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This story appears in the June 30, 2021 issue of Forbes Asia. Subscribe to Forbes Asia
EV billionaire William Li is chasing growth overseas. His first step—entering the European market via Norway.
In early May, William Li strides onto a Shanghai stage in a navy T-shirt emblazoned with two words: Norway 2021. The founder of Nio greets his new team sitting in Oslo at the virtual event before launching into details about the Chinese electric car maker’s first move overseas.
The Nordic country was chosen because it is the first country in the world where EVs have overtaken sales of traditionally powered vehicles—nearly 55% of all car sales in 2020, according to the Norwegian Road Federation. It will also serve as Nio’s springboard to Europe, which briefly passed China last year as the world’s largest EV market after governments doled out subsidies to spur purchases during the pandemic. Starting in 2022, Nio will enter five more European countries, which Li declines to name.
While success at cracking a new market far from home is hardly assured, Li is confident about his company’s roadmap for growth. “China is already the most competitive EV market in the world,” the 46-year-old said at a press conference earlier that day. “If I can do it in China, there is no reason I can’t do it elsewhere.”
Li, dubbed the Elon Musk of China, has already made his mark at home. In seven years, his company has gone from startup to become the seventh largest in China’s EV sector by deliveries. He led the carmaker back from the verge of bankruptcy in late 2019, when executive departures, vehicle recalls and a rollback of government subsidies pummeled investor confidence in the company.
Fast forward to today: Nio delivered 20,060 vehicles in the first quarter, a fivefold jump from a year earlier when demand was suppressed by the pandemic. Sales grew over 490% over the same period to reach 7.4 billion yuan and its net loss narrowed to 451 million yuan.
Homegrown EV carmaker Nio saw deliveries surge fivefold over the past year.
Full-year deliveries are forecast to reach 95,000 vehicles after factoring in the impact from the global chips shortage, according to New York-based analyst Edison Yu at Deutsche Bank. That worsening problem has taken a toll on manufacturers across industries. Auto brands worldwide have been forced to slash production, including Nio, which needs semiconductors for features such as mapping and in-car entertainment.
Over the past year, shares in the New York-listed firm once surged almost 20-fold as Nio increased deliveries at a record pace, only to fall back recently amid a broader EV selloff triggered by the chip shortage. Still, Li’s 11% Nio stake gives him a sizable fortune of $5.7 billion.
While China is currently the world’s largest EV market—sales there are expected to grow 50% to 1.9 million vehicles this year, according to market research firm Canalys—Li takes a world view. In an interview on the sidelines of the Shanghai Auto Show in April, he outlined for the first time his global ambitions.
“Electric vehicles still account for a very low share of the entire auto market and there is a huge room for growth worldwide,” he says. (EVs accounted for fewer than 5% of all cars sold last year, according to the International Energy Agency.) “Over the long term, probably in the next decade or so, more than half of Nio’s deliveries should come from abroad,” he says.
In keeping with the innovation in his vehicles, Li is taking a novel approach to sell cars in Norway. Dispensing with local dealers, the billionaire is taking things into his own hands. Nio House, the company’s concept showroom that is designed with a library and coffee shop for browsing customers, will open in September on Oslo’s main shopping street Karl Johans Gate.
It will carry Nio’s flagship ES8 SUV, which has a starting price of 468,000 yuan ($73,000) in China. The retail price in Norway has yet to be announced. Nio’s latest ET7 sedan will follow in 2022, when the company will open showrooms in four more Norwegian cities, and expand its battery swap stations to 12, up from the current four—a perk that allows customers to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one.
The highbrow location in Oslo is in keeping with Nio’s image, Li says. A base of relatively wealthy and tech-savvy buyers is what drives the brand’s growth in China, where people fork out more for a Nio car than Tesla’s bestselling Model 3 (Nio touts a longer driving range and faster acceleration than the 250,900 yuan standard Tesla model).
Li faces other challenges as he expands abroad. Though EV sales in Europe skyrocketed last year despite the pandemic, consumers prefer local brands. In the first quarter, Germany’s Volkswagen was the most popular EV brand, accounting for 21% of electric-car sales across 18 key European markets. Tesla, which captured a third of the market in late 2019, has been losing ground ever since. Its 16% share is just behind Dutch auto group Stellantis’s 17%, says analyst Matthias Schmidt, founder of German-based Schmidt Automotive Research.
“Even Tesla isn’t that successful in Europe,” says John Zeng, a Shanghai-based director at consultancy LMC Automotive. “Nio may sell some cars there, but it requires a lot of effort.”
Undaunted, Li points to the company’s team of global talent, including its respective design and engineering teams in Munich and Oxford, and Nio’s “resolute” investment in R&D that has led to over 2,500 issued patents. Its ES6 model, for example, won “Best of Best’’ award at Germany’s Automotive Brand Contest 2020 for its sporty and elegant exterior design. Another unique point is Nio’s community culture, he says.
Aside from its EV cred, the company builds brand loyalty with a lifestyle app and Nio-branded goods such as cookies, hotpot seasoning and hoodies, which can be purchased with credits earned from buying a Nio car. Customers can use the app for everything from sharing their experiences driving a Nio to organizing offline get-togethers. An English version of the app, which has 1.6 million registered users in China, will be launched later this year in Norway. “From day one we aim to be a company enjoying close ties with users,” says Li. “We want to build a community that is based on our cars.”
The entrepreneur eventually wants to bring Nio’s products and services to the U.S., where the carmaker has about 200 employees. Working from offices in northern California, they mostly focus on R&D, with some involved in strategic planning. Li says company executives have discussed U.S. market entry strategies every quarter for the past four years. He is close to getting the details sorted out, he says, but won’t disclose when Nio will start selling on Tesla’s home turf.
As he hatches his plans, Li calls on government officials to be open and not let escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Washington curb business activities. “Tesla has benefited from China’s support of EVs,” he says. “It is normal for countries to hold different opinions, but I hope every government can be farsighted, consider the climate, and support innovation in our field.”
“If I can do it in China, there is no reason I can’t do it elsewhere.”
For all his global aspirations, Li comes from a humble background. Born into a low-income family in rural Anhui Province in eastern China, Li lived in the mountains with his grandparents and herded cattle when he was a child. He studied hard, excelled at the country’s notoriously difficult college entrance examination, and scored a spot at the prestigious Peking University. He took on several part-time jobs to support himself, including peddling office supplies to Apple. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology (he took some computer courses, too), Li found his calling in IT and started several small businesses.
The first major hit came in 2000 when he launched auto information website Bitauto for Chinese consumers. He led the company through a public listing on the New York Stock Exchange a decade later to raise $108 million. (In 2020, Bitauto agreed to be taken private in a $1.1 billion deal backed by Chinese web giant Tencent. Li no longer holds a role there.) As Li sensed opportunities in the EV sector, his focus gradually shifted and he founded Nio, then called NextEV, in 2014.
He says he wanted to build a global startup from the beginning and hired designers and engineers in London and California within a year.
Tencent, which owns 10% of Nio, making it the second-largest shareholder after Li, is a key investor that has been building up its stake since the company’s early days. (The Chinese web giant spent $1.8 billion to acquire a 5% stake in Tesla in 2017 but reduced its shareholding a year later). Aside from Tencent, Li also raised billions of dollars from investors including Baillie Gifford, BlackRock, Sequoia China and Temasek.
Nio began to take orders for its first mass-manufactured model ES8 in 2017 and started delivering the car to customers within a year. Li took the loss-making carmaker public in 2018, raising $1 billion on the NYSE. Then plans went awry.
Shares plunged in 2019 to less than $2 from its IPO high of $6.26. Nio lost at least two senior executives, who the company said left for personal reasons, and recalled a third of all vehicles sold over battery faults. In a bid to foster what it considered “real innovation,” Beijing also announced its intention to eliminate industry subsidies by 2020.
With losses ballooning and cash running out, Li says he was placed under “extreme pressure” at the time. He looked for additional investment, but most turned him down flat. A lifeline finally came in 2020, when investors including the local government of Hefei—the capital of Anhui—agreed to invest 7 billion yuan. He subsequently set up Nio China in the city, where Nio had a joint venture factory with state-controlled automaker JAC Motors. Construction of NeoPark, an electric vehicle industry park that Nio is building with the Hefei government, kicked off this April. It will be able to produce 1 million cars annually.
The continuing investment in everything from production to marketing will likely mean Nio stays in the red for the next three years, says Teng Yong, a Shanghai-based partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman. In March, Nio, along with fellow Chinese EV makers Xpeng and Li Auto, was said to be considering a second listing in Hong Kong. Li isn’t ruling it out but declines to go into details. “We emerged more confident,” he says of his struggles in 2019. “And we are more resolute in pursuing our path.”
Nevertheless, monthly production is likely to be restrained to 7,500 vehicles in the second quarter because of the chip-supply shortage, which isn’t expected to ease up until later this year. Li has established a team within the company to work on the issue, he says, who communicates daily with factories worldwide.
Fierce competition at home may also box in the company. Tesla is one formidable rival. The U.S. carmaker is expected to deliver 500,000 vehicles in China by year-end, according to Yale Zhang, managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight. Last year, it delivered 138,505 EVs in China, second only to Shanghai-based carmaker SGMW’s 163,594 vehicles, according to China Passenger Car Association. Nio had at least 43,369 EV deliveries.
What’s more, both traditional automakers and internet companies are upping the ante. Chinese billionaire Li Shufu’s Geely launched in March the premium Zeekr brand that targets the same group of affluent EV car buyers that might consider a Nio. Billionaire Lei Jun’s smartphone maker Xiaomi announced in the same month plans to commit $10 billion to make its own EVs over the next decade, followed shortly by billionaire Ren Zhengfei’s Huawei, which said in April it would invest $1 billion to develop self-driving and electric-car technologies.
In the U.S., Apple is widely reported to be developing its own EV, and Alphabet may enter the fray as well. Tech giant Hon Hai, based in Taiwan, is partnering with the U.S.’s Fisker to start producing an EV next year, slated for global sales including China. Li acknowledges the tough road ahead. “Our overseas plans won’t affect our investments and resources for China,” he says. “We are looking at a time span of more than a decade, and globalization isn’t a spur of the moment [decision].”
Plus, Nio is still a small company, he adds. “Our monthly deliveries are about the same as what the likes of Audi and BMW deliver in China in a couple days. We have a long way to go.”


