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Sep 11, 2019 | By Cassandra Napoli
Feb 18, 2016
Earlier in the week just as NYFW was kicking off, brands began lining up to announce their new seasonless collections and instantly shoppable runways. From Burberry and Tom Ford to Rebecca Minkoff, Vetements, and Paul Smith, each announced a slightly different take on their new business models, lamenting the current system and offering that this next phase would be an experiment. Many in the industry are calling this the change that we’ve been waiting for as the role of the runway show has become murky at best, and the number of different seasons being churned out has begun to wear thin with designers.
Before his show on Wednesday Michael Kors gave a preview of his A/W 16/17 collection to a small group of press at his New York head office. Kors showed 11 pieces included in his first foray onto the shoppable runway calling it “Ready to wear, ready to go.” The designer explained why he decided to adopt the trans-seasonal model as well as the shoppable runway this season.
“My customers don’t pay attention to the season. The weather is crazy – I mean, look at this weekend and then look at today [in New York it went from 3 to 50 degrees in the space of a day]. It’s cold in Florida, it’s like tropical summer in California. So I think that people of today’s world have a seasonless wardrobe,” says Kors. “What’s interesting is that a lot of our customers are leaving now to go skiing but when they walk in the shops there are no sweaters; there’s nothing cozy, nothing warm – so Wednesday at 11am she can buy a beautiful donegal handknit cashmere cardigan, which will walk down the runway.”
He also was quick to say that this model won’t be the right move for all designers since many don’t end up producing a lot of the products they show on the runway.
“We have to remember that fashion might be like music in the way that my mother still buys CDs and she has her old records, and then someone else uses Spotify and they stream it, and others download it. I think designers are going to have to find what’s right for them and how they work and each designer will do things differently and will find new ways of showing fashion.”
Speaking to Christine Centenera, Fashion Director at Vogue Australia, she also shared this same concern. “With ‘buy now, wear now’ that’s great for the big designers, but I think it’s just crippling for the young designers because they just don’t have the money to back up the production,” she says. “I also think it stifles creativity because I know working on shows the most incredible things are made up until the last minute and, when you have to factor in production, you lose that, unfortunately.”
Each of the designers that are experimenting with fully shoppable runways this season are established and well known brands. These are brands with steady revenue and buyer relationships and who have enough cash flow to be able to support the investment needed in producing complete collections ahead of season.
On the other hand, the introduction of seasonless collections shouldn’t be too much of a disruption, as designers in the Southern Hemisphere have been working like that for a while. “I guess being in Australia it’s not so much of a huge thing because we work in that way already, in that our designers need to create transseasonal collections to work in with the Northern Hemispheres,” adds Centenera. “It’s not something I think that’s such a huge thing to wrap your head around; it makes sense for us. So for the rest of the world to be doing that, I don’t see it as such a crazy change.”
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While there’s no doubt that Xiaomi dominates the sales in China, there are manufacturers like Meizu, OPPO and Vivo who also have a considerable share in this domestic market. Meizu in particular launched a number of new and affordable product in the past few months alone which will have definitely changed the numbers for the company in the Q1 2015. Now, we have some unofficial information about the sales figure of the company in the first three months of 2015.
Sun Changxu revealed on Weibo recently that Meizu along with other Chinese manufacturers are doing quite well in the first quarter of 2015. The sales was mainly driven by the Chinese Spring Festival season.
Sun also revealed some more information about Meizu’s sales figures. According to her, Meizu sold around 1.5 million units in January, 1.2 million units in February and 1.9 to 2 million units in March. The company’s quarter on quarter growth has been impressive. Last December, it sold around 1 million units, but in recent months, the company has reached the 2 million units sales mark, which is commendable.
The timing of the growth in sales hint that Meizu’s newest Blue Charm range could be responsible for such an amazing growth. Both, the Blue Charm Meizu M1 Note and the Meizu M1 (Mini) has attracted praises from experts and users alike, which is why we see a spurt in its sales. And given this rate, it looks like Meizu will easily reach its target sales of 20 million+ units by the end of 2015.
In comparison, Xiaomi sold over 61.12 million units in 2015, averaging about 5.1 million per month. Sun also said that Meizu is aiming to increase its production to 2 million units a month.
Meizu definitely has converted itself as a quality brand with affordable hardware. The M1 Note in particular has been the company’s best value for device.
So, do you like Meizu? Do you think the company will ever be as big as Xiaomi?

domain: news


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ARM, the processor manufacturer that powers 90% of the mobile phones, digital media and music players, hand-held game consoles, calculators and computer peripherals such as hard drives and routers is a super-power these days and Microsoft realizes this more than ever. That’s the reason why there is talk that Microsoft is going back to release a OS for the ARM processors.
Back in the old days of Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft has a release of Windows that ran on the ARM architecture, but due to pressure from Intel and the growing market of IBM-compatible PCs Microsoft stopped release OS running on ARM. Thus, Microsoft only released Windows for x86 architecture (…and sometimes for Itanium). Microsoft has had WindowsCE running on ARM, but it is not the Windows that is popularized. The latest buzz means that Windows 8, the next version of Windows will be able to run on ARM processors
The reason why this news is interesting is because Windows Mobile 7 was just released and is a different architecture than the desktop Windows. If this means anything, then it shows Microsoft’s idea that a common platform can be moved across different sizes of devices, similar to what Apple has been doing with the iPhoneOS, iPadOS, iPod Touch and OSX. The idea is that the OS can be stripped off services and run on smaller devices. Today as more and more devices became part of our lives, we want to have similar experiences on all these devices… probably through different interfaces, but want the way data is looked at through a common way. Especially as developers, it is frustrating that the same applications cannot be ported easily across processors and platforms. The web is definitely the future of data, but rich client applications are important for the experience and the browser is still not everything that the devices/PCs can do.
Hoping that we can move towards converging platforms… especially easy ways to port client applications across platforms


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Mercedes, BMW, more join list of companies opting-out of an in-person CES
Two more auto giants have added their name to the growing list of big companies opting out of an in-person CES with less than a week remaining before kickoff. Yesterday, Mercedes confirmed that it would be skipping the physical event.
“As the health and safety of our customers, partners, employees and guests are our highest priority,” the company said in a statement. “Due to the large group of participants and the different country-specific regulations, a solid, safe and harmless planning for all participants is unfortunately not be feasible in the current situation. We deeply regret this decision but consider it necessary.”
Today, BMW followed suit, issuing a media release, announcing a shift to a virtual press conference. The carmaker’s statement was short and sweet, noting, “For many years, the BMW Group has been presenting innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Due to the pandemic situation, the BMW Group will move all planned media activities at CES to a fully digital program livestreamed from Germany.”
Lidar company, Velodyne, meanwhile, issued a full press release about its decision this week, stating,
Velodyne Lidar will not participate in person at CES 2022 due to the surge in COVID-19 infection rates. The health and safety of employees, partners and the public are the topmost priorities for Velodyne and were the primary factors in the company’s decision.
Early today, IBM also confirmed its decision to extract itself from the in-person event in a statement to TechCrunch,
Due to the evolving COVID conditions, and out of an abundance of caution, IBM will not participate on-site at CES in Las Vegas this year. We look forward to participating in the event virtually.
Also newly out is Panasonic, which had planned an in-person press conference for January 4. The company has shifted to a virtual event and will only have a limited presence at the show.
Those companies join GM, Google, Microsoft, AMD, OnePlus, MSI, Lenovo, Intel, T-Mobile, AT&T, Meta, Twitter, Amazon, Proctor & Gamble, TikTok, Pinterest and a number of major media outlets, TechCrunch included. The decision to jump ship over mounting omicron concerns is likely an especially difficult one for startups, who rely on shows like CES to get noticed. I have, however, by contacted by a growing number of smaller companies who have made the difficult decision to stay home.
The Consumer Technology Association – which runs CES – has stood firm in its plans to go ahead with the show, which starts January 5 (with media days on the 3 and 4).
“CES 2022 will be in person on January 5-8 in Las Vegas with strong safety measures in place, and our digital access is also available for people that don’t wish to, or can’t travel to Las Vegas,” the org said in a statement issued Dec 22. “Our mission remains to convene the industry and give those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally.”
On Christmas Day, the Las Vegas Review Journal ran an op-ed from CTA head Gary Shapiro headlined “CES will and must go on in Las Vegas,” which accused media of “tell[ing] the story only through their lens of drama and big name companies.”


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WGSN, company specialized in creative intelligence business, owned by media group Top Right Group, also owner of festival Cannes Lions, among other operations.
With centers in New York, Hong Kong, London and São Paulo, and 16 offices worldwide and over 17 years of experience working with global brand leaders, WGSN has an extensive multidisciplinary network of passionate experts. In total, about 500 people and over 50% of them are experts of knowledge, who put together trends, data and intelligence to deliver the answers that will put customers ahead.
WGSN products and services goes from product development to commercialization, allowing your users to reduce the risks and take assertive business decisions, either with knowledge of solutions in real time or customized through consulting.
In order to keep its leading market position, WGSN created its global creative council, which will bring the biggest names in world’s innovation and creativity to challenge the company itself and make sure the strategic direction is constantly in evolution. The businessman Nizan Guanaes, was announced as one of six members of this council, who will have worldwide reach.
The mission of Nizan it’s to help the company through a creative orientation focused on future partnerships and innovative client offerings.
“Nizan represents everything that WGSN brings: passion, entrepreneurship and a relentlessly curious and creative soul. Nothing better than having one of the brightest minds to strengthen our position as a global leader in intelligence and insight to some of the most important sectors in the world” said José Papa, Global CEO of WGSN.
The global creative council is composed of journalists, designers, academics and entrepreneurs in the digital industry, who regularly meet to discuss issues related to the company and also be involved directly with WGSN customers and partners worldwide. The first meeting will be held in Shanghai in late April.


