Thousands of flights cancelled as German airport staff strike

Euronews
Fri, 17 February 2023 

Thousands of flights cancelled as German airport staff strike


Thousands of flights to and from German airports were cancelled on Friday as workers walked out to press their demands for inflation-busting pay increases.

The strikes at seven German airports, including Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg, affected almost 300,000 passengers and forced airlines to cancel more than 2,300 flights.

Christine Behle of the Verdi labour union told public broadcaster RBB-Inforadio that the failure to reach a meaningful deal with employers on pay could result in a “summer of chaos” at German airports.


The union is seeking a 10.5% increase for its members, or at least 500 euros, to make up for high inflation seen in Germany and elsewhere last year due to the knock-on effects Russia's attack on Ukraine is having on global food and energy prices.

Verdi chairman, Frank Werneke, told weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that members of the union were very motivated to stage strikes and predicted future walkouts could reach “another dimension.”

He noted that recent strikes at airports, public transport and childcare facilities could be extended to garbage removal services and hospitals.

Germany: Strikes stop almost all flights at 7 airports

Apart from Berlin's, most major German airports are affected by the strikes, including the two busiest hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. Ground staff, public sector staff and air traffic control are all participating.

A 24-hour strike at seven major German airports is halting almost all passenger flights on Friday.

Some 2,340 flights have been canceled, with roughly 295,000 passengers affected, including Romania's foreign minister trying to get to the Munich Security Conference event.

Germany's busiest two hubs in Frankfurt and Munich stopped all regular passenger flights, with the strikes also hitting airports in Bremen, Dortmund, Hamburg, Hanover and Stuttgart.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport was the largest hub spared the disruption, though it suffered a full-day warning strike late last month.

"When we look at the airport terminals this morning, it reminds us more of the worst days of coronavirus than of a warning strike," Ralph Beisel of the ADV airports' association told Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk on Friday.

Airports and airlines have questioned the extent of the industrial action and its appropriateness, while the Verdi trade union said it needed to send a "strong signal."

Beisel said the terminals were empty, with advanced warning for the strikes meaning the vast majority of affected passengers at least knew not to come to the airports.

International flights were for the most part rescheduled, domestic travelers were mainly offered replacement rail tickets.

Travelers received just over 24 hours' notice for the industrial action

Image: Arne Dedert/dpa/picture alliance

Who is on strike?

Ground personnel, air traffic controllers and public sector officials like firefighters are all on strike as part of major industrial action across multiple sectors by Germany's second-largest trade union by membership, Verdi.

As the airports are state owned, most of their direct employees class as public sector employees, including IT officials, technicians and administrators, as well as ground staff like check-in or boarding assistants, refueling truck drivers or disabled passenger assistants.

This industrial action is a change of pace from the pilots' strikes that led to repeated disruptions, particularly for the Lufthansa and Eurowings airlines, late last year.

Verdi is seeking improved pay and conditions for staff at airports in various functions, with a senior union representative saying the sector is hemorrhaging personnel even at a time when it is trying to recruit to fill gaps dating back to the serious reduction in air travel during the pandemic.

"If nothing changes on pay, then another chaotic summer awaits us all — and we must prevent that as a matter of urgency," Verdi's Christine Behle said on RBB-Inforadio early on Friday. "Many people did not just decide to switch workplaces during the pandemic, we all learnt that during last summer's chaos."

Ground staff went on strike on multiple occasions during 2022's peak travel season in Germany, most notably during July.

A combination of staff shortages and rapidly recovering demand also led to chaos and overcrowding at a host of European airports, even on days with no industrial action.

Verdi announced Friday's strike on Wednesday, saying the latest round of negotiations had brought little progress.

Medical, aid, military, and government flights still in the air

Although almost all regular passenger flights to the affected airports were halted, some other crucial services were still operating.

Medical transports, aid deliveries — for instance following the major earthquake hitting Turkey and Syria — military flights and government flights were still running as scheduled.

This was particularly important for Munich International Airport, as the 59th Munich Security Conference formally opens on Friday.

