Australia's chief scientist wants to make academic research publicly available

Aimee Chanthadavong 3 hrs ago

Australia's chief scientist Dr Cathy Foley has proposed to make academic research openly and freely available, believing it will help unlock further in-country collaboration, commercialisation, and innovation.

© Getty Images/iStockphoto

female lab technician doing research with a microscope in the lab. coronavirus

"I've been saying research is the superpower to be able to make any society … to be able to weather any changes that come across us, and we've seen our fair share in the last few years," she said, speaking during the virtual Collaborate Innovate 2021 event.

"But what we have in Australia is about AU$12 billion … in research and yet to be able to read that, we're paying … between the order of AU$400 million to probably AU$600 million a year in order to be able to see this -- and it's only able to be read by people who are either paying for a page by page or a journal article by journal article, or being able to have a subscription through their organisation.

"If we're looking at what we're trying to achieve as a country, where we want to be evidence-based in all the decisions that we make, why is it then that research is only available through these paywalls … and so I was wondering could we actually envisage a scheme where we can use the funds that are in the system already, make them available to a central implementation body that negotiates agreements to have open access of research from all publishers, leading us to access research or journals," she continued.

Foley hopes that if such a scheme were to exist, it would mean that every person based in Australia -- from individuals, industry, government, and other researchers -- would be able to access research or academic information.

In addition, Foley said she wants to see Australian-led research papers be made available to the rest of the world too, highlighting that opening up access would help build stronger relationships between the research community and other sectors.

"If you think about the importance of scientific publication and peer review, it's absolutely critical to gain that trust … this is why I think open access is really important because we need to make sure that everyone understands what information comes from and can be trusted," she said.

The proposal of open access, says Foley, is currently undergoing the final stages of prospective analysis. Foley added she has already put forward a proposal to the National Science and Technology Council, who have been "very positive and are supporting it".

You Can Watch Hundreds Of Polar Bears Migrate Through Manitoba On This Camera (VIDEO)

If you've finished binge-watching Squid Game on Netflix and are in need of something new to watch, let us introduce you to this live cam where you can check out fluffy polar bears

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© Provided by Narcity Canada Edition (EN) 9 hrs ago

The Polar Bear Cams from Polar Bears International (PBI) will track hundreds of the majestic white creatures as they migrate across Churchill, Manitoba, and you can already see a few of them hanging out and generally relaxing.



Video player from: YouTube (Privacy Policy, Terms)Polar Bear Tundra Buggy powered by EXPLORE.org www.youtube.com

According to PBI, at this time of the year, the bears gather in that area to wait for the water to freeze so they can resume hunting seals after their summer fast.

Because they're typically solitary creatures, PBI says that the bears only gather in Churchill for a short period of time, so you'll want to keep an eye on the cam to spot them while you can.

The Polar Bear Cams are part of the company's Polar Bear Week initiative that runs from October 31 to November 6.

"This year, we're launching a campaign to fund the development of Bear-dar 'Detect and Protect' systems to alert communities of approaching bear," PBI said of the initiative. "The goal is to reduce conflict between polar bears and people—keeping both from harm."

Sudan's key Red Sea ports coveted by regional powers

From Washington to Moscow, Tehran to Ankara, Sudan's strategic Red Sea ports, blockaded for a month by protesters, have long been eyed by global powers far beyond Africa's borders.

© Ashraf SHAZLY Ahmed Abdelaziz, professor at Port Sudan University, said Sudan's Red Sea islands were 'vulnerable to illicit activities'

Blessed with natural resources such as gold and rich in maritime biodiversity, the picturesque region of white sands and mangroves stretches some 714 kilometres (444 miles) -- from Sudan's borders with Egypt in the north to Eritrea in the south.

