Latest news with #Thomson
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Debris on river a flood threat, council hears
Debris piled high enough to cover cattle in the Waihemo River is an imminent flood threat to the area, the Otago Regional Council has been told. Waihemo farmer Jim Thomson's property is spilt by the Waihemo/Shag River. Mr Thomson is the Waihemo ward representative on the Waitaki District Council and an approved RMA hearings commissioner. He said he was speaking as a concerned ORC ratepayer. At the ORC meeting in Oamaru yesterday, he told the council he has seen the river deteriorate "badly" over the past five years. "There's been no maintenance, no spraying for weeds and in actual fact, now seeing the results of previous spraying which was excessive, large willow trees are now dead and falling over and will, I suggest, end up in the river during the next large flood. "The lack of that maintenance, as I say, is going to affect future flood events. I know historically the floods in the Waihemo peaked at 440 cubics and during my 12 years there it was at 298 and that was scary enough." Mr Thomson suggested the issue could be traced back to the "travesty" of the Otago Regional Plan Change 7, which implemented the same irrigation rules for all Otago, with no recognition of the different weather between central and eastern Otago. "However, 75 years of rainfall records in my district show an 800mm variation, in that rainfall. As low as during the 1998 drought of 286mm but as high as 1100mm in the last two years. "I haven't turned the irrigation pump on because Mother Nature has done it for us but in actual fact, that will show as a non-use and will result in the reduction of water allocated to me." He suggested a solution to prevent trees being an issue in floods was to, at the Maheno area, remove the debris and the alluvial deposits between the rail and road bridges in the Kakanui and allow the water to flow where it wants to. Failing to do so would mean ratepayers would face more flood events in the future, he said. "I would challenge some members around this table as to whether they have served the whole community or been caught up in spheres of specific local interest. "Local and regional government would have more effect if we engaged with the practical people in our communities. Let's be proactive rather than reactive. "I would like to urge the council to continue to engage with practical people dealing daily with issues in our community for far better outcomes in the long term. Let's engage, educate and empower our communities to achieve outcomes, rather to try and impose and enforce upon them." Moeraki representative Cr Kevin Malcolm asked what would prevent the issue from being an imminent threat. "Well, the first thing is the clogging of the river with lupins, gorse brush," Mr Thomson said. "When I arrived, I sprayed up from the river banks. I also farm in a way that the areas that are flood plain will have temporary feeds in and I normally set back 10 to 15 metres to make sure that stock don't have access to the river. "But over time, with the neglect last year, I actually sent Cr Malcolm a photo of where I shifted the fence up and put two year old cattle in to try and break down that debris and you couldn't actually see the cattle in amongst it."
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Billionaire Thomson family to buy $43m luxury London apartment
A member of the multi-billionaire family behind Thomson Reuters Corp agreed to buy a high-end London apartment for about £25 million (S$43.3 million), in the latest sign of North Americans bolstering the city's luxury market. The Thomson family member – whose exact identity is unclear – agreed to purchase the sprawling single-level flat in Mayfair earlier in 2025, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named as the information is private. A representative for the Thomson family did not respond to a request for comment. The deal, one of London's most expensive in 2025, is the latest example of how interest from wealthy individuals from across the Atlantic is proving to be a consolation for the London luxury market in the midst of a slump. Silicon Valley investor Matt Cohler bought a detached house in Notting Hill for roughly £22 million at the end of April, while American billionaire Tom Ford purchased a Chelsea mansion for more than £80 million in summer 2024, in one of the top transactions of 2024. The latest is by Canada's richest family as it boosts its UK investments on a surging fortune. The dynasty's namesake media empire traces back almost a century to the late patriarch Roy Thomson opening a radio station in Canada before it expanded into television and more than 200 print titles. Bloomberg LP, parent of Bloomberg News, competes with Thomson Reuters in providing news and services. Thomson Reuters' shares rose roughly 20 per cent in Toronto in 2025 through July 21 on the back of reporting strong earnings, almost double the gains posted by Canada's benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index. That's helped push the Thomson dynasty's combined fortunes to about US$106 billion, with six members of the family ranked among the world's