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What was the status of the retail market development in March 2022? Initially, there were a lot of good things to report. Just when everything seemed to go back to 'the old normal' and the fashion retailer was certainly reaping the benefits - the sales at the beginning of this year were again comparable to the covid-free year 2019! - the next challenge came knocking at the door. Nobody is unaware of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and its war with Russia: it also effects the Dutch economy – and the fashion retailer.
According to CBS (Statistics Netherlands), the Dutch economy increased by almost 5 percent last year – which is above the level of the covid-free year 2019. This was partly due to increasing exports and higher consumption. It is expected that consumption will continue to increase as society is slowly clambering up. People feel the need to go out again and because they have been able to save a lot of money in the lockdown, have money to spend. On the other hand, high inflation is caused by rising energy prices.
The higher energy costs, raw material prices and transport costs also ensure that the average selling prices will rise. Everything will be more expensive. In January, inflation rose to 6.4 percent. To indicate how fast this is going: in December this was 5.7 percent. According to the European calculation, inflation in the Netherlands is currently well above 8 percent.
Fashion retail; the turnover in March and the forecast of the spring season
This has an impact on the fashion retailer, who is also struggling with high energy prices, rising transport costs and raw material prices. This is reflected in, among other things, the clothing prices. Consumers now pay an average of 6 to 7 percent more for their clothing. Inflation and ever-rising prices create uncertainty among consumers, and this will play a role in purchasing power in the coming months. To what extent exactly, of course, depends entirely on the developments.
Let's focus on what's going well. In the first two months of 2022, the total turnover of the fashion retail was back at the level of the covid-free year 2019. If we keep 2019 as the reference year, we see that women's fashion is 4 percent ahead in total sales and men's fashion 3 percent. Only the children's fashion category, with 15 percent less turnover than in 2019, still has some catching up to do.
That possibility exists, if inflation does not rise faster and purchasing power does not fall. The springtime sun makes for happier people in the shopping streets, who eagerly look for new seasonal items. And it just so happens that the fashion stores are ready for this now, packed with ideas, inspiration, new colours and enthusiastic search and style assistance. Because the latter tactic usually pays off.
Written by Marjolein Stormezand in collaboration with Euretco.


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MUMBAI: Mobile companies have been persuaded by the Modi government to share a slice of their infrastructure to pave the way for basic banking services
through cell phones.
Fund transfer, balance inquiry in savings
account, change of PIN, mini statement, cheque book request, etc, will be possible with simple text messages from ordinary handsets and without accessing the Internet.
In the past two months, ten telecom companies
have signed pacts with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI
), the payments gateway backed by the government, to facilitate the service. It will operate on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel of the telcos — a simple interactive text messaging system that even allows credit and debit card transactions. However, the current plan is to restrict USSD to basic banking services, including low-value bill payments.
“The primary reason for the delay in setting up this infrastructure was the apprehension of telcos that their business will be affected if they provide the USSD channel to the banking system. But Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
) was justified in indicating that the communication channel should not be restricted…The service is available to anyone having a mobile phone or bank account,” AP Hota, MD & CEO of NPCI told ET. Each transaction will cost the user Rs1.50.
According to Rajan S Mathews, Director General of GSM industry
body COAI, telcos were hesitant to sign on as they felt USSD is an outdated technology which cannot support volumes. “Also, we didn’t want to be reduced to dumb pipes…The initial interconnect charges which we were offered were very low. Then, Trai intervened and the charges were raised. Now, it is ensured that the charges will cover our costs… the banks will be mainly responsible for the quality of service, customer care, etc. We just provide access…This has been signed under request of Trai,” he said.
The USSD system can widen the scope of mobile banking transactions from “wallet services” provided by telecom firms through a separate entity. While under wallet services, subscribers can carry out transactions like prepaid mobile charges, utility bill payments and money transfers among other things, the USSD enables inter-bank transactions. For instance, a subscriber of telco A with an account in Bank B can transfer money to a subscriber of telco C having an account with bank D. Here, telcos access NPCI’s centralised system which is linked to banks.
A senior banker ET spoke to said that mobile banking can be a more effective way to push financial inclusion than setting up ATMs in remote locations. While the USSD also enables card transactions (a service that can dramatically improve volumes), any such move could be resisted by telecom firms – some of which have plans to apply to Reserve Bank of India
for payment bank licence.
In fact, even the restricted menu of basic banking services did not go down well with telcos. “It was virtually thrust upon us. They have been promoting this, trying to ride the new government’s focus on financial inclusion,” said an official of a telecom company who did not wish to be identified.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make a formal announcement to inaugurate the USSD-based service this week.
Since customers of wallet companies would also have access to the centralised service of NPCI, telcos possibly fear that some subscribers may shift to the new service if it catches on.

domain: news


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The re-burnishing of Apple's corporate image continues
Rob Schmitz gets his reward this week.
The China correspondent for American Public Media's Marketplace -- whose reporting exposed the lies in Mike Daisey's The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs and who joined Ira Glass last month in Daisey's public humiliation on This American Life -- was given an exclusive tour inside an iPad factory, courtesy of Foxconn and Apple (AAPL) public relations.
He's the first public media reporter -- and only the second journalist after ABC's Bill Weir -- to gain access to a Foxconn factory floor.
Schmitz' radio reports can be heard starting Monday, April 9, on your local public radio station (or on Marketplace's special page on the Apple Economy.)
Meanwhile, Schmitz has been writing about the tour on his reporter's notebook blog, and Marketplace has posted a couple of teasers: A 3:30-minute radio interview and a 20-second YouTube clip of iPads with their innards exposed. (see below)
Apple will be pleased that Schmitz describes Foxconn's factory city as having the feel of a college campus -- with "dorm buildings and basketball courts and swimming pools and things like that" -- and that he contradicts a New York Times correspondent's claim that workers spend spend long hours each day either standing or perched uncomfortably on stools. At this factory, at least, everybody sits on stools that have backs.
But Schmitz also airs some of the workers many complaints -- that the work of assembling iPads by hand is repetitive and mind-numbing, that favoritism among the supervisors is rampant, that they have been forced to work when they are sick, that they're sometimes not allowed to bill for overtime.
Most damning: That the raises they were promised in March -- and which were widely publicized in U.S. media -- still haven't been paid.
Below: Schmitz' YouTube video.
Fortune's curated selection of tech stories from the weekend. Sign up to get the round-up delivered to you each and every day.
* Apple (AAPL) is holding a conference call later this morning to discuss what the company intends to do with its roughly $100 billion in cash. (Fortune)
* Late last week, the highly-respected radio show This American Life announced it was retracting an episode it aired about a Foxconn iPad factory because one source, off-Broadway performer MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Mar 19, 2012 3:30 AM ET
Why did the company keep its silence, when it knew a year ago what we know now?
Mike Daisey began performing his off-Broadway monologue "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" in January 2011. The show, which cast a harsh light on the working conditions in the Chinese factories that produce nearly half of the world's electronic devices, was presented as fact -- a description of what Daisey saw first MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 18, 2012 8:34 AM ET
A monologist who shined a harsh light on Apple has himself come under scrutiny
"Daisey lied to me," wrote This American Life executive producer Ira Glass Friday as he announced that his radio show was withdrawing its most popular episode -- an excerpt of Mike Daisey's off-Broadway show about Apple's (AAPL) labor practices in China -- and canceling a live presentation of Daisey's "The Agony and the Ecstacy of Steve Jobs" MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 16, 2012 4:28 PM ET
An addendum discloses for the first time the names of 156 Apple suppliers
Apple's (AAPL) sixth annual "supplier responsibility" report is sure to be closely read by both critics and competitors.
For one thing an addendum to the report lists for the first time the names of Apple's major subcontractors -- 156 companies, many in the Far East, representing 97% of the company's supply chain. The list is available here for anyone MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Jan 13, 2012 1:34 PM ET
|Delinquent IRS employees paid bonuses by the agency|
|Court quizzes Aereo: Do TV streams break the law?|
|Gun silencer sales are booming|
|China factories extend slump|
|How women can narrow the 'confidence gap'|


