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The next time you spot a two-for-one deal at the supermarket, spare a thought for how the store knew how many pallets of chicken wings or spaghetti sauce to order and how the food processor knew how many of each to make.
Matching that supply and demand was once guesswork, but increasingly, companies are using sophisticated software, artificial intelligence and cloud-based data analytics to put the two together in a more efficient way.
For investors, that’s one aspect of agriculture technology (agtech), which is creating opportunities as climate change and drought create urgency for better farm-to-table efficiency.
One company investors can turn to for a low low-risk way to play this emerging sector comes from a place they might not normally look. Telus Corp. T-T, the telecommunications giant better known for its internet and mobile phone services, is now applying its data management and analytics skills to this area as well.
“One-third of the world’s food is wasted because it’s in the wrong place at the wrong time,” says John Raines, president of Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods, a $400-million-a-year business, whose revenue grew 37 per cent year-over-year.
“[We want] to improve the sustainability, availability, quality and ultimately, the affordability of food and consumer goods supply,” he adds.
Mr. Raines grew up in rural Missouri and is still involved in a family farm that grows corn and soybeans. He says Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods is the third-largest provider of tools for consumer trade promotions in the world helping match supply and demand for those aforementioned buy-one-get-one-free deals. Its customers include nine of the 10 largest global agricultural companies and 70 of the top 100 consumer goods companies. Those names include Unilever PLC, Nestle SA, Tyson Foods Inc., Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble Co.
The unit has made 11 acquisitions since 2019 in the software as a service area, employs 1,600 people, and does business in 50 countries. It was renamed in July to include consumer goods.
Along with its food processing and consumer packaging clients, Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods is also aiming its applications at farmers.
“A farmer is trying to determine from a soil sample what type of seed to plant and how much to plant,” Mr. Raines says. “And then how to manage weeds and disease. We’re not trying to produce the seed. We’re not trying to sell crop protection products. We’re using analytics to help them do what they do much better, much more efficiently, and much more sustainably.”
The Telus software connects farmers and seed retailers via an app. It displays data on how much seed is needed for a certain acreage and how best to control weeds. It incorporates weather patterns, soil composition, seasonal rain, and sunshine. It helps determine application rates for fertilizer and pesticides and when best to irrigate.
If the unit’s growth continues, Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods could see a spinoff in the latter half of the decade, Mr. Raines says.
If so, the spinoff would follow the path laid out by Telus International Inc. TIXT-T, which became a standalone unit in 2021. Telus International has $2.4-billion in revenue and helps companies such as Fitbit and Uber Technologies Inc. manage online content and customer service.
Telus Health, with $1.6-billion in revenue, is likewise being groomed. Telus Health helps doctors, dentists, and clinics manage bookings and organize records. In June, it paid $2.9-billion for LifeWorks Inc., previously called Morneau Shepell Inc., which provides mental health and employee-wellness services.
For Telus investors, the potential of these spinoffs may be one more reason to own the stock.
ETFs in the space
For those interested in a more targeted agtech approach, there are two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to consider. Both are recent launches with overlapping holdings and both have sold off from their issue price.
BlackRock Inc.’s iShares Emergent Food and AgTech Multisector ETF IVEG-Q was launched in April. It has US$5.6-million in assets under management (AUM) and holds 39 companies in the technology and sustainable food production and packaging areas.
Global X Management Co. LLC’s Global X Ag Tech and Food Innovation ETF KROP-Q was launched in July 2021. It has US$7-million in AUM and 30 stocks including Canadian names such as Nutrien Ltd. NTR-T and Maple Leaf Foods Inc. MFI-T. Another large holding is Corteva Inc. CTVA-N, the chemical and seed company. The iShares ETF also holds Nutrien and Corteva.
Alec Lucas, a Global X research analyst in New York who oversees the ETF, says as the climate changes, it becomes important to make better use of expensive crop inputs such as seed, water and fertilzers.
“We look at agtech as increasing efficiency and output while decreasing inputs such as water and fertilizer.”
Deere, for example, offers many precision agriculture products and will begin marketing a driverless tractor later this year. The tractor collects data via sensors on such things as soil composition, weed concentrations and weather.
Mr. Lucas says tools that reduce labour needs, automate irrigation and make greenhouses smarter are in demand. Labour shortages are acute as the average age of farmers rises.
“The current environment is pretty powerful for boosting the long-term potential of agricultural technology,” he says.
Adam Mayers is a contributing editor to the Internet Wealth Builder investment newsletter.
For more from Globe Advisor, visit our homepage.


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Why some Sunshine State residents are taking vitamin D
Blood test results reveal deficiency
ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s often called the sunshine vitamin and has been linked to fighting cancer, bone disease and heart disease, but could vitamin D also help you sleep better?
For most, an afternoon walk around the neighborhood is adequate for absorbing vitamin D.
In some cases, though, genetic variants can cause people to become deficient in vitamin D.
“In Debra's case, when she came to me, she had chronic inflammation, insomnia,” said Dr. Giselle Leon-Ritch, at Acupuncture and Wellness Therapy in South Florida.
Debra Kerr, 56, was in a boating accident in 2011 and suffered several broken bones. It took time to heal from her injuries, but years later, she still suffered from overwhelming fatigue.
“This chronic exhaustion never went away, and I thought it was a lot of work and a lot of travel,” Kerr said.
When she went for acupuncture treatment, Leon-Ritch recommended vitamin D supplements.
“My energy is there, I am high energy, I am always on the go,” Kerr said.
Orlando Health registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist Gabrielle Mancella said it is important to understand the effects vitamin D has on the body.
"Vitamin D is actually a fat soluble vitamin and so when we take it, it does have other factors that it requires in order to be activated,” Mancella said.
Because it is fat-soluble, Mancella said vitamin D is stored in our fat cells and can be tapped when our body needs it. And there are serious consequences to taking too much of the supplement.
Some studies have linked overuse of vitamin D to heart, blood vessel and kidney damage.
Ask your doctor before taking an over-the-counter supplement. A simple blood test can reveal a deficiency in vitamin D.
“It does balance out our hormones and makes sure we are being restful, but I wouldn't necessarily say to take it as a sleep supplement or to use it in hopes of it causing more restful sleep,” Mancella said.
Mancella recommended magnesium as an alternative for patients searching for a sleep supplement.
Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

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Pre-Order The New Chicago Diner Cookbook
By Anthony Todd in Food on Jul 8, 2013 6:00PM
Here's a little tidbit we came across over the weekend: If you want to make all of your favorite Vegan goodies from the famed Chicago Diner at home, you'll soon be able to, thanks to a glossy cookbook from Chef Jo A. Kaucher and Agate Publishing.
The book was included in Agate's newest catalog, which we happened across on Saturday. There is a previous Chicago Diner cookbook (hence the "New" in the title) but it hasn't been updated since 2002.
The cookbook is a celebration of the Diner's 30th anniversary. We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this as we get closer to publication, but if you're a huge fan of the diner, you can pre-order the book now for $15. It will be released in December.


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Judgments against consumers up 20% in fourth quarter
Small business judgments increased 66% compared to 46% against all businesses
Judgments against all types of businesses, particularly small businesses, saw large increases.
There was a 20 percent rise in the number of judgments recorded against consumers in the Republic during the fourth quarter of last year, according to figures compiled by Registry Trust.
Consumer judgment numbers rose from 516 in fourth quarter of 2018 to 618 for the same period last year, while the total value grew by 31 percent from €47,606,712 to €62,393,251.
Registry Trust, a group that monitors court judgments, said the average and median values saw increases of nine and ten percent respectively suggesting larger judgments were being registered against consumers compared to the same quarter in 2018.
Judgments against all types of businesses, particularly small businesses, saw even larger increases than consumer judgments. Small business judgments increased 66 percent compared to 46 percent registered against all types of Irish businesses.
The total and average values of judgments registered against all businesses dropped significantly in the final quarter of 2019 compared to the same quarter of 2018.


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|Bid||0.00 x 0|
|Ask||0.00 x 0|
|Day's range||47.22 - 47.54|
|52-week range||43.10 - 61.23|
|Beta (5Y monthly)||0.10|
|PE ratio (TTM)||19.35|
|Forward dividend & yield||1.75 (3.97%)|
|Ex-dividend date||04 Aug 2022|
|1y target est||N/A|
The boss of Unilever publicly called for “evil” plastic sachets to be phased out while the company privately lobbied against banning them, it has been revealed.
The cannabis market will be worth nearly $200 billion by 2028, according to estimates from Fortune Business Insights. Three companies that have exposure to the industry are retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard (OTC: ANCT.F), Unilever (NYSE: UL), and Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL). One retailer that's eager to sell pot in its stores is Alimentation Couche-Tard, the company behind the popular Circle K convenience stores.
Unilever is being sued by a US investor over claims it hid a boycott of Israel by its Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand that wiped billions of US dollars off its stock market value.


