Monday, October 28, 2024

SPACE/COSMOS

Opinion - Can Jim Bridenstine rescue NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission?

Mark R. Whittington, opinion contributor
THE HILL
Sun 27 October 2024 


Ever since resigning from his post as NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine has been working as a consultant and occasional public speaker in his beloved Tulsa, Okla. He has not made a lot of news.

That all changed when NASA appointed Bridenstine to chair a Mars Sample Return strategy review team. The team will assess the various proposals to return geologic samples from Mars for study on Earth.

The Mars Sample Return mission was a NASA project to retrieve geological samples on Mars that have been collected and stored by the Mars Perseverance rover. In June 2023, as reported by Ars Technica, the costs of the mission had started to balloon from $4.4 billion to $10 billion. The Senate was not amused and capped the project at $5.3 billion on the pain of seeing the mission canceled entirely.

At the time, I suggested NASA seek help from the private sector to see if the Mars samples could be returned cheaper than estimated. The space agency went in that direction and requested proposals.

NASA let out several study contracts in June, with another added in October. The group is an eclectic one; including commercial space companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab, as well as the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among others.

Before he ascended to be head of NASA, Bridenstine’s experience ranged from service as a naval aviator, business and finally, politics. He was the first elected official to be nominated as NASA administrator, a fact that became a point of contention during his confirmation hearings.

Nevertheless, Bridenstine is considered one of the greatest heads of NASA ever to serve in that role. He got the Artemis return to the moon program started and sold it to both sides of the aisle. Bridenstine’s efforts were so successful that Artemis was one of the few Trump-era programs to have been adopted by President Biden when he assumed office.

The task of sifting through the various proposals to go to Mars, collecting samples and returning them to the Earth will be a difficult one. The mission involves a 100 million mile voyage taking at least six months, landing on a planet with one-third of Earth’s gravity and a thin atmosphere, then collecting and loading the samples and blasting off to return to Earth.

Without a close examination of the options, the casual observer night conclude that SpaceX has the better case. After all, Elon Musk has boasted that he will be able to send his enormous Starship rocket to Mars uncrewed in two years, and then with people two years after that. Even if he’s off by a few years, Starship could provide a lot of capacity for a Mars Sample Return mission.

The mandate for Bridenstine’s team is not to select an option but to evaluate all of them and report the results by the end of 2024. According to Space News, six of the proposals are end-to-end plans for the Mars Sample Return while the rest examine particular aspects of the mission such as the size of the Mars Ascent vehicle. NASA’s leadership will select the final option for the mission.

After Bridenstine finishes assessing the Mars Sample Return program what is next for him? By the time his team is finished, a new president will have been elected and will be staffing his or her new administration.

If Trump is elected, the temptation to recall Bridenstine to the colors and offer him his old job at NASA back will be overwhelming. All will depend on whether Trump makes the offer and Bridenstine accepts, neither of which is certain.

If Bridenstine becomes administrator of NASA again, his first task would be to get the Artemis program on track. The program has been beset with cost overruns and schedule slippages all too common with big NASA projects such as the International Space Station, the James Webb Space Telescope and Mars Sample Return.

Artemis remains popular, but the first cracks are appearing.

In Bloomberg Magazine, Michael Bloomberg called for the program’s cancellation and the end of any thought of human spaceflight to the moon and Mars. Someone needs to get control of Artemis, revamp it, and get it moving again. Otherwise, it may go the way of the last two post-Apollo space exploration programs.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of “Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?” as well as “The Moon, Mars and Beyond” and, most recently, “Why is America Going Back to the Moon?” He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 

Nasa spots shocking ‘green spots’ on Mars

Andrew Griffin
Mon 28 October 2024 at 4:26 pm GMT-6·1-min read


NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image, a nighttime mosaic of the Malgosa Crest abrasion patch at “Serpentine Rapids,” using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover's robotic arm (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Nasa has found shocking “green spots” on Mars.

On Earth, those spots can be a mark of the activity of microbes. Nasa cautioned that there is nothing to indicate the same is happening on Mars – but noted that it was an interesting and unexpected feature in the rock that could be an important find on the planet.

The discovery was made when the Perseverance rover scraped away at a bit of the rock on the Martian surface. The 5 centimetre patch that it left showed what Nasa called a “striking array” of colours in the rock, with white, black and green patches.

One of the biggest surprises was the dark green coloured spots that were found in the patch. They are made up of dark-toned parts with fuzzy and light-green rims around them.

On Earth, we have red rocks that are made that colour from oxidised ion, which is the colour of rust or the red in our blood. In similar rocks to those on Mars, green spots of this kind can be seen, and form when water runs through the sediment before it hardens into rock, which changes the chemical reaction and leaves behind a different, green colour chemical.

Microbes are sometimes involved in that process on Earth. But it can also happen for other reasons, including interactions between sulphur and iron that don’t need microbial life.

