OIL WAR
Over 140 killed in clashes for Yemen's Marib: military sources

Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 

Yemen AFP/File
NG

Dubai (AFP)

More than 140 rebels and pro-government troops have been killed this week as fighting intensifies for Yemen's strategic northern city of Marib, military and medical sources told AFP Friday.

At least 51 loyalists were killed in the past four days, most of them in clashes in the province of Shabwa and the neighbouring governorate of Marib, multiple military sources said.

They added that at least 93 Iran-backed Huthi rebels also died in the fighting and from air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition backing the government.

The Huthis rarely report casualty numbers, but figures were confirmed by medical sources.

The Huthis in February escalated their efforts to seize Marib, the government's last northern stronghold, and the fighting has killed hundreds on both sides.

Control of the oil-rich region would strengthen the Huthis' bargaining position in peace talks.

According to the military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Huthis have made advances and seized four districts -- one in Marib and three in Shabwa.

"Three districts in Shabwa have fallen in limited clashes and within hours," one official told AFP.

- Humanitarian crisis -

Yemen's conflict flared in 2014 when the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led intervention to prop up the internationally recognised government the following year.

This month marks seven years since the rebels took control of Sanaa, with some analysts saying the balance has tilted in favour of the insurgents against the coalition.

Earlier this week, Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg, the United Nations's new envoy for Yemen, was in Oman, which has played a mediating role in the Yemen conflict.

He met with Omani and Huthi officials, including top rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam.

"Sustainable peace can only be achieved through a peacefully negotiated settlement," said Grundberg, according to a statement on Tuesday.

"It is imperative that all efforts are directed towards revitalising a political process that can produce lasting solutions that meet the aspirations of Yemeni women and men."

While the UN and Washington are pushing for an end to the war, the Huthis have demanded the re-opening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any ceasefire or negotiations.

The last talks took place in Sweden in 2018, when the opposing sides agreed to a mass prisoner swap and to spare the city of Hodeida, where the port serves as the country's lifeline.

But despite agreeing to a ceasefire in Hodeida, violent clashes have since broken out between the rebels and pro-government troops around the strategic city.

Fighting across the country has killed tens of thousands and left about 80 percent of Yemenis dependent on aid, in what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

© 2021 AFP

Dozens of climate activists arrested at UK port protest

Issued on: 24/09/2021 -

The UK government has promised to get tough with the climate protesters, who have repeatedly blocked London's busy M25 orbital motorway in recent weeks 

Ben STANSALL AFP/File

London (AFP)

British police arrested 39 people Friday after dozens of climate protesters temporarily blocked access to the port of Dover, Europe's busiest ferry hub, demanding the government step up action insulating homes.

The civil disobedience demonstration is the latest by Insulate Britain, a new group whose activists have repeatedly blocked traffic on London's busy M25 orbital motorway.

Police in Kent, southeast England, said the 39 people were detained on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and obstructing a highway, after officers were alerted to people blocking roads near the port on Friday morning.

Insulate Britain said that more than 40 activists had obstructed the approaches to the eastern and western docks at Dover.

The port, which sits on the Channel coast less than 30 miles (50 kilometres) from France, handles around 17 percent of Britain's goods trade.

Traffic was brought to a standstill, but officials said the port itself remained open.

Kent police chief superintendent Simon Thompson said his officers were working with other forces, prosecutors and partner agencies "to gather evidence and ensure there are consequences for those who break the law".

Insulate Britain earlier apologised for the disruption but said it was "the only way to keep the issue of insulation on the agenda".

"We are blocking Dover this morning to highlight that fuel poverty is killing people in Dover and across the UK," a spokesperson said.

"We must tell the truth about the urgent horror of the Climate Emergency. Change at the necessary speed and scale requires economic disruption. We wish it wasn't true, but it is."

Dover, on the Channel coast in southeast England, is Europe's busiest ferry port 

JUSTIN TALLIS AFP/File

Mirroring the disruptive tactics adopted by the global Extinction Rebellion grouping in recent years, Insulate Britain has blocked motorway traffic five times since mid-September.

