The Security Council should reject categorically Russia’s illegal assault on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG OBE

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.

“We cannot say it enough times. Russia, who use their seat on this Council to opine on and to sit in judgement on other countries on this Council’s agenda, are, as we speak, bombing Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, with no regard for civilian life, in an illegal war of aggression and in defiance of the UN charter. Let me make three specific points.

First, we should all look at the facts. The Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, the largest in Ukraine, was severely damaged in a targeted attack by Russia, and can no longer produce electricity. A breach of the dam would have had even more severe humanitarian consequences. This Council should reject, categorically, Russia’s deliberate and illegal assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Second, Russia’s opening of a new front in the Northeastern region of Ukraine has exacerbated an already desperate humanitarian situation. Over the 10 – 28 May, the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine verified that 45 civilians were killed and 189 injured in the Kharkiv region and city. This includes the devastating attack on a civilian shopping centre on 25 May. Many thousands of people have been evacuated, and IOM estimates the total number of internally displaced to be around 3.5 million.

The UK echoes the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown, who has condemned the repeated attacks in Kharkiv and Kharkivska Oblast. As she said, those fleeing their homes have suffered a new trauma in Kharkiv, having arrived in search of safety. And as ASG Msuya reminded us, this has an especially damaging impact on children in those areas; we should not tolerate children having to grow up under constant bombardment from Russian missiles, drones and shells.

Third, we commend the bravery of humanitarian partners on the ground who are responding to intensification of attacks in the North by supporting evacuations from villages, responding to emergency needs, and improving preparedness measures for future strikes. The UK has committed over $456 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region and we urge other Member States to continue their support to an appeal that remains only 28% funded according to OCHA’s latest assessment.

Colleagues, only Russia has the ability to address this suffering.

So we echo the calls that we have heard from every member of this Council: for Russia to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law; to cease targeting infrastructure that provides the essential needs for Ukraine’s population; and we call on Russia to withdraw from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.”

NASA’s SOFIA Discovers Water on Sunlit Surface of Moon

Shantel Harris -
W a s h i n g t o n ,   D C ,   U S A - 

Credits: NASA/Daniel Rutter

NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places.

SOFIA has detected water molecules (H2O) in Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters visible from Earth, located in the Moon’s southern hemisphere. Previous observations of the Moon’s surface detected some form of hydrogen, but were unable to distinguish between water and its close chemical relative, hydroxyl (OH). Data from this location reveal water in concentrations of 100 to 412 parts per million – roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water – trapped in a cubic meter of soil spread across the lunar surface. The results are published in the latest issue of Nature Astronomy.

“We had indications that H2O – the familiar water we know – might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon,” said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration.”

As a comparison, the Sahara desert has 100 times the amount of water than what SOFIA detected in the lunar soil. Despite the small amounts, the discovery raises new questions about how water is created and how it persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface.

Water is a precious resource in deep space and a key ingredient of life as we know it. Whether the water SOFIA found is easily accessible for use as a resource remains to be determined. Under NASA’s Artemis program, the agency is eager to learn all it can about the presence of water on the Moon in advance of sending the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 and establishing a sustainable human presence there by the end of the decade.

SOFIA’s results build on years of previous research examining the presence of water on the Moon. When the Apollo astronauts first returned from the Moon in 1969, it was thought to be completely dry. Orbital and impactor missions over the past 20 years, such as NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, confirmed ice in permanently shadowed craters around the Moon’s poles. Meanwhile, several spacecraft – including the Cassini mission and Deep Impact comet mission, as well as the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 mission – and NASA’s ground-based Infrared Telescope Facility, looked broadly across the lunar surface and found evidence of hydration in sunnier regions. Yet those missions were unable to definitively distinguish the form in which it was present – either H2O or OH.

“Prior to the SOFIA observations, we knew there was some kind of hydration,” said Casey Honniball, the lead author who published the results from her graduate thesis work at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu. “But we didn’t know how much, if any, was actually water molecules – like we drink every day – or something more like drain cleaner.”

SOFIA offered a new means of looking at the Moon. Flying at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet, this modified Boeing 747SP jetliner with a 106-inch diameter telescope reaches above 99% of the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere to get a clearer view of the infrared universe. Using its Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST), SOFIA was able to pick up the specific wavelength unique to water molecules, at 6.1 microns, and discovered a relatively surprising concentration in sunny Clavius Crater.

“Without a thick atmosphere, water on the sunlit lunar surface should just be lost to space,” said Honniball, who is now a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Yet somehow we’re seeing it. Something is generating the water, and something must be trapping it there.”

Several forces could be at play in the delivery or creation of this water. Micrometeorites raining down on the lunar surface, carrying small amounts of water, could deposit the water on the lunar surface upon impact. Another possibility is there could be a two-step process whereby the Sun’s solar wind delivers hydrogen to the lunar surface and causes a chemical reaction with oxygen-bearing minerals in the soil to create hydroxyl. Meanwhile, radiation from the bombardment of micrometeorites could be transforming that hydroxyl into water.

How the water then gets stored – making it possible to accumulate – also raises some intriguing questions. The water could be trapped into tiny beadlike structures in the soil that form out of the high heat created by micrometeorite impacts. Another possibility is that the water could be hidden between grains of lunar soil and sheltered from the sunlight – potentially making it a bit more accessible than water trapped in beadlike structures.

For a mission designed to look at distant, dim objects such as black holes, star clusters, and galaxies, SOFIA’s spotlight on Earth’s nearest and brightest neighbor was a departure from business as usual. The telescope operators typically use a guide camera to track stars, keeping the telescope locked steadily on its observing target. But the Moon is so close and bright that it fills the guide camera’s entire field of view. With no stars visible, it was unclear if the telescope could reliably track the Moon. To determine this, in August 2018, the operators decided to try a test observation.

“It was, in fact, the first time SOFIA has looked at the Moon, and we weren’t even completely sure if we would get reliable data, but questions about the Moon’s water compelled us to try,” said Naseem Rangwala, SOFIA’s project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. “It’s incredible that this discovery came out of what was essentially a test, and now that we know we can do this, we’re planning more flights to do more observations.”

