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Digital ecosystem powered by ‘Home of Handball’ content platforms, enhanced streaming service and digitally optimised production and distribution to go live
The European Handball Federation (EHF) and EHF Marketing GmbH today announced the launch of a 360 degree digital strategy that will take the sport into a new era, marking the official start of its 10-year exclusive media and marketing partnership with Infront and DAZN Group.
A new digital ecosystem to amplify the reach and awareness of handball will launch on 1 July across all platforms including TV, OTT, digital and social media. Online, a new content platform, 'Home of Handball', will provide a one-stop shop for the best handball content from the continent. This will be complemented on social media with dedicated 'Home of Handball' channels.
The EHF’s official streaming platform, EHFTV, is revamped with a state-of-the-art video player and new features enabling fans to watch games, classic matches and highlights from all EHF competitions live and on demand.
Digitally-optimised, high-quality content for all platforms will be created by Infront and DAZN's newly assembled dedicated digital production experts based in Madrid working on eventually more than 5,000 pieces of video content for all major EHF competitions. Joint work has already started on a first digital campaign to promote the start of the 2020/21 EHF Champions League. A player and influencer programme will also form part of the new strategy for the EHF EURO.
Together, the digital strategy will create and curate content for fans, broadcasters, clubs and national teams on digital and social media to grow audiences, engage and entertain them beyond the 60 minutes of the game and lay the foundation for the long-term growth of the sport.
Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the European Handball Federation, said: "We are entering the partnership with Infront and DAZN with the clear aim to elevate the sport of handball to new heights. A central pillar to this is finding new ways to further improve our digital presence. We are entering a new era for the sport and our 360 degree strategy will ensure that all partners can value and truly connect with fans old and new."
David Szlezak, Managing Director of EHF Marketing, said: “After preparing for this day for more than two years, we are excited to officially throw-off this strategic partnership with Infront and DAZN. For the club competitions, in particular the EHF Champions League, it provides us with a great opportunity to create a holistic approach to promote and grow the sport of handball in an exciting way – not only digitally but also in terms of eventisation and brand identification.”
Antonio Dominguez, Senior Director Summer Sports and Head of Handball at Infront, said: "The new digital strategy will deliver the best handball content to fans on the channels they use. It will broaden the reach of the sport outside of competition time, engaging audiences beyond the match and create a valuable proposition for EHF, EHF Marketing and its partners."
James Chubb, VP Global Rights Partnerships, DAZN Group, said: “DAZN and Infront have combined forces with EHF and EHFM to build a new way of thinking in the production and marketing of handball across owned, earned and paid media. Today, sports fans want to interact with content across all platforms and our ambitious digital-first strategy will tap into that desire for constant entertainment.”
About the EHF
The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the governing body for handball in Europe. With 50 member federations and two associated federations, the EHF is responsible for a wide range of tasks and activities from promotion, development and education through to the organisation of high profile competitions and events including the EHF EURO and EHF Champions League. The headquarters of the federation and its marketing subsidiary, EHF Marketing GmbH, are in Vienna, Austria.
About EHF Marketing
EHF Marketing GmbH is the marketing arm and subsidiary of the European Handball Federation. The company works closely with marketing and media partners, as well as with Europe’s leading clubs to release the full potential of handball on the international sports market. EHF Marketing GmbH is responsible for the exploitation, organisation and promotion of the European club handball competitions including the EHF Champions League and EHF European League competitions.
About DAZN Group
DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with 2,800 employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialisation. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport streaming service, as well as some of the most popular sport portals, including DAZN News, Goal, Sporting News, and Spox.com. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is live in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. In 2020, DAZN will dramatically increase its presence, expanding to more than 200 countries and territories. Visithttps://media.dazn.com for more information.
Connecting fans and consumers to the greatest sports events, Infront, a Wanda Sports Group company, offers everything an event or commercial partner needs to be successful. With a team of over 1,000 experts working from 45 offices across more than 16 countries around the world, Infront is equipped to tackle any challenge – be it innovative digital solutions, world-class event operations, international media rights distribution, sponsorship sales and activations or cutting-edge media production. Headquartered in Switzerland, Infront is passionate and #AllAboutSports. @infrontsports www.infront.sport
European Handball Federation
Head of Media and Communications
Phone: +43 1 80 151 164 99
EHF Marketing GmbH
Phone: +43 1 80 151 221
Infront Sports & Media AG
Manager | Strategic Communications
Phone: +41 41 723 15 15
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +44 79 66 191 669


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Although 2022 will likely be heralded as the year 5G truly went mainstream, we’ve traveled a long and winding road to get here. Carriers began actively working on preparing this leading-edge cellular tech as early as 2015, but it wasn’t until the end of 2018 that the first 5G mobile towers came online. It also took until 2020 before 5G was much more than a curiosity for early adopters.
Although previous cellular technologies like 4G/LTE also spent a long time in the research and development stages, those didn’t experience nearly the same growing pains that 5G has. When 4G/LTE services began rolling out broadly in 2011, it was the same basic technology across all the major U.S. carriers.
Miquel Benitez/Getty Images
Things have been considerably more complicated with 5G. Since the newer technology promises the kind of performance previously exclusive to wired broadband services, it comes with more demanding requirements and runs over a much wider range of frequencies.
This has made deploying 5G somewhat more challenging as carriers try to find more radio spectrum to carry the best 5G signals. They also need to keep their 4G/LTE networks running at peak performance while sharing the airwaves with new 5G services.
The humble beginnings of 5G
Many folks don’t know that the first 5G deployments in the United States weren’t for mobile devices at all. In 2017, the carriers began trialing fixed wireless 5G services as a replacement for wired broadband home internet. Closed trials of 5G home internet ran well into 2018 before becoming commercially available later that same year.
It wasn’t until early 2019 that the first 5G mobile networks rolled out. Verizon led the way in April with a relatively small 5G footprint in core areas of Chicago and Minneapolis, arguably beating out three South Korean carriers to become the first commercial 5G smartphone service on the planet.
Verizon expanded its service to several other cities throughout 2019, including Denver, Providence, St. Paul, Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Panama City, New York City, Dallas, Omaha, Houston, and Boston.
The carrier had all these cities under its belt before rivals T-Mobile and AT&T turned the switch on their own 5G networks, but there was a big catch. As a result of Verizon’s use of the extremely high frequency (EHF) — and extremely short range — millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, 5G service in each of these cities was confined to very small and specific areas. Stray more than a block away from a 5G zone, and you would quickly find yourself back on the carrier’s standard 4G/LTE service.
The upside is that if you were near one of these rare mmWave 5G towers, you could experience phenomenal speeds. It wasn’t uncommon to see speeds in the 500 to 1,000Mbps (1Gbps) range.
Sprint had also begun dipping its toes into 5G in early 2019, using the mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum that was already carrying its 4G/LTE traffic. Those deployments were relatively short-lived, though, as a year later, it would find itself folded into the new T-Mobile, which had other plans for that spectrum.
Expanding 5G across the nation
While Verizon focused on delivering the fastest possible 5G speeds to tiny areas, AT&T and T-Mobile were working instead on building more expansive 5G networks using low-band frequencies that could travel much greater distances.
Both carriers turned on their larger 5G networks in December 2019, with T-Mobile claiming its network covered 200 million people out of the gate, while AT&T only promised coverage for “tens of millions” of its customers. This isn’t to be confused with AT&T’s 5G Evolution (5GE) network, which launched in 2018 but was really just a misleading name for its advanced 4G/LTE services.
The two carriers used different pieces of the low-band spectrum, with AT&T using higher frequency signals that were paired with its 4G/LTE network in key cities — only about 15 during its initial launch — while T-Mobile piggybacked on its 600MHz spectrum that was already covering vast swaths of the countryside. By mid-2020, T-Mobile was able to leverage that spectrum to boast 5G coverage in all 50 states, including Alaska.
Verizon didn’t join the nationwide 5G party until late 2020 when it rebranded its mmWave 5G service as its 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UW) network. It did this to make room for a new 5G Nationwide offering that it said would deliver 5G to 200 million more people throughout 1,800 towns and cities across the nation.
The first 5G smartphones
The earliest 5G deployments were exciting but a bit premature — especially Verizon’s. When the first mmWave cells went live in Chicago, there were barely any handsets that supported 5G at all — much less the mmWave flavor of 5G that Verizon used.
In fact, the only compatible handset on the market at the time of that initial 5G launch was Motorola’s midrange Moto Z3, which was sold exclusively on the Verizon network. It also required a separate Moto Mod add-on module to provide 5G compatibility.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
The Moto Z3/Moto Mod solution was a strange arrangement, but fortunately, 5G enthusiasts didn’t have to wait long for more options. Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G and LG’s V50 ThinQ came along in May, followed by the Huawei Mate X, OnePlus Pro 7 5G, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, and ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G.
Those early 5G smartphones also had another critical catch. In 2019, Verizon and Sprint were offering 5G services but doing so on different frequencies. Early 5G smartphones like LG’s V50 ThinQ and the OnePlus Pro 7 5G couldn’t pack in all the necessary frequencies for both carriers, so they were sold in two different versions on each carrier. This meant many early Verizon 5G phones wouldn’t work on Sprint and vice-versa.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Meanwhile, Apple released its iPhone 11 lineup in 2019 without no 5G support at all. The message from Cupertino was clear: 5G wasn’t a big enough deal yet to warrant its inclusion in Apple’s flagship smartphone lineup.
That’s a fair assessment since Apple builds its products for the masses, and 5G was available to less than five% of U.S. consumers in September 2019. That had changed significantly by the time the iPhone 12 was released a year later, and 5G has been standard on every iPhone since with support for every 5G band from T-Mobile’s 600MHz low-band to AT&T’s 39GHz mmWave in every U.S. model save the lower-cost iPhone SE.
T-Mobile takes the lead
By November 2019, Verizon had 5G coverage in small areas of 16 U.S. cities, and Sprint claimed around 16 million people under its 5G umbrella.
So it’s easy to appreciate how big of a deal it was when Go to Source