Most visiting leaders and delegates could still fly into Munich on board government planes.

However, Romania's Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu, who was scheduled to fly in on a commercial plane, would have to fly to Austria and then take a roughly four-hour car ride to Munich for the event, Romania's embassy said.

msh/fb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe joins Qataris in race to buy Manchester United

Fri, 17 February 2023 


Sir Jim Ratcliffe's firm INEOS has confirmed that it has submitted a bid for Manchester United.

It comes after the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) confirmed that he had put in his own offer for the club.

A statement from INEOS said that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS "have submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United Football Club".


It added: "We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community. We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again.

"We also recognise that football governance in this country is at a crossroads. We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership.

"We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the northwest of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League."

The billionaire, one of Britain's richest people, has never made any secret of his desire to buy the club. He supported United as a boy and is understood to remain a fan.

He also owns cycling team Ineos Grenadiers, Ligue 1 side Nice, who he took over in 2019, and FC Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss Super League club.

Manchester United's current owners, the Glazer family, had set a "soft" deadline of 10pm on Friday night.

Meanwhile in a statement, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani, who is heading the Qatari attempt "confirmed a submission for a bid for 100% of Manchester United Football Club".

The statement added: "The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and above all will seek to put fans at the heart of the football club once more."

"The bid will be 100% debt-free, via Sheikh Jassim's Nine Two Foundation which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and the wider infrastructure."

The Nine Two Foundation is a new financial entity set up to privately fund the bid.

Sheikh Jassim, whose father Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani is a former prime minister of Qatar, was educated in Britain at Sandhurst military academy, he graduated as an officer cadet and has been chairman at QIB, as well as having roles at other clubs. Born in 1982, Sheikh Jassim says he has been a lifelong Manchester United fan.

The Glazer family, who took over the club in 2005 and who are widely disliked by fans, announced in November that they would put Manchester United up for sale.

There is believed to be interest in the club from four quarters: Sir Jim; Sheikh Jassim; US-based Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who attempted to buy Chelsea; and from Saudi Arabia. The bids from Saudi Arabia and Qatar are expected to be the only ones that would not rely on borrowed money.

The Raine Group based in New York is marketing the club's sale and will be ensuring that any bids for the club are backed by solid financial foundations.

If the QIB bid is successful Manchester United would become the third Premier League club to have Gulf owners, joining Manchester City (UAE) and Newcastle (Saudi Arabia). In France, Paris St Germain are owned by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund.

Expert Q+A: why do people  MEN commit murder-suicides?

Sandra Flynn, Lecturer in Psychology and Mental Health, University of Manchester
Fri, 17 February 2023 

EvGavrilov/Shutterstock

The deaths of Epsom College Head Emma Pattison and her daughter Lettie are a possible example of the rare and tragic phenomenon of murder-suicide. Pattison’s husband is believed to have shot his wife and child before taking his own life. We asked Sandra Flynn, an expert in forensic mental health at the University of Manchester, about why people commit this horrific act and what we should understand about it.
What kind of motivation can be behind these acts?

As with other forms of murder, the motivations for murder-suicide (which academic researchers refer to as homicide-suicide) are extremely diverse. There is no simple explanation – complex psychological mechanisms underpin these acts, which are not fully understood.


Researchers have examined the motive for past cases, which have included mental health, relationship problems, alcohol and substance use, physical health problems, criminal and legal issues, job or financial difficulties and domestic violence. More recently, a review of cases found negative childhood experiences to be risk factors, as are characteristics like gender, age and financial situation.

It is important to note that these characteristics and experiences are common to many people in the general population, but incidence of murder-suicide is extremely rare. For the most part, our understanding of these cases comes from descriptive accounts.

This is limited further by the fact that the people that could explain what happened are often dead. Psychological autopsies can piece together information from surviving family members and friends and death notes, which can help us to better understand motives.

For what we do know about characteristics and motivation, there is a great deal of consistency internationally. Jealousy, revenge, mental illness, financial problems and a history of domestic abuse have all been reported as factors in murder-suicide cases around the world.
What makes family murder-suicide different from other cases?

