ReportWire

Tag: PPLMOV

  • Titanic sub firm’s late CEO was committed to safety, says co-founder

    Titanic sub firm’s late CEO was committed to safety, says co-founder

    MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) – The co-founder of OceanGate Expeditions, which owned the submersible that imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck, defended on Friday the chief executive’s commitment to safety and risk management after he died with four others on the craft.

    Guillermo Söhnlein, who co-founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush in 2009, left the company in 2013, retaining a minority stake. Rush was piloting the Titan submersible on the trip that began on Sunday. Debris from the vessel was found on Thursday.

    “Stockton was one of the most astute risk managers I’d ever met. He was very risk-averse. He was very keenly aware of the risks of operating in the deep ocean environment, and he was very committed to safety,” Söhnlein told Reuters.

    Questions about Titan’s safety were raised in 2018 during a symposium of submersible industry experts and in a lawsuit by OceanGate’s former head of marine operations, which was settled later that year. This incident has prompted further debate.

    “I believe that every innovation that he took … was geared toward two goals: One, expanding humanity’s ability to explore the deep ocean. And secondly, to do it as safely as possible,” he said in video interview from his home in Barcelona.

    The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken SS Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph. OceanGate Expeditions/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo

    Söhnlein said he completely trusted Rush, even though they did not always see “eye-to-eye on things”.

    OceanGate has not addressed queries by industry experts about its decision to forgo certification from industry third parties such as the American Bureau of Shipping or the European company DNV.

    “There’s this tendency in the community to equate classification with safety. While that could be the case, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be safe without classification,” he said, adding that people should wait for an official report analyzing the incident rather than speculate.

    “There’s going to be a time for (making assessments), and I don’t think right now is the right time to do that,” he said.

    Despite the tragedy, he said continuing with deep-sea exploration was vital for humanity and that it was the best way to honor those who died in the submersible.

    “Let’s figure out what went wrong, learn some lessons and let’s get down there again,” he said.

    Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Edmund Blair

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    David Latona

    Thomson Reuters

    Madrid-raised German-American breaking news in Spain and Portugal. Previously covered markets in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with a special focus on chemical companies and regular contributions to Reuters’ German-language service. Worked at Spanish news agency EFE (Madrid/Bangkok) and the European Pressphoto Agency (Frankfurt).

    Source link

  • Mexico City mayor to step down to pursue historic bid for presidency

    Mexico City mayor to step down to pursue historic bid for presidency

    MEXICO CITY, June 12 (Reuters) – Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said she will step down on Friday to pursue the ruling party’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, bidding to become the country’s first female leader.

    President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) on Sunday agreed that on Sept. 6 it would announce the winner of its internal selection process. Sheinbaum is one of the two favorites.

    MORENA is heavily favored to win the June 2024 presidential election, lifted by Lopez Obrador’s personal popularity.

    He cannot seek re-election because Mexican presidents are restricted by law to a single six-year term. Close aides to Lopez Obrador have told Reuters they believe he would like Sheinbaum to succeed him. He denies having any favorite.

    Announcing her resignation plan at a press conference on Monday, the 60-year-old Sheinbaum underlined her credentials as a scientist and environmentalist, saying she would continue Lopez Obrador’s “transformation” of Mexico with her “own stamp.”

    “I have made the decision to leave the post definitively on June 16, with the goal of becoming the first woman in the history of Mexico to lead the fate of the nation,” she said.

    MORENA’s leadership at the weekend agreed that the contenders should step down this week to compete.

    [1/3] Outgoing Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, one of the leading candidates for the presidential nomination of the ruling MORENA party, gestures during a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

    Most opinion polls have tended to give Sheinbaum a slight advantage in the race over her rival Marcelo Ebrard, who stood down as foreign minister earlier on Monday to compete.

    Sheinbaum highlighted that past polling had put her ahead and said she was confident it would remain that way.

    Five polls open to the general public are due to determine MORENA’s presidential nominee.

    Sheinbaum also cited a study published last month by the national statistics agency showing that over two-thirds of Mexicans strongly backed a woman holding the presidency.

    “It’s time for women,” she said.

    Ebrard had argued that prospective candidates should leave their posts to ensure a level playing field. Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez, another contender, is also expected to resign.

    Ebrard, speaking to reporters after his resignation, said improving security was his first priority, and stressed the need to beef up public healthcare and education.

    In an earlier radio interview, he argued that Mexico had a “golden opportunity” to double “or more” economic growth, spurred by companies’ bringing manufacturing capacity to the country due to economic tensions between China and the United States.

    Reporting by Dave Graham in Mexico City; Writing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Source link

  • UK’s King Charles celebrates 74th birthday with new role

    UK’s King Charles celebrates 74th birthday with new role

    LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles celebrated his 74th birthday on Monday, with the occasion marked by him replacing his late father as The Ranger of Great Windsor Park, a position which dates back more than four centuries.

    Charles, who became the oldest monarch in British history when he succeeded his mother on the throne in September, will enjoy his first birthday as king in private with no public engagements planned.

    However, Buckingham Palace announced that he had officially taken up his new role as Ranger, a job which dates back to 1559 when Queen Elizabeth I appointed Henry Neville, and released a new photograph of Charles next to an old oak tree in the park.

    His father Prince Philip held the title from 1952 when his wife became Queen Elizabeth II, succeeding her father George VI in the job.

    Queen Victoria is among other royals to have held the role which involves providing oversight and guidance to the Deputy Ranger and his team in the daily running of one of the country’s oldest landed estates, the Palace said.

    Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Kylie MacLellan

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Source link