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Like many of us, Lindsay Gordon-Faranda is spending more time in the kitchen during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gordon-Faranda and her husband Jon Faranda find themselves in the kitchen nearly every night trying out new recipes from Bon Appétit magazine. They’ve made focaccia bread, tofu and vegetable curry and roast chicken. A favorite: vegetable ramen, a dish of noodles, vegetables and eggs in a flavorful broth.
“Jon and I went to Japan last year after years of planning,” said Gordon-Faranda, senior public relations specialist for Duke Children’s Development. “Cooking Japanese food and other cuisines has been a way to transport us while we’re stuck at home.”
Many of us are cooking at home more than ever during these stressful times. That includes Duke's Science & Society, which hosted its own The Great S&S Bakeoff. Hunter Public Relations, a firm in New York City, Los Angeles and London that works with food, beverage and retail brands, published a study in April noting that 54 percent of Americans are cooking more than they did before the pandemic. Of course, cooking at home saves money and brings comfort. Home cooks have been busy documenting their creations using hashtags on social media such as COVIDCooking and QuarantineCooking.
Here’s what some Duke employees are cooking at home during COVID-19.
Assistant Dean of Students, DukeReach
Tiarra Wade didn’t let COVID-19 stop her tradition of making a bunny cake.
Ever since her 7-year-old daughter Amaya was born, Wade has made a cake and decorated it into the shape of a bunny for Easter.
Wade begins with two chocolate cakes. She slices one into the shape of ears and uses another for the bunny’s face. Amaya then spreads her mom’s homemade buttercream on the cakes and sprinkles shredded coconut on the icing. Wade and Amaya top it off with jelly beans, sprinkles and Twizzlers for the face and bow-tie.
“It’s been really fun to watch my daughter get more involved with baking every year,” Wade said. “I’ll always cherish our time together in the kitchen.”
Senior Associate for Contracts Management, Duke Clinical Research Institute
Rupal Vora has been creating her favorite restaurant meals at home.
Vora has made spinach lasagna, vegetarian tacos and grain bowls with corn, black beans and avocado. But her favorite meal has been a replication of her go-to dishes from the Indo-Chinese restaurant, “Wok on Fire,” in Cary.
Indo-Chinese dishes merge the spices and cooking techniques of Chinese and Indian cuisine.
Vora whipped up Hakka noodles, boiled noodles stir-fried with vegetables and sauces; vegetable Manchurian, minced vegetables that are formed into balls, fried and covered in a sweet or spicy sauce; and chili paneer, a stir-fried dish with Indian cheese.
“These are all dishes I would normally pick-up as takeout,” Vora said. “Being at home has made me a more adventurous cook.”
Director of Alumni and Leadership Giving, Duke Annual Fund
Matt Cloues’ favorite kitchen tool is his cast-iron skillet.
Cloues fries eggs, cooks strip steak and makes chicken pot pie topped with Pillsbury biscuits in the 10-inch skillet he bought five years ago.
“If I was stranded on a desert island, I would take my skillet,” Cloues said. “I can cook almost anything on it.”
In May, he made a skillet shepherd’s pie. The traditional British dish is a mix of ground beef, peas, carrots, green beans and mashed potatoes.
“I think everyone is looking for little rays of sunshine right now,” Cloues said. “For better or worse, mine is cooking and eating.”
Manager for Release of Information, Health Information Management Department of Duke Health System
Cooking has been a bonding experience for Ginny Lee and her 8-year-old daughter, Mary.
A few nights each week they turn off the TV, Lee leaves her phone behind and they gather in the kitchen to make pretzels, sourdough bread and, their favorite recipe so far, ravioli.
Lee made the ravioli dough using flour and eggs and filled the pasta with ricotta, parmesan and broccoli. Lee shaped the pasta using a stamping mold her grandmother, Virginia Beattie, gave her.
“It’s a great feeling to know the ravioli making was such a family process,” Lee said. “It’s a way to remember my grandmother while creating new memories with my daughter.”
Biostatistician, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute
Despite making cheesecakes and various cookies for friends and colleagues for years, Maggie Nguyen stayed away from bread.
“I was intimated by the kneading,” said Nguyen, referring to the process of working the dough with your hands to develop structure in the final product.
She found a way to bypass that step with a no-kneed Dutch oven bread recipe from The New York Times. Nguyen has made the bread three times during the pandemic. She eats it with homemade honey butter, makes a grilled cheese sandwich or tops it with tomatoes and olive oil for bruschetta.
“My world will never be the same,” Nguyen said. “The bread is so delicious.”
Program Coordinator for Disability Services and Program Management, Duke Divinity School
Ashley Lunn’s favorite meal during these challenging times came about by mistake.
Lunn’s husband went to the grocery store to pick up a chuck roast and came back with a 6-pound beef brisket. Lunn called her dad, who lives outside Dallas, for help.
“Brisket is a big thing in Texas so I knew he would have some tips,” Lunn said.
Lunn’s dad gave her a homemade recipe that required overnight seasoning and a 7-hour cooking process. The final product instantly became a family-favorite recipe.
“It’s a perfect dish to make when you’re stuck in the house since it cooks for so long,” Lunn said. “It was so good that my husband went and bought another.”
What are you cooking and baking while isolating? Let us know below:


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Finney downloaded the bitcoin software on its release date,. develop over the future development path of bitcoin. transaction format that moves this data.
IBM on French Hiring Spree to Launch Blockchain and AI Projects. Bitcoin Cash gets a boost after being added to a London.Genre: Country Release Date: 2018 Format: Flac (tracks) Quality: Lossless. Read More.
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Top 40 Press Release Examples from the Pros


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Trade Conflict, Doom or Boom? – LogiSYM November/December 2018
The US-China trade conflict has been portrayed by experts to be a disaster for the global economy. On one side we have the pre-eminent global power, in relative decline but refusing to admit it and attempting to stage a disorganised and disjointed revival. The other, an incoming superpower keen to assume its place on the global stage – using many of the very same economic weapons used by the declining global power over the last decades. The relationship has deteriorated to a point of open political and economic confrontation. In just a few short months, the US and China have transformed from rivals and competitors to outright adversaries and the world is waiting with bated breath to see the result of the current 90 day armistice.
Realistically though, will this be all doom and gloom for supply chains or will we see a positive outcome at ‘the end’? Will the balance of world trade and economic power shift with an overall positive effect and could we see a revamp or a totally new system, a true alternative to what many consider a broken and ineffective plurilateral and multilateralism system of trade that is the WTO?
We are by no means promulgating a trade conflict or escalation of such a conflict but we do think that what comes out at the end may not necessarily be all bad, especially for some Asian countries.
The trade war was brewing and has escalated in the last few months. The US slapped a total of US$250 Billion worth of tariffs on China and is looking to increase tariffs further unless both sides come to some sort of compromise or consensus.
Is the general idea on the tariff implementations true? Many believed that there would be undesirable consequences such as a rise in costs and a retaliation by China through the imposition of tariffs on American goods which will, in turn, harm both economies.
The idea became a reality when China reacted by imposing tariffs on US goods. However, has it really resulted in a marked economic benefit to American workers? The imposition of tariffs was done hastily and a deeper study on how the tariffs would affect sectors should have been done. The US claims the imposed tariffs were to protect and create job opportunities for American workers. This has not been the case in many scenarios and the imposed tariffs even proved to be detrimental for certain sectors. An example would be the renewable energy sector which took a big hit and had to cancel or freeze investment causing thousands to lose their jobs.
espite people’s fears becoming a reality with tariffs being imposed by both sides, the cost of shipping from China to the US continues to increase.
There is a strong correlation between shipping prices and the demand for products. Logistics is a derived demand. If the demand for products were low there would be no demand for shipping services which would have led to a decrease in prices however based on trade data freight rates are heading northwards.
Reduction of freight capacity could be a reason why freight prices have increased, but according to the US Census Bureau, imports from China grew from USD38,230 million to USD50,032 million over this period. This clearly shows there is growth in demand for goods from China and not a reduction of freight capacity to the US as some might suspect.
Another reason for the increase in freight pricing is the year end peak season which typically see volumes increase due to significant increase in demand over the festive season and New Year. Consumption in this period is usually higher and this results in an increase in capacity. Moreover, the growth this year is substantially greater than the previous years despite the trade war. This could be attributed somewhat to the boom of e-commerce and the increase in transactions from online platforms. With the expectation that higher tariffs would be implemented come 2019, some companies are also stockpiling product in anticipation of this.
The imposition of trade tariffs could perhaps also help as a “cooling measure” for financial markets? Many markets look to be overheated and there are signs that this could be a bubble. This will undoubtedly lead to a correction period. The implementation of trade tariffs are making investors more cautious with their investments due to uncertainty in the markets and this could act as a necessary curb.
China took a defensive measure and devalued their currency to protect the demand for Chinese products. Many Chinese companies are also taking a short term measure of absorbing the tariffs in their pricing. Obviously, this will reduce margins but it will enable Chinese companies to retain their market share in US trade. It is not a defensive stance that will be viable in the long run but is an adequate stop-gap measure until we are all more certain as to what will eventuate.
Companies with an existing supply chain through China will start to look at other alternatives, if they have not already done so. China has limited resources and imports a large number of raw materials to produce goods. The implementation of further tariffs might outweigh the benefits of establishing supply chains that include China. Labour costs for example have been increasing over the years and this trade war could therefore be a boon for many Asian countries. Companies looking at new countries to establish manufacturing sites will weaken the Chinese economy but this will inversely strengthen the economy of other developing countries, hence it will not be a zero-sum game for all players.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) also comes into effect from January 2019 and this could further incentivise companies to re-examine and redesign their supply chains – and potentially look elsewhere for significant volume or margin growth.
The end of the trade war seems distant, and it still remains unclear at this point in time if the pros of the tariff implementation outweigh the cons.
Having a rules based system allows many to participate on a so-called level playing field but as many Logisticians and business people would agree, where there is a lack of rules or where there is chaos in a particular system, this is where the largest opportunities exist. Let’s not forget that as we enter into 2019.
1 Max Henry. “Infographic of the week”. Last edited 18 Nov 2018. Accessed 19 Nov 2018 http://www.supplychain.asia/issues/supply-chain-asia-november-18-2018-142667


