Latest news with #Steel
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Shoppers rush to buy five-star-rated portable ice machine for less than £70
Shoppers rush to buy five-star-rated portable ice machine for less than £70 The ultimate way to stay cool in a heatwave Ice, ice, baby (Image: Amazon ) The absolute dream is a fridge that makes its own ice, but for those who don't have the funds for one of those behemoths, a standalone ice machine can be a saviour - especially in a heatwave. Amazon is selling the top-rated Panana Countertop Ice Maker in black for £65.99, or £59.99 for the silver version. It's portable, so can be moved about the kitchen for all ice needs, whether it's an icy gin and tonic that's in order, an ice cold ice tea or lemonade, or even if fruit needs perking up on a bed of ice, this bit of kit has it covered. Making small or large bullet shaped ice cubes, niftily it uses infrared sensors so the machine knows when the ice basket is full and will pause making it until more is needed. READ MORE: Bestselling Boots No7 serum 'reverses signs of skin damage' while you sleep READ MORE: Amazon's 'amazing' tower fan runs quietly enough 'to sleep with it on' now reduced For an alternative, shoppers could try the DAEWOO Ice Cube Maker - Stainless Steel for £89.99 from Curry's which best of all has a self cleaning mode. It is pricier, but also has a transparent lid so it's easy to tell if more ice is needed. Otherwise, try the Cookworks 1.8L Ice Cube Maker from Argos for £96. This one comes in black and has a capacity for 100 ice cubes, ready for throwing in drinks at a moment's notice. It includes a scoop for them too. One shopper said of the Panana Ice Maker: 'Small and compact ice machine. Our old ice machine we bought from 2020 broke and stopped working completely. This one got the same amount of loads as our old ones but way smaller, which is good that it takes up less room on the countertop. It makes ice super fast, and with only one size, which is fine with us. The controls is very easy to understand. It's also cost way cheaper than the one we had. The noise level is also very quiet. I also like it how it got sensor and pause making when the icebucket is full. ' A second said: 'I absolutely love this ice machine. Its quality is amazing and easy to use and clean. The ice is made fast and the ice cubes are great in size, they fit perfectly in my cup and water bottles of various types. This is definitely a great purchase.' Perfect for hot summer days (Image: Amazon ) A third added: 'How did I ever live without this? The cubes are the perfect size and crunchability. Other than my German Shepherd not liking the noise when it cycles it's perfect!' However, one said: 'Ice is very small it melts way to fast but okay for a quick fix makes ice quite quickly it's done a turn for what I need it for.' Article continues below Another said: 'A little noisy but makes ice like it need to. Pretty quick turn around for it to make once water is added. I can get about two 24oz tumblers full of ice before it needs more water to be added.' With temperatures about to hit 30C this weekend in some areas of the UK, the Panana Countertop Ice Maker could be a welcome addition to a lot of hot and sweaty households.