Nasa did not have enough space to place Perseverance’s other instruments on top of the green patches to better understand their composition. It remains a “mystery”, Nasa noted.

But the space agency will continue to look for similar and unexpected features in the Martian rock, in the hope that it can explore them and perhaps find hints of alien life.
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Current national climate plans ‘fall miles short’ of averting worst impacts – UN

Rebecca Speare-Cole, PA Sustainability Reporter
Mon 28 October 2024 


Current national climate plans “fall miles short” of what is required to avert the worst impacts of global warming, the UN has warned.

These plans – known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – would see global emissions in 2030 at a level only 2.6% lower than in 2019, according to a report from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This falls far short of the 43% reduction by 2030 called for by the global Paris Agreement, which commits countries to take action on curbing temperature rises to prevent devastating climate impacts.



Simon Stiell, executive secretary of UN Climate Change, warned that greenhouse gas pollution under this current trajectory “will guarantee a human and economic train wreck for every country, without exception”.

Governments are legally bound to submit new NDCs every five years, outlining how they plan to cut emissions over the next decade.

Countries are due to table their new proposals for 2025-2035 ahead of Cop30 in Brazil in December next year.

The UK Government climate advisers last week recommended the country commits to cutting emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels by the middle of the 2030s in its new NDC.

Under the Paris Agreement, net global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 60% by 2035 compared to 2019 levels to avert the worst impacts of warming, on the road to net zero by 2050.

Mr Stiell said the latest report “must be a turning point, ending the era of inadequacy and sparking a new age of acceleration, with much bolder new national climate plans from every country due next year.”

“The report’s findings are stark but not surprising – current national climate plans fall miles short of what’s needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy, and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country,” he said.

“As expected, with countries currently working to put together new NDCs due next year, this year’s report shows only fractional progress compared to what is expected – and urgently needed – next year.”


Mr Stiell called for “much bolder new national climate plans” that can drive stronger investment, economic growth, jobs, less pollution, better health, lower costs and other transformational benefits in every nation.

He said the new plans need to have ambitious new emissions targets, must be broken down into sectors and gases and must be credible, backed up by substantive regulations, laws, and funding to ensure goals are met and plans implemented.

The report comes ahead of countries gathering for negotiations at the UN climate conference Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, next month.

Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director, said: “As we approach the Cop29 climate conference, with floods and hurricanes devastating lives and livelihoods around the world in real time, the past, present and the future all paint a terrifying picture for the fate of humanity and should serve as a slap in the face to governments all across the world.

“Now is the moment for real leadership from the heads of the global community, and the UK Government must step up and deliver it, as promised.

“Together with ending all new oil and gas licences, the Labour Government must at least triple renewables and double home energy efficiency rates by 2030, as well as properly support workers to transition away from polluting industries. Failure is not an option.”

Patrick Galey, senior fossil fuels investigator at Global Witness, said: “As we reel from the impacts of record-breaking heat, devastating hurricanes and floods, the need for climate action could not be more obvious.

“Unfortunately we’re still seeing governments fight fire with water pistols.

“At this year’s Cop, we need to see leaders radically shift gear and push for a rapid and just phase-out of fossil fuels.”

Climate minister Kerry McCarthy said: “This report highlights why it is crucial all major emitters bring forward ambitious emission reduction targets consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

“Britain is back in the business of climate leadership because the only way to protect current generations in the UK is by making Britain a clean energy superpower, and the only way to protect our children and future generations is by leading global climate action.

“The UK will announce an ambitious target at Cop29, and we will support other countries to do the same.

“All countries must work together to protect current and future generations from climate disaster.”

Carbon cuts 'miles short' of 2030 goal: UN

Robin MILLARD
AFP
Mon 28 October 2024 

Emissions, largely from the burning of fossil fuels, have continued a relentless rise in recent years (GEORGE FREY) (GEORGE FREY/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)


Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached new record highs in 2023, the UN warned on Monday, with countries falling "miles short" of what is needed to curb devastating global warming.

Levels of the three main greenhouse gases -- heat-trapping carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide -- all increased yet again last year, said the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nation's weather and climate agency.

Emissions, largely from the burning of fossil fuels, have continued a relentless rise in recent years, even as rising temperatures unleash increasingly damaging and costly extreme weather across the globe.

A separate report by UN climate change found that barely a dent is being made in the 43 percent emissions cut needed by 2030 to avert the worst of global warming.

Action as it stands would only lead to a 2.6 percent reduction this decade from 2019 levels.

"Current national climate plans fall miles short of what's needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy, and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country," said UN climate chief Simon Stiell.

The two reports come just weeks before the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, and as nations prepare to submit updated national climate plans in early 2025.

"Bolder" plans to slash the pollution that drives warming will now have to be drawn up, Stiell said, calling for the end of "the era of inadequacy".

