text:
The longer GSP remains expired, the more permanent the damage. While Congress seems to view “retroactive” legislation as good enough, companies – especially small businesses – don’t have the same luxury. Instead, they face very real and action-forcing deadlines that can be as simple as a lease renewal.
The “temporary” GSP lapse could lead to permanent closure for Bueno of California, which already has paid over $800,000 in extra tariffs due to GSP expiration. That is a massive amount for the 20-person company in Fullerton, California, which sells handbags, wallets, and soft carry-all luggage both online and through major retailers in the United States and Canada. For Bueno, new costs have meant declining orders, layoffs, and canceled investments – and possibly worse in the near future.
I might close the company once our lease expires. The US government is not friendly to small business owners.Bueno of California President Joseph Pagliaro
The feeling that tariffs are unavoidable is particularly strong in (though not limited to) the travel goods industry. Section 301 remedies imposed on China starting in 2018 now raise tariffs on travel goods by up to 45%. Like many others, Bueno found new suppliers in India and Cambodia to avoid these “outrageous” tariffs. Then India’s GSP was terminated in 2019, raising tariffs on those products. Then Congress allowed the entire GSP program to lapse at the end of 2020, raising tariffs on Cambodian too. Not to mention a global pandemic that has reduced demand for travel-related products such as luggage. There are no good options, and Bueno is now buying more from China despite the 45% tariffs.
Reduced orders hurt GSP’s development goals in Cambodia, whose GDP per capita of $1,513 in 2020 was about 42 times smaller than the United States. After years of growth, Cambodia’s GDP per capita declined 8% in 2020, more than three times the 2.6% decline in the United States. Bueno’s contract factories, which employ mostly women, must pass U.S. safety and social compliance audits done by independent audit company. These are “good jobs” at risk for vulnerable populations that desperately need them.
While Congress can renew GSP “retroactively,” decisions such as “close the business instead of renew the lease” are not so easy to undo. Congress must renew GSP before it is too late for all the companies in Bueno of California’s situation.
Note: this example came from a new Coalition survey on expiration impacts. It was published with permission. GSP importers are encouraged to take the survey here – no company-specific details will be published without such permission.


text:
Mumbai: Tata Capital has unveiled its integrated marketing campaign "Palak jhapkao, loan paao!" to promote its variou
Mumbai: Gauri Khan has partnered with Tata CLiQ Luxury to launch her brand, Gauri Khan Designs, in the e-commerce spa
Mumbai: Tata Play Binge and MX Player have collaborated to entertain India and Bharat together.
Mumbai: Tute Consult has won the digital communication mandate for Tata Studi.
New Delhi: Tata Housing, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Son, launched a new campaign "Its Interesting" to celebrat
Mumbai: Media agency Dentsu X India, on Wednesday, won the media mandate for Tata 1mg - India's largest digital healt
Subscribe To Our Newsletter

domain: news


text:
Texas Honey Princess visits Cove
Fri, 2016-06-24 05:00 News Staff
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Willow Lanchester, the 2016 Texas Honey Princess, paid a visit to Copperas Cove on Thursday night when she attended the Bell and Coryell County Beekeepers meeting at Trinity Worship Center.
Lanchester, along with the Texas Honey Queen Hope Petition, travels throughout Texas speaking about the Texas beekeeping industry. The two are proponents of the Real Texas Honey initiative.
“One of the things I’ve done this year, is I’ve had to read all of the bee laws,” Lanchester said. “So learning about the Real Texas Honey initiative is something the Texas Beekeepers Association is doing to help beekeepers on all levels.”
The Real Texas Honey initiative, Lanchester told the beekeepers, is designed to help beekeepers like them, some of whom sell their honey locally which used to be illegal unless bottled in a commercial kitchen. Cottage industry beekeepers may now sell without a commercial kitchen if they produce less than 2,500 pounds of honey per year.
“It’s a marketing tool for beekeepers, and provides web sites where consumers can find local beekeepers in their area and they can buy from local beekeepers,” Lanchester added. Those beekeepers who are part of the Texas Beekeepers Association can be added to the online list.
Lanchester said the site also helps educate consumers about finding the best quality, local raw honey.
Her talk also focused on food fraud, which takes place when imported honey, often imported from China or India, which is illegal, makes its way to the United States.
Lanchester also discussed food fraud and how it hurts not only the beekeepers but consumers.
“There is no statutory definition of food fraud, but it’s generally agreed that it’s the intentional misrepresentation of a food product.” Lanchester suggested that one way to avoid food fraud is for consumers to get to know their suppliers, such as via Real Texas Honey.
As far as imported honey goes, Lanchester said it’s estimated that 70 percent of the honey consumed in the United States is imported from all over the world, to include South American countries and Australia. It is illegal to import honey from India and China because those countries, Lanchester said, actually have been found to solder their drums with heavy metals such as lead.
“Heavy metal has been found in the honey, along with chemicals and antibiotics the bees are treated with. This all ends up in the honey.”
She said that about 30 percent of the honey imported still ends up coming from china, that countries like china have worked around the law by selling their honey to another county where it’s legal, and then that honey will then be relabeled and sold in the United States as “safe.”
Lanchester gave an example of when some Chinese companies were labeling their honey as Russian honey, and “a bunch of people went to jail over that,” to include some American, German and Russian citizens. She said Sue Bee Honey, one of the biggest honey packers in America, has had some honey which originated in China.
A sophomore in college, Lanchester also gave a presentation that stemmed from her art studies about the honey bee in ancient Egypt as reflected in its art and culture.
Dennis Herbert, leader of the group, said Lanchester also spoke at the Rotary Club in Copperas Cove and was due to visit a group in Harker Heights before continuing on her local tour.
Lanchester is a sophomore in college and began beekeeping through the East Texas Beekeepers Association Youth Scholarship program. In addition to beekeeping, Willow is a budding artist in painting, graphite, charcoal, and collage.
The Bell and Coryell County Beekeepers meet at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of every month at Trinity Worship Center in Copperas Cove.
For more information about local honey, visit www.texasbeekeepers.org.


text:
SHOTS.PH, the e-commerce platform of Tanduay, recently expanded its service areas in the country. Customers from Bacolod, Bohol, Palawan, Roxas, and Tacloban can now easily purchase products through www.shots.ph and have them delivered to the addresses within their areas.
“We’re at the time of the year when people start stocking up on their favorite Tanduay brands for the holidays. By expanding the coverage area of SHOTS.PH, we hope to bring the ease and convenience of online shopping to more of our customers outside Metro Manila,” said Garry Homer Ong, National Marketing Manager of Tanduay Distillers, Inc.
SHOTS.PH carries a wide range of Tanduay products, which customers can purchase by bottle or through bundles that come with exclusive items. Its Tanduay Asian Rum Gold and Silver Bundle, for example, comes with a free rock glass designed by world-renowned Filipino artist Kenneth Cobonpue.
Award-Winning Rums and Branded Merchandise
The products available on the website include Tanduay Rhum (local and export rums), Barman Cocktail Concentrate, Embassy Whisky, Ginto Barrel-Aged Gin, Tanduay Cocktails, Tanduay Ice, and the limited-edition Tanduay Year of the Tiger, among others.
Various Tanduay-branded merchandise — from insulated tumblers to hoodies — are also available.
“If you’re looking for gifts to give this holiday season, check out our bundles and merchandise,” Ong said.
Get Rewarded by Joining the VIP Club
SHOTS.PH also has a VIP Club, wherein customers can earn points with every purchase. To become a member, just create an account. Each peso spent is equivalent to one point. Points can be used to redeem exclusive rewards.
“By creating an account, a customer will automatically get 1,500 points, and he or she can earn additional points by connecting with us through our social media accounts,” Ong said.
Satisfying Customers Worldwide
Ong shared that the online store is just one of the many innovations that Tanduay is pursuing to serve its customers better.
“Research and development are important to the brand. This is how we better understand the markets we serve and those we plan to serve. From bringing Tanduay to more customers here in the Philippines and other countries to introducing new products that address our customers’ current needs and preferences — we aim to give all of them, wherever they are in the world, an enjoyable and satisfying experience,” he said.


text:
THE NEUTRAL ZONE
Calls for antitrust investigations are on the rise as major tech companies grow in size and influence while acquiring smaller companies along the way.
Attorney General William Barr plans to bring some sizeable antitrust lawsuits against Google this summer, with a majority of the litigation focused on the company’s ad business. The suit will take aim at the dominance of Google ads in the domain of connecting businesses with online clientele, which critics say stifles competition and steepens economic divides. Google argues that the ad marketplace is “crowded and competitive,” listing companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Oracle as competitors.
Facebook also faces antitrust litigation from the Federal Trade Commission for the company’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. Facebook recently launched “Shops” as an e-commerce competitor to giants like Amazon, a move that CEO Mark Zuckerburg argues will aid small businesses suffering during the pandemic.
Why Zuckerberg’s New Shopping Push Might Actually Work – Bloomberg – 5/21/2020
The most obvious reason why this time might be different has nothing to do with Facebook, and everything to do with the current environment. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people shop, and forced companies to do the bulk of their business online. If there was ever a time to build a digital product catalog, it’s now.
Break Up Facebook – The Bulwark – 5/26/2020
How did Facebook become the ubiquitous shaper of America’s political consciousness—free from the constraints of regulation, competition, and respect for truth? By relentlessly smothering would-be competitors who might have offered something better. As social networking spread to the great majority of Americans, Facebook bought more than 80 companies that presumed to enter its digital space. Sometimes it absorbed them; frequently it simply shut them down. Not once did the government intervene.
So Wait, People Really Think The Barr DOJ’s Investigation Into Google Is In Good Faith? – Techdirt. – 5/26/2020
Oddly, much of the coverage of the DOJ’s potential antitrust case operated under the premise that Barr’s efforts are being conducted in good faith, and might actually result in useful remedies at the end of the battle. The problem with that assertion is multi-fold. One, Bill Barr just got done making it abundantly clear his DOJ isn’t actually interested in the rule of law. The Trump DOJ has also made it abundantly clear it’s not above weaponizing antitrust for petty grievances, as we saw with the ridiculous lawsuit against California over vehicle emissions.
The antitrust case against Google is becoming just another partisan fight – The Verge – 5/20/2020
More recently, President Trump tweeted that “the Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google,” and said his administration “is working to remedy this illegal situation.” Assuming that sort of talk continues — and it’s an election year, so why wouldn’t it? — the antitrust case could be recast in the public imagination as a partisan fight against content moderation. That might be good for political action committee fundraising, but it’s hard to see how it will result in a more competitive economy.
Thomas Massie on Twitter, 5/25/2020: Government creates a monopoly by over regulating small processors and then wonders why the monopoly they created acts like a monopoly! Pass the PRIME Act now to allow farmers & small processors to compete!
Casey Mattox on Twitter, 5/26/2020: Short version: “Trump is bad. But he lies on Facebook. So people believe him and don’t know he’s bad. Therefore take Instagram away from Facebook.” It’s a bad idea even if it made sense. For more on why its a bad idea:
Kristyn Hyland on Twitter, 5/21/2020: Since the Covid-19 crisis began, the Department of Justice’s antitrust division has issued more business review letters than it had previously issued during the entire Trump administration. Read more from @BLaw#antitrust analyst @Eleanor_S_Tyler.
Jason #StayHome Kint on Twitter, 5/26/2020: Precisely. We bring up this strong-armed tactic leveraging Google’s control over ad stack to abuse consumer privacy interests in every antitrust conversation whether @TheJusticeDept@FTC@KenPaxtonTX@acccgovau@CMAgovUK@EU_Competition


