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Source: Business Times: Published August 1, 2009
'Goodwill' gesture for GreatLink Choice investments may
increase pressure on other firms
By CONRAD TAN Singapore
The life insurer, which is 87 per cent owned by OCBC Bank, said it expects to take a hit of about $250 million in its financial results for the third quarter.
Great Eastern offered yesterday to redeem all 594 million units of GreatLink Choice investment-linked products it has sold, at their par value of $1 each, less all yearly payouts to date.
That means policyholders who choose to redeem their units will be left with the initial sum they invested in the product, without any gains or losses on their investment, after including the payouts they have received so far.
The one-time offer will be open from Aug 3 to 28.
Great Eastern chief executive Ng Keng Hooi emphasised in a statement that it was making the offer voluntarily 'as a gesture of goodwill', and said that the offer would not apply to any of its other products.
Great Eastern did not sell any other similar structured products to its policyholders, he added. But its decision yesterday is likely to increase the pressure on other firms here that sold structured investment products which have since suffered heavy losses to make similar offers to buy back the products at their original value.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement that it 'welcomes efforts by financial institutions to take appropriate steps to maintain the trust and confidence of their customers based on their own commercial considerations'.
The GreatLink Choice series of products were structured with the underlying investments in collateralised debt obligations or CDOs and were sold in five tranches between September 2005 and October 2007.
Each tranche paid a fixed yearly coupon - ranging from 3.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent for the different tranches.
The stated objective of the funds set up to invest the proceeds from each tranche was to maintain the fixed yearly payment while offering '100 per cent capital protection on maturity' - which ranged from five to seven years. But neither the coupon payments nor the return of the full principal at maturity were backed by a formal guarantee.
Instead, the yearly payments and the principal protection depended on the performance of a reference pool of over 100 'credit names' comprising corporate and government debt issuers, as well as on associated derivative transactions. As more of the credit names defaulted, both the yearly payments and the principal invested could be eroded.
Investors could redeem their units early - but at the prevailing unit price, which varied with market conditions.
The latest prices available, as at the end of June, show that the market value of some of the units has dropped to less than a fifth of their starting price.
The fourth and fifth tranches - launched on Dec 31, 2006 and Oct 31, 2007, and maturing on Dec 31, 2013 and Oct 31, 2012 respectively - have suffered the worst declines in value. Their unit price at end-June was just 19.2 cents, compared to the initial price of $1.
The first two tranches sold - launched in 2005 on Sept 30 and Oct 31, and maturing on Sept 30 and Oct 31 next year - have fared better. Their unit prices were 61.1 cents and 60.9 cents respectively at the end of June, or about 40 per cent below par.
The third tranche, which was launched on Aug 31, 2006 and which matures on Aug 31, 2013, had a market value of 29.8 cents at end-June.
The latest quarterly reports of the five funds show that at least six of the names in each of their reference pools of credits have defaulted. The failed names include Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual in the US and Icelandic banks Glitnir, Landsbanki and Kaupthing - all of which collapsed in quick succession in September and October last year.
a blog on: Financial Planning Advice - Christopher Pua


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Benetti is taking part in the 35th Palm Beach International Boat Show from March 25 to 28, exhibiting the eighth Delfino 95, a 29-metre fiberglass yacht purchased by MarineMax, the world’s largest yacht retailer and exclusive representative for Benetti Class category yachts in the USA and Canada. The Palm Beach International Boat Show held from…Continue reading BENETTI AT THE PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 2021
New Z55 is a quintessence of the Dutch yard’s “360 degrees of luxury” approach Dutch shipyard Zeelander Yachts is proud to announce that it has recently expanded its international sales areas, thanks to the delivery of two new Z55 sport cruisers to the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Moscow in Russia, the first…Continue reading Zeelander Yachts international expansion New deliveries to Russia and Great Lakes
Grosvenor Yachts sells both new and warrantied pre-owned motorised leisure yachts. Working closely and sympathetically in partnership with the customer, using their experience and knowledge to identify the model of craft that best meets the requirements and budget, a personal touch instils confidence throughout the process. Their skilled approach ensures that each and every boat has presence,…Continue reading Frauscher Boats UK has been appointed the sole dealership for Frauscher in the UK and Ireland and is part of Grosvenor Yachts Ltd.
With her impressive and clean design, remarkable seaworthiness and great versatility, the new, all-Italian stylish day cruiser is also perfect as high class tender for superyachts. NY24 will be unveiled at Boot Dusseldorf (Germany) from the 19th to 27th January, 2019. NY24 is the first craft produced by Nerea Yacht, a new Italian yachting company based…Continue reading NEREA YACHT’S NY24 DAY CRUISER MAKES WORLD PREMIERE AT DUSSELDORF BOAT SHOW