SOFIA’s follow-up flights will look for water in additional sunlit locations and during different lunar phases to learn more about how the water is produced, stored, and moved across the Moon. The data will add to the work of future Moon missions, such as NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), to create the first water resource maps of the Moon for future human space exploration.

In the same issue of Nature Astronomy, scientists have published a paper using theoretical models and NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data, pointing out that water could be trapped in small shadows, where temperatures stay below freezing, across more of the Moon than currently expected. The results can be found here.

“Water is a valuable resource, for both scientific purposes and for use by our explorers,” said Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. “If we can use the resources at the Moon, then we can carry less water and more equipment to help enable new scientific discoveries.”

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center. Ames manages the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California.

Tweet

Vice President’s Discussion with Higher Education Leaders

Shantel Harris -
W a s h i n g t o n ,   D C ,   U S A - 

Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States

Vice President Mike Pence led a discussion with higher education leaders from across the country to discuss the all-of-America approach to respond to COVID-19 and drive America’s phased economic revival. Vice President Pence, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx discussed best practices to get students back to school in the Fall.

They discussed guidance released by President Trump and the CDC which calls upon colleges and universities to develop, implement and maintain a plan to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. The Vice President thanked everyone on the call for their hard work in accomplishing this goal.

President Trump’s leadership and the efforts of the American people have saved lives, slowed the spread of the coronavirus and allowed states to begin opening up. These college and university leaders discussed possible options to re-open their campuses for students, faculty and staff safely and responsibly. Many participants on the call discussed working groups they developed on campus to provide data-driven strategies for re-opening. Participants discussed the importance of opening and maintaining research labs to assist with COVID-19 research, testing and tracing.

The discussion provided insight into a new chapter of re-opening America, and what colleges and universities are doing to meet their individual needs, aligned with state leadership. The Vice President thanked the group for their commitment to safely re-open their institutions, and indicated he looked forward to additional updates on progress in the near future.

Tweet

Students Across Europe Learn Swift to Unlock New Opportunities

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

Student at Layton Primary School are able to
explore the fundamentals of coding with iPad.

This month, in classrooms across Europe celebrating EU Code Week, students of all ages are living proof that coding opens doors to opportunities never before possible.

At Layton Primary School in Blackpool, England, coding principles are helping 5- and 6-year-olds track down a rogue dinosaur. And in Italy, at Milan’s Institute De Amicis, coding is the key that unlocked a life-changing career for 28-year-old Belinda Tagariello.

These schools are part of a growing number of European institutions relying on the power and versatility of iPad, Mac and Apple's Everyone Can Code and App Development with Swift curricula to teach coding to a new generation of students. Both schools say the programs have led to more engaged, innovative learning with proven results.

In Italy, Belinda Tagariello spent most of her 20s bouncing from one unfulfilling job to another. In 2017, she enrolled in a government-funded course that taught Swift, Apple’s powerful and easy-to-use programming language, to under- and unemployed young adults at the Institute De Amicis in Milan. As a first-time coder, Tagariello learned coding basics in Swift Playgrounds on iPad and quickly advanced to App Development with Swift on the Mac to start building something of her own. Fast forward to today and Tagariello now teaches that same course, has one app already on the App Store, and is working on developing her second.

“When I started to develop the app, I started to feel free because I could do it myself,” says Tagariello. “When I found this, I found my way.”

Tweet

NASA Takes Delivery of First All-Electric Experimental Aircraft

Shantel Harris -
W a s h i n g t o n ,   D C ,   U S A - 

NASA’s X-57 Maxwell, the agency’s first
all-electric X-plane and first crewed X-planed
in two decades. Credit NASA.

The first all-electric configuration of NASA’s X-57 Maxwell now is at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

The X-57, NASA’s first all-electric experimental aircraft, or X-plane – and the first crewed X-plane in two decades – was delivered by Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) of San Luis Obispo, California on Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the first of three configurations as an all-electric aircraft, known as Modification II, or Mod II.

The X-57’s Mod II vehicle features the replacement of traditional combustion engines on a baseline Tecnam P2006T aircraft, with electric cruise motors. The delivery is a major milestone for the project, allowing NASA engineers to begin putting the aircraft through ground tests, to be followed by taxi tests and eventually, flight tests.

"The X-57 Mod II aircraft delivery to NASA is a significant event, marking the beginning of a new phase in this exciting electric X-plane project,” said X-57 Project Manager Tom Rigney. “With the aircraft in our possession, the X-57 team will soon conduct extensive ground testing of the integrated electric propulsion system to ensure the aircraft is airworthy. We plan to rapidly share valuable lessons learned along the way as we progress toward flight testing, helping to inform the growing electric aircraft market.”

While X-57’s Mod II vehicle begins systems validation testing on the ground, efforts in preparation for the project’s following phases, Mods III and IV, are already well underway, with the recent successful completion of loads testing on a new, high-aspect ratio wing at NASA Armstrong’s Flight Loads Laboratory. Following completion of tests, the wing, which will be featured on Mods III and IV configurations, will undergo fit checks on a fuselage at ESAero, ensuring timely transition from the project’s Mod II phase to Mod III.

“ESAero is thrilled to be delivering the MOD II X-57 Maxwell to NASA AFRC,” said ESAero President and CEO Andrew Gibson. “In this revolutionary time, the experience and lessons learned, from early requirements to current standards development, has the X-57 paving the way. This milestone, along with receiving the successfully load-tested MOD III wing back, will enable NASA, ESAero and the small business team to accelerate and lead electric air vehicle distributed propulsion development on the MOD III and MOD IV configurations with integration at our facilities in San Luis Obispo.”

A goal of the X-57 project is to help develop certification standards for emerging electric aircraft markets, including urban air mobility vehicles, which also rely on complex distributed electric propulsion systems. NASA will share the aircraft’s electric-propulsion-focused design and airworthiness process with regulators and industry, which will advance certification approaches for aircraft utilizing distributed electric propulsion.

The X-57 team is using a “design driver” as a technical challenge, to drive lessons learned and best practices. This design driver includes a 500% increase in high-speed cruise efficiency, zero in-flight carbon emissions, and flight that is much quieter for communities on the ground.