text:
Elio Motors executives placed a temporary sign outside the former General Motors plant in Shreveport. The Phoenix-based company plans to manufacture a three-wheeled vehicle in Shreveport.
Credit Kate Archer Kent
Phoenix-based Elio Motors has formally announced its agreement to buy the former Shreveport General Motors plant, where it will build three-wheeled vehicles that it says will get more than 80 miles per gallon.
The startup car maker will use one-third of the 3 million acre plant site. Elio Motors said it will hire 1,500 workers by late 2015. Founder Paul Elio said at Thursday's news conference at the plant that he aims to create good-paying U.S. jobs, whether they’re unionized, he said, is up to his workforce.
Employees at the GM plant in Shreveport must decide today whether to accept the company's special attrition program that would lead to voluntary retirements. The Louisiana Workforce Commission is assisting workers with their next step through an on-site transition center. The plant is scheduled to close in August, affecting hundreds of people.


text:
The European Union is re-examining the rules governing takeovers of European companies by investors from outside the EU.
The reassessment comes in the aftermath of the takeover of German robotics and industrial automation company Kuka by Chinese household appliances maker Midea.
Midea’s acquisition of Kuka – for about $4 billion – was said by Bloomberg to be part of a “global acquisitions spree” by the Chinese company. Continue reading EU expected to make it more difficult for foreign companies to buy European companies
EU Automation releases circular economy industry guide
Obsolete industrial parts supplier, EU Automation has published an industry guide for manufacturers interested in making their production method more sustainable by contributing to the circular economy.
The guide can be downloaded, free of charge, from EU Automation’s website, under the Industry Guides section.
The circular economy focuses on keeping resources at their highest utility and value at all times. As well as minimising waste and energy losses, it also improves the environmental impact of manufacturing and reduces the risk of obsolescence. Continue reading Is industry ready for the circular economy?
Global supplier of industrial automation parts, EU Automation, has released an infographic detailing the benefits of purchasing obsolete components as opposed to buying brand new equipment.
Focusing on the financial and regulatory benefits of sourcing obsolete, the handy infographic is available to download from the EU Automation website.
By investigating the cost of downtime in manufacturing industries, specifically for the food and beverage, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors, EU Automation’s infographic names sourcing obsolete components as one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to minimise stoppages in production. Continue reading Infographic: Why choose obsolete?
The European Union is considering giving robots human rights under a plan to classify them as “electronic persons” and making their owners liable to pay taxes on their behalf, according to Reuters.
What’s been called a “robot revolution” in recent years has led to millions of robots of all types being built and utilised in almost every area of society – from robotic arms in the manufacturing industry, through autonomous vehicles in transportation, to domestic or service robots in commercial buildings and in the home.
No one knows exactly what the robot population on Earth is, but it’s likely to overtake segments of the human population in some countries within a decade or two. Moreover, a very large proportion of future robots are likely to be humanoids.
This massive growth of robotics and autonomous technologies has led the European Parliament’s committee on legal affairs to draft a resolution saying “that at least the most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations”. Continue reading Robots will become ‘electronic persons’ under European Union plan


text:
Call 0845 485 1219
We love digital - Call and say hello - Mon - Fri, 9am - 5.30pm
by Stephen Logan on 23rd December 2010
Online retailers are gearing up for a bumper 24 hours of sales on Christmas Day.
According to e-retail organisation IMRG, around 4.8 million people are expected to make purchases over the internet on December 25th, with an estimated £153 million set to be spent.
David Smith, managing director of IMRG, said that the 24/7 nature of internet shopping means people with an eye for value will be looking for special offers and good bargains on the big day.
He added the recent inclement weather suffered by the UK may further improve online sales going into January.
"With many people not being able to get out to the high street sales due to the wide-ranging impact of the snow, online could see a real boost over the next few weeks," Mr Smith stated.
According to the most-recent IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, British shoppers spent a total of £6.4 billion during November, up 21.5 per cent on figures for the same month last year.


text:
MONVA launches new Crowdcube funding round; targets further £200,000 funding
By Megha Bhattacharya
FinTech MONVA has announced the launch of its latest fundraising round, targeting a further £200,000 investment via Crowdcube, ahead of a larger institutional round expected to take place towards the end of 2021.
FinTech MONVA is a new smart comparison service that uses customer data and artificial intelligence to personalise and revolutionise the price comparison customer experience. It was founded by CEO Steve Wiley and COO Stuart Wakefield, who previously held senior executive positions at MoneySuperMarket, MBNA and Virgin Money, with experience in FinTech and financial services.
CEO Steve Wiley said, “We’re proud to announce our latest round of crowdfunding following an exciting period of development for MONVA.”
“Price comparison sites were at the forefront of the digital revolution in financial services. However, innovation has slowed, and the mainstream model has become outdated, predicated on the user doing the hard work and built on a noisy, icon led marketplace. Despite their growth, there remains over 80% of people in the UK who have never switched a product, or switch rarely. Our smart technology and money saving assistant, Mo, represent the biggest advancement in the industry yet. Our aim is to serve not only those who use comparison today, but also those who have been put off from making important financial decisions and the potential of saving money by using services promoted by gimmicks that do little to support the customer.”
According to the company, its personalised service helps users make smart decisions, while its technology and automation mean there are fewer forms to fill in, making it simple to compare and buy. MONVA’s customers also receive guidance and support through Mo, the Money Virtual Assistant, which guides users through the comparison search, assists buyers in making their decisions and uses AI and machine learning to alert users to new personal offers.
“MONVA entered the market at an essential time for UK consumers. While COVID-19 caused a reduction in deals for credit products due to high uncertainty, this has given consumers time to consider their existing products and research new ones. As the economy and the financial services markets go back into motion and recover, so too will demand for price comparison.”
“Since our last raise in May 2020, MONVA has made incredible progress. We have hired several senior specialists; built partnerships with key brands to enable extensive product coverage across credit cards, loans and energy; and built key elements of our technology, launching into energy and credit card switching markets. We’re excited about the huge opportunity ahead of us to continue building MONVA and developing a next generation price comparison service for our users,” Wiley added.
IBSi Daily News Analysis
April 12, 2024
Security experts sound the alarm on Deepfake threats in the age of AIRead More
IBSi FinTech Journal
- Most trusted FinTech journal since 1991
- Digital monthly issue
- 60+ pages of research, analysis, interviews, opinions, and rankings
- Global coverage
Other Related News
April 05, 2024


text:
Statistics South Africa published the September 2015 Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) survey today on its site. One of the major findings of the survey is that “an estimated 8 951 000 persons were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy. This according to the publication, “reflected a quarterly increase of 7 000 employees (+0,1%) between June 2015 and September 2015 and an annual increase of 4 000 employees (0,0%) between September 2014 and September 2015.
The publication related further that “the quarterly increase was mainly due to increases in employment reported by business services (12 000 or 0,6%); trade (10 000 or 0,5%) and community services (8 000 or 0,3%).” While decrease were recorded in the mining and quarrying (-12 000 or -2,5%); manufacturing (-5 000 or -0,4%); construction (-5 000 or -1,0%) and transport (-1 000 or -0,2) industries, it was discovered that the electricity industry remained unchanged with 58,000 employees in the September 2015 quarter.
More so, it was revealed that the average monthly earnings which includes bonuses and overtime payments paid to employees in the formal non-agricultural sector increased by 3,5% between May 2015 and August 2015, and an annual increase of 6,2% between August 2014 and August 2015. As uncovered by the survey, “an estimated monthly average of R17 387 was paid to employees in the formal non-agricultural sector during August 2015.
In line with the increase in employment and average monthly earnings, the survey report noted that gross earnings increased between June and September 2015.
The total earnings paid to workers in the formal non-agricultural sector during the quarter which ended in September 2015 as stated by the report, “amounted to R495 billion” reflecting “a quarterly increase of R15,5 billion (+3,2%) compared with the quarter ended June 2015 and an annual increase of R30,8 billion (+6,6%) compared with the quarter ended September 2014.”
Acknowledging the sectors that contributed to the said increase, the report stated that;
The increase in gross earnings during the third quarter of 2015 compared with the second quarter of 2015 was mainly due to R5,5 billion (+3,5%) in the community, social and personal services industry; R5,4 billion (+4,6%) in the financial intermediation, insurance, real estate and business services industry; R1,8 billion (+3,3%) in the manufacturing industry; R1,5 billion (+5,4%) in the mining and quarrying industry; R616 million (+0,9%) in the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motor cycles and personal and household goods, hotels and restaurants industry; R278 million (+0,9%) in the transport and communications industry; R211 million (+3,6%) in the electricity, gas and water supply industry and R192 million (+1,0%) in the construction industry.
Meanwhile the increase in total earnings paid to workers was broken down to represent the 8.1% increase recorded at the mining and quarrying industry, “the community, social and personal services industry (+6,8); the electricity, gas and water supply industry (+2,3%); the transport, storage and communication industry (+1,8%); the construction industry (+1,9%); the financial intermediation, insurance, real estate and business services industry (+1,4%); the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motor cycles and personal and household goods, hotels and restaurants industry (+1,3%) and the manufacturing industry (+1,0%).