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Africa is leapfrogging centralized coal-fired power for electricity generation, but what progress is being made in the uptake of electric vehicles? Green shoots are appearing. I have written previously about buses and boda bodas, but what other vehicles are being provided for the 45 countries and more than one billion people of this vast continent? What is the state of electric vehicle progress in Africa?
Morocco is challenging the energy crisis and the buildup of air pollution by creating the Intersectoral Professional Association for Electric Mobility (APIME). The mission of APIME is to develop sustainable transport. Among the executive committee members managing APIME are representatives of Afrimobility and Adiwatt (which specializes in solar solutions) as well as the managing director of the Centrale Automobile Chérifienne (CAC), which imports cars from Audi, Volkswagen, and Skoda into Morocco.
“The first lines of work will be devoted to dialogue with the public authorities in order to complete the standardisation of electric mobility equipment and to examine with the electricity distribution organisations and the private sector the specifications for the connection of recharging facilities for electric vehicles,” says Omar El Harti, the president of APIME and also the deputy general manager of Centrelec, an industrial equipment supplier based in Casablanca. The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has begun the development of the “National Master Plan for Electric Mobility.”
Car manufacturers are also playing their part. Renault, which has a factory in Tangiers, will produce the electric “Mobilize Duo” from October 2023. This two-seater is equipped with smartphone-assisted driving software and a battery exchange recharging system. Renault’s Moroccan employees have manufactured nearly 2.4 million vehicles over the past decade, which have been shipped to more than 70 countries. Ramping up the Duo should be easy.
The Mobilize Duo is a two-seat electric quadricycle set to replace the Renault Twizy in 2023, which was unveiled at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. First previewed as the Mobilize EZ-1 concept in 2021, it was eventually renamed to its current name and shown at the 2021 Viva Tech event. The Duo will not be available for purchase, but will be offered to individuals on a subscription basis.
A cargo version, named the Mobilize Bento, will be available with 1 m³ (1.3 cu yd) of load area. It was announced alongside the Duo.
The Duo is designed for shared mobility as part of the Renaultution strategy. Renault aims to integrate 50% recycled materials into the Duo’s construction and make it 95% recyclable at the end of its useful life. Tangiers will have the capacity to produce 17,000 Duos per year. Competitor Stellantis is planning to produce up to 50,000 electric quadricycles in Kenitra. These will include the Citroen Ami, the Opel Rocks-e, and potentially, the Fiat Topolini. Stellantis expects to have annual production capacity in North Africa of 1 million vehicles by 2030, taking advantage of low wages and government incentives.
Electric mobility is expected to develop in Ivory Coast by 2024. Mobility startup EVTech is currently raising around 6.4 million euros to be used to finance and deploy charging stations for electric vehicles. EVs are seen as one of the answers to the problem of air pollution in rapidly growing African countries.
Florent Thomas, founder of EVTech, explains: “We are moving up a gear after more than a year of development and various full-scale tests in the city of Abidjan with the aim of closing at the end of the second quarter of 2023.” Next is expansion to the capital city of Yamoussoukro, with a population of 340,000.
EVTech has developed a mobile app that allows subscribers to “locate available charging points, to know in real time the availability of the latter, the charging power offered, the type of connector or the price of the charge.”
Auto24, which runs the only public charging station in Treichville, will work with EVTech. Auto24 specializes in the sale and repurchase of second-hand vehicles. Auto24 is a subsidiary of Africar Group based in Paris, France. Their stated aim is “leveraging market knowledge, data intelligence, global technology, passion and motivation to build African automotive portals for cars, trucks and motorbikes, closer to the transaction.”
Before 2024, Africar is planning to launch its first range of second-hand electric vehicles manufactured in Asia for individuals and companies. Those include the Kia e-Soul, Kia e-Niro, and Hyundai Porter Electric.
“We will move Ivory Coast forward in the electrification of its car fleet by encouraging local consumers to take an interest in sustainable transport,” says Axel Peyrière, the co-founder of Africar Group, the parent company of Auto24 based in Paris, France.
2.2 million ICE vehicles are used on Kenyan roads. In a bid to reduce air pollution, Kenya’s national treasury is preparing to exempt the “importation, local assembly, or marketing of electric vehicles” in Nairobi and the other 46 counties from taxation. This measure is expected to increase the number of electric cars and bicycles.
The world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD, is increasing its activity in the country. BYD is considering the acquisition of six mines that contain large lithium deposits in Africa. It expects to then produce up to 27.78 million batteries for the production of electric vehicles.
Matt Lloyd, Executive Director of the organization Associated Vehicle Assemblers, reports that AVA is expanding its electric vehicle assembly operations in Kenya in 2023. AVA and BasiGo will assemble 1,000 eco-friendly minibuses (33-seaters) by 2026. It is expected that this will create at least 300 green jobs in manufacturing, charging, and vehicle maintenance.
According to AVA’s executive director, who made the announcement, the vehicles will be imported from China in parts. “The advantage of working with BYD is that they are one of the world’s leaders in electric mobility with modern automotive technology devices,” explains Matt Lloyd.
Nairobi hotels also offer guests an EV transport option, using Nissan Leafs.
Emanating from Kenya and planning to make an impact across Africa is micromobility company eWaka. This video highlights the positives of using the Shujaa Box for both the delivery driver and the customer:
We can’t all drive Teslas, but we can share a Renault Duo, ride in a BYD electric bus, and have our food and purchases delivered by an eWaka Shujaa Box, all coordinated by locally generated software. It is great to celebrate the electric vehicle progress in Africa.
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Former Tesla Battery Expert Leading Lyten Into New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Era — Podcast:
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...


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CEOs of two financial industry giants--Stephen Schwarzman and Jamie Dimon--agree on at least two things: The U.S. and China will reach a trade deal and there won't be a U.S. recession soon.
Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of private-equity giant Blackstone (BX +7.9%), says he hasn't seen any signs of downturn at companies it owns or invests in, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview.
From another perspective, Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase (JPM -0.3%), doesn't see the yield-curve inversion leading to a U.S. recession this time around, he told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo.
"I don't buy that personally," he answered when asked if the yield-curve inverting signals a recession on the horizon.
As for China, Schwarzman says he's certain there will be a U.S.-China trade deal, but it won't solve all the issues.
"It's not going to be an agreement that solves all problems because China's economic forum is different with huge state ownership of certain types of things an subsidies," he said.
Dimon puts the probability of a U.S.-China grade deal at 85%. "I think it's already in the market we have a deal."


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HQ Trivia, which was once a popular mobile game that turns your knowledge into some bucks, is now returning after a short break. HQ Trivia has been shut down for almost two months earlier this year after an investment deal fell through. However, some players still had that app installed on thier phone.
Yesterday, these players were surprised to receive a push notification last night, alerting them to the start of a new broadcast. That means HQ Trivia is back again in the business. However, there is no news from the app owner over this.
The game’s founder did say last month he was searching for new investment. And now, we expect that he might have got the right person to which he was looking to get this app back on the track.
Games will be held every day at 9 pm ET, apparently, and each set this week will include a donation towards coronavirus-related efforts, which is a nice gesture to start again. Well, it’s still unclear how long this app will last, but even relief for some people who have been stuck indoors during this pandemic as they will have a good source of entertainment where they can earn some bucks just using thier knowledge power.
For the latest tech news and updates, Install TechCodex App and follow us on Google News, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, if you like our efforts, consider sharing this story with your friends, this will encourage us to bring more exciting updates for you.


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(Adnkronos) – Company reinforces global operations, staff distribution and commitment to data privacy for digital analytics and activation tools
AMSTERDAM, May 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Piano, a leading digital experience platform, today announced that Amsterdam will become its new global headquarters. The relocation reinforces Piano’s commitment to European ideals around data protection and developing software that respects the boundaries set forth by the GDPR and other local regulations around the world.
Since its founding, Piano has acquired companies based in France, Germany, Norway, Slovakia and elsewhere. These transactions and Piano’s organic growth have forged a global footprint with its strongest presence in Europe, including more than two-thirds of Piano employees and over half the organization’s revenue. Piano has considered Amsterdam its European commercial hub since 2018, and the company will open a new flagship office in the city later this summer.
Piano’s software suite has been developed in Europe as an end-to-end solution for organizations to understand their customers and engage them digitally at every touchpoint in their user journey. Its advanced digital analytics tool, Piano Analytics, was built purposefully and entirely in France in adherence with the world’s strictest data protection rules.
“In the midst of a ‘big tech’ reckoning, I’m very proud that Piano has remained true to our values around making great software for good purpose. Europe is leading the way in data privacy, and with the majority of our operations being in Europe anyway, we felt it was time to make our commitment to Europe and to data protections clear,” said Trevor Kaufman, CEO, Piano. “Amsterdam has been a strong European commercial center for Piano for the last four years, so we’re excited to deepen our investment in the city and continue to grow as part of its exciting tech community.”
As the future of the internet shifts away from anonymous tracking and toward a consent-based system with users in control, committing to the EU’s leadership allows Piano to continue offering solutions that help brands and publishers reach their data goals while maintaining trust with their own customers.
A truly global company, Piano employs more than 650 staff across 15 offices worldwide, including Amsterdam, Paris, Singapore, Berlin, Buenos Aires, New York, and Tokyo. The company has continued to expand its global presence and product offering with the acquisitions of AT Internet and CeleraOne in 2021, and SocialFlow in 2022. Piano has grown more than 240% in the last two years and has been recognized annually on the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists.
Piano’s Digital Experience Platform empowers organizations to understand and influence customer behavior. By unifying customer data, analyzing behavior metrics and creating personalized customer journeys, Piano helps brands launch campaigns and products faster, strengthen customer engagement and drive personalization at scale from a single platform. Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, Piano serves a global client base, including Air France, the BBC, CBS, IBM, Kirin Holdings, Jaguar Land Rover, Nielsen, The Wall Street Journal and more. Piano has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing, most innovative technology companies in the world by World Economic Forum, Inc., Deloitte, American City Business Journals and more. For more information, visit piano.io.
Piano Media ContactElissa Hill814firstname.lastname@example.org
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691003/Piano_Logo.jpg