Filicide-suicides – where a parent takes the life of their child or children as well as their own – are commonly motivated by altruistic motives. This is often driven by a desire to ease a child’s suffering, based on actual medical conditions or delusional beliefs that the child is in danger.

When a parent is experiencing suicidal thoughts, they often consider their child an extension of themselves. They may have a desire to not abandon the child, or leave them behind to face the world alone without a parent.

Other filicides are motivated by romantic jealousy, revenge and domestic violence, triggered by separation. For example, jealousy caused by knowing or suspecting a partner is attracted to someone else, or after separation, jealousy over the new family an ex-partner has formed.

These are factors often seen in filicide and familicide perpetrated by men. Mental illness is a more prominent factor in maternal filicide, but it is common in both.
What are the connections between gender and murder-suicide?

These acts are predominantly committed by men (usually white and middle class) and victims are more likely to be women and children.

One recent study examining differences between male and female perpetrators of filicide-suicide found that relationship problems and mental illness featured for both, but appear differently for men and women.

With male perpetrators, there is often a history of violence and domestic abuse with subsequent legal consequences. For women, relationship conflict and mental illness, combined with concerns around a child’s health, contribute to the incidents. Men more commonly commit familicide (spouse and child) and have several victims, including adults.

The relationship to the victim also tends to differ by gender. For example, women are less likely to kill their spouse and take their own life. They are also less likely than men to kill outside of the family, such as a mass shooting or through suicide-terrorism.
What are common misconceptions or myths that influence how people understand these cases?

There is a perception that murder-suicides are common, when in fact they are rare events. The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health reported that there are approximately 16 cases per year in England and Wales, a fraction compared to thousands of suicides.

The portrayal of murder-suicide in the media can also influence how we perceive the perpetrator. When it comes to incidents involving parents who have killed their children, mothers tend to receive more sympathetic press coverage than fathers.

These incidents are rare and there is no simple explanation for why people commit murder-suicide. Because there is limited data, we do need to be cautious about how we interpret the research and cases reported in the media. Most of all, we must always be mindful that behind the research are grieving families and communities who have experienced a devastating loss.

If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, the following services can provide you with support:

In the UK and Ireland – call Samaritans UK at 116 123.

In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.

In Australia – call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 14.

In other countries – visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Sandra Flynn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Asylum seekers ‘living in fear’ as more UK anti-migrant protests planned

Diane Taylor
Fri, 17 February 2023 

Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

The anger was palpable as hundreds of Dunstable residents filed into the town’s historic Priory church on Thursday evening.

There was a meeting to air concerns about the recent arrival of asylum seekers to a popular hotel across the road, but the subjects of the assembly were too terrified to attend and defend themselves.

They had seen a leaflet, widely distributed in the town, by far-right Patriotic Alternative activists bearing an image of asylum seekers in a dinghy. There was another showing the hotel, where they have been moved to by the Home Office, emblazoned with the slogan “You pay Migrants Stay”.


As tensions mount, Hope Not Hate, the organisation that monitors far-right activity, has flagged five anti-migrant demonstrations happening over this weekend – including one in Rotherham promoted by Britain First and Patriotic Alternative.

The Home Office and its contractors increased security inside the hotel ahead of the meeting and advised asylum seekers to stay inside. Several police vans lined up outside the church with groups of officers in hi-vis jackets patrolling the perimeter of the building and its interior.

They were out in force due to concerns there might be a repeat of the violence at disturbances in Knowsley a week ago, when hundreds of anti-migrant protesters demonstrated outside the hotel, with some throwing stones and setting a police van on fire.

It has since been reported the Home Office has imposed a curfew on the hotel for the safety of the asylum seekers, something the department declined to confirm or deny.

At a third hotel outside Leeds, blankets have been draped across windows to prevent far-right protesters from looking at the asylum seekers in the hotel.