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The Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce applied for and received $1,000 in Fareway gift cards last week, in addition to $2,000 received in April.
Fareway Stores Inc announced last month a $200,000 donation to the Iowa Chamber of Commerce Executives. The $3,000 received by the local Chamber is the maximum amount any chamber could receive.
“Local Chambers have the pulse in each community and how best to serve its small business members during this time of need,” said Fareway president and CEO Reynolds W. Cramer. “We hope this relief reduces some of the stress our community business partners are facing.”
“In an effort to help area businesses, the Chamber applied for this second round of gift cards and was pleased to receive the cards and distribute them to area businesses, We thank Fareway Stores for helping area businesses during the pandemic,” a Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce spokesperson said.


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Electronics major Samsung has installed solar-power operated free mobile charging facilities in the city.
GSAT-6 is the 25th geostationary communication satellite of India built by ISRO
Adding on to the tech city’s startup ecosystem, Lowe’s, a North American retail chain in home improvement announced its plan to start a first ever global accelerator in the city by December.
Israel’s ambassador Daniel Carmon (Centre), acting Consul General of Israel, Dov Segev-Steinberg and Deputy Chief of Mission Ziv Shalvi during the inauguration of the new office of the Consulate General of Israel in Bengaluru on Thursday (Photo: R. Samuel)
Swati Khanna, a software engineer, remembers standing in a queue with 1,200 other applicants to submit her mark sheets before she could appear for Accenture’s placement test.
In what will come as huge disappointment, Sania Mirza’s coronation with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award has been put on hold after the Karnataka high court admitted paralympian H.N.
The mission life of the satellite is for nine years
Forty-two-year-old Sundar, owner of a local departmental store in HSR Layout is loading a bag of groceries, striking out items on a list.
In a surprise of sorts, the BJP cruised smoothly to a majority by bagging 100 out of 198 wards in the all-important civic body elections in Bengaluru on Tuesday.


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News - General News - Emissions
AAA wants real-world emissions testing
Peak body will run on-road tests to see whether more manufacturers are cheating
7 Dec 2015
By IAN PORTER
UPDATED: 08/12/2015THE automobile clubs of Australia, representing eight million motorists, have launched a study into new-car vehicle emissions to see whether the government should do its own independent testing of emissions claims.
Through their peak body, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the clubs will conduct an 18-month research program to establish whether there is a gap between the emissions levels that car manufacturers claim and the vehicles’ real-world emissions.
The proposal is being discussed today in Sydney at a ministerial forum into vehicle emissions chaired by federal minister for major projects, territories and local government Paul Fletcher.
Other ministers in the forum include environment minister Greg Hunt and the minister for resources, energy and northern Australia Josh Frydenberg.
The AAA’s research will start with an initial six-month phase involving tests on 10 vehicles, while a further 20 vehicles will be tested over the following 12 months.
The 18-month research program could cost well over $100,000.
If the research finds that there are discrepancies, the clubs will ask the government to institute a thorough testing regime for all cars sold in Australia.
The study has been launched as a result of the Volkswagen Group emissions scandal, where the German giant used secret software in its engine control modules to give “clean” emissions readings when the vehicles were under test conditions.
Independent testing in the United States showed that, on the road, some diesel-powered VW vehicles were producing as much as 40 times the allowed level of nitrogen oxide in their exhausts.
“Action must be taken to test the emissions claims made by vehicle manufacturers and, as the leading consumer advocate for almost eight million Australian motorists, the AAA is willing to step up to the plate,” said AAA chief executive Michael Bradley.
“There is a debate emerging around the adequacy of Australia's current vehicle emission standards, but this debate risks being rendered meaningless unless a more relevant testing regime is put in place.”
He said the VW scandal has shown that regulators around the world needed to be testing vehicles in real-world conditions and not just accepting laboratory results from the manufacturers.
“The AAA is very concerned the government currently has no capacity to test, audit or enforce elements of its current vehicle emissions regulatory regime, which is why the AAA has commissioned an independent engineering firm to commence on-road testing of Australian vehicles in early 2016,” Mr Bradley said.
The research testing will involve vehicles available on the Australian market from a range of countries.
AAA spokesman Lindsay Hermes said the beauty of the research plan was that the association represents car buyers.
“We are a consumer advocacy body, we are the motorists themselves, so it will be independent and something the government can partner up with because it is a bottom-up proposal.”
Mr Hermes said the federal government established a Ministerial Forum in October to develop a whole-of-government approach to issues associated with the regulation of Australian vehicle emissions.
The forum will report on options for managing fuel quality standards, new measurement reporting standards for air pollutants, and new measures to deliver Australia’s 2030 climate change targets.
The AAA has engaged automotive engineering consultancy Abmarc to conduct the testing during the 18 month research program.
Abmarc principal Natalie Roberts was at the Ministerial Council emissions forum in Sydney this week and confirmed her firm’s involvement. Abmarc currently operates the only portable emissions testing equipment in Australia.
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In theory, lithium and oxygen are the ingredients for something close to the perfect battery. Unfortunately, attempts to build them in practice have so far led to something that loses performance very fast. New research suggests an answer to this, but with a twist.
The need for better ways to store electricity, whether to recharge your phone or to power a country at night, is so great that dozens of potential technologies are being explored. Lithium-oxygen combinations look unbeatable on many measures: They are theoretically capable of storing at least five times the amount of charge per volume of the lithium-ion batteries that now dominate the small-to-medium scale market. Lithium and oxygen are also so light that their combination will beat any alternative on weight, which is important for portable uses. And it is not like oxygen is in short supply.
The problem has been that batteries need electrodes, and lithium-oxide anodes have decomposed the electrolytes and corroded the cathodes of laboratory versions far too quickly to consider mass market applications. Professor Linda Nazar of Canada’s University of Waterloo believes the answer is to move away from lithium peroxide (Li2O2) and lithium superoxide (LiO2) in favor of lithium oxide (Li2O).
“In comparison with the peroxide and superoxide, lithium oxide (Li2O) is much less chemically reactive with organic solvents,” Nazar writes in Science. This idea has occurred to people before, but the batteries have refused to play ball, producing lithium peroxide when discharged rather than something more harmless.
Nazar calculated that room temperatures favor lithium-peroxide production, so she ran a battery at 150ºC (302ºF). It not only worked but was almost 100 percent efficient in terms of the ratio of discharge to charge.
Maintaining such high temperatures imposes an energy cost on the system. Certainly no one is going to want something that hot in their pocket, or even their laptop, so many applications are out. Besides those obvious problems, Nazar’s battery faces all the usual obstacles in getting from the lab bench to prototype stage.
However, with an energy density already four times as high as lithium-ion batteries, the potential for Nazar’s product in electric vehicles is huge. Moreover, the cathode in the model tested was made from nickel – a widely abundant metal. The high cobalt content in most existing battery cathodes is becoming a problem as the price spirals and demand for the metal fuels wars and environmental destruction.


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Winter can't always win.
A significant portion of North America faces grueling winters every year. This means lots of snow, ice… and more snow. Depending on which state and region of the continent you live, winters can cause treacherous road conditions. The ability to plow snow away at a rapid pace is vital to withstand Mother Nature, but you're going to need the right tools. Enter Ram's new Snow Plow Prep package - a likely direct response to the 2020 Ford Super Duty Snow Plow Prep Package.
Set to make its official debut at this year's National Truck Equipment Association's "The Work Truck Show" in Indianapolis, Indiana, a city that's quite familiar with rough wintry weather, this new package will be available on the 2021 Ram 1500 and includes a 220-amp alternator, wiring for a snowplow, and a rear power sliding window with a defroster.
It will be available on the 1500 Tradesman, Big Horn, and Laramie 4x4 models powered by the regular 5.7-liter Hemi V8, the 5.7-liter Hemi with the eTorque mild-hybrid system, or the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6. Interested buyers should also know that the active air dam is removed when this package is chosen in order to allow space for the plow mounts. The package's price? Only $190.
"As part of Ram's commitment to continuous improvement within the segment, we now offer a Snow Plow Prep package for Ram 1500 customers," said Reid Bigland, Head of Ram Brand. "Ram has taken a larger presence in the commercial vehicle market, and this offering is the latest expansion of our hard-working trucks."
Sales are due to get underway later this year, so Ram 1500 customers will have to wait until next winter to tackle the heavy white powder. The automaker also adds the plow, mounts, and controller are all sold separately by various manufacturers.
The Ram 1500 has become the second best-selling full-size pickup truck in the US behind the Ford F-150, taking the spot away from the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Offering additional and affordable accessories like this snow plow prep kit will certainly help Ram in the never-ending sales battle.