On Wednesday, the government won a court injunction over the M25 protests, meaning activists could be imprisoned if they block Britain's busiest motorway.

Political leaders including interior minister Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps have decried their tactics, warning they risk lives.

The protests come as Britain prepares to host the UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow in November, with hopes of firmer commitments to prevent runaway global warming.

© 2021 AFP

 

Greta Thunberg Joins Fridays for Future Rally in Berlin

2 hours ago

CC BY 4.0 / Anders Hellberg / Greta Thunberg

Thunberg's school strike inspired a series of protests against climate change around the globe, called Fridays for Future. In December 2020, she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year.

Sputnik is live from Berlin, Germany, as environmental activist Greta Thunberg is participating in a Fridays for Future youth march to call on the authorities to take political action on climate change.

To date, more than 400 events have been planned across Germany, with the Swedish activist expected to speak outside the parliament, the Bundestag.

The Fridays for Future movement is known for launching school strikes around the globe more than two years ago arguing that time was running out to stop irreversible damage from global warning.

SPUTNIK TV LIVE STREAMING

Greta Thunberg Joins Fridays for Future Rally in Berlin - 24.09.2021, Sputnik International (sputniknews.com)

Thunberg spearheads German climate protests to pressure candidates before polls

Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 1

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg attends the Global Climate Strike 

of the movement Fridays for Future in Berlin, Germany, September 24, 2021. 

© Christian Mang, Reuters
Text by: NEWS WIRES

Tens of thousands of climate activists including Greta Thunberg began descending on German cities Friday to crank up the pressure on candidates competing to succeed Angela Merkel at this weekend's general election.

As Germany's top parties hold final rallies ahead of Sunday's vote, the Fridays for Future youth marches will make the case that the political class has let down the younger generation.

"The political parties haven't taken the climate catastrophe seriously enough," Luisa Neubauer, who runs the group's German chapter, told AFP.

She said Germany, as one of the world's top emitters of greenhouse gases, had an outsize responsibility to set an example, with time running out to reverse destructive trends.

"That is why we are calling this the election of a century," she said.

The race has boiled down to a two-way contest between Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, the moderate finance minister, and Armin Laschet from Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats.

Polls give Scholz a small lead of about 26 percent over Laschet at around 22 percent, with the candidate from the ecologist Greens, Annalena Baerbock, trailing in the mid-teens.

Despite the urgency of the climate issue for a majority of Germans, particularly in the aftermath of deadly floods in western Germany in July, this has failed to translate into strong support for the relatively inexperienced Baerbock.

She told Die Welt newspaper that she hoped Friday's rally would give her party "tailwinds" heading into the vote. "The next government has to be a climate government -- that will only work with a strong Green party."

'Unfair burden'

More than 400 "climate strikes" are planned across Germany, with the Swedish Thunberg, who inspired the movement, expected to speak outside the Reichstag parliament building.

Gathering under the banners "We are young and need the world!" and "Everything for the climate", the activists will argue the "climate crisis is this century's biggest problem".

The German protests will be part of a global climate strike in more than 1,000 communities around the world, Fridays for Future said.

Their central demand is to limit the warming of the Earth to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) as laid out in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The Paris agreement set a goal of reducing global warming by two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels with an aspiration to go further and cap the rise to 1.5 Celsius.

Despite Merkel's vocal support of climate protection measures, Germany has repeatedly failed to meet its emission reduction targets under the pact.

In a landmark ruling in April, Germany's constitutional court found the government's plans to curb CO2 emissions "insufficient" to meet the targets of the Paris agreement and placed an "unfair burden" on future generations.

The Fridays for Future movement launched global school strikes more than two years ago arguing that time was running out to stop irreversible damage from the warming of the planet.

Greens as junior partner?

In September 2019, it drew huge crowds in cities and towns around the world including 1.4 million protesters in Germany, according to organisers.

"The climate crisis cannot be solved through party politics alone," Thunberg told reporters ahead of her appearance in Berlin.

