Recag/C4_39 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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I’m all for punishing people who walk the streets staring into the tiny screens of their cells. They’re a danger to cyclists, for one, and at the very best they’re an annoyance to normal pedestrians, the kind who actually look where they’re walking. That Alexa’s parents are not doing anything to teach her a lesson but instead are blaming city workers is quite ridiculous.
Portable music may seem like a luxury ushered in by the Sony Walkman and popularized by iPods, but hipsters of the 1920s were able to jam to their favorite tunes on-the-go, too, thanks to the Mikiphone, a pocket-sized phonograph.
An estimated 100,000 to 180,000 of these mini-music players were manufactured between 1924 and 1927 in Switzerland. Unlike our modern music devices, the Mikiphone had no batteries, relying instead on a hand-crank for power. A resonator was used to broadcast the sound.
When closed, the Mikiphone looks quite compact -- you could definitely cart it around in your purse. But, as you can see from this video, the apparatus takes quite a bit of assembly. The parts are stored in the case, which, when closed, has a diameter of just 11.5 cm and a thickness of 4.7 cm. Put together, the Mikiphone takes up a considerable amount of room -- it plays 10-inch records -- making it more of a gadget you might whip out at a party than one you listen to while trotting to the general store.
Gospel sensation Dr Tumi’s dream to tour the world is falling apart thanks to his battle with extreme exhaustion.
His condition is so serious that he has been forced to reschedule dates for his much-anticipated international Connect Tour.
“The weekend event was postponed to a later date as Dr Tumi started treatment for his long-standing condition of insomnia,” his PR management firm HM Entertainments said in a statement issued to Sowetan LIVE on behalf of Dr Tumi.
“His struggle to sleep has been going on for months and he is currently on treatment which includes sleep therapy."
Sowetan LIVE can confirm that Dr Tumi, real name Tumisang Makweya, will reschedule his next tour stop in Zambia this Saturday.
This follows after he left fans foaming after he postponed his tour stop at The Ridge Hotel, in Emalahleni (Witbank), last Friday at the 1lth hour.
“I'm highly disappointed on how the Dr Tumi 2019 tour concert got cancelled a day before the concert,like how?!” @symbodine tweeted.
Dr Tumi’s international Connect Tour has already been staged in Polokwane, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Botswana.
Dubbed as an “intimate night of worship”, the tour’s next stop was supposed to be Zambia this Saturday before heading to Zimbabwe on April 27.
“I can confirm that Zambia and Zimbabwe will not be happening as per the dates,” HM Entertainments said.
The tour was scheduled through April until July to take place in the Northern Cape, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Swaziland and UK.
“Dr Tumi has apologised to his Mpumalanga fans and assured that the concert will be rescheduled,” the statement continued.
“This however does not affect any other bookings Dr Tumi has that are outside his personal tour,” the statement read.
“The All White Easter booking [which is not his personal event/tour] will go on as scheduled as well as other bookings he has for the Easter weekend. He will not be cancelling any events.
Dr Tumi last week had fans concerned after he asked for prayers as he is currently battling exhaustion.
(ABC 6 News) -- Governor Tim Walz was in Rochester Monday afternoon to hear from people in southeast Minnesota about their experiences purchasing health insurance.
With rates continuing to rise and 350,000 Minnesotans without insurance, the governor’s healthcare budget prioritizes people who have to buy individual insurance plans.
“We’ve been listening to these stories for far too long,” said Tony Lourey, Commissioner of the Department of Human Services who was with the governor Monday.
The stories were from people who don’t get health insurance through an employer for a number of reasons – early retirement, small business owners, or farmers.
“Go back, long time ago when I was first farming with my dad, I bought $1000 deductible and it only cost me $149 for the whole year,” said Michael Frost, who has a farm near Pine Island.
Over Frost’s lifetime, especially in the last few years, he’s seen the cost of healthcare skyrocket.
“Few years back we paid over $24,000 between the premiums on the health insurance and the $10,600 deductible,” Frost said.
Unfortunately, Frost’s story isn’t unique.
“There’s many places where there’s only one choice or none at all and the individual market rates are upwards of $25,000 with, in many cases, $10,000 deductibles; there is no free market in healthcare,” said Gov. Walz.
The high cost of care is something Deborah Mills, a dairy farmer from Lake City, seen and experienced first-hand.
“I mean, we have people – heave healthcare of have health insurance, but they’re not getting healthcare because they’re spending all their money on premiums,” Mills said.
It’s a problem Gov. Walz hopes his ONECare MN plan will fix.
“ONECare provides an option for folks who don’t’ qualify for MinnesotaCare or medical assistance to be able to purchase a platinum product on the individual market that will hold down rates and give them the quality they need,” he said.
The governor’s healthcare budget would do a number of other things as well, like establish a health insurance tax credit and increase access to dental health.
WITH the league championship battle seemingly a preserve of the two platinum sides, FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars in the last two years, the rest of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League sides have all firmly fixed their sights on quenching their success thirst in the Chibuku Super Cup which stars at the weekend.