text:
The first victim was a 99-year-old woman from San Diego, California officials said. The second was a woman in Texas who had other serious health problems, the state's department of health services reported.
The latest outbreak of salmonella poisoning is linked to "slicer" or American cucumbers imported from Mexico. Dark green and typically 7 to 10 inches, they are typically sold at supermarkets in a bulk display without wrapping.
Last week, Andrew & Williamson Fred Produce voluntarily recalled all of its cucumbers sold under the "Limited Edition" brand because of worries of contamination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that consumers who are unsure whether their cucumbers were recalled should contact the retailer.
Signs of infection include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps and can last four to seven days; most people recover without treatment.
Here are the states where cases have been documented so far, according to the CDC: Alaska (9); Arizona (66); Arkansas (6); California (72); Colorado (14); Hawaii (1); Idaho (8); Illinois (6); Kansas (1); Kentucky (1); Louisiana (4); Minnesota (12); Missouri (8); Montana (10); Nebraska (2); Nevada (7); New Mexico (18); New York (4); North Dakota (1); Ohio (2); Oklahoma (8); Oregon (8); Pennsylvania (2); South Carolina (7); Texas (18); Utah (30); Virginia (1); Washington (10); Wisconsin (2); and Wyoming (3).


text:
Bitcoin’s Path To Widespread Adoption
The world is a big place, unfortunately there are not that many Bitcoin (BTC-USD) to go around. Last winter we saw a prelude to what can happen when people in mass want to acquire Bitcoin, the price skyrockets. However, since then Bitcoin’s price has corrected by approximately 70%, and now that it’s close to production cost could represent a level much closer to fair value. Still though, the Bitcoin marketplace is a relatively small market, with almost exponential growth possibilities.
So, what will happen in future waves of buy interest and popularity increases? What will happen when substantially more people decide they want to own Bitcoin in the future? Fortunately, Bitcoin can be broken down into much smaller units, Satoshis. And when all the Bitcoins are mined there will be about 2.1 quadrillion Satoshis someday. This is roughly comparable to the approximate 3.7 quadrillion cents that make up the world’s M1 fiat money supply.
Bitcoin and its blockchain network coupled with the Lightning Network protocol represents a digital currency and a payment system that is superior to the current fiat money and financial system in many respects. In addition, Bitcoin is being adopted as a form of payment by an increasing number of companies, and is being recognized as a legitimate form of money, and/or an official commodity/asset by many governments. Furthermore, the number of blockchain wallets continues to grow, and there are over 28 million accounts now, which implies that a growing number people are joining the Bitcoin network.
It appears likely that more and more people will continue to join the Bitcoin network going forward, and as an increasing number of active users begin trading and transacting in Bitcoin the price could go substantially higher.


text:
More Bad News on Risky, Distracted Driving
Like many of you who read last month’s report from AAA on the percentage of drivers across age groups who perform risky maneuvers and drive distracted, I was chagrined to read yet more confirming news on the subject. Such reports have gotten to be a very sad drone, with driving deaths (especially those directly related to distracted driving) reaching their highest levels in a decade.
Guess what: The advent of the smart phone was 2007, and it is no coincidence that distracted driving deaths have risen in tandem with the rise of social media and ever-more-engaging uses of smart phones (and the crack-cocaine allure of the pings and other noises alerting users to yet another Instagram post or tweet that they just can’t resist looking at; or the beyond-ludicrous features in some apps that let you post the speed you’re traveling while you take a snap, and so on.)
But before pointing the finger at all young drivers, know this: Yes, drivers 19-24 and 25-39 are the two worst offending groups. But the next-worst is drivers 40-59! Interestingly, the 16-18 group is almost identical to the 75+ group in its somewhat less “offensive” percentage, while the 60-74 group is the least offensive.
It all gets even scarier when you drill down to the local level, as many local news organizations have done lately. Here’s one dispiriting article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution with the jarring take that “Last year, 1,554 people died in motor vehicle accidents in Georgia, a 33 percent increase from 2014 when 1,170 were killed.” That’s more than twice the national increase for that period. Yea, Georgia! Our already terribly unsafe roads in and around the metropolis of Atlanta just keep getting less safe. (And all of this despite rapidly increasing safety features on autos.)
If you need some ammo to educate someone (whether it’s a Millenial or a younger Baby Boomer, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association has a nice distracted driving page on its site that contains some useful info.
Boa Closure System Launches New Website
Boa, the closure system now in the cycling shoes of at least 22 brands, and pretty well the de facto industry standard, just launched a new site tohighlight its technology and play up its touted lifetime guarantee. We’ve covered the technology over the years and reviewed numerous shoes that feature it. Here’s a quick search link listing all of our coverage.
The new website, TheBoaSystem.com, focuses on educating consumers about Boa, including the varying configurations across products and sports – everything from golf to snowboarding to cycling to emergency first responder gear, and more. Additionally, as the company continues to stand behind The Boa Guarantee, customers can easily request replacement parts directly from the website.
Boa promises “an increased involvement in product design and development,” working with brand partners to “develop unique fit solutions and achieve the ideal design through customized dial, lace, and guide configurations.” You can already see the evolution of Boa systems in cycling shoes, ranging from shoes that feature a combination of hook-and-loop (or buckle) and Boa to shoes that use only Boa from toe to tongue. Different approaches are surely on the way, and at Interbike this year we even saw a seat bag that uses Boa.
Of course, some shoe makers (Northwave is one) have developed their own Boa-like closure systems. (We’re in the process of reviewing some Northwave shoes right now.) But like MIPS in helmet technology, Boa remains the dominant player.


text:
June 23, 1998 |
Many companies ship their products in large steel containers. Not many companies conduct business meetings inside the corrugated steel boxes. The exception to the rule is Reactor Films, a Santa Monica production company that specializes in commercials and music videos. The tour de force of the firm's interior is a shipping container that architectural firm Pugh & Scarpa has artfully converted into a conference room.
November 2, 1987 |
Reynolds Metals Co. executives say the resealable aluminum Reylock can the company will introduce today will be the biggest entry in the highly competitive container field since the pop-top. "The Reylock can represents the first totally recyclable large beverage container over 12 ounces specifically designed for the soft-drink market," said Robert D. O'Donnell, can division chief.
March 3, 1989 |
Faced with sluggish sales and rising public concerns about cholesterol, Olson Industries in Sherman Oaks sold its egg-production division in 1987 to concentrate on the production of plastic containers--an industry that had been experiencing skyrocketing sales. But since the switch, the firm has been losing money, partly because the sky itself has become a limit.
May 29, 2007 |
With earthshaking thuds, a stamping machine hammers a sheet of hot plastic into king-size drinking cups destined to quench thirsts for soda at the nation's convenience stores. The blank white cups aren't just flexible and resistant to splitting -- they're also made from less plastic than cups produced by Berry Plastics Corp.'s competitors through a manufacturing process the company guards so closely that it forbids photographs of those machines. As retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
July 20, 2000 |
Left your toothbrush at home and worried about insulting your client with coffee breath? Not to worry. It's almost certain someone in the office will come to your rescue. Not with a toothbrush, though. With a mint. And not just any mint--a strong, expensive one in a beautifully designed tin. The trend for mints in portable tins seemed to start around 1995 with an ad campaign for Altoids, "The Original Celebrated Curiously Strong Peppermints" in the distinctive red and white tins.
August 24, 1987 |
A California-based soda maker hopes consumers will get a kick out of its new see-through, plastic cans and expand its share of the $40-billion soft drink industry. Original New York Seltzer Co., which traces it roots to the streets of Brooklyn but is now based in Walnut, Calif., is testing 12-ounce plastic cans this summer in the Detroit area.
June 7, 1988 |
Southern California's biggest export by volume is not oranges, movies or missiles. It's empty space. But that's changing, and shipping companies say it is about time. Close to half the containers that passed through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach last year left empty. But the fall in the U.S.
August 14, 2007 |
Plastic water bottles have been getting such a bad rap that people have started paying attention, which means that corporate America has started cashing in. The company that makes Brita water filters teamed up Monday with Nalgene, a manufacturer of reusable beverage containers, to launch the FilterForGood campaign, aimed at weaning people off throwaway bottles.
October 27, 1995 |
Remember the avocado green container your mother kept a stick of margarine in? It was probably Tupperware, functional and frowzy and far from attractive. More than likely, that container is still around, maybe under the sink, albeit minus its trademark "burping" lid. Ever think of replacing it? Probably not. After all, you don't purchase Tupperware, you inherit it. And Tupperware hostess parties . . . they went out with housewives, didn't they? Not quite.
December 29, 1999 |
When you haul your body off the stair climber come New Year's Day, don't toss out the Gatorade bottle. Under a new law, it will be worth 2.5 cents at your local recycling center. But that empty magnum of Moet on the coffee table? Sorry; that one won't reap you a payback. Launched in 1987, California's bottle and can recycling program expands beginning Saturday, placing a fresh assortment of beverages under the state's deposit and refund rules.


