text:
Lenovo will launch its new flagship P2 smartphone in India exclusively via Flipkart on Wednesday, January 11. The price of the phone is yet to be unveiled.
Earlier this month, the smartphone’s launch in India was teased on Twitter. The smartphone was first unveiled earlier last year at IFA 2016 and has so far been launched in several other regions, including China.
In China, the phone’s 4GB LPDDR4 RAM variant with 64GB of inbuilt storage has been made available so far, while other regions around the world have both the 3GB and 4GB LPDDR3 RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage.
According to reports, both variants of the phone will be made available in India.
Lenovo P2 comes with 3GB or 4GB of LPDDR3 RAM options. The dual-SIM smartphone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box, and has a 5.5-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display. The phone is powered by a 2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 processor. The smartphone comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with a Sony IMX258 sensor and a 5-megapixel camera at front for taking selfies.
The phone has a unibody metal design and comes with either 32GB or 64GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). In terms of connectivity options, the Lenovo P2 offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.1, and FM radio. Color variants include Champagne Gold and Graphite Grey.
The price of the phone is yet to be revealed, but the previous in the P series of Lenovo was priced Rs 15,999 when it launched.


text:
The new £20m custom-built multi-storey car park will service Belfast Harbour’s £275m, mixed-use City Quays development, as well as providing convenient parking for guests at the AC by Marriott Hotel. What’s more, commuters to Northern Ireland’s capital city and visitors to nearby areas – including the popular Odyssey Area – will also be able to take advantage of the safe and secure parking facilities.
This announcement comes after NCP committed to significantly expanding its property portfolio, setting its sights on city centre location across the UK. City Quays is NCP’s third car park in Belfast city centre and the company continues to actively seek new sites and contracts across Northern Ireland.
Lee Holland, Property Director at NCP, said: “The City Quays development has transformed the Belfast waterfront, quickly establishing itself as a commercial and leisure hub for the City. As such, there is a real need for parking facilities that meet the needs of its many visitors. At NCP, we believe that by working closely with property owners and developers themselves, we’re able to create an overall experience – whether in retail, parking or commercial – that is consistently premium and puts the customer first throughout. We hope that this partnership marks the start of a strong relationship with Belfast Harbour Commissioners and the next step in expanding our property portfolio throughout Northern Ireland.”
Graeme Johnston, Belfast Harbour Property Director said: “We are delighted to be starting 2019 with the opening of the new car park at City Quays. Belfast Harbour has always known that providing high quality parking facilities was essential for occupiers and to the ongoing development of City Quays and we’re pleased that these new facilities are now open for business. City Quays counts well-known businesses such as Baker McKenzie, TPiCAP, UTV and U105 among its existing tenants and is also home to the AC Hotel by Marriott. We are sure that all of our tenants and visitors will benefit from this latest investment.”
The striking blue-finned new car park, designed by RPP Architects, utilises ticketless ANPR technology and offers a pre-book service, helping to provide customers with a seamless parking experience. What’s more, the site also supports NCP’s account-based payment solution, ParkPass. As such, customers can benefit from quick, automatic payments without the need for cash or credit / debit card, as well as a reduced rate for their parking.

domain: news


text:
This is a good start of the 2020 for Omni3D – in January the company signed a contract with the first reseller in Saudi Arabia – the FDIND Future Dimensions Company, and started selling industrial 3D printers on completely new export markets. Saudi Arabia is a completely new and very promising area for the Polish manufacturer of industrial 3D printers. Exactly a year ago, in January 2019, the first 3D printed house was built there. What’s more, the Saudi authorities announced the further use of 3D printing technology in subsequent infrastructure projects.
Tomasz Graniec – Export Manager at Omni3D says:
FDIND is our first reseller in the region and we hope for dynamic development. I’m convinced that our passion and experience will allow us to achieve success and strengthen the image of the Omni3D brand in the world.
The Future Dimensions Company (FDIND) is a comprehensive provider of 3D printing services in Saudi Arabia. Provides services in the aviation, civil and architectural industries. The FDIND company from Saudi Arabia has become the 19th active reseller of the Omni3D company.
Find out more about Omni3D industrial machines and aplications at www.omni3d.com.


text:
The price of gas headed higher yet again today -- no surprise there -- but now analysts are wondering if $4 a gallon gas will be the national average before long.
The AP reports today that the price of a gallon of unleaded passed $3.51 today, setting a new record, while diesel prices rose to a new record of $4.20 a gallon.
"I wouldn't rule out the possibility that we could get to $4," analyst Antoine Halff told the news service.
The current spiral of prices is, er, fueled by high demand and the fall in the value of the dollar. It's a rough lesson for consumers as prices for everything are rising, especially food, because of transportation costs.
Consumers may be responding in a grass-roots way, however. Cars.com's latest survey of shoppers reports that $4-a-gallon gas for an extended period of time would be enough for 85 percent of consumers surveyed to buy a more fuel-efficient car. Already, the Cars.com survey found, 80 percent of drivers are making sure they do everything to squeeze more miles from each gallon of gas, like properly inflating their vehicle's tires.
What do shoppers think qualifies as a "fuel-efficient" vehicle? Some 73 percent of those polled by the Cars.com survey said 30 miles per gallon would be a good starting point -- and 60 percent said they'd pay $2000 extra for a 40-mpg vehicle. Twenty-one percent said they wouldn't pay any more, though.
It's easy to see the effect of high gas prices on the wallet. But TheCarConnection wants to know -- what are you doing to save money and boost your fuel economy? Tell us in a comment below and let us know if $4 a gallon gas would get you to trade in your guzzler for a sipper.


text:
As a parent, I would call this a mixed report card.
Here’s the good news: Our latest figures on UK credit cards from the FICO® Benchmark Reporting Service show that the percentage of student card accounts that have two-cycle balances reached a two-year low in May 2014, before rising slightly in June. The percentage of two-cycle balances to total balances followed this trend as well.
The risk is more pronounced for established student card accounts, which have been on the books for one to five years, than for veteran accounts, which have been on the books for five or more years. The established vintage produced double the percentage of two-cycle accounts compared to veteran accounts, as well as a higher percentage of two-cycle balance to total balance – 1.42 percent compared to 0.63 percent.
As my Fair Isaac Advisors colleague Stacey West notes, “Financial institutions have an opportunity to improve collections results even more by tailoring strategies based on age of account and other metrics and applying adaptive -control methodologies to refine treatments.”
Now, here’s the bad news: Average two-cycle balances on student cards are going up. Having fallen from £533 in June 2012 to £521 a year later, they have now hit £733, a 40 percent increase in just one year.
We also found differences here between established and veteran accounts. Two-cycle account balances for veteran student cards averaged £1,027, more than twice as much as the average for established cards, £469. Again, this suggests that card issuers should prioritize treatment based in part on vintage.
The percentage of UK student cards that were over their credit limit also rose in June, for the first time since November 2012.
We recommend UK card issuers look at their limit increase offers to ensure they are targeted at cardholders most likely to use the extra credit, and who can afford to take on extra credit. Card issuers can also review the performance of accounts that go marginally overlimit, to determine whether some segment of these accounts should get limit increases, which would remove them from their out-of-order position.
And for regulatory compliance, issuers should focus limit increases only on consumers who can afford to take on the extra credit.
Limit increases are a good area for FICO TRIAD Customer Manager’s champion / challenger testing to identify the appropriate account treatment.
The card performance figures are part of the data shared with subscribers of the FICO® Benchmark Reporting Service, which compares overall market performance in the UK cards market with individual card issuers’ performance. For information on the FICO Benchmark Reporting Service, contact Stacey West at email@example.com.


text:
Capitalk Reporter/ The Herald |  1 year ago | business
Government has lowered duty for people with free funds to import basic groceries, as one of the measures to contain price rises of basic commodities triggered by manufacturers and importers that have been pushing up wholesale prices.
In addition, farmers who deliver their produce to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) will now be paid 30 percent of their crop in United States dollars as part of a cocktail of incentives to encourage early delivery of grain and ensure Zimbabwe maximises local production and minimises food imports. Up to now, all grain deliveries were being paid for, in local currency.
The new measures were announced by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube who said government had been seized with various initiatives aimed at stabilising the economy.
These measures include the desire to contain inflationary pressures, and restore the purchasing power of the local currency, with the primary goal being to increase the domestic and external competitiveness of the economy, and create and preserve jobs.
The measures were also meant to improve livelihoods while limiting damage to the economy, particularly in the face of Covid-19 and more recently, the impact of the geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe.
Commenting on the new measures, Parliament’s Budget and Finance portfolio committee chairperson Dr. Mathew Nyashanu commended government for coming up with a cocktail of measures to stabilise the economy.
Legislative assemblies urged to promote inclusivity, tolerance for betterment of electorate 2 months ago |Read More


text:
Gadget Guard is now offering Black Ice screen protectors for the new Apple Watch Series 6 and Watch SE and the new iPad Pro, Air and 8th Generation.
The North Salt Lake company is offering free priority shipping for all new purchases for a limited time.
Ryan McCaughey, CTO for parent company Penumbra Brands, said in a prepared statement about the offering:
These new Apple devices are major investments and should be protected as such. Gadget Guard is committed to making sure the newest generation of devices don’t break.
Black Ice Flex is specifically developed for the most advanced screens, including the Series 6 and SE watches, a press release stated. The unbreakable screen protector comes with an easy-to-use alignment and installation tool for foolproof installation.
RELATED: Screen protection offered by Gadget Guard for new Galaxy Note20, Note20 Ultra 5G phones


text:
Nokia 2 has been spotted on the AnTuTu benchmarks revealing most of the specifications of the device. Nokia 2 is expected to be announced at the Nokia launch event held in New Delhi, India on 31st October and will be the lowest priced smartphone to join the Nokia smartphone family. Recently, Nokia 2 also passed the WiFi and Bluetooth certifications,
The specifications of Nokia 2 are similar to the earlier leaks. The listing shows the model name as Nokia TA-1035. According to the AnTuTu listing, Nokia 2 will be powered by a Snapdragon 212 processor and Adreno 304 GPU. The phone will come with 1GB RAM and 8GB Storage which is common for the phones in the budget price segment.
Coming to the display, Nokia 2 will feature a 720×1280 HD Display of an unknown size. I would assume the Display size of Nokia 2 to be around 5 inches. Nokia 2 will have a 8MP Rear Camera and a 5MP Front camera. To keep the device running, Nokia 2 will come with a big 4000mAh battery as per earlier leaks.
The listing also shows the OS running on Nokia 2 as Android 7.1.1 Nougat and not the lightweight version of Android Oreo which I was looking forward to. Nokia mobile launch event is just a few days away and we will soon find out more about the Nokia 2 once it is officially launched.
Stay Tuned. :)