On Thursday, the Conservative MP for South-west Bedfordshire, Andrew Selous, addressed the restive audience inside Priory church, branded the far-right leaflets as “inflammatory” and urged the 300 residents who attended the meeting to show kindness to the new arrivals.

But few seemed persuaded by his message.

One speaker said a friend had seen asylum seekers sexually harassing young girls in the town.

“I’m concerned for my children and my grandchildren,” she said.

Selous replied that he had checked these reports with police and asylum seekers had not yet moved into the area at the time of the claims.

Locals also accused the asylum seekers of taking up too many dentist appointments, taking up too much space on the pavement, using money that would otherwise be spent on free TV licences for older people and taking up places on free courses – which appear to be mainly courses teaching the asylum seekers English.

“We don’t know who they are, we don’t know where they come from. They’re not running away from anything,” said one resident.

Wesley Russell, a member of Patriotic Alternative, a far-right group, at Priory church, Dunstable. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

Patriotic Alternative activist Wesley Russell attended and launched a diatribe against asylum seekers, calling them illegal immigrants who should be forced to buy tickets back to their home countries.

“What you are saying is offensive,” said Selous.

As the anti-migrant rhetoric ramps up, the fear among asylum seekers increases in equal measure. Several told the Guardian they were too scared to go outside.

One asylum seeker at the hotel in Dunstable said: “We are in a dangerous situation. We are at risk and are scared to go outside the hotel. Everyone is in stress. Staff at the hotel said they can protect us inside but not outside. Some of my friends are planning to go to London and be homeless there because we will have more freedom and be safer than we are here.”

After listening to the meeting on a livestream feed, he said: “I can see that most of the community are not happy about us bring here. It is very hard for us to adapt to this environment.”

Local refugee NGOs report trying to provide services inside the hotel instead of at their own premises as they did previously because they feel asylum seekers could be targeted when leaving.

“I fled Syria because of fear of death in my country and now I’m living in fear here,” said one asylum seeker in the Knowsley hotel. “When the protests were happening I felt that some of the protesters were going to break into the hotel.”

Clare Moseley, the founder of the charity Care4Calais who witnessed the disturbances in Knowsley, accused the government of not doing enough to protect asylum seekers.

She said: “Not having documents makes you vulnerable and makes it difficult to stand up for yourself. Intimidating asylum seekers is an act of pure cowardice. We need a government that shows leadership and protects the vulnerable rather than empowering bullies by using damaging and divisive rhetoric.”

A government spokesperson said: “We have a legal obligation to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. All accommodation sites have security staff and we continually review the security at asylum accommodation sites with providers.

Thin blue square: video shows apparent Chinese police drill against protester


Amy Hawkins China correspondent
Fri, 17 February 2023 

Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

How many police officers does it take to neutralise a single unarmed protester? According to a video purported to be from China, it takes at least 10 highly disciplined members of law enforcement, as well as some bespoke blue banners.

In footage that emerged on Thursday, black-clad officers are shown practising a drill to surround a single person holding up a white piece of paper – an item that became the symbol of the anti-lockdown protests that rocked several major Chinese cities at the end of last year, and the demonstrations against the security laws imposed on Hong Kong in 2020.

The white papers are a nod to rampant censorship, as Chinese people cannot write slogans on protest signs without fear of arrest.



The drill appears to be taking place in a public square. Members of the public have stopped to observe as officers rush forward in pairs to surround the model protester with large blue banners, completely obscuring him from view. The banner-holders then disperse to reveal a protester held on each side by an officer, no white paper in sight.

The Guardian could not independently verify the the video, or where it was filmed. The logo on the banners matches that of mainland China’s police, and one observing officer in a blue shirt wears standard police uniform.

The video was shared on Twitter by an account called Mr Li is not your teacher, which is run by a man surnamed Li, a Chinese artist based in Italy. His account became prominent during last year’s protests after he started sharing videos and pictures from the demonstrations that were either censored on Chinese social media, or which people were afraid to post themselves because of potential repercussions from the authorities.