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Digital TV News: Xandr
Channel 4 adds Xandr to its digital ad-buying suite
Mar 16, 2023 – Channel 4 will be the first UK broadcaster to offer brands the option of using the automated ad buying platform Xandr having added it to its suite of demand side platforms.
News categories: Channel 4, Xandr, Fatima Dowlet, Adam Lynch, Melinda Clow, Advertising, Digital TV, UK
NBCUniversal extends capabilities of One Platform technology stack
Feb 8, 2023 – NBCUniversal (NBCU) has unveiled expanded capabilities for its One Platform technology stack. NBCU is partnering industrywide to build an automated, interactive, and transparent future for fans, storytellers and marketers.
News categories: NBCUniversal, Steve Wozniak, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA, Worldwide
OpenAP announces interoperability with FreeWheel, Magnite and Xandr
Sep 27, 2022 – OpenAP has announced new programmatic interoperability of OpenID, its audience identifier. OpenID audiences can now be distributed for programmatic digital execution via integrations with FreeWheel, Magnite and Xandr.
News categories: OpenAP, FreeWheel, Magnite, Xandr, Chris LoRusso, Misha Williams, Matt McLeggon, Tom Koch, Esra Bacher, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA
AT&T sells Xandr to Microsoft
Dec 21, 2021 – AT&T (NYSE:T) has agreed to sell Xandr to Microsoft. The agreement builds on a decade-long relationship between Xandr, including its predecessor companies, and Microsoft for delivering global digital media solutions for advertisers.
News categories: Xandr, Microsoft, Mike Welch, Mikhail Parakhin, Advertising, Digital TV, MandA, USA, Worldwide
Xandr standardizes video content descriptors on its platform
Dec 1, 2021 – Xandr has released a new feature on its platform, described as content metadata for video. The new feature aims to help publishers improve monetization of their premium video supply through standardized content descriptors.
News categories: Xandr, Lynn Chealander, Eric Fitzpatrick, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA
Estrella Media inventory added to Xandr ad sales platform
Oct 5, 2021 – Xandr and Estrella Media have announced that Estrella Media's ad-supported digital inventory is now available to buyers in the Xandr Marketplace. Estrella Media has adopted Xandr's strategic selling platform Xandr Monetize.
News categories: Xandr, Estrella Media, Mike Bagliebter, Brian Fisher, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, USA
Xandr introduces premium video inventory catalog
Sep 30, 2021 – Xandr has launched its Premium Video Catalog, providing access to over 1,400 one-to-one video and CTV inventory deals and over 2,500 off-the-shelf audience deals across North America.
News categories: Xandr, Alex Chatfield, Kyle Brennan, Tom Sly, Advertising, Digital TV, Streaming, USA
Xandr brings CTV inventory to market in France
Sep 22, 2021 – Xandr has announced that it will be partnering with multiple CTV apps including Molotov.TV, Clubbing TV and Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV to make CTV inventory available to the French market.
News categories: Xandr, Vincent Soucaret, Stephane Schweitzer, Reza Ackbaraly, Béatrice Leroux Barraux, Advertising, Digital TV, France, Streaming
Xandr launches Monetize TV audience-based ad sales platform
Aug 4, 2021 – Xandr has launched Monetize TV. Monetize TV's self-serve technology provides TV sellers with comprehensive monetization tools, demand enablement and, in the future, converged video solutions.
News categories: Xandr, Mark Mitchell, Steve Silvestri, Larry Hunt, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA
- Breezeline Stream TV launches in Pennsylvania
- SES-18 and SES-19 C-band satellites for the U.S. successfully launched
- OTT TV revenues in Western Europe to reach $45 billion by 2028
- DVB publishes updated Multicast ABR specification and guidelines
- Channel 4 adds Xandr to its digital ad-buying suite
- Mola boosts ABR streaming quality with Broadpeak
- Mainstream Media launches female-centred FAST channel with Amagi
- Eastern Europe OTT revenues to double by 2028
- Video spend in Sweden up 9% in 2022 versus 2021
- StarGroup renews with Eutelsat for StarTV DTH in Mexico
- ORF selects Bitmovin video streaming player
- QYOU Media India selects SpringServe as primary ad server
- Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ most essential for US streaming subscribers
- Ateme completes AWS ISV Accelerate program
- Media Distillery launches ad break detection solution
- HbbTV releases new version of core specification
- PCTV scales up video services across Latin America with Eutelsat
- Roku and Best Buy announce advertising and retail relationship
- MwareTV to offer a fully managed IPTV service in the US
- Aferian provides trading update


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The Trump administration announced that it would no longer be in talks with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over the Obama-era fuel economy standards. California holds a significant chip in these negotiations, as the state holds a waiver to establish its own standards for tailpipe emissions.
In a series of discussions, CARB has been defending Obama’s regulation, mandating that new cars average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2026. The Trump administration, however, has moved forward with its plan to freeze standards at 2020 levels.
The move to freeze standards ensures that consumers will not be burdened by new, unattainable, and costly government regulations. Under Obama’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, the cost of new automobiles would skyrocket. A 2016 analysis conducted by the Heritage Foundation suggested that the previous auto mandate increased the price of cars by $6,800 when compared to pre-regulation trends. The Trump administration’s plan to freeze current CAFE standards at 2020 levels will save $2,340 to the average cost of owning a new car, according to the EPA.
Not only does this decision save money; it saves lives. In deregulating the market, the Trump administration is opening the door for many consumers to purchase new cars. New cars are generally safer, and include options for safety features, like blind side detection and backup cameras. Figures from the administration suggest that the freeze could save upwards of 1,000 lives annually.
In ending these talks, Trump has signaled that he will not jeopardize the savings and safety of Americans in exchange for a regulation that does little for its intended outcome. Advocates for these standards suggest that the regulations decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but consumer behavior would suggest otherwise.
Because of the price increases associated with CAFE, many consumers are priced out of the market for new cars. This sector of the market continues in driving their old vehicles, which naturally are less fuel-efficient. By holding onto old vehicles, and in some cases, purchasing used cars, 13-16% of the expected fuel savings leak into the used car market. Additionally, the increased fuel efficiency of cars encourages those who can afford the new models to drive more. This phenomenon, known as the “rebound effect,” reduces estimated fuel savings by 32%.
Had the White House folded under California’s demands, the effect on climate change would be negligible. The DOT and the EPA have reported that in the best-case scenario, the difference between Trump’s 37 mpg number and Obama’s 54.5 mpg number would be 0.00004 degrees annually.
CAFE standards fail to serve the public good. They serve as another example of overregulation in the free market. Their dismissal is a win for the American consumer. For this decision, Americans for Tax Reform applaud President Trump, the EPA and the DOT.


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TCL-owned Alcatel is expected to launch a bunch of new smartphones in 2018. A few out of which are likely to get unveiled at the CES (Consumers Electronics Show) next week.
One of the upcoming smartphones that has already received its approval from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is the Alcatel 5. On the FCC site, we have seen some images of the device, revealing its design. Now, reliable tipster Evan Blass has taken to Twitter to post a render of the smartphone. It is worth noting that the images from both the source look the same except for the color.
The above image shows the Alcatel 5 in a Pink colored chassis. The smartphone appears to sport a brush metal rear panel. At the front, we can also the presence of two selfie cameras placed at the top bezel. Quite unusually, while the top bezel is pretty thick, the bezels on the bottom and sides of the display are really narrow.
Due to lack of space at the front, the smartphone doesn't feature a physical home button. At the back, the Alcatel 5 has a single camera that is accompanied by a LED flash. A fingerprint scanner is also there just beneath the LED flash.
If rumors are to be believed, the Alcatel 5 will be launched as a high-end smartphone. FCC listing of the device has already revealed that it will pack a standard 3,000mAh battery to keep the lights on.
Coming to the rest of the specifications, the upcoming smartphone is said to be powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6750 processor. It is also likely to arrive with a 5.7-inch display and Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. The Alcatel 5 is also expected to be available in color options like Black and White.
Well, as of now, this is pretty much everything we know about the Alcatel 5. Hopefully, more details about the smartphone will emerge in the following days. Other than the Alcatel 5, the company is also expected to announce the launch of Alcatel 1X, 3, 3C, 3V, 3X around the same time. Either it will be at the CES or at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) in February.


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Tuesday - June 21, 2011
(*** For breaking news and more - follow me on Twitter - bobhowell_wsfa ***)
A quick invitation to catch up on the state house corruption trial...where the list of witnesses called by the prosecution continues to grow. We're live at the Federal Courthouse in our top story.
We'll also talk with one of the people who filed the complaint against a former Montgomery Family Court Judge. She explains how much money she spent because of her time before the judge.
The Montgomery City Council considers a request for Dollar General stores to start selling beer and wine. Will it fly? Find out in a live report at 6.
And, the city of Prattville's newly added one-cent sales tax may be just what the doctor ordered for its slumping revenues and large debt payments.
Plus, a new forecast that really has folks talking...and looking for their umbrellas!
See you on the set at 6.


