We are getting closer. Will the final deal proposal pass the UK Parliament?

Theresa May’s secret plan to secure a Brexit deal and win the backing of parliament can be revealed today.

Senior sources say the prime minister has secured private concessions from Brussels that will allow her to keep the whole of Britain in a customs union, avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland. They expect this to placate remainer Tories and win over some Labour MPs.

And in a move that will appeal to Eurosceptics, May is also said to be on course to secure a political deal on a “future economic partnership” (FEP) with the European Union that will allow Britain to keep open the prospect of a free trade deal resembling that enjoyed by Canada.

The Sunday Times has been told that preparations for a final deal are far more advanced than previously disclosed and will lead to a document of 50 pages or more when it is published — not the vague, five-page plan many expect.

You can read the article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/revealed-theresa-mays-secret-brexit-deal-3vvn3c0sf

Source: The Sunday Times

On Iceland there is now a company, Aha, that delivers takeways by drones.

The company works with the biggest takeeway restaurants. You order your food in a smartphone app, the drone picks it up and deliveres wherever you are. Everybody is a winner, also the environment since it a very environment friendly way of transport.

There are more than 1 million drones registered in the U.S. Most of them belong to people flying them for fun, but a growing number are used commercially. Companies including Amazon, UPS, Google and DHL are already exploring ways to deliver packages with drones instead of trucks. Our new research has measured how that shift would change how the U.S. uses energy, and the resulting environmental effects.

We found that in some cases using electric-powered drones rather than diesel-powered trucks or vans could reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. But in other cases, using trucks – especially electric-powered ones – would be more efficient and cleaner.

The U.S. electricity sector has been rapidly transitioning to generating power with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. But transportation is still largely powered by fuels made from oil and is now the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. About one-quarter of transportation emissions, the equivalent of 415 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, comes from medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the kinds of vehicles that deliver freight to warehouses, businesses and consumers’ homes.

Reducing the need for trucking by delivering some packages with electric drones could save fuel, and potentially carbon emissions. We modeled how much energy drone delivery would use, and how it would be different from the ways packages are delivered now.

You can read the entire article here: Delivering packages with drones may benefit the environment

I think that this is a great way of using new technologies in our daily lives. Itbis all about people, creativity and ideas. Next time I visit my best friend on Iceland, Snorri Olden, I will definitely try the drone delivery of a pizza.

Source: WEF

It’s a new playbook, born of Democratic futility in Texas.

The midterm elections in the United States is comming up this week. The world is watching U.S. to see if things is about to change or not. For good or for worse depending on your preference towards the oresent administration.

One of the most interesting election battles this week is fought in the South.

The Democrats attacks the Rebublicans at home, the heart of the party. In the Lone Star state of Texas.

Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 16th congressional district since 2013. He is different. He works with grassroot mobilization, he speaks fluent Spanish and he talks about unity.

“We are going to be not against anyone,” he tells his supporters, his arms raised for emphasis, as if he’s testifying. “We’re not going to be against any party. We’re not going to be organized and animated against anything. We are going to be for one another. We’re going to be for the United States of America, for the great state of Texas, for the big bold ambitious things that we can only do together.”

With Beto the Democrats attacks the Republicans in one of the most republican states there is, and he is up aganst one of the strongest Republican politicians Ted Cruz in a time when the Texas economy is blooming. How is this possible?

The time and effort the El Paso congressman is investing in small-town Texas has become a hallmark of his small-dollar, no-PAC campaign to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, a former presidential candidate and conservative icon who won the state by 16 points in 2012.

“We may never get this chance — this opportunity — back.”

Beto o’Rourke

Part of the interesting challenge is that many democrats see 46 year old Beto o’Rourke not only as a potential Senator but also as their next President candidate. Could he be? He has a Kennedy charm and an Obama tactics. He have the languages to do it. The ability to mobilize people, to make them listen. People describe him as genuine. But to be a Trump challanger for President in 2020 he will have to beat Cruz first. That will not be easy. So five plus for his bravery. If he wins….