The X-57 project operates under the Integrated Aviation Systems Program’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, within NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

Tweet

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Launches Police Recruitment Drive

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

UK Metropolitan Police Officers

The recruitment of 20,000 new police officers will begin within weeks, confirming the commitment made by the Prime Minister as he entered Downing Street.

The unprecedented drive to deliver more frontline officers will start in September with the launch of a national campaign, led by the Home Office.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“As I said on the steps of Downing Street this week, my job as Prime Minister is to make our streets safer."

“People want to see more officers in their neighbourhoods, protecting the public and cutting crime."

“I promised 20,000 extra officers and that recruitment will now start in earnest."

The Prime Minister has said he wants recruitment completed over the next three years. To support this the Government will shortly set out plans for a new national policing board.

Chaired by the Home Secretary and bringing together key police leaders, it will hold the police to account for meeting this target and drive the national response to the most pressing issues that affect communities right across the country.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“Officers up and down the country put themselves in danger every day to keep us safe, they deserve our support."

“The rise we’ve seen in serious violence is deeply worrying. An additional 20,000 officers sends a clear message that we are committed to giving police the resources they need to tackle the scourge of crime."

“This is the start of a new relationship between the government and the police working even more closely together to protect the public."

In addition - as part of ongoing work to tackle serious violence - the Government will urgently review the pilot which makes it simpler for officers to use stop and search powers, with a view to rolling this out across all forces.

In April seven forces started a trial with relaxed conditions on the use of Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

The Prime Minister has been clear he fully supports the police’s use of stop and search to tackle and disrupt those carrying knives.

Tweet

Jony Ive to Form Indi Design Company with Apple as Client

Shantel Harris -
C a l i f o r n i a ,   U S A - 

Jony Ive and Tim Cook at the iPhone XR launch

Apple announced that Sir Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, will depart the company as an employee later this year to form an independent design company which will count Apple among its primary clients. While he pursues personal projects, Ive in his new company will continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple.

“Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I’m happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future.”

Design team leaders Evans Hankey, vice president of Industrial Design, and Alan Dye, vice president of Human Interface Design, will report to Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. Both Dye and Hankey have played key leadership roles on Apple’s design team for many years. Williams has led the development of Apple Watch since its inception and will spend more of his time working with the design team in their studio.

“After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer. Today it is stronger, more vibrant and more talented than at any point in Apple’s history,” said Ive. “The team will certainly thrive under the excellent leadership of Evans, Alan and Jeff, who have been among my closest collaborators. I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Apple’s design team, recognised with countless design awards, brings together creatives from around the world representing multiple disciplines, including user interface, industrial design, graphic and font design, haptics and sound design.

Tweet

The Government of Canada celebrates Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi as Canada’s Newest World Heritage Site

Shantel Harris -
O t t a w a ,   O n t a r i o ,   C a n a d a - 

Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi, in Alberta

World Heritage sites represent some of humanity’s most outstanding achievements and nature’s most inspiring creations. They are considered to have Outstanding Universal Value, and are protected for the benefit of all humanity.

Today, Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi, in Alberta, was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, took the opportunity to celebrate this ancient and sacred place as Canada’s twentieth World Heritage site, and to congratulate those involved in developing and presenting its nomination.

This significant achievement follows more than 10 years of dedication by the Government of Alberta and the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Mookaakin Cultural and Heritage Society, with guidance and advice from Parks Canada. The site has been on Canada’s Tentative List for World Heritage since 2004.

Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi is an ancient and sacred cultural landscape where Indigenous peoples have created rock art for millennia. Thousands of petroglyphs and pictographs, the greatest concentration of rock art on the Great Plains of North America, represent the powers of the spirit world that resonate in this sacred landscape, and chronicle critical phases of human history in North America, including when Indigenous peoples first came into contact with Europeans.

With an exceptional combination of culturally significant landforms, rock art, archaeological heritage, and dramatic views, Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi (“it is pictured/written”) is a sacred place for the Blackfoot people. In Blackfoot traditions, Sacred Beings dwell among the cliffs and hoodoos, and the voices of the ancestors can be heard among the canyons and cliffs. To this day the Blackfoot feel the energy of the Sacred Beings at Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi, and their oral histories and ongoing ceremonial use of the site attest to the living traditions of the Blackfoot people.

The decision to inscribe Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List was made by the World Heritage Committee during its annual meeting, which is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The timing of this inscription is fitting as 2019 marks the International Year of Indigenous Languages. Indigenous languages are an essential part of the cultural fabric of Canada and play a critical role in safeguarding Indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, worldviews, spiritual values, intergenerational learning, and the history of the landscape we know as Canada. The Government of Canada recently recognized the importance of Indigenous languages through the passage of the Indigenous Languages Act, which will reclaim, revitalize, strengthen, and maintain Indigenous languages in Canada.

In celebration of the International Year of Indigenous Languages and the inscription of this new World Heritage site, Canadians are encouraged to help support the revitalization of Indigenous languages in Canada, and are invited to visit Canada’s network of heritage places to learn more about Indigenous languages, knowledge, cultures, and traditions.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada said:

“I am pleased to welcome Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi to Canada’s family of UNESCO World Heritage sites. This sacred place for the Blackfoot people is now officially recognized as a cultural landscape of global significance. World Heritage sites, such as Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi represent the very best that Canada has to offer and tell stories of who we are, including the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples. I would like to congratulate the Government of Alberta, the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Mookaakin Cultural and Heritage Society, and all those who played a role in the inscription of this international treasure. During the International Year of Indigenous Languages, I encourage all Canadians to explore Canada’s network of heritage places to learn more about the histories and cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”

Martin Heavy Head, Elder, Mookaakin Cultural and Heritage Society / Blackfoot Confederacy said:

“For the Blackfoot people, Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi is the very heart of our ancestral land, and we believe that this place has a powerful role to play in teaching others around the world about the sacred landscape of our people. As a World Heritage site, Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi will help us continue to share our traditions, and be an inspiration to all who seek to understand their own deep and personal connections to the land.”

