What makes a whisky cask worth £500,000?

Just how much would you pay for a cask of rare Scotch whisky?

For some, it seems, the sky is the limit when it comes to liquid gold.

Earlier this month, an anonymous buyer in Hong Kong paid an auction-record £285,000 for a sherry cask filled with a 30-year-old Macallan single malt.

Its contents, if emptied, would work out at a neat £1,000 per 70cl bottle.

Others have paid even more for a cask of the hard stuff, with one Scotch whisky brokerage reporting a sale in excess of £500,000.

Some industry experts believe there are £1m casks out there 

waiting to be found.

So why are people willing to spend such eye-watering amounts of money on the spirit?

The answer isn't straightforward.

For some, casks are merely an investment. For others, such as connoisseurs and collectors, there's more emphasis on the experience - tasting a spirit that has been ageing in oak casks for decades.

But rarity is also highly prized.

N. Korean Nuclear test site collapse, 200 killed

 many as 200 North Korean labourers have been killed after a mine shaft being dug at the regime's nuclear test site collapsed, according to Japan's Asahi TV.

Sources in North Korea told the news channel that a tunnel being excavated by around 100 workers at the Punggye-ri test site collapsed earlier this month.

An additional 100 labourers sent to rescue their colleagues were reportedly killed when the tunnel suffered a second collapse.

An exact date for the disaster has not been provided, but it comes shortly after North Korea conducted its sixth - and most powerful - underground nuclear test at the site.

Lipton operations to remain on top

Unilever-owned, Lipton is handing over its local operation –auctioning, evaluation and buying of its tea – to Finlays as part of ensuring cost efficiency. 

 Lipton seems to be constantly moving out its operations, out sourcing its business to some of the other companies in a bid to ensure cost efficiency and in the wake of the UK tea market itself reducing its consumption of the brew. Currently one of the biggest tea brands in the UK, Lipton had also closed its packing and blending plant in 2001 and shifted operations to Dubal.

In transition in handing over their operations to the finlays , Lipton had taken this decision based on the fact that sri Lanka is currently believed to be the only country where the trade collectively decides that everything sold has to be via a public auction.

Tea brokers confirmed that the market has been informed of the move .officials from Lipton and Findiays declined to comment.

According to the complex rules for an auction and the other terms of quality involved Lipton’s wants to ensure that another non-competitive company could be involved in this tedious process thereby ensuring cost efficiency for the company.

Saudi Arabia is changing in the future world.

A robot with Saudi citizenship? It's the latest surreal scene from the kingdom's "Davos in the Desert", where Saudi Arabia's leaders have been attempting to impress their economic ambitions upon the rest of the world.

In a three-day event that has already seen the country announce its intent to build an entirely new city - called Neom - from scratch, the announcement that a robot named Sophia has been granted Saudi citizenship stands apart.

Alongside a holographic lion and a virtual rollercoaster, the robot has been on display at the Future Investment Initiative held by Saudi Public Investment Fund this week.

"Thank you to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said the robot, named Sophia, when she learnt of her ostensible citizenship. "It is historic to be the first robot in the world granted citizenship."

The announcement could be controversial among conservative Saudis, many of whom believe that representation of the human form, even in art or on a mannequin, is sacrilegious.

Citizenship is also a carefully guarded benefit in the kingdom, which does not grant it to foreign workers who make up about a third of the population - even to some families who have been there for generations - or to the children of Saudi women and foreign men.

In a statement, the Saudi government's Center for  International Communication described the citizenship as "no laughing matter"

Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince on Tuesday announced plans to build a futuristic city run entirely on alternative sources of energy and said the ultraconservative kingdom must return to “moderate Islam.”

AJAHN BRAHMAVAMSO TO SPEAK AT TEMPLE TREES

Ajahn Brahmavamso ,the popular Buddhist teacher to a growing international audience eager to learn teach inquest of meditations , will speak at the Prime Minister’s auditorium at Temple Trees on November 06 and 07 Ajahn Brahm society – Sri Lanka branch announced this week.

Born  in  London as Peter Betts’ Ajahn Brahmavamso graduated from Cambridge University after obtaining a scholarship to study theoretical physics .He joined the Buddhist Society at Cambridge and after a short stint at teaching, was ordained as a monk in Thailand’s   Wat Saket in 1974.

What Sustains Georgia’s Film Industry?

A combination of factors help support the Peach State's film productions.

With its eighth season premiering Oct. 22, "The Walking Dead" has been one of America's most popular television shows since its debut in 2010. But the series did more than bring flesh-eating fear into the homes of viewers; it carried fans from a rural hospital through zombie-infested towns and fields to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. And that was just the first season.

While the Georgia setting in "The Walking Dead" was obvious, other successful series were more subtle about the setting. "The Vampire Diaries," which ended earlier this year after eight seasons, was shot in Covington, about 40 miles east of Atlanta. Jackson sits nearly 50 miles south of Atlanta and serves as the home to Netflix's "Stranger Things," the second season of which becomes available Oct. 27.
Georgia has also played host to many high-profile feature film productions, including Marvel Studio's 2017 "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Thor: Ragnarok," which premieres Nov. 2.