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British franchise home delivery service Apetito celebrates 15 years of business
The British firm, Apetito, which owns the meals-on-wheels franchise system, Wiltshire Farm Foods, is celebrating 15 years of business. According to a report on the Internet portal, cafefuture.net, Wiltshire Farm Foods is active today throughout the whole of Great Britain and Ireland.
Apetito’s franchise concept
not only covers meals on wheels for senior citizens but also set meals for
hospitals. Meals are also sold via the Internet and the business is said to be
booming. In 2005, the company had a total workforce of just under 1,500
employees and a turnover of more than 100 million euros.


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Apple Picking Season Returns to the Southern Tier
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (WENY) -- It is officially apple picking season and hundreds of people are visiting Apples and Moore orchard to pick from a variety of over 20 kinds of apples.
Alec Moore, the owner, said many people in the area choose to shop locally, especially for apples, during the fall.
“When you go buy a bagged apple...even from my store, you didn't get to choose that apple,” he said. “You can go out into the field and you get to pick, you know, the perfect apple to you...and try them as you're picking them...make sure it's what you like. So, I think the whole experience of getting to pick your own fruit.”
Moore took over the apple farm from the Reisinger family in January of 2021. Moore said, despite the dry summer in the Southern Tier, his apples have been unaffected.
“We have a really beautiful crop this year...it all sized up nicely,” he said. "Compared to the drought we had a couple of years ago, this was nowhere near as bad...and we had a lot of timely rain, on top of our own ability to irrigate ourselves from our ponds.”
There is more than apple picking at Moore's orchard. People can cut their own flowers, pick raspberries, walk around the field, and enjoy hot cider and donuts in his shop. With 22 different varieties of apples, Moore said there are many uses for the fruit.
“They really all have a different use,” he said. We have 22 varieties here some of them are great for just eating, some are the best sauce apples, some are the best for pies."
Moore said it is important to shop locally. He said there are a variety of agricultural businesses in Schuyler County for locals to check out.
"When you shop local, the big thing you get...and this goes for all agriculture in Schuyler County...you get to really know where your food is coming from and know that you're also really putting it back into the community,” he said.
Apples and Moore is located at 2750 Apple Ln, Watkins Glen, NY 14891.
Littletree Orchards is located at 345 Shaffer Rd, Newfield, NY 14867.
Southern Tier Apples is located at 2479 NY-34, Van Etten, NY 14889.
Crooked Line Farm & Orchard is located at 7780 Cold Springs Rd, Bath, NY 14810.


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New Delhi, Feb 15 (UNI) Automotive component maker Igarashi Motors India Ltd (IMIL) today inked a joint venture (JV) agreement with Germany-based Robert Bosch (GmbH) to establish a new company for the manufacturing, sale and development of automotive components.
With 51 per cent stake, Bosch will have the industrial leadership in the JV while the the Chennai-based IMIL will hold the remaining 49 per cent shares, a statement said.
The new company will develop, manufacture and sell DC motors and systems for wiper, HVAC, engine cooling and window lift applications for the Indian automotive market.
The JV company, which will be located in the state of Chennai, will start operating in the second half of this year and will employ about 100 associates by the end of the year.
Bosch Ltd Managing Director and representative in India Mr V K Viswanathan, said, ''With this joint venture, we are expanding our range of products manufactured locally in India. In this way, we offer our local customers the best possible support in the further motorisation of India.'' Bosch, which employs about 18,000 associates in India, has has been manufacturing in the country since 1954 with 11 manufacturing sites and four development centers.
UNI SG MP VC1418


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Facebook Android’s app will soon let users save videos, so as to watch them later offline. According to a report in Android Police, one of the readers spotted the feature in ‘Saved’ video option available on the Android app.
The option is similar to YouTube’s offline feature, that lets users save some videos on the app to watch them later. Only original videos posted on personal Facebook profiles and pages will get the offline video download option.
The testing of this new feature has reportedly started rolling out to users through the Facebook version 85 and 86(beta) for Android.
This offline video content will only be available on the Facebook app to protect copyrighted content, and Facebook is also giving publishers the option of disabling download for their content in order to protect copyrighted content.
Google had also introduced the ability to save videos offline in its YouTube application. Users can watch the videos at any time without the need of Internet connection. But in YouTube, users need to update the saved videos every 48 hours to verify that the video has not been deleted or modified by its owner. There is no information if this type of synchronization is mandatory for Facebook’s offline video saving facility.


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FEWS Net Reports Stable Global Staple Food Prices, Supplies But Varied Country-level Conditions
In the latest Monthly Price Watch , released by FEWS Net on April 29, international prices of maize, wheat, rice, and soybeans were reported stable in March, and below their respective 2015 levels. The report also sees well supplied international markets for these staple foods.
In terms of global production, projects for rice are slightly below the record levels seen in 2014-2015 due to the effects of the 2015-2016 El Niño cycle in Asia. World demand for rice is expected to exceed production, and global rice stocks could decline for the first time since 2005 as a result. Maize production is also predicted to fall slightly below last year’s record level, but global demand is thought to remain stable from 2014-2015; this means that global maize stocks will likely remain well above average. Global wheat production is expected to increase from last year’s levels, leading to a 13-year high for wheat ending stocks. Due to this large supply, global wheat prices are expected to be well below average. Soybean production and stock levels should both remain stable from last year’s record levels, but global demand may grow due to increased demand from Asia and South America.
The report notes, however, that staple food prices at the country level are expected to vary considerably in the coming months due to local and regional market conditions, and that international markets will play a limited role in most of the regions monitored by FEWS Net.
In West Africa, market supplies are expected to remain stable and adequate, even as stocks decrease and demand grows during the start of the lean season. Seasonal price increases will be limited by various government food subsidies and price stabilization measures, FEWS Net reports. The situation is a more varied at the country level, however. Rice prices increased in Mauritania in February and March, and maize prices increased in Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger during the same period. Nigeria is of particular concern in this month’s report, with the price of all key food items increasing in March and exceeding both their 2015 levels and their average levels due to unfavorable market conditions in the country. The Nigerian Naira has depreciated rapidly in 2016, widening the gap between official and parallel market exchange rates. Nigeria depends strongly on imports of rice, wheat, cowpeas, and livestock, and the current macroeconomic situation has limited importers’ purchasing power. The report expects food prices to continue to increase beyond normal levels and to be relatively higher in the Northeast area of the country, where market function is constrained and where transaction costs remain high.
In East Africa, markets are well supplied in Uganda and Tanzania, seeing only seasonal price shifts (increases in maize and sorghum prices in Uganda and decreases in maize prices in Tanzania). Kenya’s staple food prices also remained stable in Kenya as rains progressed in the North Rift and regional imports strengthened rice, maize, and bean supplies. In Ethiopia, on the other hand, both 2015 Belg and 2015 Meher harvests were below average, widening the national consumption gap. Recent Meher harvests were more normal, leading to a decline in staple food prices; however, this decline was not as rapid as is normally seen after the Meher season.
In southern Africa, the 2016 maize harvest is expected to be below average and delayed by at least one month. Maize supplies have been significantly tighter than usual due to El Niño effects, and the report predicts that many countries will face maize shortages throughout 2016-2017 marketing year. As a result, regional prices are not expected to decline as much as they normally do during and after the harvest period. Maize prices are expected to remain well above their five-year average across the region, and price increases could be especially high in Malawi and Mozambique due to these countries’ large supply deficits, depletion of public stocks, limited imports, and below average 2016 harvests.
Supplies of both red and black beans are stable in Central America and the Caribbean due to successful Postrera and Apante harvests and to imported supplies. Regional bean prices should see only seasonal increases through August; red bean prices will be generally above average levels, especially in Nicaragua, but will remain below the abnormally high levels seen in 2014. White maize prices have generally been stable across the region, with imports from the US and Mexico filling supply gaps; the exception to this is in Nicaragua, where white maize prices have increased due to below average supplies. Maize prices are expected to increase to above average levels in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador in the coming months but will remain normal or slightly below average in Guatemala until the August harvest. The 2016 Primera maize harvest is forecast to be below average to average, but this will depend on the ultimate effects of El Niño weather patterns and the strength of the hurricane season. In Haiti, local black bean and maize prices are expected to increase due to increase demand, and depreciation of the Haitian Gourde could impact rice and wheat import volumes and prices. Staple food supplies in the country have been adequate in recent months.
By: Sara Gustafson, IFPRI


