have been replaced not by wind turbines and solar panels but by power stations that burn coal and natural gas. The current government wants nuclear plants to provide at least 20% of electricity by 2030. It also wants coal’s share of generation to grow, and has approved plans to build 22 new coal-fired plants over the next five years. The target for renewables, by contrast, is 22-24%, below the current global average, and far lower than in many European countries. Geography and geology are partly to blame. Japan is densely populated and mountainous. That makes solar and onshore wind farms costlier to build than in places with lots of flat, empty land. The sea floor drops away more steeply off Japan’s coasts than it does in places where offshore wind has boomed, such as the North Sea. And although geothermal power holds promise, the most suitable sites tend to be in national parks or near privately owned hot springs. Government policies also help stifle the growth of renewable energy. Since the end of the second world war, privately owned, vertically integrated regional utilities have dominated the electricity market. These ten behemoths provide stable power within their regions, but do little to co-ordinate supply and demand across their borders. Power is not transmitted at the same frequency throughout the country: the west runs at 60 hertz and the east at 50. The limited transmission between regions makes it even harder than usual to cope with intermittent generation from wind turbines and solar panels. Recent reforms have attempted to promote renewables both directly and indirectly. Mr Kan’s government introduced a “feed-in tariff”, obliging utilities to pay a generous fixed price for certain forms of renewable energy—a policy that has prompted investors to pile into solar and wind in other countries. In 2016 the current government fully liberalised the retail electricity market. It has also set up new regulatory bodies to promote transmission between regions and to police energy markets. In April a law came into force that requires utilities to run their generation, transmission and distribution units as separate businesses. Critics say the steps have been too incremental and not radical enough. Utilities continue to make it time-consuming and costly for new entrants to get access to the grid. Existing power plants are favoured over new facilities, and the share of renewables is limited, on the ground that their intermittency threatens the grid’s stability. This resistance spooks investors. The government’s relatively paltry targets for renewables compound the worries. But even if the government is timid, investors can still make a difference. Several of Japan’s big multinationals have pledged to switch to clean power on a scale and schedule that put the government’s targets to shame. Environmental activism has made banks and businesses wary of investments in coal. Even big utilities have come to see business opportunities in renewables. Despite the sluggish pace of change, Japan may eventually catch up. Editor’s note: a longer version of this article was published in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “No mill will”.

Aston Martin reveals concept for autonomous flight vehicle

Aston Martin have revealed its Volante Vision concept, a personal air-transportation vehicle that would use vertical take-off and landing technologies. The vehicle would utilise hybrid-electric power for its multiple propellers and would be capable of autonomous flight. The project involves Cranfield University, making use of their global research airport, and Rolls-Royce who would provide the hybrid-electric systems. The next phase of the project will focus on technical development and engineering with the aim of creating a full-size flying demonstrator prototype.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/aston-martin-volante-vision-flying-car-concept/

The flying-car bandwagon has space for everyone, whether it's Uber or, most recently, Aston Martin. Aston Martin today unveiled the Volante Vision flying car concept. Like many other personal air-transportation concepts, the Volante Vision utilizes vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, so it can land on a dime in tight urban areas. It packs hybrid-electric power and is capable of autonomous flight (as far as concepts are capable of anything). It might not resemble any modern Aston Martin, but it's still awfully pretty. The whole front wing looks like a crazy version of a Formula 1 front wing, and the main fuselage is sleek, like something you might find in a concept previewing the next generation of fighter jets. It's not very large, either, taking up the space of about two Valkyrie track toys, based on the automaker's renderings. The interior looks as luxurious as you'd expect from Aston Martin. Aston isn't going it alone on this concept, either. The Volante Vision was conceived in partnership with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce -- not the automaker, mind you, but the similarly named company responsible for many of the turbines you see attached to modern aircraft. "With the population in urban areas continuing to grow, congestion in towns and cities will become increasingly demanding," said Dr. Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, in a statement. "The Volante Vision Concept will enable us to travel further with our hourly commute, meaning we are able to live further away from where we work. Cities will grow, and towns that are today too far away from cities to be commutable will become suburban."

Machine learning process engine developed to detect odours

Arm Research and PragmatIC have collaborated with the University of Manchester to develop a low-cost machine learning (ML) processing engine that includes e-nose sensors, enabling it to detect smells. The researchers said the hardwired device had applications in the fast moving consumer goods sector, and could be integrated into food packaging. The team plans to test the ML engine's integration with other devices, including digital interfaces.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-machine-flexible-devices-odor-recognition.html

Micrograph of the ML Natively Flexible Processing Engine (NFPE) as a flexible IC. Credit: Ozer et al. In recent years, there has been an increase in the development of flexible electronics: electronic components that can be stretched and thus enable the development of smart watches, fitness trackers, or other wearable smart devices. Flexible electronics are typically made by applying electronic circuits on flexible material substrates, such as plastic or paper. Flexible chips can be used to fabricate devices that are low-cost, as well as extremely thin, bendable, and comfortable to wear. While their characteristics could make them more suitable than conventional electronics fabricated on silicon wafers for certain applications, so far not all these chips have achieved desirable performances. Researchers at Arm and PragmatIC have recently used low-cost flexible chips to fabricate a machine learning (ML) processing engine, which could be used to build a wide range of smart devices with advanced data processing capabilities. Their paper, published in Nature Electronics, specifically demonstrates the use of their engine for applications that involve recognizing smells or odors. "Arm Research has a close R&D collaboration with PragmatIC, which has low-cost flexible IC fabrication technology based on metal-oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs)," Emre Ozer, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told TechXplore. "This technology has great potential for the the fabrication of processing engines on low-cost flexible substrates, which could enable billions of objects to become 'smarter' while costing in the range of cents rather than dollars." The ML processing engine developed by Ozer and his colleagues can be directly attached to sensors that detect chemical information associated with smells, known as "electronic noses" (e-noses). It then analyzes this information and tries to determine what odor the sensor picked up. The team at Arm and PragmatIC who worked on the recent project closely collaborated with researchers at the University of Manchester who are specialized in the development of flexible e-nose sensors based on low-cost plastic substrates. The new hardwired ML engine is the result of this collaboration. ML Natively Flexible Processing Engines (NFPEs) can be fabricated on polyimide substrate to be used in various applications. Credit: Ozer et al. "Our engine implements an ML algorithm called 'Univariate Bayes feature voting classifier' that we also developed," Ozer said. "The processing engine is hardwired, because the learned ML parameters after the training phase are fixed (i.e. do not change over the device's lifetime). It consists of around 1000 gates, which is a very resource efficient design." Although the fact that the engine's ML parameters are fixed and cannot be programmed might appear disadvantageous, the current target market for hardwired ML engines is that of fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), which rarely need reprogramming. In fact, the priorities for companies producing FMCGs are to ensure that goods can be produced quickly, in high volumes, and at low costs, as they will also be consumed quickly. The engine could, for instance, be integrated into plastic wrappings to process the odors of packaged foods. Packaged foods tend to expire pretty quickly and have a short shelf life, thus the package and the flexible electronic components in it would be thrown away as soon as customers consume the products. As a result, the ML engine would have a short lifetime and would not need to be reprogrammed. "General-purpose or programmable processors were fabricated on flexible substrates in as early as 2004," Ozer said. "These flexible processors were developed using low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) TFT technology, which has a high manufacturing cost. Thus, this technology was not suitable to enable ultra-low-cost electronics. An arithmetic logic unit was developed using metal-oxide TFTs on a flexible substrate by IMEC in 2014, but this was a proof-of-concept prototype with limited computational capabilities." The engine developed by Ozer and his colleagues features more—and more advanced—capabilities than most programmable and flexible processors fabricated in the past. In fact, it is the most complex flexible integrated circuit (IC) ever built using metal oxide TFTs. Although the engine is comprised of approximately 1,000 gates, its gate density is approximately 20–45 times higher than that of other existing digital ICs based on metal-oxide TFT technology. When developing flexible electronics, different electronic components (e.g. sensors, energy harvesters, processors, etc.) are generally fabricated individually and then combined into a single device. Integrating flexible components into a single system, however, has so far proved to be far more difficult than combining conventional electronic components. The researchers now plan to continue testing the performance of their engine when it is integrated with other components, such as e-nose sensors and digital interfaces. "System integration in this area of research is not as mature as it is in conventional electronics," Ozer said. "Looking ahead, Arm Research and PragmatIC have thus already started working with the University of Manchester to integrate the flexible e-nose sensors into a single flexible system, including the flexible sensor readout interface and ML engine." More information: Emre Ozer et al. A hardwired machine learning processing engine fabricated with submicron metal-oxide thin-film transistors on a flexible substrate, Nature Electronics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-0437-5 Arm Research: www.arm.com/resources/research PragmatIC: www.pragmatic.tech/ Journal information: Nature Electronics © 2020 Science X Network

Five Man Utd players Roy Keane has hailed this season

Keane says the ease with which Fernandes settled into the Old Trafford environment marks him out as a top player, while he also noted that the rest of the squad were lifted by the former Sporting CP man’s presence.Keane noted Rashford as not just one of United’s key men, but also of the England national team, picking him alongside Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane as the go-to starters.Two who Keane has been quick to criticise in the past also came in for praise recently, with Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial rediscovering form and sharpness at a crucial time for United.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-keane-fernandes-rashford-18046582

Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox Roy Keane is one of the most outspoken pundits in football and certainly one of the harshest critics of those he doesn’t feel is up to standard. But the former skipper also has the awareness and eye for a player and what they’re capable of, and given the standards he judges by, it’s worth noting when he praises certain stand-out stars for Manchester United. Harry Maguire At the back, the Reds lacked a leader and some consistency previously, but Harry Maguire has proved a worthwhile addition, despite the expensive price tag. The former Leicester man’s personality and defensive awareness were praised by Keane earlier in the season, while he also thinks he’s a good pick to captain the club, which speaks volumes. "I can’t really fault him,” Keane said. “I don’t think he’s lightning-quick but he has other strengths and I think he’ll be a big, big player for Manchester United over the next few years. He’s been an excellent signing." Maguire is one of several who should form the spine of the United team going forward, and he’s essentially the first building block in the side’s restructuring. Bruno Fernandes The January signing has been a massive hit, with Bruno Fernandes quickly showing the technical ability to make a difference at the top end of the Premier League. Keane says the ease with which Fernandes settled into the Old Trafford environment marks him out as a top player, while he also noted that the rest of the squad were lifted by the former Sporting CP man’s presence. “The fact is he’s actually scored a couple of goals and there are set pieces, he’s got a little bit of arrogance about him, he comes across well, he speaks good English and everyone’s speaking very highly of him,” Keane noted. “We often talk about players taking time to settle at a club - it’s not taken him long has it? Maybe that’s the sign of a good player.” One big question mark for the future is over how Fernandes and Paul Pogba link up, but great players often find a way to work well alongside each other. Fernandes is showing that’s exactly what he is. Marcus Rashford At the top end of the pitch, Marcus Rashford was enjoying the increased responsibility of being a regular starter and scorer before his injury. Keane noted that the manner and confidence of Rashford’s goals were what marked him out as being back in form and a danger to opposition defences. “He is back to his best,” Keane said in November. “It was a lovely play [for his England goals], nice and simple. Does it matter about the opposition? Of course it does, because they're getting opportunities, but that was the goal of the night. A lovely finish. Pure quality.” Keane noted Rashford as not just one of United’s key men, but also of the England national team, picking him alongside Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane as the go-to starters. Rashford has always been a capable finisher, and has also benefited from being able to carve out his own chances as well as link with others. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial Two who Keane has been quick to criticise in the past also came in for praise recently, with Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial rediscovering form and sharpness at a crucial time for United. Keane acknowledged he had been hard on them previously, particularly after their displays in the derby win over Man City. “They’ve been under a lot of pressure and a lot of criticism over the past years,” Keane noted. “I’ve been critical of some of the players. But people like Shaw and Martial, you know, they’ve done well today. I have to give credit for that.” As ever, consistency is king when it comes to earning Keane’s undying admiration, but he’s certainly not afraid to change his mind when players prove they deserve it.

Million megabit kits: how wearable tech is shaping the future of football

Analyst Gartner expects to see 310.4 million sales of wearable devices worldwide this year, generating $30.5 billion (323.2bn), and IDC expects the market to double by 2021. Real Madrid use GPS signalling to gather data on the total distance players cover, the distance at high intensity, and the acceleration and deceleration during training or a match. Specialised software is used to analyse data and aid deep learning.

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/real-madrid-wearable-tech-shaping-football-future

For Real Madrid, arguably the world’s biggest football club, the use of wearables is focused on GPS devices on the back of players’ vests which measures heart rates. “Using a GPS signal, we can then retrieve data on the total distance they cover, the distance at high intensity, and the acceleration and deceleration during training or a match,” says Carlos Alberto Cruz, physical trainer at Real Madrid. As Real Madrid coach and former player José María Gutiérrez Hernández explains, this data was not available to players or coaches during most of his time as a footballer, making it difficult to know exactly how they were performing during a training session or match. “It definitely changed, and at the end of my career we had data from everyone from training matches, and that is invaluable for the player,” he says. Unlike the data that consumers get from personal health and fitness wearables, football clubs can go a step further with the data they collect, using specialised software to analyse it in order to glean more insight into their players. “We retrieve the data, extract it and analyse it using the software. Then we can compare data with the objectives we set for each session and draw conclusions on how the training went and the player’s form,” says Cruz. “Then we consider how to apply this information to upcoming matches." The data at hand doesn’t predict whether a player will get an injury or not, but it does help to quantify and control the players’ training loads better, reducing the chances that injuries occur. Coaches aren’t the only people who benefit from the data at hand. Players can use the data as a motivational tool, getting a better understanding of the areas they need to improve on and setting themselves targets for upcoming sessions and games.

TalkTalk Alphabet to supply CityFibre car fleet

Alphabet, a division of BMW Group, has supplied CityFibre with an initial fleet of eight branded cars and seven vans for the full fibre network provider's in-field teams. CityFibre will use the online AlphaCity service, which facilitates keyless entry, and the two firms are assessing a longer-term, fully electrified fleet for CityFibre.

https://www.assetfinanceinternational.com/index.php/fleet-finance/fleet-emea/fleet-emea-articles/19620-alphabet-partners-with-cityfibre-to-help-boost-smart-city-development

Alphabet partners with CityFibre to help boost smart city development Business mobility services provider Alphabet has announced the provision of a series of vehicles to the digital infrastructure platform CityFibre to fuel the growth of the company’s full fibre networks with gigabit speeds. With full fibre networks currently in place in more than 60 towns and cities in the UK, CityFibre has dedicated a number of teams out in the field, meaning the running of a fleet is now a key part of its business. As the company grows, it was keen to fully outsource its fleet management and were seeking a partner to provide guidance and consultancy with a flexible mobility solution that could enable its field teams to attend site builds and events in a branded vehicle to generate excitement for local communities about the benefits of full fibre.