Tweet

UK's FTSE 350 Urged to Keep up the Pace to Meet Women on Boards Target

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

New figures show that if progress matches the same gains made over the last 3 years, then FTSE 100 companies are on track to meet the 2020 target.

Figures just released by the Hampton-Alexander Review show that for the first time, the FTSE 250 could meet the 33% target for women in senior leadership positions if current progress is maintained.

32.1% of FTSE 100 board positions are held by women, up from 12.5% in 2011. Meanwhile in the FTSE 250, figures have jumped from 24.9% to 27.5%.

Launched in 2016, the government-backed independent Hampton-Alexander Review set FTSE 350 businesses a target of having 33% of all board and senior leadership positions held by women by the end of 2020. Today’s figures show that if progress matches the same gains made over the last 3 years, then FTSE 100 companies are on track to meet the 2020 target.

Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of the Review said:

“The FTSE 250 is working hard to catch up but still too many boards have only one woman and remarkably today there are four all male boards in the FTSE 250."

“We are expecting to see good progress in the number of women appointed into senior leadership roles this year, with those companies having worked hard for several years exceeding the 33% target and reaping the benefits. We look forward to receiving the data submissions during the month of July and reporting on progress in November."

FTSE 100 on track to reach target of 33% board positions going to women by 2020

Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst said:

“These latest figures show there are now more women than ever before at the top of UK business, and I want to see companies do all they can to increase the numbers further."

“Diversity makes good business sense and those who fail to see this as a priority are missing out on the benefits that diverse leadership brings."

Fourteen companies in the FTSE 350 have also been named today in a new initiative to highlight those with one woman or less on their board. The Investment Association (IA) and the Hampton-Alexander Review jointly wrote to the 69 companies in the FTSE 350 and since then 20 have appointed women.

The 14 companies named today have not responded and still have one woman or less on their board.

27.5% of FTSE 250 board positions now held by women, up from 24.9%

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive of the Investment Association said:

“Investors want to invest in businesses that demonstrate they are diverse and inclusive because this leads to better decision-making and avoids group think."

“There has been good progress made, with 20 companies that we wrote to responding by appointing another woman to their board. This is a sign that many companies are getting the message, but there is still more work to do."

“It is especially disappointing that 14 companies are still falling so far short of shareholder expectations by having just a single woman on their board. Adopting this ‘one and done’ attitude is not good enough, and investors expect companies to up their game and explain clearly how they will set this right going forward."

Monday 1 July 2019 marks the portal opening for FTSE 350 companies to submit their senior leadership gender representation data to the Hampton-Alexander Review. Companies have just one month - until 31 July - to lodge the gender split of their Executive Committee, and the Direct Reports to the Executive Committee via the portal.

Tweet

Canada Border Services Agency Signs Mutual Recognition Arrangements with Hong Kong and New Zealand

Shantel Harris -
W a s h i n g t o n ,   D C ,   U S A - 

Credit: Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) today announced the signing of two Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) with the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department and with the New Zealand Customs Service regarding their respective Trusted Trader programs.

The signings took place on the margins of the World Customs Organization Council Sessions in Brussels, Belgium.

Trusted Trader programs enhance the security and integrity of the global supply chain through the establishment of customs to business partnerships and by providing streamlined border processes to pre-approved, low-risk traders. MRAs not only enhance supply chain security, but strengthens Canada’s economic competitiveness by facilitating trade at the border.

Each MRA signifies that the CBSA’s Partners in Protection program members will be recognized by, and receive trade facilitation benefits from, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the New Zealand Customs Service’s Secure Exports Scheme (SES) program, respectively. The CBSA will reciprocate by providing similar benefits to members of Hong Kong’s AEO programme and New Zealand’s SES program.

Credit: Canada Border Services Agency

Border management is a shared international responsibility. Threats and opportunities arising from global migration and trade are dealt with most effectively by working together. Expanding the international network of accredited low-risk companies allows customs administrations to focus on targeting shipments of higher or unknown risk.

John Ossowski, President of the Canada Border Services Agency said:

“The CBSA is a fully engaged member of the World Customs Organization, regularly sharing best practices and lessons learned with our international partners, such as Hong Kong and New Zealand. Putting in place Mutual Recognition Arrangements with international partners is a reflection of the great cooperation between customs administrations and represents a major component of the CBSA’s International Strategic Framework to advance global border management.”

Tweet

Mirazur in Menton, France, is named 2019's World’s Best Restaurant

Josh Gold -
S i n g a p o r e - 

Winning restaurant Mirazur from Menton in France

The stars of the restaurant world converged at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards.

This year’s event saw 26 countries across five continents honoured with a place on the list, which culminated with the announcement of a new No.1, as Chef Mauro Colagreco took to the stage to collect the double honours for his restaurant, Mirazur, in Menton, France, as The World’s Best Restaurant 2019 and The Best Restaurant in Europe 2019.

Taking over the No.1 position from Osteria Francescana, which has been elevated to the Best of the Best hall of fame, Mirazur climbed to the top from the No.3 spot in 2018.

Mirazur’s accolade is a testament to Chef Colagreco’s love of local produce, most of which is grown in the restaurant’s three-tiered garden just metres from the dining room, complemented by a stunning French Riviera backdrop.

The chefs behind the restaurants ranked 1-50 at
The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards 2019

William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, said: “This year we are thrilled to see Mirazur claim the No.1 spot after rising through the ranks since making its debut on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No.35 in 2009: it’s been brilliant to witness its progress. This has been a wonderful, progressive year for the list as a whole, with so many new entries from all corners of the globe. We are equally delighted to welcome the seven previous No.1 restaurants into the newly created Best of the Best category.”

Spain leads the way with seven of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, including three in the top 10: Asador Etxebarri (No.3); Mugaritz (No.7); and Disfrutar (No.9). Just outside the top 10, Azurmendi in Larrabetzu, leaps 29 places to No.14 to win the Westholme Highest Climber Award 2019. France is also well represented with five restaurants in the top 50, including Arpège (No.8), Septime (No.15), Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée (No.16), Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen (No.25), as well as Mirazur.

