Dos Cielos ME Barcelona
Dos Cielos ME Barcelona Pere IV, 272 286. 08005 Barcelona 34-93-367-20-70
Gresca C/ Provença,
Gresca C/ Provença, 230 08036 Barcelona, España 934-516-193
Xemei Paseo
Xemei Paseo de la exposicion, 85 Barcelona 08004
Bling it on for the birds
NEW YORK-based Matthew Campbell Laurenza – of MCL marque – had to wing the design and production of the opulent L’Ange de la Foret necklace in less than two months, but it was for a good cause – for the environment; primarily, birds.
Sneak attack
VALENTINO has long been known for couture gowns in its signature scarlet and luxurious bags decorated with extravagant leather rosettes. But high-top sneakers with thick, stitched rubber soles? Surprise, surprise – you can now count those among its wares too.
Time flies
TO CALL the Bugatti Super Sport by Parmigiani a watch is as much a crime as to call the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport a car. The latter set a world land speed record for a production sports car in June this year when test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel brought it to a top speed of 431 kph at the Ehra-Lessien track. On Raphanel’s wrist was the Bugatti Super Sport; which its maker, Parmigiani, now dubs the fastest watch in the world.
Show and tell
Many brands are using COMEX as a product launch platform, and Sony will be debuting its new entry-level 14.2-megapixel Alpha 33 SLR camera there.
Work it out
MANAGEMENT executive Juliana Ong, in her 30s, was already attending bootcamp classes three to four times a week, but keen to get more out of her fitness regime, and continue to lose weight, she’s signed up for Power Plate classes.
GET SMART
THE smart-looking Volvo XC60 just got a smarter powertrain. When it was first launched early last year, this handsome crossover came with a 3.0-litre turbocharged engine driving all four wheels. But all that cool Swedish styling could not distract some owners from the thirsty predilections of the XC60 T6′s inline six-cylinder unit and all-wheel-drive (AWD).
Green performance
THE new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 (PS3) has arrived and it promises to have better performance as well as greener credentials. The Pilot Sport 3 is the latest high-performance tyre from the French giant and it replaces the well-respected but ageing Pilot Sport 2.
Some facts about the Michelin PS3
The new Michelin Pilot Sport 3 promises driving pleasure and extended mileage.
Form book points to Ferrari or McLaren
MARK Webber will arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a slender four point advantage over Lewis Hamilton in the World Driver’s Championship. However I am prepared to wager that, by the end of this coming weekend, he may not still be championship leader.
Queen’s big Asian gambit
MOST corporate figures use words like ‘disaster’ or ‘rocked’ – as in ‘the world was rocked by the financial disaster’ – with almost wild abandon when they look back on 2008.
ST Index remains incredibly resilient
WHATEVER reservations one may have about the local bourse, it surely cannot be said that it is not resilient. Despite the declines on major markets in the face of a slew of negative news, the Straits Times Index has remained incredibly resilient.
Maybank 1st yr home loans at under 1%
MAYBANK Singapore has launched a new range of home loan products with interest rates that start off at below one per cent, a move that could put even more pressure on its rivals already struggling to boost lending income amid low interest rates and loan margins.
Over 1m visitors arrive in July: Record for single month
VISITOR arrivals to Singapore in July surged past the one-million mark for the first time in a single month, powered by the regional recovery, the two casino resorts and aggressive promotion efforts, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said yesterday.
Du Val Group launches NZ property fund
AUCKLAND-BASED fund manager Du Val Group is looking for investors from Singapore and Hong Kong as it launches its maiden property fund – a NZ$250 million (S$239.6 million) ‘mid market’ fund that will focus solely on the New Zealand property market.
S’pore LNG mulling LPG terminal
SINGAPORE LNG Corporation (SLNG), which has started work on its $1.5 billion liquefied natural gas terminal on Jurong Island, has hired a consultant to study the viability of also building a terminal for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – an alternative petrochemical feedstock that Singapore is looking to import.
Services sector receipts grow 8.5% in Q2
SINGAPORE’S services sector receipts grew 8.5 per cent year on year in the second quarter amid healthier business across the board, a Department of Statistics report shows.
Citi golf event draws $500,000 for Tsao Foundation
CITI has raised $500,000 for the Tsao Foundation through a charity golf event held on Thursday at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Philanthropy here gets professional
PHILANTHROPY in Singapore has reached an exciting phase of growth, as new trends and concepts could add breadth and depth to giving here.