text:
Villa del Monte Winery is pleased to announce that the 2011 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition has awarded a Silver medal to our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains Villa Festa Vineyard. Nearly 3200 wines from 16 countries were entered into this prestigious competition which was held from May 18 to 20 at Fairplex in Pomona, CA.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains Villa Festa Vineyard is truly a Santa Cruz Mountains wine, as it is produced from 100% Cabernet grapes grown on a small vineyard that we manage on Loma Prieta Avenue in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Black currants, medium tannins, and a beautiful deep red color combine for a full bodied wine that develops and matures on the palate. With 14% alcohol, this wine is delicious now or it can be cellared for later enjoyment.
Earlier this year, this wine also won:
- Gold Medal, 2011 West Coast Wine Competition
- Silver Medal, 2011 Monterey Wine Competition
- Bronze Medal, 2011 Riverside International Wine Competition
Now in its 72nd year, the 2011 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international wine competitions. Nearly 3200 wines from 16 countries were entered into the competition. Judged by a 64-member panel of international judges over three days, wines were tasted blind with no knowledge of producer or price. For more information, visit http://www.fairplex.com/wos/wine_competition/index.asp. Results are posted at http://www.fairplex.com/wos/wine_competition/AwardsCelebration/documents/WineResultBookByCompany.pdf.


text:
Maverick French group set to expand European operation
Yesterday, French telecom group Iliad launched an offer to buy all the shares of Polish operator Play, having already secured about 40% from two leading shareholders. The deal values the company at €3.5 billion and will be financed by cash and debt.
Under founder and majority shareholder Xavier Niel, Iliad has steadily created a substantial position in the European telecom space. If its deal for Play goes through, it will catapult Iliad to 34.7 million mobile customers, leapfrogging Altice, BT and Telecom Italia as the sixth largest operator in Europe. In addition to Poland and its home market, Iliad has a mobile operation in Italy and a stake in Irish operator Eir. Separately, Mr Niel owns a direct stake in Swiss operator Salt.
Iliad and Play appear to have a similar make-up, so the deal initially seems like a natural fit to me. Both companies created challenger brands based on low and simple pricing and have quickly built market share.
Iliad is best known for one of the most disruptive launches ever by a European mobile operator. In 2012, it caught its French rivals off guard as its keen pricing lured millions of customers and kick-started a brutal price war from which the market is only just recovering. Iliad boasts more than 13 million mobile customers in France.
Like Iliad, Play has also enjoyed strong customer growth. Launched only in 2007, it already has 15 million mobile customers and is in pole position in the market with a 29% share, ahead of big-name local rivals Orange and T-Mobile.
In a country with 38 million people, there’s plenty of room for further growth and disruption. And with many household budgets strained by the impact of the pandemic, I believe the timing of Iliad’s investment into a disruptive provider is astute.
But this isn’t a deal based purely on low mobile prices. A leading aim is to bolster Play’s entry into the Polish fixed-line market. Earlier in 2020, Play began offering fixed-line services in a wholesale deal with cable company Vectra. Details of the fixed-line strategy are sparce, but it’s likely that Iliad will use its experience in other regions to offer a disruptive service that will act as a springboard for a move into convergence. With penetration of fixed-line broadband in Poland at only 55%, according to Iliad, it appears there are plenty of customers to go after.
Iliad is also moving from pure-play mobile into fixed-line services in Italy, where it plans to roll out an offering by mid-2021 and recently signed an agreement with wholesale provider Open Fiber. The push will further heat up competition after pay-TV operator Sky Italia introduced a broadband service in July 2020.
Iliad switched on mobile services in Italy in June 2018. However, unlike in its home market, it had no existing fixed-line network or brand presence to use to its advantage. Still, its similarly assertive pricing tactics helped it already capture an impressive 8% of the market, about 6.3 million customers. And there’s little sign of the operator resting on its laurels; it currently offers a deal including 100GB of data for just €9.99 per month. Iliad’s presence has prompted rivals to slash their own prices and share infrastructure to cut costs.
Iliad’s move to buy Play, however, is different in that the operator already has a strong and established position. Acquiring a ready-made provider brings a high upfront purchase price ― it would be Iliad’s biggest acquisition to date ― but avoids the heavy investment needed to get a network off the ground and promote a new brand.
Play is well known to offer value for money, and its presence has already shocked the market, so I don’t expect Iliad’s entry to have the same effect in Poland as it has in other countries. Still, its rivals should avoid complacency; Iliad is an unpredictable and maverick company.
Announcing the deal, Iliad also highlighted efforts to better digitalize Play’s offers and exploit its online experience in other markets. Again, details were light, but the timing once more looks shrewd as the pandemic has pushed many people into buying online. I wonder if this poses a threat to Play’s more than 750 branded retail outlets, in pursuit of cost-savings to fund its new strategy.
Iliad also said it will advance plans by Play’s management to spin off or sell passive infrastructure. Again, this draws on its experience; in 2019, Iliad announced the sale of mobile tower infrastructure in France and Italy to Cellnex for €2 billion (see Insight Report: Monetizing Mobile Towers Can Help Operators Fund 5G Expansion).
In my view, Iliad’s announcement could be just the start of a flurry of deals in the European sector over the next couple of years as operators return to the negotiating table. There are a few factors that could make this happen: firstly, the possibility of more favourable regulation as authorities recognize the industry’s stellar efforts during the health crisis; secondly, depressed valuations throughout the sector may open the door to opportunistic bargain-hunters; and thirdly, and perhaps more importantly, the landmark court ruling that annulled the 2016 decision to block Three’s acquisition of O2 in the UK could prod operators to look for fresh deals.
Mergers and acquisitions in the telecom space is one of the topics I’ll be addressing during CCS Insight’s Predictions for 2021 and Beyond digital event, which runs from 5 to 9 October 2020. For more information and to sign up for free, click here.
Subscribe to our blog
Make sure you don't miss out on our fresh insights on topical news in the connected world
"*" indicates required fields


text:
Masters sells out new hospitality location
Some of golf’s most expensive on-site hospitality tickets — to Berckmans Place at Augusta National — have sold out a year before the private club is scheduled to open.
The coveted Berckmans Place passes, which sold for $6,000 apiece, are good for a week at the Masters beginning in 2013. All 400 of them sold quickly, mostly to Augusta National members, tournament sponsors and other friends of the private club, industry sources said. Sales began in October and Augusta National offered a sneak preview earlier this month during the Masters.
|The 90,000-square-foot Berckmans Place is near the fifth green and will have rich interior finishes and high-end food and beverage offerings.|
One industry source described Berckmans Place as “very Masters-esque. The highest level of service.” When one executive had breakfast, left to watch golf and then returned for lunch at Berckmans, he was asked if he wanted the same table he had for breakfast. The staff remembered him from earlier in the day. “Every detail is covered,” the source said.
As guests came to Berckmans, they were greeted by Augusta National members, such as Jack Nicklaus, Lynn Swann and chairman Billy Payne. Those who toured the finished part of the permanent structure included high-level agency executives and marketing chiefs from Masters partners Rolex and IBM, among others.
“It is truly a luxury to have a permanent structure and build into it all of the requirements you want for your guests,” said Mimi Griffin, whose company, MSG Promotions, runs hospitality for the U.S. Open and several other events. “For years, you’ve heard about all of the different groups doing hospitality off-site at the Masters, so to be able to offer something like this on-site is great for their event.”
“It really wasn’t a matter of selling it,” one source said. “They already knew who they were going to invite.”
While the club has made several improvements to its on-site hospitality options in recent years, the majority of corporate hospitality has been executed away from the golf course by agencies like Intersport and its Double Eagle Club, and PrimeSport.
Payne said that Berckmans Place is the club’s response to requests from patrons and partners who wanted more upscale hospitality options on the course. Featuring traditional Southern architecture with white columns, rich interior finishes, and high-end food and beverage offerings, Berckmans Place will be the most lavish hospitality setting in golf, industry sources say.
“It’s reflective of the demand for this kind of product now,” said Roger Warren, president of Kiawah Island Golf Resort, where this year’s PGA Championship is being held.
Warren, the past president of the PGA of America, said that hospitality demands in golf are surging again after down years in 2009 and ’10, when the recession made businesses rethink their spending habits.
“When you have a product people want to be a part of [like Berckmans Place], you can get those numbers,” Warren said. “And I don’t think they’ll be disappointed.”
In recent years, Augusta National has added cabins just off the 10th hole for corporate partners IBM, Exxon and AT&T. Near the No. 1 fairway are the Magnolia Suites for CBS, Rolex and Mercedes-Benz. A new Members Retreat debuted this year between holes 13 and 14.
Berckmans Place, which will be concealed from view by trees along the edge and rear of the fifth hole, will offer several levels of food within the same building, from burgers to more upscale offerings.
Some of the revenue, Payne said, will go to the Masters Tournament Foundation.
Prices for hospitality at other major championships are not in the same range as the $6,000 required for a pass to Berckmans Place, except for selected premium passes to the Ryder Cup, which is played once every four years on U.S. soil.
This year’s Ryder Cup at Medinah, just outside of Chicago, is charging $235,000 for 50 people in a chalet, or about $4,700 per pass. Those prices are flat with what was charged the last time the Ryder Cup was held in the U.S. in 2008. A new offering this year is a 10-person table inside Medinah’s clubhouse for $65,000, or $6,500 each, with the room holding a capacity of 200 guests.


