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Once upon a time, and not so long ago, eyeglasses were made of-glass.
Once upon a time-and not so very long ago-eyeglasses were, well, glass.
Today, however, they are more likely to be polycarbonate or polyurethane, Trivex, CR-39, or plastic-and far thinner than they were 15 years ago. These lenses are likely to be doing double-duty-reducing refractive error while blocking specific colors of light, for example, or reducing glare while providing three-dimensional capabilities. And they will be framed in designer-approved shapes and colors, in metals or plastics, that offer myriad options to suit ever-changing tastes.
But even though the world of eyeglass options has sashayed as rapidly as the hips on a runway model, the public's understanding of low vision, and the eyecare industry's commitment to it, as a functional disability has evolved too-just much more slowly.
"Every time we think we're done [creating new features], something else comes out," said Al Berg, founder and chief executive officer of Marchon Eyewear.
Some people might think lenses designed to ease driving glare and photochromic lenses are rather new inventions. But Jim Pritts, a lens innovator and now a sunglasses industry consultant, said he started developing these concepts more than 30 years ago.
"Sometimes, you're a little too far ahead of the market," he said.
Ten or 15 years ago, most sunglasses were being switched from glass to polycarbonate and acrylic lenses for their high-impact resistance. Since then, polyurethane replaced polycarbonate because of its superior optical properties, Pritts said. CR-39, a plastic polymer now belonging to PPG Industries, has become the dominant material in prescription lenses, he said, because it is relatively inexpensive to produce, wears well, is "reasonably" durable and reliable, and has good optics.
"There are some nylon lenses out there, but they never gained a big position in the market," he added.
In Pritts' mind, the biggest advancement in lenses has been the development of engineered tints, or engineered filtration, which allow wearers to block light that hinders specific activities. For example, skiers might choose yellow-tinted glasses to enhance contrast and depth perception.
"It used to be that sunglasses needed to be dark; they needed to block light," Pritts said. "But now people have learned that you can custom-design the filtration of the lens in specific ways that will improve your vision not just make you comfortable by blocking glare, and you can make them sport-specific."
Lens treatments also can be combined to be polarized-blocking road and windshield glare while driving, for example-and photochromic, darkening to the degree necessary. Such "bells and whistles" are being added in this difficult economy to avoid lowering prices, Pritts said.
Over the past few decades, Berg said, there have been some "dramatic" improvements in lenses. "There's no reason today you can't have comfortable lenses, not overly thick, not overly heavy," he said.
Pritts foresees the day when lenses are electronic-instantly darkening and adapting to changing light conditions-and prescription lenses have autofocus, like a camera, so the wearer can automatically focus on something important. "Eventually we'll have implants -bionic everything," he said.


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Facebook has been asked to halt its crypto plans — again
The US House Financial Services Committee has written Facebook a letter asking the tech giant to put a hold on the development of its crypto, Libra, per Business Insider.
They asked to impose a moratorium on Libra until regulators and Congress have had time to explore concerns about the project. Concerns include risk of hacking, data security, and global financial security.
The letter also stresses that failure to cease the project before regulators can explore it appropriately could lead to a new Swiss-based financial system that's too big to fail. This follows a plethora of other regulators and lawmakers voicing concerns about the project.
Here's what it means: Concerns around Libra are valid, but Facebook is already looking to get licensed appropriately.
- Consumer money could be at substantial risk under Facebook's project. Consumers using Facebook's digital wallet, Calibra, would potentially store trillions of dollars without depository insurance, putting their financial stability at risk. Additionally, Libra's high profile in the news makes Calibra a big target for potential hacks. During the first three quarters of 2018 alone, hackers stole nearly $1 billion from cryptocurrency exchanges
- Facebook has already been busy applying for licenses, but the outcome is not yet certain. Calibra has applied for money-transfer licenses in the US and registered with the US Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as a money services business, per Reuters.
Facebook sees Calibra as a stepping stone to financial services
If Facebook's crypto and digital wallet play gets off to a solid start, it could empower Facebook to begin offering more financial services in the future, Calibra VP of Product Kevin Weil said in an interview with Stratechery cited by CNBC.
For context, Calibra is a recently introduced subsidiary of Facebook that's tasked with developing a digital wallet for Facebook's forthcoming cryptocurrency, Libra.
Weil suggested that Calibra's launch could set the stage for Facebook to offer financial services like credit, and that it could increase traffic on Facebook's own commerce engines, like Marketplace and checkout.
- Calibra could have wide reach via Facebook's network, including customers excluded from traditional financial services. Facebook boasts 38 billion monthly active users (MAU), giving Calibra an immense audience that can jumpstart its adoption once it launches. And with 2.7 billion consumers using at least one of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger a month, it has a number of avenues to reach its huge user base.
- Facebook's wide reach could give Calibra an audience for new services. If Calibra proves popular among users of Facebook's family of platforms, it'll have the opportunity to add other services, like credit, for an already engaged user base in an effort to become their leading financial services provider. In Kenya, only 27% of consumers had access to formal financial services before mobile money service M-Pesa launched in 2007, and that share rose to 75% by 2017, for example.
Facebook has been building out its commerce capabilities by adding native checkout experiences to Instagram and Facebook.
Now that Facebook is pivoting to focus on privacy, payments represent a valuable opportunity, both because it could leverage data security and privacy to become an attractive payment option and because payments represent a source of revenue to complement ad-related earnings.
The California-based tech giant’s announcement last month of its plans to issue a digital currency prompted global central banks including the European Central Bank and the Bank of England to voice concerns. Though Facebook itself is not generally accessible in China, the PBOC is also signaling that it is worried by issuing a public response.
Mu said the central bank’s research team tested Libra’s code and found it’s “still in an initial stage and the quality of the code isn’t stable.” He also said it’s questionable whether Libra would indeed use blockchain technology, because it can’t meet the high concurrent transaction requirements necessary for retail sales scenarios.
The PBOC has been working on developing its own digital legal tender, but hasn’t announced a time table for issuing any such currency.
Here’s a detailed list of Mu’s views on Libra:
- When Libra is used in developing economies where the local currency is volatile, the public will have an incentive to exchange large amounts of local currency into Libra, sparking depreciation in domestic currencies.
- The IMF or other international organizations will have oversee the exchange rate mechanism among the various currencies in Libra’s basket, else countries will engage in competitive easing in order to exchange more Libra.
- When Libra is widely used in payments, transactions will be priced in Libra, and financial products, such as credit sales and consumer loans, could be granted in Libra too. The reserves that back up Libra’s original equivalent purchase of fiat currencies, won’t be enough to secure the value of all the Libra created, and it won’t be enough to keep the Libra stable.
Know Your Customer
- Libra expects its users and participating institutions to observe existing “know your customer” rules and anti-money laundering or anti-terrorist financing regulations, but it had offered little information on its own responsibilities on these issues


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DALLAS (AP) -- Kronos Worldwide Inc.'s profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter, benefiting from higher average selling prices for titanium dioxide and increased production volumes.
The Dallas-based maker of titanium dioxide products said Tuesday that its net income rose to $85.8 million, or 74 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31 from $36.4 million, or 33 cents per share, a year earlier.
The latest earnings topped the 47 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected.
Shares of Kronos added $1.07, or 4.5 percent, to $24.75 in trading before the market open.
Revenue rose 17 percent to $437.4 million from $373.3 million, but fell short of Wall Street's $439.4 million estimate.
Average titanium dioxide selling prices at the fourth quarter's end were up 11 percent from those at the end of the third quarter.
Favorable foreign exchange rates also increase sales by about $4 million.
Kronos reported net income of $321 million, or $2.77 per share, for the year, up from $130.6 million, or $1.29 per share, in the previous year. Full-year revenue climbed 34 percent to $1.94 billion from $1.45 billion.


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SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — We are getting closer to the total solar eclipse! Let’s hope and assume the sky is clear enough for us to see the sun on April 8. That said, are you ready to view it safely?
There are many ways to view this solar spectacle safely. First, use the certified solar eclipse viewing glasses and use the Solar Eclipse Across America website for directions on where to buy the glasses from to avoid getting a knockoff pair which aren’t certified and could lead to you damaging your eyes.
You could also create a pinhole camera, which can be done several different ways, including using a box like we showed you before, or even find a colander in your kitchen. Hold it up to the sun and have a sheet of paper below it. This will cast many disks of the sun on the paper.
If you plan on being outside to watch for more than 20 minutes of the two-and-a-half-hour eclipse event make sure you are wearing sunscreen, otherwise you’ll probably get a sunburn. That’s right, the sun angle on April 8 is equivalent to the sun’s angle around Labor Day.
Lastly, remember, when viewing the eclipse south and east of Syracuse where totality won’t occur at all to wear the eclipse glasses, or use the pinhole camera to protect your eyes during the whole two and a half hours. Syracuse northwest bound will have a short window to view the disk without eye protection.
Let’s hope Mother Nature allows us to see the sun on April 8!
Powered by News Channel 9.


