project | Common News Update

Jan312021 by adminNo Comments

HS2: Could the pandemic kill off the rail project?

Science

EPALeading environmental groups have joined the call from protesters tunnelling under London's Euston station to review HS2 in the light of the pandemic.The high-speed rail line was planned to accommodate increased passenger numbers over the coming decades, but experts forecast that the home-working revolution may permanently reduce UK travel demand. Now, the government says the main justification is that HS2 is part of a long-term infrastructure plan serving future needs.But the head of the Department for Transport has admitted it has no idea of future travel patterns nor passenger numbers.Objectors to the project - a high-speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds - fear that emissions from construction work will outweigh any carbon savings for decades.HS2 begins ev...

Jul202020 by adminNo Comments

Oversight gap leaves Pentagon unsure if Afghan drone project has helped, IG says

Business

July 17 (UPI) -- An oversight failure left the Pentagon unable to judge if a $ 174 million Afghan surveillance drone project is effective, an inspector general's report says. Released on Friday by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan, the report notes that at least $ 174 million was spent between 2015 and 2019 to supply Afghanistan's security forces with ScanEagle remotely piloted aircraft. Advertisement It adds, though, that the Defense Department is unable to determine if the project is effective, if the Afghan forces can sustain it or what the immediate and long-term impacts of the investment. "SIGAR found that Naval Air Systems Command [NAVAIR] -- responsible for overseeing the ScanEagle contracts, and [drone manufacturer and Boeing subsidiary] Insitu -- is unable to determin...

May132020 by adminNo Comments

Really? New ‘Project Restart’ restrictions for Premier League players to include ‘turning your face away when tackled’

Sports

Former Premier League ace Matt Holland has serious doubts over the bizarre new restrictions that will reportedly be placed on players when the 2019/20 season finally resumes. The current ‘Project Restart’ proposal aims for the 2019/20 top flight campaign to resume in June, but stars are set to be given a list of new directives on Wednesday, which chiefs believe will help ‘avoid disaster’ when action returns. getty Footballers are being told to be ready to return to action next month, but some stars are said to have big fears about playing while the coronavirus is still at large And, according to reports, the instructions even include telling players to ‘turn their faces away’ after they have been tackled by an opponent. The Daily Telegraph claim thes...

May122020 by adminNo Comments

Premier League: Restrictions in place for team training under ‘Project Restart’

Sports

Tackling will be banned, pitches disinfected and players restricted to groups of five when the Premier League starts a first phase of team training.Official protocols sent to players and managers on Tuesday and obtained by the BBC reveal that social distancing must be "strictly observed".Corner-flags, balls, cones, goalposts and even playing surfaces will be disinfected after each session. League bosses hope training can begin on Monday, restricted to 75 minutes.Ongoing surveillance measures included in further guidance include twice-weekly testing, and a daily pre-training questionnaire and temperature check. Under a section titled 'health screening', players are also told a central register...

May102020 by adminNo Comments

Premier League clubs meeting to discuss ‘Project Restart’ as government offer no timescale over when live sport can resume

Sports

Premier League clubs will meet again on Monday to discuss plans to restart the 2019/20 season – but there appears little prospect of football resuming any time soon. The determination remains to complete the campaign but Prime Minister Boris Johnson looked to have put the brakes on a swift return for professional sport on Sunday after revealing the coronavirus transmission rate is still too high to significantly ease the lockdown. getty No football has been played in England since early March due to the coronavirus pandemic Johnson indicated that – while the general population will be allowed to exercise outdoors more than once a day and play sports from Wednesday – they must do so only with those in their own households. “We want to encourage more a...