domain: news


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July 26, 2012
Apple’s iPad Still Beats Out Competitors
Michael Harper for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
During Apple´s Q3 earnings call Tuesday night, Tim Cook casually let it slip that they had sold 17 million iPads in the last quarter before he casually announced that Mountain Lion would be released Wednesday.It´s an impressive number, to be sure, but a new report from market research firm Strategy Analytics released Wednesday shows that Apple isn´t exactly new to being the tablet industry leader.
In the second quarter of 2012, 25 million tablets shipped worldwide from a number of manufacturers, Android and iOS alike. Of these 25 million tablets, Apple´s 17 million gave them a strong majority of all units sold worldwide.
To those without a calculator nearby, this gives Apple a 68.3% share of the tablet market against Android´s 7.3 million units shipped and 29.3% of the market.
Despite all the calls of warning to Apple that other manufacturers are releasing other tablets, the iPad has been able to remain number one. In fact, very few of those other tablets have been able to gain any traction in the market at all, save for the very recent Google Nexus 7, a tablet so good (apparently) many tech bloggers and pundits are using it as a way to justify their calls to Apple to make their own 7-inch tablet.
"Despite high expectations for companies like Amazon, Samsung, Acer, and Asus, the Android community has yet to make a serious dent in Apple's dominance of the tablet market," said Strategy Analytics Executive Director Neil Mawston in a statement to CNET.
“Unspectacular hardware designs, limited uptake of cellular models, and a modest number of tablet-optimized services have been among some of the main reasons for Android's mixed performance so far."
Android may be down, but they´re not yet out, holding steadily on to their 29% of the market share. In the second quarter of 2011, Android scored just below 30% to Apple´s 62%. Android was able to hold on while Apple was able to gain some ground in one year´s time.
As for those other tablets, Microsoft lost nearly 3% of its market share since last year. Microsoft has said, of course, that they have a new tablet they plan to release sometime in the future at a price point supposedly between $299 and $899. The Redmond company has recently announced that their Windows 8 OS will be released on October 26, 2012, and many expect their new Surface tablet to release on or near this date. RIM´s PlayBook was also counted in the survey and also lost what little marketshare it had to begin with, to the tune of 3.5%.
It will be interesting to see how next quarter´s results turn out with the addition to the aforementioned Google Nexus 7. It´s been flying off the digital shelves since its release with the 16 GB variant already selling out. Though it´s incredibly unlikely the Nexus 7 will beat out the iPad in the next quarter, it seems feasible it could cut away at some of Apple´s marketshare. Of course, if the iPad Mini rumors hold true, Apple could quickly regain any lost ground, offering both the traditional “10-inch” screen along with a new, “7-inch” variant.


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An influencer has candidly revealed how much money she earns from each social media platform for her content.
Erika Kullberg, a lawyer who uses her TikTok to share investment advice, money-saving hacks and travel tips, has accumulated more than 9m followers on the platform. In addition to her TikTok followers, she has 4.1m followers on Instagram, 3.3m followers on Facebook and 755,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.
In a video posted to her TikTok on Wednesday, the content creator and founder of legal tech startup, Plug and Law, opened up about the income she makes as a result of her followings and content, with Kullberg revealing that she earns a few dollars each day from the video-sharing platform alone.
“In case you’re curious, here is how much every social media platform has paid me with 17m followers,” Kullberg began the video.
According to Kullberg, who noted that she started creating TikTok videos “exactly a year ago,” she has since accumulated a “lifetime total” of 452m views on the platform. “And you can see that I’m making a few dollars each day,” she continued as she showed a screen recording of the daily payments, which ranged from $2.23 to $24.88.
“That brings my total earnings on TikTok to $3,255,” Kullberg revealed, before adding: “BUT, wait until you compare that to YouTube.”
TikTok pays creators through its Creator Fund, which the platform created as a way of giving creators the “opportunity to earn money doing what they love and turn their passion into a livelihood”. According to the platform, the funds that each creator can earn “are worked out by a combination of factors; including the number of views and the authenticity of those views, the level of engagement on the content, as well as making sure content is in line with our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service”.
To be eligible for the Creator Fund, TikTok notes that a creator must be based in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy, be at least 18, have at least 10,000 followers and have at least 100,000 video views in the last 30 days.
The influencer then moved on to her Facebook account, where she said she began posting videos just a few months ago. According to Kullberg, since she started using the platform to share her content, she has received “three payouts,” with the first for $447 and the second for $895.
Kullberg then revealed that she received her biggest payout from Facebook in September, when she earned $1,729 from the platform.
While reflecting on her Facebook content, Kullberg noted that the “cool thing” is that the videos she posts on the platform are the same ones “she already made for TikTok”.
“So there’s no extra work besides hitting upload,” she said.
In the video, Kullberg then directed her attention to Instagram, where she said her videos have received 263m views.
Kullberg said that Instagram “pays some creators, but not if you have over 1m followers,” which she said means that she has made zero dollars from the social media platform. While influencers can make a significant amount from Instagram posts, the revenue does not come from the platform directly, but rather from brands and advertisers.
According to the influencer, when it comes to how YouTube pays its creators, she said that it varies depending on whether it’s a short video or a long video.
Kullberg then used her own content as an example, showing viewers a screenshot of a short 29-second video she’d posted to the platform about a credit card hack that has since been viewed 1.8m times. “And I made $3 from it,” she said.
However, as a result of a 12-minute video she’d uploaded to the platform, which was viewed 2.3m times, YouTube paid Kullberg $35,000, according to her TikTok.
“For my grand total earnings from YouTube, and remember this is all BEFORE taxes, $196,000,” Kullberg revealed. According to Kullberg’s YouTube channel, she posted her first video on October 29, 2019.
Similarly to TikTok, YouTube has a Partner Program, which “gives creators greater access to YouTube resources and monetization features”. The eligibility requirements for the video-sharing platform include having more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months and more than 1,000 subscribers.
As of Thursday, Kullberg’s video has been viewed more than 1.8m times, with viewers in the comments praising her for the transparency.
“This transparency!” one person commented, while another said: “Not a lot of people would show this. That’s so cool and transparent. Congrats btw.”
“I’m always so curious how much creators make. Thanks for sharing the info!” someone else wrote.
Others revealed that they were inspired to start creating content on YouTube, with one person joking: “Okay okay I should get my YouTube channel going.”
“I need to make a YouTube,” another person wrote.


