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The Obama administration has threatened to block all European car exports to the USA if EU member nations do not accept America’s genetically-modified and hormone-enhanced produce and suurender sovereign rights of nation to US Corporate Lawyers.
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that 240 pages of text from the secret transatlantic trade deal (TTIP) obtained and leaked by Greenpeace Netherlands show that the US government is blackmailing the EU to force through the trade deal, despite vigourous resistance from EU nations.
US negotiators have specifically threatened to block European car exports if the European Union refuses to lift its ban on genetically engineered fruits and vegetables from the US a move that opponents to the deal point out will compromise consumer health and negatively affect Europe’s agricultural industry.
Greenpeace announced that it would release the smuggled text of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on Monday, undermining unusual efforts by the EU and US to keep the details secret.
The authenticity of the documents has been confirmed by German DPA news agency sources. The documents demonstrate that the White House sought to pressure the EU to replace its precautionary consumer safety principle with the US approach of permitting food products to be sold until risks are proven.
What are the Safety Concerns Associated With the Consumption of Genetically Modified Crops?
The impact of genetically engineered foods, often associated with US agricultural multinationals including Monsanto, remain unknown in the long term, as these products are relatively recent. Often criticized, genetically-engineered produce allows for a greater yield and reduced product spoilage, as well as pest resistance, leading to lower prices at the store and some hope of alleviating world hunger.
Nonetheless, after the release of these products the US witnessed a spike in autoimmune diseases, and complaints of wheat sensitivity, or Celiac disease. Medium-term tests show no association between consumption of genetically engineered products and these ailments, leading the concerns to be dismissed as a fad among hypochondriacs.
More concerning, however, has been the large-scale die-off of US bee colonies that serve the vital natural function for pollinating crops. It remains to be seen whether the recent die-offs are related to genetically modified crops or to the potent glyphosate-based pesticides, including Monsanto’s Round-Up, that are routinely used on these crops.
Finally, Monsanto’s patenting of genetically-modified seeds has led to their litigation and seizure of small farms for intellectual property theft when natural cross-pollination led non-genetically modified crops to bear strains that included elements of the genetically modified 'Round-Up Ready' seeds.
Earlier this year we reported EU officials were trying to push through TTIP in the face of threats by several member nations to veto it because if the threat posed to democracy, and in defiance of huge public opposition to this power grab by corporate business.
During the 2016 US presidential cycle, Republicans and Democrats have come together to decry trade deals, citing a litany of economic and environmental concerns. Likely Republican nominee Donald Trump frequently cites NAFTA and CAFTA as examples that trade deals expand the US trade imbalance and destroy the middle class. Democratic insurgent Bernie Sanders similarly critiques international trade deals but also includes concerns about worker’s wages and rights as well as environmental degradation.
The odds-on favorite to become the next US President, Hillary Clinton, has long supported global trade deals like NAFTA and CAFTA, passed under her husband’s administration in the 1990s. She lobbied for the Panama trade deal as Secretary of State, and referred to the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal as the “gold standard” over 45 times. Facing swelling frustration among younger and working class voters, Secretary Clinton now vows to oppose TPP and presumably TTIP.
With corporate supported trade agreements growing in unpopularity, the Obama administration is pushing ever more aggressively to advance the TTIP and TPP trade agreements prior to his departure in January 2017. The TPP trade agreement is expected to be passed without the full and proper consent of Congress during the post-election 'lame-duck' session of Congress. Similarly, it seems the White House seeks to prepare the TTIP for an expedited backdoor passage this year.
On Friday in New York, the lead US and EU negotiators – US Trade Representative Daniel Mullaney and the European Commission’s Ignacio Garcia Bercera – said they planned to reach a deal before Obama leaves office in January apparently out of awareness that free trade arrangements have become politically toxic.
Will the political legacy of the failed president Barack Obama and his disastrously incompetent administration be that he, the self styled peacemaker, joybringer and harmoniser, only succeeded in advancing a worldwide system of corporate fascism against the will of the public in the United States and worldwide, by blackmailing allies into acquiescence? That appears to be the plan?
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US-EU Trade Talks "De Facto Dead" Says German Trade Minister
President Obama was hoping to get two trade agreements to bolster his legacy in the waning days of his administration. Earlier this week however, the German Economy Minister stated the were 'de facto dead'. The US-Asia TPP talks have been dead as a doornob for some time although Obama is playing out a charade of having Congress vote on the draft, even though it will not be ratified by any important players around the Pacific Rim.
European Parliament President Says ‘Vast Majority Of Europeans Do Not Want Borders’
The Europhile German Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician stated that if the populist, anti-mass migration Norbert Hofer becomes president "this will change Europe’s character". Last month Hofer came top in the first round of the Austrian elections, and in two weeks voters will go to the polls for the second round, to choose between the right wing FPO figure and his Green rival Alexander Van der Bellen as the nation’s next head of state.
TTIP Is Dead: Trade Talks Between EU And U.S. Have Collapsed, Germany Says
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, the so called free trade deal between the EU and the USA, have collapsed, German’s economic minister has announced. The cause of the collapse has been cited as failure to move forward on any of the major planks of the deal, which has been dogged by controversy and widespread opposition from all sides of the political spectrum.
TTIP document leak - A preview of the corporate fascism treaty from War On Want
The Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was teetering on the brink of failure before Greenpeace Netherlands obtained a massive swathe of leaked documents that prove the treaty is, as many people feared, a corporate power grab rather than a free trade arrangement. This exposure will not stop the fascist regimes of the European Union and the United States trying to push it through against massive public opposition. The ruling elites have only contempt for democracy and the people.
BoJo Was Correct – The EU Was A Nazi Idea
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Blockchain firms fear India falling behind US, China in innovation
With global giants like Facebook entering the space and several countries examining the virtual currency and the blockchain technology behind it, and the industry itself looking at self-regulation, Indian crypto startups stand to gain
RBI has held several internal discussions and consulted with other central banks on possibility of launching India’s own digital currency.
Over a third, or 30.9%, of those affected were corporate users, whose number doubled from the year-ago period.
Experts tracking the space said it's not bad news for the industry since it could also mean that the government is not wanting to rush into taking a decision anytime soon.
World needs to get out of the dollar’s stranglehold and cryptocurrencies could play a big role in that.
In April 2018, the Reserve Bank had given regulated entities a three-month deadline to stop dealing in virtual currencies because of associated risks
The Silicon Valley technology giant has reportedly enlisted a number of high-profile firms including Uber, MasterCard, Stripe, Visa, and Booking. com to support its new cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin surged more than $1,000 this weekend to the highest level since August, as cryptocurrencies extended their rebound from a slump last month amid the New York attorney general’s investigation of a key part of the market.
The blockchain group is developing a stablecoin, a type of digital currency pegged to the US dollar or a basket of currencies, making it less prone to swings in price.
RBI's restrictions of not letting crypto and initial coin offering startups to participate in the regulatory sandbox didn't bode well with fintech companies who claimed that RBI's stand against cryptocurrency technology is "not well informed."
The virtually unregulated world of digital currencies has been a breeding ground for hacks and thefts since the Bitcoin was invented more than a decade ago.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have long been a favorite ransom tender for cyber criminals thanks to the currencies' anonymous nature.
This development comes at a time when most other cryptocurrency exchanges have either shut operations or moved away from India.
Nvidia pinned the blame on unsold chips piling up with distributors and retailers after the evaporation of the cryptocurrency mining boom.
Sathvik Viswanath and Harish BV had set up India’s first bitcoin ATM kiosk at the Kemp Fort Mall on Old Airport Road. The kiosk facilitated cryptocurrency deals.
Accusations of tax evasion and police corruption, a kidnapper who was kidnapped, a fugitive politician, and billions in bitcoin lost. This is crypto-trading Gujarat-style.
Researchers observed a significant increase in cyber criminals recruiting Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smartphones to botnets with the intention to mine cryptocoins.
According to the McAfee report, bad actors have aggressively sought to take advantage of the rapid adoption of cryptocurrencies and the early adopters who use them.
Questions swirled this week about whether the world’s biggest cryptocurrency was manipulated during last year’s record price surge.

domain: news


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PRELIMINARY COST TALLIED FOR CA, NV
updated 01/22/14 01:28 PM
Target Breach Impact on CUs
More than 552,000 debit and credit card accounts at California and Nevada credit unions were affected by the Target stores security breach between late November and mid-December, representing $2.8 million in card reissuance and other costs so far, according to preliminary results released today by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).
Those costs most likely don’t include potential fraud losses, which could be substantial, CUNA’s survey-result analysis states.
In California, 460,000 debit cards and 75,000 credit cards were impacted. In Nevada, 16,000 debit cards and 1,600 credit cards were affected. The average cost per card is $5.10.
Nationwide, credit unions have so far incurred a nearly $30 million hit—a number expected to rise in the coming weeks as more credit unions report their costs and resulting fraud losses.
The CUNA survey asked credit unions impacted by the Target data breach to outline the costs and burdens they have seen as a result. The breach resulted in the theft of 40 million debit and credit cards across the nation, and encrypted PIN data, as well as the names, mail and email addresses, and phone numbers of up to 70 million individuals.
The survey data will help inform credit union leaders’ conversations with lawmakers, regulators, the media, and others. There is no deadline for credit unions to respond to the survey, and credit unions that have not yet responded are encouraged to do so.
Credit unions that have responded can also update their totals if new costs are incurred.
THE HOME EQUITY OPPORTUNITY IS BACK updated
09/29/14 11:10 AM
However, 1st Mortgage Originations Drop
Even as total real estate loans for California credit unions in the second quarter of this year matched the all-time high in late 2008, it’s a different story for the “other real estate loans” category—primarily home equity loans, which are off by 38 percent.
2014 CU STAFF COMPENSATION SURVEY updated
09/29/14 10:16 AM
Now Available—Order Yours Today
As the economy continues to push forward, credit unions need a trusted employee compensation rulebook they can consult.
PROACTIVE WAYS TO BUILD CU CHAMPIONS updated
09/29/14 10:02 AM
Building Relationships is Vital
Credit union leaders passionate about political advocacy recently met with candidates throughout California and Nevada to show the industry’s support of their campaigns, including Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-CA, Brian Sandoval, governor of Nevada, and Pat Bates, candidate for California State Senate District 36 and current fifth district county supervisor for Orange County.