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Weekly poll results: Sony hits the bullseye with the Xperia 5 II
You asked and Sony delivered – that’s the impression from last week’s poll where the Sony Xperia 5 II received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans.
The size seems perfect for most as only 16% stated that they wanted something smaller, something closer to the famed Compact models of yesteryear.
Going through the comments, it seems that (aside from size) the biggest criticism is price. Normally we’d say that price is temporary and you can wait a few months – but that’s easier said then done when the phone won’t even launch until a month from now.
If you hold out, you may...


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We've been under the impression that Gravity Rush
was slated to reorient our Newtonian perspectives sometime during the Vita launch window, but Amazon
disagree, listing the title's release date as May 29, which is quite a ways away from the Vita's February 22 launch.
We called a local Gamestop to confirm the listing, and an employee informed us that Gravity Rush
has a "ship date" of May 30 in their system, which lines up just about right. It's entirely possible that the end of May is within Sony's definition of the Vita's release window, but we won't know what's the dealio really
-o until Sony elaborates on the game's "TBD" release date.


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Haydale Graphene Industries Plc is the holding company for Haydale Limited, Haydale Composite Solutions Limited and Haydale Technologies (Korea) Co., Limited.
Haydale Limited, housed in a purpose built facility for processing and handling nano-materials with an R&D laboratory, is facilitating the application of graphenes and other nano-materials in fields such as inks, sensors, energy storage, photovoltaics, composites, paints and coatings. Haydale has developed a patented proprietary scalable plasma process to functionalise graphene and other nanomaterials.
Haydale Composite Solutions Limited (HCS) specialises in the design, development and commercialisation of advanced polymer composite materials on a global basis.
Haydale Technologies (Korea) Co., Ltd, is located in Seoul. This is currently a sales and marketing office managing companies Haydale are working with and who are sampling Haydale functionalised materials.
Haydale supplies graphene enhanced materials direct to customers and through their marketing and distribution partners InVentures (USA) and planarTECH (Far East). R&D materials are available through INSCX™ and the specialist web based supplier, Goodfellow.
The latest Haydale graphene news:
A few years ago, several graphene producers released 3D printing materials enhanced with graphene. These materials enabled conductive non-metal materials, and enhanced the mechanical and thermal properties of these 3D printing filaments.
The market reaction, though, to these materials was cool. The materials did not provide a significant improvement, the price was high, and there were better alternatives available.
Haydale announced that it has raised £5.1 million (almost $7 million USD) in an oversubscribed share offer.
The company says that the new funds will be used to fund general working capital needs of the business, support the scaling up of manufacturing capacity and drive forward product rollout into the US market.
Haydale has announced that, following its announcement of positive prototype testing on 3rd March 2020, its range of advanced wearable technology - integrated into garments for elite athletes - was used in Tokyo by British athletes, including top medal winning athletes.
The garments generate heat using Haydale's printed functionalized graphene ink and incorporate electronic circuitry to produce temperature regulated panels. The plan is to use them at future international competitions, and subsequently to make them available commercially to other professional sports.
Haydale has filed a joint patent with Airbus which covers the intellectual property jointly generated by Haydale and Airbus under the multi-party NATEP-supported Graphene Composites Evaluated in Lightning Strike Project, or GraCELS-2.
The group said that GraCELS-2 was designed to confirm that the 'incorporation of functionalized graphene/2D fillers could produce the next iteration of composite materials with significantly improved lightning strike performance compared to existing current carbon/epoxy systems alleviating the need for copper mesh'.
Haydale has announced that further to a memorandum of understanding signed on 11 November 2020, it has now signed a Collaboration Agreement with ProMake Limited with respect to the fulfilment of Promake's commitments under the Public Health England ("PHE") National Microbiology Framework.
In line with the UK Government's aim to supply fast turnaround tests in its fight against Covid-19, PHE announced a new National Microbiology Framework in November 2020. There were four discrete lots within this framework and ProMake tendered for Lot 2 and Lot 4.


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Visualizing the Massive Cost of Cybercrime
View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.
What do Equifax, Yahoo, and the U.S. military have in common? They’ve all fallen victim to a cyberattack at some point in the last decade—and they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
Today’s infographic from Raconteur delves into the average damage caused by cyberattacks at the organizational level, sorted by type of attack, industry, and country.
Rising Cybercrime Costs Across the Board
The infographic focuses on data from the latest Accenture “Cost of Cybercrime” study, which details how cyber threats are evolving in a fast-paced digital landscape.
Overall, the average annual cost to organizations has been ballooning for all types of cyberattacks. For example, a single malware attack in 2018 costed more than $2.6 million, while ransomware costs rose the most between 2017–2018, from $533,000 to $646,000 (a 21% increase).
Both information loss and business disruption occurring from attacks have been found to be the major cost drivers, regardless of the type of attack:
Major consequence: Information Loss
Average cost: $1.4M (54% of total losses)
- Web-based attacks
Major consequence: Information Loss
Average cost: $1.4M (61% of total losses)
- Denial-of-Service (DOS)
Major consequence: Business Disruption
Average cost: $1.1M (65% of total losses)
- Malicious insiders
Major consequences: Business Disruption and Information Loss
Average cost: $1.2M ($0.6M each, 75% of total losses)
In 2018, information loss and business disruption combined for over 75% of total business losses from cybercrime.
Cybercrime Casts a Wide Net
No industry is untouched by the growing cost of cybercrime—the report notes that organizations have seen security breaches grow by 67% in the past five years alone. Banking is the most affected, with annual costs crossing $18 million in 2018. This probably comes as no surprise, considering that financial motives are consistently a major incentive for hackers.
Here is the average cost of cyberattacks (per organization) across 15 different industries:
|Industry||2017 Cost||2018 Cost||% Change|
Interestingly, the impact on life sciences companies rose the most in a year (up by 86% to $10.9 million per organization), followed by the travel industry (up 77% to $8.2 million per organization). This is likely due to an increase in sensitive and valuable data being shared online, such as clinical trial details or credit card information.
So What Can Companies Do?
Accenture analyzed nine cutting-edge technologies that are helping mitigate cybercrime, and calculated their net savings: the total potential savings minus the required investment in each type of technology or tool.
With almost $2.3 million in net savings, many companies recognize the high payoff that comes with security intelligence. On the other hand, leveraging automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning can potentially save over $2 million—however, only 38% of businesses have adopted this solution so far.
Cybercrime will remain a large-scale concern for years to come. From 2019–2023E, approximately $5.2 trillion in global value will be at risk from cyberattacks, creating an ongoing challenge for corporations and investors alike.
Ranked: The World’s Top 10 Electronics Exporters (2000-2021)
Here are the largest electronics exporters by country, highlighting how electronics trade has increasingly shifted to Asia over 20 years.
Top 10 Electronics Exporters in the World (2000-2021)
From personal computers to memory chips, the electronics trade plays a vital role in the world economy. In 2021, global electronics exports reached $4.1 trillion according to McKinsey Global Institute.
This graphic shows the 10 largest electronics exporters in the world, based on data from McKinsey, and how they’ve changed since 2000.
Ranked: The Top 10 Exporters of Electronics
Which countries are the leading exporters of electronics, and how has this shifted over the last two decades?
|Rank||Country||Share of Total 2021||Share of Total 2000|
|3||🇰🇷 South Korea||7%||5%|
|7||🇺🇸 United States||4%||16%|
We can see in the above table how global electronics trade has become more concentrated in Asia, specifically China and Taiwan. As an electronics powerhouse, 34% of the world’s electronic goods in 2021 came from China, representing $1.4 trillion in value.
Home to leading firms like TSMC, Taiwan also plays a major role due to its prowess in semiconductor manufacturing—highlighting the island’s global importance.
But not all of Asia has been thriving. In 2000, Japan was a global electronics powerhouse responsible for 13% of the industry’s exports, but has seen its share shrink to 4% in 2021. The U.S. has also sheen its electronics lead shrink, with exports down from 16% of the global total in 2000 to just 4% in 2021.
Several factors have driven this shift. Instead of manufacturing electronics domestically, the U.S. has outsourced technology to countries where manufacturing, production, and labor costs are lower. However, recently, the U.S. is focusing on reshoring semiconductor production specifically given its role in national security, as seen through the $52.7 billion CHIPS Act.
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© The Financial Times Ltd 2014 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Some very big bets are being placed on finding the next online media conglomerates. One thing these companies have in common: they don’t spend too much money on content, but have models designed to aggregate large audiences on the Web.
Glam Media, which claims to have the largest reach of any Website aimed at women, is understood to be looking to raise $250m from private investors. Glam likes to think of itself as a US-style TV network for the Web. It creates a small amount of content, a brand and advertising: other websites with relevant content that want to sign on to the network have to commit to an exclusive relationship, making them the equivalent of the "owned and operated" stations of the TV networks (though Glam doesn’t go actually buy them outright.) This aggregated audience has now reached 25m unique visitors. Read more
The most interesting of these is Forge, a map editor that lets Halo players roam around the game’s multi-player battlefields dropping weapons, vehicles and other materiel around the map. Players can then save their custom-built maps, invite friends and even upload them to the web site of Bungie, Halo 3′s developer, where they can be shared and commented on by the entire Halo 3 community. Read more
One of the consequences of the evolution of the web from a text-heavy to an increasingly video centric medium is that search tools also need to evolve.
The "wisdom of crowds" motif has become a tired cliche in online circles in recent years. With the latest in low-cost interactive Web technologies, though, there finally seems to be a real wave of experimentation underway in how to harness the knowledge of the masses.
The range of that experimentation is intriguing. Two of the companies presenting at the Demo conference – a showcase that tries to filter out the best tech start-ups, though the "winners" of this contest still have to pay $18,000 to show up – represent the extremes. Read more
Q: Where can you find 1m screens, at the heart of a multi-billion-dollar industry, that are just waiting to be connected to the internet?
A: Las Vegas, Atlantic City and anywhere else that players of the slots congregate. Read more
It is always good to kick off a conference – particularly a tech startup beauty show like Demo – with a splash. That is just what DemoFall’s longtime organiser, Chris Shipley, did with Digital Fountain, the kick off demonstrator at today’s event in San Diego.
Digital Fountain, a privately funded Fremont-based digital video infrastructure startup, showed off itsDF Splash technology which cleans up "lossy" IP-delivered video guaranteeing near broadcast quality video even when a sizable number of packets are dropped. Read more
The Demo, which has just started in San Diego, looks like being a great showcase for a wide range of practical businesses being built on today’s internet technologies: online video delivery networks, "wisdom of crowds" marketing systems, workplace social networks, mobile search engines. Read more
The advent of the web and GPS devices has made all that seem out of date. In 2000, the US removed selective availability from its GPS system, allowing locations to be nailed down to within three metres and leading to the growth of geocaching as a sport and worldwide treasure hunt. Read more
The merry-go-round of big internet companies looking to buy a piece of Facebook is taking another turn, with Microsoft coming into view again – a Wall Street Journal report says it is seeking to invest up to $500m in the social networking site.
Yahoo, Google and Microsoft are all understood to have flirted with Facebook in the past year or so, but it has remained resolutely independent, and there is every chance its founder Mark Zuckerberg would rebuff Microsoft again. Read more


