text:
London - Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive UK has today won the agency's first brief from QVC.
The interactive specialists are being briefed by the shopping channel this week and will begin work immediately. The first task for Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive is to create a microsite which will provide the main platform for QVC's nationwide talent search for a new presenter for the channel. The microsite will be a focal point for budding presenters and interested viewers as the competition hots up over the summer months.
Neil Hughston, managing director, Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive, said: "We want to create an engaging platform for QVC as it kicks off its search to find a new presenter. The channel is watched in more than 19 million homes in the UK so the competition will be a major event not only for the wannabe presenters but also for millions of QVC viewers wanting to keep up-to-date on the competition."
Sajdah HAQ, creative lead at QVC, said: "Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive was an obvious choice for us. We've been impressed by the creativity in their response to our initial brief and we're looking forward to working with them. This competition to find a new presenter will be a significant activity for us this summer."
Saatchi & Saatchi Interactive is a next generation ideas agency which specialises in creative solutions that are workable across all platforms, working with a range of clients including Toshiba, Toyota, Comet, T-Mobile, Dr. Martens and 3M.


text:
Oceanwide Expeditions is one step closer to taking delivery of its first newbuild ship as the 196-guest Hondius touched water for the first time today at Brodosplit Shipyard in Croatia.
The yard floated the ship out successful on Saturday morning. Oceanwide majority shareholder and owner Wijnand van Gessel was joined by COO Mark van der Hulst and colleagues of the ships operations team.
According to the 2018 Expedition Market Report, the Hondius is one of 28 new expedition ships on order.
“We are all thrilled on how she looks and can’t wait to get her out for sea trials,” said Oceanwide, in a statement.
Oceanwide Expeditions will take delivery of the new 196-passenger Hondius on May 2, 2019, according to the company.
The ship will carry Polar Class 6 designation, making it suitable for extreme operations in the Arctic and Antarctica.
Of note, the float out took place on schedule.

domain: news


text:
Online diamond, jewelry, and watch sales soared in the second quarter of 2006.
Led by Amazon.com, BlueNile, and eBay, retail jewelers reported record sales and profits for the second quarter.
Amazon reported that its second quarter jewelry and watch sales doubled compared to last year, while sales of diamonds and diamond engagement rings increased by 30%.
Blue Nile reported a 29% sales increase for its diamonds and diamond engagement rings for the second quarter, while eBay reported that its watch and jewelry sales increased by 8% to 1.7 billion.
Overall, consumers spent 80.8 billion online in the first half of 2006, a 20% increase over the first half of 2005, according to a survey by comScore Networks.
The survey also indicates that Diamond and Jewelry Websites that are easy to navigate and offer a wide selection of quality merchandise at attractive prices are garnering the traffic and making the sales.


text:
Nigerian Breweries, the largest brewing group in Africa’s most populous country, disclosed on Friday in an announcement to the Nigerian Stock Exchange that its major shareholder, Heineken Brouwerijen B.V., bought 274,542 shares at an average price N35.76 (USD 0.094) per unit. The transaction was executed in three different transactions from August 11 to 13, 2020, according to the notice signed by Uaboi G. Agbebaku, Company Secretary, Nigerian Breweries Plc. The Dutch brewer already owns 55.95% of the total of 8 billion outstanding shares and the new shares will only marginally increase its stake.
In recent years, major brewing groups have increased their investments in Nigeria. The country has a young and growing population of more than 200 million people and an average beer consumption of 10 to12 liters per year. Despite the fact that this is one of the highest consumption rates in Africa it is still tiny compared to other regions in the world.
Beer production in Nigeria amounts to about 20 million hectoliters. Clear market leader is Nigerian Breweries with 11 production sites in the country and a market share of about 55% in 2019. The company has struggled for growth over the last few years. In contrast, the number two in the market, International Breweries which held about 23% of the beer market in 2019 is catching up. Last year the brewery overtook Guinness in size which holds 22% of the domestic sales. International Breweries which is since the purchase of Johannesburg-based brewing group SAB Miller in 2016 part of the world largest brewing group AB InBev opened last year a new USD 250 million brewery near Lagos, Nigeria (inside beer, 19.2.2019) which will be extended in stages for another USD 150 million in the coming years.
“Nigeria (is) becoming a more and more important market as we grow in that market,” AB InBev’s Chief Executive Officer Carlos Brito, said last year. “I mean we’re growing double digits, we didn’t grow in the past as fast because we were lacking capacity and now that we have capacity, strong brands and (a) great group of people we’re challenging the status quo there” (inside.beer, 22.5.2019).


text:
Windows 8 is yet to make a name for itself according to statistics provided by market researchers across the world, and one analyst claims to have found the reason.
Creative Strategies president Tim Bajarin said in his column for Time that Microsoft actually picked the wrong strategy when designing Windows 8, as many desktop consumers find it more or less useless.
Microsoft, he says, should have provided “a more gradual path to touch by introducing it first as an alternative form of input,” as such a dramatic change could affect the overall sales of the operating system.
And this is happening already, even though Microsoft’s top executives praise Windows 8 with every single occasion.
On the other hand, users who go for tablets and hybrids find the operating system much more appealing, especially because touchscreens are the main form of input on this kind of devices.
CEO Steve Ballmer, on the other hand, thinks that touch is the future and it’s only just a matter of time until everybody discovers the benefits of Windows 8.


text:
Gossip: Soy milk is bad for man,because soy milk contains estrogen.It will made man develop breasts, no beard, sissy and all other feminine characteristics.Some viewpoint thinks that soy milk may made decrease in the number of sperm,I.e. soy milk kills sperm.
Trueth:In fact,there is no reason that soy milk makes men feminine, it hasn’t been demonstrated that soy milk kills sperm.
Soy Milk Makes Man Feminization?
Because the biological activity of “phytoestrogen” is only milli of drugs estrogen,so it won’t reverse the hormonal balance to affect male genital or the boy’s normal development,so long as you didn’t intake too much.
Soy Milk kills the sperm?
This statement originate from animal experiment.Then a good deal of scientists are engaged in human research.
In 2008,an article published in Human Reproduction made a research by means of questionnaire survey,and concluded that the quantity of soy products intaken is negative correlation with sperm concentration.But the scientists himself said :”It is unable to establish causality of intake of soy and sperm concentration with this experiment”.On the other hand, “phytoestrogens is good for protect the wholeness of sperm DNA and avoid damage” ,a scientist found.But the mechanism of prevents the damage is unclear,it needs further research.
In 2009,a research published in Fertility and Sterility also put forwards an conclusions which is contrary to “kill sperm ”. By compared experiments,scientists found that the sperm count and vitality of the people who eat meat or any other fat food long-term is decreased ;however people who eat vegetables,fruits and beans enjoys a high quanty and quality sperm.Maybe it is because these food contains a lot of antioxidant substance.Most research found that a diet high in antioxidants often means better sperms.Soybean contains abundant antioxidant,maybe this is the reason it is benefit to sperms. In the same year,another meta-analysis published in the same journal found that even though high dose of soybean isoflavone won’t affect the quanty and quality of sperms.
Researcher thinks that although there are some animal experiment and cell experiment has found that soybean and plant hormones affects fertility function.But to human,related research is still not comprehensive,and still needs intense research.The newest meta-analysis also holds the same opinion :the effect of soy foods on fertility is unknow.
More article about food and health,please pay close attention to < Food and Nutrition Science >.
(Recommend and shared by SCIRP:guokr)


text:
When Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Michigan on Friday to tout the ingenuity and resilience of the Michigan economy, he has former Vice President Joe Biden to thank.
As the chief of staff to the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force, I saw fear on the faces of Michigan families when the worst recession since the Great Depression caused one of the largest drops in automobile sales. I also witnessed the stark difference between leaders like Biden who stood up for the auto industry, and then-Congressman Mike Pence who did not.
The son of a car salesman, Biden’s commitment to the auto industry has always been clear. In 2009, Biden played a critical role in saving and reviving the American auto industry and he protected our manufacturing sector, saving jobs right here in Michigan. This effort was anything but easy, and unfortunately, it was made harder by some voices, including that of Pence, who sought to put politics ahead of people’s livelihoods.
In 2008, then-Rep. Pence called American auto manufacturing “a flawed business plan,” and earlier that year claimed to oppose the auto rescue because he wanted to put “the interest of taxpayers first.” In just a few short years, the auto industry paid the American taxpayers back while preserving hundreds of thousands of Michigan jobs.
While running for president in 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump vowed to support the auto industry. He promised to make Michigan “the manufacturing hub of the world once again.” He even boasted: “Your industry in Michigan is going to start up big league again.” Those bold proclamations have only produced broken promises.
President Trump inherited a strong economy from President Barack Obama and Biden. There were over 42,000 motor vehicle manufacturing jobs in the state of Michigan in Trump’s first full month in office in February 2017. Over 40 months later, the Trump administration has failed to surpass that figure. And now the coronavirus has led to job loss and greater hardship.
While the Trump administration led us into a manufacturing recession, it's also allowed China to position itself as the global leader of the auto industry of the future. We cannot let this stand. Fortunately, as president, Biden would employ every resource at his disposal to ensure America's auto industry wins the 21st century. His clean jobs plan would create 1 million new jobs in auto manufacturing, auto supply chains and auto infrastructure as well as position the United States as the world's clear leader in electric vehicle production.
Today, too many Michigan families find themselves facing hard times. In this challenging moment in our nation's history, we should heed Henry Ford’s words: Don't find fault, find a remedy.” When Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and hundreds of thousands of auto jobs were on the line, Biden delivered Michigan’s remedy. As president, he’d do it again.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, serves Michigan's 11th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.


