Commodity

KOTA KINABALU: The government has urged Malaysian cocoa industry entrepreneurs to intensify activities in promoting the brand of their chocolate products in the local community. Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Willie Mongin (pic) said while there are many premium and quality chocolates produced by Malaysian cocoa industry entrepreneurs, there are still many local consumers who are not familiar with the brands in the market. “Actually, we produced many premium and quality chocolates in Sarawak such as Chelum and Royal that are supervised by the Malaysian Cocoa Board. “Many more local cocoa industry players had exported and sold downstream chocolate products in and outside the country. In fact, cocoa beans from Ranau (Sabah) had also been exported overseas,” he told reporters after officiating at the National Cocoa Malaysia seminar 2022 yesterday. — Bernama Also present were secretary general of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities … [Read more...] about Cocoa industry entrepreneurs urged to promote local brands

KOTA KINABALU: The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry will meet up with Sabah wildlife authorities to find out the reason for scores of elephant deaths in and around oil palm estates in the state. Its minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said she was taken aback to learn that many Bornean pygmy elephants have met their deaths in plantation areas on Sabah's east coast. The most recent one was a rescued female elephant calf, estimated to be around two years old, that succumbed to its injuries on Tuesday (June 21). ALSO READ: Rescued elephant calf dies a day after amputation This was after veterinarians amputated its foot which was nearly severed by a trap in an oil palm estate in the Tungku area of Lahad Datu district. “I just heard about this elephant calf dying from its injuries,” Zuraida told reporters after attending the Malaysian Cocoa Industry Awards ceremony here on Wednesday (June 22) night. “As wildlife matters are being managed by the state government … [Read more...] about Elephant deaths: Plantation Ministry to discuss solutions with Sabah Wildlife Dept

Although the inflationary pressure is prevailing across sectors, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said it is likely to continue due to high global food prices amid the ongoing geopolitical situation. Companies are also facing price hike pressures amid high input costs. The central bank, however, kept the inflation forecast for the current financial year at 5.7 per cent. In an off-cycle monetary policy review, the MPC has unanimously hiked the key repo rate, at which it lends short-term money to banks, by 0.40 per cent to 4.40 per cent with immediate effect. The retail inflation has remained above the RBI’s upper tolerance level of 6 per cent for the last three months and the ongoing war between Russia-Ukraine has pushed the inflation in almost commodities across the globe. Now, will the price hikes by companies across sectors continue? According to reports, companies across sectors such as Unilever Plc and Suzuki Motor Corp to homegrown JSW Steel are raising prices in … [Read more...] about As RBI Expects Inflation To Remain High, Will Price Hikes Across Sectors Continue? Read More

In my previous post , I discussed the commoditization of healthcare — how increased competition in the marketplace has caused medical facilities to re-evaluate their brand and reconsider their prominence in their communities. Increased competition can be a win for consumers — one that results in greater cost transparency and improved service. But it might also result in a more impersonal healthcare experience, which means that patients need to bear more of the responsibility for their own health outcomes. In this post, I am going to shift the focus away from facilities and toward what "healthcare as a commodity" means for consumers. Pizza and the Free Market When a community has a pizza parlor, pizza-philes tend to be generally satisfied. Maybe they serve New York-style and you like Chicago-style, maybe the price is a little higher than you'd like to pay, maybe the service isn't as attentive as you'd like — but it's pizza, and you didn't have to make it at home. But when a … [Read more...] about Healthcare Executive: What Consumers Should Know About Finding Care

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister says its debt-laden economy has “collapsed” after months of shortages of food, fuel and electricity , and the South Asian island nation cannot even purchase imported oil. Also read: Explaining Sri Lanka’s economic crisis “We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food. Our economy has completely collapsed. That is the most serious issue before us today,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Parliament . Mr. Wickremesinghe is also the Finance Minister tasked with stabilising the economy, which is foundering under the weight of heavy debts, lost tourism revenue and other impacts from the pandemic and surging costs for commodities. Members of Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya, a part of the main Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya, try to move a barrier during a protest near Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private residence, amid the country’s economic crisis, … [Read more...] about Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says economy has collapsed, unable to buy oil