Winners of the league title get way with $100 000 and a chance to represent the country in the Caf Champions League, while the Chibuku Super Cup carries a prize tag of $75 000 for the winner and an opportunity to participate in the Caf Confederation Cup.
The 2015 league champions, Chicken Inn, who trail FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum in the league though with slim chances of overtaking any of the two, were banned from participating in this year’s edition of the Chibuku Super Cup after they walked out of the first round match against Yadah last year.
Caps United won the championship in 2016 and ended last season on position five after losing a considerable number of players, and coach Lloyd Chitembwe believes they have done well this year under the circumstances although the title is out of reach.
They are on 43 points, sitting on position five on the log table after dropping points against Shabanie Mine on Saturday, and they are an unassailable 19 points behind leaders FC Platinum and now seek reprieve from the Chibuku Super Cup as they host ZPC Kariba at the National Sports Stadium in the first round on Sunday.
Last year, Caps United were booted out of the tournament after a PSL ad-hoc committee found them guilty of causing the abandonment of their quarter-final tie against Shabanie Mine, with the match awarded to the Zvishavane-based side.
Having finished empty-handed last season, they will look to make up with success in the cup competition, as they have fallen far off the leaders.
After thrashing troubled fellow giants Dynamos 3-0 at Barbourfields Stadium, Highlanders went on to lose two away league matches to Mutare City Rovers and ZPC Kariba and remain on position seven with 39 points.
The league title has been elusive for the Bulawayo giants for the past 11 years after last lifting the silverware in 2006. Coach Madinda Ndlovu is on record saying they are not after the league title this year, but last week said winning the Chibuku Super Cup would give hope to the masses of the Highlanders fans.
“That is where our hope lies now (Chibuku Super Cup). We are going to put everything we have to try and win that cup.
It will give a lot of hope to the doubting Thomases, because I believe if these boys win some silverware, it will give them the drive,” Ndlovu said.
Last year, under Dutchman Erol Akbay, Highlanders were parcelled out of the tournament in the first round, losing to eventual winners Harare City.
They take on Yadah in the first round of this year’s edition at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.
Ambitious Triangle, sitting on the fourth spot on the log with 45 points, also want to do well in this year’s Chibuku Super Cup.
Coach Taurai Mangwiro is optimistic.
“I think we are heading in the right direction. I think we have a very good chance of making a statement. We have the Chibuku Cup coming against Shabanie Mine and we would also like to do well,” he said.
It’s not looking good for Dynamos, who are fighting relegation in the league with just 30 points from 26 games after last winning the championship in 2014.
Winning the Chibuku Super Cup will come as great solace to the Dynamos fans who have been shunning the club’s league matches.
After losing to Harare City on Sunday, embattled coach Lloyd Mutasa said the creativity was there in his boys, but the problem is in scoring.
They could use this competition to find the elusive form.
DeMbare face Bulawayo Chiefs in the first round at Rufaro on Saturday.
Harare City start the Chibuku Super Cup defence against Bulawayo City at Rufaro on Friday.
For the two platinum miners, there are no guarantees for the league title as they are separated by just five points.
They will also go out full throttle to try and win this competition.
England fans with tickets for their final Six Nations match were have been warned off selling them on the secondary market amid a clamour from Ireland supporters to witness their country's bid for only their third Grand Slam and first on St Patrick's Day.
Ireland travel to Twickenham on Saturday having already won their third championship in six years following their victory over Scotland and England's defeat in France.
This weekend's match had previously been billed as a title – and even a potential Grand Slam – decider but the best England can now hope for is to claim the runners-up spot, with even a fifth-placed finish not out of the question for the 2016 and 2017 champions.
Holders of tickets for the Saturday's showdown were asking for up to £4,400 (NZ$8385) per seat on the secondary market on Monday in defiance of the Rugby Football Union's ticket terms and conditions.
Those terms and conditions stipulate any unwanted tickets must only be sold on only via the RFU's official online ticket exchange, as well as warning anyone found in possession of a ticket obtained though unauthorised means will be denied entry to this weekend's match and risk being barred from attending future games at Twickenham.
With Cheltenham Festival also taking place this week, Irish sports fans are expected to travel to the UK in their thousands ahead of what could be their country's third Grand Slam since 1948 following their nail-biting triumph in Wales nine years ago.
An RFU spokeswoman told Telegraph Sport: "The England v Ireland match at Twickenham is sold out, and has been for a long time. There is huge interest in the match.
"Our stance on the secondary market is very clear – Twickenham tickets cannot be sold on secondary websites. It is a clear breach of our ticketing terms and conditions, and we are constantly monitoring the marketplace.
"Our message to rugby fans is clear – don't risk your money by purchasing tickets from a secondary site because if you do, there is a good chance you won't be able to get in.
"As ever, we want tickets to go to rugby fans who want to come to the match – and not to people who want to trade them as a commodity."