"We can't just vote for change we also have to be active democratic citizens and go out on the streets and demand action."

Around 60.4 million Germans are called to the polls on Sunday and most voters cite climate protection among their top priorities.

All three leading parties have said they aim to implement a climate protection agenda if elected, with the Greens presenting the most ambitious package of measures.

However, the Fridays for Future activists have said even the Greens' official programme falls short of what is needed to stick to the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature rise.

The Greens want to end coal energy use by 2030 instead of the current 2038 and end the production of combustion engine cars the same year.

While the party is expected to fall far short of its ambition to win the election Sunday and place Baerbock in the chancellery, polls indicate it has a good chance of joining a ruling coalition as a junior partner under Scholz or Laschet.

(AFP)

Thunberg tells Germans 'no party' doing enough on climate

Issued on: 24/09/2021 -

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told cheering supporters they need to keep the pressure on Germany's politicians after the election too

 Tobias SCHWARZ AFP

Berlin (AFP)

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told thousands of demonstrators in Berlin ahead of Germany's general election on Sunday that "no political party" was doing even nearly enough to fight the climate crisis.

Speaking at a rally on Friday in front of the Reichstag parliament building, Thunberg told cheering supporters they needed to keep up the pressure on Germany's political leaders past election day.

"It is clearer than ever that no political party is doing close to enough. But it's even worse than that. Not even their proposed commitments are close to being in line with what would be needed to fulfil the Paris Agreement" on curbing climate change, she said.

"Yes, we must vote, you must vote, but remember that voting only will not be enough. We must keep going into the streets."

As Germany's top parties were set to hold final rallies, the Fridays for Future youth movement said it was holding strikes in more than 400 German cities and towns.

  

Thunberg's Fridays for Future youth movement said it was holding strikes in more than 400 German cities and towns 

Tobias SCHWARZ AFP

At the largest event in Berlin, Thunberg said the political class was failing younger generations.

"We need to become climate activists and demand real change because remember: change is now not only possible, it is also urgently necessary," she said.

"When enough people demand change, then change will come on election day."

The race has boiled down to a two-way contest between Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, the centrist finance minister, and Armin Laschet from Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats. They were set to address crowds later Friday, in Cologne and Munich respectively.

Polls give Scholz a small lead with about 26 percent over Laschet at 22 percent. The candidate from the ecologist Greens, Annalena Baerbock, trails in the mid-teens.

Thunberg stopped short of endorsing the Green party, whose programme Fridays for Future activists argue falls short of what is needed to effectively curb global warming.

© 2021 AFP

German youth returns to the streets to fight climate change

Issued on: 24/09/2021 -

Young people around the world began taking to the streets on Friday to demand urgent action to avert disastrous climate change, in their largest protest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. FRANCE 24's Emmanuele Chaze reports from the streets of Berlin, Germany.

In German election, young hunger strikers seek climate promises

Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 

Video by:Douglas HERBERT

In one of the world's most aged countries, some young people are resorting to drastic measures to voice their frustration at politicians' failure to tackle climate change. Outside Germany's parliament, a group of activists have been on hunger strike since Aug. 30, bringing their demands for more action on climate change in person to the three candidates to succeed Angela Merkel.

   

Thunberg rallies climate activists for German vote 'of a century'

Issued on: 24/09/2021 -

Tens of thousands of climate activists, including Greta Thunberg, rallied in cities across Germany Friday ahead of the weekend general election to crank up the pressure on the candidates to succeed Angela Merkel. Speaking at a rally in front of the Reichstag parliament building in the run-up to Sunday's poll, Thunberg told cheering Fridays for Future youth supporters that they needed to hold Germany's political leaders to account past election day.

Indian state hit by protests after two killed in eviction drive

Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 

Students in New Delhi took to the streets to protest the eviction

 of Muslims and police tactics in Assam state Sajjad HUSSAIN AFP

New Delhi (AFP)

Thousands staged protests in India's Assam state on Friday, a day after two people were killed when hundreds clashed with police over the state government's eviction of Muslim families from their homes.

