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BRUSSELS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Producers of clean technologies like renewable hydrogen and batteries could receive faster permits under European Union plans to support industries facing U.S. and Chinese competition, a draft document showed on Monday. Specific projects considered important to developing clean technology supply chains could also receive speedier permits, said the draft, which could still change before it is published. Potential options include batteries, carbon capture and storage, renewable energy, renewable hydrogen, energy storage, and low-carbon construction technologies, although the EU will assess which projects to make eligible, the draft said. The EU would also set goals to expand these industries by 2030, to ensure they keep up with Europe's growing needs for clean energy and products. Brussels is looking to create more EU-wide standards for clean technologies - potentially by defining requirements for net-zero emissions products, which could then guide national governments' public procurement of such goods, the draft said.

☆ China’s Top Nuclear-Weapons Lab Used American Computer Chips Decades After Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Liza Lin | Dan Strumpf | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card. Nvidia said the semiconductors used in the Chinese institute’s research were general-purpose graphics chips. SINGAPORE—China’s top nuclear-weapons research institute has bought sophisticated U.S. computer chips at least a dozen times in the past two and half years, circumventing decades-old American export restrictions meant to curb such sales. A Wall Street Journal review of procurement documents found that the state-run China Academy of Engineering Physics has managed to obtain the semiconductors made by U.S. companies such as Intel Corp. and Nvidia Corp. since 2020 despite its placement on a U.S. export blacklist in 1997.

In 2022, Rheinmetall made some 60,000 to 70,000 rounds each of tank and artillery shells, according to Papperger, who said production could be boosted immediately. A few days before the meeting with the new defence minister, Papperger pushed for an increase of Germany's defence budget. "The 51 billion euros in the defence budget will not suffice to purchase everything that is needed. Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany was 20 billion euros short of reaching NATO's target for ammunitions stockpiling, according to a defence source. To plug the munitions gap alone, Papperger estimates the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) would need to invest three to four billion euros per year.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A new private company will take over power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public corporation currently in charge of generating energy on the U.S. territory. The power generation equipment in Puerto Rico, plagued by ongoing blackouts and decaying infrastructure, is on average about 45 years old — twice the age of those on the U.S. mainland. The company and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) are currently undergoing a transition process set to last 100 days. Officials in Puerto Rico have been taking steps toward privatizing power generation for some time. Power customers in Puerto Rico have seen seven electric rate increases last year, even though people in Puerto Rico already pay about twice as much as mainland U.S. customers for unreliable service.

☆ Germany sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine, ending rift among Western allies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Patrick-Smith-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Patrick Smith | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian military leaders have said they need hundreds of the tanks to break through Russian defenses. Germany has more than 300 active Leopard tanks and more in storage. Several countries use Leopard tanks, including Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden. “The question is whether 100 tanks of different varieties will be enough to eject Russian forces from Ukraine. The deployment of Leopard tanks was the most significant, he said, because of its conventional diesel-powered engine, as opposed to the Abrams tanks, which are powered by jet fuel.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Russian forces said to make progress in Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Protesters gather in support of Ukraine during a meeting of European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers in Brussels, Belgium January 23, 2023. ARMAMENTS* The United States and Germany are poised to boost Ukraine's war effort with the delivery of heavy tanks, sources said, support that Russia condemned as a "blatant provocation". * The United States is poised to start a process that would eventually send dozens of M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, two U.S. officials told Reuters. * Norway is considering whether to send some of its German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Oslo-based newspapers Aftenposten and Dagens Naeringsliv reported. * A delivery of tanks by the United States to Ukraine would be a "another blatant provocation" against Russia, Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador, said.

☆ Senior Ukrainian officials depart in corruption crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office quit Tuesday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to launch a staff shake-up amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia. Media reports have linked at least one official departure to a scandal involving the purchase of food for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Bulent Kilic / AFP via Getty Images fileZelenskyy vowed to drive out corrupt officials in comments on Sunday, when a deputy minister was dismissed for being part of a network embezzling budget funds. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry later identified the dismissed official as Vasyl Lozynsky, a deputy minister there. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s focus on the war would not stop his government from tackling corruption.

☆ Ukrainian lawmakers draw up defence transparency bill after graft claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ruling party drew up a bill on Tuesday aiming to boost transparency in defence procurement after an army food contract became the subject of high-profile corruption allegations, according to parliament's website. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's team is trying to set out a tough stance against graft after the Defence Ministry was accused by a media outlet of overspending on food. Radina, a member of Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party, said the requirement would not be introduced for arms purchases. "We are obliged to ensure a level of transparency in procurement for the army, under which such scandals simply will not arise. Reporting by Olena Harmash; editing by Tom Balmforth and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Europe could dodge a recession. But the UK economy is in a mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Business activity across the 20 countries that use the euro expanded in January for the first time in six months, according to data published Tuesday, providing fresh evidence that Europe’s economy could confound expectations and dodge a recession this year. The UK survey is conducted in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. “Weaker-than-expected PMI numbers in January underscore the risk of the UK slipping into recession,” Williamson said. The UK economy lost more working days to strikes between June and November 2022 than in any six-month period over the previous 30 years, according to data published last week by Britain’s Office for National Statistics. Separate data published by the ONS on Tuesday showed that UK government borrowing hit £27.4 billion ($33.7 billion) in December, the highest figure for that month since records began in 1993.