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Plastic bag ban confusing businesses
Aug 13, 2019 12:24 am
Tom Precious reports in the Buffalo News that industry groups and environmentalists agree that the state's new plastic bag ban is too vague and needs improvement. On March 1 next year, food stores and other retailers won't be putting purchases in plastic bags. But opinions differ if tote bags made of plastic, or with a bit of plastic in the handles, are also prohibited. All agree that the law only applies to businesses, and consumers can bring whatever bags they want to stores. The original bill had very specific language about what was legal or illegal, but when the measure was added to the April state budget bill, Cuomo and lawmakers changed the definitions, and instead banned “any plastic bag.” Plastic bags are still allowed for bulk items such as vegetables and fruit, drug prescriptions, trash, storage, garments, takeout orders, and delivered newspapers. The story says that the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation may issue a regulation to clear up some industry confusion or put out a question-and-answer guidance document on the new law. Read more about this story in the Buffalo News.


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Three ex-Kwik-Fit managers have launched a UK-wide online tyre sales operation for retail car owners.
Net-A-Tyre has recruited 350 independent workshops and tyre fitters as fitting agents and is aiming for a total network of 700-800.
The service is part of Scottish independent repairer D&G Autocare, which is owned by George Simpson and David Hunter.
The third ex-Kwik-Fit member of the team is Stuart Burns, the Net-A-Tyre manager.
D&G Autocare has two garages in Dunfermline and one nearby at Inverkeithing, close to the Forth road bridge. A fourth centre has just opened in Perth.
Burns said: “There are other internet tyre sellers but we have many years’ experience between us from working for Kwik-Fit.
“We understand what it is like to run a garage and understand what our agents require.”
Net-A-Tyre is investing in links from the Google and Yahoo search engines to its website.
Car owners key in the details of the tyres they require, select the garage in the network they want to use and make the purchase, which includes the cost of fitting.
Burns said: “Customers also specify when they want the tyres fitted and we send the tyres to the garage, which invoices us at the end of the month for the fitting fee. This varies according to the size of the tyre.”
Net-A-Tyre was launched in June. Burns said sales were ahead of target over the first two months but he did not give details.
“We think the downturn in the economy will work to our benefit,” said Burns.
“More people will be wanting to save money when they have to buy tyres.”


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Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a probe into reports of huge pilferage of liquor during lockdown and constituted teams to conduct an audit of wine shops in the winter capital city. According to the reports, liquor is being sold at exorbitant rates in open markets in Jammu city during the lockdown.
“There are reports that during the period of the lockdown, some licensees (wine shops) have resorted to malpractices and the liquor has been taken out in bulk from stores, stocks and shops (in Jammu), deputy excise commissioner (Executive) Jammu said in an order here. As per the orders issued by excise commissioner on April 6 and April 10, wine shops and traders shall not open their establishments unless they receive specific orders.
“In view to verify the stocks, it has been hereby ordered that teams shall immediately initiate the exercise of the verification of the stocks of the vendors and stores, the deputy excise commissioner (DCE) said. In the first phase, 34 liquor shops and stores will be audited by eight teams constituting 20 officials of excise department, he said. Sources said the LG administration had directed the Commissioner Excise, J&K to constitute teams for the stock verification of wine shops.
Several complaints had reached the office of Lieutenant Governor about the pilferage of liquor from many shops and stores during lockdown period and sale of liquor bottles at four to five times higher rate than the actual one. The DCE order added that the verification exercise will be conducted between 12 noon and 4 pm. The teams shall also verify CCTV footage of shops and establishments during verification, it said. —PTI


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There is no doubt there is a growing awareness of the suffering endured by farm animals raised for food. There is little federal regulation or oversight, and many states actually exempt farm animals from animal cruelty laws. Industry standards sanction terrible animal cruelty. Many consumers will pay a premium for meat, for example, if they know the animal was raised and treated humanely.
According to a complaint filed in New Jersey state court on November 29, 2010, Perdue Farms, Inc., one of the largest chicken producers in the U.S., has schemed to profit from this market for "humanely raised" meat. Perdue, say the plaintiffs, is profiting from consumer awareness of how badly chickens are treated in the industry.
The complaint filed by consumers alleges that Perdue and others that assisted, marketed, supplied and sold chickens as "humanely raised" under the Perdue and Harvestland labels when, in fact, the animals were anything but. The plaintiff consumers have filed a proposed class action lawsuit for false, misleading and deceptive advertising in violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, Sec. 56:8-1 et seq., and for other common law claims.
Perdue says the chickens Â were "humanely raised" according to National Chicken Council’s Animal Welfare Guidelines and Audit Checklist for Broilers ("NCC Guidelines"). Â The NCC assigns points to each item on its checklist. The chicken producers do their own assessments. But there is no minimum score or any way to tell if the company has passed or failed; each company decides if it has passed!
There are things a company can do or fail to do that are called major non-conformances but there is no penalty, only a request to take corrective action.Â Â According to the complaint, major non-conformances include: "live chicks in the waste stream at hatcheries; survival of chicks after euthanasia (i.e., live chicks suffocating in the trash); abuse of birds during catching and transportation; pre-slaughter holding times greater than 15 hours; live birds in the "Dead On Arrival" bins at the slaughter plant; and birds with uncut carotid arteries proceeding to the scald vat during slaughter."Â
Perdue is alleged to have sold chickens under the humanely raised label Â that suffered the following: Â (1) live chicks have been found in the hatchery waste stream, (2) chickens have been held for prolonged periods, "crammed into stiflingly hot (or painfully cold) trucks for hours as they await slaughter, with no food or water"; (3) there has been improper stunning of birds as they proceed to the neck-cutting machines, ineffective neck-cutting devices, and (4) excessive ammonia levels have been found in the growout sheds.
Perdue chickens that are marketed as "humanely raised" are according to the complaint: "shackled, upside-down, while fully conscious as they are conveyed through the slaughter line at processing facilities". Approximately 90% of birds flap their wings vigorously when forced into this position, which can lead to broken bones and dislocated joints. Peer reviewed studies have established this is painful, traumatic, not what any normal person would call "humane".
The chickens are also alleged to suffer electrical shocks as they are put through a "stunner" where they are supposed to be rendered unconscious. According to the complaint, the "chickens that Perdue raises are subject to electric shocking of birds in "stun baths," or vats of electrified water" while they are conscious. Plaintiffs say that "studies published in journals such as Poultry Science have shown that the birds may experience electrically induced paralysis, seizures, and cardiac arrest while still conscious".
When stunning, if used at all, is ineffective, their necks are "cut while fully conscious, and [the birds] even endure a semi-conscious, slow bleed to death". The plaintiffs say, "No reasonable consumer would expect that chickens who were â€˜humanely raised’ would have been drowned and scalded alive while fully conscious. But in fact the chickens that Perdue raises are subject to fully-conscious drowning in scalding water after the shackled birds have moved past the neck-cutting machines during processing. Ineffective stunning and neck-cutting can allow the birds to regain consciousness while "bleeding out" and enter the "scald vat" while still alive.
According to industry magazine WATT Poultry USA, the rate of this occurring may be as high as 3%. Thus, the NCC Guidelines if followed by all broiler chicken slaughter facilities would nevertheless allow for 3% – or 270,000,000 – of the approximately nine billion broiler chickens slaughtered each year in this country to be scalded alive."
According to the complaint, Perdue’s chickens suffer from the minute they are hatched. They are separated from the egg by "huge machines" that can result in severe injury; the chick may be "thrown onto the floor".
The complaint also points out that "[n]o reasonable consumer would expect that chickens who were â€˜humanely raised’ would have been purposely deprived of sleep in order to encourage abnormal growth. But in fact the chickens that Perdue raises are subject to continuous or near-continuous lighting in â€˜growout’ sheds, resulting in sleep deprivation." "Studies published in British Poultry Science, Avian Diseases, and World’s Poultry Science Journal have found that an absence of sufficient periods of darkness per night precludes natural sleep and resting behavior of birds, and exacerbates leg disorders, sudden death syndrome, and mortality levels.
Moreover, the NCC guidelines do not require a minimum lighting intensity. Dim, nearly continuous lighting may lead to abnormal eye development, causing uncomfortable and potentially painful eye disorders such as glaucoma and buphthalmia".
The birds are also typically unable to walk more than 5 feet and have gait defects, again, not something associated with humane treatment. In effect, these chickens said to be "humanely raised" have, according to the plaintiffs, "suffered continuously from cardiovascular problems, painful bone deformities, ruptured tendons, and lameness throughout their short lives."
The plaintiffs cite to "Emeritus professor John Webster of the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Science has stated that â€˜[b]roilers are the only livestock that are in chronic pain for the last 20 percent of their lives. They don’t move around, not because they are overstocked, but because it hurts their joints so much.’ It is inconceivable that reasonable consumers would deem it â€˜humane’ to breed and raise animals so that a full fifth of their lives is spent in chronic pain so severe that it effectively immobilizes them. Perdue takes no steps to mitigate or remedy these health problems for its supposedly â€˜humanely-raised’ chickens."
Sadly, Perdue is alleged to treat its chickens the same as all other chicken producers. Â Â
Adding to consumer’s confusion is the "USDA Process verified" label. Perdue openly claims the label means its chickens are raised humanely. In fact, the label is simply a marketing tool conceived by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s ("AMS") Process Verified Program. AMS is not a regulatory agency, but a marketing agency, created to "increase the sales of farmed products". Basically the company decides its processes for raising and slaughtering chickens, these abysmal industry practices, and then AMS confirms they are following these industry practices. There is nothing humane about it.
Perdue has facilities in 15 states and contracts with 2,250 producers to produce over Â½ a billion chickens each year.Â The company brings in $4.6 billion in sales annually.
New Jersey actually has laws requiring "humane" treatment of farm animals including chickens. N.J.A.C. 2:8-1.1 et seq. Using New Jersey’s laws as a standard along with other experts, a judge or jury should find Perdue and the NCC’s "standards" at the least fall far short of "humane".Â
The plaintiffs primarily seek a declaration from the court that Perdue’s advertising, packaging and labeling of its chicken products as "humanely raised" is a false, deceptive and misleading practice in violation of the law, and also constitutes fraud and misrepresentation. They seek an injunction stopping Perdue Â from advertising, packaging or labeling its chicken products as "humanely raised".Â Â Â


