1 China factory output shrinks fastest in three
years (The Guardian) Activity in China’s manufacturing sector contracted at its
fastest pace in almost three-and-a-half years in January, missing market
expectations, an official survey has shown.
The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) stood
at 49.4 in January, compared with the previous month’s reading of 49.7 and
below the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly
basis. It is the weakest index reading since August 2012.
The PMI marks the sixth consecutive month of factory
activity contraction, underlining a weak start for the year for a manufacturing
complex under severe pressure from falling prices and overcapacity in key sectors
including steel and energy.
Zhou Hao, an economist at Commerzbank, said: “The
electricity production remained sluggish and the crude steel output continued
the weak trend in January, reflecting an ongoing deleveraging process in the
industrial sectors. In the meantime, China has started an aggressive capacity
reduction in many sectors, which could add downward pressure on the bulk
commodity prices over time.”
The slowdown was underlined by figures showing that
South Korea’s exports suffered their worst downturn in January since the depths
of the global financial crisis in 2009. The trade ministry in Seoul said
sluggish demand from China helped exports to fall to a worse-than-expected
18.5% from a year earlier, extending December’s slump of 14.1% and marking the
13th straight month of declines. It was the biggest drop since August 2009 when
shipments tumbled 20.9%.
2 Drone schools spread in China (San Francisco
Chronicle) Joysticks at their fingertips, the mostly male students packing the
classroom lift their virtual helicopters into the air, part of a new cottage
industry that's sprung up in China: drone pilot schools.
China is already the world's biggest drone
manufacturer, churning out remote-controlled flying machines that range from
3-D urban mappers to tear-gas spraying models for police. But it lacks
qualified pilots to fly them. Young men in particular are flocking to drone
schools such as TT Aviation Technology Co., one of more than 40 in China,
hoping to land a potentially lucrative job in an exciting new field.
TT Aviation offers a two-week intensive course for $1,200
where students learn regulations and how to pilot using simulators and real
drones. At the end of the course, they can try to earn the license required by
China's Civil Aviation Administration to operate drones that are heavier than 7
kilograms (15 pounds) and fly higher than 120 meters (400 feet).
The opportunities appear promising. More than 10,000
new pilots are needed this year across all industries in China, but only 1,000
pilots now hold licenses, said Yang Yi, the general manager of TT Aviation,
which also manufactures and sells drones to private and public sector
customers. Drones are touted as game-changers in a range of industries,
including agriculture, logistics, film production and law enforcement.
Baidu, the Beijing-based search engine, is
developing a self-driving car while DJI, a Shenzhen-based drone maker valued by
US investors at $8 billion, has cornered more than half the world consumer drone
market.
So far, more than half of TT Aviation's products are
used in agriculture. China has vast farmlands, and there is a high demand for
drones to be used in pesticide spraying because the labor force is shrinking
even as labor costs rise. The company said police will use drones for patrols,
while utilities use them for maintaining electricity infrastructure or mapping
pipelines.
3 ‘World’s best chef’ dies at 44 (BBC) Chef Benoit
Violier, whose Swiss restaurant was named the best in the world in December,
has been found dead at his home. Mr Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de l'Hotel
de Ville in Crissier, near the city of Lausanne.
It earned three Michelin stars and came top in
France's La Liste ranking of the world's 1,000 best eateries. Swiss police said
Mr Violier, who was born in France, is believed to have killed himself.
The Swiss news website 24 Heures said (in French)
that Mr Violier had been due to attend the launch of the new Michelin guide in
Paris on Monday. His death comes some six months after that of Philippe Rochat,
his mentor and predecessor at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville.
Having worked at the restaurant since 1996, Mr
Violier took it over along with his wife Brigitte in 2012, before obtaining
Swiss nationality. A keen hunter, he was known for signature dishes including
game and produced a weighty book on game meat last year.
Swiss chef Fredy Girardet, who also received three
Michelin stars, told 24 Heures that he was "dumbfounded" by the news.
"He was a brilliant man," he said. "Such talent, and an amazing
capacity for work. He was so kind, with so many qualities. He gave the
impression of being perfect."
No comments:
Post a Comment