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Global News
2 days ago
- General
- Global News
Crews respond to large fire at Langley apartment building under construction
Firefighters were busy Sunday morning responding to a large blaze in Langley City that destroyed an apartment building under construction. Langley City Fire Rescue Service Chief Scott Kennedy says crews were called to the fire at the six-storey building at 201A street and Fraser Highway shortly after 4 a.m. 'When crews arrived, they were met with a wall of flame on the back of the building, almost going the full height of the building,' he said 'The building was still a few months from full occupancy. It wasn't completed. It's under construction at this point in time. Because of that, that probably aided in the spread of the fire.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The blaze was designated a four-alarm fire. Crew members from fire departments in Langley Township and Surrey were called in to assist with the firefight. Story continues below advertisement Multiple nearby residential buildings were also evacuated out of an abundance of caution. A Langley resident named Morgan who lives near the site of the fire told Global News she heard big bang sounds this morning before noticing the blaze. 'When I heard the sirens I was thinking, 'OK, this is kind of going on for a little bit too long,'' she said. 'When I turned over, I could see the red outside of the window. I immediately went out the front door and there's just debris all over the ground from the embers coming down.' Langley RCMP says there are no reported injuries from the fire at this time. 'We are working with the Langley City Fire Rescue on this incident and the investigation into the cause of this fire is ongoing,' said Langley RCMP Sgt. Zynal Sharoom in a news release. Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the area at the time or has dashcam footage of the fire is asked to contact Langley RCMP.
The Herald Scotland
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scientists produce cosmetics from spent coffee grounds
It then used the grounds collected at the festival to create a coffee skin oil which almost sold out on Amazon in just a few weeks. Revive has also secured further investment of more than £350,000, including another successful crowdfunding campaign, and will be raising more money next year to allow it to scale up production. Scott Kennedy of Revive Eco said: 'Tons of coffee grounds are thrown out every day, despite the value and the different potential uses of the oil they contain. 'The reaction to our products has been great and a real demonstration of how we can offer an alternative to palm or coconut oil whose use in cosmetics has had such a devastating impact on some of the world's ecosystems.' He added: 'The manufacturers are looking to change and we believe we have come up with a truly sustainable solution which will not diminish the quality of their product.' Mr Kennedy and co-founder Fergus Moore first identified the potential of coffee waste when they were students at the University of Strathclyde. They launched the business in 2015 and moved to BioCity six years later. There they have received support from Pioneer, Scottish Enterprise, Zero Waste Scotland and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The company now employs six people and anticipates further recruitment this year. A major breakthrough came in 2021 when Revive's scientists finalised and patented their unique upcycling process and earlier this year a successful pilot project took place with French company SAS Pivert, using grounds supplied by Costa Coffee. Mr Moore said: 'The next step is to work with a partner to produce coffee oil on a commercial level." Discussions have already taken place with leading cosmetic companies, but Revive's ambition goes further. 'Spent coffee grounds have always been just the first step for us. Our goal is to demonstrate that we can create value and positive environmental impact from a range of different waste streams,' he added. John Mackenzie, Director (Scotland) at Pioneer Group – which has Edinburgh Technopole as well as BioCity Glasgow in its portfolio – said: 'The work of Revive is so important in demonstrating that any ambition for a circular economy is not pie in the sky. This unlikely union of waste and skincare just shows what can be achieved with great imagination, fantastic science and a lot of hard work by Scott, Fergus and the rest of the Revive team.' Revive Eco is one 20 life science businesses at BioCity, a 26-acre site 13 miles east of Glasgow. During the past 18 months Pioneer has spent around £2m on improvements to buildings, infrastructure, landscaping and services for laboratories. Planning permission is in place for a further 73,000 sq. ft development. Pioneer Group - which integrates R&D infrastructure, venture investment and support – operates 12 sites across the UK and Ireland.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The China Wild Card
Andrew here. After President Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, there are a cascade of questions on Monday morning. The most pressing that has so far gone largely overlooked is this: What about China, one of Iran's biggest economic partners? Would Beijing quietly support efforts by Tehran to retaliate against American interests? Will it continue to prop up Iran's economy by buying the country's oil? If it stands by Iran, how could that impact the U.S. trade negotiations with China? And, perhaps most critically, what does this mean for President Xi Jinping's calculations about Taiwan, and how Trump might react to an effort to take the island? I spent the weekend talking and texting with policymakers and analysts in Washington to understand what may come next. Perhaps the most intriguing perspective I gleaned was that the U.S. action might actually grant China greater leverage in its broader negotiations with Trump — not less — over trade and nearly everything else. 'The U.S.'s call for China to counsel Iran to not close the Strait of Hormuz adds to the list of things Washington needs from Beijing, the others being its rare earth exports, cracking down on the fentanyl trade, and reducing its trade surplus,' Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me. 'As a result, China's potential leverage grows and the costs to the U.S. from escalating in any domain against China grows.' Many in Washington say that China would prefer to de-escalate the situation as quickly as possible. Bonnie Glaser, who runs the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund explained: 'Chinese interests are in a cease-fire, not a wider war. I don't think the Chinese will support Iranian strikes on the U.S.' Indeed, the truth is that 'China is much more important to Iran than vice versa,' Ryan Hass, a senior fellow and director at the Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, told me. Consider: About 90 percent of Iran's oil exports go to China, Hass said — but that represents just 10 percent of China's oil imports. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Business Mayor