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Present in Mexico since 2015, e-commerce giant Amazon this month launched a dedicated food and beverage section to its Mexican website, selling non-perishable goods like beverages, snacks and alcohol. The move marked Amazon's first foray into food and beverage in Latin America where it had business in Mexico and Brazil, the latter of which remained limited to books, electronics and clothing.
Mexico is more advanced, with a 'solid reputation'
Jack O'Leary, senior analyst at PlanetRetail RNG, said choosing Mexico to debut food and beverage in LATAM was a strategic move.
“Amazon is more advanced in Mexico than it is in Brazil, so it seems like a natural jumping off point for any new LATAM initiatives for the retailer,” O'Leary told FoodNavigator-LATAM.
“...Mexico has the most advanced Amazon infrastructure currently in place [in Latin America], with designated fulfillment centers (FCs), a full marketplace, and Prime membership, making it Amazon's best early test ground,” he said.
Graciana Méndez, trends analyst for the Latin American Region at Mintel, agreed and said Amazon had built a “solid reputation” in Mexico.
“Initiatives like Amazon Cash have helped the e-commerce giant build a name and expand its customer base. Mexican shoppers are often wary of credit card fraud and often earn their living in paper currency. Amazon Cash allows consumers to top up their Amazon accounts with credit by paying in cash at brick-and-mortar locations throughout Mexico, such as at 7-Eleven convenience stores,” Méndez said.
Amazon Mexico was offering a variety of non-perishable food and beverage products online, including cereals, pastas, tinned foods, sauces, snacks, coffee and alcoholic beverages.
Bulk business in non-perishables
O'Leary said Amazon's decision to start with non-perishables in Mexico made sense, as the products were easier logistically. “[Non-perishables] don't require specialized FCs, a cold supply chain, refrigerated delivery vehicles or coolers. They also don't require small delivery windows as they can sit in room temperature delivery locations for shoppers indefinitely.”
At the same time, he said non-perishables weren't the most profitable for e-commerce models because of the low price relative to size and weight of the products. However, Méndez said non-perishables were big business in Mexico.
“Foods that come in tins and cans are often an essential part of Mexican gastronomy. A number of ingredients that come in cans, such as chiles and chipotle, are used to make Mexico's traditional sauces, rice and stews. Moreover, the alcoholic drink market has been on the rise,” she said.
Per capita consumption of beer in 2018, for example, was forecast to grow 10% in volume terms and the overall value of Mexico's beer market to rise 13.7%, according to Mintel data and statistics from Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography and the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Working against an 'unbanked population' and 'big competition'
However, Méndez said the move into Mexico's online grocery space would not be without challenges, particularly around logistics, infrastructure limitations, security concerns and payment problems given Mexico remained a largely “unbanked population” with few consumers owning credit cards. Although, the Amazon Cash initiative would prove helpful in this sense, she said.
The e-commerce major also faced “big competition” from the likes of Walmart, she said, which just recently acquired Latin American delivery platform and app Cornershop - a move that would “streamline deliveries” for Walmart, Superama and Sam's Club in Mexico and “represent a big competition for Amazon”.
Walmart, through its local unit Walmex, was also pushing a hybrid payment system to encourage more shoppers to go online, she said, installing around 2,000 kiosks in its stores as points of payment and “a training station of sorts” for older or less tech-savvy customers.
O'Leary agreed Amazon faced competition from Walmart, particularly with the Cornershop acquisition which had “raised the stakes” in the e-commerce world, but said Amazon had a good chance at success.
“I think Amazon has an opportunity to drive innovation across categories in Mexico. Mexico is an underdeveloped e-commerce market, meaning Amazon can set standards and shopper expectations, as it competes with players like Walmart to win the market,” he said.


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British designer Shaun Leane has redefined the standard of Jewellery design.
Fusing innovation with exquisite craftsmanship, the House is known for a timeless elegance that epitomises modern romance. Creator of some of the most admired Jewellery masterpieces of the twenty-first century, Shaun Leane is fast becoming one of the world’s pre-eminent Jewellery houses.
Now, his UK company has enlisted the services of leading Artificial Intelligence personalization platform, Findify.
The organization’s smart search solutions have just gone live on the Shaun Leane website, helping customers explore, discover, and instantly find products that fit their unique desires.
Findify CEO Philip Nobel said he was delighted to welcome Shaun Leane into the ever-expanding Findify client family.
“It’s a really great brand and they have extremely high standards – which is why it is so fantastic to have been selected by them. We’re very happy to have them with us,” he said.
“While most of our clients are based in North America, Findify has been very strong in the UK recently. It’s a very exciting trend for us and we are going to work hard to ensure it continues.”
* Want to find out what Findify can do for you and your business? Book a free demonstration with us here.


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Since the rise of the ghost kitchen several years ago, trust and transparency have consistently been issues that third-party delivery aggregators have tried to address through tougher operator guidelines and by cracking down on redundant brands, like Uber Eats did earlier this year.
But this week, a TikTok user @cammy_yam, aka personal chef Auntie Cammy, went viral with a behind-the-scenes video introducing her audience to her virtual restaurant business where she delivers food through DoorDash. In the video — which has now been taken down — she was proud that she made $10 by delivering a loaded salad with shrimp to a customer at 3 a.m., though users were quick to criticize her business as “ghetto” because she was running her food business out of her home.
In response, Auntie Cammy defended herself, commenting back that DoorDash “knows I’m doing it from home, and they sent the equipment to my home knowing I’m going to be cooking here” and showed off a “Welcome Kit” box that she was sent by DoorDash.
Since the video went viral on The Daily Dot, DoorDash said that Auntie Cammy’s virtual restaurant has been taken down from the DoorDash platform for not being compliant with local laws and restrictions.
“Restaurants operating on DoorDash are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations,” a DoorDash spokesperson said in a statement. “If DoorDash learns of any operation in violation, we will swiftly remove them from the platform.”
While DoorDash says it supports businesses with varying business models, all operators must follow the company’s merchant terms of service, which requires business owners to follow local laws and restrictions. While these laws vary by city and state, operators have to follow local guidelines to provide proper paperwork. Houston city law, for example — where Auntie Cammy was selling meals on DoorDash — stipulates that all hot meals sold for consumption must be prepared in a commercial kitchen.
Auntie Cammy was able to bypass these regulations by signing up through DoorDash’s self-serve merchant onboarding process without speaking to DoorDash representatives. Small business owners must provide basic information of their business as well as a tax ID number when signing up to sell food via DoorDash. Every merchant that signs up receives a welcome kit in the mail identical to the one Auntie Cammy was showing off in her video. If DoorDash gets wind of operators attempting to bypass any company guidelines or local laws, the perpetrators are quickly taken down from the platform.
It would be easy to dismiss Auntie Cammy’s ill-fated viral video as a one-off instance of a home seller slipping through the cracks, but there have been several examples over the years of people showing off on social media how much money they’ve made selling food out of their homes through an aggregator.
Three years ago, one YouTuber posted a video that racked up over three million views detailing his time selling frozen pizzas out of his home through Uber Eats. He noted how easy it was to get started on Uber Eats, pay for advertisements through the platform, and order from his own “restaurant” to set up his business with a five-star review. Another YouTuber similarly posted a video about his own experience opening up a DoorDash restaurant from his balcony. More recently, local Chicago news station WGN9 News investigated a virtual restaurant calling itself Blackbird (likely to copy the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant) after an Uber Eats driver complained that he had to deliver food from this alleged restaurant that was operating out of an apartment complex. The driver reported his findings to the local Department of Health and the operation was swiftly ordered to shut down.
Some of these instances — alongside other issues like redundant virtual storefronts, underperforming ghost kitchens, and otherwise mislabeled or misleading aggregator listings — have likely been the impetus for platforms to crack down on these shady restaurants. Uber Eats’ new policies for example, stipulate that all restaurants must “meet all relevant licensing requirements and to follow all food regulations—including food safety regulations—and industry best practices. Restaurants must maintain valid food establishment licenses and/or permits.”
Grubhub similarly updates its policy language to match the gist of DoorDash’s and Uber Eats’ updates, further stating that all Grubhub operators must provide a “federal tax ID number that matches the brick-and-mortar location of the restaurant.” Although none of these compliance policies from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub appear to explicitly ban virtual restaurants operated out of a home kitchen, the policies in place should make it very difficult for a home chef to register with one of these aggregators services, and for local health departments to shut down an illegal restaurant.
However, these at-home virtual restaurant brands that have gained traction on social media are likely not the only illegal foodservice operations slipping through the cracks. Once their noncompliance goes viral on TikTok or YouTube or is covered by the local news, they have been universally shut down by the health departments and by the aggregator companies. Right now, it seems like it’s much easier for aggregator companies to spot noncompliant operators in the aftermath of public attention and subsequently kick them off the platform, than it is to deny their application to begin with. However, these policy crackdowns are hopefully a step in the right direction.
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]