© Ashraf SHAZLY Suakin is one of many Red Sea islands held by Sudan which analysts see as 'integral to the country's national security'

"Sudan's Red Sea ports are a trade hub for neighbouring landlocked countries like Chad, Ethiopia and central Africa," Ahmed Mahgoub, head of Port Sudan's southern terminal, told AFP

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© ASHRAF SHAZLY Members of the Beja ethnic group of eastern Sudan wave the flag of the Beja Congress political group as they demonstrate outside the Osman Digna port

But traffic through Sudan's main maritime nerve centre Port Sudan has been paralysed since anti-government protests broke out in mid-September amid disenchantment with the region's political and economic marginalisation.

So since October much of the trade has been re-routed via other regional ports, mostly in Egypt.

The protests are just the latest chapter in decades of intense tribal and factional infighting driven in part by Sudan's shifting political alliances under ousted president Omar al-Bashir.

He was deposed in April 2019 after mass protests against his three-decade iron-fisted rule.

Demonstrators say they oppose an October 2020 peace deal between Sudan's post-Bashir transitional government and rebel groups as "it does not represent" them.

- Militarily strategic -

The protests in the east have also triggered unrest in the capital Khartoum, where pro-military demonstrations erupted on Saturday demanding the dissolution of the embattled transitional government.

But for foreign powers who covet Sudan's Red Sea coast, the region has strategic military dimensions.

It hosted Iranian fleets for decades under Bashir, to the dismay of Tehran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, whose Red Sea port of Jeddah lies opposite Port Sudan on the other side of the waterway.

© Ashraf SHAZLY A man carries coral on the island of Suakin in eastern Sudan

And in 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bashir negotiated the building of a naval base in Port Sudan, to be staffed by up to 300 military and civilian personnel and to include nuclear-powered vessels.

That same year Bashir also signed a 99-year lease for the island of Suakin with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a move that angered Egypt and other rival Sunni Muslim powerhouses worried about Ankara's spreading regional influence.

© Ashraf SHAZLY Sudan's Red Sea islands could be used as observation outposts or for conducting military manoeuvres, one expert said

The deal provides for building maintenance, docks for ships and renovating Ottoman-era edifices on the island.

Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II is said to have dubbed Suakin the "white city" as it is home to spectacular buildings made of porous coralline limestone quarried from coral reef.

Suakin is one of many Red Sea islands held by Sudan which analysts see as "integral to the country's national security".

The islands cover a total area of 23,100 square kilometres (8,9100 square miles), equivalent to the size of Djibouti, said Shaimaa Abdelsameea, a professor at the Red Sea University.

- 'Race for control' -

These islands could be used as observation outposts or for conducting military manoeuvres, she noted.

"They are however all uninhabited, making them vulnerable to illicit activities including smuggling," said Ahmed Abdelaziz, a professor at Port Sudan University.

Sudan had sought to cement its ties with Russia under Bashir to offset the crippling sanctions imposed by Washington against his autocratic regime.

And last year, Moscow announced the signing of a 25-year agreement with Khartoum to build and operate the base in Port Sudan.

However in June, Sudan said it was still "reviewing" the deal after it found that some clauses were "somewhat harmful".

The move came as Khartoum pushed to solidify ties with the United States following Bashir's ouster.

In December, Washington removed Khartoum from its crippling State Sponsors of Terrorism list, a designation that had long strangled Sudan's economy.

The lifting of sanctions took place after a meeting between former US president Donald Trump and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Senior US military officials have since visited Sudan.

"The Red Sea is a key waterway for the movement of American fleets," according to Abdelsameea.

"It links the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and the Fifth in the Arabian Gulf," she said.

"So the race for control over Sudanese ports is very natural."

ab-mz/ff/jkb

#ECOCIDE
3M to pay $99 mn to settle dispute over harmful chemicals
AFP

The US group 3M, which among other things manufactures anti-Covid protective face masks, said Tuesday it will pay $99 million to settle complaints related to health and the environment

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© JUSTIN SULLIVAN 3M will pay $99 million to settle complaints related to health and the environment

"3M has reached a collaborative agreement to resolve ongoing litigation and negotiations related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) near 3M's Decatur, Alabama facility," the company said in a statement.

