April 2014 Edition
WEIGHT
Cutting vehicle weight may be the next advance in reducing the financial and environmental cost of driving. Until now car makers have met a trend towards tougher fuel economy standards worldwide by reducing engine sizes and introducing technology, for example to cut motors when a car is idling. However, one common argument against using lighter weight materials is a feared compromise on vehicle safety.
LIGHTS
Canadians have stepped up their purchases of old-style incandescent light bulbs as buyers stockpile them in the wake of the first phase of a ban on manufacturing the power-guzzling product. Retailers report a jump in sales as a result of a ban on 75-watt and 100-watt bulbs being made or imported into Canada. At the end of the year, 40- and 60-watt bulbs will also come under the ban.
LOSSES
Justice Department auditors in the US have found that the US agency tasked with stopping illegal tobacco trafficking lost track of 420-million cigarettes purchased in under cover operations.
PARKING
The London borough of Westminster has begun installing smart parking sensors. The sensors detect whether a bay is vacant or not. Combined with an app that allows drivers to view a map of parking spaces in real time, it will direct them to an empty space. On average, drivers spend 15 minutes looking for a parking space in the area. It is hoped that the system will cut down both on congestion and carbon emissions.
AID
Japan is pledging more than US$14-billion in aid and trade deals to Africa. Japan's Prime Minister made the announcement during a recent visit to Oman, before going to Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Mozambique, the three fastest growing economies. This is seen as a step by Japan to compete with China in a new bid for African resources. Africa is expected to be the centre of global economic growth in the coming years.
COINS
Collecting coins used to be more of a hobby, now it's an investment area with people paying millions for coins. At a recent auction in New York, A Brazilian 1922 gold piece sold for US$499,375. An anonymous collector paid $4.4-million for a 1740 Russian coin in Zurich. A two-day sale of Russian and ancient coins in Florida brought in $6.5-million. Unlike larger collectibles such as fine art, antiques, wine and automobiles, coins are easy to store and transport.
BEES
New research shows that in half the European countries, there are not enough honey bees to pollinate crops with the shortage particularly acute in Britain which has only a quarter of the bees required. Scientists believe that a boom in biofuels has sparked a massive increase in the need for pollination. Across Europe though, overall numbers of honey bee colonies increased by seven per cent between 2005 and 2010. But in the same period, areas of biofuel crops like oilseed rape, sunflowers and soybeans increased by almost a third. It is believed that wild pollinators like bumblebees and hoverflies are presently making up the shortfall.
PIGS
The Canadian pork industry is bracing for the arrival of a virus that has killed more than a million young pigs in the United States and caused meat prices to spike. The virus, which is deadly for piglets was found in the US last spring and sent pork prices soaring by 25 per cent. The virus has been reported in 22 states and is predicted to cause a drop in the size of the US herd by as much as three per cent as its spread accelerates. Canada exported more than 5.6-million live hogs and a billion kilograms of pork in 2012, worth about C$3.5-billion.
IMPLANTS
Researchers in Oxford have developed a degradable implant which they say has huge potential to improve surgical success rates. The protective patch, which wraps round soft tissue repairs, will be trialled in patients with shoulder injuries. It is hoped in time this approach could help other patients with other conditions including arthritis, hernias and heart defects.
GOLD
The Swiss National Bank reported that the value of its gold reserves fell by US$17-billion in 2013. Gold prices tumbled last year by 28 per cent, the steepest annual drop since 1981 as investors instead piled into the booming stockmarkets. Switzerland's central bank hold more than 1,000 tonnes of gold. America holds the largest amount of gold in the world, around 8,000 tonnes.
CONGRESS
For the first time, more than 50 per cent of the US Congress are millionaires. The median net worth in 2012 for all current members of Congress in office was US$1,008,767. There are 268 current members with a net worth of $1-million or more, up from 257 members, or 48 per cent, a year earlier. Lawmaker wealth varies from one with an estimated fortune of $464-million built on car alarms to another with $12.1-million in net liabilities related to outstanding debt on loans for his family's dairy farm.