TalkTalk Lords amend telco bill

The House of Lords has amended the telecommunications infrastructure (leasehold property) bill. One change would make it easier for internet service providers to access large, tenanted buildings whose landlords are unresponsive, reducing the costs of dealing with the issue from around £14,000 ($17,500) to £300. Another calls for an review of the proposed legislation on the Electronic Communications Code six months after it is passed to assess whether it can deliver UK-wide access to Gbp-capable broadband by 2025.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2020/06/lords-make-changes-to-telecommunications-infrastructure-bill.html

Tuesday, Jun 30th, 2020 (3:17 pm) - Score 4,586 The UK House of Lords has made a couple of key amendments to the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill (here), which aims to make it significantly easier, quicker and cheaper for “gigabit-capable” broadband ISPs to access big apartment blocks (MDU) when “rogue landlords” fail to respond. At present network operators (e.g. Openreach, Virgin Media, Hyperoptic, Cityfibre etc.) often run into difficulty when attempting to contact landlords, such as while requesting permission to install a new service or offering to negotiate a long-term agreement on access (wayleave). Suffice to say that an unresponsive landlord can leave residents trapped on slower connections and the process for tackling this can be disproportionately expensive. NOTE: The Government estimates that the existing process could have cost £14,000, which falls to £300 under the new approach – this will apply to the whole of the UK. The new bill aims to tackle this via a number of measures, such as a significantly cheaper and faster route for dispute resolution via a new tribunal process. On top of that landlords will also face a greater obligation to help facilitate the deployment of digital infrastructure when they receive a request from their tenants. Yesterday saw the bill reach the ‘Report‘ stage (here). The government were also defeated as two additional amendments ended up being voted through. Amendment 1 (Moved by Lord Clement-Jones – LibDem) 1: Clause 1, page 1, line 11, after “premises” insert “(which include premises where a tenant is in exclusive possession)” NOTE: This amendment would clarify that tenanted premises are included under the provisions of this bill. Amendment 7 (Moved by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – Labour) 7: After Clause 2, insert the following new Clause – “Review of this Act’s impact on the Electronic Communications Code…” NOTE: This amendment would require the Secretary of State to commission a review of the impact of this Act on the Electronic Communications Code. This review, which would assess the code’s suitability to support universal access to gigabit-capable broadband by 2025, could make recommendations for future amendments to the code. The first amendment effectively expands the bill’s scope to include more renters, which is an area that the Government had previously shunned because of a fear that it could result in temporary inhabitants (e.g. lodgers or hostel residents) suddenly gaining significant new power over the infrastructure of a property. The Government’s representative, Baroness Barran, noted that the existing bill “already has within its scope many of those who rent by virtue of the term ‘lessee in occupation’“. Meanwhile the second amendment forces the Government to review their legislation 6 months after it has become law, albeit while assessing whether or not it is “sufficient to support access to 1 gigabit per second broadband in every premises in the United Kingdom by 2025.” One issue here is that the Government don’t want to force everybody to only take a 1Gbps service as that may hinder some deployments and technology choices. Baroness Barran (Conservative) said: “This measure was designed from the outset to be a precision instrument that supports the 10 million people living in apartment blocks in the UK to access better broadband. It is on this point—the idea of better broadband—that I feel I should begin. We are confident that Part 4A orders will be used by operators predominantly to deliver gigabit-capable connections, as we discussed in Committee, but the Bill does not mention gigabit-capable networks. For that matter, it does not mention broadband, 5G or any type of connection. As noble Lords know, 1 gigabit connectivity is not tech-neutral; not all forms of broadband can deliver 1 gigabit per second of connectivity. For example, copper-based superfast connections would not be able to do that. The Electronic Communications Code, of which the Bill will form a constituent part, does not mention broadband; nor does it mention any connection speed or anything about the technology installed. The Bill and the code are technology-neutral; I believe there was some confusion on this in Committee. To put that another way: the code deals with the how, where and when of deployment, not about what is installed. I am making this point again because technological neutrality is important, as it allows a consumer to get the connectivity they need from the operator they want at the best price. None of this is to detract from noble Lords’ appetite to ensure that the Government are on track to deliver gigabit-capable connections, which is entirely understandable and reasonable. Many noble Lords will know that there are already ways in which some or all of the amendment’s effects can be achieved without the need for the amendment. I will give three examples.” The bill will now go to a third reading in the House of Lords, before returning back for a final series of debates in the House of Commons. We suspect that the Government may then end up throwing out some of the amendments agreed by the Lords.

NBC Sports will broadcast live Olympics videos on Snapchat

NBC Sports is broadcasting the live Winter Olympics videos on Snapchat as it seeks to reach younger audiences. The US broadcaster is using the Snapchat Live tool to cover key moments from the Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Users can choose between screens, a vertical version of the broadcast and a horizontal TV version, and subscribe to live broadcasts. Unlike Facebook and other digital rivals, Snap pitches itself as a second-screen platform and seeks to complement what its broadcast partners do on TV.

https://digiday.com/media/nbc-sports-recruits-snap-musical-ly-winter-olympics/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=digidaydis&utm_source=uk&utm_content=180208

With the Winter Olympics getting underway on Feb. 9, NBC Sports is eyeing partnerships with social platforms such as Snapchat and Musical.ly to reach younger viewers. For the first time, NBC Sports will be broadcasting live Olympics videos on Snapchat, using a new Snapchat Live tool designed for TV networks to distribute live clips on the messaging app. Starting Feb. 10, NBC Sports will go live on Snapchat covering key moments during the Games, the companies said. The new live video feature will consist of two screens. At the top, a viewer will see a vertical version of the broadcast, and at the bottom, the horizontal TV broadcast. This will let viewers choose which angle they want to zoom in on, said Snap. Snapchat users will be able to subscribe to the live broadcasts, which will be available at the top of the new media and Discover section of the Snapchat app, by pressing and holding on existing NBC Sports Olympic content. Subscribers will receive notifications both inside and outside the app whenever NBC Sports goes live, said Snap. While Facebook and other major digital platforms are aiming to compete with TV networks for live sports rights, Snap has been pitching itself as a complementary, second-screen platform for live and linear TV. With the new live video feature, the idea is that networks can market important broadcasts that matter the most — and reach a potentially new demographic along the way. “We believe the best place to watch a live game or award show is still on a big screen,” said Ben Schwerin, vp of partnerships for Snap, in a statement. “That’s why we build products like Our Stories and Live that compliment and amplify what our broadcast partners are doing on television.” Beyond the new live element, NBC Sports is also producing two shows for Snapchat about the Olympics. “Pipe Dreams” is a four-part series profiling Olympic snowboarders that premiered on Feb. 6. “Chasing Gold” is a 16-episode show that will profile U.S. athletes such as Lindsey Vonn, Gus Kenworthy and Chloe Kim. It debuts on Feb. 8, with plans to air one to three episodes per day for the first 10 days of the Games. NBC Sports will also be programming two public stories a day covering behind-the-scenes action from PyeongChang, South Korea. And as previously announced, BuzzFeed will again produce a daily Olympics-themed Snapchat Discover channel for the duration of the Games. NBC Sports parent company NBCUniversal, as part of a $500 million investment in Snap, has a broader advertising and original content partnership with the company. NBC Sports and Snap said they have signed up more than 20 advertisers to spend on Snapchat Olympics content as part of broader ad buys for the Olympic Games — double the number of advertisers that had spent on Snapchat during the Rio Summer Olympics. Snapchat is NBC Sports’ biggest social play for the Olympics, but the broadcaster has also partnered with Musical.ly for the Games, bringing two Musical.ly stars, Nia Sioux and Ross Smith, to PyeongChang to document their experience of the event. NBC Sports will share Olympic highlights, behind-the-scenes content and GIFs on its new NBC Olympics account on Musical.ly. Other social initiatives for NBC Sports include a partnership with Giphy to turn Olympic game highlights and other clips into GIFs, which users can share across social platforms. The company has also signed up “Stranger Things” star Gaten Matarazzo and YouTube stars Jenn Im and Monica Church to share Olympics-themed videos before and during the Games. In total, it’s a huge endeavor for NBC Sports, which will have hundreds of people in South Korea and at NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Conn., involved in the production, distribution and marketing of Olympics content over the next two weeks. This includes NBC Sports’ plans to stream more than 1,800 hours of live competitions during the Games, up from 1,000 hours of live streaming from the previous Winter Olympics in Sochi. On the social side alone, NBC Sports will have about a dozen people on hand in South Korea to shoot original footage, not including staffers from BuzzFeed, Snap. “Our social team becomes part of a much bigger content factory,” said Lyndsay Signor, senior director of consumer engagement at NBC Sports Group. “[The Olympics] are bigger than anything we do because there’s so much going on at the same time.”

New 'fire ice' reserves found in disputed South China Sea

A belt of combustible ice, or methane hydrate, covering 350 sq metres has been found in the South China Sea by the China Geological Survey who carried out the latest mission using a remote-controlled diving vessel. The authorities have not estimated how much natural gas could be extracted from the new reserve.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1981922/beijing-finds-fresh-fire-ice-reserves-south-china-sea

The latest missions were carried out with a remote-controlled diving vessel made in China named Seahorse. Photo: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey

Lundin launches portal for faster access to drilling information

Lundin Norway has launched a portal, created by Eigen under a Development-as-a-Service agreement, which offers a streamlined overview of all drilling operations. The portal includes smart email processing to reduce inbox clutter, and access to historic information, reducing the time operators spend looking for data. Lundin said it planned to add further digital functionality in the future.

https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/digital-oilfield/03092019/lundin-norway-digital-drilling-operations-portal-implementation-launched/

Offshore oil and gas digitalisation software provider and systems integrator, Eigen, has rolled out a digital portal for Lundin Norway’s drilling operations. The Drilling Portal is now live and combines remote monitoring of information from multiple different systems to provide a quick and intuitive overview of all drilling operations. A search functionality also allows access across historic information, reports and ‘lessons learned’. This eliminates the time spent by operatives looking for information and attempting to understand current status to allow them to focus on priority tasks. It also reduces email clutter and enables drilling management to share accurate information across departments - reducing the risk of acting on incorrect information and improving shared awareness. The portal has been deployed under a new type of agreement called Development as a Service (DaaS) and its underlying system is the first of its kind in drilling operations. Traditionally drilling operations involve emailing multiple reports and spreadsheets across many different stakeholders. This caused inefficiency and challenges in identifying the current status of operations while increasing the risk of accidentally acting on erroneous information. To address this, the system also includes smart email processing to extract and store relevant information from emails for display search to reduce inbox clutter and a news channel for publishing relevant internal content. Lundin’s Project Lead, Martin Westeng, said: ““We are proud to have developed and launched this portal in collaboration with Eigen. Its users will now have much easier access to the correct information and an enhanced ability to access it, alongside a reduction in inbox clutter. The portal will go a long way towards making platform operatives more efficient and helping them to spend less time looking for information. In the near future we plan to add further digital functionality enhancements to the platform.” “As engineers that understand IT in Oil and Gas, we can have high bandwidth conversations with customers and bring good ideas to the table, rather than just following a brief,” said Murray Callander, CEO, Eigen. ”We believe this project further underlines the growing industry recognition of our expertise in delivering complex integration projects and supporting companies at the cutting edge of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation.” Eigen has been Lundin’s digitalisation partner since 2015. During this time, it has helped Lundin to deliver operations dashboards, real-time visibility of people offshore, two mobile apps, a wearable, a digital meetings and reports facility and the ability to search across multiple systems.

SolarEdge pays $11.5m for power supply, battery firm Gamatronic

SolarEdge has acquired uninterruptable power supply systems provider Gamatronic Electronic Industries for $11.5m. The deal comes as the company diversifies from the solar sector with the launch of a cloud-based virtual power plant (VPP) management system in May and an inverter-embedded electric vehicle (EV) charging system last year. Utility companies in Vermont US, the Netherlands and Australia are using SolarEdge's technology for solar panels, batteries and EV chargers in smart homes. SolarEdge has reported Q1 2018 revenues of $209.9m, up 82% from the same period last year.

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solaredge-moves-beyond-solar-with-energy-storage-acquisition-virtual-power#gs

SolarEdge reported record revenues and profitability for the first quarter of 2018 on Wednesday — along with plans to move into markets beyond solar power optimization. On the energy storage front, SolarEdge announced an $11.5 million acquisition of Gamatronic Electronic Industries Ltd., an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems provider for commercial and industrial businesses around the world. CEO Guy Sella noted that the acquisition is the second major step for the company outside the solar arena, the first being last year’s launch of inverter-embedded EV charging systems. Another came last week, with SolarEdge’s launch of a cloud-based virtual power plant management system, one that could turn its fleet of solar optimizers and inverters into nodes of a distributed energy resource control platform. Last week’s launch marks the debut of a system that’s already controlling homes in projects in three countries, said Lior Handelsman, co-founder and vice president of marketing and product strategy, in a Monday interview. In Vermont, utility Green Mountain Power is tapping SolarEdge’s capabilities to manage a small but growing fleet of smart homes equipped with Tesla Powerwall batteries, grid-controllable water heaters, Nest thermostats, and smart EV chargers, he said. In the Netherlands, utility Eneco is using the company’s platform for its CrowdNett home battery offering. In Australia, utility AGL picked SolarEdge, along with Tesla and LG, to roll out its long-awaited residential virtual power plant project, said Handelsman. These projects are all using SolarEdge’s inverters as the home’s central control point for solar panels, batteries and electric vehicle chargers — constantly updating battery status, solar power output status, household load and other key data, he said. But they also serve as the end node for a cloud-based platform that orchestrates their operation in aggregate. “You cannot control 10,000 systems separately. Each system has its own capabilities, its own parameters,” he said. “We provide for you the ability to see exactly how much available energy you have,” and how much flexibility is embedded in that fleet, providing the assurance that these distributed energy resources can perform a number of valuable grid services. For distribution utilities, those could range from reducing load during systemwide peaks, serving as a non-wires alternative, or upgrading a local, stressed-out substation or feeder line — two areas of focus for Green Mountain Power. For retail energy providers, SolarEdge’s cloud platform could provide the tools to shave costs and increase revenues based on moment-to-moment fluctuations in energy prices, as well as gain market share in the distributed energy field, said Handelsman. SolarEdge is not getting into the business of aggregating and bidding connected homes into various revenue-making opportunities on its own. “We are not going to compete with our customers. We provide technology and solutions to our customers," said Handelsman. Nor does it expect virtual power plants to become a significant portion business in the near future. Sella noted during Wednesday’s conference call that the new VPP service is not expected to “add to our revenues in 2018 in any significant manner.” "Once they gain acceptance, they are expected to generate recurrent revenues at high margins,” Sella noted. Unlike SolarEdge’s competitive hardware-based business, these VPP services will be embedded in products for virtually no extra cost. Handelsman noted that the market for these services is still limited by regulatory and economic constructs that make it difficult for customers, utilities and vendors to recover the revenues for the services that the technology can provide. “Most of our existing fleet could be turned on in this fashion,” he noted. SolarEdge isn’t the first to move into the grid services field. In 2016, chief competitor Enphase unveiled its own grid optimization service, based on early work with utilities such as Hawaiian Electric, to tap its existing microinverter fleet for valuable grid edge intelligence. Enphase scaled back its work on this and other non-essential lines of business, including its energy storage offering, in the face of mounting losses and increased price pressure from SolarEdge, as well as incumbent string inverter makers such as SMA, Fronius and ABB. SolarEdge reported first-quarter 2018 revenues of $209.9 million, up 82 percent from the same quarter last year. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of March totaled $400.8 million, compared to $345.1 million at the end of 2017. The company also offered second-quarter 2018 guidance of revenues between $220 million to $230 million. Gross margin is expected to remain flat within the range of 36 percent to 38 percent.

