<ul class="summary-list"><li>Engine manufacturers are not interested in helping Boom build a supersonic powerplant, per FlightGlobal.</li><li>The comments come after Rolls-Royce announced an end to its contract with Boom in early September.</li></ul><p>Boom Supersonic may be forced to make its own engine for its ultra-fast Overture jet.</p><p>In 2020, engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/news/post/boom-supersonic-and-rolls-royce">signed</a> an "engagement agreement" with Boom to explore an engine that could power the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-boom-supersonic-updated-ultra-fast-aircraft-overture-2022-7#the-overture-was-already-designed-to-fly-incredibly-fast-but-to-create-a-more-efficient-and-quiet-aircraft-boom-decreased-the-overtures-passenger-capacity-increased-its-number-of-engines-and-reconfigured-the-fuselage-and-gull-wings-3">faster-than-sound Overture</a>, which already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-overture-the-boom-supersonic-aircraft-that-united-just-ordered-2021-6">has orders from United and American Airlines</a>.</p><p>However, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2022-09-06/boom-seeks-engine-airlines-mull-supersonic-use-case">Rolls-Royce told AIN Online</a> in early September that it has since left the table. </p><p>"We've completed our contract with Boom and delivered various engineering studies for their Overture supersonic program," Rolls-Royce said.</p><p>"After careful consideration, Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us and, therefore, will not pursue further work on the program at this time," the company continued. "It has been a pleasure to work with the Boom team and we wish them every success in the future."</p><p>After Rolls-Royce's comments, GE Aviation, Honeywell, and Safran Aircraft Engines have all <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/engine-makers-sound-downbeat-on-supersonic-leaving-boom-in-a-bind/150215.article">told FlightGlobal</a> that they are not currently interested in making a supersonic engine for Boom.</p><p>GE previously worked on the Affinity engine that was being developed to power a supersonic jet from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supersonic-jet-startup-aerion-breaks-ground-on-new-florida-campus-2020-12">defunct planemaker Aerion</a>, which was <a href="https://investors.boeing.com/investors/investor-news/press-release-details/2019/Boeing-Partners-with-Aerion-to-Accelerate-Supersonic-Travel/default.aspx">backed by Boeing</a> before closing its doors in May 2021 <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-22/texas-billionaire-s-supersonic-jet-dream-dies-as-aerion-folds?leadSource=uverify%20wall">due to financial challenges</a>. But, the company revealed to FlightGlobal that "civil supersonic is not a segment that we are currently pursuing."</p><p>Pratt &amp; Whitney, another company capable of making such an engine is also hesitant to participate, with chief sustainability officer Graham Webb calling supersonic jets "tangential."</p><p>Nevertheless, Boom is hard-set on finding an engine manufacturer and producing a power plant that is environmentally friendly. The company <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/">hopes</a> its $200 million Overture jets will run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).</p><p>"As a practice, we avoid commenting on any ongoing and confidential negotiation with our suppliers, until both sides are ready to announce jointly," Boom told Insider on Friday. "However, we can reconfirm our intention to announce Boom's selected engine partner and transformational approach for reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable supersonic flight, later this year."</p><p>With engine makers reluctant to partner with Boom, Henry Harteveldt, travel analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Insider that the company may need to make its own.</p><p>"Boom has stated it wants its aircraft to be as environmentally responsible as it can be, which is a noble and critically important objective, but it is already hard enough and expensive enough for Boom to build the airplane," he explained. "So, if they were to also take on the engine, then it will be a big challenge."</p><p>He emphasized that Boom will also have to make sure that its engine does not infringe on anyone else's patents or classified military designs.</p><p>"It doesn't mean Boom can't do this, but they will need to raise additional funds or bring in a partner or two to help," Harteveldt told Insider. "But, if it is successful in building the jet and the engine, then they get their aircraft and have very unique intellectual property and a business advantage because they will not rely on a third-party engine maker."</p><p>Moreover, if Boom is successful in building both, then it may become an "attractive acquisition target" for companies like Airbus or Boeing.</p><p>Or, in a case of irony, it could sell its powerplant design to an engine maker and "not only recoup its cost but also possibly make a profit off of it," according to Harteveldt.</p>

Supersonic jet startup Boom's future is in doubt after every major jet-engine maker refuses to help