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China's video game market experienced a year-over-year drop of 10.3% — the first decline since 2003.
While in 2021 the world’s largest video gaming market recorded a total revenue of more than US$44.23 billion, but 2022’s number decreased to US$40.1 billion, per the South China Morning Post.
Moreover, the study revealed that the number of gamers in China saw a reduction of 0.33% between 2021 and 2022, down to 664 million players.
See Also: China GDP Decoded: Better-Than-Feared Q4 Caps Sluggish 2022 Amid COVID-19 Headwinds
“The whole industry is under pressure,” declared the Gaming Publishing Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association on WeChat.
The government agency associates this industry shock with COVID-19 restrictions, limited production and R&D activities, difficulty in hiring new talent, a lack of investor confidence, decreased spending by consumers, and intense competition from overseas markets.
Furthermore, the drop in revenue may also be linked to China’s strict policy on game licenses: in 2022, the country licensed 200 fewer games than in 2021.
In addition, mobile game sales have also reduced by 14.4% (to US$28.61 billion) and the esports industry dropped 14% (down to US$21.42 billion).
It is also worth noting that Tencent Holdings TCEHY, the world’s largest gaming company by revenue and the firm behind huge titles like “League of Legends,” and “Valorant,” saw a 4% decrease in gaming revenue during the third quarter.
NetEase NTES, its competitor, reported a slowdown in gaming revenue growth, with an increase of 9.1% compared to the 15% growth seen in the same period of the previous year.
See Also: Xi Jinping's Government Gearing Up To Buy 'Golden Shares' In Local Units Of Alibaba, Tencent - FT
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Munich(DE), 16th June 2023/On June 14, the 2023 Intersolar Europe was held at the Messe München. Solargiga Energy Holdings Limited (“Solargiga Energy”) exhibited five efficient modules with all-scenario solutions and innovative technologies for global customers at this great exhibition.
Intersolar Europe, as the largest, most widespread, and most influential professional PV EXPO in the world, gathered almost all the internationally renowned enterprises in the industry. There were more than 2,400 exhibitors and more than 85,000 professional visitors from around the world.
At Intersolar Europe this year, Solargiga Energy exhibited its GIGA series modules, which are highly praised by customers for their excellent performance and high-efficiency conversion, showing the hard power of “Intelligent manufacturing in China”. In addition, Solargiga Energy provided an immersive experience booth for visitors, allowing a constant stream of customers to visit and consult, as well as in-depth communication between on-site staff and industry professionals.
The high-profile GIGA-N series of Solargiga Energy also made a grand debut at this exhibition, which can further reduce the temperature coefficient and have excellent anti-PID performance, both in terms of efficiency and power generation, compared with traditional P-type modules. In addition, GIGA-N series modules can be applied in all domains and all scenarios, which are elaborations developed by Solargiga Energy to implement its efficient power plant solutions and promote its zero-carbon layout in Europe.
Europe has seen explosive growth in PV demand in the wake of the energy crisis. According to InfoLink, the PV installed capacity in Europe was about 72GW in 2022 and is expected to be about 113.5GW in 2023. There is huge room for the increment of PV installed capacity.
Europe is one of the strategic markets for Solargiga Energy. At present, the Company has established a sound logistics network. The operation of “Jinzhou-Shenyang-Manzhouli-Duisburg” CR Express and European warehouses provides local customers with safer logistics and rapid delivery services, thus guaranteeing the rights and interests of customers to the maximum extent. Our innovative modules and cutting-edge power station solutions exhibited at this exhibition will further enhance our competitiveness in the European market, achieve a win-win situation in ecological, economic, and social benefits, and break the deadlock of energy transition in Europe.
As an important witness of Europe’s energy transition, Solargiga Energy will continue to extend its efforts in market expansion in Germany and Europe with more than 20 years of technical experience, and provide all-scenario energy solutions for local customers with its cutting-edge products, high-quality services and sound industry chain, to help reshape the European energy landscape.


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Google Completes Acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Layoffs Likely
May 22, 2012 11:47 AM
comment(s) - last by
Neither Google nor Motorola have confirmed the possible upcoming layoffs
Google has finally closed its $12.5 billion
acquisition of Motorola Mobility
, with China approving the deal just this past weekend.
Motorola is in a pretty tough spot right now. Earlier this month, the company reported a
fifth straight quarter of losses
, which included a net loss of $86 million USD for Q1 2012. In previous consecutive quarters, Motorola reported net losses in the low $80 million area. Motorola is having a hard time likely because of its inability to keep up with other Android-powered phonemakers like
Samsung and HTC
"I'm excited to announce today that our Motorola Mobility deal has closed," said Larry Page, Google CEO. "Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone. We all remember Motorola's StarTAC, which at the time seemed tiny and showed the real potential of these devices. As the company who made a big, early bet on Android, Motorola has become an incredibly valuable partner to Google."
Google also announced today that Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down and Google executive Dennis Woodside will take over.
However, the deal closing may also mean layoffs for other Motorola Mobility employees in the near future. According to
, layoffs could be on the list of things to do after the deal closes.
But Motorola has already gone through restructuring since the announcement of the Google acquisition last year. When the announcement went public, Motorola had 19,000 employees. In fall 2011, about 800 employees were laid off.
Neither Google nor Motorola have confirmed the possible upcoming layoffs, but
noted that Google had previously ordered a 40 percent cut of DoubleClick staff when it acquired the company and its 1,600 employees. This could be a similar situation.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Shouldn't compete with your customers
6/9/2012 4:03:09 AM
There is some truth to this. Intel has to worry about this as well. Intel makes entire computers, they just can't assemble and sell them because they'd be competing directly with Dell, HP, and all the rest. Directly competing with your customers is usually a bad thing, especially when they view you as a very large threat.
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Obama to Detroit: Build more fuel-efficient vehicles
Washington — Despite rising sales of profitable SUVs and pickups, President Barack Obama has some advice for Detroit's Big Three automakers: Build more fuel-efficient vehicles.
"Detroit needs to be focused on capturing, you know, the lion's share of the market for fuel-efficient cars. And you know, they worked with us to double fuel-efficiency standards. And I understand that American consumers sometimes are resistant. We like big cars and we like driving long ways and we like cheap gas," Obama told the Wall Street Journal Monday. "I'm also confident that over the course of 10 or 15 or 20 years that the American auto industry can continue to thrive. But what we've learned is that the American auto industry does not thrive when it tries to avoid the future. It thrives when it seizes the future. And that's true of our economy generally."
U.S. automakers — like the industry in general — have seen small car sales decline this year in the face of low gas prices. U.S. automakers are running pickup and SUV factories overtime to try to meet soaring demand for bigger vehicles. And U.S. automakers make significantly higher profits on larger vehicles than smaller ones.
In the first three months of 2015, car sales are down under 1 percent, while pickup and SUV sales are up 11 percent. Automakers agreed in 2011 to double fuel efficiency standards to 54.5 mpg — a mandate that will cost the industry about $200 billion through 2025.
Ford Motor Co. announced last week it was laying off 700 at its Michigan Assembly plant — a plant Obama visited in January — because of lagging sales. But in perhaps a sign of why small cars don't have as much cache, Obama sat in a new Ford Mustang during his visit — a bigger more powerful vehicle that isn't built at the Wayne Assembly plant.
Obama told The Detroit News in January that cheap gas wouldn't last and warned Americans not to shift buying habits.
"I would strongly advise American consumers to continue to think about how you save money at the pump because it is good for the environment, it's good for family pocketbooks and if you go back to old habits and suddenly gas is back at $3.50, you are going to not be real happy," he told The News.
Obama is facing intense opposition from U.S. automakers and the United Auto Workers union over "fast track" trade authority to get an up or down vote without amendments in order to reach a final Asia Pacific trade deal with 11 other countries, including Japan, that account for 40 percent of the world's economy. The automakers sought to include enforceable currency provisions that would prevent foreign central banks from intervening to reduce their value of their currency.
Obama says he is confident he will be able to convince automakers that the deal makes sense "whether I can convince some who are, you know, more comfortable with the status quo, you know, that's an open question," Obama said. " When we are bold and we, you know, take a look at where we're going to be 10, 15, 20 years from now, we plan for it, we invest for it, we go after it, we succeed — nobody can beat us. And when we hunker down and we're defensive and scared of the future, that's when we get our clock cleaned."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in January that the administration would not agree to a trade deal that was not in the "best interests of American industry, including the American auto industry."
For more than seven years, the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Canada and eight other nations have been negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would create a free-trade zone comprising 40 percent of the world's economy; Japan joined the talks in 2013. Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam are part of the negotiations.
The pact eventually would end America's 25 percent tariffs on imported light trucks and 2.5 percent tariffs on cars and auto parts. The tariff has been in place for more than 50 years. Those tariffs, especially the truck tax, have forced foreign automakers to build truck and SUV plants in the United States and helped keep some would-be competitors out of the truck market that is dominated by Detroit's Big Three.
Japanese automakers want the 2.5 percent tariff on auto parts dropped immediately — but no deal is expected this week while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Washington for a State visit. He has said agriculture is the biggest issue for Japan and autos for the United States.
"Japanese farmers are tough. Japanese automakers want certain things. And so I don't expect that we will complete all negotiations here. I'm not going to be sitting across the table from him trying to finalize a deal," Obama told the Journal.
Obama wants the free-trade deal as a cornerstone of his administration's economic legacy, and a way to boost exports of U.S.-made products. His administration also seeks a deal with Japan as crucial, since the world's third largest economy is a critical ally in a region where China is expanding its influence.


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Remember the series of Seattle icon–inspired ice cream flavors Full Tilt was making? Well it turns out the ice creamery's Wheedle on the Needle tribute is now the Space Needle's official ice cream. The orange ice cream with cherry chunks will be available on the week of April 21 for one week at all four of Full Tilt's stores—to coincide with the 54th anniversary of the Space Needle—and will become a permanent fixture on the SkyCity menu; Full Tilt's ice cream is even making its way into the restaurant's famous Lunar Orbiter dessert.
This isn't the only big move Full Tilt has planned for this year. The University District location is moving a couple of blocks up north from its current location in the coming months. The shop will upsize to a new space beside the Kraken Bar and Lounge on the Ave, adding a bar, more pinball games and of course, more quirky ice cream flavors to feed the crowd.