20 fatal crashes, 280 deaths. But 2019 still among safest years for commercial flights in 74 years

Data available with the Aviation Safety Network, an independent organisation that records and maintains data on air accidents the world over, show that 2019 was the third safest year (between 1946 and 2019) in terms of number of deaths caused by air accidents.When it comes to the number of fatal air accidents, 2019 was the seventh safest year in the past 74 years since the Second World War.It's true that tragedies like Ethiopian Airlines (2019), Lion Air (2018), Metrojet (2015) and others that claimed hundreds of lives are taking place almost every year, but data suggest that fatal air accidents have become remarkably rare in recent years as compared to the 1970's and 80's.

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/fatal-air-accidents-deaths-safest-years-for-air-travel-history-1632948-2020-01-01

By Mukesh Rawat: The year 2019, like any other year, was a year of air accidents around the world. The worst of them took place on March 10 when a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft of the Ethiopian Airlines lost control soon after take-off and crashed near Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The tragedy claimed 157 lives. Such was the impact of the crash that the plane's engines got buried 10m inside the earth, creating a crater measuring 28m in width and 40m in length. advertisement A day earlier, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft operated by LASER crashed while attempting an emergency landing in Colombia, killing 14 people. And, the last major fatal air accident of 2019 took place on December 27 when 12 people onboard a Bek Air flight were killed in a crash in Kazakhstan. In all, 283 people died in 20 fatal air accidents involving civilian passenger and cargo flights in 2019. But despite these tragedies, 2019 was one of the safest years in civil aviation history. Data available with the Aviation Safety Network, an independent organisation that records and maintains data on air accidents the world over, show that 2019 was the third safest year (between 1946 and 2019) in terms of number of deaths caused by air accidents. When it comes to the number of fatal air accidents, 2019 was the seventh safest year in the past 74 years since the Second World War. The safest year in terms of deaths was 2017, which witnessed 44 deaths in 10 fatal air accidents the world over. The significance of 2017 for air safety can be better understood from the fact that the next safest year2013witnessed 256 deaths (in 23 accidents), as compared to just 44 in 2017. Overall, 1972 was the worst year for civil aviation with 2,472 lives lost in 65 fatal accidents. However, it was in 1948 that the world saw the most number of fatal air accidents (80) in a calendar year. Commenting upon the trend in air accidents in recent years, Aviation Safety Network's CEO Harro Ranter said air safety level has increased significantly. "If the accident rate had remained the same as 10 years ago, there would have been 34 fatal accidents last year. At the accident rate of the year 2000, there would have been even 65 fatal accidents. This shows the enormous progress in terms of safety in the past two decades." Courtesy: Aviation Safety Network But can there be a single figure to rank years after factoring in both aspectstotal fatalities and fatal accidentsin order to identify the safest and most dangerous years for civil aviation? advertisement Yes, there can be. For this analysis, we have devised the term 'average fatalities per accident' which is calculated by dividing the number of fatalities in a calendar year by the number of fatal accidents in that year. Using this calculation, we find that 2017 was still the safest year with an average of four deaths per fatal accident. It was followed by 2013 (11 deaths) and 1955 (12 deaths). The worst years under this parameter was 1985, when on an average 62 people were killed in every fatal accident. The second and third worst years were 2015 and 2014, registering an average of 54 and 53 deaths per accidents respectively. Despite the limitations that come with averages, rankings based on this calculation do provide an idea of the trend in fatal accidents vis-a-vis fatalities. ARE WE FLYING IN SAFER TIMES? Though air accidents are recurring, decadal analysis of Aviation Safety Network's data shows fatal air accidents have declined in recent times. For example, between 2000 and 2009, there were 299 fatal air accidents the world over. But over the next decade (2010-2019), this number fell to 188. Besides this, 8,526 people lost their lives in air accidents between 2000 and 2009, but over the next decade (2010-2019), the number of deaths almost halved to 4,699. advertisement This is despite the fact that the volume of air traffic has increased manifold over this period, thus indicating that air travel is becoming much safer than any other time in the past. However, though the last decade saw fewer fatal accidents and deaths, the past five years were witness to accidents with significantly high casualties. advertisement In 2019, a Boeing 737 of the Ethiopian Airlines met with an accident, killing 157 people. In 2018, there were two major air accidents: A Boeing 737 of Lion Air crashed, killing 189 people in Indonesia; and a Boeing 737 of Cubana de Aviaci³n crashed, killing 112 in Cuba. This was a tragic year for air travel in general. The most catastrophic accident involved a military plane and killed 257 people. (Military planes have otherwise been excluded in the overall analysis presented in this article.) 2017 was a relatively calmer year with the deadliest air accident claiming 12 lives in Costa Rica. 2015 saw one of the deadliest air tragedies in recent years when 224 people were killed after an Airbus operated by Metrojet crashed in Egypt. In the same year, another Airbus operated by Germanwings crashed in France killing 150 people. Thus, while the overall yearly figure of fatalities has reduced considerably, catastrophic air disasters claiming hundreds of lives continue. ARE SOME SKIES RISKIER THAN OTHERS? The data on air accidents show that though fatal air accidents and deaths have occurred across the world, there are regions which are more prone to such tragedies than others. In the past 74 years, among all continents Europe has suffered the highest number of fatal accidents involving commercial passenger and cargo planes. It is also the continent with highest deaths in air accidents1,164 accidents and 23,762 deaths. Europe is followed by North America where 13,190 people were killed in 1,063 fatal accidents in this period. If we see the country-wise breakup of Aviation Safety Network's data, we find the United States has suffered the most number of accidents (854) and deaths (10,810), followed by Russia (525 accidents and 8,453 deaths). However, it is not surprising that the US and Russia have suffered the most because these are also countries where the volume of air traffic has been relatively denser than other parts of the world. Hence, these numbers don't necessarily mean air operations in these countries are shoddy. But the list of top 25 countries in terms of fatal air accidents and resultant deaths also includes countries like Brazil (fourth spot), Colombia (fifth spot), Indonesia (eighth spot), and Mexico (ninth spot). These are countries that aren't known to have heavy air traffic. High number of fatal accidents and deaths in these countries thus does indicate poor air safety standards there. This argument gets strengthened if we analyse fatal air accidents that took place in the past five years. Between 2015 and 2019, there were 69 fatal accidents claiming 1,682 lives. Of these, 50 per cent deaths occurred in countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cuba and Colombia. The US saw the highest number of fatal accidents (15) but the number of people killed was 39. Now, compare this with Indonesia where 262 people were killed in six accidents; Egypt where 224 died in a single crash; and Russia where five fatal accidents claimed 182 lives. Data for the past five years show that barring the 2015 Germanwings Airbus crash in France, the trend appears to be that developing and under-developed countries suffer high fatalities even though the number of fatal accidents is low there. BUT, ARE THING ALL GLOOMY? It's true that tragedies like Ethiopian Airlines (2019), Lion Air (2018), Metrojet (2015) and others that claimed hundreds of lives are taking place almost every year, but data suggest that fatal air accidents have become remarkably rare in recent years as compared to the 1970's and 80's. A measure of this is the rate of fatal accidents per million flights. In 1970, it was estimated that there were approximately 94.48 lakh departures world over and the rate of fatal accidents per million flights was 6.35 i.e. more than six fatal accidents per million flights. In 2019, the estimated global departures stood at 3.90 crore and the rate of fatal accidents per million flights fell to 0.51. This rate was the lowest (0.28) in 2017, which was the safest year for commercial passenger and cargo flights. In other words, what this data reveals is that even though the number of departures has increased by 313 per cent between 1970 and 2019, fatal air accidents are becoming increasingly rarer. (NOTE: This analysis doesn't include accidents involving military aircraft and those civil aircraft crashes that had a seating capacity of less than 14.) This article has been updated with an infographics of Aviation Safety Network. Read more from Mukesh Rawat's archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. ALSO READ | Lion Air mishap: Why so many planes crash in Indonesia ALSO READ | Good News: 2017 was the safest year for air travel ALSO READ | Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight to Nairobi crashes, all 157 on board killed ALSO WATCH | Plane crashes, burst into flames in Sudan

Neste, Jokey to study renewable solutions for rigid packaging

Neste and Jokey have joined forces to build a market for using recycled and renewable products in food and non-food rigid packaging, and say they want to help other companies develop their use of such packaging. German company Jokey already makes 100% recyclable packaging, while Finnish firm Neste supplies material made from biomass including waste oil and plastic that has been chemically recycled. Rigid packaging made from Neste's product is already used in many applications including health care and food packaging. The firms said they were looking for partners to help their work developing circular value chains for plastics.

https://bioenergyinternational.com/biochemicals-materials/neste-and-jokey-collaborate-to-develop-the-market-for-rigid-packaging-from-renewable-and-recycled-materials

Finland-headed oil refiner and renewable products producer Neste Oyi and Germany-headed plastic packaging major Jokey SE have started collaborating with a target to develop the market for rigid packaging from sustainable renewable and recycled materials for food and non-food applications. By promoting the use of more sustainable materials in packaging, the partners wish to help other companies using such rigid plastic packaging to meet their materials-related sustainability targets. The joint aim of Neste and Jokey is to work towards a future with an increasing share of renewable and recycled materials and a plastics economy built upon solid circular value chains. Jokey produces rigid plastic packaging, such as buckets, boxes, and trays, which are up to 100 percent recyclable. Jokey packaging for food and non-food goods stands for the highest level of quality, hygiene, ease of use, and innovation. With the Jokey Eco Concept 2.0, we are setting ourselves a sustainable development guideline. Our packaging is already designed to meet the requirements of a circular economy. We always look forward to exploring new paths and to inspiring insights with Neste, which will make our future even more sustainable, said Michael Schmidt, Chief Procurement Officer at Jokey SE. Neste’s product for plastics production consists of renewable and recycled components derived from biomass, such as various waste and residue oils and fats, as well as chemically recycled plastic waste. It is very well suited for high-quality rigid packaging applications. The plastics produced with Neste’s renewable and recycled feedstock are compatible with existing production and recycling infrastructures, and their quality is identical to conventional plastics – they can be used safely even in sensitive applications, such as in healthcare and food packaging. We see a great match between Neste’s and Jokey’s solid commitments to sustainability. We are inspired by the opportunity to support Jokey in its mission to offer its customers packaging solutions based on sustainable materials from renewable and recycled sources. We are equally delighted to join forces with Jokey to contribute to the industry’s transformation towards a circular plastics economy, said Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals at Neste. While aiming to deepen their collaboration, Neste and Jokey are inviting other value chain partners to join in their mission to develop circular plastics value chains and more sustainable plastics solutions.

Standard Chartered Bank CEO set to increase risk-management measures

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters is set to implement increasingly rigorous risk-management and expense control measures after uncovering a host of inordinate expenses and inappropriate financial dealings between staff members.

http://www.cityam.com/243239/standard-chartered-boss-speaks-out-about-anger-over-cancer-of-bad-behaviour-

Standard Chartered boss speaks out about anger over “cancer” of bad behaviour Standard Chartered's chief executive has attacked the "cancer" of weak controls at the bank, which he says is the reason for misconduct among senior staff. Bill Winters gave an "angry" talk to Standard Chartered's 1,500 high-ranking managers since taking the helm a year ago and has sent staff memos slamming inordinate expenses and inappropriate financial dealings with other staff, according to the Financial Times. "We had employees lending money to other employees at very high interest rates – more than on your Standard Chartered credit card. That is not OK," Winters said. "Frankly they are childish things and individually they don't add up to material financial exposure for the bank, but culturally they are a cancer." He continued: "Some parts of the control environment, not just relating to conduct, but also relating to risk-management and expense control, wasn't as rigorous as it needs to be for this environment. "I remain as convinced as I hoped I would be that the ethical culture of the bank is very strong." Withers said there had been incidents at the bank of senior people "using bad judgement or taking actions that with the benefit of any sort of rigorous review would be unacceptable". On senior manager has invested in a "highly speculative" real estate deal with a woman who reported to him, he said. The arrangement had not been disclosed.

JPX: Blockchain Technology Can Transform Capital Market Structure

Blockchain technology and distributed ledger technology (DLT) could replace capital market infrastructure and will "bring a paradigm shift to the fifth generation" of IT evolution, according to a working paper published by Japan Exchange Group (JPX). DLT has the potential, it states, to transform capital market structure by encouraging new business development, improving operation efficiency, and reducing costs.

http://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/education-centre/jpx-blockchain-technology-can-transform-capital-market-structure/

Japan Exchange Exchange An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectiv An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectiv Read this Term Group, Inc. (JPX) today published a working paper on Blockchain Blockchain Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned.) In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tampe Blockchain comprises a digital network of blocks with a comprehensive ledger of transactions made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or other altcoins.One of the signature features of blockchain is that it is maintained across more than one computer. The ledger can be public or private (permissioned.) In this sense, blockchain is immune to the manipulation of data making it not only open but verifiable. Because a blockchain is stored across a network of computers, it is very difficult to tampe Read this Term technology titled “Applicability of Distributed Ledger Technology to Capital Market Infrastructure”. The paper paints a very positive picture regarding the potential of DLT to influence the financial markets but also raises questions and issues with its application. Join the industry leaders at the Finance Magnates London Summit, 14-15 November, 2016. Register here! First they say there is no reason to limit the application of blockchain technology to just currency, and that the existing centralized consensus process can be replaced by it in theory. "Due to DLT’s innovative concept and wide range of applications, it is said that it will bring a ‘paradigm shift to the fifth generation’ of IT evolution. One of the areas attracting people’s attention is the application of DLT to capital market infrastructure. DLT technical features are considered to be appropriate for the layers of capital market operations especially those for the post-trade process." The writers also pointed out that DLT may replace existing infrastructure for reasons beyond simple efficiency. Global exchanges, CCPs, CSDs, banks, brokers, and market facility providers have proactively explored DLT applications through PoC (proof of concept), and investment in technology providers or participating consortiums. JPX established an internal research group late last year and has studied the applicability of DLT to capital market infrastructure. Through two PoCs with six other Japanese financial institutions, during April to June 2016, they have tested whether a streamlined process on securities market, security issuance, trading, settlement, clearing, and ownership registry, could be realized in a DLT environment. Through this research and PoCs, JPX have concluded that DLT has the potential to transform capital market structure by encouraging new business development, improving operation efficiency, and contributing to cost reduction. Access the whole JPX working paper here.

Juncker dismisses Johnson's assertion of aims for superstate

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, has said he is "strictly against a European superstate" and called UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson's suggestion that Juncker wants to create one "total nonsense". In 2016, Johnson sparked outrage when he said: "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods". Speaking in Brussels recently, Juncker said: "we are the European Union, which is a rich body because we have these 27, or 28, nations".