Sri Lankans: In Future The necessary skills needed for the job market.

As Sri Lanka enters an increasingly competitive international environment with a renewed emphasis on transforming itself into a modern economy, the importance of promoting technological innovations and generating an educated workforce with market oriented skills cannot be over emphasized.

High quality human resources with science and technology knowledge and a skill labor force are necessary to keep up and improve on the country’s global competitiveness.

Link between access tertiary

Education and skill mismatch

As for 2014 , only 5 pre- cent of 20-24 year olds were enrolled at a university ,while another 8 pre-cent were enrolled in other educational institutions and only a 3pre-cent of  the same age group were enrolled in technical education and vocational training (TEVT) courses.

The main reason behind this lower tertiary enrolment include capacity constraints of the state university system , unavailability of a proper parallel higher education system with private sector involvement, and an underdeveloped TEVT sector.

In America, a giant military vessel (28) arrives in Sri Lanka.

 The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is scheduled to arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka for a planned port visit on October 28.  The Carrier Strike Group includes the USS Nimitz, the cruiser USS Princeton, and destroyers USS Howard, USS Shoup, USS Pinckney, and USS Kidd.  The ships are scheduled to depart Colombo on October 31, 2017.

Reflecting the growing relationship between the U.S. and Sri Lankan navies, this is the first time an aircraft carrier has visited Sri Lanka since 1985, and follows the recent completion of the inaugural bilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) naval exercise.

“Building our maritime partnership in step with Sri Lanka’s own progress on reconciliation and human rights advances our shared national goals of fostering security and stability,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Atul Keshap.  “I’m delighted that U.S. sailors will have the chance to visit Sri Lanka, meet with its wonderful people, and take part in public service activities at schools, hospitals, and rest homes that will improve the lives of Sri Lankans of all ages,” he added.

2.0 : The biggest film event with Akshay and Rajinikanth in Dubai

2.0 is the sequel to director Shankar's 2010 blockbuster Enthiran. The upcoming sci-film has Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in the lead roles and it is being produced on a budget more than Rs 400 crore. Musician AR Rahman will give a live performance at the event.

A massive stage is being prepared in Dubai for the grand audio release of director Shankar’s 2.0, starring Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in the lead roles, which is set to take place on Friday. India’s top stars have already started descending to Dubai to be part of what the filmmakers have promised to be the biggest and the most exciting film event ever.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, talking about the upcoming music launch, promised an “epic” event. “Gear up for the music event of @2Point0movie, it’s going to be nothing less than EPIC!,” he tweeted.

So what makes 2.0 audio launch the biggest film event of the year?

Qatar Emir Talks with President of Sri Lanka.

HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held a session of official talks with HE President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, at the Emiri Diwan on Thursday.

During the talks, they reviewed aspects of bilateral relations between both countries and ways to boost and develop them in the different fields such as investment, energy, education, health and medical sciences.
The talks also touched on a number of current regional and international issues of common interest.

The final farewell in king of Bhumibal

The funeral for Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is an elaborate, intricately planned event lasting five days. Here are some facts about the events

The spectacular send-off for Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej began Thursday with an elaborate collage of Buddhist rituals and palace protocol, ahead of his cremation at the gilded pyre erected in Bangkok’s historic heart.

The US$90 million ceremony is a final act of devotion to the “father” of the nation, who died last year aged 88.

Here are a few things to know about the funeral of a king revered as a demi-god, and who reigned for seven decades.

The latest structure in china's communist party central committee

China’s ruling Communist Party on Tuesday announced a new Central Committee, the largest of its elite ruling bodies, at the closing session of the 19th Communist Party Congress, a course-setting leadership reshuffle held every five years.

The list provides clues to who will, or won’t, fill top Party positions during President Xi Jinping’s second term. The party will announce its new Politburo Standing Committee, which now includes seven members headed by Xi and is the apex of power in China. It is selected by the new Central Committee, around midday (0400 GMT) on Wednesday.

Here are noteworthy names:

Wang Qishan, 69, the anti-corruption tsar and current Standing Committee member, is not on the new Central Committee, ending months of speculation whether he would remain for another term and break an unofficial retirement rule of not taking a new position after age 68.

Wang may still get a leadership role outside the Standing Committee, sources told Reuters prior to congress.

Qatar Airways Wins Business Traveller Awards 2017

Qatar Airways is pleased   to announce that it has been named ‘Best Airline’ at the highly respected 2017 Business Traveller Awards, held recently at London’s Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington.

In addition to being voted ‘Best Airline ‘by travelers from around the world ,Qatar’s national carrier also won a raft of other major awards at the Middle East’ ‘Best Business class’ and ‘Best Long Haul Airline’.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said; I am extremely proud that Qatar Airways has been recognized in these four award categories.to be voted ‘Best Airline,’Best Middle Eastern Airline,’ best Long Haul Airline, ‘and ‘best business Class’ by the readers of Business Traveller magazine is a significant testimony of our passengers’ trust in what we stand for, placing them first at every stage of a journey”.