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Urban Outfitters under fire for yet another offensive T-shirt
For the second time in less than a month, Urban Outfitters has come under fire for an offensive article of clothing. This time it was a women's T-shirt depicting the word "Depression."
It comes on the heels (no pun intended) of a firestorm over socks featuring the Hindu deity Ganesh.
In both cases people flocked to Twitter to express their disgust with the retailer for being insensitive. And in both cases, the company removed the articles of clothing from its store and website.
Many on Twitter compared the "Depression" T-shirt to an Urban Outfitters women's T-shirt that said simply "Eat Less." That too was pulled from the shelves a while back.
"Hey everyone, we hear you and we are taking the shirt down from the site," the Philadelphia-based global retailer said on Twitter on Sunday. It later tweeted: "For those asking, the tee was designed by a small brand named Depression."
Urban Outfitters is hardly a stranger to controversial fashion. It came under fire for T-shirts that changed the Irish-pride statement Erin Go Bragh to "Erin Go F Yourself," and who could forget the shirt that came in the color "Obama/Black"?
When will urban outfitters stop making mental illnesses a fashion statement? pic.twitter.com/0Gk0ARYDyf— Eduardo (@EndBullyinNow) January 5, 2014
Hey everyone, we hear you and we are taking the shirt down from the site.— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) January 5, 2014
For those asking, the tee was designed by a small brand named Depression and we are no longer selling it on our site. http://t.co/my3AKjV0D5— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) January 5, 2014
Urban Outfitters have made a depression t-shirt. Well done, you've made it even harder for people genuinely suffering to be taken seriously.— chloe (@yeshomo_) January 5, 2014
Lost all respect for @UrbanOutfitters for even thinking about & creating the depression designed shirt. Lost some valued customers with that— han † (@Oh_HeyHannah) January 6, 2014
Jared Shelly is the digital producer of the Philadelphia Business Journal.
- Most popular
- It's here: The 2015 Philadelphia Business Journal 40 Under 40!
- Developers plan 32-story apartment building in Washington Square
- Exclusive: Liberty plots major development at Great Valley
- Philadelphia-area law school will split in two
- Plans for Stockton AC campus may fall through amid legal woes
- Blue Bell tech company to hire more than 40 by end of year
- Philadelphia is overpriced, according to Forbes
- 130 to be added for new KOP Mall restaurant
- Staffing concerns for pope’s visit include a need for 10K volunteers
- Investigators: Cooper CEO killed wife, self
Customer Service Representative, Trunk and Retail Specialist LAGOS | Philadelphia, PA
Audience Development Director Philadephia Business Journal | Philadelphia, PA
ACCOUNTING MANAGER FOX Architects | Mc Lean, VA
Lead, HIM Main Line Health System | Broomall, PA
Store Manager Turkey Hill Minit Markets | Stowe, PA


text:
L.L.Bean is opening four new stores in Canada this year as the U.S. retailer continues to grow its customer base north of the border.
And one of them in landing in Burnaby.
The Freeport, Maine, company says the new stores will be in Dartmouth, N.S., Calgary, Victoria and Burnaby.
The L.L.Bean website lists the store as moving into the new Amazing Brentwood shopping mall in October 2021.
It’s yet another score for the Brentwood expansion, which has Nike, the Sporting Life as well as Adidas – which just opened a huge store on Saturday. The mall is also getting such fashion retailers as SuitSupply, H&M and Urban Outfitters.
L.L.Bean says it has seen continued success in Canada since launching its Canadian e-commerce website in 2018, opening its first brick-and-mortar store in the country a year later.
The outdoor clothing and recreation equipment company, which currently has four stores in Ontario, says it doubled its customer base in Canada in 2020 alone.
Meanwhile, the company says it's also seeing a significant increase in sales this year.
It says its year-to-date highlights include a 500 per cent spike in demand for outdoor furniture, a 400 per cent increase in standup paddleboard sales and a 360 per cent increase in sales of its adventure duffel bags.
“Despite the hurdles that the pandemic presented, in 2020 we successfully opened three new L.L.Bean retail locations in Ontario and saw strong overall performance in the Canadian market,” Howie Kastner, president of Jaytex Group, L.L.Bean’s Canadian partner, said in a statement.
“This continued success speaks to the inherent love of the outdoors and eagerness for new adventures that Canadian customers share with the brand. We look forward to continuing to explore opportunities across Canada and support this growing customer base.”
- With files from the Canadian Press


text:
US chip maker Micron states a ban on selling to Chinese organizations functioning on critical infrastructure jobs could expense it as considerably as a “high single digit” share of its annual profits.
Beijing introduced the sanctions on Sunday, in a main escalation of an ongoing fight amongst the world’s leading two economies more than obtain to very important engineering.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) explained the enterprise experienced failed to pass a cybersecurity assessment. The information came soon after the shut of the Group of 7 (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan, where leaders of important democracies spoke in just one voice on their rising worries over China.
“The evaluation observed that Micron’s merchandise have comparatively severe cybersecurity threats, which pose sizeable safety challenges to China’s critical details infrastructure offer chain and would affect nationwide safety,” the Chinese regulator reported in a statement.
As a consequence, operators concerned in domestic significant data infrastructure tasks should really quit paying for products and solutions from Micron, it explained.
Shares of Micron Know-how
(MU) sank about 3% Monday. Its Asian rivals had finished the day bigger. Shares of Chinese memory chip maker Ingenic Semiconductor jumped 2.8%. Shenzhen Techwinsemi Technology surged 6.3%. Toyou Feiji Electronics soared 14%. In Seoul, SK Hynix, 1 of the world’s major memory chip makers, obtained .9%, outperforming the South Korean market place.
The Chinese regulator’s determination arrived seven months right after it kicked off a cybersecurity evaluation of Micron’s merchandise, in clear retaliation towards sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies on China’s chip sector.
Micron is 1 of the major memory chip makers in the United States. It derives much more than 10% of its earnings from mainland China.
The corporation advised CNN that it experienced gained the regulator’s observe and was evaluating its subsequent techniques.
“We glimpse ahead to continuing to have interaction in conversations with Chinese authorities,” it stated in a assertion.
Micron’s main monetary officer, Mark Murphy, stated separately on Monday that the organization was unclear what security problems Beijing experienced. He explained the firm is evaluating what portion of its income could be impacted.
“We are now estimating a assortment of effect in the small one digits percent of our enterprise full profits at the minimal conclusion and higher solitary-digit proportion of overall corporation revenue at the higher stop,” he reported at a meeting.
The US Commerce Office claimed it firmly opposed the constraints that “have no basis in point.”
“This action, along with latest raids and targeting of other American companies, is inconsistent with [China’s] assertions that it is opening its marketplaces and fully commited to a clear regulatory framework,” a spokesperson of the department mentioned in a statement.
The US State Division in the same way explained it has “very severe concerns” about the ban.
“The Department of Commerce is partaking immediately with the PRC to make our check out distinct, and broadly, this action seems inconsistent with the PRC’s assertions that it is open for company and fully commited to a clear regulatory framework,” US State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller reported Monday.
On Sunday, China’s Overseas Ministry accused G7 leaders of “hindering intercontinental peace” and reported the team necessary to “reflect on its behavior and change training course.”
In a landmark joint communique Saturday, G7 member international locations experienced manufactured the group’s most detailed articulation of a shared place on China to date — stressing the want to cooperate with the world’s 2nd-most significant financial state, but also to counter its “malign practices” and “coercion.” in a landmark joint communique Saturday.
Since Oct 2022, Washington has imposed sweeping export curbs on superior chips and chip-earning gear to China, in an attempt to reduce off China’s obtain to important technological innovation for military needs.
In March, Japan and the Netherlands, equally key US allies, also introduced constraints on overseas sales of chip-creating technological know-how to international locations including China. China has strongly criticized the restrictions, labeling them “discriminatory containment” directed at the nation.
Chips are at the middle of Beijing’s bid to become a tech superpower. China has its individual chip manufacturers, but they provide mainly very low- to mid-end processors made use of in household appliances and electric vehicles.
The semiconductor battle is element of a expanding divide among the United States and China. In modern several years, relations in between the two have reached their least expensive degree in a long time.
Tensions escalated this 12 months following a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by US fighter jets in February and Beijing continued to deepen its ties with Russia despite its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Nonetheless, US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he envisioned ties among the two nations around the world to make improvements to before long.
“I believe you are gonna see that start off to thaw pretty soon,” Biden informed a news meeting at the stop of the Team of 7 summit in Japan.
He reported he experienced agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November to preserve communications open up, but that all the things adjusted soon after a “silly balloon that was carrying two freight vehicles worth of spying equipment” was shot down.
“We are not on the lookout to decouple from China,” he said. “We are looking to de-danger and diversify our marriage with China.”
— CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Jennifer Hansler and Saba Haroon contributed to this report