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BODEGA BAY - The decks were stacked high with crab pots Monday as the fishing fleet sat idly in Bodega Bay awaiting a price agreement, calmer seas and the start of the season.
About 45 boats were clustered at Spud Point Marina, most local but some from as far away as Oregon as fishermen secured lights, chopped bait for bait jars and talked in small groups in anticipation of the Tuesday start to the commercial crab season.
"It is always the same thing, wait until the last minute," said Jeff Genovese of Bodega Bay, owner of La Dolce Vita. "It puts everybody on edge."
Fishermen are asking for $2.50 a pound and buyers are offering $2, according to Chuck Cappotto of Gualala, president of the Fishermen's Marketing Association of Bodega Bay.
"We are confident the crab will be good, the quality good and we want a fair price," Cappotto said.
Last year, the season opened with fishermen getting $1.75 a pound and ended with the price at $4.
The ocean Monday was too rough for the fleet to launch, consisting mostly of boats 40 to 50 feet, and the weather was not expected to break until Thursday.
"The season will start when the season starts," said Jeff French of Morro Bay. "It's a matter of being patient, letting the thing sort itself out."
Last year was by far the highest catch on record, 19 million pounds for Central California, a region stretching from Sonoma County and south; an average catch is 5.6 million pounds of crab.
Bodega Bay fishermen unloaded 2.2 million pounds of Dungeness in November and December alone, compared to just 181,971 pounds during the same months in 2009, according to the state Department of Fish and Game.
The dollar value jumped to $3.6 million from $387,450 during that time. That catch was twice as plentiful as the combined catches of both San Francisco Bay and Half Moon Bay.
Preliminary estimates are that this year's catch will be just less than half of last year's record haul, but that would still make 2011 an abundant year.
If an agreement on price is reached within the next few days fresh crab is expected to be in stores in time for Thanksgiving, said Anthony Delima of Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay.
"If the fishermen get what they want on Thursday, we should have product in the stores on Friday," Delima said.
Cappotto said that the fleet in Bodega Bay, San Francisco and Half Moon Bay will not venture out until a price is reached.
The California commercial crab season north of Sonoma County has been delayed until Dec. 15 because the crab are still not filled out with meat this early in the year.
The sport crab season is already open, with preliminary indications showing healthy crabs.
"I think it will be an all right season," said John Toler of Eureka, owner of the Soko. "Last year was record-setting for history, but you never know until you throw your gear in the water."
To determine quality, Cappotto said the Regina Marie, a boat owned by Aaron Weinzinger, went out Monday to catch a few crabs as a test.
Cappotto said fisherman are looking for crabs with 24 to 25 percent meat, meaning that the typical two-pound crab would have a half pound of meat.


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Ah, the sweet taste of success
POULSBO Residents who have wondered where cooking lessons, music, organically-grown foods and the company of good friends collide, need look no further. Now in its fourth year of business, the Poulsbo Farmers Market is boasting over 50 vendors and more events on its calendar than ever before.
Its doing great this year, said market manager Jackie Aitchison. It takes three to five years to become established, and were in our fourth. Weve built a real stable core of vendors and a great regular customer base.
Aitchison, who was recently named administrative director of the Washington State Farmers Market Association, said the venue provides a chance for the community to support local businesses while purchasing great produce.
Its a real win-win for the community, she said. You can know where your food is coming from and support local farmers. Plus, its a fun thing to do on Saturday mornings.
New to the market this season are its monthly chef demonstrations, during which professionals create displays using produce fresh from the market. Visitor favorites also include live music, Village Baker artisan bread and the Steel City Café, Aitchison said.
PFM board president John Pyles said the market affords people the opportunity to browse its vendors while catching up with friends.
Its a social event, he said. Weve had a good start to the year... were on track to have our best year ever.
The quality of this seasons produce is not only excellent, but also competitively priced. The growing size of the market has afforded a more varied array from which people can choose, Pyles said. Included in the markets choices are organic coffee, tomatoes, fresh eggs and crops grown east of the mountains by a Yakima-area vendor.
Its great to have so many farmers, Aitchison said. A lot of it is naturally grown, without all those pesticides.
Poulsbo Mayor Kathryn Quade said she enjoys going to the market as often as she can.
It gets bigger by the week, she said. Its charming, with wonderful produce and people.
Two upcoming events the market will host are a lavender festival July 21 and Childrens Day on July 28, Aitchison said.
The market is located in the Poulsbo Village Medical/Dental Center at the corner of Iverson and 7th. It is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 13. For more information and to sign up for the markets e-newsletter, visit http://www.poulsbofarmersmarket.org.