Lawsuits had been filed against 3M in three US states - Alabama, Illinois and Minnesota - as well as in Germany and Belgium, charging that its products contain potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS which are present in wide variety of products such as Teflon, paints, packaging or textiles.

The agreement was signed with the city of Decatur, Morgan County, plaintiffs from Saint John, and the Tennessee Riverkeeper organization, said the manufacturer of post-it notes, adhesive tape and Covid face masks.

"Through these agreements, subject to final approval, 3M will support activities to address PFAS that 3M manufactured or disposed of, as well as to enhance the quality of life for Decatur residents," the group said.

3M said in April 2019 that it had set aside $548 million to settle the dispute, as well as another dealing with complaints against its coal mines in Kentucky and West Virginia.

jul/mav/jh/caw

Climate change: The world is banking on giant carbon-sucking fans to clean our mess. But can they save the planet?

By Ivana Kottasová, CNN Video and Photos by Temujin Doran, CNN Design by Carlotta Dotto, CNN

 

The windswept valleys surrounding the Hengill volcano in southwestern Iceland are dotted with hot springs and steam vents. Hikers from all over the world come here to witness its breath-taking scenery. Even the sheep are photogenic in the soft Nordic light.

© Temujin Doran/CNN Climework's Orca project at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland opened last month.

Right in the middle of all that natural beauty sits a towering metal structure resembling four giant Lego bricks, with two rows of six whirring fans running across each one. It's a contraption that looks truly futuristic, like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

Humans have emitted so much carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere that machines like this are being used to literally suck the gas back out, like giant vacuum cleaners, in an attempt to slow the climate crisis and prevent some of its most devastating consequences.

The Orca plant — its name derived from the Icelandic word for energy — is what is known as a "direct air carbon capture facility," and its creators and operators, Swiss firm Climeworks and Icelandic company Carbfix, say it's the world's largest.

The aim of Orca is to help the world reach net zero emissions — where we remove as much greenhouse gas from the atmosphere as we emit. Scientists say that simply cutting back on our use of fossil fuels won't be enough to avert catastrophe; we need to also clean up some of the mess we've been making for hundreds of years.

© Temujin Doran/CNN Dr. Edda Aradóttir is a chemical and reservoir engineer and the CEO of Carbfix.

Orca is a depressing symbol of just how bad things have become, but equally, it could be the tech that helps humanity claw its way out of the crisis.

"We, as humans, have disturbed the balance of the natural carbon cycle. So it's our job to restore the balance," said Edda Aradóttir, a chemical engineer and the CEO of Carbfix. "We are assisting the natural carbon cycle to find its previous balance, so for me, at least, this makes total sense — but we have to use it wisely," she said.

It opened last month and currently removes about 10 metric tons of CO2 every day, which is roughly the the same amount of carbon emitted by 800 cars a day in the US. It's also about the same amount of carbon 500 trees could soak up in a year.

It's a fine start, but in the grand scheme of things, its impact so far is miniscule. Humans emit around 35 billion tons of greenhouse gas a year through the cars we drive and flights we take, the power we use to heat our homes and the food — in particular the meat — that we eat, among other activities.

All this CO2 accumulates in the in the air, where it acts like the glass of a greenhouse, trapping more heat in the atmosphere than Earth has evolved to tolerate.

That's where the technology used for Orca, called carbon capture and storage (CCS), comes in.

"Carbon capture and storage is not going to be the solution to climate change," Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir, a Carbfix geologist, told CNN.

"But it is a solution. And it's one of the many solutions that we need to implement to be able to achieve this big goal that we have to reach."

She added: "First and foremost, we have to stop emitting CO2 and we have to stop burning fossil fuels, the main source of CO2 emissions to our atmosphere."

How the 'magic' happens

The Orca machines use chemical filters to capture the heat-trapping gas. The "fans," or metal collectors, suck in the surrounding air and filter out the CO2 so it can be stored.

