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Workers sent to complete a government-funded mosque in Faafu atoll Bilehdhoo have barricaded themselves inside their quarters due to various threats being made by residents of the island. The group had been in hiding for three days, they said on Thursday. According to Mars Construction Managing Director, Ahmed Saleem, the workers had not set foot outside their quarters for fear of being attacked. “The night before last, I was attacked in the presence of police," said Saleem on Thursday. “The other night, one of the team members was surrounded by a mob and attacked outside the mosque. They've even threatened to kill us, just moments after the Police left." “There are only five Police officers on the job," continued Saleem. “What good is just five officers? The attackers aren't even scared of attacking us in the presence of the Police." According to Saleem, the residents of Bilehdhoo were angry because the mosque didn't meet the standards of their expectations.
A nuts-and-bolts account of alleged graft and corruption at Honolulu International Airport was delivered in federal court yesterday by a general contractor who testified that he gave $129,000 in kickbacks to two state officials in return for their help in landing airport repair contracts. Arthur K. Inada, head of Blueprint Builders, Inc., alleged that the payments were made from mid-1998 to mid-2000 and included everything from occasional $20 pastry purchases at Dee Lite Bakery to two $20,000 cash gifts that then-airport official Richard Okada said were needed for "campaign donations" to unidentified politicians. Okada, former head of the Visitor Information Program at the airport, is one of four defendants on trial for mail fraud and conspiracy charges. The other defendants are former airport maintenance superintendent Dennis Hirokawa and contractors Wesley Uemura and Michael Furukawa.
In a sign the housing market continues to soften, Las Vegas Valley homebuilders are backing out of land deals as home sales remain sluggish. Centex Homes, which has trimmed its staff by layoffs and voluntary resignations, announced Sept. 14 that it has relinquished various options on land holdings. The company said it will continue to be flexible and make adjustments as needed with the changing market conditions. "It's no secret that the housing market is in transition," Centex said in a prepared statement. "As a result, we've adjusted sales volumes to meet current demand and have relinquished various options on certain land holdings, which are projected to no longer meet the demand previously anticipated." Centex said that the economic indicators in Las Vegas remain strong and that the industry is growing but at a slower pace.
Established in April 2005, FFB provides sale and leaseback financing for model homes to builders of single-family homes across the United States. FFB affords builders a stronger position with the lending and investment community by allowing them to create simplified balance sheets.
To date, FFB has two separate funds under its corporate umbrella, which, collectively have invested over $40 million with six builders developing homes in 10 states throughout the U.S. Targeting primarily new developments and sub-divisions, FFB typically invests in homes ranging in price from $150, 000 to $450,000. Among the new services to be offered by FFB are financing and joint ventures for land acquisitions and single-family subdivisions. A third fund of $100 million is currently being offered.
Contractors are part of any large-scale chemical or industrial complex. They are involved in many aspects of operations such as maintenance, construction, commissioning, demolition, materials/waste handling and inspections.Often, contract staff can number a few thousand people, and they may even establish permanent business addresses in a large factory or industrial complex.At a typical chemicals or industrial complex, there are frequently a number of distinct opera-ting companies, with different products, management, health and safety policy, legal structures and operating standards.These companies are part of a complex ecosystem, frequently sharing infrastructure and resources. Contractors may service many clients, sometimes rotating between companies within a single working day or shift.Each operating company is responsible for managing its activities in terms of both legislation and environmental health and safety policies; however, this can present a serious challenge, as the participants in this ecosystem pursue their own, sometimes partisan, business goals.
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