text:
He was immortalised in biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and, to his fans, will live on forever in his music. And now, a dad and son near Bristol have found their own way to memorialise Queen frontman Freddie Mercury - by selling replicas of his head to fans around the globe.
Tom and Grant Mackenzie have won a million pound export deal making busts of the music legend, which they bill on their website as a "limited edition gift for the ultimate fan".
The pair - who run sculpture firm Mackenzie & Son - have agreed the deal with merchandising company Bravado in the United States, and all the profits from the sales will go towards the fight against AIDS, which claimed Freddie's life in 1991.
The company, based in Olveston, near Bristol, created the first bust of Freddie Mercury last year specially for the premiere of Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
That bust is now on display at the Queen Studio Experience in Montreux, Switzerland, after being donated to the band’s trust.
But a US merchandising firm are now selling more copies of the bust online to Queen fans who want their own sculpture of the head of Freddie Mercury.
A 16in bust costs £3,700 excluding VAT, with the 12in version coming in at £1,875, also excluding VAT.
All the profits from the sales will be going to the band’s charity, the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which fights AIDS worldwide.
It’s the huge contract for the firm, which normally does one-off commissions.
The firm only started up in 2017, and has developed a unique process which combines traditional hand-crafting and sculpture with cutting-edge technology.
Since starting just two years ago, Mackenzie and son have created a bust of Alan Turing for Google and Microsoft to mark the 50th anniversary of the AM Turing Award, and a bust of Karl Benz for Daimler and Mercedes Benz.
They also work with families to honour and memorialise loved ones that have passed away.
“We are so excited that the sales of our Freddie busts will be helping to fund desperately needed HIV and AIDS initiatives around the world,” said Grant Mackenzie.
“Working with Queen and the Mercury Phoenix Trust has been a great experience, and the exporting aspect has been made easier with support from our International Trade Advisor at the Department for International Trade,” he added.
Fans can order a bust here.
For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on Bristol Live's homepage


text:
More than a year into the pandemic, sanitisers are getting cuter — Disinfectant brand Walch Singapore has launched My Melody hand sanitisers.
My Melody Special Edition Hand Sanitisers
Each bundle includes one 20ml Walch Hand Sanitiser, six refill bottles, and a My Melody bottle holder.
The Walch Hand Sanitiser can be inserted into the My Melody bottle holder, which can then be attached to bags or apparel.
According to Walch Singapore, its hand sanitiser is proven to kill 99.9 per cent of germs.
Where to buy
Those interested can purchase it at a promotional price of S$13.90 at FairPrice stores, or S$13.50 on FairPrice Online.
Top photos via Walch Singapore


text:
Five Below CEO Thomas Vellios Sells 100,000 Shares (FIVE)
Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) CEO Thomas Vellios sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock on the open market in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.83, for a total value of $3,783,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 845,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,998,014. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.
FIVE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Analysts at Wells Fargo & Co. upgraded shares of Five Below from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Separately, analysts at Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Five Below in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Five Below in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.55.
Shares of Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) traded up 0.87% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $39.28. 24,865 shares of the company’s stock traded hands. Five Below has a 52-week low of $33.94 and a 52-week high of $55.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $36.9 and its 200-day moving average is $37.77. The company has a market cap of $2.132 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.01.
Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 4th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $126.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $121.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.05 earnings per share. Five Below’s revenue was up 31.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Five Below will post $0.90 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Five Below, Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE) is a retailer offering a range of merchandise for teen and pre-teen customer.
Receive News & Ratings for Five Below Inc Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Five Below Inc and related companies with Analyst Ratings Network's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Western States May Reform Waste Management
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a movement to improve product design by altering the financing paradigm for recycling and waste disposal, is picking up steam as California, Oregon and Canada have recently introduced framework EPR legislation.
Also known as product stewardship, EPR essentially attempts to incorporate product lifestyle impacts into pricing, including paying for what happens after a consumer is done with the product. According to a press release from the Product Policy Institute, a framework approach allows a single law to establish EPR as policy while giving state government the authority to address multiple products over time.
Here are some of the recent legislative measures regarding EPR:
- On Feb. 12, the California Product Stewardship Act, AB 283, was introduced. It is based on framework EPR policy adopted by the California Integrated Waste Management Board in January 2008.
- On Feb. 18, the Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility was released for public comment by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s Extended Producer Responsibility Task Group. The plan includes a strategy for sustainable packaging.
- On Feb. 26, an Oregon House Bill was introduced by the House Environment and Water Committee. The Product Stewardship Framework bill targets mercury-containing light bulbs and rechargeable batteries. The state Environmental Quality Commission would adopt recommendations to the legislative body for future products. A companion bill is expected to be forthcoming in the state Senate.
Stay Up-to-Date On Environmental Management, Energy & Sustainability News with EL's Free Daily Newsletter
Energy Manager News
- Technology Creates a Brighter Future for Small and Mid-Sized Commercial Solar Investments
- Incentive Program Helps Companies Afford Energy Managers
- ARPA-E Issues Grants for Solar Modules
- C-PACE Financing Innovation to Help Connecticut Green Energy Sector
- Orion Wins School District Contracts, Increases Chances for Incentives
- Study: Smartest ‘Smart Building’ Owners Come from Retail, Manufacturing, Construction
- Low Cost IoT Solutions, Data Driven Analytics to Propel Energy Mgmt Market
- A Clean Energy Future in Sight


text:
Dozens of people have fallen ill after eating a bad batch of pork scratchings linked to salmonella.
There has been a recall made by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) of packets of Mr Porky, Jay's and The Real Pork Crackling Company made by snack firm Tayto Group.
The snacks, which expire next February, are being linked to cases of salmonella poisoning, according to a MirrorOnline report.
It says that that links have been found by the FSA between the products and 176 cases of salmonella poisoning across the UK since last September last year.
Of these 176 cases, at least 12 people have needed hospital admission.
The FSA product recall was announced at the weekend.
Keep up with all of the latest local news with our daily newsletter.
The products have been linked back to one of Tayto's factories in Bolton and those made since February have been recalled and pulled from sale, while production at the site was also halted voluntarily once a link was first identified earlier this month.
The FSA has advised that consumers should not eat any of the products being recalled to reduce the risk of further illness.
Tina Potter, head of incidents at the FSA, said: "It is really important that consumers follow this advice to avoid the risk of becoming ill with salmonella poisoning.
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.
They normally resolve themselves, but symptoms can be more severe and lead to hospital admission, especially in the very young and those with weakened immune systems.
Salmonella can be spread from person to person, so anyone affected should adhere to good hygiene practices including washing your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and avoiding handling food for others if you have symptoms.
Get the latest stories from across Warwickshire by signing up to our free email updates


text:
The importance of on-road emissions testing was highlighted last week when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board and Environment Canada discovered illegal software in some Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel cars with 3.0-liter V6 engines encompassing model years 2014 through 2016.
Audi and Porsche are the premium brands of Volkswagen, which disputed the findings and pledged to cooperate with the EPA “to clarify the matter in its entirety.”
Previously, on September 03, VW admitted that it had installed deceptive software in 11 million diesel vehicles to make it appear that they met air quality standards for nitrogen oxide, which is harmful to the lungs.
VW acknowledged its scheme after a year of disputing the findings of the EPA, which on September 18 ordered the recall of nearly half a million VW 2.0-liter TDI diesel vehicles in the United States. Subsequently, the German government ordered VW, Europe and Germany’s largest auto manufacturer, to recall 8.5 million cars in Europe with the tainted software.
In the new tests, the cars found to have the software installed are the diesel versions of the VW Touareg, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne and the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5. Regulators have not found similar illegal software on diesel models produced by other automakers.
The new tests were conducted randomly and in real-world conditions on the road rather than in traditional laboratory settings by automobile industry regulators in the US and Canada.
US regulators believe that while road tests cannot match the precision of lab results at detecting nitrogen oxide and other fine particles and pollutants, they do validate lab findings by catching cars whose road performance reveals higher emissions readings.
Road testing involves capturing exhaust gases with a machine the size of a pair of large suitcases that fits in the trunks of most cars, with a few pieces hanging off the back. The technology developed by an EPA engineer is decades old and until now has been used mostly to test diesel trucks.
Explaining its findings, the EPA said VW’s devices were set up to defeat a federal emission procedure known as FTP 75. The EPA described how once the vehicle’s electronic brain detected the car was being tested, it would direct the car to operate emission control parameters- including injection timing, exhaust gas recirculation rate and fuel pressure – to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. Once back in normal driving conditions, the car would increase the release of nitrogen oxide up to nine times EPA’s standard.
Also last week, VW admitted it had understated emissions of carbon dioxide for about 800,000 of its vehicles sold in Europe and overstated the cars’ fuel economy, including a limited number of gasoline-fed cars. Most of the cars with the carbon dioxide problem have an engine known as the EA 288, of which there are 1.4-liter, 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter versions.
Meanwhile last September, VW Philippines announced that none of the vehicles it sells has the deceptive software and that all its vehicles comply with the Euro 4 air quality standard (50 parts per million), which takes effect on January 1.
As the only Philippine affiliate of the FIA (International Automobile Federation), the Automobile Association Philippines supports the FIA’s global campaign for clean air and sustainable, environment-friendly motoring.
With reports from the INYT, Reuters and AP