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In partnership with the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle - Musée de l’Homme, L’Oréal has designed an exhibition offering an immersive dive into our largest organ.
“Forty years ago, some biologists took up the challenge of rebuilding human skin and the fruits of their research are there: decoding its colour, understanding the impact of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, deciphering the mechanisms of aging, improving skin grafts for severe burns, replacing of animal testing and new approaches to rare diseases such as Moon children... The scientific adventure continues with the recent discovery of the microbiota, a carpet of microorganisms living on the surface, subject to all the aggressions of the environment, a living barrier against infections that communicates with the intestine and the brain,” said the exhibition organisers.
The exhibition mixes sensory experiences, projections and novel devices and allows visitors to discover the skin from the surface to the cell. Once inside, visitors can experience interactive stations where they can identify their own skin colour and begin to understand the complexity of the organ.
Dans Ma Peau - Immersive Exhibition will run from March 13 - June 3, 2019 at the Musée de L’homme, Paris, France.
Visit www.museedelhomme.fr for more information.

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- Federal officials delay the required THC testing of hemp at laboratories registered with the DEA.
- The FDA acknowledges the demand for CBD and says it would be a “fool’s errand” to try and remove it from shelves.
- No timeline has been provided by the FDA regarding CBD regulation.
The previous ruling that all hemp crops must undergoing THC testing at laboratories registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been delayed by federal agriculture officials.
This delay in testing comes after a series of complaints from farmers and states that there would not be enough DEA labs to handle the testing demands of producers.
“We now better understand how the limited number of DEA-registered labs will hinder testing and better understand the associated costs with disposing of product that contains over 0.3% THC could make entering the hemp market too risky,” the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated.
This agreement with the DEA will provide some relief from the lab certification process that threatened to stall the industry. It also spotlights the USDA’s willingness to listen and adjust accordingly to the market, something that is vital for such a young industry.
Although the USDA’s testing update provides relief for this year, states are still expected to acquire their laboratory certificates next year. Greg Ibach, undersecretary for the USDA, told members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) meeting:
“DEA will still expect states to work with their laboratories to try to achieve certification for the 2021 crop year.”
Hemp business owners certainly welcomed the update.
FDA Shifting Stance?
It has been well over a year since the FDA originally spoke about creating regulations for CBD products, and still no progress has seemed to have been made. And while it may seem like the FDA has been sweeping CBD under the rug, the newly appointed commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Stephen Hahn, just spoke on its demand earlier this week.
“We’re not going to be able to say you can’t use these products. It’s a fool’s errand to even approach that,” Hahn said at the NASDA meeting.
“We have to be open to the fact that there might be some value to these products, and certainly Americans think that’s the case. But we want to get them information to make the right decisions.”
No timeline has been provided regarding the regulation of CBD as the FDA still awaits better test results that help us better understand the effects of using CBD.
Other Notable Updates
In addition to delaying the rules regarding THC testing in DEA-approved labs, the USDA is also delaying the enforcement that you need DEA-registered reverse distributors in order to dispose of non-compliant plants. This delay will allow producers to dispose of these plants using on-farm procedures.
Hemp farmers are still required to document and report any disposal of non-compliant plants to the USDA.
The USDA will hold another open forum for the public in the fall to gather information on the 2020 growing season.
These updates show the USDA’s commitment to providing a fair and profitable hemp market and provide a huge relief to hemp business owners who have yet to begin generating capital. In the end, these delays should allow the hemp industry to grow and learn from its mistakes in the 2020 growing season.


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PROFITS of SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) dropped 16% to P9 billion in the first quarter, pulled by income declines in its retail, property and banking segments.
In a statement Thursday, the holding company of the SM Group said the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected its profitability, as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) limited its operations.
Consolidated revenues grew to P111.12 billion for the quarter, improving from P109 billion in 2018. But mall closures and other ECQ-related disruptions dragged SMIC’s bottomline.
Per segment, banking made up 46% of SMIC’s net income, property comprised 44%, and retail accounted for the remaining 10%.
BDO Unibank, Inc. generated a net income of P8.8 billion, falling from P9.8 billion in the same quarter the previous year. This was somewhat tempered by China Banking Corp., which generated a 19% increase in earnings to P2.2 billion during the period.
Property arm SM Prime Holdings, Inc. posted 5% lower net income at P8.3 billion during the three months. Its revenues fell 3% to P25.8 billion as malls were closed due to COVID-19-related quarantine measures.
SMIC said mall operations made up 47% of SM Prime’s consolidated revenues, therefore the forced mall closures negatively affected its earnings. Revenues from Philippine malls fell 16% to P11.3 billion, while total mall rental income fell 12% to P10.1 billion.
The residential unit of SM Prime under SM Development Corp. softened the impact of the declining mall business by growing revenues 23% to P11.4 billion. This segment made up 44% of SM Prime’s topline, which improved due to reservation sales worth P24.8 billion.
Other business segments under SM Prime recorded consolidated revenues of P2.2 billion.
Retail segment SM Retail, Inc. slumped 56% to P1.2 billion. Under this segment are food-related units SM Markets, WalterMart and Alfamart, and non-food units The SM Store and Specialty Retail. Consolidated revenues from this segment increased 3% to P81 billion.
“The ECQ and broader pandemic started to weigh on our performance during the first quarter,” SMIC President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. DyBuncio said in the statement.
Despite the weak first quarter turnout, SMIC said its balance sheet is strong enough to give it flexibility to adapt to changing customer needs and behaviors.
“We are actively enhancing digital and delivery services across all our core businesses, while also working to support and protect our employees, customers, MSMEs (micro-, small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs) and business partners,” Mr. DyBuncio said.
SM has started gradually opening its mall network over the weekend for areas where quarantine measures have been relaxed by the government.
Shares in SMIC at the stock exchange gained P15 or 1.83% to P835 each on Thursday. — Denise A. Valdez


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Sega's Japanese lineup for the remainder of 2005 is slowly coming into view, and it's looking hot. Anchoring the lineup is Toshihiro Nagoshi's criminal epic, Ryu Ga Gotoku, which Sega has revealed will hit Japanese retail on 12/8.
Ryu Ga Gotoku has players enter Japan's seedy under world on a quest to find a young girl who's the key to a one hundred million dollar fortune. Like Sega's previous big budget epic, Shenmue, Ryu Ga Gotoku attempts to create a realistic world, and even has some real world sponsored brands appearing in the game.
The suddenness of this release date is surprising, as Sega announced Ryu Ga Gotoku just a few weeks back. However, the game has already been in development for over two years.


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Ohio University hosts a variety of programs that prioritize sustainable agriculture and wellness for students and the City of Athens.
One such program is the Ohio University student gardens, which markets fruits and vegetables to places in the community that do not have adequate access to nutritious foods. Carrots, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are among the produce grown at the farm.
“The Ohio University Student Farm is a diversified, small scale, hand-powered produce farm that spans 1.3 acres,” said Arthur Trese, an associate professor of environmental and plant biology.
Students can take Plant Biology 2060, known as Sustainable Agriculture, to gain classroom and gardening experience. They can also choose to complete an internship at the West State Street gardens during the academic year and in the summer.
The plant biology department is also considering to offer a certificate a small-scale sustainable agriculture certificate in the future.
“We don’t sell (goods) at the local farmers markets because we do not pay for student labor, land or water. We are a subsidy of the university, so it is not fair to compete with local farmers and step on their toes,” Trese said.
The student farm sells their food near the Wellworks facility in Grover Center during the harvesting season. Wellworks has no formal partnership with the farm, but the farm aligns with their mission of fitness and personal wellness coaching.
“I think it's incredibly important that we encourage our campus community to purchase local, organic produce and to promote a healthy diet and lifestyle,” said Annie Laurie Cadmus, Wellworks engagement and marketing coordinator, in an email. “The Student Farm is a fantastic (and delicious) avenue for sharing that message.”
Wellworks also supports Community Supported Agriculture, where members purchase a share of farmers’ goods before the harvesting process begins. In return, members receive fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.
At the undergraduate level, the Patton College of Education and the Community Food Initiative is partnering up to provide the Discovery Kitchen where a chef from the Patton College teaches students to make meals that they get to eat. That program helps students connect to Athens as they begin the transition to off-campus living.
Students can also shop at the Ohio Farmer’s Market for low-cost produce.
"There are typically five to ten vendors from places like Crumbs Bakery, that supplies fresh bread. The turnout (at the market) ranges from 75 to 100 students, faculty, and staff," said Barb Harrison, OU Farmers’ Market manager and assistant director of the Campus Involvement Center.