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Walt Disney Corporation, one of the world’s largest multimedia entertainment corporations operating in the US, Canada, and elsewhere, is at the centre of a gambling debate in Florida. The company is fiercely opposed to casinos in the state, and is joining the anti-casino lobbyists within the debate.
But Disney’s ethics are being questioned by its own critics, including pro-casino lobbyists. The company took ownership of Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for approximately $4 billion, a company that promotes branded slot machines, scratchcards, and other gambling games.
The release of Marvel’s new Thor movie will undoubtedly release new Marvel-branded merchandise to the public. However, a spokesperson for Marvel confirmed the company is conforming to Disney’s position on gambling, with all slot machine licensing agreements scheduled to expire by 2015.
“Marvel discontinued plans to initiate or renew slot machine licensing arrangements as part of its integration with Disney. The handful of remaining license agreements have expiration dates within the next few years.”
Florida lawmakers struck down a proposal to introduce casino gambling in 2012, a decision heavily influenced by anti-gambling proponents like Disney. But the state’s licensing agreement with The Seminole First Nations Tribe expires in 2015, which opens the door to privatized casinos in the state.
Disney says it will once again fight against the legislative motion, but critics argue Disney’s affiliation with Marvel makes its position hypocritical. Marvel branded merchandise is sold in many Disney stores, including shops inside the Walt Disney World theme park –branded with characters and images also found on Marvel slot machines.
Robert Jarvis, a gambling law professor, believes Disney is isolating itself from supporters and opponents of gambling alike. Jarvis feels critics interpret Disney’s actions show the company is more concerned that casinos would take away customers from Disney World, rather than adhering to a philosophical opposition to gambling.
“Hypocrisy is in the eye of the beholder. If they were honest, they would just come out and say, it’s Business 101. We’re trying to protect our turf, and we’ve always attempted to do that.”


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According to PC Magazine, “Paying for an internet connection can get expensive. You likely have a limited number of options to choose from based on where you live, and the available companies probably package services together and incorporate all kinds of hidden fees. It can pay to have the fastest internet available, but what are you paying over the course of, say, your entire life?
According to Reviews.org, the average global lifetime cost for internet is $18,584.96—but that’s nowhere close to what US residents pay to connect. You can expect to pay about $32,400 for internet over your lifetime, which is $6,266.16 more than the next-most-expensive country, Japan.”


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Intel is partnering with Chinese giant Baidu in an effort to develop the new Intel Nervana Neural Network Processor. The collaboration was announced at the Baidu Create AI developer conference in Beijing by Naveen Rao, Intel Corporate Vice President.
The partnership between the two companies will see them collaborate in hardware and as well as software designs of the new custom accelerator for training deep learning models swiftly.
Announcing the partnership Rao said: “The next few years will see an explosion in the complexity of AI models and the need for massive deep learning compute at scale. Intel and Baidu are focusing their decade-long collaboration on building radical new hardware, co-designed with enabling software that will evolve with this new reality – something we call ‘AI 2.0.’”
The collaboration between the two companies is not new as Intel has been helping Baidu by optimizing Baidu’s PaddlePaddle deep learning framework for Intel Xeon Scalable Processors. In addition, Intel and Baidu are also collaborating on MesaTEE which is a memory-safe function-as-a-service (FaaS) computing framework which is based on the Intel Software Guard Extensions technology. The latest collaboration between the two will help the companies train hardware and meet the latest of customer demands.
Baidu secures China’s first fully driverless robotaxi licenses
Baidu unveils the next-gen robotaxi to be deployed throughout China
India convinces TMSC and Intel to set up semiconductor plants in the country
Pony.ai, Baidu approved for robotaxi services in Beijing
Bharti Airtel selects TejasNetworks for optical network expansion
© 2022 CIO Bulletin. All rights reserved.


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70,000 Beijing taxis are being converted to electric power
The Chinese city of Beijing plans to spend $1.3 billion to convert its fleet of 70,000 taxis to electric power.
The Blockchain and AI – Towards Data Science – Medium
The Blockchain and AI Blockchain is a new technology development that is garnering a lot of press of late. In fact, it is being reported that while 2016 was the proof of concept year for blockchain, ...
Moore’s Law may be out of steam, but the power of artificial intelligence is accelerating
New ideas in chip design look likely to keep software getting smarter.
Telecom firms face $386 billion in lost revenue to Skype, WhatsApp
Third-party Internet voice applications are a multibillion-dollar problem for global telecommunications companies.
$35 Million in 30 Seconds: Token Sale for Internet Browser Brave Sells Out
The makers of web browser Brave have raised new funding through the use of a blockchain-based token aimed to incentivize user growth.
Can Bitcoin Technology Solve the Migrant Crisis?
Staci Warden of the Milken Institute argues that the blockchain could be the future of border control
Rarely Patched Software Bugs in Home Routers Cripple Security
Millions of consumer routers are vulnerable to hackers because the device software hasn’t been updated. The flaw highlights an enduring problem in computer security: Fixing bugs once they have been released into the world is difficult and often overlooked.
Peer-to-peer lenders will never challenge the banks, says Deloitte
If interest rates stay at rock bottom and banks do not innovate at all, then the best marketplace lenders could hope to achieve would be to grow to take up 6pc of the lending market, or £600bn, by 2025.


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You know a guy has a lot of clout when he can obtain trademark protection for a number when it is used in connection with a restaurant or bar anywhere in the country.
If you're told, though, that the number is 23 and that said holder of trademark rights is one Michael Jordan, it really doesn't seem that surprising, does it?
After all, Jordan looms large in public life and has been a front-and-center celebrity superstar since he first walked into a professional basketball arena and quickly became anointed as the greatest player ever. Since he retired, it's hard to avoid seeing his face on television and in magazines touting products made by Nike, Gatorade, Upper Deck, Hanes and other companies.
Jordan unsurprisingly gets paid a lot for those endorsements (reportedly, more than 500 million dollars in the past decade), and a recent court case is now spotlighting an interesting issue regarding his iconic status and worth.
That issue is this: What is the fair market value for use of Jordan's identity in a commercial context? In other words, how much should he be paid for endorsing a product if an amount was not clearly established through contractual negotiations?
Jordan's legal team is currently in court in a case where it has already been established that a user of his identity didn't receive prior approval for featuring him in an ad to sell a product.
The focus now centers on what competing experts contend Jordan should be paid for that unauthorized use.
And that's a big deal. Jordan's camp argues that precedent -- based on what other companies have paid him, and what other persons similarly situated have been paid for a similar use of their identities -- should be the measuring yardstick for his endorsement. The value of a Jordan endorsement pegged to that analysis has been estimated at a minimum of $10 million.
Conversely, an expert testifying on behalf of the defendant in the case says that personal appearance fees should determine the ballpark figure for an endorsement amount. Those are much lower than stated full endorsement values.
The matter is currently being worked out. The case is undeniably interesting for its focus on the worth of a personal identity used to endorse a product or service when that value is not already determined.


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Welcome to Trading Room. Skip directly to: Search Box, Section Navigation, Content, Text Version.
Financial Markets, Stocks & Commodities
All Ords 5629.30
As at Sep 01, 2014 - 04:39 PM
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Shares in troubled fashion retailer Noni B have been halted from trade ahead of an expected announcement about the company's future.
Lower commodity prices have delivered a big hit to profits from Australia's mining sector during the final three months of the 2013/14 financial year.
The confidence of Aussie farmers dipped over winter as drought continued in parts of NSW and Queensland, and commodity prices fell.
Breaking finance news
HONG KONG, Sept 1 AFP 10:12PM
Asian markets edged up on Monday following a record close on Wall Street at the end of last week, while analysts said data indicating sluggishness in the Chinese economy could prom...
Stocks HK Close Update
AMSTERDAM, Sept 1 AFP 6:46PM
Dutch brewing giant Heineken is selling Mexican-based packaging business Empaque to US-based Crown Holdings in a deal worth $US1.225 billion ($A1.33 billion).
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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order launch sales are exceeding expectations, according to a new report. Do note that there’s currently no official data available on the sales of the game yet by Team Ninja or Nintendo.
The rumor comes from BenjiSales on Twitter, who claims to have insider connections with sale data trackers. BenjiSales mentioned that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is on its way to become the third-biggest video game launch for Nintendo Switch in 2019.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 opening 48 hours is tracking SIGNIFICANTLY ahead of my expectations for the title in US. Frankly I wasn’t sure how it would perform as pre release tracking wasn’t all that strong, Benji sales said.
According to Benji, just after 48 hours of its release, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 exceeded his expectations and is already doing better than Mortal Kombat 11 and Crash Team Racing.
If the rumor is to be believed, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will soon also leave behind New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe and Mario Maker 2 in terms of sales.
It's looking possible that MUA3 could be the 3rd biggest Switch launch of 2019 so far. Only behind New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe and Mario Maker 2
Its tracking significantly ahead of other big launches on Switch such as Mortal Kombat 11 and Crash Team Racing for example
— Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) July 21, 2019
In any case, we advise everyone to treat the above information as a rumor for now. To know about the official sales numbers, we will have to wait until next month.
We will not be too surprised to hear that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 sales actually made a couple of records this year so far due to the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe just reached its peak popularity.
In addition to this, the game runs well on Switch and the game does a good job at delivering the superhero experience that most of the fans have been craving for since Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.
It will be interesting to see how the team manages to keep these sales coming in the upcoming weeks and months. Without a doubt, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 DLC characters will play a major role in bringing more sales.
Marvel took the stage at San-Diego Comic-Con to reveal its post-launch plans for the game. Post-launch plans of the game include a free update and some new DLC characters.
The team gave everyone the first look at three more new characters coming to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 after launch. The first character was none other than Loki and it was confirmed during the event that he can duplicate himself and hurt enemies with ice attacks. Loki will arrive as an unlockable character in the game.
Starting on August 30, Cyclops and Collusus (X-Men) will arrive as the first two Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 DLC characters. These new characters will be available for free to everyone without the need of Season Pass.
Afterward, Marvel announced the set of characters that will be released as a part of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Expansion Pass. The upcoming premium characters include the Marvel Knights’ Blade, Moon Knight, Punisher, and Morbius.
Interested players can purchase the full expansion pass for $2. The expansion pass is also available as a bundle with the full game.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is now available exclusively on Nintendo Switch and it will not release on PS4. Never say never though, we will make sure to let you know first when the developer decides to release the game on other platforms.
With that said, do check out our Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order review to know why it’s selling well.