Carbon dioxide's concentration in Earth's atmosphere has likely not been this high at any other point in the last 3 million years, according to NASA scientists. But at levels over 410 parts per million, to actually capture a meaningful amount of CO2, a huge amount of air needs to pass through these machines.

"What is happening is that CO2 in the air is an acid molecule and inside the collectors we have alkaline. Acids and alkaline neutralize each other," Climeworks co-CEO Christoph Gebald told CNN. "That's the magic that happens."

In two to four hours, the surface of the filter is almost completely saturated with CO2 molecules — as if there are "no parking slots left," as Gebald puts it.

"Then we stop the airflow and we heat the internal structure to roughly 100 degrees Celsius, and at that temperature, the CO2 molecules are released again from the surface, they jump off back to the gas phase and we suck it out."

Because of the high temperature that is needed for the process, the Orca plant requires a lot of energy. That's a problem that's easily solved in Iceland, where green geothermal power is abundant. But it could become a challenge to scale globally.

The machines at Orca are just one way to remove CO2 from the air. Other methods involve capturing the gas at source — like the chimney of a cement factory — or removing it from the fuel before combustion. That involves exposing the fuel, such as coal or natural gas, to oxygen or steam under high temperature and pressure to convert it into a mixture of hydrogen and CO2. The hydrogen is then separated and can be burned with much lower carbon emissions. However, methane emissions could be a problem when the process is used on natural gas.

The carbon that comes out of CCS can be used for other purposes, for example to make objects out of plastic instead of using oil, or in the food industry, which uses CO2 to put the fizz in drinks. But the amount that needs to be captured vastly exceeds the world's demand for CO2 in other places, which means the majority of it will need to be "stored."

At Orca, this happens just a few hundred meters away from its vacuum in several igloo-like structures where the gas is mixed with water and injected around 800 meters underground. There, the CO2 reacts with sponge-like volcanic rocks and mineralizes, while the water flows away.

Emissions crisis

The latest state-of-the-science report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) showed that the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half over the next decade and achieve net zero by 2050 to have any chance of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The higher temperatures rise beyond 1.5 degrees, the more the world will experience an increase in extreme weather events — both in strength and frequency — like droughts, hurricanes, floods and heatwaves.

CCS technology sounds like the perfect solution, but it remains highly controversial, and not just because of the amount of energy it needs. Its critics say the world should be aiming for zero emissions, not net zero.

But scientific consensus is pretty clear: some level of carbon capture will soon become necessary. The IPCC estimated that even if emissions decline dramatically, to keep temperature increases below 2 degrees will require the removal of between 10 billion and 20 billion tonnes of CO2 every year until 2100.

"I don't think carbon capture is a silver bullet, because there is no silver bullet," said Nadine Mustafa, a researcher that specializes in carbon capture at the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and is not involved with Orca.

"It's not that we are going to fix everything by using renewables, or that we're going to use carbon capture and storage and we're going to fix everything with that. We're going to need everything, especially because we're already behind on our goals."

The oil and gas link

Opponents of CCS argue the technology is simply another way for the fossil fuel industry to delay its inevitable demise.

While they are not involved in the Orca plant, fossil fuel giants dominate the sector. According to a database complied by the Global CCS Institute, a pro-CCS think tank, an overwhelming majority of the world's 89 CCS projects that are currently in operation, being built or in advanced stages of development are operated by oil, gas and coal companies.

Oil companies have had and used the technology to capture carbon for decades, but they haven't exactly done it to reduce emissions — ironically, their motivation has been to extract even more oil. That's because the CO2 they remove can be re-injected into oil fields that are nearly depleted, and help squeeze out 30-60% more oil than with normal methods. The process is known as "enhanced oil recovery" and it is one of the main reasons why CCS remains controversial.