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Bangkok falls 19 places to 49th most expensive location worldwide
Locations reliant on international tourism have seen their rental markets hit especially hard during the pandemic, resulting in some major drops in the rankings. Bangkok has fallen 19 places to 49th, while Hanoi saw a similar drop of 12 places to 81st.
Thailand remains 54th in World Happiness Report’s ranking
As one would expect with lockdowns and physical distancing, the pandemic had a significant effect on workforce well-being. Falling unemployed during the pandemic is associated with a 12% drop in life satisfaction.
Skin-lightening products market to reach US$31 billion by 2024
In emerging Asian and African economies, the natural aspiration to enhance one’s circumstances has led to rapid growth in the market for skin-lightening products, which is projected to reach US$31 billion by 2024.
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Hanover auction sells more than 560 items from DeVan estate
More than 560 items from the Charlotte Sheppard DeVan estate were auctioned off on April 11 at the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center in Hanover.
Items on sale included porcelain rooster figurines, pictures of Lawrence Sheppard and his family and fine china. The auction attracted more than 200 buyers from York, Adams and Cumberland counties, Maryland, Delaware and California.
"We had a variety of items that usually don't come up in auctions every day," said Randy Dickensheets, owner of Pa. OnSite Auction Co., who was the auctioneer for all items sold. "Pieces have been passed down for a long time and haven't been accessible like this. This was an opportunity that people couldn't pass up."
DeVan, who passed away Jan. 1, 2013, was the last remaining daughter of Sheppard.
Sheppard, together with DeVan's grandfather, H.D. Sheppard, and C.N. Myers, was known for owning the Hanover Shoe Company and Hanover Shoe Farms, among other local landmarks, Dickensheets said.
"It's certainly a good auction with plenty of quality things for sale," said Tom Schultz, a Hanover Borough resident who was a childhood friend of the DeVan family. "It's nice to see that so many people want to be a part of this."
Dickensheets said he runs a family business with basically every family member doing something. His family are the clerks for all of his auctions, present photos to hopeful buyers and greeted all guests when getting off of the elevator.
"This was my first auction like this and I had a great time," said Dennis Sullivan, a Hanover resident who attended the early morning hours of the auction. "I would like to come back to things like this in the future."
Some of the buyers who attended the auction were looking for specific things. Scott and Julie Dawson of Frederick, Maryland were looking for unique porcelain items.
"This was a great opportunity to get a look at some valuable porcelain," Scott Dawson said. "Pieces from France and England are hard to come by, so the distance we had to travel to get here isn't a problem at all."
Though much of the collection has been passed down from the Sheppard patriarchs, the items being sold were ones that no descendents from the family claimed, Dickensheets said.
"There isn't one true ticket item at this auction," Dickensheets said. "That makes this a quality auction due to having many anticipated items."


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Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) PlayStation Portable has made a phenomenal run ever since its release in 2005. The device has been a revolutionary one in the world of handhelds and has given us many games to remember over the years. Even in 2016, many of us still play some of the greatest titles offered by the PlayStation Portable in its time and it gives us a great way to relive those memories. While support for the PlayStation Portable has been shut down, it looks like the PlayStation Store frontend for the PlayStation Portable is also saying goodbye.
According to the support page announcement from Sony Computer Entertainment America, the in-console storefront for the PlayStation Portable is not going to be available starting March 31, 2016. The support page mentions that players are still going to be able to access their download list from the selection in the PSP menu and that the in-game purchases are going to remain live. It adds that PSP content can still be purchased from the PlayStation Store website online but the PSP storefront is not going to be available after the aforementioned date.
This is yet another hint from Sony at the fact that the company is losing interest in the handheld market. While the PSP was successful in its time, the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation TV mini-console have not been able to achieve the sales numbers expected and it looks like Sony has given up hope on them as well.
The company recently announced that there were no first party titles that were being developed for the PlayStation Vita and most of the existing Vita exclusives have already made their way towards home consoles such as Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 after having an extremely disappointed run as PlayStation Vita exclusives.
With that said, we think that discontinuing the PlayStation Portable store was probably a good idea since there are not many users out there who still use the store to buy stuff for their PlayStation Portable. If you happen to be one of those, you can still do so by using the PlayStation Store website. We all have loved the PlayStation Portable over the years but we think that it is time to finally say goodbye.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you still use the PlayStation Portable? Let us know in the comments below.


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bgo.com and its sister site powerspins.com are making a big change this month. The online casino operator, bgo Entertainment, recently announced that it intends to remove minimum wagering requirements on bonuses. What this will mean is that bonuses offered will be in the form of real cash only or "wagerless" free spins. This change is set to come into effect starting on the 15th of October.
The operator reportedly decided to make this change based on player feedback and because of the UK's changing regulatory environment for online casinos.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has been cracking down on online gambling operators in terms of operators' fairness and responsibility toward players. In fact, back in May, bgo, itself, was fined £300,000 by the UKGC for misleading advertising.
As for making the change based on player feedback, according to bgo Entertainment CFO HannahWestley, recent customer support reviews had revealed to the company that there was a high volume of queries related to wagering requirements.
"We obviously list them in the T&Cs," Westley said of the wagering requirements, "but your average player doesn’t immediately understand what a turn requirement means and can become frustrated easily when not being able to withdraw immediately after a win with an active bonus. And then of course, different games carry a different contribution to turn percentage it can be quite confusing."
Westley added that in the company's opinion, real players are not interested in bonuses that are laced with restrictive terms. So, instead of spending time helping customers understand wagering, it is bgo's aim to "turn the model on its head and win loyal customers over by offering a fair and simple environment in which to play.
Commenting further on the company's "bold move", BGO Entertainment CMO Allan Turner said that "Hopefully bgo can demonstrate to the industry that restrictive bonus wagering conditions are not the way to go and we can make them a thing of the past.”


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"The expo is a way of showing how ambitious and talented the towns business people are and how working together can make the town thrive and secure future employment for our young people."
Nichola Howard, Launch Events,
Business stakeholders came together to launch the fifth Leigh Business Expo – an event that aims to promote the opportunities to do business within the town.
Organiser Nichola Howard, who grew up in Leigh, is gearing up for the annual event on Friday, July 6, to showcase local entrepreneurs and businesses.
Nichola, from Launch Events NW, has been involved with the expo, which will be held at Leigh Sports Village, from the start – but this year has taken over as the main organiser from Leigh printing company Collins and Darwell – and she aims to champion the skilled business people from the local economy.
She said: “I am delighted to be taking the lead on the event on its fifth birthday. For me, the expo is a way of showing how ambitious and talented the town’s business people are – and how working together can make the town thrive and secure future employment for our young people.
“Good business is all about relationships, and we can’t wait to welcome fifty exhibitors to share contacts, resources and, crucially, genuine support of each other, so Leigh can grow together.”
The expo was launched at a new networking meeting Nichola has also started at Leigh Sports Village, which will be held monthly on the third Thursday of every month, between 9.30am and 11.30am - with the next event on May 17.
This year’s expo will be sponsored by Corkills Volkswagen, and Jenny Fisher, local business executive at the company said: “It was great to see so much support for the expo at the launch, with independent businesses like ourselves working together. We look forward to further developing our network at the event in July.”
Ben East, press and marketing lead from Leigh Sports Village, added: “We’ve been proud to host the expo since day one, and it is fantastic to see businesses return every year who have grown as a result of working with each other.”


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With the release of Itunes 10, Apple has taken the necessary, and seemingly innovative, approach of incorporating social media into the infrastructure of the Itunes experience. Alongside the fact that Itunes has revived AppleTV and now offers the purchase of television shows less than 24 hours after they have been aired, you can immerse yourself in Ping, a microblogging venture where you can comment on songs, follow artists, create your own profile, and connect with music lovers all in live stream.
Though this enhancement may color the Apple users’ experience, it does little to deepen the quality of their software. Ping behaves like Twitter but has the underlying commercialism of Myspace. According to Richard McManus, a blogger for the technology source ReadWriteWeb, “the fact that you need to be inside the Itunes Store…seems a rather cynical move to encourage people to buy more music.”
Holdcom has followed in Apple’s footsteps and created the Online Audio Production Store – a vehicle where users can submit voice prompts, listen to a variety of samples from voice talents, and then view a quote. The model that Apple pioneered of the “online store” has been highly successful, as long as the location remained genuine in its purpose and image. By adding a faux social media dimension to the Itunes Store, Apple has dressed their business under the banner of “social media,” a decision that not only detracts from the music-listening experience but offsets the productive capabilities of a web socialite: better connectivity, communication, and a direct link from business to business, or business to consumer.
How could Apple have used social media for its benefit? By taking off the training wheels. As soon as you set up your profile, you are "pre-loaded with leading pop, rock, and other music acts." The success behind Twitter was that restrictions were lifted: celebrities were allowed to contribute as much, or as little, as they wanted, leading to innovation and self-motivated, quality posts. The beauty of Holdcom's Online Audio Production Store is that the final product is entirely customizable - left to the consumer, who will then take initative to contact the business, since they are now invested in their product. How can an Itunes user be invested in "liking" or commenting on music when they are stuck within Apple's desired framework?
As Spyro Kourtis, CEO of Hacker Group, said in his presentation at the Digital Media: Lead Generation virtual conference yesterday [which I attended and will blog on later today], the goal of social media is not to "change how people think, [but] change how people behave." Ping does not seem to hold the potential to do either.


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It is one of the best days on the WA brewing industry calendar. The South West Craft Beer Festival returns to Busselton with more than 20 beer and cider producers showcasing their wares.
When it started the SWCBF featured eight breweries. So The Sip delves into the event's history and how it has grown to highlight one of the most productive beer regions in the country.
Festival founder Jason Dover and his deputy Jack Rogers discuss the SWCBF and what the 3000-strong crowd can expect at Signal Park.
We also touch on a story on TheSip.com.au that highlights the contribution of Cowaramup Brewing Co.'s Jeremy Good to the event. MUSIC: Bensound.


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We hate being the bearers of bad news, but, if you were in the market for one of Lamborghini’s latest and greatest supercars, the Aventador SV, you might be out of luck.
The Aventador Superveloce, or SV as it’s know – the stripped out, track-focussed version of the Aventador – is reported to have sold out just three months after its unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show.
Lamborghini apparently capped production of the special edition to just 600 units, with around 200 cars going to European, African and Middle Eastern customers, 200 for Asia-Pacific – including Australia – and 200 for North America.
The Aventador SV is one of the most insane models to roll out of the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory. Lamborghini engineers managed to increase its aerodynamics by more than 150 per cent, and add 170 per cent more downforce to the stock Aventador’s setup.
They have also stripped out its interior, favouring the 50kg weight-saving over added luxuries, and squeezed an extra 37kW from the monstrous V12 powerplant so it now produces 552kW.
What’s this mean? The Aventador SV has a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 2.8 seconds, and it can power on to a top speed of more than 350km/h. Australian prices started at $882,650.
UPDATE: Lamborghini’s Australian department has informed PerformanceDrive that the SV is not in fact sold out and that there is no capped allocation. The company is still accepting orders.


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Microsoft Creates Haven with Zero Safety and Privacy Threats
: Cloud computing plays a key role in managing Big Data. As per the latest survey, half of the US government IT professionals have moved to the cloud. No wonder that most of the researchers estimate the cloud computing market to surpass $240 billion mark by 2020.
As numerous enterprises come forward to leverage benefits of this technological advancement, maintenance of Big Data in terms of safety and privacy is a top most priority for cloud service providers. Enterprises that have already adopted cloud services have more concerns about safety and privacy as their competitors or business rivals also adopt the same technology. Furthermore, several entrepreneurs restrain from adopting the technology just because of lack of trust in cloud service providers.
Users want trustworthy operation
Users usually feel uncomfortable when it comes to operating their cloud applications. They want to operate and manage their cloud apps in such a way that even their service provider cannot get any information related to their data or process. In other words, they demand an ideal situation that is quite free from worries regarding safety and privacy of their data during operation.
Microsoft works on it
More recently, Microsoft has accepted the term ‘Trustworthy Computing’ as a company initiative title for all its commercial offerings. As a step forward for this initiative, Microsoft Research has developed Haven technology for addressing the above situation. Of course, it is in the experimental stage, but users can believe that the tech giant works on their major concern.
What is Haven?
Haven is a technology that enables cloud apps to run securely without being unencrypted. Microsoft has developed it as an attempt to make visuals more efficient, but it naturally fits for the cloud computing. Haven technology won the best paper award in OSDI 2014. At present, Microsoft Research experiments this novel technology with Intel hardware.
How does it work? What’s the benefit?
With Haven, Big Data remains encrypted, and decoding is not feasible. In layman’s terms, thanks to Haven, access to the raw data is not possible even for Law enforcement agencies. Companies soon get rid of privacy concerns. Haven effectively protects them from government spying or data breach attempts from hackers.
Haven is a classic example of Microsoft’s diversification in innovative strategies. It is going to become a technological blessing for the enterprises especially from the safety and privacy viewpoint. We can undoubtedly consider it as a giant leap for Microsoft in the direction of gaining cloud users’ trust.


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Millions of golfers will finally get a chance to play Amen Corner or test their skills on Augusta National Golf Club's speedy greens.
All they'll need is a copy of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters video game.
Billy Payne, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters, announced Tuesday that the tournament has partnered with EA Sports to produce a game that depicts the famous golf course for the first time.
The Masters game will be available in stores March 29. It will be available on the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game's cost ranges from $49.99 to $69.99, depending on the game platform.
In addition to Augusta National, the game features St. Andrews and Pebble Beach Golf Links among the 15 other courses to play.
New enhancements to the popular series include Masters Moments, which allows players to try their hand at historic moments, and the Caddie Experience, which offers advice on club selection to reading the greens.
Payne also announced the formation of the Masters Tournament Foundation, which is designed to annually invest in development programs for the game of golf worldwide. All of Augusta National's profits from the video game will be put into the new foundation.
"The establishment of the Masters Tournament Foundation is central to fulfilling our responsibility of supporting the game's continuous growth around the world," Payne said in a prepared statement. "This tradition, shaped by our founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, is the cornerstone of the foundation's important commitment."
The video game and foundation are part of the tournament's effort to reach a broader audience. Those include the creation of the Junior Pass Program, televising the Par-3 Contest, more digital offerings on Masters.com, the co-founding of the Asian Amateur Championship and financial contributions to The First Tee and major golf organizations around the world.
"Our desire to help grow the game of golf throughout the world is sincere, and it is that commitment that first led us to EA Sports more than three years ago," Payne said. "EA Sports, Tiger Woods and the PGA Tour have developed an extremely successful franchise that responds to one of the popular entertainment choices of kids today. We hope our inclusion will foster an appreciation for the history and traditions of the Masters and inspire the next generation of golfers."
A video game featuring Augusta National has long been sought by golfers.
"For more than a decade, the Masters Tournament has been the most requested and coveted feature for the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise among our fans," said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. "Pairing the number one golf video game franchise with the most prestigious golf tournament in the world is a perfect marriage and we're thrilled to bring our fans this exciting opportunity to experience Augusta National Golf Club like never before."
The game features a chance to relive each of Woods' four Masters wins, and a chance to equal or beat his score in each round.
"I am very happy and excited that the Masters Tournament is featured in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour game," Woods said. "There are many new and unique elements in the game that will make everyone feel like they're really competing at Augusta National."


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Japan plans to send a government mission to China to urge Beijing to retract its decision to impose special 100 percent tariffs on imports of Japanese automobiles, mobile phones and air conditioners, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The government is coordinating with China on a date for the talks, Vice Foreign Minister Yutaka Kawashima told a news conference.
The mission will comprise high-level officials from the foreign, trade and farm ministries.
Beijing on Thursday announced that it would impose special tariffs on Japanese products in retaliation against temporary import curbs Japan in April placed on stone leeks, shiitake mushrooms and tatami straw.
Kawashima said Japan and China will also consult about the curbs in Tokyo next week at the bureau chief level.
Tokyo claims Beijing’s reaction is not justifiable because the 200-day temporary import curbs invoked by Japan were made in accordance with rules set by the World Trade Organization.
The government has not decided whether to upgrade the safeguard measures to a full action, and Japanese officials are expected to seek a compromise with China during the upcoming talks in Tokyo.
“We must solve problems by establishing certain rules that both sides can agree on as our trade relations with China are expanding rapidly,” Kawashima said.
Curbs said unneeded
OSAKA — More than half of smaller Japanese companies reached in a recent survey think Tokyo’s imposition of emergency import curbs on agricultural products is unnecessary, an Osaka-based credit association said Monday.
Osaka Shinkin Bank said its survey in early June of 1,174 small and midsize client companies found that 51.6 percent of 1,097 respondents said there is no need for the import curb, which has led to retaliatory measures by China.
In April, Japan slapped an emergency curb on imports of stone leeks, shiitake mushrooms and tatami rushes, which mostly come from China, under the safeguard mechanism of the World Trade Organization designed to slow imports to allow a specific industry to adjust to heightened competition from foreign suppliers.
The action led China to impose a 100 percent tariff on Japanese automobiles, mobile phones and air conditioners earlier this month.
According to the survey, 7.7 percent of the respondents said the mechanism is necessary, while 31.2 percent replied it will become necessary sooner or later.
Respondents opposing the safeguard said it would prevent Japanese companies from improving their international competitiveness or arouse discontent among consumers as a result of price increases.
Asked how to cope with low-priced imports, 31.3 said they will cut their prices.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.


