Latest news with #Silk
Muscat Daily
3 days ago
- Muscat Daily
Oman's ultra-trail runner upbeat between two treacherous races
Hamed al Harthy, Oman's veteran ultra-trail runner is unstoppable… All through each year, he is either physically or mentally involved in some trail or the other around the world. Back from one race in China, he is already getting set for another in India, in September, and is indeed, elated about his prospects At the ripe age of 66, for Hamed al Harthy – Oman's lone veteran ultra-trail runner – who has participated in almost all the prestigious ultramarathons and ultra-trail runs in some of the most treacherous terrains around the world, the 'show' has just begun! Never exhausted on taking on daunting challenges, where youngsters would think twice before signing up, Hamed has always participated in ultra-trails where the difficulty levels are high. 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going' – this phrase most aptly describes his demeanour, and he admits that without an iota of pride – rather he takes pride in the fact that his health has remained concurrent with his spirit all through. Recently back from ChongLi 168 – one of Asia's most iconic ultra-trail running events in the scenic mountain range of Zhangjiakou, the venue of the 2022 Winter Olympics, held between July 11-13, Hamed has not set himself time to unwind. Rather, he is already making plans and preparations for a bigger challenge – the 122km Silk Route Ultra in Ladakh (India) on September 11. The ancient 'Silk Route' across the Karakoram pass connected North West India with Central Asia from Yarkhand, Kashgar and Turkestan. This route was strategically important and one of the longest trade routes in ancient times, not only for exchange of commodities but also for cultural exchanges. As this famous Silk route passed through the Nubra Valley (Ldumra – the valley of flowers), this race has been aptly name the Silk Route Ultra. This ultra-race is for all those who have been running the Khardungla Challenge for several years and for those ultra-runners and Ironman athletes who always want to test their endurance further. In fact, Hamed's participation in ChongLi was in preparation for Ladakh. In an exclusive chat with Muscat Daily, Hamed shares his passion. Excerpts: Which was the last race you participated in this month? I participated in the168 Ultra Trail ChongLi in the second week of July. As I understood, there were 4000 athletes doing ultras and 6000 doing smaller races. Were you the oldest runner? Not really. This race is open to runners between 24 to 79 years of age, I am told. How would you rate the difficulty quotient of this race? It was difficult considering the Sun and running in open areas. So one would need to carry an additional litre of water with electrolytes. Very few sections offered shade from trees, the rest had just tall grass. Also, the first 19km was difficult to negotiate as the trail was very narrow. The burden, however, was reduced as aid stations were manned with professional volunteers. Things were quite easy, I'd say. How did you tackle this race? As usual, I study the trail, aid stations, elevations, downhill sections, etc in detail by accessing whatever information I can. I set up a strategy and a plan, and stick to it almost 80 per cent. What preparation did you do and did you have any sponsors? I have been preparing for this race since the beginning of this year, and in April, I went to Turkey for a 122km race. I do my long runs in Jabal Akhdar to avoid the summer heat in Muscat. As for sponsors, I had Sohar International as the sponsor for the ChongLi Race – they will continue their support for the upcoming 122km race in Ladakh region of India which is the highest ultra-marathon in the world. What was the expected duration of the race and what timing did you clock? The expected duration was 28 hours – I completed the race in 26 hours. During the night, however, in one of the aid stations, I took the 50km exit by mistake, instead of the 100km exit. I was misguided by one of the volunteers but I do not blame him – we both learnt a lesson from this. An organiser detected through GPS that I had got lost but couldn't reach me on time. At the next aid station, I was told to wait for 20 minutes and redirected on the correct route. They gave me the option to quit the race, if I wished to. But for me, quitting is never an option. I decided to continue, though this deviation cost me more than three hours. Otherwise, I could have completed the race within 20-22 hours. What's next? Are you preparing for any other race this year? Yes. My next goal is the utramarathon in Ladakh which is around 46 days away in September. I have already resumed training – outdoors as well as in a gym. For long runs, I head to Jabal Akhdar. Do you think corporates must back ambitious individuals who seek to set new records? 100% yes. The country has a lot of potential and young athletes need an opportunity to participate in international races. However, many can't afford the cost involved. Do you foresee yourself as a coach for ultramarathons and international trails in the future? I have many pressing priorities as of now. I am a board member of Himam Trail runs in Oman. I help in working out the strategy of trail running in Oman. The good news is, Oman is catching up very fast. We are already on the world trail map and communities involved.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New lease of life for Daventry's pioneering radio building
