May 312015
 

In the world of business and financial reporting, there is an ongoing debate on whether audited financial statements provide sufficient useful information to the various stakeholders, and how such useful information can be provided beyond these financial statements. The phenomenon of globalization and ever-growing connectivity add fuel to this debate, resulting in the increasing pressure and expectation to establish a better linkage between reporting financial and non-financial information, corporate behavior and performance, and investment decision-making.

May 292015
 
Audi makes a clean fuel breakthrough

The fuel is synthetically produced without the use of petroleum. ©Stefan Redel/shutterstock.com (Relaxnews) – German carmaker Audi has started producing its first quantities of e-benzin, a synthetic fuel that can be used like traditional petrol but without the harmful sulphur or hydrocarbon emissions. While a host of automotive experts have declared electricity as the fuel of the car’s future with hybrids being used as a stop gap to wean drivers off their fossil-fuel focused dependence while the next generation of extended range batteries are prepared for mass market, Audi is hedging its bets. It may have been one of the first premium car makers to bring hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles to its range but it has also been developing a suite of synthetic e-fuels that behave like traditional petrol or diesel, but that burn without releasing sulphur or aromatic hydrocarbons and with little if any CO2 emissions. In April it announced that it, alongside its technical partners, had successfully created an e-diesel made from water and carbon dioxide. Since the beginning of May, a factory in Dresden has been producing 160 liters of the fuel a day. Less than three weeks later, Audi is now claiming to have achieved another significant breakthrough, a cleaner alternative to petrol – e-benzin. Synthetically produced without any petroleum it is extremely high-grade and therefore suitable for use in serious performance or seriously efficient cars as both use engines that run with a high compression ratio. However, it can just as easily be added Read More …

May 292015
 
Sunshine won’t suffice as only vitamin D source during pregnancy

Even if you live in a sun-filled paradise, sunshine might not be enough to give you the vitamin D you need during pregnancy, according to a recent study. ©Monkey Business Images/shutterstock.com (Relaxnews) – Even in one of the world’s favorite places to catch some rays – the Mediterranean – low levels of vitamin D are common during pregnancy, according to a new study. Presented Monday at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin, the study’s findings are expected to reduce early childhood diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, bone formation disorders, high risk of caesarean delivery and premature birth. “Pregnant women with vitamin D deficiencies may be at greater risk of various problems and complications, both for themselves and their babies,” says Dr. Spiros. “It’s imperative for pregnant women and the medical community at large, to recognize the importance of vitamin D in overall health.” Until now, Mediterranean women were commonly believed to maintain normal levels of vitamin D thanks to a sun-splashed environment, yet up to 90 percent of pregnant women in Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey are vitamin D deficient. Racial, social and cultural habits could be at play, counteracting the health benefits of sun exposure, according to Dr. Karras Spiros who carried out the study with his colleagues at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Working with 2,649 pregnant women and 1,802 newborns, the team assessed for age, body mass index (BMI), race, socioeconomic status, skin types, gestation period, sun exposure, calcium and vitamin D Read More …

May 292015
 
Cristine Reyes assures Ara of her support

Cristine Reyes (MNS Photo) Ara Mina, who recently admitted having problems in her relationship with Bulacan, Bulacan mayor Patrick Meneses, can count on younger sister Cristine Reyes to be there for her. In an interview on Wednesday, Reyes stressed that she and the rest of their family are there to support Ara Mina. “Nung Mother’s Day nag-exchange lang kami ng messages. Before that nagkaroon kami ng dinner sa house niya. We are here, we are just here. … She’s strong naman, si Ate pa. Ang dami nang pinagdaanan niyan. Lahat naman ng tao nakaalalay, nakasuporta,” she added. “I don’t feel sad because hindi pa ‘yan ang ending. Ang babata pa nila, hindi pa ‘yan ending. Hindi naitin alam kung ano ang ending ng story,” Reyes added. In a previous interview, Ara Mina appealed for understanding amid rumors that she and Meneses have already called it quits. (MNS)