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Contactless payment systems on the way
From next year supermarkets customers in the UK will be able to pay for their goods via a contactless payment system with the Co-op the latest major UK supermarket to sign up to the program. These cards, which are issued by Barclaycard and Visa, simply allow customers to pass their card across a sensor which will take their details and automatically deduct money from their accounts. No PIN numbers will be required for sales under £15 although sales in excess of this figure will need to go through the "normal channels".
It will be interesting to see how the public react to these contactless payment systems because ultimately, as with the Oyster card on the London Underground, they are commonplace in other areas of the UK economy. It will also be interesting to see whether the growing number of supermarkets currently looking to sign up to the system will push other retailers towards this efficient and relatively cheap, at least for retailers, payment system.
We have seen the introduction of various contactless payment systems in the past although many of these have fallen by the wayside due to a lack of public confidence. Whether this particular move, backed by Barclaycard and Visa, is different remains to be seen.
Car scrappage allowance could become a goldmine
It has been revealed that only days after the UK government announced an allowance programme for those scrapping older cars there are a significant number of loopholes in the proposals. Apparently, cars which are no longer roadworthy and effectively "off road" can still be traded in with the owners receiving upwards of £1000 for the vehicle.
There are concerns that the allowance be...
Oil Moves Back Over $140
As concerns build over the potential for trouble in the Middle East the price of oil has again pushed higher, now over $140 a barrel. While there are some in the market who feel that the supply and demand ratio will see the price drift back as economies slow, other believe that the faster growth of the developing nations such as China and India will more than makeup for any slowdown in other econ...Read More
UK government forced to redraft Digital Economy Bill
The UK government has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn amid signs that the Digital Economy Bill, which has attracted so much controversy, would have been blocked in Parliament in its current form. This comes despite the fact that the UK government only days ago confirmed plans to rush through the Digital Economy Bill with little or no time for discussion, ahead of the next general election....Read More
How Many Hours Do You Work for a New TV?
There are probably not one or two ideas that will bring large savings on expenditure but by a combination of smaller cash saving ideas where significant overall savings can be made on month by month expenses.
One excellent way to avoid unnecessary spending is to carefully consider each expense before taking the plunge. Often people will just consider how much they "need" a plasma T...
Thousands facing the threat of fuel poverty
Even though there are signs that the UK economy is starting to stabilise, hundreds of thousands of homes across the UK are either in fuel poverty or very much on the borderline. Fuel poverty is a situation where a household spends in excess of 10% of overall income on energy costs, something which has hit around 4 million homes in England already.
While the UK government claims to h...


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When Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear first began ordering the closure of restaurants and businesses in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Tiffanie Ricewick (04) had just opened the second location of her coffee shop, Pour House Coffee, at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland. While the pandemic has caused Ricewick to close the second location and modify the way she does business at her flagship store in Russell, she says the support of the local community has helped her business stay alive in a time of crisis. Despite the closures due to COVID-19, Ricewick’s business is seeing an increase in drive-through and curbside customers.
“We know small businesses are struggling, and we’ve been very blessed,” Ricewick said. “We’ve got a lot of new customers who want to support local businesses, and even in this pandemic, we’ve got them wrapped around the building. Without the support of the community, we’d never make it.”
When Ricewick first decided she wanted to open her own business, she was working at King’s Daughters with her friend and business partner, Kim May. Following a round of layoffs at the hospital, Ricewick said she began to research successful business trends and decided a coffee shop would be the right choice. She reached out to Morehead State’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which helped her get her idea off the ground.
“They basically held our hands until the business was going,” Ricewick said. “It really helped us to lay a good foundation so that when we opened the doors, we had no overhead, and they helped us to plan that. It was an awesome help and we couldn’t have done it without the SBDC.”
Ricewick earned a bachelor’s degree in business from MSU. She said those who want to start their own business should go for it, but they should also be aware of the commitment required.
“If you have a passion for it, do it, but know it’s going to be a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” she said, adding she is grateful for the support of her business partner and long-time friend. “Without her, I couldn’t have done it, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. We’ve been best friends for 20 years.”
Ricewick said, once business restrictions are lifted, she will reopen the location at King’s Daughters, and has plans to open a third location later in the year.


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When it came to selling books online, Barnes & Noble found that the only prize for coming second, was coming last. Ironically, Amazon's new search division, A9 are now doing their best to prove this dictum wrong by chasing after Google and Yahoo.
The latest battlefield is the hotly contested space for local search results. Online local search providers integrate data from Yellow Pages publishers, map information services and search algorithms - all in an effort to displace the uncanny effectiveness of those ancient yellow tomes that now make handy door stops.
In an effort to trump their opponents, Amazon has announced a curious new feature - actual photos of local businesses. To achieve this feat, they apparently loaded up a fleet of high tech SUVs deployed across 10 cities, to map streets and compile more than 20 million photos of businesses. So now, you will be overjoyed to know that in addition to finding a local Chinese restaurant and getting a map location, you can see in advance whether it looks like a dive or not.
With those kind of vehicle resources at its fingertips, perhaps 'Earth's Biggest Bookstore' should try their hands at some other useful local community services like garbage disposal or milk delivery. There must be a business case for that, surely!


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In recent years, we've seen the emergence of mobile search, with Google predicting mobile traffic would overtake desktop by 2018. However, the latest figures show that traffic from mobile devices has overtaken desktop already, with 2015 flagged to be the year for mobile. Even if sites haven’t yet seen this change, the percentage of mobile traffic has significantly increased compared to the same time-frame in 2014.
And it's not just search that’s becoming increasingly popular on smartphones and tablets. Email, purchases, downloads, apps, games, music, are all driving more and more traffic to sites.
With Google seemingly a few years behind, they’ve now identified mobile optimisation as a ranking factor, developing their algorithm to take in account these changes and increases in traffic.
They recently announced that we’re set to see another algorithm update on April 21st 2015; mobile friendliness is now an important ranking factor. With the huge increase in smartphone and tablet users, it’s no wonder why Google has decided to take the next step and raise its status.
Penalties could be incurred if a site doesn’t adhere to the change, but more so than that, your users will be frustrated if they don’t have great user experience when browsing on mobile.
So what does this mean for your website?
Although as of yet, we’re not quite sure how the update will affect levels of traffic to the majority of sites which aren’t yet compliant, it appears that within certain industries, where having a mobile-friendly site is considered to be essential and the ‘norm’, you could run the risk of moving down several positions.
These industries include:
- Travel and hospitality
- Media & Entertainment
Although any website could be affected if it’s deemed ineffective in regards to mobile optimisation, the above industries are flagged as more ‘at risk’, so it’s important to address this issue before the algorithm update comes into play.
The fact that Google has announced this update, instead of springing it on the world of websites with little or no awareness, is important to remember. They, as well as us, know that user experience is one of the most important issues when dealing with a website, so this algorithm update seems to be more about the involvement of the user, rather than pleasing Google.
So what needs to happen?
Well, you can ensure that your site is mobile-friendly and ready for the update in April just by a few simple methods. You can test your site for mobile speed, update your CMS (if applicable), optimise images, or make your site completely responsive. It’s a case of getting in touch and letting us know if you think your site needs an overhaul before the update.
Speak to one of our experts today to see how we can help develop your site to become mobile-friendly in 2015.


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Soroti municipality’s crackdown on the use of polythene bags has netted over 15 cartons from supermarkets and wholesale shops.
The operation, meant to shore up a ban on the production, distribution and use of polythene bags, was conducted in two days targeting major supermarkets within the municipality, which ignored the notice from the National Environment Management Authority- NEMA to end their use.
Although government granted an extension to the grace period, NEMA issued a notice to major supermarkets to devise alternative means of packing commodities for their customers. Its operations started in major shopping malls in Kampala on April 15.
The ban on all polyethylene material below 30 microns seeks to control the effects of such materials, locally known as Kaveera, on the environment.
Proponents of the ban say the materials clog water channels, impede smooth water filtration, and release cancerous fumes in the air when burnt, posing a risk to human life as well. Soroti Municipal Environment Officer Eric Paul Engulu said the economic, health and social cost of continued use of Polyethylene materials outweighs its economic benefit to the economy.
He said the operations would continue until the use of the material is eliminated. However, members of the business community in Soroti said they were not alerted before the operation. Noel Milton Eulu, the manager of Combo Traders in Soroti town, said they were never notified about the ban following the extension of the grace period by government.
He aised that more emphasis should be put on banning manufacturing as opposed to punishing the end users.
Source : The Observer


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Report: Continued Success in Food Retail
Food industry 2020: Meet evolving customer demands with disruptive tech
Forward-thinking business leaders in the food service and food retail sectors know that disruption isn’t just around the corner – it’s already here. Changing consumer habits and preferences are challenging these organizations to rethink the way they do business, and adopting the right technologies at the right time is key to staying competitive. Yet many in the industry have been slow to take the lead when it comes to leveraging these new technologies.
We recently sponsored proprietary research, conducted by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, to learn more about how food retail and food service organizations are currently utilizing disruptive technology. The research surveyed 150 technology decision makers across the food industry in North America, including grocers, convenience stores, quick service restaurants (QSR) and more.
Download the report to discover how businesses are using technology to address consumer demands for higher quality food, on-demand convenience, greater variety and more personalized shopping experiences – and what challenges they’re facing on the path to adoption.
Update: The impact of Covid-19
Digital transformation has become increasingly critical for businesses as a result of Covid-19. To learn more about how the pandemic has impacted the food service and food retail sectors – and how businesses are responding to this challenge – click here for our free supplemental report.


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Many trans-Pacific airlines will have been keeping a keen eye on any news from the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting, and the announcement from Barack Obama regarding new Sino-American visa regulations will not have disappointed. The volume of travellers between China and the USA is set to increase dramatically as a result. In simple terms, students will now be eligible for five-year visas and tourists allowed multiple entry ten-year visas. This has arisen from a keen mutual desire to increase cultural exchanges between the two countries and the new regulations, which will come into effect this Wednesday are, of course, applicable to both US and Chinese citizens. Where students are concerned, previously visas for only one year could be obtained.
American Airlines were one of the first to applaud this new visa system, stating that: “”This agreement is a substantial step forward in opening up travel and tourism opportunities between our two countries. It will result in more travel, greater flexibility and lower costs for citizens in both countries. We are very pleased by this announcement, particularly in light of our increasing service to China.” A senior U.S. official stated that the visa agreement would permit the US to tap into the rapidly-growing market of Chinese tourists who travel abroad. Currently it is estimated that only 2% of Chinese tourists visit the US. “We see this as a really big win,” the official said, estimating that the United States could gain 440,000 jobs by 2021 and receive an $85 billion annual injection into the US economy resulting from the new policy. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also made it clear the move would increase the level of travel and reduce costs for each country.


