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Real Madrid's high-wire act wins them the Champions League again

alexdriado 2024. 06. 02. 16:51

For a long time, Real Madrid's trips to the Champions League have been like high-wire acts. How come the Spanish giants don't trip and fall? But they don't.

As Carlo Ancelotti raised the giant trophy for the fifth time, Real won it for the fifteenth time. Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr. scored late goals at Wembley to beat Borussia Dortmund's brave charge.

A lot of people were having fun while the fireworks went off over the field. The ending of a well-known play was also well-known.

"If you've seen one of these victories, you've seen them all," but many of the teams Real has lost to in the last few years—most notably Atletico Madrid and Liverpool—will understand how painful it must have been for Dortmund as they walked alone through Wembley, their beautiful fans lighting up the stadium with color and making it reverberate with their noise.

Real played badly in the first half because they were scared by Dortmund's speed and energy. They were on edge the whole time and somehow tied the game at halftime.

If Karim Adeyemi had shot instead of trying to get around Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, he would have been through and scored. He will also think about whether he could have done better with another chance that was stopped.

Niclas Fullkrug's shot hit the inside of the post and went back out. After the break, Courtois stopped the scorer with a strong header.

It seemed more and more likely that Real would make it through and win, even when they looked like they were in a lot of trouble, like when they played Manchester City in the quarterfinals and Bayern Munich in the last four.

Real Madrid is the unstoppable winner in the Champions League. Because Ancelotti is their coach, they have a team of players who know how to do their job.

They showed it again when Dortmund blinked 16 minutes from the end. Carvajal met Toni Kroos' corner and glanced a header past Gregor Kobel, the goalkeeper, and Mats Hummels, the defender, who was tempted to risk getting sent off to stop the shot.

It was over. Vinicius Jr. quickly added a second to make sure that Real fans could enjoy victory in the competition where they are the clear favorite.

Those of us who have been following Real's progress in the Champions League for a while now know what to expect.

We remember seeing them sneak past foes Atletico Madrid to win 4-1 at Lisbon's Stadium of Light in 2014, thanks to Sergio Ramos's equalizer in the 93rd minute. It was Ancelotti's first Champions League title at the club.

In Paris two years ago, Courtois had one of the best goalkeeping games of all time. It made Liverpool's Mohamed Salah especially sad, and Vinicius Jr. scored the game-winning goal.

Though it would be easy to call Real lucky, this happens too often for that to be a fair statement. At halftime, a straw poll of neutrals at Wembley would have strongly supported a Real win, even though they had played terrible.

Real may have had a lot of bad games, but they ended up adding another chapter to their long and interesting past. So True. This is Carlo Ancelotti.

During the whole thing, the manager, who is a master at getting great players to work together, worked it out with the help of the people he was in charge of, including having a long talk with Carvajal on the sidelines near halftime.

If his problems with Real were making him feel stressed, he didn't show it, and he shouldn't have. He is the only one who really knows what he has and what it has done for him in the past. They did it once more.

The Italian has been beating his peers in this game for twenty years. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, two of the most well-known coaches of the last few years, haven't even come close to his record of success.

At night, Real celebrated and looked forward to a bright future. Kylian Mbappe will likely lead that future when he finally moves to the Bernabeu, which is a scary thought for anyone who wants to stop them from getting their 16th win next season.

Though English player Jude Bellingham may have had a quiet night, it was nothing compared to his great first season at Real, where he won the Champions League, La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Player of the Year award.

The 20-year-old had a tough game at Wembley, but he did set up Vinicius Jr.'s second goal and missed a great chance himself when the score was 1-0.

Real will rely on Bellingham going forward, and England boss Gareth Southgate will be hoping that a Champions League medal will give his team a boost going into Euro 2024.

When Kroos left, he was joined by Carvajal, Nacho, and late replacement Luka Modric in helping Real win their sixth Champions League title. This tied the record set by Paco Gento, another legendary Real player.

The last three are still likely to be at the Bernabeu next season and have something to offer because Real Madrid keeps changing the past.

Without Mbappe, who would have thought they wouldn't come back and win the Champions League again in a year?

Tovább

A new test for Republicans: attack the Trump ruling or be sent out of the party

alexdriado 2024. 06. 01. 16:38

Trump's fight to become president has a new front line.

I heard from someone close to the former president just minutes after he was found guilty on all 34 counts of crime on Thursday. They called what was happening in the Republican Party a "civil war."