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Boeing has unveiled its 2023 ecoDemonstrator program, which includes a new "Explorer" aircraft.</li><li>The first "Explorer" is a Boeing 787-10 that will fly to countries in Asia to test better route coordination.</li></ul><p>Boeing <a href="https://investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-details/2023/Boeing-Expands-ecoDemonstrator-Flight-Testing-with-Explorer-Airplanes-Announces-2023-Plan/default.aspx">announced</a> a new addition to its fleet of ecoDemonstrator aircraft on Thursday — a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.</p><p>The jet is part of the manufacturer's 2023 flight testing program, which uses <a href="https://www.boeing.com/principles/environment/ecodemonstrator">specially modified planes to assess new technologies to make flying safer, quieter, and more efficient.</a></p><p>Over the years, these flying labs have tested things like 3D-printed materials and a "self-disinfecting lavatory," among other experiments.</p><p>The addition of Boeing's new 787-10 ecoDemonstrator brings the total fleet of test beds to 10, but the aircraft is different from its predecessors.</p><p>According to the company, the Dreamliner is the first of several "Explorer" aircraft that will focus primarily on testing operational efficiency.</p><p>Specifically, Boeing wants to show how better route coordination across multiple international airspaces can "achieve the optimal flight path" and effectively decrease fuel burn by up to 10%. </p><p>To do this, the company has partnered with four nations to fly the 787 on long-haul missions from Seattle to Tokyo, Bangkok, and Singapore in June.</p><p>The plane will fly on the highest-possible blend of traditional jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel, with factors like weather, airspace closures, and air traffic control taken into account.</p><p>"The industry will need continued fleet renewal, efficiency gains, renewable energy carriers such as sustainable aviation fuel and advanced technology to meet the civil aviation industry's commitment to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050," Boeing chief sustainability officer Chris Raymond said in a press release.</p><p>In addition to the new 787, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-boeings-777-ecodemonstrator-aircraft-flight-testing-2022-10-years-6#in-the-middle-cabin-a-self-disinfecting-lavatory-with-embedded-uv-lights-will-be-installed-uv-lights-will-also-be-tested-in-the-aft-galley-to-better-clean-surfaces-25">Boeing will use its "flagship ecoDemonstrator" — a 777-200ER introduced in June 2022 — to test 19 new technologies in 2023.</a> According to Boeing, the aircraft's mission is to assess things like safer taxi operations and a new fuel sensor compatible with 100% SAF.</p><div type="image" title="Boeing 2022 777-200ER ecoDemonstrator." height="1875" width="2500" msid="99958439" hostid="261" sizebytes="385686"></div><p>Last year, which was the ecoDemonstrator program's 10-year anniversary, the plane assessed 30 technologies, including more durable tray tables and a hat-like pilot display system.</p><p>When conducting these tests, Boeing engineers will travel with the aircraft to monitor data and review data, as well as oversee the safety of the flight.</p><p>While not every experimental technology makes it onto a future Boeing jet, about a third actually have. Some of these include the V-shaped wingtips on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-factory-boeing-makes-737-max-jets-renton-tour-2022-7">Boeing 737 MAX jets</a>, the iPad app used by pilots for real-time information, and the camera system on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-boeings-first-ever-777x-aircraft-folding-wingtips-2022-8">highly-anticipated 777X</a> to help avoid ground obstacles. </p><p><a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2019-07-01-Boeing-takes-new-technologies-out-of-the-lab-and-onto-ecoDemonstrator-flying-test-bed">According to the company</a>, the other technologies were "discontinued after learnings were accomplished."</p><p>Take a look at the eight other ecoDemonstrator planes that Boeing has used to test over 230 technologies since the start of the decade-long program.</p><h4>2012: Boeing 737-800NG</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing's American Airlines 737-800 ecoDemonstrator." height="721" width="961" msid="99958443" hostid="261" sizebytes="56758"></div><p>Unveiled in 2012, the company's <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2012-09-18-Boeing-American-Airlines-FAA-collaborate-on-737-ecoDemonstrator-Airplane#Closed">first-ever ecoDemonstrator was a 737-800NG on loan from American Airlines</a>. The plane jumpstarted the journey of increasing safety, reducing carbon emissions, and decreasing the industry's noise footprint.</p><p>Tests were done on things like fan nozzles and trajectory systems, as well as aspects of the "Advanced Technology Winglet" that eventually made its way onto the MAX fleet.</p><h4>2014: Boeing 787</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing 787 ecoDemonstrator." height="3280" width="4387" msid="99958444" hostid="261" sizebytes="3520818"></div><p>In 2014, the planemaker debuted its second ecoDemonstrator — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The jet was actually the company's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-787-private-jet-mexico-sold-2023-5">fourth in a series of six 787 test-planes</a> built between 2009 and 2010.</p><p>The 787 <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2014-11-17-Boeing-ecoDemonstrator-787-Tests-Innovations-for-More-Efficient-Air-Travel#assets_20295_129269-117">ecoDemonstrator tested 35 projects</a>, including a collaboration with Delta Air Lines to generate real-time turbulence reports. Boeing also assessed touch-screen cockpit displays and partnered with NASA to test aircraft spacing to improve landing efficiency.</p><h4>2015: Boeing 757-200</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing 757-200 ecoDemonstrator from the TUI Group" height="1385" width="1847" msid="99958446" hostid="261" sizebytes="108574"></div><p>The third aircraft in the ecoDemonstrator family was a Boeing 757-200 from the TUI Group, which is a leisure travel company with <a href="https://www.tuigroup.com/en-en/about-us/about-tui-group">five European airlines under its brand</a>. Flying the jet in 2015, Boeing worked with TUI to test new carbon-reducing technologies.</p><p>The planemaker also once again <a href="https://www.boeing.com/company/about-bca/washington/boeing-ecodemonstrator-757-lifts-off-04-13-2015.page">partnered with NASA to test two specific things</a>: One was a "bug-phobic coating" on the right wing to help reduce drag, while the other assessed better airflow over the rudder to improve efficiency.</p><h4>2016: Embraer 170</h4><div type="image" title="Embraer 170 ecoDemonstrator." height="724" width="965" msid="99958449" hostid="261" sizebytes="31570"></div><p>Boeing hasn't always used its own planes for the ecoDemonstrator program. In 2016, it <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2016-07-07-Boeing-Embraer-Unveil-Newest-ecoDemonstrator-Aircraft">opted for a Brazilian-made Embraer 170 regional jet</a> to assess a series of technologies.</p><p>The company tested things like an "ice phobic" paint to reduce icing and the buildup of bugs, lasers to detect true airspeed, a new wing design to decrease noise, and a Brazilian-produced biofuel.</p><h4>2018: Boeing 777-200F</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing 777F ecoDemonstrator from FedEx." height="2249" width="3000" msid="99958450" hostid="261" sizebytes="225838"></div><p>The planemaker unveiled its first cargo ecoDemonstrator in 2018 — <a href="https://www.fedex.com/en-us/about/policy/aviation/boeing-777-ecodemonstrator.html">a FedEx Boeing 777F that tested some 35 technologies over a remote landscape in Montana.</a></p><p>One unique project was a set of lasers equipped on the plane that could detect turbulence ahead, giving pilots time to get people seated. Boeing engineers also outfitted the jet with sensors and cameras to alert the crew of obstacles in its path.</p><h4>2019: Boeing 777-200</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing 777-200 ecoDemonstrator in 2019." height="3402" width="4536" msid="99958452" hostid="261" sizebytes="314918"></div><p>In 2019, a <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2019-07-01-Boeing-takes-new-technologies-out-of-the-lab-and-onto-ecoDemonstrator-flying-test-bed">Boeing 777-200 bought from Air China was used as the next ecoDemonstrator</a>. The jet assessed over 50 projects, like a communication system that automatically provided rerouting information to pilots during bad weather, and an automated system that adjusted the cabin's temperature and humidity.</p><p>Boeing also tested external cameras to "provide more passengers with a view outside the airplane."</p><h4>2020: Boeing 787-10</h4><div type="image" title="Boeing 787-10 ecoDemonstrator from Etihad Airways." height="1069" width="1426" msid="99958456" hostid="261" sizebytes="54146"></div><p>Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Boeing continued its <a href="https://www.etihad.com/en-us/news/etihad-inaugurates-pioneering-2020-ecodemonstrator-aircraft-into-service">ecoDemonstrator program in 2020 with a Boeing 787-10 from Etihad Airways</a>. The project came shortly after the UAE-based carrier unveiled its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-brand-new-etihad-boeing-787-10-dreamliner-greenliner-2022-1">Etihad "Greenliner" Program in 2019</a>.</p><p>One experiment conducted on the ecoDemonstrator involved 1,200 microphones attached to the plane to collect noise data. Boeing hopes the information will help make aircraft quieter, especially over urban areas.</p><h4>2021: Boeing 737 MAX 9</h4><div type="image" title="Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 EcoDemonstrator" height="1777" width="2369" msid="99958459" hostid="261" sizebytes="202550"></div><p>Boeing partnered with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeings-most-controversial-plane-fighting-climate-change-737-max-ecodemonstrator-2022-1">Alaska Airlines in 2021 to obtain a 737 MAX 9 ecoDemonstrator</a>. Insider toured the jet and found the cabin full of seats, which the company said is done to simulate the weight of the jetliner and transport test engineers.</p><p>The MAX ecoDemonstrator project focused on things like single-engine taxi and lighter cabin materials to reduce the jet's weight — both to improve fuel efficiency.</p>

Boeing has unveiled a new plane for its 'ecoDemonstrator' program — a modified 787. See all 10 of the company's testbed jets.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12068324" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="etihad-airways" source="Orion">Etihad Airways</keyword> CEO Tony Douglas believes that <keyword id="11898285" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airlines" source="Orion">airlines</keyword> that don't focus on sustainability may be forced out of business.</li><li>More leisure <keyword id="11896628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="travel" source="Orion">travel</keyword>ers and businesses are focusing on the emissions of their travel and choosing green airlines. </li></ul><p>Etihad Airways is betting all of its chips on sustainable <keyword id="12018329" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aviation" source="Orion">aviation</keyword>, and says that airlines that aren't doing the same might soon be "history."</p><p>Tony Douglas, Etihad's chief executive officer, told Insider at the Dubai Airshow in November that airlines will soon compete on environmental performance, and those that aren't making changes now could lose future customers.</p><p>"Increasingly, travelers will make choices that do include carbon emissions and therefore, the environmental performance [of their airline,]" Douglas said. "The people that don't respond in the sort of ways that we've been doing may well be history."</p><p>Etihad's ultimate goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and cut its 2019 emissions in half by 2035. </p><p>The airline knows how to cut back on emissions but mastering the balancing act between environmental sustainability and economic sustainability remains elusive. </p><p>On October 23, Etihad flew its self-described "most sustainable flight ever" from London to Abu Dhabi, UAE in which it reduced emissions by 72% to a similar flight two years prior. From reducing plastic waste by using plant-based water bottles to reducing fuel burn by obtaining a more direct air route, the airline was able to reduce waste and save around 64 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.  </p><p>A mixture of 62% traditional jet fuel and 38% sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF for short, powered the flight for additional carbon savings.</p><p>But replicating those sustainable conditions on every flight would be too costly for Etihad and the airline "would be insolvent within about 20 minutes," Douglas said, based on the cost of sustainable aviation fuel alone.</p><p>"The reason why we actually do these flights is to draw people's attention to the much larger challenges here," Douglas said. "Whilst I can predict an end to the pandemic … I actually don't predict an end to the challenge of commercial aviation sustainability." </p><p>Sourcing and using sustainable aviation fuel was a challenge as the fuel was brought in from Amsterdam and Etihad wasn't even able to fill the plane with as much of the biofuel as it wanted. </p><p>"There's no infrastructure to be able to deliver [SAF] directly to aircraft," Douglas, the former chief executive officer of Heathrow Airport, said. "You can't get prices down until availability goes up, but you're not going to get availability to go up until you get prices down."</p><p>Etihad's focus on sustainability came as a result of a restructuring plan undertaken by the airline after failed investments in foreign carriers such as Alitalia, Jet Airways, and Air Berlin, all of which have permanently ceased <keyword id="11896631" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="flying" source="Orion">flying</keyword>. </p><p>"The fallout from that was a transformation plan which had to radically reshape, resize, and get us on a sustainable footing," Douglas said of the investments. "It was analogous to open-heart surgery on the balance sheet." </p><p>That plan included a fleet renewal centered around leading next-generation aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. </p><p>Boeing's  787 Dreamliner, which Etihad nicknamed the "Greenliner," is currently Etihad's leading long-haul aircraft. Airbus' A350-1000 XWB aircraft, or the "Sustainable Fifties" in Etihad parlance, joined the fleet in 2019 but won't fly passengers until 2022.</p><div type="image" title="Etihad Airways Airbus A350-1000 XWB — Dubai Airshow 2021" height="1666" width="2222" msid="88343611" hostid="261"></div><p>Etihad travelers are now being incentivized to make sustainable choices with the launch of the airline's "green loyalty" program. Travelers with smaller carbon footprints, whether it be those traveling without extra luggage, will receive extra frequent flyer miles.</p><p>"The idea that this gets passed through to ticket prices to our guests, the traveling public, I actually find reprehensible," Douglas said of so-called green taxes on travelers. "There is a societal need to travel and therefore, penalizing the passenger through increased ticket pricing I actually struggle with conceptually in one sense."</p><p>Competing airlines are "welcome" to copy Etihad's sustainable game plan, Douglas said, warning that those that don't might lose major corporate clients that are adopting new environmentally-friendly travel policies. </p><p>"I kind of feel for them because not everybody has the ability to do so," Douglas said of competitors that aren't taking sustainable measures. "Having said that, I think going forward it will be the principle differentiator of who succeeds and who fails."</p>