text:
Amazon has today confirmed that The Grand Tour, Jeremy Clarkson’s new series, will be streamed “globally” on its website from December.
The series, which reunites Clarkson with fellow former Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May, launches on Amazon’s video streaming service this Friday, November 18th.
With Amazon Prime Video only available in the UK, US, Japan and Germany, the company was expected to strike deals with local broadcasters outside those territories to ensure other international fans could see the series.
However in a video posted on their Facebook page, the trio today announced Amazon would instead be streaming all 13 episodes of The Grand Tour from the Amazon website.
The announcement means fans “in over 200 countries” will be able to see the show.
Details on pricing will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
The Grand Tour will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video – including in 4K – from November 18th for anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription or standalone monthly subscription to the Prime Video service.


text:
EZDubai is Developing Four New Upcoming Facilities
EZDubai, the fully dedicated e-commerce free zone strategically located in the heart of Dubai South’s Logistics District has announced that 270,000 square feet is currently under construction.
Preparing for future demand, an additional four facilities are under development to complement the 1,300,000 square feet already developed and handed over.
The announcement comes on the side-lines of the company’s participation at the upcoming Seamless Middle East 2021 exhibition, which will take place on the 29th and 30th of September at Dubai World Trade Centre.
The UAE is taking giant strides to become the fastest-growing e-commerce market in the Middle East, with a domestic e-commerce sector set to contribute $3.3 billion to the local GDP by 2023.
The e-fulfilment centres located in EZDubai supported by market demand has created a need for proximity last-mile centres within the cluster. Staying ahead of the curve, EZDubai is constructing two last-mile centres to support the business generated by the big market leaders.
Such last-mile centres successfully support the customer journey, enabling cluster benefits and cements EZDubai’ s position as a regional hub for e-commerce players from across the world.
Dubai South has consistently supported sustainability measures across all its facilities and is further surpassing its efforts by aligning with the government’s vision of ensuring sustainable development.
Subsequently, through its continuous upgrades to its infrastructure, EZDubai is commissioning district cooling infrastructure.
The infrastructure will reduce the carbon footprint as well as benefit clients by optimizing cooling costs and creating a healthy, efficient work environment.
Mohsen Ahmad, CEO of the Logistics District at Dubai South, said: “We are delighted with the growth of EZDubai over the past two years since its inception.
"Due to increased demand, we are continuously developing additional facilities to ensure that our discerning partners receive the best services.
"At Dubai South, we understand that structural change in the service economy is an inevitable affiliation of economic growth; therefore, we presented a distinctive business model that paves the way for our valued clientele to benefit from economies of scale within EZDubai to ensure the lowest possible cost for every successfully fulfilled order.
"We are pleased to be part of Seamless Middle East to showcase our services and address several topics. We will also spare no effort to consistently cater to customers and play a role in boosting the sector on a local and regional perspective.”
EZDubai has been at the forefront of the e-commerce sector in delivering Dubai’s first duallicensed, hybrid-bonded facilities.
Its success can be demonstrated with its host of global and regional e-commerce tenants who undertake fulfilment from the district, utilizing Dubai South’s customer centric processes with its seamless, multimodal connectivity between road, air, and sea transportation.
The 9,902,700 square-feet purpose-built e-commerce hub is designed to attract the world’s leading e-commerce companies and create a benchmark with its infrastructure.
EZDubai, which was launched in January 2019 by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to promote the emirate’s position as a hub for global e-commerce.


text:
Bitwala has announced that it will begin process all Euro transfers via payment processor BitPay and with it – provide the best exchange rate in the market.
Netherlands-based Bitwala, a crypto-to-SEPA service that uses its own bank account to make fiat-currency transfers to settle payments for its users who pay in bitcoin; has claimed to provide the best exchange rate for all Euro transfers.
In a blog post, Jörg von Minckwitz, CEO of Bitwala said:
We are now proud to announce that we have made one of our biggest steps since we were founded this past March. From today on, all Euro transfers will be handled by our long time partner BitPay and we will be able to provide you the best exchange rate out there.
Bitwala added to never having a “single issue or a single complaint” with payment processor BitPay with whom they’ve had a three-year partnership so far. BitPay has been in the news recently as the victim of a social-engineering hack where an opportunistic hacker gained 5,000 BTC (approx. USD $1.8 million at the time). There have also been reports of BitPay laying off staff since the incident along with the announcement to start charging a settlement fee for customers with more than 30 transactions a month.
Presently, Bitwala charges a 0.5% service fee toward the total transfer volume + 1 EUR as the total charge for settling a payment.
Von Minckwitz added:
From this moment on, Bitwala is the cheapest bill payment provider worldwide in the Bitcoin space and beyond.
Last modified: May 21, 2020 11:00 AM UTC


text:
IT & Telecom
April 9, 2014
One of the country’s three telecom operators has submitted an official request to acquire frequencies to introduce fourth generation (4G) services in the Kingdom, a government official said on Tuesday.
April 8, 2014
Orange Jordan sponsored ArtForAll initiative, which was organized by Peter Claesson from Spain and Zaid Derbi from Jordan.
Huawei was recently honored by industry leaders with the prestigious title of Middle East “Networking Vendor of the Year” at the 7th Channel Middle East Awards.
Nawras, official Telecommunications Partner of Comex 2014, participated in the opening event with a keynote speech delivered by its CEO, Greg Young on Tuesday.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd announced the launch of the NX mini, the world's slimmest and lightest interchangeable-lens camera.
Injazat Data Systems and IHS announced that they have signed a collaborative agreement that will improve the environmental performance, health and safety, risk assessment, and incident management processes of organizations.
LG Electronics recently added the Magic Remote to the host of innovative options it offers with its CURVED OLED TV, raising the bar for optimal TV viewing experiences.
EMC today announced that seven prestigious universities from Jordan have recently joined EMC’s global EMC Academic Alliance program (EAA).
Fun tidbit: It was built using more glass than any other Apple store
April 7, 2014
Nawras have provided a look into the future through the new ‘Mobile Money’ service from Ooredoo.
Samsung Gulf Electronics today announced the launch of its breathtaking 2014 UHD TV lineupacross the region including the world’s first and largest Curved Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV.
April 6, 2014
Nawras is official Telecommunications Partner at COMEX 2014 and will showcase an exciting range of digital value added services and Nawras smartphone deals.
Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, is outlining its vision to support the growth of Omani Enterprises with the implementation of flexible BYOD and Unified Communications solutions.
Samsung Electronics Levant, and BCI Group the authorized distributor of Samsung Electronics Mobile devices announced the launch of the GALAXY S5, at a press conference held at the Intercontinental Jordan Hotel.
LG Electronics (LG) announced that the anticipated Android 4.4 KitKat OS upgrade for the G2 smartphone is expected to roll out in Jordan starting in April.


text:
Nintendo have announced Wii Fit U which is an expansion on the currently available, Wii Fit and will be available for the upcoming Wii U.
The new fitness platform uses the balance board as before but will also make use of the Wii U GamePad as part of the exercises that will be on offer.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has promised that Wii Fit U will deliver new events, new exercise routines, a new fit metre using the Wii U Gamepad and off-TV play.
The official trailer can be seen below. Are you interested in Wii Fit U? Let us know via the comment section below.


text:
- News Home
- Other categories
Amazon's Bezos sees wealth top $100bn amid Black Friday boost
For most shoppers, Black Friday is a chance to save some pennies by landing a bargain.
Top brands pull YouTube ads over paedophilia fears
Two of the world's best-known brands are withdrawing their advertising from YouTube and Google over fears they were featured on "inappropriate" and "exploitative" content featuring children.
Black Friday: How to get the best deals - and how to avoid being ripped off
The most hyped retail event of the year is under way - and shoppers are being bombarded by promises of once-in-a-lifetime deals.
Why Britain has embraced Black Friday
Look around you today, and witness an outbreak of furtive shopping.
OBR-style body to hold ministers to account on industrial strategy
A new body modelled on the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will be set up by ministers to scrutinise the implementation of Britain's new industrial strategy.
'Loyalty penalty' for home insurance customers - Citizens Advice
A report has raised fears 13 million households could be paying more than they should for home insurance because they have failed to shop around.
Beer boss balks at 'unprecedented' cost pressures in pub sector
These are difficult times for the pub industry.
Sports Direct investors to vote on £11m for Mike Ashley's brother
Sports Direct is facing a further crunch shareholder vote after recommending the retailer pay boss Mike Ashley's brother £11m.
Provident Financial's executive chairman Manjit Wolstenholme dead at 53
Embattled doorstep lender Provident Financial is mourning its executive chairman Manjit Wolstenholme.
Elon Musk wins $50m bet with giant battery for South Australia
Elon Musk has managed to win a $50m bet by building the world's largest ever lithium-ion battery.


text:
INDIA: WELSPUN INDIA JOINS HANDS WITH UN WOMEN TO ENHANCE GENDER EQUALITY
Welspun India, an Indian textile manufacturer renowned as Asia’s largest Terry Towel producer, has joined hands with UN Women, a subsidiary of United Nations which works for gender equality and women empowerment.
The partnership will aid women employees at every level of the value chain. It will help them access skillbuilding drive in technical and entrepreneurial sectors with an objective to create sustainable livelihoods to set up gender equality in the workforce, equal payment opportunities, establishing a zero-harassment environment and encouraging female employees to hold leadership responsibilities.
Nishtha Satyam, Deputy Representative, UN Women, office for Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, elucidated that economic and human development costs of gender gaps are huge and if they’re bridged, possible gains can be achieved. “Introducing more women into the supply chain has the potential to unlock trillions of dollars for developing countries,” Nishtha said. Markedly, Welspun India is a part of the US $ 2.3 billion Welspun Group, that currently has 23 per cent women workforce in its operations. The US-based group has set an ambitious goal to have 30 per cent female employees by the next couple of years.
It is important to add here that, recently the group launched Welspun 2, a sewing unit which is operated solely by women workers. The unit is home to around 800 employees from across the nation and also has a hostel which is set up to cater to the safety of the employees who come from different states.
Furthermore, Dipali Goenka, CEO, Welspun India also spoke on the partnership and concluded by saying,“This strategic partnership with UN Women will boost the capabilities of 500 women entrepreneurs and introduce them within organised value chains, making sure of enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that will empower women. Establishing joint advocacy platforms with UN Women will promote greater representation of women in leadership across corporate India.”