Sept 10 - Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 19 points at 7,297 points on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.16 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* AB FOODS: Associated British Foods maintained its full year guidance, saying strong profit performances from its Primark fashion chain, grocery, agriculture and ingredients businesses would more than offset a weak outcome from its sugar operation.
* RPC GROUP-APOLLO GLOBAL: RPC Group, Europe’s biggest plastics packager, said on Monday it was in preliminary talks with alternative investment manager Apollo Global Management and private equity firm Bain Capital about a takeover offer for the company.
* CONSORT MEDICAL: Consort Medical Plc has agreed to develop a nasal spray for treating opioid overdoses with specialty pharmaceutical company Opiant Pharmaceuticals Inc.
* FUNDING CIRCLE: Funding Circle IPO-FNIG.L, the small business loans platform, said on Monday it would look to raise around 300 million pounds ($388 million) through a listing on the London Stock Exchange.
* GULF KEYSTONE: Oil and gas producer Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd on Monday reported a four-fold increase in first-half profit, led by higher output from the Shaikan oilfield in Kurdistan and an uptick in crude prices.
* ASTON MARTIN: Luxury carmaker Aston Martin announced the appointment of a non-executive chairwoman on Monday alongside a series of other proposed roles as it confirmed its intention to pursue an initial public offering.
* GSK: GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday that U.S. health authorities had asked for more information about its Nucala drug for use in combating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
* GOLD: Gold held on to a small loss from the previous session on Monday, as the dollar firmed amid expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September and fears of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.
* OIL: Oil prices rose on Monday as U.S. drilling for new production stalled and as the market eyed tighter conditions once Washington’s sanctions against Iran’s crude exports kick in from November.
* The UK blue chip index closed 0.6 percent lower at 7,277.70 points on Friday, as investors awaited news on whether the United States would impose new tariffs on Chinese imports while a data breach at British Airways triggered a fall in its owner’s shares.
A Bakersfield man was killed Saturday night when he was ejected from a motorcycle that crashed into a guardrail on Highway 119 north of Taft.
The Kern County Coroner identified the victim as Christopher Charles Dross, 29.
He was the passenger on a motorcycle that struck the guard rail on a curve just north of Midway Road about 10:30 p.m., the coroner said in a news release.
There was no information on the of the driver of the motorcycle.
Details of the accident were not immediately available from the CHP.
MANILA, January 25, 2005 (STAR) By Des Ferriols - The peso surged to its strongest finish in more than 12 months, closing at 55.40 to the dollar yesterday on the back of positive economic outlook, strong dollar inflows from overseas Filipino contract workers and the general weaking of the dollar against regional currencies.
At the Philippine Dealing System (PDS), the peso hit an intraday high of 55.350 with volume turnover reaching a heavy $373.50 million. Yesterday’s closing rate was the peso’s best finish since Jan. 13, 2004 when it touched 55.40 to the dollar.
At the Philippine Stock Exchange, the 30-company composite index extended gains to fresh five-year highs breaching 2,000 points as investors bought into companies expected to announce strong results for 2004.
Analysts said investors appeared to shrug off the weekend news of Finance Secretary Juanita Amatong’s departure citing the pressure of having to oversee the government’s efforts to raise revenues to avoid an impending fiscal crisis.
The stock market ended up 27.41 points, or 1.4 percent, at 2,015.25, its best close since Feb. 10, 2000, when it finished at 2,020.15. On Friday, the index rose 1.6 percent.
Yesterday’s rally brings the total index gain since Wednesday to 5.8 percent.
"Stories surrounding the market are strong, at least for the first quarter," said PCCI Securities president Francisco Liboro.
"Investors are rising on the wave of recent positive economic indicators and a vibrant corporate outlook. It’s just so hard to stop a train full of money," said Astro del Castillo of First Grade Holdings Inc.
However, the benchmark index’s run was likely to take a pause once it reached 2,030 points, del Castillo said.
"Eventually, reality check will come along. Profit-taking is due," he said.
The commercial-industrial, banks and financial services, and mining subindexes ended higher. The all shares, property, and oil sub-indicators finished lower.
Stocks of the country’s largest oil refiner Petron Corp. were among the top contributors to the index’s advance, rising 11 percent to P3.90 after the company posted an 11 percent increase in its 2004 net profit to P3.45 billion, higher than its P3.3 billion target.
Also actively traded were Metropolitan Bank, up 3.3 percent at P31 and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., up 1.1 percent at P1,450, after its American Depositary Receipts in New York rose 2.2 percent Friday.
Liboro said the market’s mood is heady because investors are looking forward to a host of positive developments in the first quarter.
"You have the mining summit coming up in February, there are the strong corporate earnings coming out, then there’s the better-than-expected GDP (gross domestic product) numbers set to be released," said Liboro.
The summit comes amid renewed favor enjoyed by the mining sector after last month’s Supreme Court ruling allowing foreign investors to gain control of local mining operations. Several foreign investors have already expressed interest in taking up stakes in local mining companies.
Among the mining stocks that benefited in yesterday’s session was Manila Mining B, which closed up 21 percent at P0.034.