The Vroom! is back and it sounds different
(Singapore) WHAT a difference a year makes.
Mica seeks bigger stick to keep telcos in line
(Singapore) TELECOMS players which engage in anti-competitive behaviour could face harsher sanctions. An errant telco could end up paying up to 10 per cent of the annual turnover on the relevant part of its business, under proposed changes to the Telecommunications Act (TA).
Fed pledges to do all it can to fix economy
US FEDERAL Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said yesterday the country’s recovery has softened more than expected and the Fed is ready to take further steps if needed to spur the stumbling economy including resuming its large purchases of longer-term debts.
Boeing’s Dreamliner faces another six-week delay
(Singapore) US PLANE-MAKER Boeing has delayed delivery of its state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner for the fifth time.
Re-vote ordered on TT’s creditors scheme
(Singapore) THE Court of Appeal yesterday ordered a re-vote on the scheme of arrangement drawn up to sort out TT International’s financial woes, setting aside an earlier High Court sanction.
Japan PM to outline measures to tackle yen
(Tokyo) JAPANESE Prime Minister Naoto Kan said yesterday he would outline measures to counter the effects of the yen’s strength and help safeguard a fragile economic recovery next week.
Correction
IN the report ‘F&N subsidiary buys 23.1% stake in CHB for RM54.6m’ (BT, Aug 27), we said the subscription agreement entitles F&N to nominate either two directors of CHB (one of whom will be an executive director) or one person as the chief financial officer of CHB. The agreement, in fact, entitles F&N to nominate two people as CHB directors, as well as one person as its chief financial officer. We are sorry for the error.
China to let exporters keep revenue offshore
CHINA will launch a trial to allow exporters to keep part of their revenue overseas, a move that could help slow growth of the country’s foreign exchange reserves and ease pressure for yuan appreciation.
Idol fans answer the call, chip in for BT Budding Artists Fund
(Singapore) YOUNG artists sponsored by The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) could well find themselves as famous as American idol runner-up Adam Lambert one day. Following his call urging fans to donate to charity rather than buy him gifts, the glam rocker’s fan club here decided to heed their idol’s advice, and raise funds for the BT BAF.
Turn off that phone, man!
I REMEMBER writing an article for The Business Times some 15 years ago bemoaning the fact that Singapore Airlines was equipping its aircraft to allow passengers to access their email accounts.
Economy heats up politics
WITH home sales in the US dropping last month to their lowest level in 15 years, threatening to slow down the overall economic recovery and reigniting fears of a double-dip recession, electoral politics in America are heating up as Democrats and Republicans prepare for the crucial mid-term Congressional races in November.
Troubled assets: Rich pickings for Americans
US TAXPAYERS are poised to make unexpected billions from rescuing the country’s banks.
Sands casino in Macau delayed
(Hong Kong) THE Macau unit of Las Vegas Sands has announced a further delay in opening its glitzy US$4 billion casino resort in the city because of a shortage of construction workers.
AIG scraps plans to sell strategic stake in AIA
(Hong Kong) AMERICAN International Group Inc (AIG) has scrapped plans to sell a strategic stake in its Asian life insurance business, AIA, ahead of its initial public offering, a source familiar with the process said yesterday.
UK economy grows most since 2001
(London) THE UK economy expanded faster than previously estimated in the second quarter in the biggest growth spurt since 2001 as companies rebuilt stocks and construction work surged.
Indian researchers develop wine from mangoes
(Lucknow) RESEARCHERS in northern India say they have developed a wine made from mangoes that they hope might one day compete with the traditional grape-based variety.
RIM offers India proposal to avert BlackBerry ban
(New Delhi) RESEARCH In Motion Ltd (RIM), facing a possible ban on its BlackBerry service in India, offered to lead an industry forum in developing ways to balance the country’s security needs with customers’ privacy requirements.
HP duels with Dell and ups 3Par bid to US$2b
(New York) COMPUTER-MAKER giant Hewlett-Packard yesterday raised its offer for data storage firm 3Par to US$2 billion two hours after Dell’s latest bid.
China bars several foreign food products over safety concerns
(Beijing) CHINA’S quality watchdog has destroyed or blocked the import of a wide range of foreign food and cosmetic products amid concerns that they posed potential health risks, it announced on its website.
Show ratings, not awards, matter more for Emmys
(Los Angeles) WHEN the Emmy Awards air tomorrow (Monday morning Singapore time), more is at stake than whether 30 Rock wins its fourth consecutive best-series trophy, Mad Men its third or Glee its first.