SCOTCH
A new scheme has been launched to protect the Scotch whisky industry from fake or sub-standard products. The verbification scheme set up by the UK government will help consumers identify genuine UK-made products. Producers will have to sign up for the scheme if they want to sell within the European Union. Producers, blenders, bottlers, labellers and bulk importers will have to apply to HM Revenue and Customs if they want to be verified. The Scotch whisky industry is worth around US$8-billion to the Scottish economy and employs over 10,000 people in Scotland.
DIAMONDS
Scientists have discovered compelling evidence that diamonds exists in the icy mountains of Antarctica. They have identified a type of rock in the permanently frozen region that is known to contain the precious stones. However, recovering any Antarctic mineral resources for commercial purposes is currently forbidden.. Diamonds are formed from pure carbon under extreme heat and pressure at depths of about 150k in the Earth's crust and volcanic eruptions bring them to the surface.
VESSELS
A floating vessel that is longer than the Empire State Building is high has taken to the water for the first time. Shell's Prelude was floated in South Korea and when fully built will be the largest floating facility ever built, weighing more than 600,000 tonnes. It will be used in the production of natural gas from 2017 and will operate for 25 years off Australia's north-west coast. The vessel is estimated to cost between US$10-and $12-billion.
TRANSPORTATION
A record crop of wheat and grains in Western Canada in 2013 has highlighted the weakness in the transportation system that moves the commodities from field to foreign markets. The grain industry needs more trains to meet global demand and capitalize on strong prices. One of the problems is that the rise in moving crude oil by rail is creating new competition for track space and locomotives. The rail industry claims the problem is the record crop not oil-by-rail which accounted for just 2 per cent of rail car loads in 2013.
OIL
Under the groves that make southern Italy the world's second largest olive oil producer, geologists have found a more lucrative liquid: Europe's biggest onshore crude oil fields. Basilicata, a mountainous, sparsely populated province in the arch of Italy's boot, holds more than one billion barrels, offering the country a weapon to fight a two-year recession. Italy is to double production raising its output to almost 200,000 barrels a day, making it Europe's third largest oil producer, after the UK and Norway.
ABUSE
US authorities have named Ukraine as the country with the worst record of protecting intellectual property rights. A report by the US Trade Representative says Kiev has failed to fight internet piracy and the use of illegal software. Such software is even being used by government departments. Ukraine has been warned that it could lose trade benefits if it fails to act. The report also raises grave concern about the alleged misappropriation of trade secrets in China.
CLIMATE
An average of 5.3 per cent of annual gross domestic product could be lost in East Asia by the year 2100 if the four countries in the region don't take measure to tackle it, according to the Asian Development Bank. Rising temperatures in China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea will spur more flooding and tropical storms in coastal areas and make northern agricultural regions more prone to drought. The study underscores the risks of inaction on climate change faced by a region that was responsible for 30 per cent of the world's carbon emissions in 2010.
WATER
A huge water source has been discovered in the arid Turkana region of northern Kenya which could supply the country for 70 years. The discovery of two aquifers brings hope to the drought-hit region. Another aquifer has been found in Namibia, the continent's driest country.
ATMs
Access to traditional financial services such as deposit-taking accounts and automatic teller machines (ATMs), in developing countries has expanded in recent years. Since 2004, the number of ATMs per 100,000 adults has more than doubled to around 22 (compared with over 70 in rich countries). Russia and Brazil have more ATMs relative to their population than other emerging markets.
DISASTERS
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says the estimate of the insured property damage caused by last June's southern Alberta floods is more than C$1.7-billion, the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. Well in excess of 25,000 claims were filed in the wake of the floods and the final figure is expected to be higher.
SPICES
Europeans had a taste for spicy food at least 6,000 years ago it seems. Researchers have found evidence for garlic mustard in the residues left on ancient pottery shards discovered in what is now Denmark and Germany. The spice was found alongside fat residues from meat and fish.
VEGETARIANS
Ditching meat and fish in favour of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart. A study of 44,500 in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32 per cent less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease. Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost. Heart disease kills 94,000 people in the UK each year, more than any other disease, and 2.6-million people live with the condition.
TIMBER
Measures to prevent illegally harvested timber from entering the European Union have come into effect. The new regulation requires importers or sellers of timber and wood products to keep records of the sources of their supplies. Interpol estimates that illegal logging contributes up to 30 per cent of timber in the global market, costing in excess of US$20-billion each year. The EU accounts for 35 per cent of the world's primary timber consumption.
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