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: A fragile truce as tempers flare
Containers pile up at Taicang Port Container Terminal in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, on May 18, 2025. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images This report is from this week's CNBC's The China Connection newsletter, which brings you insights and analysis on what's driving the world's second-largest economy. Each week, we'll explore the biggest business stories in China, give a lowdown on market moves and help you set up for the week ahead. Like what you see? You can subscribe here. The big story Just a week after a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade tensions, neither side can yet be confident that the other is holding up their end of the bargain. 'These 90 days won't be smooth,' Liu Weidong, research fellow at a state-affiliated think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of American Studies, told me this week. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. He predicts elevated uncertainty and smaller steps next, given the already-large breakthrough, as the U.S. and China each try to feel the other out towards a middle ground. The posturing has already begun. China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday warned that it would take legal action against those involved in assisting or implementing measures to curb the usage of advanced semiconductors from China. It follows an earlier accusation by the same ministry on Monday that blamed the U.S. for undermining trade talks with a Huawei chip warning last week — although the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security had actually toned down its language and dismissed a more restrictive Biden-era plan on chips. Many in the U.S. are also concerned that China isn't relaxing rare earth export controls, another area in which China dominates the supply chain. That's despite the joint statement's vague description of how China would 'suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025.' Read More Aid Is Rushing Into Gaza While the Cease-Fire Holds 'I do think Washington was expecting the export controls on that group of rare earths to be lowered, permitting exports in a relatively unrestricted way,' said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. 'If it turns out that, in fact, that is not the result, the U.S. will probably conclude that China is in violation of the agreement,' he said. 'We could see a re-escalation sooner rather than later.' While the White House has yet to respond to a CNBC request for comment, a step back reveals ambiguity on China's side. But are the rare earth export controls part of China's countermeasures to U.S. tariffs? That's up for debate. An April 4 document from China's commerce ministry and customs agency announcing the export controls did not explicitly label them as such. While China did pause restrictions on 28 U.S. entities that were slapped with export controls on critical minerals, the ministry has made several public statements about strengthening export controls on critical minerals. 'Given the comprehensive and competitive nature of bilateral relations, the current truce — while focused on trade—can easily be undermined by export controls,' said Yue Su principal economist, China, at The Economist Intelligence Unit. 'While rhetorical posturing is unlikely to undermine the 90-day truce, China may well recalibrate its export control regime in a measured response to U.S. actions,' she said. The Chinese commerce ministry on Sunday also announced duties of up to 74.9% on imports of an engineering plastic from the U.S., Europe, Japan and Taiwan. Trump-Xi talk? U.S. President Donald Trump last week told Fox News he is open to a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, or even a trip to China. But Beijing hasn't dropped any hints. 'I'd be surprised if the two step into the middle of these issues right now with so much unclear,' Kennedy said. The new U.S. Ambassador to China, David Perdue, arrived in Beijing on Thursday, slightly more than two weeks after being confirmed by the Senate. He was previously the head of Asia for U.S. packaged consumer goods company Sara Lee. One of Perdue's first social media posts called for 'strong actions' on fentanyl. He said on X that, together with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, they were 'meaningfully engaged with the Chinese on next steps to stop this dangerous situation.' The U.S. has left in place 20% in tariffs imposed earlier this year over China's alleged role in the fentanyl crisis. The joint statement last week said the U.S. and China would establish a mechanism for talks about economic and trade relations, but neither side has specified when the next one would occur. Liu, who helped author a report in February with The Carter Center about bilateral cooperation, emphasized the overall focus of the current talks is trade rather than tech. He expects that China could eventually agree to buy more U.S. agriculture and energy products — given the perception that pressuring farmers can influence Trump. Top TV picks on CNBC Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on tariffs and China Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, discusses tariffs and the China market for his business. Toyota North America COO on new fleet of cars and tariffs on auto imports Mark Templin, Toyota North America COO, joins CNBC's 'Closing Bell' to discuss the company's launch of their new products, the company's pricing, and much more. Walter Isaacson on biotech breakthroughs vs. federal funding cuts, Trump-U.S. business relationship Walter Isaacson, 'Elon Musk' author, Perella Weinberg Partners advisory partner and Tulane professor, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss breakthroughs in gene editing and biotech to cure diseases, impact of federal funding cuts, the White House relationship with the business world, and more. Need to know In the markets Stock chart icon The performance of the Shanghai Composite over the past year. Chinese and Hong Kong stocks climbed Wednesday. Mainland China's CSI 300 was up 0.68% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index — which includes major Chinese companies — rose 0.53% as of 12 p.m. local time. The benchmark 10-year Chinese government bond yield is at 1.669%. Coming up May 22: Xiaomi to release mobile phone chip, its first SUV and other products May 27: China to report industrial profits for April
CNBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: A fragile truce as tempers flare
