R8c museum delivery

PARIS: It's an ideal pairing for the COVID-19 era - a musician who cannot play for a live audience and sumptuous museums that cannot welcome visitors. Cellist Camille Thomas has put them together to create what she hopes will be a balm for troubled times. She is carrying out a series of solo performances of classic works set against a backdrop of deserted museum interiors in and around Paris. They are filmed and posted on the Internet. During the pandemic, she has performed at the Palace of Versailles, the Institute of the Arab World and is scheduled next week to perform at the Grand Palais, a vast exhibition space next to the Champs Elysees. All the venues are shut because of France's COVID-19 lockdown. A YouTube video of her performing at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris in October had been viewed 36,575 times as of Friday (Nov 27). "I wanted to symbolise with these images the loneliness of musicians without the public, of museums without visitors," said Thomas. … [Read more...] about Cellist turns locked-down museums into backdrop for ‘healing art’

SEATTLE: Boeing lost another 63 orders for its newly un-grounded 737 MAX jet in November, and the company delivered seven aircraft to customers, down from 24 in the same month a year ago, company data showed on Tuesday (Dec 8). The embattled US planemaker had no 787 Dreamliner deliveries to customers last month, warning that inspections over quality flaws and the resurgent coronavirus will continue to hamper deliveries through year-end. Jet deliveries are being closely scrutinised by investors as they generate much-needed cash during the coronavirus crisis. Boeing's European rival Airbus delivered 64 aircraft in November, bringing the total so far this year to 477, compared to Boeing's 118. Boeing's closely watched monthly orders and deliveries snapshot comes five days after Ireland's Ryanair booked a December order for 75 737 MAX jets, throwing Boeing a commercial lifeline after regulators lifted a 20-month safety ban. For November, Boeing received orders for two KC-46 … [Read more...] about Boeing 787 delivery dry spell adds to 737 MAX woes

Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- A series of short videos documenting cultural relics from China's major museums will be aired on the state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) starting Monday. In these short videos, viewers can enjoy the charms of national treasures from 130 state-level museums and 13 major galleries nationwide, with the relics introduced by museum curators. "The series of videos has a very strong lineup, with an unprecedented number of museums and galleries taking part," said Bai Yuntao, vice curator of the National Museum of China. For most medium- and large-sized museums, less than 10 percent of portable cultural artifacts are exhibited, Bai said, noting that the documentary series enables the public to learn more about national treasures that are not on display. The video series, named Bowuguan Shuo, literally meaning the stories of museums, has been played on popular video platforms such as Xuexi.cn, a news reading app, and … [Read more...] about China to air mini-documentaries on museum relics

SINGAPORE: A former FedEx delivery driver stole sports shoes from the company's shipments and later took a wallet from a student who carpooled with him. For one count of theft and another of dishonest misappropriation, 32-year-old Mohammad Hanafi Ja'afar was jailed 14 days on Tuesday (Dec 1). Another three charges - involving the theft of three pairs of shoes and two pairs of sandals from the FedEx building - were taken into consideration. The court heard that Hanafi was employed as a delivery driver with FedEx courier services. He first stole two pairs of sandals worth S$200 in total from the FedEx building at Airport Logistics Park on Jun 20 last year. The next day, he stole a pair of Vans shoes worth S$89 and a pair of Adidas shoes worth S$150. He stole another pair of Nike shoes worth S$150 on Jun 24 last year, before taking three pairs of Puma or Adidas shoes worth S$390 in total two days after. A security specialist for the courier firm was alerted to the case of … [Read more...] about Former FedEx delivery driver stole shoes from shipments and wallet from Ryde passenger, gets jail

TEL AVIV: Israel received its first batch of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday (Dec 9), with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring the pandemic's end was "in sight" and vowing to get the first jab. "This is a great celebration for Israel," he said on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, as a fork-lift truck started unloading the cargo from a red and yellow DHL air freighter. The shipment was the first of eight million doses ordered from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer BioNTech. It came ahead of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, which begins on Thursday. "The end is in sight," Netanyahu said referring to the disease which has infected 348,948 Israelis, 2,932 of them fatally, according to a Wednesday update. "What is important to me is that Israeli citizens get vaccinated," he added. "I want to serve as an example to them and I intend to be the first to be injected with this vaccine in the state of Israel." The Pfizer vaccine has yet to … [Read more...] about Israel gets first delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

