The Chinese move has shocked the industry. Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP/FileSource: AFP Hundreds of employees of French cognac maker Hennessy, part of the LVMH group luxury empire, went on strike on Tuesday to protest measures the brand plans to employ to circumvent Chinese tariffs imposed in a spat with the EU. Some 500-600 staff in cognac’s home Charente region in southwestern France were protesting at an experimental plan to export the drink in vats, rather than bottles, which will be subject to additional taxes estimated at 35 percent, France’s CGT and FO unions said. “Management told us they wanted to do tests on exporting the products in vats with a view to future bottling in China by a service provider” and no longer in France, Frederic Merceron, FO representative
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Half of survey respondents also say mining giant’s workplace culture has improved ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’. More than one-third of workers at Rio Tinto experienced bullying in the previous 12 months, a progress review has found, nearly three years after the mining giant pledged to tackle pervasive sexism and racism in the workplace. Among the nearly 12,000 surveyed Rio Tinto employees, 39 percent reported being bullied, up from 31 percent in 2021, the report commissioned by the British-Australian company showed on Wednesday. Female employees were more likely to say they experienced bullying. Half of the women surveyed reported such experiences, compared with 36 percent of men, up from 36 percent of women and 29 percent of men, respectively, in 2021. The rise in bullying against women was partly due
Nov
Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, vice presidential candidate of the NDC Featured Zadok Kwame Gyesi Politics Nov – 19 – 2024 , 16:39 The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has assured Ghanaians that the next NDC government will fairly and equitably share the national cake. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said this on Tuesday when she paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Waala Traditional Council, Naa Seidu Pelpuo IV, at his palace in Wa at the start of her two-day campaign tour of the Upper West Region. She said the NDC stands for development, adding that the party which provided massive infrastructural development across the country, will do more when elected in the December 7, 2024, general elections. Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said unlike the NDC
Nov
Elbit specifically told the Post it is not attending the conference, and Rafael, at press time, had not yet indicated whether it would attend or not. By YONAH JEREMY BOB NOVEMBER 19, 2024 19:19 Updated: NOVEMBER 19, 2024 19:48 A view of the Elbit Systems booth at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, February 20, 2024 (photo credit: REUTERS/EDGAR SU) With Vietnam’s defense ministry telling Reuters that Israeli and Iranian defense companies will both appear at an arms expo in Vietnam in December, The Jerusalem Post got mixed signals about whether this will really pan out. According to Reuters, “Companies from Iran, Israel, China, Russia, and the United States will showcase military equipment at an arms expo in Hanoi in December, Vietnam’s defense ministry said on Tuesday
Nov
The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by ABC News. The Venmo records show that between July 2017 and late January 2019, Gaetz — who was first elected in 2016 — allegedly made 27 Venmo payments totaling $10,224.02 to the two witnesses, who were over the age of 18 at the time. The payments, which sources said were displayed during closed-door testimony, ranged from $100 to more than $700 each. Documents show payment records obtained by the House Ethics Committee during its probe of Rep. Matt Gaetz. House
Nov
As rising temperatures and devastating storms reshape the landscape, Asia’s rice farmers are embracing innovation like never before. By marrying traditional cultivation with advanced digital tools, they are striving to tackle the urgent challenges of climate change by transforming rice production into a sustainable and profitable venture. From the boundless fields of India to the bustling paddies of Vietnam and Thailand , a revolution is brewing, driven by the pressing need to combat methane emissions and improve water management. These innovative practices not only mitigate environmental impacts but also “increase crop yields, lower input costs, and provide farmers access to carbon markets, boosting incomes”, said Jaime Adams, co-lead of the US Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (Aim for Climate) on the sidelines of Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Nov
According to the weather service, Orange Level 5 severe thunderstorms are expected in parts of the Eastern Cape. (Sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images) Several warnings for severe thunderstorms have been issued for various parts of the country. According to the South African Weather Service, Orange Level 5 severe thunderstorms can be expected in parts of the Eastern Cape, Yellow Level 3 in parts of the Western Cape and Yellow Level 2 in KwaZulu-Natal. Impact-based warnings Orange Level 5 warning: Severe thunderstorms causing damage to settlements/property, vehicles, infrastructure, and disruptions to municipal services are expected in places along the Wild Coast and adjacent interior of the Eastern Cape. Yellow Level 2 warning: Severe thunderstorms resulting in localised damage to property and temporary structures as well as difficult driving conditions over the eastern and
Nov
The bill arrives as the first transgender congresswoman prepares to take office. November 18, 2024, 8:19 PM Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said on Monday that she will be introducing a measure to ban transgender women from using biological women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol. Her announcement comes as Rep.-elect Sarah McBride prepares to take office as the first transgender person elected to Congress. The resolution, which is expected to be filed Monday night, would amend the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives in order to prohibit members, officers and employees from using facilities that are currently designated for the opposite biological sex. “The sanctity of protecting women and standing up against the Left’s systematic erasure of biological women starts here in the nation’s Capitol,” Mace wrote
