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- Forget Me Yes platform is designed to secure, protect and delete sensitive information used by corporations with data-heavy business models
- The RegTech market is expected to reach US$55.28 billion by 2025 expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 52.8 percent
- The average cost of compliance for organizations across all industries is US$5.47 million
- The approximate cost to non-compliant businesses is double the estimated cost of implementing compliant systems and platforms
- The growth of the data governance market can be attributed to growing privacy concerns, especially those driven by the Cambridge Analytica scandal
- Forget Me Yes platform is compliant with the GDPR, the most stringent data privacy protection legislation in the world
- President and CEO Michael Johnson brings significant experience to the team, including time spent as Development Director with the Archival Solutions Division at Sony Electronics
- Recent agreement with NOX Co. Ltd. to introduce the ComplyScanTM cloud-backup compliance reporting and Forget-Me-YesTM data privacy management products through Japan and Asia-Pacific (APAC) wide sales channels.
- Agreement with Nitech to introduce the ComplyScanTM cloud-backup compliance reporting and Forget-Me-YesTM data privacy management products to their Western US-based SMB and Enterprise customers.


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BULGARIA: Customs officials at Kapitan Andreevo in southern Bulgaria on the border with Turkey have reported a seizure of 12,977kg of R134a refrigerant.
The smuggled goods were discovered last week following a customs inspection of a truck entering the country from Turkey, driven by a Turkish citizen.
The refrigerant in disposable cylinders was found concealed between the goods declared – auto parts.
Both the smuggled goods and the truck were seized. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated against the smuggler.

domain: news


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Chinese chains rise to challenge
Updated: 2012-06-15 12:43
By Chen Yingqun and Hu Haiyan (China Daily)
Most of the cooking of HeheGu's food is done in its central kitchen. Provided to China Daily
Adapting cuisine for impatient consumers presents particular problems
It was the ultimate challenge: find a way to adapt a traditional Chinese dish that takes ages to prepare for those who need their food in a flash - customers of fast-food restaurants.
It may well be that because of the difficulty of that challenge, rice topped with Dongpo pork - braised pork belly that needs to be cooked for at least two hours - has remained off the menus of Chinese fast-food chains for so long.
It is necessity, of course, that usually begets invention, and the need to meet consumer demand while turning a profit obviously drove the Chinese fast-food chain HeheGu as it strove to solve the great Dongpo puzzle. But the company also drew heavily on Western fast-food chains' experience of centralized and mass production, and is applying that knowledge widely in its business.
HeheGu, a fast-food chain operator founded in Beijing in 2004, is among many companies that are seeking to expand by making use of centralized production.
The fast-food operator, which focuses on serving gai fan - rice topped with meat, vegetables and other ingredients - has set up a recipe research team with five experts to create new recipes that are suitable for mass production using special equipment.
Making rice topped with Dongpo pork and bamboo shoots is an example. Based on the principle of using a double-burner gas stove in cooking, HeheGu's R&D center has invented a two-layered ladder stove in which dozens of earthen jars can be used to stew Dongpo pork simultaneously. The flames of the burners are fixed to just two levels: strong heat and gentle heat. The cooking is mostly done in the company's central kitchen.
HeheGu came up with its Dongpo pork after the recipe research team visited many restaurants that serve the dish.
Liu Zhi'ang, head of the processing center, says: "In line with the recipe, we put a certain amount of meat, soy sauce, cooking wine, crystal sugar, green onion, chili, garlic and powder into each jar, boil them with strong heat and then braise them with gentle heat for half an hour, then they taste almost the same as that made in traditional restaurants."
The sauces are made separately, sealed and sterilized. The packed Dongpo pork and the sauces are then delivered to HeheGu's stores and offered to customers after mixing and heating.
As most of the cooking procedures are done in the central kitchen, Zhao Shen, general manager of Beijing HeheGu Food Service Management Co Ltd, says customers can get their food within 60 seconds of ordering.
At present eight dishes are offered, including popular dishes such as rice topped with kung pao chicken or mapo tofu.
Li Yanyan, a research team member, says industrial procedures have been adopted covering various elements of recipes, and appropriate equipment has been developed. The processes and equipment need to take into account 30 or so techniques used in preparing and cooking Chinese food, she says, including steaming, stewing, stir-frying, sauteing, boiling and baking.
Zhao says centralized production has helped reduce costs and grow the business. "Of our 1,600 staff (in the stores), none of them is a cook." The company, which now has 60 stores across China, enjoyed profit growth of 45 percent last year, he says.
A set with rice, Dongpo pork and a soup or a beverage costs 16 yuan ($2.50, 2 euros). In a traditional restaurant Dongpo pork alone costs about 50 yuan.
Chinese fast-food chains also enjoy a price advantage over their Western counterparts. HeheGu's sets are priced at between 15 yuan and 20 yuan; sets offered at the chicken restaurant chain KFC, with a hamburger, a drink and a salad, cost between 25 yuan and 30 yuan.
Luo Juan, an analyst on the catering industry with Shenzhen-based research company Forward & Intelligence Co Ltd, says that last year Chinese fast-food companies accounted for 78.9 percent of fast-food sales, whose value was about 700 billion yuan.
The turnover of Chinese fast-food restaurants has risen about 30 percent for each of the past five years, she says, compared with about 10 to 20 percent for their Western counterparts
Like HeheGu, many fast-food companies that are using centralized production have gained strong presence in China. Daniang Dumpling has more than 300 stores across the country, while Kung Fu Fast Food, which provides mainly steamed food, has more than 400 stores. Yonghe King, a fast-food chain serving noodles and rice sets, has about 300 stores.
Chen Jinfa, president of Yonghe King, which was founded 17 years ago, says sales rose about 30 percent last year compared with the previous year, and this year growth of about 40 percent is forecast.
Chen says the prospects for Chinese fast-food companies are bright. "We are likely to see big brands that become as big and as well known as Western brands.
"Our food caters to local customers' taste, which is an innate advantage for Chinese fast-food companies. At the same time we are quickly adapting in many respects, such as with the franchise business model, hygiene and high-quality service."
Yonghe King will expand the number of its stores to 700 by the end of 2015, he says, and 1,000 stores by 2017. After that it plans to try its hand overseas, with stores planned in the United States and Europe.
Lihua Group, which was founded in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, in 1993, is said to be the largest Chinese fast-food company that focuses on take-out set meals.
"For many Chinese, a complete meal includes rice, meat, vegetables and soup, to ensure the balance of nutrition," says Jiang Jianping, founder and president of the company.
Meanwhile, due to the special nature of Chinese cooking, and where human hands are needed in the preparation, some dishes remain beyond mass production, needing a human touch.
Lihua has decided that it has to adapt its procedures to customer needs. So in its 60 branches in 11 cities it still hires many cooks to prepare fresh and hot vegetables.
Contact the writers at email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.org
(China Daily 06/15/2012 page13)


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Numbers game: 75M Mac OS X users, 1M SDK downloads, 50,000 apps
As with most keynote presentations, Apple released a lot of numbers about just how many people are adopting the Mac and iPhone platforms.
First, over the last three years, the active Mac OS X installed base has grown from 25 million users to 75 million users. This is great news for the platform and for the entire Mac ecosystem.
Also, over 5,200 developers from 54 countries around the world are attending WWDC. Over a million people have downloaded the free iPhone SDK, and created 50,000 applications for Apple iPhones and iPod touch devices.
Speaking of which, over 40 million iPhones and iPod touches have been sold to date. In April, Apple announced that those users had downloaded a cumulative total of one billion applications.
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Software Updatesmore updates
- Spotify update adds equalizer, refreshed Artist page and more
- Fantastical 2.1 for iOS adds new snooze, search and notification features
- ExpanDrive 4, more services and faster sync
- Apple adds iTunes Extras to Apple TV
- Spotify updates with new iPhone controls in time for summer BBQs
- iTunes U update will bring course creation and student discussion to iPad app


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Post office to begin international mail carrier service
Costa Rica’s post office will begin an international airmail service called Comercio Electrónico (Electronic Business) in November. The government wants to implement the service before the holiday shopping season begins in the United States in late November, according to the daily La Nación.
The service will include an international mailbox and a virtual site where you can purchase products and access offers and a help center. The country’s postal service enters a crowded market of international mail carriers, including Aerocasillas. A representative from the postal service told La Nación that deliveries will be made “to your door” and monitored closely from purchase to arrival.
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A statement as part of a financial update from Strauss Zelnick, chairman of publisher Take-Two, confirms that Rockstar’s GTA IV on both PS3 and Xbox 360 will no longer make its November 2007 launch date. The game has been delayed until at least April 2008.
The reason for the delay is because Rockstar needed more development time due to the nature of the game and unexpected extra time being required to complete some of the elements. Here’s the statement from Strauss Zelnick explaining the reasons why:
With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game’s millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology.
Although this is bad news for fans of GTA, it does make for a less hectic Christmas period this year with the likes of Halo 3 and Crysis also expecting a release. Not having GTA there means more time for the other triple-A games and less stress on your wallet.
This delay may also mess up Microsoft’s plans to have exclusive content for the game, since Sony may also be planning some of its own exclusive GTA content with Rockstar. These could effectively get released at the same time now.


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21 Jan SPOTTED: Multi-Cab Caught Double Parking Beside Coffee Shop In CDO
Mga higala! A multi-cab vehicle was spotted double parking yesterday, January 20, 2021, in the parking area of a coffee shop in Cagayan de Oro City!
Due to his frustration, a netizen took a photo of the incident and posted it on the well-known “CDO Idiot Drivers – Wall Of Shame” Facebook group.
Check out the photo below:
What can you say about driver’s like this higala???