text:
A while ago, one of our guest editors looked at Innovation in Africa. Dr Olugbenga Adesida said that it has become fashionable to be a part of this new economy of Africa. Africa is leading in the world mobile app rankings. And this is true. Over the last decade Africa has witnessed exponential growth in the use of mobile telephones. And, the booming mobile market has given Africa an edge and the continent today has become a creative hub for new products in mobile banking, commerce, education and health.
There are lots of amazing projects happening that if paid attention to that will go a long away in moving the continent to greater heights. From the Kenyan Ushaidi which is an open source innovation for information collection, visualization, and interactive mapping online platform and that has been used in about 9 countries around the world to Nigerian students that created urine powered generator. These are examples of amazing creative minds that Africa is yet to harness. So this week, we at Foresight for Development ask for your help as we talk about innovation.
What are the innovations that you have heard about that have sent your mind spinning? Share those with us.
What are the obstacles that have hindered us from achieving the best that we can be and even more? Like Dr Olugbenga Adesida said, we cannot leave some of these things to chance. We need effort to create plans and processes that will help us as Africans propel innovation with the use of Foresight.
Can this be achieved?
Do share your thoughts.


text:
Two years after reaching a settlement with the sportswear company, the New York City streetwear brand again alleged trademark infringement Thursday, this time in connection with a trio of shoes released in collaboration with store owner Vic Lloyd.
Milkcrate—a brand that claims to have produced, styled, remixed and collaborated with artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West and Madonna—originally sued Adidas in 2019 for creating a Brooklyn Nets T-shirt that it said made use of its signature crate logo.
Since settling that suit, Adidas has released three sneakers with Lloyd, the first in February 2020 and the most recent this past July. All three styles bear a crate design on the tongue that Milkcrate alleges infringes on its trademark. The brand draws a direct line between the current dispute and the 2019 lawsuit, for which it accuses “senior management” of “blatant disregard” for its trademarks and copyrights.
“Adidas is following in the footsteps of [its] past and again developing products that rip-off [Milkcrate’s] mark,” the lawsuit argues.
In this most recent instance, Milkcrate claims the crate design on Adidas’ Vic Lloyd sneakers “is indistinguishable” from the design used on the tags of its own sneakers. In this context, it claims, Adidas’ design causes “a likelihood of confusion.” Milkcrate said it has received multiple inquiries from consumers, business associates and friends wondering if it was involved with the disputed sneakers.
While Adidas’ awareness of Milkcrate is a given due to the pair’s past legal entanglement, the streetwear brand also claims the company’s collaborator on the infringing shoes had “full knowledge” of its brand, copyrights and trademarks. According to the lawsuit, Lloyd was a wholesale buyer of the Milkcrate brand for more than 10 years when he worked at the Chicago streetwear store Leaders.
The suit also names Leaders’ owner, Corey Gilke. Though he had no apparent involvement in the three disputed sneakers, Milkcrate claims Adidas “conspired” with both Lloyd and Gilke, when it “teamed up with them to design these new Adidas shoes.” The suit also includes screenshots of alleged messages between Gilke and Milkcrate founder Aaron LaCrate showing the former threaten the latter with violence.
Beyond enjoining Adidas from further using its trademarks or copyrights, Milkcrate’s lawsuit also requests the court order Adidas to recall and deliver up for impoundment all infringing items.
The litigation comes as Adidas pursues its own trademark infringement case against Thom Browne. The suit accuses the high-end fashion brand of using two-, three- and four-stripe designs on sportswear and sneakers in a way it said was “likely to cause consumer confusion.”


text:
Company owners had a hard time getting the prices they wanted for their IPOs in the U.S. in 2010, but a select group received handsome payoffs later, when they launched a second round of share sales to the public through follow-on offerings.
A greater proportion of insiders last year sold stakes in follow-on deals in the months after their initial public offerings than the historical norm, and in doing so sold at levels that averaged 76% above the IPO prices, according to an analysis by Ipreo, which provides capital-markets data and analytic services.
"We've seen [owners] decide to hold on to their shares given the valuations on some IPOs," says Liz Myers, co-head of equity capital markets for the Americas at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. "They can give the company some access to the capital markets in the IPO, but they expect that they can sell their own positions at a higher multiple in the future through follow-ons if they wait,"
Over the past six years, 61% of the shares sold in the first wave of follow-on offerings held after IPOs were considered "secondary" sales, which came from previous private owners such as company founders, private-equity or venture-capital firms, according to Ipreo's data. In 2010, that percentage of secondary sales shot up to 87%. Only 13% of the shares sold in the first round of follow-on deals post-IPO came from the companies themselves.
Only 15 of 162 companies that launched IPOs last year took a second crack at a public share sale through follow-on deals in 2010, so the number of insiders who were rewarded for waiting for a follow-on sale is small. That was due in part to the rough patches seen in the overall stock market until the fall, as well as the normal 180-day lock-up restrictions placed on insider stock sales after an IPO.
Of the 15 companies that did hold follow-on sales, all but one timed them during the last two months of the years, when stocks were rising, suggesting that follow-ons could continue into 2011 if the broader market remains positive.
Those 15 IPOs saw an average first-day return of only 8%, below the 2010 IPO average of 10%, says Ipreo. The stocks weren't a group of overachievers from the start, but they went on to outperform the rest of the IPOs launched. Any owners who waited for the follow-on sales made out well, with an average gain of 76% from their IPO prices to their first follow-on prices months later.
About half the IPOs in 2010 that did follow-on sales were technology stocks, according to Ipreo. The list includes companies like telecom-software producer BroadSoft Inc., BSFT -1.75% BroadSoft Inc. U.S.: Nasdaq $23.57 -0.42 -1.75% Dec. 12, 2013 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 537,712 AFTER HOURS $23.57 0.00 0.00% Dec. 12, 2013 4:58 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): 15,024 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $677.48 Million Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee N/A More quote details and news » which lost nearly 8% in its IPO debut in June, but sold its follow-on deal at a price that was 144% higher in December. About 33% of the shares sold in BroadSoft's IPO, or about 2.5 million shares, came from the company's original owners, a group of venture-capital firms led by Bessemer Venture Partners. A total of 91% of the shares sold in the follow-on offering came from many of the same venture shops, along with a group of executives and directors.
The owners of Chinese software services firm Camelot Information Systems Inc. CIS +0.52% Camelot Information Systems Inc. ADS U.S.: NYSE $1.95 +0.01 +0.52% Dec. 12, 2013 3:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 200,600 P/E Ratio N/A Market Cap $89.86 Million Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $44,033.2 More quote details and news » also made out well, eventually. The IPO declined 3% on its first day of trading in July, but the firm priced its follow-on sale 77% higher in December. About 31% of the shares in Camelot's IPO were sold by funds controlled by Citigroup C +0.39% Citigroup Inc. U.S.: NYSE $50.91 +0.20 +0.39% Dec. 12, 2013 4:00 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 25.03M AFTER HOURS $50.90 -0.01 -0.02% Dec. 12, 2013 7:51 pm Volume (Delayed 15m): P/E Ratio 12.74 Market Cap $153.80 Billion Dividend Yield 0.08% Rev. per Employee $368,734 12/11/13 3-D Printing Stocks Catch Wall... 12/06/13 Los Angeles Sues Wells, Citigr... 12/05/13 Citibank Website Down for Seve... More quote details and news » and Lehman Brothers; all of the 7.2 million shares in the follow-on came from those same two original owners, who sold out of their stakes entirely.
Write to Lynn Cowan at email@example.com


text:
Propel Marketing & Design, Inc., a Boynton Beach based Marketing Agency, just released their South Florida Small Business and Entrepreneur Web Marketing and Social Media Workshop Schedule for January 2014.
Press Release Marketing
Go Web Solutions is announcing the release of their five new Social Media Marketing Packages aimed at helping business owners get in front of the billions of users on social media sites like Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter.
Tamar Weinberg, social media expert and former Global Advertising Director at Mashable, has been hired as the Director of Sales at Internet Marketing Ninjas.
In response to an article published on Mashable, online marketing company fishbat comments on Amazon’s success.
JumpFly has been reported the best pay per click management firm by topseos.com for December 2013.
The name Meizu might not ring a bell to most people outside of its native country of China, but they are a well-known brand within the Republic. With the release of the MX3, one thing that surely stood out was the octa-core or a total of eight cores powering the phone up. Yes, another eight core phone coming out from China.
The independent authority on internet marketing in the UK, topseos.co.uk, publishes the rankings of the best marketing automation software for the month of December 2013.
High-Profile Brands Set to Orchestrate Better Marketing Experiences throughout the Region
Market movements that will impact digital media market players
Econsultancy, in association with Responsys, a marketing cloud software and services leader, has announced the results of its second annual Cross-Channel Marketing Report. The study, which surveyed digital marketers in Asia Pac[i], reveals companies are still failing to create marketing programs that focus on building relationships with customers, despite recognising the long-term business value.
InStitchu to scale success globally
As part of its mandate to ensure the marketing and advertising industry’s commitment to responsible data management, the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA) has established a new program called ‘ADMA Data Pass.’
Hosts Use Money They Earn to Pay Bills
October webinars showcase ways to better utilize technology to reach target audiences.
In response to an article published on Examiner.com, Internet marketing company fishbat confirms that social media would be a major tool in the fight against contagious disease.
Florida-based marketing form offers mobile services to clients with help from appsbar.com.
New guide from Vocus helps marketing teams tie social media activity to real business outcomes to measure ROI
SavvyCard MIAMI, an innovative mobile marketing program, officially launches for 30k member Realtors at MIAMI’s MORE Conference.
An independent survey of Australia’s CFD market has named IG as the number one choice for CFD traders, with 38% using IG as their main provider. This puts IG 20% ahead of its closest competitor and is the fifth year in a row that IG has taken the number one spot.
Your financials get reviewed by the tax man every June, but have you ever been to the doctor about your digital marketing?
Marketers integrating online and offline data stand to deliver a better customer experience, resulting in more revenue