- 'Trainwreck' -

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to cap global warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius above average levels measured between 1850 and 1900 -- and 1.5C if possible.

But so far their actions have failed to meet that challenge.

Existing national commitments would see 51.5 billion tonnes of CO2 and its equivalent in other greenhouse gases emitted in 2030 -- levels that would "guarantee a human and economic trainwreck for every country, without exception," Stiell said.

Carbon dioxide was accumulating in the atmosphere "faster than at any time during human existence", up more than 10 percent in two decades, the WMO said. The current atmospheric CO2 level was 51 percent above that of the pre-industrial era.

As long as emissions continue, greenhouse gases will keep accumulating in the atmosphere, raising global temperatures, WMO said.

Last year temperatures on land and sea were the highest in records dating as far back as 1850, it added.

WMO chief Celeste Saulo said the world was "clearly off track" to meet the Paris Agreement goal, adding that record greenhouse gas concentrations "should set alarm bells ringing among decision-makers".

- Climate 'feedbacks' -

The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was three to five million years ago, when the temperature was 2-3C warmer and the sea level was 10 to 20 metres (65 feet) higher than now, it said.

Given how long CO2 lasts in the atmosphere, current temperature levels will continue for decades, even if emissions rapidly shrink to net zero.

Just under half of CO2 emissions remain in the atmosphere, while the rest are absorbed by the ocean and land ecosystems.

Climate change itself could soon "cause ecosystems to become larger sources of greenhouse gases", WMO deputy chief Ko Barrett warned.

"Wildfires could release more carbon emissions into the atmosphere, whilst the warmer ocean might absorb less CO2. Consequently, more CO2 could stay in the atmosphere to accelerate global warming.

"These climate feedbacks are critical concerns to human society."

In 2023, CO2 concentrations were at 420 parts per million (ppm), methane at 1,934 parts per billion, and nitrous oxide at 336 parts per billion.

CO2 accounts for about 64 percent of the warming effect on the climate.

Barret said much of the world's warming trajectory hinges on how fast the world can transition to a low fossil fuel economy.

"The question is to what degree will we see that manifest at COP29 in action," Barrett added.

tsz-np/klm/giv


UN warns carbon cuts fall ‘miles short’ of what is needed to avoid devastating global warming

Rosie Frost
Mon 28 October 2024 

UN warns carbon cuts fall ‘miles short’ of what is needed to avoid devastating global warming


Greenhouse gas levels surged to record highs in 2023, committing the planet to rising temperatures for years to come, the UN’s weather monitoring body said on Monday.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO’s) greenhouse gas bulletin, carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than at any time during human existence. Concentrations have risen by 11.4 per cent in just two decades.

The increase in CO2 in the atmosphere in 2023 was higher than that seen in 2022 though lower than the three years before that. It was the second-largest annual rise of the last decade. Large forest fires and a possible reduction in the carbon absorbed by forests combined with stubbornly high CO2 emissions from human activity fueled the increase.

The WMO says globally averaged surface concentrations of the greenhouse gasses CO2, methane and nitrous oxide all increased in 2023. CO2 concentrations reached 151 per cent of pre-industrial levels, methane 265 per cent and nitrous oxide 125 per cent.

The news comes ahead of the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan next month. WMO secretary-general Celest Saulo says it should “set alarm bells ringing” for decision-makers.

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“We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and aiming for 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“These are more than just statistics. Every part per million and every fraction of a degree temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet.”
National climate plans fall ‘far short’ of necessary emissions cuts

On Monday, the UN also published a separate report taking stock of countries’ current nationally determined contributions or NDCs.

It found that national policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions fall significantly short of what is needed to limit catastrophic global warming.

To stay within the Paris Agreement target to limit warming to 1.5C, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says emissions need to be cut by 43 per cent by 2030.

Current policies would see global emissions cut by 51.5 gigatonnes of CO2 by the end of the decade - just 2.6 per cent lower than what they were in 2019.

Current national climate plans fall miles short of what’s needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy, and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country.

As counties work on new, stronger NDCs, which are due in February next year, the report shows marginal progress has been made from last year with pledges falling far short of what is needed. It puts increasing pressure on world leaders to make ambitious progress at COP29 in Baku this November.

“The report’s findings are stark but not surprising - current national climate plans fall miles short of what’s needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy, and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country,” says Simon Stiell, UNFCCC executive secretary.

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“By contrast, much bolder new national climate plans can not only avert climate chaos - done well, they can be transformational for people and prosperity in every nation.”

Stiell added that the report’s findings should mark a “turning point”, serving as a “blunt reminder of why COP29 must stand and deliver”.

It comes after a stark warning last week from the UN Environment Programme, which said the chances of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels were "virtually zero".
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Japan to Restart Nuclear Power Plant Closest to 2011 Earthquake




Shoko Oda
Mon 28 October 2024 

(Bloomberg) -- The nuclear power plant closest to the epicenter of the massive earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011 is poised to restart, a major milestone in the country’s bid to revive its use of atomic energy.