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-news-jeanclaude-juncker-accuses-boris-johnson-of-talking-total-nonsense-a3766616.html

E uropean Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has accused Boris Johnson of talking "total nonsense" for suggesting he is seeking to create a European superstate. His comments came as he answered questions at a press conference in Brussels taking place as the Foreign Secretary made a high-profile speech on Brexit in London. The Commission president was asked to respond to Mr Johnson's suggestions that he was trying to turn the EU into a federal superstate. Mr Juncker replied: "Some in the British political society are against the truth, pretending that I am a stupid, stubborn federalist, that I am in favour of a European superstate. Boris Johnson gives a major Brexit speech in central London / Reuters "I am strictly against a European superstate. We are not the United States of America, we are the European Union, which is a rich body because we have these 27, or 28, nations. "The European Union cannot be built against the European nations, so this is total nonsense." In the run-up to 2016's Brexit vote, Mr Johnson sparked a row after suggesting the EU was seeking to build a superstate comparable to that envisaged by Hitler during Nazi-era Germany. "Napoleon, Hitler, various people tried this out, and it ends tragically. The EU is an attempt to do this by different methods," he said at the time. In his speech in London today, Mr Johnson sought to quell fears expressed by companies and Cabinet members that exporters would be cut out of their biggest market of 500 million European customers. Today’s address, called Uniting For A Great Britain,is the first of five from Cabinet ministers in an unprecedented public battle over policy. Mr Johnson mocked fears that Brexit would mean “some autarkic 1950s menu of spam and cabbage and liver” or a “great V-sign from the cliffs of Dover”. But he warned it would be "mad" to end up with a Brexit settlement that does not allow the UK to enjoy the "economic freedoms" of leaving the European Union.

Climate strikes: are you taking part in September's protests?

Millions of young people around the globe are expected to protest on 20 September in a bid to ask politicians take more action on the climate crisis.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/10/climate-strikes-are-you-taking-part-in-septembers-protests

Millions of young people around the globe are expected to protest in a second worldwide strike on Friday organised by Fridays for Future and Earth Strike. This follows last Friday’s strikes where many took to the streets in protest. Strikes will take place in every continent with dozens set to take place in cities around the UK. We’d like to hear from young people, parents, teachers and others who are taking to the streets around the world to demand further action is taken to tackle our climate emergency. In particular, we’d love to hear from those who are taking part in a climate strike for the first time outside of London. Share your stories, pictures and videos We’d like to hear from young people and adults who are planning on taking part. Why do you feel compelled to take part in the climate strikes? Have you taken part in similar protests before? Which protest are you attending? Who will you be attending with? If you’re under 16, you will need to obtain permission from a parent or Guardian before we can publish your submission. Please share your stories in the encrypted form below. Only the Guardian will have access to your responses. One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish your submission. You can also share your stories, photos and videos with the Guardian via WhatsApp by adding the contact +44(0)7867825056. Only the Guardian will see your responses and we will include some of your responses in our ongoing coverage. If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here.

How connected and autonomous technology is being utilised by farm and off-road vehicles - SMMT

Automation and driverless technology are tipped as major growth areas in the HGV and passenger transport areas in the coming years, but it is agriculture that’s years ahead of the mainstream commercial vehicle industry. John Deere have been using AI, GPS, camera and radar technology to operate with some level of autonomy for over two decades.

https://www.smmt.co.uk/2019/02/feature-how-farm-and-off-road-vehicles-are-influencing-future-technology/

Automation and driverless technology are tipped as major growth areas in the HGV and passenger transport areas in the coming years, but there’s one area of the motor industry that’s years ahead of the mainstream commercial vehicle industry and is already making life easier for operators and drivers. Indeed, it’s neither Google, with its well-documented driverless car, or any of the autonomous shuttle manufacturers that are leading the revolution when it comes to driverless technology. That accolade falls to American tractor manufacturer John Deere, whose famous green and yellow farm machines have been using AI, GPS, camera and radar technology to operate with some level of autonomy for over two decades. Last month, the farm equipment manufacturer took a stand at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. CES is widely regarded as the world’s flagship show for technology, where the eyes of the media are often focused on the latest phone, computer or home entertainment technology. A giant green combine harvester, then, is hardly what you’d expect to be under the spotlight at such an event, but it put technologies like autonomous driving and precise GPS data and their role in today’s farm life in the spotlight. “Finding qualified skilled labour in rural America is getting harder and harder, and farmers see autonomous driving as a tool that helps them hire less skilled operators to work in the cab,” said Deanna Kovar, John Deere’s Director of Production and Precision for Agricultural Machinery. “We’re here to help [people] understand how technology applies to agriculture,” Kovar said. “Understanding how to use digital technology to improve farming processes reduces costs, improves accuracy and drives efficiency.” While current legislation stipulates that all agricultural machinery needs to operate with human involvement, full or part-automation makes life much easier for the operator, as well as allowing them to focus on other areas of the job they are using it for, such as crop binding or spraying. Every new John Deere tractor now has some form of inbuilt autonomy via the company’s AutoTrac system, which uses GPS to plot routes through fields and ensure that the machine covers the entire acreage, rather than marginal levels of human error which can have a small but noticeable effect on crop yields. It’s most recent creation, though, tests the boundaries of electrification and automation even further – a tractor designed for field-only use, but which is powered by a conventional plug rather than battery, with a 1km-long cable allowing it to venture off into a field providing it’s never too far from a power source. The world’s first plug-in electric tractor has no batteries at all, just a 200kWh electric motor that powers its driven axle. John Deere’s autonomous driving technology is what ensures the tractor doesn’t have any accidents, like trample over its own cable. Obviously, corded vehicles would have no viable future as on-road transport, but for CV applications that require work within a pre-defined area such as airside airport work or warehouse operations, it’s a viable emissions-free option that will be cheaper and require a much smaller infrastructure investment than battery-electric vehicles. It’s not just John Deere that’s driving the evolution of driverless tractors, though, with US based Case-International Harvester (Case IH) developing heavier grade vehicles designed for large scale agricultural operations. “In today’s agronomy economy, producers know they must focus on achieving the highest level of efficiency if they want to grow and succeed,” said Case IH Marketing Director, Tom Dean. “That’s why we are intensifying our focus on the combination of advanced technologies and agronomic design in the pursuit of High-Efficiency Farming.” Case IH unveiled its autonomous tractor concept at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, developed alongside IVECO and New Holland owner, CNH Industrial. “As part of our innovation process, we have worked with CNH Industrial to develop this High-Efficiency Farming concept tractor to demonstrate what it can do and get a reaction from producers,” said Leo Bose, Case IH’s Advanced Farming Systems Marketing Manager. “We just want to know how much interest producers have in these autonomous features, and what else they would like to see from us. It’s not a product launch, by any means. But it could certainly lead to one, or several, down the road.” Through the use of radar, LiDAR (light imaging, detection, and ranging) and onboard video cameras, the vehicle can sense stationary or moving obstacles in its path and will stop on its own until the operator, notified by audio and visual alerts, assigns a new path. The vehicle will also stop immediately if GPS signal or position data is lost, or if the manual stop button is pushed. Machine tasks can also be modified in real time with remote interface or automatic weather warnings. “An autonomous tractor like this could seamlessly integrate into an existing farm machinery fleet, with minimal operational changes,” Bose said. “Multiple autonomous vehicles could be put to work in one field or separate fields, on the same tasks or consecutive ones. It could allow a person working with no employees to operate multiple tractors, or could complement very large operations that have challenges finding ample skilled workers.” On a much smaller scale, in October last year, Japanese manufacturer Yanmar introduced two new models, the Auto Tractor and Robot Tractor. The first is a manned vehicle with self-operating features and the second is the first fully-autonomous, unmanned tractor to go on commercial sale. Equipped with Yanmar’s Information and Communications Technology network, which uses precision positioning data and robot technology coupled to its ‘SMARTPILOT’ autonomous technology, the Robot Tractors are designed to enhance farm management efficiency, save on labour costs and operate completely independently of any human input. Yanmar’s Auto Tractors are the smallest and least expensive deployment of driverless technology yet butat present, legislation in other markets prevent them from being sold outside of Japan. “Yanmar is poised to deliver 21st century agriculture, improving lifestyles and delivering value to [South East Asia’s] farmers,” said Yanmar Agribusiness Corporation President Hiroaki Kitaoka.

Stop damaging land or face climate catastrophe, major report warns

Humans need to stop abusing the land we live on if we want to avoid catastrophic levels of climate warming, scientists on the UN’s major Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warn. Researchers believe that we must tackle the state of the land and production of food. This means putting a stop to chopping down rainforest, degrading soils, killing wildlife and draining peatlands.

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-land-abuse-save-world-geneva-rainforest-a9039951.html

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Humans need to stop abusing the land we live on if we want to avoid catastrophic levels of climate warming, scientists on the UN’s major Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will warn at at a meeting in Geneva this week. Soils are believed to sequester 1 per cent of the planet’s total carbon, but they once contained as much as 7 per cent. If land is farmed in a more sustainable way, carbon could be absorbed back into the soils, making them a carbon sink. However, currently one-third of total emissions come from the land. Researchers believe any genuine plan to combat climate change must tackle the state of the land and production of food. This means putting a stop to chopping down rainforest, degrading soils, killing wildlife and draining peatlands. Kelly Levin, from the think tank World Resources Institute, told BBC News: “If we consider the climate problem hard now, just think about how much harder it will be without the land serving as a large sink for carbon dioxide emissions.” Scientists will warn of increasing pressure on land to provide food, timber and plant materials for a growing population which will make meeting emissions targets even harder. Fighting climate change with trees: The facts Show all 6 1 / 6 Fighting climate change with trees: The facts Fighting climate change with trees: The facts The Independent / Getty Fighting climate change with trees: The facts The Independent / Getty Fighting climate change with trees: The facts The Independent / Getty Fighting climate change with trees: The facts Getty Fighting climate change with trees: The facts The Independent / Getty Fighting climate change with trees: The facts The Independent / Getty Professor Jane Rickson, an expert in climate change and soil erosion at Cranfield University, says this latest IPCC paper should give more evidence of how land degradation also aggravates climate change, leading to an escalating crisis. She says: “Climate change will intensify soil erosion, compaction, loss of organic matter, loss of biodiversity, landslides and salinisation – many of which are irreversible. “It’s important that the report considers the effects of climate change on the state of soil quality, and how soil responds to extreme events. Little is known about the effects of rising temperatures and heavier rainfall on soil condition – yet this determines how soils function in provision of food.” Scientists believe around 33 per cent of arable land is now devoted to crops to feed animals. Industrial agriculture relies on fossil fuels to create fertilisers and machinery to harvest crops and transport animals. Farmed animals also produce half of the world’s methane emissions. Research last year found that meat and dairy companies could overtake the oil industry as the world’s biggest polluters by 2050. Rob Percival, head of food and health policy at the Soil Association, said: “The intensification of farming has fuelled soil degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss – further intensification is not a solution to the challenges we face. “To effectively tackle the climate crisis, we urgently need to move to farming systems that improve soil health and protect wildlife. “Soil is critically important – humanity depends on it and it’s right that the IPCC recognises this along with calls to prioritise farming practices that actually improve our environment, such as agroforestry and mixed farming using extensive grass-based systems.” Mark Carney warns companies that fail to respond to climate change 'will go bankrupt without question' Scientists also say that natural forests – particularly ones in the tropics – need to be protected. Earlier this year it was revealed a forest half the size of London should be planted in the UK every year. Covering 70,000 hectares with new woodland alongside other measures such as peatland restoration and low carbon farming would result in a net total of net zero farming emissions, according to the think tank Green Alliance. This latest IPCC report is set to be released on 8 August 2019. “I hope this report will raise awareness among all people about the threats and opportunities posed by climate change to the land we live on and which feeds us,” said IPCC chair Hoesung Lee. “This report addresses all three UN Rio conventions – climate, biodiversity and desertification – and thus our report recognises the nexus of these global challenges and demonstrates the broad policy relevance of the IPCC’s work,” he said.

Uber employees tainted by link with firm’s competitive culture

Employees seeking to leave Uber are finding that their job prospects are damaged by association with the company’s “asshole culture,” according to Silicon Valley insiders. Yesterday, the Financial Times reported that increasing numbers of staff are seeking to leave the ride-hailing, firm which has recently seen a number of accusations made about sexism and harassment within its working environment. However, Uber’s reputation for extreme competitiveness is reputedly deterring other companies from employing its former staff.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/07/uber-work-culture-travis-kalanick-susan-fowler-controversy