The USA claims six restaurants in the list, including Cosme (No.23), which is helmed by The World’s Best Female Chef 2019, Daniela Soto-Innes, and two new entries: Atelier Crenn (No.35), and Benu (No.47), both in San Francisco, California.

Tweet

NASA's Dragonfly Drone Will Fly Around Titan

Shantel Harris -
W a s h i n g t o n ,   D C ,   U S A - 

Dragonfly rotorcraft-lander approaching a site on
Saturn’s exotic moon, Titan. Taking advantage of
Titan’s dense atmosphere and low gravity, Dragonfly
will explore dozens of locations across the icy world,
sampling and measuring the compositions of Titan's
organic surface materials to characterize the
habitability of Titan’s environment and investigate
the progression of prebiotic chemistry.
Credits: NASA/JHU-APL

NASA has announced that our next destination in the solar system is the unique, richly organic world Titan. Advancing our search for the building blocks of life, the Dragonfly mission will fly multiple sorties to sample and examine sites around Saturn’s icy moon.

Dragonfly will launch in 2026 and arrive in 2034. The rotorcraft will fly to dozens of promising locations on Titan looking for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth. Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science on another planet; it has eight rotors and flies like a large drone. It will take advantage of Titan’s dense atmosphere – four times denser than Earth’s – to become the first vehicle ever to fly its entire science payload to new places for repeatable and targeted access to surface materials.

Titan is an analog to the very early Earth, and can provide clues to how life may have arisen on our planet. During its 2.7-year baseline mission, Dragonfly will explore diverse environments from organic dunes to the floor of an impact crater where liquid water and complex organic materials key to life once existed together for possibly tens of thousands of years. Its instruments will study how far prebiotic chemistry may have progressed. They also will investigate the moon’s atmospheric and surface properties and its subsurface ocean and liquid reservoirs. Additionally, instruments will search for chemical evidence of past or extant life.

“With the Dragonfly mission, NASA will once again do what no one else can do,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Visiting this mysterious ocean world could revolutionize what we know about life in the universe. This cutting-edge mission would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago, but we’re now ready for Dragonfly’s amazing flight.”

Dragonfly took advantage of 13 years’ worth of Cassini data to choose a calm weather period to land, along with a safe initial landing site and scientifically interesting targets. It will first land at the equatorial “Shangri-La” dune fields, which are terrestrially similar to the linear dunes in Namibia in southern Africa and offer a diverse sampling location. Dragonfly will explore this region in short flights, building up to a series of longer “leapfrog” flights of up to 5 miles (8 kilometers), stopping along the way to take samples from compelling areas with diverse geography. It will finally reach the Selk impact crater, where there is evidence of past liquid water, organics – the complex molecules that contain carbon, combined with hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen – and energy, which together make up the recipe for life. The lander will eventually fly more than 108 miles (175 kilometers) – nearly double the distance traveled to date by all the Mars rovers combined.

“Titan is unlike any other place in the solar system, and Dragonfly is like no other mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for Science at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. “It’s remarkable to think of this rotorcraft flying miles and miles across the organic sand dunes of Saturn’s largest moon, exploring the processes that shape this extraordinary environment. Dragonfly will visit a world filled with a wide variety of organic compounds, which are the building blocks of life and could teach us about the origin of life itself.”

Titan has a nitrogen-based atmosphere like Earth. Unlike Earth, Titan has clouds and rain of methane. Other organics are formed in the atmosphere and fall like light snow. The moon’s weather and surface processes have combined complex organics, energy, and water similar to those that may have sparked life on our planet.

Titan is larger than the planet Mercury and is the second largest moon in our solar system. As it orbits Saturn, it is about 886 million miles (1.4 billion kilometers) away from the Sun, about 10 times farther than Earth. Because it is so far from the Sun, its surface temperature is around -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-179 degrees Celsius). Its surface pressure is also 50 percent higher than Earth’s.

Dragonfly was selected as part of the agency’s New Frontiers program, which includes the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Juno to Jupiter, and OSIRIS-REx to the asteroid Bennu. Dragonfly is led by Principal Investigator Elizabeth Turtle, who is based at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. New Frontiers supports missions that have been identified as top solar system exploration priorities by the planetary community. The program is managed by the Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Planetary Science Division in Washington.

“The New Frontiers program has transformed our understanding of the solar system, uncovering the inner structure and composition of Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere, discovering the icy secrets of Pluto’s landscape, revealing mysterious objects in the Kuiper belt, and exploring a near-Earth asteroid for the building blocks of life,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division. “Now we can add Titan to the list of enigmatic worlds NASA will explore.”

Tweet

Naomi Campbell to be Honoured with the Fashion Icon Award at The Fashion Awards 2019

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

Caroline Rush and Naomi Campbell.
Credit: Darren Gerrish, British Fashion Council.

The British Fashion Council announced that Naomi Campbell will receive the Fashion Icon Award at The Fashion Awards 2019, on Monday 2nd December at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Naomi Campbell will be recognised for her incredible contribution to the fashion industry, her world-renowned career as a supermodel, as well as her philanthropist work with charities and incredible efforts for a more diverse and equal future, especially in Africa. The Fashion Icon Award is one of the Special Recognition Awards that celebrate outstanding contributions to the fashion industry.

Caroline Rush, BFC Chief Executive commented: “We cannot think of a more deserving recipient than iconic Londoner Naomi Campbell, she has achieved exceptional work in the industry. Naomi represents female empowerment, activism and glamour and her voice is used for great impact. We are thrilled to present The Fashion Icon Award to Naomi and acknowledge her for her remarkable contribution to the global fashion industry and we look forward to celebrating with her in London in December.”

Born in London, Naomi Campbell’s career started at an early age. Discovered by an agent after school in Covent Garden, Campbell was the first black model to cover French Vogue in 1988, the first black model to be on the cover of American Vogue's September issue in 1989, the first black model to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, Russian Vogue as well as the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue. She has since graced the covers of over 500 magazines. Today, with over 30 years in fashion, Campbell remains an unstoppable force and has starred in iconic campaigns for some of fashion’s most distinguished brands including Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Balmain, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Valentino and Versace.