Tether, the largest stablecoin issuer by market cap, unveiled on Wednesday a token linked to the British Pound (GBP). One GBP₮ token would be worth one British Pound Sterling, the company said in a statement . The launch is slated for early July. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies “pegged” to an asset like gold and oil, or to currencies issued by central banks like U.S. dollars, GBP, or Euros. “We believe that the United Kingdom is the next frontier for blockchain innovation and the wider implementation of cryptocurrency for financial markets,” said Tether CTO, Paolo Ardoino. Tether already has tokens pegged to the U.S. Dollar, Euro, the offshore Chinese Yuan, and Mexican Peso. The tokens are not legal tender, and are not approved by monetary authorities in the respective countries. The crypto company has faced legal hurdles in the past. In 2021, the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) ordered the company to pay a penalty of $41 million “for making … [Read more...] about Tether unveils token pegged to British Pound

Click here to read the full article. The Palm Springs International ShortFest will mark an in-person return to the California desert oasis from June 21-27, showcasing 300 short films in 51 different curated programs. If that seems like a markedly high number of films considering all of the disruptions in both the film production and festival space over the past two years, interim festival director Sudeep Sharma has an explanation. “One thing I’ve been saying a lot is that the pandemic has seemingly affected everything except for the production of short films,” says Sharma, a ShortFest veteran currently manning the festival helm while director Lili Rodriguez is on maternity leave. “I mean that kind of tongue-in-cheek, but our submissions numbers did not drastically change.” More from Variety Palm Springs ShortFest to Feature Films With Amanda Seyfried, Molly Ringwald, Zachary Quinto 'Unforgivable' Takes Home Top Prize at Palm Springs ShortFest Palm Springs … [Read more...] about Palm Springs ShortFest Gets Back Into Gear

The FTSE 100 closed in the red after traders digested another 40-year-high for UK inflation levels. A consumer price index (CPI) inflation reading of 9.1% was in line with expectations for May, but rocketing producer prices showed inflationary woes are not likely to reverse any time soon. Nevertheless, London’s index of top stocks finished the day with a slight improvement on early trading after growing positivity on Wall Street. The FTSE 100 ended the day down 62.83 points, or 0.88%, at 7,089.22. Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: “The fragile nature of this week’s rebound has been laid bare today, with a sharp slide in oil prices in Asia, spilling over into broader market weakness, with the Dax sliding below last week’s lows, before rebounding, while the FTSE has also slipped back sharply. Recommended Russia says EU sanctions that prompted transit ban ‘unacceptable’ “Today’s inflation numbers from the UK came across … [Read more...] about FTSE slides as trading knocked by rise in UK inflation

Fractures in the geriatric population are almost always caused by a combination of weak bones from osteoporosis and a fall. Of particular concern are hip fractures as they carry a high death rate, especially since the elderly often have multiple illnesses and functional impairments as well. A hip fracture is a partial or complete break in the upper portion of the femur (thigh bone). The break often happens in the neck of the femur, i.e. the narrowest part. With younger patients, this fracture is typically the result of a fall from a ladder or a vehicle collision, but in the elderly, it is often due to a fall from a standing height. Those with severe osteoporosis can even suffer a fracture just by twisting their leg while standing. Consultant orthopaedic and arthroplasty surgeon Dr Suhail Suresh Abdullah explains: “If someone has a hip fracture and you want her to be pain-free, she will have to be totally in bed for three to six months. “This will probably heal the bone, … [Read more...] about Hip fractures in the elderly can have serious consequences

Four months into the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has a say in what's for dinner in American homes. The United States doesn't get much food directly from Ukraine, but if your groceries cost 12 percent more this year than last , you can blame Russia's invasion for part of the increase. Why? In less than four months, Russia has inflicted damage to all aspects of Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure, including farms, roads, railroads, bridges, warehouses, silos, and ports. Ukraine has some of the most fertile land in Europe, was once called the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, and since the USSR's collapse, has been a top global exporter of wheat, maize, and sunflower oil. Russia has not only diminished Ukraine's export capacity, it has even blocked shipments from crossing the Black Sea entirely, which is likely to have dire consequences . Sanctions on Russia and Belarus, its ally, interrupt exports of food and fertilizer from these countries as well. The high cost of energy, … [Read more...] about Food is Russia’s ‘silent weapon’ | Opinion