Latest news with #MRF
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why India chose Shubman Gill to take the hardest job in cricket: What lies behind the poker face, the similarities with Ben Stokes and how he's already clashed with England
If there was any doubt about Shubman Gill's place in the pecking order of Indian Test captains, it is dispelled by his nickname. Where one of his recent predecessors answered to 'King Kohli', Gill – the 37th man to take on cricket's toughest job – goes by 'Prince'. The moniker even appears on the sticker of his MRF-sponsored bat, leading to accusations on social media of arrogance.
Malaysian Reserve
2 days ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Circular Services Selected as Recycling Partner for Mecklenburg County, NC
The agreement brings Circular Services' leading recycling operations to North Carolina, supporting Mecklenburg County's efforts to modernize its recycling infrastructure and advance material recovery. CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Circular Services, a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure in the United States, announced it has been selected by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, to serve as their recycling processing and operations partner. Circular Services will take over operations of the County's two Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), supporting the region's growing need for modernized recycling infrastructure and advancing local efforts to recover valuable materials at scale. Starting June 2025, Circular Services will operate the County's 48,510 sq. ft. MRF at 7833 Pence Road under a five-year agreement with two one-year extensions. Initially, the facility will serve in an interim capacity to process residential single-stream recyclable materials while the County undertakes a major retrofit of its flagship Metrolina MRF on Amble Drive. Once the retrofit is complete, expected in mid-2026, Circular Services will transition residential single-stream processing to the upgraded Metrolina MRF and repurpose the Pence Road facility as a construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility—optimized to meet the region's growing demand for industrial material recovery. Circular Services will operate the Metrolina MRF under a separate five-year agreement with two one-year extensions. The partnership was formally celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event held on June 17, where leaders from Mecklenburg County and Circular Services gathered at the Pence Road MRF to mark the start of this new collaboration. The event underscored both parties' shared commitment to building local recycling capacity and investing in long-term solutions for material recovery. Speakers included Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, Director of the Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA); Elaine Powell, Commissioner for District 1 & Chair of Environmental Stewardship Committee; Jeff Smithberger, Director of Solid Waste; and Ron Gonen, CEO of Circular Services. 'This partnership reflects Mecklenburg County's forward-thinking commitment to strengthening local recycling infrastructure,' said Gonen. 'We are proud to bring our operational expertise to North Carolina and support the County's efforts to maximize recovery, reduce landfill disposal costs, and build a more circular local economy.' '[The new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)] is a picture of the County's ongoing investment in environmental stewardship, sustainability and innovation,' said Gujjarlapudi during his remarks. 'Recycling in Mecklenburg County is not optional, it is essential.' Mecklenburg County expects to deliver over 6,000 tons of residential single-stream material to the Pence Road facility each month. Circular Services will manage the processing and marketing of these materials, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. The company anticipates hiring 35 full-time employees to support the site's operations, not including County staff. The MRF at Pence Road features a BHS processing system engineered for flexibility, enabling a smooth future transition from residential recycling to industrial and C&D material processing. The facility is located just a few hundred yards from the County's Hickory Grove Recycling Center, ensuring continued accessibility and convenience for residents. This agreement further expands Circular Services' national footprint, aligning with the company's mission to build resilient, regional infrastructure that keeps valuable materials in circulation, eliminates landfill disposal costs, and supports local economic growth. About Circular Services: Circular Services is a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure and services in the United States. With 27 operating locations, Circular Services provides holistic materials management services to municipalities and businesses across the country, keeping valuable materials in circulation and minimizing the cost and environmental impact of landfills. Media Contact:Alexandra GyarfasCircular
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Fidelity, BlackRock target Chinese demand for offshore funds