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Streaming services are betting big on sports broadcasts. Earlier, we told you about how these services were streaming football. Adding to that is Formula One, which will be a totally new channel – F1 TV Channel, this could potentially add a crore subscribes. However, these broadcasts will not be available all over the world – the broadcasts will be available only in countries where the local broadcaster doesn’t have exclusive rights.
Amazon Prime is already increasing the genres that they are giving to customers. It recently started comic web series, stand up web series with some of the biggest names in the Indian comedy stand up series. They also brought Amazon Prime Remix, a web series that pitted upcoming singers in a competition, judged by some of the biggest names in the industry.
With newer and older streaming platforms working on giving more and more and content to their viewers, it’s the audience who should be ready to more entertainment at the same prices that they are paying.


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You can personally congratulate him
Masahiro Sakurai, Japanese video game director and game designer, best known as the creator of the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series, celebrates his 50th birthday today. He is one of Nintendo's best-beloved and most high-profile developers.
He is also an author of a weekly column for Famitsu magazine and has done voice acting work in some of his games.
In addition to serving as the lead designer on some of the company's most important properties, Sakurai has served as the face for Super Smash Bros. in Nintendo Directs and other announcement videos dedicated to the franchise.
Masahiro Sakurai recently announced that he is continuing to work on Super Smash Bros. remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On his birthday, there appeared a post with an illustration of some fans' expectations about developers:
Affability and candidness are two traits that typify Sakurai's interactions with fans. He has conceded that the Super Smash Bros. roster has accrued too many Fire Emblem characters (a frequent complaint from players) and showed his home to players in a recent Nintendo Direct, revealing an impressive dual television set-up and a white recliner couch. Fans were so excited with the display of openness, which is a rarity among Japanese celebrities, that some of them tracked down the exact model of Sakurai's couch so others could purchase it.
Like any gamer, Masahiro Sakurai loves to play. For example, in January, he announced that he played 240 PlayStation games while working on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019.
You can personally congratulate him on a remarkable age milestone here:


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After Zion Williamson literally broke out of his Nike sneakers during Duke’s game against the University of North Carolina on Wednesday, the internet joked that maybe it was time for the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to consider lacing up in a new brand, like the Big Baller Brand.
The Big Baller Brand doesn’t have the same reputation on a global scale as brands like Adidas or Under Armour, but we’ve seen players like Klay Thompson and Dwyane Wade sign shoe deals with lesser-known companies for a bigger payday.
Could Zion Williamson be the new face of the triple Bs?
Not unless his last name is Ball, according to Big Baller Brand founder and CEO LaVar Ball.
Logan Newman of USA TODAY High School Sports approached LaVar with the idea of signing Williamson to a shoe deal at a Spire Institute game over the weekend and LaVar didn’t sound too thrilled about it:
“No, I’m not going to pursue nobody,” he said. “Like I said, I worry about my three boys first.”
Even Williamson? The 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward whose high school highlights took the basketball world by storm and is the likely No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft?
“My boys are bigger than Zion!” Ball said.
This isn’t the first time LaVar has shown reluctance to sign players to his family’s brand.
Last year, the Big Baller told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype that signing ambassadors wasn’t part of his “goal” for the Big Baller Brand:
I’ve had some people ask me if they can represent the brand and I’ve told them no. I don’t want to give someone 20 percent and then only 80 percent goes to my boys. I’d rather be 100 percent in with my boys and get them established first, and then I might add some people or I might not.
But I’m going to make sure I give 100 percent to my boys. I’ve already got my Big Three.
Zion Williamson was probably never going to consider the Big Baller Brand anyway, even though he and LaMelo are good friends. But closing the door on arguably the biggest college superstar of this decade is a questionable move, to say the least.
Let’s hope Lonzo’s, LaMelo’s or LiAngelo’s star will shine as bright, or brighter, than Zion’s in the future.


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Srinagar: National Conference Thursday expressed serious concern over the continuous indifference of both state and central governments towards the plight of artisans, carpet workers, shawl embroidery workers, wood carvers and other skilled, semi skilled workers following the imposition of GST in J&K.
The party demanded that the government initiates process of declaring handicrafts and other allied sectors GST exempted.
Castigating the PDP BJP government over its inability and inaction to make handicrafts and allied sectors GST free, NC said in a statement issued here.
“Is the government blind not to see how following imposition of GST in our state, livelihoods of lakhs of poor artisans have been ruined? Many have been brought to the brink of starvation. The situation is such that the children of artisans and handicraft workers have left studies and are now forced to do manual labour,” it said.
He said that it is a criminal apathy that the sector which till date had always been tax free is levied with heavy illogical and unjustified taxes thereby heralding the death of this sector. “PDP BJP government is hell bent on bringing the crowning glory of J&K to its last throes,” it added.
“It’s ridiculous that the GST council which recently slashed GST rates from certain food items in Gujarat feels the need of imposing a tax of 28 percent on carved walnut furniture and goods, 12 percent on hand woven carpets and even brought the small time handicraft shawl vendors under the draconian tax regime,” the spokesperson said adding, “It’s really unfortunate that the government has not been able to understand the ground realities of Kashmir and its produce. Moreover, state government’s failure in convincing the union ministry of giving tax concessions to these sectors, artisans is, to say the least, criminal.”
Hitting out at the state Finance minister Dr Hasseb Drabu, the statement said, “The state FM as usual did only one thing that he is good at – create hype over his meeting with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The entire outcome of the meeting was that GST on walnuts was slashed with no respite to other major handicraft sectors.”
The party spokesperson said that the state finance minister was in dire need of understanding and acknowledging Kashmir’s socio economic realities. “We have been saying this from day first when this draconian tax regime was implemented all over the country that there are certain sectors which needs solo unflinching focus of the concerned, handicraft sector being the primary among them.”


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Intel Corp. announced today that it is planning to shut down its Hudson factory by the end of next year, reports Boston.com. As a result, about 700 employees will lose their jobs.
The factory, which makes computer chips, reportedly uses technology that is out of date compared to Intel's more advanced factories. According to Boston.com, the Mass. plant "does not produce more sophisticated microprocessors, like the Core, Xeon and Atom chips, which are Intel's best-known and most lucrative products."
However, Intel's website for the Hudson plant boasts that its "employees... design some of the company's most advanced, complex microprocessors -- such as the Itanium 9300 processor." An Intel spokesperson told Fox 25 News that the Hudson plant is the last Intel facility to make Intel's 200MM chip. The company has invested more than $2 billion in the Hudson plant, which it notes represents one of the biggest such investments in the state.
The Boston Business Journal reports that approximately 100 workers will be phased out in the next month, and the remainder will stay until the plant is closed at the end of 2014.
The research and development portion of the plant, which employs 850 workers, will remain open.


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Will Nichols argues that ultimately the industry, NGOs and governments all want the same thing - now it's time for ICAO to deliver
On joining BusinessGreen in 2010 my first task was to get to grips with the tricky international negotiations surrounding airline emissions. At the time, airline industry leaders were urging UN overseeing...
All the green business news from around the world this week
New guide draws on the expertise of recognised corporate sustainability leaders such as Ikea and Unilever to set out 10 principles for effectively embedding environmental action within an organisation
New study released to coincide with Black Friday concludes that efforts to tackle the climate crisis would be strengthened by major reforms to the advertising industry
The global retail giant is beefing up its take-back service to mark Black Friday, but its sweeping sustainability plans extend far beyond recycling and re-use


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Microsoft yesterday confirmed that a broken Intel driver was incorrectly pushed out through Windows Update and it was causing audio issues on Windows 10 version 1809 and 1803. Microsoft has already pulled the faulty driver and the company has published a workaround that you can follow to fix audio issues.
In case you’re still having issues or you are unsure about the workarounds, Microsoft has returned back to help its customer with another announcement regarding the audio problem. Today, the company revealed that they are rolling out a new update (KB4468550) to impacted systems.
Windows 10 KB4468550 will automatically remove the botched driver from systems that received it incorrectly.
Microsoft says that Windows 10 KB4468550 will show up on both October 2018 Update (version 1809) and April 2018 Update (version 1803) device. This update is designed to fix the audio issues on your PC and no manual action is required from your end. That means if you’ve automatic Windows updates enabled, the patch will install itself.
“This update addresses an issue where after installing the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver (version 09.21.00.3755) via Windows Update or manually, computer audio may stop working,” Microsoft explains in a support document. “You may have to restart the computer after you apply this update”.
Microsoft notes that KB4468550 will be downloaded and installed automatically on impacted systems. If the update is not showing up and you still have the audio issues on your PC, you can manually download the update package from here.
There is no need to force this update if you don’t have the audio issues anymore. You’re always recommended to wait until the update is offered to your device and you should you not force an update unless you’re an advanced user.
Microsoft will soon re-release the October update
It’s not clear how many systems were impacted but it’s likely to a small number of devices as Windows 10 October 2018 Update has been pulled shortly after Microsoft discovered a bug that causes data loss.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update has been re-released to Insiders with a fix for the deletion bug and it’s likely that the update would begin rolling out to the customers in stages later this month.


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Notts Americana (prev. Americana International)
CANCELLEDThe event has been cancelled.
The Notts Americana (prev. Americana International) that was planned to take place at Newark and Notts Showground, Nottinghamshire, Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th August, 2017 is cancelled.
About the Show
We offer a unique festival experience that is the longest running and largest event of it’s kind in Europe. We have the best of American music, cars, bikes, fashion and lifestyle on offer anywhere in the UK .
Newark and Notts Showground
Longitude -0.769253 Latitude 53.097736 Grid Reference SK825563
Please do not contact jonniejumble directly about this event as they publicise the event only, not organise it.