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Win boosts confidence for Steel
It is always easier to get back to business after a big win. The Southern Steel are riding high after beating the Northern Stars 62-46 last week, a victory that will have helped the team's confidence. Steel coach Wendy Frew said it had been a tough couple of weeks after three consecutive losses, and she was proud of her team's performance. "Really happy with the girls stepping up against the Stars and getting the win," Frew said. "We put some good netball out there and obviously also have a couple of things to work on. "A timely win for us and just keeps us in the hunt." Defensively it was a big step up from her back three, who picked up eight intercepts and 13 deflections, and their defence on the centre pass lifted another notch. Shooter Aliyah Dunn continued her dominant season, only missing one one-pointer, and one two-pointer, and Frew commended her performance. "She definitely is playing her best netball, I think," Frew said. "It's actually through so much hard work, she's doing extras two, or three, times a week. "Just really happy that all her hard work is actually paying off for her and you're seeing that on the court. "At times I think we can even look into her earlier. "She's got such a powerful hold and we'll see at times that we'll give her balls that aren't quite in the right space and ... she's putting her body on the line to pull those in." Co-captain Kate Heffernan also made her first start, after being sidelined for the opening rounds with a knee injury. The Silver Fern midcourter played only the first half as she builds back through managed minutes but provided a calm figure to lift her team. "It's been tough for her, she's been such a professional in rehab to get back on to the court," Frew said. "There would be other players throughout New Zealand who had that injury that wouldn't have been able to get back on the court like she did." Confidence will be crucial for the Steel this week, as they make the trip to Wellington to meet the Central Pulse on Monday. The sides' previous tussle was a game the Steel would rather forget; they lost 70-45 back in round four. "We know we didn't perform nearly our best. "For us, we've had a good look at it. "You obviously debrief games, and we've moved on and now we're looking to see how we can change our game plan up slightly and make sure we come out a different team than we were when we played them in Invercargill." It is a must-win game for both teams in the scheme of the ANZ Premiership this year, which has been cut back to 10 games. The Pulse are third on the ladder with a record of three wins and three losses for nine points. They lost 61-50 to top-of-the-table Mainland Tactix last week and 64-51 to the Northern Mystics the week before. Wing attack Whitney Souness leads the competition with 153 centre pass receives and shooter Amelia Walmsley has been accurate from the one-point range. The Steel are fifth on the ladder with a record of two wins, and four losses, for seven points. Kimiora Poi sits third for feeds with 196 and defender Carys Stythe leads the league for deflections (32) and defensive rebounds (15) and is second for intercepts (13). ANZ Premiership Monday, Wellington, 7.30pm Southern Steel: Aliyah Dunn, Georgia Heffernan, Summer Temu, Serina Daunakamakama, Kimiora Poi, Kate Heffernan, Renee Savai'inaea, Carys Stythe, Abby Lawson, Khayne-Lii Munro-Nonoa. Central Pulse: Amelia Walmsley, Amorangi Malesala, Tiana Metuarau, Gabi Simpson, Whitney Souness, Maddy Gordon, Ainsleyana Puleiata, Fa'amu Ioane, Parris Mason, Laura Balmer, Kelly Jackson.
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. to keep veto power over plant closures in Nippon-U.S. Steel deal
KYODO NEWS - 10 minutes ago - 22:49 | Others BREAKING NEWS: U.S. to keep veto power over plant closures in Nippon-U.S. Steel deal ==Kyodo
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Inside Economics: The recovery hits a ‘brick wall' ... why tomorrow's GDP data won't tell the real story
It should be a simple question. But right now it's anything but. Here's why. Tomorrow we'll get GDP data for the first quarter, which is expected to be better than expected. That statement is a non-sequitur for starters. But that's economics for you, when forecasts are revised sharply before a big data release, we end up with revised expectations, which can sometimes be ... well ... unexpected. Economists and the RBNZ had all been expecting 0.4% GDP growth for the first quarter. After some pretty good manufacturing data and strong agricultural sector performance, they are now expecting 0.7%. That's good news. But it's about where the good news ends. We're already seeing data from the second quarter that is coming in worse than expected. To quote BNZ senior economist Doug Steel: 'It appears the economy hit a brick wall.' The 'ugly' data that Steel refers to are the latest Performance of Services and Performance of Manufacturing Indexes. The two surveys of business performance, run by the BNZ in partnership with Business New Zealand – provide an up-to-date snapshot of business performance. When they are in negative territory, it suggests recessionary conditions. The results for both sectors in May were really grim. After a small expansion in January, the sector has contracted month-on-month since then and has now