[HONG KONG] Fidelity International is poised to offer products that attract mainland investors chasing higher returns from overseas funds, according to sources familiar with the matter. The global asset manager is considering seeking approval for products under the decade-old Mutual Recognition of Funds scheme, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. It also plans to partner with its Chinese mutual fund company for domestic distribution, the sources added. BlackRock is making similar plans, said another source. A spokesperson for Fidelity International said the company is exploring 'a number of opportunities across asset classes' for the Mutual Recognition of Funds (MRF) programme. BlackRock did not respond to requests for comment. The moves come as Chinese investors poured tens of billions of US dollars into Hong Kong-based funds after regulators raised their contribution cap from 50 to 80 per cent in January. Started in 2015, the MRF allows cross-border fund investments between mainland China and Hong Kong. Mainland investors, who have consistently contributed more than Hong Kong buyers, are increasingly drawn to overseas opportunities due to deflationary risks and low bank deposit rates at home. Despite a pickup in private-sector sentiment earlier this year – fuelled by Deepseek's momentum and the easing of policy crackdowns – concerns over the country's long-term growth linger. In just one month, they poured 96.4 billion yuan (S$17.2 billion) into Hong Kong funds, lifting accumulated flows to nearly half of the 300 billion yuan quota. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The interest rate gap between China and the US is a key driver for demand in the products, said Rex Lo, managing director at BEA Union Investment, which has four products in the programme. US President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs 'created some noise' in global markets, but mainland investors still want offshore assets, he said. Two BEA Union Investment products in the programme saw assets surge more than 200 per cent as at May to US$450 million from US$202 million in December of 2024, thanks to strong flows from mainland investors. The firm declined to break down detailed contributions between Hong Kong and mainland investors. Although the funds are intended for both retail and institutional investors, onshore financial institutions – such as insurers and wealth managers – have been more successful in securing allocations, said the sources. Such an imbalance could draw regulatory scrutiny, they added, as the scheme was originally designed to meet retail buyer demand. 'The strong sales earlier in the year makes the programme attractive for many foreign companies,' said Ivan Shi, director at consultancy Z-Ben Advisors, who added that yuan devaluation pressure could slow down product approvals. However, mainland investors scaled back in April. They net sold some 22 billion yuan worth of assets from Hong Kong funds, according to the latest data available from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on May 31. 'The sentiment was surrounded by tariff-driven concerns,' Marco Tang, deputy CEO for Amundi Hong Kong, said when describing the reason for the shift in April. Tang said Amundi has seen a 40 per cent increase of net inflows from two exiting funds in the programme as at March, following the relaxation of rules. The firm submitted another two funds to qualify for the scheme in October, and seeks to start selling those by mid-2025. Growth bottlenecks JPMorgan Asset Management, which runs seven of the roughly 40 products in the programme, saw mainland investors quickly snap up two bond funds in January, prompting the company to close subscriptions. In addition to regulatory approvals, companies are facing another bottleneck. Currently, only about half of the quota for Hong Kong-based funds has been used, because they are struggling to find enough buyers from the city to contribute at least 20 per cent of money for a product in the programme. Competition for the fund industry is fierce in Hong Kong, where investors have many choices, a reason why it's been hard to attract local retail interest, said BEA Union Investment's Lo. Fidelity International is likely to use existing funds already offered under the Hong Kong pension programme, as re-purposing them would be faster than building new ones large enough to meet qualification requirements, the sources familiar said. Fidelity is planning to start with fixed-income strategies, one of the sources said. The revised programme also allows companies to appoint fund managers who live outside of Hong Kong, benefiting global firms which usually have much larger teams in Europe and the US. Mainland investors have access to three other offshore investment programmes. Wealth Management Connect is limited to residents of Guangdong province – home to about 120 million people. The other two, the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) and Qualified Domestic Limited Partner (QDLP) programmes, have not received fresh quota approvals in the past year. China's top currency regulator said this week it is planning to lift cap flows for QDII. BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Circular Services Selected as Recycling Partner for Mecklenburg County, NC
The agreement brings Circular Services' leading recycling operations to North Carolina, supporting Mecklenburg County's efforts to modernize its recycling infrastructure and advance material recovery. CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Circular Services, a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure in the United States, announced it has been selected by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, to serve as their recycling processing and operations partner. Circular Services will take over operations of the County's two Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), supporting the region's growing need for modernized recycling infrastructure and advancing local efforts to recover valuable materials at scale. Starting June 2025, Circular Services will operate the County's 48,510 sq. ft. MRF at 7833 Pence Road under a five-year agreement