Ratan Tata, Indian business tycoon, dies at 86
Ratan Tata, a former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86.
N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons chairman, confirmed Tata’s death and described him in a statement as his “friend, mentor, and guide”. He did not provide a cause of death.
Tata was admitted this week to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai, the city where he lived. Soon after he was hospitalised, Tata issued a statement on Monday saying there was no cause for concern regarding his health and that he was undergoing checkups for age-related medical conditions. However, he didn’t made it back from that trip.
Hurricane Milton slams Florida’s Gulf Coast
Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and tornadoes to much of the Gulf Coast.
The hurricane made landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island of white sand beaches south of the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people.
Millions of people have evacuated the state after authorities warned them to do so. The storm was expected to retain hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida, including the heavily populated Orlando area, on Thursday on a forecast path toward the Atlantic Ocean.
President Joe Biden said it “could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida.”
Foreign aid for fossil fuel projects quadrupled in a single year
Foreign aid for fossil fuel projects quadrupled in a single year, a report has found, rising from $1.2bn in 2021 to $5.4bn in 2022.
“This shocking increase in aid funding to fossil fuels is a wake-up call,” Jane Burston, CEO of nonprofit the Clean Air Fund, which conducted the research, told The Guardian. “The world cannot continue down this path of propping up polluting practices at the expense of global health and climate stability.”
“Even as countries pledge to reduce their emissions, increase their climate change ambitions and transition away from fossil fuels, the figures tell a different story,” said Adalberto Maluf, national secretary of the urban environment and environmental quality in Brazil. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
The report found the top five funders of fossil fuel projects between 2018 and 2022 were the Islamic Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank.
Senate tackles airlines running multiple routes with three aircrafts
The Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Fatai Buhari, has said that the Senate is working on a bill that will regulate the activities of airlines in the country, specifically to reduce the number of routes plied by airlines operating with three or fewer aircraft.
Buhari stated this on Wednesday in Lagos during the South-West Regional Air Transportation Summit, 2024, with the theme, ‘Repositioning the Nigeria aviation industry for financial capability and economic viability’, hosted by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
He stressed that the bitter experiences of passengers are mainly because Nigerian airlines have refused to codeshare.
“I have said we all cannot afford to fail, Nigerians code-sharing is the way to go for airlines even in the developed nations they do it. We have a bill that is currently at the National Assembly that will ensure that the minimum number of aircraft an airline could have is four or five and any airline that has a lesser number of aircraft should be given specialised routes,” Buhari said.
“Yes, I know many of you do not want that to happen. But in the interest of Nigerians and the flying passengers I pray that the bill will scale through.”
FG launches application portal for fuel-to-CNG conversion
The Federal Government has launched an application portal for Nigerians willing to convert their vehicles from the use of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, to Compressed Natural Gas.
This was in a statement on Wednesday by the National Orientation Agency titled, “Payment plan to make it easier to switch to CNG.”
According to the statement, Nigerians who wish to make the switch to CNG can apply on the portal and spread payments in monthly installments.
The statement also highlighted flexible payment plans, noting that applicants will receive support through the process to ensure it is hassle-free.
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