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News & Updates
The FDIC regularly provides news and updates on public sector efforts to bring all Americans into the financial mainstream.
For additional lists of press releases and materials on economic inclusion and related issues, please visit the News & Events section on FDIC.gov.
FDIC Calls Upon American Consumers to Save and Build Wealth America Saves Week Is February 25 - March 2, 2013
America Saves Week (February 25 to March 2, 2013) is an annual opportunity for organizations to promote good savings behavior and a chance for consumers to begin saving more effectively. Typically, more than 2,000 organizations participate and reach millions of consumers. For a look at how the FDIC is supporting America Saves Week, see our press release. To learn more about America Saves Week, go to www.americasavesweek.org.LEARN MORE
FDIC Launches Community Affairs Webinar Series Highlighting Community Development and Inclusion Opportunities for Bankers
FDIC's Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection (DCP) Community Affairs Branch will host a webinar series for bankers in 2013. The series will highlight strategies for institutions to consider to promote community development and expand access to the banking system. The free webinars will be held every other month; the first webinar will be held on February 6, 2013, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (ET), and will discuss how financial institutions can promote savings during America Saves Week. Registration is required.LEARN MORE
2011 FDIC Survey of Banks' Efforts to Serve the Unbanked and Underbanked Published, Catalogs Basic Bank Account Features & Activities Targeted to Underserved Populations
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation released the results of its 2011 FDIC Survey of Banks' Efforts to Serve the Unbanked and Underbanked. The results provide insight into the cost and availability of basic checking and savings accounts, as well as auxiliary products and services offered by banks that are used by underserved consumers. The report also identifies educational, outreach, and marketing activities targeted to unbanked and underbanked consumers as well as retail strategies used by banks to be more welcoming or convenient to customers in general. Finally, banks report on the challenges they perceive to serving unbanked and underbanked consumers.LEARN MORE
FDIC Launches Northeastern Oklahoma Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI)
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) launched the Northeastern Oklahoma Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) initiative in partnership with the Greater Tulsa United Way, tribal, state and federal agencies, financial institutions, and community-based stakeholders. The Northeastern Oklahoma AEI serves the city of Tulsa and the entire Northeastern region. It will focus on: enhancing consumer financial stability through financial education and access to appropriate credit and deposit services, providing the technical expertise and capital needed by small businesses to prosper and grow, and addressing the financial needs of Native Americans.LEARN MORE
2011 FDIC Nation Household Survey Shows Slight Increase in Unbanked, Encourages Banks to Expland Access to Safe Bank Accounts
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporate (FDIC) today released the results of its 2011 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, the most comprehensive research on the unbanked and underbanked in the United States. The survey indicates that more than one in four U.S. households (28.3) are either unbanked or underbanked, a slight increase from the findings of the FDIC’s 2009 inaugural survey.LEARN MORE
FDIC Advisory Committee to Discuss Model Safe Accounts Pilot Program Results and Consider Mobile Financial Services Opportunities
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion (ComE-IN) met on April 26, 2012 to discuss the results of its Model Safe Accounts Pilot program; opportunities for banks offering mobile financial services to meet the needs of unbanked and underbanked consumers; and differences in consumer protections for debit, credit, and prepaid cards.LEARN MORE


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25% Discount On All ZenPad Packs!
- Published on Wednesday, 07 June 2017 05:58
EarthMoments announces the Ableton flash sale campaign – from June 7th – 13th 2017, get 25% off the entire ZenPad collection!
Easter Sale - 50% discount!
- Published on Friday, 14 April 2017 00:00
It’s the EarthMoments Easter Sale! From April 14th - 23rd, save 50% on the full range of EarthMoments bundles.
Indian Street Drummers - Indian Percussion
- Published on Thursday, 23 March 2017 08:08
Out now! EarthMoments - Indian Percussion: Indian Street Drummers
Twelve Days of Christmas Sale
- Published on Wednesday, 21 December 2016 00:00
Great Discounts This Holiday Season!
From December 21st - January 5th 2017, get 40% off the entire selection of EarthMoments bundles.


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Logitech's LifeSize division is embracing the cloud in a bid to extend videoconferencing's reach, announcing new services and the acquisition of a small mobile video company called Mirial.
Mirial, based in Milan, provides videoconferencing clients for PCs, Macs and a wide range of mobile devices, including iPads, iPhones and Android tablets. Logitech did not disclose the price it paid for the privately held company. It plans to integrate Mirial's clients into LifeSize Connections, a newly announced cloud-based service that lets organizations set up high-quality videoconferencing without investing in their own back-end infrastructure.
Also on Wednesday, Logitech was set to introduce LifeSize Passport Connect, a high-definition endpoint system designed to be used with the cloud-based service. Passport Connect is built around a Logitech webcam and is priced at US$1,499, well below other LifeSize end systems.
These latest moves fulfill goals that LifeSize CEO Craig Malloy laid out earlier this year, to bring two-way videoconferencing to mobile devices and introduce Android clients. The company had announced one-way video streaming to Apple iOS devices in February. A tie-in between the LifeSize Passport video system and Skype, announced in April, presents another method of bringing mobile users into meetings. However, Microsoft's announcement later that it plans to acquire Skype has raised questions about that arrangement.
New, high-powered mobile devices, which put sharp screens and fast processing in the hands of employees nearly everywhere, represent the biggest growth opportunity for videoconferencing, according to Malloy and others in the industry. Analysts expect the market for room-sized meeting systems to grow slowly over the next few years because of high costs and space requirements. Mobile devices are quickly proliferating and offer a way for more workers on the road to participate in video meetings.
Cloud-based services are also a growing trend in videoconferencing. Smaller businesses are demanding these services now so they can save the cost of infrastructure, but large enterprises will also embrace the cloud, according to Frost & Sullivan analyst Roopam Jain.
On Tuesday, 8x8 introduced the 8x8 Virtual Room service for small and medium-sized enterprises, powered by the Polycom UC Intelligent Core software platform. Users will be able to join Virtual Room meetings via a Web browser or on Polycom HDX video systems or VVX business phones videoconferencing endpoints. 8x8 Virtual Room starts at $199 per month, with limited-time introductory pricing of $99 per month for the first year. Broadsoft also announced it will use Polycom's platform to build cloud-based UC services for service providers to resell.
Mirial offers free mobile clients in the Apple and Android application stores. It makes money by selling client software for PCs and Macs and a complete client/server architecture that enterprises can set up in their own facilities. Its client software works with other platforms that are based on industry standards, including ones from Polycom, Cisco Systems and LifeSize, said Michael Helmbrecht, vice president of product marketing at LifeSize.
Following the acquisition, which was expected to close before Wednesday, LifeSize will immediately begin selling Mirial's products through its own channels and will continue to sell and support them for the time being, Helmbrecht said. Mirial and its workforce of about 25 people will remain in Milan. Over time, its clients will be ported over to LifeSize's cloud-based services so mobile users can join in, he said.
LifeSize Connections, the cloud service announced on Wednesday, is designed for enterprises that don't want to invest in videoconferencing infrastructure themselves but want something more than a simple Internet-based video system. With it, LifeSize will provide all the key components of a dedicated video meeting system, including firewall traversal and bridging, delivered from a cloud infrastructure.
Initially, LifeSize Connections will only be available on dedicated LifeSize endpoints, PCs and Macs. But soon the mobile clients from Mirial will be included, and LifeSize will also add support for third-party videoconferencing systems, Helmbrecht said.
The LifeSize Passport Connect system is the first LifeSize product to incorporate a Logitech device since the companies came together in 2009. When Logitech acquired LifeSize for $405 million in cash, some observers questioned the wisdom of the purchase because of Logitech's strong consumer orientation. LifeSize is mainly focused on enterprise products. The integration of low-cost equipment from Logitech could help to expand the market for videoconferencing, Frost & Sullivan's Jain said.
The Logitech camera it uses is a 720p HD device. Passport Connect includes name-based dialing, so participants can be added with the click of a button, and a presence display to show whether those users are available. In addition to the LifeSize Connections service, it works with Microsoft OCS (Office Communications Server) and Lync, as well as communications platforms from Alcatel-Lucent and Avaya. With a one-year subscription to LifeSize Connections, buyers can get the system for $999, the company said.


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General Motors will restart production at its plants across China beginning Saturday as it continues to take precautions to ensure worker health amid the coronavirus outbreak.
But economists warn all the precautions in the world will not leave automakers unscathed.
GM is especially in danger. Its wide-scale operations in China put its 2020 revenues this year at "high risk" because of the outbreak.
"GM's workforce production and earnings in China will be negatively affected," Patrick Anderson, CEO of East Lansing-based economic consulting firm Anderson Economic Group, told the Free Press. "GM is trying hard under difficult circumstances. However, even GM cannot avoid entirely the fallout from this epidemic."
In a report by Anderson's company, Volkswagen, Honda, Tesla and Hyundai-Kia were also named as the automakers to be most affected.
Detroit in China
GM now sells more cars in China than it does in the United States, notes the report released Monday called "Coronavirus Consequences to Workforce, Suppliers, and Manufacturers in the U.S. Automobile Industry."
Ford Motor Co. was not on the report's list of automakers at high risk despite operating six assembly plants in China.
Ford will resume vehicle production in China "this week," said a company spokesman. He declined to offer any details on which plants will restart or when.
A Ford statement on its media site said it has about 37,000 employees in China. Ford has two joint ventures in China: Changan Ford and JMC, none in Wuhan.