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The President and CEO of Ecobiotix, Ty Duggins says the persistent and pesky mold infestation which has impacted many public buildings in St. Lucia can be managed.
Mr. Duggins has been to St. Lucia on a few occasion and on his last visit engage the public and private sector on his eco-friendly product which he says can effectively deal with the mold infestation in St. Lucia.
His company ECObiotix LLC is an environmental solutions firm, dedicated to delivering an eco-friendly ‘food chain design’ response for minimizing and eliminating hazmat and industrial waste exposures.
Mold is a fungus that creates environmental and health problems for persons who occupy rooms where mold spores exist.
Mr. Duggins has met with officials of the Ministry of Education and is planning a return visit in December to advance discussions on how his product – ECObiotix can help eradicate mold.
Mr. Duggins spoke with Calabash TV about his product its effect on mold.


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Cartel crackdown: Koyo fined $2M for anti-competitive conduct
Competition Law eBulletin - 25 October 2013
Koyo Australia Pty Ltd , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese company JTEKT Corporation, has been fined $2 million for engaging in cartel conduct, in a case brought by Australia's competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The successful action puts local and foreign-operated businesses on notice that participation in anti-competitive behaviour in the Australian market will attract heavy civil penalties, as well as the possibility of criminal sanctions.
In this eBulletin we discuss the ACCC's case against Koyo Australia. We also look at the role of the ACCC, and what the outcome of this case will mean for foreign operators in Australia.
- The Koyo Case
- Contraventions and penalty
- The role of the ACCC
- Warning for foreign operators
- Further information
The Federal Court found that in 2008 and 2009 Koyo conspired with two of its competitors – fellow Japanese engineering groups NSK Australia and Nachi Australia – to increase the price of ball and roller bearings in the Australian market.
From 2001, senior executives from the ball bearings suppliers met between three and four times a year at restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne to socialise and swap industry intelligence. The Court found that at a February 2008 dinner, the companies exchanged confidential information, and it was agreed to "implement an increase in the sales price for bearing products to [after-market] customers in Australia". 1
At a similar meeting in May 2008, Koyo made an arrangement to increase its prices by three percent. Further price rises were agreed at another dinner in 2009.
he Court ruled that Koyo, by colluding with its competitors to fix prices and giving effect to these arrangements, contravened the general prohibition on anti-competitive arrangements in the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), now the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (Act). In giving effect to the cartel arrangement, Koyo also breached the cartel conduct provisions of the Act.
The Act requires businesses to compete fairly, and prohibits price fixing and other forms of cartel conduct such as market sharing and bid rigging.
The Court accepted that Koyo's contraventions of the Act were serious, and in imposing the $2 million fine discussed the need to impose a penalty that was sufficiently high to deter repetition of the breaches by Koyo, as well as others who might be inclined to contravene the Act.
In determining the penalty, the Court took into consideration that Koyo admitted to the conduct and cooperated fully with the ACCC’s investigation into the cartel.
The Court made a number of other orders including requiring Koyo to implement a competition law compliance program.
This is not the first time a member of the JTEKT group has come under the scrutiny of competition regulators; the company has been the subject of legal proceedings for anti-competitive activity in other jurisdictions. In early October 2013, the company pleaded guilty to participating in an international price fixing conspiracy following a United States Department of Justice investigation and agreed to pay a criminal fine in excess of (US)$103 million. In July 2013, it was fined (CAD)$5 million for its involvement in an international bid-rigging cartel in a prosecution brought by the Canadian Competition Bureau.
The ACCC is responsible for investigating anti-competitive behaviour, and has recently focused on detecting, stopping and deterring cartel activity. In addition to the Koyo prosecution, the ACCC has commenced proceedings against Australian Arrow Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Yazaki group, for price-fixing.
The ACCC alleges that Yazaki and Australian Arrow engaged in cartel conduct, market sharing and price fixing, in relation to the supply of wire harnesses to Toyota Motor Corporation and its related entities in Australia.
ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court commented in July, “The ACCC’s focus on cartel conduct sends a strong message. It is crucial for the proper functioning of business in Australia that the ACCC continues to tackle cartel conduct with the full force of the law.”
The ACCC maintains the position that serious cartel conduct should be prosecuted criminally whenever possible. Serious cartel arrangements involve conduct of the type that usually causes, or has the potential to cause, large scale or serious economic harm.
The Koyo judgment and the ongoing proceedings against Australian Arrow puts the business community on notice that arrangements with competitors to fix prices, rig bids, share markets or restrict output are unlawful cartels and will be actively sought out and prosecuted by the ACCC.
The ACCC advises businesses that if they are invited to join an arrangement that seems like a cartel, they should seek independent legal advice and notify the ACCC.
1. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Koyo Australia Pty Ltd  FCA 1051 (18 October 2013),at .
All information on this site is of a general nature only and is not intended to be relied upon as, nor to be a substitute for, specific legal professional advice. No responsibility for the loss occasioned to any person acting on or refraining from action as a result of any material published can be accepted.


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In November 2020, Cars24 pulled off something most startups can only dream of. Within just five years of its inception, the used cars startup achieved unicorn status, buttressed by a $200 million funding round in a pandemic year. Perhaps more impressively, it was an inbound investment. Hong Kong-based DST Global, the investor that led the round, approached Cars24.
It’s certainly cause for celebration, but Cars24’s co-founder and chief financial officer Ruchit Agarwal only sounds tired.
“If someone had told us in 2015 that we’d go through all these crises, we wouldn’t have entered the market in the first place,” he tells The Ken. Agarwal is hardly exaggerating. In the last four years, the used cars space has been put through one trial after another. Demonetisation Demonetisation Demonetisation In November 2016, the Indian government banned 86% of the country’s currency. It withdrew all the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes and issued new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes in 2016 hit what was traditionally a cash-heavy business; 2017’s Goods and Services Taxes Act raised taxes on used cars.
Despite the chaos, the used car market performed better than the new car market, especially after the latter slumped in 2019. Automobile sales hit a 20-year low 20-year low Times Now ndian Automobiles sales in 2019 lowest in last 20 years Read more , but sales in the used car segment actually grew from 4 million units 4 million units IndianBlueBook India Pre Owned Car Market Report 3rd Edition 2019 Read more for the year ended March 2019 to 4.2 million 4.2 million ET Auto Pre-owned car companies look at upstaging new car sales in FY21 Read more for the year ended March 2020.
In the months that followed, the pandemic was the straw that broke the automobile sector’s back. But for the used cars market—valued at $2 billion in 2019, with a projected CAGR CAGR CAGR Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year. of over 15% in the next five years—it turned out to be the icing on the cake.


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AMD, ATI Merge in $5.4 Billion Deal
AMD confirmed rumors Monday and said it was merging with graphics chipmaker ATI in a transaction worth $5.4 billion. The first computer systems that would take advantage of the strengths of the combined company will begin appearing in 2007, the company said.
The merger will allow AMD to offer integrated processor and graphics solutions to its customers. By 2008, AMD plans to introduce new processor configurations that would integrate the CPU and graphics processor into a single unit. The end result will be smaller, more powerful computers.
"ATI shares our passion and complements our strengths: technology leadership and customer centric innovation," AMD Chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz said. "Bringing these two great companies together will allow us to transcend what we have accomplished as individual businesses and reinvent our industry as the technology leader and partner of choice."
A combined company also gives AMD more ammunition in its continued battle with Intel for dominance in the processor industry. The company has made great strides in recent months in catching up with the No. 1 processor maker, however it still remains quite far behind in terms of overall volume.
The transaction also carries financial benefit: while positive impact would be limited next year, by 2008 AMD expects it to have a noticeable impact on its bottom line. Combining the two companies would save as much as $75 million in operating expenses.
ATI CEO Dave Orton will now serve as executive vice president of the ATI division. Two ATI directors would join AMD's board of directors after the merger closes.


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"There's no car that I can't afford."
Some musician at some point has said those words, but for others, there are certain cities where affording a new car may be better.
According to a survey done by Bankrate, the consumer financial services company reviewed incomes and car costs in the 25 largest metro areas in the United States. During the month of May, they concluded that the average price for a new car sold was about $33,300.
The biggest finding was an average new vehicle was only truly affordable in Washington, D.C. (Only city in the positive percent margin).
The Capitol saw its affordable price around $37,000, an almost 12 percent margin between the affordable price and average price.
San Francisco was the second city seeing approximately $32,000, which was a negative 2.93 percent margin.
Rounding out the top 5:
No. 3 - Boston at nearly $31,000 with a negative 7.21 percent margin.
No. 4 - Seattle at nearly $27,000 with a negative 19.51 percent margin.
No. 5 - Minneapolis-St Paul at nearly $27,000 with about 20 percent negative margin.
Other California cities to make the list were (No. 8) San Diego at $23,000, (No. 15) Los Angeles at almost $20,000 and (No. 20) Riverside-San Bernardino at about $18,000.
Sacramento saw itself outside of the top 25.
Bankrate used insurance data from The Zebra, local sales tax information from TaxJar and population and household income data from the census.