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SharePoint is getting mobile application support for the new Communication Site feature, along with list improvements, Microsoft announced this week.
Microsoft this week released a preview of a new sign-in experience for Azure Active Directory and Microsoft account users.
Microsoft last week released new management capabilities in the latest System Center Configuration Manager update.
Arriving with the "fall creators update" for Windows 10 will be Windows Subsystem for Linux, Microsoft announced.
Organizations with Enterprise Agreements (EA) should consider negotiating protections or special discounts up front to avoid compliance issues likely associated with Microsoft's cloud services.
Microsoft this week has announced that the latest version of its Advanced Threat Analytics forensic security solution is now available.
Adobe announced that s the Flash Player browser plug-in will no longer be supported after 2020.
With the release of Windows 10 "fall creators update," targeted to arrive in September or October, Windows PowerShell 2.0 will no longer be officially supported.
In response to Microsoft's announcement this week that it will no longer provide session border controller (SBC) support for PBX systems accessing Office 365, third-party firm AVST is stepping in with a solution.
Changes affecting Software Assurance benefits, App-V deployments, Exchange Online Unified Messaging and even Microsoft Office and Nano Server are appearing in random locations across Microsoft sites.
This week Microsoft took one more step towards SQL Server 2017 being commercially available with the release of the first release candidate.
Microsoft will prioritize and advocate for the use of PowerShell Core over previous versions, the company recently announced.
Microsoft this week released its first preview build of Windows Server 2016 to its Windows Insider Program testers, kicking off Windows 10-like plans for the server product.
Microsoft is bullish on Intel's latest Xeon Scalable processors, released on Tuesday, playing a huge role in the success of its Project Olympus.
Microsoft this week has made available the Linux-based Canonical Ubuntu distro for download in the Windows Store.
Quest this week has made live new cloud-based solutions for managing Azure Active Directory implementations and Office 365 applications.
Microsoft announced a new Windows AutoPilot service this week that promises to ease the provisioning of new PCs for end users.
Microsoft this week announced that its Office 365 "first release" subscribers can now take part in a SharePoint Communication Site feature preview.
Microsoft revealed this week that its Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) will be making a return with the "fall creators update" of Windows 10.
Currently, a large-scale ransomware outbreak in effect, using similar techinques as last month's WannaCry security incident.


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British Firm Buys Maine Pet Pharmaceutical Company
PORTLAND, Maine - A British pharmaceutical company has announced that it plans to buy a Maine maker of generic medications for companion animals.
London-based Dechra Pharmaceuticals says the purchase of Putney, headquartered in Portland, gives Dechra access to Putney's existing product portfolio and development pipeline.
Jean Hoffman founded Putney in 2006. She says among the things that attracted Dechra to Putney was Putney's size and scale, and its research and development operation.
"We have the best track record of any company in getting veterinary pharmaceuticals approved by the FDA," Hoffman says. "So they were attracted to our product now and our revenues, but also to our R & D team to develop more drugs for the future."
Hoffman says Dechra plans to keep the Portland office open, although it might reduce the number of employees. Among those who will depart is Hoffman herself.
She says the $200 million deal is expected to close in April.


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A new smartphone camera, that visualises heat that is invisible to the naked eye, has shown London's recent heatwave from a whole new perspective.
The Cat S60 is the world’s first smartphone with an integrated thermal camera which highlights temperature contrasts using blue for cold and yellow and red for hot.
The device was taken for a spin around London during the recent mini-heatwave - and the images revealed intense pockets of heat, particularly around commuters.
Londoners glowed red in 36C heat on the Central line, and a soldier on Whitehall was luminous in his uniform at almost 33C - the camera picked out his face as his hottest part.
Bullitt Group, which makes the phone, said it could be useful for firefighters to see through smoke to find the origin of a fire.


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A recent Google research indicated that the coronavirus pandemic had accelerated Vietnam’s digital economy. In fact, the digital economy in Vietnam expanded by 27.8% in 2022, amounting to US$ 23 billion. Research further estimated that the growth would continue until 2025 reaching nearly US$ 50 billion.
Prior to the COVID-19 episode, 3.1 hours per day was the time that Vietnamese users spent on the internet. This figure then increased significantly to 4.2 hours per day due to the nationwide lockdown.
The rapid growth of eCommerce and the adoption of e-Wallets is the main factor contributing to the burgeoning digital economic situation in Vietnam. In 2020, eCommerce expanded 63% year-on-year at US$ 62 billion. By 2025, this amount is expected to spike to approximately US$ 172 billion.
Latest Digital Market Trends
A report by Vietnam Report in July 2022 found five upcoming trends in Vietnam’s digital economy development, including global sensations such as 5G and blockchain.
- Cloud computing: The market for cloud-based services has the potential to grow 26% year-on-year as projections by the National Institute of Information and Communications Strategy say cloud-stored data will be used by half of all Viet citizens and all government entities by 2030.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): Two-thirds of businesses in Vietnam are already utilizing AI for administrative and customer service functions. The country also rose 14 ranks in Oxford Insights‘ AI readiness scale.
- Internet of Things (IoT): As data processes and cost optimization are crucial to a company’s bottom line, IoT penetration has been very rapid in Vietnam, with six in seven companies applying the technology.
- 5G & broadband: Internet use in Vietnam jumped 40% in 2021, resulting in more incentives and efforts in developing mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure across the country. In fact, 5G is one of the focuses of post-COVID recovery in Vietnam.
- Blockchain: MarketsandMarkets has predicted five-fold growth within five years for Vietnam’s blockchain sector. The tech enables secure information storage, especially for digital transactions.
Government Support to Accelerate the Digital Economy Transformation in Vietnam
Vietnam’s government issued various plans and guidelines in September 2020 to support the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and the Conclusion of the 77 initiatives, agreed on. These initiatives have proven that the government is determined to transform its digital economy with proper legal frameworks.
Furthermore, the government established new policies to take in and pilot new and innovative technological solutions, conditionally. Vietnam’s technology sector is the crucial enabler for its digital infrastructure and its significant presence in the global market.
Through these policies and guidelines, relevant authorities will liaise with Vietnamese businesses to collaborate with renowned and sizable global technology corporations. The collaboration will include technologies and model transfer, establishment, and application.
Remaining Challenges in Key Areas in Vietnam’s Digital Economy
For the nation to ensure growth in the digital economy, challenges associated with critical areas in Vietnam’s digital economy need to be addressed.
The high-speed and useful internet is the foundation of a thriving digital economy. So the first and the most critical challenge for Vietnam’s digital economy transformation is to ensure that the majority of the population has reasonable access to 4G and 5G mobile networks. The country will also have to expand its broadband fiber optic networks for large institutions, schools, and businesses.
The second obstacle that Vietnam’s government has to tackle is probably the high logistic prices. Vietnam’s logistics prices is one of the highest globally, contributing to 25% of GDP. Streamlined, efficient and cost-effective logistics service is one of the critical components of successful eCommerce and online trade.
Therefore, Vietnam still has substantial space to improve its logistics by providing more diverse and affordable logistics options such as last-mile delivery, low-value item delivery, and door-to-door services.
The third challenge concerns payments. The majority of the Vietnamese population still utilize cash for their daily transactions despite cashless digital payment development. In 2017, only 22% of Vietnam’s population made use of digital payments.
To encounter this issue, regulatory authorities and financial institutions shall work together to enable Vietnamese consumers’ digital-friendly payment environment. This collaboration must include customer protection, safe digital payments, and flexible digital payment systems.
Lastly, it is forecast that about 56% of five ASEAN countries’ workforce, including Vietnam, may face digital innovation replacement in 10 years. Hence, preparing the current workforce to be ready and skilled for this digital transformation is essential and compulsory.
InCorp Vietnam is a leading provider of global market entry services. We are part of InCorp group, a regional leader in corporate solutions, that encompasses 8 countries in Asia-Pacific, headquartered in Singapore. With over 1,100 legal experts serving over 15,000 Corporate Clients across the region, our expertise speaks for itself. We provide transparent legal consulting, setup, and advice based on local requirements to make your business perfectly fit into the market with healthy growth.
Don’t take our word for it. Read some reviews from some of our clients.