text:
The northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, Kashmir, is seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tags under the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for five of its crafts, some of which also include its cultural makers.
The Government of Kashmir has stated that it is seeking GI Registration for Kashmir Gabba and Namda (02 types of Valley-specific woolen rugs), Kashmir Willow Bat, Shikara (pleasure boats on Dal Lake), and Wagguv (mat made of reed and paddy straw).
In a recent statement delivered, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said that Mr. Tariq Ahmad Zargar (the Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir) held a detailed discussion with the authorities of Intellectual Property India (IPI) in Chennai to accelerate the GI registration process of the five crafts in question. The DIPR further said that the dossier for the GI registration of the five crafts has already been submitted to the IPI in Chennai, which is the apex-level organization dealing with the registration and better protection of GIs concerning goods in India.
GI, in the words of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), refers to a sign used on products having a particular geographical origin and possessing qualities or a reputation due to that origin. Remember that the product’s reputation, characteristics, or qualities should be specifically due to the place of origin.
Discussions regarding the GI submission of three more products of Valley, including willow wicker, copperware, and chain stitch crafts, were also held, which are already under consideration by the department for GI registration.
In this context, the Government mentioned that GI tagging has now acquired a greater significance and relevance since the focus has shifted towards Vocal for Local.
Seven handicrafts made in Kashmir, including Pashmina, Kani Shawl, Paper-Machie, Khatamband, Walnut Wood Carving, Sozni, and Hand Knotted Carpets crafts, have already been given the GI tag by the body. The Government has specified that it has even pushed the demand for the production and sale of the previously-mentioned products. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com
Don’t forget to follow us on social media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/trademarkmaldives/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/trademarkmaldiv
Pinterest – https://in.pinterest.com/trademarkmaldives/


text:
The Federal Trade Commission is poised to swipe the words "eco-friendly" and "environmentally friendly" off of retail products nationwide, and the caution to greenwashing businesses is clear: Be ready to back up marketing claims.
In a first-pass revision of its Green Guides, released this week, the FTC warned strongly against vague claims of environmental benefit, like labeling products "green." The agency has found the claims are impossible to substantiate, unlikely to be true and suggest products have far-reaching environmental benefits that any product is unlikely to have.
The proposed revisions to the Green Guides are not a change in law. The guides simply advise businesses on how to market the environmental advantages of their products and are being retooled as consumers face an onslaught of bogus earth-loving slogans.
The revisions do, however, bolster the FTC's ability to take action against greenwashing as unfair or deceptive advertising under the FTC Act.
Though the revisions are not final – a public comment period closes in December and the changes likely won't take effect until next year – at least one environmental marketing group is urging the government to press businesses to comply with the guidelines. With claims of environmental benefit blandly applied to everything from dishwashing detergent to window curtains, they say wild claims about environmental benefit won’t stop easily.
"The FTC is trying to help advertisers and consumers navigate the wilds of green advertising, but marketers throw about environmental claims with abandon, and I don't expect them to stop," said EnviroMedia cofounder Kevin Tuerff, who created the Greenwashing Index in partnership with the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication to help consumers sort through green ads. "Due to the global environmental challenges we face, the FTC must come down quickly and forcefully on advertisers who lie."
Since beginning a review of the Green Guides in 2008, the FTC has signaled an intention to take action against fraudulent claims of environmental benefit. In 2009 the agency sued four clothing manufacturers for making false claims that rayon clothes were made from eco-friendly bamboo. The FTC also sued Kmart Corp., Tender Corp., and Dyna-E International for making false claims that their paper products were "biodegradable."
In the Green Guides revision, the FTC is taking aim at more than just broad claims of environmental benefit, essentially expanding the reach of the guidelines – last updated in 1998 – from last decade's "recycled," "degradable" and "ozone-safe" jargon to today's more sophisticated offerings like renewable energy certificates, renewable materials and carbon offsets.
The thrust for the new advice is simply transparency. The FTC is encouraging straight, simple talk about products' environmental perks and urging companies to dispense with today's "green," "free" and "eco-friendly" vagaries.
The agency is specifically targeting a handful of widely made claims. It is recommending claims of degradeability and compostability be made only if either will occur in a year or less. Products made from "renewable materials" or using "renewable energy" should not have any part derived from fossil fuels, the FTC says. Carbon offsets should occur within two years or be otherwise disclosed. A purported "offset" can't be already required by law. And products advertised as "free of" anything must use a replacement agent that is less harmful to the environment than the original.
Tuerff said the FTC should add "sustainability" to its list of meaningless monikers, though the agency has said it will avoid offering direction on "sustainable," "natural" or "organic" products because other government agencies already have jurisdiction over use of the terms, or because they lack the expertise to recommend uses for them.
The FTC is also recommending against branding products with unqualified seals boasting nonsensical environmental awards.
In Oregon, where the Department of Justice enforces against false advertising claims through the state's Unlawful Trade Practices Act. Department spokesman Tony Green said any changes supporting transparency in advertising are welcome.
"In general we support anything that improves consumers ability to understand exactly what they're getting," he said.
Businesses offering true environmental benefits have little to fear from the Green Guides revision, Tuerff said. The new guides simply foster a climate where businesses will be asked to provide more detail about product benefits, even if some level of detail may need to be provided online. He suggested companies that print packaging annually take a close look at the draft Green Guides before printing packaging for 2011.
Overall the changes will help foster meaningful discussion about product benefits, he said, and will do much to cleanse national political debate of unhelpful terms like "clean coal" that originate in advertising.
Lee van der Voo, lvdvoo*at*gmail.com, is a freelance writer for Sustainable Business Oregon.


text:
May 30, 2014
Behind the scenes of the new Guardian iOS and Android apps, ‘The new app is the foundation for our future in apps – it’ll keep getting better.’
Scotlands’ MagFest returns for a third year with excellent speakers including Andy Cowles and Peter Houston: Edinburgh, 5 September.
Talking of People of Print, they’ve been around a while but are getting busier and busier supporting printing and printers. Next up: a book.
Taint magazine is a new project by students from LCC and they’re Kickstarting the first issue – support them!
The homepage recedes and ‘Every URL is a potential starting point for readers’ according to the NYTimes’ director of news analytics.
Ex-editor Jane Friedman barely reins in the bitterness as she makes some strong points about the failings of print magazines.‘They can sit at the National Magazine Awards at a single table and congratulate themselves on the industry they’re preserving.’
Allscript have relaunched their Singapore-based magazine store with a good selection of your favourites.
And if you’re in London the magCulture pop-up shop will be open again at the Monocle Summer Fayre, June 14/15. We hope to relaunch our online shop the same time.
Danny Sturgess is a London-based digital designer and part of the team behind independent iPad magazine Stipla, the first edition of which was published late last year. We look ahead at his week as the app receives recognition as App of the Year by the SPD at their annual awards ceremony in New York.
(Late notice, but Cathy from Anorak is speaking in London. Tonight).Postponed until May 13.
Dodo magazine promises a time capsule of additional content in 2024.
The Digital Magazine Awards are apparently ‘the most coveted magazine awards in the world.’
The NYTimes catches up with Kinfolk, ‘the Martha Stewart Living of the Portland set.’
Note: the Blurb indie day in NY I was due to talk at has been cancelled.
Prompted by the realisation that colleagues and friends weren’t reading magazine apps, Bob Newman asked a group of editorial designers, including me, what we felt about apps, the production process, and what the future holds.
A very useful round-up, revealing general skepticism. Read the full piece on Bob’s Newmanology blog.
A must-see exhibition at 032c’s space in Berlin – a collection of Lilliput magazine.
Behind the scenes of The Financial Times’ decision to go native with their apps.
Graydon Carter drops a Vanity Fair Gwyneth Paltrow story – PR pressure?
Condé Nast readying for office move from Times Square to WTC.
What’s working in magazine app advertising? Less is more, it seems.
In yesterday’s At Work With Steve Watson post he mentioned Outpost. Support their fundraising for their second year.
And/or support new German title Winter, from Manzine hero Kevin Braddock and magCulture collaborator Kati Krause.
The Independent on independent magazines – ‘Looks good on paper.’
The AOI 2014 Illustration Awards are go – closing date 16 March.
The fourth issue of Tim Moore’s Letter to Jane iPad app was released late last year. Although some early development work was included in my book The Modern Magazine, I missed the chance to give it a more thorough review here on the blog at the time it appeared. This week Bob Newman posted a review on his Newmanology site – a review I wholeheartedly agreed with, for its positive response to this particular app as much as the general observations about magazine apps. Bob has kindly given me permission to republish his post.
November 29, 2013
For a while now Bristol has been a great source of independent magazines, so it make sense for them to band together and form Bristol Independent Publishers. BIP will promote the many local magazines – Another Escape, Boneshaker, Cereal, Offlife… the full list is on their site.
Congratulations to all the winners at the UK Digital Magazine Awards earlier this week. Headline winners include Katachi, Top Gear and BBC Good Food…
…and to the winners at the CMA Awards, ie customer publishing. Big winner Audi.
Bauer Media announce new app-only magazine launch for women, The Debrief.
Five thoughts on what makes successful digital magazines.
Victoria Beckham guest-edits Paris Vogue, gets an exclusive interview with husband David.
Independent cycling mag Rouleur have a smart new website.
Bread is a PDF magazine about, um, bread, that is raising funds for a print edition.
Read my Eye Reputations interview with Vanity Fair creative director Chris Dixon.
The magCulture pop-up shop will be at next week’s Monocle Christmas Market, selling signed copies of ‘The Modern Magazine’ as well copies of My Favo(u)rite magazine, Gym Class Magazine and a range of recent magazines. December 7-8, Dorset Street London W1U 4EG.
October 22, 2013
‘Three years after Apple unveiled the iPad… tablets still account for… just 3.3 percent of total circulation.’ AdAge disects the iPad problem.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter talks canoes and magazines on the Charlie Rose site; ‘Magazines are the perfect invention… the perfect medium for telling stories.’ Well worth the 20+ mins video (thanks Chris).
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of John Carpenter’s movie ‘They Live’, a Swiss publisher has recreated the featured Obey magazine. More on CRBlog.
New York magazine said to to be considering going fortnightly.
I’ll be talking about my book ‘The Modern Magazine’ at two of my favourite European magazine stores – Do You Read Me? (Berlin) on 7 November, and Atheneaum Newscentrium (Amsterdam) on 21 November. Details to follow.
Plus – next Printout coming up at the end of November, with a great line-up of speakers. News very soon.
Wave goodbye to the International Herald Tribune – so hello to the International New York Times.
Meanwhile Columbia Journalism Review takes a close up look at the Guardian’s finances and predicts a paywall future.
US Esquire editor discusses how his audience has changed over his 16 years.
I still dream of stumbling across an original copy of one of the Dada magazines. Until that happens, here’s the full content of edition one of Cabaret Voltaire…
…and here’s the entire launch edition of Just Seventeen.
SPD has listed some of the recent online experiments with the presentation of longform writing.
October 8, 2013
A great New Yorker piece by Ken Auletta about The Guardian’s financial problems and quest for international status via NSA revelations.
In London? See the AOI Illustration Awards Show at Somerset House until October 27.
Monocle’s Tyler Brulé talks to Bloomberg TV about making print profitable.
Mr Magazine records the year’s 591 (US) magazine launches, notes rise of b**kazines (like the concept, hate that name).
Publisher confirms posthumous publication of Michael Hastings book about life as a magazine intern.
New magazine: ThisIsPaper builds on its web presence with a new print mag.