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Mewevape Technology Company Limited
Add:Floor Three, Building A, The Sixth Industry Park, Shajing Town, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China
On November 1, the 2018 International Industrial Cannabis Investment Forum was grandly opened at W Hotel in Hong Kong. This is the first international high-level international event on industrial cannabis. The forum invited global industrial marijuana industry leaders and industry veterans, covering scientific research, medicine, finance, government policy, technological innovation, agriculture and entrepreneurial innovation, attracting from China, the United States, Canada, Germany. Nearly 200 people attended the conference in more than 10 countries including the United Kingdom and South Korea. CECMOL Cannabis Research Institute, together with Arcview Group (USA) and CannaTech (Israel), industry, research and research fund, with professionalism and dedication, received the unanimous appreciation of the participants. The forum brought a wonderful international perspective to all guests and played an indispensable role in promoting industrial cannabis.
This forum, the leaders of the marijuana industry and industry investors presented us with exciting content. Sumit Mehta, CEO of MAZAKALI (a US company providing commercial support services for cannabis companies) and Suview Mehta, an analyst at Arcview Group, shared the theme "Investors' Insights on the Status of Industrial Cannabis International", which focuses on the current US State laws on cannabis, such as: law on medical cannabis, law on entertainment cannabis, CBD law, etc. Sumit said that their team's research shows that marijuana is the second fastest growing industry in the history of the United States after the Internet, and American demand for marijuana may be second only to Wi-Fi. At present, there are no less than 20,000 cannabis companies in operation in the United States. It is estimated that the output value of cannabis will reach 40 billion US dollars in 2021.
Next, Michael Blady (co-founder of GTEC Holdings Ltd.), Tahira Rehmatulla (CFO of MTech Acquisition Corp), and a three-person panel of Saul Kaye (founder and president of iCAN israel cannabis) shared industry mainstream trends. And future development. The subsequent discussion group shared the “China Role in the Global Cannabis Market”. The invited guests were Glenn Davies (CannAcubed Co-founder, Group President) and Philip Gu (Stemcell United Limited Founder and President). Mr. Glenn said that CannAcubed's current partners in China include: China Health Industry Fund (CHIC), HF Hemp, Tencent, SCU (Stemcell United), ELION and so on. Due to China's abundant resources, CannAcubed plans to develop the world's first Xishuangbanna Environmental Industrial Cannabis Ecological Park in China in the next 2-3 years. High-tech research facilities are used to develop cannabis to solve the world's most pressing diseases. Issues related to waste, energy and the environment, such as new materials factories, CBD processing plants, cannabis research and education institutions, seed banks, ecological foods, etc. The ultimate goal is to create a legal, safe, sustainable and professional cannabis industry that spreads throughout China and the world. Mr. Philip of SCU Company shared his many years of research results and analyzed the relationship between cannabis and China, plant stem cell technology and marijuana, and also mentioned that the hometown of marijuana is Central Asia and China.
During the coffee break, the participating guests also exchanged ideas and shared their ideas. After the coffee break, Mr. Brain, a partner of Arcview Group, gave us a wonderful speech on “Investment Opportunities”. Mr. Brain discussed the inefficiency and gap of the financing market, the opportunity of the United States, how to invest in American cannabis companies to achieve excess returns. And the focus has been shared on the huge development space of medical marijuana. Subsequently, Dr. Jeffrey Chen (founder of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative) gave us a speech on “Cannabis as a modern science of medicine”. Dr. Chen has received several cannabis patents and is a senior researcher in the field of cancer. In the speech, Dr. Chen vividly showed the source of the Chinese word "Ma", and then talked about the history of marijuana and human beings; and based on his years of scientific research and investigation, he analyzed whether marijuana is harmful or not. Whether it ranks first in the matter, it also shares the potential medical effects of cannabis.
In the afternoon, Mr. Yan Xiaotian, a senior consultant of the URI Fund, introduced the advantages of the industry-university research fund team, analyzed the investment fields of industry, academia and research in recent years, focused on investing in the air water industry, and said that we are studying in the water industry. Several technologies that can be applied to the cannabis industry have been discovered. Based on the results of the current related technologies, our industry-university research fund will deepen the cannabis industry in the future, providing not only financial support for the target companies, but also technical support.
The presentation by Chris Bolton (CEO of TheraCann) was “The Importance of the Cannabis Value Chain,” and Mr. Chris stated that to establish a legal and stable international cannabis industry, regulatory requirements must first be made to provide opportunities for customers and suppliers. In the future, after legalization of marijuana in more countries and regions, it is necessary to establish a complete service supply chain, which will combine planting, harvesting, processing, extraction, research, sales, technical support, environmental protection and recycling, and harvest at the least cost. The greatest benefit. Dave Pryce (Canopy Growth International Market Development, Vice President, Global Government Relations) shared a keynote speech on “Global Policy and Institutional Trends”. Canopy Growth is the world's largest industrial marijuana company. Dave is ready to bring the company into new markets, expand its business scope and promote its rapid global expansion. Among them, the marijuana “gas culture method” he mentioned has deeply attracted guests here. .


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The COVID-19 outbreak messed with Microsoft’s plans more than once forcing the company to postpone its Windows 10X launch. One would think that the much-anticipated Surface Duo Android device is also being delayed but according to a new report, the company might actually be ahead of schedule.
Microsoft is allegedly rushing things to announce the device before the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which is coming on August 5.
That would mean the announcement will happen in the following weeks, so Microsoft has enough time to build some hype ahead of the market release.
Of course, it’s hard to verify the report and Microsoft still hasn’t announced any changes to its plans, which were for a Holiday quarter release. We will be on the lookout for more information.


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Kalindi Media Group is all set to launch a weekly magazine, ‘Itwaar’, in two weeks’ time. The group had introduced a dummy edition around two weeks back and claims to have received “excellent” response the stands.
‘Itwaar’ will have 80 pages and the cover price has been fixed at Rs 10. Within one month, the online edition of the magazine will be launched.
Speaking to exchange4media, Srikant Tripathi, Editor, ‘Itwaar’, admitted, “I am aware that there are many players in the market, but I feel that with our previous magazines, ‘Shukrwar’ and ‘Bindya’, performing well, the new magazine too will perform well in the market, based on what we have seen from the dummy results.”
The magazine’s content will focus on the political sphere of the country. Commenting on the magazine’s USP, Tripathi said, “It’s a pure political magazine and will not cover any health, religious, relationship related topics. Our target readers are in the age group of 18-90 years.”
Surbhi C Murthy, Associated VP, Allied Media, remarked, “There are many magazines coming on the floor, the count doesn’t matter; it depends on the overall content. Commenting further, she said, “The magazine world is growing horizontally, and if they emphasise on the niche, there is a lot of chance to survive as the political magazine has an edge.”
Kartikeya Sharma says that June has been the best month for sales in the 11 years that the brand has been in India
The newly appointed CEO of ZEE5 on how he aims to have the widest appeal in the OTT space amongst Indian consumers
The VP, Marketing and Communications (South Asia), talks about the company's growth strategy, its focus areas, impact of demonetisation on consumer behaviour and much more
Siju Prabhakaran, South Cluster Head, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, talks about channel's rebranding, extending fiction shows to weekends and much more
The campaign establishes an emotional connect with JSW Cementâ€™s eco-friendly cement promising longevity and durability of a home
Your weekly news roundup, a summary of some of the stories to keep an eye on
According to industry experts, the 10 second ad rate for the quarterfinals to finals has increased to over Rs 8 lakhs from Rs 3 lakhs at the start of the tournament


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GREEN, Ohio—Now that American Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. officially has opened a permanent U.S. technical center within jogging distance of LeBron James' hometown of Akron, the Taiwanese-based tire manufacturer can focus on its primary goal.
The world's No. 28 tire maker wants to become a Tier 1 original equipment supplier for the North American market.
Kenda's James—James (Jimmy) Yang, American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd. president—made those intentions explicitly clear to the assembled group of employees, business leaders, government officials and media during his firm's ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 9 to open the 50,000-sq.-ft. facility.
“The OE business will give me two ingredients,” said Yang, who unveiled his own James jersey during the ceremony, comparing himself comically to LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers great. Kenda is a sponsor of the NBA's Cavs.
“One is the marketing that will help elevate the brand image. Two, it will force Kenda to raise the bar on this technology, the same as we've done (manufacturing) bicycle, ATV, lawnmower and motorcycle tires. One of the reasons Kenda is a substantial player, a leading brand in those specialty tire markets, is because Kenda (has) very good market share in those areas, which helps Kenda's brand image in those areas and which also helps raise the engineering capability.”
Kenda already supplies temporary spare tires to several auto makers in North America, Yang said. “Those relationships certainly will help Kenda break into the ground tire business,” he said, citing Hankook as a company who forged the same path.
Yang was one of nine company or government officials to address the gathering during the opening ceremony, which included Mary Taylor, lieutenant governor of the state of Ohio, and Kenda Chairman Ying Ming Yang, Jimmy's brother.
Yang stressed that Kenda's long-term goal doesn't mean the company will abandon nor de-emphasize its substantial market share in the specialty tire sector.
“(Automotive OE) will account for a lot of Kenda's future growth,” he said. “Right now, the bicycle tires, the motorcycle tires and automotive tires all have even market share. But eventually our automotive tires business will account for more than 50 percent of total company sales.”
The goal, Yang said, is for his firm to secure an OE contract within four to five years.
And the opening of the technical center, where OE-quality tires can be developed and tested, is a big step in that direction.