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Japan: Electric Mobility Asahi Kasei Launches Electric Concept Car
Asahi Kasei and GLM announced the completion of a jointly developed electric concept car called Akxy, which combines various automotive-related materials and technologies from its businesses.
Tokyo/Japan — Asahi Kasei and GLM began discussions and planning for development of the concept car in 2015. The car utilizes the electric vehicle platform of GLM and is based on the design of an SUV.
The chemical company combines its own automotive-related materials, devices, and systems in this car. The group addresses Japanese and overseas automobile manufacturers and parts manufacturers with their auto parts. Ashai Kasei claims that most of the 27 integrated components would be available for adoption in mass-produced vehicles, including engineering plastics to replace metal and enable vehicle weight reduction, artificial suede for seats with superior comfort, and an in-car communication system utilizing various speech-processing technology.
The concept car named Akxy will be on display at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2017 Yokohama, May 24–26, 2017 as well as at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2017 Nagoya, June 28–30, 2017.
The Group emphasised its intention to deepen connections with automotive-related customers.


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Dell Continues Move Toward IT Services, Cloud, StorageBy Channel Insider Staff | Print
At its annual investor conference, CEO Michael Dell looks to tie the company s acquisitions and R&D investments into a new company strategy.
AUSTIN, Texas -- The fact that Dell is moving away from being a low-cost supplier of PCs and IT hardware toward a more robust company with a portfolio of technology that can address issues ranging from cloud computing to mobile device management is old news. However, the way Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) plans to integrate its acquisitions, intellectual property and technology remains an open question.
CEO Michael Dell attempted to answer that question for both the company's customers and financial analysts at Dell s annual investor conference here. Michael Dell kicked off the June 29 event with a keynote address that looked to tie the company's eight different acquisitions and a year-long, $1 billion investment in research and development.
While Dell and his executive team highlighted the company s overall financial growth and the strides it has taken to reach its financial goals, this year s meeting lacked a strategic realignment of the company's fortunes that had been the focus of previous meetings. Instead, Michael Dell and his executives detailed how the acquisitions and shift toward newer technologies is pushing the company toward a goal of being an IT services company in the same vein as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle.
"Last year was really about growing our services and solution portfolio," said Michael Dell. "Our focus now is on enterprise solutions that provide efficiency and flexibility. We very much have this idea of open, affordable and capable, which you will hear resonate throughout the day."
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Dell's Shift Toward IT Services, Cloud, Storage Continues


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Skyrim Not Coming To PS4, Xbox One [Update]
Update: Sorry guys, seems like the entire thing was a fault on Bethesda’s CMS system, which incorrectly listed the games for the next-gen consoles. Bethesda’s VP confirmed this on Twitter yesterday.
At present we’ve got plenty of cross-generational games which are releasing on both the current-gen gen of consoles and the previous generation. By that I mean Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. That’s to be expected given that the new generation has just begun and we’re in a transitional period.
- You’ll Be Able To Play (Expensive) PS2 Games On Your PS4 Now | 2 months ago
- Jessica Jones Disempowers Its Male Characters And The Effect Is Refreshing | 2 months ago
- Hell Is 30 000 Deathclaws Tearing Through Boston And It’s Glorious | 2 months ago
- Sony Santa Monica Is Teasing Something Truly Strange | 2 months ago
Then you get games such as Tomb Raider which released right at the beginning of 2013 but is still getting ported to X1 and PS4. That seems unnecessary but have at it Square Enix. What really does seem a waste of time is bringing a game that’s over two years old to the latest console generation.
According to Bethesda’s official site, Skyrim is now listed for PS4 and Xbox One in addition to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It may be an error or the info may have gone up on the site ahead of an official announcement. Bethesda has revealed that they’ve got something exciting to reveal on 14 Jan. It would be a little disappointing if it’s a port of Skyrim and not something like Fallout 4.
The core Bethesda team is currently working on a secret project so it’s possible that a side team was working on bringing Skyrim to PS4 and X1. It’s not inconceivable as the PC version is still selling in appreciable numbers although a good part of those sales may be down to Steam sales. Should the game be ported, it will be the superior PC version that gets ported, just as was the case with Tomb Raider.


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The glove developed by UCLA bio-engineers uses machine learning and a smartphone app to translate American Sign Language to words.
The glove has thin, stretchable sensors on the inside and is able to translate numbers, words and phrases signed by the person wearing it into spoken words in real-time.
The translation is done through a smartphone app using a custom machine-learning algorithm. The system can recognise up to 660 signs so far, including each letter of the alphabet and numbers from zero to nine.
“Our hope is that this opens up an easy way for people who use sign language to communicate directly with non-signers without needing someone else to translate for them,” said Jun Chen, the principal investigator on the glove, in a statement.
“In addition, we hope it can help more people learn sign language themselves.”
To read the original story, click here.


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Closure finds its way to the PlayStation Store along with big discounts on Tom Clancy games in this week’s US update!
nternational publisher 505 Games and Kung Fu Factory today present an all-new trailer for the upcoming brutal, underground MMA fighting game Supremacy MMA. Check out the video that showcases the fantastic ‘Killer Moves’ from the actual bone-breaking gameplay that players can expect to find in the most vicious fighting MMA game to hit consoles.
505Games have released an all new trailer for Supremacy MMA. The trailer shows off some new fighting footage. It is set to launch on PS3 and Xbox360 later this year. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.


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Shoppers are berating shelf-stackers and leaning on protective glass, a supermarket worker has revealed, as she pleaded with the public not to treat trips to stores like a day out.
In an open letter published online, and widely shared on social media, 21-year-old supermarket assistant Amber Kirk-Ford said that while front-line shop workers are putting themselves at risk some people are “treating our place of work like a leisure park”.
She said some customers have been failing to respect social distancing while staff stack shelves and, in one incident, an elderly lady was reduced to tears after being “shoved” by shoppers in the toilet roll aisle.
The Government has told the public only to visit supermarkets for essentials and to do so as infrequently as possible.
In her letter, she said that, while many customers have been respectful and thankful to staff, others have treated “food shopping as a substitute for a day out”.
She wrote: “[Shoppers] crowd around us as we reduce the day's bargains, or lean around the plastic screens on the checkouts because they feel like it.
“Some customers make a big show of respecting other customers and keeping a distance from them, seconds before brushing against us on their way to get a sandwich.”
She added that some staff have been subjected to "verbal abuse" when customers have found shelves empty.
The letter concluded: “Please be kind, keep your distance, and stay home where possible. Behind the name badge is a person with worries, hidden health conditions, and loved ones we are trying to protect – while also protecting you.”


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There's has been a discrepancy between rural and urban broadband speeds, but no more. New technology is increasing Internet capabilities in rural areas
Radio interview source: Lisa Scalpone, Vice President, Via Sat
There was a time not so long ago when computer users outside the city limits were at the end of the line, and doomed to dial-up for their Internet access. If you could get to the net at all, it was a slow connection.
To bring rural users up to speed, WildBlue has a new service called Exede. Lisa Scalpone is the vice president of parent company Via Sat and says they've launched the world's largest communications satellite, and other Internet providers are following suit. The new satellite offers speeds of up to twelve-megabits-per-second, which is three-times faster than the highest DSL speed available in rural areas. She says all-new ground technology also makes for snappy page loading.
"When we launched our old service, we loaded pages in a way that didn't have software that could make all of the objects pop at the same time, quickly," she says. "So the pages loaded more slowly as it took round trips over the satellite. Now, we've got our own software that makes the pages all pop at the same time, so it feels like a fiber service. It doesn't feel like it's going round trip over a wireless service."
Scalpone says even remote areas of the country don't have to wait an eternity for an Internet page to load. But more importantly, Scalpone says the new high-speed technology levels the rural-urban economic playing field.
"You really can't work out of your home, you can't be a real estate agent, you can't do graphic design if you don't have a quick and good broadband connection," says Scalpone. "Everybody knows good broadband's an economic driver for rural America, that it enables the job growth and all that kind of stuff."
Scalpone says many providers are coming out with ground-wireless technologies, also known as air cards, to make connections for smartphones and tablets faster.
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Milo Yiannopoulos's online store, which has offered sweatshirts, comic books, and tees featuring the gay alt-right commentator, is out of merchandise, reports ThinkProgress.
Out of 80 items listed for sale in the Dangerous online store, only three are available: Yiannopoulos-themed coffee, one tee, and his self-published book. Ninety percent of the store's merchandise is listed as out of stock. The lack of items may be due to the months of scandal for Yiannopoulos. Although he is a New York Times best-selling author, it seems he might be facing financial troubles.
Many details of the $100,000 Privilege Grant program remain unknown, such as its donations or recipients. "At present, the Privilege Grant is not accepting new applications or donations," Yiannopoulos told NBC News via text this week. "What started as a social experiment that also did some good -- winding up social justice warriors while also sending poor kids to college -- became fodder for disingenuous, mouth-breathing retards in the press to baselessly accuse me of 'white nationalism.' As a gay man happily married to an African-American, I got tired of explaining to my husband why people on the TV kept calling me a racist."
"Public donations to the Grant have been allocated to worthy recipients, and we are in the process of distributing the final awards," he told NBC. "We are also discussing what form future activities may take, and under whose leadership they might proceed. The Grant remains a 501(c)(3) charity in good standing with the IRS."