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Mansi Jain, SVP and GM, Roposo shares details about the live entertainment commerce platform’s Diwali campaign, its journey post acquisition by Glance and more.
This year’s festive season was different, as compared to the last two ones. People were able to celebrate Diwali and other festivals with their loved ones.
Roposo, a creator-led live entertainment commerce platform, through its Diwali campaign #FestivalofLive, wanted to drive the sentiment that every festival becomes extra special when it is spent with family and friends.
The platform reached out to the ‘Gen-now’ to convey the message that no amount of texts or calls can measure up to the warmth and joy of spending quality time with your loved ones.
Speaking about the campaign, Mansi Jain, senior vice president and general manager, Roposo, says, “Given that Roposo is equal to ‘live’, we felt that the beauty of live is the connections that you’re able to make, which can’t be done over a video call. And, that is where ‘live’ stands, as it helps the users to interact more deeply.”
Roposo paused its live shows for over 12 hours on Diwali to enable its streamers to spend time with their near and dear ones. It encouraged its users also to do the same.
The campaign was created in-house. Jain says that Roposo wanted to strike a chord with its users and streamers by not making it ‘super fancy’ and keeping it real. So, the brand decided to show simple stories of how the creators wished to celebrate Diwali.
Launched as a short video app in November 2014, Roposo was acquired by Glance in 2019. At that point, Jain reveals, Roposo felt that the next wave of content consumption would come from ‘live’. This was further accelerated by the COVID pandemic, because people started to consume content on their mobile phones in real time.
This was before TikTok was banned in India. Post the ban, short-form video started to become a commodity and there was less differentiation from the purview of the consumers.
As per Jain, “‘Shoptainment’, as a proposition, is going to change the way the consumers shop. Online shopping is massive in India, but Gen Z is not driven by intent today. Rather, they are more involved in impulse and inspiration-led shopping behaviour. Roposo’s live platform is able to create that ‘shoptainment’ space for this target audience.”
Roposo’s TG majorly consists of users in the 18-25 age group, like Gen Z and late millennials. They either understand pop culture or are looking out for pop culture content. The platform doesn’t want to restrict itself to just Tier-I and II cities, but also reach out to creators and users across India.
“In India, this particular target group is spending more time on inspiration-led commerce. Explosion of direct-to-consumers (D2C) brands in the country has also driven this trend. There are multiple brands, and consumers are looking for ways to discover new ones in categories like lifestyle, fashion, accessories and home décor. Music and fitness have also seen high user engagement,” informs Jain.
Roposo works with around 200 brands. Over the last few months, it has been a sort of a launch pad for many of these brands. Jain believes that Roposo has integrated with Glance well in order to get the required scale in India. Glance is present in over 189 million lock screens in India.
Elaborating on the competitive landscape, Jain says that Roposo is creating a new category. The space is relatively new in India and hasn’t been explored by any other player yet.


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Baku, Azerbaijan, April 25
By Kheyraddin Nasirzade - Trend:
On April 25, a test launch of a plant for the production of polyethylene coatings will take place in the Mahammadi settlement near Baku, Bakhtiyar Naghiyev, director of the plant, told Trend.
The director noted that the first products of the plant will be delivered to markets within ten days.
It is planned to produce 7,000 tons of products annually, of which 3,500 tons will be sold on the local market, Naghiyev said. The remaining part is planned to be exported to foreign markets, particularly to Russia and Central Asia, he added.
Naghiyev noted that the plant was built at the expense of soft loans totaling 3.5 million manats, issued by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund of Azerbaijan.
Follow the author on Twitter: @1nasirzade


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For those after a guilt-free sweet treat, United Biscuits UK has reformulated its Go Ahead range of Fruit Bakes. They now contain one portion of fruit while still containing less than 131 calories. It has also added a new cherry variant to the range.
UNITED BISCUITS has announced a 50% reduction in the saturated fat content of three of its McVitie s biscuit brands: Digestives, HobNobs and Rich Tea
The vegan-friendly sauce is targeting health conscious consumers
Tropical is the lead flavour within carbonated drinks
The brand is also sharing stories of 100-year-old c-stores
The low calorie drinks have a new pack design
Site powered by Webvision Cloud


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Fortnite’s v4.4 patch is out and it stinks….in a good way
Fortnite is pretty well-known for providing regular updates with new content, new game-modes and even new weapons. Their most recent update was the v4.4 patch and it came with quite a few new goodies and changes to the game.
It’s worth noting that this is the first big patch that came out since Fortnite launched on the Nintendo Switch. The game’s launch there has been fairly successful with no major issues other than the PS4/Switch account issue that Sony so far still hasn’t addressed or resolved.
As for the actual update, the game now features a long-anticipated new throwable weapon, the Stink Bomb. It creates a stinky cloud that deals damage over time. More specifically, it deals ten damage per second over nine seconds in total. You can find this new weapon in chests, vending machines and as floor loot, always as an Epic rarity item. If you’re hoping to lug around dozens of them, don’t get too excited – like grenades they drop in stacks of three and you can hold up to 5 per slot.
Of course, that’s not all that the new addition brought. A new limited time playing mode has been added too. Following the big 50v50 mode, the new one is called Final Fight and features five teams of 20 players each. That’s not the big difference for this mode though – after the third shift, the circles stops closing, and instead a countdown begins. Once that has ticked down, whichever team has the most players remaining at the end will win. If two teams tie, they both get the win.
The new suit that was introduced at the same time is called 8-bit demo and pays homage to Minecraft and other 8bit-style games. It looks like this:
You can find it in the event store – after 8pm ET on June 20th anyway. Epic Games have also made some other adjustments to the game – for example, there is now a limit to how much unloaded rocket ammo players can hold at one time. This is now capped at 12, and in addition, the reload time was increased by roughly half a second. This makes the relatively overpowered rocket launcher a little more balanced. So far, the weapon had been used to demolish entire bases in just a few seconds. Hopefully, Epic’s update will make the weapon more fair.
Another thing that got an adjustment is the thermal scope. As players may have noticed, Cozy Campfires didn’t light up before, but they do now. Enemy structures on the other hand aren’t lit up any more, allowing for a more even playing experience.
In addition to all the gameplay changes listed above, Epic also resolved lots of performance, audio and other bugs and known issues. If you want to see the exact patch info, check out the Epic change log here.


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Swedish AR Packaging group has announced the acquisition of British Firstan Holdings Ltd., including its subsidiary Firstan Limited. With this step, AR Packaging is now able to also offer locally produced folding cartons to UK customers.
Firstan is the UK’s leading independent packaging manufacturer, producing over 500 million cartons annually at its 8,500 m² facility in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. The site has a capacity to produce over 1b cartons annually. The company has 140 employees and makes printed cartons for the food, pharmaceutical, healthcare and cosmetic sectors.
AR Packaging already operates two sites in the UK: The plant in Highbridge, Somerset, with 30 staff produces flexible barrier solutions and multi-layer materials. The Rotherham, South Yorkshire, site has 40 staff and makes carton-based containers like paper cups, lids and tubes for FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) customers.


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Layoffs at big companies are becoming increasingly common, as companies are facing economic challenges and trying to streamline their operations. With the rise of automation and technology that has only increased the number of layoffs. Many of the companies laying folks off are in the tech industry but that isn't the only area impacted. Recent layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook involved thousands of employees, affecting not just the individuals who were laid off, but also their families and communities.
Losing your job can be a difficult and stressful experience. Whether you saw it coming or it was a complete shock, the reality of being laid off can be overwhelming. However, it's important to remember that a layoff doesn't define you, and there are steps you can take to get back on your feet. Here are some tips to help you navigate this transition.


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‘Advanced BPS and ANC payments will be made as soon as permissible’
A derogation to make 70% advance payments for direct payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been sought by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The department submitted an application to the European Commission seeking a derogation to make advance payments of up to 70% for direct payments and of up to 85% for support granted under rural development.
“We will be making payment as soon as permissible,” the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, told delegates at this week’s meeting of the Inter-Agency Fodder Committee.
“We have been in contact with the commission already and I suspect that approval for the higher rate of advance payments in ANC (Areas of Natural Constraint) and BPS (Basic Payment Scheme) will be forthcoming,” he said.
However, the minister noted that the drought is a pan-European issue and that the support that was availed of from the UK earlier this year might not be available.
“At last Monday’s council meeting in Brussels, there was a discussion around the table on the drought across Europe.
Last year, we got some assistance in imports from the UK, but they’re having the same problem across Europe.
“The commission’s response was that this was an issue that could be dealt with through the Crisis Reserve. It just raises the question that the resolution to this might not be as readily available in the UK as it was previously and that’s why we need to double our indigenous efforts on all fronts.
“The department won’t be found wanting in terms of the practical things that can be done; but our message to farmers – and it’s really really important – is that everybody has a role to play.”


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In case disaster strikes this holiday season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency wants you to be as prepared as possible. Still looking for an extra holiday gift or two? The agency has provided a list of suggested purchased which can even be given as gifts, for families to keep their homes safe. Some of those include: disaster kits with food, water, medications, clothing and blankets, NOAA weather radios, battery powered lamps, foldable ladders, and much more.
In a statement, FEMA Regional Administrator Phil May says, “In the southeastern U.S. alone, there have been 15 presidentially declared disasters and two major wildfires in 2009.” May their recommendations could help save a life, or prevent disaster.