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Week In Review
The ECB delivered a broad, aggressive and open-ended easing package at Draghi’s last meeting as head. The package includes even more negative deposit rates, tiering of negative rates to try to help banks, 20 billion euros a month of bond purchases and more generous terms on bank financing provided by the ECB. The ECB also changed their guidance about the duration of these measures to be linked to an uptick in inflation rather than stating an expected timeframe. Many ECB officials representing core nation central banks (including Germany and France) expressed skepticism about the need for these measures, their likely effectiveness and the adverse effects that they could cause.
The ECB is moving strongly toward monetary stimulus, and this leaves the Fed as the only major central bank not doing so. There are significant concerns about the impact of these actions on the already fragile European financial system. The level of internal ECB opposition to these moves, as well as the change in ECB leadership, make it likely that the ECB will change course in the near future.
Retail sales rose 0.4% in August, exceeding economists’ expectations. Excluding autos, sales were flat for the month. The retail sales control group, which is used in GDP calculations, rose an as-expected 0.3%.
The consumer remains resilient and continues to carry the U.S. economy. However, it is unlikely this report will cause FOMC members to change their vote over whether to cut rates at next week’s meeting.
Consumer prices rose 0.1% in August and are up 1.7% year-over-year. Core consumer prices rose 0.3% for the month and 2.4% for the year. Producer prices also rose in August, up 0.1%, and are up 1.8% for the year.
Inflation seems to be rising slightly, in part due to tariffs. While some measures are now above the 2% target, inflation is not yet rising at a rate likely to alarm the Fed.
President Trump delayed implementation of a 5% increase in tariffs scheduled for October 1st to October 15th as a “gesture of goodwill” during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. China responded by exempting some U.S. goods from their currently imposed tariffs and encouraging Chinese companies to purchase more U.S. soybeans and pork.
Any move to reduce trade tensions and restrictions is welcome news, especially at a time when global growth is slowing. However, most of the tariffs implemented over the past 18 months still remain in place, and the two sides are still far apart on some of the key issues driving the conflict.
Moody’s Investors Service upgraded New Orleans from A3 to A2. The ratings agency cited the city’s increasing tax base and growing economy along with infrastructure investments to better protect the city from environmental risks as reasons for the upgrade.
After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has taken steps to better manage its environmental risks. New Orleans has improved its levee and barrier system along with its pumping stations to better protect the city from future storms. In addition, New Orleans has a diverse and growing economy which has led to an increase in tax revenue. This week’s upgrade is good news for bondholders and may lead to a decrease in borrowing costs.


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Indian conglomerate Godrej has refused to be drawn on reports that its local venture with US confectioner Hershey has come to an end.
Adi Godrej, chairman of the company’s consumer products division, said the company did not comment on “market speculation” after Indian newspaper The Economic Times claimed the companies had called off the venture.
According to the newspaper, both sides agreed to call off the venture, which was set up in 2007.
Hershey will sell its 51% stake in Godrej Hershey to its Indian partner and set up in the country through a wholly-owned subsidiary, the report said today (6 July). The US company could not be reached for immediate comment.


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India holds an advantage over China in producing speciality chemicals and with “the whole world wanting to buy from India” the country has the potential to grow at least 30 times, says Deepak Birewar, Chairman, Inventys Research Company.
“A huge growth is possible in this speciality chemicals segment, which provides input chemicals for pharmaceuticals and crop rotation. It has a lot of technology components. It is not easy to make these chemicals.“
“There is a lot of research component. There is a lot of engineering component… These are very specialised sort of cases. India has an advantage over China in this segment,” Birewar told businessline in an online interview.
‘Growth is happening’
Established in 2005, Inventys Research Company is a chemicals custom manufacturing services company producing for various sizeable global supply chains in the life sciences area, including crop protection and pharmaceuticals.
“A huge growth is happening in India as we speak. Of course, there is much more to come. The industry has started putting lot of new capacity, which is very expensive,” the Inventys Chairman said.
There is demand for such speciality chemicals from Western and Japanese companies which want to move away from China. “If not to move away completely, at least they don’t want to be fully dependent on China. In my calculation, over $300 billion worth of chemicals manufacturing should come to India, even if the world decides to give us only 20 per cent of the demand,” Birewar said.
Given the speciality chemical sector’s perspective, it has potential to grow 30 times if that 20 per cent comes to India. “It is a big opportunity for the Indian industry. A lot of capital has started flowing into this industry. It’s only a beginning,” the Inventys Chairman said.
To bring $300 billion worth business, the industry needs to invest $200 billion. “That’s a lot of money. I don’t think even 10 per cent of it is being invested now. It will take time but the growth has started. It is going to be a very large one,” Birewar said.
Inventys produces key raw material for chemical pesticide or fungicide and pharmaceutical companies. For example, it supplies such a raw material to Bayer Corporation for a fungicide that tackles black fungus on potatoes.
New-gen chemicals’ advantage
“These are new generation chemicals which do not harm species other than the ones they are targeted at. This particular fungicide is supposed to kill fungi on potato. They are very specific, so they work at the DNA level, and they impact only the fungi of that particular plant and don’t kill everything else.
“This means that these chemicals, called advanced intermediaries, are very complex because if you use a simple chemical it will kill everything. If you want to make it specific for very specific organism, then it has to be very complex.” Birewar said.
In fact, the company got the order to do the chemical after the Chinese failed to ensure consistent quality. “Not a single batch of ours has failed the quality tests,” he said.
‘Critically’ relying on China
Inventys, which began production in 2008, made a study on Indian chemical companies’ dependence on China. It found that at least 70 per cent of pharmaceuticals output was “critically” dependent on China.
About five years ago, the Centre carried out a study on the same issue. It revealed that for many chemical components, there was no supplier other than China. This left the industry wondering, “what if China decides to stop production?”
This is where Inventys decided that if there is a chemical input that no one manufactures in India and only Chinese make it, then the company would produce it. “That strategy helped us during Covid times,” he said.
Due to the pandemic, a lot of global supplies got disrupted and China stopped supplying. “We made the raw materials and emerged a trusted and reliable member of global supply chains,” Birewar said.
Part of global supply chain
Today, Inventys is part of 23 such global supply chains. “Out of this, 19 are companies whose revenue is larger than $1 billion per year,” he said.
One-third of employees of Inventys, which has 330 staff besides contract labour, focus on new products, research and development. It helps the company to develop new products continuously and compete with China. “Our mission is to reduce dependence on China, apart being part of these global supply chains,” the Inventys Chairman said. Within the country, the company serves at least 125 pharmaceutical firms.
Features of production
There are two features of Inventys production process. One, all its plants are automated, managed through DCs control system. “It helps us to maintain consistent quality that had drawn praise from all our customers,” he said.
The other feature of Inventys, which earns 80 per cent of its revenue from Japan, the US and Germany, practices circular economy. “We are environmentally, very responsible. For example, in our boilers, we do not use coal. We do not use furnace oil or natural gas. We use waste biomass from farmers,” Birewar said.
Inventys is a “green chemistry” company which means it prevent even generation of effluents using advanced catalyst or equipment. In November 2022, the company got FICCI award for having “the green process” among medium scale industries.
The Mumbai-based firm does “toll manufacturing” of chemicals too, which means a lot of research component is involved while custom manufacturing. “When we do custom manufacturing, only 20 per cent of the customers give us the technology. For the rest 80 per cent, we have to perform largescale research,” he said.
Customers give the name of the chemical they want and Inventys figures out how to produce it at a competitive cost with respect to even countries like China. “So that’s where the research part of our name comes in. There’s a large amount of research component,” Birewar said.
Inventys is entering the contract manufacturing, research and development sector, which can help companies to develop new chemicals. The company has lined up an investment of ₹1,200 crore for expansion.
“It should give us an additional revenue of ₹2,000 crore and we will be building plants for making active or technical (chemical) for the crop protection industry. We will be making advanced intermediates so that we don’t have to depend on China. In addition, we will make some speciality chemicals either for the Indian market or the world market,” the Inventys Chairman said.
The expansion will happen in the same industrial area in Nagpur, Maharashtra, where it currently has its other plants.


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Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, has been in the news lately for his recent bike ride on a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 from Arunachal Pradesh’s Yingkiyong to Pasighat. The pictures of him riding the Interceptor has surfaced on his Facebook page. The Yingkiong to Pasighat route is a 122km route with proper tarmac and it offers some of the best picturesque views of the place. He went on this bike trip in order to promote tourism in the state. He also states that this is the best time for bikers to visit Arunachal Pradesh in his post.
Video of #motorcycle #RoadTrip from Yingkiong to PasighatA humble attempt towards promoting #Arunachal as dream destination for #biking and #adventure sports!
Pema Khandu ಅವರಿಂದ ಈ ದಿನದಂದು ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ ಸೋಮವಾರ, ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ 14, 2019
Pema Khandu is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. Previously he had served as Minister of Tourism, Urban Development and Water Resources in Nabam Tuki’s government. Since assuming office of chief minister in July 2016, he and his government have twice changed their party affiliation; in September from the Indian National Congress to the Peoples Party of Arunachal, and then in December 2016 to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Coming back to the bike, the Interceptor 650 is a great touring bike.It was launched in India last year and is currently India’s most affordable twin cylinder bike. It has quickly become India’s best selling twin cylinder engined motorcycle, along with its sibling – the Continental GT 650 cafe racer.
The Interceptor 650 is powered by a new 647 cc, fuel-injected, oil and air cooled, parallel twin-cylinder engine producing a maximum of 47 Bhp and 52 Nm of torque. It’s paired with a 6 speed manual gearbox that gets a slipper clutch and comes with telescopic front forks, dual gas charged rear shock absorbers, disc brakes on both wheels, tube-type tyres and dual channel ABS. The Interceptor 650’s prices start at Rs 2.37 lakhs ex-showroom.
This is not the first time Arunachal CM was spotted on a Royal Enfield. In the past he has been seen riding a Royal Enfield Classic 350 which proves that he definitely has a soft corner for bikes and looks like he’s more of a bike guy than cars. This is not one of kind of campaign that Mr. Khandu has done. In the past, one of the famous face of the spiritual world, Sadhguru, had also done something similar. He chose to ride a customised Honda VFR adventure bike for a 3,500 km long ride to revitalise Cauvery river. The bike rally also targets to plant more than 242 crore trees in the basin. The campaign is called ‘Cauvery calling’. He has done similar acts before on a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG as well.