Trump's campaign is using the fact that he was convicted of a crime as a sort of roll-call vote to see which leaders will defend the former president and which ones will defend the American legal system. It looks like you can't do both.

A weather balloon was sent up last night.

A moderate Republican named Larry Hogan is running for a Senate seat in Maryland, which leans liberal. He used social media to tell everyone to "respect the verdict and the legal process."

Within minutes, a top Trump campaign official named Chris LaCivita posted a very clear response to Mr. Hogan: "You just ended your campaign." It means that you are politically dead if you don't agree with us on this.

Someone else from the Republican Party who had worked on Trump's last campaign for president was asked if he thought that his party was in the middle of a "civil war." He didn't like the idea. And he thinks that any fight in his party was won a long time ago by Donald Trump.

He said, "Even if you don't like Trump, he's better than Joe Biden." "The choice is clear."

And it looks like most Republican politicians agree with him right now, at least in public.

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, called Thursday "a shameful day in American history" and said that Trump's sentence was "purely political, not of law." Another important Republican in Congress, Steve Scalise, said that the American legal system worked like a banana republic. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said it was like a "kangaroo court."

However, Florida Senator Marco Rubio may have given the strongest defense of the former president. In 2016, when they were both running for the Republican nomination, Rubio was one of Trump's loudest critics.

Rubio said, "This is the height of a show trial." "This is what the communist world looks like." They told me stories about this as a child from people who were living outside of Cuba. It took place soon after the Castro revolution.

A lot of Americans will be shocked if you compare America's justice system to Cuba's, which doesn't have open trials, independent judges, or the rule of law. Mr. Rubio isn't just saying that these specific jurors were wrong when they found Trump guilty. He's going a lot farther than that. He is giving a harsh criticism of the American judicial system as a whole.

But there's a clear plan for politics at play here. Trump thinks that many of his problems are not with specific people, like voters or juries, so these kinds of defenses make sense. Instead, he thinks that many of the most important parts of American government—its media, its intelligence services, the court system, and the voting process—are unfairly set up against him. That's why, to loud cheers, he calls for the "deep state" to be broken up at his gatherings.

To Trump, saying that the United States' legal system is working well is the same thing as criticizing him, and criticizing him could make the former president and a lot of his party followers angry. A lot of Republican leaders don't want to take this step.

It's too early to tell if this could still turn into a civil war among Republicans or if Trump's power over his party after years will finally stop any real wave of protest.

What's clear, though, is how hard the Trump campaign has worked to get more support.

There have been a few times in Donald Trump's political career when scandals made it very likely that he would lose the support of his party. These include the Access Hollywood tape, his impeachments, his indictments, the FBI raid on his house, and so on.

He doesn't seem to have lost any of his party's most important leaders yet. But people might not feel the same way.

An ABC News/IPSOS poll from earlier this month found that one fifth of people who support Donald Trump said they would either change their minds or stop supporting him if he was found guilty of a crime.

These days, presidential elections are decided by a few thousand votes in a few "swing states." It's still unclear if this guilty decision will actually change that.

Tovább

Italy's Prime Minister declares fascism 'consigned to history'. Not everyone is so confident

alexdriado 2024. 05. 30. 11:55

They form a military-style formation, a thousand strong, with the majority clad in black and some with tattoos on shaved heads.

A leader calls his battalion of loyalists to attention near the spot in Milan where Sergio Ramelli, a far-right student, was killed by anti-fascists nearly 50 years ago. He shouts "camerata," or "brother-in-arms," followed by Ramelli's name, as if making a roll call. And then it comes: rigid right arms outstretched and lifted, palms facing down, the fascist salute in the heart of Italy's second city, and the throng roars in support of the dead man: "Present! Present! Present!"

It's 2024, but this has chilling echoes of a century past. While it may appear strange to an outsider - and it was shocking to me when I saw it up close - it is not uncommon in Italy, where such commemorations are held every year.

The Brothers of Italy party, with its roots in postwar fascism, currently leads Italy's government. Its leader, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has stated that her movement has transformed totally, and it is apparent that her politics do not align with those who are raising their arms in Milan. However, some believe she and her party have not gone far enough away from their political origins, and that what was formerly deemed extremist is becoming mainstream.