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LAST UPDATED : Aug 17, 2017, 01.50AM IST
- Nagpur-based app developers bag award from Facebook
‘Tellon’, a campus networking app developed by city youngsters Shubhendra Singh and Mayur Mate, has won innovation award for start-up from Bootstrap track of FbStart, a Facebook platform. The app earned them around Rs26 lakh worth of Facebook and its partner credits.
- Homemakers generate $9b in sales through WhatsApp, Facebook: Report
With the online retail market growing in the country, Indian women homemakers are increasingly using social media to take advantage of the e-commerce boom and reach customers. Report says as many as 2 million women homemakers are reselling lifestyle and clothing products using WhatsApp and Facebook.
- Rare crocodile eggs hatched at Cambodian conservation center
The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Cambodia's Fisheries Administration said the eggs of nine Siamese crocodiles have hatched at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center after being retrieved from the wild to protect them from poachers and predators.


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The keenly-anticipated clash has been called the 'patent battle of the century' in which the competitors are suing each other for billions of dollars in damages for alleged infringements of patents used in their phones.
Apple "were about to enter a field dominated by giants," Harold McElhinny, a lawyer for Apple, told jurors at the court in San Jose, California. But its designers created a "phone the world had never seen before."
In Apple's opening statement, jurors were shown an internal review that Samsung did of the iPhone in late 2007 in which it is described as "beautiful" and "easy to copy." "As we all know it's easier to copy than innovate," Mr McElhinny said. Apple is seeking more than $2.5bn (£1.6bn) in damages from Samsung, which has in turned sued Apple.
The Korean company alleges that Apple is infringing five patents and it is seeking substantial royalties from the phones Apple has sold. Having failed to reach a settlement, experts have warned that the trial could carry major repercussions for the $300bn global smartphone industry that has managed to expand aggressively despite many western economies struggling to grow.
The day began with the shadow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs looming large. US District Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Apple’s opening presentation to jurors would be allowed to contain photographs of Mr Jobs, who died of cancer last October. Lawyers for Samsung had argued that the plan to include such pictures was “gratuitous”. It was the second victory that Apple scored over the role of its co-founder in the trial.
At a hearing last week, Apple managed to exclude from the trial comments Mr Jobs made shortly before he died, that he was prepared to go “thermonuclear” on Google’s Android operating system, which is used in Samsung phones. Judge Koh and lawyers for both sides selected the jury from an original field of 74 people drawn from an area that is not far from where Apple is based in Cupertino, California. The jurors, who include a social worker, an employee in a bike shop and a mechanical engineer, were quizzed on whether they knew anyone who worked at Apple, which type of phone they owned and whether they had read the recent biography of Mr Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
The trial is expected to last about four weeks and follows legal skirmishes between the two rivals in the UK, Germany and Australia


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A $14.9 million, multi-story car park built two years ago to accommodate future growth in the City of Greater Bendigo two years ago is fulfilling its purpose, according to council.
Coined the cheese grater for its distinctive exterior, the four-level, 420-space complex on Edward Street was built in July 2012 to ensure people had somewhere to park as more traveled into the CBD for work and leisure.
For the May-June 2014 period, council figures show the car park reached a 68 per cent utilisation rate, an increase from 21 per cent when it first opened.
In January-February 2014 it reached the 50 per cent mark.
City parking and animal services manager Neville Zimmer said an average of 342 cars were using the complex daily, and staying an average of 5.6 hours a day.
The council-funded car park has 130 more spaces than the other multi-story car park on Hargreaves Street, which according to the recent figures takes an average of 278 cars a day and has an average 80 per cent utilisation rate.
CBD parking as a whole had also increased by about four per cent since the Edward Street car park opening, the figures showed.
Mr Zimmer said the CBD parking utilisation rate was now at 71 per cent, which was at a good, sustainable level.
"When it gets up into 90 per cent is when we would have reason for concern, because it would mean demand (for car parks) was getting higher than supply," he said.
Mr Zimmer said the figures not only indicated more people were coming into the CBD but that more were looking to park for longer periods without having to plan their stay based on two or three-hour metered parking.
"If parking in off-street parking, you have to pre-plan how long you want to stay," he said.
The multi-story car park provided a much “more relaxed parking experience”, he said.
He said while the Hargreaves Street car park took 10 years to reach the utilisation levels it had now, he wasn’t expecting the Edward St car park to take as long.
“This car park, at 68 per cent, we’re quite happy with that," he said.
"Our early prediction this year is 70 per cent, we think that’s pretty achievable."


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The U.S. is tightening restrictions on travel to Cuba and business with the country, due to take effect Thursday.
The Treasury, Commerce, and State Departments say the rules are aimed at steering business away from the Cuban military, intelligence, and security services and to the Cuban private sector. A senior administration official says the new restrictions "have nothing to do" withover the past year.
The U.S. will prohibit Americans from doing business with dozens of Cuban government-run hotels, shops, tour groups and other entities identified by the State Department.
"I think overall it's certainly a step backwards," said Collin Laverty, president of Cuba Educational Travel. "It's bad for U.S. companies. It's bad for U.S. travelers."
The rules will make it harder for Americans to travel independently to Cuba, by requiring them to use authorized "people-to-people" tour companies instead.
Cuba trade and travel industry experts worry the rules will scare off businesses and tourists daunted by complex regulations.
"It sends a message that this is more complicated and more scary," Laverty said.
Tourism to Cuba increased after former President Obama restored diplomatic ties with the country and eased travel restrictions in 2015.
The Brookings Institution estimated "the number of foreign visitors could rise from 3.5 million in 2015 to over 10 million in 2030."
But the new restrictions could further reduce the number of U.S. travelers to Cuba—a travel warning issued by the State Department Sep. 29, following the attacks on U.S. embassy workers,
"The greatest increase during the last two years has been with individuals traveling to Cuba," said John Kavulich, president of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "The entities that are going to suffer the most, with respect to the change, will be U.S. Airlines. The entities that will gain the most will be cruise lines, because they are experts are dealing with groups and moving groups. And they have included Cuba on itineraries that aren't just Cuba-specific, so they're able to navigate a lot of these changes."


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The Royal Bank of Scotland is to close 23 of its 31 branches in India after an agreement to sell its Indian retail and commercial banking assets to HSBC fell through.
Branches in Agra, Jodhpur, Jalandhar, Kolhapur, Mangalore, Shastri Park and Udaipur are among the first to be closed.
The hubs to remain open are in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Vadodara.
This decision is expected to result in job losses. RBS employ around 500 people currently in India.
The branch consolidation is expected to be completed by December.
In July 2010 the planned sale of RBS’s Indian retail and commercial business to HSBC fell through after it failed to get approval from the Reserve Bank of India.
HSBC buys RBS’s Indian retail and commercial division
RBS to spend £175m on Scots retail banking


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said Friday it has completed the transfer of its majority stake in the Chrysler Group to a subsidiary of Cerberus Capital Management L.
on Friday because the French government could not agree with Lagardere SCA and DaimlerChrysler AG
over how to finance the program, the two people said.
said Wednesday that other German automakers are likely to end up using the name of its Bluetec clean diesel technology in the United States.
and General Motors Corporation recently announced they plan to work together to develop a two-mode full hybrid propulsion architecture for applications in GM, Chrysler Group and Mercedes Car Group vehicles.
Bloomberg news service recently reported that DaimlerChrysler AG
delivered a Mercedes-Benz F-Cell fuel cell vehicle (FCV) to German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder earlier this month for use by the German Chancellery.
On April 1, Chrysler, a unit of DaimlerChrysler AG
, reported that it was reviewing two advertising agencies--Don Coleman Advertising and Montemayor y Asociados of San Antonio, Texas--to help the automaker "address the urban marketplace as effectively as possible.
agreed to take full control of two joint ventures it created with DaimlerChrysler AG
and Ford Motor Co.
The German automaker sold 22,800 C-Class models worldwide in January of this year, a 106% increase over the same period last year, according to Stephan Ori, spokesman for DaimlerChrysler AG
The automobile giant DaimlerChrysler AG
has informed the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors (MMC), in which it already holds a 34% stake, that it plans to acquire the 3.
has signed a multi-year, $250 million agreement to supply medium-duty truck transmission components to DaimlerChrysler AG
initially turned down an offer General Motors Corp.
With the delivery of these vehicles, which will drive in regular operation, we are making a statement in Germany -- the technology has now outgrown the research stage once and for all," said DaimlerChrysler AG
board of management member with responsibility for research and technology and the development of the Mercedes Car Group Thomas Weber.