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EAST LANSING, Mich (WLNS) – It’s to no surprise that stores like the Student Book Store are booming in sales today with MSU’s season opener tonight.
Earlier this afternoon MSU fans were grabbing t-shirts, hats, jerseys, you name it and they most likely were grabbing it off the shelves.
It’s been about one week since students poured into East Lansing and Student Book Store manager Brad Ballein says he’s seen a massive jump in sales.
Just today he says at least three to four thousand people have gone in and out of the book store with green and white tees and even sweatshirts for tonight’s game.
And in his opinion the nice weather has something to do with it.
“It’s a huge influx of the kids, I mean you got 50,000 students here and for the game you’re gonna have 80,000 people there at the stadium so it’s been a huge influx of people in the town, in Michigan, East Lansing,” said Ballien. “It’s great for town, it’s great for Michigan State and it’s great for the Student Book Store.”


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EA Sports have just announced that they have secured a license extension for the FIFA brand that will expire in 2022, meaning that there will be nearly another decade of EA Sports FIFA fun for gamers to get a kick out of.
The agreement states that EA Sports maintains their exclusive rights to release FIFA branded sport and management video-games. EA Sports also holds the exclusive rights to the release of the official FIFA World Cup video-game. Not only that but EA Sports remains a presenting partner of FIFA Interactive World Cup.
This is great news for FIFA video-game fans that are happy with EA Sports quality football video-game product as there looks to be many more to come.


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A store clerk only needed to use the words to thwart a robbery attempt, Wichita police said Friday.
A man carrying a gun and with a scarf over his face entered the store in the 900 block of East Harry about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Lt. James Espinoza said. He demanded money.
“He told the clerk that he had six children and needed the money,” Espinoza said. “The clerk responded by telling him that he shouldn’t have had so many kids.”
The suspect ran out of the store without any money.


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Hear ye, hear ye! If you are desperately in need of a vacation and want to see all the beautiful places Malaysia has to offer, here’s your chance!
Firefly Airlines (Firefly) is now giving up to 60 per cent discount
on all domestic destinations and holiday packages for the upcoming long weekends.
The surprise promotion is part of their ‘Terima Kasih’ campaign:
Not only that, the airline also offers 50 per cent discount for flight and accommodation packages
You can start booking your tickets from 26 August to 8 September
, and travel between 31 August to 31 October (20 per cent discount)
, 1 November to 31 December (40 per cent discount)
and 1 January 2020 to 24 October 2020 (60 per cent discount)
To get your hands on the offers, you can visit the the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair 2019 from 6 to 8 September at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
For more information about the campaign deals, head on over to their official website


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Entering text like usernames and passwords with the Apple TV remote can be a hassle to say the least. Voice dictation, coming in the tvOS 9.2 update later this year, will let you enter any text using only your voice.
Apple is facing a new lawsuit from Dot 23 Technologies, a "non-practicing entity" that claims that voice dial recognition in Siri has violated three of its patents. The company is seeking monetary damages related to the infringement.
Researchers found a way to remotely activate the Google Now and Siri voice assistants through the users' mic-equipped headphones. The hackers can then use the voice assistants to perform a variety of functions.
A reworked base station from the Philips Hue line aims to be the backbone of your connected home, adding HomeKit compatibility to the company’s long-running line of smart lighting products. The new Philips Hue Bridge 2.0, announced…
The iPhone's personal assistant Siri may be making a play in the world of politics. During a press session at the White House, Siri managed to interrupt a long-winded question, and provide a perfectly timed response.


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The Wisconsin Department of Revenue released a long list of items that will be exempt from sales tax during Wisconsin's sales tax holiday.
Among the list are the regular school essentials like notebooks, index cards and pencils for $75 or less per item. Then there are the more expensive school supplies like computers, laptops and printers in the $750 and $250 or less categories.
However, the list also features a 'Clothing' category for $75 or less per item. That list includes a wide range of clothing items from baby clothes to neckties and even rubber pants.
So if you're looking to get some school supplies or rubber pants then be sure to take advantage of this holiday from Aug. 1-5.


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Economic Growth Strong In Canada, United States
- The U.S. economy expanded at a 4.2 percent annualized rate in the second quarter of 2018, up from a 2.2 percent growth rate in the first quarter. In related news: the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago announced its National Activity Index, a key gauge of future economic growth, was unchanged at +0.18 in September—a reading that indicates steady future growth.
- The Canadian economy, meanwhile, grew at a 0.2 percent rate in July, higher than the 0.1 percent analysts had predicted. Between July 2017 and July 2018, the economy expanded 2.4 percent. Manufacturing was the biggest component of the better-than-expected reading; the second increased 1.2 percent in July.
- Regional manufacturing readings in the United States remained strong in September. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas announced last week that its manufacturing survey for the state of Texas fell slightly to +28.1, but still remained very high. New orders and production were softer in September. The Federal Reserve Board of Richmond improved to +29 in September from +24 in August due to improvements in readings for shipments and new orders. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City fell slightly, to +13 in September from +14, due to declines in readings for shipments and new orders.
- The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased to 138.4 in September, up from 134.7 in August and is now at an 18-month high and is only six points off its record high, set in 2000. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index, meanwhile, also increased, rising to 100.1 in September from 96.2 in August.
- According to the U.S. Labor Department, 214,000 individuals filed for federal unemployment benefits for the week that ended Sept. 22, up from 202,000 the week before. The four-week moving average of first-time claims also rose slightly. The number of individuals who continued to file for jobless benefits also jumped, rising to 1.661 million during the week that ended Sept. 15 from 1.645 million the week before. The four-week moving average of continuing claims fell, however.
- In other economic news: personal incomes in the United States increased 0.3 percent while personal consumption expenditures also rose by 0.3 percent; new home sales in the United States increased 3.5 percent from July 2018 to August 2018 and 12.7 percent from August 2017 to August 2018.


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Ever think your Facebook comments could be worth a lot of money? Israeli startup OpenWeb (formerly Spot.im) closed a $150 million Series E funding round, led by Insight Partners and Georgian Partners. The round was secured at a valuation of over $1 billion; meaning the company has now joined the not-so-exclusive-anymore Israeli Unicorn club.
An alternative to the social media monopoly
The startup’s commenting system has already been implemented in more than a few popular content sites, such as Fox News, The Times, AOL, Salon, TechCrunch, Yahoo, and according to the company it is “aiming to create an alternative to the social media networks…”
OpenWeb’s $150 million Series E round was led by Insight Partners and Georgian Partners, with participation from Omer Cygler, Harel, and Entrée Capital, strategic investors The New York Times Company, Dentsu and Samsung Next, as well as individual investor Professor Scott Galloway, who has joined the company’s Board of Directors. The company said that the current round will help expansion into additional verticals and brands. In addition, the company plans to adapt its products to the emerging change in the world of online advertising, including third-party cookies - which will allow you to surf the Internet in privacy and anonymously, just like Google's FLoC technology.
Founded by Nadav Shoval in 2012, OpenWeb has raised $220 million and has over 160 employees on staff in New York, Israel, and Kiev. The Israeli startup reports acquiring more than 100 million users monthly. "This Series E marks a big step forward in our mission to improve online conversations," said Nadav Shoval, co-founder and CEO of OpenWeb. "The future of a sustainable open web depends on the ability to facilitate safe experiences, while empowering destinations to build first-party data relationships with their audiences. We raised this round of investment to double down on our mission, and to bring those safer experiences to new verticals and new markets."


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Henkel and ALPLA to Invest in Infrastructure and Equipment at the Bowling Green Plant
Henkel has announced that it will investment in building infrastructure and equipment to enhance laundry product production at its facility in Bowling Green, Ky. The company will partner with its packaging supplier ALPLA to invest in infrastructure and equipment for a new bottle production area on the Henkel Bowling Green campus. The investments total more than $130 million to increase efficiency, create capacity for growth, and drive energy savings at the plant, the companies reported.
“Over the last three years, Henkel has already invested more than $100 million in the Bowling Green plant. This new investment will transform our 25-year-old plant into the factory of the future with a modernized infrastructure, new equipment, and modern IT systems—all designed to enhance efficiency and support future growth,” Said Kurt Naxera, plant manager.
The Henkel Bowling Green plant is the largest laundry plant in the company. At more than 2 million square feet, it is roughly the size of 40 football fields. According to Henkel, the investments by Henkel and ALPLA will create a new packaging operation that will be more than 170,000 square feet, run by ALPLA.
Following the construction of the new packaging operation, ALPLA stated that it will hire and manage employees at the onsite bottle blowing operation, bringing specialized expertise and training to their expanding staff at the new operation. The new packaging operation managed by ALPLA will begin operations in mid-2020.