"Fascism did not die in 1945; it was militarily defeated, but it still exists in the minds of many Italians," says Paolo Berizzi, a journalist for the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica. He has been under 24-hour police security for the past five years, following threats from extremist groups. "Italy has never truly come to terms with its past," he asserts.

It's been more than a century since Benito Mussolini, the country's fascist dictator known as Il Duce or The Leader, rose to power. His authoritarian administration was characterized by violent repression of all opponents, detention camps, and foreign invasions. Antisemitic laws oppressed Jews, and once Mussolini joined with Hitler's Germany, many were executed during the Holocaust. Italy surrendered to the Allies, devolving into civil strife, and Il Duce was eventually caught and slain.

Mussolini's fascist party was prohibited by the country's postwar constitution, but it was allowed to continue under several guises. The Movimento Sociale Italiano, or MSI, was founded by the dictator's supporters with the goal of revitalizing fascism and combating communism. Officials from Mussolini's dictatorship worked in state organizations. No Italians were brought before war crimes tribunals.

The Scelba Law, a 1952 constitutional amendment, barred groups from pursuing anti-democratic goals, glorifying fascist doctrines or leaders, or employing violence in their service. However, it has rarely been invoked. In Germany, the law clearly states that making the Nazi salute is criminal by up to three years in prison. In Italy, however, judges must decide whether the gesture constitutes a criminal offense, creating a gray area in which its use has continued.

For decades, neo-fascist politicians were virtually ignored. However, the decision by then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to include them in his coalition in 1994 marked the beginning of their gaining legitimacy in public opinion.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who began his political career in the MSI youth wing and later became national leader of its successor movement, once described Mussolini as "a good politician" who "did everything for Italy." Berlusconi named her as a government minister in 2008.

Ms Meloni's Brothers of Italy party uses the same three-colored flame insignia as neo-fascist groups after the war, but she has gradually changed her focus away from the far right.

Her past stance against "ethnic substitution" of Italians by migrants and an alleged "LGBT lobby" has eased with her election as Prime Minister in 2022. She now uses rhetoric more in line with the mainstream European right, such as talking about border security and increasing Italy's birth rate.

She has stopped her criticism of the Eurozone, built good relationships with officials from Washington to Brussels, and expressed open support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion. However, her critics claim she remains true to her political background.

And, some argue, this makes her even less inclined to support a crackdown on extremist groups. Many believe the Scelba law should have been implemented in 2021, after the headquarters of Italy's major labor union, CGIL, was viciously attacked during a protest against Covid limits by a crowd that included members of Forza Nuova, a fringe far-right group. Demonstrators smashed windows and attempted to force their way inside the building in a gesture reminiscent of Mussolini's era, when unions were attacked by his blackshirts.

Forza Nuova, which has been established for over a quarter of a century, is far further to the right than Ms Meloni's party, seeking a complete ban on immigration and leaving NATO and the EU. Its members speak highly of Vladimir Putin.

The party has never received enough votes to elect MPs to parliament, but its presence in protests and the activities of its members, which include violence against immigrants, make it and other extremist groups a thorn in Italian politics. During a recent funeral, a member's coffin was draped in a Swazi flag. Another official's birthday was marked by a cake painted with a swastika and the Nazi motto "Sieg Heil".

Forza Nuova's founder, Roberto Fiore, tells me the party targeted CGIL because the union supported required Covid immunization certificates for all workers. "Everyone thought of us as real freedom fighters, not fascists attacking a trade union," he says.

I confront him directly: Is he a fascist? "If you questioned me like that, I probably would say yes," he responds, "but I have to finish the sentence and say I'm a revolutionary. Italy lacks the intellect and fortitude to acknowledge that fascism had advantages and disadvantages in certain areas. I embrace and do not reject the term fascist."

During our conversation, I pressed Mr Fiore on the criminal nature of Mussolini's administration. He disputes that it was violent and maintains that fascist internment camps were "things that happen with war". He goes on to argue that Ukraine should be a part of Russia. When I tell him that his party would be banned in nations like Germany, he responds, "Freedom is freedom."

The walls of Forza Nuova's local headquarters in the northern city of Verona are adorned with racist and extremist symbols, ranging from the US Confederate flag to those of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, as well as scarves bearing the words "White Power" and "We are fascists - a call to arms". Luca Castellini, the party's deputy leader, proudly presents me a Mussolini calendar, claiming it is the best-selling calendar in Italy.