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The European Parliament recently passed the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you don’t know what this is yet, then you should, as it is one of the most important legal changes of the 21st century.
The GDPR basically brings data protection legislation up to date and in line with current technologies. And it puts the onus squarely on companies and organisations that hold personal and sensitive data to be fully responsible for protecting that data. And with less than two years before the new EU rules come into force, it’s absolutely vital that companies know what this means for their business.
The topline news is that the 25th May 2018 is already being referred to as the “D-Day for security” with the latest EU data protection rules specifically designed to protect European citizens’ personal data in our digital, always-on age of smartphones, social media and remote working. Even though the UK voted to leave the EU, some UK businesses need to be aware they are still on the same timeline for the upcoming GDPR, regardless. UK organisations that are dealing with the data of EU customers and companies will have to ensure that they’re fully complaint with the regulation or face fines as a result.
It’s taken over four years for this extensive and complete re-haul of the incumbent EU data protection directive, which was originally put into place way back in 1995. A time when many of us old enough to have been of working age still didn’t have email addresses and mobile phones, let alone Twitter handles, smartphones and access to 24/7 always-on internet banking!
A new era of data security and protection
We live in a completely different era than we did twenty-one years ago, particularly when it comes to data security and protection. Back in 1995, data breaches and identity theft were not widespread, mainstream problems. And many of us still did our banking face to face, often being on first name terms with our local or business bank managers.
It’s easy to see, put in that context, why so many look back on the pre-web, pre-mobile era with rose-tinted nostalgia spectacles. We didn’t have to worry about data theft, hackers, cybercriminals or even need to remember countless different passwords for our various online social, email, bank and other accounts and services.
There is a reason why companies hold so much data on us, in terms of financial data and records of our consumer behaviour and lifestyle habits. It’s so those same companies are able to deliver better products and services targeted to our individual wants and needs. We share our personal data because it benefits us. And there is a trade-off between the amount of personal data we are willing to share with a company and the quality and convenience of service we expect from them in return.
It is also why the colossal amount of data collected, stored and accessed by businesses and organisations is incredibly valuable and, should it be hacked and get into the wrong hands, can (potentially) be extremely distressing for consumers and citizens.
Security can no longer be an afterthought
We will take a closer look at the main aspects of the new EU regulation that businesses, organisations and institutions need to be immediately aware of below. Firstly though, the most important thing to know is that all companies will now have to notify both authorities and affected individuals when a data breach occurs, meaning that companies who previously ignored or just swept these breaches under the carpet will no longer be able to do so.
At this point, it should also be stressed that the GDPR has been specifically designed to benefit European citizens and businesses alike. Businesses just need to be aware that there are very high penalties for any organisations that don’t comply with the new security regulation. This means that data security can no longer be an afterthought, because if a major hack or data breach occurs, then it could well hit your bottom line hard.
If your company is hacked and deemed to not have implemented sufficient compliance measures - such as end-to-end security process reviews and putting the correct data protection measures in place - the proposed fines are going to be harsh. The regulation recommends up to four per cent of your annual worldwide turnover or €20 million, whichever is greater. The necessary changes that business must make to avoid being hit with such penalties may well feel like a big change. And, for those that haven’t yet properly implemented proper end-to-end security and data encryption measures, it most likely will be a big change. But the important thing for businesses to understand is that the regulation has also been devised to benefit them in the longer term, as they will no longer have to deal with different regulations from each of the 28 member states.
Security and data protection must now be seen as a high priority for all European businesses. The facts speak for themselves. According to the Breach Level Index over 700 million data records were compromised last year as the result of 1,650 data breaches, so the new EU Data Protection Regulation is clearly a significant step forward in protecting European citizens, as well as giving them far more control over their personal data.
Many in the business community still have their heads in the sand when it comes to learning about and understanding the data privacy and data protection laws that apply to their companies. This ignorance will be far from bliss for those folk, if they don’t wise up very quickly and accept that GDPR is going to affect almost every area of their enterprises. Two-stage authentication, proper data encryption, intelligent encryption key management, all of these techniques and security technologies are essential for compliance with the GDPR. And these are not things you can start to think about next year, because the clock is ticking!
The countdown begins now. Businesses need to get their data security strategies in order or face the prospect of a major data breach and the huge commercial penalties that the GDPR is soon to introduce. Not to mention the immense loss of consumer trust in your brand.
You have less than two years to future-proof your data privacy processes. Be warned!
Jason Hart, CTO, Data Protection at Gemalto (opens in new tab)
Image source: Shutterstock/Sergey Nivens


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In the last few years, India has emerged as a global leader in the financial technology (fintech) sector. The country has the highest fintech adoption rate in the world and it is the second-highest funded sector (by new class investors) after e-commerce in the country. India has the world’s third-largest fintech startup ecosystem globally with billions of dollars flowing every year and new businesses being launched every month.
As per the Invest India website on the sectoral outlook, “Digital payments value of $65 bn in 2019 is expected to grow at a CAGR of 20% till 2023.
The overall transaction value in the Indian FinTech market is estimated to jump from approximately $65 bn in 2019 to $140 bn in 2023. India has overtaken China as Asia’s top FinTech funding target market with investments of around $286 mn across 29 deals, as compared to China’s $192.1 mn across 29 deals in Q1 2019.
The sector is growing at a rate of more than 20 per cent with different lending, payments services, investing services, and wealth management apps being launched every month over the internet.
One of the reasons behind the exponential growth of the fintech sector is the low penetration of banking and financial sector services in India through traditional methods. Given low levels of urbanization and low income, more than half of India’s population was away from banking services – lending to payments.
Moreover, the frustratingly inefficient public sector banks which torture their customers to get simple things done are also responsible for the adoption of fintech in the country.
Now the sector is growing at a breakneck pace with everyone having bank accounts and payment cards under Jan-Dhan Yojna, digital payments services through UPI, and with account aggregators, lending will also be democratized in the next few years.
With apps like Zerodha, retail investing in the stock market is also getting democratized and now the Sensex and Nifty are driven by sentiments of domestic investors, not FIIs and DIIs.
For decades, Mumbai has been the hub for the Banking and Finance Industry (BFSI) of India. Be it the Reserve Bank of India, or most of the top public or private sector banks of the country, or even the stock market (Bombay stock exchange and National Stock Exchange of India), almost every company related to business and finance has its head office in Mumbai.
However, with the rise of financial technology, the trend is changing and Bangalore has become a favourable choice for most FinTech companies.
Zerodha – the largest stockbroker in the country, is based in Bangalore. Even the largest payments companies like the Flipkart owned PhonePe also have their head offices in Bangalore and numerous insurance and credit companies are also either based in Bangalore or Gurugram.
The revenue of the financial technology companies has grown exponentially given the easy scaling that is prevalent across the internet-based industries. The rise of financial technology means that Mumbai is all set to lose the banking and financial services industry worth billions of dollars to Bengaluru. In the next couple of decades, Mumbai would no longer be the financial capital of India. With the rise of cryptocurrency and government-issued digital currencies, even the role of the Reserve Bank of India is in danger.
The innovative startup ecosystem of Bangalore is well-known and it also has world-class human resources, so most of the FinTech players have either set up offices in the city or have emerged from here. CM Grover, MD&CEO, IBSFinTech, said, “It’s the Silicon Valley of the Country- which gives a lot of resources, environment, infrastructure for the technology, because you get good and quality resources here. You not only get local but global resources here.”
Now the Silicon Valley of India is getting international FinTech businesses too. Many London based industries are also outsourcing a lot of business to the city. In the next few decades, Bangalore is expected to gulp the businesses of not just the Indian BFSI industry but also of Europe and the United States.


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A report by 9To5Mac claims that Apple is going to introduce the long-awaited iPhone 9 as the 2020 iPhone SE soon. Citing a source, the publication lists the alleged specifications, design details, and color options for the phone. It also speculates that Apple might start taking pre-orders as soon as tomorrow.
Earlier rumors dubbed the phone iPhone SE 2, which later became iPhone 9, but if this new tip is to be believed, Apple has titled this entry-level iPhone, ‘iPhone SE 2020’. The original iPhone SE was simply an iPhone 5s with the processor and camera borrowed from iPhone 6s. The sequel SE model follows the same pattern. The build here is carried over from iPhone 8, and it runs on the A13 chipset – the SoC that powers the latest iPhone 11 series.
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iPhone Prices in Pakistan
Apple has combined the next-gen platform with 64GB, 128GB, 256GB storage options, and as per the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 2020 iPhone SE will start from $399. Note that Apple has lopped off the 3D touch feature which should translate into better battery life. And while the hardware is in line with what you’d expect from a 2020 mid-ranger, the same can’t be said about its design.
Since Apple is repurposing a bezel-heavy design from two generations ago, you’re looking at a small screen-to-body ratio, a tiny screen, and a single camera on the back and front at affordable iPhone prices. And because bezel-less phones weren’t popular in 2017, Apple is also bringing back the front-facing home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Finally, the glass back will come in white, black, and red shades.
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Apple iPhone SE 2020 Price in Pakistan & Specs
The source also mentions the five cases Apple is launching with the device, namely, Black Silicone, White Silicone, Red Leather, Black Leather, and Midnight Blue Leather. We doubt the phone’s look will turn heads, but Apple is attempting to make up for that deficit with high-end hardware. Do you think the 2020 iPhone SE feels out-of-place in 2020?


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Source: English.news.cn Updated:2013-8-28
Earlier this month, "Perfect China" - a Chinese wine company based in Yangzhou - made the country’s first ever investment in South Africa’s wine industry. It bought a wine cellar as well as large vineyards located near Cape Town.
The investment was warmly greeted and is also expected to bear fruit in the trade between the two countries. Yin Yue explains on whether there will be enough wine to go round.
They say "In wine there is truth." But there are also opportunities.
The Chinese company, "Perfect China" bought the "Val de Vie" wine estate close to Cape Town, including its wine cellar and a 25-hectare wine farm for an undisclosed price.
Perfect Wines of South Africa, in which Perfect China has a 51% stake, will be relying on this acquisition to boost the current cellar facilities and increase the maturation capacity.
"This is a perfect investment we need more this helps to create more jobs." Hein Koegelenberg, CEO of LA Motte Wine Estate said.
Over the past years, South Africa has witnessed a drop in its wine exports, especially to the UK and the US. However, wine exports to China have expanded 6-fold due to rising demand for the beverage in the world’s second-biggest economy.
The trade seems to be mutually beneficial. But not everyone shares this opinion. There are worries that such kind of investments might threaten the local economic development.
"I think that does'nt make any sense & We need FDI." Don Ross, Dean of Commerce of University of Cape Town said.
Clinks of glasses mean success in business. It’s widely believed that South Africa needs more deals like this one, which will not only help to develop local economy, but also give South Africa more reasons to toast on the world stage of wine.