UK

Civil Service has ‘no automatic right to exist’, warns Cabinet Secretary

Gordon Rayner
Fri, 17 February 2023 

Simon Case - Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Civil Service has “no automatic right to exist” and must “seize the moment” to reform itself, the Cabinet Secretary has said.

Simon Case, the head of the Civil Service, said the 500,000 people who work under him must “earn and re-earn” the support and consent of the British public by working in their interest.

He reminded senior mandarins that their “marching orders” come from the Government and it is their job to “deliver on their promises”.

Mr Case has been fighting for his job in recent weeks amid claims that senior colleagues have tried to undermine him by leaking stories to the media about his handling of a number of controversies, including the Dominic Raab “bullying” saga.

He was hired by Boris Johnson to spearhead Whitehall reform – which made him unpopular with some senior staff – and has since served under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, both of whom saw him as the right man for the job.

Mr Case used a lecture at Bristol University, in his home city, to underline his determination to modernise the service.

He said: “The Civil Service is accelerating progress in critical areas. Focusing even more on outcomes, growing our skills, making better use of data … and we must do this because, like every institution, we have no automatic right to exist.

“If people see and believe that institutions are operating effectively, delivering in their interests, they’re more likely to trust them … if people feel an institution is no longer working in their interest, the relationship is at risk.”

‘Civil servants advise, politicians decide’

Civil servants, including those at the top of Whitehall departments, have been accused in recent months of failing to instigate government policy, and Mr Case told them: “Our marching orders come from the government of the day, which acts on behalf of the electorate.

“Civil servants advise, politicians decide. We answer to them day in, day out, for the advice we give and how effectively we are delivering on their promises.”

Mr Case set out five tests “to monitor how well we are earning and re-earning the support and consent of the people”, which comprised knowing who the “customers” are, staying true to the core purpose of the service, updating methods to stay relevant, managing risk proportionately and having the right people in the right places.

He cited the pandemic as an example of the Civil Service being able to react quickly to an unforeseen threat, and told his audience: “We must seize the moment and not miss the opportunity to keep applying the many lessons we learn – sometimes painfully, often successfully – from the day-to-day and the moments of crisis, to achieve lasting change.”

Mr Case defended the Civil Service and other traditional institutions by pointing out that, in totalitarian states, leaders such as Vladimir Putin “de-legitimise” institutions in order to create an “alternative and corrupting narrative”. But he said he could only give a “qualified defence” because critics “correctly call out our weaknesses”.

He delivered the lecture on Jan 25, but his comments have only just emerged. He was speaking days after it was reported that he had played an introductory role in discussions between Mr Johnson, future BBC chairman Richard Sharp and a third man, Sam Blyth, over an £800,000 home loan for the then prime minister.

UK's university and college union to pause strikes for two weeks

Fri, 17 February 2023

(Reuters) - Britain's University and College Union (UCU) said on Friday it was pausing strike action for the next two weeks across pay, working conditions and pension disputes to allow negotiations to continue.

"The strikes on Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February next week and Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 March will not go ahead," the union said in a statement.

All actions scheduled after these dates remain in place, it added.

The UCU in January announced more than 70,000 staff at 150 universities across the UK would go on strike for 18 days between February and March in disputes over pay and job conditions.

The union is demanding better pay after employers set a pay rise worth 3% following more than a decade of below-inflation pay awards.

Britain is experiencing its largest wave of strike action in decades amid a cost-of-living crisis, involving hundreds of thousands of workers from a range of professions and piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to settle the disputes, many of which involve the public sector.

UK

Change to treasure law would keep more artefacts in museums, says minister

Sam Russell, PA
Fri, 17 February 2023

A surge in the number of detectorists unearthing historical artefacts has prompted a bid to broaden the legal definition of treasure to help museums to acquire important items.

Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson said some items have been lost into private ownership, rather than displayed publicly in museums, due to the current wording of the Treasure Act 1996.

Under the current definition, an item is treasure if it is at least 300 years old and made at least in part of precious metal, like gold or silver, or part of a hoard.