He also leads Verona's "Ultras" - die-hard football enthusiasts. Italian stadiums have always been hotbeds for political radicalism. When Hellas Verona was promoted six years ago, Mr Castellini was caught jubilantly telling supporters that the guy who had paid for their achievement and given them triumph had a name: "Adolf Hitler!" The crowd rejoiced and began their own chant: "We're a fantastic team in the shape of a swastika." "How wonderful it is to be trained by Rudolf Hess," says Hitler's deputy. Mr Castellini was barred from entering the stadium after declaring that a black athlete could never be "truly Italian".

When I challenge him about all of this, he claims he would gladly repeat the same Hitler chant because it was judged not a crime. How would a descendant of Italian Jews deported to the Holocaust feel, I wonder? "I don't know - but wars have always existed and there have always been deaths," he responds. "It can't be my problem."

Ms Meloni's party has distanced itself from Forza Nuova. The prime minister criticized the sacking of the trade union building, while Forza Nuova leaders publicly criticize her for several of her policies, such as her unwavering support for Ukraine.

Before the election, she attempted to assuage opponents by issuing a video message in which she stated that the Italian right had "consigned fascism to history" and strongly criticized the suppression of democracy and "ignominious anti-Jewish laws".

Ms Meloni, on the other hand, has not completely abandoned her past; for example, she still uses the fascist-era motto "God, homeland, family".

"Brothers of Italy is not a fascist party, but rather an ideological heir to the post-fascist tradition," writes journalist Paolo Berizzi. This gives extreme organizations a sense of legitimacy, according to Mr Berizzi.

Brothers of Italy leads all Italian parties in opinion polls ahead of the 2018 European elections. If her coalition of European right-wingers wins resoundingly in the election, she will cement her political supremacy in Italy and serve as a figurehead for other right-wing and far-right leaders seeking to run their respective countries.

Her detractors point out that she has never referred to herself as a "anti-fascist". However, Nicola Procaccini, a Member of the European Parliament for Brothers of Italy and one of Ms Meloni's oldest political supporters, insists there is a legitimate explanation for this.

"Being anti-fascist during fascism was a courageous act for freedom and democracy. However, being anti-fascist under democracy has occasionally resulted in violence, with many young students dead," he continues, referring to often bloody conflicts between extremist organizations and murders committed in Italy's postwar decades.

He argues she has always rejected fascism, but criticizes what he terms "an obsession" with the phrase, which he claims is used by the left to intimidate voters ahead of elections.

Opponents in areas like Bologna, which has historically been at the heart of anti-fascism, strongly deny this. The black and white images and names of those who perished defending Bologna against fascism during the civil war of 1943-45 are displayed on the city hall's wall. Another memorial stands beside it, honoring the 85 victims of Italy's greatest terror incident, the neo-fascist bombing of Bologna's train station in 1980.

Emily Clancy, the city's deputy mayor, believes the battle against fascism is deeply relevant today. "The far right, not only in Italy, but also around the world, is trying to find a scapegoat for people's difficulties by attacking the stranger or the migrant," she claims. She cites "attacks on the freedom of the press, censorship, freedom for the LGBT community, and attacks on the liberty of women to determine what they can do on their own bodies" as examples of similarities with the early days of fascism.

I question if she and her party are losing ground to the far right, which is making gains around the world. "I think it's a struggle - we haven't lost, but definitely we have to unite and not take for granted what is happening," she responds.

What about the fascist salutes that continue to appear at demonstrations? "It's remarkable that this happens," she continues, "and that what should be recognized as a crime of apologizing for fascism is dismissed as simply nostalgic or a tribute. We are not dealing with these incidents as seriously as we should."

However, MEP Nicola Procaccini believes that outlawing the gesture would be "crazy," adding that it is not a call to reintroduce fascism, but rather a historical gesture originated from Ancient Rome, which was later adopted by the fascist state. "This is cancel culture that we do not share."

So the symbols linger on, as does some people's notion that the existing narrative needs to be rewritten. Every year on the anniversary of Benito Mussolini's death, volunteers dressed in military berets and bearing red flowers visit his mausoleum in Predappio, his birthplace.

Susanna Cortinovis, one of the mourners, praised Mussolini for establishing social security and maternity benefits. "If you're telling me that being a mother, a Christian, paying my taxes - does that mean I'm a fascist, then yes, I'm a fascist," she replies. "And I salute, in my Roman way, my one and only head of state."

