Latest news with #European-bound
Daily Record
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Rocky Bushiri named among Premiership elite as insider warns Hibs that free agent has 'a lot of interest'
The defender has a big decision to make on his future after the end of Easter Road deal Nick Montgomery reckons Hibs star Rocky Bushiri has established himself as one of the top defenders in the Scottish Premiership. The big DR Congo international is now out-of-contact and European-bound Hibs and several other clubs in England and across Europe are fighting for his signature. Bushiri came in from the cold and scored a stoppage time leveller against Aberdeen to take the pressure off David Gray. From there, Hibs and the player went from strength to strength. His former manager said: 'This season, I have watched him closely. At the start, he wasn't really getting selected or involved. 'Hibs had a really difficult first part of the season but that changed when Rocky came into the team. To see him score that goal against Aberdeen, which changed Hibs' season and to see him and the club just grow and grow was amazing. 'I am really proud of Rocky for the way he has pushed on. He has really kicked on and has become one of the top defenders in the Scottish Premiership. He won the players' player of the year and there is no higher reward. 'It just shows Rocky's character with the fact he got so little game time at the start of the season. 'For him to step on the way he did has been brilliant. He was big in terms of Hibs finishing third. 'I wasn't surprised because I knew how good he was and I always believed in him.' Bushiri will make a decision on his future after his international commitments. Montgomery added: "If Hibs could re-sign him it would be fantastic but if he goes on somewhere else then he would be a top signing on a free transfer. 'I know Rocky has a lot of interest. I am not surprised because he has had such a good season. I am not privy to where he is going but I am pleased that he has put himself in such a strong position because as a player and person he deserves the very best.' Montgomery quickly saw the potential to get Bushiri going at Hibs. He was one of his main players and during that time Hibs turned down a big-money offer from French side Troyes. The Tottenham assistant coach admitted: 'I really believed in him when I took over. I was the first manager to play him regularly because I saw his potential was massive. 'That is why as a manager, along with the club, we turned down an offer from a French club for him. I was really keen on re-signing him but that never materialised.' It was all very bizarre because Bushiri had been up on loan from Norwich City and Hibs were going to send him back but an administrative blunder meant they missed the deadline and they had to sign him permanently and he failed to nail down a regular top team spot under Shaun Maloney or Lee Johnson Montgomery admitted: 'I was aware of the situation. When I came in I just saw he was a fantastic person, a good human being and he wanted to learn. 'He had all the raw potential and it was a case of somebody putting an arm around him. I did that from the moment I went in. 'We worked a lot on his attributes. I only have good things to say about him.' Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
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Business Standard
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
How China's slow approval of rare earths is threatening supply chains
China's sluggish approval of rare earth exports is threatening to disrupt global supply chains, the Financial Times reported, with exporters and industry bodies warning that delays are already affecting European manufacturers and could soon hit other major economies including India. While the Chinese commerce ministry has started granting some export licences, reportedly to select European-bound shipments, the pace is far too slow to meet industrial demand. 'The window to avoid significant damage to production in Europe is rapidly closing,' Financial Times quoted Wolfgang Niedermark of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) as saying. An unnamed European executive based in China described the delays as 'untenable' and said officials had 'underestimated' the operational requirements of enforcing the restrictions. Why did China impose export controls on its rare earth minerals? Beijing introduced new export controls in early April on seven rare earth elements and related permanent magnets, materials crucial for the production of electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, fighter jets, and advanced electronics. The move followed sweeping US tariffs, announced by President Donald Trump. While tariffs were announced on all US trade partners, China has been especially targeted by the Trump administration's new trade policy. The tariff announcement marked an escalation in ongoing trade tensions between the two powers. How is China controlling rare earth mineral exports? The restrictions come under China's rights as a signatory to the international Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, which allows it to regulate exports of "dual-use" items. The applies to products that can be used for both civilian and military applications. Also Read How does China export restrictions impact global supply chains? Rare earth elements like terbium, dysprosium, and samarium are critical to modern industry. They are essential for manufacturing everything from electric motors and MRI scanners to laser surgery devices and precision-guided