Naomi Campbell’s numerous achievements are not limited to fashion alone. Throughout her career, she has become known for using her success to help those in need through her incredible work with fundraising and charity work across the globe. Naomi Campbell began charity work with Nelson Mandela in 1993, and in 1997 he named her “Honorary Granddaughter” for her endless activism. In 2018, Naomi Campbell had the honour of presenting a tribute to the independence leader, who would have turned 100, at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival in NYC. Naomi also made a passionate and emotional speech at Winnie Mandela's funeral, calling her “a woman of strength who endured much hardship and sacrifice”. In 2013, Naomi Campbell launched the Campaign “Diversity Coalition” with the aim to address racism in the fashion industry.

Naomi Campbell is not only known for being one of the original supermodels but also for being a global figure, and one of the most influential people on the planet. Her passion for female empowerment and Africa has seen her headline the 2019 Forbes Woman Africa’s Leading Women Summit and her ongoing mission to elevate and connect African designers with the global fashion community has seen her co-produce this year’s Arise Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria.

In 2005, Naomi Campbell founded Fashion for Relief, a charity merging fashion and philanthropy. Born in London, Fashion for Relief was one of the first fundraisers with an aim to help people affected by the disastrous floods that hit the UK in the summer of 2007. The fundraiser was supported by people including Elle MacPherson, Novak Djokovic, Jane Fonda, Sting, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Faye Dunaway and the Duchess of York, in aid of the Rotary Flood and Disaster Appeal for Great Britain. Since that day, Fashion for Relief has spread its wings to embrace global causes, raising millions in aide of disaster relief such as the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and child refugee crises, to name only a few. Fashion for Relief has been staged all around the world, from New York to Dar Es Salaam and the South of France. This year, Fashion for Relief will return to its roots, with a catwalk during London Fashion Week September 2019.

Previous awards received by Naomi Campbell include the Glamour Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2006, a Special Recognition Award at the British Fashion Awards in 2010, the Glamour Award for TV Personality in 2014 and most recently the Fashion Icon award at the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards.

Tweet

Mischa Barton dazzled in Los Angeles whilst Amy Jackson exuded elegance in Windsor

Josh Gold -
N e w   Y o r k ,  U S A - 

Mischa Barton [left] at the MTV Movie and TV Awards in LA.
Original dress modelled [right] during Paris Fashion Week.

Hollywood star, Mischa Barton, and British actress and model, Amy Jackson, stun onlookers in Ralph & Russo ready-to-wear at events across the globe.

Actress Mischa Barton dazzled at the MTV Movie and TV Awards in Los Angeles wearing a black lace embroidered evening gown featuring bell sleeves from the Pre-Spring/Summer 2019 ready-to-wear collection.

Mischa previously won MTV Movie and TV Awards in 2004 and 2006 for her starring role in The O.C. Mischa as a child star, famously appeared across from Hugh Grant in the film Notting Hill.

Amy Jackson in Windsor, UK.

British actress and model Amy Jackson exuded elegance at The Cartier Queen’s Cup Polo in Windsor, wearing a snow white cotton belted trench from the Pre-Spring/Summer 2019 ready-to-wear collection.

Amy is known for her work in Indian films. She began her modelling career at the age of 16, and went on to win the Miss Teen World competition in 2009.

Director A. L. Vijay cast Amy as the leading lady of the Tamil language period drama Madrasapattinam in 2010 which launched her career as an actress. Amy continues to act in Indian films of all languages, including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada.

Tweet

Israeli Space Tech Firm hiSky Expands to the UK

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

Harwell Campus

An innovative company looking to make satellite communications more accessible and affordable is set to create over 100 high-tech jobs in London and Oxfordshire.

The Israeli company hiSky has established a UK limited company - hiSkySat Limited – based in London, with an R&D centre at Harwell to develop a satellite communications network management system (NMS) and operation centre.

The UK Space Agency provided £9 million of funding for hiSky to develop cutting-edge space telecoms technology at the Harwell Space Cluster, which is growing fast and already home to more than 90 space companies.

hiSky aims to be the world’s first low-cost satellite network operator, bringing innovative technology to voice and data satellite communications, and leveraging existing satellite capacity to reduce costs associated with building and launching new satellites.

Part of the new project will integrate and develop 5G networks into their ‘Smartellite’ satellite receiving terminal and carry out a demonstration to show how it can connect seamlessly between different satellites and operators. This will help roll out the next generation of Internet of Things technology, connecting machines and vehicles around the world and enabling remote monitoring of infrastructure such as power lines and wind turbines.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said:

“The UK government’s modern Industrial Strategy and commitment to the European Space Agency are bringing innovative companies like OneWeb, SatixFy and hiSky to Britain."

“Our world-leading universities, modern regulatory environment, growing R&D spend and support for UK spaceports make this a great place to build a space business and create the high-skilled jobs of the future."

The UK Space Agency funding is allocated through the European Space Agency (ESA). This is targeted to support the development of hiSky’s satellite receiving terminals, operations and management software for the devices and to help establish hiSky as a Virtual Network Operator – a supplier of network services using existing infrastructure – in the UK.

Shahar Kravitz , CEO, hiSky said:

“We are honored to be partners with the UK Space Agency. It is our privilege to establish the first real low-cost global Virtual Satellite Network and to do it in the UK. hiSky’s cutting edge technology and solution was developed in order to meet with the consumers needs and can easily adjust to different satellite operators, including forthcoming Low Earth Orbit telcoms constellations."

“The UK Space Agency and Department for International Trade have been very supportive of our technology and our concept from the beginning. We are grateful for the chance given to us and look forward to grow within the UK."

ESA is independent of the European Union and has its European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in Harwell, Oxfordshire, reflecting the UK’s world-leading position in satellite communications.

Magali Vaissiere, ESA Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications said:

“Innovation and collaboration are the keys to keeping European industry at the forefront of the highly competitive global market for satellite communications. This is a great example of how partnering between the public and private sectors can drive the development of world-leading innovation."

Earlier this month the government announced ambitious plans for the UK to lead the new space age, including further support to enable small satellite launch and the creation of a new National Space Council to strengthen UK space strategy.