richest 500, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Those family members include the third Baron Thomson of Fleet David Thomson, 68, who serves as chairman of the dynasty's media empire. He and his younger brother Peter, 60, also chair Woodbridge Co, the entity that controls their family's stake in their Toronto-based media firm along with Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore's domestic recycling rate drops to all-time low of 11% Singapore Sota parent portal taken down for urgent patching following global cyberattack alerts Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kicks in Singapore Local buyers are key to recovery of prime district condo market Singapore New online channel for public to report illegal ride-hailing services Singapore Ex-Tanjong Pagar United footballer charged with assault after Singapore Premier League match in Feb Singapore COE prices for cars mostly unchanged; premium for commercial vehicles up 2.9% Singapore Cyclist charged after allegedly hitting elderly pedestrian, killing him The Thomson family member's new purchase – a stone's throw from Mayfair's famous Grosvenor Square – was agreed broadly in line with the asking price, one of the people said. Knight Frank, the real estate agent which brokered the deal, declined to comment. London's luxury property market has seen steep discounts in 2025 after stamp duty increases and the abolition of a preferential tax status enjoyed by ultra-rich foreign residents hammered demand. There were 45 per cent more price reductions on £5 million-plus properties between January and May than the same period in 2024, data from researcher LonRes show. Still, a handful of mega-deals defied the slump over the past year, including several transactions in Mayfair. Chelsea FC co-owner Behdad Eghbali bought a luxury penthouse in the district in summer 2024, while the former Icelandic embassy on the high-end Park Street sold for £22 million earlier in 2025. BLOOMBERG
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Centre's losses from grey market TV sellers may swell to $2 billion: SPPL CEO
NEW DELHI: The Central government's losses from unregulated grey market television (TV) sellers may reach $2 billion (~₹17,200 crore) in the near future, according to Super Plastronics ( SPPL ). The Noida-based firm is the brand licensee of Thomson , Kodak , and Blaupunkt in India. 'Organised brands such as SPPL, brands, and OEMs have a huge challenge to deal with. The government may have to bear up to $2 billion of tax loss in the near future. The government is undertaking measures, but unorganised trade is causing significant problems,' Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, SPPL, told ETTelecom . These grey market sellers, he said, primarily operate in the entry-level TV segment, where the top five market players have started coming under pressure. 'The government is also losing out on customs duties. The practices of unorganised traders are perfect for initiating regulatory actions by agencies such as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED),' he added. Industry executives said such traders regularly import electronic components from countries such as China, assemble them in factories in locations such as Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, and sell unbranded televisions in rural markets, where consumer awareness about brand authenticity and related aspects remain low. Marwah said SPPL has a 6% share in the TV market, which has a volume of around 14 million units, and expects this to grow to 7% in 2026, supported by premium, large-screen models backed by display and audio innovations. Recently, Thomson launched new mini-LED TVs with a 108W speaker system comprising two integrated subwoofers, QD 4K displays, powered by Google TV, in the price range of ₹61,999 to ₹95,999. The top executive said the TV market remained stagnant in the first half of 2025, but the upcoming festival season, combined with the replacement cycle, may drive recovery in the July-December 2025 period. 'One of the key reasons (for market stagnation) is due to the purchases that happened during the COVID pandemic. I think there was a saturation in the market, and there was no disruption in technology. Now, the time has come. The replacement in the market will start from H2 2025,' he said. Counterpoint Research has projected that the Indian TV market may grow by a modest 4% in 2025, with a recovery anticipated in the second half following a sluggish start to the year. 'Due to the ongoing economic uncertainty and inventory issues across top brands, the market is likely to remain slow with a premiumisation trend as buyers begin to value performance and quality alongside affordability. The demand for premium and large-screen TVs will continue to rise, while shipments of smaller 32-inch TVs are expected to decline further,' Anshika Jain, senior research analyst, Counterpoint, told ETTelecom . The research agency said that artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled smart TVs remain in the early stages of adoption, with major players gradually offering advanced features such as adaptive picture and sound, as well as multilingual voice assistants.
