Ashley Cornell, email: [email protected]

by Irene Soave

Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced again; the independence of India (and its progress); the Giza Coptic Church in flames and mourning for children; Tehran on Rushdie; the Russian “gambling” by Mohammed bin Salman

Not all the world stops for Ferragosto, an all-Italian holiday. Here are five “pills” from as many world fronts.

Iran and the attack on Rushdie: “No one can accuse us”

The Tehran government “categorically” denies any connection to the attack on writer Salman Rushdie, who was fatwaed by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 for his satanic verses. The Iranian state media has repeatedly spoken of a “just reward” for the writer and a “divine reward”; National television Jaam-e Jam even commented on the news that the author could lose an eye, saying that “an eye of Satan may have been blinded”. However, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry, through the mouth of spokesman Nasser Kanaani – in the country’s first official response – declared that “no one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran”. However, in the same note, he also stated that “freedom of expression does not justify the insults to the Islamic religion expressed in his writings. We do not consider anyone guilty of this attack other than Salman Rushdie himself and his followers, who deserve outrage and condemnation ».

Mohammed bin Salman’s “Russian Wager”

Kingdom Holding, one of the largest Saudi investment funds, has “poured” around $500 million into Russian state-owned energy companies such as Rosneft, Lukoil and Gazprom: just before the start of the war in Ukraine and shortly after in March, and despite financial pressure from Western exercise leadership on Moscow (which has increasingly turned to the Saudi monarchy for energy supplies since the war began).

Independent India turns 75. “Development? Within another 25”

Celebrations are also taking place in India, where – apart from the most gruesome and gory aspects – the 75th anniversary of national independence from the British government is being celebrated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised in his commemorative speech (wearing a tricolor turban) to lift millions of Indians out of poverty and transform India “into a developed country within the next quarter century”.

In the former Burma, a new sentence goes to Aung San Suu Kyi

A court in Myanmar again sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, the expelled leader, to an additional six years in prison for corruption, in addition to the 11 years she had received at a previous trial. According to prosecutors, he misappropriated charitable funds and rented public land at below-market prices. Suu Kyi has denied all allegations and her lawyers are expected to appeal.

The orthodox church in Giza in flames during the mass

The crowded working-class neighborhood of Imbaba, Giza — in Greater Cairo — mourns its dead in the Sunday mass fire. The Coptic Orthodox Church of the Martyrs Abu Sefein in Giza caught fire: 41 believers died in the fire that broke out during a mass, including 10 children. Another 14 were injured. The fire was caused by an air conditioner failure on the building’s second floor and resulted in a thick blanket of smoke, which was the leading cause of death for victims. The priest of the church, Father Abdel Masih Bakhit, was also killed in the fire.

August 15, 2022 (change August 15, 2022 | 17:19)

© REPRODUCTION RESERVED

Düsseldorf (ots) – PwC examined the traffic, technical and economic potential of cable cars in urban areas / cable cars are eligible / comparatively low costs for investment, operation and maintenance / cable cars are very safe and eco-friendly – citizens, on the other hand, are often skeptics

Traffic jams and heavy passenger traffic, exhaust emissions and noise pollution are part of everyday life, especially in big cities. One of the most important alternatives, local public transport, is reaching its capacity limits in many places. Therefore, innovative solutions are needed. This includes cable cars. And they can also complement public transport in Europe and Germany in the future as an eco-friendly and cost-effective means of transport – especially as the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) has included cable cars as an eligible part of public transport since 2020. study “Urban cable cars in public transport. Innovative, sustainable – and a sensible solution?” Auditing and consulting firm PwC Germany describes the potential benefits of cable cars as a means of transport and from a technical and economic point of view.

Transport with tradition – and many advantages

Cable cars are a means of transport with a long tradition: baskets attached to ropes have helped people cross rivers and canyons since the 15th century. In the 20th century, cable cars were primarily a tourist attraction before being used increasingly as a means of urban transport at the turn of the millennium, especially in metropolitan areas of South America and Asia. Now, urban planners are increasingly focusing on them as they offer numerous technical and economic advantages over other modes of transport. This is particularly true of aerial cableways or cable cars compared to funiculars, which are more similar to cog railways.