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SK hynix, the next evolution of memory chip manufacturing using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment. announced. Using this technology, the company will be able to mass-produce fourth-generation 10nm DRAM artifacts, which are more heavily packaged than the last generation process. SK hynix is the new node that replaces 1chnm released in 2019. 1anm. The higher density of 1a technology will also allow the company to remove 25 percent more chips from the same wafer size than 1z.
In terms of improvements, the new 1anm technology will allow LPDDR4 memory to reach 4266 MHz, which has so far only been associated with LPDDR4X chips. Alongside the higher speed, power consumption is expected to drop by 20 percent. When you consider its easy mass production feature, the new 1a process will be quite useful for smartphones. Some of these phones with 1anm chips are expected to be released in the second half of this year.
SK hynix uses 1anm in LPDDR4 for use in smartphones, but it has been announced last year. DDR5 in the works also hopes to use this process.


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Qatari food products will soon be displayed at the global level as local companies are set to take part in world’s largest food innovation exhibition.
Around 14 companies from Qatar will attend ‘SIAL 2016’, an international food exhibition that will take place in Paris, from Sunday. The exhibition will help local companies to expand their presence overseas and increase their competitiveness. QDB, through its export arm, ‘Tasdeer’, will be participating in the exhibition along with local companies at the Qatar Pavilion.
“Through our participation in SIAL, we seek to promote our local food manufacturers across the globe and advance Qatar National Vision 2030’s objectives of diversifying national sources of income,” said Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa (pictured), Chief Executive Officer, QDB. The five-day exhibition is expected to attract key businessmen, decision-makers and investors in the food and beverage industry from across the world.
“QDB is dedicated to partaking in all local and international commercial activities that will help Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to strengthen their capacity to achieve growth and mature to a level at which they can independently compete on a global level in future. We are confident in the capabilities of local companies, which have attained distinctive success across marketplaces internationally in the past,” added Al Khalifa. SIAL is a global trade fair that connects professionals in the agri-food industry by facilitating the meeting of potential buyers and suppliers through exhibitions that take place in different cities. Qatar Flour Mills, Qatar Tunisian Food Company, Qatar Meat Production and other Qatari companies will participate in the exhibition.
“QDB’s export arm, Tasdeer, strongly supported this initiative due to our ambition to open new markets to Qatar’s local food producers. This year, we will participate in SIAL Paris by hosting a pavilion featuring 14 local companies, who wish to expand their operations abroad and increase their competitiveness,” said Hassan Khalifa Al Mansoori, Executive Director, Tasdeer, QDB.
“During the last 10 years, these Qatari food manufacturers have developed a stellar reputation and we hope to unlock their global commercial potential through our participation at the upcoming exhibition,” he added. The participation in this event, tipped as the “World’s largest food innovation exhibition,” comes in line with QDB’s efforts to support the Qatari food and beverage industry, helping the local agri-food manufacturers to promote their products in the international market and secure new export opportunities globally,” he added. Tasdeer, in the past, has contributed greatly to promoting the presence of Qatari exports in foreign markets through a wide range of activities and events, such as international exhibitions, bilateral trade cooperation programs and training workshops. The research team at Tasdeer regularly publish their findings in a variety of manuals with specialised instructions.
In addition to offering local exporters valuable consultation, these publications have sought to provide information on accesses QDB’s financing and insurance coverage solutions available to Qatari exporters against the risk of a loss of funds inherent in the global export trade.
Sources: QDB, QNB, The Peninsula Qatar, QGN.


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The 2016 Mercedes-Benz V-Class AMG has been revealed ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show debut. The V-Class will be powered by an AMG engine.
As the styling suggests, it will be designed to be a multi purpose vehicle, that will look more like a van. It has new bumpers, air intakes, side skirts and will ride on 19-inch AMG wheels.
Inside the V-Class AMG, there is a panoramic roof, LED-illuminated cup holders, iPad holders in the rear, air conditioning for occupants at the rear and a custom centre console.
There are no details of the vehicle's engine specifications but Mercedes-Benz looks like it will take the luxury MPV segment to new heights with the V-Class AMG.
Will it be launch in India? Only time will tell!


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Houston — The Port of Long Beach handled 771,735 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in February, as trans-Pacific container trade remained unusually active, and consumer demand for e-commerce goods grew, the port said March 10.
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This marks an increase of 43.3% over the same month last year, when Chinese factories shuttered and trade began to slow down as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
But this year, many Chinese exporting hubs remained open to help alleviate growing cargo backlogs.
"Although activity typically slows in February as East Asian factories close for up to two weeks to celebrate the Lunar New Year, China largely worked through the holiday to fill back orders and meet the increasing demands of consumers ordering items online," the port said in a statement March 10.
Loaded inbound containers grew by 50.3% year over year to 373,756 TEU.
And container rates have reflected rising import volumes. Platts Container Rate 13 – North Asia to West Coast North America – was assessed $4,000/FEU on March 10, up significantly from the $1,250/FEU assessment on the same date a year ago.
Empty exports see continued growth
But the greatest increase was seen in empty container exports, which grew by over 71% to 265,431 TEUs. This comes as many carriers are heard prioritizing empty containers in order to accelerate the re-loading process.
"In LA and Long Beach, truckers are returning empties faster than steamship lines can move them," said one US-based freight forwarder. "It's no wonder carriers are so quickly repositioning, much to the chagrin of US ags exporters."
The Port of Long Beach is the second largest container gateway in North America, behind the adjacent Port of Los Angeles. The port has handled just over 1.535 million TEUs so far in calendar year 2021, up 31.8% on the year.


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Viking Range to pay penalty for alleged defects
Published: July 5,2011
GREENWOOD — The Viking Range Corporation will pay a $450,000 civil penalty for failing to report defects in its refrigerators.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the agreement yesterday.
The CPSC had alleged Greenwood-based Viking was aware for years of a defect involving its refrigerator door hinge support mechanisms that resulted in incidents and injuries to consumers but failed to report immediately to CPSC as required by federal law.
Viking reported the safety defect in April 2009 and recalled more than 45,000 refrigerators in June 2009. The CPSC says Viking was aware of at least 10 reports of injuries involving refrigerator hinge failures going back over several years.
Viking sold the refrigerators through appliance and specialty retailers from July 1999 through April 2006.
Viking did not admit to any wrongdoing.
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Alan Monahan writes: It is some years since Sir John Timpson was a guest speaker at The GA’s annual members’ day.
He talked a lot of sense then and struck me as a caring man – evidenced by him giving prisoners a chance to re-enter society working in his shoe repair and key-cutting business.
So when Sir John was asked to chair a panel which would diagnose the issues facing our high streets and town centres – and advise on the best practical measures that central government could take to help – I thought that they had found the right man. After all, he has more than 50 years of retail experience and a chain of shops to rival Costa Coffee … well almost.
But I can guess what you’re thinking: ‘We’ve been here before: Mary Portas. Oh no, I can feel another report coming on!’
Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. The panel’s findings were published just before Christmas in said report, commissioned by High Streets Minister Jake Berry (no, I hadn’t heard of him either), who commented that his department would now ‘carefully consider’ the ‘proposed tangible ways to keep these treasured spaces alive and thriving for generations’. Okay, I’ll take your word for it. But being a cynical old so-and-so I do hope that this isn’t just another political can that will be kicked down the road and forgotten as quickly as Mr Berry when he moves to another job.
Anyway, Sir John says in The High Street Report that against the changing environment for traditional retail it is pleasing that some places have bucked the trend. By replanning their town centre space, inspirational local leaders, working in collaboration with all sections of their community have put a buzz back into their town centres, reducing the number of empty shops and increasing footfall. ‘Quite simply, making the town centre a place people want to be.’
Yes, yes – go on, Sir John. And he does.
‘The lesson that government should learn from these shining examples is that by helping local teams with a viable vision to put their own plan into action, real change can happen. Reimagining our town centres should not be seen as a central programme dictated by government. ‘It is a series of locally inspired and led initiatives that are supported by a government that offers information and helps to clear obstacles out of the way … providing help on a town by town basis, enabling local leaders to design future town centres that recreate a community hub.’
And that line, ‘a government that offers information and helps to clear obstacles out of the way’, really is the most important element that could make this happen. But there are so many imponderables in politics – particularly at the moment – that could result in this being kicked into the long grass.
Sir John believes that local teams, which may comprise local government, businesses and community groups in each town, must discover a culture and central purpose that unites their community and attracts them to the town’s central hub. ‘We have found that each successful town has its own brand and understands its unique selling point.’
I’ve been banging on for a long time about the negative effect that dominating digital technology is having on our lives – whether it’s the way we shop as consumers or as retailers – and I’m pleased that he shares the view that there is an increasing need to encourage social interaction.
‘Face-to-face communication has an important part to play in wellbeing, by establishing the strong attachment with others that are a critical part of making us human,’ says Sir John, whose interim recommendations were accepted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with the Budget of 2018 creating a £675m fund for an action plan for our high streets and town centres.
This includes money to help places to adapt and evolve for the future, as well as funding to set up a task force to support local leaders in their efforts to support their local communities.
Sir John’s message to them is, ‘You can do it – we are here to help.’ And while some may fail, he believes that many more will create the town centres we need in 20 years’ time.
And he told BBC Breakfast that reviving high streets and town centres wasn’t just about shopping, but also creating a hub for entertainment, medical facilities and housing, adding, ‘We probably have about twice as many shops as we need. But we are short of housing.’
Something he has called for immediately is the introduction of a National High Street Perfect Day where local communities would ensure their town centre looked as good as possible on one day a year.
Sounds fine, and although a day a year doesn’t seem very ambitious, it’s a start I suppose: one only has to look as the success of Small Business Saturday to see the difference such initiatives can make.
It’s possible, but unlikely, that Sir John or I – we are the same age – will be around in 20 years’ time to ‘see the town centres we need’. In the meantime we must hope that government promises to help retail aren’t just weasel words and that there is still room for shops in our town centres over the next two decades.
A PwC report has revealed that a net 1,123 stores disappeared from UK high streets in the first six months of 2018, and towards the end of the year some 14 were closing every day.
I doubt that Sir John and his team could do anything in the short term to stop this haemorrhaging – or would necessarily want to if we have ‘twice as many shops as we need’ – but I nevertheless look forward to reading any retail success stories that may emerge as a result of his panel’s recommendations.
And I fervently hope that five years down the line we are not discussing his report with the same weary sense of déjà vu that has dogged previous ones.