Fossil fuel companies are also investing in the newer carbon capture tech that removes CO2 from the air — like Orca's machines do — so they can argue they are "offsetting" the emissions that they can't capture in their usual processes. It's one way to delay fossil fuels' inevitable demise as the world transitions to renewable energy sources.

There is another way to look at it.

Fossil fuel companies have the big bucks to invest in this expensive tech, and considering fossil fuels are by far the main driver of climate change, it can be argued that they have a responsibility to foot the bill for what could be the biggest environmental disaster clean-up in human history.

The global fossil fuel industry is worth trillions of dollars. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, publicly listed fossil fuel companies raked in $250 billion in profits, according to data compiled for CNN by Refinitiv. That figure doesn't include Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil company, which was not publicly listed until December 2019. On its own, the company made $88 billion that year.

"This is a group who could transition to providing this service to society at large," said Graeme Sweeney, chairman of the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP), which is one of the more powerful advocates for CCS in Europe. The group acts as an advisor to the European Commission, from which it also receives part of its funding, and comprises research groups, the European Trade Union Confederation, as well as many of the world's biggest oil companies, including Shell, Total, Equinor, ExxonMobil and BP.

The way Sweeney sees it, providing this tech could even be a chance for the fossil fuel industry to begin to atone for the climate crisis.

"It would be, in a sense, odd, if that was not the contribution that they made," said Sweeney, who previously worked for Shell for three decades.

Asked whether CCS should be used to allow more fossil fuel production in the future — something climate activists worry about — Sweeney said: "If we regulate this appropriately, then it will produce an outcome which is compatible with net zero in 2050 ... what's the problem?"

One remaining risk in this technology is the impact that storing the carbon may have on the Earth, or at least its immediate environment. In its special report on carbon capture and storage, the IPCC said that by far the biggest risk comes from potential leaks. A sudden and large release of CO2 would be extremely dangerous. In the air, a CO2 concentration of around 10% is deadly, but even much lower levels can cause health issues.

It's a massive risk to take.

But the idea of using deep sea storage is not new and it has been used for some time. At Sleipner, a gas field in Norway, CO2 has been injected underground since 1996. The site has been monitored closely, and apart from some issues during the first year, it has not shown any problems in its 25 years running.

Snæbjörnsdóttir, who heads the CO2 mineral storage at Carbfix for Orca, said the mineralization process they use in Iceland eliminates the risk of leaks. And the basalt — which is volcanic rock — around the plant makes for an ideal geological storage.

"These rocks are very permeable, so they are kind of like a sponge, and you have a lot of fractures for the CO2-charged fluid to flow through, so it mineralizes quite rapidly," Snæbjörnsdóttir said.

Standing next to the injection site, Snæbjörnsdóttir grabbed a piece of crystallized calcium carbonate, known here as the Icelandic spar, and held it against the sunlight. "This is nature's way of turning CO2 into stone, in its most beautiful way," she said as tiny reflections of light from the rock danced on the walls around her.

"Once you have mineralized the CO2, it stays there forever."

Canadian National Railway CEO to retire following investor pressure


By Amruta Khandekar and Praveen Paramasivam
© Reuters/Christinne Muschi
A Canadian National Railway train travels westward on a track in Montreal

(Reuters) -Canadian National Railway (CN) said on Tuesday Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Ruest will retire at the end of January, following investor demands for his exit after the railroad operator's failed bid for Kansas City Southern.

TCI Fund Management, which owns 5% of CN, in August pitched former Union Pacific executive Jim Vena for the top job and on Tuesday urged Canada's largest railroad operator to secure his leadership.

"Dismissing the same CEO that the Board put in place just three short years ago is a good start, but it does not address the fundamental problem of a lack of leadership," TCI Founder Chris Hohn said. The hedge fund had earlier cited the company's "ill-conceived" efforts to pursue the Kansas City merger for demanding Ruest's ouster.

Last month, CN lost a bidding war to create the first direct railway linking Canada, the United States and Mexico as rival Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd signed a $27.2 billion deal to buy Kansas City.