The UK’s investment in the ESA programme for telecommunications research and business applications (ARTES) has helped bring world-leading companies to the UK such as OneWeb and SatixFy.

The UK Space Agency, ESA and the Department for International Trade have worked together to bring hiSky to the UK.

The Harwell Space Cluster has grown by 19% over the past year, employing 950 people in 89 organisations including RAL Space, Oxford Space Systems and the Satellite Applications Catapult.

Tweet

Jessica Préalpato Named World's Best Pastry Chef

Shantel Harris -
S i n g a p o r e - 

Pastry Chef Jessica Préalpato

The Head Pastry Chef at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, Jessica Préalpato, has been voted The World’s Best Pastry Chef 2019. Préalpato receives her award in advance of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards ceremony, which takes place on 25 June in Singapore.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is a celebration of the pinnacle of global gastronomy, bringing together a unique community of world-leading chefs, restaurateurs, food- lovers and global media for the Oscars of the dining world.

Born into a family of pastry cooks, dessert was always going to be a key player in Préalpato’s life. Growing up in Mont de Marsan, she first pursued a degree in psychology, before realising her true calling: to create natural desserts. Her work majors in the best use of seasonal produce, creating plates that are high in flavour, but also light on the palate.

“We are very excited to announce Jessica Préalpato as the recipient of The World’s Best Pastry Chef award, sponsored by Sosa,” says William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. “Her creativity and devotion to the world of food and the art of baking makes her the perfect recipient of this award. Her cooking is absolutely of the moment: the way she manipulates natural sugars without sacrificing flavour chimes perfectly with the restaurant’s ideology and the cultural zeitgeist to cut down on sugar intake.”

World's Best Pastry Chef Jessica Préalpato

Préalpato says: “It is an absolute honour to be recognised as The World’s Best Pastry Chef. As the daughter of two pastry chefs, I have been immersed in the world of culinary arts my entire life. This award represents my life journey and the passion I have for this art. I hope this award inspires emerging pastry chefs around the world.”

Préalpato began her career in the kitchen at La Chèvre d’Or in Eze where she worked under Philippe Labbé. After several positions in restaurants in southwestern France, Préalpato then joined Frédéric Vardon’s team for the opening of the 39V restaurant in Paris, before moving to the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. In November 2012, Frédéric Vardon offered her a position as Chef Pâtissière for the Corfou Group. During her tenure, she travelled throughout France and other parts of the world, including Dubai, Tokyo, Beirut and St. Petersburg. She learned extensively about other cultures and discovered new types of produce and styles of cooking, which she incorporated into her culinary repertoire.

In November 2015, she joined the staff at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée as Pastry Chef, working under chef de cuisine Romain Meder. At the acclaimed Parisian restaurant, currently ranked No.13 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list, she has further built her repertoire and reputation. Préalpato’s signature dishes include strawberry clafoutis with frosted pine and Millason cake, and ‘figue’, which features figs cooked three ways with a fig ice cream and a light biscuit. She recently published Desseralité, her book on creative approaches to fruit-based desserts, which was released in November 2018.

In receiving this award, Préalpato joins an elite group of world-class pastry chefs, including 2018 winner Cédric Grolet, 2017 winner Dominique Ansel, 2016 winner Pierre Hermé and 2015 winner Albert Adrià in The World’s Best Pastry Chef hall of fame.

Tweet

Cole Sprouse and Robert Cavalli Party in Tuscany

Josh Gold -
T u s c a n y ,  I t a l y - 

Cole Sprouse and Robert Cavalli

Riverdale star Cole Sprouse and Robert Cavalli celebrate the launch of Triple RRR Spring/Summer 2020 collection during the 30th anniversary of Pitti Uomo with an after party titled “One Night in Florence”.

The pool party was held at the private Villa di Cavalli in the hills of Florence, Tuscany.

The event followed an afternoon bruncheon at another family residence in the city center where the designer’s, Spring/Summer 2020, collection was unveiled and light Florentine fare was served across a hidden backyard garden.

Hollywood star Cole Sprouse from Riverdale, fashion editor Declan Chan, New York socialite Inga Rubenstein, and more were served HeavenSake from renowned fashion show producer, Etienne Russo, of villa Eugenie, who produced the event.

Guests danced around the pool all night long to sounds by Venetian born DJ Simone de Kunovich.

Tweet

£1 Billion Investment Makes UK a Frontrunner in Quantum Technologies

Peter Thomas -
L o n d o n ,   U K - 

Investment hits a £1 billion milestone, showing the government’s modern Industrial Strategy is helping the UK lead the world in new technologies.

Experimental quantum science is set to become a commercial reality through planned joint government and industry investment of over £350 million, taking projects from research stage to product testing.

Total investment through the National Quantum Technologies Programme will pass a major £1 billion investment milestone since its inception in 2014. The investment has secured the UK’s status as a world-leader in quantum science and technologies, keeping pace with the US and China.

The milestone comes as government confirms a £153 million funding boost through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. This has been more than matched by industry, with over £200 million of investment expected from the private sector.

Industry spending on quantum research and development through the fund will overtake government investment for the first time – showing business is confident in the commercial potential of the UK’s world-leading research. This milestone shows the UK is moving in the right direction towards our target in the modern Industrial Strategy to invest 2.4% of GDP in research and development by 2027.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said:

Science Minister Chris Skidmore

“This milestone shows that Quantum is no longer an experimental science for the UK. Investment by government and businesses is paying off, as we become one of the world’s leading nations for quantum science and technologies. Now industry is turning what was once a futuristic pipedream into life-changing products."

“This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action – taking the most innovative ideas from our world-leading researchers and showing how they can be applied, from diagnosing diseases to detecting gas leaks."

Quantum technologies represent a new generation of high-performing devices. Quantum technologies could easily solve problems that would stump any existing supercomputer and tackle challenges that we can’t meet any other way. Examples include simulating molecules to transform drug discovery to treat diseases, using sensors to see round corners and through walls, and helping engineers detect scentless gas leaks invisible to human eyes.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said:

Professor Sir Mark Walport

“The UK is a world leader in quantum technologies. The funding announced today builds on the great progress we have made and lays the foundations for a quantum technology industry here in the UK."

