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Thailand rushes to airlift patients and supplies after floods in the south kill 33
Thailand airlifted oxygen tanks and other critical supplies to a submerged city in the south on Wednesday as the death toll grew to 33. For the second consecutive year, floods inundated nine Thai provinces as well as eight states of Malaysia's neighbouring country. Both countries evacuated nearly 50,000 residents. In Indonesia, between 8 and 13 people have died this week due to floods and landslides. One person has also died in Malaysia. Hat Yai's southern hub of commerce, Thailand, was flooded and thousands were stranded on roofs after three days of torrential rainfall that began last week. The city recorded its highest rainfall in 300 years on Friday with 335 mm. The Thai military has deployed boats, helicopters, and even its single aircraft carrier for the delivery of supplies and evacuation of sick people. As a result, extreme weather events are more common. Tropical storms can be accelerated by higher sea surface temperature. Siripong Angkasakulkiat, spokesman for the Thai government in Bangkok, said that 33 people had died across seven provinces. The causes of death are drowning, being swept by currents, electrocution and landslides. Public Call for Equipment The Thai military sent 200 boats and twenty helicopters to the area in an attempt to reach the stranded residents. Siripong reports that authorities have received requests for assistance from 77,000 people via social media. Residents gathered on roofs waving for assistance were dropped by military choppers with supplies. Social media posts from the air force, navy and other military forces showed that generators, oxygen tanks, and water were also delivered to the area. The navy reported that Thailand's sole aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet (which left its home port Tuesday) had provided air support to the relief efforts. The government issued a public request for equipment including jet skis and boats. According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, three consecutive days of heavy rains around Hat Yai since last Wednesday have dumped 630mm (24.8") of rain. This is higher than the previous record of 428mm in 2010. The Thai Meteorological Department reported that the weather system had moved towards the Strait of Malacca, and has intensified to become a tropical storm which will move toward Indonesia. HOSPITAL EVACUATIONS in Thailand and Malaysia The interior ministry reported that floods in Thailand have affected over 980,000 homes, and more than 2.7 million residents. Somrerk Chungsaman, a public health ministry official, said that flood waters had flooded the first floor of Hat Yai’s main government hospital, which treats 600 patients. Around 50 of those were in intensive care. He said that "today, all intensive-care patients will be transferred out of Hat Yai Hospital." A video on handouts shows that an army helicopter rescued a woman who was critically ill from another hospital. She was surrounded by staff aboard the aircraft and then wheeled off the rooftop helipad. A journalist reported that workers in Kangar, capital of Malaysia’s Perlis State, bordering Thailand, moved patients on gurneys out of the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital through knee-high waters, while much of the parking lot and its entrances were submerged. "At LEAST, send them supplies" Residents of Hat Yai, and the surrounding areas, who are still waiting for rescue, posted pleas to social media. Auntita Taechinchotikan (33), who lives in Bangkok had only been able to contact her brother and his family on Wednesday morning. She said: "I tried contacting all rescue teams, and they responded, but nobody has been able reach the house." Auntita said that ten family members, including her parents, and her young children were trapped in two Hat Yai buildings. She said: "I don’t know how many people are left in the area." Reporting by Mandy Leong, Panarat thepgumpanat, and Chayut setboonsarng, in Kangar; Additional reporting by Danial Azhar, Rozanna Latiff, in Kuala Lumpur; Orathai Shriring, in Bangkok; Writing and editing by Clarence Fernandez, Ros Russell.
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Vienna Airport: Third runway would have not paid for itself, but growth ambitions remain intact
The co-CEO of the Austrian ORF radio station said on Wednesday that a project to build a new runway at Vienna Airport, which was cancelled on Tuesday following decades of planning, would not have been profitable and that existing capacity allowed for growth. Will we get a return on our 2 billion euro investment ($2.3 billion)? In a radio interview, Julian Jaeger said that the answer was "no, it's not feasible". The company announced late Tuesday that the expansion project was abandoned due to cost inflation, and assets related to planning worth 55.9 millions euros will be written off. At 1023 GMT, the shares rose 4.5% to their highest level in five months. Jaeger stated that key airlines such as Lufthansa Austrian and Ryanair had pulled their support. The trend towards larger, more full aircraft also translated to a better use of both runways.