Assam's government has faced widespread condemnation over the tactics used to eject the families, with critics pointing to them as the latest example of discrimination against Muslims under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called the police use of guns against protesters "state-sponsored fire". Police said they were attacked with machetes and bamboo sticks.

Assam's chief minister Himanta Biswas Sarma, a BJP member, said the police were only doing their duty, but halted the evictions on Friday.

Other rallies were organised by student groups, with some burning an effigy of the chief minister.

In New Delhi, a dozen students were detained by police as they too protested against the incident.

The viral video from Thursday showed police in riot gear beating a protestor who had fallen to the ground seconds after gunshots were heard.

A photographer, hired by district officials to film the evictions, jumped on the man and was seen punching the body multiple times.

The photographer has since been arrested, according to police.

Leaders of India's 170 million Muslims say they have been unfairly targeted since Modi's party came to power in 2014.

They say a controversial nationality law that sparked riots in Delhi in 2020, and hate crimes including lynchings, have all increased fear in their community.

© 2021 AFP

 LIVE FIRE CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

Palestinian killed by Israel troops in West Bank: ministry

Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 

A Palestinian protester hurls rocks from behind burning tyres as clashes break out with Israeli troops after a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank JAAFAR ASHTIYEH AFP

Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP)

A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops Friday when clashes broke out on the sidelines of a demonstration in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The victim was hit in the head by live fire, the ministry said, in the flashpoint town of Beita, scene of regular demonstrations against Israeli settlement expansion, which often degenerate into clashes.

A family member identified the dead man as Mohammed Ali Khabisa, 27.

He was taken to hospital in the northern West Bank city of Nablus where he died shortly afterwards, the ministry said.

Another eight Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets, the Palestinians' official Wafa news agency reported.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment when contacted by AFP.

Beita residents have been demonstrating since May against the wildcat Jewish settlement outpost of Eviatar set up nearby without Israeli permission.

The outpost was evacuated in early July but Israeli army troops remain stationed there while authorities deliberate on its fate.

If the settlement is approved, its founders will be allowed to take up residence more permanently.

Beita's residents have vowed to continue their campaign until the army too leaves the outpost.

Several protesters have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes with the Israeli security forces since May.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967 and all Jewish settlements in the territory are considered illegal by most of the international community.

Almost half a million people live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, alongside 2.8 million Palestinians.

© 2021 AFP

A life and death question for regulators: Is Tesla's Autopilot safe?

© Reuters/MSP FIRST DISTRICT A crashed state police car is seen in Eaton County

By Hyunjoo Jin, Mike Spector and David Shepardson

(Reuters) - Robin Geoulla had doubts about the automated driving technology equipped on his Tesla Model S when he bought the electric car in 2017.

“It was a little scary to, you know, rely on it and to just, you know, sit back and let it drive,” he told a U.S. investigator about Tesla’s Autopilot system, describing his initial feelings about the technology.

Geoulla made the comments to the investigator in January 2018, days after his Tesla, with Autopilot engaged, slammed into the back of an unoccupied fire truck parked on a California interstate highway. Reuters could not reach him for additional comment.

Over time, Geoulla's initial doubts about Autopilot softened, and he found it reliable when tracking a vehicle in front of him. But he noticed the system sometimes seemed confused when faced with direct sunlight or a vehicle in front of him changing lanes, according to a transcript of his interview with a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator.

He was driving into the sun before he rear-ended the fire truck, he told the investigator.

Autopilot’s design allowed Geoulla to disengage from driving during his trip, and his hands were off the wheel for almost the entire period of roughly 30 minutes when the technology was activated, the NTSB found.

The U.S. agency, which makes recommendations but lacks enforcement powers, has previously urged regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate Autopilot's limitations, potential for driver misuse and possible safety risks following a series of crashes involving the technology, some of them fatal.