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...we can soon look forward to these hassles and health risks when the compact fluorescent bulbs we'll be legally required to purchase break:
"...if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.
"Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some - such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California - ban disposal in trash..."
The above is per today's Boston Globe.
I continue to be appalled that President Bush bought into this silliness and signed the energy bill banning traditional light bulbs over the next five years. I wonder if there's any chance it will be rescinded. (Not with any of the current Presidential candidates in the White House...)
I think it's time to start stockpiling incandescent light bulbs.
A January post including information on health risks associated with compact fluorescent bulbs is here.
Update: More info on the health risks of compact fluorescent light bulbs.
How is it that the government gets to decree that this is the only kind of light bulb we're allowed to purchase? It's time to start stockpiling incandescent light bulbs...and it's also time to start pressuring Congress to reverse this silly mandate.


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Famed record label "Death Row" that represented artists such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac, has been sold to toymaker "Hasbro" in a 4million dollar deal.
Hasbro, well known for the iconic Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, and Power Rangers series, has now officially bought out Entertainment One, which is the owner of Death Row Records. Death Row Records is the label that helped launch Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and has now become the music industry enterprise of Mrs. Potato Head.
The worldwide toymaker announced the $4 billion deal Thursday to buy British company Entertainment One, which produces animated kids shows such as “Peppa Pig” and “PJ Masks” but also owns the rap label. Hasbro has said the company was looking to expand “family brands” and television production with the purchase.


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At age five, MySpace had hit its peak.
When Facebook celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2009, it had caught up to MySpace’s popularity and reached 150 million users.
Twitter turned five during the Arab Spring, which helped the website to grow exponentially and solidify its place as a legitimate form of communication as protesters used it to communicate amongst themselves and with the world.
Last week, Instagram had its fifth birthday, leaving many to wonder: what now?
While growing adoption is always an attractive next step, there isn’t much else out there to help build a compelling answer.
Instagram had a fairly quiet anniversary celebration, releasing coveted statistics, including the most popular accounts (Taylor Swift topped the list with 49.6 million followers), and the top five most-liked photos (dominated by Swift, again, Kim Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner).
This five-year anniversary is different than those of other social media sites have been. In 2012, at barely two years old, Instagram agreed to an acquisition by Facebook for $1 billion At the time, it was an investment by Facebook that some questioned (the actual price Facebook paid was $715 million in a mix of cash and stock because Facebook’s shares took a hit before the deal was finalized).
At the time, Instagram had no way of monetizing their product, and a year after the deal, in 2013, a monetization strategy had still not been publicly discussed – perhaps shielded short-term from the need for a revenue stream by Facebook’s investment – though Instagram introduced advertising to its platform shortly after.
Under Facebook, Instagram has flourished, from 30 million users in 2012 to 400 million users today – 80 million more users than rival Twitter. According to Instagram’s website, more than 80 million photos are shared per day on the app.Instagram is a staple in the social media landscape. It’s hard to imagine something usurping its throne, especially with Facebook holding the leash.
But surprises can happen, especially when people fall asleep behind the wheel.
In 2008, MySpace was five years old, and a necessary outlet for online socialization. Everyone knows what happened there: Facebook stole its crown, and now people use it as a reference to the past and a sort of benchmark for irrelevance. When Justin Timberlake bought MySpace in 2011, jokes flew (on other social media platforms, of course).
Though Facebook’s five-year anniversary, and even ten-year anniversary, came and went without the upheaval experienced by MySpace, Facebook has still had to reinvent itself time and time again to stay relevant, adding additional features and changing layouts to keep users engaged. In fact, it might be argued – considering the spinoff of its Messenger app from the main app in 2014 and other projects like granular ad-targeting and the recently announced “augmented reality” – that Facebook is trying to set itself up as a multi-faceted technology empire rather than an enhanced ”social network”.
Something that perhaps protects Instagram from falling apart is its sharing integration with other social media sites, including Twitter, Tumblr and, of course, Facebook – a feature that actually was one of the inspiring ideas for CEO Kevin Systrom in 2010. If a person is going to share a photo with their friends, it’s much easier to just post it to Instagram and share it through there rather than upload it to each site individually.
But that’s not what most would call a bullet-proof vest.
It’s hard to believe Instagram is only half a decade old, and it’s almost harder to believe that it has no serious rivals – perhaps again protected by the dynasty that is Facebook. But with the unpredictability of the social user and the and its limited evolution since inception, it’s hard to envision where Instagram goes next. From the looks of it, it might just be more of the same, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?
That approach has proved itself dangerous in the past. Now that Instagram is eligible for Senior Kindergarten, it may want to do some growing up.
- New Clink Investment App Has One Social Feature That Sets It Apart - April 28, 2016
- 5 Great Startups For Book Lovers - April 21, 2016
- Can Blendle Micropayments Save Publishing and Journalism? - April 14, 2016


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Kineta could receive more than $359 million as a result of the deal.
Seattle biotech Kineta will partner with big biotech company Genentech to make and sell a drug used to treat chronic pain, in a deal that could be worth more than $359 million for the Seattle company.
Kineta announced Monday it made a deal with San Francisco-based Genentech to develop Kineta’s existing target therapy into a medicine that treats nerve pain.
“There is a tremendous unmet patient need to develop more effective, safer and nonaddictive therapies for the many people who suffer from chronic pain,” Kineta CEO Shawn Iadonato said in a statement Monday.
The Seattle company will be eligible to receive up to $359 million as part of the deal, in addition to an undisclosed upfront payment. It could also receive royalties on eventual sales of products that result from the deal.
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China-US trade in 2010 and 2011, when the world economy experienced a hard, vulnerable recovery from global financial crisis in 2009, witnessed solid job creation results in both China and the US. Two way trade and investment creates jobs in both countries According to China Customs data, total China-US trade hit $446.7 billion, an increase [...]
Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing tsunami from Wall Street that almost swamped the financial world in 2008, China has been busy signing bilateral currency swap agreements in order to minimize the exposure of holding too many dollars. Such swap agreements allow the two signatory nations to do business with each other [...]
Recently, the Wall Street Journal carried an article entitled, “How Much Harm Chinese Goods Can Do to America?”, relating three American researchers’ assumption that the import of Chinese goods would wreak far more economic havoc on America than imagined. They even queried the validity of the basic international trade theory —the comparative advantage theory. What [...]
Today, fears are growing that China and India are about to be the next victims of the ongoing global economic carnage. This would have enormous consequences. Asia’s developing and newly industrialized economies grew at an 8.5% average annual rate over 2010-11 – nearly triple the 3% growth elsewhere in the world. If China and India [...]
In his January 24 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced plans to create a trade enforcement unit to investigate unfair trading practices by other countries, prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from entering the U.S., and ensure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing financing [...]
Nobel laureate Robert Mundell once stated that “great powers have great currencies.” Few geopolitical observers today would deny that China has now achieved great power status. Yet, if the overall size of the Chinese economy, its position as the world’s leading official creditor, its stature as a powerhouse exporter, and its growing military capacity all [...]
Thank you for visiting China US Focus. We are working to improve the site, and hope you will take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey. Your valuable opinions are most appreciated.


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Facebook slows new product launches
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Facebook logo is placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020. REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc (NASDAQ 🙂 has slowed the rollout of new products in recent days, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. (https://on.wsj.com/3uQEbXF)
Facebook did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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The Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, Mr. John Asein is billed to headline the launch event of the Nigerian Booksellers Directory 2021, on Wednesday, March 24.
The book, which is a product of the Booksellers Association of Nigeria (BAN) has BAN President and MD/CEO of CSS Bookshops Limited, Mr Dare Oluwatuyi and the journalist and writer, Richard Mammah as editors.
A statement from the association said the work is the outcome of a year-long research that has spanned the length and breadth of the country. It is a listing of members of the association and other Nigerian booksellers and publishers in the country.
Also contained in the book are a listing of tertiary institutions and prominent tourist sites in the country.
Other notable guests expected at the event which is billed to be hosted on the Zoom electronic platform are the President of the Nigerian Publishers Association, Chief Uche Cyril Anioke and Pan African Writers Association scribe, Dr. Wale Okediran.
Other confirmed guests include Mrs Mrs Lily Nyariki, a Book Development Specialist based in Kenya who also doubles as the Focal Point for Books and Learning Materials for English Speaking Countries in the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA); Adedapo Gbadega, Chairman – Nigerian Book Fair Trust (NBFT) Council and Mr. Charles Batambuze, Executive Director, Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation (URRO) & the National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU).
The book review is billed to be undertaken by the writer and journalist, Dr. Olayinka Oyegbile.