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China's Didi Q3 revenues up 8.6% due to costly overseas expansion
Didi Global announced an 8.6% increase in revenue for the third quarter on Wednesday, as international expansion of China’s largest ride-hailing service accelerated. However, its domestic market was stable. Didi is China's leading ride-hailing service. It has also expanded internationally to Latin America and offers both ride-hailing services and food delivery. The company reported on Wednesday that revenue for the three-month period ended September 30 reached 58.6 bn yuan (8.28 bn dollars). The net profit was 1.5 billion yuan for the three-month period, up from 900 million in the same period of last year. While the international segment represents a small portion of total revenue it grew by 35%, to 3,96 billion yuan. Didi's China Mobility division saw revenue rise 7.6% to $51.8 billion yuan. ACCELERATING OVERSEAS INVESTMENT This year, the company increased its overseas investments. It has expanded food delivery services to other cities such as Sao Paulo. The overseas segment's adjusted losses increased by 1.4 billion to 1.7 billion Yuan. Didi, the leader in China's ride-hailing market, is facing increasing competition from its rivals such as Alibaba and Meituan. These companies have integrated ride hailing into wider digital ecosystems. They appeal to users who want super-apps consolidated that connect them with multiple service providers including smaller regional operators. Didi began expanding in early 2023, following a crackdown on the company that began in 2020 after it pursued an initial public offering in the United States without Beijing's consent. $1 = 7.0812 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Reporting and editing by Louise Heavens, Conor Humphries and Brenda Goh)
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India's Clean Energy Ministry urges the power regulator to delay stricter green energy rules
The Indian renewable energy ministry has asked the power regulator not to implement stricter rules that would require wind and solar producers adhere more closely to grid supply commitments. This could discourage investment. In a draft that was published in September by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, it proposed stricter regulations under the Deviation Settlement Mechanism for wind and solar energy producers. The proposed framework was to be implemented from April 2026. Its aim is to gradually reduce the gap between what electricity producers promise to supply and how much they actually produce. In an October 21 letter sent to the CERC and reviewed by, the Ministry of Renewable Energy stated that the majority of forecasting errors were caused by unpredictability in weather conditions. This made penalties for deviations 'imprudent' and outside the control developers. In a report published earlier this month, many industry participants had complained to the regulator that the plan proposed would reduce investment in clean energy. The ministry stated that higher deviation charges may deter small to medium-sized businesses and "have a disastrous effect" on clean energy. The report urged the regulators to consult with stakeholders and suggested that clean energy storage be mandated in future projects, instead of strict penalties. It also suggested using better weather data to set realistic limits for forecasting. India views wind and solar power as the key drivers of its energy transition. It aims to double the non-fossil based power capacity by 2030 to 500 gigawatts. Both the ministry and CERC didn't immediately respond to comments. The CERC is yet to announce a final decision date. Sethuraman N.R. (Reporting) Mark Potter (Editing)
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Belgian National Strike disrupts Schools, Flights and Public Transport
On Wednesday, the third and final day in a Belgian national strike, most flights were grounded at Brussels Airport. Public transport was also disrupted. The latest protest against the coalition led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever is the strike organised by the main unions in the country. Demonstrators are against the proposed reforms to the labour market and pensions by the government. Brussels Airport has cancelled 110 outgoing flights and all 203 planned inbound flights. Charleroi Airport, Belgium's second largest airport, said on its website it expected a significant amount of disruptions due to staff shortages. It would also be unable guarantee scheduled landings or takeoffs. Local media reported the final day would be the most disruptive, with disruptions to schools, public transportation, and private sector. On Wednesday, a protest will be held in Brussels. Around 80,000 people attended a similar protest in October. The socialist union ABVV-FGTB posted a statement on its website that said, "The budget message of the De Wever Government is harsh: Work longer and harder to get less security in terms of pensions and health care and less purchasing power." Gert Truyens of the ACLVB, the liberal union in Belgium, said to the Belgian broadcaster VRT that he regretted the fact that the national government had not consulted the unions. Truyens stated that "agreements aren't made on the street at picket lines, they happen at the negotiation table. But you have to be given a chance." The strike will still take place despite the fact that the government has reached a budget agreement for next year after months of intense negotiations. The government is planning to increase taxes on airline tickets, natural gas and bank deposits. This, along with spending cuts, should reduce the deficit of the government by 9,2 billion euros (10.6 billion dollars) by 2029. According to the central banks, the budget deficit for the sixth largest economy in the eurozone is expected to reach 4.5% of its gross domestic product, and the debt will be 104.7%. This is well above the EU budget rules' maximum limit. (Reporting and editing by Alison Williams; Additional reporting by Alessandro Parodi)
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Tesla expects Indian Model Y buyers to recoup a third of the price within 4-5 years
Sharad Agarwal, India's General Manager at Tesla, said that the company expects Indians to recoup a third of the Model Y’s $67,000 price tag over the next four to five years in fuel and maintenance costs. Tesla entered India in India in July, and its Model Y was priced about 70% more than it would be in the United States because of high taxes. Elon Musk, the CEO of Elon Musk's firm, has said that India has the highest import tariffs in the world. Agarwal, a representative of the Indian Automobile Association, said that Indians can save up to 2 million rupees by purchasing a Model Y, in terms both of fuel and maintenance costs. "Plus, it has a very high resale price." He added that the cost of home charging was one tenth as much as petrol prices. $1 = 89.2575 Indian Rupees (Reporting and writing by Aditi in Delhi, Abinaya by Vijayaraghavan, Editing by Himani by Sarkar).
