Biden pledge to make federal fleet electric faces slow start
fleet have lagged.
Biden last year directed the U.S. government to purchase only American-made, zero-emission passenger cars by 2027 and electric versions of other vehicles by 2035.
“We’re going to harness the purchasing power of the federal government to buy clean, zero-emission vehicles,” the president said soon after his January 2021 inauguration. He has since used photo ops — taking a spin in Ford Motor Co.’s electric F-150 pickup truck, or driving GM’s Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV at the Detroit auto show — to promote their potential. Cabinet officials have hawked a first set of Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs in use at the departments of Energy and Transportation.
The White House frequently describes the 2027 timeline as on track. But the General Services Administration, the agency that purchases two-thirds of the 656,000-vehicle federal fleet, says there are no guarantees.
Then there is the U.S. Postal Service, which owns the remaining one-third of the federal fleet. After initially balking and facing lawsuits, the agency now says that half of its initial purchase of 50,000 next-generation vehicles will be powered by electricity. The first set of postal vehicles will hit delivery routes late next year.
I have my own vision for Cong, will not pull out: Tharoor
New Delhi: After filing nomination for the Congress presidential poll on Friday, Shashi Tharoor said he has his own vision for the party which he will soon share with all the delegates, and that he will not pull out of the race.
Tharoor said that he has submitted nomination papers of five sets and the sixth set will be filed by 3 p.m. “The papers I have submitted reflect extraordinarily wide range of support extended voluntarily to me by party workers across India from Kashmir to Nagaland.”
He said he has his own vision for the Congress and will be sending that to all the delegates.
Giving clean chit to Gandhis, he said that they are neutral. It is a friendly contest. And the contenders are colleagues and not enemies.
“Kharge is a terrific leader. I have mine own ideas,” Tharoor said.
“I don’t want to say anything negative against Kharge. I have a different approach. We are having setbacks for a couple of years in elections,” he added.
He said the Congress should bring a change in the country which is suffering from the inflation and unemployment.
Kelis, Parov Stelar, DJ Snake and Damian Lazarus performed to a sold out crowd at AZIMUTH AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh : More than 2000 music fans flocked to the ancient desert city of AlUla’s this weekend to attend the boutique music and arts event, AZIMUTH. The sold out event, delivered by MDLBEAST, the Saudi-based music entertainment company, returned in its second edition showcasing the best of EDM with DJs and acts flown in from around the world to delight audiences in the Saudi Arabian heritage heartland.
The two day event featured international acts including the crowd-rousing DJ Snake; Kelis who performed her 2003 smash hit Milkshake; and the prolific tastemaker of house and modern techno Damian Lazarus on day one. Day two turned up the volume even more with an epic performance from the seven piece band of Austrian artist Parov Stelar, and American R&B superstar Jason Derulo who opened with his chart-topping hit Whatcha Say and had the excitable crowd dancing and asking for more.
Local acts from the flourishing Saudi music scene included a lineup of rising female stars DJ Kayan, Birdperson and Cosmicat plus perennially popular Dish Dash and Majid Jordan. DISCO MISR delighted and surprised with their unique 80s and 90s infused Arabic pop. The unique sunset to sunrise event had artists clamouring to be involved with early morning sets by Vinyl Mode, Nomad, Anmarz.
Local hero, DJ Baloo pulled off a stand-out performance in the final hours, as did BKR with his set timed to coincide with the final sunrise moment to an audience eager for more. The AlUla moment capped off an event set in an ancient land with a nod to the past but with eyes firmly fixed on the future. AZIMUTH is an event that is sure to be on the radar for festival goers around the world.
The stage was set within the stunning natural landscape of AlUla with the intimate arena surrounded by the rock formations that have stood for millions of years. A light show using the ancient rocks as the canvas and impressive stage production provided further entertainment to the crowd.
Taking place on the Saudi National Day weekend from sunset on 22nd September to sunrise on 24th September in the same canyon that hosted Desert X AlUla, those lucky enough to secure one of only 1000 tickets per day also had the privilege of seeing some of the remaining artworks that were showcased as part of the event set up.
AZIMUTH was the first of a long list of exciting events and festivals under the AlUla Moments calendar, cementing the Arabian Peninsula city as the arts and culture capital it once was as the crossroads of civilisations dating back 7000 years.