This will be amended to cover exceptional finds of at least 200 years old, regardless of the type of metal they are made of.

Lord Parkinson and Sarah Harvey look at the Birrus Britannicus Roman figurine during a visit to Chelmsford Museum in Essex (Gareth Fuller/ PA)

If a coroner assesses an artefact as meeting the legal definition of treasure, it can be acquired by a museum rather than sold to the highest bidder.

Lord Parkinson said the Treasure Act has “saved around 6,000 objects which have been shared with museums, more than 220 museums around the country”.

“But, at the moment, the definition of treasure is very specific,” he said.

“An item has to be more than 300 years old, it has to be made of a precious metal or part of a hoard.

Sarah Harvey places the Birrus Britannicus Roman figurine on display

 at Chelmsford Museum in Essex (Gareth Fuller/ PA)

“We want to widen that so that other important objects don’t fall through the net.

“We’re proposing to change the law to make the definition something that is more than 200 years old, to say it can be made of any type of metal but also bringing in a new test of significance.

“So, to say if this is an item which is significant to a part of local, national or regional history, or if it’s connected with a particular individual or event, then it can be classed as treasure too and it can be shared with the public in a museum.”

He cited the Crosby Garrett Roman cavalry helmet, discovered near Penrith in Cumbria, as an example of an artefact sold to a private bidder as it did not meet the current definition of treasure.

“It was made of metal but not of precious metal so it wasn’t classed as treasure under the current definition,” he said.

“We want those sort of items to be shared.”

He said there had been a “big increase in the number of people being metal detectorists”.

“Most of the finds of treasure are by detectorists, so we’re seeing more objects being discovered and we’re seeing more examples of things that don’t currently meet the definition being lost or being at risk of being lost to the public,” said Lord Parkinson.

Lord Parkinson speaks to Sarah Harvey during a visit to Chelmsford Museum (Gareth Fuller/ PA)

“We want to make sure they can be saved for museums.

“Quite often they end up in museums very close to where they were discovered and that’s particularly important because it helps shed light on local history for people.”

Chelmsford Museum in Essex has a Roman figurine in its collection that does not meet the current definition of treasure, but was saved by another mechanism.

Lord Parkinson said the copper alloy piece, discovered in Roxwell, Essex, wears a hooded cloak known as a Birrus Britannicus that people wore in Roman Britain.

“It tells you about the weather at the time, it tells you about fashion, it tells you about the exports from Britain into the Roman Empire,” he said.

“These sorts of objects should be shared with people in museums so they can inspire future generations.”

Sarah Harvey, a curator at Chelmsford Museum, said that the Roman figurine is made of a copper alloy so it did not meet the current definition of treasure.

She said that the finder, a detectorist, was planning to sell it abroad, and the museum had to go through “quite a lot of administrative steps to keep it in this country”.

“With this new definition of treasure we won’t have to go through all of those steps, we would have first rights to acquire that sort of item,” she said.

Ms Harvey said it is not known what the figurine was used for, but it may have been a pendant or the top of a knife.

Lord Parkinson said that a statutory instrument will be laid in Parliament on Monday and, if both Houses of Parliament agree, the new definition will come in.

Analysis-Tesla's search for Mexico location shows bumps on nearshoring road

Fri, February 17, 2023 
By Daina Beth Solomon and Diego Oré

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tesla Inc's quest to build its first factory in Mexico reveals some of the shaky underpinnings of the country's rise as a nearshoring darling, with proximity to U.S. buyers weighed down by concerns over power supply and political interference.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Nuevo Leon at the U.S. border and Hidalgo in central Mexico are the two states leading the race for the coveted investment, and his foreign minister said on Friday that the electric vehicle maker led by billionaire Elon Musk was close to announcing expansion plans in Mexico.

Nuevo Leon - which recent reports suggest is now the most likely destination - boasts quick access to the United States, a skilled workforce and comfortable living for executives.

Hidalgo, just outside Mexico City, is hundreds of miles from the border yet land and labor costs are lower.

