German restaurant accidentally serves hash cake at funeral

01:56, October 30, 2019

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  Chinese contestants boycott pro-HK riot entry at UK cake competition

  Cake International 2019. (Photo: Global Times)Widespread discussion swept the Chinese internet Sunday after a British cake competition received an entry that showed its support for the Hong Kong riots.Chinese mainland contestants on Friday at the Cake International 2019, a famous UK baking competition, noticed one entry with controversial symbols in support of Hong Kong secessionists, which they reported to the organizers, according to huanqiu.com on Saturday.Photos taken by the Chinese participants and uploaded on Weibo reveal a cake covered with a Guy Fawkes mask and other anti-HK government and police symbols.Videos on Weibo show the mainland contestants speaking with organizers and have been trending hot topics since Friday."No matter what the result is, we will keep consulting with the organizer," said one Chinese mainland contestant on Weibo, noting the motherland is above everything.Netizens applauded the brave behavior and said any action supporting HK secession is illegal and unacceptable."You have the support from all Chinese people," said one netizen, praising the Chinese mainland bakers."The so-called freedom that the radical protesters in Hong Kong asked for is threatening and attacking people or institutions who hold different opinions," said another netizen said on Weibo.Many warned mainland contestants to be careful given the violent nature of the HK protests.On Sunday, one contestant, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Global Times the cake was removed from an earlier exhibition. The contestant was unaware if the entry had been officially withdrawn from competition.Questions sent to Cake International organizers went unreturned as of press time.

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  China’s import fair to serve global interests

  The China Pavilion is seen at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Sunday. (Photo: Xinhua)Chinas second import fair, coming at a time when the world is still mired in a rift over protectionism and unrest, is expected to serve the interests of all economies keen on capitalizing on opportunities abounding in the Chinese market, participating businesses and economists said on Monday.Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted a banquet on Monday for guests attending the Second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, according to the Xinhua News Agency. This years expo opens Tuesday and closes Sunday.The expo, setting its focus on high-tech products and various services, will consolidate the nations position as an open trade trendsetter and global growth engine, according to Chinese market watchers.From the worlds shortest insulin injection needle to a future driving cab which can detect and respond to driver mood changes, the expo is increasingly turning into a feast of cutting-edge technologies in all areas as exhibitors bring their latest-generation and concept products laden with high technologies to the countrys largest import expo, A Global Times reporter noted in a tour of the expo venue on Monday.Overseas exhibitors told the Global Times they brought their tech-heavy products to the expo looking for potential customers in China as the country increasingly demands high-quality products in defiance of a global economic slowdown.Amanda Lin, communications manager for the Greater China region of German semi-conductor manufacturer Infineon, said that the expo was a wonderful occasion for companies to teach the public about high-tech products like chips."From my observation, the integration of peoples lives and high technologies has developed very fast in the recent 10 or 20 years in China. People in China are using those technologies even without awareness of it," she told...

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  Smash sandwiches boost Restaurant Brands sales in US

  An Impossible Whopper burger at a Burger King restaurant in Alameda, Califonia, July 31, 2019.. (Photo: AP)Burger King reported its best comparable stores sales increase in the US in four years thanks to brisk sales of Impossible Whopper.Burger King’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International Inc., began selling the plant-based burger in late summer after a strong response to limited testing.The popularity of the burger helped push US same-store sales up 5%.The Toronto company also owns the Popeye’s chain of chicken restaurants, which had its own hit sandwich during the quarter.On Monday, after numerous restaurants sold out of the popular chicken sandwich over the summer, the chain said it’s bringing the sandwich back to restaurants on Sunday.Popeye’s had comparable sales growth of more than 10% in the US, among its best quarters in two decades.The strong performances from Burger King and Popeye’s, however, were not enough to offset a disappointing quarter for another of the Toronto company’s restaurants, Tim Horton’s, which reported a 1.4% decline in comparable sales.Shares slid more than 3% Monday.Restaurant Brands earned $201 million, or 75 cents per share, for the period ended Sept. 30. That compares with $134 million, or 53 cents per share, a year earlier.Stripping out one-time items, earnings were 72 cents per share. That’s in line with the expectations of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.Revenue totaled $1.46 billion in the period, also meeting Wall Street expectations.