David was attending “Uberversity”, the ride-hail company’s three-day orientation for new employees, when he was introduced to “the Uber way”. The trainers gave David, who asked not to be identified by his real name, and his cohort a scenario: Uber has learned that a rival company is launching an equivalent to UberPool (the company’s carpooling service) in four weeks. It’s impossible for Uber to beat them to market with a functional and reliable carpool service. Then the group was asked: what should the company do? “The correct answer (and what they did) was: develop an incomplete solution and beat the competitor to market,” David said. This was in keeping with one of the company’s 14 core values: “Always be hustlin’”. Those who proposed taking more time to come up with a product rather than rushing to beat the competition to market were told: “That’s not the Uber way.” The Uber way – a take-no-prisoners, win-at-any-cost mentality – has helped the company soar to market domination and a $70bn valuation, but not without a cost. Uber’s corporate culture has been blamed for a series of public relations disasters that have tainted its brand with customers, investors and regulators. Now the fallout from Uber’s terrible month is having an impact on another group: the company’s own former and current employees. “People are looking to get out because they’re just sick of working for that company,” said a former Uber employee, who asked not to be identified. “A lot of them have told me that they’re having a hard time finding something new.” At job interviews, the employee said, recruiters seem wary of Uber’s “hustle-oriented” workplace. “They have to defend themselves and say: ‘Oh, I’m not an asshole.’” The “asshole” reputation stems from Uber’s corporate values, former employees and others in the tech industry said. For many, company “values” are the kind of corporate speak that rarely interferes with one’s day-to-day work environment. But at Uber, the emphasis on hustling, toe-stepping and meritocracy took on a more sinister aspect in the workplace. “Everyone used those values to excuse their bad behavior,” said the former Uber employee. The employee described the workplace as a “Hobbesian jungle” where “you can never get ahead unless someone else dies”. Such hyper-competitive dysfunction has also been described by other former Uber employees, including Susan Fowler, the engineer whose blogpost detailing sexual harassment and gender discrimination prompted Uber to launch an “urgent investigation” headed by former attorney general Eric Holder and attorney Tammy Albarran last month. “In the background, there was a Game of Thrones political war raging within the ranks of upper management in the infrastructure engineering organization,” Fowler wrote. “It seemed like every manager was fighting their peers and attempting to undermine their direct supervisor so that they could have their direct supervisor’s job.” The employee described the workplace as a 'Hobbesian jungle' where 'you can never get ahead unless someone else dies' In a statement responding to Fowler’s post, Kalanick wrote: “What she describes is abhorrent and against everything Uber stands for and believes in.” “We seek to make Uber a just workplace FOR EVERYONE and there can be absolutely no place for this kind of behavior at Uber – and anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is OK will be fired.” Keala Lusk, a former Uber software engineer, wrote on Medium that during her time at Uber she saw “malicious fights for power, interns repeatedly putting in over 100 hours a week but only getting paid for 40, discrimination against women, and prejudice against the transgender community”. Uber responded to Lusk’s post in a statement, saying, “We take any and all allegations of this nature very seriously and have forwarded this to Eric Holder and Tammy Albarran to include in their investigation.” A company spokeswoman said that it was committed to reforming its workplace practices based on the recommendations of Holder and Albarran. Not everyone enjoyed Uber’s workplace environment. David left soon after Uberversity, preferring not to work at a company that prioritized “doing an unreliable solution just so that they are perceived as pioneers”. An Uber spokeswoman said that Uberversity questions test how an employee would respond to real world situations, but stressed that there are no correct responses. But those looking to move on now – and there are increasing numbers of them, according to a report by the Financial Times, though Uber disputes this – may face an uphill battle. Leslie Miley, a veteran software engineer who previously worked at Slack, said that he absolutely takes what he called Uber’s “asshole culture” into account in hiring decisions. Seeing Uber on a résumé does not stop him from interviewing a candidate, he said, but it does prompt him to ask “pointed questions” about how they would handle workplace issues. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t want to work with someone who did well in that environment,” he said. “If you did well in that environment upholding those values, I probably don’t want to work with you.” Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco. Some say the company has a negative reputation among recruiters. Photograph: JasonDoiy/Getty Images Miley got a taste of Uber’s culture when he interviewed there for a director of engineering role. “When I questioned pointedly about their culture and my concerns, they doubled down on it,” he said, telling him, “We do have an aggressive culture, we do step on people’s toes, and we think that the best way to get performance out of people.” Miley withdrew his application before the final interview. “If you’re telling me that you’re going to justify being an asshole because it helps people perform, I don’t want to work there,” he said. Michael Solomon, a tech talent manager whose company 10x represents freelance software engineers, said that whether Uber is a black mark on a résumé is a matter of debate after the series of controversies. Solomon said he is currently working with a client on his profile and deciding which former contracts to highlight. “There was a big debate about whether to include Uber,” he said. “When we started the process, we were like, OK, let’s do it. By the time the fourth [negative] story broke, I started to wonder about whether we should do it.” Though Solomon and his client are still discussing whether or not to admit to his gig at Uber, he said that the attitude toward Uber has clearly shifted among the programmers he represents. “If I put out an offering today that Uber was looking for a bunch of engineers, I think there would be some resistance,” he said. “This is a moment when people are thinking long and hard about whether they want to be in that culture. I don’t think it would be the same as if it were two weeks ago.” Jonathan Bernstein, the president of Bernstein Crisis Management, said that Uber needs a total “paradigm shift” soon or they will end up on the wrong side of Silicon Valley’s own Hobbesian jungle. This article was amended to clarify Leslie Miley’s employment history. Contact the author: [email protected]

'Crucial' UK research to be scrapped if US cuts funding

NOTE - headline needs toning down as it could be affected but no indication it would actually involve being cut altogether US Trump administration cuts to climate science funding could be "disastrous" for UK research. The US Environmental Protection Agency's research office is reportedly facing cuts of more than 40%, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may have its overall budget reduced by over 40%. Prof Joanna Haigh, of Imperial College London, said her climate research relied heavily on US satellite data which may no longer be available. Meanwhile Prof Piers Forster, of Leeds University, said the Trump administration was already making scientific collaboration difficult thanks to the recent travel ban.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/14/british-scientists-us-climate-change-research-trump

UK scientists are warning they may be unable to carry out crucial research on climate change if Donald Trump cuts climate science funding in the US. Trump tweeted in 2014 that research on global warming is “very expensive bullshit” that “has to stop”. Scientists are braced to find out whether his administration will put these words into practice. The early signs are not good. Last month Scott Pruitt, one of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s fiercest critics, was named as its new head. There are rumours that the budget of its office for research could be cut by more than 40% as part of extensive overall cuts. Meanwhile there are reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one of America’s leading climate science agencies, could have its budget cut by nearly 20%. The agency’s satellite division, a vital source of data for climate research, is expected to bear the brunt of cuts. British scientists say moves to squeeze funding of climate-related research in the US – and of facilities at government laboratories in particular – could be disastrous for work in the UK. And they say Trump’s travel ban is already harming their collaboration with scientists in America, with some researchers pulling out of commitments in the UK because of fears they may not make it back through US visa controls. Prof Joanna Haigh, co-director of the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, says: “Everything we do is international, and we particularly rely on American satellite data. Perhaps we could manage if other areas were cut – perhaps the Chinese or the Indians might even step in to fill the gaps – but we would definitely miss the satellite data from the US.” Haigh uses satellite data to study how the sun influences the Earth’s climate. She is helping to disentangle the effect of natural fluctuations in solar energy from those of manmade greenhouse gases – and she is clear that global warming cannot be attributed to the sun or other natural processes. “At Imperial we use NOAA satellite data for many important climate studies. For example, it can tell us how much of the sun’s energy the Earth absorbs, how much heat energy it emits and how these values depend on other factors, particularly cloud cover.” She says cutting the NOAA’s budget would be a “huge hit” not only for science, but also for our understanding of the weather. “They are trying to get rid of everything that could be badged as climate change. But to understand the climate you need to measure the weather. You can’t separate the two. Whether you are on a climate change ‘bandwagon’ is irrelevant.” Prof Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at Leeds University, says: “If organisations like Nasa and the NOAA are prohibited from putting up new satellites, that could be really detrimental for the entire international science community. We urgently need these data sets to be able to monitor and understand climate change.” Like many scientists Forster fears a cull across a number of US government laboratories concerned with climate change. “Our one biggest concern is the loss of raw talent,” he says. “The loss of people we collaborate with and the people producing this data that we rely on.” He says the Trump administration is already making scientific collaboration across the Atlantic more difficult. “Quite a lot of the academics we work with in America are immigrants and some of them are concerned about leaving the country in case they don’t get back in. We’ve certainly seen instances where people have pulled out of coming to scientific conferences. Four or five people I know of, speakers and so forth, have pulled out of their commitments to come here.” In a recent example a key scientist from Princeton University pulled out of a climate change workshop that Forster co-organised at Imperial College London. American research fellow Dr Sarah Batterman moved to Leeds University to work on tropical forests and climate change a year ago after doing postdoctoral research at Princeton. She is in regular contact with colleagues in the US and says: “The situation for people doing climate-related science in the US is really scary. There is so much uncertainty. I think people are trying to keep their heads down and keep their research going as much as they can until they see what is going to happen.” Batterman works closely with scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, a US government laboratory in Panama, and is concerned about whether its funding will continue. “My research wouldn’t be possible without the Smithsonian facilities. So for me this isn’t just something that is happening at a distance,” she explains. For Prof Rosalind Cornforth, director of the Walker Institute at Reading University, the anxiety about the US pulling the plug on climate science is somewhat different. Her institute works with governments and scientists in some of the world’s most fragile, conflict-affected countries, applying climate science to solve real-world problems. “So many of our fellow climate scientists from developing countries rely on access to climate data sets available in the US,” she says. “If these become restricted in the future, there would be repercussions on vital capacity development for places like Africa.” There is one potential silver lining for UK universities in this cloud of uncertainty. Vice-chancellors at some leading universities said last week they hoped to be able to woo some big-name climate scientists from across the Atlantic. Forster, whose institute is only a year old and is recruiting staff, says: “I have just got back from a trip to America to talk to people. Many scientists think it is too early to leave. They don’t know quite what Trump will do, and there is even some optimism that perhaps he won’t survive a four-year term. But they are definitely interested in talking to us about possibilities.” Prof Paul Ekins, director of University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Resources, says many climate scientists may feel forced to leave the US if conditions worsen. “If you are in a science field that depends on expensive equipment, like climate science research from space, and you can’t get that kit because the funding dries up, you can’t do anything. This is applied, practical work trying to understand what is happening to the climate. US scientists may well hope that things will change with the future administration, but they may not want to write off four to eight years of their productive lives.” However, some climate scientists point out that with Brexit looming Britain may struggle to present itself as a place of calm and stability from which to escape Trump. Batterman says: “I think early career researchers who are looking for jobs may be considering options abroad. But there is also a lot of uncertainty in the UK too, because we don’t know what is going to happen with funding after the UK leaves the EU.”

Vande Bharat Mission: India launches massive repatriation drive for Indian nationals 1

India has formally launched the largest repatriation programme. The Ministry of External Affairs is focused on rehabilitation of those Indian nationals who have been rendered unemployed. Those NRIs who stand to lose their jobs, visas and have families abroad will be allowed to travel to the countries that the flights would be going to test123

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/vande-bharat-mission-india-launches-massive-repatriation-drive-for-indian-nationals-1675040-2020-05-06

By Geeta Mohan: India has formally launched the largest repatriation programme ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ which not only looks into bringing back Indian nationals but also those NRIs who want to return to their respective countries where they have family, jobs, etc. The Ministry of External Affairs is also focused on rehabilitation of those Indian nationals who have been rendered unemployed. Speaking on the repatriation exercise, sources told India Today that the Ministry of External Affairs would be sharing database of those skilled workers who would be returning jobless with state governments and the Ministry of Skill Development, to ensure that they are rehabilitated once they complete their quarantine period. advertisement "A very large number of people who are returning from the Gulf are actually workers, many of whom have lost their jobs. MEA is going to provide a value-added service to the state governments, which is, to inform the state governments in advance of what their professions were so that as soon as the quarantine is over, their rehabilitation process can begin since many of these are highly skilled workers... This database that MEA would provide will be very very useful for them to get jobs in India... MEA working with the state governments and the ministry of skill development," said a source. The people who will make the cut to board the flights and ships should have "compelling" reasons to return. MEA has prioritised and made lists keeping in mind students whose colleges or universities and schools shut down because of the situation; people who are employed and then either lost their jobs, finished their visas, completed their terms and had to come back; cases which are linked to health, elderly people, pregnant women, family emergencies, sympathetic cases. According to various estimates, there could be as many as 1.4 crore people who live abroad approximately, Indian Passport holders, of which a certain number would like to come back. "We cannot bring back everyone but will bring back those who have a reason to come back those are genuine the need to come back, those with compelling reasons to return. Hopefully, almost all will return and everybody else will be able to come back in the normal course of things", said the source familiar with the process of repatriation. There are many OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) cardholders in severely-affected countries who want to come to India. But, sources say that as of now "no OCI cardholder would be included in the repatriation process" since this operation is confined specifically to Indian nationals. Although, in the flights that would be taking off from India, those NRIs who stand to lose their jobs, visas and have families abroad will be allowed to travel to the countries that the flights would be going to. This comes after many NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) petitioned the Indian government to help them go back to countries where they are employed. The Ministry of Home Affairs has come out with ‘Standard Operating Protocols’ for the movement of Indian nationals to and from India. advertisement "Indian Nationals, holding six months visas would also be allowed to travel, depending on of course, if the country concerned agrees to accept them. These flights are going out to pick up Indians stranded abroad so people who want to go to those countries, who have residencies in other countries, they have long term visas, they work there, they are contracted there, can register themselves and follow the SOPs laid out," said the source. While all travel is based on lists being made by Indian missions, travellers will have to pay. Airfares have been fixed after the MEA negotiated flat rates as airfares for each country. Regarding the ships deployed by the Indian Navy, a nominal fee will be charged since most who would be travel by ships would be blue-collared workforce from the Gulf countries and the Maldives. "The cost of travel, as specified by MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation)/DMA (Department of Military Affairs) will be borne by such travellers," read the MHA guidelines issued on Tuesday. "They will be charged for their return at negotiated a flat rate for the countries concerned. Have a good negotiated very competitive rates. For the Gulf it is approximately 15,500 rupees", said the source. advertisement All passengers and crew members would have to go through rigorous medical screening as precautionary measures. The crew will be in complete PPE (personal protection equipment) and meals will be provided before the flight so that there is no sanitation-related issue. All passengers will also be provided with PPE so that they are also "protected" during the flight, say sources. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar chaired a meeting on Tuesday that involved concerned officers of the MEA. He subsequently held a video conference with the Indian heads of mission from countries that are in the first group of countries from which people would be brought back. Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla would be holding a meeting via video conference on Wednesday with state chief secretaries for smooth repatriation and rehabilitation of Indian nationals.

Donald Trump's fate rests with US Senator Mitch McConnell in impeachment trial

On Monday, McConnell and Senate Republicans were trying to decide whether to include a motion to simply dismiss the charges against Trump outright, as the president wants, in the organizing resolution for the trial, according to a person familiar with the matter but unauthorised to discuss it.As the House launched the impeachment inquiry, McConnell was able to convince Donald Trump not to tweet against Senate Republicans who showed signs of straying and instead focus attention on the House.That allowed McConnell to turn back Democrats' demands for agreement on new testimony, particularly from former White House national security adviser John Bolton, who has indicated he will defy Donald Trump's orders and appear if subpoenaed.