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UPDATE: Sept. 28, 2020: Neiman Marcus officially emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday under new ownership. In a press release, CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the luxury retailer's new owners — which include the investment firms PIMCO, Davidson Kempner Capital Management and Sixth Street — "understand the value of our brands and the opportunity for growth." He added that Neiman's new owners are also committed to sustainability issues, "where we intend to be a leader within the industry."
- Neiman Marcus received court approval last week for its plan to reorganize in Chapter 11.
- The luxury department store chain, which filed for bankruptcy in May, expects to emerge from the court process by the end of September, according to a press release.
- The court-approved plan would eliminate $4 billion in debt and $200 million in interest expense while leaving no near-term maturities, Neiman said in a press release.
Objections, fraud allegations, an arrest — Neiman's bankruptcy has been plenty eventful. Despite all that, the retailer is on track to do what it said early in the summer it expected to do: exit bankruptcy by the fall.
Not every retailer knocked into Chapter 11 this year — by some combination of debt load, flagging sales and virus disruption — was fortunate enough to have a deal lined up going into the process. Stage Stores and Pier 1, after failing to find a buyer, have liquidated. Stein Mart is likely on the same path. J.C. Penney flirted with an acquisition deal before talks stalled. (Penney now expects to be taken over by lenders, but details have yet to be ironed out and approved.)
The support by a cross section of Neiman's creditors signals that they see an entity worth keeping around underneath all that debt, which is a legacy of multiple private equity buyouts. The reorganization, however, has not gone uncontested. Unsecured creditors have challenged aspects of it at multiple points in the process. In general, they have pushed for a better payout on allegations that Neiman fraudulently moved its MyTheresa unit out from under its corporate umbrella and to an entity controlled by its private equity owners.
Leading the charge for the unsecured creditors was Daniel Kamensky, leader of the Marble Ridge hedge fund. Kamensky has been a vocal and litigious antagonist to Neiman since the MyTheresa move. This summer his years-long efforts were vindicated, after a consultant confirmed that Neiman Marcus was insolvent at the time of the MyTheresa transfer, a kind of smoking gun for a fraudulent conveyance claim. An independent board member at Neiman also confirmed there was likely a legal claim against the retailer. A settlement with unsecured creditors soon followed that would give them stock in MyTheresa as part of Neiman's bankruptcy plan.
Kamensky co-chaired the unsecured creditors committee during Neiman's Chapter 11 bankruptcy, until allegations surfaced that he tried to used his position to profit at the expense of his fellow unsecured creditors. At issue was Kamensky's plan to buy stock from other creditors who would prefer cash to selling their MyTheresa shares. Federal prosecutors alleged that he used his position to talk employees at the investment bank Jefferies from making a higher offer to the creditors. Over the course of about a month, Kamensky quit the creditor committee, moved to dissolve his hedge fund and, last week, was arrested on federal charges of fraud, extortion and obstruction of justice.
Meanwhile, Neiman's bankruptcy continues on as the retailer readies its exit, into a world still defined and made uncertain by the coronavirus and economy.
The company's exit plan turns control of the company over lenders and calls for a $750 million term loan along with Neiman's $900 million asset-based loan. "With the exit financing and existing ABL, the Company has the strategic capital available to support its business and transformation initiatives through emergence and beyond," the company said.


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Microsoft has come up with a security webinar that is aimed at empowering business owners on how to tackle some of the major security threats. The webinar is titled “Top 5 security threats facing your business – and how to respond” and scheduled for June 29, 2016, 10:00 – 11:00 AM PST. It will be conducted by Ann Johnson, Vice-President, Enterprise Cybersecurity Group and Julia White, General Manager, Cloud + Enterprise.
Respond to security threats facing your business
The webinar registration page on Microsoft’s website says:
“Connected cloud and mobile technologies present immense business opportunity, but there is potential for increased risk as organizations increase their exposure to cyber security threats. The digital world requires new approaches to protect against, detect, and respond to security threats.”
Some of the key aspects that Microsoft is going cover during the webinar are protection against identity theft, which is a very serious problem these days. In addition, Microsoft will also teach how to ensure device security and mobility at work. Microsoft persistently talks about its unique approach towards cyber security and safety measures, which help itself deal with many threat landscapes.
Microsoft also explained how it deals with such problems. The company processes a tremendous amount of information, device updates, emails and authentication on a regular basis. These interactions not only make Microsoft familiar with potential security threats but also help your company regulate and synthesize threat data way faster than ever possible alone.
The company believes its vast intelligence causes a security risk in one organization help other businesses be aware of the same, resulting in an upstanding progression. Additionally, machine learning technique is what relentlessly scans through behavioral and operational changes to become aware of potential threats.
The increase in growth also increases chances of potential security risks facing your business. Hence, it is highly important to improve your Internet security and ensure maximum security.


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The JSW Group, led by billionaire Sajjan Jindal, has announced its intention to enter the electric vehicle (EV) market with its own brand of cars. The group’s first EV, named Concept One, is expected to be launched in 2025 and will compete with Tesla and other global players in the premium segment.
The Concept One is being developed by JSW Energy, a subsidiary of the group that focuses on renewable energy and power generation. The car will have a range of 500 km on a single charge and will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than four seconds. The car will also feature advanced technology such as autonomous driving, wireless charging, and biometric authentication.
The JSW Group has invested Rs 6,500 crore ($875 million) in the EV project and has set up a research and development center in Bengaluru. The group plans to manufacture the car at its Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka, which has a capacity of 200,000 units per year. The group also aims to create a network of charging stations across India and export its EVs to other markets.
JSW Group seeks tariff protection for steel industry amid rising imports
The JSW Group, which is India’s largest steel producer, has also urged the government to impose a tariff on steel imports to protect the domestic industry from cheap and subsidized products from China and other countries. The group said that steel imports have increased by 60% in the first quarter of this fiscal year compared to the same period last year, despite the imposition of anti-dumping duties and safeguard measures by the government.
The group said that the surge in imports is hurting the profitability and viability of the domestic steel industry, which is already facing challenges such as high raw material costs, low demand, and environmental regulations. The group also said that the imports are undermining the government’s vision of making India self-reliant in steel production and achieving a capacity of 300 million tonnes per year by 2030.
The JSW Group has requested the government to increase the basic customs duty on steel imports from 15% to 25%, and also impose a minimum import price or a floor price for steel products. The group said that these measures will help create a level playing field for the domestic industry and encourage investments in capacity expansion and modernization.
JSW Group diversifies into new sectors amid pandemic
The JSW Group, which has interests in sectors such as steel, cement, infrastructure, energy, and sports, has been diversifying into new areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The group has ventured into segments such as paints, furniture, toys, health care, and education in the past year.
The group said that it is exploring these new opportunities to leverage its brand value, customer base, distribution network, and manufacturing capabilities. The group also said that it is aiming to create value for its stakeholders and contribute to the social and economic development of the country.
The group’s chairman Sajjan Jindal said that the pandemic has taught him to be more agile and adaptable to changing market conditions. He said that he is optimistic about the future of India and believes that the country will emerge stronger from the crisis.


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rajkotupdates.news:pm-modi-india-plans-to-launch-5g-services-soon are taking the world by storm. While some parts of the world have already been lucky enough to see these technologies come to fruition, India remains one of the few remaining places without 5G. Now, it seems that Modi plans to change this by launching 5G service soon!
Google’s AI-Powered technology has won the internet over with quality content. In this article, Sarah talks about how Google can help you write a blog post or website content in 2 minutes flat!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in India plans to launch the “5G Services” soon, which will provide online services such as grocery delivery and home-servicing. The service is expected to be popular among urbanites who are increasingly using technology to stay connected and manage their lives.
2. What is the “5G Services”?
The “5G Services” are a set of online services that will be offered by the Indian government. They include grocery delivery, home-servicing, and other tasks such as cleaning and cooking. The G Services are expected to be popular among urbanites who are increasingly using technology to stay connected and manage their lives.
3. How will the “5G Services” work?
The “5G Services” will be delivered through online platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Maps. Customers will need to register for the service and then choose which tasks they want done. The tasks will then be scheduled, and the providers will contact customers to confirm the appointment.
5G is the latest generation of wireless technology that will provide faster speeds and greater capacity than 4G. It will be crucial for India to get on board with 5G in order to stay ahead of the curve as other countries begin to roll out this new technology.
There are many benefits to adopting 5G, including increased network efficiency and enhanced customer experience. In terms of customer experience, 5G will allow for a more seamless user experience by allowing for real-time streaming of content and improvedresponse times when using apps or accessing online services.
In terms of network efficiency, 5G will allow for greater capacity utilization by optimizing networks across multiple users at the same time. This will result in reduced costs and improved network performance.
5G also has the potential to create new business opportunities through its ability to support smart cities, IoT devices, and automated driving. By providing a more efficient platform for these various applications, 5G has the potential to create significant value for businesses and consumers alike.
How will 5G benefit India in the longer run?
The Indian government is planning to launch a new mobile service, G services, in the near future. G services will offer faster speeds and lower latency than current mobile networks. This will allow users to stay connected even when away from traditional wireless coverage areas. Additionally, G services will be able to handle larger data loads than current networks.
This would allow businesses and individuals in India to access more information and continue working during periods of heavy traffic. Finally, G services will be able to process multiple tasks simultaneously with greater efficiency than current networks. These advantages could help India become one of the first countries to fully adopt 5G technology.
When can we expect 5G to be launched in India?
5G is set to be launched in India soon, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The launch will bring faster internet speeds to residents and businesses across the country. The 5G network will offer significantly faster download and upload speeds than current networks, making it a valuable tool for people and businesses.
The launch of 5G in India is part of a larger plan by Modi to improve the country’s infrastructure. This includes plans to build a nationwide network of expressways, create jobs in infrastructure construction, and improve access to education and healthcare.
5G is expected to be launched in India soon, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the country’s plans to launch G services soon during his speech at the 2018 National Conference on Digital India. The launch of 5G will provide faster and more reliable mobile internet service, making it possible for users to access a greater range of online content and services.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to launch 5G services in India soon, and he has promised that the country will be the “innovation capital of the world.” This is great news for those who are interested in staying ahead of the curve in terms of technology, and it also means that there will be plenty of new opportunities available to those who invest in 5G infrastructure. With so much potential on the horizon, it is definitely worth considering how you can get involved.
Prime Minister Modi is planning to launch 5G services in India soon. This will be a big step forward for the country, as it will allow people to access high-speed internet virtually anywhere they go. This new technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work, and Prime Minister Modi is leading the charge in making it a reality.


