Latest news with #Manna
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
FSSAI seizes 273 kg of expired dates from Flipkart warehouse near Coimbatore
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials seized 273.6 kg of expired dates from a warehouse of e-commerce major Flipkart India Private Limited in Coimbatore district. The stock of expired dates was found in the warehouse at Okkilipalayam on Palladam Road near Othakalmandapam on July 17. The Food safety officers destroyed the expired dates and served a notice to the company, seeking an explanation. T. Anuradha, Designated Officer for FSSAI in Coimbatore, said a total of 37 warehouses of e-commerce companies in Coimbatore district were searched in a three-day drive, based on instructions from the Health Secretary and the Commissioner of Food Safety, Tamil Nadu. As the warehouse of Flipkart at Okkilipalayam was inspected, the FSSAI team found two batches of expired black dates of the brand 'Manna', totally weighing 273.6 kg. While packages of one batch expired on May 19, 2025, the expiry date of others ended on May 30, 2025. 'Though expired, those packages were kept on storage racks along with other products meant for sale. Expired products should be kept separately and marked as 'not for sale',' said Dr. Anuradha. Though the company stated that it would return the dates to the manufacturer, the FSSAI did not permit it and destroyed the product.
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Drone delivery firm Manna denies wrongdoing and claims ‘majority support' among Dublin locals
It comes after an order from Fingal County Council requiring Manna to dismantle a drone base in a car park at Junction 6 in west Dublin which, the council said, had no planning permission for use as a commercial drone facility. The Irish start-up company, which is preparing to expand its drone delivery service to multiple sites around the country, has been embroiled in a local row around in the Blanchardstown area of Dublin over the noise of its flying service vessels. A local Labour councillor's petition urging restrictions on drone delivery flights has gathered almost 900 signatures. But the company claims that it has received almost 2,000 positive service reviews and that the online petition is not restricted to local residents. Manna will also appeal the council's allegation of wrongdoing, its CEO said. Speaking to Business Plus magazine, Mr Healy said the company would be 'contesting any suggestion [that] we have done something wrong'. Manna has operated 200,000 delivery flights, 36,000 of which have been in the Dublin 15 area. The six-year-old company currently operates drone deliveries in Ireland, Finland and Texas. It employs 120 people at a base in Glasnevin, where it builds its drones. In Ireland, it has agreements in place with over 30 fast food outlets and retailers and currently flies between 100 and 300 daily fights in the Blanchardstown area. Manna has so far raised $60m (€52.5m) in funding, including a $30m round in March that was led by Molten Ventures and Tapestry VC, with support from Enterprise Ireland, Coca-Cola HBC, Dynamo VC and Radius Capital. Mr Healy said the company will present the letter of support to local politicians. 'We've engaged with representatives and residents that have genuine concerns on the futuristic nature of the technology of which 112 in the area are from Dublin 15 eircodes,' he said. 'However there is a huge majority of people in the area that use and value the service that should be listened to. The letters of support we have received are limited to residents living in eircodes in Dublin 15. We have been flying in Dublin 15 for a year and a half and Ireland more broadly for over half a decade and the data and anecdotes have shown a warm welcome and demand for our service anywhere we have flown.'