CN has now set up a committee to look for a new CEO both within and outside the company.

"(The board) is not on the clock. It doesn't mean that they will go slow," Ruest said in an earnings call, adding that he would leave it to the board to engage with TCI.

Ruest had deferred discussions on his retirement plans in order to see the company through the merger, it said, and he could helm CN until it names a replacement.

In the third quarter ended Sept. 30, adjusted profit rose 9.5% on a surge in petroleum and chemicals shipments. But its operating ratio, a key profitability metric for investors, worsened to 62.7% from 59.9% a year earlier.

($1 = 1.2365 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram, Amruta Khandekar and Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)

CN's chief executive to retire, rail's Q3 profit
surges to $1.69B with KCS break fee


Canadian National Railway Co.'s embattled CEO is retiring in the new year, the railway says as it reported a big jump in third-quarter profits thanks in part to a $770-million after-tax break fee it received after walking away from a takeover bid for Kansas City Southern railway.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Montreal-based company says Jean-Jacques Ruest will leave at the end of January or when a successor has been appointed. Ruest has been a target for replacement by activist shareholder TCI Fund Management Ltd.

"I am not going anywhere and I will deliver with the team here today around me on the fourth-quarter results and to be sure that we have a successful setup to the 2022 business plan," he told analysts in a conference call after markets closed.

Railway chairman Robert Pace said Ruest had deferred his retirement due to the KCS transaction and introduction of its strategic plan.

TCI has proposed former CN chief operating officer Jim Vena but Ruest said a search committee will consider a wide variety of candidates both inside the railway and elsewhere.

"We know there is some candidate out there, at least one, but I think the world is bigger than that. And before the board makes a decision, we want to be very, very thorough."

CN said it earned $1.685 billion or $2.37 per diluted share for the three months ended Sept. 30, up from $1.38 per share or $985 million a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items such as the break fee, adjusted earnings increased 9.5 per cent to $1.08 billion or $1.52 per share, up from $985 million or $1.38 per share in the third quarter of 2020.

Revenues increased 5.3 per cent to $3.59 billion, up from $3.41 billion.

CN was expected to report $1.44 per diluted share in adjusted profits on $3.54 billion of revenues, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.

CN said its operating ratio, a key measure of railroad efficiency where a smaller number is better, increased 2.8 points to 62.7 per cent due to the impact of fires in Western Canada and other factors, while the adjusted ratio improved to 59.0 per cent.

The railway is "making progress on executing our strategic plan," Ruest said. "This includes delivering immediate shareholder value while maintaining our long-term commitment to safety, customer service and sustainable value creation."

CN said it has already achieved 75 per cent of the promised jobs cuts of more than 1,000. Nearly 600 are management workers and 190 unionize with most taking place in Canada. It has also reduced the use of consultants.

The railway expects all parts of its business will grow in 2022 except for grain as it anticipates a 10 per cent increase in adjusted earnings per share in 2021 above $5.30 in 2020.

The results came a day after TCI made its case for replacing four directors and Ruest in a bid to improve the railway's financial performance. A special shareholder meeting is set for March 22.

TCI is unhappy with CN's bid to acquire KCS, saying it is among some questionable decisions made by the railway. It launched its efforts in response to CN's US$33.6-billion takeover bid for Kansas City Southern.

CN netted the break fee when KCS determined CP's bid was superior after the U.S. railway regulator rejected its request for a voting trust.

Ruest rejected suggestions that his departure moves the railway closer to what TCI has been demanding.

"I think it's maybe the other way around, it's maybe TCI is getting closer to what CN's long-term strategy is," he said.

Ruest said CN's strategy is to position the company for the future and is looking for a leader focused on growth and having a diverse workforce.

Referring to an adage by hockey great Wayne Gretzky, he said CN wants to be where the puck will be next, not where it was in 2010 or 2015.

"When you look for a CEO in early 2022, you want to have somebody who can actually get the company the way it needs to be in 2025."