Fox Sports
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Phillies Cristopher Sanchez shows he has come a long way with a complete-game victory
Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As recently as two years ago, Cristopher Sanchez was a pitcher in transition, earning some major league time yet frequently shuttling between the Phillies and their Triple-A affiliate in the Lehigh Valley. He was also trying to establish himself, at both levels, as a starting pitcher, one who has now not only has shown an affinity for pitching for length, but pitching as effectively as anyone in baseball. The 28-yeaer-old Sanchez showed his stuff again Tuesday night, pitching a complete game, 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. In the course of a 106-pitch gem, he allowed a fourth-inning home run to Rob Refsnyder and also struck out 12 batters and induced 13 ground ball outs. While only becoming a regular starter late in the 2023 season, Sanchez wiped away his early career inconsistency and became an All-Star last season, and probably should have been one this season. He is 9-2 with a 2.40 ERA, has gone six innings or more over his last nine consecutive outings. 'That just tells me that the work we've been doing since the offseason is working,' Sanchez said of his consistency. 'And that's something I take a lot of pride in.' With a vulnerable bullpen and usual second-starter Aaron Nola suffering a bad season start before going down with an injury, Sanchez's growth is something the Phillies desperately needed. He has responded with a cool demeanor and an arsenal that includes a high-90s fastball often tempered with a killer change-up. 'He has electric stuff,' Bryce Harper said of Sanchez after the Phillies improved to 58-43. 'He's done a great job for us. Just throws strikes. He's kind of evolved into an ace for us.' Sanchez also has an understanding with manager Rob Thomson ... he isn't usually a pitcher who asks to come out of a game. Hence, when Sanchez kicked into an unusual celebration after striking out Refsnyder for the second time in the game to end the eighth inning, it turned out this show still had an inning to go. 'No, I always wait for the manager to tell me I'm done,' Sanchez said. 'I wait for him to come to me.' Thomson went to his second ace starter after the eighth, 'just to see if he was OK. 'He said, 'No, I'm not tired, I'd tell you if I was tired,'' Thomson said. 'So we sent him back out.' It took only 10 pitches in the ninth for Sanchez to finish out his third career complete game. With it will come yet more recognition that this guy is on the list of potential National League Cy Young Award candidates. That's a long way from the hopeful pitcher splitting time between the minors and majors just a few seasons ago. 'That was very hard, but I never gave up,' Sanchez said. 'I was staying strong, both mentally and physically, and I was always ready for the opportunity whenever it came.' ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 2
Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Phillies Cristopher Sanchez shows he has come a long way with a complete-game victory
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As recently as two years ago, Cristopher Sanchez was a pitcher in transition, earning some major league time yet frequently shuttling between the Phillies and their Triple-A affiliate in the Lehigh Valley. He was also trying to establish himself, at both levels, as a starting pitcher, one who has now not only has shown an affinity for pitching for length, but pitching as effectively as anyone in baseball. The 28-yeaer-old Sanchez showed his stuff again Tuesday night, pitching a complete game, 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. In the course of a 106-pitch gem, he allowed a fourth-inning home run to Rob Refsnyder and also struck out 12 batters and induced 13 ground ball outs. While only becoming a regular starter late in the 2023 season, Sanchez wiped away his early career inconsistency and became an All-Star last season, and probably should have been one this season. He is 9-2 with a 2.40 ERA, has gone six innings or more over his last nine consecutive outings. 'That just tells me that the work we've been doing since the offseason is working,' Sanchez said of his consistency. 'And that's something I take a lot of pride in.' With a vulnerable bullpen and usual second-starter Aaron Nola suffering a bad season start before going down with an injury, Sanchez's growth is something the Phillies desperately needed. He has responded with a cool demeanor and an arsenal that includes a high-90s fastball often tempered with a killer change-up. 'He has electric stuff,' Bryce Harper said of Sanchez after the Phillies improved to 58-43. 'He's done a great job for us. Just throws strikes. He's kind of evolved into an ace for us.' Sanchez also has an understanding with manager Rob Thomson … he isn't usually a pitcher who asks to come out of a game. Hence, when Sanchez kicked into an unusual celebration after striking out Refsnyder for the second time in the game to end the eighth inning, it turned out this show still had an inning to go. 'No, I always wait for the manager to tell me I'm done,' Sanchez said. 'I wait for him to come to me.' Thomson went to his second ace starter after the eighth, 'just to see if he was OK. 'He said, 'No, I'm not tired, I'd tell you if I was tired,'' Thomson said. 'So we sent him back out.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. It took only 10 pitches in the ninth for Sanchez to finish out his third career complete game. With it will come yet more recognition that this guy is on the list of potential National League Cy Young Award candidates. That's a long way from the hopeful pitcher splitting time between the minors and majors just a few seasons ago. 'That was very hard, but I never gave up,' Sanchez said. 'I was staying strong, both mentally and physically, and I was always ready for the opportunity whenever it came.' ___ AP MLB:
