“The Crown,” Netflix’s acclaimed series about Queen Elizabeth II and her family, has paused production due to the monarch’s death. A spokesperson for the series said production was paused on Friday “as a mark of respect” and will also be suspended on the day of the queen’s funeral. The show is in production on its sixth season. Its first two seasons starred Claire Foy as the young princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and gradually growing into her role as monarch, and seasons three and four featured Olivia Colman as a more mature queen. The show has gradually moved closer to current events. Netflix recently revealed casting of the actors who are playing Prince William and his wife Kate in the sixth season. Its fifth season, with Imelda Staunton playing the queen, will premiere in November. Read: British sports hold day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II The show has won 22 Emmy Awards so far, including one outstanding drama series trophy and best drama actress honors for Foy and Colman. Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in 13 episodes, also won the best drama actor Emmy for his portrayal of the future king as a young man.    

Factories in China’s southwest have shut down after reservoirs used to generate hydropower ran low in a worsening drought, adding to economic strains at a time when President Xi Jinping is trying to extend his position in power. Companies in Sichuan province including makers of solar panels, cement and urea closed or reduced production after they were ordered to ration power for up to five days, according to news reports Wednesday. That came after reservoir levels fell and power demand for air conditioning surged in scorching temperatures. “Leave power for the people,” said an order from the provincial government dated Tuesday. The shutdowns add to challenges for the ruling Communist Party as Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades, prepares to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader at a meeting in October or November. Growth in factory output and retail sales weakened in July, setting back China’s economic recovery after Shanghai and other industrial centers were shut down starting in late March to fight virus outbreaks. The economy grew by just 2.5% over a year earlier in the first half of 2022, less than half the official annual goal of 5.5%. Areas across central and northern China ordered emergency measures to ensure drinking water supplies after summer rain was as little as half normal levels. The official Xinhua News Agency said firetrucks carried water to two dry villages near Chongqing in the southwest. Hundreds of thousands of hectares (acres) of crops across central and northern China have wilted due to lack of water and high temperatures, according to the government. Some areas have reported the summer growing season a failure. Read: China Focus: China promotes green development along Belt and Road The weather agency has warned temperatures in some areas could spike to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). In Sichuan, which has 94 million people, water levels at hydropower reservoirs are down by as much as half this month, according to the Sichuan Provincial Department of Economics and Information Technology. A subsidiary of Guoguang Co., Ltd. that makes pesticide and fertilizer closed from Monday through at least Saturday, according to a company announcement through the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Makers of solar power equipment in Sichuan including Tongwei Solar Co. Ltd. and GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. said they received notices to ration power. Tongwei said the “power cut and production shutdown have not had much impact,” the business news outlet East Money reported. China faced similar strains last year when Guangdong province in the southeast, one of the world’s most important manufacturing centers, ordered factories to shut down after hydropower reservoirs ran low due to sparse rain. The government has allocated 280 million yuan ($41 million) for drought relief in Hebei and Shanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia region in the north and Liaoning province in the northeast, according to Xinhua. “Some small and medium-size rivers are so dry that they have stopped flowing,” the report said.   Meanwhile, authorities on Tuesday warned some parts of the country face possible flooding from heavy rains forecast in areas from the northwest across Inner Mongolia to the northeast.

New Mexico's film and TV industry has hit a new peak, with record spending by video production companies in a state that drew projects including the Netflix series “Stranger Things." Production companies directly spent a record $855 million on films, TV series and other media in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, New Mexico's governor announced Thursday. Industry executives have been attracted to New Mexico’s unique landscapes since the success of AMC's long-running series “Breaking Bad” and a generous increase of incentives passed by state lawmakers in 2019. In-state spending by the industry increased about 36% from nearly $627 million the previous fiscal year. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a first-term Democrat running for reelection, also touted an increase in spending beyond major cities such as Santa Fe and Albuquerque, fueled by expanded state incentives for rural and small-town film production. Local production spending in those outlying areas jumped more than six-fold to $49.5 million amid an industry rebound, state economic development officials told a legislative panel gathered in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Also read: Stranger Things 3 first impression: It’s already better than the second season It was unclear how much the state will eventually spend on corresponding film incentive payments. New Mexico offers a rebate of between 25% and 35% of in-state spending for video production that helps filmmakers large and small underwrite their work. Incentive payments crested at $148 million in 2019 before falling to about $40 million for the year ending in June 2021. While the state general fund is awash in income linked to federal pandemic aid along with a surge in oil and natural gas prices and production, some lawmakers have criticized the rebates as being too costly. State economic development officials say conversations are underway with lawmakers to revisit terms of the state film tax rebate program when the Legislature meets again in January 2023, possibly redrawing the boundaries for bonuses in rural areas and exploring new incentives linked to lower emissions of climate-warming pollution by the energy-intensive industry. Fiscally conservative legislators have questioned for years whether New Mexico may be spending too much on the film industry in comparison with the employment it sustains. But Lujan Grisham pointed to state data that showed an increase in the number of industry worker hours and new highs for the number of film and television productions overall at nearly 110 for the year. “Due to the work we’ve done to foster a successful environment for production and build a thriving base of talented local crews, film and television productions from around the world are putting money directly into New Mexico communities, supporting our small businesses and creating jobs for thousands of New Mexicans,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. Also read: New Coke, from 1985, makes comeback with 'Stranger Things' After the success of “Breaking Bad” and spinoff “Better Call Saul,” other notable recent productions in New Mexico include portions the fourth season of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and AMC's “Dark Winds," based on the the mystery book series from Tony Hillerman and daughter Anne Hillerman. Both Netflix and NBCUniversal have set up permanent production hubs in Albuquerque in recent years, adding to millions of dollars in investments and promises of more jobs. Legislative reforms in 2019 opened up greater incentives to film production companies that demonstrate long-term commitments to New Mexico through a 10-year contract on a qualified production facility. Netflix and NBCUniversal have secured that “film partner” status that lifts the cap on annual production rebates. Spending by the industry had been trending upward before the pandemic brought a halt to work due to public health mandates and industry protocols, resulting in a precipitous drop in 2020. As restrictions were eased, spending rebounded in 2021 as work ramped up. Record-setting activity took place amid allegations of workplace safety violations on the set of “Rust,” where actor and producer Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer in October 2021. No criminal charges have been filed in the case and Baldwin has denied wrongdoing. Rust Movie Productions is challenging the basis of a $137,000 fine against the company by state occupational safety regulators who say production managers on the set of the Western film failed to follow standard industry protocols for firearms safety. The Legislature this year allocated $40 million to help establish a collaborative media academy to bolster training for the industry. Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keyes said the headquarters of the academy will be located in Albuquerque.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan on Wednesday said Bangladesh is working to develop the production capacity of its factories along with high-end value addition, enabling them to handle USD $7 or $8 billion apparel supply orders in a month in near future. The President of BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) came up with the disclosure while addressing a dialogue organised by Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) in its office in the capital. “We’re getting huge orders from our regular buyers and a large number of new buyers rush here with apparel supply orders as production strength of Bangladesh has gained a trust among global buyers to supply products in all weather,” he told UNB replying to a query. He said Bangladesh earned $4 billion exporting apparels in December 2021 alone, the highest-ever record in one month, as a result of keeping factories in operation and following health guidelines during the pandemic. READ: BGMEA delegation meets army chief Bangladesh will soon achieve the ability of handling monthly order worth $7 or $ 8 billion for apparel supply, as all the sectors related to apparel production have been working to improve on this line, Faruque said. He said there are a good number of world-class apparel factories in Bangladesh of which 153 are green ones. The year 2022 will be an important year for investment in backward linkage areas. “The country will see many improvements this year in the whole apparel industry.” The BGMEA chief emphasised the need for maintaining good relations with all foreign friends and buyers for expanding the apparel sector to top level and diversification in productions. BGMEA works with different ministries and Bangladesh Bank for infrastructure development, simplifying payment and tax collection in line with the challenges of LDC graduation, Faruque said. He hoped that US sanctions on some people or forces would not affect the apparel business as Bangladesh is trying to resolve the issues. “We’re maintaining zero tolerance when it comes to factory compliance and labour rights issues. So, the factories of BGMEA members are running smoothly. BGMEA is also working to digitise the member factory list, along with a transparent system of working manpower numbers of each factory.” Replying to another query, Faruque said all the political parties of Bangladesh are aware about the country’s economy and there is no need to involve in politics for doing business here. He focused on signing PTA and FTA to face the situation after the country’s graduation from the LDC group along with applying GSP plus facilities for a better preparation of the sector. Regarding repayment stimulus loans, the BGMEA president said the businesses want the duration of loan repayment to be extended so that they can run factory expenditure as well. He acknowledged and thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her prudential steps of announcing stimulus packages and keeping the factories open amid the risk of pandemic, which keeps Bangladesh in apparel business with a strong footing. BGMEA is working with a number of programmes, including an innovation centre, labour training institute to enhance the skills of local labour forces. READ: RMG sector’s prestigious position built upon hard works of workers, entrepreneurs: BGMEA president Despite the initiatives of skilled development, many foreign skilled workers have been working here at a very efficient tech-no-how level, but the number is gradually decreasing along with developing local skills, Faruque added.

Increase in manufacturing capacity of Covid-19 vaccines in India has the potential to be a game changer well beyond its borders, the Biden Administration said Thursday.   "It's important to us because India has suffered immensely from the outbreak. Virtually, no element of Indian society has been left untouched by this horrible scourge. That is why we have spoken of the focus on increased manufacturing in India," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters, said a Hindustan Times report. READ: Indian variant of Covid may wreak havoc on Bangladesh: GM Quader   "The increased manufacturing capacity in India, the volume of capacity has the potential to be a game changer well beyond India's borders. And that's precisely why this arrangement was reached and announced in the context of the Quad," he said. Early this year at the first virtual Quad summit, composed of leaders from Australia, India, Japan and the United States, it was decided to work together to increase the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity of India. READ: Serum gets govt nod to produce Sputnik vaccine in India

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has made every effort to ensure the production of epidemic prevention materials in the fight against the novel coronavirus.

Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Sunday urged the authorities concern to put emphasis on increasing lentil and oil production in the country.