Unit 2 at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in northeast Japan was in the process of being brought back online following maintenance when the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc more than 13 years ago. It incurred some damage, but avoided the disaster experienced at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, further south.

Tohoku Electric Power Co. will restart the unit at Onagawa on Tuesday, the company said last week. Stringent restart protocols in the wake of the Fukushima meltdown are the reason it’s been offline for so long.

Nuclear used to account for around a quarter of Japan’s electricity mix prior to the disaster, but it was at just 6% as of March 2023, according to the latest official data. As well as being closest to the Tohoku quake, Onagawa No. 2 would be the first reactor to go online in eastern Japan, making it a potential watershed in government efforts to revive the technology, despite public sensitivities.

“If Onagawa No. 2 were to restart as scheduled, it’s a big milestone,” Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Yoji Muto said at a press conference on Friday.


Stricter safety regulations were put in place after the 2011 disaster, and utilities are now responsible for conducting retrofit work at their reactors before they can be restarted. The process can take years, and delays are frequent. Local opposition can also derail restarts.

The eastern half of Japan, which includes the capital Tokyo, has suffered from sporadic power shortages due to the delays in getting the reactors back online. Keidanren, the country’s biggest business lobby, has been urging the government to speed up the nuclear revival.

Japan — along with many countries around the world — is keen on more nuclear power as it’s emissions-free and, unlike intermittent wind and solar, is a stable source of electricity. Tokyo is also courting chipmakers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., as well as energy-hungry artificial intelligence data centers.

Onagawa No. 2 will be the 13th of the country’s 33 commercially available reactors to restart following the Fukushima disaster. There are two other reactors at Onagawa, one of which is being decommissioned. The other one has yet to go through the restart approval process.


--With assistance from Hiroshi Miyazaki.

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Volkswagen's labour chief warns of mass layoffs, plant closures in Germany

Reuters
Updated Mon 28 October 2024


Workers of Europe's largest carmaker Volkswagen AG gather during a briefing, in Wolfsburg

LONDON (Reuters) -Volkswagen plans to shut at least three factories in Germany, lay off tens of thousands of staff and shrink its remaining plants in Europe's biggest economy as it plots a deeper-than-expected overhaul, the carmaker's works council head said on Monday.



Here are some statements and comments in reaction to the news:

VOLKSWAGEN BRAND CEO THOMAS SCHAEFER:


"We are not earning enough money with our cars currently. At the same time, our costs for energy, materials and personnel have continued to rise. This calculation cannot work in the long term.

"So we have to get to the root of the problem: we are not productive enough at our German sites and our factory costs are currently 25-50% higher than we had planned. This means that individual German plants are twice as expensive as the competition.

"In addition, we at Volkswagen are still processing many tasks internally that the competition has already outsourced more cost effectively. This means that we cannot continue as before. We must quickly find a joint and sustainable solution for the future of our company."

GERMAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON:

“It is well known that Volkswagen is in a difficult situation. (...) The Chancellor's position on this is clear, namely that possible wrong management decisions from the past must not be at the expense of employees. It is now a matter of preserving and securing jobs."

STIFEL ANALYST DANIEL SCHWARZ:

"The plans go far beyond market expectations. I believe this reflects a unique combination of unfavourable factors: competition in China, softening of demand in Europe, especially for BEVs (battery electric vehicles), stricter regulation.

"Of course, unions will disagree with the proposed measures. However, I find encouraging that unions seems to largely agree with the analysis that VW needs to take significant action.

"I think strikes are likely: one side asks for 7% wage increase, the other side offers >10% wage cut plus factory closures.

"It will not be easy to find a compromise. It will be interesting to see whether unions will limit strikes to VW brand factories (where it might hurt VW less) or also expand this to other brands, like Porsche, where the damage would be more significant."

MATTHIAS SCHMIDT, A EUROPEAN AUTO MARKETS ANALYST:

"There is likely a lot of room for manoeuvre here. (...) Cuts are long overdue though. (Former CEO Bernd) Pischetsrieder tried to make the company more competitive two decades ago, but the unions showed him the door.

"This time cuts are more out of necessity to remain competitive rather than become more competitive, in a European market running at 2-3 millions units below pre-COVID, alongside reduced scaling benefits from its shrinking Chinese business."

MORITZ KRONENBERGER, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AT UNION INVESTMENT, WHICH OWNS SHARES IN VOLKSWAGEN:

“The tougher planned cost-cutting measures by the Volkswagen Board of Directors illustrate the challenges the group faces in the medium term. Due to the lack of volume growth in the automotive industry, the emerging competition from China and the disadvantages in Germany as a production location, the measures are clearly unavoidable.