text:
The NSA's bulk phone records collection has been a hot topic since first surfacing amidst the Edward Snowden leaks last year. According to a source that has spoke to The New York Times, it is also the topic of upcoming legislation to be proposed by President Obama that would put an end to the controversial program.
Improving its initial double-tap to unlock feature that came in with the G2, LG has announced a new, and more secure interface for accessing LG Smartphones: the Knock Code. Models like the G Pro 2, G2 mini, F Series and L Series will come with this new feature, and the older versions will get replaced via a firmware update starting in April.
We've heard a lot of rumors and tips on the anticipated iPhone 6 over past months, some that have already been shot down, others that look promising. Among them all has been word Apple is producing two different models with different screen sizes, one measuring in at 4.7-inches and the other at a larger 5.5-inches. According to the latest source, the latter among those two sizes has an uncertain future.
At the Black Hat Asia conference in Singapore next week, the folks behind a drone called Snoopy will showcase how they can intercept data from smartphones using their flying craft. The drone works by spoofing wireless networks and connecting to smartphones with the WiFi enabled, allowing them to remotely capture login credentials, personal data, and more.
Flappy Bird is an unlikely story of rampant success, unanticipated stardom, and, for some on the gaming end of the app, endless frustration and feelings of soul-crippling failure. It was a combination of all these things -- and a spark of controversy -- that led to the game's creator Dong Nguyen pulling his ware from its respective app stores, something he has announced plans to reverse.
Google Voice could be next on the company's consolidation chopping block, according to recent word that has surfaced, with the app being nixed in favor of integration with Hangouts, following the lead set by Talk and Google+ Messenger. Such a change, should it take place, reportedly won't happen for months.
Europe has worked for years to unify smartphones under a single charger -- the common microUSB -- with major companies expressing their support for the measure as far back as 2009 and getting the microUSB officially set as the charging standard a year or so later. Legislation was introduced by an EU committee last year to require a single charger system, which today received "overwhelming" approval from members of parliament.
The selfie is a common staple among images found online, comprising vast quantities of Instagram and other social photography websites, often smattering Facebook and Twitter feeds, among other online locations. So popular is the form of self-expression, the word selfie earned its own slot in the dictionary and was named word of the year in 2013. Now it has its own section in the App Store.


text:
The Credit Card companies employ highly sophisticated fraud tracking systems and can quickly track a breach back to the Merchant. Even a handful of Credit Cards can lead the Credit Card companies back to the Merchant.
In the event of a breach, it is important to inform customers to prevent further identity theft issues and to reduce the levels of exposure the Credit Card companies have.
Once the details of a breach are released, and they nearly always are, the press, the bloggers and consumers all email, write and talk about what has happened and why.
A data breach could have occurred because of the concerted efforts of a hacker but the perception will be the Merchantís security or procedures have failed. Consumers are become more demanding and are likely to take their business elsewhere if they feel their personal information was not adequately protected.


text:
RICHMOND — Amazon, hoping to widen the use of green technologies in its operations, is launching deliveries in the Bay Area using electric vans, the e-commerce titan said Thursday.
The tech leviathan believes its increased deployment of electric vehicles can reduce its carbon footprint.
” As we continue to grow and invest in California, we want to do so responsibly,” said Ross Rachey, director of Amazon’s global fleet and products.
Amazon teamed up with Rivian, a U.S. automaker based in the Orange County city of Irvine, to design, build, and deploy the fleet of electric vehicles. The vehicles are the first custom-tailored vans that Amazon is using.
The company unveiled its electric vans in October 2020. Then in February, the company initiated a delivery service using the custom-tailored electric vans in the Los Angeles area.
The van is a first-of-its-kind all-electric delivery vehicle that can drive up to 150 miles on a single charge.
Amazon has also started to prepare its buildings to accommodate the new fleet of vehicles. The company has installed thousands of electric vehicle charging stations at its delivery stations across North America and Europe.
“From what we’ve seen, this is one of the fastest modern commercial electrification programs,” Rachey said.
Seattle-based Amazon intends to operate 10,000 of these customized vans as early as next year.
In 2020, Amazon delivered more than 20 million packages to customers in electric delivery vehicles across North America and Europe.
Richmond is the first Bay Area city from which the customized electric vans will deliver packages in the region. Amazon intends to deploy the electric vans from more Bay Area cities, although a time frame wasn’t immediately known.
“Richmond is a regional and state leader for climate action,” Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said. “It’s fitting that Amazon’s new electric delivery vehicles are being rolled out in the Bay Area from Richmond.”


text:
Fast-forward two years. Last night, the Mac maker punked Wall Street by reporting blowout fiscal third-quarter results. Every number was so good that none except one stand out. Which one? China sales. The Mac maker booked $3.8 billion in revenue from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan during the fiscal third quarter.
"This has been a substantial opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we're just scratching the surface right now. I think there is an incredible opportunity for Apple there," Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said during yesterday's conference call with analysts.
Sticking it to the iPhone skeptics
We don't know exactly what drove sales in China, but demand for the iPhone could be partly or even mostly responsible.
"Higher net sales in the Asia Pacific segment were due mainly to the increase in iPhone revenue primarily attributable to new carrier launches, introduction of iPad, and increased sales of Macs," Apple said in its second-quarter 10-Q filing with the SEC.
Now assume that the pattern held. Are you still surprised the Mac maker sold 20.3 million iPhones during the quarter, far above the 15 million to 17 million analysts had expected? I'm not. U.S. consumers may be holding off for the iPhone 5, but Chinese buyers want whatever iCandy they can get their hands on right now.
How do I know? Apple's store in Beijing was "packed" when Sean Sun, a teammate of mine at Motley Fool Rule Breakers, visited China last month. He was there on a scouting trip with the Motley Fool Global Gains team and came away with a strong sense that more Chinese consumers are buying into big brands -- a sense that Global Gains co-advisor Tim Hanson confirmed when I asked him about it this morning.
"I've heard stories about people who can't afford an iPhone just buying the headphones and walking around with their cheaper phone in their pocket -- giving the illusion they have an iPhone," Tim said. The implication? Envy is more powerful than greed. Black and gray market iPhone access hasn't crimped demand.
While the rumor mill slowly grinds
For Cook and the rest of the team at Apple, it's a well to be tapped. The Wall Street Journal says he visited the offices of China Mobile
Expect Cook to be respectful but firm in negotiations. More than 5.6 million already use iPhones on China Mobile's network, while the high-profile failure of the carrier's so-called "oPhone" -- a China-specific handset based on Google's
My guess is that Cook is right. For all the talk of the Verizon
Want still more tech stock ideas? Try this free special report. In it, you'll learn about a stock that my Foolish colleagues believe is poised to profit from expanding broadband access but which has yet to take off. Click here now to get immediate access -- it's 100% free.
Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team. He owned shares of Apple and Google at the time of publication. Check out Tim's portfolio holdings and Foolish writings, or connect with him on Google+ or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.
The Motley Fool owns shares of China Mobile, Apple, and Google. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of China Mobile, Google, and Apple, as well as creating a bull call spread position in Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
Ahead of the Budget 2020, Deva Jyotula, Retail Head at Kalpataru Limited, shared his insights. India is the 5th largest global destination in the retail space. With the budget 2020 being around the corner, there is a hope that the new policies will have a positive impact on the retail and the consumer sector. The retail sector is the most dynamic sector in recent times, there has been drastic changes and has witnessed high consumer activism, supply chain model, marketing and advertising activities and introduction of new players in the market.
A joint report by Assocham and MRRSIndia.com suggest that the Indian retail / consumer market is set to cross the $1 trillion mark by 2020 due to rise in per capita income and consequent expenditure.
8 challenges faced by the retail sector in 2019:
- Higher GST rates resulting in accumulation of non-refundable credit due to substantial spend on advertising and branding spending capacity.
- Multiplicity of laws and regulations governing the sector
- Restrictive conditions under the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for single-brand retail trading leading to ambiguities and hurdles for the e-commerce sector.
- Lack of clarity and understanding of regulations/guidelines imposed on online retail trading.
- Lack of proper physical and digital infrastructure, developed supply chain resulting in inefficiencies and higher costs.
- Rise in overall real estate costas growth in retail sector has resulted in a growing demand in the real estate sector
- Lack of effective supply management. Solid infrastructure and developed supply chain will improvise the foundation and overall profitability
- Lack of incentives for the new players in the retail market.
10 expectations from the government in Budget 2020 :
- GST slab to be simplified and reduced. Successful / structured implementation of new mechanism that will help ease the process.
- Simplification of the government laws, clarifications on open issues, measures for ease of doing businesswill have a positive impact on the sector and will give freedom to try new techniques and introduce new trends.
- The budget should consider educating and clarifying regulations for the retailer and traders ensuring sound risk management practices and KYC (know your client) mechanisms.
- Promoting partnership and collaboration for accessing new channel capabilities, digital technologies and easier entry into new market may help in optimizing costs.
- Introducing laws and rules to reduce the real estate costand stabilisation of tax policies on properties would prove to be of great help to common man who look forward to live in beautiful homes or for investment purpose
- Introducing new incentives and bold reforms will encourage the new-bees in the retail industry to expand their activities across various platforms.
- Supporting rural growth and expecting positive initiatives like MGNREGA, increase in the MSP for select crops, focus on electrification of villages, farmer friendly technologies, etc.
- We expect new entrants/ investors in the FMCG space with introduction of simplified tax structures, stability in custom duty and a less aggressive tax administration.
- A special start-up growth fund to support start-ups will boost the start-up ecosystem immensely.
- We expect the budget to provide impetus for digital payments (Debit and credit cards,UPI)