Maximilian Rohs, Senior Manager of Infrastructure and Mobility at PwC Germany, says: “The cable cars have a high maximum frequency, the probability of accidents is very low, which makes them a very punctual means of transport.” Cable cars carry around 6,000 passengers per hour. This is roughly the equivalent of a subway. In contrast, trams can transport around 2,000 to 3,000 people per hour and buses 600 to 1,000.

Investment costs are relatively low

Cable cars, however, are quite slow and therefore not very suitable for longer distances. Furthermore, they are quite weather dependent and, for example, cannot be operated or can only be operated to a limited extent in high winds. “Its biggest advantage is certainly the low cost of construction. Tunnels and bridges are not necessary – and of course they offer an attractive driving experience,” says PwC traffic expert Maximilian Rohs. In addition to the cable system and the type of drive, the central technical feature is the size of the cabin and its capacity for between 6 and 200 people. In order to sensibly complement public transport with cable cars, passengers must be able to take bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs with them.

In addition to the mentioned advantages, the financing guideline mentioned above makes the cable car economically attractive. For example, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia supports investment up to 90%. The cost of cable car systems per kilometer is around 10 to 20 million euros – about the same as trams. As there is no need for warehouse and signaling and traffic control technology, the overall investment costs are low compared to means of transport. Another advantage: although cable cars require a planning approval procedure, their construction time is short, only 12 to 18 months. Subway projects, for example, are usually not completed until five to ten years.

Operation and maintenance are cheap

The economic advantages of cable cars are even greater when it comes to operating costs. Maximilian Rohs knows: “Both personnel costs and energy costs are lower than with all other systems. This is mainly due to the high degree of automation. People just need to monitor the operation.”

And cable cars consume relatively little energy: an average of just 5.8 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per 100 passenger-kilometers; on the subway is

11.6 kWh, more than double for trams with 12.5 kWh. As the ropeways have few wearing parts, maintenance costs are also low. “However, if individual components need maintenance, operators often have to temporarily shut down the entire system,” highlights PwC expert Maximilian Rohs.

Safe and environmentally friendly – but also viable?

Safety and environmental aspects also speak in favor of cable cars. For example, trams have an accident for every 225,000 kilometers in operation and buses for every 616,000 kilometers. In the case of cable cars, the probability of accidents is significantly lower – statistically, an accident only happens after around 17 million kilometers of operation! Maximilian Rohs of PwC adds: “The cable car systems are very climate-friendly, they hardly pollute the environment. And they take up little space and are very quiet – which also has a positive effect on the environmental balance.”

There are now several cable car projects across Europe, with planning and implementation at different stages of progress. Projects in Koblenz (in use, so far without collective bargaining integration), in Bonn (in planning), in Stuttgart (pilot route in planning) as well as considerations in Berlin and Cologne should be mentioned as examples for Germany. “Whether cable cars are the preferred means of transport, despite all the advantages, it can only be answered on a case-by-case basis,” comments PwC expert Maximilian Rohs. “Citizens sometimes reject these projects, also because cable cars change the city’s landscape quite significantly.” Last but not least, it can be very interesting for logistics companies if railways are used to transport people and goods.

About PwC:

PwC sees its task as building trust in society and solving important problems. More than 327,000 employees in 155 countries contribute to this with high-quality, industry-specific services in the areas of audit, tax and management consulting.

The PwC designation refers to the PwC network and/or to one or more of the network’s legally independent companies. More details at www.pwc.com/structure.

Study: Urban Cable Cars

Questions and contact:

www.pwc.de/Seilbahnen

Martin Krause
PwC Communications
Phone: +49 (0) 211 981 – 1657
Email: [email protected]

Quebec’s Catholic Church is saddened by the fact that legal remedies are being extended to compensate victims of sex abuse, but it questions the greed of the lawyers and claims it does not have the means to pay tens of millions of dollars that she doesn’t have.

• Also read: Victims of pedophile priests grow impatient

During his visit to Quebec in July, Pope Francis apologized for the abuse of minors and called for “strong action”. For more than 2,000 reported victims, the only expected action is expedited resolution of class-action lawsuits.

The Diocese of Québec is itself the target of a class action lawsuit alleging all sexual assaults committed by people under its authority since the 1940s. Plaintiffs are seeking up to $600,000 per victim. About 110 people came. A simple calculation, therefore, leads us to a maximum payout of $66 million, but the number of plaintiffs has been constantly changing for the past two years.