Etihad Airways' CEO says that airlines that fail to follow its sustainability lead may soon be 'history'

Mumbai, Jan 6 () The RBI on Monday revised the Supervisory Action Framework (SAF) for urban cooperative banks to ensure expeditious resolution of financial stress being faced by some of them.
<p>The move comes in the backdrop of the scam in Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank causing distress to over 9 lakh depositors.
</p><p>"Keeping in view the experience gained, it has been decided to further rationalise the SAF to make it more effective in bringing about the desired improvement in the UCBs as also expeditious resolution of UCBs experiencing financial stress," said a RBI notifications.
</p><p>The central bank also added that it will continue to monitor asset quality, profitability and capital/net worth of UCBs under the revised SAF.
</p><p>As per the revised norms, a UCB may be placed under SAF when its net NPAs exceed 6 per cent of its net advances.
</p><p>Depending upon the severity of the stress, the RBI may ask them to curtail their lending powers, among other safeguards.
</p><p>An urban cooperative bank could also be placed under SAF when it incurs losses for two consecutive financial years or has accumulated losses on its balance-sheet.
</p><p>Further, issue of show cause notice for cancellation of banking license may be considered by the Reserve bank "when continued normal functioning of the UCB is no longer considered to be in the interest of its depositors/ public", the notification said.
</p><p>"Supervisory action already taken under the earlier SAF will be reviewed and revised instructions, if any, will be issued to the UCBs concerned," it added.
</p><p>Following the exposure of scam in the PMC Bank, which has over 9.15 lakh depositors, the RBI imposed restrictions on withdrawals.
</p><p>Statutory inspection of PMC by the RBI had revealed large group exposure of about Rs 6,226.01 crore to Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) Group companies.
</p>Of the total exposure to the HDIL group, only Rs 439.58 crore was disclosed to the RBI, while Rs 5,786.43 crore remained undisclosed.  NKD CS  BAL

RBI revises supervisory norms for UCBs

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12002037" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="british-airways" source="Orion">British Airways</keyword> demonstrated a "Perfect Flight" from Heathrow to Glasgow using <keyword id="12110526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sustainable-aviation-fuel" source="Orion">sustainable aviation fuel</keyword>.</li><li>The journey replicated a 2010 flight to show how much the airline has reduced its CO2 emissions over 11 years.</li><li>Airlines are responding to the industry pollution problem as "flight shaming" gains popularity.</li></ul><p>British Airways demonstrated how it is moving toward a "Perfect Flight" using sustainable jet fuel and renewable energy amid scrutiny from environmental activists.</p><p>On Wednesday, BA flight 1476 took off from London's Heathrow Airport on a 58-minute journey to Glasgow Airport in Scotland. The "Perfect Flight" demonstration used sustainable aviation fuel provided by BP, making it the airline's <a href="https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/news/15092021/as-the-uk-prepares-to-host-the-cop26-climate-summit-british-airways-and-its-partners-achieve-record-carbon-emissions-reductions-as-part-of-their-perfect-flight-demonstration-to-show-how-aviation-is-decarbonising?ref=Home">first flight powered directly by SAF</a>.</p><p>The journey replicated a flight done in 2010 from Heathrow to Edinburgh that used an older aircraft with fewer fuel-saving capabilities. Wednesday's flight demonstrated how far the airline has come in the past 11 years to decarbonize aviation, which amounted to a 62% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the 2010 flight.</p><p>The short hop to Glasgow was operated on a specially liveried <keyword id="12110525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airbus-a320neo" source="Orion">Airbus A320neo</keyword> aircraft painted in partnership with Airbus, which symbolizes BA's <a href="https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/about-ba/ba-better-world">Better World</a> program aimed at reducing its <keyword id="12110522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-footprint" source="Orion">carbon footprint</keyword>. The plane is the quietest and most fuel-efficient short-haul jet in the airline's fleet, emitting <a href="https://www.airbus.com/company/sustainability/environment/product-responsibility.html">20% less CO2</a> compared to older generation aircraft, according to BA.</p><p>Heathrow Airport supported BA's Perfect Flight by providing 100% renewable energy to power the carrier's electric Mototok vehicles that pushed back the aircraft. According to Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye, the airport has been buying 100% renewable energy since 2017, has invested seven million pounds in installing electric vehicle charging ports on the airport, and is converting 90% of its small vehicle fleet to electric.</p><p>According to BA, the airline practiced a number of fuel-saving techniques for the historic flight, like taxiing on one engine, preprogramming climb speed, and working with NATS to maintain a continuous climb and descent from Heathrow to Glasgow to avoid leveling off.</p><p>BA's Perfect Flight demonstrates its response to both the climate crisis and backlash from activists who say the airline industry is severely impacting the environment. Since 2019, carriers have been battling the "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-scramble-to-overcome-polluter-stigma-as-flight-shame-movement-grows-2019-6">flight shaming</a>" movement, putting pressure on airlines to make operational changes to promote sustainability.</p><p>Swedish environmental activist <keyword id="11970529" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="greta-thunberg" source="Orion">Greta Thunberg</keyword> played a part in the popularization of flight shaming and the subsequent drop in the number of commercial flyers in Sweden, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-02-07/flight-shaming-airlines-climate-change-greta-thunberg">Los Angeles Times</a>. Thunberg has been vocal about the airline industry's role in the climate crisis and her message has spread throughout Europe and slowly into the US, creating tension between activists and airlines, according to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/11/21/20974722/climate-change-flying-flight-shame-emirates-air-france-emirates-emissions">Vox</a>.</p><p>Airline executives like Air France CEO Anne Rigail and Emirates President Tim Clark said the anti-flying movement is the industry's biggest challenge. According to the <a href="https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html">Air Transport Action Group</a>, aviation accounts for around 2% of the world's carbon emissions.</p><p>"We [in the aviation industry] aren't doing ourselves any favours by chucking billions of tons of carbon into the air. It's got to be dealt with," <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50481107">Clark told the BBC in 2019</a>. "I quite like Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg for having brought a real focus to the issue."</p><p>Carriers are recognizing the industry's pollution problem, but balancing the need to grow their business while also being mindful of their carbon footprint is challenging, but it isn't stopping them from going green. </p><p>European carrier KLM CityHopper showed its support for decarbonization by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-flight-shaming-reactions-klm-launches-environmental-campaign-2019-7">launching a "Fly Responsibly" campaign</a> in 2019 where it encouraged people to avoid flying if they can, and instead take alternate modes of <keyword id="11894924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation" source="Orion">transportation</keyword>, like the train. Meanwhile, in the US, Delta Air Lines committed one billion to become <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-airlines-are-cutting-emissions-amid-climate-change-concerns-2020-1">carbon neutral</a> by 2030 and both <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-airlines-orders-1-billion-in-evtol-aircraft-from-archer-2021-2">United</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-order-for-vertical-aerospace-evtols-2021-6">American</a> have invested in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-united-investing-billions-in-new-type-of-aircraft-evtols-2021-7">electric aircraft</a>.</p>