text:
Many platforms are looking survive by partnering with big financial institutions or transitioning to wealth-management products.
Several leading P2P providers did not respond to AFP requests for comment. Lufax has said it would scale back its P2P lending.
Zhang estimates less than 20 percent of platforms will successfully transform, with the remainder facing shutdown.
He expects the turmoil to push more borrowers towards credit products offered by big e-commerce companies like Alibaba-affiliated online-payments giant Ant Financial, which operates a huge money market and a range of other financial services.
The impact for many P2P customers will endure, however.
Tales of desperate, indebted borrowers abound on China’s internet.
A 22-year-old borrower from the eastern province of Shandong told AFP she considered suicide after racking up debts of around 200,000 yuan to pay her rent and indulge in shopping.
The shame sapped her “motivation to keep my life going,” said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearful of being tracked down by loan collectors.
Chen Baihua, a 25-year-old from China’s eastern Zhejiang province, ran up debts of around 130,000 yuan, which he also was eventually able to repay with the help of his displeased parents.
The experience left him “traumatized”, and his resulting poor credit rating may rule out future home mortgages or car loans.
He now dedicates himself to running his family’s business selling electronic chips wholesale, hoping to rehabilitate his credit. But he is on a short leash.
“My parents said they would only help me out this one time. If it happens again, whether I live or die is not their concern,” Chen said.
“Easy money can easily eat you up.”


text:
Georgia Chamber Welcomes Business Prospects for 32nd Annual ‘Georgia Quail Hunt’ in Albany
Thursday, February 6th, 2020
This week, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosts its 32nd annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany as31 business leaders representing state recruitment and expansion prospects joined local, state and economic development officials to learn about the benefits of doing business in Georgia.
The hunt, sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Allies, the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission and Locate South Georgia, provides an opportunity for relationship development among statewide leaders and guests whose companies or clients are looking to locate to or expand in Georgia.
The recruitment event utilizes various hunting preserves throughout Southwest Georgia and is based out of Albany.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was on hand for the event.
“Business thrives in Albany and Southwest Georgia, and we’re proud to show off our region of the state every year during the Georgia Quail Hunt, an incredible collaboration between local, regional, state and corporate partners,” said Justin Strickland, president of the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission. “Albany’s skilled workforce and low cost of doing business makes us an attractive option for industry location and expansion, and this event has been key in helping to facilitate exactly that.”
Since 1994 alone, guests of the Georgia Quail Hunt have invested more than $2.5 billion and created more than 8,500 jobs in the state as a result of corporate locations or expansions.
Industry locations in Albany-Dougherty County such as Coats and Clark, Outdoor Network Distribution, PowerSports Plus and WebstaurantStore are sited as local projects facilitated through the hunt.
“Georgia has established itself as the nation’s top state for business, and this event allows us the opportunity to showcase Georgia’s people and business friendly environment,” said 2020 Georgia Quail Hunt Chairman Daryl Ingram, chief external officer and senior vice president of Electric Cities of Georgia. “Economic success, in large part, is due to collaboration between public and private entities coming together to create opportunities for businesses to thrive, and therefore creating thriving communities along with them. This event is a perfect example of the collaborative atmosphere businesses can expect when they choose to locate or expand in Georgia.”
Event organizers say the hunt has been successful in recruiting businesses to the state.
“For more than thirty years, the Georgia Quail Hunt has helped facilitate the creation of thousands of jobs and tens of billions in investment in Georgia’s economy,”said Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber. “Hosting the event in Albany provides an incredible opportunity to showcase Southwest Georgia as a premier destination for business, giving guests a first-hand look at the region’s high quality of life and exposing them to local and state leaders who are eager to help them take their business to the next level.”
In addition to the Georgia Allies, the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission and Locate South Georgia,corporate sponsors include Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, MillerCoors, PowerSports Plus, Glock,Trulock Choke Tubes, BPI Outdoors and Taurus Holdings.


text:
This crisis has pushed the use of technology forwards by years already, forcing those that previously had no interest in online deliveries and communication to quickly learn and utilise out of necessity.
At the heart of this all is connectivity, services which enable consumers to buy what they can and have it delivered with no interaction which may risk spreading the virus.
Much of what is being made possible also hinges upon local knowledge of which businesses are remaining operational and able to serve the community. For example, the app Find My Pasta has been launched and relies on others to report what is and is not available at local stores to help quell congestion.
To The Door
Uber Eats is offering its traditional delivery service with the addition of tamper-proof packaging for those seeking improved reassurance when ordering food. DriverNet platform is being utilised by British charity Age UK in order to help coordinate emergency food parcels for the elderly and vulnerable.
To read more as to how COVID-19 is changing the landscape in 2020 click here.


text:
While mobile-app developers are concentrating their efforts on supporting Apple's and Google's mobile operating systems, one group hopes to make the Web a place for apps too.
News, analysis and tips on the Google Android operating system, and devices and apps that use it.
More than a billion Android handsets are expected to ship by year's end, easily outpacing the 178 million iPhones hitting store shelves, new data from IDC shows.
It's unknown why Google is interested in InMobi in particular; what is clear is that Google needs to bolster its efforts in mobile advertising.
Available this spring, the waterproof and durable Kyocera Torque will launch first in Germany and France.
The phone maker says the jump in fourth-quarter revenue underscores the success of its plan to "offer tailored product mixes."
In its latest financial snapshot, the software giant is demonstrating that its hardware business is not just a sideshow after all.
HTC generated $1.5 billion in sales during the fourth quarter and posted strong profits, an unaudited report says.
The portable keyboard has been reinvented once again, this time as the TextBlade, a miniscule magnetic click-together gadget with multitouch keys.
Technically Incorrect: The creators of a new phone being presented at CES claim it's the perfect solution for a secure connection. Perhaps, but its screen is 1.5 inches bigger than an iPhone 6 Plus.
Don't let the biggest technology show of the year take you by surprise. CES 2015 starts right after the new year, and CNET will be there in force to show you every new device and technology.


text:
Microscience 2010 has been designated an EMS Extension by the European Microscopy Society. This means that it will receive increased support, and it will host the European Society’s General Assembly – when up to 60 representatives from the national societies come together.
Microscience 2010 international conference will be held on 28th June to 1st July 2010at ExCeL London. It has three parallel themes - on Life, Materials, and New Frontiers - and 100 exhibiting companies. Free to visitors, it includes a programme of technical workshops and a fully-equipped Learning Zone.
You can now view all QMT Magazine issues on your favourite tablet or smart phone.
Download the free Quality Manufacturing Today App from the Apple iTunes App Store or from QMT Magazine on Google Play.


text:
- Former Gearbox Lawyer Accuses CEO Randy Pitchford Of Taking Secret $12 Million Bonus In Lawsuit Gearbox Calls 'Absurd' Kotaku
- New Lawsuit Against 'Borderlands' Studio CEO Cites Alleged Child Pornography Found, "Adult Parties" Featuring Minors Comicbook.com
- Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford Accused Of Stealing $12 Million Dollars, Gearbox Responds to "Absurd" Claims Comicbook.com
- View full coverage on Google News
The former general counsel of game studio Gearbox (Borderlands, Aliens: Colonial Marines) and CEO Randy Pitchford are suing one another in a messy legal battle that sees both men accused of violating their legal duties to the company. The suit against Pitchford is full of sensational allegations, including the accusation that the Gearbox CEO received a secret $12 million bonus from publisher Take-Two Interactive as an advance against Borderlands profits.
A new lawsuit has just been made public concerning former Gearbox counsel Wade Callender agasinst Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. The gist of the new suit cites numerous instances of Pitchford in breach of contract in addition to pocketing 12 million dollars intended for Gearbox employees. But there [...]
It seems that the Borderlands studio is in some majorly hot water, including CEO Randy Pitchford, in a new lawsuit against him from former Gearbox general counsel Wade Callender. In light of the recent allegations surrounding the hording of over $12 million, the studio has issued an official [...]
Well folks, the gloves are off, and we have ourselves an 8K showdown. That’s how it’s looking now that Samsung has just stepped on stage here at CES to annou...
LG TV owners had reason to be disappointed in Apple's recent announcement of AirPlay 2/HomeKit support on third-party television sets ...


