Archive

The disturbing comments published by Twitter about Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon require the same response such defamation would spark against any newspaper should it have distributed such lies – she should sue.

Yes, Canada’s respected 75-year-old first ever indigenous Governor General should sue Elon Musk for defamation, as owner of Twitter, which published these untrue and poisonous comments.

Twitter and Musk made money from them – they attracted eyeballs, which boosted ad clicks, and boosted the social media site’s profile.…

In the seven years since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Tokyo would be the host city of the summer Olympic Games and the Paralympics in the summer of 2020, companies in the paint and coatings sector have enjoyed a steady uptick in demand.

This increase in demand is linked to the construction of venues and facilities for the Games, as well as for connected infrastructure, such as new hotels and transport facilities.

And with the final touches added to the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in early March, the preparations for sporting venues were completed – well ahead of schedule, a bright contrast to the last-minute construction that bedevilled the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.…

Campaigns to end the cruel practice of shooting stray animals by municipalities in Tunisia are struggling in the face of a weak government and a downwardly spiralling economy.

Dogs have a troubled life in Tunisia. While in some neighbourhoods pet ownership has become more popular, as evidenced by the proliferation of new pet stores, these areas give an illusion that Tunisia is generally a dog-loving society. In reality, there is a much darker side of life for dogs in this country, where pedigree pooches are stolen for resale on the black market or females are made to breed puppies for profit, yet it is the native breeds that suffer the worst treatment.…

In late-July, the European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed on the financing structure of NeuConnect, the first ever energy link connecting Germany and the United Kingdom, two of the largest electricity markets in Europe.

The investment to build the interconnector will amount to EUR2.8 billion, with the EIB set to contribute up to EUR400 million for the financing construction of the section within the European Union (EU). Other financiers include the UK Infrastructure Bank, which will focus on the stretch within UK maritime and land territory, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).…

AVIATION has always been regarded as a tougher sector to convert to low carbon fuels than road transport, because of the high intensity burn required to power planes – which traditionally been supplied by fossil-based kerosene. And a lot is burned.

In 2019, before Covid-19 knocked the industry off a seemingly unstoppable growth trajectory, 95 billion gallons of fuel was burned by commercial airlines worldwide said statistical service Statista.

Speaking to Petroleum Review, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) deputy director for environmental protection Jane Hupe said analysis undertaken by the UN agency found “that, by 2050, it would be physically possible to meet 100 percent of international aviation jet fuel demand with sustainable aviation fuels, corresponding to a 63 percent reduction in emissions.”…

Britain’s open register of beneficial ownership was groundbreaking worldwide but its effectiveness as a bulwark against money laundering is being debated, even as both the European Union (EU) and the US move ahead at varying pace to replicate the system. The question of whether BO registers should be open or closed is one that is being discussed in countries around the world.…

THE CANADIAN auto parts sector is likely to suffer should the Trump administration go ahead with plans to impose escalating duties on Mexican exports to the USA to force Mexico to further restrict immigration into America.

With President Donald Trump yesterday (June 5) claiming talks with the Mexican government have been insufficiently productive, the US is poised to impose 5% duties on all imports from Mexico on June 10.…

A FORMER correspondent for International News Services has published a memoir about the four years she lived in Myanmar.

Our Home in Myanmar is written by Australian journalist, Jessica Mudditt, who moved to Yangon with her Bangladeshi husband in 2012 to join The Myanmar Times. She also worked at the country’s state-run newspaper during the historic elections of 2015, and was a consultant for the United Nations and the British Embassy.…

A FAILURE to engage education actors, frequent leadership changes and a general lack of commitment is derailing implementation of a much-vaunted Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2020 (ESSP), Somali higher education experts are warning.

Last October (2018), Somalia’s ministry of education culture and higher education released the plan as a policy blueprint, outlining what ails the sector and what needs to be done to turn it around within three years.…

Philip Morris International (PMI) has warned that cigarette smugglers and counterfeiters are expanding the platforms they use to generate illicit sales during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A spokesperson said: “Covid-19 has accelerated the trend of illicit markets moving toward e-commerce and cyberspace, while also expanding the range of goods being sold online and on the dark web. This may redefine the route of illicit goods to market.”…