text:
What the Americans start, Europe usually copies. So expect the Stateside Internet counter-revolution to wend its way over to those of us in quaint old England who are foolishly still enjoying ourselves on the Web.
Soon we will be describing ourselves as "former users" and thrusting our noses in the air at the outmoded use of the Internet for such things as banking, shopping and email. In fact, to admit at a dinner party that you surf the Web will be considered as passé as cheese fondue and giving your email account as a contact address will be as socially embarrassing as announcing your hostess is a boring old cow with a big fat arse.
Or so the media furore this week would have us believe. The Daily Telegraph began the vicious rumour that the Internet was just a "passing fad" and it was a story quickly picked up across media land -- even the Daily Mail abandoned its curtain twitching for the day to devote a page to it.
The facts are undeniable. Twenty eight million people in America abandoned the Internet during the course of 1999 and surveys about Net use are finding they need a new category -- "former Internet user" -- to give an accurate picture of surfing habits. Academics put this down variously to the cost of getting online, frustration at the constant stream of ads and general commercialisation of the Net and a desire to get the hell out of cyberspace and back into the real world.
In many ways the Internet was bound to become a victim of its own success. The hype surrounding it has gathered into a huge snowball, threatening to wipe out those who stand in its way and leaving those who haven't added their own snow to the ball feeling decidedly left out in the cold.
Managing directors who went into the year 2000 without an Internet strategy stood like a child in the playground without a pair of Nikes -- uncool, friendless, strange and dated.
The government got cross with businesses, even say, Mike the baker from Walton-under-Lyme who did not have wired up PCs, email accounts and all the other paraphernalia of the digital revolution to get his bread products online.
But as the year progressed the success of Internet companies began to wane. Dot-com collapses became as common as a cold and those still maintaining share price or profitability started seriously to consider brick-and-mortar strategies to prop up their faltering online businesses. Being online was no longer cool so much as uncertain and those happy souls who began the year with the promise of thousands of pounds worth of shares, ended it with not quite enough money to buy a king-size Mars Bar.
In the summer ISPs did their utmost to destroy the reputation of the Internet, promising free-for-life access deals and following them with terrible connections, huge queues and services that went from free to not-at-all-free overnight.
If cost was not enough of a barrier, content has also not exactly had a great year. Free stuff like Napster and Scour excited plenty of interest but by the autumn the record companies decided to end the fun and make music fans pay.
Porn has continued to dominate the headlines and more and more horror stories of prowling cyber paedophiles have emerged.
Companies like Boo who attempted to do something different with e-commerce found that there was still a hell of a lot of things that were hard to do, given the limitations of Net technology and the slowness of most people's connections.
At the same time fears over privacy and security failed to be quashed.
So it should come as no surprise to us that people are failing to see the point of the Internet. If you don't need access to a huge online encyclopaedia, if you don't fancy trying to buy a cheapish CD online, if you don't enjoy watching jerky videos of hardcore porn, then you might be right to question why you need a Net connection. Unlike TV (how many times have you heard the phrase "former TV watcher") the Internet is still dispensable.
Except of course for email.
And the fact that email is the only application ever to deserve the monicker "Killer App" means it is far too early to be writing the Web's obituary. Email is so much a part of everyday life that it is hard to imagine how we communicated without it. It is as necessary to us as our mobile phones and our ready meals. Of course many people have abandoned their home email accounts in favour of their work ones, which will do nothing to help the statistics about home Internet use, but I am of the school of thought which suggests emailing at work is living on borrowed time.
Employers are getting more and more twitchy about the implications of the joke email which turns into a law suit or the gigabytes of porn being shared and goggled at by employees while they should be concentrating on their spreadsheets. I would not be in the least bit surprised if email for pleasure was not banned from the workplace altogether. And then we will be returning to our home PC in droves to check out our mail.
We must also remember that the Internet is still very much a baby and the toddler version promises to be a whole lot more sophisticated. Broadband connections will give us faster, always-on connections (and for the porn lovers out there end forever the jerky video of narrowband). We won't be tied to our PCs either as the Net is about to cut its umbilical cord to the PC and venture out into the wireless world.
So those abandoning the Internet before it has even learnt to walk are making a big mistake, and I urge you all to get back on the bandwagon. It may not always be going in the right direction but the alternative means being left in the real world. Which soon will be a very dull place to be.
Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Click on the TalkBack button and go to the ZDNet News forum.
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom. And read other letters.


text:
4. Owner of dealership Marcel del Arbol at computer
5. SOUNDBITE (German) Marcel del Arbol, car dealership owner:
"The prices (for diesel cars), as well as the demand, are going down rapidly. The demand partially went down over 90 percent, the prices are down too - I would say around 25 percent. What happened today will bring down the prices even more. We have to wait and see where the demand is going, but I would say that it will come to a stop in sales. The trend was already there and it will go down even more."
6. Cutaway of cars
7. SOUNDBITE (German) Marcel del Arbol, car dealership owner:
"Used (diesel) cars can only be sold to eastern Europe, but only the used diesel cars that are a bit newer, Euro 4.5 or 6 (referring to European emission standards). But they (eastern Europeans) are buying for less, as the market is getting bigger all the time because there are more and more vehicles on the market. I always advise diesel drivers to keep driving their cars if they don't have to sell - a loss is only a loss after a sale. It's like on a Stock Exchange when equities are going down. I would drive a good car if I had it, I wouldn't burn the money. I tell them to keep driving, and let's see what happens. You still have a good car."
8. Cutaway pan of cars
9. SOUNDBITE (German) Marcel del Arbol, car dealership owner:
"We have to take a car. We cannot tell our clients 'we will not take your car,' but there is a deduction, and after today's verdict we have to recalculate that deduction. We are not that far just yet, but I think it will have to be another 10-15 percent that we have to deduct "
A German court ruled on Tuesday that cities can impose driving bans on diesel cars to combat air pollution, a decision that could affect millions of drivers and the country's powerful auto industry.
The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig rejected an appeal brought by two German states against lower court decisions that suggested driving bans for particularly dirty diesel cars would be effective and should be considered.
Environmental campaigners had sued dozens of German cities, arguing that they have a duty to cut excessive air pollution to protect people's health.
Diesel cars emit nitrogen oxide, or NOx, that causes respiratory illnesses and thousands of premature deaths annually.
Officials warn it would be an administrative nightmare to enforce bans only on certain vehicles.
Judges said the two cities at the centre of the case — Stuttgart and Duesseldorf — can include diesel bans in their clean air plans, but have to ensure that any measures are proportionate to the goal of reducing emissions to the legal limit.
The ruling also foresees transition periods for the introduction of diesel bans.
Marcel del Arbol, who owns a car dealership in Frankfurt, said he has already seen a sharp decline in demand for used diesel vehicles, with prices dropping as a result.
He said he foresees a further plummeting in prices, and has urged existing diesel owners to continue driving their cars rather than trade them in and incur a considerable loss.
In a blow to car owners, presiding judge Andreas Korbmacher said cities won't be required to compensate drivers for being unable to use their diesel cars.
The value of diesel vehicles already took a severe hit when carmaker Volkswagen was found three years ago to have used in-car software to cheat on US diesel emissions tests.
The discovery resulted in large fines and costly buybacks for Volkswagen in the United States.
The German government has refrained from making automakers pay for selling cars with higher-than-advertised emissions.
But in a bid to avert driving bans, the government recently proposed several measures to reduce harmful emissions that included subsidising public transport and physically upgrading millions of vehicles.
Pollution , Environmental concerns , Environment , Environment and nature , Pollution laws and regulations , Pollution laws and regulations , Environmental laws and regulations , Government regulations , Government and politics , Environmental laws and regulations , Air pollution , Air quality , Air pollution , Automotive industry regulation , Industry regulation , Government business and finance , Business , Government business and finance , Industry regulation , Court decisions , Legal proceedings , Law and order , General news , Driving laws and regulations , Emissions reduction , Automobile dealing , Automotive services , Consumer services , Consumer products and services


text:
La Fageda is one of the most visible faces of the social economy in Catalonia. Forty years after it was founded, this foundation is one of the main employment engines for people with disabilities in the Girona area. It employs 550 people, of which 358 work as salaried employees and the rest in employment and job placement centers.
"We have managed to maintain employment despite the difficulties we have experienced during the last two years," celebrates Sílvia Domènech, deputy general director of La Fageda. The entity, she explains, is suffering from problems in the supply chain, the crisis in the Catalan dairy sector and, above all, the rise in prices of energy and raw materials. “The current crisis has forced us to pass on a third of the rise in production costs to the consumer. But the measure has not been enough. In 2022, we will once again register red numbers”, laments Domènech, who recalls that the foundation is not for profit and that it always reinvests the profits in the business.
Regarding turnover, Domènech estimates that it will remain stable at 28 million euros. The majority (80%) will come from the sale of yogurt and other products linked to desserts, a division that has grown by 7% due to the rise in prices. The remaining 20% is distributed among the other divisions of the group: jam production, farm activity and gardening services (they were the seed of the entire group in 1982). In addition, La Fageda also manages a residential center that cares for 70 people with disabilities, a job placement center and a training center.
Due to the current difficulties, La Fageda has slowed down large investments in recent years and, for this same reason, it is also ruling out large operations in 2023. In any case, the foundation will continue to increase the references in its catalogue, this time in the category of ice cream and lactose-free products, and will also increase its geographical presence in Valencia. With this strategy, the entity expects to bill 30 million euros in 2023. The sales model will continue to be based on distribution to supermarkets and communities such as hospitals, schools and companies (20%).
The foundation's business will continue to be supervised by the board of trustees, made up of nine members. Among them, the founder, Cristóbal Colón, president and general director, accompanied by a series of businessmen and academics linked to the social economy, stands out.


text:
Did Taylor Swift and BFF Hailee Steinfeld get denied from an L.A. eatery?
Reports surfaced earlier today that the "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer and her actress pal recently tried grabbing a bite to eat at celebrity favorite Venice restaurant Gjelina, only to be turned away because the establishment was too busy.
However, a source tells E! News that this story is completely false. According to the insider, Swift and Steinfeld were shopping and had already been to eat. "They never even stopped by there," the source says.
It is hard to believe that the 23-year-old music superstar and 16-year-old Oscar nominee couldn't get a seat at any restaurant in L.A., right?
Meanwhile, Swift and Steinfeld stepped out for some shopping yesterday in West Hollywood. Swift sported a tunic dress and tan hat while Steinfeld wore a long dark maxi dress and sunglasses.
Swift was also spotted out and about earlier this week shopping at The Grove mall in L.A.


