July, 2016

• 25 July

  Australian couple to raffle tropical island resort

    AFP An Australian couple are raffling their tropical island resort and say they hope whoever holds the winning US$49 ticket loves warm weather. Doug and Sally Beitz moved to the remote Micronesian island of Kosrae in the 1990s, but now want to return to Australia to enjoy being grandparents. Instead of selling their 16-room Kosrae Nautilus Resort to a ...

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• 25 July

  International sanctions disrupt aid agencies in N Korea

  

  AFP Ramped-up international sanctions on North Korea have inadvertently disrupted the already challenging work of aid agencies there, those in the field say, with risk-averse banks refusing to transfer funds needed to keep operations running. Aid shipments have also been held up or blocked indefinitely at Chinese customs in confusion over what is covered by the significantly upgraded UN sanctions ...

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• 25 July

  In 25 years, India’s never really embraced reform

  

    On July 26, 1991, Manmohan Singh — then Finance Minister, and later Prime Minister for 10 years — rose in Parliament to deliver an address that would transform India. That speech, outlining the first budget of a just-elected government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, launched India’s journey of economic reform, dismantling many decades-old socialist-style controls on the private ...

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• 25 July

  Now Clinton has to even out her contradictions

  

    Albert R. Hunt Hillary Clinton has been a national political figure for a quarter-century, longer than any presidential candidate. Yet contradictions and conflicting portraits of her persist. She is smart, well-versed in domestic and foreign-policy issues, revels in working things out and commands strong loyalty. She also is overly suspicious, insular, often nontransparent and disposed to cutting corners. She ...

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• 25 July

  Will robots upend Asia’s development model?

    Christopher Balding When the Chinese appliance maker Midea Group announced a bid for the German robotics manufacturer Kuka AG this spring, it seemed like something of an omen. Kuka makes robots that specialize in assembling goods on a factory floor — exactly the kind of work that has lifted millions of Chinese out of poverty. After opening up to ...

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• 25 July

  Ryanair clings to profit goal as fare cuts counter Brexit risk

  

    Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc surprised investors by sticking to its fiscal 2017 profit forecast with a plan to lower fares to lure more passengers even as Britain’s decision to quit the European Union and a string of terrorist attacks in major European markets weigh on demand. Europe’s largest discount airline plans to carry 117 million passengers in the 12 ...

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• 25 July

  Boeing sees need for 30,850 new pilots a year

  

    Bloomberg Global airlines will need to hire 30,850 pilots a year for the next two decades to keep pace with new planes on order and surging demand for air travel, according to a forecast by Boeing Co. Carriers will need to recruit and train about 617,000 pilots to fly the 39,620 aircraft, valued at $5.9 trillion, that the U.S. ...

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• 25 July

  Solar plane nears end of historic trip

  

    AFP Solar Impulse 2 was on Monday approaching the end of its epic bid to become the first sun-powered airplane to circle the globe without a drop of fuel to promote renewable energy. When the experimental aircraft touches down in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Tuesday it will cap a remarkable 42,000-kilometre (26,097 mile) journey across four ...

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• 25 July

  Donuts in flight in first US approved drone delivery

  

    AFP With a chicken sandwich, hot coffee and donuts, aviation history was made on Friday. These were among the items in the first drone delivery on US soil approved by aviation officials, made by convenience retailer 7-Eleven and the drone startup Flirtey. The delivery took place in Reno, Nevada, with the items loaded into a special box for hot ...

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• 25 July

  Wide-bodies’ luster tarnished as American defers Airbus jets

  

    Bloomberg American Airlines’s decision to postpone delivery of nearly two dozen of Airbus Group SE’s sleek, fuel-efficient A350 jetliners amplifies concerns that demand is sagging for international air travel and large new aircraft. Wide-body sales have stalled this year as inexpensive fuel and a glut of readily available used jets diminishes airlines’ need to upgrade their fleets. Airbus and ...

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