Latest news with #Marble
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Nostalgic beer from the 90s returns to UK supermarkets after 30-year hiatus
Known for its bright red and yellow logo with two large Ds, Double Diamond was first brewed in 1876 as an India Pale Ale and was extremely popular in the 90s A nostalgic beer from the 90s has made a big return to UK stores - and is available to buy in Tesco. Double Diamond returned to pubs last year as a pale ale, but now Tesco is selling packs of four 440ml bottles for £5.75, or £5 with a Clubcard. Known for its bright red and yellow logo with two large Ds, Double Diamond was first brewed in 1876 as an India Pale Ale and was extremely popular in the 90s, with more than 50 million pints being sold in a single year at its peak. You may also remember it from its famous slogan: "A Double Diamond works wonders." But sadly as its popularity waned, Double Diamond was discontinued in the 2000s. The version of Double Diamond in Tesco has an ABV of 3.8% and is made with a new recipe featuring Citra, Columbus and Mosaic hops. Jamie Allsopp, re-founder of Allsopp & Sons, said: "Double Diamond is our A-list star. This sessionable Pale Ale is the next iteration of Double Diamond and we hope will find a place in the affections of new drinkers, as well as those that haven't tasted it in 30 years." Double Diamond is currently available at 12 pubs across the UK with plans to expand it to more locations. In a social media post published on the Allsopp & Sons Instagram page last year, announcing the return of Double Diamond, one person said: "Had some today absolutely delicious !!" Another said: "I still remember the jingle!" A third person, quoting another Double Diamond jingle, said: "Double Diamond works wonders, works wonders, so drink one today." It comes after Manchester-based brewery Marble Beer increased the alcohol level on its flagship pale ale following complaints from customers. Marble had slashed the alcohol by volume (ABV) from 3.9% to 3.4% after new tax rules were introduced for alcohol products. However, Marble has now confirmed it has U-turned on this decision, with the beer going back up to 3.9%. The beer is available in cask and keg formats and also in cans. In the UK, drinks are now taxed based on their strength, rather than the previous categories of wine, beer, spirits, and ciders. This system came into effect in August 2023. Alcoholic drinks with an ABV below 3.5% are taxed at a lower rate. Marble is not the only brewery to lower the alcohol content of some of its products this year. Grolsch Premium Pilsner had a higher ABV of 5% up until its relaunch in 2020 when it was slashed to 4% by parent firm Asahi. It has now been slashed again to 3.4%.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
How R.D. Bansal Helped Shape Satyajit Ray's Legacy—and Why His Granddaughter Is Restoring It
Published : May 02, 2025 07:11 IST - 7 MINS READ 'Mahanagar was a disaster commercially. But Baba was very happy.' Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (The Big City) is now considered a classic, but when it was released in 1963, it didn't set the box office on fire. Still, Ray's producer, R.D. Bansal, remained unfazed, says his granddaughter Varsha Bansal, now an executive producer herself. The name R.D. Bansal is well known to Ray fans. 'Presented by R.D. Bansal' appeared in the opening credits of many Ray films. It turns out Bansal had his own cinematic mahanagar story. Ram Das Bansal was the fourth of six brothers in a family from Agra involved in the marble business. 'At age 16, he just ran away to Kolkata, the big city,' says Varsha. There, he set up his own venture—Bansal Marbles. Eventually, his brothers followed him to the mahanagar. But then, life took a more filmic turn. One day, work took him to Grace Cinema in North Kolkata. 'He saw people buying tickets and entering the cinema. There was no credit system,' recalls Varsha. That amazed young Bansal, who was used to the credit-heavy marble trade. Eventually, Bansal bought Grace Cinema. Soon, he owned a string of theatres in Kolkata—Grace, Lotus, Indira, Vaishali—and even one in Jamshedpur. 'I think he was intrigued by films,' says Varsha. When a script came his way that he liked, he decided to produce it. Shashi Babur Sansar, starring Chhabi Biswas and Sabitri Chatterjee, became a runaway hit, and Bansal was hooked. From Marble to 'Mahanagar' Meanwhile, Satyajit Ray was making waves in Indian cinema, and it was inevitable their paths would cross. Both were a few films old when Mahanagar happened. The story of a middle-class woman daring to step out and work likely appealed to Bansal. 