"The past has shown the focus has been on innovation over safety and I’m hoping we’re at a point where that tide is turning," the NTSB's new chair, Jennifer Homendy, told Reuters in an interview. She said there is no comparison between Tesla's Autopilot and the more rigorous autopilot systems used in aviation that involve trained pilots, rules addressing fatigue and testing for drugs and alcohol.

Tesla did not respond to written questions for this story.

Autopilot is an advanced driver-assistance feature whose current version does not render vehicles autonomous, the company says on its website. Tesla says that drivers must agree to keep hands on the wheel and maintain control of their vehicles before enabling the system.

LIMITED VISIBILITY

Geoulla’s 2018 crash is one of 12 accidents involving Autopilot that NHTSA officials are scrutinizing as part of the agency’s farthest-reaching investigation since Tesla Inc introduced the semi-autonomous driving system in 2015.

Most of the crashes under investigation occurred after dark or in conditions creating limited visibility such as glaring sunlight, according to a NHTSA statement, NTSB documents and police reports reviewed by Reuters. That raises questions about Autopilot’s capabilities during challenging driving conditions, according to autonomous driving experts.

"NHTSA’s enforcement and defect authority is broad, and we will act when we detect an unreasonable risk to public safety," a NHTSA spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.

Since 2016, U.S. auto safety regulators have separately sent 33 special crash investigation teams to review Tesla crashes involving 11 deaths in which advanced driver assistance systems were suspected of being in use. NHTSA has ruled out Autopilot use in three of those nonfatal crashes.

The current NHTSA investigation https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-opens-formal-safety-probe-into-tesla-autopilot-crashes-2021-08-16 of Autopilot in effect reopens the question of whether the technology is safe. It represents the latest significant challenge for Elon Musk, the Tesla chief executive whose advocacy of driverless cars has helped his company become the world's most valuable automaker https://www.reuters.com/article/tesla-stocks-int/tesla-market-value-crosses-800-billion-for-the-first-time-idUSKBN29D20B.

Tesla charges customers up to $10,000 for advanced driver assistance features such as lane changing, with a promise to eventually deliver autonomous driving capability to their cars using only cameras and advanced software. Other carmakers and self-driving firms use not only cameras but more expensive hardware including radar and lidar in their current and upcoming vehicles.

Musk has said a Tesla with eight cameras will be far safer than human drivers. But the camera technology is affected by darkness and sun glare as well as inclement weather conditions such as heavy rain, snow and fog, experts and industry executives say.

"Today's computer vision is far from perfect and will be for the foreseeable future," said Raj Rajkumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

In the first known fatal U.S. crash involving Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving technology, which occurred in 2016 west of Williston, Florida, the company said both the driver and Autopilot failed to see the white side of a tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky. Instead of braking, the Tesla collided with the 18-wheel truck.

DRIVER MISUSE, FAILED BRAKING

NHTSA in January 2017 closed an investigation of Autopilot stemming from that fatal crash, finding no defect in the Autopilot performance after some contentious exchanges with Tesla officials, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

In December 2016, as part of that probe, the agency asked Tesla to provide details on the company's response to any internal safety concerns raised about Autopilot, including the potential for driver misuse or abuse, according to a special order sent by regulators to the automaker.

After a NHTSA lawyer found Tesla's initial response lacking, Tesla's then-general counsel, Todd Maron, tried again. He told regulators the request was "grossly overbroad" and that it would be impossible to catalog all concerns raised during Autopilot's development, according to correspondence reviewed by Reuters.

Nevertheless, Tesla wanted to co-operate, Maron told regulators. During Autopilot’s development, company employees or contractors had raised concerns that Tesla addressed regarding the potential for unintended or failed braking and acceleration; undesired or failed steering; and certain kinds of misuse and abuse by drivers, Maron said, without providing further details.

Maron did not respond to messages seeking comment.

It is not clear how regulators responded. One former U.S. official said Tesla generally co-operated with the probe and produced requested materials promptly. Regulators closed the investigation just before former U.S. president Donald Trump's inauguration, finding Autopilot performed as designed and that Tesla took steps to prevent it from being misused.