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Kenya: Nairobians to Buy Sh3,000 Decoders to Watch TV Beyond
Nairobi residents will either need a digital television or a set top box to watch television beyond Kenya's 50th year of Independence. This was announced by Joseph Tiampati, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication, on behalf of the digital migration committee.
The committee comprises of the Ministry, the Communications Commissions of Kenya (CCK), broadcasters and consumer groups. By 13th December, 2012, Nairobians will need to purchase one of the 39 licensed DVB-T2 set top boxes that start at about KSh. 3,000, one of the licensed digital TVs from either LG or Samsung starting at about KSh. 50,000 or purchase a set top box from either GOtv or StarTimes which have monthly subscription fees starting at about KSh. 500.
Francis Wangusi, CCK Director General, says that Pay TV users can now watch free to air TV without monthly payments for at least 3 months, but this will cost them higher for the decoders.
A list of approved decoders and TVs, where available and their pricing is available herehttp://www.digitalkenya.go.ke/list-of-type-approved-dvb-t2-set-top-boxes-and-integrated-digital-tvs-and-average-retail-prices
Major towns including Mombasa, Malindi, Nyeri, Meru, Kisumu, Webuye, Kisii, Nakuru and Eldoret will switch off analog broadcasting on 30th March 2014 with the rest of the country doing so by 30th June 2014.
Wangusi says the December date was chosen as it is a time when Kenyans are free from school fee commitment and is also a festive period when most Kenyans tend to spend.
Globally, a deadline of June 2015 has been set for the migration from analog to digital broadcasting. Analog broadcasting has fewer channels on lots of rare frequency compared to digital broadcasting which uses spectrum more efficiently and provides more services such as pay TV and high definition TV. Freed spectrum can then be utilised for services such as 4G LTE.
Tiampati said the government had taken measures to make the switch easier, such as removal of duties on set top boxes and removal of the requirement of a card slot on the same to make them more affordable.
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), who have previously gone to court to stop digital migration, were absent from the meeting that arrived at the deadline. It was also announced that the process to license a third digital signal broadcaster, occasioned by protest of local media, was still ongoing.


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Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its position in shares of General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) by 12.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 655,141 shares of the company’s stock after selling 95,376 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.12% of General Mills worth $33,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of General Mills by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,968,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,214,240,000 after acquiring an additional 533,919 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of General Mills by 15.9% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 11,295,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550,074 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of General Mills by 13.5% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 7,490,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,691,000 after acquiring an additional 890,262 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in General Mills by 29.4% in the 1st quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,055,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,318,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in General Mills by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,814,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,642,000 after purchasing an additional 295,119 shares during the last quarter. 72.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna Bancshares set a $56.00 price objective on shares of General Mills and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of General Mills from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective (down previously from $60.00) on shares of General Mills in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Piper Jaffray Companies restated a “sell” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective on shares of General Mills in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of General Mills from $56.00 to $53.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.60.
General Mills (NYSE:GIS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 20th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.76 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. General Mills had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 39.82%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. research analysts anticipate that General Mills, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.
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About General Mills
General Mills, Inc is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The Company is a supplier of branded and unbranded food products to the North American foodservice and commercial baking industries. The Company has three segments: U.S. Retail, International, and Convenience Stores and Foodservice.
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The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) and ITN Productions are co-creating a unique news-style content series ‘Supply, Support and Sustain,’ exploring the profound challenges and remarkable opportunities and innovations taking place in the changing landscape of the global procurement and supply management profession. Launching at CIPS Conference on 26-27 October 2020 the programme will form part of an extensive communications campaign featuring CIPS members and professional partners.
‘Supply, Support and Sustain’: for better future supply chains
UK retailers team up with government to protect supply chains and international workers
The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has launched the ‘vulnerable supply chains’ facility in partnership with some of the UK’s largest retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer. Retail Gazette reports that the £6.85 million fund includes investment from UK businesses to keep vulnerable workers in their supply chains in safe and secure employment and bids to ensure a steady supply of products like vegetables, coffee and clothes. The fund consists of £4.85 million from the DFID and a £2 million from its retail partners.
Concerns over spike of Covid-19 cases in US produce sector
© DNO Produce (United Fresh)
DiMuto Joins International Pineapple Organization (IPO) as Trade Technology Partner
DiMuto 4T Suite Solution /// Source: Press Release
DiMuto, a tech-based trade solutions platform, is now the official Trade Technology Partner for International Pineapple Organization, a global trade organization. The new partnership will see DiMuto providing support to IPO members to digitalize their produce and supply chains while strengthening the IPO’s presence in Southeast Asia.
6th edition of Fresh Supply Chain Asia on June 16-18th in Shanghai
European countries seek solutions to guarantee fresh produce supplies
In France, to overcome the shortage of workers in fields, the government has created a website for people to apply for jobs without losing their right to go back to their jobs after the quarantine. /// © desbraspourtonassiette.wizi.farm


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The last ever Bugatti Veyron has finally been sold. It’s based on the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, called, rather fittingly, the La Finale. It will make its proper public debut at the Geneva show next month.
So far the French, Volkswagen-owned company has only released this teaser image. Judging by the underside of the rear wing, the words ‘La Finale’ are likely to be featured on various spots of the car to signify its… significance.
The last edition has been waiting to be bought for a while now. Bugatti introduced six very special Legend editions recently, paying tribute to key figures within Bugatti.
This last edition is a one-off model which has been bought by an enthusiast in the Middle East. It’s expected to feature the same 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine as the other Grand Sport Vitesse editions, producing that insane 882kW (1200PS) output.
For fans, it is said to see such an epic vehicle go out of production. Bugatti sold 450 examples since it debuted back in 2005. It has set so many records along the way, including holding the land speed record for a production car on three separate occasions. And even this Grand Sport Vitesse is a record-holder. It’s the fastest convertible production car ever made with a top speed of 408.8km/h.
There is some good news though. Bugatti is apparently working on a successor. According to reports and rumours, the new model will be a hybrid of some form, generating even more power than ever and it is expected to go even faster than ever. A preview is tipped to take place within a year or so. 1500hp?


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ONLINE RETAILER Amazon has launched a digital media innovation centre in East London to boost technology jobs in the capital.
According to Amazon, the centre will host a number of design and development teams focusing on digital media projects that will benefit customers around the world.
"London is a hotbed of tech talent and testament to that fact is Amazon choosing the capital as the location for the new global Digital Media Development Centre," said Paula Byrne, managing director of the centre.
"Innovation is part of the Amazon DNA and we are creating a British centre of excellence to design and develop the next generation of TV and film services for a wide range of digital devices."
Software development engineers, graphic designers and user-interface experts will be based in the centre, which is located in Glasshouse Yard by Barbican tube station, a stone's throw from London's Tech City.
Amazon said the team will focus on the creation of interactive digital services for TVs, game consoles, smartphones and PCs, as well as development of the digital media experience on Amazon web sites globally.
An Amazon spokesman told The INQUIRER he could not disclose any specific details on the projects but said new jobs should be created by the centre.
"We are a growing company and should we need to recruit in the future, we believe that London will provide us with a great pool of talent from which to draw," he said.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson approved the move. "We know we have the talent, the space and infrastructure to make the most of the digital economy - this will be my prime message during Games-time, as I seek to woo even more companies for the capital, delivering jobs and growth for Londoners," he said.
"Amazon's investment propels us well up the league table of global tech cities and we thank them for their vote of confidence." µ
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How the world of banking is changing
Increasingly consumers young and old are turning to online services for most of their everyday needs and banking requirements are no exception. Whereas traditionally consumers preferred the resources offered in-branch when it came to banking matters, nowadays the average consumer and the manner they wish to manage their money has changed. More and more consumers are looking to the resources offered by online banking in order to conduct a whole host of different banking based tasks. Whether this means managing their money in a general sense, moving money from one account to another or setting up new standing orders, these are just a few of the services which can now be done online. In fact, one of only things you can’t do online is physically pull cash out! With this in mind then it is not surprising that online and of course mobile banking, is quickly becoming the number one way to bank in the UK.
With an ever increasing number of consumers opting to bank online rather than in-branch, this has resulted in many of the high-street banks beginning to disappear. All of the major banks here in the UK have reported a number of branch closures up and down the country in the year of 2016 and with online trends only ever increasing for most consumer marketplaces, it is likely the number of closures will only continue in years to come. Notably more and more older generations are catching up with the younger generations and in doing so taking advantage of the convenience of online banking and its cross-section of services offered. This shift from online banking being a service predominately favoured by younger generations to one of cross-generation use means that in simple terms in-branch services are not as widely needed as was the case in years gone by.
A recent discussion on the Daily Mail online highlighted this fact when they reported in detail just how many branches up and down the country are, or already have, closed. In the last 2 years alone it has been reported that as many as 1000 high-street branches have closed their doors. It would appear that HSBC are leading the way in terms of reduction of branches and to date there have been 321 UK branches closed. Perhaps though, a more shocking figure, is that Co-Op Bank have closed over 50% of their total branches in the last 2 years, highlighting just how much consumer demand for in-store banking facilities have changed in recent times. Ultimately, all major UK banks have a responsibility to deliver a service to their customers; through means of their choosing. This is where for some the issue of internet connectively can cause dis-satisfaction. In areas where higher powered internet connections are yet to be available, the option of online or mobile banking becomes less generally accessible. It is in these areas where consumers are much more likely to rely upon the services of in-branch services. Where branches in such areas have already been closed, customers are having to go to greater lengths to access their banking requirements. Whether this means accessing the internet in a less favourable location, be that at work or otherwise for example, or even travelling to another town to visit the nearest branch. This of course is not ideal for individual consumers or even general communities who now face such circumstances when wanting readily available access to their banking needs.
The major UK banks will have to ensure the needs of their customers continue to be met in coming years and this is not exclusive to those who prefer online banking. In fact, even in instances where they do, there is an obvious requirement to work closely and in parallel with true and realistic deliverables in terms of broadband connectivity. Whilst the internet and its wealth of resources are undeniably our greatest consumer tool to date, this does not mean it is the only method of consumer interaction which is favoured. UK banks will need to ensure consumers have a fair and rounded service reflective of their local area and the facilities it is capable of delivering. Whilst it appears the number of bank branches in the UK is set to continue to decline, it will be increasing to see how this possibility is adequately positioned alongside known internet connectivity issues across the UK. Being that the UK currently ranks somewhere in the region of 50th in the world for its speed of internet connectivity capabilities, it is important that UK banks do not close their doors before the horse has bolted.
Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems - For help, go to moneyadviceservice.org.uk
This article is not intended to contain information about, or advertise, products offered by us but is intended to contain information, give opinions or discuss generally available products/services.
Author: Internal Customer Services Agent


