Non-IT News Thread
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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. -
Typhoon Phanfone: Philippines counts cost of deadly storm
Typhoon Phanfone has killed at least 13 people in the Philippines, leaving a trail of devastation through the centre of the country.
The storm battered several islands with gusts of 190km/h (118mph), destroying homes and power lines. Many people are missing. Thousands were left stranded as they tried to make their way home for Christmas. Phanfone struck close to regions hit by Typhoon Haiyan - the most powerful storm ever to make landfall - in 2013. More than 6,000 people were killed in November that year, making it the Philippines' deadliest typhoon. -
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Kazakhstan plane crash: Bek Air plane comes down near Almaty airport
A passenger jet has crashed in Kazakhstan, killing at least 12 people but leaving dozens of survivors.
The Bek Air plane was flying from Almaty - Kazakhstan's largest city - to the capital Nur-Sultan when it smashed into a building just after take-off. The Fokker aircraft had 100 passengers and crew on board. Survivors described walking from the wreckage into the dark and snow. Dozens are being treated in hospital. The cause of the crash is unclear. A Reuters news agency reporter close to the scene said there was heavy fog at the time. The interior ministry initially said 15 people had been killed, but it later published a list of victims that mentioned only 12 dead. -
MI6 floor plans lost by building contractor
Floor plans of MI6's central London headquarters were lost by building contractors during a refurbishment.
The documents, most of which were recovered inside the building, held sensitive information on the layout, including entry and exit points
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BBC News - Texas church shooting: Two fatally shot before gunman killed by churchgoer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50942664 -
Tesla delivers its first 'Made in China' cars
Tesla has delivered its first cars made in China, marking a major milestone for the electric vehicle maker.
Fifteen Model 3 sedans were handed over at the company's so-called "Gigafactory" near Shanghai. It comes as Elon Musk's company aims to secure a significant slice of the world's biggest car market. Tesla's move into the country comes as the trade war has forced other American companies to shift production out of China. During a ceremony at the company's multi-billion dollar plant in Shanghai, 15 of its employees received cars they had purchased. The event means deliveries of cars have started a little over a year after construction of the factory got underway. -
Some scary stuff happening in Mallacoota
The coastal town of Mallacoota is surrounded by fire. The 4000 residents have evacuated to the beach, and thrown their gas cylinders into the water.
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Alabama police apologise for 'insensitive' homeless quilt photo
A US police chief has apologised for an "insensitive" Facebook post in which two officers held up a "homeless quilt" made up of signs used for begging.
The officers in Mobile, Alabama, said it was a Christmas message. The chief of the police force said it did not condone panhandling - a US term for begging. But he said the Mobile police department did not intend to "make light of those who find themselves in a homeless state". In the photo, two officers held up various cardboard signs taped together that showed messages such as "Homeless. Need help," and "Trying to make it. Anything helps. God bless you." -
Yeah we’re stuffed.
As if the ember attacks weren’t bad enough, now the fires are creating their own weather patterns:
https://www.insider.com/australia-bushfires-generate-pyrocumulonimbus-thunderstorm-clouds-2019-12 -
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Volkswagen in 'dieselgate' talks with motorists
Volkswagen has said it is in talks with a group of German drivers who are suing the car giant over excessive emissions from its diesel cars.
The motorists say they were affected when VW "cheated" emissions rules by installing unlawful "defeat devices" in its diesel cars. The carmaker and the Federal Association of Consumers (VZBV) said the talks were at an early stage. There was "no guarantee" of a settlement, they said. "The common goal of VZBV and Volkswagen is a pragmatic solution for the benefit of the customer," they declared, adding that they had agreed to keep the talks confidential. The class action case is among the first of its kind in Germany. Because of a new draft law in 2018, consumer rights groups became able to represent customers taking companies to court - and to bear their costs. -
BBC News - US politician drives drunk after warning people not to drive drunk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50977380