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Betty Noodles returns to downtown Santa Cruz after closing in 2019, with bowls of soup that are bigger and better than ever. El Vaquero Winery wins two double gold medals for its carignan and cabernet franc, and The Pizza Series pops up in Scotts Valley with Detroit-style pies.
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Remember when “June-uary” was a thing? The sky might be clear, but you’re not imagining it — it’s definitely been colder than usual this month. In this issue of Eaters Digest, I have a few suggestions to warm you up.
For those who fondly remember the noodle soups from Betty Noodles, the tiny restaurant located at the Metro Center in downtown Santa Cruz, I have good news: It has reopened just around the corner off of Cathcart Street in the spot that previously held Monster Pot, and the soups are bigger and better than ever.
The Pizza Series is getting close to opening its restaurant in Scotts Valley and is celebrating this weekend with a pop-up featuring its Detroit-style pizza. If you’re looking for a glass of red wine to warm you up on a cold winter evening, check out the 2019 “One-Eyed Charlie’’ carignan and 2018 cabernet franc from El Vaquero Winery in Corralitos, both of which won double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Congratulations to the Prikazsky family at El Vaquero Winery in Corralitos for winning two double gold medals in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. El Vaquero’s 2019 “One-Eyed Charlie’’ carignan earned double gold in the carignan/carignane category and its 2018 cabernet franc won in the cabernet franc $30.00-$39.99 category.
I’m consistently impressed by El Vaquero’s wines, crafted by winemaker Alex Prikazsky, and have enjoyed the supple, spicy and complex “One-Eyed Charlie.” You’d be hard pressed to find a beverage with a better story behind it — this special wine is named after Corralitos Gold Rush-era icon Charley Parkhurst, a legendary six-horse-stagecoach driver. After Parkhurst’s death in 1879, it was revealed that Charley was biologically female, astonishing those who knew them. Charley, it turned out, was short for Charlotte, according to a New York Times obituary.
El Vaquero’s tasting room in Corralitos is worth a visit, though the winning wines are in short supply. The carignan is available in the tasting room, but is limited to one bottle per purchase because the winery is down to its last few cases. Alex Prikazsky says she made wine from the little-known grape in 2019 because she loved it, and it turned out to be a surprise hit. The 2018 cabernet franc, as well as the previous 2017 vintage, are available. More info at elvaquerowinery.com.
President Joe Biden visited Santa Cruz County for a few short hours Jan. 19. He was here to tour the damage wrought by the intense storms in early January, but I was curious, would he have time for a bite to eat? As it turned out, yes. The president, notorious for his love of ice cream, had time to chow down on his favorite snack courtesy of Marianne’s Ice Cream, as well as pizza from Woodstock’s Pizza in Santa Cruz, while at Seacliff State Beach. Read more about what Biden ate during his visit to Santa Cruz County in Monday’s story.
For years, Betty Noodles, tucked inside the Metro Center in downtown Santa Cruz, was my go-to soup spot. What it lacked in atmosphere it more than made up for with colorful, steaming bowls brimming with rich, homemade broths, fresh vegetables, dumplings and kimchi.
When it closed in September 2019, I was devastated. At the time, Asian noodle soups were difficult to find in Santa Cruz County, and while they’ve gained popularity — you can find great ramen at Full Steam Dumpling and pho at Asian Express and Charlie Hong Kong — they’re still not nearly as accessible as I’d like.
Betty fans, I’m pleased to share that it’s back and its bowls are bigger than ever. While I’ve been tempted by other dishes on the five-page menu, I can’t tear myself away from the Super Soups. My beloved sesame soup ($15.95) has the same unctuous, nutty broth, plus a pile of thinly sliced steak, napa cabbage, dark green Chinese water spinach, tofu and deep red chili crisp. Delicate pork-filled wontons bob in rich bone broth in the wontons and pork soup ($15.95), while tender, sweet slices of char siu pork, broccoli and cabbage top a thick pile of noodles. The portions are so large I’d be impressed if anyone could finish a full bowl off in one sitting.
Owners Xue Bai and Linna Zhang, the chef, opened Monster Pot off of Cathcart Street after closing Betty Noodles, hoping to elevate their popular soups with more refined hot pots. However, because hot pots are shared by guests at the table, the pandemic made it difficult to attract customers, Bai said. Additionally, they struggled to manage the high cost of the ingredients due to inflation. Late last year, Bai and Zhang decided to return to the more affordable Betty Noodles menu of noodle soups and rice dishes, while still using the same high-quality ingredients.
They’ve also added a new menu of Grandma’s Dumplings, with fillings and toppings ranging from kimchi to mapo tofu to vegetable. Betty, Zhang’s daughter, had a baby last year, and the hand-folded dumplings are made by the new grandma’s hands, explains Bai.
“We think that family is the first priority, and we should treat the guests who come to our restaurant as our family members,” says Bai. “The dishes are just like the dishes made in our family. I hope that everyone who comes to our restaurant can feel at home.” View the full menu and order online at bettynoodles.com.
Former pop-up The Pizza Series is getting close to opening its restaurant on Mount Hermon Road in Scotts Valley, and is holding a soft opening this weekend for takeout only of its crispy, thick-crusted Detroit-style pizza. While there’s still some remodeling to finish inside the restaurant, owners Matt Driscoll and Maddy Quesada say they “want to start making pizza again and serve our amazing community.” Friday is already sold out, but pre-orders are available for Saturday and Sunday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Place orders at thepizzaseries.com.
With more than 100 employees unable to return to work due to prolonged restaurant closures in Capitola Village, chefs from Reef Dog Deli, Trestles, Home and Shadowbrook are teaming up for an exclusive gala Monday, Feb. 6, to raise funds to support them. A five-course dinner paired with local wines will take place at Shadowbrook in Capitola from 6 to 9 p.m. Half of each $300 ticket will be donated through Community Foundation Santa Cruz County. Only 84 tickets were released, and as of Friday morning there were a few still available. Tax-deductible donations may also be made through the ticket site. Find out more in Wednesday’s story and purchase tickets through Eventbrite.


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Recently in the news for its decision to enter the ASIC chip manufacturers’ arena, Samsung is contemplating life on the blockchain in other ways as well.
The North Korean giant is a virtually ideal case study in blockchain management of supply and logistics. Samsung’s extensive network of component and service suppliers and it’s massive reach across the globe have management contemplating a blockchain construct to optimize their operations.
As the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors, smartphones and also a huge swathe of electric appliances, Samsung’s deployment of a blockchain management system would utilize the technology that enables virtual coins like Bitcoin to improve efficiency and existing protocols.
Blockchain chief at Samsung SDS Co., the group’s logistics, technology and information arm, Song Kwang-woo, said that blockchain “will have an enormous impact on the supply chains of manufacturing industries.”
Song is also SDS Vice President. “Blockchain is a core platform to fuel our digital transformation,” he said.
The company could foreseeably employ a blockchain ledger to track its myriad global shipments, amounting to tens of billions of dollars annually. SDS anticipates handling some 488,000 tons designated as air cargo and a million 20-foot-equivalent (TEU) shipping units in 2018. The freight this year includes Galaxy S9 and other smartphones, as well as organic light-emitting diode displays, all products of Samsung Electronics, the conglomerate’s jewel.
Various companies from all over the world have mooted blockchain applications, as varied as documenting the life-cycle of retail store poultry and cross-border payments. Song also pointed out that a blockchain ledger system could cut the company’s shipping costs by up to 20 percent, a massive saving when seen against the sheer volume and cost the company experiences each year.
The Samsung Group is among the first truly global manufacturers seriously contemplating and evaluating blockchain technology’s potentially beneficial impact on their operations. SDS is mapping out a working implementation for the pinnacle company in the giant’s stable, Samsung Electronics.
Cheong Tae-su, a professor at Korea University in the industrial engineering faculty, pointed out that employing a decentralized ledger system may enable the company to narrow the gap between announcements of new products and their actual shipping.
This would make it more competitive and able to rapidly pivot based on consumer preferences and competitors’ offers in an emerging market like China, he said. According to Cheong, the system would “[cut] overheads and eliminate bottlenecks.”
Cheong added that “It’s about maximizing supply efficiency and visibility, which translates into greater consumer confidence.” Samsung is one of the biggest and most dynamic corporations to be openly discussing blockchain’s benefits. Now a household term, blockchain has been dragged into the limelight mostly due to the huge and public volatility of Bitcoin during 2017. Many businesses are investigating the new way of recording, verifying and sharing transactional data.
Although in the early days of uptake by corporates, analysts Gartner Inc. predict that blockchain-related businesses will generate around $176 billion in value by 2025. The shipping industry is already looking into revolutionizing the laborious and paper-heavy protocols that govern it, with proponents saying that the technology shortens the time required to dispatch paperwork between parties and also when coordinating with port authorities.
According to International Business Machines (IBM), the company working with A.P. Moeller-Maersk to track cargo shipments and minimize shipping paperwork by employing blockchain technology, the documentation costs alone for container shipping are over double that for the cargo’s transportation.


