ViacomCBS and NENT Group partner for Pluto TV's launch in the Nordics

NEW YORK and STOCKHOLM, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI), a division of ViacomCBS (NASDAQ: VIAC, VIACA), and Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) today announced a ground-breaking partnership for a new Pluto TV service across Sweden, Denmark and Norway in 2022. The service combines ViacomCBS' world-leading free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service with the biggest pan-Nordic AVOD platform Viafree. NENT Group will serve as the platform's leading advertising sales partner.

Pluto TV will introduce the new FAST/AVOD platform with curated

Statement on the Omicron variant of concern found in Ontario

From: Public Health Agency of Canada

Statement

November 28, 2021 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada

The Government of Canada has a monitoring program in place with the provinces and territories to identify new COVID-19 variants in Canada, such as the Omicron variant of concern.

Genomic sequencing is an integral part of

Statement from Minister Duclos on first cases of Omicron variant of concern in Canada

From: Public Health Agency of Canada

Statement

“I was informed today by the Public Health Agency of Canada that testing and monitoring of COVID-19 cases has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of concern in Ontario.

This development demonstrates that our

Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov won gold at the Grand Prix in Sochi, Daria Pavlyuchenko - Denis Khodykin - silver, Yasmina Kadyrova - Ivan Balchenko - bronze

Russian pairs took the entire podium at the sixth stage of the Grand Prix series in Sochi. Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov won the Rostelecom Cup, scoring 226.98 points for two programs. Daria Pavlyuchenko - Denis Khodykin became the second (212.59) and Yasmina Kadyrova - Ivan Balchenko - the third (193.58).

World champions in pair skating Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov, who took second place after the short program, in the free skate gave a great ride to the music of Georgy Sviridov "Blizzard" and "Time,

Victoria Sinitsina - Nikita Katsalapov won the Grand Prix in Sochi and reached the final

World and European champions Victoria Sinitsina - Nikita Katsalapov won gold at the sixth stage of the Grand Prix series in Sochi and reached the final, scoring 211.72 points for two programs. Italy's Charlene Guignard- Marco Fabbri became silver medalists (203.71), which also guaranteed them a "ticket" to the final round of the tournament in Osaka. Bronze went to Canadian duo Laurence Fournier-Baudry and Nicolai Sorensen (191.40).

Russians Anastasia Skoptsova - Kirill Aleshin finished the Grand Prix in 6th place (180.93), Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva - Egor Bazin finished 8th (177.51).

Victoria Sinitsina – Nikita Katsalapov in the

Mikhail Kolyada became the silver medalist of the Grand Prix in Sochi, the victory was won by Maurice kvitelashvili

The bronze medalist of the European Championship Maurice kvitelashvili won the sixth stage of the Rostelecom Cup Grand Prix series and inscribed his name in the history of figure skating, winning the first ISU Grand Prix title for Georgia. The student of Eteri Tutberidze, Sergey Dudakov and Daniil Gleichenhaus scored 266.33 points in two programs and was ahead of the Russian Mikhail Kolyada (264.64), who rose from 4th place after the short program, and the Japanese Kazuki Tomuno (264.19), who was leading after the first day of the competition, who was content with bronze.

1. Evgeny Semenenko finished the Sochi Grand

Russian women took the entire podium at the Grand Prix in Sochi: Kamila Valieva won with world records, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - the second, Maya Khromykh - the third

Russian Kamila Valieva dominated the sixth stage of the Rostelecom Cup Grand Prix series in Sochi, winning with an advantage of 40 points. Student Eteri Tutberidze scored 272.71 points for the free skate and set new benchmarks in the women's world single skating. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva won silver (229.23), Maya Khromykh – bronze (219.69). All three Russian women qualified for the Grand Prix final.

To the music of Ravel "Bolero" Kamila Valieva set the tone from the first second of the free skate. The 15-year-old athlete easily

EBRD supports successful issuance of senior preferred bond by Latvia’s Citadele

• EBRD invests €40 million in the first senior preferred bond from Latvia
• Total issuance volume of €200 million
• Engagement contributes to banking sector resilience and green financing in the Baltics

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting capital market development and green financing in the Baltics with a €40 million investment in the €200 million senior preferred bond issuance by Latvia’s AS Citadele banka.