"The unions will likely respond to potential plant closures with strikes. There is a divergence between the interests of employees and employers here, and employees will ask themselves why such drastic measures have to be taken after the record profits in 2023.”

(Reporting by ReutersCompiled by Josephine Mason and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Susan Fenton and Tomasz Janowski)


VW labour chief sounds alarm on mass layoffs and three German plant closures

Updated Mon 28 October 2024 

By Axel Schmidt, Christoph Steitz and Christina Amann

WOLFSBURG, Germany (Reuters) - Volkswagen plans to shut at least three factories in Germany, lay off tens of thousands of staff and shrink its remaining plants in Europe's biggest economy as it plots a deeper-than-expected overhaul, the company's works council head said on Monday.

Europe's biggest carmaker has been negotiating for weeks with unions over plans to revamp its business and cut costs, including considering plant closures on home soil for the first time, in a blow to Germany's industrial prowess.

Volkswagen reiterated on Monday that restructuring was needed and said it would make concrete proposals on Wednesday.

"Management is absolutely serious about all this. This is not sabre-rattling in the collective bargaining round," Daniela Cavallo, Volkswagen's works council head, told employees at the carmaker's biggest plant, in Wolfsburg, threatening to break off talks.

"This is the plan of Germany's largest industrial group to start the sell-off in its home country of Germany," Cavallo added, not specifying which plants would be affected or how many of Volkswagen Group's roughly 300,000 staff in Germany could be laid off.

Cavallo's comments mark a major escalation of a conflict between Volkswagen's workers and the management, as the company faces severe pressure from high energy and labour costs, stiff Asian competition, weakening demand in Europe and China and a slower-than-expected electric transition.

They also heap further pressure on the German government to act to revive the economy, which looks set for a second successive year of contraction with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition searching for ways to spur growth. Scholz trails in the polls with federal elections due next year.

Volkswagen also plans to cut salaries at the brand by at least 10% and freeze pay in both 2025 and 2026, Cavallo said.

Thousands had gathered in Wolfsburg, where the company has been headquartered for nearly nine decades. Blowing horns and whistles, workers insisted not a single plant should shut.

Volkswagen said in a statement that it would make proposals for how to cut labour costs on Wednesday, when workers and management meet for the second round of wage talks and the carmaker releases third-quarter results.

"The situation is serious and the responsibility of the negotiating partners is enormous ... Without comprehensive measures to regain competitiveness, we will not be able to afford essential investments in the future," Volkswagen Group board member Gunnar Kilian said.

Thomas Schaefer, who heads the Volkswagen brand division, said German factories were not productive enough and were operating 25-50% above targeted costs, meaning some sites were twice as expensive compared to the competition.

Volkswagen shares were down more than 1% after the announcement. Shares of peer Mercedes Benz also fell. VW shares have lost 44% of their value over the past five years, compared with a drop of 12% for Renault and a gain of 22% for Stellantis.

"The plans go far beyond market expectations," said Daniel Schwarz, an analyst at Stifel. "I believe this reflects a unique combination of unfavourable factors: competition in China, softening of demand in Europe, especially for BEVs (battery-powered electric vehicles), stricter regulation."

Unions have immense clout at VW, where labour representatives hold half the seats on the supervisory board and are, in theory, legally entitled to hold strikes from Dec. 1 as a tool to further escalate the conflict.

Volkswagen's situation reflects a broader trend in the world's third-largest economy, which is seeing its dominance challenged by more nimble and cheaper rivals in key areas, including in the auto industry, its industrial backbone.

"If VW confirms its dystopian path on Wednesday, the board must expect the corresponding consequences on our part," the IG Metall union's negotiator Thorsten Groeger said, vowing fierce resistance.

Strikes, which had been threatened for the start of December, were now likely, Schwarz said.

Cavallo said Berlin needed to urgently come up with a masterplan for German industry to ensure it does not "go down the drain".

A government spokesperson said Berlin was aware of Volkswagen's difficulties and remained in close dialogue with the company and worker representatives.

"The Chancellor's position on this is clear, however, namely that possible wrong management decisions from the past must not be to the detriment of employees. The aim now is to maintain and secure jobs," the spokesperson told a regular briefing.

Scholz and his Finance Minister Christian Lindner are both hosting separate business summits on Tuesday while Economy Minister Robert Habeck last week floated a major plan to stimulate investment.

Industry data suggests there will be no upturn for automakers, said Moritz Kronenberger, a portfolio manager at Union Investment, which owns shares in Volkswagen.

"Significant cost-cutting measures must therefore be taken promptly before the ongoing underutilisation of the plants leads to negative cash flows."

It follows more bad news for German carmakers last week, with both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche vowing to step up cost-cutting measures after posting profit drops on a weakening Chinese market.

German carmakers also fear being caught in the crosshairs of a trade war between the European Union and China, with hefty EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles set to come into force this week.