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Sure, it has a quirky name, but since 1997, the New York-based digital agency has developed a knack for hard-core programming most of its hipster colleagues can’t match. This past year, when Ford turned to the 52-person shop for its new Mustang Web site, Firstborn created a complex application breaking down the different layers of a 3-D model, leading to a first-of-its-kind customizer that allows consumers to render a car in 16 million color options. “It’s the difference between buying a bespoke shirt and the Armani one off the rack,” says SVP and former Flash developer Dan LaCivita. And once new tools are created, like a 3-D face-mapping application for photos, Firstborn unleashes them into the programming world as open source. “All the construction companies in America use the same types of cranes,” says LaCivita of his agency’s impulse to share–even with foes. “It’s the application of those tools that makes the difference.” It certainly does: Firstborn is now the digital brain stem for Aflac, IBM, JetBlue, Kodak, M&M’s, SoBe, and Wrigley, and revenue grew 13% in 2009.FCS
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At the start of December 2020, rumours swirled about the future of Xiami, one of the established music streaming services in China. Local reports suggested that its owner, tech giant Alibaba, […]
Rumours swirl in China about future of Alibaba’s Xiami
Xiami is the Chinese music streaming service owned by tech firm Alibaba. It’s well established, but lacks the profile of Tencent Music’s three services (QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo) or NetEase Cloud Music.
Now Chinese social media is abuzz with the rumour that Xiami may be closing down at the start of 2021. It started with a post on Weibo purportedly by music executive Xiang Zheng, with follow-on reports that “Xiami’s marketing directors are meeting in Beijing to discuss the closure and an announcement will be made after they head back to Hangzhou, where Xiami’s head office is located”.
No official comment has been made at the time of writing though. One reason that the story has gone viral in China is that Alibaba bought a minority stake (but still valued in the hundreds of millions) in NetEase Cloud Music in September 2019, raising questions about its commitment to Xiami.
BMG inks distribution deal with Chinese firm Alibaba
We’ve written about plenty of Chinese distribution deals for labels down the years, but not much for publishers. That’s why BMG’s announcement yesterday of a deal with Alibaba is so […]
China focus: WMG expands but Taylor Swift blocks free streams
China has long been one of the most fascinating yet problematic markets for recorded music, certainly from the perspective of western labels and artists.
Potentially huge audiences, and plenty of innovation around technology and digital business models, but also the perception of a widespread, deeply-ingrained culture of piracy. But as time has gone on, the prospect of turning the latter around has encouraged a growing number of companies – local and international alike – to put more energy into China.
Alibaba’s Taobao site to add Xiami streaming music
Earlier this year, Chinese internet giant Alibaba announced that it had acquired streaming music service Xiami.
Now the first fruits of that deal are emerging: Xiami is being integrated with Alibaba’s hugely-popular online shopping site Taobao. TheNextWeb reports that users will be able to access “My Music” while shopping on Taobao, streaming songs from Xiami.
Alibaba tipped to acquire Chinese music site Xiami
Chinese music site Xiami has seemingly been acquired by online giant Alibaba, according to local reports.


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Consumers Energy is installing a portable battery at its Standish substation that will help meet peak demand during hot summer weather. The company says it will help increase electricity reliability for residents in the Standish area. The battery will be built and located on property about 300 feet west of the company’s existing substation at 408 Washington St. in Standish.
“Consumers Energy is committed to providing safe, reliable, affordable electric service to our customers across the state,” said Tim Sparks, vice president of electric grid integration. “This project is the next step in Consumers Energy exploring new technology to creatively meet the needs of our customers. We identified the need to enhance reliability for our customers in the Standish area and found an innovative way to provide a positive impact by installing a transportable battery. This battery will help the 2,300 electric customers served by our Standish substation until we rebuild this station in a few years.”
In the future, a new substation will be built adjacent to the battery to accommodate future area growth. The battery will then be moved to serve customers in another location. Consumers purchased the battery from Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. and will install it by the end of April. Testing and commissioning of the battery will take place from April through May, and it will be operational in June. Consumers Energy worked with the City of Standish to purchase land and receive approval to locate the battery at the site.
“The City of Standish is thrilled to have the Consumers Energy Battery Park project in our community. The innovative plan is exciting, and we are happy to have it happening here,” said Brad Mason, Standish city manager. “Consumers Energy is a great corporate partner in our community, and we look forward to working with them in the future to meet the needs of our residents.”
Consumers Energy is already using batteries in two other areas of the state — Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo — but this is the first transportable battery to be installed. The benefit of a transportable battery is that it can be moved to other locations when electric reliability needs call for it until/when substation upgrades can be completed.


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Online sales continue to grow as a proportion of total retail sales, but omni-channel retailing is driving a modest bricks-and-mortar revival.
For generations of consumers, the basics of retail remained unchanged: if you needed something, you had to go to the store – there were no two ways about it.
But the rise of online shopping has changed everything and having a significant web presence has become an absolute must for small businesses.
Starved of time and keen to get the best possible deal, consumers now make purchases online and on the go, comparing prices across dozens of stores with ease.
Last year, online sales accounted for more than a third of all US retail sales, according to the US Commerce Department. Total sales reached $341.7 billion, a 14.6% increase on 2014 ($298.3 billion).
Online sales have been held responsible for the death of the great American shopping mall and the rise of internet shopping haunts many main-street retailers.
For a while the unstoppable rise of online shopping seemed to spell doom for the physical store. However, a modest bricks-and-mortar resurgence, driven by ‘omni-channel’ strategies like ‘showrooming’ that give customers the benefits of both worlds, has given Main Street renewed hope.
Long-tail SEO terms
An active social media presence can level the playing field for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Competition is fierce as big-box retailers also sell online of course – but small stores can carve out a niche on Google by targeting long-tail SEO terms. The internet also gives them access to demographic groups that their main street store isn’t usually exposed to – they can sell to customers nationwide or even internationally, not just in their neighborhood.
Small businesses are increasingly exploiting the rise of ‘omni-channel’ retailing – providing a seamless shopping experience whether the customer shops online, by telephone or in a bricks-and-mortar store – so customers can order from the comfort of their home and pick up their purchase in-store or have it delivered to their doorstep.
Small businesses without an online presence or that sell fairly generic products can feel under siege from online giants like Amazon and eBay if they sell the same products at a much cheaper price.
The sad reality is that traditional bricks-and-mortar outlets that continue to sell the same products, at a higher price, with little attempt to market themselves online or diversify their offering may eventually die out as consumers prioritize price and convenience.
So what else can small businesses do?
Firstly, get online. Businesses that don’t have the time, money or expertise to set up their own website can set up an online shop on platforms like Etsy, which do charge fees, but it’s still a lot simpler than setting up your own site.
There’s no excuse for not having a social media presence as it costs you nothing and requires no technical skill – especially when social media now drives 31% of all referral traffic. Develop a social media strategy to connect with potential customers.
Take an omni-channel approach by collecting customer emails in store, adding them to a mailing list and sending out an email newsletter with news and offers.
Give people a reason to come to your store. If Amazon is also selling your product, then what can you do to persuade them to hop in their cars and drive to your store rather than buying online?
Even if your product is cheaper, people will often pay extra for convenience – so incentives like loyalty cards, prize draws or donating part of the price to a worthy local cause can help.
Competing with businesses that operate solely online, when you have a physical store, is a difficult task. The playing field will never be entirely level, due to the additional costs of maintaining premises (electricity, rent, staff etc).
And yet a 2015 study found that 85% of consumers still prefer to shop at physical stores. The survey of 1,000 consumers by TimeTrade also found that 90% of consumers are more likely to buy when helped by knowledgeable staff – so helpful, expert, in-store assistance can go a long way to attracting customers and securing sales.
So there is scope to buy a retailer and not only stay afloat, but thrive. Provide an omni-channel experience, invest time in your social media presence and provide good old-fashioned expert advice in-store, and you really can compete with the e-commerce giants.


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A Microsoft developer evangelist has corrected his earlier comments that all current Windows Phone 7 phones, including Nokia's new Lumia 900, will be upgraded to the next major version of the operating system, Windows Phone 8, dubbed Apollo.
The evangelist, Nuno Silva, said in a blog Thursday that what he meant to say to Portuguese Website Zwame was "simply that existing Windows Phone applications will run on the next version of Windows Phone ... the same guidance that Microsoft shared late last year."
In the earlier video interview, posted on Zwame on Tuesday, Silva said (in an English translation of his comments) that all existing Windows Phones "will get upgraded to the next major version of Windows Phone ..." The comments on Zwame were captured by the website The Verge, but his video interview appears to have been removed from Zwame's site.
In his blog, Silva said he had "mistakenly confused app compatibility with phone updateability, which caused the rumors we saw yesterday."
Silva's blog leaves the question unanswered of whether the new Nokia Lumia 900 will be upgraded to Apollo, which has caused some concern for Lumia 900 buyers and others.
"What's the point of buying a ... Lumia if it won't receive a single major update after its release?" wrote Bilal Akhtar in a comment on a post from Computerworld blogger Preston Gralla.
One AT&T store representative said he is telling customers that the Lumia 900 "might, or might not, get the next upgrade, which is all the information we're getting."
Officials at both Microsoft and Nokia said they have nothing to share about future releases of Windows Phone, although a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed that "all apps in our marketplace today will run on the next version of Windows Phone."
A Nokia spokesman added: "Since Microsoft hasn't actually officially announced a new mobile OS beyond the current Windows Phone 7.5, it would be premature for us to speculate on what the features or requirements for any future iterations might be."
Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, said Nokia and Microsoft must be working together on future versions of the Windows Phone OS. Many factors could determine whether the Lumia 900 and other devices are upgraded to a new OS, he noted, including whether the hardware, such as a dual-core processor, is needed for the next OS. The Lumia 900 has a single-core processor.
If the new OS comes to market at the end of this year or later, it won't matter much to some Lumia 900 buyers today if there's no upgrade path, Gold said. "The other issue is, how many users will actually care?" he asked. "We sometimes get caught up in the tech talk, but a lot of users may not care or notice that they don't have the latest OS version powering their phones. How many Android users return their phones when they find out a new version won't make it to their device?"
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is email@example.com.
Read more about mobile oses in Computerworld's Mobile OSes Topic Center.