In either place, Tesla will depend on the federal government to tap in to Mexico's strained energy supply and face difficulties securing substantial power from renewable sources.

That puts the Austin, Texas-based company - and any other major investor looking to build factories in Mexico - at the mercy of political forces mostly dictated by Lopez Obrador. The nationalist leader has prioritized Mexico's state power utility, CFE, despite criticism that its fossil fuel turbines pollute and that it crowds out private enterprise.

The United States and Canada have formally entered a trade dispute over Mexico's energy policy.

Many analysts also say the federal government appears to have tried to tip the scales in Hidalgo's favor, as the state government is aligned with Lopez Obrador's MORENA party and it is near one of the administration's flagship projects, the Felipe Angeles International Airport.

"The political issues right now are very important to take into consideration and this is a perfect example," said Claudio Rodriguez, a lawyer at Holland & Knight who specializes in energy. "The Nuevo Leon/Hidalgo issue is 100% political."

Tesla and a spokesman for Lopez Obrador did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

It remains unclear exactly what Tesla's investment in Mexico will look like and what the company plans to produce in the country.

RECENT DEALS

Musk's interest in plunking a large investment into Mexico comes as the country is increasingly seen as a hotspot for nearshoring – the trend to move production closer to North American buyers and away from Asia, where supply-chain snarls during the pandemic overshadowed the region's low-cost advantage.

With its low costs and location next to the U.S. market, Mexico emerged as an attractive alternative that is gradually luring manufacturing in sectors including autos, electronics and furniture.

Many deals have landed near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon's wealthy capital, including for Tesla suppliers. Those deals include the first plant outside Asia for Taiwanese electronics company Quanta Computer and an expansion for Italian brakes maker Brembo.

In another recently announced deal, Germany's BMW will invest near $870 million in the central state of San Luis Potosi to produce high-voltage batteries and electric cars.

Foreign direct investment in Mexico rose 12% last year to reach $35.3 billion, according to preliminary data, another sign that nearshoring is building momentum, analysts say.

Across the border, in another sign of the trend, U.S. manufacturing imports from Mexico rose 7% in 2021 versus 2019, the fastest pace in a decade.

Yet Mexico's capacity for a nearshoring boom has been held back by Lopez Obrador, particularly his energy policies, analysts said. The federal government holds the keys to Mexico's electricity supply, with the ability to speed up or delay requests to connect to the grid.

Lopez Obrador has rolled back a reform under his predecessor that he argues was too generous in opening up the energy market to private capital. He has suspended self-supply power generation permits, which allowed companies to arrange their own electricity supplies, and also hampered attempts by private companies to connect their power production to the national grid.

"Imagine what it would be like if you had profitable investment policy, energy efficiency ... we would be flying at 30,000 feet and having endless investments," said Juan Francisco Torres, an attorney at Hogan Lovells. "That is not happening."

(Reporting by Diego Ore and Daina Beth Solomonin Mexico City; Additional reporting by Kylie Madry in Mexico City; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Matthew Lewis)

China launches climate prediction model for wind and solar power


 An electricity pylon is seen above a solar power plant which is under construction on a hill in Wuhu

Fri, February 17, 2023

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has launched a national wind and solar resources climate prediction model to enable provincial authorities to forecast energy demand and supply, the central government said on Friday.

The model, which provides data and graphic predictions on major variables in renewable energy supply, such as wind speed and solar radiation, as well as demand-side data such as average local temperature, was first issued on Thursday and will be released monthly, the government statement said.

China's electric grid system has faced challenges as peak demand spikes during abnormally cold or hot weather have exceeded local power supplies, leading to power outages.

This has been compounded by the country's swing toward renewable energy sources, which fluctuate depending on weather conditions. China has said it aims for renewable power to account for more than 50% of its electricity generation capacity by 2025.


In August last year, southwest China endured power cuts as scorching temperatures drove up household demand from air conditioning and low rainfall reduced output from local hydro plants.

(Reporting by Andrew Hayley; editing by Barbara Lewis)