KOCHI: In a quiet move, Atlas Jewellers, one of the leading jewellers in Kerala, has become a listed entity on Bombay Stock Exchange, by acquiring a listed company GEE EI Woolens. Its founder M M Ramachandran has injected Rs  100 crore into GEE EI Woolens and assumed complete control of the listed entity. Following the acquisition, the name of Rs GEE EI Woolens’ has been changed to Atlas Jewellery India Ltd. The process of getting listed by acquiring a listed entity is called ‘reverse acquisition’ Read more [...]

It was a case of better together for the East Wing of Pensax Court in the Worcestershire village of Pensax. Despite its Tudor-esque appearance to one side, Pensax Court was built by the Clutton-Brock coal mining dynasty in the early 19th Century. It was split into three properties in the 1980s but in the 1990s, two of these were united once more to create the East Wing. This now forms the larger part of the Grade II listed Pensax Court and has some of its most interesting features. Apart from Read more [...]

MAYOYAO, Ifugao - It is fiesta time in the famed rice terraces of the northern Philippines, and young men in colorful tribal clothing pound ancient rhythms on brass gongs as wild boars squeal ahead of slaughter.The annual festivals, held in remote mountain communities after the planting of the rice that is at the core of their existence, are a vital way of passing centuries-old customs to the new generation.Those Read more [...]

Sydney:  Australia's Queensland state will list the koala as a "vulnerable species" throughout the northeastern region, saying urban expansion, car accidents and dog attacks were threatening the much-loved furry animal. "Everybody loves the koala and we must do everything in our power to protect the koala now and into the future," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said today of the tree-dwelling marsupial.Koalas are already listed as vulnerable in south-east Queensland, Read more [...]

Updated May 31, 2015 14:14:11 Australia's iconic marsupial mascot the koala will soon be listed as a "vulnerable species" across all of Queensland in a move that will bring renewed focus to their plight.The State Government has accepted a recommendation by the Species Technical Committee, an independent panel of scientists, to lift the conservation status of the koala.It will mean greater scrutiny for potential impacts on koala populations Read more [...]

Bourne Preservation Society UGC My last three columns were about the listed buildings in West Street, South Street and North Street. This month I need to tackle Abbey Road, the fourth main street, and also to cover the rest of central Bourne. In the case of Abbey Road I can’t focus on listed buildings as before, because it has only one that merits that status. Even so, the road is not without some interest. Starting Read more [...]

Looking down Fishergate Hill Pic: Tony Worrall A listed town house in Fishergate Hill is to be converted into flats. Former offices at Number 10 have seen plans tabled to become four flats within the conservation area. Plans from NW Lettings, based in West Cliff, would not affect the exterior of the building. In their planning statement they write: “The principle of the proposal is to retain the historic character of the existing building, whilst making the necessary internal alterations Read more [...]

The draft decision not to place the Great Barrier Reef on Unesco’s ‘in danger’ list is a coup for Australia. The government has lobbied intensely to avoid the ignominy of a ‘world heritage in danger’ listing that would undermine tourism at a site that attracts two million visitors each year. Having its ability to protect the natural wonder questioned by the UN would have been a further stain on the environmental credibility of a country now viewed in some quarters as a global vandal. It Read more [...]

Live video of roosting bats inside Wales’s oldest dated timbered town house is being captured via webcam. A breeding colony of lesser horseshoe bats – a rare and charismatic species – can be viewed at Grade 1 listed Nantclwyd y Dre in Ruthin. Bats are in the attic of the historic house and are using it as a maternity roost, where the females have their young during the summer months from approximately April to September. From June onwards the babies cling to their mums. Chester Zoo teamed Read more [...]