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Its the coolest mobile gadget pitted against the open mobile software stack with unprecedented possibilities. The iPhone was a major contributor to Apple’s 36% growth for the second quarter results. Google’s Android is the search giants major foray into the mobile applications platform space backed by the Open Handset Alliance of component manufactures and carriers including Intel, Samsung, Nvidia and Qualcomm. Both Apple and Google are vouching for third party software development to make their business model a success.
An excerpt from Fonearena:
The guys at Google were sounding pretty confident at the recently held Emerging Communications Conference in Silicon Valley, and they were saying that Android is not afraid of Apple iPhone platform and will easily outsell the later, that is some confidence Google guys are showing I must say. For the uninformed the Android SDK was downloaded over 750,000 times, Apple are you reading this, if yes, then please respond to these guys at Google.
The battle for mobile platform dominance is also the battle between constrained and open architectures. Apple is known for its control over hardware and software technologies. Google espouses the advantages of openness. Apple has the advantage that the iPhone is a pinnacle of innovation and its software is highly intuitive. Google is yet to see the results of spreading a software stacks across a multitude of devices. There are the advantages of greater reach but then the question of varied user experience across devices.
Apple had to loosen some of its control on the iPhone SDK when it saw what a phenomenal market the whole third party application development was growing into. Through a business model similar to iTunes, users will be able to buy software via the AppStore.
Here’s a technology chart comparing the iPhone SDK with Google’s Android (credit):
Google may certainly have the reach with its Android, but you can be sure that Apple will be looking to gain from having the most innovative mobile hardware platform. Moves such as the acquisition of P.A. Semi are targeted towards reducing the dependence on component manufacturers. Google may claim that it will trump Apple but the fact remains that iPhone has proven itself already while Android will be out only later this year.
And while the battle is on, lets not forget Microsoft, which owns a healthy stake in the mobile OS market. Redmond is not going to sit and watch the show from the fence. The recent acquisition of Danger is a case in point. It is to be noted that Andy Rubins, the Director of Mobile Platforms at Google and leading the Android effort was one of the founders of Danger.
The question comes down to which SDK model provides the best returns for third party developers. Google would have the reach while Apple has an established business model and a slick device. Surely the mobile market is large enough to accommodate both.


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The Michigan sentiment survey’s current conditions index, which takes stock of Americans’ view of their personal finances, fell to a five-month low in September. The measure of expectations six months from now plunged to the lowest level since January.
Fed officials begin a two-day meeting on Sept. 17 and will consider when to begin scaling back $85 billion in monthly bond purchases intended to spur employment and the economy.
Companies created 169,000 jobs last month, fewer than economists projected, and gains in the previous two months were revised down. Unemployment fell to 7.3%, the lowest since December 2008, as workers left the labor force. August and July were the weakest back-to-back months for payroll gains in a year.
The slower progress in employment has also been accompanied by limited income growth. Disposable income, or money left over after taxes, increased 0.8% in July after adjusting for inflation, according to the Commerce Department. In 2012, it rose 2%.
Fed efforts to hold down borrowing costs have encouraged some Americans to make big-ticket purchases. Today’s retail sales report showed automobile dealer receipts climbed 0.9% after a 0.5% drop the prior month.
Cars and light trucks sold in August at the fastest annualized rate since November 2007, according to data from Ward’s Automotive Group. Sales at General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. all exceeded analysts’ estimates.
Vehicle sales strengthened at the expense of declining demand for other goods. Purchases excluding autos, gasoline and building materials, the figure used to calculate gross domestic product, rose 0.2% after a 0.5% increase in the previous month, the Commerce Department data showed.
At clothing chains, spending fell 0.8%, while general merchandise stores posted a 0.2% decline. Furniture sales rose, reflecting this year’s rebound in the housing market.
Some higher-end retailers, including fashion accessory designer Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. and home furnishings outlet Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc., are reporting strong traffic at their stores.
Restoration Hardware, based in Corte Madera, California, is part of a $143 billion furnishings business that caters to more affluent spenders. The company is planning a series of design centers to showcase its furnishings, fixtures and textiles, said Carlos Alberini, co-chief executive officer.
“In many cases we are bringing new customers in, but also we are seeing that our existing customers are buying more of what we are offering,” Alberini said at a Sept. 11 conference. “In all these cases, there is pent-up demand in our customer base for these type of products that we are about to offer.”
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Consumers don’t trust companies when it comes to sustainability…And here’s what to do about it.
If you’ve been following our conversations around sustainability in the last few months (or years, really), you’ve heard us talk at length about the importance of transparency and authenticity. But when our latest research revealed that roughly half of consumers (51%) think that companies are not necessarily transparent about what they are doing for the climate, something clearly isn’t working.
Our recently published study, Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal, offers a comprehensive consumer perspective on key issues, motivations and tensions associated with the evolution of sustainability in the US. One of the biggest takeaways? Being transparent may no longer be enough.
Of over 2,000 respondents in the study, fewer than 1 in 10 said they trust companies as an accurate source of information on sustainability. This indicates a real need for companies to pivot their communication practices and strategies. While being transparent can help consumers verify attributes that matter to them (like product quality, ethical sourcing or reduced environmental impact), it’s not enough to establish long-term trust.
So, how can food and beverage companies go about building trust?
First and foremost, relevancy is critical. How do your sustainability practices relate to your company’s DNA? Our CEO, Laurie, explained it well in a recent podcast episode: if you are a small, “dyed-in-the-wool” organic company, focusing on regenerative agriculture and crop rotation makes sense to your target consumer. But if you are a large corporation, providing safe working conditions and equitable wages or farming in harmony with nature will offer a more authentic impact.
Further, consider how it looks to consumers if you’re touting carbon emissions reductions in your marketing campaigns, while also turning a blind eye to your organization’s subpar labor practices behind the scenes. Today’s consumer is smart and resourceful —they are getting better at seeing through marketing speak, which is why greenwashing has become such a prevalent concern.
Ultimately, the key to building consumer trust is taking a holistic approach. No, we aren’t saying you need to be perfect or “fix” everything all at once — that’s not realistic for anyone. Showing the public what changes you have made that are relevant to your company’s category, size and position in the marketplace, while also acknowledging areas that need improvement and your plans to resolve those, can be a big step in the right direction.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: sustainability is not a fad. In 2023 and beyond, food and beverage companies need a comprehensive, consumer-oriented strategy to avoid missteps and remain relevant. There’s a lot of data out there, but Sustainability 2023: Making Things Personal helps you make sense of it all. Most importantly, it applies those insights directly to your business.
Connect with our team to learn more about the study and uncover answers to your burning questions today.


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NEW DELHI: A report by NITI Aayog has said that India can save up to Rs 1.2 lakh crore in foreign exchange towards the oil imports every year by implementing a policy regime to promote electric two-wheelers. India can earn a lot of profit by converting its internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles as soon as possible, the report titled ‘Zero Emission Vehicles: Towards a Policy Framework’ from NITI Aayog has suggested.
As per the report presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Global Mobility Summit ‘MOVE’, there are more than 170 million two-wheelers in India. In additional to that if each of these vehicles consumes about half a liter of petrol per day, the total amount of petrol used by such vehicles will be about 34 billion liters.
In the next five to seven years there is a real possibility of getting this done as stated in the report. It further noted that “This would, however, require innovations, a policy regime that encourages access to latest technologies and a concerted effort by the Indian industry to achieve global competition through acquiring the necessary scale and using cutting-edge technology,”