Pressure has been building on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine and let other countries send the ones they own. Ukraine says heavily armoured Western battle tanks would give its ground troops more mobility and protection ahead of a new Russian offensive that Kyiv expects in the near future. Germany has previously said that no country had formally asked for permission to send their Leopard tanks. A German defence source told Reuters that Poland had submitted a request to let it supply up to 14 Leopard 2 A4 tanks to Ukraine. He expressed confidence that a decision on sending battle tanks would come soon.

☆ Zelenskiy promises to swiftly confront Ukraine corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Maria Starkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy's pledge came amidst allegations of senior-level corruption, including a report of dubious practices in military procurement despite officials promoting national unity to confront the invasion. Ukraine has had a long history of rampant corruption and shaky governance, with Transparency International ranking the country's corruption at 122 of 180 countries, not much better than Russia in 2021. "This week will be the time for appropriate decisions," Zelenskiy said. The renewed focus on corruption involved also Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov after a newspaper reported that the military had allegedly secured food at highly inflated prices. Reporting by Maria Starkova; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Firms use Google ads to entice small businesses to pay for help the gov't provides free
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jesselyn Cook | Jesselyn Cook Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Several draw in unwitting customers like Talbot through Google ads that outrank the legitimate SAM.gov page, illustrating the ease of buying visibility on the world’s largest search engine. Google removed the ads for a number of these sites in response to an inquiry for this article but subsequently reversed its decision. “We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said in a statement. But the Small Business Administration urges people not to spend their precious resources on these services when so many free alternatives exist. She expects new, prominently displayed Google ads to play a part in the problem.

☆ As COVID surged in China, so did spending by funeral providers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Eduardo Baptista | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China said last Saturday that nearly 60,000 people with COVID had died in hospitals between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12 - a roughly 10-fold increase from previous disclosures. However, that figure excludes those who died at home, and some doctors have said they are discouraged from putting COVID on death certificates. "In recent times in Jieshou City, the cremation business volume has increased, the funeral hall's remains refrigerator cannot meet the current unit demand. Now need to purchase 10 units of all-in-one three-door freezers, for a total investment of about 400,000 yuan," the tender read. "In December 2022, the country adjusted its COVID policy, the cremation business of funeral parlours surged, and the demand for cremation equipment from funeral parlours in some areas increased," it said.

☆ Saudi Arabia stays top crude supplier to China in 2022, Russian barrels surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China, which refused to condemn the attack, cranked up procurement of Russian barrels and has largely ignored the sanctions imposed by Western nations on seaborne Russian crude from Dec. 5. In December, it brought in 6.47 million tonnes of crude oil from Russia, or 1.52 million bpd, compared to 1.7 million bpd in the same period in 2021. Saudi Arabia shipped a total of 87.49 million tonnes of crude to China in 2022, equivalent to 1.75 million bpd, customs data showed, on par with the level in 2021. No Venezuelan crude imports were recorded by Chinese customs throughout 2022 and a total of 780,392 tonnes of crude oil from Iran arrived in China. (tonne = 7.3 barrels for crude oil conversion)Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Muyu Xu; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil defense minister says military not directly involved in Brasilia riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Brazil Minister of Defense Jose Mucio said on Friday that the country's armed forces were not directly involved in the riots by supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed government buildings calling for a coup. Mucio met on Friday with Lula and the commanders of the armed forces aiming to reduce tensions. He said the riots were not discussed and the meeting focused on plans for military procurement and investments in Brazil's defense industry, with business leaders present, the minister said. "I understand that there was no direct involvement of the Armed Forces, but if anyone was personally involved (in the riots) that will be investigated," Mucio told reporters after the meeting. The storming of government building will not happened again "because the Armed Forces will anticipate it," Mucio said.

☆ The US is scrambling to find what experts say may be the 'most important' hardware Ukraine needs to hold off Russia in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine and Russia have relied heavily on artillery to batter each other's forces. The US has vowed to ramp its munitions production. The US is buying 100,000 155 mm shells from South Korea that will be sent to Ukraine. Years after post-Cold War defense cutbacks, Europe is striving to supply Ukraine despite limited stockpiles and production capability. Ukraine's shopping list includes 152 mm and 122 mm howitzers, 122 mm rockets, and ammunition for tank cannons.

☆ Factbox: European states in Estonia pledge weapons for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Ints KalninsJan 19 (Reuters) - A group of 11 European states have pledged to deliver more arms to Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying they would send main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles. The 11 nations were Estonia, Britain, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain. Weapons donations and military support will continue in close cooperation with allies and in accordance with Ukrainian needs. Estonia will continue to provide both basic and specialist training to hundreds of Ukrainian Armed Forces members in 2023. Poland has already donated 42 infantry fighting vehicles along with training package for two mechanised battalions.