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Manage episode 364239053 series 2988189
It’s a big day for the Auto Industry as we celebrate some of its most inspiring stories with our new series, More Than Cars. We also get into AM radio coming back to EVs, Cali ending gas…again, as well as 100 of the most top-of-mind brands ranked.
- Ford Motor has announced plans to bring back AM broadcast radio in their EVs starting in 2024 due to concerns over public safety. The decision was influenced by discussions with policy leaders highlighting the importance of AM radio in emergency alert systems.
- New Ford and Lincoln models will have AM radio capabilities, while previous EV models will receive a software update.
- The interference caused by the electromagnetic frequencies of EV motors had led automakers like Tesla to remove AM radio from their vehicles.
- Emergency officials have expressed concerns about the absence of AM radio in EVs, emphasizing its role as a vital communication channel during emergencies.
- California has submitted a request to the Biden administration, seeking approval for a plan that would require all new vehicles sold in the state by 2035 to be electric or plug-in electric hybrids, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
- The plan, approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), aims to set yearly rising zero emission vehicle rules starting in 2026, ultimately leading to the end of gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035.
- Asks for a waiver under the Clean Air Act from EPA yet the Biden administration has repeatedly refused to endorse setting a date to phase-out the sale of gasoline-only vehicles and says it will review California's request through an open public process.
- The 2023 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings have been released, revealing the most visible brands in America. The rankings are based on a survey of 16,310 Americans and measure the reputations of companies that are top-of-mind for the public
- Top 5: Patagonia, Costco, John Deere, Trader Joes, Chick fil A
- Bottom 5: Spirit Airlines, Meta, Twitter, Fox Corp, FTX, The Trump Org
- Auto showings: Toyota 6, Honda 13, Subaru 16, BMW 24, Ford 32, GM 34, VW 56, Tesla 62, Chrysler 67,
- Costco jumped 24 spots. Tesla dropped 50
Hosts: Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier
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This year at the South by Southwest festival, a mattress was the star of the show, reports CNBC.
During the event, tech and advertising executives were lauding the e-commerce mattress company for its smart business practices, including clever marketing campaigns and ease of purchase. But mostly, Casper became a status symbol of sorts. People who owned one kept humble-bragging about having it at home.
One person vividly recounted the day the mattress was shipped to them in a tinier-than-expected, extremely heavy box, while another admitted he threw away his still OK Sealy Posturepedic to exchange it for a Casper. One of the selling points of the smart tiny home Kasita is it comes equipped with a Casper mattress.
“We’ve always considered ourselves a tech company,” Gabriel Flateman, Casper co-founder and chief technology officer, told CNBC. “We saw an opportunity to bring tech innovation to an industry that has seen little of it in decades.”
Read the rest at cnbc.com


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BERLIN--We sawcoming, but the touch-screen home media tablet that the company introduced here at IFA was a bit of a surprise.
The JournE Touch, is--as you might gather from the name--a touch-screen mobile device. It's Toshiba's first, and they're clearly racing to beat everyone else, including Apple's long-awaited entry into the category, expected sometime early next year.
It's intended to be a third device for consumers at home. The application for the JournE is "when you want to access the Internet without booting your PC," said Toshiba executive Marco Perino. And it's an alternative to a smartphone, which Perino says "is not so practical because the keyboard is not the right size."
The JournE Touch has a 7-inch screen and is a half-inch thick, weighing in at less than a pound. Inside is an ARM processor, integrated Wi-Fi, and Windows CE.
It's purely for accessing the Internet or sharing content to other devices around the home. For instance, it can be hooked up to a TV to stream Web-based content like video and photos. It's not really designed for data input, but there will be applications that allow typing.
Toshiba says to expect the JournE to go on sale in Europe first, by the end of 2009, with other regions following early next year. The price is set at 249 euros, which would be roughly $360. While that is more expensive than some Netbooks with far less functionality, at that price it's a sure bet it would be cheaper than an Apple tablet.


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Solar PV will be strategic to the pandemic recovery, with huge potential to create jobs and income and attract new investments to the country, states ABSOLAR
São Paulo, October 2020 – According to a new survey by the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR), Brazil has just surpassed the historical milestone of 300 thousand distributed generation solar photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to the grid. Since 2012, small and medium-scale solar PV has already brought more than R$ 18.2 billion in new private investments to the country, generating more than 108 thousand accumulated jobs. In total, there are more than 3.6 gigawatts of installed capacity from distributed generation solar PV, spread across the five national regions.
In terms of installed systems, residential consumers are at the top of the list, representing 72.5% of the total amount. They are followed by the commerce and service sector (17.7%), rural consumers (6.8%), industries (2.6%), public authorities (0.4%) and other sectors, such as public services (0.03%) and public lighting (0.01%).
In terms of installed capacity, consumers in the commerce and service sector lead the use of photovoltaic solar energy, with 39.1% of the capacity, followed closely by residential consumers (38.0%), rural consumers (12.7 %), industries (8.8%), public authorities (1.2%) and other sectors, such as public services (0.1%) and public lighting (0.02%).
The more than 300,000 small and medium-scale solar PV systems connected to the grid bring savings and environmental sustainability to 374,443 consumers. They are present in 5,020 municipalities (90,1%) and all Brazilian states, of which the top five in installed capacity are Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Paraná and Mato Grosso.
Despite the advancements in the last years, Brazil – which has one of the best solar resources in the planet – still uses a very small share of solar PV especially in distributed generation, where only 0.4% of the more than 85 million electricity consumers use the sunlight to generate electricity.
“Solar energy will have an increasingly strategic role for the country to meet its economic development goals, especially in order to help the economy recovery after the pandemic, as it is the biggest renewable energy source in terms of job generation in the world”, indicates Ronaldo Koloszuk, ABSOLAR’s president of the Board of Administrators.
“In the 2015 and 2016 economic crises, the GDP in Brazil shrank 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively, but the solar PV sector grew by more than 100% each year. With that, we supported the recovery of the country. Now, once the most acute stage of the current pandemic is over, solar PV will once again accelerate the green recovery in Brazil. Solar energy will be part of the solution, both for our society and for the environment”, comments Rodrigo Sauaia, ABSOLAR’s CEO.
Founded in 2013, the Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association (ABSOLAR) gathers companies and professionals from the entire production chain of the solar photovoltaic sector acting in Brazil, both in the distributed generation and in the centralized generation areas. ABSOLAR coordinates, represents and defends the development of the solar photovoltaic energy sector and market in Brazil, promoting and spreading the use of this clean, renewable and sustainable energy in the country and representing the Brazilian photovoltaic sector internationally.
For more information, contact us:
Thiago Nassa (MTb. 30.914)
(+55 11) 3088 0990 or (+55 11) 99544 4954
Miriam Lovita – Communication and Marketing
Brazilian Solar Photovoltaic Energy Association – ABSOLAR
(+55 11) 3197 4560
- Global Solar Council calls for increased ambition and action at the 14th Clean Energy Ministerial
- GSC Statement on G20 India outcomes
- GSC at Intersolar Europe 2023: What’s next for GSC and the global solar sector?
- Insights into the world’s largest solar market: Reflections from the SNEC PV Power Expo 2023
- Photovoltaic energy: a green swan for the Spanish economy


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Baton Rouge man accused of selling knock-off apparel
BATON ROUGE- State investigators have arrested a 40-year-old Baton Rouge man accused of selling knock-off apparel.
The state Attorney General's Office said in a news release the handbags, watches, sunglasses and other items sold by Cheikh Tidiane Kane weren't nearly as valuable as he claimed.
Investigators say they seized from Kane nearly 1,400 counterfeit items falsely labeled as coming from the following brands: Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Coach, Chanel, Rolex, North Face and UGG.
They say Kane was selling the items at the Deep South Flea Market in Baton Rouge.
Kane was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Wednesday on illegal use of a counterfeit trademark.
He posted $7,500 bail on Thursday and was released.
Online jail records did not list an attorney for Kane.
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Mobile payments company Square has secured a new revolving credit facility as the burgeoning startup seeks more permanent capital to grow.
Through the credit facility, the company—which turns five this year— is said to receive access to approximately $200 million in additional capital, those familiar with the deal said.
A spokesperson for Square said, "Securing access to low-cost capital always makes financial sense, even for a well-capitalized company like Square."
Wall Street has taken great interest in Square since its founding in 2009, even as it challenges the traditional payments technology at old-line banks.
Citi Ventures and JPMorgan's Digital Growth Fund have invested in Square previously. David Viniar, the former CFO of Goldman Sachs, joined Square's board in October. Sarah Friar, Square's CFO,also spent about a decade at Goldman Sachs.
Square's valuation has been rising steadily as both Wall Street and Silicon Valley have begun trying to size up the risk it poses to the payments sector. Recent investments have valued Square around $5 billion, and banking executives have openly suggested a more involved partnership with Square—similar to the deal struck with Visa decades ago—would be advantageous or even possible.
Co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey had been meeting with banks about a potential public offering for Square after the positive market reception of Dorsey's other brainchild, Twitter, started trading in November.
It is unclear when Square will pursue an IPO, but securing debt financing has been viewed as a precursor to that move after companies like Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and most recently, Dropbox, had taken similar actions.