text:
Image courtesy: www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae
Nakheel to start work on $600m mall
Dubai, February 3, 2013
Dubai's Nakheel will start construction on a Dh2.5 billion ($680 million) mall on the Palm Jumeirah this year, according to a local newspaper report.
Construction of the Nakheel Mall will start following orders from HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the Gulf News report.
Shaikh Mohammad also ordered the start of work on the Dh800 million The Pointe retail project at Palm Jumeirah, said a Wam news agency report.
Shaikh Mohammad's decions followed a recent visit by him to the Nakheel headquarters.
Nakheel Mall will cover over one million square feet and will be located at the top of the trunk in the Palm Jumeirah. RSP was announced as the designer of the mall last year when Nakheel announced plans for the mall, said the report.
The 'Nakheel Mall', with its exquisite view of Al Ittihad Garden and the Atlantis at the Palm Jumeirah will feature a 200-room state-of-the-art hotel, 200 hotel apartments and a restaurant with a panoramic sea view.
'The Pointe,' which is considered a new destination for dining and relaxed entertainment will be located at the tip of The Palm just across the bay from Atlantis. 'The Pointe' is a large scale complex nestled among gardens and the inner calm waters of the bay boasting a combination of bustling retail shops, high end restaurants as well as an exciting mix of cafes and patisseries.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed satisfaction with the new projects and said: "We must continue in the path of excellence... as Dubai always has."


text:
Entain has reported a drop in net gaming revenue (NGR) for Q1 2021. The decline in NGR is mainly due to the closure of its retail venues during the period as a result of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions.
The FTSE 100 company, which owns the Ladbrokes and Coral brands, said total net gaming revenue fell 13%, even as online revenue leapt by a third.
The group said it is looking forward to a return to more normal business as betting shops in parts of the country reopened last week.
“There are competing leisure activities, with restaurants and cinemas opening up,” Chief Financial Officer Rob Wood said.
Underscoring the shift in betting habits, Grand National, which took place on April 10, was Britain’s biggest ever online sports betting event as punters turned to mobile apps to bet on one of the world’s most famous horse racing events.
“It is a real shame that shops couldn’t be open for it. It typically attracts customers who don’t necessarily have an online gambling app on the phone,” Wood said.
Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Laura Hoy said that while the surge in internet gambling might wane eventually, “we expect that some customers will have shifted online permanently.”
Entain, which rebuffed a takeover approach from its U.S. joint venture partner MGM earlier this year, last month kept its dividend suspended despite a profit jump, citing the pandemic.


text:
Q3 2021 analyst conference and webcast
27 October 2021 / 11.30-12.30 CEST / Webcast
On Wednesday 27 October 2021 Equinor will hold a webcast incl. Q&A in connection with the announcement of results for the third quarter 2021.
The analyst conference starts at 11:30 CEST with a presentation by CFO Ulrica Fearn.


text:
Will your portfolio weather the coming storm?
By Dan Ferris
Since the birth of today’s bull market in 2009, investors have been pouring money into the market… And yet, most folks don’t seem to care at all about the inevitable storm on the horizon.
Take a look at the so-called “FANG” stocks: Facebook, Apple, Netflix, and Google’s parent company Alphabet. Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon are frequently included in this group of market bellwethers, too.
They’ve outperformed most stocks over the past decade. They’re often discussed as “no brainer” stocks to hold for the long term because their businesses are viewed as unbeatable. But if you look at these companies’ numbers, you’ll see something else…
For example, Amazon is viewed as a company that can never do anything wrong. When it announces plans to enter a new business, the other stocks in that industry instantly sell off.
However, the future might not be as rosy as it appears for Amazon…
Value guru Murray Stahl – CEO of investment adviser Horizon Kinetics – recently discussed the company in his quarterly investor letter. He noted that current Wall Street estimates assume Amazon’s profit per share will triple by 2022. And since its sales aren’t expected to even double in that time, Stahl explained that Amazon’s profit margins would have to rise from the current net margin of 4.34% to 10.22% to meet that mark. As he concluded…
Even if the company manages to do all this, the share price would not advance unless the shares trade, in 2022, at a [price-to-earnings (P/E)] ratio above 21.45 [times]. If, instead, the P/E ratio is 25 [times], and Amazon achieves all of this margin expansion and all this profit growth, the return to shareholders would be 5.23% per [year]. Again, this makes the unlikely assumption that the company issues no more shares. It does seem like a great deal of risk for a rather unexciting rate of return.
Stahl went through a similar exercise for Netflix… It resulted in a similar conclusion. Starting in late 2017, I sounded similar alarms about Facebook… and the stock lost 19% of its value in a single day last July.
These are all great businesses, but here’s the thing…
Even owning the best businesses won’t save you during the next financial disaster.
In early 2000, most investors viewed tech giant Cisco as the “no brainer”…
But then the dot-com bubble burst, and the stock plummeted nearly 90% in the ensuing bear market. Almost two decades later, Cisco still hasn’t recovered to its dot-com high.
And it isn’t just the big, favored tech companies… Investors also love to scoop up shares of so-called “wide moat” brand-name companies, planning to hold them for the long term.
Stahl reviewed consumer-goods giants Kellogg and PepsiCo in his letter…
He wondered how they’ll maintain their moats as advertising spending and other investment metrics decline. (For example, Kellogg’s ad spending fell 33% from 2010 to 2018.) Neither stock looks expensive at around 14-15 times earnings today, but if Stahl is right and growth fails to materialize as expected, they could actually be overvalued at these levels.
Even owning the best businesses won’t save you during the next financial disaster.
And Stahl isn’t the only one questioning the sustainability of some big-name brands today…
In 2013, investing legend Warren Buffett worked with Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital to buy ketchup maker H.J. Heinz and form packaged-foods company Kraft Heinz.
But in a recent Financial Times interview, Buffett did not disagree that 3G Capital likely sacrificed the long-term health of the business for short-term profits by adding leverage and cutting costs sharply. He denied the problem was underinvestment in the brand, but admitted with potentially worse consequences over the long term: “overestimating the strength of the Kraft Heinz brands and their power with retailers.”
And 3G Capital’s leader, Jorge Lemann, publicly admitted that sentiment last year. As he explained to the crowd during the 2018 Milken Institute Global Conference in April 2018…
I’ve been living in this cozy world of old brands and big volumes. We bought brands that we thought could last forever. You could just focus on being very efficient… All of a sudden we are being disrupted.
The brands owned by Kraft Heinz – a supposedly powerful brand-name company – simply aren’t as strong nowadays as they were in years past, just like Buffett and Lemann said. So it shouldn’t be surprising that Kraft-Heinz’s stock tumbled 27% in a single day in February after the company reported disappointing results. Today, it’s about 30% off its recent high.
Kraft Heinz won’t be the only victim… The same thing will likely surprise the hell out of shareholders of other big brands. That’s why I’ve been cautious about recommending such stocks to my Extreme Value subscribers lately.
Time will tell if I’m right, but the S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary Index currently trades at 24 times earnings, and the S&P 500 Consumer Staples Index trades at 20 times earnings. Those aren’t cheap. They’re the kind of prices you pay when you aren’t worried about anything.
You can also see investors’ complete lack of concern in another place right now…
Gold and related stocks.
As longtime readers know, gold is the longest-tenured financial asset on Earth. It has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians used electrum (an alloy of gold and silver) 6,000 years ago. And yet, it’s still around as a real store of wealth today.
Since President Richard Nixon killed the last vestiges of the gold standard in 1971, the metal has risen roughly 36-fold in price. That more than adjusts for the 96% decrease in the U.S. dollar’s value since the Federal Reserve began managing the currency in 1913.
Since Nixon killed the last vestiges of the gold standard in 1971, the metal has risen 36-fold in price.
Which one sounds like the best form of money and the best insurance against monetary or economic catastrophe? Would you rather have a fiat paper currency that lost 96% of its value in a little more than a century? Or would you rather have the most consistently sought-after financial asset that has maintained its value for the past 6,000 years?
Despite that, gold is languishing. And so is the leveraged way of buying it – gold stocks…
Today, gold trades for around $1,280 per ounce, down about 30% from its 2011 highs. Meanwhile, the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners Fund – an exchange-traded fund that contains a basket of gold stocks – is down roughly 70% from its 2011 highs.
If gold were as popular as it should be given its history and the fact that stocks are more expensive than they’ve ever been, there’s no way I’d be able to pound the table like this.
But most investors just don’t seem to be concerned today…
The Volatility Index (“VIX”) – the market’s “fear gauge” – is around 14 today. When investors are panicking, the VIX quickly soars…
We saw that in early 2018, when the VIX soared to around 37 as the markets sold off. And it happened again at the end of the year… The VIX spiked from around 12 in early October to about 37 by late December. The VIX’s highest mark ever was 80 in November 2008. Until then, it had never breached 50. But as you can see, it spikes quickly if investors get fearful.
Since May 2017, I’ve urged investors to be cautious…
Last October, I encouraged folks to buy put options right before the market fell 19% through the end of the year. Of course, as we know, stocks rebounded and the market is higher now. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride.
With the extremely high valuation of the market and low level of investor concern, I believe we’ll see plenty more bumps along the way – even if the bull market keeps chugging along.
And the thing is, you don’t have to know exactly when the next crash is coming… You just have to see all the signs around you and realize that it’s coming at some point soon.
Some folks started becoming bearish in 1996 and 1997. Although the market didn’t bottom for another five or six years, when it did, it was right back to where it had been in 1997.
The same thing happened in the last financial crisis in 2009. But that time, the ensuing devastation was much worse… The market went all the way back down to 1995 levels.
There has never been a better time to think about market cycles. There has never been a better time to question your underlying assumptions about stocks, bonds, and gold.
And there has never been a better time to start preparing for the storm that’s approaching…
When you look back two or three years from now, you’ll wish you’d taken this advice. If you think you can simply jump into any stock between now and then, just remember that Kraft Heinz and Facebook each lost at least a fifth of their values in a single day in recent months.
If that can happen to popular, large-cap stocks, it can happen to any stock on the planet.
Editor’s note: Last week, investing legend Jim Rogers cohosted the FREE online Bear Market Survival Event where he talked to investors about protecting their portfolios from the coming storm…
Event attendees learned why the next bear market will be the worst in our lifetimes… how to know when it’s arriving… how to grow your wealth while others are wrestling with disaster… and much more.
Is your portfolio prepared? Click here to find out.
Dan Ferris is the editor of Extreme Value, a monthly investment advisory that focuses on some of the safest and yet most profitable stocks in the market: great businesses trading at steep discounts. His work has been covered extensively in Barron’s and other respected news outlets.