British Airways demonstrated its progress on creating a 'Perfect Flight' using fuel made with used cooking oil as airlines race to reduce carbon emissions

By Amit Kumar Das <p> New Delhi, Apr 22 () Ace Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh on Wednesday said that the COVID-19 pandemic-forced lockdown and suspension of tournaments will be "tough" on the young players whose careers are still at nascent stage.</p><p> The coronavirus outbreak, which has killed over 1.5 lakh people and infected more than 2.5 million globally, has brought all sports, including golf, to a halt.</p><p> In India, nearly 600 people have died so far and over 19,000 infected, forcing the suspension of the Professional Tour of India.</p><p> "It will be toughest for the players who are starting off because they are waiting to prove themselves, they want to win tournaments, they want to make a livelihood," Jeev, a four-time European Tour champion, told .</p><p> "These young golfers who have just turned professionals want to make money, want to be on tours but they don't have an opportunity to do that. We have already played for many years and even now going to the senior tour but for players who are in their 20s, they are not able to train."</p><p> Rahul Bajaj, who won a team silver in golf at the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010, believes players after the 30th position in order of merit of PGTI will face difficult times if things don't return to normal soon.</p><p> "If it goes on for too long then the pro tour will suffer. If things becomes normal and the virus is under control even then it will be difficult to organise tournaments and arrange sponsors because corporates are suffering right now," said Bajaj, who had won a silver at 2010 SAF Games.</p><p> "We are in difficult times and I don't think it will be easy for players to make ends meet in these times. There are some players who are better off, have good career earning which will help them to sail through this time."</p><p> He said it will be particularly tough for a huge number of aspiring players who are in the middle or lower rung.</p><p> "They might not have a lot of money in their bank account and might suffer. If you go past the 30th position in order of merit in PGTI, they might not have the saving to see through this time."</p><p> Patna-based golfer Aman Raj, who had finished second at Golconda Masters Golf championship in February, said it will get tough for some players if the pandemic is not brought under control soon and tournaments don't resume.</p><p>"We are all jobless at the moment for a few months but it is same for everyone, few have played well and earned some money to sustain themselves but someone who has just started and depending on golf, it will affect them," said the 24-year-old, who qualified to play in the PGTI tournaments in 2016.</p><p> "If this thing doesn't come under control and tournaments doesn't start beyond August then it will be a problem," added Raj, who is placed fourth in the PGTI Order of Merit. </p><p> The Asian Tour had suspended tournaments until the end of May in line with the US PGA and European Tours, in which the last completed event was the Qatar Masters.</p> Among the top events, the Masters was postponed from April to November, while the PGA Championship was deferred from May until August, and the US Open moved from June to September.   ATK PDSPDS

COVID-19 pandemic tough on young golfers: Jeev

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The prime minister of <keyword id="55091" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Iceland">Iceland</keyword> has announced plans to reopen the country's borders to tourists from June 15.</li><li>Each traveler will be given a free COVID-19 test upon arrival at the airport and receive results right away, according to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/iceland-covid19-reopen-arrival-tests">Lonely Planet</a>.</li><li>Those who test positive will have to self-isolate for 14 days.</li><li>The decision has been made in a bid to boost Iceland's <keyword id="20048" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="tourism">tourism</keyword> industry and the economy, <a href="https://matadornetwork.com/read/iceland-opening-tourism/">Matador Network</a> reports.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The prime minister of Iceland has announced plans to reopen the country's borders to tourists from June 15.</p><p>Each traveler will be given a free COVID-19 test upon arrival at the airport and receive results right away — those who test negative will be free to enjoy their time in the country, and those who test positive will have to self-isolate for 14 days.</p><p>Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced in an official statement that <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> restrictions will be loosened "no later than June 15 2020, while from May 15 some professionals arriving in Iceland including scientists, filmmakers, and athletes will be eligible for a modified quarantine," according to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/iceland-covid19-reopen-arrival-tests">Lonely Planet</a>.</p><p>If you can prove that you've already tested negative with official documentation, you won't be required to undergo another test.</p><p>"It's very important to be able to have a more long-term view of things than we've been able to until now," Bjarnheiður Hallsdóttir, the chair of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association (SAF), told <a href="https://www.ruv.is/frett/2020/05/13/gefur-von-um-ad-einhverjir-ferdamenn-sjaist-her-i-sumar">RÚV</a>, reported by the <a href="https://grapevine.is/news/2020/05/13/travel-industry-celebrates-easing-travel-restrictions-icelandair-negotiating-with-attendants/">Reykjavik Grapevine</a>.</p><p>"I believe that if everything goes well, we should see some tourists here this summer. For those who want to come, this will be a very real possibility."</p><p><div type="image" title="lupines iceland" height="667" width="1000" msid="75738150" hostid="261"></div></p><p>At the moment, only travelers with Schengen region passports are allowed to enter Iceland, and everyone must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.</p><p>The current restrictions have been in place since March 15, <a href="https://matadornetwork.com/read/iceland-opening-tourism/">Matador Network</a> reports, and the driving force behind the easing is a desire to restart the tourism industry to boost the economy. </p><p>Icelandair is <a href="https://grapevine.is/news/2020/05/11/government-will-not-step-in-to-save-icelandair-from-bankruptcy/">reportedly</a> on the brink of bankruptcy, with flights at an all-time low and 3,000 staff having been laid off.</p><p>"There is a lot at stake that Icelandair continues operations, and it's in reality a life-or-death question for tourism in Iceland," said Hallsdóttir.</p><p>"Hopefully people realize that the situation isn't just about Icelandair but tourism in Iceland as a whole, and not just tourism but the economy and our whole society."</p><p>Iceland has a population of around 364,000 and has had just 1,803 confirmed cases of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> and 10 deaths, according to <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">John Hopkins data</a>.</p><p><div type="image" title="blue lagoon iceland" height="1414" width="2121" msid="75738152" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Around 38% of the country's inhabitants have downloaded its COVID-19 tracing app, and any visitors this summer would be required to do so too.</p><p>As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iceland-contact-tracing-not-gamechanger-2020-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Business Insider's Isobel Asher Hamilton previously reported</a>, this makes Iceland's download rate of a contagion tracking app the best in the world.</p><p>However, Detective Inspector Gestur Pálmason from the Icelandic Police explained that the app was only effective when combined with manual contact-tracing.</p><p>"When travelers return to Iceland we want to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic," said Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation, as per Lonely Planet.</p><p>"Iceland's strategy of large-scale testing, tracing, and isolating have proven effective so far. We want to build on that experience of creating a safe place for those who want a change of scenery after what has been a tough spring for all of us." </p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/iceland-open-to-tourists-june-15-free-coronavirus-test-arrival-2020-5">Insider</a>

Iceland is reopening to tourists from June 15, and every arrival will get a free COVID-19 test