'He was really ahead of his time,' remembers Varsha. 'I was one of three granddaughters. And Baba gave us the freedom to think.' So even though the film was not a commercial success, he had no regrets. The marble business was doing well, and he was impressed that Ray stuck to the proposed budget—down to the last penny. Also Read | Still on the rails: Ray's Nayak and the restless shadow of a star Bansal had no hesitation about working with Ray again. They collaborated on Kapurush, Mahapurush; Charulata; and Nayak; one after another. None of them turned a real profit until Joi Baba Felunath, the Feluda detective film, years later. Nayak (1966) was a modest hit, partly thanks to Bengal's superstar Uttam Kumar. But it also landed poor Bansal in jail for a night. In one dream sequence, Uttam Kumar's character, Arindam, is seen drowning in currency notes. Someone complained that real money had been printed for the scene. As the film premiered, the police showed up. The story goes that Ray had to call Indira Gandhi to get his producer released. Varsha is not sure about that part, but she says the family was so shaken that they urged Bansal to stop producing films. One immediate casualty was Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, a musical based on a beloved children's story. According to Ray's biographer, Andrew Robinson, in Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, Bansal 'had a sudden loss of confidence'—partly because Ray wanted to shoot the film in colour in Rajasthan, which would have been prohibitively expensive. Eventually, producer-distributors Nepal and Asim Dutta stepped in. The film was made in black and white, with only the final scene in colour. Ray's dream of capturing Rajasthan in full colour had to wait for Sonar Kella. R.D. Bansal remained involved in cinema. His biggest hit was a non-Ray film—Saat Paake Bandha, starring Suchitra Sen, Soumitra Chatterjee, and Chhaya Devi. Years later came Ogo Bodhu Sundari, the Bengali remake of My Fair Lady and Uttam Kumar's last film. What makes the Bansal story remarkable is that a marble dealer from Uttar Pradesh became so deeply embedded in Bengali cultural life. And he did not just produce films—he backed 'arty' films. 'He lost money, but he gained a lot of fame and respect,' says Varsha. 'He even went with Ray to Berlin. Fifty or sixty people came to the airport to see him off with garlands. He was the first from our family to travel abroad.' 'A lot of Bengalis probably wondered who this man from Uttar Pradesh was, making Bengali films,' she laughs. Meanwhile, many in the business community were baffled that he was 'throwing good money after bad'. 'Films weren't seen as very respectable,' says Varsha. 'So eyebrows were raised on both sides.' Restoring Ray R.D. Bansal could have remained a footnote in Ray nostalgia. The family could have simply protected the precious Ray negatives they owned. 'We kept them in an air-conditioned room with the AC running ten hours a day,' says Varsha. 'But when we reviewed them every six months, we could see the quality deteriorating.' Humidity is a killer—negatives can stick, scratch, or suffer from dirt, thumbprints, and wear from repeated use. After her grandfather passed away, Varsha told her father: 'Baba's name came from these films. If not us, who else will restore them?' They found Pixion Studios in Mumbai, which had been restoring Hollywood films like Where Eagles Dare. Excited at the chance to work on a full Ray feature, Pixion painstakingly scanned and cleaned the negatives frame by frame, producing a 10-minute sample. 'We saw it and decided—let's go all in,' says Varsha. The restoration took about 18 months. They sent the films to Criterion in the US, which typically handles its own restorations of classic films. 'Every day I would check my email,' recalls Varsha. 'Then one day, they wrote back: 'It's fabulous. We love it.'' The restored films began screening to renewed acclaim at festivals like Venice, Cairo, and the British Film Institute. 'Ten years ago, technology only allowed 2K restoration,' says Varsha. 