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San Francisco recently passed a law banning cashless stores. From now on, Amazon To Go stores will have to accept cash. The argument for this law is that poor people don’t have credit cards or cell phones and so cannot shop in these stores. The argument for these stores is that cashless stores can charge lower prices because they have no cashiers and that they safer places to work for the employees, especially at night, because these places all have surveillance cameras and there is no cash to rob. Oakland is in the process of passing a similar law. I have been wondering if Berkeley is going to pass a law like this next. There are no cashless stores in Berkeley, but that probably won’t figure into the debate at the city council on this. Berkeley has lots of laws regulating businesses that don’t exist in Berkeley, like gun stores and slaughterhouses.
Cashless Society. Personally, I think banning cashless stores is just fighting the inevitable. Industrialized nations everywhere are moving to cashless economies, and that has been going on for generations. 100 years ago, there were no credit cards, and most people didn’t have checkbooks. When I first became a landlord, a lot of tenants paid their rent in cash. Now, every landlord I know has a clause in his leases requiring tenants to pay their rent by check, money order, or electronic transfer. There are lots of things that used to require cash but don’t anymore, like taxicabs and parking meters. I know several people who keep no cash in their wallets and not because they are poor. Although the San Francisco bay area is the world center of high technology business, we seem to elect a lot of Luddites here, politicians who are hostile to and fight new technology, the very businesses that have made them and their cities rich.
Most people assume that internet retailing is a very profitable industry. Internet sales are growing rapidly, and internet retailers don’t have the enormous expense of operating brick-and-mortar stores, like the ones you see at shopping malls. Because of internet retailing, hundreds of departments stores and shopping malls have closed all over the country. It seems like internet retailing should be a gold mine, but it isn’t. The sad fact is this – most internet retailers lose money, a lot of money. And it doesn’t seem that its a question of size. In most cases, the bigger an internet retailer is, the more money they lose. Even Amazon loses money. Over the past 20 years, Amazon has only made a profit in few quarters but lost money the rest of the time. Amazon makes money on some of their services, especially Amazon Prime, but they lose money selling merchandise, and they always have. Amazon may someday become profitable, but if that happens, it probably won’t come from selling merchandise online. So what’s the problem?
The problem is the cost of shipping and returns – especially returns. About 10% of all the merchandise purchased in brick-and-mortar stores is returned, but 20% to 30% of all goods purchased online is returned. Even worse, 30% to 40% of all the clothes and shoes purchased online are returned. Still worse, most internet retailers pay the shipping both ways. Add to that the labor costs for filling and packing orders and then unpacking and processing all those returns. Then add to that the fact that most returned merchandise cannot be resold for full price. Some cannot be resold at all, like damaged clothes and toys. Some can be resold, but only at a discount, like the ‘out of box’ TVs at Best Buy. However, most returned merchandise is sold to liquidators, and they pay just a fraction of the good’s wholesale cost. So, why don’t internet retailers charge for shipping or adopt less generous return policies? Well, they would if they could, but they can’t. People who buy stuff on the internet have gotten accustomed to free shipping and returns. People take it for granted. Besides, who would buy something like a pair of shoes online if they didn’t know that they could easily return them for a refund if they didn’t fit? But most important, internet retailers know that if they charge customers for shipping or for returns, they will quickly lose those customers to other online retailers that still offer free shipping and no-cost returns. Until internet retailers figure out some way to significantly reduce the cost of shipping and returns, I don’t see how the industry will make money.
Of course, things are very different for retailers that just sell their own brand products, like Ikea, Godiva, and Gap. Because they are just selling their own products, they have pricing power that general merchandise retailers do not. If you are considering a career in internet retailing, think twice about it. Remember that we live in a market economy. Making a profit is not just a desirable objective. A company that fails to make a profit must eventually go out of business.


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2K announced the release date for WWE 2K Battlegrounds today, and it looks insane.
The arcade-style brawler will bring over-the-top WWE action to a new level of intensity. It features a roster of more than 70 WWE Superstars and Legends, with additional Superstars to be released after the launch.
There are eight unique Battlegrounds environments to play in. Most of them feature interactive elements and crazy melee weapons that players can use to obliterate opponents. Players can soar in military helicopters, smash opponents with cars in an auto shop and throw other fighters into the jaws of a hungry alligator in a swamp. It certainly is WWE like we've never seen it! Players will also be able to customise environments to give playing that extra personal touch.
“We know WWE fans and gamers enjoy a wide variety of experiences, and with WWE 2K Battlegrounds, we’re presenting a whole new dimension through arcade-style gameplay that’s completely different than our WWE 2K simulation franchise," said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. "We look forward to seeing everyone tear it up with friends and family in the Battlegrounds.”
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Roster
Players will be able to choose from the biggest WWE stars today, like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Becky Lynch, Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston. They'll be joined by legendary wrestlers such as the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Andre the Giant. More unlockable Superstars will be available in the future via updates. There'll be something for all generations of wrestling lovers in this game, while there is also an option to build your own character with the Superstar Creator function.
Each Superstar utilises one of five class styles, and each style has its own combat moves, strengths and weaknesses. There will be a choice of Powerhouse, Technician, High-Flyer, Brawler and All-Rounder. Crazy arcade-style powerups, such as Flaming Fist, Ice Breath and Earthquake, provide extra excitement. These elements add a whole new dimension to the game that wouldn't be seen in the usual 2K games.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds will release worldwide on September 18, 2020 for the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch™ system and Stadia. It is now available for pre-order in digital formats and at participating retailers.


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Google Unveils Another Phone, Larger Nexus Tablet
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is adding a few more gadgets to holiday shopping lists.
The devices announced Monday include the latest in Google’s line of Nexus smartphones and a larger version of the 7-inch tablet that the company began selling in July under the Nexus brand.
The Nexus 4 smartphone is being made by LG Electronics and features an update to Google’s Android 4.2 system, also known as Jelly Bean. The larger Nexus tablet is being made by Samsung Electronics Co. and features a 10-inch display screen, about the same size as Apple Inc.’s top-selling iPad.
The Nexus 10 tablet with 16 gigabytes of storage will sell for $399. That’s $100 less than the comparable version of the latest iPad. The Nexus goes on sale in Google’s online store Nov. 13.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


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What is the secret that Apple will reveal tomorrow?
The banners most likely have nothing to do with the Apple iPhone 6, especially since it appears that the conference room video that leaked on Saturday, tuned out to be a fake. Apple is rumored to be introducing some new hardware on Monday, and there still is the Apple iWatch that could be unwrapped in San Francisco tomorrow.
In the past, Apple has hidden some banners to keep things secret until the keynote speech was made. That seems to be the case again. Keep checking in on Monday and we will let you know exactly what secrets Apple reveals tomorrow.


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Fed up with what feels like the over-commercialization of love, American consumers have been cooling on Valentine’s Day gift-giving, and it looks like the jewelry business is feeling the chill.
The National Retail Federation says that just half of all people 55 and under intend to celebrate this year, compared with 72% back in 2009. A poll it commissioned to explore the decline in 2017 found that the main reasons people say they’re less enthusiastic are that they feel it’s over-commercialized, they didn’t have a sweetie to celebrate with or they just aren’t into it.
In particular, jewelry is feeling the pinch. This year, the NRF’s research finds that 18% of people celebrating will buy some bling, spending $3.9 billion. In 2015, 21% said they’d do so, spending $4.8 billion.
And an analysis from Cubeiq, which tracks foot traffic to stores using anonymous and aggregated mobility patterns, is also showing a marked decline, with just half a million visits to leading jewelry stores the Saturday before Valentine’s Day last year. Its analysis includes Kay Jewelers, Helzberg Diamonds, Swarovski, Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, Zales Jewelers and Pandora.
“Perhaps recently, some consumers are finding traditional Valentine’s Day gifts a bit cliché,” says Valentina Marastoni-Bieser, Cuebiq’s senior vice president of marketing. But she tells Marketing Daily there may be a variety of reasons for reduced bling-buying including shifting spending habits and the rise of online shopping.
And despite this new February reluctance, jewelry sales have been relatively healthy. Euromonitor reports that U.S. consumers spent $70.67 billion in 2018 on real and costume jewelry, up from $61.06 billion in 2013, growing annually at about 3%.
Cubeiq also says some retail brands have stronger appeal. Jared, for instance, is weaker, with 84% of those tracked visiting the store just once. Yet at Kay, 27% visited at least twice. And Swarovski is winning on customer engagement, with a fifth of its shoppers spending at least 55 minutes in the store.


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Pandora will open what it calls its largest concept store ever on Oxford Street in London on Aug. 30.
The two-level store will comprise 200 square meters (650 square feet) of retail space. Its first floor will consist of what is called a “sculptural meeting bar” for entertaining, press events, celebrity appearances.
The new store will be the company’s 106th concept store in the United Kingdom.
“We have wanted to open a Pandora flagship store in London since the beginning and this is something we have been working towards for five years, we are very happy to have been able to realize our dream,” Peter Andersen, president for Pandora Western Europe, said in a statement.Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
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Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine


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The Indian government has started an e-retail chain for rural India, The Economic Times reported. Led by Common Service Centres, the programme aims to deliver essential supplies to villages. The outlets, run by private individuals, are taking orders online and offline and are delivering supplies to consumers, the report added. The chain has seen 5,000 orders worth Rs 20 lakh so far. CSCs are physical facilities for delivering government run e-services to rural and remote locations.
Logistics startup Tessol, healthtech startup Consure Medical and angel network LetsVenture scoop up fresh funds
Bengaluru headquartered angel network LetsVenture, Mumbai based logistics startup Tessol, and New Delhi headquartered healthtech startup Consure Medical have raised fresh funding, The Inc42 reported, citing regulatory filings. Consure Medical bagged Rs 3.6 crore in a Series B round of funding from venture capital firm Accel and Jungle Ventures’ Jayesh Arvind Parekh, whereas LetsVenture raised Rs 2.4 crore in debentures from a clutch of angel investors including Neotia Group’s Parthiv Vikarm Neotia, Chand Trust’s Ashootosh Chand, Prickly Cacti LLP’s Ganesh Raju, and Ravi Ramani, among others. Meanwhile, Tessol secured Rs 1.2 crore in a Series A round of funding led by 1Funds Domestic Scheme 1, along with the participation of angel investors.
ShopX appoints Nitin Nohria to its advisory board
Retail network company ShopX has appointed the dean of the faculty at Harvard Business School, Nitin Nohria in its advisory board. Prior to the role of dean, he taught courses across Harvard Business School’s MBA, PhD and executive education programmes, according to a statement. He has authored 16 books. Nohria received his PhD. in management from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He holds a B. Tech degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay. 10i Commerce Services, which owns and operates ShopX, was founded by Amit Sharma and Apoorva Jois in 2015.
Veeam rolls out Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure
Backup and cloud data management solutions provider Veeam Software has announced that an enterprise-ready cloud backup and recovery solution, NEW Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure, is now generally available. The solution will enable customers and service providers to move more applications and data to Azure, according to a statement.