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🔥 KDB: Napoli top pick, Maradona's 10 surprises, Conte, CL, my role 👀
On the third day of the summer retreat in Dimaro, Napoli will officially present to the press the first signing of the summer session: Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian superstar will speak today at 3 pm from the stage of the Teatro Comunale in Dimaro, answering journalists' questions and starting his new adventure in the blue jersey. 🔵 KDB and the choice of Napoli "From a competitiveness point of view, it's the best place for me, I have the opportunity to demonstrate my qualities. Napoli is the Italian champion, it has shown all its qualities. It changes a lot compared to England, but this also makes me very enthusiastic. I have the desire and qualities to be competitive at this level. The climate changes compared to England and I wanted to prove that I can play at the highest level. When Manna came to show me the project, I was thrilled, I believe that Napoli was the best choice for me". 🧨 KDB and Serie A "There are many teams with a lot of quality in this championship, but our goal is to do well on all fronts. We hope to finish as high as possible in the league and have a good run. I need to see how to adapt to the team, at Napoli it changes a lot compared to what I was used to at Manchester City. It's a new experience for me, at a high level, and I'm excited. I've just arrived and I have time to adapt, I'm very calm". 🫵 Farewell to City and hello to Napoli "I spent my life in the Premier League, then I made the decision to leave. I will always be a Manchester City player, but that experience is over and I was looking for a new challenge. This project gives me the opportunity to play at a high level, the project shown by the club demonstrates that they want to invest. We've already made 4-5 new signings, laying the foundations for the future. I'm not that young anymore, but I think I can give my contribution to make the team grow and I will learn from the team. I didn't have the chance to watch much of Serie A in the past, but now I will". 🇧🇪 Lukaku and Mertens "I called both Lukaku and Mertens to get their opinions on the city and the team. They gave me information, but in the end, it was my decision, made together with my family. Romelu was very happy when he found out that I would be coming here. I've known him since we were 13 years old, it's a close friendship, we even lived together at Chelsea for 2-3 months when we were in London. I know Romelu, he's someone who already knows the coach and the team, but I repeat that it was my decision 100% and I have no regrets". 🔟 On the number 10 jersey of Maradona "I was a bit surprised, to be honest, because I knew that Maradona's number had been retired. It was a nice gesture from the club. But I don't think it gives me more responsibility, also because when you play for a big team like Napoli, the pressure is already there. Here, we want to win and the pressure is there, the number doesn't change anything. Maradona is a legend, he made history, I'm proud but I'm De Bruyne and I want to be myself. I want to perform well to give joy to the fans". 👀 Surprised or intrigued? "It was the first time in my career that I found myself in a situation like this, it's the first time that I've moved to another club on a free transfer. As time went on during the last season, I started to feel stressed. Napoli presented their project, as did other clubs. This project is very different in terms of lifestyle and competitiveness compared to what I was used to. Napoli was the best choice for me. Here, everything is different, there's the sun, but I'm a footballer and I want to be competitive and performant, I want to demonstrate that I can be like that, I want to demonstrate my qualities, I still have to prove what I'm capable of". 👔 Conte and Guardiola "I haven't spoken much with the coach yet, we've had a couple of sessions on the field where we talked, but on the field. I know him because he coached Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League, even if back then we played with a different formation. I know he's very tactical. The fact that a coach of this caliber, one of the best of the last ten years, is a great sign. I think I can learn a lot from him, but so far, we've only had two sessions. Now I'm looking around, I see how the team works. I think that by the start of the season, I'll be ready, I'll use this time to see how the team works, how the coach and staff work, in 5-6 weeks I'll be ready". 🏆 The importance of the Champions League "It's important because the Champions League is one of the most beautiful competitions in the world. We knew that Napoli would qualify because they were fighting for the championship. I've played in the Champions League for ten years, I'm eager to play in it with Napoli. We hope to have a good run". 🧠 On his role "I don't think the role is that important because the positions on the field are studied before the game itself, everything depends on the interpretation of space, also the tactical posture of both us and our opponents. 4-3-3, 3-4-3 are formations, but it depends on the phase of possession or non-possession. Football is very dynamic, it changes. I wouldn't know which would be the best position". 