The investment contributes to expanding green financing in the Baltic countries,

ISU Grand Prix - Internationaux de France 2021 -Grenoble FRA - Day 2

ISU World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (RUS), 2021 ISU World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (JPN), four-time ISU World Ice Dance Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) and 2021 World Pairs bronze medalists Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitri Kozlovskii (RUS) struck gold at the ISU Grand Prix Internationaux de France in Grenoble Saturday and qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.  

Shcherbakova (RUS) skates off with second Grand Prix gold of the season

2021 ISU World Champion Anna Shcherbakova of Russia skated off with

ISU Grand Prix - Internationaux de France 2021 -Grenoble FRA - Day 1

Reigning ISU World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (RUS), 2021 ISU World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (JPN), four-time ISU World Ice Dance Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) and 2021 World Pairs bronze medalists Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitri Kozlovskii (RUS) are leading after the first day of competition at the ISU Grand Prix Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Friday.  

Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) leaps into the lead with new Short Program

2021 ISU World Champion Anna Shcherbakova (RUS) debuted a brand

EBRD supports small businesses in West Bank and Gaza

• US$ 3 million EBRD loan to Vitas Palestine
• Funds for on-lending to local businesses in the West Bank and Gaza
• Technical assistance for credit risk management, digitalisation assessment, anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is boosting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the West Bank and Gaza with a US$ 3 million SME credit line to Vitas Palestine, a microfinance institution incorporated in the West Bank and Gaza since 1995.

MSMEs in the West Bank and Gaza represent a substantial segment of the

ISU Grand Prix - Internationaux de France 2021 -Grenoble FRA - Preview

Grenoble, France November 17, 2021

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series 2021/22 continues this week with the Internationaux de France in Grenoble.

Several top stars are back in action in France and aiming to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Among the skaters taking to the ice are ISU World Champion

Global leaders call for cervical cancer elimination on Day of Action

• New HPV vaccine prequalification aims to rectify gross inequities in access to lifesaving tools 

• New R&D recommendations for artificial intelligence-based screening technologies

• New investments and commitments by the French government’s L’Initiative facility, FIND, University of Miami, WHO

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) joins advocates around the world to commemorate a landmark Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination and welcome groundbreaking new initiatives to end this devastating disease, which claims the lives of over 300,000 women each year.

As with COVID-19, access to lifesaving tools is constrained, with women

DG statement on the increasing risks of space debris

ESA DG Josef Aschbacher states: ''I have been in contact with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer to assure him of all my support during and after these tense hours in orbit after the recent space debris situation.''  

Jitske Visser elected Chairperson of Athletes’ Council

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that Jitske Visser has been elected as Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council for the next three years. 

Visser takes over the role of Chairperson from Canadian Chelsey Gotell, who was elected to the Council in 2017. The 29-year-old, who won gold with the Netherlands Women’s wheelchair basketball team at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was elected to the IPC Athletes’ Council in September. 

As Chairperson, Visser will be an ex oficio member of the IPC Governing

EBRD corporate clients provide insights on enhancing climate governance

Climate governance is becoming central to corporate strategy

EBRD corporate clients shared practical steps emerging market companies can take to manage climate risks and identify new business opportunities in a recent event organised by the EBRD with the Financial Times.  We share four key insights from the conversation below.

1 - Corporates should invest in improving climate-related governance and disclosure now even though global standards are yet to fully emerge.  Panellists noted significant uncertainties due to data gaps in emerging markets and emerging global

Ground Handling Priorities Post Pandemic: Tackling Labor Shortages, Safety, Modernization

Prague - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is focusing on standards, digitalization and addressing the skilled labor shortage to build resilience and ensure long-term sustainability post pandemic for ground handling activities. 

“There will be challenges as ground handling operations ramp up to meet growing demand as the aviation industry’s recovery from COVID-19 progresses. Overcoming

EBRD and We-Fi help woman-led Uzbekistan restaurant go digital

In a culinary tradition rich in carbohydrates like that of Uzbekistan, flour-based products are an everyday staple. So when Zamira Rakhmanova and Nargiza Ulugova took this cultural fascination further, opening Tashkent’s first dumpling house, Testo by Zamira&Co, it became an instant hit.

With support from the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses programme

EBRD lends €150 million for key railway line from Istanbul to Bulgarian border

Photo credit: General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments.