ICC World Cup 2019: The top five batsmen and bowlers going into the tournament

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Love Home Swap</span></p><p class="caption">Love Home Swap founder and CEO Debbie Wosskow.</p></div><p></p></div></div>CEOs and founders from some of Britain's most promising sharing economy and on demand companies are hoping to penetrate the US market off the back of a government-backed "trade mission" to San Francisco next week.</p><p>Sharing economy companies provide platforms that allows the public to let out their goods or services in exchange for a fee. Uber and Airbnb are arguably the biggest firms operating in this space but there are <a href="http://www.sharingeconomyuk.com/" target="_blank">several British companies</a> that are gaining traction and raising large funding rounds from big name investors.</p><p>The transatlantic trip, which is being organised by <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> Trade and Investment (UKTI) in conjunction with Tech City UK, is designed to offer British sharing economy startups the opportunity to meet with key players in the industries they operate in, as well as to "foster collaboration" between British and American businesses.</p><p>Debbie Wosskow, CEO and founder of home exchange platform Love Home Swap, and Alex Depledge, cofounder of on demand cleaning service Hassle.com are among the 10 entrepreneurs that are due to go on the trip.</p><p>While in San Francisco, the cohort will meet with Silicon Valley executives from firms like eBay and startup executives from companies like Airbnb, Lyft, and TaskRabbit. It's believed that they will also get the opportunity to pitch their companies to venture capitalists.</p><p><strong>Here is a copy of the agenda: </strong></p><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>SEUK</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong>The following founders and CEOs are planning to attend:</p><ul><li>Jason Ludlow, founder at <a href="https://www.bedsonboard.com/">Beds on Board</a></li><li>Richard Laughton, CEO at <a href="https://www.easycar.com/">EasyCar Club</a></li><li>Alex Depledge and Jules Coleman - Advisors at <a href="https://hassle.com/uk">Hassle.com</a></li><li>Saf Nazeer, cofounder at <a href="http://www.helpfulpeeps.com/">Helpfulpeeps</a></li><li>Graeme Risby, CEO and cofounder at <a href="http://www.hiyacar.co.uk/">HiyaCar</a></li><li>Julian Thomas, CEO and founder at<a href="http://www.innoverne.com/"> Innoverne</a></li><li>Ali Clabburn, managing director and Founder at <a href="https://liftshare.com/uk">Liftshare</a></li><li>Debbie Wosskow, CEO and founder at<a href="http://www.lovehomeswap.com/"> Love Home Swap</a></li><li>Roddy Campbell, founder at <a href="https://www.vrumi.com/">Vrumi</a>.</li></ul>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-wings-of-this-airbus-plane-can-bend-way-more-than-you-thought-possible-2016-1">The wings of this Airbus plane can bend way more than you thought possible</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="R5Y2YxMDE6wzRei5HZqBLs9cI8_l8Brv" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The CEOs of these British sharing economy startups are hoping to hit the big time in the US

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>The Sudan-South Sudan border region is one of Africa's most persistent trouble-spots.</p><p>The Sudanese and South Sudanese governments allegedly support rebel movements that operate on the other country's territory. The thorny and potentially explosive question of sovereignty over the oil-rich enclave of Abyei's still hasn't been resolved, even after South Sudan's peaceful succession from Sudan in 2011.</p><p>Militias run rampant on either side of a disputed border. War is <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ongoing in South Korodfan and Blue Nile, and the conflict in nearby Darfur <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/26/world/africa/united-nations-set-to-cut-force-in-darfur-as-fighting-rises.html?_r=0">displaced over 457,000 people last year</a> - and this is in addition to the devastating civil war in South Sudan that kicked off in late 2013.</span></p><p>The Geneva-based <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/">Small Arms Survey</a> has tracked developments in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/nuba-reports">one of the world's most remote and complex conflict zones</a> through intensive, on-the-ground reporting on the flow of armaments. In a <a href="http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/working-papers/HSBA-WP32-Arms-Tracing.pdf">May, 2014 report</a>, SAS traced the origins of arms and ammunition used by the region's constellation of armed groups.</p><p>Much of the weaponry that feeds this mess is Chinese and Sudanese in origin - which is not surprising, considering China's economic and political interests in an oil-rich part of the world and Sudan's region-leading domestic arms industry.</p><p>But there's plenty of Iranian weaponry making its way around the conflict area as well, as the map below demonstrates. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">(SAF refers to the Sudanese Armed Forces. The SPLM-N is an anti-government militia in Sudan whose arsenal largely consists of arms looted from the SAF. The Olony, Athor, and Yau Yau groups are all anti-government militias operating in South Sudan, and <a href="http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/de/facts-figures/south-sudan/armed-groups/southern-dissident-militias/ssdma-cobra-faction.html">there's evidence that they've received assistance</a> from Sudan as well.)</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Most of these weapons were likely in the possession of the regime in Khartoum at some point. As the Small Arms Survey report notes, "<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iran's role in Sudan's defence industry is primarily </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ideological." They are both regimes founded by revolutionary Islamist governments. And they're both countries under <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> sanctions, which gives them added incentive to cooperate. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iran also reaps a strategic dividend from their ties with Sudan. Their warships have <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2014/05/06/Iran-warships-dock-in-Sudan-Khartoum-military-says.html">docked at Sudan's Red Sea ports</a>, and the relationship is a rare instance of Iran building close ties with a Sunni Muslim government, or with a state outside of the Middle East.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Recently, Qassem Suleimani, the head of external operations for Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, explained Iran's expansionist ambitions and may even have hinted at its relationship with Sudan's Islamist regime:</span></p><p>In return for being an Iranina client, the ever-embattled regime in Khartoum receives crucial Iranian help in setting up and operating its domestic arms capacity. And it gets plenty of weapons, too. The Small Arms Survey sites UN sources that report <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iran was responsible for "13 percent</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> of Khartoum's self-reported arms imports from 2001 to 2012."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The SAS report details which of these weapons have made their way to the war-torn border area. Iranian light machine guns, RPG launchers, mortar tubes, and landmines - which are curiously based on Israeli designs according to SAS, meaning that at least some of Iran's arsenal is reverse-engineered from weapons built by one of Tehran's chief geopolitical foes - have been found in the region. </span></p><p>And Iran may not have wanted international monitors to know that it was providing certain types of weaponry to Sudan. "Unlike Iranian RPG launchers found in other conflict arenas, these launchers usually do not bear any markings, rendering <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">the origin difficult to ascertain," the report states. "Since </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">these features are distinctly Iranian, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">however, the launchers are probably </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Iranian-produced."</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Then there are the unmanned aerial vehicles. Sudan and Iran signed a military cooperation agreement in 2007 that allowed Khartoum to purchase an unspecified number of <a href="http://dronecenter.bard.edu/irans-drones/">Iranian Ababil-3 drones</a>. There's evidence that 3 to 5 of these drones were used for surveillance in Darfur - a place where the Sudanese regime has <a href="http://www.hrw.org/africa/sudan">committed grave human rights abuses</a> - starting in 2008. Anti-regime fighters also <a href="http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article50856">shot down a Sudanese drone</a> with a registration sticker from the "Iran Aviation Manufacturing Ind Co." in March of 2014, according to the SAS report.</span></p><p>It's probable that a military with the fairly limited capabilities of Sudan's required Iranian training and expertise in order to operate its Ababil-3s. Even if it's less of a factor than in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, Iranian influence in Sudan is still helping to drive a hugely destructive network of conflicts.</p><h3><a href="http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/working-papers/HSBA-WP32-Arms-Tracing.pdf">Read the entire report here.</a></h3>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-men-cheat-affair-love-sex-psychotherapist-2015-1">Research Reveals Why Men Cheat, And It's Not What You Think</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9vdnlycjo8Di2vj5XaYNQCb3Cc2NYbee" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This maps shows how Iranian weaponry is making it to one of Africa's most violent hotspots