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Corrupt politician’s seized supercars worth nearly R200m
The 25 cars include rarities such as the Aston Martin One-77, Bugatti Veyron and LaFerrari
A collection of supercars worth nearly R200m, seized from a corrupt Equatorial Guinea politician, is going up for auction.
The 25 cars include rarities such as the Aston Martin One-77, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari LaFerrari, Koenigsegg One: 1, Lamborghini Veneno Roadster and McLaren P1.
The collection also includes Maseratis, Mercedes-Maybachs and Porsches, with models ranging from hyper cars to luxury convertibles and limousines.
The collection formerly belonged to Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea and son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
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The cars were confiscated by Swiss authorities in 2016 after Mangue allegedly paid for them using state funds. The playboy politician has been the subject of numerous corruption investigations into his lavish lifestyle, including cars and properties he bought in SA.
In 2005 he reportedly went on a R10m spending spree over a single weekend in SA, where he splashed out on properties, entertainment and cars that included a Bentley Arnage, a Bentley Continental R and a Lamborghini Murcielago.
Mangue has had several properties and cars confiscated over the years, and in 2017 was sentenced to three years in jail (suspended) in France after he allegedly embezzled $175m from his country to buy luxury cars, real estate and other assets.
A previously seized collection of cars owned by Mangue — including a Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and two Bugatti Veyrons — was auctioned in 2013.
The latest 25 cars will go under the hammer at a Bonhams auction on September 29 at the Bonmont Golf & Country Club near Geneva. The cars are being sold on behalf of the Swiss government, with the proceeds to be donated to social programmes in Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich but largely poverty-stricken former Spanish colony of about 1.2-million people.
Most of the cars have less than 1,000km on their odometers. The Veneno Roadster, a super-rare Lamborghini of which only nine were built, has the lowest with just 320km on the clock. Bonhams says the collection is estimated to realise in excess of €12m (R195.6m).
Black style packages for VW Touareg and Tiguan
Black styling packages for cars are becoming all the rage, and Volkswagen SA has taken up the trend with darkened versions of its Touareg and Tiguan.
On the top-of-the-range Touareg SUV, the Black Style Package features blackened out chrome elements, bumper in “R” style, body-coloured bumper and lower door parts, black air intake with fins, black roof rails, black decorative trim on the side windows, black exterior mirror housings, black radiator grille and black 21-inch Suzuka alloy wheels.
The optional Touareg Black Style Package, which is only available on the Executive model, retails for R39,900.
On the smaller Tiguan SUV, the Black Style Package comes with bumper in “R” style, body-coloured bumper and lower door parts, black air intakes with fins on the radiator grille, black decorative trim on the side windows, black exterior mirror housings, privacy glass for rear and side windows, black roof rails, black headliner and sport suspension.
The Black Style Package on the Tiguan can only be ordered with the R-Line package. It is exclusively available in Comfortline and Highline trims. The Comfortline trim is offered with black 19-inch Sebring alloy wheels and the Highline is offered with black 20-inch Suzuka alloy wheels.
The optional Tiguan Black Style Package retails for R25,200.
Flagship Audi SQ8 TDI unveiled
Shortly after the Q8 coupe-SUV went on sale in SA, Audi has launched the high-performance SQ8 TDI overseas.
Due to go on sale locally in the first quarter of 2020, the range-topping Q8 is powered by a 4.0l twin turbo diesel V8 with outputs of 320kW and an astonishing 900Nm of torque. These huge outputs are sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h.
As is typical for an Audi S model, sports seats decorated with an S embossing and contrasting stitching will bolster the Audi SQ8’s sporty presence.
The exterior styling is spiced up with S-specific parts such as the quad-exhaust tips, redesigned air inlets, and optional 22-inch wheels.
Power is fed through a 48V lithium-ion battery pack, which also powers the electric-powered compressor that assists the turbochargers at low revs and low-speed acceleration.
Stopping is taken care of by standard carbon-fibre ceramic disc brakes with red callipers.
Karma bites back at Nissan boss
The man believed to be behind the misuse of funds charges against former Renault-Nissan alliance boss Carlos Ghosn is himself under investigation for the misuse of Nissan funds.
Nissan’s board quizzed its CEO, Hiroto Saikawa, this week after a whistle-blower alleged he used company funds to pay for his house in Tokyo.
The extraordinary meeting was called after former Nissan senior executive Greg Kelly alleged Saikawa ordered an illegal change to timing restrictions on executives selling compensation-linked stock in 2013.
It has been alleged that Saikawa earned a huge payment from the scheme, which enabled him to pay for his house.
He was also questioned about whether he requested Nissan to pay for the house on the promise that he would repay the full amount.
Kelly, arrested along with Ghosn in November for misuse of Nissan funds, made the allegation earlier in June in a Japanese business magazine.
Saikawa has maintained that he bought the house with his own money, while Nissan representatives have refused to comment.
A former protégé of Ghosn, Saikawa has overseen a marked deterioration in Nissan’s relationship with its 43% shareholder, Renault, with Ghosn himself accusing Saikawa of co-opting Japanese prosecutors into arresting him to shatter a proposed full merger of the two carmakers.
Reports also circulated this week that it was Nissan, rather than the French government, that kiboshed a proposed Renault-FCA merger earlier in June.
Waymo roped in by third-largest automotive group
Stand-alone self-driving technology development company and Google subsidiary Waymo has entered into a partnership with Groupe Renault and Nissan to use the expertise of this self-driving technology company.
Waymo has notched up more than 16-million driverless kilometres on public roads to explore all aspects of driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries in France and Japan where the group is strongly represented.
The agreement is designed to bring together the strengths of each party and expand expertise by assessing market opportunities, working together to research commercial, legal and regulatory issues related to driverless transportation-as-a-service offerings in Europe and Asia, and Japan specifically.
John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, said: “This is an ideal opportunity for Waymo to bring our autonomous technology to a global stage, with an innovative partner. With the alliance’s international reach and scale, our Waymo driver can deliver transformational mobility solutions to safely serve riders and commercial deliveries in France, Japan and other countries.”


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The new Goods and Services Tax [GST] is India’s major tax regime initiative which replaces the old multiple tax regulations on most of the goods and services. GST seems to be a mix where certain goods or necessities will become cheaper whereas others might become more expensive. GST would change the old indirect tax regime of production based taxation to a consumption based system. It is a reform like no other.
GST is also called as ONE COUNTRY ONE TAX as under this tax regime it amalgamates all different central and state tax under one single tax and avoids cascading/ double taxation[ i.e tax on tax].The entire Indian market will be under the single umbrella for taxation. Under GST, it is expected to improve compliance procedures and better tracking on the supply of goods and services. This will lead to a lesser chance of tax evasion, reduced paperwork, more collection of tax revenue by Central and State Government.
The Common Man of India is still trying to understand GST and its impact on them. People believe GST law will yield positive results although there may be some teething issues at the implementation stage. As per the previous indirect tax laws, there were different products in different states with different tax rates, now with the implementation of GST, the entire nation will charge the same rate for the product in every state. This will help the common man to understand the law appropriately.
Below are the Positive Impacts of GST on the Common People of India:
- Reduction of prices due to reduction of tax costs of the manufacturer, dealers and service providers
- Easy access to goods and services due to the elimination of toll plazas and check posts at the time of transportation
- Improved service levels due to lesser complications on tax procedures, formalities and administration as everything is bucketed under one tax
At this initial stage, it may be difficult for the common man to understand benefits of GST however, in the long run, it will become extremely beneficial. As to now, it is a question in the minds of every common man of India on understanding what impact GST will have in their wallets, whether the goods will be more expensive or economical, or whether tax returns and other compliances processes will be lesser cumbersome, or what would be the treatment of old stocks or which industries would get more impacted, or whether the system would be updated correctly.
It is said that GST implementation will help in smoothening the tax laws and curb most of the illegal transactions. The indirect tax will ultimately impact the end users, directly or indirectly. The government tax revenue will be an increase in GST as are under the eye of the system and once a person registered under it, all the information/ details of such person would be tracked easily. People also creating awareness about the subject matter and accepting this big change positively. The government kept many items of common man necessities under low rate or exempted rate. Economists state that it will reduce inflation, bring in less corruption and GDP of the country would go up in the upcoming span of time. It can bring more transparency and good compliance.