text:
INFOGRAPHIC: Ole Ola! America will play World Cup soccer on mobile devices
The U.S. is on the soccer field: Our own triple-threat celebrity, Jennifer Lopez, performed at the opening ceremony; Facebook set up a special “Trending World Cup” news feed; Twitter predicts the most tweeted global event ever; Google search features a daily soccer doodle; and the U.S. is playing its first game in the tournament today.
The 2014 World Cup is more digital than any other soccer World Cup. At AVAST, we wanted to understand how people will watch and participate in the tournament this year. In a survey of more than 3,000 AVAST users in the U.S., we discovered mobile devices will play a big part: Two out of three American soccer fans will use their smartphone or tablet to enhance their World Cup experience.
Soccer news, live scores and vuvuzela sounds on smartphone
Highest priority for Americans is to stay on top of the game results with more than half the fans reporting they will check the live scores from their smartphone. One-third said they will read news about the games on their smartphone or tablet and one-fifth will live stream the games on their mobile device. Many will certainly be interested in the results as they placed a bet. The best strategies to bet on the winning team have been discussed and people are already well into betting fever. One out of ten survey respondents will use or have already used their smartphone or tablet to place bets.
There is even more that can be done on mobile. For six percent of respondents, collecting and trading stickers of the players has moved from the paper booklet to digital albums in the cloud. And what would a World Cup be without the famous BZZZZ vuvuzela sound? Cover your ears - this year you can expect to hear a cacophony of digital horns: One in 20 intend to use a mobile app to sound the vuvuzela.
Instead of just following the games, every eighth American fan wants to become a world champion themselves – and will play soccer games on their mobile device.
For all mobile activities, nearly half of Americans stick to the official FIFA apps, the majority mixes official with unofficial apps or only go for unofficial apps. It’s great for fans to have a wider variety of apps to choose from, but beware, we found some gaming apps that are fake, they won’t let you play and instead just want to collect your data and show you ads.
One out of five will live stream the games on smartphone or tablet
The majority of Americans will still watch the games the traditional way – eight out of ten – on the TV at home. However, digital sources are slowly taking over: 40 percent will watch the tournament on PC and on the smartphone and tablet 21 percent will watch.
Now who do Americans think will win?
Americans’ faith in their own team is low! Only eight percent think the U.S. team will win. Instead, all bets are on the World Cup host: One-third of Americans pick Brazil to take home the cup.
World Cup safety tips
At AVAST, we think we can all be winners if this will be a safe World Cup. Using your smartphone and tablet during and after the soccer World Cup, make sure you are protected:
Only download apps from the official Google Play store
Choose apps from official sources and read what others are saying about them
Take a close look at the permissions an app requests and question if they are necessary for the apps’ functionality
Use antivirus on your PC, smartphone, and tablet
If live streaming the games on public Wi-Fi, make sure you are protected with a VPN solution encrypting your communications such as avast! SecureLine


text:
A new full-service florist will open after Mother’s Day in downtown Lynchburg.
The Hip Tulip will be located inside the 4,000 square-foot space at 1220 Main Street right across from the Lynchburg Community Market.
Kelli Willis, who is moving from Connecticut to Appomattox County, said she saw the space was available and “snatched it right up.”
“The location is awesome,” she said. “I’m happy to have walk-ins and meet people from the area.”
The flower shop will also service events, weddings and funerals. Willis plans to sell local items like tea and candles as well as cards.
She hopes to eventually hire three employees.
“I’m very excited about this, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” she said.
The business news you need
With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history.


text:
A man who purchased Chrysler's uConnect in-car wi-fi recently gave his impressions... and he wasn't exactly impressed. His three main issues were: it's slow, there are no instructions for encryption, and you're limited to 1 GB for downloads.
Chrysler Wi Fi
Though we've known Chrysler has been planning to offer in-car internet connectivity on its 2009 models as an option through Mopar for a few months now, the Auburn Hills-based automaker has now given it an official name and bundled the technology with a suite of in-car tech solutions. Called uconnect web, the in-car wi-fi capability will be offered alongside other technologies called uconnect phone, uconnect tunes, uconnect gps and uconnect studios. uconnect phone is basically bluetooth compatibi


text:
IDW Welcomes Fans to a Memorable Evening with a Comic Book Legend, Featuring a Marvel Masterpieces Exclusive to Commemorate the Event
SAN DIEGO, CA (June 14, 2018) – IDW Publishing is hosting a very special evening with artist Joe Jusko during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Strictly limited to just 25 attendees, the event will take place in a private room at an upscale restaurant in the San Diego Gaslamp district, a short walk from the convention center on Friday, July 20th, from 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM.
Each guest will receive an extremely rare Captain America variant cover edition of Joe Jusko’s Marvel Masterpieces, the highly-anticipated complete collection of painted trading card art from the 2016 Upper Deck set. Featuring a unique embossed gold foil stamp created especially for the dinner event, the 336-page hardcover collectible will be autographed by Joe Jusko, and expressly limited to the number of attendees.


text:
There's exciting news out of Voorhees, Camden County. The old Stafford Farms is continuing its transformation into Saddlehill vineyard, winery, and flower farm. And we've just received an update on when it plans to open.
In March, we found out that an award-winning bakery will be opening in Sea Girt Square. As seen on ABC's hit show Shark Tank, a brand new Cinnaholic will be serving you gourmet cinnamon rolls and many other delicious desserts. I can't wait for this bakery to open but many locals have been asking, "When will the new gourmet cinnamon roll bakery open its doors?" I got new details!


text:
The Winter Windows competition invites businesses across the district to share and celebrate their efforts to dress up their shop fronts and windows for Christmas.
To enter, businesses just need to send a picture of their festive shop fronts and windows through to the Council at [email protected] The Council will then share the pictures on their Facebook page, where residents will be invited to like their favourite entries.
The winner will be the picture that has received the most likes by the time the competition closes on December 17th, 2021 – with the business taking home the top prize of a £200 voucher; the business that finishes second will win £100, and third place will receive £50.
Coun Adam Grist, Portfolio Holder for Market Towns and Rural Economy, said: “I’m really pleased to be launching the Winter Windows competition – Christmas provides businesses with the chance to make their premises a real spectacle and I know we’ll have some wonderful entries from all over the district.
"Our Love Your High Street Shop front competition in the summer, saw great engagement from business submitting their pictures, as well as residents getting involved to vote for their favourite shop, and I look forward to seeing the same for Winter Windows.”
* Full terms and conditions can be found online at www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/WinterWindows.


text:
Valve adds soft currency gambling to Dota Plus subscription
Users can now bet on Dota Pro Circuit matches with Shards, the companion app's currency
Valve has added a new feature to its Dota Plus service that allows subscribers to bet in-app currency on the outcome of Dota 2 matches.
In an update last week, Valve explained that the feature is, "designed to enhance your experience for every Dota Pro Circuit event." It is already available through the Dota Pro Circuit companion app on the App Store and Google Play.
As Valve described, the app uses a currency called "Shards," and that currency can now be used to place bets on Dota Pro Circuit matches.
"You'll be able to wager your personal stash of Plus Shards to predict the winners of DPC matches, with winnings added to your in-game total," Valve said.
As Kotaku pointed out, prior to this new feature, Shards were earned by completing quests, earning hero XP, and predicting the winner of their own matches. With this new feature, users can gamble up to 100 Shards on DPC matches, using odds supplied by Valve.
While this does represent a form of gambling, it's important to note that Shards cannot be bought for real money -- only earned by Dota Plus subscribers.
Valve introduced the monthly Dota Plus subscription in March 2018, which combined features associated with a Battle Pass and an in-game analysis tool called Plus Assistant.
The cost of Dota Plus is $3.99 a month.


text:
Pandemic increases support for small businesses
From the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to Eat Out to Help Out, small businesses in the UK have received a significant amount of Government support during the Coronavirus pandemic. Another important area of support has come from consumers themselves, many of whom have taken it upon themselves to seek out local small businesses instead of global entities likely to survive anyway.
A new survey has revealed that 64% of small businesses feel the pandemic has increased support and awareness of the SME sector while separate research suggests that this trend will continue, with 62% of respondents planning to stay loyal to the local businesses that helped them through lockdown with 44% indicating that lockdown has changed their shopping habits permanently to be more local.
Since the start of lockdown SMEs have borrowed over £12bn in government-backed loans. This support network demonstrates the vital importance of this sector that employs over 16 million people in the UK and provides 52% of private sector turnover. The importance of this sector looks like becoming more prominent than ever as tech giants increasingly lose trust in tech giants and corporations.
Luke Davis, CEO and Founder of SME investment firm IW Capital, comments on the trend:
“Small businesses have had to work incredibly hard to survive this period, from pivoting their offering to a digital platform to making tough decisions about furlough. One positive that does seem to have come out of this period, however, does seem to be a much greater awareness in the public of the importance of small, local businesses and why supporting them is so vital.
While no business can, or perhaps even should, survive purely on the goodwill of consumers, it does allow firms disrupting established sectors a chance to make an impact. This is especially true of firms with a genuine compassionate goal at the heart of their business, whether that be environmental or societal, firms that make an impact will, hopefully, in future be able to cut through corporate nonsense in a way that may have previously been more difficult."