with two one-year extensions. Initially, the facility will serve in an interim capacity to process residential single-stream recyclable materials while the County undertakes a major retrofit of its flagship Metrolina MRF on Amble Drive. Once the retrofit is complete, expected in mid-2026, Circular Services will transition residential single-stream processing to the upgraded Metrolina MRF and repurpose the Pence Road facility as a construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility—optimized to meet the region's growing demand for industrial material recovery. Circular Services will operate the Metrolina MRF under a separate five-year agreement with two one-year extensions. The partnership was formally celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event held on June 17, where leaders from Mecklenburg County and Circular Services gathered at the Pence Road MRF to mark the start of this new collaboration. The event underscored both parties' shared commitment to building local recycling capacity and investing in long-term solutions for material recovery. Speakers included Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, Director of the Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA); Elaine Powell, Commissioner for District 1 & Chair of Environmental Stewardship Committee; Jeff Smithberger, Director of Solid Waste; and Ron Gonen, CEO of Circular Services. "This partnership reflects Mecklenburg County's forward-thinking commitment to strengthening local recycling infrastructure," said Gonen. "We are proud to bring our operational expertise to North Carolina and support the County's efforts to maximize recovery, reduce landfill disposal costs, and build a more circular local economy." "[The new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)] is a picture of the County's ongoing investment in environmental stewardship, sustainability and innovation," said Gujjarlapudi during his remarks. "Recycling in Mecklenburg County is not optional, it is essential." Mecklenburg County expects to deliver over 6,000 tons of residential single-stream material to the Pence Road facility each month. Circular Services will manage the processing and marketing of these materials, as well as the maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. The company anticipates hiring 35 full-time employees to support the site's operations, not including County staff. The MRF at Pence Road features a BHS processing system engineered for flexibility, enabling a smooth future transition from residential recycling to industrial and C&D material processing. The facility is located just a few hundred yards from the County's Hickory Grove Recycling Center, ensuring continued accessibility and convenience for residents. This agreement further expands Circular Services' national footprint, aligning with the company's mission to build resilient, regional infrastructure that keeps valuable materials in circulation, eliminates landfill disposal costs, and supports local economic growth. About Circular Services: Circular Services is a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure and services in the United States. With 27 operating locations, Circular Services provides holistic materials management services to municipalities and businesses across the country, keeping valuable materials in circulation and minimizing the cost and environmental impact of landfills. Media Contact:Alexandra GyarfasCircular View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Circular Services Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- General
- Borneo Post
Over 300kg of trash removed from Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
Volunteers posing for a group photo during the World Oceans Day – Underwater Cleanup 2025. – Photo courtesy of Robert Hartley, Sabah Dive Rangers. KOTA KINABALU (June 15): More than 309 kilograms of trash were hauled from the sea during the World Oceans Day – Underwater Cleanup 2025, held on June 14 at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. The event was organised by the Marine Research Foundation (MRF), Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) and the Mariners Club of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and involved over 30 volunteer divers who scoured the waters to remove a wide range of marine debris. Among the items retrieved were plastic bottles, food wrappers, plastic cups, grocery bags, beverage cans, clothing, glass bottles, baby diapers, scuba masks, snorkels, and even a few unusual objects. All collected waste was sorted and later transported to mainland Kota Kinabalu for proper disposal. RCM (Sabah) Programme Manager Nadhirah Mohd Rifal explained that every piece of trash collected would be recorded to identify the types of waste polluting local waters. The data will be used to tailor awareness programmes aimed at educating the public on proper waste management to help protect Sabah's coral reefs. Meanwhile, MRF Conservation Officer Chris Chun Xue shared that the organisation recently partnered with Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) to launch the Mobula-8 skimmer boat — an advanced marine waste collection vessel designed to remove floating plastic debris. 'Plastics and other waste materials in our oceans are severely damaging marine ecosystems and threatening biodiversity,' Chris said. 'This clean-up is a crucial reminder of the harmful impact human activity has on our marine life and natural environment.' The World Oceans Day initiative was supported by the Oceanic Society, PADI AWARE Foundation, and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, with additional assistance from Sabah Parks, DBKK and the Sabah Dive Rangers.
