https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/58745/eight_col_46161947_l.jpg?1454372190 A significant squeeze on refining margins and reduced demand for fuel globally saw the owner of Northland’s Marsden Point refinery suffer a loss for the financial year. Marsden Point oil refinery owner Refining New Zealand reported a net loss of $198.3 million. Photo: 123rf.com Refining New Zealand, partially owned by customers BP, Mobil and Z Energy, reported a net loss of $198.3 million, most of which can be accounted for by a $158m write down of its refining assets, announced earlier in the year. Chief executive Naomi James said the global drop in demand triggered by Covid 19, as well as expectations of a slow recovery, weighed heavily on an already oversupplied market. “Singapore Complex Margins were negative across most of the year and the Gross Refining Margin of $US1.63 per barrel earned was the second lowest in the 25-year history of the Company’s Processing Agreements.” The company was ...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2017-11/beehive-red-og_0.png Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare have announced that New Zealand will conclude its deployment of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to Afghanistan by May 2021. “After 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude our deployment,” Jacinda Ardern said. “The deployments to Afghanistan have been one of the longest running in our history, and I wish to acknowledge the 10 New Zealanders who lost their lives in the line of duty, and the more than 3500 NZDF and other agency personnel, whose commitment to replace conflict with peace will always be remembered,” Jacinda Ardern said. Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said that although the environment remains complex, the intra-Afghan peace process affords Afghanistan the best prospect of an enduring political solution.  “New Zealand’s decision to conclude its deployment to Afghanistan in 2021 has ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sri-lanka-travel-clip-arugam-bay.jpg × For nearly two decades eLanka has reliably reported the facts, good news stories, photos, events at no charge, but our work is far from free to produce. Make an unconditional contribution today and help ensure the internet’s most trusted fact-checking site endures — and grows. Thank You! Source link ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/117541/eight_col_DTC_4660.jpg?1613351323 An epidemiologist is calling for Covid Tracer app scanning to be made compulsory in high-risk situations only. The Covid Tracer app now has 2.62 million registered users, and 1.14 million have enabled Bluetooth. Photo: RNZ / Dom Thomas The government wants to keep the scanning numbers up and says making it compulsory might be an option. Aucklanders say they have been using the app religiously and support making scanning compulsory. Shopping at the New World supermarket in Remuera, Fiona Campbell said it was important to keep everyone safe. “It is a good idea because too many people can’t be bothered and feel that the rules don’t apply to them and the fact is that we are keeping our whole community safe,” she said. At Pak’nSave Royal Oak, Ben Green said he believed the information collected would be used in the right way and also supported the idea. “I suppose ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/rajagalathenna-rajagala-ampara-s.jpg × For nearly two decades eLanka has reliably reported the facts, good news stories, photos, events at no charge, but our work is far from free to produce. Make an unconditional contribution today and help ensure the internet’s most trusted fact-checking site endures — and grows. Thank You! Source link ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news/255650/eight_col_IMG_4395_%281%29.jpg?1613456798 Alert level 3 lockdown left Ōtāhuhu’s High Street completely dead in the middle of a trading day, other than the perpetual road works and the odd blast of hip hop from a passing car. Shops shut in the middle of what would normally be a trading day in Ōtara Town Centre. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen A few stores continued making contactless sales from behind plexiglass screens on Monday but by Tuesday all but a handful did not bother. Ash Prakash from the Big Apple has fresh produce to sell but there was no one around to buy it. “If we don’t sell it we’ve got to throw it, so that’s money out of the pocket,” he said. “It’s pretty dead – everyone’s sitting at home, no money around.” For the second day in a row there were no new community cases of Covid-19 in the country yesterday despite ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sri-Lanka-–-An-Emerging-Economy-in-South-Asia.jpg   By Abdul Raheem, Consul Commercial, SLCG/Sydney Sri Lanka has always enjoyed the benefit of its strategic location, being at the crossroads of the major global shipping lanes and the fast growing economies. Sri Lanka is at the epicentre of a substantial portion of the next 20 years’ of world economic growth. While the investment opportunities in various sectors are open, Sri Lanka has also put in place high-quality infrastructure to facilitate investment in the areas of specific investor interest. Moreover, specific investment zones, in the form of a mega industrial zone linked to the Hambantota port, the Colombo International Financial City (660 acres of reclaimed land, adjacent to the Colombo port), and specific new industrial parks targeting agricultural, manufacturing and IT exports represent the necessary backbone infrastructure for high-return generating investment projects. On IT/BPM sector, Sri Lanka continues to build out a quality talent pool and a skilled ...

https://www.rnz.co.nz/assets/news_crops/117592/eight_col_art_deco_2.JPG?1613453516 This year’s Art Deco Festival in Napier has been cancelled for the first time in its history, due to Covid-19. A scene from a previous Art Deco Festival. Photo: RNZ The Art Deco Trust said the uncertainty over the ongoing alert levels forced them to make the decision. It was due to start on Wednesday and finish on Sunday. Trust chairperson Babara Arnott said the government gave no indication today that there would be there would be any reduction in alert level on Wednesday. “That is why we had to make the decision today,” Arnott said. “It’s been running a long time and it’s never stopped yet, this is the first time that we’ve had to pull the plug on it… it’s really a celebration and commemoration of the earthquake and the resilience of the city that rose from the earthquake. “We needed to give certainty to the hundreds ...

https://www.elanka.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Sri-Lankan-infection-rate-heading-towards-100000-Quo-Vadis-COVID-19.png   The Latin phrase Quo Vadis denotes an episode from the life of Saint Peter, as told in the New Testament Apocrypha and the ‘Golden Legend’. Peter fled from Rome during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero; as he was travelling along the Appian Way he met Christ in a vision. Astonished, he asked ‘Domine quo vadis?’ (‘Lord, where are you going?’). Christ replied that he was going to Rome to be crucified a second time. Peter then realised that his departure from the city was cowardly and returned to face whatever persecutions might befall him.  www.nationalgallery.org.uk The phrase “Quo Vadis” or where are you going or in Sinhala “Koheda Yanne?” seems to have similarities to the COVID pandemic in Sri Lanka. Does the country and those governing it know which direction it is heading? The UK variant is said to be in the country now and ...