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…but remain well below first half of the year metrics.
We asked last month ‘What is wrong with Saxo Bank’ when the Denmark-based retail forex broker reported its fifth consecutive month of declining volumes, at $220 billion. Well things improved somewhat in October, but not that much.
Saxo Bank October forex volumes came in at $238 billion — 8% above September’s low figure, but still 31% below average first-half-of-the-year levels, and about 10% below last year’s second half figures.
One positive point of light we see here, is that October apparently wasn’t nearly the disaster in the retail forex space that it was in the institutional space. We reported earlier today that institutional stalwarts CME Group and EBS both reported their lowest FX trading volumes in years during the month of October.
It looks like institutional traders stayed largely on the sidelines during October, waiting out the US Government Shutdown (and low volatility), while retail traders weren’t quite as bothered or distracted by the Republican-Democrat theatrics, and just kept on trading.
We’ll know more in the coming days, as more retail forex brokers and institutional Forex ECNs report their October figures. Stay tuned to LeapRate….


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Laura Miller at Salon has a good backstory on Amazon’s Kindle and the Apple iPad eBook reader.
Laura Miller – Salon.com: “This dust-up is the culmination of a long-standing feud between Amazon and book publishers. What triggered it, however, is something new: the introduction of Apple’s iPad.”
Apple has agreed to sell e-books through its forthcoming iBooks store according to what’s known as an “agency model,” much like selling on commission. Publishers will get to set the price of books — from $5.99 to $14.99, with new “hardcover” releases ranging from $12.99 to $14.99 — and the retailer will take 30 percent. Under this arrangement, as John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan, pointed out in a statement, the retailer stands to make more money off the sale of an e-book than Amazon is making now, and the publisher makes less. Book publishers are willing to accept — no, advocate for — this for a couple of reasons: They want more control over the value of their product and the prospect of an Amazon lock on the e-book market makes them very, very nervous.
It sounds like Amazon’s fight with Macmillan (described in her article) was nasty enough that other publishers are worried.
And then the production sort of stuff that I love, on pricing:
only about 20 percent of the cover price of a new hardcover goes to those [production] costs:about $5 out of $25. Retailers take from 40 to 50 percent, and after that, the majority of the cost of a new book goes to author royalties, editing, design, marketing, publicity, overhead and so on. But these elements aren’t material or tangible, and as a result, consumers seem to be skeptical about their true worth.
Terry Belanger once told me that in the 18th C, books were priced according to a “Rule of 3s” meaning that the cost of production was about one-third the cost of the final book. Post-1980 printers told me that about one-sixth of the cost of the book went to production–and that’s pretty darn close to 20%.
(h/t Jeremy Dibell at Philobiblos)


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How Can Banks Counteract the GAFA Threat?
Richard Meirion-Williams, Head of Financial Services at BJSS discusses how banks can counteract the threat provided by Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon (GAFA).
It wasn’t long ago that bank branches used to hold personal, trusted relationships with their local customers. However, since the rise of digital banking and the decline of the branch, relationships between bank provider and customer have weakened. While the financial institutions are under pressure to keep up with digital transformation, at the same time demand for a personalised customer experience is high on the banking agenda.
Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, the major technology power players, known as GAFA, are transforming the digital banking landscape as we know it. With a huge pool of customer data at their fingertips, GAFA’s move into financial services is simply a natural extension of their current offering. When you consider the vast amount of data that these tech giants can leverage across social media, mobile, customer purchase information and mapping data, GAFA has the ability to provide a highly personalised financial service experience.
For banks to remain central in the lives of consumers, they must provide consistent and fulfilling customer experiences across the digital and physical environment. It’s not just about having access to customers credit or debit accounts, but also a greater/wider insight into their individual customers.
But time is of the essence. Amazon, Apple, Google, Intuit and PayPal have already formed a coalition called Financial Innovation Now to enhance innovation in the financial industry to satisfy the customer need for convenience. The key for traditional financial providers is to act quickly and respond to emerging digital disruptors like GAFA. Banks need to focus on evolving their business models and developing new revenue streams.
4 steps to challenge the GAFA force
Client on-boarding: Banks need to maintain their competitive differentiation and make products available immediately. Recently banks have focused on improving the front-end process. But what about the back-end? By digitising the full spectrum banks can reap the rewards of full end-to-end capabilities. This will mean customers opening an account can get started up in minutes after completing an online application. Making changes to the digital process will also help improve the processes which co-exist in physical branches.
Personalised services and partnering for suppliers and customers: Customer centricity should be at the heart of every business. Banks need to create personalised services to deliver their products using an agile approach. This can be achieved either through the bank or a third-party.
To meet consumer demand for convenience and choice, banks should also look to offer customers “lifestyle” services that can adapt in real-time to fulfil the everyday needs of the banking user. Not only will this help multiply customer interactions but will also help generate new revenue streams.
Leverage Consumers data: Extrapolate customer insights from the vast amount of structured and unstructured customer data using Artificial Intelligence, NLP and cognitive computing. The customer financial information can be leveraged to create market intelligence and to generate new revenue streams.
Create an ecosystem: Banks should take advantage of open environments and create new ecosystems. This could be offering external or white-labelling banking services through open APIs and new partnership models with innovative fintechs or working alongside GAFA. Banks need to develop new products and services on distributed ledgers for transactional access on a continual basis and receive data and events from third parties like Amazon or Apple who can distribute and integrate their products in a broader business environment.
This approach will help counter the GAFA threat and create greater cross and upselling opportunities, along with building customer acquisition, retention and cost optimisation, transforming the cost-to-income ratio from the current average of 63% to hopefully less than 50%*. It is critical for banks to think innovatively and act quickly, otherwise they will become a victim of the GAFA dominance which has already infiltrated other industries.
*Calculation made based on reviewing the published accounts of a number of banks.


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|6||Hyve Managed Hosting||Linux||0:00:00||0.010||0.139||0.074||0.148||0.148|
|7||CWCS Managed Hosting||Linux||0:00:00||0.010||0.280||0.080||0.163||0.163|
In May 2020 EveryCity had the most reliable hosting company site, responding to all of Netcraft's requests with an average connection time of 83ms. For the past nine months EveryCity has appeared in the top 10 most reliable hosting company sites. EveryCity offers cloud hosting solutions and managed third-party services, with its primary data centre located in the heart of London.
In the May 2020 survey we received responses from 1,238,024,212 sites across 261,192,350 unique domains and 9,892,834 web-facing computers. This reflects a gain of 224,000 computers and 1.10 million domains, but a loss of 8.10 million sites.
nginx lost the greatest number of sites, with 14.2 million fewer than in April, but conversely had by far the greatest increases in unique domain names (+1.50 million, +2.02%), and web-facing computers (+137,000, +4.43%) this month. OpenResty, which is based on nginx, also saw a large 237,000 domain count increase to reach 7.15 million – the second largest increase in domains for any vendor this month.
Apache had losses in most metrics, dropping 244,000 domains. It did, however, come away with 6.88 million more sites and 45,000 more computers this month than last. Apache still leads in the active sites, computers, and top one million sites metrics.
Microsoft lost out on all metrics this month, dropping by 5.08 million sites and 175,000 unique domains. Both Apache and Microsoft have been on slow long-term downward trends in most metrics. Although they have both increased their count of web-facing computers over time, nginx has seen much stronger growth in comparison. Despite running on a 17.9% share of domain names and 16.4% share of computers, Microsoft holds a much smaller 4.72% share of active sites.
LiteSpeed currently serves 4.20 million domains, giving it a 1.61% market share. It has a slightly higher 1.88% share amongst the top one million sites. LiteSpeed has seen consistent growth, and has had a 23.3% domain count growth over the last 12 months.
Nginx released a new stable version of the nginx web server. nginx version 1.18.0 incorporates additional features which have been introduced in the mainline 1.17.x nginx versions over time. Nginx also released version 1.17.0 of the Nginx Unit application server.
LiteSpeed released new 1.6.13 and 1.7.1 versions of their OpenLiteSpeed web server, introducing bug fixes, security features, updates from their LSQUIC library, CentOS 8 support, and more.
|Developer||April 2020||Percent||May 2020||Percent||Change|
Posted in Web Server Survey
|2||New York Internet (NYI)||FreeBSD||0:00:00||0.000||0.519||0.054||0.109||0.109|
|6||Hyve Managed Hosting||Linux||0:00:00||0.005||0.144||0.077||0.154||0.154|
|8||CWCS Managed Hosting||Linux||0:00:00||0.005||0.286||0.080||0.162||0.162|
GoDaddy had the most reliable hosting company site in April 2020. This is the second consecutive month that GoDaddy has had the most reliable hosting company site and GoDaddy has not appeared outside the top two so far in 2020. GoDaddy provides tools that help businesses create a web presence and has provided ideas for small businesses to cope through the COVID-19 pandemic.
All of the monitored hosting providers are continuing to provide their services despite the challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The next four hosting company sites in the top 10 also responded to all of Netcraft's requests in April: New York Internet, Webair, Swishmail, and Pair Networks. The top five hosting company sites were separated by average connection time.
New York Internet has published a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan to demonstrate how it is helping provide services to its customers throughout these uncertain times. In New York, Webair has donated meals and personal protective equipment to frontline workers.
Netcraft has today received a Double Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
A Queen’s Award is the highest UK Government award for a British business. It is awarded on the Queen’s Birthday each year, and, in different times, it would include an invitation to a mass gathering at Buckingham Palace. The criteria set by our Government searches for considerable progress sustained over a six year period. This year, 128 companies received a Queen’s Award for International Trade and 66 companies a Queen’s Award for Innovation.
Netcraft is one of three companies to receive a Queen’s Award in both categories. The full list of winners is listed in the Queen’s Awards Press Book.
Posted by Mike Prettejohn in Netcraft Services
Governments and organisations globally have been making announcements that just a few weeks prior would have been unprecedented. As more of our lives are moving online in an attempt to adapt to changes brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, many are trying out services they were previously unfamiliar with, such as video conferencing or online grocery shopping. While others are finding themselves with more time to pursue online hobbies such as gaming.
The combined effect of information overload and a mass of people using unfamiliar software and services has created an environment ripe for exploitation by cybercriminals.
Netcraft has tracked Coronavirus-themed cybercrime since 16th March, shortly after it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. While Netcraft continues to see high volumes of Coronavirus-inspired fake shops, advance fee fraud, phishing and malware lures, this post covers some of the trends Netcraft has observed since our previous posts on the topic.
Recently observed Coronavirus-themed threats
Fake Government information sites and mobile malware
Many governments have set up dedicated websites offering advice and services to support their citizens through the pandemic. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this by providing copy-cat sites with a malicious twist.
In one recent campaign, the cybercriminals deployed a site that poses as the UK Government and offers “credit card refunds” for “COVID-19 support”. The fraudulent site uses UK Government branding and collects the victim’s personal information – including their credit card number, date of birth and telephone number.
Netcraft has added protection from Coronavirus-related cybercrime to its mobile apps for Android and iOS, and to its browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. Websites containing these attacks will be blocked for those who have the app or extension installed. The iOS app — currently available in the UK and Canada — blocks Coronavirus-themed attacks impersonating Canadian and UK businesses as well as providing global coverage of fake shops purporting to sell Coronavirus-related goods.
Since 16 March Netcraft has been monitoring and disrupting Coronavirus-themed cybercrime, which accounts for five percent of the attacks we perform countermeasures against and is becoming more prevalent on the internet.
The Netcraft App can be downloaded from any of the major three major app stores:
The Netcraft Extension can be downloaded for any of the four major browsers:
Your link here? Advertising on the Netcraft Blog