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Hoping to kickstart sales, Apple devices are shrinking. On Monday, Apple rolled out the 4-inch iPhone SE, and now Apple is moving its iPad down a size too. The new iPad Pro will now come with a 9.7-inch version (from the first 12.9-inch model).
The new iPad, which weighs less than one pound, has a display that is 40% less reflective and 25% brighter than the iPad Air 2's screen, the company claimed. It's powered by Apple's A9X custom processor, the company third-generation 64-bit chip, and a four-speaker sound system.
Along with the new device, Apple is selling a smaller version of the Smart Keyboard accessory, and of course the new device is compatible with the Pencil stylus that came with the first iPad Pro.
One big software feature Apple highlighted was the "True Tone Display." The feature measures the ambient light in the room and adjusts the color temperature on the screen to match the environment's light. The device will also take advantage of iOS 9.3's feature that reduces blue light once the sun sets.
At the event, Apple played up the company's competition in the Windows PC market. “It’s the ultimate PC replacement for all those old PCs in the world,” said Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, at the media event. "The majority of iPad users are coming from Windows PC. The Windows PC was conceived before the Internet, social media, app stores. And this is an amazing statistic: over 600 million PCs are over 5 years old. This is really sad. People will really benefit from the iPad Pro."
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will have a 32 gigabit option for $599, 128gb version for $749, and then a massive 256gb version for $899. It comes in silver, gold, space grey and rose gold. Orders begin this Thursday and will start shipping on March 31st.
Recently, Apple has struggled with convincing iPad users to upgrade. People are more than happy to hold onto their older tablets. As a result, Apple's tablet sales have begun falling. But the most popular iPad has been its 9.7-inch versions -- Apple said at the Monday event that it has sold 200 million of them. Even though it's being positioned as as the "ultimate PC replacement," it's hard to know if this smaller iPad Pro will boost sales by much.
"What they didn't necessarily answer was how they would sell more iPads," said tech analyst Patrick Moorhead. "The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro feature adders are exceptional, but I don't think this very quickly expands the category. The 'dongles' are very interesting as they could make a play to truly go after personal computers."


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SCS Presents ‘Electrification System Design & Advanced Conformal Coatings’ at the Battery & Electrification SummitMarch 23, 2023 | SCS
Estimated reading time: Less than a minute
Specialty Coating Systems (SCS) is pleased to announce that Brent Frizzell, Electronics and Transportation Market Segment Manager, will present during the upcoming Battery & Electrification Summit. The presentation entitled, “Electrification System Design & Advanced Conformal Coatings” is scheduled to take place, Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 2 p.m. EDT.
Engineers often face the difficult challenge of meeting automotive industry design guidelines while designing for severe operating environments and optimizing cost. Harsh environmental conditions, such as corrosive coastline humidity and road salt, can impact the performance of electrical systems in vehicles and EV charging stations.
Conformal coatings provide critical systems with the protection needed to withstand the toughest conditions and meet industry design standards, including IPC-CC-830 (electronics design) and UL 94 (flammability). This session will explore how conformal coatings can be a cost-effective solution to help key systems, including battery management systems (BMS), power inverters and charging stations, function reliably.
VDL Groep has strengthened its position in the high-quality electronics market. The industrial family business with its head office in Eindhoven has acquired Rena Electronica from Zundert.
HANZA AB has signed an agreement to acquire all shares in Orbit One AB, a Swedish company that offers contract manufacturing of electronics and electromechanics. Orbit One has annual sales of approximately SEK 1.1 billion with an operating profit (EBITA) of approximately SEK 70 million.
Materials Costs Continue to Improve but Labor Costs Remain a Pain Point for Electronics Manufacturers12/05/2023 | IPC
Electronics industry sentiment improved during November with demand sentiment also taking a solid step up over the last 30 days per IPC’s November 2023 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report.
About 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Mexico City lies Queretaro, an area rich in history, with stone streets and public squares, and which twice has been the country’s capital. But it’s also quickly becoming a global capital of electronics manufacturing, especially aeronautics, and was the location for the first IPC Day Mexico this past June.
Seven microelectronics firms received nearly $10 million in combined funding to commercialize technologies of interest to the U.S. military services as winners of the Defense Business Accelerator (DBX) Microelectronics Challenge. This groundbreaking initiative is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and led by the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE).


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Retailers across the state are making it easier for youths to get their hands on tobacco products.
A new report shows Washington retailers are illegally selling tobacco to minors at the highest rate in the past decade.
From January to June of this year, about 16 percent of tobacco retailers in the state sold tobacco to minors, the reports says.
In Clark County, nearly 19 percent of retailers sold to minors, according to data provided by the Washington State Department of Health.
The annual Synar Report tracks the results of tobacco compliance checks across the country. In Washington, the report uses figures from checks performed by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
During compliance checks, teens working with state officials try to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products at randomly selected retailers. Clerks who sell tobacco to minors can be fined up to $100, and retail owners can be fined up to $1,500. Licenses to sell tobacco are permanently revoked after multiple violations.
For years, Clark County health officials also performed compliance checks, said Theresa Cross, a health educator for the county health department. Cross found that most often, retailers sold to minors without ever asking for identification. When clerks did ask for ID, they looked at the card but didn’t actually check the birth date, she said.
The county ended its compliance program last year due to reductions in state funding.
Higher illegal sales
State and local compliance checks have yielded increasingly higher illegal sales numbers since 2009, Cross said.
In 2009, about 10 percent of retailers statewide and 9 percent of local retailers sold to minors. In 2011, the state rate was about 11 percent, while the county rate had climbed to nearly 17 percent, Cross said.
“It’s troubling when you see (the rates) going up because kids are only going to be purchasing cigarettes if they’re going to be smoking them,” she said.
Recent teen smoking rates reveal more teens are lighting up. After years of declining, smoking rates among 12th-graders are now increasing. This year, about 20 percent of 12th-graders reported smoking cigarettes, Cross said.
Comprehensive prevention programs — which include compliance checks, retailer education, cessation resources and smoking policies — help keep smoking rates down, Cross said. But dwindling state funding has led to scaled-back prevention programs, she said.
Prevention funding lost
At the height of prevention funding, the state provided Clark County with about $23,000 for youth access efforts. In the last fiscal year (June 2011-July 2012), Clark County received $18,700 for youth efforts. The money was used to provide limited education to the 562 retailers licensed to sell tobacco in Clark County, Cross said.
The county also received federal and tobacco settlement money for prevention efforts but has since lost that funding entirely, she said.
The liquor control board isn’t the only agency performing compliance checks, however. The Food & Drug Administration performs regular checks throughout Clark County. The results of those checks can be found on the FDA site.


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Top five newly-announced sports car brands, including Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren and Porsche, are set to hit the road this summer, marking the first time since the advent of the supercar revolution that all the big names have been joined together.
But where does it all begin?
Bentley has the new Bentley Continental GT which is based on the new 4.4-litre V12 engine that makes up the base of the GT3, but is also the base engine of the Bentley Continental R, the flagship Bentley Continental and the new Range Rover Sport R. It has a twin-turbocharged V8 that makes 425bhp and 450Nm of torque and a five-speed manual transmission, but there’s also an automatic option, so if you need to have a supercharged engine, you can use it.
Mercedes-Benz is building a new range of supercars that will make it one of the most expensive brands in the world.
The RS 350 and RS 350L supercars will both use a supercharger system, but the RS 350 is powered by an even more powerful 5.2-litres V8 and can hit over 500kph.
McLaren has made some great cars in its history, but they haven’t always had the most successful track record, and it’s going to be interesting to see how this new supercar lineup compares to the current range of cars.
And Porsche is going to have some big new models, like the 911 Turbo and the 911 GT3.
There’s been a big push for new models from these manufacturers over the last couple of years.
But if you want to know why, check out this article from Forbes.
And it’s the new Rolls-Royce Phantom.
This Rolls-Propelled-Air (RPA)-powered supercar is expected to be the biggest car ever built in the history of the brand, but that doesn’t mean it will be cheap.
The price of a Rolls-royale Phantom ranges from £60,000 (US) to £120,000, which is around £1.4 million.
What are the new supercars?
Bentley Continental, Bentley Continental RS, Bentley RS 350, Bentley R, Bentley Range Rover, Rolls-propelled-air powered supercar, Rolls Royce Phantom


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It’s The Walking Dead weekend at Cosmic Book News!
We are giving away an autographed copy of The Walking Dead: Rise Of The Governor novel!
Just follow us on Facebook and like this post! (we’ll be reposting throughout the weekend as well)
We’ll pull a winner after Sunday’s episode on AMC.
Cosmic Book News attended the recent New York Comic Con where we got the book signed by Robert Kirkman. Great guy!
Contest is open to everyone from all parts of the world!*
Cosmic Book News reserves the right to modify, cancel, or suspend the contest at any time.
Cosmic Book News is not responsible for any errors or malfunctions that may be a result of user error, computer malfunctions, or similar issues.
Contest ends at 10pm ET on Sunday March 4th, 2012; winner will be notified through Facebook.
Cosmic Book News is not responsible if you get bitten by a Zombie either!


