Since travel has picked up again, business at United Airlines has also recovered somewhat.
United Airlines curbs quarterly loss significantly
(dpa) US carrier United Airlines trimmed its fourth-quarter loss significantly despite problems over the new Omicron virus variant. The bottom line was a minus of $ 646 million, as United announced on Wednesday after the US stock market closed. In the same period of the previous year, the company was in the red at $ 1.9 billion due to major burdens due to the corona pandemic.
In the meantime, travel has picked up again and business has recovered somewhat. Revenue rose about 140 percent year-on-year to $8.2 billion in the final quarter, beating analysts’ expectations. However, the proceeds are still almost a quarter below the level of 2019 – before the Corona crisis. According to United, the pandemic is likely to continue to burden air traffic for the time being.
Resistance in the EU Parliament against green EU classification of gas and nuclear
(dpa) In the European Parliament, there is growing resistance to the planned EU classification of gas and nuclear power as climate-friendly. In a letter to the EU Commission, which is due to be sent out this Thursday, around 30 MPs from four different parliamentary groups are calling for citizens and organizations to be publicly questioned about the controversial draft. “It is essential that this decision is not only debated in expert circles without public oversight,” the letter said.
With the so-called taxonomy, the Commission wants to determine which financial investments should be considered climate-friendly in order to advance the climate change. On 31 December, the Commission proposed in a draft so-called delegated act that investments in new nuclear power plants can be classified as green if they meet the latest standards and there is a concrete plan for the disposal of radioactive waste by 2050. Investments in new gas-fired power plants should also be able to be classified as green for a transitional period under certain conditions.
The EU Commission has set a deadline of Friday. After that, she intends to present the official legal act. This can then still be rejected by the EU Parliament or at least 20 EU countries – but it is unclear whether the necessary majorities can still be found. MEPs wrote that many investors had criticized the plans. The taxonomy will guide a variety of funds and public funding programs.
EU Parliament takes on animal transport
(dpa) Abuses in the transport of live animals through Europe and its borders have been known for many years. However, the controls of the existing rules are difficult and scandals repeatedly startle the public. Now the EU Parliament is making a new attempt to improve the transport conditions for animals.
On Thursday, MEPs will vote on a report by a committee of inquiry that found serious shortcomings in the implementation of the rules on animal transport conditions. The aim is to put pressure on the EU Commission to improve the rules and ensure better controls. However, changes to the text are still possible. The final version will only be voted on in the afternoon.
The report, which has not yet been finally confirmed, now calls for infringement procedures against member states that do not remedy the problems, as well as specified maximum transport times for each animal species and transport bans in extreme temperatures. It also proposes surveillance cameras for trucks and a ban on transporting very young animals under five weeks old.