text:
Apple today released the first official update to its new iOS 11 operating system, iOS 11.0.1. iOS 11.0.1 comes just a week after Apple released iOS 11 to the public.
The iOS 11.0.1 update can be downloaded to all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings --> General --> Software Update.
Today's update addresses several minor bugs that have been discovered following the release of the iOS 11 golden master. According to Apple's release notes the update includes bug fixes for iPhone and iPad.
iOS 11 is a major update to the iOS operating system with a redesigned Lock screen experience, a new customizable Control Center, a new Siri voice, a redesigned App Store, and an overhauled interface for the iPad. For more info on all the new features in iOS 11, check out our iOS 11 roundup.
Discuss this article in our forums


text:
HTC is, for the first time, featuring a 3.5mm jack on its Hero handset, so that anyone can use whatever headphones they like to listen to the device. In fact, it's the first Android handset to be blessed with such a joy.
And HTC isn't done yet. The company has pledged that starting with the Hero, "the vast majority" of new devices it announces will have a 3.5mm headphone jack. "Devices that we have already announced but still come out after Hero will not necessarily be a part of this change", the company adds as a disclaimer.
Many will be saying "hurrah!" who always considered it such a fiddle to buy converters, preferring their proprietary headphones. Perhaps other manufacturers will follow suit, too.


text:
At 20 years old, Bharat Pulgam has served as CEO and co-founder of three different companies.
Alexandra Philip Reeve came to the Quarter Zero Catapult Incubator with a problem she wanted to solve: how teens access information about health and wellness.
Aarushi Machavarapu is not only a social activist, she’s a social entrepreneur who puts storytelling at the center of what she does.
Henry Belcaster always knew he wanted to be a social entrepreneur. “I just have this desire to change things and start businesses,” he says.
Micah Estis Green wants to “bring robots to the people.”At just 19, Micah, founder and CEO of Maidbot, started innovating the hotel industry, which, he says, had been “untouched” for decades.
Quarter Zero (formerly Catapult) alumni, Anjali Chadha, is the successful teenage entrepreneur behind Empowered, a non-profit that seeks to train underserved high school girls in technological skills and pair these students with minority women entrepreneurs in their community.
Ishan Sharma and Krystal Lam met as teammates at Quarter Zero’s Catapult Incubator, where they worked on HS Mixers. Krystal, a longtime entrepreneur, applied as a Free Agent, hoping to put her passion to work growing a venture. Ishan, co-founder of HS Mixers, applied to the Catapult Incubator because he wanted to expand HS Mixers beyond its hometown. Three years later, Krystal and Ishan are still growing HS Mixers, along with other QØ alumni.
Disha Shidham has an insatiable desire to learn. And a willingness to fail. It’s no doubt these two qualities—alongside her entrepreneurial savvy, dedication, hard work, and more—that led her to Shark Tank. (Yes, that Shark Tank).
Zurum Okereke started his first business when he was 12 years old. “I don’t like sitting back and complaining,” he says. “I want to go out there and create the solutions.” And create the solutions he has—he has launched three more businesses since!
Mohammed Nasir founded Drones for Humanity because he was struck by the fact that the majority of casualties occur after a natural disaster rather than during the event itself.


text:
Sugar hardly contributes to food dependence
Recent results of a study conducted by researchers at Maastricht University provided no scientific evidence to support the general assumption that sugar is addictive and leads to weight gain. Instead, the researchers found that weight gain is more likely when food dependence is combined with a high-calorie diet, meaning that sugar is not the main culprit. The Maastricht researchers presented their findings last week in the scientific journal Appetite.
Quite a few members of society seem to be convinced that food is addictive. This applies in particular to sugar. While there is certainly a link between the consumption of palatable products like sugar and dopamine production in the brain, that link has no bearing on addiction. Various scientific studies on obesity as a societal problem have thus far focused on diet. Given the common assumption that food – and sugar in particular – can be addictive, neuropsychologist and Professor Rob Markus was interested in studying the phenomenon of food dependence. In doing so, he expanded the standard international measurement tool for food addiction – the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) – by adding four product categories. He then administered his adapted survey to 1,500 healthy young adults and invited them to his lab for weight measurements. Professor Markus wanted to answer two questions in particular: which product category is most likely to trigger food dependence and which type of product dependence is most strongly correlated with weight gain?
Professor Markus divided his product categories as follows: low-calorie foods (rice crackers, crackers, vegetables), sugary foods (sweets, soft drinks, dried fruits), a combination of high-fat and sugary foods (pastries, cakes) and finally, a combination of high-fat, protein-rich foods (cheese, fried foods, sausage). Of the people who indicated that they sometimes struggle to avoid certain foods, nearly 30% had a tendency to consume the combination of high-calorie, high-fat protein-rich foods. For sugary foods, that figure was 5%. The relationship between food dependence and weight gain was only evident in relation to combined foods. The study also found that overweight participants struggled more with combined foods (high-calorie, sugary foods and high-calorie protein-rich foods) compared to sugary foods.
The scientific community has taken the addictive nature of food, and of sugar in particular, with a grain of salt for some time now. Addiction, such as to drugs and alcohol, triggers a very different brain response than sugar. It was also found that sugar does not contribute to more weight gain than other energy sources derived from food. 'The problem with weight gain is that we tend to consume more than we expend. What we eat doesn't really matter,' says Professor Markus. 'Perhaps we need to change the term "food addiction" into "eating dependence". This term does more justice to the unique and individual experience of eating food than ascribing addictive qualities to products like sugar.'


text:
GLOBAL SHARE prices have so far been relatively immune to the spread of coronavirus. But assets most exposed to China have suffered. Currencies of economies integrated with its supply chains have weakened. Prices of commodities, of which China is usually a big buyer, have slid. Share prices of both manufacturing and consumer-facing companies operating in China have fallen, as factories stay shut and people stay home.■
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline "What the coronavirus means for financial markets"


text:
Save a tree, earn an energy efficient light bulb!
When PPL electric customers agree to go paperless, the company will give them one free LED light bulb.
PPL officials said LEDs help reduce energy costs because they use up to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and may last up to 20 times longer.
The free bulb, sent to customers who sign up by Dec. 15, produces more than 800 lumens of soft white light--about the same as a 60-watt incandescent bulb.
PPL said current customers can receive one free bulb, while supplies last, and the bulb will arrive via mail within 4-6 weeks.
Existing paperless customers are not eligible.
Customers need to use their online account to enroll in paperless billing. Those that don't have one, can easily create one.


text:
To celebrate Nickelodeon USA premiering the brand-new Kuu Kuu Harajuku episode "Drums of Doom"/"Adventures in Housesitting" on Saturday 15th October 2016 at 9:00am, Nick USA has unveiled a super sneak peek preview of the all-new episode, which you can watch in the fantastic online streaming video clip here on nick.com/kuukuu!
In the brand-new Kuu Kuu Harajuku episode "Drums of Doom" (#107), Angel takes up drumming, but when she forgets to practice the magical drums fight back! Then, in "Adventures in Housesitting", Rudie gets HJ5 an audition with a music producer named Twisty T! In Nick's new super sneak peek, "Angel's Hobby", HJ5 is worried about Angel having too many hobbies.. Good thing she picked one that's perfect for her!
More Nick: First Look At Gwen Stefani's New Kuu Kuu Harajuku Fashion Doll Line From Mattel!
Additional source: Screener TV Listings.
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon and Kuu Kuu Harajuku News and Highlights!


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Chefs, bartenders give finger to new glove law
The gloves are coming off for San Francisco restaurant and bar workers who vehemently oppose a new state law that requires a latex barrier between them and the food they handle.
The new, controversial law requires all industry workers to wear gloves while working with ready-to-eat foods — including sushi chefs and bartenders who sometimes handle fresh ingredients to garnish drinks.
Introduced by California Assemblyman Richard Pan, the law went into effect with little debate and even less notification after quietly passing in January.
Since then, legions of industry workers who are slowly becoming aware of the requirement have started to organize and give the finger, so to speak, to the glove law. A six-month grace period before the health department must begin issuing citations for noncompliance could give them just enough time to muster a strong movement against it.
“This law just doesn’t make any sense on so many levels,” said Iso Rabins, founder and chef at ForageSF, who is meeting with local officials and rallying support to amend the rule to apply only to restaurants with 25 or more locations.
Beyond the huge environmental impact, extra cost to small businesses and lack of studies behind the efficacy of donning latex to prevent disease, “wearing gloves changes the way food is created,” Rabins said. “It’s hard to season a dish with gloves, it’s hard to feel the food. And it’s just another thing that restaurants can get dinged with.”
To garner support for anti-glovers, Rabins launched a petition on Change.org, arguing that latex “belongs in the bedroom and not the kitchen.” Since going up late Thursday evening, the petition has signed on more than 1,350 passionate supporters who would like to trash the rule.
Renée Frojo covers hospitality, restaurants, retail and nonprofits for the San Francisco Business Times.
- Most popular
- Study of potential HIV 'cure' wins FDA nod
- Warren Buffett basks in sweet success of See's Candies, BofA deals
- Exclusive: First look at Google's plans for sprawling sci-fi campus
- Meet the Chinese developer quickly becoming one of the Bay Area's
- San Francisco penthouse condo seeks record $49 million asking price
- 3 things you didn't know about Lumina's $49 million penthouse
- If Chicago flubs it, could $700M Lucas museum land in Oaklnd?
- Look inside San Francisco’s new TargetExpress, set to open tomorrow
- Oakland's the Hive fills office space with construction company move
- Burlingame Point office site sells to Asian investment group for $48M
Sign up to receive San Francisco Business Times's Morning Edition and Afternoon Edition newsletters and breaking news alerts.
Vice President Paragon Commercial Brokerage | San Francisco, CA
Director of Communications Ploughshares Fund | San Francisco, CA
Senior Manager, Community Engagement Skoll Foundation | Palo Alto, CA
Vice President – Structure-Based Design HarkerBIO | Buffalo, NY
Vice President for Commercial Operations HarkerBIO | Buffalo, NY