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NEW YORK, April 1, 2016 / -- Flying Point Digital, a performance-based digital marketing agency owned by Women's Marketing, announced today they will be transitioning their specialization in search marketing and social media from retail and e-commerce to focus on tacos.
Founded in 2002 as Flying Point Media, the firm was ranked in the top 20 of the 100 hottest companies by Inc. and Entrepreneur Magazine. Flying Point continues to be a leader in digital innovation at the vanguard of social media marketing, search engine optimization and paid search. Flying Point Digital offers a full suite of consultative and interactive services in digital strategy consulting, search marketing, content marketing, social media, and website optimization. Now they hope to bring their expertise to the marketing of tacos. Their new tagline: “Taco Driven Marketing for the Modern Taco Consumer”.
Brandon Heagle, a tech native and 16-year industry veteran, has been Flying Point Digital's President and CEO for the last six years. The agency's largest clients have previously included brands in the beauty, real estate, technology, and food industries. Heagle adds, "We are thrilled to finally be able to announce the strategic business direction we’ve been working on moving towards for months. The taco industry has continued to develop and grow over the years. It’s a market that savvy, digital marketing agencies don’t normally play in, so we thought, why not? We do love tacos.”
Women's Marketing, Inc. and Flying Point Digital's complementary expertise will offer brands an expanded roster of strategic e-commerce, digital marketing, and media strategy and buying services for brands looking to increase the visibility and reach of their tacos.
About Flying Point Digital
Flying Point Digital is a leading digital media agency with a strong track record of delivering measurable results for leading retail and direct response advertisers. The New York City agency, founded in 2002 by industry pioneer Alan Pearlstein, has developed a reputation for consistently providing innovative digital solutions for a wide range of ROI-focused clients.


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$20m impact investment in Aboriginal food business
Biripi Capital, Australia’s first Aboriginal-owned private equity firm, today announced the financial close of an initial tranche of AU$20 million investment from Melbourne-based Hudson Food Group. With this investment, Hudson Food Group takes a minority ownership position in Supply Nation-registered company The Dreaming Food Group, which was established by Biripi Capital in 2021 to compete at scale in Australia’s food industry, focusing on mainstream food services distribution, food manufacturing and brand creation.
With the first stage of its manufacturing capability set to come online in early 2022, The Dreaming Food Group is targeting AU$100 million in revenue within the next two years.
The Dreaming Food Group, co-founded by Aboriginal business leaders David Liddiard OAM and Michael Manikas, both Biripi men, is a for-purpose enterprise that is seeking to redefine the role business can play in creating positive social impact. One-third of all The Dreaming Food Group’s profits will go to The Dreaming Foundation, a not-for-profit charity established to fund Aboriginal-led organisations in delivering programs and initiatives that directly contribute to Closing the Gap.
“Today we’re excited to share with Australia a new model for corporate purpose, and it’s incredibly fitting that we are doing so as a First Nations-owned and -led business,” said Manikas, Executive Chairman of The Dreaming Food Group. “We’ve been working closely with the Hudson Food Group over the past six months to develop an investment structure that embeds maximum social impact into the very core of our operating model. This investment will be critical for our growth and impact ambitions over the next two years.”
With its head office in Sydney on Eora Country, The Dreaming Food Group is focused on four key areas of growth: food services (providing hospitality venues with over 5500 pantry-style food supplies), food manufacturing, the development of consumer food products and brands and native ingredients.
The investment from Hudson Food Group will fund a quicker route to scalability in the market as well as open additional growth opportunities across the business, with a specific emphasis on establishing a world-class manufacturing capability.
Coles is providing grants of up to $500,000 for successful applicants as part of a program to...
The South Australian chocolate and confectionery manufacturer has refreshed its image with a new...
Registrations for the AUSPACK 2022 processing and packaging trade event being held in Melbourne...