reached its lowest level of activity since June 2024. That was when New Zealand was in a deep recession (in case your memory needed jogging). Manufacturing was even more disappointing, in some respects. It wasn't as bad, but given that in the past few months it had moved into positive territory, the fact it has fallen back into negative is quite a blow to the recovery. Electronic card data for May also pointed to a stalled recovery. Card spending in the retail sector fell by 0.2% in May compared to April. To top it off – and I think this is particularly significant in Auckland – the property market is not coming to the party even as interest rates fall. The latest REINZ house price index showed just 0.1% growth in May. But in Auckland the price index fell 0.3%, the first fall after several months of very tepid growth. CV or not CV ... is that even a question? When we look at confidence drivers in the economy, house prices loom large. It's not real money, but while it may be sad and true, most homeowners feel wealthier when they see the capital value of their largest asset rising. On that basis, the latest round of council valuations (CVs) landing in Auckland inboxes is unlikely to do much for consumer confidence in the City of Sails. Average residential values have dropped 9% since the last CVs were released in 2021. But some central Auckland areas saw falls of 14%. Any real estate agent will tell you CVs don't really reflect the market value of the house. However, with the market tracking sideways for months now, the CV will have further undercut the 'wealth effect' that the housing market typically adds to an economic recovery. What gives? So what's happened to derail the recovery? There's the tariff shock we had in April. That may have put a dent in confidence that took a few weeks to transmit to the data. Markets were rattled, and if you looked at your KiwiSaver balance you probably felt a bit poorer. The uncertainty may also have rattled business confidence. Donald Trump campaigned in 2024 on widespread tariffs. Photo / AFP But as US trade negotiations and policy flip-flops continue, the markets have kind of relaxed and priced in the risk. KiwiSaver balances have recovered. And while there are still plenty of headaches for local businesses that export to the US, it isn't necessarily a large enough group to dent the whole economy. BNZ's Steel, in his gloomy research note, argues the stalling recovery is quite a concern when we consider we already have the flow-on from lower interest rates and strong agricultural revenue at play. 'Rather than demand indicators incrementally improving, they have sunk,' he says. 'It looks like the positives have been more than offset by other factors, such as significant uncertainty and a soft labour market.' Tipping point In my view, there is a tipping point for economic recovery where momentum should start to build more rapidly. Clearly we aren't there yet, and it is taking a painfully long time to get there. The combination of strong export earnings and lower mortgage rates will ultimately prove an unstoppable force. But it looks like we'll need interest rates to go lower than they are now. 'The big question is whether the suggested softening in recent activity will outweigh the expected starting point optimism in this week's Q1 GDP figures?' Steel says. 'There seems every possibility that it will, keeping the output gap heavily negative into the middle of the year. Moreover, the trajectory of the timely indicators suggest the balance of risk is downward.' That's bolstering the case for the OCR to be cut twice more (as BNZ forecasts) to 2.75%, or even to 2.5% as ANZ and KiwiBank are advocating. Wholesale markets had only one more 25 basis-point (bp) cut by the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) priced, which would only lower the OCR to 3%. 'That's not enough, in our view. We're likely to need another 50bps beyond that, to get the economy humming once more,' wrote Kiwibank senior economist Mary Jo Vergara. 'The RBNZ may pause in July at 3.25%, but we expect the data to evolve in a way that demands more rate relief.' Inflation risk Arriving yesterday, to further complicate the equation for the Reserve Bank, the latest Stats NZ Selected Price Index showed food prices are still rising. This is combined with concerns about petrol prices spiking because of the Israel/Iran conflict, which has economists worrying about inflation risk again. Sluggish demand in the economy is expected to keep inflation subdued in the medium term, but short term, it may be at risk of breaking out of the Reserve Bank's 1-3% target range. Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod revised his forecast for the second-quarter inflation up to 2.8% yesterday. BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis went further. 'We had warned there was a risk that annual CPI would push through 3% some time this year. We are now formally forecasting that to be the case. We now pick annual inflation to peak at 3.1% in [the third quarter] of 2025,' he said yesterday. And yes, that is the same BNZ team who were so gloomy about growth prospects at the start of this column. 'We still believe annual inflation will remain relatively well contained over the medium term and should get back towards the mid-point of the RBNZ's target band,' Toplis said. 