I’m all for punishing people who walk the streets staring into the tiny screens of their cells. They’re a danger to cyclists, for one, and at the very best they’re an annoyance to normal pedestrians, the kind who actually look where they’re walking. That Alexa’s parents are not doing anything to teach her a lesson but instead are blaming city workers is quite ridiculous.

Portable music may seem like a luxury ushered in by the Sony Walkman and popularized by iPods, but hipsters of the 1920s were able to jam to their favorite tunes on-the-go, too, thanks to the Mikiphone, a pocket-sized phonograph.

An estimated 100,000 to 180,000 of these mini-music players were manufactured between 1924 and 1927 in Switzerland. Unlike our modern music devices, the Mikiphone had no batteries, relying instead on a hand-crank for power. A resonator was used to broadcast the sound.

When closed, the Mikiphone looks quite compact -- you could definitely cart it around in your purse. But, as you can see from this video, the apparatus takes quite a bit of assembly. The parts are stored in the case, which, when closed, has a diameter of just 11.5 cm and a thickness of 4.7 cm. Put together, the Mikiphone takes up a considerable amount of room -- it plays 10-inch records -- making it more of a gadget you might whip out at a party than one you listen to while trotting to the general store.

Gospel sensation Dr Tumi’s dream to tour the world is falling apart thanks to his battle with extreme exhaustion.

His condition is so serious that he has been forced to reschedule dates for his much-anticipated international Connect Tour.

“The weekend event was postponed to a later date as Dr Tumi started treatment for his long-standing condition of insomnia,” his PR management firm HM Entertainments said in a statement issued to Sowetan LIVE on behalf of Dr Tumi.

“His struggle to sleep has been going on for months and he is currently on treatment which includes sleep therapy."

Sowetan LIVE can confirm that Dr Tumi, real name Tumisang Makweya, will reschedule his next tour stop in Zambia this Saturday.

This follows after he left fans foaming after he postponed his tour stop at The Ridge Hotel, in Emalahleni (Witbank), last Friday at the 1lth hour.

“I'm highly disappointed on how the Dr Tumi 2019 tour concert got cancelled a day before the concert,like how?!” @symbodine tweeted.