"I believe that anyone who hasn't yet understood what it's all about should now really wake up," said Stefan Erhardt, an employee at another Volkswagen plant near the German city of Kassel.

"This is really about all our livelihoods for the future, about the suppliers. This is about every small baker here at this location. I have to say, I'm really a bit scared."

(Reporting by Axel Schmidt, Christina Amann, Christoph Steitz, Andrey Sychev, Rachel More; Writing by Christoph Steitz and Matthias Williams; Editing by Susan Fenton and David Evans)




Volkswagen to shut three factories, axe jobs and cut pay by 10%, says union

Deborah Cole in Berlin and Jasper Jolly
Mon 28 October 2024 

Daniela Cavallo, the chair of the General and Group Works Council at Volkswagen, speaks to workers in Wolfsburg on Monday morning.Photograph: Julian Stratenschulte/EPA


The German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in its home country, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to the company’s union.

The deeper-than-expected cuts come as the company faces weak sales and slow expansion in the electric vehicle (EV) sector amid tough competition from Chinese manufacturers.

“The board wants to close at least three factories in Germany,” the works council chief, Daniela Cavallo, told employees at VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg on Monday. Its remaining manufacturing sites will reduce capacity, she said, citing information provided by management.


As Europe’s top economy suffers a crisis in manufacturing and fears of mass unemployment, VW is aiming for a fundamental restructuring to cut costs. It had initially warned last month that it had the equivalent of two factories of extra capacity in Germany.

Redundancies are expected across the workforce, amounting to tens of thousands of jobs and whole divisions closed or sent overseas. Real-terms pay cuts could amount to as much as 18% after a two-year pay freeze, the works council said. “All German VW plants are affected by these plans,” Cavallo said. “None is safe.”

The works council said the factory in the northern city of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, which recently lost a major contract with Porsche, VW’s subsidiary, was threatened with closure. However, that could prove politically contentious as Lower Saxony’s government is Volkswagen’s second-largest shareholder, with 20% of voting rights. The state’s leader, Stephan Weil, last month said plant closures should not be under consideration.

Cavallo also raised the prospect of industrial action if VW did not back down. She said the company was “playing with the massive risk that everything will soon escalate here” and workers will “do what a workforce has to do when it fears for its existence”.

Car companies are complaining of falling demand in many key markets after interest rates rose in recent years after the historic lows of more than a decade that followed the global financial crisis. Germany’s traditional manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, have reported falling profits as Chinese sales in particular struggle.

At the same time, incumbent carmakers such as Volkswagen are having to come up with major investments needed to switch production from petrol and diesel to battery electric, while facing Chinese rivals who enjoy lower costs. Some factories had already been switched over, but slowing growth in demand for EVs has made companies less keen to make the job-saving investments.

Volkswagen employs more than 120,000 people in Germany, about half of those in Wolfsburg.

The company, which operates 10 sites in Germany under the VW brand, sent shock waves through the country in September with an announcement that it was considering the closure of factories in Germany for the first time in its history. To return to competitiveness, it said it would abolish its 30-year-old employment protection agreement as part of an attempt to save about €10bn.

Volkswagen said in a statement on Monday that its management had been in talks with labour representatives since the middle of 2023 about how to proceed, and had made clear over the summer that the “worsening economic situation required a fundamental restructuring”.

It said management would put forward “concrete proposals to lower labour costs” at upcoming salary negotiations.

Gunnar Kilian, the head of human resources on the management board, said: “The fact is, the situation is serious and the responsibility of the negotiating partners is enormous.” He confirmed unspecified factory closures and painted a dire picture of the company’s condition.

The company said the automobile market in Europe, of which its share amounts to about a quarter, had shrunk by 2 million vehicles since 2020 while costs for energy, personnel and raw materials had grown. The sector was “stagnating and will not recover in the foreseeable future”, it said.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars’ chief executive, Thomas Schäfer, said the company’s German factories had significantly higher labour costs than the industry standard.


Volkswagen mulls closing factories in Germany for the first time and cutting thousands of jobs to reduce costs

Tom Carter
Mon 28 October 2024 


Volkswagen plans to close factories in Germany for the first time, a top union official said.


The German carmaker is under intense pressure to cut costs amid sliding sales in China.


VW has struggled to compete with Chinese EV giants such as BYD that are now expanding into Europe.

Volkswagen is planning to close factories in Germany for the first time and cut tens of thousands of jobs, the automaker's top union official said.

Daniela Cavallo, head of Volkswagen's general works council, told employees that the company was mulling the closure of at least three German plants amid intense pressure to cut costs following sliding sales and profits.

Cavallo also said Volkswagen also planned to cut salaries by 10%, freeze wages for two years, and reduce the size of the company's remaining plants in Germany, where it has about 300,000 workers.

Volkswagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The plans, if enacted, are likely to trigger a bitter battle between unions and Germany's largest automaker. Unions play a close role in most companies in Europe's biggest economy, and have representatives on the board.