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Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap and trading volume. This is a really impressive achievement, considering that there are over 2,000 competing cryptocurrencies. Even more impressive is that Ethereum only launched in July of 2015, around 6 years after the launch of Bitcoin, and also several years after the release of close rivals like XRP and Litecoin.
April proved to be an excellent month for cryptocurrency markets, certainly the most bullish month of 2019 thus far. A high volume price spike, which occurred just after April Fool’s Day, was confirmed as genuine demand when prices held this elevated level throughout the month and into May. Read on for the latest news roundup.
We’re excited to announce the addition of SWIFT bank transfers as a new payment option for Coinmama users, along with lower fees and higher daily spending limits. Last summer we introduced buying crypto by bank transfer to our European customers with SEPA bank accounts. Today, we’re expanding that option to our users worldwide through SWIFT transfers.
If you’re active on any crypto-related social media platforms, particularly Twitter, there’s a good chance you’ll have encountered the term “Bitcoin maximalist.” This somewhat-loaded term is usually aimed at zealous Bitcoin supporters, often by equally-zealous altcoin supporters. But what constitutes a Bitcoin maximalist?
A brief summary of Bitcoin’s price history over the past couple of years would be: amazing in 2017, terrible in 2018. The question on everyone’s mind is of course “how will Bitcoin’s price perform in 2019?” While nobody can answer this question with any certainty until the start of January 2020, early signs from the first quarter are encouraging.
This article covers the topic of selling Bitcoin, with an eye to the special conditions which exist in the United Kingdom.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 22, 2013 10:33 AM EST||
ALPHARETTA, Ga., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rolta today announced that it has launched an initiative to deliver Oracle Business Analytics, including Oracle Business Intelligence, Big Data and Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) solutions and services with unprecedented levels of performance.
Rolta has established Centers of Excellence (CoE) in Chicago and Mumbai to offer its customers the ability to experience first-hand this cutting-edge approach to harness the power of Oracle Business Analytics to address real-world business problems. Rolta's CoE is equipped with Oracle Exalytics, the industry's first engineered system for in-memory analytics, and staffed by Rolta's Business Analytics and Big Data solution experts. Customers in various vertical segments, including Utilities, BFSI, Process/Power, Infrastructure and Government can utilize the CoE to optimize their strategies for performance modeling, planning, budgeting and predictive analytics, well beyond traditional BI solutions.
Organizations are becoming ever more dependent on business intelligence and EPM to drive better decision making and improve performance. Oracle Exalytics combines Oracle's proven Business Intelligence Foundation with enhanced capabilities and an optimized version of the industry-leading Oracle TimesTen in-memory database with analytics extensions. Rolta OneView™, the versatile and field-proven Enterprise Business Intelligence and Operational Analytics solution, has been engineered to also run on this new platform to provide higher performance and richer functionality.
Sunil Jose, Vice President, Applications, Oracle India said, "As a Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork, Rolta is recognized for its expertise in Oracle Business Intelligence. Oracle is excited about leveraging Rolta's track-record in the BI and Analytics technologies to bring the power of high performance, in-memory analytics to our customers. It not only adds value to existing Oracle Business Intelligence and Oracle Enterprise Performance Management environments, but also offers options for architecting new high performance analytics environments. We encourage customers to utilize Rolta's CoE to benefit from Oracle Exalytics based analytics."
"Rolta is committed to bringing high performance BI and Analytics solutions to customers to solve their real world business problems. Rolta is now in a position to offer even better ROI and lower TCO to customers investing in BI and Big Data initiatives. Rolta offers products, solutions and comprehensive services to help businesses take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies to address the growing need for 'extreme analytics' in the most demanding environments," said Rajesh Ramachandran, President & CTO – Global Products & Technology Solutions, Rolta.
About Rolta: Rolta is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions for many vertical segments, including Federal and State Governments, Defense/HLS, Utilities, Process, Power, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Retail, and Healthcare. By uniquely combining its expertise in the IT, Engineering and Geospatial domains, Rolta develops exceptional solutions for these segments. The Company leverages its industry-specific know-how, rich repository of intellectual property that spans photogrammetry, image processing, geospatial applications, business intelligence, analytics, field-proven solution frameworks, and deep expertise in cutting-edge technologies like Geo BI, Cloud computing, Software Defined Infrastructure and Big Data for providing sophisticated enterprise-level integrated solutions. Rolta is a multinational organization headquartered in India. The Company operates from 40 locations worldwide through its subsidiaries, and has executed projects in over 45 countries. The Company benchmarks its quality processes to the world's best standards, like successful assessment for Software Application Development and Maintenance at the highest Level 5 of SEI's CMMI® version 1.3. Rolta is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange & National Stock Exchange, and forms part of various indices on BSE/NSE in India. The Company's GDRs are listed on the Main Board of London Stock Exchange.
About the Oracle PartnerNetwork: Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized is the latest version of Oracle's partner program that provides partners with tools to better develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN Specialized offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle's products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to differentiate through Specializations. Specializations are achieved through competency development, business results, expertise and proven success. To find out more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partners.
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
For additional information visit www.rolta.com, or contact:
Executive Vice President
President & CTO
Global Products & Technology Solutions
Principal Advisor and
Member – Board of Directors
Telephone: 617 291 5949
Telephone: +91 (22) 2926 6666
Telephone: +91 (22) 2926 6666
Disclaimer: This press release includes statements that are not historical in nature and that may be characterized as "forward-looking statements", including those related to future financial and operating results, benefits and synergies of the Company's brands and strategies, future opportunities and the growth of the market for open source solutions. You should be aware that Rolta's actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations of Rolta management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, Rolta's ability to integrate acquired operations and employees, Rolta's success in executing its strategies, Rolta's ability to take a competitive position in the industry, business conditions and the general economy, market opportunities, potential new business strategies, competitive factors, sales and marketing execution, shifts in technologies or market demand, and any other factors. We may make additional written and oral forward-looking statements but do not undertake, and disclaim any obligation, to update them.
20th Cloud Expo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world. Cloud computing is now being embraced by a majority of enterprises of all sizes. Yesterday's debate about public vs. private has transformed into the reality of hybrid cloud: a recent survey shows that 74% of enterprises have a hybrid cloud strategy.
Dec. 9, 2016 11:45 AM EST Reads: 2,370
In his keynote at 18th Cloud Expo, Andrew Keys, Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise, provided an overview of the evolution of the Internet and the Database and the future of their combination – the Blockchain. Andrew Keys is Co-Founder of ConsenSys Enterprise. He comes to ConsenSys Enterprise with capital markets, technology and entrepreneurial experience. Previously, he worked for UBS investment bank in equities analysis. Later, he was responsible for the creation and distribution of life sett...
Dec. 9, 2016 11:45 AM EST Reads: 7,357
DevOps is being widely accepted (if not fully adopted) as essential in enterprise IT. But as Enterprise DevOps gains maturity, expands scope, and increases velocity, the need for data-driven decisions across teams becomes more acute. DevOps teams in any modern business must wrangle the ‘digital exhaust’ from the delivery toolchain, "pervasive" and "cognitive" computing, APIs and services, mobile devices and applications, the Internet of Things, and now even blockchain. In this power panel at @...
Dec. 9, 2016 11:30 AM EST Reads: 1,004
The Internet of Things will challenge the status quo of how IT and development organizations operate. Or will it? Certainly the fog layer of IoT requires special insights about data ontology, security and transactional integrity. But the developmental challenges are the same: People, Process and Platform and how we integrate our thinking to solve complicated problems. In his session at 19th Cloud Expo, Craig Sproule, CEO of Metavine, demonstrated how to move beyond today's coding paradigm and sh...
Dec. 9, 2016 11:00 AM EST Reads: 723
With major technology companies and startups seriously embracing IoT strategies, now is the perfect time to attend @ThingsExpo 2016 in New York. Learn what is going on, contribute to the discussions, and ensure that your enterprise is as "IoT-Ready" as it can be! Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, is co-located with 20th Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry p...
Dec. 9, 2016 10:30 AM EST Reads: 2,091
Dec. 9, 2016 10:15 AM EST Reads: 1,982
More and more brands have jumped on the IoT bandwagon. We have an excess of wearables – activity trackers, smartwatches, smart glasses and sneakers, and more that track seemingly endless datapoints. However, most consumers have no idea what “IoT” means. Creating more wearables that track data shouldn't be the aim of brands; delivering meaningful, tangible relevance to their users should be. We're in a period in which the IoT pendulum is still swinging. Initially, it swung toward "smart for smar...
Dec. 9, 2016 08:45 AM EST Reads: 985
"We build IoT infrastructure products - when you have to integrate different devices, different systems and cloud you have to build an application to do that but we eliminate the need to build an application. Our products can integrate any device, any system, any cloud regardless of protocol," explained Peter Jung, Chief Product Officer at Pulzze Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 9, 2016 07:45 AM EST Reads: 1,216
The cloud promises new levels of agility and cost-savings for Big Data, data warehousing and analytics. But it’s challenging to understand all the options – from IaaS and PaaS to newer services like HaaS (Hadoop as a Service) and BDaaS (Big Data as a Service). In her session at @BigDataExpo at @ThingsExpo, Hannah Smalltree, a director at Cazena, provided an educational overview of emerging “as-a-service” options for Big Data in the cloud. This is critical background for IT and data professionals...
Dec. 9, 2016 07:00 AM EST Reads: 4,367
Internet of @ThingsExpo has announced today that Chris Matthieu has been named tech chair of Internet of @ThingsExpo 2017 New York The 7th Internet of @ThingsExpo will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York. Chris Matthieu is the co-founder and CTO of Octoblu, a revolutionary real-time IoT platform recently acquired by Citrix. Octoblu connects things, systems, people and clouds to a global mesh network allowing users to automate and control design flo...
Dec. 9, 2016 06:00 AM EST Reads: 846
The WebRTC Summit New York, to be held June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Topics include all aspects of improving IT delivery by eliminating waste through automated business models leveraging cloud technologies. WebRTC Summit is co-located with 20th International Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo. WebRTC is the future of browser-to-browser communications, and continues to make inroads into the traditional, difficult, plug-in web co...
Dec. 9, 2016 04:15 AM EST Reads: 1,476
Amazon has gradually rolled out parts of its IoT offerings, but these are just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to optimizing their backend AWS offerings, Amazon is laying the ground work to be a major force in IoT - especially in the connected home and office. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Chris Kocher, founder and managing director of Grey Heron, explained how Amazon is extending its reach to become a major force in IoT by building on its dominant cloud IoT platform, its Dash Button strat...
Dec. 9, 2016 04:00 AM EST Reads: 6,367
Complete Internet of Things (IoT) embedded device security is not just about the device but involves the entire product’s identity, data and control integrity, and services traversing the cloud. A device can no longer be looked at as an island; it is a part of a system. In fact, given the cross-domain interactions enabled by IoT it could be a part of many systems. Also, depending on where the device is deployed, for example, in the office building versus a factory floor or oil field, security ha...
Dec. 9, 2016 03:00 AM EST Reads: 465
In addition to all the benefits, IoT is also bringing new kind of customer experience challenges - cars that unlock themselves, thermostats turning houses into saunas and baby video monitors broadcasting over the internet. This list can only increase because while IoT services should be intuitive and simple to use, the delivery ecosystem is a myriad of potential problems as IoT explodes complexity. So finding a performance issue is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Dec. 9, 2016 02:15 AM EST Reads: 6,255
The idea of comparing data in motion (at the sensor level) to data at rest (in a Big Data server warehouse) with predictive analytics in the cloud is very appealing to the industrial IoT sector. The problem Big Data vendors have, however, is access to that data in motion at the sensor location. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Scott Allen, CMO of FreeWave, discussed how as IoT is increasingly adopted by industrial markets, there is going to be an increased demand for sensor data from the outermos...
Dec. 9, 2016 02:00 AM EST Reads: 3,116
Data is the fuel that drives the machine learning algorithmic engines and ultimately provides the business value. In his session at 20th Cloud Expo, Ed Featherston, director/senior enterprise architect at Collaborative Consulting, will discuss the key considerations around quality, volume, timeliness, and pedigree that must be dealt with in order to properly fuel that engine.
Dec. 9, 2016 01:15 AM EST Reads: 1,686
In his general session at 19th Cloud Expo, Manish Dixit, VP of Product and Engineering at Dice, discussed how Dice leverages data insights and tools to help both tech professionals and recruiters better understand how skills relate to each other and which skills are in high demand using interactive visualizations and salary indicator tools to maximize earning potential. Manish Dixit is VP of Product and Engineering at Dice. As the leader of the Product, Engineering and Data Sciences team at D...
Dec. 9, 2016 12:45 AM EST Reads: 1,234
SYS-CON Events has announced today that Roger Strukhoff has been named conference chair of Cloud Expo and @ThingsExpo 2017 New York. The 20th Cloud Expo and 7th @ThingsExpo will take place on June 6-8, 2017, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. "The Internet of Things brings trillions of dollars of opportunity to developers and enterprise IT, no matter how you measure it," stated Roger Strukhoff. "More importantly, it leverages the power of devices and the Internet to enable us all to im...
Dec. 9, 2016 12:30 AM EST Reads: 927
Whether your IoT service is connecting cars, homes, appliances, wearable, cameras or other devices, one question hangs in the balance – how do you actually make money from this service? The ability to turn your IoT service into profit requires the ability to create a monetization strategy that is flexible, scalable and working for you in real-time. It must be a transparent, smoothly implemented strategy that all stakeholders – from customers to the board – will be able to understand and comprehe...
Dec. 9, 2016 12:00 AM EST Reads: 749
"Once customers get a year into their IoT deployments, they start to realize that they may have been shortsighted in the ways they built out their deployment and the key thing I see a lot of people looking at is - how can I take equipment data, pull it back in an IoT solution and show it in a dashboard," stated Dave McCarthy, Director of Products at Bsquare Corporation, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at @ThingsExpo, held November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Dec. 8, 2016 09:45 PM EST Reads: 1,264