LEADERSHIP VACUUM IN NHTSA

NHTSA has been without a Senate-confirmed chief for nearly five years. President Joe Biden has yet to nominate anyone to run the agency.

NHTSA documents show that regulators want to know how Tesla vehicles attempt to see flashing lights on emergency vehicles, or detect the presence of fire trucks, ambulances and police cars in their path. The agency has sought similar information from 12 rival automakers as well.

"Tesla has been asked to produce and validate data as well as their interpretation of that data. NHTSA will conduct our own independent validation and analysis of all information," NHTSA told Reuters.

Musk, the electric-car pioneer, has fought hard to defend Autopilot from critics and regulators. Tesla has used Autopilot’s ability to update vehicle software over the air to outpace and sidestep the traditional vehicle-recall process.

Musk has repeatedly promoted Autopilot’s capabilities https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-autonomous-factbox/elon-musk-on-teslas-self-driving-capabilities-idUSKCN1RY0QY, sometimes in ways that critics say mislead customers into believing Teslas can drive themselves - despite warnings to the contrary in owner's manuals that tell drivers to remain engaged and outline the technology's limitations.

Musk has also continued to launch what Tesla calls beta - or unfinished - versions of a "Full Self-Driving" system via over-the-air software upgrades.

"Some manufacturers are going to do what they want to do to sell a car and it’s up the government to rein that in," the NTSB's Homendy said.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco, Mike Spector in New York and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Joseph White and Matthew Lewis)

Brazil's Gol hails deal to bring flying taxis to Sao Paulo
By Gabriel Araujo 3 days ago

© Reuters/PAULO WHITAKER FILE PHOTO: The logo of Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA is seen inside an airplane at Augusto Severo International Airport in Natal

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A fleet of electric air taxis is set to take off over Sao Paulo by 2025 after a deal between Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes and Irish lessor Avolon to buy or lease 250 of the aircraft.

Gol said on Tuesday that the VA-X4 eVTOL, manufactured by Britain's Vertical Aerospace, would boost its domestic regional offering and help it reach its 2050 carbon neutrality goal, lifting its shares in Sao Paulo.

"The VA-X4 is ideal for a city like Sao Paulo," Vertical Aerospace CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "Our eVTOLs will transform how we travel around high population density cities that are clogged with traffic."

Avolon, which has agreed to buy up to 500 of the aircraft from the British manufacturer, said it was close to reaching agreement with Asian operators for the remaining 250 jets, with deals expected within 6-12 months.

"I would fully expect us to have placed all of our initial 500 order in that time frame," Avolon Chief Commercial Officer Paul Geaney told Reuters.

"We'll be looking to Asia after Sao Paulo."

Gol said the move is part of its commercial strategy to invest in regional air transportation. The airline intends to open up new routes to "underserved domestic markets".

Preferred shares in Gol were up 3.3% at 1500 GMT to 19.48 reais, while the broader Bovespa index rose around 0.8%.

Gol said in a securities filing that a holding company owned by Gol's controlling shareholders, Grupo Comporte, will finance the transaction, without giving a figure.

The first step of the new partnership is to carry out a feasibility study, including aircraft certification and analysis of the infrastructure needed, Gol said.

Avolon, which has said it believes that flying taxis could rapidly poach passengers from planes, expects to complete the VA-X4 certification process in Brazil by 2024.

Vertical Aerospace is backed by American Airlines, which has recently announced an exclusive three-year codeshare and $200 million equity investment in Gol.

($1 = 5.3173 reais)

(Reporting by Tatiana Bautzer and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo and Conor Humphries in London; Editing by Louise Heavens, Steve Orlofsky and Alexander Smith)

Google to buy more office space in NYC as big tech swoops down on real estate


(Reuters) -Google plans to buy an office building in Manhattan for $2.1 billion, as the Alphabet Inc-owned search engine giant joins fellow technology companies in investing in prime real estate, even as hybrid work models become common.