<p><table class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><a title_source="YouTube/StarKittyF4i" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/50f45907eab8ea6731000007-960/gun-teenager.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l21phub8sT4">YouTube/StarKittyF4i</a></p></td></tr></table>In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting, <keyword id="1127786" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gun-control">gun control</keyword> has been thrust into the spotlight once again. The gun industry — and its lobby group, the NRA — stands firmly against gun control of any kind.</p>
<p>But most people forget that 13 years ago Smith &amp; Wesson tried to do something that, in hindsight, seems radical: reach a compromise with the federal government by accepting some sort of gun control, in return for permission to stay in business, albeit with more strict regulation. <a href="http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/html/20000317_2.html"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/html/20000317_2.html">It's also important to note this this was the first-ever compromise</a> in which a major <span>gun manufacturer committed to fundamentally changing the way guns are made, distributed and sold.<br /></span></p>
<p>The company also believed the move had PR value: It hoped to burnish its brand by becoming the foremost firearms company that cared about safety.</p>
<p>The attempt nearly killed the company.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_750001_750051_757941_-1_757938_757812_image">Smith &amp; Wesson has been around since the mid 1800s</a>. The company is one of the standard issuers of firearms for the police and armed forces across the nation. Things were going well for the firm until 2000.</p>
<p>That year, <a href="http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/New/html/20000317_2.html">President Bill Clinton proposed legislation</a> that enforced safety and design standards, such as locking devices and restrictions on magazine sizes, and limits on the sales and distribution of firearms. No marketing or advertising restrictions were put in place. Clinton had been working on gun safety for the later part of his term, so this was a huge milestone for his efforts. Current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was the architect behind the agreement. </p>
<p>Smith &amp; Wesson voluntarily jumped on board.</p>
<p>There is a history of companies doing this type of thing. Most famously, tobacco companies have accepted stringent regulation of their product. Liquor companies make the same regulatory compromises all the time. Both industries are subject to all sort of arcane laws limiting their marketing, advertising, and distribution.</p>
<p>But those regulations always guarantee one thing: The right to stay in business.</p>
<p>So S&amp;W agreed to play along with this agreement and to be accountable for its enforcement by a five-member oversight commission.</p>
<p>Much to the company's surprise, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/smith-and-wesson-took-the-lead-on-safety-2012-12">NRA almost immediately instigated a boycott of its products</a>. Other gun companies looked down on S&amp;W for giving into political persuasion, and gun advocates didn't agree with the new restrictions S&amp;W succumbed to.</p>
<p>Consumers began refusing to buy S&amp;W products and the market became flooded with used S&amp;W goods that people wanted no part of. Gun enthusiasts saw the company as breaking solidarity with them, as a traitor and perpetrator of gun control. Consumers severely punished the firm for its disloyalty.</p>
<p>Needless to say, S&amp;W was taken completely off guard by the response.</p>
<p>The firm experienced an immediate sales decline of nearly 40 percent in the year after its compromise.</p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge" style="width:590px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Bloomberg Data/Christina Austin BI" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/50f6b48aeab8ea696a000007-960/screen%20shot%202013-01-16%20at%209.07.44%20am.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source">Bloomberg Data/Christina Austin BI</p></div></p>
<p>Despite the drastic downturn (or perhaps because of it), another company, Saf-T-Hammer, was interested in purchasing the company and putting it back on its feet. The company realized the brand, and its name, were worth salvaging.</p>
<p>In 2001, shortly after the political fiasco, Saf-T-Hammer,<a href="http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-75835884/saf-t-hammer-buys.html"> purchased the firm for $45 million</a>, with the intent of incorporating its security products onto all S&amp;W goods. The new company was named Smith &amp; Wesson Holding Company.</p>
<p>Fast forward 13 years, and the gun debate is back on the minds of politicians and civilians alike. According to CoreBrand, which conducts research on the familiarity and favorability of 1,000 American corporate brands, S&amp;W is incredibly wary of becoming involved in the political sphere again. CoreBrand worked with the firearms company as it was "coming out of its depression and revitalizing."</p>
<p>"It needs to get over its anguish," says CoreBrand founder Jim Gregory. "It has the opportunity to lead the conversation with other gun manufacturers about proper safety measures. It can help educate about guns, which would definitely be in its best interest."</p>
<p>According to Gregory, the team that facilitated the Clinton agreement on the S&amp;W side is no longer with the company, which at this point can be seen as both a good and bad thing. Good because they made a major mistake, and bad because they can't help the reformed company learn from the mistake and avoid it this time around. </p>
<p>"It can create a long-term strategy instead of being politicized out of existence," said Gregory. </p>
<p>In terms of why S&amp;W went along with the legislation in the first place, Gregory thinks the political pressure may have been hard to deflect, much like how Obama's administration is handling the current gun debate. Gregory says Obama's strong statement against gun violence may create another round of political pressure for these firms. </p>
<p>Basically, gun companies are sitting and waiting to see if Obama will force things upon them or if he expects gun companies to regulate themselves.</p>
<p>Other companies, such as Citgo, because it is owned by Venezuela, and BP, after its oil spills, have experienced customer boycotts, but Gregory says none have been as effective as the boycott against S&amp;W. </p>
<p>"They typically don't last very long and are quite short-lived," said Gregory of the past boycotts against other companies.</p>
<p>Today, Gregory thinks some customers have forgiven and forgotten, while others may still hold personal boycotts against S&amp;W. The firm has gone to great lengths to improve its image, from introducing new products, to inserting itself into public relations through media impressions, supporting shooting competitions, the Olympics, and community activities in general. </p>
<p>Still, Gregory says some people will always see gun producers in a bad light, no matter how much they give back to the community or enforce safety. These people will never be swayed otherwise. </p>
<p>While some will never be convinced of the benefits of guns, others rushed out to purchase more guns after the Connecticut shooting. Whether it's because they felt unsafe without a weapon, or because they feared legislation that would prohibit future sales of firearms, is yet to be understood. </p>
<p><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge" style="width:590px"><div class="image"><a title_source="Yahoo Finance" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/50f856eeeab8ea0a23000009-960/screen%20shot%202013-01-17%20at%202.51.52%20pm.png"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a></div><p class="source"><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=SWHC+Interactive#symbol=swhc;range=2y;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;">Yahoo Finance</a></p></div></p>
<p>This chart shows how S&amp;W's stock price has grown threefold since early 2011.</p>
<p>Other gun companies have seen great days lately, as well. Hyatt Gun Store, in Charlotte, had a record-breaking day following the Connecticut massacre. The store sold over <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2012/12/charlotte-gun-shop-breaks-sales.html">$1 million in products in one day</a>, the highest single-day profit since the store opened in 1959. Hyatt isn't the only store that experienced this. Walmart gun shelves were cleaned out as well, according to a report by Bloomberg.</p>
<p>This surge in purchases could have contributed to S&amp;W's impressive sales revenue from 2012. </p>
<p>Today, the gun industry is under extreme political duress again as sales continue to spike. History — and the finances — suggest there won't be any compromises this time round.</p>

How Gun Maker Smith & Wesson Almost Went Out Of Business When It Accepted Gun Control