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Netflix (NFLX) lost US subscribers for the first time ever last quarter. The company shed 130,000 US subscribers, whereas Wall Street had expected it would add 352,000. It also added fewer international subscribers than both it and Wall Street had expected.
However, Netflix’s troubles may have just begun. The Office and Friends, some of its most popular shows, are leaving Netflix and going to its rivals. The Office owner Comcast (CMCSA) and Friends owner AT&T (T) are taking the shows away to offer them on their own video services, which will compete with Netflix.
Not only is Netflix losing some of its most popular content, but is also coming under more competitive pressure. Walt Disney (DIS), which plans to launch its Disney+ video service this fall, is also pulling its content from Netflix. Furthermore, Disney has taken operational control of Hulu in a deal with Comcast. Hulu is currently Netflix’s top challenger in America, meaning Disney could take on Netflix from all sides. Disney’s purchase of Fox’s assets has added even more hit shows and movies to its library, supercharging its video service.
Rising content costs for Netflix
Netflix’s loss of popular content and the growing competition could affect it in many ways. First, the loss of popular content means additional pressure on the company to spend more on production to replace the shows leaving its platform. Variety reports the company spent $8.9 billion and $12 billion on content in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and analysts expect that spending to rise to $15 billion and $17.8 billion by 2020. Second, the company’s rising content costs could hurt its profitability.
But we should give credit where it is due. Netflix has pulled far ahead of challengers, and they could take years to match or surpass its subscriber base. The company finished the second quarter with over 150 million paying subscribers globally. In the face of escalating competition, it could also still raise prices—the company’s loyal customer base has granted it pricing power. Customers may be so loyal that they are willing to pay more to help the company produce even better shows and stay ahead of the game.


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Twitter is testing $99 subscription plan to promote tweets
If you want your tweets to appear in the timelines of strangers, Twitter is testing a plan to automatically promote your tweets, for which you will have to pay $99 month.
However, this subscription plan is not offered to all users, but only those invited can avail this option.
In a blog post on Friday, Twitter said that instead of creating and optimising separate Twitter Ads campaigns yourself, this programme will do the heavy lifting.
"You just need to continue using Twitter as you normally do — tweeting updates, links, and media that you want a larger audience to see. Then, the promotion of your tweets will be automated," the blog post read.
The plan is aimed at those people or small brands who want to grow and would rather throw money at the social media network.
Twitter has added zero users since the first quarter, posting $574 million in revenue in the second quarter this year which is a decrease of five percent YoY (year-on-year).
Twitter now has 328 million monthly active users (MAUs) — the same number it reported in the first quarter of 2017.
Despite stalled user growth, Twitter was now exploring new revenue streams and ways of innovation.
When it comes to "promoted" tweets, the number of brands using Twitter for advertising has been on the rise.
Globally, in the first quarter of 2017, Twitter streamed more than 800 hours of live premium video from content partners across over 450 events, reaching 45 million unique viewers — an increase of 31 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016.
According to a report in Engadget, this is a clear experiment to try out a new source of cash flow for Twitter, which saw a drop in advertising revenue this year, making $439 million in the second quarter, compared to $535 million in the same period last year.


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The Daily Mail City team explain why The Schork Report is so influential and can even move the price of oil...
What is it?
It is nothing to do with ornithology, despite the company using the Stork-like Ibis for its logo.
The report is actually an oil market newsletter that is sent out to subscribers ranging from speculators to industry executives.
Schork's daily commentary provides customers with an objective view of the most needed information, and it takes a firm position on the energy market.
Who writes it?
The report is the brainchild of former Nymex trader Stephen Schork, who worked as an oil commodity and derivatives trader in the US for 15 years.
Before setting up the newsletter, Schork worked for four years developing mathematical models to help forecast energy prices, which was used as a basis for hedging and trading activities at Conectiv Energy.
Based on his technical analysis, Schork was able to hit gross profit goals within two months of starting to use the system.
Why do we care?
The Schork Report's star has risen on the back of consistent, profitable predictions, so much so that its forecasts can actually help to move the oil price.
Any informed estimate of which way the energy market might turn is invaluable at the moment, with the price of crude trading at near record levels of $130 a barrel.
Most watched Money videos
- Take a look at the new Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 supercar
- VW's new electric car set to finally launch in Britain
- VW launches clever new 'Caddy California' compact campervan
- Morrisons CEO reveals opportunities given to those out of work
- Maserati's back! Italian brand releases first supercar for 15 years
- Rolls-Royce release new £250,000 limo called Ghost
- Mercedes-Benz shows how hands-free Drive Pilot system works
- UK firm to build world's first electric Rolls-Royce's Phantoms
- Porsche has given the iconic Panamera a mid-life refresh
- Ray Massey reviews Aston Martin's first ever SUV
- F1 star Lewis Hamilton appears in Mercedes S-Class launch video
- New £250,000 Ghost 'most technically advanced' Rolls-Royce ever


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GAO’s reports and testimonies give Congress, federal agencies, and the public timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can improve government operations and save taxpayers billions of dollars.
GAO has documented many problems resulting from the fragmented nature of the federal food safety system and recommended fundamental restructuring to ensure the effective use of scarce government resources.
Two large food recalls completed in 2003 were associated with 8 deaths and nearly 100 serious illnesses in at least 16 states. Manufacturers voluntarily recall potentially unsafe food by notifying their customers to return or destroy it. The U.S.
The safety of the U.S. food supply is governed by a highly complex system of more than 30 laws administered by 12 agencies. In light of the recent focus on government reorganization, it is time to ask whether the current system can effectively and efficiently respond to today's challenges.
More than 80 percent of the seafood that Americans consume is imported. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring that imported seafood is safe and produced under sanitation and safety systems comparable to those of the United States.
Dietary supplements containing ephedra have been associated with serious health-related adverse events, including heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and deaths. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).
More than 28 million children receive meals daily through the federal school meal programs. Providing meals that are safe is especially important because young children have a higher risk of complications from some foodborne illnesses.