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Financial inclusion or inclusive financing is the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low-income segments of society, in contrast to financial exclusion where those services are not available or affordable. An estimated 2 billion working-age adults globally have no access to the types of formal financial services delivered by regulated financial institutions. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa only 24% of adults have a bank account even though Africa's formal financial sector has grown in recent years. It is argued that as banking services are in the nature of public good; the availability of banking and payment services to the entire population without discrimination is the prime objective of financial inclusion public.
The term "financial inclusion" has gained importance since the early 2000s, a result of findings about financial exclusion and its direct correlation to poverty. The United Nations defines the goals of financial inclusion as follows:
23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oportun Financial Corporation (NASDAQ... "As a successful public company and CDFI, we are in a position to multiply our impact by making more low-interest loans available, through OFN, to other CDFIs who share our mission of financial inclusion and are in a position to help consumers we do not currently serve.".
Subbarao, who personally championed RBI’s grassroot efforts for financial inclusion and financial literacy during his time as governor, argued that financial inclusion is much more than payments and it is doubtful that a CBDC will even be a betterment on existing payments options. “CBDC will have limited leverage in financial inclusion,” he said.
RipplePartnering in Financial Inclusion and Sustainability. Financial inclusion is one of the most popular promises of blockchain and cryptocurrencies ... “The RMA believes that easier, faster, and more affordable payments, both domestically and internationally, will help it reach its goal of increasing financial inclusion by 85% by 2023.
Doing so will expand financial inclusion for the country’s citizens, while it will also extend its commitment to sustainability as the world’s only carbon-negative country at this time. Bhutan aims to boost financial inclusion.
Cooperatives in India are pivotal institutions for fostering inclusive growth in rural areas ... The synergy between value chain infrastructure and PACS would improve growth and create economic opportunities, enhance options for the farmer, and promote financial inclusion ... Digital inclusion.
Doing so will help accelerate its mission to increase financial inclusion in Bhutan to 85% by 2023 ... “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the RMA on its CBDC agenda and foster our shared values in creating a more sustainable, accessible, and financially inclusive reality,” said James Wallis, VP of Central Bank Engagements at Ripple.
"As we recover (from the pandemic), we must deal with the legacies of the crisis and create conditions for strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth ... Emphasising that a dynamic and resilient financial system is at the root of a stronger economy, he said India's financial system has transformed rapidly to support the growing needs of the economy.
Doing so will help accelerate its mission to increase financial inclusion in Bhutan to 85% by 2023 ... “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the RMA on its CBDC agenda and foster our shared values in creating a more sustainable, accessible, and financially inclusive reality.
The move also aims to introduce digital payments to improve efficiency and convenience as well as accelerate financial inclusion in Bhutan to 85% by 2023 ... “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the RMA on its CBDC agenda and foster our shared values in creating a more sustainable, accessible, and financially inclusive reality.
He said, ”Aviation is a key driver of any economy and we understand the role that the banks and financial institutions play not only in our own industry, the aviation industry; In terms of accessibility and financial inclusion, but towards achieving a faster economic ...
However, it will redefine global policy co-ordination to enable a more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable world to emerge,” he said. President Akufo-Addo insisted that key multilateral organisations and international financial institutions such as the United Nations and the Bretton Woods Institutions must be repositioned to reflect inclusiveness.
At the same time, GoodDollar fosters financial education and introduces recipients to the benefits of crypto ... both financial and social ... “The GoodDollar project aims to alleviate that by fostering financial inclusion and empowerment around the world ... is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive financial education and inclusion.
According to the partnership, the central bank will use Ripple’s CBDC solution to enhance financial inclusion and sustainability ... “The RMA believes that easier, faster, and more affordable payments, both domestically and internationally, will help it reach its goal of increasing financial inclusion by 85% by 2023 ... ....
BEIJING (AP) — China’s central bank will soon have access to private credit information of hundreds of millions of users of Ant Group’s online credit service, in a move signaling more regulatory oversight of the financial technology sector ... financial credit information database.


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Nokia’s new maps application “Here” for iOS is available today in the App Store. SiliconANGLE News Desk Editor Kristen Nicole gave a brief review on it, saying that it’s reminiscent of Nokia’s old Symbian operating system, which is good news for the vintage Nokia audience. The navigation system includes step by step driving and walking directions; however, she was unable to get the audio voice navigation to work for driving directions. Aside from that, she said it was easy to use with a search feature, a social component, and a live traffic view.
Microsoft’s Surface tablet has gotten a free advertising boost, compliments of Oprah. The celeb has touted the Surface in a recent tweet which said, “Gotta say love that SURFACE! Have bought 12 already for Christmas gifts. #Favorite Things.” However, it was noticed that her tweet was received from the Twitter application for iPad, drawing plenty of criticism. Kristen Nicole did not think there was anything to read into this. She stated, “A lot of people use a lot of different devices these days. It’s the era in which we live.”
In other Microsoft news, the Windows 8 launch has not met internal expectations at all. Kristen Nicole speculated why PC makers are being blamed for the slow sales of Windows 8. She said, “It’s one of those deals where you have a hardware component and a software component, and if you’re not in control of both of those factors, it’s easy to play the blame game.”
Kristen Nicole discussed other factors that could be contributing to the on-going Windows 8 debacle, including the fragmentation between the hardware availability and the software, a low level of demand, and the learning curve that comes with Windows 8. See the entire segment with Kristin Feledy and Kristen Nicole on the Morning NewsDesk Show.


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NEW YORK — Consumer confidence slipped in February, although it was still better than anticipated and higher than a year ago.
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index stands at 104, down from 105.1 last month. The consensus among economists was for the Index to reach 103. In addition, January’s Index was revised higher to 105.1 from 103.4.
More troublesome is the Expectations Index, the component of the Consumer Confidence Index that measures consumers’ sentiments about the future. Expectations fell to 95.7 from 100.4 last month.
However, consumers on the whole were fairly confident about current economic conditions. The Present Situation component of the index jumped to 116.4 from 112.1.
“Although expectations cooled this month, consumers are more optimistic today than they were a year ago,” Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center, said in a statement. “Just as important, consumer confidence about current economic conditions, including the labor market, continues to gather momentum. Despite recent fluctuations, both present and future indicators point toward continued expansion in the months ahead.”
Consumer confidence is a closely watched indicator about the health of the economy. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of the nation’s economic activity.
Consumers who said business conditions are “good” declined to 24.9 percent from 26.1 percent, while those who reported that conditions are “bad” fell to 15.6 percent from 18.1 percent. The employment picture also showed signs of strength. Those who said jobs are “hard to get” fell to 22.6 percent from 24.3 percent, while those surveyed who said jobs are “plentiful” remained essentially unchanged at 20.9 percent from 21 percent last month.
Economist Maury N. Harris at UBS noted in a research report on Tuesday that “consumers’ perceptions of the labor market still have not yet reflected the actual improvement in the unemployment rate that began in 2003. We expect the labor market to remain healthy in 2005. Most immediately, we are looking for a rise of 225,000 in payrolls in February, with the unemployment rate ticking up slightly to 5.3 percent after a 0.2 point drop in January.”
@margotrobbie steps out onto the red carpet wearing @miumiu. The actress is nominated for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role” in “I, Tonya” at the #SagAwards. (📷: Stewart Cook) #wwdfashion
For @massimogiorgetti of @msgm, the Nineties are his favorite decade. “They had a huge impact on my personal growth. What I like of the Nineties is that they are not so precise in terms of style as other decades…there was actually a bit of everything,” he said. As seen on MSGM’s Spring 2018 show: tie-dye and a bit of grunge, two styles that are synonymous with the decade #wwdfashion #wwddecades (📷: @kukukuba)
Breaking News: @hedislimane joins @celine as its new artistic, creative and image director. One of fashion’s preeminent image-makers and trendsetters, Slimane is to join the LVMH brand on Feb. 1 and unveil his first fashion proposition for men and women next September during Paris Fashion Week. It marks a major homecoming for Slimane, who cemented his reputation – and influenced men’s tailoring for more than a decade – as the designer of Dior Homme between 2000 and 2007. He went on to reinvent and ignite the house of Yves Saint Laurent, which he rechristened Saint Laurent, between 2012 and 2016 – all the while maintaining a close relationship with the Arnault family, which controls LVMH and Dior. Read the full exclusive story on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdnews #wwdfashion
“Personally I believe the Eighties have been the richest and more vivacious period for international fashion,” Giorgio Armani said when asked what his favorite decade of fashion is. It was a moment of disruption and experimentation and only thinking back to the first years of that decade is always an emotion for me, for what they have meant to me and my work.” The influence is clear in @giorgioarmani spring 2018 collection, pictured here, which was full of bright colors and unexpected prints. Read more about which decades designers loved most on WWD.com #wwdfashion #wwddecades (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
For Lady Gaga’s only Italian show on her “Joanne World Tour,” the singer wore a range of @versace_official outfits. The standout piece: this custom-made bodysuit inspired by the brand’s spring 2018 collection. #wwdfashion (RG: @ladygaga)
@_camillaruth_ is expanding on the wellness-craze concept with @westbourne – a new NYC restaurant that’s both a healthy-minded café as well as a business that gives back to the community. Marcus works with the Robin Hood foundation to give back to The Door, a non-profit providing youth development services, and also hires employees through The Door. Read our full interview with Marcus on giving back through food on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)


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Kobo360, a logistics company, which allows other companies have easy access to a large pool of trucks with real-time tracking at affordable and flexible rates have raised a pre-seed funding of up to $1.2 million. With Kobo360, their drivers conveniently find loads they want, are paid instantly and get reverse goods. They have found an innovative way around company logistics in Nigeria.
Founded by Obi Ozor and Ife Oyedele, Kobo360, which wants to solve the problem in the logistics space, according to TechCrunch, has been accepted into the YCombinator class of 2018. And also raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding round led by Western Technology Investment and Nigeria’s Verod Capital Management.
According to reports, the funds raised would be channeled as working capital. It’ll be used to pay drivers online immediately after completing a successful haul which should further increase the trust they have placed in them.
In just 4 months of launch, Kobo360 claimed to have processed orders worth ₦1 billion ($2.8 million), coordinating 5,000 trips a month, has served 324 businesses and moved over 37 million kilograms of cargo since 2017 and has up to 5,480 drivers on its platform. They are sure on course to becoming the largest and most innovative logistics platform in the country.
Targets have been set as the company’s plans to add 20,000 trucks on its platform by the end of the year, and expand to other African countries like Togo, Cote D’ivoire, Ghana and Senegal. A Kobo360 app in Hausa and Pidgin is also on course.