The owner of the home of the first national radio transmitter in the world said he is determined to give it a new lease of 5XX building on Borough Hill in Daventry, Northamptonshire, celebrates the centenary of its opening on site went on to broadcast the BBC World Service for sixty years before being closed by the BBC in Silk bought the 5XX building, named after its transmitter callsign, in 2018 after "admiring it from afar" and is converting it into a base for his business, Juice Sound and Light. The 5XX transmission building contained what was then the most advanced and highest-power transmitter in the the BBC moved out in the nineties, it was left to decay until Mr Silk was offered the chance to buy it."It's a hundred-year-old building and it was left derelict to rot," he said."When we came in, it was a scene from a Halloween movie with cobwebs hanging everywhere and, internally, ivy growing down the walls and the roof was collapsing." Renovating the building was clearly going to be a long and expensive task, but Mr Silk was determined to get started."I've admired the building from afar for about 18 years prior to making the offer and it was always one of those places that intrigued me," he said. There are a few signs of its historic role in the past, including a travelling crane that was installed in 1925 to lift generator the iconic cathedral windows that once bathed the machinery in light had been bricked over. A particularly quirky part of the structure is a reinforced nuclear Silk said: "If nuclear war broke out, there was to be four persons placed in this bunker, and they would survive the shocks."They had supplies and services here for 28 days and, after that, they would open the blast doors and walk out to what was left." Mr Silk said he has spent about £330,000 on the building and there is still a lot of work to do, including the installation of offices and a small wants to ensure the building "maintains its quality for at least the rest of my lifetime, but hopefully for another hundred years". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hamilton Spectator
21-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
He took the helm at the height of tragedy. How Danone Canada's president is working to rebuild trust
After starting his career in Montreal, Frederic Guichard got the opportunity to return 26 years later, but the new president of Danone Canada's arrival was marred by tragedy — a listeria outbreak that would eventually claim three lives. The native of Nice, France, spent a year and a half in Canada in 1997-98 as part of a government-sponsored work program, serving as a marketing manager for Paris-based spirit maker Pernod Ricard in Montreal. Upon his return, Guichard accepted a role at Danone and has been working for the global food and beverage maker ever since. The company was founded in 1919 by Isaac Carasso, a Greek immigrant living in Barcelona, Spain, who was inspired by emerging research on the positive impact of yogurt on gut health and immunity. More than 106 years later, the France-headquartered company maintains its emphasis on promoting health through food. Today, Danone is a world leader in dairy and plant-based products, and second in packaged water and infant nutrition, with nearly $44 billion in sales in 2024. Its products are sold in more than 120 markets around the world with a global workforce of about 90,000. In 1972, then-CEO Antoine Riboud announced the company's 'dual project' of balancing business success with social progress, a mantra that Guichard says first attracted him to the company over a quarter century ago and has kept him there ever since. After nearly two decades working in marketing in Paris on Danone's yogurt, water and health brands, followed by another seven years in Eastern Europe, Guichard and his wife got the opportunity to return to Quebec last June. Danone entered the Canadian market in 1993 via its acquisition of Delisle, which had been in the yogurt business since the 1930s. The brand that brings Canadians Silk, Activia, Evian, Oikos, International Delight and more now leads the country in yogurt, plant-based beverages and coffee creamers. Most of the company's 618 Canadian staff are split between its Toronto and Boucherville, Que., offices, while others work remotely from coast to coast. Guichard was named president of Danone Canada in June 2024 and began in his new post last Canada Day. Within days of his arrival, however, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a national recall of plant-based milk alternatives from a production facility that makes its flagship almond milk, Silk — among other brands — due to a suspected listeria outbreak. Guichard says the company has spent the past year trying to regain the trust of Canadian consumers by investing in its health and safety practices, while furthering its sustainability efforts and developing new products to meet changing consumer preferences. The Star recently