VW issued its second profit warning in three months in September.

The company has lost market share in China to local rivals selling cheaper EVs and hybrids, and now faces the prospect of competing with the likes of BYD as they expand into Europe.

Volkswagen is also grappling with lackluster demand in Europe. Germany-based automotive analyst Matthias Schmidt told Business Insider the company had been hit by the failure of the European car market to pick up as quickly as hoped following the pandemic.

"That is causing an over-capacity and under-utilization problem leading to the need for restructuring across European operations," said Schmidt, who added that VW's European market share was also under pressure from Tesla and Chinese automakers.

Many of Volkswagen's European rivals are also encountering similar problems as they grapple with slowing demand for EVs in Europe and rising competition abroad.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz, as well as Italian rival Stellantis, have all issued profit warnings in recent weeks, with experts telling BI that a lack of affordable options was putting consumers off EVs.

Business Insider




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Trump rally: Harris says Trump 'fixated' on division - as unrest grows over comedian's slurs

Sky News
Updated Mon 28 October 2024



Kamala Harris has warned Donald Trump is "fixated" on division - amid growing unrest over a comedian's racist jokes at a rally for the Republican presidential nominee.

Appearing at the Trump rally on Sunday, Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" and said "these Latinos, they love making babies".

He made the remarks ahead of Mr Trump himself taking the stage at New York's Madison Square Garden.


Follow live: US election latest developments

After they sparked significant criticism from Republican and Democratic politicians, officials from the Trump campaign have been scrambling to distance themselves from Hinchcliffe's remarks.

Vice president Kamala Harris, speaking on Monday outside Air Force Two, said: "I think last night, Donald Trump's event in Madison Square Garden really highlighted a point that I've been making throughout this campaign.

"He is focused and actually fixated on his grievances on himself and on dividing our country and it is not in any way something that will strengthen the American family, the American worker.

"It is nothing about what he is saying that is actually going to support the aspirations, the dreams and the ambitions of the American people.

"There's a big difference between he and I. If he were elected on day one, he's going to be sitting in the Oval Office working on his enemies list."

Maria Elvira Salazar, who represents parts of Miami for the Republicans and has participated in recent events for the Republican presidential candidate, wrote on X that she was "disgusted" by the comment.

"This rhetoric does not reflect GOP [Republican] values," she said.

"Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!"

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent and was born in New York, reacted to the comments during a live stream with Kamala Harris's running mate Tim Walz.

Eyewitness: Was Trump's rally an evocation of Nazism?

"When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico 'floating garbage', know that that's what they think about you," she said.

"It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them."

Hinchcliffe defended himself on X, accused Ms Ocasio-Cortez of having "no sense of humour" and said he loves holidaying in Puerto Rico.

Moments after Hinchcliffe made the comments, rapper Bad Bunny endorsed Ms Harris, sharing a video with the Democratic candidate saying "there's so much at stake in this election for Puerto Rican voters and for Puerto Rico".

Read more:
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Beyonce makes rare political appearance

Luis Fonsi, a Puerto Rican artist who sings the hit Despacito, wrote on Instagram "going down this racist path ain't it".

Meanwhile, Ricky Martin, the Livin' La Vida Loca singer who had previously endorsed Ms Harris, was also offended by the comment and said "that's what they think of us", on Instagram.

Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, insisted the joke did "not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign".

The row may boost the Harris campaign as it tries to bolster its support with Latino voters, among whom Mr Trump has been working to gain ground.

The Puerto Rican vote is sizeable in Pennsylvania, which is arguably the hardest-fought of the swing states in the 2024 election.

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Other speakers at the New York rally also made incendiary comments about Ms Harris, with just more than a week to go until the election.

Mr Trump's childhood friend David Rem referred to Ms Harris as "the Antichrist" and "the devil".

Businessman Grant Cardone told the crowd Ms Harris "and her pimp handlers will destroy our country".

Among the rally's other speakers were former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, Tesla and X owner Elon Musk, TV psychologist Dr Phil McGraw and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Mr Trump was introduced to the crowd by his wife, Melania, who was making a rare public appearance.

He was more than two hours late to the event.





Here Are 8 Celebrities And Leaders Who Called Out THAT Trump Rally Speaker Who Said Puerto Rico Is "A Floating Island Of Garbage"

Michaela Bramwell
Mon 28 October 2024 at 1:49 pm GMT-6·4-min read


If you watched the news this weekend, I'm sure you heard about Donald Trump's most recent rally held at Madison Square Garden, which went super-viral for how many objectively racist comments were made in a span of six hours.

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

One comment comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made about Puerto Rico sparked enormous online backlash.

Angela Weiss / Getty Images

"I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. Yeah, I think it’s called Puerto Rico," Hinchcliffe said to the crowd.



