Germany to invest 1 billion Euro in lowering air pollution

 (Associated Press) | Updated November 29, 2017 - 6:31am

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, attend the 2nd summit on air pollution in German cities of the government and the mayors of various German cities in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the federal government will provide 1 billion euros (1.2 billion dollars) to cities and towns across the country in 2018 in an effort to make traffic more environmentally friendly.

The money is to be invested in finding traffic solutions to lower air pollution.

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Many cities in Germany face driving bans because the air pollution is frequently above the allowed maximum levels due to the many cars' exhaust fumes.

The funds are to be invested among other things into electric buses, electric charging stations and a more environmentally friendly traffic infrastructure.

German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks lauded the initiative as a first important step but called on the automobile industry to also support the government's action plan.

An Investment Boom in Philippines leaves Neighbors in the Dust

By 

Karl Lester M Yap

 and 

Myungshin Cho, Bloomberg TV

• Economy’s physical assets surge more than 10% on year earlier
• President Duterte plans to boost spending to a record in 2018

Capital investment in the Philippines is surging past the rest of Southeast Asia as the government and firms ramp up spending.

In the first nine months of this year, net physical assets in the Philippines grew 10.4 percent from a year earlier. That compared with a 6.9 percent increase in Malaysia and 5.8 percent gain in Indonesia, according to data from statistics offices.

There’s reason to remain bullish on the outlook. Philippine government spending jumped 28 percent in October, the largest rise in almost a year, with another record budget planned for 2018. Companies are also joining in: Metro Pacific Investments Corp. plans to invest as much as $16 billion through 2022 on road, water, and power projects, while Ayala Land Inc. is boosting capital spending to a record $2 billion next year.

President Rodrigo Duterte is building a network of railroads and highways across the archipelago in an ambitious $180 billion infrastructure program. Investment firing up adds another engine to the economy, headed for a sixth year of growth exceeding 6 percent and among the world’s best performers.

“The government is very committed to keep spending strong and that has maintained the robust momentum of the investment cycle,” said Eugenia Victorino, an economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Singapore. “With growth firing on all cylinders, the Philippines is really standing out in a region where the outlook has turned more positive.”

Catching Up

After lagging its neighbors for decades, the Philippines is catching up. Growth in net physical assets -- or gross fixed capital formation -- averaged 14.4 percent in the five years through 2016, the fastest in Southeast Asia and almost twice as fast as Malaysia, according to the World Bank.

Duterte wants to transform the Philippines into an upper-middle income country by the end of his term in 2022, and the cornerstone of his vision is a plan referred to as “Build, Build, Build”. It includes the capital’s first subway and a 653-kilometer railway to the south.

“Capital formation goes hand in hand with the focus on infrastructure,” said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist at BDO Unibank Inc. “The private sector has always been investing, but now public spending is catching up.”

Pia Wurtzbach: No such thing as beauty pageant jinx

By Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo (philstar.com) 

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In this Jan. 24, 2016 file photo, Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach poses for the media following a news conference.  | AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

MANILA, Philippines — There are rumors in social media that Miss Philippines Rachel Peters only reached top 10 at the 2017 Miss Universe pageant because Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach from the Philippines was a judge.

This also reportedly happened to Philippines’ Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa during the Miss Universe pageant in 2015. MJ was Miss Universe Philippines 2014. Like Peters, Lastimosa also allegedly did not advance from the top 10 as Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao was in the judges’ panel.

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Before Miss Universe, netizens have observed another pattern: Mariel de Leon, Philippines’ representative for Miss International 2017, was unplaced because the reigning country then was Philippines, as represented by Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa.

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According to pageant observers, once the Philippines wins in Miss International, the following year, as the reigning country, the nation’s bet will be “unplaced” in the pageant.

For Wurtzbach, superstitions like these have no solid basis.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think that they would allow you to join if you’re already destined to not get the crown. I don’t think pageants would do that. That’s not really fair. And I don’t think there’s a curse either or there’s a jinx,” Pia told Philstar.com in a recent interview during her launch as endorser of mineral water brand Aquafina.

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For Pia, nobody and nothing should be blamed whenever Miss Philippines loses.

“I think it just so happened that you know, we haven’t seen a back-to-back yet at Miss Universe. But I don’t think that it has anything to do with the competition or the judges or the girl, our representative,” Pia further explained