Non-IT News Thread
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'We’re sorry for Thomas Cook refund delay'
The body repaying money owed to Thomas Cook customers after the tour firm collapsed has apologised to thousands of customers facing refund delays.
Paul Smith, director at the Civil Aviation Authority, said "we are very sorry" and promised the CAA is "working tirelessly" to process payments. Despite £160m having already been refunded, he told the BBC well over 50,000 customers were still owed money. Incomplete claim forms and attempted fraud were adding to delays, he said. Thomas Cook collapsed on 23 September, after failing to obtain rescue funds from its banks. Some 150,000 travellers had to be repatriated back to the UK during a two-week operation run by the CAA. A refund process was opened on 7 October for customers covered by Atol-protected insurance. -
New Zealand volcano eruption leaves survivors with extensive burns
Almost all patients who were injured in the deadly New Zealand volcanic eruption have suffered extensive burns to their bodies and lungs, as questions mount over the circumstances surrounding the tragedy that has left at least six people dead.
Every burns unit in the country is at full capacity as medical staff do all they can to treat those with severe injuries from the volcanic ash and gas, Ministry of Health spokesman Pete Watson said Tuesday. Out of the 31 people still in hospital, 27 had burns to at least 30% of their bodies and many have inhalation burns that require airway support.Given the extent of survivors' injuries, the death toll could continue to rise. "It's possible that not all patients will survive," Watson said. Authorities are now working to gather information on the dead, injured, and missing, and provide emergency services to those affected, after the eruption on White Island, also known as Whakaari, left at least six people dead. The injured were aged between 13 and 72. Police confirmed the death of a sixth victim in a statement on Tuesday. The unnamed person was earlier being treated at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. -
BBC News - Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dies, aged 61
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50730052 -
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
BBC News - Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dies, aged 61
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50730052Bummer.... They were a really big part of my High school days.
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Climate change: Major emitters accused of blocking progress at UN talks
Delegates from developing countries have reacted angrily to what they see as attempts to block progress at the COP25 meeting in Madrid.
One negotiator told the BBC that the talks had failed to find agreement on a range of issues because of the blocking actions of some large emitters. Carlos Fuller from Belize said that Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India and China were "part of the problem". Other observers said there was a serious risk of failure at the talks. Ministers from all over the world have arrived in Madrid for the high-end negotiations that will determine the final outcome of this conference. Despite a huge climate demonstration on the streets of the Spanish capital last Friday, hopes of an ambitious declaration at COP25 have smacked straight into the realities of politics and entrenched positions. -
Sulawesi art: Animal painting found in cave is 44,000 years old
A painting discovered on the wall of an Indonesian cave has been found to be 44,000 years old.
The art appears to show a buffalo being hunted by part-human, part-animal creatures holding spears and possibly ropes. Some researchers think the scene could be the world's oldest-recorded story. The findings were presented in the journal Nature by archaeologists from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Adam Brumm - an archaeologist at Griffith - first saw the pictures two years ago, after a colleague in Indonesia shimmied up a fig tree to reach the cave passage. "These images appeared on my iPhone," said Mr Brumm. "I think I said the characteristic Australian four-letter word out very loud." The Indonesian drawing is not the oldest in the world. Last year, scientists said they found "humanity's oldest drawing" on a fragment of rock in South Africa, dated at 73,000 years old. -
Climate change: Stalemate at UN talks as splits re-appear
UN climate talks in Madrid enter their final scheduled day with divisions emerging between major emitting countries and small island states.
Negotiators are attempting to agree a deal in the Spanish capital that would see countries commit to make new climate pledges by the end of 2020. But serious disagreements have emerged over how much carbon-cutting the major emitters should undertake. The talks have also become bogged down in rows over key technical issues. Negotiators arrived in Madrid two weeks ago with the words of the UN secretary general ringing in their ears - António Guterres told delegates that "the point of no return is no longer over the horizon". Despite his pleas, the conference has become enmeshed in deep, technical arguments about a number of issues including the role of carbon markets and the financing of loss and damage caused by rising temperatures. -
Water firms hit by toughest profit crackdown in 30 years
Water firms in England and Wales are facing the toughest restrictions on investor payouts since privatisation 30 years ago, the regulator has said.
Ofwat also said water firms would have to cut the average customer bill by £50 over the next five years. It is also forcing firms to invest billions of pounds to improve their performance and reduce leaks. Chief executive Rachel Fletcher said she was "firing the starting gun on the transformation of the water industry". "Now water companies need to crack on, turn this into a reality and transform their performance for everyone," she added. Water companies listed on the stock market - such as United Utilities and Severn Trent - initially fell, but later traded higher. -
Boeing to temporarily halt 737 Max production in January
Boeing will temporarily halt production of its troubled 737 Max airliner in January, the manufacturer said.