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According to the information assurance firm, adoption of SaaS is outpacing companies' ability to install effective risk-management strategies to address the availability of software.
By the end of 2010, SaaS adoption for key financial functions and processes - such as electronic billing, core financial accounting, tax management and business intelligence - will experience worldwide growth of more than 100%, up from an estimated 40%, according to research by SaaS consultancy, Saugatuck Technology.
The shift towards using SaaS for core financial functions, as well as non-mission critical operations, is a result of the model's increasingly attractive cost and time-saving benefits in comparison to on-site software, the research found.
But when software is delivered over the internet and not physically held on-site, the negative implications of the business losing access to it are magnified, said Mark Ormerod, group managing director, Escrow at NCC Group.
"We're seeing a move towards SaaS to deliver core-financial functions, which is excellent in terms of businesses driving efficiencies, but only if they have robust risk-management policies to protect availability. Many companies are overlooking this, putting key day-to-day functions at risk," he said.
A recent survey from NCC Group found 46% of FTSE350 companies have no software validation or Escrow protection in place to ensure the long-term availability of either SaaS or in-house applications, putting them at risk of losing mission-critical functions, should their suppliers undergo an acquisition or face legal disputes.
Software validation and Escrow for SaaS are used by organisations to ensure they can continue to maintain and support essential software applications in the long term. The software application source code is stored with an independent third party, with the agreement of the software supplier. This form of protection allows the end user to legally redeploy the SaaS application in the event that the original supplier is no longer able to provide it.
"It is essential that businesses consider a risk-management strategy when they begin using SaaS for core financial functions," said Ormerod.
Escrow is one way to do this, he said, but businesses should ask questions of their supplier's own risk profile, including issues relating to software development, data protection and their own third party suppliers, as even they could affect the service the end user company receives.


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Foxtel says that despite economic headwinds, there has been a better-than-expected pick up in subscriber numbers thanks to the launch of its dedicated Australian Football League channel.
Foxtel chief operating officer Peter Tonagh says a pickup in customer numbers will come through the new AFL channel, the Olympics and other products and services to be launched in 2012.
"We just don't buy the argument that growth has topped out," Mr Tonagh said during Consolidated Media Holdings first half results presentation on Thursday.
ConsMedia reported net profit of $42.1 million for the six months to December 31, 2011, down 7.1 per cent from the prior corresponding period amid what the company said was a very challenging retail environment.
"You look at these businesses around the world, there's always cycles you go through and each time new levels of growth are driven by new initiatives," Mr Tonah said.
He said Foxtel would soon unveil new channel packages and pricing structures, more internet TV options and the ability to watch Foxtel on devices such as iPads.
ConsMedia holds a 25 per cent stake in pay-TV company Foxtel, and half of Premier Media Group, which produces the Fox Sports channels.
It also holds an interest in SEEKAsia, an overseas jobs website business in South-East Asia, alongside Macquarie Capital, Tiger Global and SEEK.
Its two biggest shareholders are James Packer's Consolidated Press Holdings and Kerry Stokes's Seven Group Holdings.
Executive chairman John Alexanders said the trends of 2010 in respect of subdued consumer spending and general negative sentiment were present again in this half.
One bright spot in the results was Premier Media Group advertising revenues, which rose 11 per cent in the half to $35.3 million.
Premier Media chief financial officer Matt Hyland said the improvement was underpinned by higher ratings, the launch of the Fox Footy Channel and the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
"We are very pleased with the advertising result," he said.
"It does buck the trend in the market."
Mr Alexander said ConsMedia did not receive a cash distribution from Foxtel in the first half, but did get a $15 million distribution in January 2012 and he expected more before June 30.
ConsMedia received a $20 million distribution from Premier Media Group, in line with the prior corresponding half.
Its cash distribution from SEEKAsia was $200,000 which, ConsMedia said, was the first distribution from this business.
The company declared an unfranked interim dividend of 10.5 cents per security.
ConsMedia shares fell four cents to $2.75.


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Dell said net profit in its fiscal fourth quarter ended Jan. 30 fell to $351 million, or 18 cents a share, from $679 million, or 31 cents a share, in the year-ago period.
Desktop units plunged, down 21 percent, with a corresponding 27 percent drop in desktop revenue. Notebook levels were unchanged from a year ago, and but revenue declined 17 percent. Server revenue also dropped by 16 percent, as units dipped by 18 percent.
Dell and other executives attributed the losses to the economy, and said that the company would aggressively cut product costs to compensate. However, some of the pricing pressures have been undoubtedly levied by netbooks, whose sub-$500 price points have pushed the market for all notebook products steadily lower.
"We see the netbook for us with a relatively low share in consumer as part of the consumer opportunity, but I continue to believe it's mostly incremental," Dell said, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha. "And even more so given our share in consumer. We're continuing to expand the offering. We've been particularly focused on 3G and agreements with carriers embedding 3G, using our own sales engines as well, to sell 3G Netbooks and obviously broadening the range of products starting with 9-, 12-, and now 10-inch [displays].
Dell said that most corporate customers, meanwhile, had chosen to pass over netbooks in favor of more high-powered notebooks with larger screen sizes, especially 15 inches and above.
Dell also was asked what impact Microsoft's next-generation operating system, Windows 7, would have on Dell. Michael Dell replied that the company was very excited about the new operating system, and was already preparing for the launch. Dell didn't comment on when Windows 7 would launch, although most expect it around the end of 2009.
"Well, they're thinking about all the features in Windows 7 and anticipating which of those they might use and ensuring that products are supported around those," Dell said of his product teams. "We have aggressive plans in this area and I think as you see our products roll out over the course of the year, its fair to say they're all Windows 7 ready and we're kind of all over this being the leading provider to larger organizations."


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WESTON, W.Va. — The Lewis County detachment of the West Virginia State Police is asking for help from the public to identify a person who committed larceny at Walmart in Weston.
According to Cpl. M.S. Clark with the Weston detachment, the man stole multiple items totaling a large sum from the store and was caught on surveillance camera.
Those with knowledge of this man’s identity and/or whereabouts are asked to contact Cpl. Clark at 304-269-0500; no further information is available at this time.
The full photo received by 12 News follows:


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Sweet smell of success! Legal secretary who quit her job to become an Avon Lady selling cosmetics with her husband earns £125,000-a-year
- Nadine Rowlands, 44, started selling make-up to pay off £30,000 debt
- Mrs Rowlands gave up her job as a legal secretary work for Avon full-time
- Husband Wayne is also an Avon rep and the couple make £125,000-a-year
- Selling cosmetics has paid for Jaguar XK and trips to the Algarve
An Avon Lady and her husband who quit their jobs and started selling cosmetics to pay off their debts are now living a luxury lifestyle with an income of £125,000-a-year.
Nadine Rowlands, 44, first started selling Avon make-up to her friends and family as a means to pay off her £30,000 debts.
However, after leaving her role as a legal secretary to sell the firm's cosmetics full-time, and convincing her husband Wayne to do the same, she is now Avon's top saleswoman with the pair earning almost as much as the Prime Minister.
A pretty penny: After quitting their jobs to work for Avon, husband and wife Wayne and Nadine Rowlands make £125,000-a-year and have bought this Jaguar XK - complete with personalised number plate
When Mrs Rowlands, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, started selling door-to-door in 1996 she could not even afford to buy the products she was selling.
She and Mr Rowlands, 54, were living in as cramped rented attic room, and struggling to pay off debts, let alone save enough money for a deposit on a house.
However, Mrs Rowlands decided her only option was to throw everything into her new business venture, quitting her £20,000-a-year job at a law firm eight years ago so she could commit all her time to selling for Avon.
Avon Calling: Mrs Rowlands is now the company's top saleswoman, but says she still enjoys visiting customers door-to-door
She said: 'I was clutching at straws, and we were really desperate to pay off our debt and be able to afford a deposit to buy our own house.
'The first few months were tough, but I knew in my gut I was going to be successful.
'I was earning about £20,000 a year as a legal secretary, and Wayne about £28,000 as an engineer - but we really threw everything into the business.
'Our family and friends thought we were mad.
'Secretly I think they were worried that everything was going to come crashing down again, but we knew it was the right thing to do and we took a leap of faith.'
Her decision paid off, and now the award-winning sales leader, manages 1700 representatives across the UK, although she still enjoys visiting customers door-to-door.
Through working for Avon, Mr and Mrs Rowlands have paid for an extension to their home, bought a Jaguar XK, complete with registration plate 'AV04 REP' and go on regular holidays abroad, including to the Algarve in Portugal.
Mrs Rowlands success story mirrors that of a fellow Avon rep, Jeanette Stewart, 34, from County Durham, who now has an annual turnover of £1million, after taking up selling make-up to pay of a credit card debt of £60,000.
Single mother Gail Reynolds, another Avon Lady, built a £5.5million empire through selling cosmetics in her hometown of Weymouth, Dorset, while Rebekah Testar, from Burbage Leicestershire, has sold more than £4million worth of make-up.
Self-confessed workaholic Mrs Rowlands says that the healthy bank balance comes does come at a price and says she still works until 11pm most evenings.
She said said: 'Before I started Avon, I hadn’t been on an holiday abroad for more than 14 years.
'But now, it’s not uncommon for me to be lying on the beach with a cocktail answering my work emails.
Team effort: Mr and Mrs Rowlands were living in a cramped rented attic room when they started selling products for the cosmetics firm, only to become two of Avon's most successful sales reps
'When I used to work full time and do Avon in my spare time, many of nights would I spend knocking doors, talking to people and I saw them as my friends not just customers.
'Not a lot has changed, I still do my rounds but extra duties like training other budding representatives also fall under my sales leader role, and I embrace every new challenge that comes my way.
'Some people ask us how we’ve done it and want a slice of the high life, but the truth is me and Wayne have worked hard to get where we are now, it didn’t just happen overnight and I wouldn’t have it any other way.'
Rewards: Through selling door-to-door the couple have funded an extension for their home in Greater Manchester and regularly jet off to destinations such as Monte Carlo, pictured
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