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Vacation rental companies are scrambling to secure accommodation as a burst of pent-up summer demand and a drop in the number of holiday lets during the pandemic prompts fears of a supply squeeze.
Henrik Kjellberg, chief executive of Awaze, which operates across the UK and Europe, said the company was going “gangbusters” recruiting new homes to its brands. “We have increased the number of people we have focused on it [and] we have streamlined processes.”
Awaze has added 6,000 new holiday lets so far this year to its websites, which include Hoseasons and Cottages.com, almost 40 per cent more than during the same period in 2019.
Expedia-owned holiday rental company Vrbo said demand for summer was 15 per cent ahead of the same point last year and many “top locations” were already sold out.
Both Vrbo and Plum Guide, a high-end holiday let company, said consumers were taking advantage of remote working and booking longer stays, which was also putting pressure on supply.
Competition for holiday lets was rising before the pandemic because of the success of Airbnb, but volatile travel restrictions and demand during the crisis prompted some owners to give up on the industry.
Tighter regulation of short-term rental accommodation, particularly in cities, has also quelled the growth of available properties.
The number of vacation rentals listed in Europe fell from nearly 6.1mn in August 2019 to 5.8mn in August last year, according to industry data provider Transparent, with the proportion available in cities declining from 62 per cent to 43 per cent.
In popular Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, there was 25 per cent less accommodation available in April 2022 than there had been in April 2019, figures from analyst AirDNA showed. In Portugal, there was 14 per cent less.
To increase supply, Vrbo said it was spending “aggressively” on social media platforms to encourage hosts to sign up. It also spent more in the first quarter of the year on US TV advertising targeted at hosts than ever before.
Meanwhile, Airbnb this month announced an overhaul of its platform to push guests to more unusual locations. Non-urban listings had increased by 15 per cent globally year on year in the first quarter, it said.
Doron Meyassed, co-founder and chief executive of Plum Guide, said there was a “big crunch” on short-term rental stock in cities such as New York, where authorities approved plans for a strict new licensing regime last December. But many hosts that put their properties on long-term leases during the pandemic were starting to return to the holiday market, he added.
A further boost to supply had come from people who had bought homes in rural areas during the pandemic, but had now been called back to work in city centre offices more often than they had expected.
“A lot of people who did that . . . realised they are not spending as much time as they thought in that place and [are] renting it out, especially as interest rates go up [it] is a good way to monetise it,” said Kjellberg.
Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Holiday Cottages, said holidaymakers who had enjoyed domestic breaks during periods of restricted international travel last year were now going on staycations in addition to taking foreign trips.
Several operators said that bookings were increasingly being made at the last minute.
Awaze said bookings for holidays within the next 28 days were up 9 per cent on the same period in 2019, while Plum Guide’s Meyassed said occupancy for the next 90 days was “higher than pre-Covid almost everywhere we operate”.