spoke with Guichard from Danone Canada's headquarters in Boucherville, just outside Montreal, about the organization's long-standing commitment to taste, sustainability and health, and the challenges of confronting a tragedy that seemed to call those principals into question. As a French person, food is the only thing we talk about. Even when we're eating a meal, we're talking about the last one, and the next one. I was especially interested in the products that people consume every day, and the impact it has on their lives. It's something I learned from my mom, who gave me a strong nutritional education at home, and over time we've only learned more about how important food and nutrition is to your health. Originally, I studied engineering, because I was interested in how things work. I enjoyed learning about industrial engineering, manufacturing and supply chains, but I couldn't picture a career in it, so I went back to school to study marketing and communications. I enrolled in a program organized by the French government that sent recent graduates to work for French companies based all over the world for a year and a half. It's a great way to get on-the-job experience to bring back to France. I had always wanted to travel to Canada and there was an opportunity to work in Montreal, so I decided to go for it. I always thought Canada was a fantastic country to visit, but I didn't think I would really fall in love with it like I did. I came here with my future wife after we had been together for six months, so this was the first step we made as a couple, and maybe that's why it became so important to me. I wanted to work for a large French corporation that had a strong presence and a strong impact internationally, both because of the impact it could have, and because I wanted to go abroad again as soon as possible. It took 17 years, but I ended up moving eventually, and I never got bored working for this company, even in France. You don't stay at a company for 26 years unless you're passionate about the work you're doing. Danone's mission is to improve people's health through food while improving the health of the planet. If you want to be a leader in sustainability, you need to be a certain size, and as a global company we can make a significant impact. The two largest parts of our environmental footprint are agriculture and packaging. On the agricultural side, we are working with our upstream partners to promote regenerative agriculture to reduce the carbon emissions of milk production worldwide. Danone was also the first major food company to sign a pledge to reduce methane emissions from dairy production 30 per cent by 2030. On the packaging side, we are working with stakeholders across the supply chain to ensure our packaging is recycled properly. Last month we announced a $9-million investment in our Boucherville plant to develop more sustainable packaging. In fact, Danone is Canada's largest consumer-facing B-Corp . We call ourselves the 'health through food' company, because nearly 87 per cent of Danone's global dairy, plant-based, water and aqua-drinks portfolio has at least 3.5 out of five stars on the international Health Star Rating system, which is unique in our industry. We've accomplished that by focusing on making our foods healthier, and by promoting healthy food categories. For example, we've reduced the amount of sugar in our Canadian products by 30 per cent in the last seven years. They say the second brain is in your gut, and we know that a healthy gut has benefits that go beyond digestive health, like mood and mental health. We develop products based on the latest in fermentation and gut health science. Activia has been clinically proven to improve digestive health, and if you have Activia twice a day for 14 days in what we call the 'Activia Gut Health Challenge,' nine people out of 10 report feeling the difference. We've also seen a surge in products that are high in protein, which has been proven to not only help build muscle but promote healthier aging. Yogurt is a great way to deliver protein to people in a way that's convenient, versatile, affordable and nutritional, without sugar or fat, which is why we introduced Oikos Pro, a high-protein Greek yogurt, this year in Canada. The same is true of plant-based milks, which were pioneered by Silk in the '70s, before being acquired by Danone in 2017. It's not just for those who can't tolerate dairy. In fact, many Canadians prefer having their cereal with sweetened almond milk than regular milk because of the taste, but also because it doesn't have as much sugar. This category really illustrates how we can have the best of nutrition and taste at once, and we continue to innovate in that direction. Those events have been devastating for all of us, because as you said we are a company that is based on health through food, so facing the reality that we might have missed something somewhere that led to these events was very hard. This happened a few days after I landed in Canada, and I immediately faced one of the most tragic events in the company in many years. The entire industry was caught off guard; we didn't think something like this could happen in this product category. I'm proud of how quickly the