☆ Carmaker Stellantis strikes nickel sulphate supply deal with Terrafame
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Carmaker Stellantis (STLA.MI) and Finnish company Terrafame announced on Wednesday that they had struck a deal whereby Terrafame will supply Stellantis with nickel sulphate over a five-year period, starting from 2025 onwards. "This agreement is part of the key raw material sourcing to fit with our electrified vehicle battery pack needs,” Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said in a statement. The carmaker said the agreement with Terrafame "willcover a significant portion of the needs for sustainable regionally sourced nickel." Last week, Stellantis struck a deal with Australian miner Element 25 (E25.AX) for the supply of manganese sulphite, the latest in a series of accords for the procurement of raw materials for electric batteries. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Alvise Armellini, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Amazon, Meta and Google buy more clean energy than any other companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Technology companies are leading the charge of companies buying wind and solar power. Amazon , Facebook parent company Meta , and Google, owned by parent company Alphabet , are the top three corporate purchasers of wind and solar energy, according to a report published Wednesday from the American Clean Power Association, an industry group. Amazon had contracted 12.4 gigawatts of clean wind and solar energy in the United States through September 2022, while Meta had contracted 8.7 gigawatts and Google had contracted 6.2 gigawatts, according to the report. These procurement totals are since the first time these companies have announced they were buying wind and solar power last decade. The technology sector is certainly outpacing other industries in buying clean power, but it's been increasing across all industries.

Many Germans viewed the end of the Cold War as the end of major conflict for the West. Germany has since become one of Ukraine's top military supporters, having spent 2.2 billion euros on weapons deliveries. 'EMPTY-HANDED' ARMYBeyond the immediate decision on tanks, Pistorius faces the mammoth task of upgrading Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, which army chief Alfons Mais, on the day of Russia's invasion, described as "more or less empty handed". Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany was 20 billion euros short of reaching NATO's target for ammunitions stockpiling, a defence source said. Analysts and experts say Pistorius will have to find his own voice to push for more spending and an overhaul of Germany's defence and procurement systems.

☆ Boeing, Airbus hit back over criticism of delivery delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A woman walks past a Boeing logo at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Aly SongDUBLIN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The world's two largest planemakers defended themselves on Tuesday following criticism over delivery delays, with a Boeing (BA.N) executive saying increasing production after COVID-19 lockdowns was "not as easy as an on/off switch." Aircraft leasing firms have used a major industry conference to hammer manufacturers over delays. Air Lease (AL.N) executive chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy said they had "grossly misjudged" output, while one of Airbus' largest customers, AerCap (AER.N), called the European firm's production targets "very ambitious". To help remove the bottlenecks, Airbus has placed over 100 procurement specialists into its indirect suppliers to help them achieve the rates in the supply chain that the jetmaker requires to ramp up production, Pearman-Wright added.

☆ EU must seek to de-risk rather than decouple from China, von der Leyen says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The European Union needs to work and trade with China on clean tech and push for a level playing field rather than seek to decouple from the world's second-largest economy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday. Von der Leyen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos that China had made boosting clean tech innovation and manufacturing a key priority in its five-year plan, dominating in sectors such as electric vehicles and solar panels. China, she said, heavily subsidises its industry and restricts access to its market for EU companies. "We will still need to work and trade with China – especially when it comes to this transition. This meant using the EU's trade and domestic defence tools, such as the recently implemented foreign subsidies regulation.

☆ Aging, outdated technology leaves air travel at risk of meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

As early as 2012, the FAA decided it wanted to replace aging legacy voice switches used in air traffic control communications with new, internet-based communications technology. Trying to integrate old systems with newer ones — always in real time, because the global aviation industry never sleeps — can also create its own opportunities for catastrophic mistakes. Many more things can go wrong than you might expect — highlighting the sheer complexity of the aviation industry, and underscoring how there isn’t a quick easy fix for IT-related travel disruptions. But it has had lasting effects on FAA technology. That bureaucratic myopia is its own cause of today’s technological malaise in the aviation industry.

☆ Ongoing headaches with F-35 fighter jets are rippling through the rest of the US military's combat aircraft fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Air Force maintainers work on an F-35A at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in February 2020. Nial BradshawRussia's air force has been mocked for poor maintenance that has undercut its airpower in the Ukraine war. Particularly troubling was a November 2022 GAO study that analyzed readiness of 49 US military aircraft models between 2011 and 2021. A reassembled F-35A is hoisted during a training course at Hill Air Force Base in September 2022. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps together plan to spend $20.2 billion a year for tactical aircraft development and procurement between now and 2027.

☆ Apple is searching for a head of ad sales as its streaming TV and sports ambitions grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple has a recruitment firm searching for a top TV and streaming executive to head up its ad sales. The search suggests the company may be considering an ad-supported tier for Apple TV+. Recruiters are quietly working on a search for a head of ad sales, according to a person familiar with conversations. This new executive search indicates that Apple has plans to create an ad tier for Apple TV+. An ad executive familiar with plans said Apple was negotiating a major beachfront presence this year.

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