September, 2016

• 4 September

  Steel in troubled French plants used in Japan

    Bloomberg Thirteen Japanese nuclear reactors were constructed with steel from the same company used in a French power plant that’s under scrutiny for anomalies found in the reactor vessel’s structure. Six utilities used steel from Japan Casting & Forging Corp., they all said in separate statements. The steelmaker was identified by Japanese authorities last month as supplying steel to ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  China’s emergency oil reserve shows 22.5pc gain

    Bloomberg China reported it added about 43 million barrels of crude to its strategic reserves between the middle of 2015 and early this year, in a rare release of such data by the world’s second-biggest oil user. The statement posted on the website of the country’s National Bureau of Statistics is the first update the government has given on ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  D-day looms for nickel market as top shipper checks on mines

  

    Bloomberg The global nickel market will discover the severity of the Philippines’ mining audit next Thursday as President Rodrigo Duterte’s government presents the findings of the checkup and announces support for communities affected by any further suspensions. Benchmark prices surged. The audit in the world’s largest mined nickel supplier has been completed after 16 teams fanned out across the ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  IFA dives head-first into the virtual world

  

    Berlin / AFP Always wanted to know what it would be like to watch a TV talkshow in the studio? Or zoom in on a particular player in a Bundesliga game rather than see a wideshot of the field? The technology is there for such “live” 3D television experiences from the comfort of your home, according to the Fraunhofer ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  Eye-catching gizmos at IFA fair

    AFP From curved televisions and futuristic virtual reality headsets to intelligent kitchens, Berlin’s mega consumer electronics show offers a mind-boggling array of the latest in high-tech gizmos. Here are a few of the most eye-catching gadgets at IFA: IT NOT ONLY WASHES AND DRIES This Panasonic washing machine also folds your laundry. The Japanese white goods maker said the ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  Microsoft machine brains going into a refrigerator

    AFP Microsoft is putting its machine brains into a Liebherr refrigerator. The US technology giant and Liebherr are collaborating on a new “SmartDeviceBox” that take the kitchen appliance beyond cooling comestibles to reminding people what they need at the market, Microsoft principal data scientist TJ Hazen said in a blog post. The box is an internet-connected module that fits ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  Apple may repatriate at least $5bn in 2017

    Bloomberg Apple Inc. may bring at least $5 billion of its offshore cash back to the U.S. next year, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook suggested in an interview on Irish radio. “We provisioned several billion dollars for the U.S. for payment as soon as we repatriate it, and right now I would forecast that repatriation to occur next year,” ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  How G-Shock competes in a world of Fitbits and Apple

  

    Bloomberg G-Shock creator Kikuo Ibe sits in a makeshift showroom, surrounded by dozens of G-Shock watches that include a prototype model from 1982. It still works, his translator proudly proclaims. Durability is what people love about these watches, after all. Soft-spoken but with a lively sense of humor, the bespectacled Japanese engineer then goes through the history of G-Shock ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  Iran’s pistachios dying of thirst

  

    Sirjan / AFP The pistachio trees at the village in southern Iran are long dead, bleached white by the sun — the underground water reserves sucked dry by decades of over-farming and waste. The last farmers left with their families 10 years ago, and the village has the look of an abandoned Martian colony. The dome-roofed, mud-walled homes are ...

  Read More »
• 4 September

  Bali’s buffalo racers battle to keep tradition alive

  

    Banjar Jembrana / AFP Wearing crowns and colourful horn coverings, the buffaloes haul wooden carts at high speed past paddy fields on Bali, with the racers aboard cracking whips in a bid to push their beasts on to victory. Hundreds of spectators cheer from the sidelines, hoping their team will come out on top in the annual festival on ...

  Read More »