Latest news with #industrialpark
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Morocco Launches Game Hub to Lure Developers, Boost Industry
Morocco is looking to secure a slice of the lucrative global gaming market, starting with the opening of a major industrial park, part of a plan to diversify the economy and boost export revenues. The proposed games estate in the capital Rabat is intended to attract up-and-coming developers and startups as well as foreign firms looking to capitalize on the kingdom's lower costs and youthful workforce, according to Nissrine Souissi, an official at Morocco's youth, culture and communication ministry, who is involved in the country's games-development strategy.
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Spruce Lake vote delayed again after opponents wrap up concerns about expansion plan
A vote on the proposed expansion of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park was delayed again Tuesday night after Saint John council heard the last of 75 people who lined up to speak against the project. The only people left to appear at a public hearing are those who support the expansion, which the city is spearheading to drive economic growth. The hearing on the rezoning needed to get the expansion underway began May 12 and, with so many people wanting to speak against the plan, has spread over three nights so far. It will continue June 16 at council's regular meeting. The proposed expansion is aimed at attracting medium or light industry that's clean and non-emitting to the industrial park in the rural Lorneville area of southwest Saint John. After the latest round of speakers, Mayor Donna Reardon said that in her 13 years either as a city councillor or the mayor, she has never seen anything like the response the Spruce Lake proposal has received. "Lorneville residents, there's seven to eight generations," she told reporters."They've lived there for a long time. "They have a community down there and they know each other. They work together. So it's not a surprise that they would come out within this force. I'm not surprised at all to have them here. And I think their voices need to be heard." Normally, public hearings happen within one council meeting," Reardon said. "We would hear both sides, we would have an opportunity to ask questions, and then we would make that decision based on our comments, so that's fair ball," she said. "If you're hearing only half of the story — you really need to have the other to get the balance and to make a proper decision. And we need some time to do that." She said she's not surprised Lorneville residents have come out in force to comment on the industrial park plan. "I'm not surprised at all to have them here. And I think their voices need to be heard." The chamber and lobby were filled as they were the previous two nights with 80 to 90 people, most of them opponents concerned about how the expansion will affect the environment and the quality of life in the rural community. The decision to continue the hearing later in June, when supporters are to speak, was met with anger from people who'd expected a decision by the end of the night. Adam Wilkins, co-chair of the Lorneville Community Liaison Committee, which aimed to find a path forward between staff and Lorneville residents, said he suspects the delay was premeditated. "There didn't seem to be many people here supporting the project, and I'm not sure if they were already tipped off that this was gonna happen, but it really seemed like a premeditated plan by council to push it," he said. Wilkins also said the 75 people who have spoken were a "great representation" of the community's concerns. Dozens of questions read to council Resident Barbara Gilliland came with a list of 70 questions, which she read one by one to council. The questions, broadly, were about the need for the proposal, the impacts, and how the impacts will be mitigated. Wilkins, the last Lorneville resident to speak, took aim at city staff in his address over the proposal that came from the task force meetings. "If a proposed project is so amazing, so generationally transformative and so without risks, then shouldn't the project sell itself?" Wilkins said. "Shouldn't [city staff] not feel the need to author a 100 page report that goes out of its way to purposefully deceive, disparage and discredit Lorneville and the members of the task force?" he asked, referring to comments in the city's updated plan. Reardon interjected and said she would not have speakers "bad mouthing staff". Councillor accused of bias Wilkins and others also aimed criticism at Coun. Brent Harris over a blog post published on the councillor's website on May 15 that community members perceived as support for the project. Wilkins accused Harris of "leaking" information about what will come in the park should the rezoning application move forward. In his post, Harris talked about the expansion's "transformational" opportunities and balancing them with Lorneville concerns. Harris wrote of the positives of the expansion but said he would continue to listen. In an earlier version — captured and saved by Wilkins — Harris said the city had received two letters of intent, one for a data centre and the other for a hydrogen ammonia processing facility. Lack of information about potential developments is a key reason community members are wary of the expansion. Harris later changed the wording of his original post to "advanced manufacturing processing facility," and said his original post was a mistake. But Wilkins was suspicious. "Why is he privy to that, or why is he allowed to leak that information that puts that out into the public, when the community spent 11 months trying to understand what actually would be coming and how we can ask questions and figure that out," Wilkins asked. Reardon said supporters will not have more than three nights to express their positions and wants time for staff to address community concerns. "There were 70 questions tonight," she said. "We've kept a track of questions and concerns over the last two meetings. Those are the things that councillors were looking to have answered by staff."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Investigation launched after five cars and lorry catch fire in Erith industrial park
An investigation has been launched into fire which broke out at an industrial park in Erith. Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled the blaze in Manor Road just after 4am today (June 4). Five cars, one lorry and a single storey outbuilding were involved in the fire. (Image: LFB/X) Manor Road Erith industrial park fire: Live updates Residents were advised to keep doors and windows shut due to the smoke produced by the blaze. A number of cylinders were removed from the vicinity and cooled to an ambient temperature by crews. Firefighters from Plumstead, Erith, Bexley were able to bring the fire under control just after 7am. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade's Fire Investigation officers.
Al Jazeera
27-05-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
At least five reported killed in large explosion at China chemical plant
At least five people have been killed and 19 injured in a huge chemical plant explosion in eastern China, according to state media reports. Six people were still missing following the explosion at the plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Weifang in Shandong province late on Tuesday morning, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and state-run Xinhua agency reported. The plant, situated in an industrial park, manufactures chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, they said. Videos circulating on Chinese social media and verified by the Reuters news agency showed plumes of orange and black smoke billowing into the sky. Windows of nearby buildings were ripped from their hinges by the explosion, one of the videos showed. Authorities launched a large response to the explosion and the blaze it ignited, with officials sending more than 230 responders to the scene, according to CCTV. Drone video posted by The Beijing News, a government-run publication, showed smoke emerging from the chemical plant and from a second, unidentified facility nearby. Baidu Maps, a navigation app, shows other manufacturing companies next to Youdao's plant, including a textile company, a machinery company and a firm that makes industrial coating materials. The Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau dispatched staff to test the site of the blast, but said no results were available yet. It advised nearby residents to wear face masks in the meantime, The Beijing News reported. A local resident, who did not wish to be identified for fear of repercussions, said in a video that his home, more than 7km (4.3 miles) from the plant, shook from the impact of the explosion, The Associated Press news agency reported. A statement from China's emergency response authority urged response crews to quickly contain the fire and establish the number of people affected. Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park in Weifang, according to the company's website. The plant covers about 47 hectares (116 acres) and has more than 300 employees. Blasts at chemical plants in China in recent years have included one in the northwest region of Ningxia in 2024 and another in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023. Two massive explosions at warehouses containing hazardous and flammable chemicals in the port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed more than 170 people and injured 700. The incident prompted the government to tighten laws covering chemical storage. Another explosion in 2015 at a chemical plant in Shandong killed 13 people.
Bloomberg
22-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Island Resorts Near Singapore Under Threat From China Smelter
One of China's biggest aluminum companies is threatening to disrupt the serenity of a cluster of islands that are a top holiday destination for Singapore visitors, sparking protests. A battle is brewing over the future of the Indonesian islands, which includes Bintan, the most popular destination. Around two dozen parties, including luxury resort operators across Bintan and operators of five nearby private islands, are speaking out against plans by a local unit of Nanshan Group to establish an industrial park on one of the atolls.