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>Today, Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/obama-attends-prayer-breakfast-with-sudanese-official-accused-of-genocide/">reportedly attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast</a>, along with president Barack Obama and numerous members of Congress.</p>
<p>Karti is a high-ranking official from a <a href="http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/pages/sudan.aspx">US-sanctioned government</a> and a <a href="http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/c14151.htm">State Department-listed state sponsor of terrorism</a>. Karti's specific rap sheet is fairly long as well, and includes "<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/02/04/3619125/7-things-need-know-prayer-breakfasts-second-controversial-guest/">spearhead[ing] efforts to kick out senior UN officials</a>" and overseeing brutal local militias during the Sudan's long-running north-south civil war.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">His presence at one of Capitol Hill's major annual events was notable enough for him to be uninvited to a more exclusive pre-breakfast meeting, according to multiple sources Business Insider consulted.</span></p>
<p>But the question of what Karti was doing at the prayer breakfast is perhaps less interesting than what he was doing in the US, period. Karti is a prominent official from a US-sanctioned government. And he was apparently allowed to travel to the US in a private capacity and without any official diplomatic business.</p>
<p class="p1">"The directors of the National Prayer Breakfast invited Foreign Minister Karti to attend their event, taking place today," a State Department official told Business Insider. "To our knowledge, he is not meeting with any administrative officials."</p>
<p class="p1">Bart Fisher, whose law firm <a href="http://www.fara.gov/docs/6076-Exhibit-AB-20111110-1.pdf">provides legal advice</a> to Sudan's government with the aim of "untangling" the US sanctions regime, told Business Insider that he did not know who invited Karti to the prayer breakfast and was not aware of the purpose of Karti's visit to the US. "T<span style="color: #000000;">hat's news to me that he attended the National Prayer Breakfast," Fisher said when reached for comment this morning. "H</span><span style="color: #000000;">e's a fine man and if he's in the US, I'm sure it's for a good purpose."</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: #000000;">Karti is not the only high-ranking Sudanese official in Washington this week. Ibrahim Ghandour, a close advisor to Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, is also in the US to meet with the office of the US's Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. Ghandour is reportedly in the US so that American officials can discuss the Khartoum regime's refusal to allow US special envoy Donald Booth to visit Sudan and to figure out ways to improve ongoing bilateral dialogue between the countries. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: #000000;">The State Department might have decided that blocking Karti from visiting the US would jeopardize their objectives in meeting with Ghandour and would have been needlessly provocative in the run-up to this fairly high-level diplomatic meeting. And as Fisher told Business Insider, he's noticed the Obama administration's attitude toward Sudan soften somewhat since his firm began advising the Sudanese government. Fisher says that the administration has been receptive in reconsidering whether certain Sudanese entities should remain under US sanctions. "I<span> say I think we're going in the right direction - I believe more positive than when i started on this exercise three years ago," he told Business Insider.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: #000000;"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">This also isn't the only time in the past year that Karti has traveled within the United States in a less-than-official capacity. In September, Karti addressed the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. Shortly afterwards, he delivered a keynote address at a World Peace Day event organized by the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/UriCharlotte/timeline">Charlotte Cooperation Council</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in Charlotte, North Carolina.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: #000000;">According to the AP, the US will often issue visas that limit diplomats from "countries it disfavors" to <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/white-house-iran-no-visa-un-envoy-pick">a 25-mile radius of New York</a>, in order to allow those countries to maintain a UN mission. Sam Wazan, who extended the speaking invitation to Karti, told Business Insider that both law enforcement and local government in Charlotte were informed of Karti's visit and organizers were</span><span style="color: #000000;"> "unaware of any limitations on his visa."<br /></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="color: #000000;">The semi-recent visit to Charlotte, along with this second, also unofficial trip, suggests that Karti is under a visa regime that allows him to travel to the US without an official invitation or an explicit diplomatic mission</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> - and that lets him go places other than New York and Washington. And if it turns out Karti traveled for the prayer breakfast without having to apply for a US visa or inform the State Department ahead of time, it suggests that he possesses a multi-entry visa and has remarkably broad latitude to enter the US.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">When asked whether Karti was visiting the US on a multiple entry visa, a State Department official told Business Insider that</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> "Visa cases are confidential under US law," adding that "We cannot discuss the details of individual cases."</span></p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Several advocates believe that Karti shouldn't have any right to enter the United States. Eric Reeves, a Smith College professor and researcher who has proven influential in shaping both official and US public opinion around Sudan-related issues, </span><a href="http://sudanreeves.org/2015/02/05/ali-karti-at-the-national-prayer-breakfast-the-story-keeps-getting-uglier-5-november-2015/">argues that Karti's presence</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> violates the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office's own rules preventing the admission of "</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">foreign war crimes suspects, persecutors, and human rights abusers into the United States."</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Esther Sprague, a co-founder of <a href="http://actforsudan.org/">Act for Sudan</a> and founder of <a href="http://sudanunlimited.tumblr.com/">Sudan Unlimited</a>, also objects to Karti's presence in the US. "I<span>t doesn't make sense to reward the regime that's committing ongoing violence against the S</span><span class="il">udanese</span><span> people with visits to the US, which is a reward," she told Business Insider.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>She believes it's wishful thinking to believe that someone like Karti - who represents a US-sanctioned government and has been accused of war crimes - is capable of visiting the US in anything like a non-official capacity. "He</span></span><span style="color: #000000;">'s a public figure. And he has blood on his hands."</span></p>