🗣️ The Neapolitan language and the affection of the fans "I haven't learned any particular words in Italian or Neapolitan yet, but I can understand something and say a few words and I intend to take Italian lessons with my wife, because I think it's important to learn the language of the place. When I'm ready, I'll also do interviews in Italian, but give me time". About the city "It's hard to say, also because as a person I'm different from Dries, I'm more introverted. I spend a lot of time with my family, but surely it will happen that I'll go out in the evening and go to dinner. It will be up to me to adapt to this situation. Nine years ago I was with Dries, even before I got married, I took a tour of the city and saw the difference in how people treat footballers, the difference compared to how footballers are treated at Manchester City. The love, the enthusiasm, the passion that this people has towards the team is incredible. Sometimes it's a bit too much, but it's affection, at the base there's love and as long as there's love, it's okay". This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
Irish Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Fight or flight? Here's how I feel about plans to fly burgers over my house
They are the answers to the questions nobody asked. The great ideas to cater to the needs no one knew existed. And the history of invention is littered with them. There is the USB portal shaped like a fake rock. Diet Water, a creation of the Sapporo beer company in 2004. A sleeping bag you can walk around in, umbrellas for shoes and the 'Goldfish Walker' – basically a bowl on wheels. They all share one thing in common, an absurd pretence that they are here to make life somehow easier and better. When life was getting along just fine without them. Now into this hall of infamy steps Dublin's newest must have service – take away delivery by drone. Full transparency. My house may be in the catchment area where 'tech start up' firm Manna has lodged a planning application to open a new drone-port. Manna has already been fulfilling a need no one knew existed in the Dublin 15 area for over a year. The service employs a squadron of drones to parachute cups of flat white coffee, kebabs and burgers into the seemingly besieged gardens of suburbia where residents are deemed incapable of making it out as far as the chipper. It has sparked complaints from some homeowners that it is like living under the flight path of a fleet of airborne lawnmowers. The creepy invasion of privacy has also been likened in the Dail to a new kind of dystopia. And now they are coming to a patch of sky near you – or at least near me. Manna wants to open close to Dundrum shopping centre to extend the reach of its flying burgers. Now I'm happy to admit I've never been a fan of drones. Dublin ranks as Ireland's noisiest city in brand new poll I dread each St Stephen's Day when a new horde of middle-aged men emerge on the beaches and in the parks proudly controlling their new buzzing surveillance toys over the heads of helpless citizens. And it seems I'm not alone. A NASA study found people under the regular flight paths of drones believe they are more irritating than loud traffic. Noise pollution in cities is also a proven killer. That's because humans have an emotional response to sound. It is detected by the ear and passed onto the amygdala area of the brain for assessment. This becomes part of the body's 'fight-or-flight' response that has evolved to help us react quickly to sounds such as a predator crashing through the bushes. Or a drone delivering curry chips to your next-door neighbour. It causes your heart rate to go up. Your nervous system starts to kick in and you release stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time the risk of heart attack, stroke and death increases. When the source of the noise is a machine delivering the contents of a deep-fried Spice Bag those risks rise dramatically again. Across Europe excessive noise is linked to 12,000 premature deaths a year It also contributes to a condition that 22 million Europeans suffer from - 'Chronic High Annoyance.' (A figure that grew to 22 million and one as soon as I discovered this is a thing). Drones flying fast food around Dublin City Noise can lead to breeding problems in wildlife – and I dare say some human life too. In California, a drone crash-landed at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve causing 2,500 terns to abandon their nests and around 1,500 of their unborn young. There are even records of a crow attacking a delivery drone in Canberra. Now it would be one thing to accept all that in the name of technological progress that is improving lives. Drones can be used to fly medicines, monitor disasters, do scientific research… But as a nation, we have survived a famine, bankruptcy and a global pandemic without anyone needing a single of chips airdropped into their back garden. To listen to the Manna planning application it sounds like a merger between the Red Cross and Greenpeace. It is supplying a service that is both a giant leap for mankind and good for the environment. They are hoping we will all just get used to it. Much like Elwood's response to Jake in the Blues Brothers when he asked how often the bone-shaking train goes by the apartment window: 'So often you won't notice.' Dublin to become first European city to offer fast food delivery by drone But I grew up under the flight path to Dublin Airport. Both my parents are now buried under it. I know incessant noise pollution is enough to disturb the sleep of the dead. It's one reason Michael O'Leary hasn't spent some of the millions he made from charging families to bring clothes on holidays to move from his country ranch to a house on the approach path to Dublin airport's terminal one. So if there are any tech upstarts out there looking to develop a surface-to-air, anti-burger missile system, let's just say I'm interested. Years of underage hurling and camogie activity in the household have even given me a prototype built from abandoned hurls and around 150 used sliotars. Fight or Flight? You have my answer. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