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country’s air attack on Iran last month hit “a component” of Tehran’s nuclear programme and degraded its defence and missile production capabilities. “There is a specific component in their nuclear programme that was hit in this attack,” Netanyahu said in a speech in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, on Monday without providing details on the element hit. “The programme itself and its ability to operate here have not yet been thwarted,” he added. On October 26, Israeli fighter jets launched three waves of strikes targeting Iranian military assets, weeks after Iran had fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, saying its attack was in response to Israel’s killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
Nov
President-elect Donald Trump proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China and 10% to 20% on other imports. Trade experts said the proposals would probably increase costs in areas such as apparel and technology. It’s still unclear how Trump would enact the tariffs, and he could end up going smaller than proposed. President-elect Donald Trump has big plans for tariffs. If implemented, Americans could see prices rise across several product categories. Some companies that produce apparel and auto parts have already started preparing to raise prices if Trump enacts his plans, and some trade experts predicted that a range of industries, including electronics and appliances, would see higher prices. Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Business Insider that Trump could implement his
US President Joe Biden’s administration has issued a new round of sanctions against groups and individuals involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as the United States continues to provide unwavering support for Israel’s Gaza war. The US sanctions announced on Monday targeted the settlement development organisation Amana, as well as its subsidiary Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd. Amana is a “key part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement” and supports settlements and farms in the occupied West Bank “from which in turn settlers commit violence”, the US Treasury Department said. At the same time, the US State Department also sanctioned three individuals and a third organisation for their “roles in violence targeting civilians or in the destruction or dispossession of property” in the West Bank. They included
Nov
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya. Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo has declined President William Ruto’s and other politicians’ donations to the Soweto Catholic Church. In a statement on Monday, November 18, Anyolo cited the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) directives that discourage political donations to churches and the use of church events for political self-promotion. “The catholic church strongly discourages the use of church events such as fundraisers and gatherings as platforms for political self-promotion. Politicians are urged to refrain from turning the pulpit into a stage for political rhetoric, as such actions undermine the sanctity of worship places,” Anyolo said. According to Anyolo, the church is required to decline contributions from politicians, which might compromise
Nov
Jabulani Tuck Shop owner Tseliso Nkomo, 54, said he finds it unfair to be put through this process. “I’ve owned my tuck shop for more than five years and I’ve never had problems or was accused of poisoning children or anyone, but here I am. I was made to stand in the sun for four hours to re-register my business, this they say to regulate and make things better, but I didn’t poison anyone,” said Nkomo. He said foreigners were trying “to register their shops under false pretences”. “The majority of these owners are asylum seekers and they’ve come here with their landlords to register their shops and it’s wrong and illegal. It’s against the law for asylum seekers to do this [own a business] yet nothing is being done
Nov
An attorney representing two women who testified before the House Ethics Committee told ABC News in an interview that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid both his adult clients for sex. Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC News’ Juju Chang that one of his clients also witnessed Gaetz having sex with a third woman — who was then 17 years old — at a house party in Florida. “She testified [that] in July of 2017, at this house party, she was walking out to the pool area, and she looked to her right, and she saw Rep. Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17,” Leppard said. The Justice Department spent years probing the allegations against Gaetz, including allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it
Nov
Monday, November 18, 2024 Walkers gather at the Sheraton Hotel for a victorious photo moment, commemorating a day of unity and resilience. PHOTO | GLORIA IRANKUNDA What you need to know: Over 300 participants, including Uganda’s renowned football star Denis Onyango, joined forces to advocate for safer roads and responsible driving. The walk offered three distance options: 10, 20, or 60 kilometres On November 17, Uganda witnessed an extraordinary display of solidarity as hundreds gathered for the second annual Joe Walker Remembrance Walk. This poignant event honours lives lost to road crashes and raises vital awareness about road safety. Over 300 participants, including Uganda’s renowned football star Denis Onyango, joined forces to advocate for safer roads and responsible driving. The walk offered three distance options: 10, 20, or 60 kilometres.