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/donald-trump-fate-rests-us-senator-mitch-mcconnell-impeachment-trial-1636658-2020-01-14

By Associated Press: US President Donald Trump needs Mitch McConnell more than ever. With Donald Trump finally facing his impeachment trial, this promises to be a defining moment for both men, they started their relationship unevenly three years ago when Trump stunned Washington with his sweep to power but have since fallen into an easy partnership that will be put to its biggest test. advertisement The leader of the Republican-majority Senate Mitch McConnell has already put his imprint on virtually every aspect of the upcoming trial. He corralled the GOP senators behind his strategy to brush back Democratic demands for new witnesses and testimony. On Monday, McConnell and Senate Republicans were trying to decide whether to include a motion to simply dismiss the charges against Trump outright, as the president wants, in the organizing resolution for the trial, according to a person familiar with the matter but unauthorised to discuss it. The Kentucky Republican is working hand in hand with the White House. He doesn't pretend to be an impartial arbiter. "The House has done enough damage," McConnell said on Monday as he opened the chamber. "The Senate is ready to fulfill our duty." As the Senate is about to convene for the landmark undertaking, only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history, perhaps no one is more important to Trump's defense than the Republican leader. The Democratic-run House is set to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate in a matter of days. Donald Trump faces two charges approved by the House. First, that he abused power by pushing Ukraine to investigate his Democratic political rival Joe Biden, holding back U.S. military funds to the country as leverage. And second, that he then obstructed Congress by blocking witnesses and testimony in the House probe. The challenge for McConnell will be to balance Donald Trump's appetite for full vindication, accompanied by humiliation of Democrats, with a more measured trial that fits the legal expectations of the Constitution and won't expose Senate Republicans to a spectacle that could hurt them in elections. "The president and Senator McConnell have learned to trust each other's judgment," said Josh Holmes, a former top McConnell aide who remains close to the leader. "They've been through an awful lot over three years," Josh said. Republicans hold the majority in the Senate, 53-47, and there is nowhere near the 67 votes needed for Trump's removal. The president has given mixed messages about what he wants in a trial - first suggesting calling witnesses including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and the still anonymous government whistleblower, whose complaint about Trump's July phone call with Ukraine sparked the impeachment inquiry. advertisement But over the weekend, Donald Trump said that the Senate should simply dismiss the case against him, rather than legitimize the House charges by sending them for trial. It was an extraordinary suggestion that now appears to be under consideration. As Pelosi prepared to release her hold on the charges, Donald Trump tweeted yet again on Monday that the House impeachment inquiry "was the most unfair witch-hunt in the history of Congress!" Making it personal, McConnell is calling the holdup Pelosi's "one-woman blockade." Donald Trump continues to review his options, according to one senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The person described the president's talk of dismissal as simply covering the possibilities as the White House continues to work closely with Republicans on Capitol Hill. Simply dismissing the charges against Trump is unlikely, though Republicans are circulating a proposed resolution. McConnell, who has gained the president's trust in Senate matters, now needs to deliver. The two sparred early in Trump's presidency, most sharply when McConnell's Senate GOP was unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a signature Trump campaign promise. advertisement But once the GOP leader muscled through the confirmations of Trump's Supreme Court nominees, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, the relationship warmed. The two men talk regularly. The leader's proximity to Donald Trump helps him back home, where he is up for reelection in the Bluegrass State this year alongside Trump. His likely Democratic opponent will be former Marine Corps officer Amy McGrath, who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the House launched the impeachment inquiry, McConnell was able to convince Donald Trump not to tweet against Senate Republicans who showed signs of straying and instead focus attention on the House. McConnell's goal during the House proceeding was to create a party-line outcome that would diminish the case as it came to the Senate, Holmes said. The groundwork for the Senate trial was laid months ago as McConnell built GOP support for modeling it partly on rules devised for President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999. That would mean starting the proceedings and voting only later on hearing new testimony. That allowed McConnell to turn back Democrats' demands for agreement on new testimony, particularly from former White House national security adviser John Bolton, who has indicated he will defy Donald Trump's orders and appear if subpoenaed. advertisement Democrats still hope to force votes on Bolton and other witnesses they say can provide new evidence for the case against Donald Trump. McConnell is trying to prevent any votes that will prolong the trial and split his party, particularly vulnerable senators up for reelection in 2020. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Monday that failing to call new witnesses and testimony would turn the Senate trial into a "farce."' One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, is working with GOP colleagues on a process that would allow them to hear more testimony, as Democrats want. McConnell is trying to give her and the others room to see if they can make a deal, the person familiar with the matter said. Donald Trump has yet to decide on his legal team and whether it will grow to include some of his fiercest defenders from the ranks of House Republicans. Alan Dershowitz, the former Harvard University professor whom the president is considering adding to his defense team, said that the president has a "good team" with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and personal attorney Jay Sekulow. Dershowitz said on Monday that no final decision had been made by the president. Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, early next week - just as the Senate trial is expected to be underway in Washington. The opening will be in McConnell's hands.

Rapid growth in battery technology puts fossil industry at risk

Battery technology is showing an alarming potential to “displace current technology far more rapidly than anticipated", according to a report by Fitch. The research warns that fossil fuel industries and the jobs they create are at risk from battery technologies. “Greatly accelerated adoption of battery technology would be disruptive for sectors accounting for just under a quarter – $3.4tn – of corporate bonds outstanding globally. An acceleration of the electrification of transport infrastructure would be resoundingly negative for the oil sector’s credit profile, and it could change the economics of ‘peaker’ power plants currently used to meet short periods of peak loads. Peak shaving’ resulting from battery storage of energy would reduce the peak to off-peak price differential and could eventually lower clearing prices to a point where traditional peakers can no longer compete."

http://reneweconomy.com.au/battery-charged-disruption-risks-leaving-fossil-industry-and-australia-in-its-dust-11398/

When Liberal Senator James Paterson was asked on ABC TV’s Q&A on Monday night when the federal Coalition government would accept “once and for all, that the energy system has to change, and start to lead that change rather than standing in the way of it,” his response was essentially: technology will do the job for us. “I’m really positive about technological change and evolution, and I’m really positive that the innovation that we’re already seeing, and that we’re going to see over the next few years is going to help us meet the challenge of climate change,” the Victorian Senator said in response to the audience question, which happened to come from The Australia Institute economist Jim Sandford. When will your government accept that our energy system has to change? @SenPaterson responds #QandA https://t.co/hEdd2eEAHs — ABC Q&A (@QandA) November 7, 2016 “I think, for example, that Tesla, the electric car, is a wonderful innovation and a really exciting thing and the sooner that that is commercial viable and can be adopted on a wide scale, the better,” Paterson added. It’s a familiar refrain from the Turnbull government’s “innovation nation” songbook. And it is almost always followed up with a disclaimer along the lines of: but we can’t rush the shift to renewable energy technology, because costs and jobs and economic impact. But there is a big hole in this logic, in that it relies on technology keeping the same slow-and-steady pace as federal government policy. And as a new report from global credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings has neatly illustrated, that’s not the way things are shaping up. The report, Disruptive Technology: Batteries, notes that one of the key technologies that will be a major factor in how quickly the energy transition unfolds is already on the fast-track – and showing serious potential to “displace current technology far more rapidly than anticipated.” And this leaves all sorts of industries – particularly those centred around the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, and the jobs attached to those industries – exposed to huge risk. “Greatly accelerated adoption of battery technology would be disruptive for sectors accounting for just under a quarter – $US3.4 trillion – of corporate bonds outstanding globally,” the report notes. “An acceleration of the electrification of transport infrastructure would be resoundingly negative for the oil sector’s credit profile,” the report says. “And it could change the economics of ‘peaker’ power plants currently used to meet short periods of peak loads.” As the report notes, these “peaking” plants have traditionally been gas, and oil fired, with the ability to ramp up and down relatively quickly to meet changing loads. “These units may dispatch infrequently in some markets but may be economic due to high peak power prices that offset maintenance costs for upkeep,” it says. “‘Peak shaving’ resulting from battery storage of energy would reduce the peak to off-peak price differential and could eventually lower clearing prices to a point where traditional peakers can no longer compete. Mitigating grid reliability concerns will be the main focus of battery technology but the possibility of disruption among peakers is high.” For Australia, this has serious implications not just for the nation’s gas peaker plants, but for its LNG industry, which as Forbes oil market analyst Tim Daiss reported on Monday, is already on shaky ground having undergone a project development frenzy based on “what looked like would be years of increased demand amid exorbitantly high prices.” This includes the massive Wheatstone LNG project, on the Western Australian coast, whose estimated output of the 8.9 million tons per annum (mtpa) have been valued at $A29 billion. Already, thanks to an oversupplied market and collapsing demand in Asia – oh, and climate change – these projects are looking more and more like overpriced carbon bombs. Add to that the existential threat from battery storage and the picture looks even worse. But the fallout doesn’t stop there. “For electric utilities and the automotive sector it would be disruptive, potentially polarising the market into winners and losers,” the Fitch report says. In Australia, we have seen this play out to some degree already, with last week’s news about the March 2017 closure of Victoria’s Hazelwood coal power plant; and then the launch of that other exciting Tesla product, the Powerwall 2 home battery storage system, which has effectively doubled in capacity while halving in cost, all in little more than nine months. Meanwhile, says the report, most forecasts – including those favoured by the Turnbull government – assume incremental improvements in battery and other renewable technologies, “which still leaves significant room for fossil fuels.” This gradual change, the Fitch analysts write, allows companies – and governments – to slowly adapt and monetise most of their investments to date. “But the possibility remains for more rapid improvements.” Meanwhile, in Australia, the Turnbull government seems determined to put up as many speed humps to progress as it can, in efforts to prolong the energy status quo. As fellow Q&A panellist Naomi Klein pointed out, this not only looks like a “middle finger to the world” in terms of the Paris climate pact, it also puts Australia embarrassingly behind the pace of technology, and at odds with the world’s leading innovators, in whom our government is placing so much faith. “You raised the Tesla,” Klein said to Paterson. “Just yesterday there was a piece, quoting Elon Musk, inventor of the Tesla, saying we need a popular uprising against fossil fuels. I can’t do it alone… It isn’t enough just to invest in the new technology, we need that, but we also have to stand up to the extraordinary power of coal, oil and gas.”

Elon Musk digs at Tesla short sellers by selling short shorts for $69.420

The items are being sold in a limited-edition run, apparently only for the purpose of criticising the electric car-makers' short sellers. The price references a puerile internet meme about a sexual position and cannabis consumption. Musk initially suggested that Tesla would sell "fabulous short shorts in radiant red satin with gold trim.

https://news.sky.com/story/elon-musk-digs-at-tesla-short-sellers-by-selling-short-shorts-for-69-420-12022203

Elon Musk has followed through on a joke to sell short shorts through Tesla's online store, which briefly went offline when the items debuted this weekend. The items are being sold in a limited-edition run, apparently only for the purpose of criticising the electric car-makers' short sellers, at a price which references a puerile internet meme about a sexual position and cannabis consumption. Musk, who recently turned 49, has often criticised short sellers on Twitter and initially suggested that Tesla would sell "fabulous short shorts in radiant red satin with gold trim" in a series of messages mocking the practice. Image: Elon Musk has regularly criticised short sellers Short sellers are people who borrow and then sell stock, anticipating a decline in price when they will buy it back for less money - thus making a profit when the stock drops in value. The Tesla chief executive jibed that he would "send some to the Shortseller Enrichment Commission to comfort them through these difficult times" and said they would cost $69.420. The Securities and Exchange Commission is the US agency which regulates stock and options exchanges. Musk has had numerous run-ins with the agency, including after tweeting that he was considering taking the electric car-maker private at a price of $420 a share - the number being a popular reference to cannabis consumption. The SEC filed a lawsuit against Musk for this tweet - alleging it had amounted to securities fraud as the tweet sent Tesla's stock price up more than 7%, before plummeting more than 10% the day after the legal action was announced. Musk settled this suit for a $20m fine and stepped down as the company's chairman. Advertisement Image: Tesla's shares have risen almost 420% in the last year His comments follow a year of remarkable gains for Tesla, rocketing up from around $233 per share last July to more than $1,208 per share today, an increase fittingly of almost 420%. The company has cut the prices of its electric vehicles by up to 6% in the US in a bid to bolster demand hit by the coronavirus lockdown. In defiance of state orders issued to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak, Tesla's factory in Fremont, California resumed production back in May. The weekend before reopening the factory, Musk threatened to move Tesla's HQ to Texas or Nevada.

C19 prompts consumers to focus on immune boosting foods

Many US consumers have shifted to buying more healthy foods, including vegan products as they seek to boost their immune systems in an effort to protect themselves from covid-19, according to advanced analytics platform Signals Analytics COO Frances Zelazny. The popularity of frozen foods has also undergone a resurgence as it helps shoppers reduce the number of trips to the store. The other notable trend in shopping habits is increased demand for comfort food.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/how-coronavirus-affected-foods-buy-grocery-stores-094500547.html

As the major effects of the coronavirus pandemic make themselves apparent ― the ubiquity of masks and hand sanitizer, restaurants serving at half capacity ― other, more subtle changes are still just coming into focus. Take the grocery store. Doorstep delivery and online shopping, already popular before COVID-19, have become part and parcel of a business model that once relied almost exclusively on brick-and-mortar stores. Moreover, the pandemic appears to have affected not just where and how we buy food, but what we’re actually eating. Two simultaneous trends in our consuming habits are becoming clear. Many Americans are buying products they believe will boost their immune systems, in the hopes of fending off disease. At the same time, rising levels of anxiety and stress have pushed some to seek solace in the things they eat, resulting in an uptick in sales of comfort food. This raises the question: Will the coronavirus change the roster of products that we’re used to seeing at the supermarket? Anything that can be associated with immunity is gaining strength and momentum, even if it’s more expensive. Frances Zelazny, chief marketing officer, Signals Analytics “The strong trends [we noticed pre-pandemic] are actually staying, but for different reasons,” said Frances Zelazny, chief marketing officer of advanced analytics platform Signals Analytics. “Before COVID, [vegan products] were on the rise and the driver for that trend was a split between well-being, concerns about lifestyle and fitness, animal welfare and sustainability.” But as the coronavirus swept the world, consumption of these products became more and more about people trying to fortify their immune systems. “Anything that can be associated with immunity is gaining strength and momentum, even if it’s more expensive,” Zelazny said. Mary Torrecilla, owner of Whoopsie Daisy, an upscale convenience store in Mokelumne Hill, California, has noticed a renewed devotion to health among her shoppers. “People are definitely lingering over the health food section longer than they used to,” she said. Now carrying nature bars and other dried goods in addition to the candy and confections she already sold, Torrecilla said she’s had to radically change her “normal buying routine” since the virus hit, to cater to rising demands for healthier fare. Story continues Some once-unfashionable categories of food have also gained popularity, if in very specific ways. The frozen food aisle, usually considered a less desirable option, has become a focus of grocery shopping in pandemic times. Generally speaking, people have been panic-buying frozen foods because they last longer and won’t necessitate weekly shopping trips. The frozen vegetable aisle in particular has undergone a sort of resurgence: Being able to buy and store healthy foods, including greens, suddenly seems like a luxury. Grocery stores have been stocking up on frozen vegetables as demand surges during the pandemic. (Photo: adisa via Getty Images) Janine Williams, the owner of Platte Street Mercantile, a grab-and-go convenience store in Denver, has shifted her business model in response to changing shopping habits. “We stopped carrying single-service lunch-type items and pivoted to grocery items” at the beginning of the pandemic, she said, noting that frozen goods, eggs and bakery items have been big hits with her customers. Meat substitutes have also been enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Tempe and seitan, for example, are becoming increasingly popular, according to data gathered by Zelazny’s team. Beef ― for which demand was already waning, due to research that associates it with high levels of cholesterol and obesity ― has been selling less since March. Beverages are experiencing a similar effect. “[Drinks] that have to do with boosting immunity, that have vitamin C, that boast claims around ‘all-natural’ or reducing allergy effects, are on the rise,” Zelazny said. There’s a flip side, however. As people around the world struggle with unemployment, isolation and general uncertainty, many are seeking out comfort foods, which have seen a steady increase in sales in recent months. According to a Bloomberg report, March brought a 48% increase in popcorn sales, a 47% increase in pretzel sales and a 30% increase in sales of potato chips. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and in those kinds of times, people tend to retreat to what’s known to them and what’s comforting to them,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jennifer Bartashus told the New York Post. “People are retreating back into comfort habits.” According to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, sales of fresh and packaged bakery items jumped 37% in mid-March as compared to the same time last year. Sales of pizza are high right now, thanks to its relatively low price and the wide availability of home delivery. (Photo: agrobacter via Getty Images) Although healthier foods have been gaining traction at Torrecilla’s store in California, she’s also noticed an increased interest in candy, the ultimate comfort food. “A lot of people are indulging in the more expensive candy, which they used to wait for Christmas or the holidays to buy,” she said. “They are not spending money elsewhere, so it’s kind of a little vacation for them.” The pandemic isn’t the first major event to shape American eating habits, of course. In the past, recessions, the movement of women from the home to the workplace and even changes in commuting trends have all affected the way we eat. “Pizza [sales] went through the roof in 2008 and are going through the roof now,” said Zelazny, citing the food’s relatively low price and the wide availability of home delivery as causes for the uptick in both cases. If the past is any indication, the marketplace seems ripe for new types of products. When discussing the future, Zelazny uses the health and beauty industry as an example. “We’re all using hand sanitizer and moisturizers like crazy, and there is no product that does both things at once,” she said. “That’s how you create a new category.” That logic can be applied to the food and beverage arena. As people focus on immunity and vitamin C, it seems like tea is the only drink that is able to satisfy all current demands. According to Zelazny, though, that could change: “I have no doubt that there will be a new beverage category that is not tea but is made to fulfill immunity [requests].” The nature of weekday lunches could also shift. Most people are used to taking leftovers to work or indulging in grab-and-go meals around town ― but what happens when you’re staying home full-time and cooking every meal? One possibility, according to Zelazny, is that companies could start offering prepared salads that can be stored in the fridge for easy assembly throughout the week. A wide-ranging food reckoning might therefore look more like a reinvention of an industry that aims both to fulfill consumers’ stated demands and to identify emerging trends before the public can even recognize them. Will our futures be defined by purchasable work-from-home lunches easily digested between Zoom meetings? Only time will tell. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Related... Why People Baked So Much Bread During Quarantine: An Explanation Is Your Grocery List Sustainable? We Asked Climate Experts How They Shop. 4 Positive Ways The Pandemic Has Changed How We Eat Also on HuffPost Pasta, chickpeas and canned tomatoes Pasta, a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, beans and canned artichokes Black beans and stock Chickpeas and bread Lentils, broth, coconut milk and spices Pasta, canned tomatoes and beans Canned tuna, canned soup, egg noodles, crackers and frozen peas Pasta, beans, canned tomatoes and spices Pasta, canned tuna, jarred pickles and jarred capers Beans, canned tuna and jarred pepperoncini Canned tomatoes and canned coconut milk Beans and rice Pasta and jarred sun-dried tomatoes Farro and beans Pasta, jarred roasted red peppers and white beans Beans and rice Pasta, jarred pesto and canned artichokes Canned tuna and beans Canned tomatoes and lentils Canned tuna, jarred relish, jarred capers, mayo and mustard Pasta, canned tuna and jarred olives Refrigerated tortellini, jarred sun-dried tomatoes and canned artichokes This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Nissan ends war over electric-car charging standards, as Tesla stands apart