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- About Mazda
- SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY
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MAZDA REVOLUTIONIZES CAR BUYING WITH NEW DEALERSHIP
Bountiful, Utah - Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) showcased its commitment to enhancing the car-buying experience for customers with the grand opening today of Bountiful Mazda, one of the largest Mazda dealers in the country.
Bountiful Mazda adopted the company's new retail philosophy that is focused on delivering unique buying experiences for car shoppers through technology, environment and the Mazda Test Drive.
"The blueprint for our new retail experience blends modern-day advances such as wireless technology and computer kiosks with sleek architecture and customer-centric design elements to create a car-buying experience like no other," said Charlie Hughes, president and CEO of MNAO. "This concept injects our Zoom-Zoom philosophy into our dealer network, and customers will find that purchasing Mazda products mirrors the excitement of driving Mazda products."
No example better illustrates Mazda's new concept than the Mazda Test Drive. The experience has been created to highlight the company's mantra, "Mazda…Always the Soul of a Sports Car." This is done through a custom test-drive route featuring carefully and uniquely selected routes, traffic patterns and road conditions specific to each dealership location.
Another key to Mazda's retail philosophy is found in the use of technology. Today, the vast majority of auto shoppers rely on the Internet to gather objective and reliable vehicle information. Consequently, this process brings an interactive component into the dealership, closing the gap between online information and the Mazda dealership and creating a "site-to-store" experience.
"We're thrilled to be the first Mazda facility in the country to be designed from the outset to deliver Mazda's vision of the future buying experience," said Michael MacDonald, president of Bountiful Mazda. "We all know that Mazda automobiles put the fun into driving, and we hope our new dealership and its people put the same enjoyment into vehicle purchasing."
Mazda North American Operations is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer parts and services support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.


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Silicon Republic moves behind paywall to ‘futureproof’ business
The science and technology magazine has existed as an online publication for almost two decades, but this is the first time it has introduced subscriptions
The editor of Silicon Republic, the online science and technology magazine based in Dublin, has said its recent decision to introduce a paywall on its content was part of a bid to futureproof its business.
The company was founded by Ann O’Dea, its chief executive, and Darren McAuliffe, its publisher, in 2001. It has existed as an online publication for almost 20 years, but this marks the first time it has introduced subscriptions.
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Oscar-winning director conjures up Christmas magic for Boots
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‘On Call’ follows fictional service engineer as he volunteers to cover for colleagues on Christmas Day
Willie O’Reilly: Iniesta’s schoolboy error could cost him dearly
The former Barcelona playmaker is in hot water after he endorsed a cryptocurrency platform on Twitter without disclosing that he had been paid to do so


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Aston Barclay has developed a used car desirability index to help dealers understand what’s hot and what’s not in the market at the moment.
Drawing on its extensive used car database, the national car and van auction and remarketing specialist has created a unique formula to guide them on which used cars to stock and setting the correct reserve prices in this busy market.
The data takes three key metrics into account: web views ahead of sale, physical and online bids per sale and the sale price achieved as a percentage of CAP Average.
The formula gives an accurate representation of buyer habits during April and early May in Aston Barclay’s current hybrid physical and digital auction space, which has seen attendance go up.
Physical buyers are purchasing 60 per cent more used cars at the moment than digital buyers are, it says, and the index keeps in close touch with physical and online buyer trends.
Many of the top 25 cars on the list are SUVs, particularly at the premium end of the market such as the Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Jaguar F-Pace and BMW X5.
Four out of the top 25 are from Mercedes-Benz, reinforcing the brand’s strength in the current used car space.
The Tesla Model 3 is the only fully electric car on the list and the Kia Niro and Lexus NX the only hybrids, showing that the market’s current appetite still leans towards petrol and diesel cars.
The Lexus NX topped the table, while the Mazda MX5, BMW 2 series, Mini Clubman and Countryman were the only smaller cars to appear.
Many of the used premium cars coming up at auction have become more desirable in the past few weeks as semiconductor shortages continue to impact on supplies of new cars, says Aston Barclay.
In this buoyant market, vendors are increasingly looking to their suppliers to help them price their products to maximise their returns.
Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s managing director – customer, said: ‘We built the desirability index in response to the industry wanting to understand the latest trends following the market reopening and us embracing our hybrid physical and digital strategy.
‘We have taken data from across all our physical and digital platforms to provide valuable insights to help both buyers and vendors.’


text: Shares of Equifax Inc. /zigman2/quotes/208789454/composite EFX +1.01% rallied nearly 8% in the extended session Wednesday after the consumer credit reporting agency reported first-quarter earnings that were above forecast and its "highest ever" quarterly revenue. Equifax said it earned $201.6 million, or $1.64 a share, compared with $116.9 million, or 95 cents a share, in the first quarter of 2020. Sales rose 27% to $1.2 billion, a fifth straight quarter of double-digit revenue growth and a record for the company, Equifax said. Analysts polled by FactSet expected EPS of $1.34 a share on sales of $1.12 billion. Equifax also increased its full-year revenue and EPS guidance, saying it was "confident" in its outlook for 2021. It raised the full-year revenue guidance to between $4.58 billion and $4.68 billion, and its adjusted EPS guidance to between $6.75 and $7.05.


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Wall Street and Tim Cook want investors to look at Apple and see an orange.
There has been a growing focus recently on Apple's "services" business, which generated 9 percent of the company's revenue in the last year, or more than $21 billion. The money represents Apple's share of sales of digital music and TV downloads on iTunes, purchases on the App Store, subscriptions to Apple Music, AppleCare warranties and digital file and photo storage on iCloud. This side business for Apple rings up more sales than Starbucks does in a year. Not too shabby.


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Following its announcement in October that it planned to build a new 4.9-million-tonne PET recycling plant at Peel L&P Environmental’s 54-hectare strategic energy and resource hub, Protos, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire in Cheshire, UK-based PET recycler Enviroo launched a consultation with local residents and businesses to hear from the community about the plan.
The company has now submitted a planning application to construct the facility.
“We were really pleased with the feedback we had from the consultation. Many respondents were really positive that this recycling facility would allow us to deal with more plastic waste on our shores and we look forward to engaging with the community on the benefits of recycling,” said Ahmed Detta, CEO & Founder of Enviroo.
The recycler said it plans to invest some £20m in the project. The new plant, which will be capable of re-using 100% of the PET it takes in, is expected to create 50 permanent jobs.
Enviroo will use proven technology from Erema and Sorema Technologies to sort and wash the waste, before creating r-PET (recycled -PET) pellets that can be used by packaging manufacturers to create new packaging products.
This will become increasingly important from April 2022, when a new law will see any packaging that contains less than 30% recycled PET taxed. Some manufacturers have gone further, pledging to include up to 50% recycled material in their packaging under the UK Plastics Pact.
The facility will be at the Plastic Park at Protos, which will cluster together plastic recycling and recovery technologies to create value from plastic waste, helping to avoid it ending up in landfill, exported overseas or in the oceans.
The £165m Plastic Park will include a range of innovative technologies that deal with different types of plastic, each designed to extract the most value from the waste, said Jayne Hennessy, Development Manager at Peel L&P Environmental.
“Whether it’s been mixed or sorted the Plastic Park will be able to deal with numerous types of plastic.”
A decision on the recycling facility is expected to be made early next year. If approved, the facility will be operational by the spring of 2022.


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The DaimlerChrysler AG Mario Gomez Germany Jersey
, the German parent company of the Chrysler Group, is currently in talks to sell its ailing American division. But Daimler is not losing track in the global auto competition. As a fact, it will introduce Dodge product lines in Japan for the first time since 2002.
DaimlerChrysler Japan Co., the automaker's local subsidiary Marco Reus Germany Jersey
, said last Wednesday that it will sell Dodge cars including the Avenger sedan and the Dodge Caliber hatchback. The Dodge brand has previously been sold by independent importers since the Chrysler shunned imports of Viper sports cars in 2002.
The Dodge Avenger sedan, a replacement for the aging Stratus, shares the GS platform with its sibling Chrysler Sebring. Aside from the distinct Dodge bumper, the Avenger is equipped with the 2.4 L base engine in the SE trim level. Additional engines include the 2.7 L V6 in the SXT and a 3.5 L V6 in the RT trim level.
The Caliber Marc-Andre ter Stegen Germany Jersey
, a remarkable hatchback from the automaker, features Dodge?s crosshair grille and large flared fenders. The Caliber is designed to rival the new Chevrolet HHR, the new Nissan Versa and Suzuki SX4 and the Toyota MatrixPontiac Vibe.
According to the automaker?s reports, Japanese customers bought fewer than 1 Manuel Neuer Germany Jersey
,000 Chrysler-brand vehicles in the first quarter of 2007. In the United States, there is an apparent decline in sales of Dodge Ram and SUVs like the Jeep Commander. This has prompted the decline in Chrysler?s sales. Eventually, the American arm of Daimler has lost $1.5 billion in 2006.
During a press conference in Tokyo, Hans Tempel Lukas Podolski Germany Jersey
, the president of DaimlerChrysler Japan, has this to say: "No matter what the outcome of Chrysler is, we will continue making our business more profitable in Japan." Every potential buyer of Chrysler "should be interested in profitable business," Tempel said.
Other Dodge models included in Japan?s lineup include the Nitro sport utility vehicle and the Dodge Charger sports sedan. Tempel added that the German automaker intends to offer a total of five new vehicles in Japan this year. Stuttgart Leroy Sane Germany Jersey
, Germany-based DaimlerChrysler is considering introducing diesel-powered vehicles in Japan under the Jeep and Dodge brands, Tempel said.
In August, Daimler started selling a diesel engine-powered Mercedes E-class model. But the German automaker did give specific sales goal for Dodge vehicles in Japan. The pricing for the four interesting Dodge models is not revealed yet.
According to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, sales of imported vehicles in Japan accounted for 4.3 percent of the world's third-largest vehicle market in the first quarter of this year as compared with a peak of 6.4 percent in 1996. In addition Kevin Volland Germany Jersey
, sales of Chrysler-brand vehicles totaled 943 units in the three months ended March 31 and that amount is down by 8.1 percent from a year earlier.
It could be recalled that Daimler dropped the bombed that shocked the entire auto world on Valentines Day. At present, the automaker is negotiating the sale of the Auburn Hills-based Chrysler.