text:
Holland America Line saw the highest booking levels for Alaska cruising in June since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The surge in interest was attributed to pent-up demand to travel combined with the US Independence Day weekend.
Chief commercial officer Beth Bodensteiner said: “People are excited to travel again while reconnecting with family and friends in a meaningful way.
“We’re seeing the pent-up demand leading to increased booking as guests realise cruising is a hassle-free way to enjoy unique destinations such as Alaska.”
The company runs Alaska cruises from Seattle and claims to offer more sailings to the state from Vancouver than any other cruise line.


text:
In a new study by Booz & Company and social marketing software developer Buddy Media, nearly all the companies surveyed say they plan to increase their spending on social media, and 39 percent say they’re going to boost spending substantially. In contrast, 38 percent say that social media is on the CEO’s agenda, and 35 percent say they have a senior executive in charge of social media company-wide.
Welcome to strategy+business. Here’s what’s new.
Most Popular on s+b
- 1.Jeffrey Pfeffer’s Required Reading
- 2.A New Perspective on Chief Information Officers
- 3.Grow from Your Strengths
- 4.How Adidas Found Its Second Wind
- 5.Put the Humanity Back in Human Resources
- 6.20 Questions for Business Leaders
- 7.10 Principles of Change Management
- 8.Thinking Like a Leader: Three Big Shifts
- 9.Lotte Bailyn Is Redefining the Rules of Work and Family
- 10.20/20 Foresight


text:
March 30 ------ Port Houston has been absorbing a good share of the container import cargo that would ordinarily go to the major U.S. West Coast seaports, and it has generally avoided the volume declines that have hit Los Angeles and Long Beach over the past few months. Consumer demand for imported goods has come down, but Houston's container volumes remain strong - at least for now. Port Houston is the dominant container port on the Gulf Coast and ranks 7th nationally by volume. It has solidified its position as labor talks continue to drag on West Coast import hubs: in February, Houston handled 310,000 TEU worth of containers, up 15 percent compared to the same month last year. At Long Beach, TEU volume dropped 31 percent over the same period, and Los Angeles' volumes plummeted by 43 percent.
Part of Houston's sustained success in the face of a declining import trade lies in the strength of its export business. Full export TEU volume in Houston rose by 42 percent this month, driven by strong sales of plastic nurdles and other petrochemical commodities produced locally by Houston's petchem industry. Total tonnage rose seven percent, when including breakbulk and general cargo.
However, the port's administrators expect overall quayside activity to soften in the months to come as the import downturn sets in. “Whether a time of volume surge or decline, at Port Houston we continue to focus on providing excellent customer service, fluidity, and reliability to the growing number of shippers that choose Port Houston. Since the beginning of this year, vessel queues have disappeared and turn times are quick and fluid for our trucking community,” said Roger Guenther, Executive Director at Port Houston. “We also continue to press forward with accelerated investments, both landside and waterside, as we prepare for future growth.”


text:
The Wii U Deluxe starts selling at the reduced price on September 20.
Nintendo has finally made a move to improve the Wii U's chances of finding more suitors.
The company on Wednesday announced that it will cut the price on the Wii U Deluxe set by $50. Starting September 20, the deluxe console will be available for $299.99. In addition, Nintendo will sell a limited-edition Wii U bundle featuring The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD on September 20 for the same $299.99 price tag.
Nintendo's announcement did not mention any changes to the Wii U Basic Set which also currently has a suggested retail price of $299.99.
The big news, however, is that Nintendo has finally decided to cut the price of the Wii U. Since its launch last year, the Wii U has collected dust on store shelves, with only 160,000 units worldwide during the last quarter. Analysts and shareholders have been pressing Nintendo to cut the console's price, but its CEO Satoru Iwata has continued to say that his company needs only to express the console's value more effectively.
It's not clear what made Nintendo change its tune, but it's possible that the company wants to separate its console from the more-expensive Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launching later this year. More importantly, some consumers might find more value in the Wii U once it's a bit cheaper.
The fourth quarter also promises to be a strong period for Nintendo's software team, with Wii Party U, Super Mario 3D World, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze all expected to hit store shelves before the holiday season.


text:
Steward Health Care is abandoning its proposal to sell five Utah hospitals to HCA Healthcare, and New Jersey-based RWJBarnabas Health dropped its plan to purchase New Brunswick, NJ-based Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. These pivots come just weeks after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suits to block the transactions, saying they would reduce market competition. The FTC said in a statement that these deals “should never have been proposed in the first place,” and “…the FTC will not hesitate to take action in enforcing the antitrust laws to protect healthcare consumers who are faced with unlawful hospital consolidation.”
The Gist: These latest mergers follow the fate of the proposed Lifespan and Care New England merger in Rhode Island, and the New Jersey-based Hackensack Meridian Health and Englewood Health merger, which were both abandoned after FTC challenges earlier this year.
Antitrust observers find these recent challenges unsurprising, as all were horizontal, intra-market deals of the kind that commonly raise antitrust concerns. What will be more telling is whether antitrust regulators can successfully mount challenges of cross-market mergers, or vertical mergers between hospitals, physicians, and insurers.


text:
These new smart glasses from NuEyes are not only ergonomic, but they also hold key technologies to give clinicians on-screen insights during treatment.
NuEyes has announced the launch of its newest innovation–NuLoupes, smart glasses that harness the power of augmented reality (AR) and stereopsis imaging. NuLoupes features high-resolution variable digital magnification and a patent-pending camera system for accurate depth perception. Through this camera system, NuLoupes will offer users live 3D stereoscopic imaging with near-zero latency, according to NuEyes.
NuLoupes will also provide clinicians with augmented reality applications that will help them take and dictate operative notes, recognize objects, live stream, and view patient data.
These loupes were developed with the assistance of both surgeons and dentists, informing the design to consider both utility and ergonomics. The pivoting camera system is designed to reduce neck strain while the software is said to be an ideal collection of programs for the clinician.
“It’s exciting to see a product that we have been working on for years finally come to market. I am extremely appreciative of all the engineers and doctors that made NuLoupes a reality,” founder and CEO of NuEyes, Mark Greget says in a press release from the company. “The complexities of a 3D camera system that outperform the human eye, fit into a small and ergonomic pair of AR smart glasses, will be another huge step forward for not only the medical industry but for how augmented reality is delivered.”


text:
Long-awaited work to bring a host of retailers into an upmarket Birmingham suburb will begin this summer after a sale was agreed.
The £6.4 million sale of a major redevelopment area in Mere Green will allow work to start in July, with the likes of Marks & Spencer and Boots already signed up as tenants.
However, everything is in place to start work on a retail and leisure scheme after Salmon Harvester Properties acquired from administrators at PwC.
Its new owners claimed there had been stiff competition for the site and the Post previously reported there had been 55 developers and funds have expressed an interest.
Rorie Henderson, development director at London-based Salmon Harvester said: “This is a superb oven-ready development opportunity in an affluent location and as such we had to fight off some stiff competition. We are delighted with the pre-letting success to date and there are numerous discussions taking place with other potential occupiers.”
Construction work on the £17.5 million scheme is due to start in July with completion scheduled for August 2016.
Work can begin immediately after Cordatus Real Estate, acting as asset managers on behalf of PwC, secured planning consent for a 68,624 sq ft retail led development on the 2.73-acre site in Mere Green.
More than a third of the scheme, fronting onto Mere Green Road and Lichfield Road, has already been pre-let.
Marks & Spencer has signed for a 16,178 sq ft food store on a 20-year lease, Boots has agreed a 10-year deal for 3,544 sq ft while Greene King, operating as Old Speckled Hen, has committed to a new 10-year lease in its existing 4,500 sq ft unit.
Three other stores in the 11-unit scheme, which was subject to a masterplan by well-known city architect Bob Ghosh, of K4, are presently under offer.
Work is expected to see a mix of buildings and car parks replaced and a new public square created.
Andrew Mitchell, Conservative candidate for Sutton Coldfield in the forthcoming General Election, said: “This long awaited and excellent news is a major and definitive boost to Mere Green’s future. I commend the outstanding work undertaken by Councillor Maureen Cornish in ensuring the Council work well with the private sector in bringing this about.”
The work was actually given the green light five years ago but has been delayed after Castlemore was put into administration by HSBC in February 2009.
Castlemore had bought the site through its urban regeneration arm SpringUR for around £11 million in 2006 from Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities.
Matthew Hammond, partner at PwC and joint administrator, added: “We are delighted that we have secured the sale of this site to Salmon Harvester. The price achieved fully justifies our strategy of holding this asset through the planning stage and securing the pre-lets to major retailers. Salmon are a very credible developer and very well placed to deliver this scheme to the community.”


