Donald Trump Wants EU to Punish China and India

Tried as he may, Donald Trump couldn't fulfill his pledge to end the war in Ukraine on "day one" of becoming US president. 

(But then, he was just being disingenuous and always hyperbolic; he was never genuinely serious about wanting peace).

Now, he has called on the European Union to hit China and India with tariffs of up to 100% to force Russian president Vladimir Putin to cease and desist in Ukraine. 

(Another BS! Why won't the US cease and desist supplying weapons to Ukraine? That'll end the war soon enough!)

Trump made the demand during a meeting between US and EU officials on Tuesday discussing options to increase economic pressure on Russia, a source familiar with the discussions has told the BBC. 

However, as per my understanding, the EU treat tariffs in a different way to sanctions and only impose them after an investigation typically lasting months to establish a legally sound justification. 

The bloc have so far only imposed tariffs in the context of the Ukraine war on Russian and Belarusian fertilisers and farm products. The justification for the measures was to prevent creating a dependency that could be exploited and to avoid harm to EU fertiliser producers. 

"So far, there is no discussion on possible tariffs neither on India...nor with China", one EU diplomat said. 

It has been said such tariffs are risky and could be too broad; it is easier to sanction specific entities and open the door to delist them if they end their business with Russia.  

I guess Trump should know better. He may love tariffs but the Europeans are only enamoured with sanctions! 🤣🤣🤣

Chinese-made aircraft are set to spread their wings further in Southeast Asia after Air Cambodia announced an order for ten C909 passenger jets, with an option to purchase ten more from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) on Tuesday. 

And Capital A, the investment holding company of AirAsia, on Wednesday, claimed to be in active discussions to buy the C919.

In fact, in July, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke disclosed that AirAsia and the soon-to-launch Air Borneo had both expressed interest in the Chinese jet, aligning with Kuala Lumpur’s ambition to diversify fleet sourcing and strengthen strategic links with Beijing. 

Even Irish low-cost giant Ryanair are flirting with the idea of adding the Chinese narrowbody twinjet to their fleet, which is currently dominated by aircraft from the Boeing 737 Next Generation (737NG) and 737 MAX families. 

Most notably, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O'Leary said in March that "if it was cheap enough, 10 or 20% cheaper than an Airbus aircraft, then we’d order it".

Two-and-a-half Days in Kota Kinabalu

You know you're on an AirAsia flight when your legroom is this tight! 👇

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had traveled to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia for work on Wednesday. Thankfully, the plane was an Airbus A320, and not a Boeing.

 

And just sharing here that my meal on board was Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak. (No surprise here).  As for my beverage, I opted for an ice-cold coconut latte, instead of my usual Coke:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a long, long while since I've been to Sabah and it's great to be back!

 

And for sure, I must not forget to record my appreciation to Ahmad Fakhri and Jamilah Samian for having sprung a surprise and reconnected me with Diana David, an ex-student of mine from Nilai's Australian University Degree Program (La Trobe) from eighteen years ago:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor Tim McGraw is spot-on when he says: "We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere".

The Pikachu Jet

In the budget air travel market in this part of the world, Singapore's Scoot are competing against the likes of Malaysia’s AirAsia and Indonesia’s Lion Air. 

They have survived the competition by having the international hub of Singapore as their base and by strengthening cooperation with the parent company, Singapore Airlines. 

However, recovery from the Covid pandemic is particularly tough for Scoot. So, to stimulate demand, the carrier teamed up with The Pokemon Company.

The outcome is a “Pikachu Jet” where a Boeing 787 is decorated with illustrations of the popular Pokemon character and others from the Japanese media franchise. 

On special Pokemon-themed flights, Pikachu can be found everywhere, from overhead bins to packaging of in-flight meals. Cabin crew play games and perform an original Pokemon dance to entertain passengers. 

Interestingly, I learned that The Pokemon Co. shouldered the expense of wrapping the jet with their new decorations, said to have cost about ¥100 million ($688,000). Scoot’s expenses are limited to promotion, marketing and in-flight services, making the collaboration financially attractive for the budget airline. 

My hope for Scoot is for them to be able to mount a challenge AirAsia for dominance.

In a Scottish Premiership match on Saturday, a Celtic side who were firing on all cylinders demolished Hibernian 6-1. 

James Forrest struck first on nine minutes when he volleyed in a lovely cross from Sead Hakšabanović. 