Dr Tumi’s international Connect Tour has already been staged in Polokwane, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Botswana.

Dubbed as an “intimate night of worship”, the tour’s next stop was supposed to be Zambia this Saturday before heading to Zimbabwe on April 27.

“I can confirm that Zambia and Zimbabwe will not be happening as per the dates,” HM Entertainments said.

The tour was scheduled through April until July to take place in the Northern Cape, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Swaziland and UK.

“Dr Tumi has apologised to his Mpumalanga fans and assured that the concert will be rescheduled,” the statement continued.

“This however does not affect any other bookings Dr Tumi has that are outside his personal tour,” the statement read.

“The All White Easter booking [which is not his personal event/tour] will go on as scheduled as well as other bookings he has for the Easter weekend. He will not be cancelling any events.

Dr Tumi last week had fans concerned after he asked for prayers as he is currently battling exhaustion.

(ABC 6 News) -- Governor Tim Walz was in Rochester Monday afternoon to hear from people in southeast Minnesota about their experiences purchasing health insurance.

With rates continuing to rise and 350,000 Minnesotans without insurance, the governor’s healthcare budget prioritizes people who have to buy individual insurance plans.

“We’ve been listening to these stories for far too long,” said Tony Lourey, Commissioner of the Department of Human Services who was with the governor Monday.

The stories were from people who don’t get health insurance through an employer for a number of reasons – early retirement, small business owners, or farmers.

“Go back, long time ago when I was first farming with my dad, I bought $1000 deductible and it only cost me $149 for the whole year,” said Michael Frost, who has a farm near Pine Island.

Over Frost’s lifetime, especially in the last few years, he’s seen the cost of healthcare skyrocket.

“Few years back we paid over $24,000 between the premiums on the health insurance and the $10,600 deductible,” Frost said.

Unfortunately, Frost’s story isn’t unique.

“There’s many places where there’s only one choice or none at all and the individual market rates are upwards of $25,000 with, in many cases, $10,000 deductibles; there is no free market in healthcare,” said Gov. Walz.

The high cost of care is something Deborah Mills, a dairy farmer from Lake City, seen and experienced first-hand.

“I mean, we have people – heave healthcare of have health insurance, but they’re not getting healthcare because they’re spending all their money on premiums,” Mills said.

It’s a problem Gov. Walz hopes his ONECare MN plan will fix.

“ONECare provides an option for folks who don’t’ qualify for MinnesotaCare or medical assistance to be able to purchase a platinum product on the individual market that will hold down rates and give them the quality they need,” he said.

The governor’s healthcare budget would do a number of other things as well, like establish a health insurance tax credit and increase access to dental health.

WITH the league championship battle seemingly a preserve of the two platinum sides, FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars in the last two years, the rest of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League sides have all firmly fixed their sights on quenching their success thirst in the Chibuku Super Cup which stars at the weekend.

Winners of the league title get way with $100 000 and a chance to represent the country in the Caf Champions League, while the Chibuku Super Cup carries a prize tag of $75 000 for the winner and an opportunity to participate in the Caf Confederation Cup.

The 2015 league champions, Chicken Inn, who trail FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum in the league though with slim chances of overtaking any of the two, were banned from participating in this year’s edition of the Chibuku Super Cup after they walked out of the first round match against Yadah last year.

Caps United won the championship in 2016 and ended last season on position five after losing a considerable number of players, and coach Lloyd Chitembwe believes they have done well this year under the circumstances although the title is out of reach.

They are on 43 points, sitting on position five on the log table after dropping points against Shabanie Mine on Saturday, and they are an unassailable 19 points behind leaders FC Platinum and now seek reprieve from the Chibuku Super Cup as they host ZPC Kariba at the National Sports Stadium in the first round on Sunday.

Last year, Caps United were booted out of the tournament after a PSL ad-hoc committee found them guilty of causing the abandonment of their quarter-final tie against Shabanie Mine, with the match awarded to the Zvishavane-based side.

Having finished empty-handed last season, they will look to make up with success in the cup competition, as they have fallen far off the leaders.

After thrashing troubled fellow giants Dynamos 3-0 at Barbourfields Stadium, Highlanders went on to lose two away league matches to Mutare City Rovers and ZPC Kariba and remain on position seven with 39 points.