© Reuters/ANDREW KELLY FILE PHOTO:

 A logo is seen on the New York Google offices in New York City

The deal for St. John's Terminal site in New York City, which Google currently leases, will complete in the first quarter of next year, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said in a blog post https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/increasing-googles-investment-in-new-york on Tuesday. The space is expected to open by mid-2023.

Tech giants, with billions of dollars in cash reserves, have been taking advantage of lower office building prices across cities in the United States.

Amazon.com Inc's $978 million purchase of the Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue last year and Facebook Inc's leasing of the Farley Building across from Madison Square Garden are seen as prime examples for Manhattan's real estate prospects.

Tech was the top industry for the second straight year in Manhattan leasing activity, brokerage CBRE Group Inc said in January this year.

While Big Tech is growing its footprint, others are vacating office spaces as pandemic-led remote working has prompted companies to reassess the need for real estate.

Financial firms, including JPMorgan Chase & Co, were looking to sublet big blocks of office space in Manhattan, according to media reports https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmorgan-realestate-idUSKCN2AU2KS from earlier this year.

Google's latest investment "builds upon our existing plans to invest more than $250 million this year in our New York campus presence," Porat said.

The investment comes at a time when most of its employees are working remotely and it has extended its voluntary return-to-office policy through January.

(Reporting by Akanksha Rana in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

H2
Toyota CEO: Going All-EV Could Cost Japan Millions Of Jobs
Dan Mihalascu 4 days ago

"In achieving carbon neutrality, the enemy is carbon dioxide, not internal combustion," Akio Toyoda argues.

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, who is also the chairman of Japan’s automaker association, is not happy with the Japanese government’s EV-centric push for carbon neutrality.

The executive said that going all-EV could cost Japan 5.5 million jobs and 8 million units of lost vehicle output by 2030. At a regular meeting of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) where he was joined by top execs from Honda, Yamaha, and Isuzu, Toyoda warned that the potentially overzealous green manufacturing goals pushed by Europe-inspired Japanese authorities are unsustainable.

The government aims to slash Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net carbon neutrality by 2050 by going all-EV. However, Toyota’s CEO believes the road map should take into account the reality that Japan’s economic lifeblood stems from manufacturing.

A sudden shift to EVs could undercut Japan’s industrial base, Toyoda argues, so he proposes a wider approach to carbon reduction instead.

"Japan is an export-reliant country. Thus, carbon neutrality is tantamount to an issue of employment for Japan. Some politicians are saying that we need to turn all cars into EVs or that the manufacturing industry is an outmoded one. But I don't think that is the case. To protect the jobs and lives of Japanese people, I think it is necessary to bring our future in line with our efforts so far.”

The executive noted that Japanese automakers produce about 10 million vehicles a year at home, about half of which are exported. He cited forecasts projecting that by 2030, domestic plants will still be making 8 million vehicles a year equipped with combustion engines, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

Once those vehicles are banned, automakers will take a big hit, Toyoda said, leaving companies with a tough decision: either send production of such vehicles overseas or end it entirely.

"This means that production of more than 8 million units would be lost, and the automotive industry could risk losing the majority of 5.5 million jobs. If they say internal combustion engines are the enemy, we would not be able to produce almost any vehicles.”

When it comes to offering solutions, Akio Toyoda argues that the path to carbon neutrality should be adapted to each country's conditions. More specifically, there should be more freedom on which technologies are used to get there, as long as the result is the same: an overall reduction in carbon emissions.

"In achieving carbon neutrality, the enemy is carbon dioxide, not internal combustion. To reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it is necessary to have practical and sustainable initiatives that are in line with different situations in various countries and regions."

Unsurprisingly, Toyoda says that hybrid vehicles still have significant contributions to make toward carbon neutrality, even though they are equipped with internal combustion engines. That’s because hybrids are more affordable than EVs and can penetrate markets where charging infrastructure is nonexistent.

In addition, technical improvements are making hybrids cleaner each year. At the same time, hybrids can be used as a bridge technology toward EVs and zero emissions, helping lessen the blow to jobs that make parts for engines and transmissions.

"In achieving carbon neutrality, the enemy is carbon dioxide,
not internal combustion,"