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Apple has been releasing iOS updates left and right lately, greeting iPhone owners with a prompt every time they start up iTunes. Many are wondering if these updates are important, what the purpose of the updates are, and whether or not it's actually worth the time to continue installing. When it comes to the latest update, iOS 4.3.3, Apple has made significant changes to the way in which location data is stored on your device.
Responding to criticism and questions from across the board, Apple is reacting to a discovery by security researchers Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden. The pair discovered a log file on the iPhone and iPad that keeps location data from cellular tower triangulation indefinitely. With software they wrote, they were able to see maps of where they had been with their iPhones ever since the iOS 4.0 update was installed.
Although there are ways to block location tracking without updating to iOS 4.3.3, the best method is to go ahead and update your iPhone to the latest operating system from Apple. The company announced its plans to deal with the location tracking problem last week, and now with the iOS 4.3.3 update it has made these plans reality:
- The size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone is now reduced to seven days or less.
- This location data cache will no longer be backed up to iTunes on your computer.
- The cache will be deleted entirely when Location Services is turned OFF in the Settings.
iOS 4.3.3 is available for free via iTunes and compatible with the AT&T iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation.


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Two local nonprofits seeking help
Two local nonprofits are seeking help with promoting their programs.
• Chick-fil-A on Victory Drive and Skidaway Road will host a two-day food drive, Cookie For A Can today and Saturday to give their customers the opportunity to support their local food bank, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia.
Everyone in the community is invited to stop by the Victory Drive location and do their part to help end hunger. For each canned good that is dropped off, donors will receive a cookie in exchange. Limit of 10 cookies per customer.
The shelves of the food bank are looking bare and the drive seeks to provide nutritious food to those in need. Second Harvest has more than 280 partner agencies that rely on us as the distribution point for their feeding and food pantry needs.
• Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center has been selected by Savannah’s Whole Foods Market, 1815 E. Victory Drive, as the recipient of its bimonthly 5 percent Day on Tuesday in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The nonprofit center, which serves children who have been sexually or severely physically abused or who have witnessed violence, will receive 5 percent of the store’s net proceeds during that day. For more information, call the center at 236-1401.


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Here's What Marijuana Packaging Could Look Like in Mississauga Stores
With marijuana legalization right around the corner, the Government of Canada has indeed released some mockups of what its packaging will look like in stores.
The federal government aims to legalize pot across Canada on October 17, and in anticipation of the big day, details are being released slowly but surely.
In terms of what the packaging will look like when we see pot on store shelves, it’s set to be incredibly simple and to-the-point - nothing fancy to see here!
Let’s take a look:
#Cannabis product labels will display a clear and evident cannabis symbol. More on our approach to #PlainPackaging and labelling for cannabis products: https://t.co/nN1GAnKst0 pic.twitter.com/lM7xuE6ML1— GovCanHealth (@GovCanHealth) March 19, 2018
All cannabis product packaging will include three main things - the sandardized cannabis symbol, a clear health warning message, and the THC/CBD content.
There are 14 different health warnings, any of which you might see on any given package.
Here are some examples:
- WARNING: Cannabis smoke is harmful.
- WARNING: Cannabis can be addictive.
- WARNING: Regular use of cannabis can increase the risk of psychosis and schizophrenia.
Each warning has a secondary sentence that will also be included on the label.
Other general information such as the class of cannabis, the processor’s information, storage conditions, a packaging an expiry date, and a “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN / TENIR HORS DE LA PORTEE DES ENFANTS” statement will also be required.
Of course, it’s what on the inside that counts.
For more details on cannabis packaging, click here.
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- $100,000 prize for Brampton winner of Big Brother Canada


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MissFresh and Dingdong Maicai, two Chinese online grocers, filed for US IPOs. Short-video app Kuaishou tests a local services app via Wechat, competing with Meituan and Ele.me. Online retailer JD.com and its logistics business are expanding overseas.
China’s e-commerce and retail market offers a fire hose of products, choices, business models, rapidly changing content, and more. Here’s what you need to know about China’s online retail market for the week of June 3 to June 9.
IPOs, fundings, and earnings
Tencent-backed online grocery delivery platform MissFresh filed for an initial public offering on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. The company said it plans to use the proceeds to enhance its technology infrastructure, upgrade its supply chain, develop its retail cloud business, and expand marketing. Goldman Sachs and Tiger Global Management are investors in the Beijing-based firm, which has raised more than $1.6 billion since its founding in 2014. (SEC filing)
Chinese grocery app Dingdong Maicai filed for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The filing comes after the SoftBank-backed company raised more than $1 billion in its two most recent funding rounds in April and May. (SEC filing)
Caihuoxia, a second-hand consumer electronics trading platform, has secured $45 million Series A funding in a round led by Eastern Bell Capital. The company is valued at $140 million. 58.com-backed re-commerce platform Zhuanzhuan Group will remain a controlling investor of the company after the deal. (36kr, in Chinese)
Dian Xiao Mi, which provides software support for cross-border online retail trades, announced on June 2 that the company had completed its Series B to raise RMB 135 million ($21.1 million). Gaorong Capital led the funding round. Previous backers GGV Capital and CDH Investments also took part the round. (TechNode, in Chinese)
Dada, a JD.com-backed on-demand grocery delivery firm, released its first-quarter earnings on Monday. Revenue grew 58% year-over-year to RMB 1.67 billion, while net loss tripled to RMB 720 million. (Dada)
Kuaishou gets into local services
Short-video app Kuaishou has launched a new WeChat mini-program to provide local services. Users can discover restaurant discounts and coupons, and use group-buying features. Kuaishou is competing against food delivery platforms Meituan and Ele.me, according to iiMedia research chief Zhang Yi. The service is currently only available in Changsha, Harbin, and Shenzhen. Kuaishou’s direct rival Douyin is already offering local services in 300 cities around China. (KrAsia)
JD.com expands international service
E-commerce giant JD.com has launched three weekly chartered cargo flights between the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and Thailand’s Bangkok. The flights will cut down delivery times to Thailand to less than 48 hours. The tech giant runs online shopping platform JD Central in Thailand through a partnership with local retail conglomerate Central Group. According to a company statement, JD.com ships daily necessities, small household electronics, and other e-commerce products to Thailand. (Nikkei Asia)
JD Logistics launched its first cargo flight between China and the United States on June 7. The flight, operated by China Eastern Airlines, will run three times a week from the eastern city of Nanjing to Los Angeles. The flights will help shipments to be delivered in 48 hours. The move comes after JD Logistics CEO Yu Rui said the company expects users outside the JD ecosystem to power growth, following the logistics firm’s IPO on May 28. (JD.com)
Fashion retailer Mogu’s sales from livestreams rose 42% year on year. The increase comes despite a 24% drop in revenue to RMB 91 million. The company intends to restructure and focus on growing its livestreaming business, according to Chief Strategy Officer Raymond Huang. (Caixin)
Online fashion marketplace JOOR opened its first China office in Shanghai after setting up new offices in Tokyo and Melbourne earlier this year. CEO Kristin Savilia said that the new Shanghai branch will allow for continued expansion across the APAC region, as the company’s wholesale volume for APAC-based brands in 2021 grew by 419%. (TechCrunch)


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Mazda has announced that their new MX-5 Z-Sport will go on sale on 1st March 2018. The exclusive model will showcase a cherry red fabric hood, machine grey metallic paint, which comes at no extra cost, and 17-inch black BBS wheels. Sounds lovely, right.
The interior of the car boasts sand leather seats, Z-Sport floor mats, and for that extra touch of exclusivity, a numbered Z-Sport plaque. This latest MX-5 model will be exclusive to the UK with a limited production run of just 300 cars.
To get your hands on one of these roadsters you will need to fork out £25,595 but for your money, you will get a 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G engine which produces 160ps (158hp), limited slip differential, Bilstein dampers and a strut brace. All of this coupled with the aesthetic features mentioned earlier make the MX-5 Z-Sport sound like quite a desirable sportscar.
Here is what Mazda Motors UK’s Managing Director, Jeremy Thomson, had to say:
“The MX-5’s new cherry coloured roof was shown for the first time in public at the recent Tokyo Motor Show where it received a very positive reception. I’m delighted that we can bring it to UK MX-5 buyers as part of the exciting Z-Sport limited edition model.”
Mazda aims to deliver a “striking and exclusive car at an affordable price” with this new Z-Sport and will want to see it do as well as their third-generation MX-5 did back in 2007.