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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined an appeal of a Colorado law that helps the state collect sales taxes on out-of-state internet purchases. The law requires online retailers without a physical location in the state to report customers’ names, addresses and purchase amounts to tax authorities. The authorities then use the information to collect use tax, a sales tax on purchases made outside one’s state of residence that has barely been enforced until now.
The Data and Marketing Association, a retail-industry trade group, argued that the law violates part of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce. Colorado asked the court to deny the appeal, but that if the justices took the case, they should reconsider a 24-year-old precedent limiting the ability of states to collect sales taxes. Under the 1992 Supreme Court decision of Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, retailers without a physical presence in a state can’t be forced to collect sales taxes on purchases. Colorado claimed that the ruling has become outdated due to the rise of online retail sales. States lose $23 billion every year in uncollected sales taxes from web and catalog purchases, according to a 2012 estimate by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Tennessee have all passed laws that require out-of-state sellers to notify their purchasers that use tax may be required on transactions. Colorado has taken it to the next step by forcing sellers to notify tax authorities, a provision that could be duplicated across the country.
Bret Bonnet, president of online distributor Quality Logo Products (asi/302967), says that once every state starts to enact their own laws, the burden to follow each individual law will surely make doing cross-border business time consuming, if not impossible.
“The most annoying part about these laws is that many are retroactive, so we’ve been forced to send letters to customers months after their transaction,” Bonnet told Counselor. “Customers tend to get upset by the contents of the letter and often put the blame on Quality Logo Products instead of their state legislature. Also, some states charge use tax on the supplier total and not the distributor total, so cost-conscious customers can easily reverse engineer the total to figure out the distributor’s actual net cost and profit.”
In 2013, the Senate passed a bill that would have let states tax cross-border purchases, but it stalled in the House due to pressure from anti-tax groups, online retailers and lawmakers from states without sales taxes.


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We asked readers to pepper us with questions about this year’s New York State Fair. I’m still going through more than 100 inquiries. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll track down people who do. (Believe it or not, State Fair officials are busy at this time a year.) I’m trying to answer a few each day leading up to the Fair, which opens Wednesday, Aug. 23, and runs through Labor Day. If there’s something you want to know, send me an email to email@example.com or text me at 315-382-1984.
Geddes, N.Y. — So many questions you sent about the State Fair had to do with food. No surprise. Many of us already know what we’re going to eat and drink before we even arrive at the Fairgrounds. Some of our choices are based on tradition, others come from word of mouth about the newest deep-fried monstrosity. Here are a few:
Q: Is there a possibility Dinosaur BBQ will be coming back?
— A.J. M., among others
A: Well, David and others, this has been one of our the most frequently asked questions. Dinosaur BBQ will not be back this year. Alice Maggiore, a State Fair spokeswoman, said “We’d welcome them back anytime!”
Longtime vendors — past and present — have said they’ve battled staffing shortages and other post-COVID challenges since 2021. Some of these vendors end up skipping the fair altogether so they can keep their staff at their brick-and-mortar restaurants.
Q: Will anyone be selling Gianelli sausage this year?
— Kathleen S.
A: Of course, Kathleen. There is plenty of sausage to go around. Two of my go-tos for Gianelli are Tommy C’s and Jimmy B’s. Santillo’s and Basilio’s serve great sausage too.
Q: Last year, Colossal Onion was not at the fair even though they were on the list of vendors and on the map. Will they return this year? The other onion booths are OK. Nothing compares to Colossal and their amazing sauce.
— David S. and a few others
A: According to the Fair’s most current records, Colossal Onion is not at The Fair this year. You’ll still be able to find plenty of deep-fried onions as well as hundreds of other fun foods. Peruse the food and exhibitor list on the Fair’s website. When the Fair opens next week, the Food Finder app will be live on the Fair’s website too.
Q: Last year the lottery booth was not selling scratch-offs. Will they this year?
— David S. (again)
A: Yes, Dave. The Lottery Booth will be selling scratch-off tickets this year.
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at firstname.lastname@example.org. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.


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my laptop keeps restarting before i can do anything and shows blue screen with message[ DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL(vsdatant.s
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With a Microsoft-mandated deadline a little more than two months away, computer makers are still selling PCs equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Our first glimpse of Windows 9 may be right around the corner, as the new rapid-fire Microsoft scrambles to put the stigma of Windows 8's disastrous launch in the rear view mirror.
Betcha don't know all these nifty tricks and time-saving tips to boost your productivity.
Online test grants LFCS and LFCE certifications.
University and vendor researchers are congregating in San Diego this week at USENIX Security '14 to share the latest findings in security and privacy, and here are 5 that jumped out to me as being particularly interesting.
IT professionals have used virtual hard drives for years in servers and virtual machines, but you can also use VHDs to back up your data.
Apple's iPhone 5C, the lower-priced model introduced last year -- by many accounts to boost sales in countries like China -- has done poorly in the People's Republic.
The German city of Munich, long one of the open-source community's poster children for the institutional adoption of Linux, is close to performing a major about-face and returning to Microsoft products.
Apple released the sixth developer preview of OS X Yosemite today.
Although Microsoft has pulled a patch from Windows Update that crippled some computers, it is still pushing a truncated version of the security update that contained the flawed fix.


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Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. spent record amounts on lobbying last year, with Mark Zuckerberg’s social-media company leading the so-called FAANG companies in outlays aimed at influencing Washington, according to disclosures filed late Thursday.
shelled out $19.7 million last year, well above its 2019 total of $16.7 million, its disclosures show. Amazon
reported spending at least $18.5 million in 2020 vs. $16.1 million a year before.
Apple said it paid out $6.7 million last year, below its record outlay of $7.4 million in 2019. Google spent $8.7 million last year, down sharply from its peak of $21.7 million back in 2018, before the search giant reorganized its lobbying efforts. Netflix disclosed spending just $750,000 in 2020, down from its 2015 peak of $1.3 million.
The spending has come as Big Tech increasingly finds itself in U.S. lawmakers’ and regulators’ cross hairs on a range of issues, with both Republicans and Democrats questioning the power of Silicon Valley’s companies.
But FAANG investors don’t look so scared of Washington, as the five companies’ stocks all have outpaced the S&P 500’s rise of 16% over the past 12 months. Facebook’s stock has tacked on 23% over that period, Amazon shares have soared 75%, and Apple is up 72%. Netflix has gained 78% and Alphabet 27%.
Facebook’s disclosures show it lobbied on issues such as internet privacy, election security, worker visas and freedom of expression, while Amazon reported focusing on matters that ranged from postal reform to unmanned aerial vehicles, and from payment processing to autonomous vehicles and the annual defense bill.


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International and Australian brands, including UNIQLO, JD Sports, General Pants Co and GLUE Store will be part of Westfield Knox’s newest fashion and lifestyle precinct opening on 23 November.
Australian fashion favourite, Glassons, has also been announced today, with local customers set to shop the latest trends and wardrobe essentials ahead of Christmas.
Westfield Knox centre manager Kristian Nicholls said in just a few short weeks, the Westfield Knox community will have what they’ve been asking us for – a range of Australian and international fashion brands, delivering the next step in our $355 million transformation.
“The new additions to our mix strengthen the destination we’re delivering, showcasing our commitment to bringing relevant and enticing brands to our customers and providing access to what they want locally,” she said.
Property and logistics manager of Glassons Sam Glasson said they know the Knox community will enjoy shopping our range of trending and must-have pieces, wardrobe staples and everything in between, and they are thrilled to be bringing Glassons to the new fashion and lifestyle precinct at Westfield Knox.
Spanning 1,154 square metres, the new UNIQLO Knox store will feature 10 fitting rooms and five self-checkout machines and will showcase the latest 23 Spring/Summer range including the Premium Linen range as well as the wardrobe essentials that customers love both globally and locally.
CEO UNIQLO Australia Fuminori Adachi said they are very excited to be part of Westfield Knox’s significant investment into the area, and to bring Tokyo to local customers with their LifeWear range – simple, high-quality clothing at a great price point, and made for the whole family.
“We are also very excited to introduce the UNIQLO Knox team to locals, and we’re welcoming 57 new team members, along with five existing team members who are transferring over.
“They have done such a great job getting the store ready, and they are looking forward to helping Westfield Knox customers and providing everyone a great experience,” he said.
Ms Nicholls said the launch of the new precinct coincides with the annual Westfield Week of Offers sales event, incorporating Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“Christmas is just around the corner, and what better time to kickstart Christmas shopping with our business partners pulling out all the stops with exclusive Black Friday offers and experiences across Westfield Knox,” she said.
New design elements will also be unveiled, with a grand vaulted ceiling and centralised skylight taking inspiration from nature to create a sympathetic installation that breathes life and light into the precinct, connecting it with the lower level.
A dynamic lighting installation will transform the skylight throughout the day, replicating the colours of the sky from morning sunrise to midday sun, right through to sunset and dusk.
The announcement of the new precinct follows the recent launch of a reimagined food court in October, and complements community-led initiatives including a full-sized basketball court, a nature-inspired outdoor kids play space, inclusive amenities and a calm room.
To celebrate the launch on 23 November, customers can enjoy exclusive giveaways, live music, roaming entertainment, and children’s entertainment.
For more information about the transformation at Westfield Knox, please visit https://www.westfield.com.au/knox.


text: In January 2020, the sales of passenger electric cars rose by one thirds year over year to 587 EVs. The Ukravtoprom automobile producers association has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports. In particular, a total of 58 Tesla Model S cars, 41 Tesla Model 3 and 34 Tesla Model X were sold in January. Besides, Ukrainians bought a total of 32 Chevrolet Bolts. As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in 2019, sales of EVs in Ukraine rose by one thirds to 7,012.