“What I can tell you without starting the process [judiciaire]is that there has always been an openness from the diocese to compensate the victims. [Mais] We have to stop thinking that the Church is extremely rich because it’s completely false, and we have to stop thinking about astronomical amounts,” begins Abbot René Tessier, the diocese’s communications officer, in an interview.

“We could probably indict both parties’ lawyers, but we suspect the amounts in question are among the things that will take time to settle […] There may be lawyers who have completely unrealistic ideas. Don’t think there are tens and millions still available, it’s to dream in color,” elaborates Mr. Tessier.

“Since 2000 there has been a $2 million annual deficit that has forced the diocese to dive into its reserves. And before 2000, we had two funds that could do that [totaliser] around 45 million US dollars,” says Abbé Tessier. However, the diocese has many assets and properties that are exempt from property tax, it should be remembered. Some churches, for example, have great value on paper, Abbé Tessier acknowledges. But nobody wants to buy them, he puts it into perspective.

Me Alain Arsenault, who is involved in 18 lawsuits against religious orders or dioceses in Quebec, including those of Quebec, assures that his aim is not to force anyone into bankruptcy, even if this is a possible consequence.

“Our aim is to compensate the victims as correctly as possible. We can talk, we can analyze and if we’re shown that they don’t have money, that’s one thing… We look at the insurance and then at their property. And if they really don’t have any money, they go broke like everyone else. It will be unfortunate but they will have to pay for the broken pots.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) declined to comment on specific court cases. The CCCB recalls that beyond the apologies, Pope Francis acknowledged that the Church “has not always acted promptly to prevent and respond to clerical sexual abuse”. It must be ensured that this never happens again, they say.

• Hear Felix Séguin on Yasmine Abdefadel’s mic on QUB radio:

Rudy Giuliani has now been told he is the target of a criminal probe into efforts to overturn the election ahead of his testimony in Atlanta later this week: Walls are closing in on more Trump allies

• Rudy Giuliani has now been told he is the target of a criminal investigation in Georgia, the New York Times reported Wednesday
• Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump’s campaign attorney, is scheduled to testify in Atlanta later this week
• He has emerged as a central figure in Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis’ investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election

By Nikki Schwab, Senior US Political Reporter

Published: 18:45 BST, 15 Aug 2022 | Updated at 7:11 PM BST, 15 Aug 2022

Rudy Giuliani has now been told he is the target of a criminal probe in Georgia in connection with his efforts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election on behalf of former President Donald Trump.

The New York Times reported Monday for development.

Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and Trump’s campaign attorney, is scheduled to testify in Atlanta later this week.

He has told prosecutors he is not healthy enough to fly, prompting Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney to say he should find other travel options.

‘Mister. Giuliani is not approved for air travel, AIR,” McBurney said.

“One thing we need to investigate is whether Mr. Giuliani can come here without jeopardizing his recovery and his health, on a train, bus or Uber,” McBurney said in court last week. “New York is nowhere near Atlanta, but it’s nowhere near Fairbanks,” the judge added.

Giuliani had two cardiac stents implanted in July.

The ex-mayor has emerged as a central Trumpworld figure in Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis’ investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State.

Rudy Giuliani has now been told he is the target of a criminal probe in Georgia in connection with his efforts to overthrow the 2020 presidential election on behalf of former President Donald Trump

The Times reported in June that investigators have focused on two state hearings on legislation where Giuliani appeared in December 2020, after President Joe Biden narrowly beat former President Donald Trump in the former Red state.

There he peddled conspiracy theories about rogue voting machines and suitcases filled with Democratic ballots, telling lawmakers they “may not be able to validate Georgia in good faith.”

Giuliani was also involved in a plan to have state legislatures create fake lists of electoral college electors, which is part of the Georgia probe but is also under investigation by the Justice Department.

The Times reported in June that three Democratic state lawmakers testified before a grand jury about Giuliani’s performances in December 2020 before the law hearings.

Republicans have so far resisted a statement.

The charges under consideration, according to the Times, are racketeering and conspiracy, as well as those related to making false statements “in matters falling within the purview of state or political departments,” which would include hearings with lawmakers.

The special grand jury was assembled in May and has one year to complete its work.

Willis said in May, “In a perfect world, I’d be done in the next 60 to 90 days.”

“But I live in an imperfect world,” she added.