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Overnight News Digest September 4, 2022 [1]

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Date: 2022-09-04

BBC Life is ephemeral.

Cyrus Mistry: Billionaire former Tata chairman dies in car crash

India's prime minister has described the death of the billionaire former chairman of Tata, the country's largest conglomerate, as a "big loss" for the business world. Cyrus Mistry died on Sunday in a road accident while travelling to Mumbai. One other person was killed and two more passengers were injured, police in India's western Maharastra state said. Mr Mistry, who was 54, was ousted as Tata chairman in 2016, following criticism of his performance. He was replaced by Ratan Tata - the man who Mr Mistry had himself replaced just four years earlier. The company operates in more than 100 countries - offering products including salt, steel and software - and had a revenue of $130bn (£110bn) last year. Mr Mistry and his companions were travelling in a Mercedes car through the Palghar district of Maharashtra when the accident happened on Sunday afternoon, police said.

NPR

The VA says it will provide abortions in some cases even in states where it's banned

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it will start providing abortions in certain circumstances, even in states where it's illegal or restricted. The new policy came in response to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which allowed state governments to decide whether to permit abortions. Since then, a number of states have implemented full bans on the procedure or drastically limited it. Now, the VA says it's stepping in to offer abortions in order to protect the health and lives of veterans in places where they can no longer access such reproductive care. Under a new interim final rule, pregnant veterans and VA beneficiaries will be able to get abortions if their life or health would be in danger if the pregnancy went to term. Patients whose pregnancies were the result of rape or incest will also be eligible for abortions.

NPR

A Paris shop gets in on the non-alcoholic wine trend. Will the French drink it? Why bother?

PARIS — Augustin Laborde quit drinking during the early stages of the pandemic two years ago. But when things finally opened up, he says meeting up with friends in bars quickly became a frustrating experience. "My only options were basically sugary soda or fruit juice," he says. So Laborde, a lawyer with a passion for side projects, started doing some internet research. Turns out, there was a whole range of alcohol-free beverages on the market; they just weren't on menus. That's when a light bulb turned on. In April, Laborde opened Le Paon Qui Boit, meaning The Drinking Peacock — which promotes itself as Paris' first non-alcoholic wine and liquor store. The shop boasts more than 300 bottles of low and zero-proof beers, wines, gins and whiskeys.

The Guardian

Taiwan tycoon to fund 3.3 million-strong army of ‘civilian warriors’ to defend against invasion

A Taiwanese tycoon has announced his plan to train 3.3 million “civilian warriors” and marksmen to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, using one billion Taiwan dollars ($32m) of his own money. The announcement by Robert Tsao, a well-known Taiwanese businessman and founder of United Microelectronics Corp, a major microchip producer, comes amid increasing military activity between Taiwan and China. On Thursday Taiwan’s defence ministry announced its soldiers had shot down a Chinese drone over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands. At a press conference on Thursday, Tsao, 75, said the Chinese Communist party (CCP) threat to Taiwan was growing. Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, he pledged funds to train “three million people in three years”. Working with the island’s civilian defence organisation, the Kuma Academy, 60% of the funds would go towards building an army of “warriors”, and 40% to training another 300,000 in how to shoot. “If we can successfully resist China’s ambitions, we not only will be able to safeguard our homeland but make a big contribution to the world situation and the development of civilisation,” he said.

The Guardian

South African court bans offshore oil and gas exploration by Shell

A South African court has upheld a ban imposed on the energy giant Shell from using seismic waves to explore for oil and gas off the Indian Ocean coast. The judgment delivered in Makhanda on Thursday marks a monumental victory for environmentalists concerned about the impact the exploration would have on whales and other marine life. The 2014 decision granting the right for the “exploration of oil and gas in the Transkei and Algoa exploration areas is reviewed and set aside”, the high court ruled in the southern city. Civil rights organisations and civilians celebrated outside the courthouse following the verdict, according to local media. A Shell spokesperson said the company “respect[s] the court’s decision” and would review the judgment to “determine our next steps”. Shell did not say if it would appeal against the judgment or not. “We remain committed to South Africa and our role in the just energy transition,” he said.

Deutsche Welle

Russia-Ukraine updates: Germany pledges €200 million in new aid — report

German Development Minister Svenja Schulze told local media the government will provide Ukraine with €200 million ($199 million) for aid programs assisting internally displaced people. "The bulk of our new aid, €200 million, is to go to a program run by the Ukrainian government to support internally displaced persons," Schulze told the Funke Media group on Sunday. "The money is intended to help ensure that the displaced people in Ukraine can continue to provide themselves with the most basic necessities," she added. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is set to visit Berlin on Sunday, will meet Schulze as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "I will speak to Prime Minister Shmyhal about how we can continue to support the Ukrainian government in caring for the displaced people," Schulze said. Around 7 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine since Russia's invasion began in late February, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.

Reuters

California says power demand reaching record

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