“It will ensure that we remain at the forefront of this exciting and evolving field and that we realise its potential, from improved healthcare to more accurate and reliable navigation, that is fundamental to so many services."

In the coming months, a new programme board will be set up, alongside an expert advisory group to set the strategy for the next phase of the National Quantum Technologies Programme, looking at developing technologies and identifying market opportunities.

Industry leaders have formed an independent Quantum Technology Leadership Group to represent the needs of industry with government and look at the commercial activity and economic impact of quantum technologies. The group will be co-chaired by Dr Trevor Cross, group chief technology officer at Teledyne e2v and Dr Graeme Malcolm, CEO and co-founder at MSquared Lasers.

The £1 billion funding milestone was part of a speech made by Science Minister Chris Skidmore during London Tech Week.

The speech on emerging technologies is the third in a series of speaking events from the minister on how the UK will reach its ambition to invest 2.4% of GDP on research and development by 2027.

Also in his speech today the Science Minister said he wants to ensure future investments in High Performance Computing deliver benefits across research and innovation, including tech start-ups and SMEs. The government will work with UKRI and Tech UK on UKRI’s e-infrastructure strategy to engage with tech-SMEs on how they can access high-performance computing for the benefit of their businesses.

Tweet

Uber Air comes to Melbourne, Australia in 2023

Avi Cohen  -   
M e l b o u r n e ,   A u s t r a l i a - 

Concept Art of Uber Air above Melbourne in 2023.

Uber has announced that Australia will be the first international market for Uber Air, with Melbourne selected as the third ‘pilot' city.

Melbourne will join Dallas and Los Angeles as pilot cities for the program, with test flights due to start from 2020 and plans for commercial operations to commence from 2023.

Taking Uber’s tech to the sky, Uber Air aims to open up urban air mobility, and help alleviate transport congestion on the ground. In the long term, the vision is for safe, quiet electric vehicles transporting tens of thousands of people across cities for the same price as an UberX trip over the same distance.

Susan Anderson, Regional General Manager for Uber in Australia, New Zealand and North Asia made the announcement on June 11 at Uber’s global Elevate Summit in Washington and said:

“Since we entered the market in 2012, Australians have embraced Uber wholeheartedly. Today, over 3.8 million Aussies regularly use Uber as a reliable way to get from A to B, and governments across the country have recognised the important role ridesharing plays in the future of transport for our cities.”

Susan Anderson General Manager for
Uber Australia and New Zealand

“Australian governments have adopted a forward-looking approach to ridesharing and future transport technology. This, coupled with Melbourne’s unique demographic and geospatial factors, and culture of innovation and technology, makes Melbourne the perfect third launch city for Uber Air. We will see other Australian cities following soon after.”

“The State Government of Victoria, Australia has been highly supportive, and we look forward to partnering with them to progress into this first international trial for Uber Air in Melbourne,” said Susan.

Congestion is a growing concern for cities around the world, congestion currently costs Australia $16.5 billion annually and increasing to around $30 billion by 2030.

Eric Allison, the global head of Uber Elevate, said: “As major cities grow, the heavy reliance on private car ownership will not be sustainable. Uber Air holds enormous potential to help reduce road congestion. For example, the 19 kilometre journey from the CBD to Melbourne airport can take anywhere from 25 minutes to around an hour by car in peak hour but with Uber Air this will take around 10 minutes.”

“Uber’s technology is changing the way people move around their cities — from bikes to pooled rides, we are always looking for ways to reduce the need for private car ownership. In the coming years, with Uber Air, we want to make it possible for people to push a button and get a flight.”

“We are delighted that Melbourne has been chosen as the first international trial city for Uber Air. Victoria is a dynamic, innovative tech state and an economy leading the Asia Pacific region in transformative technologies,” said the Hon Robin Scott, Assistant Treasurer, Government of Victoria, Australia who spoke at the Washington Summit.

Uber also announced partnerships with leading Australian companies, Macquarie, Telstra and Scentre Group, owner and operator of Westfield in Australia and New Zealand and will work with key existing partners including Melbourne Airport who collectively will support the infrastructure and telecommunications needed to create a successful urban aviation network.

“As the gateway to Melbourne for tens of millions of travellers each year, we can see fantastic potential for Uber Air in the future. We look forward to continuing this exciting conversation, and working with government, regulators and our local communities to make this happen,” said Lorie Argus, Chief of Parking & Ground Access at Melbourne Airport.

“Macquarie Capital is excited to be partnering with Uber Elevate on the development and electrification of the skyports that will support vertical takeoff and landing, as well as determining the best market structures and models for this infrastructure,” said Greg Callman, Global Head of Energy Technology at Macquarie Capital. “We look forward to leveraging our expertise in infrastructure, charging, and energy, along with innovation driven by Uber and other partners to accelerate the move toward electric air mobility.”

“Telstra is excited to be part of a truly momentous point in time for Melbourne on the world stage. Our network strength, coverage and leadership in 5G, along with our ongoing work on drones and related standards, will support Uber’s incredible technology and innovation to develop a service we have all imagined would one day be possible,” said Andrew Penn, Chief Executive Officer, Telstra.

“We will be working closely with Uber over the next 12 months to assess what network infrastructure, connectivity requirements and other capabilities would be needed to support airspace mobility in urban centres. It is a testament to Telstra’s network and technology capability that we are part of this exciting future,” said Penn.

“Scentre Group is pleased to have been selected to work with Uber Elevate as preferred infrastructure partner and alongside other companies, government and regulatory agencies to explore future mobility options for our customers. Today’s announcement recognises the strategic locations of our Westfield centres, which are regarded as integral social infrastructure because of their close proximity to customers, communities and transport hubs,” said Cynthia Whelan, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Scentre Group.

“Our partnership with government and business is a significant part of the Uber story in Australia. We will continue to work with communities and governments to ensure that we create an urban aviation rideshare network that is safe, quiet, environmentally conscious and supports multi-modal transport options,” said Susan Anderson.

Tweet