Many countries have nostalgists, revisionists, and conspiracy theorists, and Italy is no different. There may not be many Duce devotees. However, there is overlap between Mussolini propagandists and present neo-fascists. In a culture that still tolerates such ideas, images, and attitudes, the question is how much of this is being normalized, especially as right-wing parties across Europe look to Italy as an example.

"Fascists have always nurtured a desire for revenge," argues journalist Paolo Berizzi. "And they say, 'Very well, we return to power, we are not dead, we have not disappeared.'" "They seek vengeance on history."

Tovább

Owners of Royal Mail will support a £5 billion takeover bid

alexdriado 2024. 05. 29. 2:32

It is anticipated that on Wednesday, the Royal Mail-owning company's board would propose a new takeover bid for the 500-year-old institution.

More than 150,000 people work for the company, and its offer from Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is £5 billion (including assumed debts).

The offer is said to contain stipulations to avoid mandatory layoffs, keep the name and brand intact, maintain UK headquarters and tax residency, and more.

The National Security and Investment Act gives Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch the authority to review and perhaps halt the deal, even though she has not yet spoken with Mr. Kretinsky.

Shares in Royal Mail's parent firm are trading at a 13% discount to the 370p a share offered by Kretinsky, suggesting that the deal could be vetoed by the current or future government.

While some argue that the government should have stepped in when the entrepreneur increased his holdings from 22 percent to 27.5% in 2022, others emphasize that the government missed an opportunity to do so.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has stated that the British government would conduct "normal" national security reviews of any proposed acquisition of Royal Mail, but that he would not oppose the move in principle.

Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow secretary for business, wrote to Mr. Kretinsky two weeks ago, outlining the expected commitments made by Mr. Kretinsky as part of his offer, and stressing the historic and vital role that Royal Mail played in the life and economy of the UK.

According to BBC News' review of Mr. Kretinsky's response to Mr. Reynolds' letter, the postal firm will maintain its UK headquarters and tax residency, recognize workers' unions, and maintain its status as the Universal Service Provider.

"Our offer will provide Royal Mail with an opportunity to secure its financial future," Mr. Kretinsky said, expressing his belief that the acceptance of the proposal would benefit IDS shareholders. IDS is Royal Mail's parent company.

Following its privatization a decade ago, Royal Mail was required by law to provide a "universal service" that allows customers to send letters and packages anywhere in the world for a flat rate. This means that letters must be delivered six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and parcels must be delivered Monday through Friday.

Customers frequently do not receive letters, including crucial legal documents and medical appointments, on time, and the company's performance has declined in recent years, resulting in significant financial losses.

As a result of its logistics and parcels operations in Germany and Canada, parent company International Distribution Services turned a modest profit last year, more than making up for Royal Mail's losses.

The amount of letters being sent has decreased dramatically, with half of the number being sent compared to levels in 2011. Parcel delivery services, meanwhile, have grown in popularity and revenue.

During the assessment of the universal service obligation, Royal Mail proposed to Ofcom that the company might save £300 million annually and give itself "a fighting chance" by lowering second class deliveries to every other weekday.

Postal employees' union general secretary Dave Ward blamed "this situation is a direct result of a failed and ideological privatisation... mixed with the blatant mismanagement of the company in recent years."

"These events have ripened one of the most iconic and important companies in the UK for a takeover by foreign investors," said the CEO.

Although Mr. Ward acknowledged the positive steps taken thus far, he added, "but the reality is postal workers across the UK have lost all faith in the senior management of Royal Mail and the service has been deliberately run down."

Following next week's meeting, the union will demand a "complete reset" in employee and industrial relations and additional promises for the company's future from Mr. Kretinsy's EP Group.

It plans to lobby for a different ownership structure for Royal Mail, one in which members would have a "direct say in key decisions," and will engage with organisations like Labour to do so.

Although he first became wealthy in the energy sector, entrepreneur Daniel Kretinsky has since expanded his holdings into the retail and logistics industries. He has a 25% stake in West Ham United Football Club and 10% in Sainsbury's.

Any potential buyer for the Royal Mail Group would be expected to communicate with ministers, according to the BBC's understanding of the Department of Business and Trade.

No remark was offered by International Distribution Services.

Daniel Křetínský: A Cypriot and an emailer.