'Now it's almost 8K. If someone wants to go that far, the negatives are ready.' But no longer in the Bansal offices—the better-equipped Austrian Film Archive now houses them. It was harder to convince Indian theatres to screen the restored films. Ray has always been more appreciated abroad than at home. Varsha did not want a throwaway screening slot. Her persistence paid off. 'I watched Mahanagar on a big screen in Kolkata, in a theatre that was 80 per cent full. When the final 'Samapto' [The End] title came on, people just started to clap. It was a thrill like no other.' They may have been applauding both the brilliance of the film and the beauty of its restoration. Her one regret is that, even though they have proven it can be done, there is still little appetite for restoring India's film heritage. 'The government shows zero interest,' says Varsha. 'And even producers of other Ray films like Seemabaddha aren't doing anything. I go with my collector's boxes and folders of articles. They're glad it's been done—but they don't want to take it further.' Also Read | Satyajit Ray's French connection There is a perception that there is no market for these classics. But Varsha disagrees. 'I do screenings in cinema museums every month. I have 20 distributors. The NFDC doesn't market its films well enough—I had to find my own market.' It is a niche, but one that can offer a return. 'I'm even willing to help others represent their films,' she says. 'I'll do it for them. I just want people to be aware.' Varsha says she got into this because film was always a passion. She learned by sitting beside her grandfather in his office. She absorbed his discipline—he arrived every day at 10:30 am sharp and stayed until 7 pm. He also taught her not to show too much excitement, even for a film he was desperate to acquire. 'Before the exhibitor walked in, he'd say, 'I have to get this no matter what.' But once they were in the room, he acted like he was doing them a favour.' Now, as they release the restored versions of the classics he once backed, Varsha Bansal can finally show all the excitement she wants. 'Maybe I have a secret desire to be a filmmaker,' she confesses. But bringing an old classic back to life, decades after it first lit up the screen, comes close enough. Sandip Roy is a podcaster and columnist and the author of the novel Don't Let Him Know.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘Slow down and move over': UDOT urges drivers to practice caution in work zones
SALT LAKE CITY () — With construction season ongoing in Utah, you may see more crews out on the roads — here's what the Utah Department of Transportation said you should know to help keep them safe. As it's National Work Zone Awareness Week, UDOT released a video online to show the perspective of crews and remind drivers to do their part. 2025 Utah construction season begins — here's what projects are in store 'Please drive like someone's life depends on it. Because it does,' the post said. Dani Marble, a transportation tech from the UDOT Logan shed, said vehicles driving at high speeds create unsafe working conditions for UDOT crews. 'A lot of high speed cars come past and almost hit you. You'll see a few cars get over but typically they don't slow down. They just blow right by you, and it's just another day for them,' Marble said. 'If you see road work signs and flashing lights, slow down and move over. We're just trying to do our job.' UDOT recommends drivers to follow these steps — expect the unexpected and watch for changing traffic patterns, slow down in work zones where the speed limit is reduced, and move over to give crews space to do their work. 'Canines, Cars, & Coffee': Ogden businesses host 12th St. car meet for rescued animals Additionally, UDOT said to keep a safe distance between your vehicle and traffic barriers and other equipment, avoid unnecessary lane changes, avoid passing on the shoulder or driving across the median, and minimize distractions when driving. 'We all have families we need to get home to at the end of the day,' said Ryan Knighton, a contractor for Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction who works as a safety manager on UDOT's 1800 N interchange project in Sunset. 'With traffic coming up and down the highway at 75 mph, it can be very dangerous. Please, stay off your phones and pay attention.' Visit the UDOT website or download the UDOT Traffic app for iPhone or Android to stay updated on the latest construction information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State wildlife expert hopeful bird flu pandemic has peaked in Mass.