Nine minutes passed before left-back Alexandro Bernabei galloped forward to drill in an inch-perfect pass for Giorgos Giakoumakis to crash in with a first-time shot. 

Forrest got his second when the Hibs goalkeeper fumbled a routine shot in the twenty-fourth minute. 

Hibernian pulled a goal back in the fifty-sixth minute but within two minutes, a woeful mis-kick from them allowed Celtic to feed Forrest and the winger completed his hattrick with a deflected shot whizzing into the corner of the net. 

Celtic’s fifth goal came when substitute Liel Abada picked out Giakoumakis with a cut-back and the Greek striker's shot from 16 yards was taken away from the goalie’s path as an attempted block from a Hibernian centre-back sent the ball past the keeper in the seventy-third minute. 

And then the Hibs goalie thwarted Abada in a one-on-one situation but the Scottish champions would not be denied a sixth as a cross from the right dropped for Daizen Maeda to poke the ball home in the eighty-ninth minute to seal a comprehensive win.

A Record-Breaking Pub Crawl

On June 15, 2022, I had featured Gareth Murphy who broke the Guinness World Record by visiting 56 different pubs in a single 24-hour period and having at least one beverage at each. 

Nearly seven months afterward, 22-year-old Nathan Crimp took on the record for most pubs visited where he ended up going into 67 pubs in the Brighton, England, area in the space of seventeen hours. The recruitment account manager was joined by his two friends, Ollie and Archie, for the challenge – he started at 11 AM on Saturday and continued the pub crawl until 4 AM on Sunday morning. 

"It was easily the hardest thing I've ever done. I completely underestimated just how hard it was actually going to be", Crimp admitted to the Liverpool Echo. 

"The plan was to try and keep it sober for the first 25 pubs, but that went out the window 15 pubs in. I had to mix it up a little bit, I tried to drink alcohol in one and non-alcoholic drink in another – trying to space it out", he said. 

Guinness rules required Crimp to have a drink at each pub and collect evidence including receipts and witness signatures. 

"The hardest part was constantly having to go to the toilet, which took up the majority of the time", Crimp added.

Why am I not surprised? AirAsia received the most number of complaints against airlines in the country during the first half of the year, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) revealed on Monday. 

The low-cost carrier accounted for 42.1 percent of all aviation-related complaints in the period, ahead of Malaysia Airlines (40.7 percent) and Batik Air (7.9 percent) according to Mavcom’s 12th issue of their bi-annual Consumer Report for 1H22. 

AirAsia suck big-time and Malaysia Airlines are not any better.

Train to Butterworth

On Thursday, Cyril Jonas and Victor Ong, the duo that makes up CV+ made a trip to Penang. The purpose was to firm up and finalize all arrangements for March 15. 

Therefore, it was only a 1D/1N stay in Seberang Perai, the venue for World Speech Day Penang. 

Of course, it makes sense to take the ETS train to Butterworth. 

It was a four-and-a-half-hour journey and it was a pleasant ride. In fact, as we took our seats, rightaway, we could banish the thought of an insufferable AirAsia experience because we became appreciative of the ample legroom accorded by KTM! 

And what do you know, we left KL Sentral on time and we arrived at our destination on time.

  

Boarding the KTM ETS train at KL Sentral on Thursday morning.

Here, Cyril Jonas checking out our seats.

Victor Ong expressing surprise at the legroom. Anytime better than what you'll find in an AirAsia flight!

Train to Butterworth: leaving the city.

Checking our tickets – with a smile.

Foliage a-plenty on the journey.

Taiping, one of the many stops.

Arriving at Butterworth on mainland Penang.

In a red-and-white taxi to the hotel.

Our room on the 7th floor @ Hotel Ixora in Seberang Perai.

Our quick lunch at next door Megamall Penang – Curry mee @ RM4.50 a bowl. We loved it because the curry was done nyonya-style. 

To be continued...

Revealing Styles in the Aisles

It is a fatuously flighty exercise in flippant frivolity when Malaysian politicians couldn’t find anything important to raise in parliament – that they decided to bring up the issue of cabin crew garb. 

I remember there used to be loud protests about AirAsia’s attire. Now, PAS parliamentarians are raising hackles about the outfits worn by Malaysia Airlines’ female flight attendants:

Why this preoccupation with uniforms? We are telling the whole world that Malaysians are prudish – assuming of course, you believe their apparel is really revealing! 