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Fentanyl-Laced Cannabis Myths Debunked
July 15, 2022 08:00 am ET
Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes
Fentanyl pills are contributing to a rise in drug overdoses among American high schoolers despite a general decrease in drug use. Among the persistent drug use by high schoolers is cannabis, with around 37% having self-reported cannabis use. In light of both, let’s clear up some of the myths about fentanyl-laced cannabis.
Does My Cannabis Have Fentanyl?
WebMD explains that fentanyl-laced drugs, including fentanyl-laced cannabis, have been increasingly circulating in America’s illicit drug market. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is nearly impossible to notice without testing due to its lack of taste and odor. Additionally, the DEA explains that fentanyl is 80-100 times stronger than morphine, which is why the substance is especially dangerous when consumed unknowingly. According to WebMD, a 2-milligram dose of fentanyl is enough to cause a fatal overdose.
Anne Milgram, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told CNN, “The amount of illegal fentanyl in our country has risen to an unprecedented level. This year alone, DEA has seen enough fentanyl to provide every member of the United States population with a lethal dose and we are still seizing more fentanyl each and every day.” In other words, fentanyl is out there and can show up on virtually any illicit drug.
While the likelihood of cannabis being laced with fentanyl is low, Turnbridge warns that there is still a risk of cross-contamination, especially if one is purchasing from the illicit market, an unreliable and unregulated source of cannabis. If drug dealers are handling cannabis in the same place or with the same material they used to handle fentanyl, there is a risk of that cannabis becoming contaminated.
Madeline Hilliard, CEO of Trojan Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO), affirms the above scenario by telling USC Annenberg Media that “marijuana is being divided up for packaging and selling on the same table that fentanyl was previously being packaged on and the table, or the surface that all that was happening on, was not adequately sanitized.”
Myth 1: Fentanyl-Laced Cannabis Is Causing Widespread Fatalities
While fentanyl is contributing to a rise in widespread fatalities, “there is no scientific data that would validate the assumption thus far,” explains Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, the chief medical officer at American Addiction Centers. Weinstein adds that “overdoses overall are on the rise, and not only opiate overdoses are high in 2021, but also methamphetamine and cocaine overdoses are on the rise. Fentanyl is, unfortunately, a big part of this.” While fentanyl itself is causing an alarming number of fatalities, fentanyl-laced cannabis is actually not a significant part of this.
Myth 2: Drug Dealers Lace Cannabis With Fentanyl to Cause Dependency
According to Ontario Harm Reduction Network (OHRN), there have been no laboratory-confirmed cases of fentanyl-laced cannabis. As stated on WebMD, “the rumor that drug dealers lace weed with fentanyl to cause clients to develop drug addiction is not substantiated, or financially sound,” as OHRN states that “fentanyl has a high-profit margin, whereas marijuana has a low-profit margin. In other words, lacing marijuana with fentanyl wouldn’t make financial sense.” Additionally, Weinstein explains, “The idea they would enhance dependency does not hold water because of the lethality of [fentanyl]. That’s truly a myth.”
Myth 3: Testing Positive for Both Fentanyl and Cannabis Means You Consumed Laced Cannabis
Weinstein states, “It is more likely that that person also may test positive for other substances for fentanyl. [Fentanyl] is much more prevalent to be used in cutting opioids. It doesn’t mean that other substances cannot be laced with fentanyl, but based on frequency and likelihood, it is most likely other substances that one would need to be tested for.” OHRN explains that residue from a bag or surface can likely lead to cross-contamination and that testing positive for both does not automatically mean you have consumed fentanyl-laced weed.
What Does This All Mean for Cannabis Consumers?
Despite these debunked myths, fear of hidden fentanyl in cannabis is still very warranted. The best thing cannabis consumers can do to keep themselves safe from fentanyl-laced cannabis is to buy their goods legally. While legal cannabis is regulated and tested to ensure its safety, illicit cannabis is definitely not. If you want to be extra cautious, consider asking your dispensary for a certificate of analysis for your product; these reports document the third-party testing and compound content of a product.
Fentanyl-laced drugs are a serious issue and one that has warranted creating awareness about the potential of laced or cross-contaminated cannabis. As long as you’re purchasing your cannabis legally, there is nothing to worry about. If you live in a medical-only state and believe you qualify for medical cannabis, make an appointment with a licensed MMJ doctor to gain access to safe, medical-grade cannabis products.
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(Reuters) – Information technology consulting company Presidio Inc has tapped Barclays Plc and Credit Suisse Group AG to explore an initial public offering or a sale that could value the company at close to $1.5 billion, several people familiar with the matter said.
Founded in 2003, the Greenbelt, Maryland-based company deploys and manages technology for customers ranging from retailers to hospitals, by partnering with companies such as Cisco Systems, EMC, Microsoft and VMware.
Presidio, which competes with Computer Sciences Corporation and Insight Enterprises Inc, among others, is expected to reach revenues of $2.3 billion and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of around $180 million this year, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.
All the sources asked not to be named because the matter is not public. The company, Credit Suisse and Barclays declined to comment.
Presidio is owned by private equity firm American Securities.


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Family Trust selling prime Berkeley
What could be the most valuable site for a mixed-used development in Berkeley just hit the sales block. Bancroft Center at 2580 Bancroft, a 30k SF retail center, could be converted into a variety of commercial uses. Thanks to the Southside plan's recent increase in height limits and density, the non-entitled property could go the mixed-use route, with 132 housing units atop 21k SF of high-end ground-floor retail.
The seller is a family trust that's owned it since the original construction.
The site is unpriced.


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Two iconic businesses in the Bluff City are reopening after the coronavirus forced them to shut down.
Local donut lovers have been craving a tasty treat from Gibson’s for weeks. Now, customers have the opportunity to get a takeaway order from the shop on Mendenhall.
Owner Don DeWeese says the shop will look a little different than customers are used to with markings for social distancing, masks and more.
Initially, Gibson’s was offering call-in orders for May 15. But after an overwhelming amount of orders, Gibson’s had to stop taking call-in orders.
So if you want to wait in line, you can still get a tasty treat!
The Malco Summer Drive-In is also planning to reopen today in the Mid-South. The drive-in has been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Malco is asking customers to purchase their tickets online to encourage social distancing. Only those with a pre-purchased carload ticket (printed or via phone) will be granted admission.
Attendance will also be limited to 50 percent.
For more details on the Malco Summer Drive-In’s new guidelines to reopen, click here.


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It’s that time again. As we round the corner on the final week of March, Kazunori Yamauchi has given us the next shadowy Gran Turismo Sport teaser. And it looks like a doozy.
As per usual, Yamauchi-san has tweeted the image. The hint comes alongside confirmation of a content update arriving next week. That means GT Sport players can look forward to a rapid-fire sequence of content, as the GR Supra concept and Audi Vision GT are both arriving early April.
Update is coming next week. 来週、アップデートが来ます。#GranTurismoSport #GTSport #GranTurismo #PS4share pic.twitter.com/5E9rwoqJgU
— 山内 一典 (@Kaz_Yamauchi) March 24, 2018
This latest batch of cars is the biggest, at 13. That puts the post-release expansion at exactly 50 cars, a figure Polyphony first floated way back in November. Checkpoint duly hit!
So, what’s in the pack? Working our way from top-left to bottom-right, it starts with possibly the biggest surprise: the BMW E30-gen M3. That boxy silhouette is unmistakeable, and it should make at least 1,226 GTPlanet members happy. Why’s that? It’s been the most-requested car in our Car Suggestions forum for over four years, that’s why!
It also looks like fans of the Super GT racing series will be pleased. The second car appears to be the new LC500 racer, and other cars in the image share a similar look. In fact, this seems to be the most racing-oriented update to GT Sport yet, at least going by the amount of sizeable wings on display.
In terms of other road cars, we spy what appears to be an FC-gen RX-7 starting the middle row, beside an Aston Martin DB11. An original Ford GT40 ends the row, while what looks like an R33 Skyline sits below it.
To the left of the Ford GT40 is a car that shares at least part of that car’s spirit. Yes, it looks like David Eckert’s “Mach 40” — the 2012 SEMA GT Award winner — is coming. This would be the second GT Award winner to arrive since GT Sport’s launch last October.
You’ll want to work on your reflexes, too: it looks like the Adrian Newey-designed X-car is returning to the Gran Turismo franchise. Its characteristic high nose is visible on the bottom row, second-from-left. What may be the X2014 Junior shows up on the top row, though it seems too small and has a different wing profile.
No word yet on any other content that may be coming alongside these cars. The last few updates have followed a pattern, alternating between solely adding new layouts of existing circuits, or adding an entirely new one (Monza in January). Stay tuned — we’ll know within the next seven days!
See more articles on GT Sport Game Updates.


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DCC May Purchase Premier Foods Irish Unit, Sunday Times Reports
Stock Chart for DCC PLC (DCC)
Boyne Valley Foods and Valeo Foods are also interested in buying the unit of the British food company, the Sunday Times said. The business has been expected to sell for 30 million euros ($40 million) to 40 million euros, the London-based newspaper said in its Irish edition.
A spokesman for DCC declined to comment on the report.
To contact the reporter on this story: Finbarr Flynn in Dublin at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Colin Keatinge at email@example.com
Bloomberg reserves the right to edit or remove comments but is under no obligation to do so, or to explain individual moderation decisions.


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The purpose of IDC SAMEA is to enable, coordinate, and execute turn-key solutions for a large-format aseptic package with The Answer tap, first to penetrate and transform the dairy industry of Pakistan, and subsequently that of neighboring countries with similar dairy issues.
IDC SAMEA will manage the entire supply chain – taps, bags, filling equipment, boxes and/or dispensers. Last month IDC announced the formation of the Alliance for Aseptic Foodservice (AAF); IDC SAMEA will work with AAF charter members to deliver its complete solution to dairy customers, with the initial focus on Pakistan.
Repeating the model
IDC and AAF members plan to replicate the model into other key locations.
Pakistan is the world’s fourth largest dairy consuming country, yet less than 10% of the country’s milk is processed and packaged. The rest is in the form of “loose” milk: raw unprocessed milk served from open vats.
IDC SAMEA and its customers will offer fresh milk directly from dairy farms, aseptically processed and packaged in a closed bag-in-box (BIB) system anchored by The Answer, the world’s only aseptic dispensing tap.
The company said an extensive market survey in Karachi conducted by ZAP Logistics, an IDC customer, indicated acceptance of the IDC package, appreciation of its push-button ease for pouring, and the taste and quality of the milk.
The group also intends to address similar dairy markets in Bangladesh, India, Turkey, and Africa. IDC SAMEA has already begun marketing the solution in Africa, though Pakistan represents the most imminent opportunity.
IDC said the closed bulk aseptic package has the potential to improve milk quality, safety, waste, and nutrition for more than 2bn people in those countries.
Pär Söderlund, former managing director for Tetra Pak Pakistan, spearheads the efforts of IDC SAMEA.
Söderlund said, “The Answer innovation represents a tremendous opportunity in this vast region. We are very excited to offer this solution to the region and to deliver safe, nutritious milk in a very convenient large size package that truly makes a difference.”


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Ramit Sethi, author of New York Times best-seller "I Will Teach You To Be Rich," thinks people should focus on what money can accomplish for them, rather than focus on restriction.
In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Sethi outlined the path to guilt-free spending — one that doesn't involve worrying about little purchases that bring about happiness.
Click here for more BI Prime stories.
When it comes to personal finance, we're all taught to spend less and save more. That's...
READ FULL ARTICLE »


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Disney+ Releases ‘Star Wars: Vintage’ Collection
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Lucasfilm announced that Disney+ would be adding some of their original Star Wars properties like Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars and several Ewok properties. Today, the studio has finally released them, however, with an entirely new branding.
The new collection of classic Star Wars properties has been labeled Star Wars: Vintage. I assume they made this change to distinguish which titles are canon and non-canon. Although its branding seems a little strange, at least they got some cool graphics to go alone with their release.
As Disney continues to add more of Star Wars‘ legacy content, it takes one step closer to unifying all of the franchise’s work under one streaming envelope — Disney+. One day, maybe the fandom will follow.