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Pretty much everything we need to know about the recently leaked Samsung Galaxy Stellar 4G is now available online, thanks to Best Buy. As it turns out, this handset is actually the Jasper that has been rumored for the last few months.
Details for the phone look to include the following:
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor
- 4″ WVGA (800×480) display
- 3.2-megapixel rear camera
- 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
- microSD expansion
- 3G/4G connectivity
Along with internal storage and memory, we’re still waiting on an official announcement from Verizon or Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Stellar proves to be Jasper as details hit Best Buy was written by the way cool dudes at AndroidGuys. Follow at Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!
Popular PC time management game, Legends of Atlantis: Exodus, is now FREE to play on Android! Features 50+ strategic levels, achievements, bonuses, power-ups, and more!


text: After Ethereum the NFT crowd moved to Solana. Lots of Solana NFT Projects have picked upstream. The Cardano CNFTs are doing pretty well too. Recently Fantom launched its new marketplace called Artion. What about Polkadot? What's happening there? It is not that Polkadot is sitting idle and watching competition to go ahead.


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Comments by: Alison Browne-Ellis, Director, Card Services (Cave Shepherd & C0. Limited)
Cave Shepherd & Co. Limited through its Card Services Unit continues to execute its strategy of building value enhancement to our Cave Shepherd Card product. This is being undertaken by forging strong successful merchant partnerships across a variety of business sectors.
Today, Cave Shepherd Card Services is extremely pleased to announce its newest merchant partner, Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL). For over 30 years ICBL has been a strong institution in the Barbados insurance industry, offering customers excellent products and reliable customer care, as proudly reinforced in their slogan. Similarly, the Cave Shepherd Card has evolved over its life span of 35 years into the highly regarded product it is today, widely enforced across the Barbados community. Our companies hold the same shared values of maintaining a strong customer focus, and being receptive to the changing customer needs and demands, which has been one of the keys to our success. We proudly continue to serve many of our loyal customers who have been with us at each stage of development of the Cave Shepherd Card.
This partnership will definitely open new opportunities for our Cardholders to access insurance services across many product types. The ICBL and Cave Shepherd Team have worked hard to develop attractive packages with exciting offers, which we anticipate will be well received by our Cardholders. We are pleased to be able to offer our Cardholders discount rates starting at 12.5% off a single product and 15% on bundled products. Additionally, we have built in an easy eight (8) month payment plan, which will assist our Cardholders with their financial planning , giving them the flexibility and comfort to meet their insurance commitments during these challenging times.
Outside of the Cave Shepherd Retail Group of Companies, the Cave Shepherd Card is now accepted at Carter’s General Stores, Digicel, Automotive Art, The Barbados Reference Laboratory, Trimart Supermarkets, KFC Restaurants, SOL Barbados, Going Places Travel and now ICBL; truly an impressive suite of merchant partners.
We are looking forward to a long and exciting partnership with ICBL as we strive to meet and exceed our Cardholders expectations each step of the way. Special thanks to the entire project team across all companies that worked tirelessly to deliver this new partnership.


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New versus old: all generations of MINI 3-doors at a glance
From 1959 to the present
Mini inventor Alec Issigonis could never have imagined in 1959 that his design would appeal to so many enthusiasts. Meanwhile, MINI has already presented the fifth generation 3-door. In fact, every generation published after the 1959 original was a big hit. Each time the car became a little more mature, without losing sight of the recipe of the original. Because the MINI 3-door is still a car with compact exterior dimensions, but with ample interior space.
MINI made extremely sporty “forays” in recent years with the GP variants or Cooper S John Cooper versions. The focus has been increasingly on sustainability since the fourth generation, as evidenced by the arrival of the all-electric MINI. The fifth generation MINI 3-door even kicks off with electric versions: the MINI Cooper E and MINI Cooper SE. Regular gasoline engines are also still on the program, as are a MINI Cabrio and a MINI 5-door.
The big question: which generation is your favorite? In any case, we can say that the fifth and thus latest generation MINI 3-door strongly harkens back to Alec Issigonis’ original, especially in the interior.


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MADRID — Mariano Puig, who helped transform his family-owned Spanish perfume maker into an international fashion house that encompasses the brands Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera and Jean Paul Gaultier, died on April 13 in Barcelona. He was 93.
Puig, the company that bears the family name, confirmed the death.
As a member of the second generation to run the company, Mr. Puig significantly expanded its presence overseas, particularly in the 1960s, when Puig opened offices in the United States and struck an alliance with Mr. Rabanne, a Spanish fashion designer whose celebrity status in Paris gave Puig better access to the French market.
Puig eventually took over Paco Rabanne and other major brands. One of Mr. Puig’s five children, Marc Puig, is the current chairman and chief executive of the company, which was founded by Mariano Puig’s father, Antonio, in 1914.
Puig had revenues of about €2 billion, or $2.4 billion, in 2019. It is one of the few major fashion businesses still under the ownership of its original family in a luxury goods sector dominated by conglomerates like Kering and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
Mariano Puig Planas was born in Barcelona on Dec. 8, 1927. His father initially imported and sold products and materials like rubber, perfumes and books. His mother, Júlia Planas, was a homemaker.
In his youth, Mariano was a member of Spain’s water ski team and twice won the national championships. He graduated in 1949 from the Chemical Institute of Sarrià in Barcelona and studied at the IESE Business School shortly after it opened there in 1958; it is now one of the two leading international business schools based in Barcelona, alongside Esade.
Antonio Puig lost his business when, early in World War I, a German submarine sank a vessel carrying an uninsured shipload of his goods. After starting afresh, he introduced the first lipstick manufactured in Spain, under the brand name Milady, in 1922.
After the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, Antonio Puig consolidated his perfume business by selling a lavender-scented eau de cologne called Agua Lavanda. Developed with a French perfumer, Segal, the cologne became a major seller in Spain.
From the 1950s, Antonio Puig progressively handed over control to his four sons and died in 1979. Mariano Puig joined the company while completing his studies as a chemical engineer.
He was the second oldest son and the one most determined to expand the company overseas. “Spain was small and closed, and that made me think about what we wanted to do and be,” he said, according to an extract from a book that Puig published to celebrate the company’s centenary.
Today in Business
Mr. Puig acquired the rights to distribute well-known foreign brands in Spain at a time when the country was under military dictatorship. With his wife, María Guasch, he traveled to Los Angeles to sign a deal with Max Factor to distribute its cosmetics in Spain.
Mr. Puig’s biggest coup was persuading Mr. Rabanne, the fashion designer, to diversify — to add perfumery to his lines of haute couture — and partner with Puig, which had only about 50 employees at the time. Shortly after agreeing to a fragrance joint venture in 1968, the two men were at dinner when Mr. Rabanne sketched on a paper tablecloth the outline of the United Nations building in New York. The drawing became the design for the bottle of their first successful perfume, called Calandre. Puig eventually took over Mr. Rabanne’s entire business, including his fashion house.
Mr. Puig followed a similar path in the 1980s with Carolina Herrera, the Venezuelan fashion designer, who had gained fame in New York. They launched a perfume brand together before Puig took over her fashion house as well, in 1995.
Mr. Puig was chief executive of the company until 1998 and then chairman of Exea, the holding company through which his family controls Puig, for another five years.
He was a supporter of family corporate ownership and helped found the Spanish Family Business Institute in Barcelona. José Luis Blanco, its director general, paid homage to Mr. Puig as a key player in the overhaul of Spanish industry, which had been left in tatters by the civil war and did not have the benefit of recovery funds from the Marshall Plan after World War II.
Alongside a few other business leaders of his generation, Mr. Puig “managed to transform this nation from ruins into the modern and dynamic country that we have today,” Mr. Blanco said.
Along with his son Marc, Mr. Puig is survived by his wife; a brother, José María; four other children, Marian, Ana, Ton and Daniel; and nine grandchildren.
As one of the most prominent business tycoons of Barcelona, Mr. Puig help finance several local arts foundations and museums as well as IESE.
He sought to steer clear of politics, and he deplored the decade-long secessionist conflict in Catalonia, which reached a boiling point in 2017, when the Catalan regional government made a failed attempt to declare an independent Catalan republic, with Barcelona as its capital.
In a letter published that year in La Vanguardia, the Barcelona-based newspaper, Mr. Puig wrote: “I feel very Catalan, I feel very Spanish, and I have deep love for my city. But recently we have lived a contradiction that can only make me feel sad.”