• €150 million EBRD loan for the construction of the Ispartakule-Cerkezkoy rail section
• Low-carbon passenger and freight rail to benefit EU-Turkey connectivity and cross-border trade
• Rail line to be tendered and built in line with EBRD standards

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a €150 million loan to the Turkish government for the construction of a 67 km section of the high-speed railway line from Istanbul to the Bulgarian border. The loan will further support Turkey’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

The EBRD financing was approved by the Bank’s board of directors on

UN AGENCIES BACK BOLD PLAN TO ENSURE EVERY CHILD IN NEED GETS A REGULAR HEALTHY MEAL IN SCHOOL BY 2030

NEW YORK – United Nations agencies have announced their strong support for an international coalition aiming to rapidly improve the nutrition, health and education of school-age children around the world following pandemic-driven school closures.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused extensive disruption to schools and education worldwide and millions of children were unable to get their school meals or benefit from school-based health and nutrition services such as deworming, vaccination

Airbus meets customer request for vegan helicopter interior

#airbuscorporatehelicopters #ACH145 #vegan @airbusheli   Dubai, 16 November 2021 – When a valued customer specified that his new helicopter must have an interior that was fully vegan, Airbus Corporate Helicopters’ (ACH) design team rose to the occasion. The resulting ACH145 has now been delivered to German construction entrepreneur Dr Urs Brunner who insisted on the requirement at

Airbus announces launch customer for its new In Flight Entertainment experience

#ACJ #Airbus # AlphaStarAviation #DAS21 Dubai, 16 November 2021  – Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) and Alpha Star Aviation have signed a Letter Of Agreement at Dubai air show for the new and unique In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) technology - “The ACJ Smart LiFi Monitor” in presence of Abdulnaser Al Kheraif CEO, and Ibrahim Al Yaheyan VP-Tech, Alpha Star Aviation and Benoit Defforge, ACJ President.  Developed with Latecoere, this new technology was designed to

CERES reconnaissance space system designed by Airbus and Thales successfully launched

CERES satellites / Les satellites CERES / Die CERES-Satelliten / Satélites CERES - Copyright Airbus -

CERES reconnaissance space system designed by Airbus and Thales successfully launched Building on ESSAIM and ELISA signal intelligence demonstrators @AirbusSpace @ThalesDefence @CNES #DGA @AVIO @Arianespace @Thales_Alenia_S #CERES #SpaceMatters #NextSpace Kourou, 16 November 2021 – The CERES space system (Capacité de Renseignement Electromagnétique Spatiale or Space-based Signal Intelligence Capability) satellites designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales for the DGA (the French Armament General Directorate) have been successfully launched from the European spaceport in French Guiana, on-board a Vega launcher. “We are ready to go with the next generation of space surveillance capability

Strategic Plan Working Group meets in Madrid

Madrid has hosted this weekend the first non-virtual meeting of the World Triathlon Working Group for the Strategic Plan, to prepare the document that will guide the principles of the organisation during the following years. With representatives from the Executive Board, Continental Confederations, Elite and Para Elite athletes,

Jazeera Airways commits to 28 new A320neo family aircraft

@Airbus @DAS21 @JazeeraAirways

Dubai, UAE, 16 November 2021  – Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jazeera Airways, the Kuwait-based carrier, for 20 A320neos and eight A321neos.

The MoU was signed by Rohit Ramachandran, Jazeera Airways Chief

Tamas Toth and Allisa Seely elected athlete representatives on the World Triathlon Executive Board

Hungarian athlete Tamas Toth has been elected Chair of the World Triathlon Athletes Committee, while American para triathlete Allisa Seely has been elected Vice Chair in the voting held among their peer members of the Committee. Both will seat, from now on, at the World Triathlon Executive Board, where the Athletes Committee has two representatives.

The newly elected Athletes Committee met for the first time on November 15, with the voting to elect the Chair and the Vice Chair as first item in the agenda. Since

Banks are withstanding Covid-19 crisis, Vienna Initiative says

• Non-performing loans in central and south eastern Europe fall to 3.5 per cent end-June 2021
• Protective measures prevent worsening of Bank assets following Covid-19 pandemic
• Economies remain fragile, Vienna Initiative warns

Banks in central and south eastern Europe (CESEE) have so far proved resilient to the coronavirus pandemic, the Vienna Initiative says: “The Covid-19 crisis has not yet fully materialised into a significant worsening of banks’ asset quality as initially feared”, the most recent report  on non-performing loans (NPLs) published today states. However, many economies “remain fragile and significant disparities in performance can be observed.”