In a news release, TCI founder and portfolio manager Chris Hohn said a CEO change doesn't go far enough.

"Dismissing the same CEO that the Board put in place just three short years ago is a good start, but it does not address the fundamental problem of a lack of leadership, failed strategic oversight, and the vacuum of operational expertise at the Board level," he said.

"Putting a new plan out a month ago without having the CEO needed to implement it is a massive corporate governance failure and puts the future of the Company at risk. The good news is TCI has a clear plan and the right people available now to fix that."

Analyst Cameron Doerksen of National Bank Financial says TCI's written submission to shareholders was short on specifics about proposed changes to improve CN's financial and operational performance.

He said CN management has two quarters before the March shareholder meeting to show progress toward its financial targets.

The often bitter proxy battle has seen each side accuse the other of making inaccurate and misleading statements.

TCI has denied CN's claim that it is in a conflict of interest by being the largest shareholder of rival Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. in addition to being the second-largest CN investor.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)

Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press

Xpeng-backed flying car startup raises $500 million



BEIJING (Reuters) - HT Aero, a flying car startup backed by Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc, said on Tuesday it has raised over $500 million in its latest funding round.

© Reuters/Mike Segar FILE PHOTO: An XPeng Inc. P7 performance electric vehicle outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ahead of the Chinese company's IPO in New York

The startup, founded in 2013 and previously called Xpeng Heitech, raised the new money from IDG Capital, 5Y Capital, Xpeng and others in this funding round, it said in a statement.

HT Aero said it would use the funding to develop technologies and expand its workforce. It aims to deliver a flying car model, which will be able to drive on road, to customers in 2024.

HT Aero did not disclose its valuation after the funding round.

Companies from start-ups to global carmakers are racing to develop commercial flying "robo-taxis", hoping to cash in on a market Morgan Stanley says could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040.

Other automakers that are developing flying cars in China include Geely's Terrafugia, which is building a factory in central city of Wuhan. Volkswagen AG is also studying the industry in China.

Regulators in China, however, have yet to detail rules on flying vehicles.

Parliament imposes mandatory vaccination rule on most MPs
CBC/Radio-Canada 

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© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

 The vast majority of returning MPs are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though the status of some Conservative MPs has not been made public.

Most members of Parliament — and anyone else entering the House of Commons — will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when Parliament returns on Nov. 22.

The Board of Internal Economy, Parliament's governing body responsible for administrative rules, announced the requirement today.

"This requirement will apply to any person who wishes to enter the House of Commons Precinct, including members and their staff, political research office employees, administration employees, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, parliamentary business visitors, contractors and consultants," says a statement from the board.

The statement goes on to say that those with a valid medical reason for avoiding vaccination "will have the option of providing proof of a recent negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test result."

Liberal MP Anthony Rota is chair of the Board of Internal Economy. The board is made up of nine MPs representing each party elected to Parliament, except the Greens.

Parliament will consider an individual fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose of a vaccine approved by Health Canada.

The mandatory vaccination policy is in addition to the preventative measures already in place in Parliament, including mandatory masking and the closure of the grounds to the public.

Both the Liberals and NDP required that their candidates be vaccinated during the election campaign, though they did not extend that requirement to staff members. The Bloc Québécois said during the campaign that all of its candidates were vaccinated.

The Conservatives have not released similar vaccination statistics, but the party told CBC News in September that Conservative MPs will follow all public health directives.

Parliament is set to resume on Nov. 22, slightly more than two months after election day.

The office of Pablo Rodriguez, the government house leader, indicated that Parliament may resume under the hybrid model that was used for much of the pandemic, which allows some MPs to attend virtually.

"We believe the hybrid House of Commons worked well earlier this year. We are supportive of continuing to have hybrid sittings of the House and continuing to make use of technology to ensure that Parliament continues to work well for all Canadians," said Rodriguez's spokesperson Simon Ross.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet called for the end of the hybrid system shortly after the election, saying that any unvaccinated MPs should stay home.

