German carmaker BMW signed a battery-supply contract worth €2 billion with Swedish manufacturer Northvolt this week, in the latest example of Europe’s big auto firms preparing for a massive ramp-up in electric vehicle production. Northvolt will start building batteries in northeast Sweden from 2024 at a factory powered by renewable energy, which will also be able to recycle used power packs. Carmakers are now scrambling to secure a share of the projected output. BMW’s Andreas Wendt, a member of the firm’s management board, said that “signing this contract is another…
Read MoreDay: July 17, 2020
US exempts coronavirus-related entry restrictions for European students
Foreign students coming from Europe are exempt from a travel ban the United States imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the US State Department told congressional offices on Thursday (16 July). The State Department also told lawmakers that it would offer exemptions for some au pairs and family members of visa holders in the United States, according to a memo sent to lawmakers. The moves are part of a Trump administration effort to gradually reopen international travel following months of sweeping restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump…
Read MoreFlemish cycling organization has decided that fans will have to cover up their faces
Fans watching Flemish cycling events in person will in future have to don a face covering Cycling Vlaanderen, the Flemish cycling organization has decided. Until now social distancing was deemed to be sufficient, but experience showed this wasn’t really the case. Social distancing was the norm at the start and finish of all Flemish cycling races, but Cycling Vlaanderen noticed that enthusiastic cycling fans get so excited they forget about such matters and all got too close. The organization felt duty bound to intervene. For the cyclists themselves, carers and…
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