According to the “NPL monitor for the CESEE region, H2/2021”, the

Nigerian Ibom Air purchases ten Airbus A220 aircraft

@Airbus @IbomAir #DubaiAirshow #DAS21 #Sustainability #A220 Dubai – Akwa Ibom state government owned airline in Nigeria, Ibom Air has signed a firm order for ten (10) A220s at the Dubai Airshow. The signing was done by Mfon Udom, the chief Executive Officer of Ibom Air, and Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International in the presence of the Akwa Ibom state Governor, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. Nigeria, with the largest population in Africa and the largest

Tobacco use falling: WHO urges countries to invest in helping more people to quit tobacco

Geneva – The fourth WHO global tobacco trends report released today, shows that there are 1.30 billion tobacco users globally compared to 1.32 billion in 2015. This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025.  

Sixty countries are now on track to achieving the voluntary global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025:  two years ago only 32 countries were on track.

Millions of lives have been saved by effective and comprehensive tobacco control

EBRD, EU and Attijari bank strengthen small businesses in Tunisia

• EBRD risk-sharing framework with Attijari Bank
• Loan of up to TND 20 million to Compagnie Internationale de Leasing
• Funds for on-lend to Tunisian MSMEs, including women-led SMEs supported by the European Union

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), supported by the European Union (EU), is facilitating access to finance for Tunisian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The Bank is providing Attijari bank with an unfunded risk-sharing guarantee on 50

ALC order for 111 Airbus aircraft launches Sustainability Fund

Joint creation of a sustainability fund to foster industry decarbonisation solutions Order covers all Airbus families, A220, A320, A330 and A350 @Airbus #ALC #A220 #A321XLR #A330neo #A350F Dubai, 15 November 2021 – Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) covering all Airbus Families, highlighting the power of the company’s full product range. The agreement is for 25 A220-300s, 55 A321neos, 20 A321XLRs, four A330neos and includes seven A350Fs. The order which will be finalised in the coming months, makes the Los Angeles based ALC one of Airbus’ largest customers and lessor with the biggest A220 order book. Founded in 2010, ALC has ordered a total of 496 Airbus aircraft to date. With this order ALC and Airbus are launching a multi-million dollar

Passengers Want to Use Biometrics to Speed up Processes and Eliminate Queuing Post Pandemic

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the results of its 2021 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), which delivered two main conclusions:
 

• Passengers want to use biometric identification if it expedites travel processes.
• Passengers want to spend less time queuing.  

“Passengers have spoken and want technology to work harder, so they spend

EBRD issues first TONIA-linked local-currency bond

• EBRD issues KZT 12,500 million in three-year bonds linked to the TONIA rate
• TONIA risk-free rate to be used to calculate local-currency lending rates in Kazakhstan
• Issuance continues the Bank’s work to develop Kazakhstan’s local capital market

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the development of the local capital market in Kazakhstan by issuing the first ever local-currency bond linked to the new tenge overnight index average rate, or TONIA.

KZT 12,500 million of the three-year bonds were auctioned at full issue price

EBRD and Piraeus Bank support Ukrainian packaging producer Tatrafan

• €3.1 million from Piraeus Bank complemented by EBRD Risk Sharing Facility
• Loan to improve Tatrafan’s competitiveness
• Financing to boost production capacity, cover working-capital needs

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Piraeus Bank Ukraine (PBU) are joining forces to support Tatrafan LLC, a Ukrainian producer of flexible packaging.

PBU is providing a €3.1 million loan, while the EBRD takes half of the risk on its books under the EBRD Risk Sharing Facility (RSF). Tatrafan will use the financing to increase its production capacity as well as to cover working-capital and capital-expenditure needs.

Tatrafan, located in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk, manufactures flexible wrapping films, which are used to produce packaging for food and for fast-moving consumer goods. Tatrafan is part of a broader group of companies active in the production of plastic packaging in Bulgaria, Finland and the Slovak Republic.

Piraeus Bank Ukraine, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Piraeus Group of Greece, is a commercial bank serving corporate, small business and retail clients. In early 2020, the EBRD arranged a financing package for PBU, which included a local currency loan of up to US$ 5 million equivalent for on-lending to small businesses and €10 million in funding under the RSF.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Ukraine. To date, the Bank has invested more €15.5 billion in 507 projects across the country, with a focus on assisting economic stabilisation, anchoring reforms, strengthening energy efficiency and energy security, and supporting agricultural and industrial projects as well as smaller businesses.