Nissan has been the biggest longtime booster of CHAdeMO, the Beta of the charging world. CCS wins, heading into the 2020s, as the single standard for EV fast charging outside of the Tesla ecosystem. Nissan confirmed that there will still be new Leafs with CHAdoMO as well as a decade of about 150,000 Leafs compatible with the standard in the U.S. This is cool.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1128906_nissan-electric-car-charging-standards-tesla-stands-apart

Beta might have been better from the start, but that didn’t keep it from losing a videocassette recorder war versus VHS back in the 1980s. Such was the case, it seems, in the battle between CHAdeMO and CCS as a standard for electric-vehicle fast-charging in the 2010s. Nissan has been the biggest longtime booster of CHAdeMO—the Beta of the charging world—which originated in Japan and from the get-go was capable of more than CCS is to this day, such as with bi-directional charging. But with Nissan’s announced shift to CCS in the upcoming Ariya electric crossover for the U.S. and Europe, CCS wins, heading into the 2020s, as the single standard for EV fast charging outside of the Tesla ecosystem. Some might say the writing has been on the wall ever since U.S. and German automakers allied in the formation of CCS in 2011. But most will agree the victory happened back in 2017, when Hyundai moved to standardize around the CCS format with its current electric vehicles, and even Honda chose to introduce its Clarity Electric with CCS. 2015 Nissan Leaf with CHAdeMO fast-charging cable plugged in [photo John Briggs] That doesn’t spell the end for CHAdeMO. Just as Sony started to produce VHS hardware in 1988 but didn’t quite abandon Beta, Nissan confirmed that there will still be new Leafs with CHAdeMO as well as a decade of about 150,000 Leafs compatible with the standard in the U.S. Simply put, many years from now, you shouldn't have a problem finding charging stations capable of adding charge when you’re out on a weekend road trip with a car like the Nissan Leaf Plus. What it does signal is the likely end of the road for a decade-long expansion of U.S. CHAdeMO DC fast-charging infrastructure that cost Nissan tens of millions of dollars. Nissan last year said that it has installed more than 2,000 DC fast-charging connectors across the U.S. At that time it had spent more than $60 million on charging installations in the U.S., much of that DC fast charging. Nissan Leaf charging at EVgo fast charger in Baker, California Last August, with EVgo, Nissan committed to 200 more 100-kw-capable CHAdeMO-format fast chargers across the U.S. In a quick scan of EVgo, PlugShare, and Chargeway apps, it appears that only a few of those are online 11 months later. Nissan confirmed to Green Car Reports Thursday that the project is still moving forward. All this continued effort into multiple standards isn’t going to be seen as value-added years from now. And if you look at the numbers today, CCS is still not the dominant standard by chargers or connectors. U.S. DC fast chargers - July 15, 2020 - Alternative Fuels Data Center According to the U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center, as of July 15, 2020, CHAdeMO still holds the lead by 179 stations—meaning you likely have more locations to choose from along your route if you drive a Nissan Leaf Plus than if you have a Chevrolet Bolt EV. But in terms of connectors at those stations, CCS already has a strong lead—with 5,150 total charging connectors, more than 1,000 ahead of CHAdeMO. U.S. and Canada DC fast chargers - July 15, 2020 - Alternative Fuels Data Center Reconfiguring the tally to include the U.S. and Canada together doesn’t change things much. Then, CHAdeMO again has the lead in number of stations, but CCS is within 135 stations of overtaking CHAdeMO. And between the U.S. and Canada, CHAdeMo is still beating CCS by nearly 1,200 connectors. Thanks to Electrify America and others, many of those connectors are 150 kw, and some of them are 350 kw. On the other hand, most of the CHAdeMO connectors are 50 kw, with some 24-kw chargers included in the totals. Stations allowing 100-kw CHAdeMO charging—which the Leaf Plus can take advantage of—are sparse and scattered, across the U.S., although Petro-Canada has a cross-country network up north. But don’t rush to call any vehicle that uses CCS the victor in this standards war. Tesla Model 3 at Supercharger, Sandy OR Tesla beats both of the standards in a tally of charging connectors. And while its number of charging-station locations is far less than that of the other standards, the ability of its vehicles to use one or both of the other standards, depending on the model and the adapter—and with Tesla connectors offered at some non-Tesla chargers—makes them above and beyond the most flexible when it comes to fast-charging. It's a reminder the standards war isn't actually over in the U.S. That leaves us with a new, more 21st-century comparison. Tesla Supercharging uses CCS2 in Europe, but in the U.S. it's a closed ecosystem—the Apple iOS, perhaps, versus CCS as the Android. If Tesla could jump on CCS in the U.S., too, we’d all be winners.

Matt Bevin concedes Kentucky governor's race

Beshear also focused on Bevin’s at-times abrasive personality, which contributed to his low poll numbers, even in a state Trump carried by 30 points.Beshear led Bevin in the vote count after election night by a little more than 5,000 votes — a margin that stayed relatively constant as all the ballots were tabulated and the numbers were double-checked in Thursday’s recanvass.Bevin said Thursday he “expects to have a smooth transition” and suggested he wouldn’t be a vocal critic of Beshear’s administration from the sidelines.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/14/matt-bevin-concedes-kentucky-governor-070975

Beshear, the state attorney general and son of former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, will be sworn in on Dec. 10. At a press conference of his own later Thursday, Beshear thanked Bevin for conceding, though the two men hadn’t spoken personally. “This was a tough race, but it is now over,” Beshear said. “And I appreciate the fact that his administration was already moving forward in a smooth transition.” Last week’s nationally watched vote was an embarrassing result for Republicans and President Donald Trump, who traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Bevin the night before the election. Kentucky Attorney General and democratic candidate for Governor Andy Beshear responds to a question during a gubernatorial debate in Paducah, Ky., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) | Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo But Beshear will take office after a campaign that focused on state and local issues: increasing investments in public education, expanding access to health care and protecting state pensions. Beshear also focused on Bevin’s at-times abrasive personality, which contributed to his low poll numbers, even in a state Trump carried by 30 points. “People are ready for a governor that listens more than he talks,” Beshear told reporters in Kentucky over the final weekend of the campaign. “One that solves more problems than he creates. And one that would never engage in the type of bullying and name-calling we see from Matt Bevin.” Beshear led Bevin in the vote count after election night by a little more than 5,000 votes — a margin that stayed relatively constant as all the ballots were tabulated and the numbers were double-checked in Thursday’s recanvass. But Bevin refused to concede until Thursday, citing the closeness of the margin and what he called “irregularities” in the election. As late as Wednesday, Bevin was promoting an outside group that was casting doubt on the election, though the Louisville Courier-Journal wrote the group “did not appear to provide any solid evidence” of voter fraud, as it alleged. On Thursday, Bevin said he was still concerned about the election but said he didn’t think any improprieties or irregularities cost him his job. “We know of some things — but not enough to cause us to think there’s going to be meaningful change” in the outcome, he said. Bevin said Thursday he “expects to have a smooth transition” and suggested he wouldn’t be a vocal critic of Beshear’s administration from the sidelines. “One thing you will not see: I’m not going to be publicly undermining or second-guessing anything that is done,” said Bevin. “I am sure there will be things I’m excited by and have complete agreement with. And there will be things that I will probably be on the other side of the equation with. And this is the way things are.”

How robots can help manufacturers adapt post COVID-19

The post-pandemic world has many opportunities for robotics. Manufacturing supply chains can be less dependent on low-cost labor regions, like China, digital transformation becomes easier, efficiencies increase, and social distancing measures can be more easily reached.

https://www.therobotreport.com/how-robots-can-help-manufacturers-adapt-post-covid-19/

Robots continue to play an essential role in the fight against COVID-19. Robots are assisting with testing, working in labs, sanitizing spaces, surveilling public areas, and helping fulfill supply chains, just to name a few examples. They will have an even greater role in the recovery from both the novel coronavirus and economic disruption. It’s a good time to be a robot — demand is high and there are compelling reasons to feel the future is bright. COVID-19 has exposed some real issues with the way things are currently done, which gives robotics developers the opportunity to step up and show exactly what can be achieved. Challenges for manufacturers The post-pandemic world has many opportunities for robotics and automated systems, including manufacturing. Here are five challenges manufacturers are facing as a result of COVID-19: 1. Less reliance on low-cost labor regions There is a desire to adapt manufacturing supply chains to be less dependent on low-cost labor regions, like China. The so-called “re-shoring” trend started in 2018-19 courtesy of the trade war between China and the US and the associated tariffs. It is being accelerated by anti-China and anti-globalization sentiment generated from the supply and demand disruptions brought circumnavigating the world with the virus. 2. Re-shoring Governments are trying to reverse the trend of the last two decades. The same voices that recommended offshoring manufacturing are now asking why important supply chains are so dependent on China and how manufacturing jobs can be brought home. There is a desire to re-shore manufacturing jobs. 3. Digital transformation The need for digital transformation has been apparent for almost a decade. There have been many extolling the virtues of Industry 4.0, Industrial IoT and the Smart Factory for some time. But digital transformation has appeared overwhelming to many, resulting in paralysis. Most companies want to transform but don’t know where to start. 4. Competing regardless of labor rates Regardless of the motivation, manufacturers need to create an environment where they are more efficient, and hence more competitive. What’s more, this needs to be possible in any geography. 5. Social distancing in workplaces As factory workers return to their posts, they are faced with the dilemma of having to operate in an environment where rules dictate they are at least six apart. Traditionally, manufacturing facilities have relied on lines of operators spaced much closer together. Additionally, operators will need to wear personal protective equipment at their work workstations, which in many cases will make their jobs harder and impact productivity. Related: Survey finds coronavirus changing consumer comfort with robotics Many of the issues mentioned above relate directly to the geography in which manufacturing is carried out and, specifically, to cost of labor in those regions. The use of automation and robotics to remove the dependence on manual tasks is the only way manufacturing can be done as economically in San Francisco as it can in Shenzhen. Must-have features of robots There are a number of key characteristics that robots will need to offer to ensure they play a pivotal role in the factory of the future. First and foremost, they will need to be adaptable. In fact, only adaptable automation can solve the challenges of modern manufacturing. Those manufacturers that stepped up and helped in the crisis did so because they were able to adapt their production to the needs of a different product. The EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services) industry is built on this ideal with lines changing product several times each shift. These large contract manufacturing companies are unlikely to install robotics, or any form of automation, if it can only support a single product. As a result of the high-mix environment, almost all manufacturers operate in a world where changeovers need to happen often and fast. Huge investment has been made in the way SMT (Surface Mount Technology) lines are able to change from product to product. Robotics and automation will need to meet or better that performance. Robotic solutions will also need to adapt to their surroundings, sensing what is close to them and adjusting instantly so they can continue to perform. This could be to a change in environment or to the proximity of an operator. Robots need to be collaborative, working seamlessly with their human coworkers. Related: Dr. Spot the robot dog now seeing COVID-19 patients In the past, programming robots has been difficult and time-consuming. This needs to change for modern, digitally-transformed manufacturing. Robotic solutions need to be quickly programmed with close to zero touch and with little or no dependence on skilled programmers. Tribal knowledge is the enemy of digital transformation. Automation investments must provide a solid digital dividend. Every investment should have a simple return on investment (ROI) calculation that should be measurable. In simple terms, a robot will need to reduce the cost of manual labor in a way that can be easily measured and that quickly returns the capital investment required for the installation. A new manufacturing world In the new the manufacturing world, cash for capital expenditure will be tight and those innovating robotic and automation solutions will need to be equally creative with their business models. Providing robotics-as-a-service and automation-as-a-service will make it possible to shift investment from capital expenditure to the operational budget. Robots are an essential building block for the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. They will need to be adaptable, collaborative, intelligent, and easy to program. Most importantly, perhaps, they need to provide real value and fast measurable ROI through creative business models. About the Author Mattias Andersson is the CEO and Founder of Sweden-based MTEK Industry AB. MTEK develops and deploys solutions for real-time intelligent and collaborative manufacturing, with a special focus on the electronics industry. Andersson has been an entrepreneur in the electronics industry for 20-plus years. He previously also worked in Nokia and SCI, among others.

The Guardian Will No Longer Take Ad Money From Oil Companies – Adweek

Today, The Guardian announced that it will no longer take advertising money from companies that extract fossil fuels.The Guardian generates about 40% of its revenue (the company made about $292 million in 2018) from advertising, and by not accepting ad money from fossil fuel companies, the publisher may see a dent.While The Guardian has chosen not to take ad money from these companies, will other media outlets follow suit?

https://www.adweek.com/digital/the-guardian-will-no-longer-take-ad-money-from-oil-companies/amp/

At a time when climate change is ravaging the world, and “ sustainability ” has moved beyond phrase du jour to an actual business model, philosophical—if not ethical and moral—questions vex media company executives. Do they continue taking money from companies they believe to be damaging the planet? Today, The Guardian announced that it will no longer take advertising money from companies that extract fossil fuels. In an interview with Adweek, the company’s acting CEO Anna Bateson said its decision to not do business with these advertisers was made in large part because of “what we saw and heard from readers on our bushfire coverage in Australia.