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<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Saudi Arabia <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yemen-war-and-saudi-arabia-and-iran-2015-3">began a military operation in Yemen</a> on March 25 to counter Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have dissolved the Yemeni state and forced president Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi to flee the country by boat.<p>The operation is a Saudi attempt to reclaim a strategic frontier from its primary regional adversary, or to at least limit Iran's potentially reach into the Arabian peninsula.&#xa0;</p><p>But it's also becoming rapidly apparent that the Yemen operation, called Operation Decisive Storm, is driven by something more than just Saudi-Iranian competition.</p><p><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/03/saudi-ambassador-announces-military-operation-yemen-150325234138956.html">Every single Arab monarchy</a> (except for Oman) is involved in the effort, including distant Morocco - a sign that governments ruling a combined 90 million people across 8 countries believes that the prestige and core interests of traditional conservative powers are at stake in Yemen.&#xa0;</p><p>Furthermore, there's one extremely curious participant in the anti-Houthi coalition - and its presence is the clearest sign of just how seriously Saudi Arabia and the Arab monarchies are taking the Yemen crisis.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>The fact that Sudan <a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/egypt-warships-head-to-gulf-of-aden-sudan-to-take-part-in-operation-storm-of-resolve-1.1479293#.VRQMuEeAJVM.twitter">is sending 3 warplanes to the operation</a> - and is even <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/us-yemen-security-sudan-forces-idUSKBN0MM19720150326">deploying ground troops</a> that would fight alongside the Egyptian military - is a revealing glimpse into how events in Yemen are being interpreted in the Middle East's Sunni centers of power.</p><p>Sudan's participation in the war against the Houthis, along with the government's <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/26/Sudan-closes-offices-of-all-Iranian-missions-and-groups.html">reported closure</a> of the offices of Iranian organizations and groups, indicates a possible re-alignment of Khartoum's loyalties, and a Gulf-state effort to pry Sudan and Iran away from one another.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>Sudan is the only Sunni Arab government allied with Iran. The country is ruled by an internationally sanctioned, nominally Islamist government whose human rights abuses in Darfur and southern Sudan and support for terrorist groups like Hamas have turned it into one of the region's pariah states.</p><p>I<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">t's facing civil wars in multiple theaters, while South Sudanese Independence in mid-2011 and ensuing instability in the newfound country has threatened Khartoum's oil revenues, which were plunging to begin with. Khartoum's oil revenue went from $11 billion in 2010 to less than $1.8 billion in 2012, while still accounting for a crucial 27% of government cash flow.</span></p><p>Fiscally threatened and internationally scorned, Sudan's National Congress Party regime has allowed the Iranians to operate weapons facilities in Khartoum, including an installation that was <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/10/what-are-the-odds-that-israel-just-attacked-sudan/264082/">the target of a 2012 Israeli bombing attack</a> and that a <a href="https://cablegatesearch.wikileaks.org/cable.php?id=06STATE203861&amp;q=sudan%20yarmouk">US diplomatic cable</a> published by WikiLeaks implicated in the production of chemical weapons for the Iranian and Syrian regimes. Iranian warships have been <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-warships-dock-at-port-sudan/">allowed to dock in Port Sudan</a> in May of 2014.</p><p>And Sudan is a staging area for the transiting of Iranian weapons to both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=yTJeAQAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA271&amp;lpg=PA271&amp;dq=sudan+hezbollah&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=E3f98we2pj&amp;sig=fNkqYcvdZIMLQ1jzlXXuiWAJIuQ&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=tz0UVfXYI4qQsQS57oHIAw&amp;ved=0CE4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&amp;q=sudan%20hezbollah&amp;f=false">and to Hezbollah</a> in Lebanon.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/an-intimate-look-inside-the-sudanese-regime-2014-9">According to minutes</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> of a high-level August 2014 meeting </span><a href="http://sudanreeves.org/2014/09/29/arabic-original-and-hand-written-english-translation-of-31-august-2014-meeting-pages-3-6/">leaked to researcher Eric Reeves</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> in September, Sudanese Minister of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">A</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">bdal-Rahim Mohammed Hisen believes the country's "relation with Iran ... is strategic and everlasting. We cannot compromise or lose it. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">All the advancement in our military industry is from Iran."</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">&#xa0;There have even been rumors of Khartoum rendering forms of support to the same Houthi rebels that they are now fighting in Yemen.</span></p><p>Sudan's relationship with Iran has come at a cost: The Gulf States had cut off the vast majority of their financial support for the Sudanese regime by 2012. Qatar, the last Gulf donor willing to work with Khartoum, has earmarked much of its aid to reconstruction projects in the war-torn Darfur region.</p><p>Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir figured that he needed the unconditional assistance and the ideological backing of a fellow revolutionary-Islamist rogue regime like Iran more than he needed the help of the more demanding Gulf monarchies. But Bashir's regime is in even worse shape now than it was in the aftermath of the country's 2011 split.</p><p>As a March 2015 Enough Project report detailed, with the oil industry suffering Sudan's government is now <a href="http://www.enoughproject.org/reports/sudan-gold-brief">almost entirely dependent</a> on the smuggling of artisanal gold as a source of foreign currency. It's hard enough to fight wars on multiple fronts without <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> sanctions and a domestic economic crisis. But it's nearly impossible without any real government revenue streams or foreign cash to fall back on.</p><p>Bashir now realizes that his survival depends more on the Gulf countries than it does on Iran. Saudi Arabia can solve his regime's problems with a single stroke of the pen. Iran can't do that.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>And at the same time, the Saudis realize that their own prestige depends on an ability to beat back Iranian advances in their strategic backyard, which only increases the urgency of shearing allies away from Tehran.</p><p>There's indication that the Gulf states were trying to recruit Sudan into their anti-Houthi push: Bashir, who is still under International Criminal Court indictment for crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, has traveled to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31658182">both the United Arab Emirates</a> <a href="http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2431770&amp;Language=en">and Saudi Arabia</a> in recent weeks.</p><p>The Sunni Gulf countries understand the value of lining up an Iranian ally behind a war effort targeting a second Iranian ally. And in Sudan's case, they had the leverage needed to affect such a dramatic and apparently rapid strategic shift.&#xa0;</p><p>Militarily, the current coalition doesn't need Sudan. Khartoum's regular military is a thoroughly corrupt and compartmentalized institution, and most of the heavy fighting (and the alleged war crimes) in Darfur and the South has been carried out by proxy groups and militias.</p><p>But the coalition was apparently eager for an immediate sign that Iran has lost the strategic initiative. With Sudan joining the fight in Yemen, they now have one - if only for the time being.</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>For a few hours, the future of a country of 38 million people may have hinged on the decision of a South African judge.</p><p>Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president who is <a href="http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/situations%20and%20cases/situations/situation%20icc%200205/related%20cases/icc02050109/Pages/icc02050109.aspx">currently under indictment by the International Criminal Court for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity</a>, was in South Africa for an African Union Summit on June 15. South Africa is a <a href="http://www.un.org/law/icc/index.html">signatory to the Rome Statute</a>, meaning it has submitted to the ICC's jurisdiction and committed itself to executing the court's arrest warrants.</p><p>Bashir's visit - like his past appearances in ICC member states since his 2008 indictment - both flouted the court's authority and put South Africa in a vexing diplomatic and legal bind.</p><p>If South Africa arrested Bashir, it would uphold principles of <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> justice while violating diplomatic protocol, detaining a visiting head of state and inserting its legal system into the affairs of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/sudan">perhaps the most violent and complicated country in the continent</a>.</p><p>If it didn't arrest Bashir, it would flout the order of the ICC, weakening the court and further establishing the legal impunity of a dictator <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-worst-dictator-came-to-power-25-years-ago-today-2014-6">responsible for millions of deaths</a> during brutal counter-insurgency campaigns in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, and present-day South Sudan.</p><p>This week, South Africa's judicial system attempted to detain Bashir, only for the country's political leadership to allow the Sudanese leader <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/world/africa/omar-hassan-al-bashir-sudan-south-africa.html">to leave the country just hours after a crucial court appearance</a>. In a single stroke, this disastrous middle path somehow weakened the ICC and domestic rule of <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword>, empowered one of Africa's absolute worst leaders, and reportedly endangered South African peacekeepers deployed in Sudan.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">On Sunday, the high court in Pretoria </span><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/africa-court-rule-arrest-sudan-bashir-150615065923527.html">issued an order barring Bashir from leaving the country</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, in response to a number of civil society organizations that had petitioned the court to execute the ICC arrest warrant during Bashir's visit.</span></p><p>Though Bashir was never in custody, this was the closest any country had ever come to acting on the ICC warrant. When Bashir <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33130843">appeared in court the next day</a> for a preliminary hearing on the order to remain in South Africa, it was the greatest degree of legal accountability the long-serving dictator had ever faced for his government's actions.</p><p>The hearing was a shocking and even surreal development. Bashir had visited numerous countries since the 2008 indictment and arrest warrant, including <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-11117662">Kenya</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/22/chad-refuses-arrest-omar-al-bashir">Chad</a>, which are both Rome Statute signatories. The ICC <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30458347">essentially suspended its Darfur file in late 2014</a>, and the indictment had taken on a kind of zombie existence, remaining in effect on paper even as the actual behavior of ICC states proved that they weren't willing to execute a warrant on such a powerful and controversial figure.</p><p>South Africa was no exception, and president Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress clearly had no intention of following the ICC order, which would have invited the diplomatic crisis that comes along with detaining a recognized head of state for crimes allegedly committed far from the country's borders. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Bashir even appearing in a courtroom was historic on its own. It sets a precedent that all but guarantees Bashir can't travel to an ICC member state - outside of the Persian Gulf states whose </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-war-in-yemen-has-already-shifted-the-tide-in-the-middle-east-2015-3">loans and largesse helps fund the Sudanese regime</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">, along with the small handful of countries to which Khartoum sells oil - without the very real possibility of detainment or harassment. And it proved that the ICC dock is slightly more than just a bureaucrat's wish-list. The court ordered the arrest of a sitting head of a state, and a real-world legal process unfolded as a result - however delayed or incremental it turned out to be.</span></p><p>What happened next was no less important. After the hearing, Bashir's motorcade immediately proceeded to a nearby South African Air Force base, where Bashir's delegation to the AU summit promptly boarded the Sudanese president jet and left the country.</p><p>It didn't seem to matter that South Africa's judicial system had barred Bashir from leaving. The South African military and political leadership facilitated his departure in open defiance of a domestic legal injunction.</p><p>The implications of the episode are troubling for South Africa, Sudan, and the future of the ICC.</p><p>In trying to acknowledge the ICC warrant, South Africa ended up exposing the weakness of its judiciary, which had its explicit orders ignored. South African peacekeepers deployed in western Sudan were also <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/EXCLUSIVE-Sudan-held-SA-hostage-20150616">reportedly surrounded by Sudanese troops as Bashir's status remained in limbo</a>, raising a precedent for regimes using the threat of violent coercion to weaken the ICC's reach.</p><p>In Sudan, the ordeal <a href="https://twitter.com/ikushkush/status/610384465320349696">may only deepen Bashir's ever-tenuous hold on power</a>, rallying support for the regime and mobilizing nationalistic sentiment among the government's supporters. Bashir's <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/sudan-bashir-elected-94-percent-vote-150427101259060.html">re-"election" with 94% of the vote in April</a>, along with his successful defiance of the ICC indictment this week, makes it less likely that figures within the military or Sudan's ruling National Congress Party will attempt to depose him. Within Sudan, and inside the ruling clique, the president's hand has likely been strengthened.</p><p>For the ICC and supporters of some kind of robust international justice mechanism, it is likely dispiriting that this brief episode will be the closest the court will ever come to executing a warrant that has become a drawn-out test of the court's actual authority. It can't be encouraging that a quickly-disregarded hearing is the closest Bashir will ever come to answering for his regime's decades of alleged crimes.</p><p>The ICC was supposed to make the entire world directly accountable to international humanitarian law. The Bashir incident shows how that's played out in reality, with a South African court potentially gutting its own authority and empowering an autocratic regime, all in a vain attempt to exercise power over another country's internal affairs.</p><p>Bashir's ordeal was a historic high-point for the court's most troublesome case. 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