PYEONGCHANG/GOSEONG, South Korea (Reuters) – When South Korean businessman Park Nam-suh was forced to abandon his factory in a North Korean industrial complex two years ago, he thought his business was finished. Now, he dares to hope.

The Kaesong complex, funded by South Korean firms and manned by workers from the North, shut in 2016 after the South accused North Korea of taking workers’ wages to fund its arms programme.

But now South Korea is in the mood to re-engage with its old enemy, using its first Winter Olympics this month to attempt a thaw in relations — and giving Park and other former investors in Kaesong some hope that the industrial park can be revived.

(Inter-Korean commercial ties – http://tmsnrt.rs/2Eq1akx)

“I hope the Olympics will be a turning point in achieving inter-Korean peace and speeding up the reopening of the Kaesong complex. It should be,” said Park whose factory produced plastic toys, clothes hangers and cups.

He was one of 124 former Kaesong factory owners who set up a a booth at South Korea’s Olympics venue of Pyeongchang this week, screening videos to passers-by and featuring the slogan: “We need to go back”.

Continue here to read the full article by Hyunjoo Jin for  REUTERS  ||  February 08, 2018   |||

Feb 08, 2018  - To celebrate the Royal Wedding (19 May 2018) of Prince Harry and Meghan, five-star boutique hotel The Arch London has created a lavish Royal Wedding package.  The Arch London is offering the ultimate luxury getaway so guests can celebrate the big day in style and be treated like royalty. The Royal Wedding package includes a two night stay in an extravagant two-bedroom suite with a large entertainment lounge and private courtyard or kitchenette.

Rolls-Royce today launched its pioneering IntelligentEngine vision at the Singapore Airshow.  With more people flying than ever before and an increasing demand for more efficient travel, Rolls-Royce has defined a vision for the future of aircraft power that will help deliver passengers more reliably and more efficiently than ever before.

Feb 06, 2018 -  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for urgent attention to address infrastructure challenges in order to secure the industry's future.

"Having the infrastructure to grow is vital to our industry's future. But in many key places, it is not being built fast enough to meet growing demand. And there are worrying trends which are increasing costs. One of these is airport privatizations. We have not found the correct regulatory framework to balance the interests of the investors to turn a profit, with the public interest for the airport to be a catalyst for economic growth. All the optimism supporting strong aircraft orders will mean nothing if we don't have the capability to manage traffic in the air and at airports," said Alexandre de Juniac in his keynote address to the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit (SAALS). The theme of the Summit is 'Reimagining Aviation's Future'.

A new food research facility supporting the future of New Zealand’s exports has reached an important milestone, with a contractor appointed and the construction process to start next week at Massey University’s Manawatū campus.  The $45 million AgResearch and Massey University Food Science Facility will accommodate about 140 staff and students from the two organisations as well as from the Government-funded centre of research excellence, the Massey-hosted Riddet Institute.

Feb 03, 2018  -  The $2 million Seminis Onion Breeding Station has been officially opened in Pukekohe, New Zealand, this week.The world-class facility housing state-of-the-art sheds, crop covers and irrigation systems, represents the Seminis global mid-day onion breeding program, supporting key markets including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Brazil.

Jill Netzel writing for FreshPlaza  - Zespri opened its North American offices in 2017 and launched SunGold Kiwifruit. They said the launch was met with remarkable success due to customized programs, regional market development managers, and strong consumer and retail marketing campaigns. Within the kiwifruit category, Golden kiwifruit drove the category dollar gain with sales increasing 125 percent for the 52-weeks ending 12/03/17. Zespri’s SunGold Kiwifruit led the growth and represents 80 percent of the Golden kiwifruit category with 27.8m lbs. sold to establish a new sales record.

Feb 2, 2018  -  Rotterdam Authority and IBM announced on Jan. 31 that they will collaboration on a multi-year digitization initiative to transform the port’s operational environment using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the cloud.  As the largest port in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam handles over 461 million tons of cargo and more than 140,000 vessels annually. Previously the port relied on traditional radio and radar communication between captains, pilots, terminal operators, tugboats and more to make key decision on port operations.

Feb 2, 2018  -  On the evening of Jan. 31, 1958, the United States orbited its first satellite -- Explorer 1. The effort was part of the nation's participation in the International Geophysical Year (IGY), a peaceful scientific endeavor. It also marked America's first step in the Space Race of the Cold War.

A rather enlightening article posted on engineering.com by Roopinder Tara that has attracted a lot of interest. While the U.S. dawdles with much needed domestic infrastructure upgrades, China is already engaged in a project so massive that it will tilt the Earth in its favor. The trillion-dollar Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is a plan for a web of transportation routes (road, rail, shipping lanes, more—all leading to China) that will be created or expanded over the next 30-plus years. The BRI’s main purpose is to facilitate trade. China, the world’s leading producer of exports, no longer wants to rely on slow moving boats to move its goods out.