ISIS launches offensive on northwestern Iraqi city

ISIS has reportedly launched several offensives near the city of Haditha (190km/120 miles northwest of the capital Baghdad) in northwestern Iraq. The attacks began on 4 January and according to a spokesman for the US-led coalition, have so far been successfully repelled. The move comes after the group lost Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar. Reports that ISIS had captured the towns of Barwana and Sakran near Haditha were denied. Instead, the spokesman revealed that air strikes had helped the Iraqi army repel an attack by approximately 200 militants, while more than 100 militants had been killed.

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/ISIS-launches-offensives-near-northwest-Iraqi-city-439467

BAGHDAD - Islamic State has launched several offensives near the city of Haditha in northwest Iraq in the past 48 hours, the US-led coalition against the militant group said on Tuesday.Coalition air strikes helped the Iraqi army repel a first onslaught towards Haditha on Monday by about 200 militants, US Army Col. Steve Warren told a news briefing in Baghdad.He said more than 100 Islamic State (IS) fighters were killed, without giving a figure for casualties on the Iraqi government side."Every one of these Daesh (IS) attacks has been broken by a combination of coalition air power and Iraqi security forces," he said.He said Islamic State was diverting attacks to Haditha, 190 km (120 miles) northwest of Baghdad, after losing Ramadi, the capital of the western province of Anbar.Warren denied claims by the the group on Monday that it had captured Barwana and Sakran, two towns near Haditha.Islamic State had not taken "a single inch of land" since May 2015, when it captured Ramadi, Warren said. Its forces were in a "defensive crouching position", he added.Warren said earlier on Tuesday that Islamic State's territory had shrunk by 40 percent from its maximum extent in Iraq, and by 20 percent in Syria.

Hargreaves introduces service for first-time investors

Hargreaves Lansdown is targeting first-time investors with Simply Invest, offering the Legal and General UK Index fund along with a year of tutorial emails to educate new investors on market knowledge, financial terms, how to build a portfolio and providing updates on the main indexes. The L&G fund is discounted to a 0.04% charge along with a maximum platform fee of 0.45%. Vanguard's direct-to-consumer platform charges 0.15% with a total investment cost of 0.23% for the lowest cost fund range. Meanwhile, robo-adviser Moneyfarm added a Sipp wrapper to its offering last week, with Vanguard thought likely to follow suit.

https://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/hargreaves-simply-invest-first-investors/

Hargreaves Lansdown is launching a single fund investment proposition as it look to target first-time investors. The new service, called Simply Invest, will initially only offer the Legal and General UK Index fund, which tracks the performance of the FTSE All Share. However, Hargreaves says new investors can opt for other funds too when they feel confident enough. The L&G fund is discounted to 0.04 per cent, down from its headline 0.1 per cent charge. Hargreaves charges a maximum of 0.45 per cent as a platform fee. Existing investors that hold the L&G fund through Hargreaves will also see their charge fall to 0.04 per cent from the current 0.06 per cent discount offered to the platform. The service will offer a year of tutorial emails to help investors build market knowledge and understand financial terms, get updates on the main indexes and learn how to build a portfolio. Hargreaves Lansdown head of communications Danny Cox says: “The need to invest for the future has never been greater for younger generations now that final salary schemes are a thing of the past, inflation has returned to the fray, and cash is still yielding next to nothing. Many younger people recognise the need to invest, they just don’t know how best to go about it.” Hargreaves Lansdown’s hunt for growth Finalytiq founder Abraham Okusanya says the new service is “a step in the right direction” but costs are not low enough to revolutionise the market. He says: “It appe­ars the total cost to the client will be under 0.50 per cent per year. While this is good, it’s not mind-blowing. There are robo-advice offerings already priced at that level.” Vanguard’s direct to consumer platform launched last year in the UK with platform charges at 0.15 per cent, with the total cost of investing at 0.23 per cent for the lowest cost fund range. Cox says for first-time investors it “makes sense” to start with the domestic market, which also has an element of international diversification in its companies. But Gbi2 managing director Graham Bentley argues investing in a global equity tracker would be a better way to access the market for first timers. Bentley believes the most interesting element of the new service at the Bristol-based broker is the use of educational content. Bentley says: “A number of providers have attempted to do this but relatively unsuccessfully. Education done well should help savers become more confident investors.” Other experts have questioned the use of a single fund portfolio as a valid option for young investors. EQ investor technical director Jeannie Boyle suggests anything that encour­ages people to invest is a good step forward, but she has concerns over a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, which ignores clients’ personal needs. Okusanya adds: “I am not sure about the idea of a single fund. I am not sure that people who are investing for the first time, without the support of an adviser, would feel quite comfortable holding 100 per cent equity.” Looking at the launch strategically, Liberum equity analyst Justin Bates says Simply Invest could be a direct response from Hargreaves to Vanguard entering the direct-to-consumer space last May. Bates explains: “This looks like a logical next step [for Hargreaves] and arguably the cost and simpli­city is something that could be seen as being a positive response to the threat from the likes of Vanguard. “Hargreaves has always spoken about capturing investors early in their life cycle and again, this launch appears to address that strategy.” Hargreaves’ robo-style investment service is the latest innovation in the digital wealth management space as other direct-to-consumer offerings begin expanding their offerings. Robo-adviser Moneyfarm added a Sipp wrapper to its service last week, and the likes of Vanguard are also eyeing up low-cost pension wrappers for self-directed clients. In conjunction with its direct services, Hargreaves is also looking to grow the number of regulated financial advisers it employs. At present, it has around 100 on its books. Hargreaves has around a 38 per cent share of the plat­form market already, according to Platforum.

Google's AI-driven translator closes gap on humans

Google plans to incorporate AI technology into Google Translate. The enhanced system has reportedly reduced translation errors by between 55 and 85% and is almost as good at Chinese-to-English translations as a human. While it is not yet perfect, the use of AI technology allows the platform to learn and improve over time, closing the gap between human translation and translation software considerably.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-uses-ai-to-improve-chinese-to-english-translations-neural-networks-2016-9

A Chinese man wears a mask as he waits to cross the road near the CCTV building during heavy smog on November 29, 2014 in Beijing, China. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Google is super-charging its translation software with artificial intelligence (AI). The Californian tech giant has announced that it is implementing its neural networking AI tech into Google Translate — with radically improved results. Simply put, neural networks are AI modelled on connections in the human brain, capable of learning and improving over time. Google has been aggressively introducing the tech into its core products in attempts to improve efficiency. It has been used for everything from reducing the power bill of the company's enormous data centres, to defeating the human world champion of ancient Chinese board game Go in a highly publicised bout. It's now being used in Google Translate, starting with Chinese-to-English translations, with plans for other language pairs in the works. The Google Neural Machine Translation system (or GMNT, as Google is catchily calling it) is reducing translation errors by between 55 and 85%, the company says. And according to its research, its translations score only just below those of human translations. Take a look at the chart below: A theoretical perfect translation scores a 6, but these basically never happen, even with human translators. But humans still translate much more effectively than traditional phrase-based translation software. GMNT manages to close the gap considerably. Google That said, it's definitely not perfect, and Google admits as much. "GNMT can still make significant errors that a human translator would never make," two research scientists for the Google Brain Team wrote in a blog post, "like dropping words and mistranslating proper names or rare terms, and translating sentences in isolation rather than considering the context of the paragraph or page." The GMNT software is live now on all Chinese-to-English translations — of which Google says it processes 18 million a day. Here's the full research:

DeepPanda still hacking

As we highlighted yesterday, Chinese state-sponsored hackers have been found to still be hacking into US corporates. Outraged editors have had a field day across most of the US popular press.Yesterday CrowdStrike, the company that found DeepPanda to still be active, attempted to calm the storm saying “we are not stating anywhere that the Chinese are violating the agreement”, pointing out that none of the twenty attacks monitored actually resulted in theft. The reality of the matter is that advanced persistent threats cannot simply be turned-off and hitting the self-destruct button might not be helpful to the bilateral accord as it would show the extent of China's infiltration: the only real hope is that the command and control centres are wound down.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/security-firm-report-china-may-already-breaking-agreement-on-hacking/

Late last month, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jingping announced that they had reached an agreement that the two countries would not conduct economic espionage or hack commercial targets. But just one day later, China-based hackers attempted to breach the network of a US technology company, according to a report published today by the security firm CrowdStrike. "Over the last three weeks, the CrowdStrike Falcon platform has detected and prevented a number of intrusions into our customers’ systems from actors we have affiliated with the Chinese government," Dimitri Alperovitch, the chief technology officer of CrowdStrike, wrote in a blog post today. "Seven of the companies are firms in the Technology or Pharmaceuticals sectors, where the primary benefit of the intrusions seems clearly aligned to facilitate theft of intellectual property and trade secrets, rather than to conduct traditional national-security related intelligence collection, which the Cyber agreement does not prohibit." The White House fact sheet on the summary of agreements made during President Xi's visit states, "The United States and China agree that neither country’s government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors." CrowdStrike investigators linked the attempted intrusions—which did not succeed—to Deep Panda, the alleged hacking group tied to the vast data breach at the Office of Personnel Management earlier this year. The Chinese government has denied ties to the group in the past. But investigators at CrowdStrike, other security companies, and within the US government believe that Deep Panda works on behalf of the Chinese government—if not with its direct instruction or blessing. Advertisement The attacks presented in CrowdStrike's report are "not an exhaustive list of all the intrusions from Chinese-government affiliated actors we have detected during this time period," Alperovitch noted, but "is limited only to commercial entities that fit squarely within the hacking prohibitions covered under the Cyber agreement. The intrusion attempts are continuing to this day, with many of the China-affiliated actors persistently attempting to regain access to victim networks even in the face of repeated failures." An unnamed White House official told The Wall Street Journal that the administration was aware of the report and would not comment on its findings, other than to note, "We have and will continue to directly raise our concerns regarding cybersecurity with the Chinese." The Chinese embassy did not respond to a request for comment. It's not clear how far the two governments have advanced implementation of the agreement, which includes the creation of a "high-level joint dialogue mechanism on fighting cyber crime and related issues." China is to designate "an official at the ministerial level" to be the lead in the joint effort from the China side and communicate directly with the US Secretary of Homeland Security and the US Attorney General. That official has not yet been named. Alperovitch acknowledged that "the fact that there is some time delay between agreement and execution is not entirely unexpected. But, we need to know the parameters for success, and whether the parties to the agreement discussed a timeframe for implementation or, instead, expected it to be immediate." He also praised the Obama administration for its efforts to curb the volume of Chinese attacks on corporate networks.

Tata subsidiary Khopoli sells stake in South African RE developer

Wholly owned Tata Power subsidiary Khopoli has sold its entire 50% stake in Cennergi Private, a joint venture with South African coal producer Exxaro Resources, to the latter firm for ZAR1,550m ($84m). Cennergi is the majority shareholder in two South African wind farms: the 14.4 MW Amakhala Emoyeni and the 95.3 MW Tsitsikamma Community project.

https://mercomindia.com/tata-power-sells-stake/

Tata Power has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Khopoli has completed the sale of the company’s entire stake in Cennergi Private Limited to Exxaro Resources Limited for ZAR 1,550 million (~$84.25 million) and normal working capital and other adjustments. Cennergi Private Limited was a 50:50 joint venture between Exxaro, a coal producer in South Africa, and Khopoli, a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power. As per the deal, Exxaro has acquired the 50% shareholding of Khopoli and will now have full ownership of Cennergi. Cennergi has two wind farms in South Africa, namely, Amakhala Emoyeni (14.4 MW with 95% shareholding) and Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm (95.3 MW with 75% shareholding). Both projects have a power purchase agreement with the state power company Eskom for 20 years. Commenting on the sale, Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Power, said, “The proceeds from such sale would be re-invested in emerging areas where there is a huge growth opportunity. The company will focus on renewable power, power distribution, and service-led businesses in India, which will bring in greater value and help us align with the emerging consumer needs.”

Commitments to AfDB's facility for energy inclusion reach $160m

The African Development Bank’s facility for energy inclusion (FEI) has reached almost $160m, following pledges from the European Commission, the Norwegian Investment Fund and German Development Bank. The FEI aims to raise $400m in total to support small-scale renewable energy and mini-grid projects in Africa, with Zimbabwean independent power producers among the firms aiming to benefit.

https://www.herald.co.zw/afdb-facility-attracts-us160m/

Business Reporter THE African Development Bank’s facility for energy inclusion aimed at supporting small-scale renewable energy projects across the continent has so far attracted close to US$160 million in commitments. The facility for energy inclusion (FEI) targets to raise US$400 million to improve access to power across Africa through small-scale renewable energy and mini-grid projects. “The African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Commission, German Development Bank KfW, the Clean Technology Fund, Norfund, and other investors have committed nearly US$160 million to the first close of the FEI,” said the regional financier in a statement. Spearheaded by AfDB, FEI serves as a financing platform to catalyse financial support for innovative energy access solutions. The bank, as the FEI’s anchor sponsor, has so far put up US$90 million in financing. The above amount includes US$20 million that the bank is providing in its capacity as the implementing agency of the clean technology fund. “After three years of hard work, we are pleased to see the second and larger piece of our energy access debt funding platform — FEI — up and running on the back of very significant commitments from our partners. “We look forward to seeing FEI catalyse financing for new energy sector business models and accelerate our efforts to electrify Africa,” AfDB’s acting vice president of power, energy, climate and green growth, Mr Wale Shonibare, was quoted as saying. In addition to the bank’s commitment, the European Commission committed €25 million to the Fund, the Norwegian Investment Fund — also known as Norfund — committed US$23 million, and German Development Bank KfW committed €25 million. FEI will also include a US$10 million Project Preparation Facility (PPF) from the Global Environment Facility that would provide reimbursable grants for transaction advisory to facilitate financial close. Executive vice president for clean energy at Norfund, Mr Mark Davis, was also quoted as saying: “Norfund is pleased to participate in this new facility, which makes debt financing available to smaller scale renewable power projects in Africa. “We anticipate that the facility will be successful in attracting private capital to this segment of the market”. KfW noted that its investment in the FEI goes a long way mobilising public equity and private debt investors to scale up the financial means available for innovative renewable energy projects like new mini-grids to electrify Africa. The FEI supports small-scale independent power producers (IPPs) delivering power to the grid, mini-grids and captive power projects. AfDB said among others, eligibility criteria to accessing resources from the FEI include the requirement to use renewable energy technology, having capital expenditure of less than US$30 million and generation capacity below 25MW. In this regard, it is hoped that IPPs from Zimbabwe stand to benefit from the FEI facility. Since 2010, the country’s energy regulator, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority has licenced over 70 IPPs, a majority of whom have failed to take off due to funding constraints with Government threatening to withdraw their licenced amid concerns that some of them could be holding onto the licences for speculative purposes.