team worked to protect the health of our consumers. After we made the recall, we discovered that the issues were from a factory of a co-manufacturer and so we completely changed all our sourcing and moved everything into our Danone factories. It's been emotionally challenging for everyone, but I'm proud of how we managed to sustain production, raise the bar of all our products in terms of quality and safety, and created awareness across the industry. We are operating in consumer goods categories that are growing faster than average, and we need to lead those categories and shape them in a way that meets consumer expectations. Canadians want healthier products that take better care of the environment. They want transparency on what goes into them, the science behind them, and the values of the company. We're going to double down on what we do best, which is crafting new recipes that not only taste good, but go one step further in terms of health and nutrition. We are here to develop such products and to develop trust with our consumers. There is a lot of room for innovation, and we aim to lead those categories, not just to serve them.
South Wales Guardian
21-07-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Arrest made as dozens gather outside Essex hotel ‘housing asylum seekers'
More than 100 demonstrators assembled outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Sunday evening, with some chanting 'save our kids'. Some set off flares in blue and red, while others held signs which read 'deport foreign criminals', 'we go home when they go back' and 'defend our girls'. Bottles and smoke flares were later thrown towards police vans blocking the entrance to the hotel on the High Road. The force said one person had been arrested and was being taken into custody on Sunday evening. Essex Police announced, before the protest, that it would order demonstrators to remove face coverings when requested under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Anyone who refuses to remove a face mask when asked to do so is likely to be arrested and could be imprisoned if convicted, the force said. 'The right to peaceful protest is protected by law and allows everyone freedom of expression, but this must be done respectfully and if there is a risk to public order, we will act appropriately,' officers said. It comes after a man was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage on Sunday afternoon following previous clashes outside the hotel. Eight police officers were injured after what started as a peaceful protest on Thursday evening. Keith Silk, 33, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, was arrested on Saturday, Essex Police said. The force said on Sunday that the CPS had authorised police to charge Silk with one count of violent disorder and one count of criminal damage. He was remanded into custody and will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday. Thursday's demonstration was one of a series of protests outside the hotel since 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was charged with sexual assault after an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. He denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
North Wales Chronicle
21-07-2025
- North Wales Chronicle
Arrest made as dozens gather outside Essex hotel ‘housing asylum seekers'
More than 100 demonstrators assembled outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Sunday evening, with some chanting 'save our kids'. Some set off flares in blue and red, while others held signs which read 'deport foreign criminals', 'we go home when they go back' and 'defend our girls'. Bottles and smoke flares were later thrown towards police vans blocking the entrance to the hotel on the High Road. The force said one person had been arrested and was being taken into custody on Sunday evening. Essex Police announced, before the protest, that it would order demonstrators to remove face coverings when requested under section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Anyone who refuses to remove a face mask when asked to do so is likely to be arrested and could be imprisoned if convicted, the force said. 'The right to peaceful protest is protected by law and allows everyone freedom of expression, but this must be done respectfully and if there is a risk to public order, we will act appropriately,' officers said. It comes after a man was charged with violent disorder and criminal damage on Sunday afternoon following previous clashes outside the hotel. Eight police officers were injured after what started as a peaceful protest on Thursday evening. Keith Silk, 33, of Torrington Drive, Loughton, was arrested on Saturday, Essex Police said. The force said on Sunday that the CPS had authorised police to charge Silk with one count of violent disorder and one count of criminal damage. He was remanded into custody and will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Monday. Thursday's demonstration was one of a series of protests outside the hotel since 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was charged with sexual assault after an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. He denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