RSBN / Twitter: @Acyn

This isn't the first time the Trump campaign has insulted American citizens to their faces as a "strategy." However, to put this into context — Puerto Ricans make up about 8.9% of New York City, and this "joke" was told in New York City — meaning Republicans referred to an entire voting bloc as "garbage."

The Washington Post / Getty Images

Following the clip going viral on X, Latino celebrities took to social media to express their disgust at the comment. Singer Ricky Martin reposted the video from the rally and wrote, "This is what they think of us. Vote for Kamala Harris."


@rickymartin via IG stories / Via Instagram: @ricky_martin

Latino pop stars Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez both reposted Kamala Harris's campaign video describing her plans for Puerto Rico as president.


Kamala Harris speaks in a video with an American flag backdrop, discussing an election for Puerto Rican voters and Puerto Rico


Text:

@badbunnypr via IG / Via Instagram: @badbunnypr, @jlo via Instagram / Via Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/stories/jlo/3488421770817088251/

Singer Luis Fonsi also took to Instagram, writing: "I understand comedy; I'm a big fan of it. I love roasts, trust me, I get it, BUT...this is far from comedy. Not now, not against my island, my people. Hell nah! It's okay to have different views, and I respect those who think differently from me...but going down this racist path ain't it."





"I'm so proud to be Puertoreqquino, to be Latino! We are not okay with this constant hate. It's been abundantly clear that these people have no respect for us and yet they want our vote. Oh yeah, and I purposely wrote this in English because we're American too."@luisfonsi via IG stories / Via Instagram: @luisfonsiMore

Rapper Fat Joe reacted to the video on Instagram as well, referencing Trump's past behavior toward Puerto Ricans during Hurricane Maria. "The man threw towels at you and blocked financial aid in Hurricane Maria and you Bori's think he's your guy WAKE UP VOTE!!!! This is what he really thinks about you."


AFB Contributor / Getty Images

Conservative political commentator Geraldo Rivera weighed in as well, calling on Latino men to "have pride in yourselves and your ancestors" by voting against Trump.

Twitter: @GeraldoRivera


Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the clip while streaming live on Twitch. "Who is that jack-wad?" Walz asked. "When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico 'floating garbage,' know that that's what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them," AOC said. "I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and across the country to see this clip."

AOC via YouTube / Via youtube.com

The comedian who made the remark about Puerto Rico, Tony Hinchcliffe took to X to respond to Walz and AOC's critiques, writing: "These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his 'busy schedule' to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon."

AOC via YouTube / Twitter: @TonyHinchcliffe / Via youtube.com


Tony Hinchcliffe doubles down on racist Trump rally jokes and hits out at critics: ‘Change your tampon’

Kelly Rissman
Mon 28 October 2024 at 1:35 pm GMT-6·3-min read

Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian facing backlash after his remarks at Donald Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, is not backing away from his racist jokes.

At Trump’s campaign event in Manhattan on Sunday, he called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” amongst other offensive comments about Jewish and Black Americans.

Tim Walz was among those criticising the comments, branding the comedian a “jackwad” and recalled Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria when it hit Puerto Rico in 2017.

Tony Hinchcliffe performed a widely criticised set at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday (AP)

“Does anybody remember how [Trump] responded to [Hurricane] Maria in Puerto Rico? It was absolutely horrific,” Walz said during a Twitch livestream on Sunday. “Down there, insulting people. People in Puerto Rico are citizens, they pay taxes, they’re in the military.”

But Hinchcliffe has now defended himself on X and hit back at Walz.

“These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist,” the co-host of Kill Tony podcast said in a Sunday X post.

“I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a comedian Tim…might be time to change your tampon.”

The tampon comment refers to a name Republicans have given Walz — “Tampon Tim” — because as Minnesota governor, he signed legislation mandating public schools in the state provide menstrual products in all bathrooms.

Tim Walz discussed the routine while Twitch streaming with AOC (Twitch)

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez swiftly responded to Hinchliffe’s latest remarks: “Can’t get over this dude telling someone else to change tampons when he’s the one s****ing bricks in his Depends after realizing opening for a Trump rally and feeding red-meat racism alongside a throng of other bigots to a frothing crowd does, unironically, make you one of them.”

The New York Democrat added, speaking to Hinchcliffe directly via X: “You don’t ‘love Puerto Rico.’ You like drinking piña coladas. There’s a difference.”

Hinchcliffe has faced significant backlash in the wake of his performance and even the Trump campaign has distanced itself from them.

Then-president Donald Trump throws a paper towel roll during a visit to Guaynabo, Puerto Rico in 2017, in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane (AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement, senior Trump adviser Danielle Alvarez claimed the joke “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

Florida Senator Rick Scott wrote on X that the “joke bombed for a reason.”

“It’s not funny and it’s not true,” the senator continued. “Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit! I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”

And Florida Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar said she was “disgusted” by his Puerto Rico joke.

















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