text:
Published on: 05/01/2023
H&M partners with Dubit to create metaverse Loooptopia
Stockholm-based fast-fashion retailer H&M Group has reportedly partnered with metaverse studio Dubit to provide an immersive 3D environment H&M Loooptopia Experience for customers.
Launched on the virtual gaming platform Roblox, Loooptopia is a metaverse environment where people can create various digital products — garments and outfits — and play games. The environment features a city square and several play sessions spread across Roblox worlds.
To create virtual outfits for their Roblox characters, users must gather various digital materials. They can obtain these materials by participating in mini-games, live events and styling sessions. Loooptopia enables users to interact with friends virtually on the platform.
Friends can also exchange clothing items and even take selfies together.
Users can recycle their old outfits for new stylings to obtain special materials. Moreover, Loooptopia allows users to boast their fashion sense because there are digital runway shows that users can join as well.
H&M America’s head of customer activation and marketing Linda Li said her company was aware that its target consumers were spending more time in virtual space.
By inventing the metaverse environment, H&M aims to engage with current consumers and even expand its base.
“In the coming years, H&M will continue to explore this fast-growing expanse of virtual and augmented realities,” Li added.
H&M global head of brand experience and ECD metaverse Max Heirbaut said Loooptopia could encourage the generation of digital natives — which is a part of the company’s target market — to be creative on virtual space. Heirbaut added that the freedom to design the avatar’s outfit helped users to express themselves.
Dubit chief commercial officer Andrew Douthwaite expressed his excitement about collaborating with the global retailer. He said the retailer wanted to promote fun and sustainability on the metaverse to align with the brand’s core values.
H&M is not the first retailer that offers a metaverse experience to customers via Roblox. American fashion retailer Forever 21 runs the Shop City virtual store on the gaming platform too. In Forever 21’s metaverse, players attempt to become the best shop in town.
Players can trade Forever 21’s merchandise — including clothing items and accessories. Forever 21’s virtual shop also enables users to hire non-player characters (NPCs) as employees.
Build-A-Bear Workshop also recently launched Build-A-Bear Tycoon on Roblox. Users need to progress through the game to unlock digital collectibles. These bear collectibles can be exchanged for real-life versions.
Additionally, Build-A-Bear Tycoon can obtain digital currency to play on Roblox.
Metaverse to rise in 2023
Although 2022 was challenging for crypto and blockchain, experts predicted that the metaverse would grow in 2023. Numerous companies had applied around 5,364 U.S. trademarks for metaverse and its related services by November last year.
The interest in the metaverse among global brands will push the growth of this sector this year. According to Accenture senior executive Jason Warnke, the metaverse will affect all these brands in return.
“We believe the metaverse will impact every aspect of every business, including how work is performed, what products are offered, how products are distributed, and how businesses operate,” Warnke said.
Due to its potential growth, the metaverse sector will receive significant investment support, unlike some other blockchain sectors. Animoca Brands, for example, is preparing to invest $2 billion in the metaverse.
In 2023, experts expect artificial intelligence technology to power the development of the metaverse. Decentraland Foundation creative director Sam Hamilton said AI would help metaverse platforms to develop a realistic virtual environment where users could immerse themselves.
AI technology usage in the metaverse, however, also faces criticism for increasing the risk of cyber crimes, specifically identity theft. The Chinese government even bans its citizens from creating AI-generated media without watermarks to prevent this incident.


text:
JAPAN: Mazda in the black and upbeat
Mazda Motor Corporation has announced its 'best-ever year-on-year turnaround in Mazda's corporate history'. The company finished FY2001 (fiscal year 2001) in the black and for FY2002 (fiscal year 2002) expects consolidated net profit to grow by 127% from the previous year to 20 billion yen (US$150 million, 172 million euro).
Get full access to all content, just $1 for 30 days
A Message From The Editor
just-auto gives its paid members access to the very best automotive market coverage.
And now there’s just-auto plus, our premium membership that gives you exclusive component forecast data, company profiles and extended news coverage - just for premium members.
Today I can offer you 30 days access for $1 - and that includes just-auto plus.
Dave Leggett, editor of just-auto
* plus VAT if applicable


text:
Both sales and brand positioning goals are being served by the recent genre-bending decision to add chicken “wings,” which are really made of breast meat, to the core menu at Taco John’s, according to its vice president of marketing, Renée Middleton. The 425-unit “West-Mex” chain introduced the TJ Baja Boneless Wings products as a limited time offer in late October, and officials said the product has helped drive sales this fall. The menu item has been ...
Register to view this article
It’s free but we need to know a little about you to continually improve our content.
Registering allows you to unlock a portion of our premium online content. You can access more in-depth stories and analysis, as well as news not found on any other website or any other media outlet. You also get free eNewsletters, blogs, real-time polls, archives and more.
Attention Print Subscribers: While you have already been granted free access to NRN we ask that you register now.We promise it will only take a few minutes!
Questions about your account or how to access content?


text:
A Wimbledon company have been named the UK and Ireland’s top travelling agency.
Swords Travel has been recognised in the TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies 2021 online ceremony.
Despite the significant challenges faced by the travel industry, Swords launched its own network of regionally based associates and modified its process to secure bookings, all while growing the team throughout 2020.
In response, the team at Swords Travel received an award to highlight their efforts throughout a turbulent 12 months.
Mark Swords, Managing Director at Swords Travel said: “It’s an honour to be awarded the UK & Ireland’s No.1 Travel Agency after the one of the toughest years that the travel industry has ever faced.
“Thank you to TTG for choosing us as the winners, it’s a real boost to the team who have worked tirelessly through such challenging times.
“Throughout the year, like everyone in the travel industry, we have faced significant difficulties, but we’re so proud to have grown our team and championed each other every step of the way.
“We’d also like to thank all our amazing customers who’ve supported us throughout the pandemic and have remained patient in the face of changing rules and regulations and disrupted travel plans.
“We’re looking forward to travel reopening so we can do what we love most – helping people plan and take their holiday of a lifetime.”
With over 36 years in the travel industry, Mark and Stuart set up Swords in 2016 and have seven associates based across the UK.
The company specialises in personalised luxury travel itineraries tailored to each clients’ needs and is a member of the Travel Network Group.
Gary Lewis, CEO of The Travel Network Group commented: “It’s fantastic to see that our members are being recognised for their efforts throughout the most challenging twelve months for the industry.
“The UK & Ireland’s No. 1 Travel Agency is a very prestigious award to win, it commends the company that has truly outshone the rest of the nominees over the past year so the team at Swords Travel should be very proud of themselves and the work they have done.”
At the virtual awards ceremony, Swords Travel was also awarded the TTG Top 50 Top Agency in London under the regional categories.
The Benefits Of Having A Travel Agent Prepare Your Holiday Itinerary
How to Thailand Holiday Packages Tips
All About Travel Agencies


text:
Indiegogo has responded to proof of fraud by removing the section of its website that guarantees it will "catch any and all cases of fraud".
The lawsuit seeks class action status and could expose more of the internal workings of how Google manages AdSense if allowed to proceed.
Government agency cautions about the use of cryptocurrencies, saying they’re more likely to be used by “fraudsters to perpetrate fraudulent investment schemes.”
Google brushes off a self-described Google employee's account of serious and widespread AdSense fraud as a "complete fiction."
The tech giant announces the creation of services to help corporations use big data in the battle against white-collar crime.
Ultimately, Google wants to make as iron-clad as possible the relationship between the metrics it provides to advertisers and the actual number of people who are viewing its ads.
Aleksandr Panin is the alleged mastermind behind 1.4 million computers being infected with malicious software that's capable of stealing users' credit card and banking information.
The iPhone and iPad maker is accused of hiding more than $1.3 billion from the European country's taxman, according to reports.
In a private stock sale gone awry, the social network is accused of misleading two firms to boost its value prior to going public.
CNET editor Sharon Profis takes Apple Pay, Google Wallet and PayPal for a test drive and compares the options.


text:
CENTRAL FLORIDA - Dozens of grocery stores and convenience stores across Central Florida are going more than a year between inspections.
9 Investigates discovered more than 45 stores haven’t been inspected in at least a year, with some going almost two years between inspections.
Inspections in Florida area carried out by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Department of Food Safety. However, according to the department, there is no set time interval for inspections.
“The department employs a risk-based approach to grocery store inspections, which takes into account what kind of food processing or preparation is taking place, consumer complaints” a department spokesperson wrote in an email to 9 Investigates.
State leaders say that hands-off approach by the Department of Agriculture is alarming.
“You have to have professionals going in and looking to see if the products are being handled correctly,” said Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando. “This is unsafe and if you (Department of Agriculture) need to hire more people, go ahead and hire the people you need, the Legislature will support you.”
If you’d like to check your local store, click here.
© 2019 Cox Media Group.


text:
Restaurant Brands International Inc. bought the Jacksonville-based sandwich chain.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. said Dec. 15 it completed its $1 billion acquisition of Jacksonville-based Firehouse Restaurant Group Inc.
Toronto-based RBI said when it announced the deal in November it will keep the Firehouse Subs restaurant chain headquartered in Jacksonville and run by its current management.
RBI owns the Tim Hortons, Burger King and Popeyes restaurant chains, which have more than 27,000 restaurants in 100 countries.
Firehouse has more than 1,200 locations in 46 U.S. states and Canada and Puerto Rico.
Be the first to know the latest breaking news and information that business leaders rely on in this fast-paced changing Northeast Florida economy. Regional business news, trends and statistics needed to grow your business. Key upcoming events you won’t want to miss and much more. Click Here to Grow your Business NOW!


text:
Client Research Profile mailed to all institutions with positions in comparable companies.
Out-bound telephone calls to institutional fund-managers presenting client story.
Virtual conference presentations to hundreds of mid-cap investors.
Institutional and retail road-shows in six major U.S. cities
Press-releases distributed to 50,000 mid-cap retail investors
RedChip TV Platform: Client interview and updates, reaching 20 million homes weekly
Client Blogs reaching thousands of retail and institutional investors through RedChip Social Media Network
Full Build out of Investor Relations Web-Page on RedChip site attracting thousands of qualified investors monthly.


text:
Volume 22 No.1 January 2011
Irish International agency boss Ian Young has a new message for advertisers based on igniting ideas and exciting consumers with advertising messages that engage. In an interview with Michael Cullen, he talks business and says where II is going
New media expert Luke Abbott writes about the facts and fiction relating to social media and its value to marketers. What media are best? Should you be on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube? Perhaps you should embrace all three?
What makes things real for consumers? Neil Douglas explores getting to grips with brand truths. It would appear that while marketers make efforts to create new realities they often lose out to what most people perceive about a brand


text:
Japan’s FSA is reviewing the proposal to legalize Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in the country. Guidelines have been unveiled by the local legislators for ICO Japan is one of the most important countries when it comes to cryptocurrency in Southeast Asia as the country is more open-minded when it comes to cryptocurrency compared to any other countries.
Proposal To Legalize ICO By Japanese GovernmentIncryptsApr 05, 20180
Feb 18, 2020
Feb 13, 2020


text:
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Southern Union Co. SUG, +0.00% said it will offer 14.8 million common shares at $23 per share and use the net proceeds from the sale to repay indebtedness incurred in connection with its investment in CCE Holdings. In addition, Southern Union announced it has launched an offering of $100 million of equity units at $50 per unit.
Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.