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Bitcoin Prices for March 2018, March 2019 and March 2020 and why.


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Mark Thomas - The editor and big chief of The Dubrovnik Times. Born in the UK he has been living and working in Dubrovnik since 1998, yes he is one of the rare “old hands.” A unique insight into both British and Croatian life and culture, Mark is often known as just “Englez” or Englishman. He is a traveller, a current affairs freak and a huge AFC Wimbledon fan.
For the sixth year running Dubrovnik will play host to the traditional “FestiWine” festival this year from the 22nd to the 28th of April. Hosting a wide array of wine producers, wine experts and wine lovers from all over the world FestiWine 2019 will once again organise an impressive line-up.
The Dubrovnik Wine Week, which will start on Tuesday the 22nd of April, will mark the beginning of a rich festival program prepared by the organizers. All through the week the restaurants marked as “Wine Friendly” will offer wines that are excellently paired with delicious specialties of the Dubrovnik region. These Dubrovnik restaurants are easy to spot, if you haven’t already found them on the website of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, as they all carry a sticker on their doors marked with the festival’s name and logo.
Traditionally, blind tasting of wines paired best with the native delicacy, oysters from Ston, will also take place during the festival and this event is known as “Blind Date: In Love with Ston Oysters”.
The “Dubrovnik FestiWine Trophy” is the serious business of the festival where wines are judged by a panel of internationally renowned judges and enologists chaired by Bojan Kobal, who will select the best wines of the festival.
The gastronomical spectacle “Dubrovnik FestiWine Gala” will present creative dishes by two young well-known chefs: the guest chef Jure Tomič (Debeluh restaurant, Brežice) and the host chef Saša Računica.
As in the previous years, the entire proceeds are intended for scholarships of young and prospective culinary and wine talents. The central event of the festival is the Wine Exhibition, which will be held on the 26th and 27th of April in the Sunset Beach in the Bay of Lapad.
During the exhibition wine producers will have the opportunity to meet with other professionals in the wine business. In addition, guests can take part in lectures and wine tastings, as well as very attractive wine workshops dedicated to the autochthonous varieties of the Croatian south, as well as workshops of visiting festivals.
Mark your calendars for the end of April, for the FestiWine 2019 wine festival in Dubrovnik and for more info check out the festival's website.
The popular Croatian online sales engine “Njuškalo” made a healthy 65 million Kuna of revenue in 2018, up by 16 percent in 2017. The company reported this week that profits and revenue were up in 2018 with profits before tax around 11 million Kuna, or 18 percent more than in 2017.
"In our strategy for up to 2020, we have a target of 100 million in revenue and a profit margin of around 20 percent, with a strong investment in technology development. We are proud of the results so far and a sensational increase in revenue and profits that show that nothing is left to the chance, behind all this is quality work, innovation and a good collective,” commented Sanda Soptija Šiljak, the Chief Executive Officer of Njuškalo.
Emphasizing that the link between financial success and the satisfaction of employees, Soptija Šiljak added that constant education and recognition of employee creativity has led Njuškalo to become the first in the market with trends and innovations and have become one of the largest digital companies in Croatia and a leading 'marketplace' in the wider region.
After the euphoria of the World Cup the Croatian national team have started the campaign for the European Championship 2020 by scraping a 2-1 win over lowly Azerbaijan and then losing away in Hungary 2-1. It seems that the giddy heights of the World Cup in Russia are miles away. And according to the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday Croatia has dropped one placed, from 4th to 5th, with England now climbing above them.
Although Croatia beat England in the semi-finals on the 2018 World Cup the two sides have had very different fortunes after the tournament. Zlatko Dalic’s side firstly suffered heavy defeats in the UEFA Nation’s League and eventually finishing bottom of Group 4 and being relegated.
Latest FIFA rankings
This was followed by a tough start to the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign. On the other hand England finished top of Group 4 in the Nation’s League, qualifying for the finals, and had a flying start to the EURO 2020 with two wins, against Montenegro and the Czech Republic.
And these results mean that England have climbed above Croatia is the latest FIFA rankings. On the top of the list is Belgium, followed by France in second place and Brazil in third.
The next test for Croatia is a match against Wales, who are now ranked in 19th position, in June as part of the EURO 2020 qualifications.
Only 27 percent of European Union residents eat fruit at least twice a day, according to figures released by Eurostat. The healthy eating plan of “five pieces of fruit a day” seems a long way from becoming reality, with 36 percent of EU citizens admitting to eating fruit rarely.
The most fruit loving nation is Italy, where 85 percent of citizens eat fruit every day, followed by the Portuguese with 81 percent. Over 50 percent of Croatians don’t eat fruit every day, which seems rather strange in a country that produces so much fruit throughout the year. Clearly more work in schools needs to be done of the importance of eating fruit and vegetables.
Only 46 percent of Croatians eat fruit every day, which is around the lower reaches of the European average. The worst country in the European Union was Latvia, where only 35 percent of the population eat fruit every day.
Real estate prices in Zagreb have never been higher, and they are continuing to rise. New statistics show that property prices in the Croatian capital have increased by a whopping 26 percent over the past five years.
According to data from one of the most popular online real estate agents the average price of a square metre of property in Zagreb now stands at 2,019 Euros, property prices in Zagreb have never been more expensive and indicators show that prices will continue to rise.
The average price of an apartment in Zagreb is 11 percent more than last year and the average price per metre squared 206 Euros higher. One particular suburb of Zagreb, Trešnjevci, saw prices rise by an incredible 37 percent.
Although real estate prices in the Croatian capital are the fastest rising in Croatia they are still some way behind the most expensive in the country – Dubrovnik. Across the whole of Croatia real estate prices rose by around seven percent last year.
A flower sale will once again be organised this weekend in Dubrovnik with plants and flowers available for sale at promotional prices.
This weekend’s sale will be held on Saturday the 6th of April starting from 7.30 am and continuing 4.00 pm and will be held at the beginning of the promenade in Lapad.
Various local producers and growers will be involved in the flower fair and our advice is to get there early as the sale is always well attended.
Croatia’s former Prime Minister and leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Ivo Sanader, has been sentenced to six years in prison today by the Supreme Court for corruption. The hearing today in the court upheld the decision of 2017 to convict Sanader of corruption charges, after he and his legal team had launched appeals.
Sanader, who was the Prime Minster of Croatia from 2003 to 2009, was, following the court’s ruling, picked up by police at his home in Zagreb and escorted to prison to start his six-year sentence. As the police collected him he continued to protest his innocence to the waiting media.
"This is a show trial. I still believe that this is a case of politically motivated persecution. I will continue to fight with all means available to me to prove my innocence. The charges against me make no sense, they are all lies, each and every one of them. I'm ready to face anything, and in the end I will prove my innocence," commented Sanader as he was driven away by police.
Originally Sanader had received a four and a half year sentence for corruption in a case that was nicknamed “Planinska Affair.” This corruption case saw the former Prime Minister help former HDZ MP, Stjepan Fiolic, sell a building in Planinska Street in Zagreb to the Regional Development Ministry in 2009 for a hugely inflated price. Sanader received a €2.3 million kickback for setting up the deal, and it was also revealed in court that Fiolic had falsified the buildings paperwork including the property’s value.
The deal was sealed with another HDZ politician, and in fact former minister, Petar Cobankovic, who in his role at the time as the Regional Development Minister helped purchase the building through his ministry. He pleaded guilty before the trail actually started and received a one-year sentence which was later converted to community service. Fiolic received the same sentence and his was also transferred to community service, and he was also ordered by the court to repay the corrupted funds he received for his part in the deal.
Apart from his six-year sentence Sanader was also ordered to pay back the €2.3 million kickback he received. However, this isn’t the end of Sanader’s woes and he faces two more court appearances on corruption charges.
Many users of the popular Netflix streaming service will soon have to pay more monthly to watch their favourite serials. As the American media is reporting the new monthly tariffs for Netflix will come into force in May even though the company announced them in January.
The new cost should see prices rising by between 1 and 2 dollars a month, meaning that the basic package will in the future cost $9 instead of $8, the standard package that includes 11-bit HD will cost $13 a month whilst the premium package will rise from $14 to $16 a month.
Netflix had already announced a rise in its service prices in January, with an explanation of how additional funds will be invested in new series and movies. Their announcement was also supported by investors, which caused stock prices to rise by six percent in January.
According to their announcements from the beginning of the year, the same price increase will also reach European users, which means that the prices of their services in Croatia could soon be somewhat higher, reports Novac.hr.