'We think slowing global demand, ongoing spare capacity in the New Zealand economy, slowing commodity price inflation and the potential reversal of any near-term oil price increases could well see inflation fall below 2% for a period of time.' A short-term spike just increases the complexity of things for the RBNZ. 'The current inflationary noise will intensify the RBNZ's headache,' says Toplis. He also sees strong odds of the RBNZ pausing cuts in July, to wait and see which way things break. Meanwhile, I fear that rising food prices, which consumers tend to feel most acutely, will further dampen confidence and deter domestic retail spending. Falling forecasts It can be hard to keep track of all the changes to economic forecasts. So it's helpful that the NZ Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) aggregates them every three months to give us an overview. The latest NZIER Consensus Forecasts show a downward revision to the near-term growth outlook relative to the previous release of Consensus Forecasts. Annual average growth in GDP is forecast to contract by 1.1% in the year to March 2025 before picking up to 1.9% in the following year. Previous consensus forecasts had annual average growth of -0.8% in the year to March 2025, before picking up to 2.1% in the following year. 'Following the contraction in the June and September quarters of 2024, recovery in the New Zealand economy has been fragile,' says NZIER senior economist Ting Huang. But there is still a broad consensus that the economy is gradually recovering and that over the longer term, lower interest rates will support a pick-up in growth. 'The soft labour market is driving continued caution amongst households,' Huang said. 'With over half of mortgages due for repricing within the next six months, many households will face further relief in the form of reduced mortgage repayments. This is expected to support a continued recovery in discretionary spending over the coming years.' Painfully slow it may be, but it seems the consensus of economists still sees things improving over the coming years. Here's hoping! Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003. To sign up to my weekly newsletter, click on your user profile at and select 'My newsletters'. For a step-by-step guide, click here. If you have a burning question about the quirks or intricacies of economics send it to or leave a message in the comments section.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Union Minister Kishan Reddy holds inter-ministerial meeting to discuss ways to secure supply chains of rare earth and critical minerals
New Delhi [India] June 17 (ANI): Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday held an inter-ministerial meeting with Union Minister Of Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and officials from some central ministries and discussed a range of aspects of securing the supply chains of Rare Earth and Critical Minerals vital for the electronics industry, energy, and national security. The discussions focused on strengthening the value chain, from mining to refining to end-use. The minister said that the Modi government has implemented the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and is working towards making India 'Atmanirbhar' in minerals. Officials from the Ministries of Atomic Energy, Steel, Heavy Industries and Commerce took part in the meeting. 'Held an inter-ministerial meeting with Hon'ble Union Minister Shri @hd_kumaraswamy ji and officials from the Ministries of Atomic Energy, Steel, Heavy Industries & Commerce. Deliberated on the wide range of aspects of securing the supply chains of Rare Earth & Critical Minerals vital for the electronics industry, energy, and national security,' Kishan Reddy said in a post on X. 'Discussions focused on strengthening the value chain, from mining to refining to end-use. @narendramodi govt has implemented the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) and is adopting a whole-of-government approach to make India #Atmanirbhar in minerals,' he added. The Modi government launched the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector. Under this mission, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31. A committee formed by the Ministry of Mines in November 2022 identified 30 critical minerals, with 24 included in Part D of Schedule I of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957). The inclusion of 24 critical minerals in Part D of the First Schedule of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR Act) means that the Central Government now has the exclusive authority to auction mining leases and composite licenses for these specific minerals. It also recommended setting up a Centre of Excellence on Critical Minerals (CECM) to regularly update the mineral list and guide strategy. Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, EVs, and energy storage systems. To secure these resources, India launched the NCMM to ensure their long-term availability and processing. The objectives of NCMM include securing India's critical mineral supply chain by ensuring mineral availability from domestic and foreign sources. It also includes strengthening the value chains by enhancing technological, regulatory, and financial ecosystems to foster innovation, skill development, and global competitiveness in mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing, and recycling. (ANI)