Foodpanda is looking into an incident where a Foodpanda delivery rider was asked to cycle from Tampines to Paya Lebar because a customer had mistakenly given the wrong address. Foodpanda delivery rider Zane shared what happened in a Facebook post. He alleged that when he called Foodpanda dispatch for help, he was told that since he had accepted the order, he was expected to proceed. He added: "To all riders, $5.20 from Tampines to Paya Lebar is not worth it." The post has since been taken down. In response to a Stomp query, a Foodpanda spokesman said: "We understand that the issue may have arisen due to a wrong delivery location pinned. "We are currently looking into the matter and taking steps to minimise the risk of a similar situation from happening again." … [Read more...] about Foodpanda rider told to cycle from Tampines to Paya Lebar for $5.20 after customer leaves wrong address

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank unleashed another half-trillion euro (US$600 billion) wave of stimulus as a winter surge in COVID-19 infections shuts down large parts of the economy and wipes out pre-Christmas sales revenue ahead of the region's most important holiday. The 25-member governing council decided Thursday to increase its bond purchase stimulus by €500 billion, to €1.85 trillion (US$2.2 trillion). It will extend the duration of the program until at least March 2022 instead of the current earliest end date of mid-2021. It also expanded its offerings of ultra-cheap loans to banks. The bond purchases help keep credit affordable and available across the economy for consumers, businesses and governments. That is critically important to help businesses survive until the pandemic eases, and to support governments that are borrowing heavily to pay for aid to businesses and workers. ECB President Christine Lagarde said that activity in services businesses was being … [Read more...] about Europe gets new blast of stimulus to counter COVID-19 surge

REUTERS: Uber Technologies Inc on Thursday sent letters to the governors of all U.S. states, asking for its ride-hail and food delivery drivers to get early access to COVID-19 vaccines as essential workers. The company also said it will send a letter to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden. The letters come less than a week after Uber sent a similar letter to a committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, in a letter seen by Reuters, urged Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to classify Uber's workers as essential, entitled to vaccines immediately after healthcare professionals and long-term care facility residents. "Over the last nine months, these workers have been a lifeline to their communities. They have transported healthcare workers to hospitals, delivered food to people socially distancing at home, and helped local restaurants stay in business," the letter said. Khosrowshahi also said Uber's app could offer … [Read more...] about Uber asks US states to prioritize its drivers for COVID-19 vaccine

REVIEW : A babble of discussion rapidly spread amidst patrons as they left New Plymouth's Repertory Theatre after the opening night of Rough Justice. One woman declared: "I felt like I was in the courtroom for a moment." I agreed with her, except I actually felt I was in the courtroom for the entire length of this gripping play written by Terence Frisby. I just couldn't decide if I was in the public gallery or part of the jury. As the enactment of James Highwood's court case for killing his son proceeded I listened to many clever debates. I was swayed by one legal argument after another. One moment I thought the defendant was guilty, the next not guilty. I couldn't make up my mind what sentence this main protagonist should receive, but I definitely knew I was witnessing some excellent, powerful, thought-provoking drama. Congratulations must go to director Heather Harrison for being brave enough to take on the challenge of presenting some really serious, hard core theatre. It … [Read more...] about Review: Rough Justice a show you don’t want to miss

REUTERS: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday pledged an additional US$250 million to support the development of low-cost and easier to deliver treatments and vaccines against COVID-19. The Gates Foundation's latest contribution, its largest till date, comes on top of the US$70 million funding that it added in November. This brings its total commitments to the global pandemic response to US$1.75 billion, the foundation said. "Whether (the world) gets better for everyone depends on the actions of the world's leaders and their commitment to deliver tests, treatments and vaccines to the people who need them," said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. The contribution will also support the delivery of tests and vaccines in low- and middle-income countries, the foundation added. Britain became the first country on Tuesday to roll out a COVID-19 vaccine with a 90-year-old grandmother receiving the first shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Canada … [Read more...] about Gates Foundation pledges US$250 million more for battle against COVID-19