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Freightos Group And Baltic Exchange Launched The Daily Container Freight Index
Baltic Exchange and Freightos Group have recently introduced the daily spot ocean freight rate index that is specially meant for 40-foot container vessels (FEUs) and this debut index will feature real-time, risk mitigation and transparent price discovery as associated with the container freight market. Since April last year, the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) has been generated on a weekly basis by the well-established digital platform that revolves around freight and is focused on the live pricing data that is efficiently sourced from a huge number of logistics providers across the globe.
Japan-Based NYK Sealed The Deal To Build A Second LNG-Fueled PCTC
The well-known Japanese shipping organization that excels in logistics services, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has ordered the construction of a second LNG-fueled Pure Car And Truck Carrier or PCTC at the Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co. After the contract was initiated on January 31, the vessel is currently being built at the dockyard and will probably be ready by 2022. This new carrier will ensure that loyal customers can gain access to a low-carbon transportation mode and this positive action by the company has been recognized as a genuine effort to reduce any harm toward our precious environment. This precautionary measure can prove to be very beneficial in creating a sustainable future for our marine industry in the long run!
Hapag-Llyod Tries Out A New Biofuel Blend Called B20
Hapag-Llyod is putting a new biofuel blend to test that is grabbing attention with its eco-friendly composition of 80 percent low sulphur fuel and 20 percent biodiesel. This biodiesel is called B20 and contains a fine blend of cooking oils and fats, which has been useful in operating The Montreal Express in Rotterdam. The B20 has been successful in reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent when compared to commercial fuels. Similarly, another global organization called CMA CGM has also given a green signal to the testing of a new fuel that contains a biofuel component derived from cooking oil.
Four Global Container Shipping Companies Introduce A New East Mediterranean America Service
The four major container shipping organizations (OOCL, Yang Ming, Ocean Network Express, and COSCO) in Asia have jointly collaborated to launch a brand-new East Mediterranean America Service called EMA to create a service network that is highly efficient and is replete with advanced technology. The EMA service will include six Panamax vessels that will call at ports like Genoa, New York, Haifa, Piraeus, Algeciras, and Savannah. The major lines will ensure that the services will be of top-notch quality and will surely make an extra effort to meet the demands of the clients.
East Terminal Of Colombo Port To Start Working Within Three Months
The Sri Lankan Government has decided to make the East terminal of Colombo Port operational within a short period of three months. In fact, the future plans of developing the Western Terminal has been put forward as the main aim is to double the container handling capacity of the port. According to the 2020-2025 policy document, Sri Lanka is focussed on catching the attention of private investment for constructing the West container terminal and also deciding whether a cross-berth terminal between the two terminals should come into play.


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Following the Seed Round, the Board of Directors has been extended with senior expertise in medical device commercialization.
Erik Hedlund, Chairman of Nolsterby Invest AB, is the Chairman of Oncodia. He brings 40 years of leadership experience from the medical device industry, including board roles in 15 companies in Sweden, Germany and the US. He was co-founder and Chairman of RaySearch and CEO of C-Rad, and is currently Chairman of Pharmacolog AB, all publicly traded companies as Nasdaq Nordic.
Kerstin Jakobsson, CEO of Medicon Village Innovation AB, has experience from international sales, marketing, product management and development from enterprise, mid-size and start-up companies in the medical device industry. She is Chairman of ProstaLund AB, and Board Member of Glycorex Transplantation AB.


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- TSB announces UK’s first fraud refund guarantee to protect customers
- Fed Board fines Standard Chartered for unsafe and unsound practices
- Santander offers to acquire the minority shareholders’ interests in Santander Mexico
- Signature Bank of Georgia begins trading on OTC Pink Market
- UniCredit to sell Italian consumer, unsecured, non-performing credit portfolio
- Credit Suisse creates Asia Pacific Trading Solutions
- Professor Kashyap and Michael Saunders reappointed to BoE Policy Committees expired
- Citi Q1 2019 results reflect progress on improving return on, and return of capital expired
- Goldman Sachs boss pleased with Q1 2019 performance expired
- JP Morgan publishes record results for Q1 2019 expired
- Wells Fargo Q1 2019 results show continued strong credit performance expired
- Brits use slang words for money, but few know what they actually mean expired
10th July 2018
Revealed: The sectors investing the most and least on cyber security in 2017-18
Over the last few years, the frequency and severity of cyber-attacks/breaches has exponentially risen. So much so, figures by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) shows that 53% of UK firms now consider a cyber-attack as the main threat facing them in the near future.
With Price Waterhouse Coopers(PwC) finding £857,000 to be the average annual cost incurred by UK firms who have fallen victim to cyber-attacks/breaches, any incidents can therefore have adverse and disruptive implications.
According to security professionals recently consulted by networking hardware company Cisco, operations(38%) of a firm is likely to be affected the greatest by any potential cyber-attack/breach. After operations–finances(29%), intellectual property(27%), brand reputation(27%) and customer retention(25%) are most at risk.
Knowing that no firm with serious ambition to perform successfully and achieve favourable results wants to be in a position of having critical functions compromised, SavoyStewart.co.uk analysed findings from Gov.uk to see how much money 811 UK firms from a range of sectors invested in cyber security during the financial year of April 2017– March 2018.
SavoyStewart.co.uk found that firms in finance and insurance invested the most money on cyber security at a significant average of £17,900. This marked a phenomenal 85% increase from the previous financial year(April 2017 – March 2017), when finance and insurance firms were spending an average of £9,650.
Darren Best, Managing Director of SavoyStewart.co.uk comments “As the scale and sophistication of cyber-attacks/breaches intensifies, firms cannot afford to sit back and take the importance of cyber security lightly. As firms now remain reliant on an online ecosystem to conduct business, they must realise their websites and digital communications can be easily targeted and exposed to cyber-attacks and breaches. So key decision makers need to put an urgent spotlight on cyber security by placing it high on their agenda. This includes investing a sufficient amount of money to ensure their IT estate has the capabilities to consistently get basic defences right and establishing adequate governance on cyber security for employees to thoroughly follow.”


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A new survey conducted by ERP specialist SAP in conjunction with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has found that the majority of retailers are continuing to invest in their future development, despite the recession.
More than half (51%) of respondents are looking at different channels as a way to increase revenue and 54% of respondents to the survey believe that focusing on improving the customer experience will be the key to surviving the downturn.
“Retailers understand that they must respond to the fall in consumer spending now, and get closer to their customers,” say the authors. “Retailers now have the systems and technology in place to be able to understand what data they own on their customers, where and how they are spending and understand their needs. Almost a quarter of people surveyed believe that marketing correctly to existing customers will enable them to ride the storm.”
“Retailers want to understand their customers better and don’t think loyalty cards are the answer,” the authors continue. “They believe technology will however play a critical role in reaching these goals, particularly in the areas of inventory management, customer analytics, labour and task management, online shopping, merchandising and helping to improve the customer experience.”
“Retailers are also looking at staff as a way to improve customer service,” says Richard Mills, retail industry principal at SAP UK. “The survey showed that 35% of retailers are using technology to automate processes, not to reduce the number of staff, but to allocate their time to serving customers.”
“The recession will drive some players out of the market, but those that capitalise on their investments and opportunities have a chance of coming out of the recession stronger than they ever were,” he added.


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The “Reuse Store” In Madison Will Open In July
Do you love going to garage sales? Do you love turning one persons junk into your own treasure? Well now here in Central New York you have a place that will do just that for you.
According to WIBX, a new store expected to open in July will take one man’s junk and turn it into another man’s treasure.
The “Reuse Store” is a partner project of the Madison County Department of Solid Waste and the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse. Madison County Recycling Coordinator Sharon Driscoll says it is hoped that the store will cut down on landfill items and provide low and moderate income families with a new way to shop.”
According to the report the store will be open three days a week at the Buyea Road Landfill site in the Town of Lincoln.


