Tag: REYKJAVIK

News

PLAY airlines Celebrates 3rd Anniversary with Up to 33% Off Flights Between North America and Europe

Jun 24, 2024 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments #2021, #33% Off Flights Between North America and Europe, #Iceland, #North America, #PLAY, #PLAY airlines, #PLAY airlines Celebrates 3rd Anniversary, #PLAY's inaugural flight took place on June 24, #REYKJAVIK

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 24, 2024  — PLAY airlines is celebrating its 3rd anniversary with discounts of up to 33% on flights between North America and Europe. PLAY’s inaugural flight took place on June 24, 2021, and the anniversary deal is available for booking from June 24 to 27, 2024. This offer applies to flights departing between August 2024 and May 2025. For flights departing in July 2024, there is a discount of up to 15%.

PLAY in Iceland

Since its inception, PLAY has expanded its fleet to 10 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, with an average aircraft age of just over 2 years, making PLAY a cost-effective travel option.

Based strategically in Iceland, PLAY leverages its central location in the Atlantic Ocean to efficiently connect passengers traveling between North America and Europe. This allows the airline to maintain low operational costs and pass on savings to customers.

Passengers flying with PLAY can enjoy a complimentary stopover in Iceland for up to 10 days, providing an opportunity to explore the country’s natural wonders and vibrant capital, Reykjavik, at no additional cost. For those looking to extend their layover into a multi-day stopover, PLAY offers this option with no additional cost, allowing travelers to immerse themselves in Iceland’s unique landscapes, breathtaking northern lights, and rich culture before continuing their journey across the Atlantic.

PLAY serves key destinations in North America, including Baltimore, Boston, New York, and Washington, DC in the United States, as well as Toronto in Canada. In Europe, PLAY connects passengers to popular destinations such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Athens. In Iceland, visitors can experience stunning sights such as waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, and diverse wildlife, all within easy reach of Reykjavik.

PLAY operates a fleet of 10 Airbus A320/321neo aircraft, with an average age of just over 2 years, ensuring a comfortable, safe, and reliable journey for passengers. With an impressive 83% on-time performance in 2023, PLAY has established itself as a dependable choice for travelers. While already an affordable option, PLAY offers special deals on airfare and extra services for travel agencies and groups.

News

Chinese Team Wins Best Showpiece Award with Angel Yeast’s Support

Jun 17, 2024 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments #Chinese Team, #Chinese Team Wins Best Showpiece Award, #Iceland, #Leng Jianxin, #Liao Jinzhong, #REYKJAVIK, #UIBC International Competition

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 17, 2024 — In a recent display of global baking talent, the 52nd UIBC International Competition for Young Bakers took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, featuring 14 contestants from 7 nations. As the sole Asian representative, the Chinese team made a remarkable impression, clinching the “Best Showpiece Award”, with the support of Angel Yeast (SH600298). Leading the team was Leng Jianxin, Secretary-General of the Bakers Committee of the China Association of Bakery & Confectionery Industry and Deputy General Manager of Angel Baking and Health Food Technology Center. Assisting him was Liao Jinzhong, a renowned national expert and Deputy Director of the Angel Institute of Application Technologies, serving as head coach.

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The UIBC International Competition for Young Bakers, established in 1971 by the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners (UIBC), is among the global baking industry’s most prestigious and long-standing competitions. The event aims to inspire young bakers worldwide to hone their craft and skills while pushing the boundaries of innovation. Since 2018, the competition has been paired with the “Angel Yeast Cup” National Creative Bread-Making Competition for Youth Bakers in China. This partnership has provided a valuable platform for young Chinese bakers to showcase their exceptional talents internationally.

During preparation, the Chinese team, supported by Angel, undertook a two-week training camp. All teams had to produce 140 products in 13 different shapes plus a showpiece. A crucial element was Liao Jinzhong’s meticulous guidance. He focused on refining the production process. Thanks to the support from Angel’s European Division, the Chinese team secured suitable training facilities in Iceland. For their showpiece entry, themed “Art of My Country,” contestant Tian Ninghan captured the essence of Chinese folk art with an intricate depiction of the legendary Chinese folklore character “Sun Wukong” (the Monkey King). This exceptional presentation garnered unanimous acclaim from the jury, earning the team the prestigious “Best Baked Showpiece Award.”

Zhang Shuai, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association of Bakery & Confectionery Industry, said, “The UIBC International Competition for Young Bakers is not merely a contest of skills but a grand celebration of cultural exchange within the baking industry.”

For years, Angel Yeast Co., Ltd. has led professional baking education and training in China. From the inception of the Summer Vocational College Key Teacher Training Program in 2016 to the launch of the “Angel Yeast Cup” National Youth Bakers Competition at the Bakery China Autumn 2017, and culminating in the UIBC International Competition for Young Bakers, these initiatives showcase Angel’s relentless dedication

This series of efforts underscores Angel Yeast’s commitment to fostering young talent in the baking sector. “We firmly believe that hard work is always rewarded, and effort always brings results!” said Leng Jianxin, Looking ahead, Angel Yeast will continue to harness its professional expertise to drive the sustainable development of the baking industry.

Business

deCODE Genetics Reveals Human Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Insights

Jun 8, 2024 by Sujata Muguda 0 Comments #Agnar Helgason, #deCODE, #deCODE genetics, #Human Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Insights, #Iceland, #Kari Stefansson, #mtDNA mutations, #REYKJAVIK

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 8, 2024– In a paper published in Cell, scientists from deCODE genetics, a subsidiary of Amgen, present the largest study to date of germline mtDNA mutations in humans and their transmission across 116,663 mother-child pairs. The study documents the astonishing extent of hypermutability at some positions in mtDNA, including the well-known deleterious A>G mutation at position 3243 which causes the MELAS syndrome. The mutation occurred 15 times in the 2,548 matrilineal pedigrees, but typically disappeared after several generations, due to its severe impact on the health of carriers.

deCODE genetics Kari-Erla-Agnar

Kari Stefansson senior author on the paper and CEO of deCODE genetics with Agnar Helgason and Erla Rut Arnadottir, scientists at deCODE genetics and authors on the paper  Strong aggregate evidence was uncovered for selection against many such short-lived deleterious mtDNA mutations in the pedigrees. The deCODE team also reported evidence for an extensive earlier episode of negative selection affecting mitochondria, called germline selection, where poorly functioning mitochondrial DNA molecules are discarded during the development of oocytes. Finally, they used the large number of transmissisons of mtDNA mutations in the pedigrees to reliably estimate that individuals inherit, on average, only around 3 units of mtDNA from their mothers – fewer than indicated by previous studies.

“It is remarkable that the hundreds of thousands of mtDNA carried by oocytes are derived from only about three of the mtDNA molecules originally carried by the mother,” noted Agnar Helgason, a corresponding author of the paper. “This drastic bottleneck determines the rapid rate at which new mutations in the mtDNA germline can become lost or fixed over just a handful of generations in a pedigree, and must be in part due to a selection process during the development of oocytes, where mtDNA molecules with deleterious mutations are removed from the germline.”

“This study takes us a few steps closer to understanding the basis of the extraordinary variation in mutation rates across the nucelotides of the mtDNA genome, even between different alleles at the same position”, said Kári Stefánsson, CEO of deCODE and a corresponding author of the paper. “Unfortunately, it is the hypermutability of some pathogenic mutations that has made them so prevalent and thereby easier to discover. However, our findings suggest that many rarer pathogenic mtDNA mutations that are responsible for disease burden in human populations remain to be discovered.”