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CENTRAL POINT, Ore. – Before it began Friday afternoon, more than a hundred people waited at the door to the Southern Oregon Home Show. Some are anxious to find ideas for home improvement, thanks to the newly improved housing market numbers in Jackson County.
People are filling in and out of the Expo for the Southern Oregon Fall Home Show this weekend. There are more than two hundred booths set up here showing everything from home improvement, to landscaping, to buying and selling a home.
Right now, local realtors say its the best time to sell. There is a bigger demand for homes in Jackson County right now than are supplied, which means houses are now selling quickly. Coldwell Banker Realtor Therese MacGregor said a home for sale in our area will go in less than 30 days, on average.
Some people are just spending the afternoon at the Home Show to pass the time, but others are more seriously looking for ideas on how to improve their home. Some would like to fix up a place to sell, while others would like to fix up a place they just bought.
One couple at the event said they are hoping to retire in Medford and are having a hard time finding a home because of the low inventory numbers. The Southern Oregon Home Show continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and again on Sunday from 11 p.m. to 4 p.m.


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Groceries. Twitter. Fashion models. What do these three things have in common? Not really much of anything, but that didn't stop retail giant Target from pulling all three together for an oddly funny live broadcast
in late January, called the Tweet-to-Runway fashion show.
"We know people often share their everyday routines and experiences on Twitter, and those Tweets were the foundation of Tweet-to-Runway," says Target spokeswoman Jamie Bastian.
The show inspired a wave of tweets, grabbed thousands of Facebook "likes," and inspired quite a few blog posts, including this one from Saya Weissman at Digiday, who remarked on the show's unusual tone.
"This live Twitter runway show actually poked fun at the ridiculousness of modeling and catwalks and just made everything, especially people's tweets, seem pretty silly," Weissman wrote.
A search for the #EverydayShow hashtag reveals dozens of tweets about the show, even days after it took place. Many of Target's tweets about the show received 100 or more retweets. The brand's single Facebook post about the show garnered more than 3,700 "likes," along with comments such as, "Actually found it oddly compelling," and, "That might be the weirdest thing I've seen all day."
Adding the Twitter component
The Tweet-to-Runway show was part of Target's larger "Everyday Collection" campaign, which the company developed with advertising agency Mono. The idea of the entire campaign is to marry the glamour of couture fashion with the mundane task of grocery shopping. It took the retail chain about a year to pull the entire campaign together, Bastian says.
The real-time Tweet-to-Runway show was the team's way of getting people involved in the campaign, she says.
"It was a great opportunity to interact with our guests via Twitter to tell their stories of how they bring these everyday products to life," Bastian says.
At the Five Cool Things blog, blogger Reuben Halper compared the campaign to other real-time video response campaigns, such as Old Spice's.
Target promoted the Jan. 24 show through a few paid channels, but largely through tweeting about it, Bastian says. Starting Jan. 22 and going through the actual live webcast of the show, Target sent dozens of tweets about it, all with the hashtag #EverydayShow. Some of those tweets included photos of models getting ready for the big show.
Target chose the hashtag it did "because our goal was to elevate the everyday," Bastian says.
The big day
The show went live at 1 p.m. Eastern time and went for about two hours, resulting in models' reading nearly 200 tweets, all of which were made into separate YouTube videos. In a behind-the-scenes video about the show, Target PR Manager Josh Carter said each person who got a video response received a retweeted link to the video with his or her tweet for easy sharing.
As for the tone of the show itself, which featured straight-faced models reading out punctuation marks along with the tweets—ellipses were "dot, dot, dot" and the "<" symbol was "less than"—Bastian says the idea was to be "unexpected and tongue-in-cheek."
"It's really hard not to laugh while you're reading them," an unnamed model said in the behind-the-scenes video.
A blogger at Juice Digital observed that the motivation behind the show had to be something more than just making groceries look glamorous.
"It's hard to believe that this idea is simply a case of glamming up potato wedges and not a cleverly though out, 'laugh at ourselves' campaign," the blogger wrote.
Bastian says Target doesn't have any participation numbers to offer at the moment, but the response to the show has been largely positive.
The highlights video from the runway show has amassed about 6,300 views on YouTube, while many of the individual videos of specific tweets have racked up anywhere from a few hundred to more than 1,000 views.
Even though people found the show to be an odd one, Bastian says Target's No. 1 goal was to reinforce its commitment to it slogan: "Expect more. Pay less."
"Ultimately, our goal with The Everyday Collection campaign is to increase our guests' association of groceries and essentials at Target and reinforce great value," she says.
Matt Wilson is a staff writer for Ragan.com.


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Christian Louboutin filed a lawsuit against YSL yesterday over their use of red-soled shoes.
Chances are that when you see a flash of red sole you assume that the shoes in question are by Christian Louboutin - and the man behind the label wants it to stay that way. Yesterday he filed a law suit in New York against YSL, in a bid to stop them from selling red-soled creations in Manhattan boutiques.
According to Reuters the lawsuit states that 'Mr. Louboutin is the first designer to develop the idea of having red soles on women's shoes.' Fashion legend has it that, in 1992, the designer painted a pair of his shoes with red nail polish to give them an extra pop, and the look fast became his signature.
But apparently Yves Saint Laurent have been selling heels complete with red soles in a clutch of boutiques across New York, and Louboutin, having politely asked them to stop, has now decided to take action and is asking for $1 million in damages.
Wow this is pretty much an unexpected news, wondering what will be the outcome.
Source: Elle Uk