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What you need to know:
- The increase of cotton prices has also been a boost to farmers.
- Siaya County is also planning to modernise Madiany Ginnery.
The national government has embarked on a fresh plan to revive cotton production in the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture and that of Trade and Industrialisation are seeking to increases production threefold in order to boost the textile industry.
Industry Principal Secretary Juma Mukhwana said the plan involves multiplication of seeds, establishment of ginneries, increasing the price of cotton per kilogramme and finding markets for farmers.
Dr Mukhwana, who recently visited the cotton-growing counties of Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya and Busia, said availability of quality seeds has been a major impediment to cotton production in the past.
Other counties where the ministry is focusing on are Elgeyo Marakwet, Bungoma and Baringo.
“We are focusing on seed multiplication. We are cultivating 2,500 acres in Perkerra and other irrigation schemes,” the PS said.
Upon maturity, the seeds will be planted in 24 counties that have been selected to spearhead the efforts to revive the once vibrant cotton value chain.
Cotton was a major source of income for most residents of Nyanza from the 1960s to the early 1980s before the liberalisation of the textiles industry dealt it a major blow.
Quality cotton seeds
Dr Mukhwana further revealed that the government has been forced to import quality cotton seeds from West African countries such as Togo, Chad and Benin to complement local production.
He was speaking in Siaya County on Tuesday where he distributed seeds worth Sh25 million to farmers at Madiany Ginnery.
He was hosted by Governor James Orengo and was accompanied by Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi and other government officials.
The county government had also hosted an event dubbed “ the cotton, textile and apparels value chain stakeholders engagement forum” at the Siaya Technical Institute.
Dr Mukwhana noted that there has been steady increase in the production of cotton across the country in recent times.
“As of 2022, we only had 5,000 acres under the crop but, at the end of last year, this had increased to 40,000 acres. We plan to scale it up to 103,000 acres by the end of this year,” he said.
The increase of cotton prices from Sh52 to Sh72 a kilo has also been a boost to farmers.
The government is also targeting to increase the number of ginneries to help in the production of cotton in the country.
Edible oils and animal feed
Dr Mukhwana said there were only seven ginneries in the country but two new ones have been built by the national government in Busia and Kwale counties in the past year.
“Five acres have been made available in Homa Bay and another 10 in Lamu where investors will put up more ginneries,” said Dr Mukhwana.
Siaya County is also planning to modernise Madiany Ginnery to serve the entire Nyanza and Western regions.
According to Governor Orengo, there is great potential to increase production to the ideal yield of 2,500 kilos per hectare, as opposed to the 300 kilos that are being realised currently.
“It is a shame that we have to import raw materials and food that could be grown locally. Siaya has great potential for cotton production and we have to capitalise on this by modernising our value chain and optimising our production,” said Mr Orengo.
Apart from producing textiles, the raw material will also be used in the production of edible oils and animal feed.
Mr Kilemi challenged Siaya farmers to ensure that the county goes back to its glorious days when cotton production was the backbone of its economy.
Homa Bay County has also increased the acreage under the crop and embarked on the distribution of certified seeds to farmers.
The county used to be one of the major cotton producers between the 1990s and 2000.
Its black cotton soil and favourable weather conditions made the crop thrive. However, mismanagement of cooperative societies and other challenges forced growers to abandon cotton and switch to other crops.
The seed distribution drive was launched on Monday by Mr Kilemi alongside Homa Bay Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga and Rift Valley Products Ltd Manager Sital Panara. Up to 48.6 metric tonnes of cotton seeds including Bt and open-pollinated seeds will be distributed to 10,733 farmers across the county.
“My department had sent a proposal to the National Treasury for the construction of a ginnery in Homa Bay in the 2024-2025 financial year,” the PS said.
Mr Kilemi revealed that the government has ordered State agencies to prioritise local factories in the supply of uniforms and other textiles. It has also imposed high taxes on imported apparel to spur local production.
On his part, Mr Magwanga said the county government has put in place a raft of measures to boost cotton production.
“We have increased the size of land under cotton to at least 19,000 acres,” he said.
Mr Magwanga, who doubles up as the county’s Agriculture executive, said the administration that is led by Governor Gladys Wanga has identified cotton as a priority cash crop for the county.


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Opel in financial difficulties - time is of the essence
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According to information from the German press Agency dpa also emerged from the restructuring plan. So far, however, none of the Opel countries have officially pledged his support. In Germany, considerable doubts about the rescue plan had recently been formulated.
Opel wants to cut around 8,300 jobs
The car manufacturer had applied for state aid of 1.5 billion euros from the federal and state governments. Opel boss Nick Reilly recently stated that the manufacturer's liquidity would continue 'well into the second quarter'. This means that Opel could be dependent on government financial aid as early as the summer. Reilly said on Thursday evening in Rüsselsheim that he was hoping 'in four to six weeks for a fundamental decision' on the guarantees.
A large part of the restructuring costs will flow into the workforce reduction measures, most of which are planned for the course of the year. Opel plans to cut around 8,300 of its 48,000 jobs across Europe, 4,000 of them in Germany. The plant in Antwerp, Belgium is to be closed 'during the year'. According to the 'Handelsblatt', restructuring costs of EUR 1.1 billion are estimated for 2010 alone.
Auditors consider the Opel concept to be sustainable
An Opel spokesman said on Friday that carmakers are traditionally short of cash in the summer months:' Fewer cars are sold in summer because of the holiday season. At the same time, the model change in September be invested. ' During this time, the plants would be rebuilt and new tools installed. According to the report of the 'Handelsblatt', the auditors from Warth & Klein consider the Opel rescue concept to be fundamentally sustainable - but they also blame GM for the difficulties of Opel. The experts who prepared the report on behalf of the car manufacturer criticized above all the 'technological lag compared to the competition'.
Hope for German helpdecreases
D amit could raise the hopes for support continue to dwindle from the Deutschlandsfonds. Because aid from the Germany Fund is tied to strict criteria. The regulation is limited to victims of the current economic and financial crisis.


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Dell is one of several companies toying with the idea of acquiring Software developer, Quest Software, Inc. Quest develops software to help organizations manage databases and servers as well as designing recovery programs. Insight Venture Partners, a private equity and investment firm, offered to buy Quest back in March for $2 billion, but Quest has been examining their options.
Quest would be a complementary addition to Dell’s ever-increasing and divers enterprise software solutions. In an effort to branch out from the consumer home computer business, Dell has acquired several software providers recently including Make Technologies, Wyse Technology, and Clarify Solutions.
Quest shares have recently experienced a 5% lift, and there is much more investor interest. The company is currently valued at over $2.12 billion. Morgan Stanley is representing Quest for the sale and they have already had interest from BMC Software Inc, CA Inc, Microsoft Corporation, and Oracle Corporation, in addition to Dell.
Dell has not commented on any dealings with Quest, but many experts expect Dell to put a bid in for Quest. We’ll keep you updated as new information becomes available.


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Toy design centre in Mumbai on the drawing board
The Centre, the UNIDO and the Indian Toy Manufacturing Association have pooled in Rs 1 crore each for the project, which is being developed as a public-private partnership. The toy manufacturers’ association and the Centre had approached the UNIDO, which funds labour-intensive industry in developing nations, for assistance. The proposed toy centre will come up on a land belonging to the central agency for small enterprises at Sakinaka, Andheri, a Mumbai suburb.
“The proposed centre will be of immense help to the Indian toy industry, considering the recent controversy involving China-made toys,” said president, Indian Toy Manufacturers’ Association, Ashok Jain. “The design centre, to begin with, will make six creative and skill-enhancing games,” said IIT-Powai industrial designing centre head, Uday Athavankar. The government plans to provide financial assistance to the association for buying machinery that will be made available to its members, Mr Jain said.
The proposed centre may help organise the loosely-held domestic toy industry. As of now, Delhi with nearly 300 units and Mumbai with 100 units are the major toy manufacturing centres. The Rs 1,000-crore industry, at present, exports Rs 100 crore worth of toys. “Once the centre is ready, we can raise our exports to Rs 500 crore,” Mr Jain hoped.
Toy manufacturers today face too many odds, of which parental apathy is a major one. “There is lack of awareness about the importance of toys at parental level in India. Innovative steps like a toy design centre will give a big push to the industry,” said association secretary Juzer Gabbajiwala.
India marketing head of Mattel, the world’s premier toy manufacturer, Rahul Bhaumik also welcomed the move. “India-made toys are much superior to Chinese ones. But with 85% marketshare, China is way ahead of India in toy manufacturing,” he said. “Toys are educational tools. IIT’s participation will further raise the standard and quality of Indian toys.”


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Otsukai is looking for ways to make Japan-only anime merch accessible around the world. Beta tests are already popular, and Japanese participants can now pre-register to help overseas fans get their hands on exclusive items. Hit the jump to find out more!
The Kingdom Hearts video game series has just turned 15 this year, and with it the jewelry brand U-Treasure is bringing a brand new set of gorgeous jewelry to mark the occasion. So if you’re a big fan looking to pop the question with an engagement ring or just want to shower a Kingdom Hearts fan you know with nice jewelry, this line is your answer. Hit the jump for more!
GreenFlash already makes a series of absolutely adorable stationery, and its latest project revolves all around everyone's favorite robotic cat, Doraemon. Hit the jump to see more!
If you love the Neo Geo enough to wear an article of clothing that isn’t a T-shirt emblazoned with icons of the famous console, then we’ve got the shorts for you. There’s a special pair of shorts with the Neo Geo logo all over them that are manufactured by Neo Geo! Hit the jump to give them a look!
Not everyone can be a magical girl, but everyone needs a pair of oven mitts to protect their hands when cooking! That’s why you need these Kero-chan and Suppi oven mitts that are dedicated to keeping your hands cool when handling hot things straight out of the oven. Hit the jump to take a look!
Studio Ghibli has been offering some killer merchandise over the last few months, and its latest release is no different. Takara Tomy is bringing out a special Licca-chan doll (a doll wit the popularity of Barbie in Japan) that looks like the protagonist Sheeta from the Studio Ghibli film Castle in the Sky. Hit the jump to take a look!
Premium Bandai and Isetan have a gorgeous new collection: the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon x Samantha Vega collection, featuring tote bags, wallets, and more that communicate love for Sailor Moon while still offering a stylish vibe. Hit the jump for more!