Will Martin pay for the Queens Dinner in N.I. next week?
And pick up the restaurant bills for the day?
When Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein MP and former second-in-command of the IRA, shakes hands with the Queen on Wednesday it is likely to be behind closed doors.
Presumably, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, who was part of the terrorist organisation that murdered the Queen’s cousin Lord Mountbatten and many of her subjects, is desperate to stop republican supporters from seeing him with the monarch.
These are the same republicans who have always extolled McGuinness — along with four other Sinn Fein MPs — for never having taken his seat at Westminster on the grounds that he refuses to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen.
Martin McGuinness apparently doesn’t feel his principles extend all the way to his wallet. But McGuinness’s principled stand hasn’t stopped him and his Sinn Fein cronies from claiming vast sums of MPs’ expenses from Westminster.
The latest register reveals that last year alone McGuinness claimed £97,000 in staff costs and office accommodation for his work as a Westminster MP even though he has never voted, spoken, or tabled any questions in the House.
At least he has stopped claiming the £24,000 accommodation allowance — given to MPs for attending Westminster business — that he pocketed every year of the last Parliament.
McGuinness is not paid a Westminster salary. He receives £42,000 as a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, where he also claims expenses, and a further £72,000 as Deputy First Minister.
But taxpayers can breathe a sigh of relief now that he has announced he is to step down from Westminster.
In the meantime, it’s business as usual. He was spotted last week having a slap-up feast at Westminster’s fashionable Corinthia Hotel. The question is, was he dining at our expense?
New generation of Michelin Tyres start trials with communications innovation
Following more than six billion kilometres of testing involving 50,000 tyres over seven years, Michelin is taking the first steps to combine the introduction of a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips in tyres for large commercial vehicle fleets.
The company believes that its new ‘communicating’ tyres not only make it possible to obtain tyre pressure and temperature data easily, they will ensure flawless traceability of bus, coach, truck and trailer tyres throughout multiple lives in service.
This new generation of tyres are currently being introduced across a fleet of 100 double-decker buses operated by Stagecoach in London, which is the first major European customer for this new technology. Michelin is confident its innovation points the way to new methods of managing tyres, and hopes more commercial vehicle fleets will benefit soon.
At the heart of the development is an RFID chip and antennae assembly, weighing 0.2 grams and 5cm long, which is built into the Michelin X InCity tyre casing. In conjunction with a separate wheel rim mounted TPMS, the chip enables key data including the tyre pressure, temperature and the serial number of the tyre to be identified using an easy-to-use probe that can also record tread depths. The probe provides an electronic link between the tyre and a data processing system, with all information quickly downloaded into a handheld PDA unit.
Bill Schafer, Commercial Director of Michelin’s Truck and Bus division in the UK and Republic of Ireland, explains: “This new technology allows a technician to gather complete, extremely accurate tyre information in significantly less time than via a manual inspection. It also makes pressure checks safer; and since the valve is not opened, there is no loss of air.
“The increased speed of these checks will help fleets ensure their tyres remain in optimum condition for longer. This brings multiple benefits, since tyres maintained at the correct pressure last longer and improve fuel efficiency, which in turn reduces CO2 emissions.”
Michelin estimates that a tyre inflated to 1 bar less than the recommended pressure increases fuel consumption by up to 0.4 litres per 100 km. Tyres inflated 10 per cent below the recommended level experience a 15 per cent reduction in tyre life, whilst 30% underinflation reduces tyre life by 50 per cent. Studies of fleet operations also show that 75 per cent of tyre-related incidents are due to slow air leaks.
The introduction of this combined TPMS and RFID technology to the Stagecoach fleet in London is part of Michelin’s vision for the future. Schafer explains: “The goal is to continue putting the pieces in place to enable this new technology to be incorporated in more Michelin tyres, and made available to a wider customer base. We see TPMS and RFID-equipped tyres representing the future for many large commercial vehicle fleets.”
Michelin’s RFID research and validation process has seen more than 20 different patents registered. Whilst the principles involved are not entirely new, RFID has been around commercially in less developed forms for the last 50 years and TPMS has also been widely used for some time. However, the way in which these two technologies are being harnessed in what Michelin describes as ‘a fully-fledged eco system’ is new.
The RFID chip needs no battery as it is powered by the electromagnetic waves given off during data collection. Chip lifespan is considerably longer than that of the tyre, and it is uniquely designed to survive Michelin’s Remix remoulding process, enabling the same sensor to be used in all stages of Michelin’s Four Lives offer. Furthermore, the chip cannot be worn off or lost, as a bar code label can, because it is embedded in the tyre’s construction.
Over 50 Elderly people in Letterkenny hospital after Donegal bus crash
INVESTIGATIONS ARE CONTINUING FOLLOWING A SERIOUS ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT IN SOUTH DONEGAL ON SATURDAY EVENING.
Over 50 people, most of them elderly, were taken to Letterkenny General Hospital following a bus crash at Castleogary, near Killybegs.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, a HSE spokesperson confirmed that 49 patients had been assessed, treated and discharged with follow-up Outpatients appointments.
A further three patients with more serious injuries were admitted to hospital.
Sean Murphy, General Manager, Letterkenny General Hospital, said; “The overall hospital response worked extremely well, and I would like to thank staff for the prompt response, especially those who came in off duty.”
Ulster Bank Ireland payment problems to persist until the end of the next week
Ulster Bank has said it is now likely that it will take until the end of the week to clear the backlog in unprocessed payments.
CEO of RBS’s corporate banking division including Ulster Bank Chris Sullivan has said that they are not exactly sure how fast the backlog will be cleared.
Ulster Bank’s customers and those of other banks are continuing to face difficulties with their accounts due to a technical problem.
20 Ulster Bank branches were open until 1pm today to facilitate account-holders with urgent business and queries.
The bank has said that staff have been working around the clock to clear the backlog.
The bank has said it has fixed the original technical issue but that it is having difficulties clearing the backlog in unprocessed transactions.
It is the fifth day of this disruption to Ulster Bank services, a small number of ATM and online services have also been interrupted according to the bank.
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