The Journal
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Huge local opposition to drone delivery hub on Dublin's southside as over 100 observations lodged
MORE THAN ONE hundred observations have been lodged over plans for a new food delivery hub for drones in Dublin, with the majority being objections. Politicians and residents' associations are amongst more than 110 objections received for the proposed hub in Dundrum on Dublin's southside. The window for objections closed this week. Plans were lodged by Irish startup Manna Drones Ltd for the lands at an existing car park site to the rear of Main Street and the rear of Holy Cross Church in Dundrum. Manna already operates two drone delivery hubs, one in Blanchardstown and one near junction 6 on the M50. The company has plans lined up to expand to Tallaght and Glasnevin. There have been over 100 complaints made to the company from those living in areas it already operates in. Manna CEO Bobby Healy has previously said the company is 'listening' to complaints and is investing in tech to make its drones, which are used to deliver products such as takeaway food, emit less noise when in use. Appearing before an Oireachtas Committee earlier this year, Healy said that drone deliveries are more sustainable, and remove traffic congestion from roads. 'Drone delivery offers a faster, greener and safer way forward, and does so while fully respecting the privacy of the communities we serve,' he said. Fianna Fáil TD Shay Brennan is among the objectors to the Dundrum hub. In his observation he noted that the idea of drones passing overhead daily has generated 'anxiety' in the locality. He also points out that there is currently no national policy or local planning framework to address the challenges posed by drone operations in urban and suburban settings. He called for a community impact assessment, robust noise studies, strict conditions on operational hours and flight frequency, and to defer approval until a 'community-centred' framework is in place. In Manna's application it proposes that the drones will be used to 'improve food delivery services in the Dundrum area'. One objector says that this is 'not a good use' of 'modern technology' and questions why only one use is listed. Another who also raised the same point noted: 'Dundrum already has ample food delivery services, making this proposal unnecessary and potentially harmful'. Advertisement One objector, who lives locally, wrote: 'A documentary I have viewed indicated a lot of local resentment to the current planning granted in Dublin 15.' 'The documentary I viewed talked about drones buzzing over adjacent properties, of which I am the occupant of one [in Dundrum],' they added, referencing the RTÉ Prime Time programme on the existing hub in Dublin 15. Another local resident wrote to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to object on privacy grounds. 'The presence of drones flying over residential homes raises legitimate fears around surveillance and data protection. Even if these drones are not recording footage, their presence in the skies creates a feeling of being watched and compromises residents' sense of privacy,' they said. One observation noted that the noise from and presence of drones could 'adversely impact' those with existing mental health conditions. The objector claimed that hyperacusis – noise sensitivity – is common in those with PTSD, those who suffer migraines, and those with some forms of epilepsy. Green Party councillor Robert Jones, who sits on the local county council, submitted an observation which noted that in his view adequate 'environmental scrutiny' and 'public consultation' had not been carried out. He said that there had been no ecological or acoustic assessments 'despite likely impacts on birds, pets and human health', and urged the council to reject the application. A management company representing the residents of Dundrum Castle House wrote to the council to object to the development on the grounds that drone activity overhead poses an 'unacceptable risk of damage' to the ruins of a 13th century Norman castle on the grounds of the residential development. Manna submitted a planning report from Downey Chartered Town Planners which stated that it will be introducing a 'much-needed service at this location'. The report said that drone delivery offers a 'sustainable alternative' to traditional delivery methods. Manna is applying for permission for an aerial delivery hub in Dundrum town centre for a temporary period of 5 years. In its planning statement the company said the development will consist of a single storey storage and ancillary office cabin container, perimeter fencing, and 'all associated site works necessary to facilitate the development'. A spokesperson for Manna Air Delivery has previously said that it would not be flying drones in Dundrum 'in the next few months'. They added that Manna Air Delivery has begun rolling out quieter propellers that reduce cruise-flight noise to 59 dBA—noticeably quieter than typical traffic outside a home, which averages between 70 and 75 dBA. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
