August 2018

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
With an investment of up to
US$5.3bn, the UK will become
the largest foreign investor in
Peru. The project will create
thousands of jobs and greater
prosperity.
Anglo American this week
announced the approval of its
Quellaveco project, a worldclass
copper project in Peru.
This announcement represents
the UK’s largest investment
ever in Peru, highlighting
the UK’s long-standing commitment
to the country. The
investment will reach up to US
$5.3bn, making the UK the
largest foreign direct investor
in the country. Colin Gray,
Chargé d’Affaires at the British
Embassy, said: Anglo
American’s announcement is
excellent news for Peru and for
our bilateral relationship. This
is a moment of pride and the
culmination of many years of
hard work. This project will
create thousands of jobs and
bring greater prosperity across
the country. I offer my warmest
congratulations to all those
who have worked so hard to
make it a reality.
The development phase of
the project has an expected capital
cost of US$5to US$5.3 billion
and will be funded on an
attributable basis: 60% by
Anglo American and 40% by
Mitsubishi. First production of
copper is expected in 2022,
ramping up to full production
in 2023. Mark Cutifani, CEO of
Anglo American, said:
“Quellaveco is one of the
world’s largest and most attractive
undeveloped copper orebodies.
After several years of
UNITED KINGDOM
Action to address recent fire door issues
Fire doors from 5 suppliers
have now been identified as failing
to meet requisite fire performance
standard following an
on-going investigation by
MHCLG.
Fire doors from five suppliers
have now been identified as failing
to meet requisite fire performance
standard following an
on-going investigation by the
Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local
Government (MHCLG).
This highlights broader potential
failings within the industry
and the Government is taking
immediate action to address this.
MHCLG began investigating
the fire door industry after it was
found that a glazed, composite
fire door from Grenfell Tower
manufactured by Manse Masterdor
failed a 30 minute fire resistance test
after approximately 15 minutes.
Issues were subsequently identified
with doors produced by Masterdor
Limited (the successor business to
Manse Masterdor). Investigations
have continued and in the last few
days doors from 3 additional manufacturers
have failed fire resistance
testing when tested on both sides.
MHCLG is writing to all building
control bodies highlighting the need
to check that existing building regulations
guidance on new fire door
installations is followed. The guidance
sets out the tests which should
be performed – including testing
doors on both sides – in order to
meet building regulations requirements.
The Secretary of State for
Communities has instructed major
fire door suppliers to meet this week
and agree a clear plan of action to
tackle the failings which have been
identified, with weekly reports on
progress.
The government’s Independent
Expert Panel and the National Fire
Chiefs Council have advised that the
additional risk to public safety is
low, as even when not meeting full
resistance standards fire doors will
provide some protection from the
spread of fire and are part of layered
fire protection systems within buildings.
Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP
said: While the department’s investigations
are on-going, I now have
enough evidence to suggest that
there is a broader issue across the
fire door market.
That is why I am calling on suppliers
to meet this week and provide
reassurance that they are gripping
this issue properly.
I want to see a clear plan of
action to rectify existing problems
Anglo American’s
Quellaveco in Peru is the
UK largest investment
extensive preparatory work, we
are very pleased to develop the
project together with our partners
Mitsubishi. We are grateful
for the strong support we
have gained from our host communities
and at the national
level. Quellaveco should bring
very significant opportunities
and sustainable benefits to the
lives of those we employ, our
business partners, the surrounding
region and Peru as a whole,
for decades to come.”
The support of local communities
is the result of an
innovative 18-month consultation
with local authorities and
community representatives
from the Moquegua region.
Through this ‘dialogue table’,
Anglo American agreed 26
detailed and specific long-term
commitments relating to water
management, environmental
protection and social investment.
For example, by ensuring
that the water required by the
operation is drawn mainly from
a river whose water is naturally
unfit for human or agricultural
use and additionally by collecting
excess rainfall and sharing
it with the communities, Anglo
American is delivering on its
promise of a positive water
impact for local people and
their livelihoods.
and ensure such failures are not
repeated in the future. Whilst
our Expert Panel assures me the
risk remains low I want to assure
the public that the government is
doing everything it can to ensure
construction products are of the
highest safety standards and
accurately tested and marketed.
The Secretary of State has
also asked National Trading
Standards to oversee local investigations
which are taking place.
MHCLG will also work with
third party certification bodies to
develop minimum standards of
assurance to provide building
owners with greater confidence
in the fire doors they purchase.
The products which have
failed government tests to date
were glazed and unglazed doors
supplied by Manse Masterdor and
Masterdor Limited and glazed composite
doors supplied by Specialist
Building Products Limited, trading
as Permadoor; Solar Windows
Limited; and Birtley Group Limited,
trading as Bowater by Birtley. All
doors that are known to have failed
to meet the necessary standards
have been withdrawn from the market
and the department has informed
local trading standards of its findings.
Each manufacturer has cooperated
fully with the government’s
investigations, which are
continuing.
August 2018
3
Decoded: How ginger
reduces bad breath
London : Ever thought how ginger helps
reduce bad breath? A pungent compound present
in the spice may be an answer to it, a new
study suggests.
The study found that the pungent compound
-- 6-gingerol -- stimulates enzymes contained
in saliva that breaks down foul smelling substances
in the mouth ensuring fresh breath and
better aftertaste. The pungent principle of ginger
makes the level of the enzyme sulfhydryl
oxidase 1 in saliva increase 16-fold within a
few seconds, the researcher said.
The saliva and breath analyses carried out
on human volunteers showed that the enzyme
breaks down malodorous sulpher-containing
compounds. "As a result, our breath also
smells better," said lead author Thomas
Hofmann from the Technical University of
Munich in Germany. The researchers mentioned
that many food components contribute
directly to the characteristic taste of food and
beverages by means of contributing their own
particular taste, scent or spiciness.
To find out more about food components,
the research team investigated the effects of
food components on the molecules dissolved
in saliva. The study, published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, also suggested
that citric acid increases the sodium ion
content of saliva, making salty foods taste less
salty. Citric acid influences our perception of
taste through a completely different mechanism,
the researchers said.
As everyone knows from personal experience,
sour foods such as lemon juice stimulate
salivation. The amount of minerals dissolved
in saliva also increases in proportion to the
amount of saliva, they added.