The league title has been elusive for the Bulawayo giants for the past 11 years after last lifting the silverware in 2006. Coach Madinda Ndlovu is on record saying they are not after the league title this year, but last week said winning the Chibuku Super Cup would give hope to the masses of the Highlanders fans.

“That is where our hope lies now (Chibuku Super Cup). We are going to put everything we have to try and win that cup.

It will give a lot of hope to the doubting Thomases, because I believe if these boys win some silverware, it will give them the drive,” Ndlovu said.

Last year, under Dutchman Erol Akbay, Highlanders were parcelled out of the tournament in the first round, losing to eventual winners Harare City.

They take on Yadah in the first round of this year’s edition at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.

Ambitious Triangle, sitting on the fourth spot on the log with 45 points, also want to do well in this year’s Chibuku Super Cup.

Coach Taurai Mangwiro is optimistic.

“I think we are heading in the right direction. I think we have a very good chance of making a statement. We have the Chibuku Cup coming against Shabanie Mine and we would also like to do well,” he said.

It’s not looking good for Dynamos, who are fighting relegation in the league with just 30 points from 26 games after last winning the championship in 2014.

Winning the Chibuku Super Cup will come as great solace to the Dynamos fans who have been shunning the club’s league matches.

After losing to Harare City on Sunday, embattled coach Lloyd Mutasa said the creativity was there in his boys, but the problem is in scoring.

They could use this competition to find the elusive form.

DeMbare face Bulawayo Chiefs in the first round at Rufaro on Saturday.

Harare City start the Chibuku Super Cup defence against Bulawayo City at Rufaro on Friday.

For the two platinum miners, there are no guarantees for the league title as they are separated by just five points.

They will also go out full throttle to try and win this competition.

England fans with tickets for their final Six Nations match were have been warned off selling them on the secondary market amid a clamour from Ireland supporters to witness their country's bid for only their third Grand Slam and first on St Patrick's Day.

Ireland travel to Twickenham on Saturday having already won their third championship in six years following their victory over Scotland and England's defeat in France.

This weekend's match had previously been billed as a title – and even a potential Grand Slam – decider but the best England can now hope for is to claim the runners-up spot, with even a fifth-placed finish not out of the question for the 2016 and 2017 champions.

Holders of tickets for the Saturday's showdown were asking for up to £4,400 (NZ$8385) per seat on the secondary market on Monday in defiance of the Rugby Football Union's ticket terms and conditions.

Those terms and conditions stipulate any unwanted tickets must only be sold on only via the RFU's official online ticket exchange, as well as warning anyone found in possession of a ticket obtained though unauthorised means will be denied entry to this weekend's match and risk being barred from attending future games at Twickenham.

With Cheltenham Festival also taking place this week, Irish sports fans are expected to travel to the UK in their thousands ahead of what could be their country's third Grand Slam since 1948 following their nail-biting triumph in Wales nine years ago.

An RFU spokeswoman told Telegraph Sport: "The England v Ireland match at Twickenham is sold out, and has been for a long time. There is huge interest in the match.

"Our stance on the secondary market is very clear – Twickenham tickets cannot be sold on secondary websites. It is a clear breach of our ticketing terms and conditions, and we are constantly monitoring the marketplace.

"Our message to rugby fans is clear – don't risk your money by purchasing tickets from a secondary site because if you do, there is a good chance you won't be able to get in.

"As ever, we want tickets to go to rugby fans who want to come to the match – and not to people who want to trade them as a commodity."

Sept 10 - Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 19 points at 7,297 points on Monday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures up 0.16 percent ahead of the cash market open.

* AB FOODS: Associated British Foods maintained its full year guidance, saying strong profit performances from its Primark fashion chain, grocery, agriculture and ingredients businesses would more than offset a weak outcome from its sugar operation.

* RPC GROUP-APOLLO GLOBAL: RPC Group, Europe’s biggest plastics packager, said on Monday it was in preliminary talks with alternative investment manager Apollo Global Management and private equity firm Bain Capital about a takeover offer for the company.

* CONSORT MEDICAL: Consort Medical Plc has agreed to develop a nasal spray for treating opioid overdoses with specialty pharmaceutical company Opiant Pharmaceuticals Inc.

* FUNDING CIRCLE: Funding Circle IPO-FNIG.L, the small business loans platform, said on Monday it would look to raise around 300 million pounds ($388 million) through a listing on the London Stock Exchange.