Compare us with how other airlines clothe their cabin crew – and you can decide for yourself: 

China’s Hainan Airlines show off Paris-based Laurence Xu’s creations, taking inspiration from the cheongsam:

Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air went with pink skirts and hats for women: 

Etihad Airways' uniforms combine 1960s Paris couture combine 1960s couture and contemporary runway looks:

Air Malta’s cabin crew wear suits complemented by colourful scarves and ties which mirror the uniqueness of the Maltese Islands with their proud heritage, colors, culture, symbols, hospitality and language:

China Eastern Airlines' uniforms, designed by Christian Lacroix are "simple, beautiful and dignified" – a fusion of an elegant oriental style and Shanghai style fashion:

Gulf Air's uniforms have a history of embracing French haute couture fashions: 

The red-hot AirAsia's uniforms. I'm referring to the color lah:

Virgin Atlantic’s uniforms feature a double-breasted ‘drape coat’, which can be worn fastened or open:

Korean Air’s uniforms are a mix of eggshell blue, white and cream but what is really striking is the gravity-defying neck scarves and the ribbon-like hairpins which remind us of “binyeo”, the traditional Korean hair accessory:

Russian airlines Aeroflot with their bright red vintage-inspired uniforms:

Emirates' uniforms are best described as iconic and they have remained relatively unchanged since 1997, with just a few minor tweaks in 2008:

Singapore Airlines have the same uniform since 1968 – in fact, they are considered to be the "longest serving uniform" in the skies:

Anyway, Transport Minister Anthony Loke yesterday advised the objectors to avert their gaze – it’s as simple as that! 

In case you’re wondering about my view – I love legs! Now, you know! LOL!

Is it safe to fly AirAsia?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Achmad Ibrahim/AP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Bagus Indahono/EPA

 

Tony Fernandes had tweeted about “sensational headlines on AirAsia” and “silly headlines in Malaysia” (Malay Mail Online, January 05, 2015) – and he tries very hard to give the impression that his airline have been unfairly pilloried.

After all, AirAsia can do no wrong and they deserve only plaudits, having won Skytrax World's Best Low Cost Airline for 6 years running (i.e. 2009-2014). Fernandes would like us to believe that the media is conspiring against AirAsia.

 

The AirAsia head honcho was referring to the ill-fated flight QZ8501 but casting aside his defence of his airline, we have learned that things are not what they seem to be. And facts are facts. He himself said: “One by one facts will come out and clear us”.

 

I don’t know whether the facts will clear AirAsia but already the dirt is piling up.

 

It all started when Kompas.com reported that the airline had contravened a letter of authorization issued by Indonesia's Director General of Civil Aviation dated October 28, 2014, which stated that they were only allowed to ply the Surabaya-Singapore route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. They weren’t authorized to fly on Sundays. And it is still not clear how the plane came to fly on that route on that Sunday without approval.

 

On January 02, 2015, the Transportation Ministry suspended AirAsia’s Surabaya-Singapore route due to the breach in the operational schedules.

 

Then Jakarta Post on January 04, 2015 highlighted that official documents had alleged Indonesia AirAsia violated procedures which resulted in the pilots of the doomed flight QZ8501 not receiving the requested weather report before flying out into stormy weather.

 

Then I read in the New Sunday Times, Malaysia today (p 34) that the Airbus A320 had been suffering maintenance faults with a key flight control computer (i.e. the Flight Augmentation Computer) for over a week. One person familiar with the matter said the captain (i.e. Iriyanto) had flown on the same plane with the intermittently faulty device just days before the fatal crash.

 

Sunday Star too reported that the family of French co-pilot, Remi Emmanuel Plesel had filed charges against Indonesia AirAsia for “endangering the lives of others” as the airline did not have permission to carry out the flight between Surabaya and Singapore on the day of the crash (February 01, 2015, p 32).

 

And notwithstanding the QZ8501 deadly plunge into the Java Sea on December 28, 2014 that killed all 162 people on board – I had also blogged about the three separate AirAsia incidents on three separate occasions (December 28 & 30, 2014 and January 03, 2015) which I titled ‘Fright Flights’ (please read it at this link http://helpvictor.blogspot.com/2015/01/fright-flights.html) – that hinted that AirAsia should seriously look into putting their own house in order.

 

I had said I would not fly AirAsia, period. And I was criticized for being flighty (pun intended).

 

AirAsia should be honest and address all the issues above. Failing which I would ask, Is it safe to fly AirAsia? I have already given my answer.