text:
About this series
The ripple effects of the yearslong COVID pandemic continue to surface in economies worldwide, and school supplies are not exempt.
With stores stocking up on school supplies that cost more than last year, finding ... READ MORE
Florida is expected to grow by another 15 million people by the year 2070, according to the Florida 2070 Project. This means more homes, more yards with permanent in-ground sprinkler systems and a greater impact to the state’s water supply.
To ... READ MORE
With more than 400 items available for purchase, the UF/IFAS Extension Bookstore has something for everyone on your list this year. These items make perfect stocking stuffers, white elephant gifts or as a treat for yourself.
For the kids
Build-a-bug! ... READ MORE
Name: Ziynet Boz
Position: Assistant Professor
Hometown: Mersin, Turkey
Years with UF/IFAS: 8 months since I started my position. I completed my Ph.D. here at the ABE department between 2013-2017 as a Fulbright scholar and completed ... READ MORE
This summer, UF/IFAS Extension agents across central Florida will host free weekly webinars aimed to help residents maintain a healthy lawn and conserve one of Florida’s most valuable resource, water.
“The average residential irrigation ... READ MORE
UF/IFAS Extension agents will present Homeflow, a program that teaches families how to build healthy relationships, maintain their home and establish financial safety on an upcoming national webinar.
The program is presented in partnership ... READ MORE
“Living Well Wednesdays” is a free quarterly UF/IFAS Extension program from Northwest Florida family and consumer sciences experts. Each quarter explores a different topic.
The next topic covered will be indoor and outdoor home maintenance. ... READ MORE
Celebrate Water Conservation Month with free UF/IFAS Extension webinars that will help reduce water consumption, save money and help the planet.
“Conserving water is the most important action that we can take to sustain our water supplies ... READ MORE
Termite Awareness Week 2021 takes place March 7-13
Some people mistakenly think termites are only busy during this time of the year. UF/IFAS researchers in Davie, Florida, show us otherwise.
While termites are often noticed during ... READ MORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Although direct payments to Americans have been utilized during previous economically challenging times – the last as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 – never before had the world looked as it had in the spring ... READ MORE


text:
Sainsbury’s and South Africa’s Steinhoff are locked in a game of chicken as they finalise rival bids for Argos, in a tussle that has proved to be an unprecedented case for UK Takeover Panel.
Sainsbury’s and Steinhoff have been handed a strict deadline of March 18 to submit firm bids for Argos, having both previously indicated that they were weighing offers. However, under a quirk of the takeover rules, whichever company bids first triggers an automatic 53 day extension for the rival suitor.
With both sides working to the same deadline it is a “case of who blinks first”, one source said. Sainsbury’s plans to strengthen its online presence with a £1.3bn Argos takeover were thrown into doubt after Steinhoff made a £111m higher proposal.
The Takeover Panel is understood to be keen to ensure that both sides do not abandon their pursuit of Home Retail Group, Argos’ owner, just because of its rules. Sainsbury’s is expected to raise its offer from 161.3p-a-share to around 180p, which would take it above Steinhoff’s 175p-a-share cash proposal.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe has insisted that the supermarket will not overpay for Argos.
However, analysts believe that Sainsbury’s would be able to achieve more synergies than the £120m it has already forecast, which would enable it to sweeten its bid.
The supermarket will extract the bulk of its synergies from closing down the majority of Argos high street shops and shifting them into click and collect counters inside its supermarkets.
Sainsbury’s has already been warned by some of its shareholders against overpaying for Argos.
Steinhoff, which is offering £1.4bn in is understood to have tracked Home Retail for the past nine months but was biding its time while it finalised a secondary listing in Frankfurt at the end of last year.
Sources close to the company point to its significantly larger £20bn market value compared to Sainsbury’s £5bn valuation as evidence suggest it can easily outbid Sainsbury’s in any bidding war.
The South African company last week also gatecrashed Fnac’s planned takeover of Darty.


text:
Restaurateur Amanda Cohen is incredulous about the idea of her diners having to pay a fee simply to make a reservation. “I think it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Cohen, chef/owner of New York’s 18-seat vegetarian oasis Dirt Candy.
Not funny enough, though, for Cohen to blow off this bold new experiment in Big City dining.
Cohen’s hard-to-book East Village venue is one of at least 50 NYC restaurants currently partnering with Zurvu, a new service that helps customers snag otherwise improbable reservations at some of the city’s most notoriously tough-to-crack hotspots. For a modest fee, of course.
The $5 service charge allows diners to bypass the usual rigmarole of haggling with a reservationist over the phone, often weeks or months in advance, or competing with countless other customers on a free booking site such as reservation giant OpenTable.
As uncomfortable as she might be with the whole pay-to-play concept, Cohen says the service does make her life a little easier. A hands-on kind of owner, Cohen generally handles the reservations herself. “We can’t afford to have a reservationist,” she explains. And, amid all the other hectic duties involved in running a restaurant, she can’t always find the time to negotiate with patrons over seating times on the phone. (On an average night, Cohen says she turns away about 30 to 40 would-be customers.) “Sometimes, someone will call and say that they want to come any day this week. That’s hard for us to enter, especially in the middle of service, but now we can just send them to Zurvu,” she says.
Under the conventional model for online reservations, Cohen normally would have to pay her own sort of “convenience fee” to have some internet service interact with reservation-seekers on her behalf. OpenTable, for example, charges restaurateurs about $200 per month in addition to $1 per reservation for the privilege of participating in its popular booking service. (Dirt Candy participates in the OpenTable system, as well.)
Zurvu, however, doesn’t charge her a dime for its “patent-pending” booking service. Instead, the cost of the service is passed on to the customer (via the $5 fee); Cohen and Zurvu split the proceeds.
Zurvu founder David Levin says the $5 fee further decreases the likelihood of no-shows. (Guests who cancel four hours in advance are refunded in full, he notes.)
Zurvu’s new type of business model is one of several recent efforts by the tech sector to shake up the online reservation status quo, as we know it. A similar service, called Resy, backed by Eater.com co-founder Ben Leventhal and WineLibrary.com founder Gary Vaynerchuk, is expected to launch later this summer. Both services are attempting to legitimize an already active and largely unregulated online marketplace for scalpers looking to cash-in on the high demand for scarce seating in the city’s most sought-after dining rooms.
The rise of these new sites casts a rather unflattering spotlight on just how useless the usual mechanisms for booking online can be. Looking to score a table at one of NYC’s “hottest” restaurants for your birthday in three weeks? Chances are that OpenTable will have limited options. You can likely forget about a meal at Bobby Flay’s Gato or Sushi Nakazawa, altogether. If you’re lucky, you might be able to squeeze into a 5:45 or 10:30 seating at Carbone or Betony. Maybe.
That’s because high-profile restaurants like these are saving their primetime seats for VIPs; the average Joes on OpenTable are merely jostling for the leftovers.
“The idea that restaurants are democratic today is a myth of epic proportions,” says Resy’s Leventhal. “Save for a small percentage of tables, what they’re not doing is offering them up to the general public.”
Leventhal’s forthcoming service aims to flip the script, by giving restaurants a financial incentive to make more tables available online. Like Zurvu, Resy will be sharing a cut of its service fees with partnering restaurants.
Exact figures are unclear, as the Resy system has yet to launch. But preliminary indications point to a more fluid type of payment structure than Zurvu’s flat $5 fee. According to figures provided on Resy’s promotional web site, a premium table on a Saturday night could cost $25 per person, compared to $10 on a Tuesday. Leventhal says the daily cost differential would be comparable to other forms of entertainment. “If you go to the theatre on a Saturday night, the tickets are more expensive than they are for a Wednesday matinee,” he says. “Shouldn’t restaurants be allowed to improve the business model?”
The emergence of apps like Zurvu and Resy appears to follow the path blazed by popular ticket site StubHub. Realizing that ticket scalping was both inevitable and widespread, StubHub became Major League Baseball’s “official secondary ticket marketplace” in 2007. Since then, the site has become the undisputed leader in secondhand tickets to sporting events and theater productions outside of the traditional box office or ubiquitous Ticketmaster online service.
Like professional sports, the restaurant industry presently faces its own realization in regard to scalping and the collateral costs associated with it. A coveted 8 p.m. Saturday table at The Clam in the West Village is no longer just a “dinner reservation.” It has become an asset, capable of being resold online for a significant upcharge. One such scalper-friendly site, called Shout – described as “a new kind of marketplace” – reveals tables available this week at hotspots Narcissa, Mission Cantina, The NoMad, Carbone, Toro, Bar Bolonat, Gato, Minetta Tavern and Dirt Candy, for prices ranging from $20 to $60 (yes, that’s just to sit). The restaurants are unable to do anything about their tables being shopped on the open market, and, in many cases, are entirely unaware of the reservation ever exchanging ownership. For example, several of the restaurants listed on Today’s Epicure – an app that charges an annual fee of $1,000 and makes reservations under pseudonyms for its members – expressed surprise that their tables were available on the site.
The recent rise in this type of unregulated reservation scalping poses serious consequences for restaurants. “Reservation scalpers, especially those masquerading as legitimate restaurant reservation platforms, threaten to gouge prices and increase no-shows as these scammers waste slots they often never sell,” says Zurvu’s Levin.
By partnering with Zurvu, Resy or a similar service, restaurants can better ensure that precious seats are going directly to people who want to dine there—and will actually show up to eat as scheduled.
So far, restaurateurs appear to be taking a cautious approach with these new pay-to-play services.
Paul Shaked, co-owner of Nolita’s popular newcomer The Cleveland, for one, has been careful to not sacrifice too much of his prime seating real estate in the name of progress. Shaked reveals that the venue has just “a couple of tables set aside for Zurvu” and makes it clear that he “w[as] sure to not get rid of any of our walk-in tables.”
So, what exactly does the future hold for the increasingly crowded field of restaurant reservation methods? Shaked speculates that he “can see a scenario in which there’s a symbiotic relationship between OpenTable and products like Zurvu.” In March, OpenTable debuted its own alert system – called “Hot Tables” – that notifies users when custom requested tables become available. Seeing that the program caters towards “impossible reservations,” there is overlap between the established OpenTable and the newer kids on the block.
Selling “tickets,” similar to the system employed by Grant Achatz’s Chicago fine dining establishments Alinea and Next, is another option. Such a system—which charges customers the all-inclusive price of dinner before seating— would remove the negative stigma that might otherwise accompany an à la carte “convenience fee” associated with the simple act of booking. Dirt Candy’s Cohen says ticketing “is a smart thing, especially if [the restaurant] has a tasting menu.”
Of course, all this noise about the possibility of paying for restaurant reservations might simply take the route of countless other dining gimmicks and soon fizzle. Only time will tell. Until then, you’ll find us still searching for that elusive 8 p.m. slot at ZZ’s Clam Bar.
Read about restaurant openings on Food Republic:


text:
The Walt Disney Studios Lot was aglow in twinkling lights and holiday cheer on Saturday, when thousands of Disney cast members, employees, and their guests gathered for the “Light Up the Season” celebration. The event featured an array of wintertime activities for revelers to enjoy as well as opportunities to give back through charitable initiatives and the Company’s VoluntEARS program. Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, welcomed attendees to this year’s celebration, which resumed for the first time since 2019 after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s just incredibly nice to be here,” Iger said. “It feels like a great opportunity for us to not only celebrate, but to really be thankful that that’s all behind us and that we are all together here on the Disney lot.”
Iger also highlighted the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive donation booth benefiting Toys for Tots, a charitable gift-giving program the Company has supported since it began in 1947. “We’ve been involved with Toys for Tots for 75 years, and I want to thank the Marines who are all here. They are not only serving us tonight, but they are serving our country, which is really worth our respect.” Through individual donations and a Company grant, the drive has collected more than 150,000 toys thus far this year.
Iger concluded his remarks by thanking all cast members and employees “for everything that you do for our Company. I want to wish you the merriest of holidays.” Shortly after Iger’s remarks, those attending were treated to a tree-lighting ceremony, hosted by Mickey Mouse and accompanied by snow.
Throughout the evening, members of the Disney community, family, and friends were able to explore the historic Studios Lot and to enjoy live music, holiday crafting, complimentary treats, screenings of Disney holiday favorites, character appearances and photo ops, and shopping at the Disney Studio Store and at a marketplace of local vendors and friends of Disney.
“It’s really lovely and emotional that we are all here, and all the communities are represented at this event,” said Jill Hotchkiss, vice president of Creative Marketing for Disney General Entertainment/Disney Branded Television, and Executive Champion of Shalom, one of more than 90 Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) at Disney. Many of the BERGs had booths at the celebration, providing information, games, giveaways, and more.
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club spread some additional Disney holiday cheer when it hosted a special member-invite encore of “Light Up the Season” at the Studios Lot on Sunday.


text:
M&C Saatchi has today announced it has acquired independent media agency Bohemia in a move positioning the creative agency as full service agency with both media and creative under one roof.
Founded in 2011 by Brett Dawson, CEO, and Chris Christofi, chairman, Bohemia describes itself as being set up “to challenge the definition of media and the function of a media agency”. At a time when media agencies have come under increased scrutiny for murky billing practices, Bohemia stands out from the crowd in adopting a time and materials model akin to how a creative agency charges.
While Bohemia claims this practice is transparent, there are many observers who point to this model being the core of the problem many creative agencies face. In essence, it focuses on costs rather than results, but it’s eternally open to semantics and with the recent furore around a lack of transparency, M&C Saatchi appears to be on a winner.
Here’s the full release:
M&C SAATCHI BRINGS MEDIA INTO THE GROUP: ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF BOHEMIA SYDNEY, 15 FEBRUARY 2017 – M&C Saatchi today announces the acquisition of Bohemia in Australia. Bohemia brings a pedigree in media strategy, dynamic media buying, outcome-based performance media and marketing analytics into the Group.
Jaimes Leggett, Group CEO said: “Every business in every market is being disrupted. Ours is no different. Bringing media into the Group is the next step in our evolution. With Bohemia in the family, we will have the capability to marry content with context for more influential communications. Driving creative probability through increased media precision.
“M&C Saatchi is a confederation of creative entrepreneurs. With best-in-class capabilities, designed to connect with a consumer at every point they encounter a brand. We chose Bohemia for their rebellious spirit and desire to be transformative and transparent. They’re a great bunch of people too.”
Brett Dawson, CEO, Bohemia said: “We are incredibly excited by the opportunity to join M&C Saatchi. We admire their creative ambition, share their values and like the way they do business. As technology continues to disrupt the media operating system, creativity in all its forms will become even more influential in driving client growth.
This partnership brings significant benefit to our staff and clients, and will allow us to shortcut and lead the transparency agenda. It will enable our Bohemian spirit to play out on a bigger stage.” Bohemia is a new model agency that marries the art of strategy with the science of media, data and direct response. Bohemia’s client roster includes Aspen Australia, Best & Less, Caltex, Elanco, News.com.au, Open Colleges, Pandora, Steadfast, UBank, Unicef and Unibet.
In this guest post, founders of The Daily Aus Sam Koslowski and Zara Seidler discuss why in order to stay in the game and keep its user, social media giant Facebook needs to do more to combat hate speech… For young Australians, Facebook is on the decline. Unless the platform better responds to its user’s […]
A brave move has paid dividends for Baskin-Robbins Australia who recently announced they won the award for Best Digital Initiative at last week’s QSR Media Awards. Baskin-Robbins Australia’s Master Licensee, Palm Oasis Ventures took a risk in launching a digital winter campaign targeting a new millennial and Gen Z demographic when it partnered with Netflix to launch season 3 of the streaming giant’s most popular show, the sci-fi horror series, Stranger Things.
Leading eCommerce website development agency, Convert Digital, has achieved the coveted Magento Gold Status from Adobe. This accomplishment has been reached following the agency’s continuing work with the Magento 2 platform - platform that is incredibly robust and offers unrivalled flexibility and scalability.
Influencer marketing agency Born Bred Talent has partnered with the Starlight Children’s Foundation to mobilise their talent roster and support the Stream Raiser campaign, contributing over $95k in donations thanks to virtual fundraising efforts. With a combined reach of 6.2 million across Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, 9 Australian influencers contributed 76% of the $124k raised […]
In 2020, the ‘new wave’ of youth consumers have inspired the world with their activism and fundraising, so eGEN is proud to have partnered with UNICEF, Loserfruit and friends to help gamers fight COVID and help the world’s most vulnerable children. The world’s most famous strawberry will be joined by her Click crew for a […]
Silverbullet Data Services Group (Silverbullet), has become one of only four businesses globally to achieve Adobe Specialisation in EMEA for Adobe Audience Manager. Adobe Specialised Partners are acknowledged as the most skilled technical practitioners throughout the global partner ecosystem. Specialisations are earned after organisations achieve a level of certified expertise in an Adobe solution and […]
Food company General Mills has partnered with Zyper, a marketing platform that connects brands with their superfans, to build virtual fan communities for General Mills’ brands. As part of the agreement, General Mills will use Zyper’s software to initially identify the Betty Crocker and Fibre One brands’ top one per cent of fans on social […]
Facebook is continuing its Facebook Australia Groups Impact Fund, today announcing $500,000 in funding for the program. The grant was originally designated for bushfire recovery groups, however, has now been extended to local communities across the country who might be facing hardship. Facebook said it is on the lookout for groups that have a positive […]


text:
Jordan-based gaming studio Jawaker, which develops online card games, has been acquired by global gaming company Stillfront Group in a $205 million deal. This acquisition also marks the third time that the Swedish company has purchased an Asia-based company in the last two months.
Stillfront Group said it will pay 74% of the purchase price in cash and the rest in stock. It will raise $116 million in additional equity to fund the deal. With this agreement, the Swedish company plans to strengthen its activities in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and develop in the category of free-to-play games. The deal is expected to be completed by October.
Jawaker was founded in 2009 in Jordan by Mohamad Hasan and Yousef Shamoun and is currently based in Abu Dhabi. It is also a mobile game studio with one of the world’s largest classic PvP (Player vs. Player) titles, focusing on board and card games and other popular games specific to the region.
Jawaker’s acquisition is the second MENA acquisition after Stillfront acquired Jordan-founded Babil Games for $17 million in 2016.
The company’s Co-Founder and CEO, Mohamad Hasan, made the following comments after the acquisition:
“Since its humble beginnings 12 years ago, Jawaker has always maintained its belief that stable and profitable growth can deliver meaningful long-term results. The best investment we have made in years has been in our culture. It is the environment that unlocks the potential of our truly inspiring team that has made Jawaker what it is today.”
Stillfront CEO Jörgen Larsson said the company sees significant scaling potential for Jawaker and opportunities to increase user acquisition among the Arabic-speaking population both in the MENA region and worldwide.
“We continue to be impressed by the strong growth and incredible talent we’ve seen in the region over the last five years. Jawaker’s expertise in the region complements Babylon’s expertise in both genre mastery and regional reach, making them a perfect strategic fit for Stillfront and creating several growth opportunities going forward.”