All the hallmarks of a contemporary billionaire are possessed by Daniel Křetínský, who aspires to acquire the Royal Mail.

The Czech businessman and lawyer, who is 48 years old, has an impressive net worth of £6 billion, as reported in the Sunday Times Rich List.

Affluent neighborhoods are home to his mansions.

As an example, he reportedly rented out Heath Hall to Justin Bieber for £25,000 per week at a price of £65 million when he purchased it on London's Bishop Avenue, also known as billionaire's row.

Additionally, he paid €21.5 million (£18.3 million) to purchase a townhouse in Paris adjacent to the Elysee Palace from the ex-wife and Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev.

Additionally, Mr. Křetínský has a stake in the Maldives' Velaa private island resort.

Not to mention that he owns a football club or two, much like other wealthy people in his class. Among them are AC Sparta Prague and West Ham United of England, in which he has a 27% ownership interest.

What is known about Mr. Křetínský is that he amassed wealth in the energy sector of Central and Eastern Europe through a complex web of firms. He is reportedly referred to as the "quiet sphinx" due to his enigmatic personality.

Eustream is one such company; it carries gas from Russia via pipelines that pass through Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

Through his Luxembourg-based private corporation, Vesa Equity Investment, Mr. Křetínský has amassed a substantial portfolio of renowned brands in the United Kingdom.

Among these are substantial holdings in multinational conglomerate Sainsbury's and sportswear store Footlocker, in addition to Royal Mail's parent firm, International Distribution Services.

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https://dailybusinesspost.com/support-for-a-5-billion-acquisition-bid-by-royal-mails-owners/

Tovább

Technology for flying cars from Europe was sold to China

alexdriado 2024. 03. 27. 9:00

A Chinese company has acquired the technology that was at the heart of the development of a flying car, which was initially developed and successfully tested in Europe.

The AirCar, which was powered by a BMW engine and used regular fuel, traveled between two airports in Slovakia for a total of thirty-five minutes in 2021, making use of runways for both takeoff and landing.

A little more than two minutes were required for the vehicle to convert from a car into an airplane.

A "specific geographical region" in China will now be the location where automobiles that are manufactured based on its design will be utilized.

The Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, which has its headquarters in Cangzhou, has completed the acquisition of exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside a region that has not been announced.

According to Anton Zajac, creator of KleinVision, the company that was responsible for the creation of AirCar, the company has constructed its very own airfield as well as a flight school following an earlier acquisition from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer.

Following its pioneering role in the creation of the electric vehicle revolution, China is currently actively working to develop solutions for flying transportation transport.

During the previous month, a company known as Autoflight conducted a test flight of a drone that was capable of transporting passengers between the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. It was stated that the voyage, which takes three hours to complete by car, was finished in twenty minutes, despite the fact that the aircraft did not have any passengers on board.

Additionally, in the year 2023, the Chinese company eHang was granted a safety certificate by the Chinese government for its electric flying taxi application. In this regard, the government of the United Kingdom has stated that flying taxis may become a common sight in the skies by the year 2028.

Nevertheless, in contrast to these passenger aircrafts that resemble drones, AirCar does not take off and land vertically and necessitates the use of a runway.

The amount of money that KleinVision had made from the sale of the technology was not disclosed. A certificate of airworthiness was granted to AirCar by the Slovak Transport Authority in the year 2022. Additionally, AirCar was featured in a film that was uploaded to YouTube by Mr Beast on the beginning of this year.

Infrastructure, regulations, and public acceptance of the technology are still significant obstacles that need to be overcome before this mode of transportation may become widely adopted.

"This brave new world of personal transport is acting as a great leveller," said aviation analyst Steve Wright. "It's a brave new world."

It was "everyone scrambling to come up with a whole new set of questions that need to be asked" as a result of global efforts to regulate the sector.

"In this respect the West's history can sometimes slow things down, as there is a bit of a temptation to try and squeeze these new machines into the old categories," Mr. Wright explained further. "China could well see this as an opportunity to get ahead."

Concerns of a similar nature were presented in the past with regard to electric cars, in which China has emerged as the worldwide market leader.

The sale of the Slovakian AirCar may give rise to inquiries on the possibility that China is on the verge of achieving the same level of success with flying automobiles.

"with queues and baggage checks and whatnot," Mr. Wright said, despite the fact that prototypes such as the AirCar were "great fun," the reality was likely to end up being more humdrum.

Tovább

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