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Safran France expects India's annual revenue to triple, to more than $3 billion by 2030
Safran, a French aerospace company, said Wednesday that it expects the annual revenue of India, which is the fastest-growing aviation market in terms of growth, to triple by 2030 to reach more than 3 billion Euros ($3.48 billion). Safran CEO Olivier Andries announced in a press release that half of this revenue would be generated in India by the company's facilities. The announcement was made at the opening of a LEAP engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), shop in Hyderabad, a southern Indian city. The facility is expected to become operational in 2019. Safran, a co-producer of LEAP engines, with GE Aerospace, through their CFM International joint venture, reported a revenue of 27,32 billion euros by 2024. The LEAP-1A is a competitor to Pratt & Whitney for the Airbus A320neo while the LEAP-1B powers the Boeing 737 MAX as the sole engine. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, said that he met with the Safran Board. The Indian Prime Minister asked Safran to consider setting up design facilities for aircraft engines and components in India, as part of a larger push by his government. Indian airlines have ordered more than 1,500 new planes, increasing the demand for maintenance and repairs. Modi stated that 85% of the current maintenance and repair work is done by facilities located outside India, which increases costs and turnaround times.
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Tesla CEO Musk claims Austin robotaxi fleet will double in the next year
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, said on Tuesday the number of robotaxis will double in Austin, Texas in December. This follows the launch of the company's self-driving services in the city back in June. Musk wrote in a blog post for X that the Tesla Robotaxi fleet should double in Austin next month. Tesla does not disclose how many robotaxis it operates. Tesla's robotaxi is currently available in Austin and San Francisco Bay Area. Safety monitors are still required on the vehicles. Last week, the company also received a license to operate a ride hailing service in Arizona. Musk stated in October that robotaxis will be operating without safety drivers in large areas of Austin by the end the year. He said that he expects Tesla robotaxis will serve half of the U.S. populace by the end of this year. The robotaxi industry is on the rebound after years of broken promises, company closures, and tight regulations.
The man who drove into the crowd at Liverpool's soccer parade has pleaded guilty to 31 charges
The British man who caused more than 130 injuries by driving into a crowd during the Premier League's victory parade in May, pleaded guilty to 31 charges on Wednesday. This included nine counts of grievous bodily injury with intent.
Paul Doyle, 53 years old, wept in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court when he changed his guilty plea on the first day he was to face his trial. He had initially pleaded guilty to the charges in September.
Doyle cried repeatedly as he was read the 31 charges, and he responded by saying: "Guilty." The sentence will be handed down next month. He was also charged with 17 counts of trying to cause serious bodily injury and dangerous driving.
Sarah Hammond said, in a press release, that driving a car into a crowd was an act of calculated violent. It was not an accident that Paul Doyle made. He chose to do so on this day, and turned a celebration into a mayhem.
The incident occurred on May 26, in Liverpool's crowded city centre, as about a half-million people came to celebrate Liverpool winning the Premier League title and watched an open top bus parade with the team and staff holding the Premier League trophy.
Crown Prosecution Service dashcam footage showed Doyle was agitated and irritable by the crowds, before he drove into people. He injured 134 people, including eight children. (Reporting and editing by Sarah Young, Peter Graff and Sam Tobin)
(source: Reuters)