* GULF KEYSTONE: Oil and gas producer Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd on Monday reported a four-fold increase in first-half profit, led by higher output from the Shaikan oilfield in Kurdistan and an uptick in crude prices.

* ASTON MARTIN: Luxury carmaker Aston Martin announced the appointment of a non-executive chairwoman on Monday alongside a series of other proposed roles as it confirmed its intention to pursue an initial public offering.

* GSK: GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday that U.S. health authorities had asked for more information about its Nucala drug for use in combating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

* GOLD: Gold held on to a small loss from the previous session on Monday, as the dollar firmed amid expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September and fears of escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

* OIL: Oil prices rose on Monday as U.S. drilling for new production stalled and as the market eyed tighter conditions once Washington’s sanctions against Iran’s crude exports kick in from November.

* The UK blue chip index closed 0.6 percent lower at 7,277.70 points on Friday, as investors awaited news on whether the United States would impose new tariffs on Chinese imports while a data breach at British Airways triggered a fall in its owner’s shares.

A Bakersfield man was killed Saturday night when he was ejected from a motorcycle that crashed into a guardrail on Highway 119 north of Taft.

The Kern County Coroner identified the victim as Christopher Charles Dross, 29.

He was the passenger on a motorcycle that struck the guard rail on a curve just north of Midway Road about 10:30 p.m., the coroner said in a news release.

There was no information on the of the driver of the motorcycle.

Details of the accident were not immediately available from the CHP.

MANILA, January 25, 2005 (STAR) By Des Ferriols - The peso surged to its strongest finish in more than 12 months, closing at 55.40 to the dollar yesterday on the back of positive economic outlook, strong dollar inflows from overseas Filipino contract workers and the general weaking of the dollar against regional currencies.

At the Philippine Dealing System (PDS), the peso hit an intraday high of 55.350 with volume turnover reaching a heavy $373.50 million. Yesterday’s closing rate was the peso’s best finish since Jan. 13, 2004 when it touched 55.40 to the dollar.

At the Philippine Stock Exchange, the 30-company composite index extended gains to fresh five-year highs breaching 2,000 points as investors bought into companies expected to announce strong results for 2004.

Analysts said investors appeared to shrug off the weekend news of Finance Secretary Juanita Amatong’s departure citing the pressure of having to oversee the government’s efforts to raise revenues to avoid an impending fiscal crisis.

The stock market ended up 27.41 points, or 1.4 percent, at 2,015.25, its best close since Feb. 10, 2000, when it finished at 2,020.15. On Friday, the index rose 1.6 percent.

Yesterday’s rally brings the total index gain since Wednesday to 5.8 percent.

"Stories surrounding the market are strong, at least for the first quarter," said PCCI Securities president Francisco Liboro.

"Investors are rising on the wave of recent positive economic indicators and a vibrant corporate outlook. It’s just so hard to stop a train full of money," said Astro del Castillo of First Grade Holdings Inc.

However, the benchmark index’s run was likely to take a pause once it reached 2,030 points, del Castillo said.

"Eventually, reality check will come along. Profit-taking is due," he said.

The commercial-industrial, banks and financial services, and mining subindexes ended higher. The all shares, property, and oil sub-indicators finished lower.

Stocks of the country’s largest oil refiner Petron Corp. were among the top contributors to the index’s advance, rising 11 percent to P3.90 after the company posted an 11 percent increase in its 2004 net profit to P3.45 billion, higher than its P3.3 billion target.

Also actively traded were Metropolitan Bank, up 3.3 percent at P31 and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., up 1.1 percent at P1,450, after its American Depositary Receipts in New York rose 2.2 percent Friday.

Liboro said the market’s mood is heady because investors are looking forward to a host of positive developments in the first quarter.

"You have the mining summit coming up in February, there are the strong corporate earnings coming out, then there’s the better-than-expected GDP (gross domestic product) numbers set to be released," said Liboro.

The summit comes amid renewed favor enjoyed by the mining sector after last month’s Supreme Court ruling allowing foreign investors to gain control of local mining operations. Several foreign investors have already expressed interest in taking up stakes in local mining companies.

Among the mining stocks that benefited in yesterday’s session was Manila Mining B, which closed up 21 percent at P0.034.