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The world's biggest container firm, AP Moller-Maersk posted its first quarterly revenue growth in more than two years for the first quarter of 2017 as it continues to see container transportation growing over the year
Shares in the Danish company rose as much as four per cent after it said pre-tax profit jumped 56 per cent to $574m (£447m) over the quarter.
Revenue increased five per cent to $8.96bn due to a significant increase in the firm's oil arm, which made a profit of $328m from a loss of $29m the previous year.
Maersk line, the firm's container shipping business, reported a loss of $66m due to higher fuel costs.
Why it's interesting
The container giant, which was hit by a combination of low oil and freight prices, revealed a major restructuring plan last year to combat headwinds.
In February, Maersk said global demand for seaborne container transportation was set to grow by two to four per cent this year, and today it reiterated expectations of a shipping recovery.
Michael Friis Jorgensen, analyst at Denmark's Alm. Brand, said: "Slightly weak earnings, but guidance was maintained, which is mainly driven by expectations for increasing freight rates this year."
What Maersk said
Chief executive Soren Skou said: "Whilst we cannot be satisfied with the overall profitability in the first quarter, the result is as expected and we reiterate our guidance for the year for the group."
We delivered year-on-year revenue growth for the first time since the third quarter of 2014 in line with our ambitions to become a growth company again.


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Agriculture: Potato farmers across the country are fetching better prices than last year at the auction yard in Phuentsholing. Along with the good prices, production is also better this year.
Officials at the auction yard of the Food Corporation of Bhutan Ltd (FCBL) in Phuentsholing said that the current average price of large potatoes has reached Nu 26.51 per kilogram (kg).
“This is a very good price,” the auction yard’s manager Purna Tamang said.
Last year at around the same time, large-sized potatoes fetched Nu 18.06/kg. The price of the medium potatoes is Nu 24.57/kg this year, while it was Nu 15.44/kg last year at the same time.
The highest average price recorded this year is Nu 50/kg. So far, Nu 54/kg is the highest average price that buyers paid in 2014.
Meanwhile, local potato growers said that prices have been consistent this year unlike past years. Although potatoes fetched a record high price in 2014, farmers will still profit this year because of stable prices.
“The good thing about this year is also the payment FCBL makes now,” the auction yard’s manager said, adding that the corporation pays farmers in three days, which was not the case in previous years. “Farmers do not have to wait for many days now.”
FCBL has been approved to have an overdraft (OD) facility of about Nu 100 million. Even if potato buyers do not make payments on time and delay the collection, farmers are paid from the OD facility.
Despite the prolonged and heavier monsoon this year, 13,256 metric tonnes (MT) of potatoes were brought to the auction yard between May 1 and October 26, which is an increase of more than 15 percent. During the same period last year, the FCBL auction yard in Phuentsholing received 10,955MT of potatoes.
A potato farmer from Phobjikha, Sonam Tshering, had to wait for three days to unload his potatoes due to the large number of farmers bringing potatoes to the yard.
“After it is unloaded, it will be auctioned and then the payment will be made in three days,” Sonam Tshering said. “It’s good that the payment is quicker now.”
Another grower from Phobjikha, Phuentsho, however, did not have time to wait for his turn at the auction yard. He unloaded his produce at a private auction yard in Phuentsholing. “It has not yet been auctioned,” he said.
Phuentsho said production this year has been better than last year.
The auction yard handles more than 50 truckloads of potatoes daily that are brought from Phobjikha, Bumthang, Wangdue, and Chapcha.
Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing


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In Monterrey, Mexico, hundreds of Johnson Controls employees build thousands of batteries every day — delivering them on time, in perfect condition, in large thanks to individual ownership and ideal team leadership.
The 2017 IW Manufacturing & Technology Conference & Expo gives you an opportunity to hear directly from your peers how they are solving challenging manufacturing issues. Here's a brief preview of what you can expect.
The 2017 IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Conference & Expo promises to advance manufacturing from design to delivery with an expanded conference program and dynamic new expo displays.
IndustryWeek salutes six manufacturing facilities across North America that combine talent, technology and operational excellence to deliver winning performances.


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Leading FMCG companies including Nestlé, Kellogg Company, Danone, Mars and Unilever have formed a new coalition aimed at protecting and restoring biodiversity within their supply chains and product portfolios.
The One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) initiative launched by Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York on Monday includes 19 companies with combined total revenues of around $500 billion.
The coalition is focused on scaling up regenerative agriculture practices, boosting biodiversity and increasing the resilience of food and agriculture systems; as well as eliminating deforestation and protecting high value ecosystems.
Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, said protecting and restoring biodiversity “is essential to safeguard food production and food security”.
“Nestlé has for many years worked with farmers to manage their land sustainably and will continue to lead activities enhancing biodiversity,”
The OP2B coalition members also include L’Oreal, Balbo Group, Barry Callebaut, DSM, Firmenich, Google , Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Kering, Livelihoods Funds, Loblaw Companies Limited, Migros Ticaret, Symrise and Yara.
Mars launches #PledgeForPlanet
Mars is going a step further to tackle climate change, with the launch of its #PledgeForPlanet initiative, which calls on suppliers to set science-based targets and embrace renewable energy.
“Climate change is a real and tangible threat to society. For example, in our business, we already see it in the risk to livelihoods for smallholder farmers who provide most of our raw ingredients,” Mars CEO Grant F. Reid said.
“Risks to the resiliency and sustainability of our supply chain and the future of the farmers we work with is top of mind. But, as a family business that thinks in generations and aspires to make a positive difference in the world, our responsibilities and our ambitions go beyond risk mitigation. We are committed to doing our part for the good of the planet.”
The initiative follows the company’s investment of $1 billion towards its Sustainable in a Generation Plan which looks beyond its own direct operations and into its extended supply chain.


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From Motley Fool: Why Jeff Bezos Might Want to Break Up Amazon
There’s a case to be made here. Those of us who can remember when Amazon was nothing but an Internet bookstore never dreamed that it would become what it is today.
A planned breakup might make sense functionally.
From a political perspective, the success of Amazon’s model has earned the company detractors from both sides of the left-right continuum.
Think about it: Both Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Donald Trump have criticized Amazon in recent years. And those two agree about almost nothing.


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Black Friday: where can I find good deals in SA?
Black Friday 2018 is around the corner. South Africa’s biggest retailers say they’re ready, are you?
Make SA safe with Namola and Dialdirect Insurance
According to Statistics South Africa’s Victims of Crime Survey, 1.2 million South African households experienced 1.5 million crime incidents in 2016/17.
Tips to help you take care during the Cape storm
Weather forecasters are urging residents of the Western and Northern Cape to be prepared for freezing temperatures, heavy rains, snow and gale force winds.


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FTA participated in a high-level seminar on the Thai fishing and seafood industry in Bangkok, Thailand.
Watch our two first webinars on due diligence legislation and EU Timber Regulation!
FTA hosted a webinar highlighting the requirements of the piece of legislation and advising how to avoid risks of non-compliance.
The first of 2017’s Thought Leadership Webinar series featured national experts on Dutch, French, and Swiss due diligence legislation.
FTA, in cooperation with the College of Europe, co-organised a full-day conference on the political, economic and legal aspects of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).
The new partnership is aimed to support BEPI participants curb emissions in supply chains.
The European Chemical Agency recently recognised FTA as an accredited stakeholder, making the association the only representative of importers and brands present at this discussion level.
FTA and its members signed a letter along with the Fair Labor Association calling for adjustments to the work permit programme to improve conditions for Syrians seeking to work in Turkey.
FTA recently hosted a high-level forum with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce for businesses to address trade and sustainability matters in Mumbai.
FTA has published a position paper on the European Commission proposal to restrict a list of Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxicants in textiles in direct contact with the skin.
The video encapsulates FTA’s stance on free trade and sustainable supply chains. It states that trade is a crucial ingredient for economic and social development across the globe.
All you need to know about the new website in a nutshell(click on HD to watch in a better resolution)
Also access the website FAQ
Are you looking for employment opportunities at FTA?Check our careers page