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OnePlus 3T now available in the US and Canada
While Europe, China and Hong Kong are still waiting, people in the US and Canada can already score a OnePlus 3T - sales start today.
The prices are $440 for the 64GB model and $480 for the 128GB one. Gunmetal is available now, you’ll have to wait if you want the Soft Gold model.
In Canada, the 64GB model is CA$600, the 128GB one is CA$640. The color situation is the same.
Europe and Hong Kong will have to wait until November 28 (next Monday), China until the following day (Tuesday) and India isn’t getting it (yet).
- 30 Nov 2016
- 24 Nov 2016
Oneplus 3T launching in India on December 2nd 2016. Price not yet fixed. Any guesses?
- 23 Nov 2016


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Stripper's Pole: A French pole vaulting champion has run naked with his pole through the streets of Paris and posted the video on the Internet, hoping to draw attention to his quest for a new sponsorship deal. Romain Mesnil won a silver medal at the 2007 Athletics World Championships in Osaka.
He's Certifiable: A New York businessman is launching a new kosher tequila. Martin Silver, president of Long Island-based Star Industries, says Agave (ah-GAHV'-eh) 99 will satisfy the craze for high-end tequila with one that observant Jews can drink. Silver says a half million cases of the 99-proof kosher tequila are being produced at a Mexican plant using methods certified by a rabbi.
Pie In The Sky Idea: A vending machine that bakes fresh pizza in minutes for a few euros has got Italian chefs in a whirl. The bright-red "Let's Pizza" machine uses infra-red rays and technology developed at the University of Bologna to knead flour and water into dough, spread it with tomato sauce and a choice of topping, and cook it - all in less than three minutes.
Mighty missed with UConn (-4) but hit with UNC (-7-1/2) Saturday night. Today it's the Pistons. The surplus is 110 sirignanos.


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Ho Chi Minh City exploits waterways to develop riverside economy
(PLO)- A series of waterway transport routes and tourism products will be combined in the period of 2023-2025, contributing to the economic development of Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam – Belgium promote cooperation in the field of green finance
(PLO)- Vietnam highly appreciates the support of the Kingdom of Belgium in the past time and looks forward to continuing cooperation in the future.
‘VinWonders entertainment world’ is coming to the east bank of Hanoi
(PLO)- On July 6, the VinWonders amusement park chain officially received the Ocean City amusement park to upgrade it into a beach – entertainment – art resort. The presence of “International Entertainment World” VinWonders right on the east bank of Hanoi contributes to creating a new and attractive destination for tourism in the capital.
Request to report the case of granting investment certificates to Chinese enterprises banned projects
(PLO)- The Management Board of Industrial Parks of Dak Lak Province granted an investment certificate to one of two Hong Kong and Chinese enterprises investing in projects in contravention of regulations.
Many hotels in Da Nang “burn out” the final night of fireworks
(PLO)- Hotels of 4 stars or more with a view to the fireworks area are preferred by tourists to stay at this time when coming to Da Nang.
There are too many floating fruit tree businesses
(PLO)- The quality management of fruit varieties is still a concern, especially in the southern provinces, where over 62% of the country’s fruit tree area is located.
Live hog prices hit the highest level since the beginning of the year, the highest at 63,000/kg
(PLO)- According to the Import-Export Department, in the first five months of 2023, Vietnam imported more than 239,000 tons of meat and meat products, worth $480.32 million.
Rice prices are very high, the minister said ‘opportunity does not wait for us’
(PLO)- The price of rice is currently at a very high level. It is forecasted that from now until the end of the year, major markets will continue to increase rice purchases to stockpile in large quantities.
Small traders in Vung Tau market ‘cry out’ because of poor sales, high rents
(PLO)- The Department of Industry and Trade directs localities to survey the opinions of small traders in all traditional markets to make recommendations and advise the province to provide appropriate support.


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Currently few standards for 'socially sustainable' fish exist in the food industry.
However, following a string of reports in 2016 implicating the fishing industry in widespread human rights violations – notably forced labour and human trafficking – a new ethical category for seafood has caught on with consumers.
In 2014 the Guardian uncovered an epidemic of Burmese and Thai slavery in fisheries across South East Asia, which produces much of the seafood sold throughout Europe.
The EU then gave Thailand a 'yellow card' warning threatening to ban all imports of Thai fish if the government did not work to end the abuses.
Last year, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) reported that their investigations with the Thai government continued to find the same corruption and abuse across the board.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) of the UN subsequently released a report calling on states to begin enforcing workers’ rights at sea, take partial state control of fishing companies, encourage transparency and organise international cooperation to enforce standards.
The Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF) will conclude a review of its seafood labelling standards May of this year. Prijo Honkanen, research director, explained the reason for the project is to:
“Identify standards for social sustainability and to evaluate whether customers in the seafood market require documentation of social sustainability. They also wish to investigate whether and how the Norwegian seafood industry can utilise good working conditions as a competitive advantage, and if this can be documented in Norwegian fisheries”.
Honkanen said the research is being undertaken at the behest of the seafood industry.
If the ILO’s demand for standards, given the scale of human rights abuses associated with fishing, are to be met, then the industry will need to begin looking into how this can feasibly be done – regardless of current consumer demands.
The FHF research intends to evaluate current standards and methods used by supermarket chains in the UK, Germany and France which already employ their own criteria.
British supermarket Marks & Spencer became the first retailer to introduce the ‘Responsible Fishing Scheme’ – a voluntary scheme ensuring high standards of crew welfare for fishing vessels.
FHF say the findings of the research will provide industry players good information on how to establish ethical certifications – whether under a national standard or through different types of scheme.
Long voyage ahead
James Simpson, a spokesman for the Marine Stewerdship Council (MSC) which provides a blue label certification for environmentally sustainable fish, explained that ensuring social sustainability is extremely difficult.
“The research sounds like a very sensible idea, MSC is looking into options in terms of incorporating labour requirements into the blue label. Currently no companies convicted of labour violations can be granted the MSC blue logo.
You can’t always introduce the same requirements on land as in sea. Crimes on land are relatively easy to police, at sea it’s another matter. We are currently looking into adopting standards set by other schemes, but this is a very long process.
In the UK we do have responsible fishing scheme which the majority of companies are now signing up to.
Other complications are the way fisherman tend to be paid which is a catch by catch basis – which doesn’t always equal minimum wage but in many cases it is highly profitable.
We are looking at an extensive consultation with all our stakeholders, which started in 2016 and will go on for a long time, into how to solve these labour issues.”
Given that reports of abuses at sea show no sign of slowing down, labelling may well become a basic standard for seafood in Europe. Setting and enforcing the standard looks to be a major challenge.
The FHF research has been granted up to €65,000 in funding.


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Fresh off the heels of levying a record $5 billion fine on Google related to anti-competitive business practices, the European Commission has handed down another fine to the tech industry. Asus, Denon & Marantz, Philips and Pioneer reportedly leveraeged online resellers to keep prices of their products high, and have been handed a collective $130 million in fines.
According to the Commission’s statement, the four companies monitored the prices that online resellers had their products listed for. If they were selling for less than the manufacturer’s recommended price, they would be contacted and told to lower prices. When retailers failed to kowtow, the EC says that the companies took “sanctions” against them such as withdrawing supply, in violation of EU antitrust law.
“Each of the four manufacturers individually targeted online retailers that offered the lowest prices for their products,” the Commission said in a statement. “Sometimes the manufacturers intervened because of price deviations of just one euro; other interventions concerned price increases of more than 100 euros. In any event, the manufacturers wanted retailers to charge artificially higher retail prices for their products – we call this “resale price maintenance”. It meant consumers were worse off.” The Commission notes that while manufacturers can control prices in some situations, for example during a product launch or to support brick-and-mortar retail stores, none of those exemptions applied.
“As a result of the actions taken by these four companies, millions of European consumers faced higher prices for kitchen appliances, hair dryers, notebook computers, headphones and many other products,” EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said.
All four firms reportedly co-operated with the investigation, leading to lower final fines. Ultimately, Asus will pay 63.5 million euros, Denon & Marantz will pay 7.7 million euros, Philips will pay 29.8 million euros and Pioneer will pay 10.2 million euros.


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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- SABMiller on Thursday said its first-half profit dropped 31% as currency swings, charges to revamp operations and slightly weaker beer volume offset price hikes and improved productivity.
SABMiller (SAB)(SAB) said its first-half profit fell to $973 million from $1.42 billion.
The quarter included $239 million of charges before tax, mostly on a program to cut costs by 40% a year from 2011 to 2013, and the prior-year period benefited from the transfer of its U.S. and Puerto Rican operations of Miller into a joint venture with Molson Coors
Revenue fell 21% to $8.85 billion, as comparable beer volumes fell 1% and as many of its key currencies dropped in value against the U.S. dollar compared to the prior-year period.
Earnings before interest, tax and amortization fell 2% to $2.19 billion -- ahead of analyst estimates of $1.98 billion -- and that figure rose by 11% when currency swings and other items affecting comparability were stripped out.
"The weakness of our major operating currencies against the U.S. dollar has affected reported results, but we have continued to generate a strong underlying performance," said CEO Graham Mackay.
The company that's 27% owned by Altria
SABMiller shares climbed 4% in London trade and have climbed 48% year-to-date.
"This is a strong performance from SAB, which will likely prompt upgrades (to annual earnings estimates by analysts) in the region of 5% to 10%," said William Hobbs, an analyst at Barclays Wealth.
Like Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), Latin America was a strong point as the group recorded a 33% rise in EBITA on price hikes and cost savings.
Its EBITA in Asia and Africa also climbed by double-digit amounts, and in North America, savings from combining Miller and Coors operations drove a 7% EBITA rise.
In Europe, EBITA grew 5% as "solid" pricing offset diminishing beer volume.
SABMiller expects current trading conditions to continue in the second half, "as unemployment, retail spending and other consumer indicators lag the reported stabilization of GDP in many of our markets."
Currencies are expected to swing back to SAB's favor, while margin improvements won't be as strong as the price hikes and cost savings in the prior year are cycled.