military systems. But it is not their scarcity that makes them so strategically important — it's China's grip over the supply chain. While rare earths are found in several countries, China accounts for 61 per cent of global production and 92 per cent of processing, according to the International Energy Agency. Processing rare earths is expensive and environmentally hazardous due to their radioactive by-products, which has led most other countries to scale back or abandon domestic production. As a result, the world is highly reliant on China not just for supply, but also for refinement and distribution. By tightening its control over exports, Beijing is effectively deciding who can access these essential materials and when. Which other countries can process rare earth minerals? While Japan has begun reviving its rare earth industry, the US and othe rnations, including India, remain deeply dependent on Chinese exports. Trump in April ordered the US Commerce Department to identify strategies for boosting domestic production, but progress has been slow. Impact on auto industry Global automakers, including Tesla and Volkswagen, as well as US defence contractors like Lockheed Martin, have already raised concerns about the export delays. With four Chinese rare earth magnet producers, some of whom supply global giants like Volkswagen, recently granted export licences, there is hope of some relief. But experts warn that these approvals are selective and fail to address the broader risk of disruption. Impact of China's rare earth minerals on India The pressure is also being felt in India, where EV manufacturers are facing potential shortages of rare earth magnets used in electric motors, power steering systems, and braking units. Industry sources told The Indian Express that Chinese suppliers are now demanding undertakings that the magnets won't be used for military purposes. There is also growing pressure on Indian carmakers to buy entire electric motor assemblies from China, rather than sourcing just the magnets, as a way to bypass red tape. These magnets, especially neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, are critical to EV performance due to their strength and efficiency. Any disruption in their supply could delay production timelines and increase costs, particularly damaging for India's price-sensitive EV sector.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kolkata controllers assist international flights as original north-west routes reopen after airspace restrictions
1 2 3 Kolkata: Six days after the air traffic control in Kolkata scrambled to re-route all overflying aircraft from South-East Asia to Europe in the wake of Operation Sindoor, controllers on Tuesday helped some international flights revert to the original routes across north-west India and Pakistan. Though the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on airspace restrictions to the west of Delhi was withdrawn on Monday morning, it took around 24 hours for the first aircraft to venture into the airspace that was buzzing with drones and missiles last development brought relief to foreign carriers operating flights between Europe and South-East Asia as the detour via Mumbai and the Gulf pushed up fuel consumption and hiked operating costs, leaving the routes in the red."The closure of the route and the diversion of flights was similar to what would happen if any arterial road like EM Bypass is shut down suddenly. Cars will take diversions provided by police. Controllers in Kolkata did so in the early hours of May 7. When the shut route or Bypass then reopens, some cars will continue to travel along the alternative route because they already planned to do so along the route or want to wait till they are sure all is fine in the shut stretch of the Bypass. We have again provided the information to pilots that the earlier routes are back in operation. Some pilots are choosing to revert to the old route and we are ensuring safe navigation," explained a announced the reopening of its airspace shortly after the ceasefire was announced on Saturday evening. But India waited a couple of days to make sure the ceasefire violations stopped before announcing the decision to lift the restriction on its the restriction, nearly 800 flights that used to fly over Delhi before heading into Pakistan en route to Europe were redirected via Mumbai and the Gulf or the workload of controllers in Kolkata suddenly spiked on May 7 night and in the early hours of May 8, controllers in Mumbai ATC have been bearing the brunt of the additional load since then. While the Mumbai FIR used to handle 1,200 overflights prior to the airspace restriction, it has had to handle nearly 2,000 flights in the past four days."The northern section of Mumbai's oceanic airspace, typically busy, became increasingly congested as controllers directed additional flights through several routes. Yemen's airspace, situated south of these routes, remains an area most airlines prefer to avoid," explained a controller.**BOX**European-bound flights typically traverse Kolkata, Delhi, Pakistan, then Tajikistan and Uzbekistan before entering European travelling to and from West Asia traditionally utilise routes via Yangon and India before entering Middle East airspace. Aircraft from Singapore and Far East nations typically enter via Malaysian airspace. Some aircraft access Pakistan's airspace after India before proceeding to the Middle the closure, aircraft were directed via Mumbai to Muscat across the Arabian Sea and then east of Iraq and Turkiye before reaching Europe. MSID:: 121139183 413 |