Just a week after a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade tensions, neither side can yet be confident that the other is holding up their end of the bargain. "These 90 days won't be smooth," Liu Weidong, research fellow at a state-affiliated think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of American Studies, told me this week. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. He predicts elevated uncertainty and smaller steps next, given the already-large breakthrough, as the U.S. and China each try to feel the other out towards a middle ground. The posturing has already begun. China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday warned that it would take legal action against those involved in assisting or implementing measures to curb the usage of advanced semiconductors from China. It follows an earlier accusation by the same ministry on Monday that blamed the U.S. for undermining trade talks with a Huawei chip warning last week — although the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security had actually toned down its language and dismissed a more restrictive Biden-era plan on chips. Many in the U.S. are also concerned that China isn't relaxing rare earth export controls, another area in which China dominates the supply chain. That's despite the joint statement's vague description of how China would "suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025." "I do think Washington was expecting the export controls on that group of rare earths to be lowered, permitting exports in a relatively unrestricted way," said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "If it turns out that, in fact, that is not the result, the U.S. will probably conclude that China is in violation of the agreement," he said. "We could see a re-escalation sooner rather than later." While the White House has yet to respond to a CNBC request for comment, a step back reveals ambiguity on China's side. But are the rare earth export controls part of China's countermeasures to U.S. tariffs? That's up for debate. An April 4 document from China's commerce ministry and customs agency announcing the export controls did not explicitly label them as such. While China did pause restrictions on 28 U.S. entities that were slapped with export controls on critical minerals, the ministry has made several public statements about strengthening export controls on critical minerals. "Given the comprehensive and competitive nature of bilateral relations, the current truce — while focused on trade—can easily be undermined by export controls," said Yue Su principal economist, China, at The Economist Intelligence Unit. "While rhetorical posturing is unlikely to undermine the 90-day truce, China may well recalibrate its export control regime in a measured response to U.S. actions," she said. The Chinese commerce ministry on Sunday also announced duties of up to 74.9% on imports of an engineering plastic from the U.S., Europe, Japan and Taiwan. U.S. President Donald Trump last week told Fox News he is open to a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, or even a trip to China. But Beijing hasn't dropped any hints. "I'd be surprised if the two step into the middle of these issues right now with so much unclear," Kennedy said. The new U.S. Ambassador to China, David Perdue, arrived in Beijing on Thursday, slightly more than two weeks after being confirmed by the Senate. He was previously the head of Asia for U.S. packaged consumer goods company Sara Lee. One of Perdue's first social media posts called for "strong actions" on fentanyl. He said on X that, together with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, they were "meaningfully engaged with the Chinese on next steps to stop this dangerous situation." The U.S. has left in place 20% in tariffs imposed earlier this year over China's alleged role in the fentanyl crisis. The joint statement last week said the U.S. and China would establish a mechanism for talks about economic and trade relations, but neither side has specified when the next one would occur. Liu, who helped author a report in February with The Carter Center about bilateral cooperation, emphasized the overall focus of the current talks is trade rather than tech. He expects that China could eventually agree to buy more U.S. agriculture and energy products — given the perception that pressuring farmers can influence Trump. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on tariffs and China Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, discusses tariffs and the China market for his business. Toyota North America COO on new fleet of cars and tariffs on auto imports Mark Templin, Toyota North America COO, joins CNBC's "Closing Bell" to discuss the company's launch of their new products, the company's pricing, and much more. Walter Isaacson on biotech breakthroughs vs. federal funding cuts, Trump-U.S. business relationship Walter Isaacson, 'Elon Musk' author, Perella Weinberg Partners advisory partner and Tulane professor, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss breakthroughs in gene editing and biotech to cure diseases, impact of federal funding cuts, the White House relationship with the business world, and more. Chinese exporters are doubling down on non-U.S. markets. That's based on a poll by Allianz Trade. But a Shanghai-based baby products company on Tuesday announced a major ramp-up of its U.S. market expansion. Meanwhile, analysts and industry players point out how some Chinese exporters have found illicit ways around U.S. tariffs. Retail sales and industrial production growth slowed in April. The sluggish real estate sector showed little sign of improvement. However, major Chinese online shopping companies reported better sales in the first quarter, helped by artificial intelligence-powered ads. Electric car company Leapmotor said its gross margin for the first quarter was a record 14.9%, while Chinese battery giant CATL raised $4.6 billion in its Hong Kong listing on Tuesday. China is gearing up for its next five-year plan. The next set of development goals will kick in next year. The science ministry, central bank and several other ministries have also announced measures to support "high-level scientific and technological self-reliance." A new policy for preventing government spending waste calls for favoring domestic vehicles, especially new energy makes. Chinese and Hong Kong stocks climbed Wednesday. Mainland China's CSI 300 was up 0.68% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index — which includes major Chinese companies — rose 0.53% as of 12 p.m. local time. The benchmark 10-year Chinese government bond yield is at 1.669%. May 22: Xiaomi to release mobile phone chip, its first SUV and other products May 27: China to report industrial profits for April