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Lucasfilm changed the face of science fiction in the ’70s with the space opera Star Wars. It was one of the most impactful films of the century. Star Wars added new words to the pop culture lexicon. It shook up the box office and broke records.
Most importantly, the movie created a community that has been around for decades. So, it makes sense that when George Lucas decided to sell his production company, Disney was the one to buy Lucasfilm and with it, the Star Wars universe.
Disney has been a household name and brand since the ’30s. To say the company has been successful would be an understatement. They are a dominant presence in the entertainment industry to the point that they seem to have a finger in nearly every pot.
When was Star Wars bought by Disney?
As huge as Star Wars is, as massive as the franchise’s following has been from the ’70s into the new millennium, it still doesn’t compare to Disney’s reach. But Disney purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas in 2012, and that’s when they truly extended their impact into a galaxy far, far away.
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger saw potential in the franchise making waves on television, bringing the Star Wars universe off the silver screen to the small screen and not just as an animated version of the story or a made-for-TV film.
Disney ushered in a new age for Star Wars
At the time, he said, “We think Disney XD will be a great home for that,” but his vision has since expanded to the streaming arm of the company, Disney+.
Live-action Star Wars TV series are a reality due to this acquisition, and it has boomed into a coming smorgasbord of content for fans of the franchise starting with the success of The Mandalorian and continuing on to the planned Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka series.
We’re in exciting times with the Star Wars franchise growing in ways it hadn’t before Disney began leading the way.


text: NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. HPQ, -0.54% surged 4.4% to $33.44 in afternoon action on Monday, making it the biggest percentage gainer among Dow components. Before the opening bell, the personal computer and printer maker said it's expanded its HP Photosmart Studio offering into a total of 50 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club locations in the U.S. The company previously had four units in Wal-Mart WMT, -1.24% retail locations during an initial pilot period for the project. The HP Photosmart Studio allows consumers to design photo albums, calendars, CDs and other projects within the store for on-site pick-up later the same day. Wal-Mart shares tacked on 31 cents to $45.76.


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This story has been updated to reflect the nomination of a new EU trade commissioner.
Spare a thought for Valdis Dombrovskis, who was on Tuesday named to succeed Phil Hogan as EU trade boss.
With global trade sputtering because of coronavirus, Brexit talks turning into a game of chicken, and the trade conflict with the United States in desperate need of a cease-fire, the new commissioner will have his work cut out. While prior commissioners were able to focus on securing headline-grabbing trade deals, attention is now turning toward damage control.
Here are the five main tasks for the EU's new trade chief.
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End trade war with the US
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen counted on Hogan, who proved a highly effective negotiator in his previous stint as agriculture commissioner, to reset the world's largest investment and trade relationship after years of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war. Disputes over French plans for a digital services tax that would hit American tech giants and European support for Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, gave Trump the ammunition he needed to roll out new duties.
In August, Washington and Brussels agreed on a mini-deal of reciprocal tariff cuts. But Brussels hopes to put the long-standing dispute over the aircraft subsidies to bed for good when the World Trade Organization is set to determine the size of EU retaliation Brussels will be entitled to impose on U.S. products. The EU is keen to resolve its fight on the Western front so that it can turn it's attention eastward and deal with China’s state-led economy.
Prevent EU deals from unraveling
The coronavirus has exposed an old fault line between the EU's more protectionist southern countries and more liberal northerners. Protectionism was already on the rise before the pandemic, and calls for reshoring led Hogan to fundamentally question the EU's trade policy. His successor will have to decide whether this new direction of "open strategic autonomy" is the right way forward, and if it can please both camps.
But support for free trade is unraveling even in the EU's more open economies. The ratification of the EU's trade deals with Canada and the Southern American bloc of Mercosur has sparked opposition all over the EU, from Cyprus to the Netherlands, Germany and France. While the ongoing negotiations with Australia and New Zealand might not give the EU's new trade chief so many headaches, it will be difficult to ensure the existing ones get the green light in EU capitals. In the case of Mercosur, ratification by France and Germany is looking almost impossible.
Fix the multilateral trading system
To cope with distortions from China's heavily subsidized economy, Brussels first needs to use its heft as the world's biggest trade bloc to help gets the World Trade Organization back on track. The Geneva-based institution is paralyzed because of a U.S. block on the appointment of judges to its highest court. Since December last year, international trade disputes can end up in legal limbo and quickly evolve into tariff wars.
Von der Leyen had asked Hogan to lead the reform of the WTO and come up with a plan by the end of this year. But first, the institution has to decide on a new global trade chief. Finding consensus might prove difficult as members even failed to reach an agreement on an interim chief. As Hogan's successor, Dombrovskis will have to get the 27 EU countries aligned on which of the eight candidates to back for the job.
Manage the fallout from Brexit
Negotiations over a future trade deal between the EU and the U.K. have turned into a game of chicken, increasing the chances of a no-deal outcome by the end of the year. Having agreed on a divorce package last year that allowed the U.K. to continue to trade with the EU, the two sides remain at an impasse on various issues, the thorniest being so-called level playing field rules, designed to prevent the U.K. from undercutting the EU in the future.
The EU is determined not to blink first and has repeatedly stressed that the U.K. has much more to lose in a no-deal scenario than Brussels. But a disorderly Brexit at the end of the year would be a major blow for the EU economy as well, especially when it coincides with the recovery from the corona crisis.
While the EU's trade commissioner isn't directly involved in the Brexit negotiations, Dombrovskis will inevitably have to deal with the trade implications after the transition period — deal or no deal.
Toughen up on climate and human rights — while negotiating a deal with Beijing
When it comes to climate and human rights, this "geopolitical" Commission wants to shift from words to deeds. A new role in the Commission of chief trade enforcer has to ensure sustainability promises made in trade deals are kept, or impose sanctions if they're not.
Those human rights and labor market reforms have traditionally been enforced by Brussels by dangling a big carrot in front of its future trading partner: access to 450 million often relatively wealthy consumers. But that trick doesn't seem to work in the EU's negotiations with China over an investment deal. There has barely been any progress with Beijing to eliminate market barriers for foreign investors, while worries over human rights violations in Uighur labor camps and in Hong Kong have only increased. Now that Beijing is pushing to complete the negotiations by the end of the year, the new European trade commissioner will have to decide just how many sweeteners China will have to throw in to seal the deal.
Dombrovskis argues that any trade deal with China would have to be ambitious on eliminating imbalances and should not be rushed. "Of course, it would be great if we could conclude it this year. But there, I would say substance before deadlines," he said shortly after his nomination.
CORRECTION: This article has been amended to correct the procedure related to Dombrovskis’ change in role. It will be subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament but does not require a confirmation vote.
This article is part of POLITICO’s premium policy service Pro Trade. From transatlantic trade wars to the U.K.’s future trading relationship with the EU and rest of the world, Pro Trade gives you the insight you need to plan your next move. Email [email protected] for a complimentary trial.


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Netflix announced that its streaming film and TV subscription service is now available in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Sharp announced that its new 90-inch AQUOS LED/LCD 3DTV (LC-90LE745U) will be available in Europe next summer.
Panasonic Europe announced its newest range of Gold and Silver Ultra High Speed (UHS) SD flash memory cards.
Sony Europe announced its new BRAVIA KDL-HX950 LED/LCD 3D television at IFA 2012.
Panasonic Europe announced that its VIERA TX-P50VT50 has been awarded ‘European Plasma TV of the year 2012-2013′ by the 2012 European Imaging Sound Association (EISA).
Iron Mountain announced its latest survey suggests that many employees have no qualms about taking highly confidential or sensitive documents with them when they leave a company.
The European Commission announced that it is investigating thirteen companies for allegedly conspiring to rig bids for the sale of CD and DVD optical disc drives.
Verbatim Europe announced its new Store ‘n’ Go Universal Storage Module (USM) portable hard disk drive.
The European Parliament announced that it rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) by 478 votes to 39, with 165 abstentions.
LG Electronics announced that it unveiled its new 55-inch OLED TV at Monaco’s Salle des Etoiles.
Pioneer Europe announced nine new Blu-ray Disc (BD) home cinema systems.
Seagate announced that its GoFlex for Mac external hard drives and Thunderbolt adapters are now available in Europe.
Sony UK announced that Netflix is now available on the Sony Entertainment Network and can be accessed through selected Internet-connected Sony devices sold in the UK and Ireland.


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"Banking on the move is as much a reality for silver surfers as it is for students," Browne added.
The BBA figures were compiled from Britain's biggest retail banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, NatWest, RBS and Santander.
Read MoreBofA online banking service restored after glitch
Older people represent an opportunity for the finance sector, with the number of over-sixties rising across the world both in real terms and as a proportion of the global population.
According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people, or 22 percent of the global population, will be aged 60 or over by 2050, up from 11 percent in 2000. Furthermore, 400 million people across the world will be aged 80 or over by 2050.
At present, the number of "silver surfers" using Internet banking is comparatively low, however. According to the U.K.'s official statistics body, 23 percent of Britons over-65 use Internet banking, lower than for any other age group.
Read More The only retirement guide you'll ever need