text:
Since the invention of industrial electrical engineering, no manufactured electronic device has overshadowed the cellular mobile phones in terms of popularity. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), 6.8 billion people had access to cell phones in 2013. This is more than those who had access to toilets, according to the United Nations.
Significant growth rates in shipments of connected mobile devices including smartphones and tablets is continuing to drive the usage of video as a preferred content. This is fueling the growth of mobile data transfer rates. Mobile video traffic already accounts for 60% of total mobile data traffic. By 2021, 78% of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video, and this will be further accelerated by 5G mobile technologies.
Along with video traffic, the volume of mobile data traffic will expand by another seven times, reaching nearly 12 billion mobile devices and connections and generating 49 Exabytes of mobile traffic by 2021. At this point of inflexion, we will see the industry transitioning to 5G mobile technologies.
However, at the present rates of mobile video usage and adoption, a new digital infrastructure will need to be created to support high definition video, ultra-high definition video and rich media telecom. Supporting infrastructures of cloud based applications, storage, and the next generation of the Internet are also required. Other than consumer demand for mobile video content, it also has benefits in multiple and diverse business to business use case scenarios.
However, service providers investing in such large-scale compute infrastructures to support mobile video content need to be able to build viable business and monetization models to generate returns on their investments. This is especially pertinent given that as global internet bandwidth has been growing over the past few years, global telecommunication revenues continue to face downward pressures.
Fast growing demands for mobile connectivity and broadband content are challenging service providers on all fronts. On one hand they are seeing digital and IP based services cannibalizing topline growth from legacy revenue streams, pushing the legacy services to enter flat mature phases and then starting to decline. On the other hand, service providers are being compelled to invest in next generation technologies to deliver fast growing and scalable, mobile connectivity and broadband content services, using very early stage business and revenue models.
ITU latest report reveals that mobile broadband subscriptions have grown more than 20% annually in the last five years and are expected to reach 4.3 billion globally by end 2017. The report also indicates that, in most developing countries, mobile broadband is more affordable than fixed-broadband services.
While growth is being driven by mobility, Internet access and video content, for many service providers it is insufficient to compensate for declining legacy revenues. Digital and IP based services have much lower prices points than their legacy counterparts, due to technology efficiencies. And while their volumes continue to scale impressively, their associated top line revenues remain depressed compared to legacy revenue streams
Service providers therefore need to build innovative revenue models to generate sufficient returns on the compute investments they are making to replace legacy revenue streams. For service providers the biggest challenge remains the viability of their current business model and the task of discovering, building, and migrating to a transformed and more relevant one.
The confluence of Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G mobile technology by 2020 represents an opportunity for service providers to start afresh with radically transformed business models. The development of 5G and IoT ecosystems will fuel each other and drive their adoption forward. While the global drivers for 4G mobile adoption have been fast growing connected device shipments and mobile content access, for 5G, it will be IoT and awareness of user, location and content across the network.
By 2019, connections into the Internet of Things will surpass smartphones, tablets and PCs combined, and by 2021, account for 638 million modules compared to 381 million for all other devices. The IoT will add an expected 50 billion connected devices to the Internet by 2020. This will include sensors and devices in every type of consumer, industrial, urban and rural environment.
In addition, smartphones will grow from 29% of mobile devices globally in 2014 to 40% by 2019, while the total number of devices and connections will grow from 7.4 billion in 2014 to 11.5 billion by 2019. This unprecedented growth rate in the number of connected devices will require high levels of reliability, performance, scalability and security, built into the supporting service provider networks.
The IoT uses virtual and cloud infrastructure, intelligent edge services and distributed computing model, to generate data insights into these billions of devices. By successfully integrating IoT into 5G mobile technology networks, service providers can commercially exploit the availability of data insights from each of these billions of devices.
The confluence of 5G and IoT therefore represents an opportunity for service providers to build new and more relevant business models and generate additional returns on their digital and compute investments. In reality, 5G mobile technology represents the next step in the digital transformation journey for service providers and their installed base of subscribers and users.
5G mobile technology represents an opportunity for service providers to provide innovative services by combining different types of connectivity platforms into a unified delivery network service. 5G is therefore not just about higher speeds or new technology platforms, but also ability to integrate these new platforms more cohesively while delivering innovative services based on data insights.
Since the launch of mobile virtual network operators and mobile Internet access, there has not been much innovation in the business models of service providers. While there have been attempts to build new models around content and Wifi-only access, these have been insufficient to veer dramatically from the existing models of Wifi-at-home and Wifi-at-office access, as well as mobile video content services. Future possibilities lie in the integration of virtual and augmented reality content and gaming services into 5G networks, and 5G based Internet access.
5G mobile technology is expected to drive an exponential growth in data traffic. Development of 5G mobile technology standards is being driven by use cases that require higher scalability, mobility, wider coverage, capacity, performance, lower latency, affordability, and vertical market specialization. This is required since the average traffic per 5G connection is expected to be higher by 5x relative to a 4G connection.
On the flip side, the biggest inhibitor for the roll out of 5G mobile technology based networks remains the absence of use cases and innovative business models for service providers, that cannot be supported on existing, advanced 4G mobile technology based networks. According to Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), another setback for service providers in the adoption of 5G mobile technology, will be the continuous drop in the average revenue per user, as the roll out happens.
This will happen due to the wide spread usage of mesh-based, low power, wide area networks to support IoT. Mesh-based networks complete most of the transactions at the edge of the network in an automated fashion, rather than hopping across the network or between multiple service provider networks, thereby reducing the opportunity to increase the revenue per transaction.
Notwithstanding the pros and cons of 5G mobile technologies and the IoT, service providers as an industry will need to come together to ensure that the next generation of platforms still under development, can interoperate and deliver the expected level of innovative services to move forward from the present-day reality.
9th May 2022
“Thriving with Resilience & Integration in the New Opportunity Realm”
Innovation and Resources for the 5G Era
Leaders' Summit 2022
The SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2022 addresses critical issues of the ICT industry and emphasizes on collective leadership approaches
SAMENA Telecommunications Council at MWC22 highlights importance of key recommendations and outcomes of the UN Broadband Commission’s WG on 21st Century Financing Models to close the connectivity gap
TRA Bahrain - Public Consultation for the Purpose of Amending the Regulation on Permitting, Installation, Upgrading and Maintenance of Public Radiocommunications Stations
CITC - Public Consultation On Amateur Radio Service Regulations
CITC - Public Consultation On The Spectrum Use Regulations of Space Science, Radio Astronomy and Meteorological Services
CITC - Public Consultation On Information Memorandum for Spectrum Auction in 2100 MHz for Non-Terrestrial Networks
Accelerating Fiber & IPv6+ Deployment to Catalyze New Business and GDP Growth
October 20 | Dubai UAE
Measuring digital development:
Facts and figures 2021
Digital Economy Report 2021
Cross-Border Data Flows And Development: For Whom The Data Flow
The State of Broadband 2021:
People-Centred Approaches for Universal Broadband
21st Century Financing Models for Bridging Broadband Connectivity Gaps
Zain joins UN Global Compact initiative for responsible business practices
inspireU program embracing 18 projects in its 9th intake


text: A WA dairy industry advocate has welcomed the return of some of the country’s best-known milk brands to Aussie hands, after the recent acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks, which contracts about 20 WA dairy farmers, by Bega Cheese Limited. The New South Wales processor announced the $534 million purchase last week, taking the reins of major dairy brands including Pura, Masters, Dare and Big M from Japanese brewer Kirin. It comes after a $600 million deal to sell the company — which has the biggest national cold-chain distribution network supplying food service and convenience stores, and a national manufacturing footprint of 13 sites — to China Mengniu Dairy Company fell through in September. The acquisition will increase Bega’s annual milk intake to 1.7 billion litres — from 955m litres — and expand its manufacturing and milk collection footprint as well as its product range. About 20 WA dairy farmers are contracted to supply milk to Lion. It is then processed at its Bentley factory, which has been upgraded over the past three years. WAFarmers dairy section president Ian Noakes said the return to local ownership was pleasing. “I think it should be positive,” Mr Noakes, pictured, said. “It has top-quality management.” “It will be interesting to see how it operates in a fresh-milk market as it’s been more focused on manufacturing previously. “I’m happy for it to be locally owned and happy for it to be Bega.” From a WA perspective, Mr Noakes said it would be “great” if the deal resulted in more demand for fresh milk. Other products taken on by Bega in the sale include yoghurt (Yoplait, Farmers Union, Dairy Farmers), cream and custard (Pura, Dairy Farmers) and chilled juices (Juice Brothers, Daily Juice). Bega Cheese’s executive chairman, Barry Irvin said he was “delighted” to announce the acquisition, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of January. “The acquisition delivers important industry consolidation and value creation with synergies across the entire supply chain,” he said.