For the first time in Sri Lanka: Sampath Bank is Introduced Banking Facilities for Robotics

Robotics enabled by artificial intelligence and machine learning is proving to be a game changer that will bring unique operational efficiencies to the financial service industry, worldwide.

In Sri Lanka, continuing with their trend of pioneering innovative digital banking solutions, Sampath Bank is poised to revolutionize the financial industry with a banking robot that works in the form of a humanoid teller.

A never before in Sri Lanka phenomenon, the robot uses artificial intelligence to understand customers’ requests and performs transactions. It detects the presence of a customer and automatically initiates a conversation.

Currently the humanoid teller can speak and understand English and can perform seven functions; cash withdrawals, account balances, exchange rates, interest rates, details of loans & credit cards and information on how to open an account.

Einstein: theory of happy living sells 1.18 Million pounds

Physicist penned the advice, in lieu of a tip, for a courier, during a 1922 lecture tour in Tokyo. Now his note is up for auction

A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo, briefly describing his theory on happy living, has surfaced after 95 years, and is up for auction in Jerusalem.

The year was 1922, and the German-born physicist, most famous for his theory of relativity, was on a lecture tour in Japan.

He had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics, and his fame outside of scientific circles was growing.

A Japanese courier arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo to deliver Einstein a message. The courier either refused to accept a tip, in line with local practice, or Einstein had no small change available.

Either way, Einstein didn’t want the messenger to leave empty-handed, so he wrote him two notes by hand in German, according to the seller, a relative of the messenger.

USA: JFK, Assassinations info.

A treasure trove of documents related to the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy will be released Thursday. If recent polls are any indicator, it's doubtful whether there is any information in the documents that will put to bed the plethora of JFK conspiracies.

According to a poll by FiveThirtyEight.com this month, only 33 percent of Americans believe Kennedy was killed by a single person when he was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963. The official sequence of events as established by a commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren is that Kennedy was shot and killed with two bullets by Lee Harvey Oswald, who acted alone.

Fifty years later, however, most people are skeptical of the Warren Commission. In the survey, 61 percent of Americans believe in a conspiracy in which more than one person was involved in shooting the president.

JAPAN: Abe a big win

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that the ruling bloc’s overwhelming victory in Sunday’s general election represented a “historic” level of public confidence in his leadership and that he will take the result as a powerful endorsement of his pet policies, including revising the pacifist Constitution.

With Sunday’s victory, Abe silenced doubts about his leadership ahead of imminent meetings with world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump next month. Taking this into account, Abe announced his intention to seek re-election as prime minister at the Diet, possibly as soon as Nov. 1, when a special Diet session is reportedly set to be convened, and then “swiftly launch a new Cabinet.”
“I am very grateful that the Japanese public has powerfully encouraged us to move forward with our politics based on the solid foundation of our leadership,” Abe told a packed news conference at the headquarters of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Sperm whale has the largest brain on Earth

Cetaceans — whales and dolphins — are among the brainiest of beings. In terms of sheer brain size, the sperm whale is top on Earth, with a brain six times larger than that of a human being.

And now, scientists have identified key differences among cetaceans linked to brain size.

A study of 90 cetacean species published on Monday found that those with larger brains exhibit greater complexity in social structures as well as behaviours, with species like the killer whale and sperm whale leading the way.

“Dolphin and whale societies are at least as complex as what we have observed in primates,” said evolutionary biologist Susanne Shultz of the University of Manchester in Britain.

CIA director said: North Korea is ready to produce nuclear weapons

 CIA Director Mike Pompeo  has said North Korea  is months away from perfecting its nuclear weapons capabilities. 

 They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving” their objective of being able to strike the  United States ,  Pompeo told a national security forum in Washington. 

But he said there's a difference between having the ability to fire a single nuclear missile and the capability of producing large amounts of fissile material and developing an arsenal of such weapons.

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) Reportedly Cutting iPhone 8 Orders

Investors are trying to piece together the complicated iPhone puzzle

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) stock traded lower on Thursday after reports out of Taiwan claim the company has reduced its November and December iPhone 8 orders from suppliers by roughly 50 percent.

A report in Taiwan's Economic Times newspaper cites an unnamed supplier source claiming that Apple has cut its iPhone 8 demand in half.

While the report may seem alarming, a handful of Wall Street analysts have said the news, if true, may not be a crushing blow for Apple investors. The current iPhone cycle is far from the typical cycle. In addition to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple will be launching the 10-year anniversary iPhone X model on Nov. 3.

Apple does not officially update iPhone sales, but Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang says iPhone 8 production cuts may be a sign Apple is anticipating robust iPhone Xdemand, which could be good news for average sales price and margins.