Inclusive skills for innovative enterprise development in agribusiness

10:30 – 11:30 London time

This webinar provides highlights from the Final Report by EBRD and ETF on “Inclusive skills for innovative enterprise development in the aftermath of COVID-19 in the agribusiness sector” and discuss its implications with a panel of experts, including practitioners of agri-business innovation, private sector representatives and policy-makers.

Registrations are open for our webinar with @etfeuropa on #inclusive skills for

Parties to the global treaty to combat the international illicit trade in tobacco products begin their meeting today

This week the Second Meeting of the Parties (MOP2) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is convened. Parties to the Protocol must also be Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). The number of  Parties to the Protocol will soon reach 64, as the treaty enters into force in the most recent country to have ratified it. The Parties consist of countries and jurisdictions who together support activities aimed at stopping the illicit trade in tobacco products.

The aims of the Protocol are to combat illicit trade in tobacco, which undermines

Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) achieves connectivity in trial conducted by Airbus and NTT DOCOMO

The companies demonstrated the feasibility of providing communication services from the stratosphere to smartphones Data transmissions across various speeds up to a distance of 140km were successfully demonstrated @AirbusSpace @docomo #Zephyr #connectivity   TOKYO, JAPAN, November 15, 2021 – Airbus and NTT DOCOMO, INC. have demonstrated the ability to use its solar-powered Zephyr High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) to deliver future wireless broadband connectivity. The trial took place in the United States in August, when the Zephyr S aircraft undertook approx. 18-day stratospheric flights to test various capabilities. Carrying an onboard radio transmitter, the Zephyr S provided an agile

IATA Appoints Chief Economist

Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Marie Owens Thomsen will join the Association as its Chief Economist effective 4 January 2022.

Owens Thomsen will come from Banque Lombard Odier, where she has served as Head of Global Trends and Sustainability since 2020. Prior to that she was the long-time Global Head of Investment Intelligence (2011-2020) at Indosuez Wealth Management. Additionally, she has served in Chief Economist and related roles for Merrill Lynch, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and HSBC. Her varied career also includes entrepreneurship and market development activities.

“Marie’s work on macro-economic issues with a focus on sustainability will prepare

Indigo Partners portfolio airlines order 255 A321neo Family aircraft

@Airbus #A321neo Dubai, 14 November 2021  – Wizz Air (Hungary), Frontier (United States), Volaris (Mexico) and JetSMART (Chile, Argentina), Indigo Partners portfolio airlines, have announced an order for 255 additional A321neo Family aircraft under a joint Indigo Partners agreement. The firm order was signed at the Dubai Airshow. This order brings the total number of aircraft ordered by the Indigo Partners’ airlines to 1,145 A320 Family aircraft. The aircraft ordered today are

United Arab Emirates orders two additional Airbus A330 MRTT

@AirbusDefence #A330MRTT #DAS2021 Dubai, 14 November 2021 – The United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence has formally ordered two additional Airbus A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft increasing the country’s MRTT fleet up to five aircraft. With deliveries starting in 2024, this agreement will also cover the upgrade of the country’s current A330MRTT fleet to the latest enhanced version. ‘Since its entry into service in 2013 with the UAE Air Force, the A330

Airbus foresees demand for 39,000 new passenger & freighter aircraft by 2040

Airbus foresees demand for 39,000 new passenger & freighter aircraft by 2040 Retirement of older aircraft to accelerate, demand progressively more driven by replacement, supporting the industry’s decarbonisation objectives Demand for air transport will continue to grow, driven by GDP, rising middle class and desire to explore and connect Continued improvements in fleet efficiency, sustainable fuels, operations and propulsion technologies will enable the sector’s 2050 net-zero objective Need for over 550,000 new pilots and over 710,000 highly skilled technicians over the next 20 years #AirbusGMF Dubai, 13 November 2021  – In the next 20 years, Airbus forecasts demand for air transport to progressively shift from fleet growth to the accelerated retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft, resulting in a need for some 39,000 new-build pas senger and freighter aircraft, 15,250 of these for replacement. As a consequence, by 2040 the vast majority of commercial aircraft in operation