Why butter prices are at a record high

Heinz-Glas is one of Germany's biggest glass bottle manufacturers and produces perfume bottles for illustrious brands such as Gucci and L'Oréal. While the industry has weathered many storms, the current gas crisis rocking the country could prove fatal. At the Bavarian plant, almost 70 tonnes of glass are made every day, at temperatures of up to 1,600 degrees. Massive amounts of gas are used, which has become an endangered and increasingly expensive resource. The rise in energy costs is driving up production costs as Vice President Murat Agac explains. "Since the invasion of Ukraine, some gas and energy prices have risen tenfold compared to 2019 while other costs are even 20 times the price they were. "So, prices are volatile, but basically, they are way too high and it's hardly economically sustainable anymore." If Russian gas suppliers were to turn off the taps, the move would prove disastrous for the industry that produces a million of these bottles daily in … [Read more...] about Perfume bottle manufacturer for Gucci and L’Oréal in danger

By Paul Pigott Published 16 April Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A lifeboat volunteer said he spent days in hospital after contracting a parasitic infection linked to sewage after a river training exercise. David Deveney suffered giardiasis after spending two hours in the River Severn and said an investigation found an 80% chance it came from human sewage. Sewage was spilt into Welsh rivers more than 95,000 times and for more than 791,000 hours last year, figures show. The illness has not been categorically linked to sewage or spills in Wales. Both the River Severn and River Wye, which end in the Severn Estuary, run through Wales and England. Welsh Water, which provides water and wastewater services to most households in Wales, said the spills had "a limited impact" on Welsh rivers. Mr Deveney, a lifeboat training manager with the Severn Area Rescue … [Read more...] about River pollution: Rescuer infected with sewage-linked parasite

Published 22 October 2012 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Researchers in the US have been shocked to discover a beluga whale whose vocalisations were remarkably close to human speech. While dolphins have been taught to mimic the pattern and durations of sounds in human speech, no animal has spontaneously tried such mimicry. But researchers heard a nine-year-old whale named NOC make sounds octaves below normal, in clipped bursts. The researchers outline in Current Biology just how NOC did it. The first mystery, though, was figuring out where the sound was coming from. When a diver at the National Marine Mammal Foundation in California surfaced saying, "Who told me to get out?" the researchers there knew they had another example on their hands. The whales are known as "canaries of the sea" for their high-pitched chirps, but while a number of anecdotal … [Read more...] about Beluga whale ‘makes human-like sounds’

Early morning temperatures were well below zero across South Canterbury on Wednesday. MetService meteorologist John Law said the temperature at Aoraki/Mt Cook was -2.5 Celsius at midnight and within an hour fell to -4.6C and reached -5.8C between 8.30-9.30am. Lake Takapō/Tekapo recorded its lowest temperature of -5.4C at midnight while at Timaru’s airport the low was -2.8 at 9am and Fairlie recorded -3.8C at 4am. Law said there will be a little more cloud patch towards the coast (Timaru) and Wednesday will be a dry day with a decent amount of sunshine and the night is forecast to be cold and frosty. For inland Canterbury, temperatures are expected to drop to as low as -6 with cold and frosty nights. On Thursday, some isolated showers are possible in Timaru. Law said the isolated showers might turn sleety. Law said South Canterbury can expect dry days over the weekend as a high pressure system is expected on Friday, Saturday and Sunday bringing sunny days and cold and … [Read more...] about Cold, frosty nights and sunny days forecast for South Canterbury

By Emaan Warraich Published 22 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Tory leadership Liz Truss's campaign has predicted an "exodus of MPs from Sunak to us" as 10 more MPs back her leadership bid. MP Chris Skidmore had been supporting Rishi Sunak but switched his support, saying he was "concerned by his [Mr Sunak's] consistently changing position, especially on the economy". Sunak ally Theresa Villiers MP said people would "inevitably change their mind" during the campaign. But speaking to Sky News, she said Mr Sunak had "a huge amount of support". The results of the contest to replace Boris Johnson as the next leader of the Conservative Party, and the next prime minister, are due to be announced on 5 September. So far, polls have suggested that Ms Truss is more popular among Conservative Party members. Her campaign … [Read more...] about Tory Leadership: 10 more MPs announce support for Liz Truss

Kim Kardashian’s recently launched skincare line, SKKN by Kim, is one of the hot topics of discussion for its extremely high price tag on social media. While many users shared reviews about the new products, Bethenny Frankel went unfiltered during the review video of Kim new skincare line on TikTok. The reality TV star, 51, looked over two of the products including, the $55 exfoliator and $75 eye cream, in the clip posted on Monday. She called the items “impractical at best” and “somewhat overpriced.” She also criticized the packaging and compared it to a Rubik's Cube, saying, “I don’t understand it, because it doesn’t stack.” In the two-minute critique, Frankel also claimed, “Is it worth the money they’re charging? Unlikely.” Many internet users thanked Frankel for the honest review. One wrote, “You just saved me money…I travel way too much.” Another user commented, “The circle one looks like [an] EOS lip balm packaging lololol,” to which Frankel replied, “Yes I … [Read more...] about Bethenny Frankel calls Kim Kardashian’s SKKN skincare line ‘impractical at best’

Published 7 January 2019 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing After years at the heart of government, Mark Drakeford today starts in the top job. BBC Wales' political correspondent Daniel Davies has spoken to friends, colleagues and opponents of the Welsh Labour leader about his politics, personality and the sort of first minister he will be. Mark Drakeford's political awakening came early. Nationalist fervour swept his home town of Carmarthen when Gwynfor Evans was elected as Plaid Cymru's first MP in 1966. At grammar school, Mr Drakeford remembers groups of pupils marching around chanting political slogans. English-only road signs lay piled on the ground, torn down the night before. The political climate fired the imagination of the young Drakeford, a clarinet-playing cricket fan. Trashing road signs was, he thought, a "fantastic thing to be doing", he told me. … [Read more...] about Mark Drakeford: From Latin degree to Wales’ leader