Production of the jet had continued despite the model being grounded for nine months after two deadly crashes. More than 300 people died when two 737 Max aircraft crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia after reported problems with a new feature. Boeing had been hoping to have the planes back in the air by the end of this year. But US regulators made it clear that they would not be certified to return to the skies that quickly. -
@mlnews "temporarily" until they go bankrupt, get their assets bought, and someone makes a new plane with a less ominous name.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews "temporarily" until they go bankrupt, get their assets bought, and someone makes a new plane with a less ominous name.
And by that you mean the same plane that is just rebranded.
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@coliver said in Non-IT News Thread:
@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
@mlnews "temporarily" until they go bankrupt, get their assets bought, and someone makes a new plane with a less ominous name.
And by that you mean the same plane that is just rebranded.
Yup, because consumers are so gullible.
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Fiat Chrysler and PSA confirm merger deal
Fiat Chrysler and rival PSA Group, owner of Peugeot and Vauxhall, have confirmed a $50bn (£30.8bn) merger deal.
The deal, which is aiming for annual cost savings of $4bn through shared purchasing agreements and combined technologies, will create the world's fourth-largest carmaker. PSA boss Carlos Tavares will become chief executive of the new company and will also have a seat on its board. The deal is Fiat Chrysler's second attempt at a merger this year. The carmaker had originally proposed a merger with its French rival Renault for £29bn, but pulled out of the deal in June following intervention from the French government, which has a 15% stake in Renault. The deal would have created the world's third-largest carmaker. -
@mlnews finally Peugeot and Citroen are really European again!
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Climate change: Met Office says warming trend will continue in 2020
Next year will continue the global warming trend with temperatures again likely to rise more than one degree above pre-industrial levels.
According to the Met Office, 2020 will likely be 1.11C warmer than the average between 1850-1900, The year ahead is set to extend the series of the warmest years on record to six in a row. Scientists say the strongest factor causing the rise is greenhouse gas emissions. The world first broke through one degree above pre-industrial temperatures back in 2015. Each year since then has seen temperatures close to or above this mark. The warmest year on record is 2016 when a strong El Niño made a significant difference. -
Boeing space craft failure. Nobody can be surprised at this one.
BBC News - Boeing astronaut ship stalls in orbit
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50855395 -
@mlnews said in Non-IT News Thread:
Climate change: Met Office says warming trend will continue in 2020
Next year will continue the global warming trend with temperatures again likely to rise more than one degree above pre-industrial levels.
According to the Met Office, 2020 will likely be 1.11C warmer than the average between 1850-1900, The year ahead is set to extend the series of the warmest years on record to six in a row. Scientists say the strongest factor causing the rise is greenhouse gas emissions. The world first broke through one degree above pre-industrial temperatures back in 2015. Each year since then has seen temperatures close to or above this mark. The warmest year on record is 2016 when a strong El Niño made a significant difference.Shocker.
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@scottalanmiller said in Non-IT News Thread:
Boeing space craft failure. Nobody can be surprised at this one.
BBC News - Boeing astronaut ship stalls in orbit
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50855395Their crontab job was misconfigured.
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China to cut import tariffs on pork and tech parts
China will cut tariffs on hundreds of products ranging from frozen pork to high-tech parts next year, lowering trade barriers to support the economy.
In a statement, Chinese authorities said import tariffs on 859 items would be reduced from 1 January. The world's second largest economy has typically used high tariffs to protect local industries. China is fighting a long-running trade war with the US and faces a series of domestic challenges. The ministry of finance said the tariff changes would be made to "increase imports of products facing a relative domestic shortage, or foreign speciality goods for everyday consumption". That includes tariff rates on frozen pork - due to be lowered to 8% from 12% for some countries - as China struggles to cope with an outbreak of African swine fever. -
Measuring the cost of an invasive tree killer
For the first time, a study has attempted to assess the devastation caused by the emerald ash borer in US forests that shape river systems.
Researchers discovered a range of ways that the ecologically vital habitat is being systematically changed at a landscape level. Since it was discovered in the US in 2002, the invasive insects have wiped out tens of millions of ash trees. The findings will appear in the journal Forest Ecology and Management. Since it was first recorded in Michigan, the tiny wood-boring beetle has spread across the north-eastern reach of the US, killing tens of millions of ash trees. The cost to the nation's economy has been estimated to exceed $10bn. However, a team from Michigan State University saw that little attention had been paid to how the invasion was changing the face of riparian (water/river system) forests.