text:
Citing Decreased Sales, 23andMe Lays Off 14% of Workforce
Consumer DNA-testing company 23andMe announced it was laying off about 100 employees, or about 14% of its staff. The company reported that sales were down, reflecting a shrinking market for DNA test kits to consumers.
The layoffs are in departments across the company that aren’t central to its consumer testing and therapeutics business. There are no job cuts in its therapeutics team. It is, however, scaling back on its business recruiting for clinical trials.
The market for personal DNA consumer tests, largely for people looking for more information about family trees, although some were looking for genetic trains and health information, appeared to be increasing until 2019. The canary-in-the-coal-mine was Illumina, the tech company that manufactures and markets the gene-sequencers used for genetic testing. In its earnings call in July, the company reported sales were down across the industry. Another company in the genome-sequencing space, Veritas Genetics, abandoned its U.S. operation and laid off about 50 staffers when it had problems raising funds.
Anne Wojcicki, chief executive officer of 23andMe, told CNBC that customers might be worried about an economic downturn. She said the company is downsizing because it’s “what the market is ready for. This has been slow and painful for us.”
There may also be privacy concerns. 23andMe and other similar companies pledged in 2018 not to share data without consent, but there has been quite a number of concerns over the issue.
In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense warned members of the military to avoid using direct-to-consumer DNA kits because of worries about “unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission.”
Wojcicki also concedes that the concerns over privacy have also been increasing after the resolution of the Golden State Killer case. This refers to a series of killings, rapes and assaults that occurred in California in the 1970s and ‘80s. Law enforcement never had a suspect until April 24, 2018, when Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested. Police used a free genealogy and DNA database called GEDMatch. They developed a profile with DNA from the crime scenes and DeAngelo’s name came up from a pool of possible suspects.
23andMe and other company’s pledge not to share data came in the aftermath of the news about the Golden State Killer. They agreed to a set of voluntary guidelines to protect customer privacy. Other companies signing the pact included Ancestry, Helix, MyHeritage and Habit.
Some of these companies publish requests from law enforcement in their annual reports. For example, 23andMe received five requests in 2017, but did not turn over any data. Ancestry received 34 law enforcement requests and provided information in 31 cases.
It’s not completely clear if that’s the issue or some of the novelty, especially in terms of ancestry data, ran its course. 23andMe does not appear to be relying on consumer testing kits.
On Jan. 13, the company signed a deal with Barcelona, Spain-based Almirall, a pharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology. Almirall in-licensed 23andMe’s bispecific monoclonal antibody designed to block all three members of the IL-36 cytokine subfamily, which is associated with multiple inflammatory diseases.
23andMe was founded in 2015. It has sold more than 10 million commercial DNA kits and 80% of those customers consented to research. The company has a portfolio of research programs in multiple diseases. Based on genetic evidence, the company created a bispecific antibody that blocks the IL-36 cytokine family.


text:
The new generation (2021) Toyota Harrier will go on sale later this year and it gets a host of design changes
The new generation Toyota Harrier was recently leaked online through a video revealing the exterior details and it has been rendered giving a better perspective. The Harrier nameplate is used by Tata in our domestic market but elsewhere it is a premium crossover built by Toyota. This is the reason why Tata cannot use the Harrier name in international markets.
Instead, the SUV was christened Buzzard Sport upon its debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. Toyota sells the Harrier since late 1997 in Japan and in overseas markets, the SUV is rebadged as Lexus RX. It was in business between 1998 and 2013, and seven years before the Harrier received a refresh.
The 2021 Toyota Harrier will likely continue to use petrol and hybrid engine options and the lightweight TNGA architecture should help in the betterment of fuel economy. No official details on its powertrains are available yet. The fourth-generation model comes with updated exterior and interior along with the inclusion of new features. It gains a sharper styling with a longer nose section this time around.
The front fascia has integrated LED Daytime Running Lights, updated front bumper, and chrome-trimmed elements. They are accompanied by raked windshield, coupe-like silhouette, roof-mounted rear spoiler, chrome-treated window line, short pillars, long-wheelbase enabling a large greenhouse, newly designed tailgate and LED tail lamps, new set of multi-spoke wheels, etc.
As for India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has entered the BSVI era by discontinuing models like the Etios, Liva and Corolla Altis due to the more stringent emission standards. The Japanese company will be launching a limited edition version of the Fortuner in the coming weeks reportedly while the facelifted Fortuner was spied undisguised recently as well.
Additionally, Toyota appears to introduce hybrid models into its domestic lineup in the next year or two and thus we can expect more premium vehicles to be part of its package. It is worth noting that the Vellfire luxury MPV has been well-received in India and three of its initial batches are sold already.


text:
Customers can check on company website for defective vehicles, free repairs promised
GN Bureau | March 10, 2015
India does not have a vehicle recall policy but the automobile sector has already seen nearly seven lakh vehicles being recalled since 2012. Now, country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki has announced recall of 33,098 units of its popular small car models Alto 800 and Alto K10 manufactured between December 8, 2014 and February 18, 2015. The recall is to rectify defective latches on right side doors.
People should check the company's website www.marutisuzuki.com to know whether their vehicle is among the defective lot. Customers need to fill in the chassis number to check this.
The company will replace the 'right hand door latch assembly' of 19,780 units of Alto 800 and 13,318 units of Alto K10, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in a statement.
"From customer perspective, there is no concern if the right hand side door (front and rear) is completely latched. If however, the door is half-latched, then the door may open if pressure is applied from inside," it said.
Maruti Suzuki dealers in the domestic market will contact owners of all the defective vehicles. The dealer workshop technicians will inspect the condition and carry out the necessary replacement, free of cost.
The automobile industry body SIAM started voluntary vehicle recalls for safety related issues in India in July 2012 and since then over seven lakh vehicles have been recalled by various manufacturers in India. India still does not have a proper policy on recall of defective vehicles.
In December last year, Maruti had recalled 3,796 units of its new sedan Ciaz to fix suspected faulty clutch. Last month, Mahindra & Mahindra had recalled an unspecified number of its premium sports utility vehicle XUV500 vehicles to upgrade the side curtain airbag software.
Ranveer Singh, a 78-year-old resident of Mukeempur Shivara village in the Jewar area, knows exactly what he wants in return for giving up his land for the international airport that is being planned there: four to five times the present circle rate, Rs 20 lakh for rehabilitation, a government job for at le
Does the Indian economy now need a fiscal stimulus?
Today, Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s first woman full-time defence minister, may appear a picture of poise and confidence. But 11 years ago, she wasn’t even sure if she should join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has allowed her political career – and, of course, her abilities &ndas
On his first visit to Varanasi after the Uttar Pradesh polls, PM Modi announced and laid foundation stones of various projects on Friday and Saturday. Addressing a public meeting in Varanasi on Saturday, PM Modi took took a jibe at the opposition saying that the BJP’s programmes are no
Union minister for civil aviation, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju unveiled a new campus of the Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) spread over 5.33 acres. Civil aviation, secretary, R N Choubey said India is poised to attain its coveted place on global aviation arena as one among top three largest aviatio
Attributing enhanced focus on project execution as the reason behind Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited’s (BHEL) growth, the enterprise’s CMD Atul Sobti said BHEL achieved a capacity addition of 45,274 MW during the 12th five year plan period (2012-17) and surpassed the target of 41,661 MW by 9 p


text:
To enhance the effectiveness of its CSR program, the company should unveil a specific and result oriented action plan to the public.
NEW DELHI: CASE Construction Equipment, a brand of CNH Industrial, has launched a new CSR initiative, LEAD (Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Awareness Development), to encourage entrepreneurship among rural youth in India.
Aiming to impact over 30,000 young aspirants
The project highlights alternative avenues for income generation in the agriculture and infrastructure sectors through awareness and training programmes. In the first year, the brand is aiming to impact over 30,000 young aspirants across more than 3000 villages.
The LEAD project will go door-to-door to raise awareness amongst young people about entrepreneurial ventures in local regions across India, under agriculture, rural industries (poultry, dairy, bee farming, and fisheries) and rural infrastructure (road construction initiatives and irrigation).
According to the company, the initiative focuses on interacting with the youth there to stem mass migration to urban areas in search of jobs and also encourage reverse migration.
Rural entrepreneurship: crucial driver of inclusive economic growth
Sunil Puri, Managing Director, CASE, India and SAARC, said in a media statement “As a socially responsible brand, we are delighted to introduce one more CSR initiative to promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth. We firmly believe that rural entrepreneurship is a crucial driver of inclusive economic growth in India. Through Project LEAD, we aim to provide the necessary tools and resources to local communities to contribute towards the country’s economic progress. The program will also help aspirational young people from rural India to become self-reliant.”
Against the backdrop of challenges such as unemployment and economic disparity in rural areas, CASE is committed to supporting the development of rural entrepreneurship in India. The brand is working alongside local stakeholders to help find innovative solutions to the unique problems faced by the communities.
India CSR view
While it is commendable that CASE Construction Equipment is launching a CSR initiative to promote rural entrepreneurship in India, it is important to note that the company has not shared any details on the specific action plan it will be implementing to make an impact in the community. This lack of transparency raises questions about whether the initiative is being taken for publicity purposes or whether any specific result will come out of this CSR project.
Furthermore, it is important for the company to make its program more effective by presenting a concrete action plan to the public. Companies are often eager to engage in initiatives where they can have a tangible impact and it is crucial for CASE to provide transparency and clarity on its plans for the LEAD project.