One of the wildlife research leaders for MassWildlife says the recent bird flu outbreak in Canada Geese, swans, owls, and other birds appears to have peaked in the state. Michael Huguenin says the last two weeks suggest cases are on the decline. 'We're paying close attention to it,' Huguenin told Boston 25 News. 'Things like this can change. This is a very cold winter, so the disease could linger. But it follows patterns, and this [decline] is the expected pattern, so we're hopeful the trend continues.' Since December, MassWildlife says it has received more than 1,000 reports of sick or dead birds in the state. More than 100 have tested positive for H5N1, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu. Bird deaths have been reported in communities across the state, including four Snowy Owls this week in Duxbury and Newburyport. A popular swan known as Marble in Jamaica Plain also died this week, though Huguenin said test results were pending. While the risk of transmission to humans is extremely low, officials urge people to avoid direct contact with any wild birds on their property, living or dead. Huguenin also encourages birdwatchers to remove bird feeders from their yards to avoid attracting sick birds that can then spread the virus to others. 'You don't really need to feed birds any time of year,' Huguenin says. 'They can find food for themselves, even in the winter time.' Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Arab News
29-01-2025
- Business
- Arab News
MENA's 50 Best Restaurants 2025: A celebration of culinary excellence
ABU DHABI: MENA's 50 Best Restaurants awards returned to Abu Dhabi for its 2025 edition on Tuesday night, celebrating the finest dining establishments across the Middle East and North Africa. The event, held at Erth Abu Dhabi, brought together the region's most acclaimed chefs, restaurateurs, and industry experts for a night that highlighted innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage in gastronomy. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ The No.1 spot was awarded to Orfali Bros Bistro (Dubai) for the third consecutive year, recognizing its bold reinterpretation of Middle Eastern flavors with global techniques. The list featured restaurants from 11 cities, showcasing the diversity of culinary experiences across the region, from fine-dining institutions in Dubai and Cairo to rising stars in Riyadh, Beirut, and Amman. The United Arab Emirates led the rankings with 22 restaurants, followed by Egypt (7), Jordan (6), Saudi Arabia (5), and Morocco (5). Marble: A journey from pop-up to culinary excellence Founded in 2018, No. 16 on the list was Marble, which started as a humble pop-up on Prince Turki Road before evolving into one of Riyadh's most sought-after dining destinations. The restaurant's focus on high-quality meats, expert butchery, and open-flame cooking has cemented its reputation among steak lovers and food critics alike. It was the highest ranking restaurant in Saudi Arabia. The restaurant is led by Chef Abdulrahman Al-Sowailem, along with CEO Meshal Al-Akeel and Creative Director Omar Al-Dayel, who have played pivotal roles in shaping Marble's identity and culinary direction. Speaking to Arab News, Chef Abdulrahman Al-Sowailem expressed his pride in the achievement, 'We are proud that Marble is the number one restaurant in Saudi Arabia, and we are delighted to see Saudi restaurants being recognized among the top 50 in the Middle East and North Africa.' Al-Sowailem, known for his meticulous approach to meat selection and minimal seasoning techniques, credits Saudi Arabia's evolving culinary landscape for creating opportunities for innovation. 'The influx of international restaurants has improved ingredient availability in Saudi Arabia, allowing us to source better products and refine our offerings,' he said. Marble's menu blends classic butchery with subtle nods to Saudi flavors, featuring Saudi coffee gelato and fried dates as part of its evolving lineup. Al-Sowailem also hinted at plans to further explore traditional Saudi cuisine in an elevated, modern context. In addition to Marble, four other Saudi restaurants were named on the list: • Kuuru (Jeddah) – No. 30: A contemporary fine-dining concept that fuses global culinary techniques with Saudi ingredients. • Lunch Room (Riyadh) – No. 31: A modern dining space blending casual elegance with high-end gastronomy. • Aseeb (Riyadh) – No. 39: A new entry to the list, offering a creative interpretation of traditional Saudi dishes with a modern twist. • Myazu (Riyadh) – No. 49: A high-end Japanese restaurant known for its refined take on traditional Japanese flavors, incorporating Saudi influences. The top 10 restaurants of MENA's 50 Best 2025 list represent a mix of heritage, innovation, and global influence: 1. Orfali Bros Bistro – Dubai (Best Restaurant in MENA) 2. Trèsind Studio – Dubai 3. Kinoya – Dubai 4. Khufu's – Cairo (Best Restaurant in Egypt) 5. Ossiano – Dubai (Art of Hospitality Award) 6. Fusions by Tala – Manama (Best Restaurant in Bahrain) 7. Jun's – Dubai 8. Shams El Balad – Amman (Best Restaurant in Jordan) 9. Em Sherif – Beirut (Best Restaurant in Lebanon) 10. Moonrise – Dubai