text:
Created by a college kid in 2009, and launched on Reddit with no corporate funding, Imgur soon became popular on a large scale and as some have noticed the untapped potential in it for brands once they’re ready to offer appreciated content for users.
For more than 400 million monthly users and a growing number of advertisers, Instagram is adding an algorithm that reorders pictures and videos in users' feeds based on their interests. It's a move marketers say was inevitable.
Facebook Atlas, the social platform's ad server is getting a few extremely useful updates.
The Summer Olympics are more than five months away, however new sponsorship regulations will soon let advertisers break from the pack of the Olympic ad arena.
Despite its obsession with the new and innovative, the beauty industry has remained surprisingly stagnant over the past half century, with 70 percent of the $60 billion makeup market still under the control of just 10 conglomerates.


text:
McDonald’s Corp. is experiencing a stock rally that is propelling it towards a potential record close, marking its first in seven months. This positive momentum comes despite concerns on Wall Street regarding declining sales and traffic, set against an uncertain macroeconomic backdrop.
Wells Fargo analyst Zachary Fadem addressed the prevailing apprehensions in the market, highlighting growing fears among investors that McDonald’s may fall short of fourth-quarter same-store sales expectations. Factors contributing to this anxiety include escalating tensions in the Middle East and an increasingly promotional environment within the quick-service restaurant industry.
Fadem acknowledged the heightened caution among investors, particularly concerning the potential deceleration of year-over-year growth in same-store sales, given the robust performance witnessed in the previous year. Additionally, concerns were raised about the anticipated negative prospects for traffic growth in 2024.
In contrast to these concerns, Fadem's research indicates that trends for McDonald's improved throughout the fourth quarter. Despite the mixed sentiment among investors, he emphasized that the stock is reasonably valued based on historical price-to-earnings ratios. Fadem expressed optimism about the stock's setup, considering these factors.
McDonald’s stock, trading under the symbol MCD, showed a 2.2% increase in afternoon trading, edging closer to achieving its first-ever close above $300. The current record close stands at $298.41, attained on June 30, 2023.
The company is slated to report its fourth-quarter results in early February. The FactSet consensus for same-store sales growth is 5%, down from 8.8% in the third quarter and 11.7% in the second quarter. This represents less than half the 12.6% growth observed a year ago. Despite the anticipated deceleration, McDonald’s has consistently surpassed same-store sales expectations in the past 11 quarters and 17 of the last 20 quarters.
Fadem also expressed positivity about McDonald's restaurant growth, projecting an increase of 4% to 5%, a notable development "for the first time in recent memory." He believes that Wall Street may be overlooking the long-term positive impact on McDonald's results stemming from this growth. This optimism is rooted in the significant investments made by the company over the past decade to enhance the productivity of new stores. Fadem sees the return on investment for new units as more favorable now than it has been in over a decade.
While McDonald’s stock is reaching towards a potential record, other players in the industry, such as Restaurant Brands International Inc. and Jack in the Box Inc., exhibit varied performances. Shares of Restaurant Brands International inched up 0.1%, while Jack in the Box rose 1.8% but remained 36.3% below its record close of $122.64 in May 2021.
In the broader market context, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, of which McDonald's stock is a component, surged 407 points, or 1.1%, towards a potential record close, further underlining the positive momentum across various sectors.
As a leading independent research provider, TradeAlgo keeps you connected from anywhere.


text:
Pop producer Pete Waterman, who has also carved out a role for himself in the world of train modelling and railway preservation, has sold 56 pristine models at auction for thousands of pounds.
Two of the 56 models went for a hammer price of £100,000 each, while another went for £85,000 - but the total with buyers premium is still to be confirmed.
As the world's leading collector and patron of modellers, Mr Waterman decided to sell what amounts to around a tenth of his collection in order to raise enough money to secure the future of Waterman Railway Heritage Trust, which holds his collection of full-size steam engines, housed at sites around the country.
Mr Waterman has been collecting for 56 years, starting at the age of 11 when he paid around £8 - twice the going rate - for a rare engine that had gone out of production 20 years earlier.
The music producer said he was born next to a railway line and his first job in 1962 was on a railway.
Speaking about the extent of his interest, Mr Waterman said: "There is not one minute I'm not playing trains."


text:
LONDON — Carmaker Tesla will increase its prices in the UK for some vehicles by 5% on January 1, 2017 — its second price hike in the UK following the country’s vote to leave the EU.
Tesla sent an email on December 21 to people who had registered to receive news on the company and its cars in the UK. “We will be increasing our UK prices for custom orders by 5% on 1st January 2017,” the email read.
The price rise doesn’t apply to cars that are already in Tesla showrooms or pre-owned vehicles.
It’s not just the UK that sees price rises for Teslas, though. The company upped the price of the Tesla Model S in the US by $2,000 (£1,620) on November 22. And it raised the price of the same car in Europe back in 2014.
International companies regularly update the prices of their products in different regions to keep up with currency fluctuations. Apple increased the prices of its MacBook Pro laptops in the UK in October, raising the price of its cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro from £999 to £1,499, for example. Why? Well, the pound has fallen around 15% from its pre-referendum high against the dollar. That means that US companies that do their accounting in dollars need to adjust prices to make sure they don’t lose out.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s the full email sent by Tesla to people in the UK:
I’m aware we have been in frequent contact with you lately so please excuse another message. We have just received some information that we need to share with you – due to currency ﬂuctuations we will be increasing our UK prices for custom orders by 5% on 1st January 2017. Prices on showroom and pre-owned cars will remain ﬁxed at current prices and unlimited free Supercharging is still available for any Tesla ordered before 31st December 2016.
We appreciate you may not be looking for a new Tesla but you may be speaking to friends and family about utilising your referral code to join the Tesla family. Our customers are our best sales people after all!”
Business Insider Emails & Alerts
Site highlights each day to your inbox.


text:
STAR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corporation and Asia’s leading media and entertainment company, has announced the launch of four new South Asian channels on Comcast’s Spokane, Washington area cable platform. The channels – Star Plus, Star One, Star News, and Star Gold – will now be available to Comcast customers to create a robust Hindi entertainment package.
The XMudra reunion, which took place on September 18 in Mumbai, saw several eminent people from the industry come together to celebrate the pleasant memories of the past years. It was an evening of walking down memory lane with numerous stories, a lot more catching up and a live band performance.
In the current times when the marketers are trying to stretch every rupee spent on marketing and have to cope with budget cuts, ‘No Money Marketing’, a booked penned by Jessie Paul is very well timed. The book was launched by NR Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies, who shared his views on no money or frugal marketing.
WAN-IFRA, the world association of newspaper and news publishers, is organising its second IFRA Expo India 2009 in Chennai. On the occasion of the inaugural ceremony of the conference on September 23, WAN-IFRA’s annual report on ‘World Press Trends’ with the split edition of Asian trends will be officially released.
Skincare sector advertising in print was up 3 per cent during January-July ’09 as compared to January-July ’08. Moisturising lotion/ creams with 26 per cent share led the skincare sector advertising in print during this period. Joy Cosmetics was the top advertiser among skincare brands in print during January-July ’09.


text:
PlayStation 3 games have reportedly been spotted on the PS4 store.
According to GameInformer, the PS3 games can be found under the Day-1 Digital section of the PS4 PlayStation Store.
Titles such as Dead Island Riptide, Ben 10 Omniverse, and MX vs ATV Alive are listed as free, but can't be downloaded to accounts.
Users can instead view images, trailers, ratings and an overview from each game's product page.
The listings have been linked to PlayStation Now testing on PS4.
PlayStation Now recently started trialling video game rentals as part of its beta.
Rental options include one-day, seven-day and 30-day loans. The rental period begins when users start a new game.
PlayStation Now is pencilled in for a summer launch in North America. A European roll-out is expected to take place in 2015.
Watch Digital Spy go hands-on with PlayStation Now below:


text:
Musician, producer and TV personality Will.i.am has decided he can do better than the likes of Samsung when it comes to the smartwatch market.
He showed off his own smartwatch this past weekend, getting in a good couple of plugs on The Voice (where he's a judge) and Alan Carr's chat show.
The major selling point for his device – which is a black plastic band with a compact screen – is the fact that it's a self-contained unit with no need for a supporting phone.
Most smartwatch devices have to be wirelessly hooked up to a smartphone, and work in tandem with the phone, acting as a wrist-based portal for your handset's notifications and so forth. Will.i.am's smartwatch (or should that be "smart.wat.ch"?) is standalone and can be used to make calls itself.
Will told Alan Carr: "There's a lot of these smartwatches that need a phone. Mine doesn't need a phone. This is the phone."
Exactly what you'll look like making a phone call and talking into your wristwatch, though, is another matter...
On the chat show, he demonstrated using the watch to dial a number – but not to make a call as such – and play some music. The only visible shot of the UI showed a circular icon, a bit like Cortana, and Will navigated with the expected swipes.
He also stressed social media support – whereupon Alan Carr asked him if the device told the time...
Apparently this gadget is scheduled to launch in July – and maybe with his name backing it, the watch could just succeed in terms of overcoming the "geek" factor which has held smartwatches back to a major extent. It looks reasonably slick, but then again, it will have competition from Android Wear devices like the Moto 360 which are also set to raise the bar in terms of smartwatch desirability for the mass market.


text:
In celebration of Disney’s Frozen Fan Fest, the LEGO Group has revealed brand new building sets inspired by the much-anticipated film Frozen 2, in theaters November 22.
Based on scenes from the movie, our construction toys feature new characters as well as those we know and love including Anna, Elsa and Olaf.
The new building sets will be available beginning October 4th.
Here is a look at the remaining items that are coming out from Lego for Frozen 2.
For more information visit Lego.com
Follow Chip and Co on Instagram @chipandco or on Twitter @chipandcompany
Watch our latest Youtube Videos here.
Disclaimer - As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.