Alyssa Milano Arrested During Voting Rights Protest Outside White House

Brent Furdyk 9 hrs ago


Alyssa Milano was one of several protesters arrested on Tuesday while demonstrating for voting rights outside the White House in Washington, DC.

© Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images 

Actress and People For the American Way board member Alyssa Milano attends the "No More Excuses: Voting Rights Now" rally held in front of The White House on Oct. 19, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Milano announced her arrest via Twitter, writing that she "was just arrested for demanding the Biden Administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting rights."

The protest was organized by People for the American Way, on which Milano is a board member; the organization was founded in the 1970s by legendary TV producer Norman Lear.

RELATED: Alyssa Milano Confirms She Is Considering A Run For U.S. Congress

The protesters urged the U.S. Senate to end the archaic filibuster, which has allowed the Republican minority to thwart efforts to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would provide legislation to make voting easier throughout the U.S. even as Republican-run states are enacting legislation making voting more difficult at the state level.

According to Deadline, prior to being arrested, Milano and her fellow protesters were warned by a U.S. Park Police officers they were violating a District of Columbia misdemeanor law prohibiting "crowding or obstructing streets or sidewalks."

The former "Who's the Boss?" star is at the nation's capitol to testify before Congress on Thursday to support passing of the Equal Rights Amendment, which was originally set to be ratified in the 1970s but has languished in Congress for decades.

People for the American Way president Ben Jealous also shared video of his arrest on Twitter.

ACLU sues Oklahoma over law prohibiting critical race theory topics from being taught in schools

By Madeline Holcombe, CNN 5 hrs ago

A group of students and educators has filed a complaint challenging an Oklahoma law that restricts teaching about race and gender, in what the American Civil Liberties Union calls the first federal lawsuit to challenge such a statewide ban.

© Adobe Stock The state flag flies at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City in 2018.

The suit -- backed by the ACLU, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Oklahoma state conference of the NAACP and the American Indian Movement (AIM) Indian Territory -- seeks to block enforcement of the law it says inhibits free speech and education of complete history through the framework of critical race theory.

The concept has ignited controversy in recent months, and at least two dozen states have taken steps to ban topics surrounding critical race theory from being taught in schools.

Oklahoma's HB 1775, which does not include the term "critical race theory," is intended to stop discrimination, according to the bill. If any educator makes part of their curriculum teachings that "an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex" or that "an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously," they could be suspended or have their license removed, according to the law.

When the law went into effect in July, according to the lawsuit, its vague terms left many educators to err on the side of caution, striking Black and female authors from their reading lists "while leaving in place texts by White and male authors," the lawsuit said.

Video: How a racist rant in 'The Great Gatsby' explains White identity politics today (CNN)

"Teachers have received guidance to comply with H.B. 1775 by avoiding terms such as 'diversity' and 'white privilege,' while administrators have simultaneously acknowledged that 'no one truly knows what (the Act) means or can come to agreement on its meaning,'" the lawsuit says.

State Rep. Kevin West, who authored HB 1775, told CNN the complaint is "full of half-truths" and "blatant lies."

"It is unfortunate, but not surprising, to see radical leftist organizations supporting the racist indoctrination of our children that HB 1775 was written to stop. The law ensures that all history is taught in schools without shaming the children of today into blaming themselves for problems of the past, as radical leftists would prefer," West said in a statement.

Gary Peller, a professor at Georgetown Law and author of "Critical Race Consciousness: Reconsidering American Ideologies of Racial Justice," told CNN earlier this year that critical race theory acknowledges racism is both systemic and institutional in American society and that White people have historically held racial power.

The bill has impacted students' ability to exchange ideas, engage in discussions and study history, the lawsuit argues.

"All young people deserve to learn an inclusive and accurate history in schools, free from censorship or discrimination," said Emerson Sykes, staff attorney with the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. "The bill was intended to inflame a political reaction, not further a legitimate educational interest."