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Now they want CLIMATE CHANGE warnings on fast food menus: Scientists say environmental impact stamps on food will lead to more sustainable choices
- Scientists trialled two climate change warning menus on 5,000 people in a study
- Warnings their choice was killing the planet reduced beef orders by a quarter
- Whilst positive labels, touting green items like salad only bumped orders by 10%
Labels warning you a fast food burger is bad for your health should be joined by one alerting you that your choice is killing the planet as well, scientists say.
A group of American researchers trialled climate change warnings on a fast food menu and found they encouraged people to make more sustainable dietary choices.
Showing participants a red environmental impact stamp on beef items led to almost a quarter more people shying away from them, compared to those who didn’t see the warning.
Environmental guilt was more effective than a green ‘good for the planet’ label, which only encouraged a tenth more people to choose a more sustainable meal.
The food menu of the future? Scientists say their study shows climate change warning labels on fast food menus can lead to diners making more sustainable choices
This graph shows the probability that diners in each group would select a environmentally sustainable meal based on menu labelling system. The red warning system on beef items (far right bar) was the most effective, with about 60 per cent of participants opting for a more planet-friendly meal. This was followed by the green positive choice label system (middle bar) which encouraged people to go for chicken, fish or salad. The bar on the far left shows the result for the control group where no labels were used
Cattle famously produce large amounts of methane gas as they digest, which is a major contributor to global warming.
Each of the animals produces the equivalent of three tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and the number of cattle is increasing as global demand for beef rises.
Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, trapping 30 times more heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide.
Scientists are investigating how feeding cows alternative diets like seaweed that produces less methane can make the beef industry more climate-friendly.
Carbon dioxide emissions from transporting cattle and beef products around the world are also another way the industry contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
British consumers are already used to traffic-light food labels with amber and red colours warning that an item contains a higher than recommended amount of fat, sugar or salt.
But now a group of US researchers have tested adding a similar system for how much a meal contributes to climate change to encourage diners to make more sustainable choices.
In their study, published in JAMA Network Open, they argue such a system could have merits because animal-based food production, mostly through beef, accounts for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
To test how effective this would be, they enrolled just over 5,000 people in an experiment, with participants puit into three groups and shown a fast food menu.
These menus were identical except for their labelling system, with participants told to order one of the 14 hypothetical food items.
One group, acting as the control, featured a simple QR code next to each menu option.
The second had a green footprint next to non-beef items like chicken, fish, and salads, with text that read: ‘This item is environmentally sustainable. It has low greenhouse gas emissions and a low contribution to climate change.’
This was a positive labelling system, one that theoretically encourages people to make a more sustainable choice.
In contrast, the final menu was a negative labelling system, featuring a red footprint accompanied by text stating: ‘This item is not environmentally sustainable. It has high greenhouse gas emissions and a high contribution to climate change.’
This was designed to discourage diners from ordering an item bad for the planet.
Comparing results across the groups they found red labels were the most effective, with 23.5 per cent more diners in this group choosing a non-beef item compared to the control group.
Diners exposed to the green labels also made a more sustainable choice, but the impact was smaller.
Only 10 per cent more people in this group chose a sustainable option, compared to those who used the control menu.
Lead author of the study Professor Julia Wolfson, an expert in food policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the results showed the effectiveness of the red negative-style warning labels.
Experts have touted the use of climate change warning labels for fast food similar to the traffic light system that warns of foods containing higher amounts of fat, sugar and salt
Animal food production, particularly beef, is estimated to contribute to 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. Environmentalists say switching to pant-based or low-meat diet is one of the easiest ways people can help fight climate change
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruit and vegetables count
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain
• 30 grams of fibre a day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, 2 whole-wheat cereal biscuits, 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread and large baked potato with the skin on
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks) choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consuming in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6g of salt and 20g of saturated fat for women or 30g for men a day
Source: NHS Eatwell Guide
‘We found that labelling red meat items with negatively framed, red high–climate impact labels was more effective at increasing sustainable selections than labelling non–red meat items with positively framed, green low–climate impact labels,’ she said.
Professor Wolfson added that another downside to the green positive style labels was revealed in a survey participants filled out after making a selection.
Diners were asked to score their meal selection out of seven points for how healthy it was.
The results showed those in the green label group who selected a good for the planet option were more likely than the control group to score their meal healthier.
This was despite none of the fast food menu items actually being healthy.
Professor Wolfson said this was an example of a ‘health halo’ effect, where a positive aspect of a food item, in this case sustainability, made it appear overall healthier than it actually was.
She added that despite the effectiveness of the negative system most of the food industry wouldn’t want to use it, meaning governments would need to enforce it through law.
‘It is unlikely that industry would voluntarily adopt a negatively framed label approach; such an approach may need to be mandated or incentivised via legislation or regulation,’ she said.
The authors acknowledged that their study had several limitations.
One was that the experiment was held online with people viewing hypothetical menu items, and their choices in real-world study could be different.
Another was that the menu did not include any side dishes or beverages with the authors stating a similar study exploring the impact of climate change labels on full meals with an overall cost could be an area for further research.
This isn’t the first time scientists have proposed adding environmental labels to food and drink.
Just last month, the London-based Institute of Alcohol Studies argued wine and beer should have labels warning consumers of the environmental cost of producing, packaging and transporting them.
Beef is considered one of the least climate change friendly foods due to the impact cattle have on the environment.
This is due to the methane the livestock produce while digesting plant matter and the environmental cost of creating land for grazing and growing food to feed cattle.
In other news…
Doctors call for sugar and salt limits in baby food as they warn future generations are ‘at risk’ due to ‘nutritional lucky-dip’ that sees some products packed with more sugar than COCA COLA
Table for one? Ladies who lunch eat more calories than those dining solo, study finds
Once a month jab could ease pain of arthritic knees: More than 600 people with knee osteoarthritis are taking part in clinical trials of the drug
Source: Read Full Article


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FDA Accuses Jimmy John's Of Using Contaminated Vegetables
The FDA said the fast food chain used "adulterated" produce which could be tied to outbreaks in "no fewer than 17 states" over 7 years.
The FDA accused sandwich fast food chain Jimmy John's of using vegetables linked to multiple different E. coli and salmonella outbreaks.
In a letter released Tuesday, the FDA said Jimmy John's used "adulterated" produce, specifically clover sprouts and cucumbers. It added these 5 noted outbreaks "impacted consumers in no fewer than 17 states" over seven years.
The letter also said that despite Jimmy John's saying it was working to fix the problem, it "[has] not provided [the] FDA with any information demonstrating long-term, sustainable corrections...to prevent this violation from recurring in the future."
Jimmy John's president James North told CNN the company has removed sprouts from its stores as a cautionary measure, adding, "food safety is our top priority."
Jimmy John's has 15 days to share its plan to "address the violation" or faces further action from the FDA.
Ex-FTX CEO Says He Didn't 'Knowingly' Misuse Clients' Funds
"I didn't ever want to commit fraud," Sam Bankman-Fried said amid accusations he used investors' assets in FTX to place bets in the market.By Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call via AP
You Can Win A McGold Card To Get Free McDonald's For Life
The McGold Card, which gives you free food for life, was once just for celebrities. Now, McDonald's is giving the cards away to a few lucky fans.By Jeff Roberson / AP
Bob Iger Back On Top In A Disney Plot Twist Few Saw Coming
The development comes two weeks after Disney's quarterly financial performance fell well short of Wall Street expectations on both profit and revenue.By Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP
Why Do We Have Middle Names?
What is the history behind having a middle name, and where did it originate from?By Newsy
Blinken Vows U.S. Support For Israel Despite Unease Over Government
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will remain a friend of Israel even as it pursues goals that Prime Minister Netanyahu has opposed.By Carolyn Kaster / AP
China Eases Controls, Gives No Sign When 'Zero COVID' Ends
China is easing some of the world’s most stringent anti-COVID controls and authorities say new variants are weaker.By Andy Wong / AP


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The new signs have not been introduced to control highway traffic, instead they are being installed to remind people visiting town centres, high streets and shopping areas to ‘keep left’ as well as ‘keep your distance’ in a bid to control covid-19 and support social distancing.
You will see the signs on lamp columns, stuck to bins, placed on the ground and even wrapped around pedestrian bollards, reminding everyone of the current national advice.
Social distancing measures cannot be enforced by councils or the police, so the signage is designed to encourage people to take personal responsibility.
Cllr Mark Howell, portfolio holder for Economy, Regeneration and Culture said, “These measures should give people the confidence to visit their preferred shopping area again, taking the opportunity to support local businesses and enjoy much-missed retail therapy.
“I am also pleased to announce that we are working with local artists to create some high-impact street artwork for key shopping areas in July.”
Installation of signage has already started in those areas expected to be busiest once shops reopen – the main town centres of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with more being rolled out in local shopping areas as well as key leisure locations throughout the coming weeks.
These are in addition to specific measures already announced for key areas where social distancing in shopping locations would be difficult without changes. These are:
• Ashley Road, Parkstone – traffic cones to create extra space outside of Waitrose
• Wimborne Road, Winton – suspension of street parking to widen footpath into parking area
• Southbourne Grove, Southbourne – suspension of street parking to widen footpath
The council has also been working with local businesses to offer advice and guidance on social distancing measures, queue management, removal of street clutter, and cleansing regimes along with links to relevant government advice and business support.
‘Keep Left’ is being advised on all footpaths and pedestrian areas to keep movement flows in same direction. This tried, tested and understandable format will mean people needing to keep to the left hand side of a footpath/pedestrianised area, road crossing point, beach promenade, beach zig-zags, in the direction that they are travelling, so as that people travelling in the opposite direction can pass on the right.
More information is available on the council’s website: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/socialdistancing
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THE sound of shutters rolling up again filled Letterkenny’s air yesterday morning.
Hundreds of businesses across Donegal flung open their doors to customers on day one of the second phase of the roadmap to reopen the country.
From next Monday, shops in shopping centres will be permitted to reopen.
Yesterday, stores with street entrances threw up their shutters as business resumed after a three-month hiatus.
“It has been a long time coming,” Jimmy Stafford, the President of the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, told Donegal Daily.
“There is great excitement and there has been great trade. Businesses have been delighted to welcome customers back in again
“It was like children going back to school after summer with the whole mix of excitement, fear and worry. There was the fear and worry about how things would go and the excitement of meeting the customers and staff again. It’s like coming back after a three-month summer break. You could feel the excitement on the street.
“Shops had a good day. The tills are ringing again, but it will be allow confidence builder. People will go home after seeing the procedures and they’ll become more confident now.
“It’s like people have come up for air again. There are people who haven’t been out of their homes for three months and it’s incumbent on the businesses to make those people feel more comfortable.
“We would appeal for people to have patience with businesses owners and the staff. They’re learning, too, as we go along. If people see little mistakes or omissions, we’d ask them to simply go and have a quiet word with a staff member of a manager. Businesses will need the help of the customers to make this work.”
Businesspeople have networked in recent weeks with those opening in phase two taking a cue from those essential traders who had been open during the lockdown.
Mr Stafford said: “It’s lovely to see the safety procedures in place in the various businesses. The beauty about this is that the businesses have learned from each other.
“The businesses who have been open through phase one implemented procedures and processes and they have been able to educate other businesses in everything form one-way systems, sanitisers, visors. There has been a big learning processes.”
Mr Stafford noted an increase in the number of local businesses who have now put their wares online – and has encouraged those who are shopping via the internet to use those local outlets.
He said: “More than ever stay local, shop local. At the very start of all of this, someone said how people were knocking at businesses for years looking for sponsorship, but now they need the favour returned.
“Online shopping has also become popular for local businesses. I spoke to a number of retailers who went online during the lockdown and they couldn’t believe the success of it. So if you’re spending money online, do it with a local business.”