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Wholesale inflation pressures continued to cool last month, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Specifically, the producer price index (PPI) for final demand fell by 0.2 percent in December, the largest drop since August 2016. A 5.4 percent decrease in energy costs, led by a 13.1 percent plunge in gasoline prices, more than offset the 2.6 percent rise in food costs. However, even core PPI, which excludes these volatile components, still fell by 0.1 percent in December. That is well below the 0.2 percent gain analysts anticipated and the first monthly decline in a year.
The annual rates of growth in both headline and core PPI also came in below estimates, and overall this report agrees with the stabilization seen in last week’s data on household price pressures. In the near-term the moderation in inflation will help officials at the Federal Reserve justify their recent shift to a more patient, data-driven approach for raising interest rates. It is possible that the trend will continue throughout 2019, and a new survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that business leaders on average expect prices paid to rise at a slower rate in the year ahead. Interestingly, worker compensation is one of main drivers of input cost inflation, but surveyed executives revealed that wages have played a rapidly increasing role in recent years, whereas the rise in benefits expenses has gradually eased. A possible explanation for this is that companies often rely a lot more on benefits for talent acquisition and retention during and immediately after a recession since doing so can help reduce costs and incentivize continued work.
*Note: Today’s scheduled release of the December retail sales data from the Census Bureau will join the growing list of important economic reports being delayed as a result of the government shutdown.
Sources: Econoday, U.S. DoL, ZH, Bloomberg, FRBNY, FRBSL
Post author: Charles Couch


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According to reports, Rohm Semiconductor plans to outsource the packaging process of some semiconductor products such as home appliances to overseas companies for production by the end of 2021. ROHM has set up a new department to specialize in the selection of outsourcing factories. According to the news, ROHM is currently considering outsourcing the above package orders to Taiwan Semiconductor's back-end process foundry for production.
According to the report, Rohm Semiconductor's current production process is completed by itself. However, due to the rapid increase in demand for automotive and factory automation, Rohm Semiconductor has to outsource the packaging process of household semiconductors such as home appliances, thereby using capacity to meet the needs of automotive and factory automation.
According to the data, Rohm Semiconductor's annual revenue in 2017 was 377.1 billion yen, of which consumer semiconductors accounted for 56% of total revenue, and automotive and factory automation were 32% and 12% respectively (44% in total), but demand for automotive and factory automation is strong, so Rohm Semiconductor plans to increase the revenue of semiconductors for automotive and factory automation to 50% in 2019, which is one year ahead of schedule.


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tech2 News StaffAug 30, 2019 09:19:24 IST
Expected to come with 5G connectivity, Vivo Nex 3 is reported to be launched sometime in September. The company has confirmed that the smartphone will have a Waterfall display and also a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We should know more about the device soon.
A promo video of Vivo Nex 3 was also shared online a few days back.
Confirming a few key specs of the smartphone, a new unboxing video has popped online. As per this video, Nex 3 will come with a waterfall display with really thin bezels.
The video shows off a phone with a heavily curved display (at the edges), and buttonless design. A headphone jack is at the top. Since there was no notch on the front, it was being speculated that it might come with a pop-up selfie camera or an under-display camera, now that companies like Oppo are working on such tech. The video confirms that the phone comes with a pop-up selfie camera.
Instead of buttons, the sides feature a ribbed surface that gives haptic feedback when pressure is applied. Apparently, the feedback is so good it feels like a real button.
Looking at the back of the device, Nex 3 will feature a glass back with a circular camera module. As per previous leaks, the smartphone might come with a 64 MP camera at the back.
Vivo has also launched a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 120 W charging (Yes, as much as a laptop) and charges in barely 13 minutes. It is being speculated that Nex 3 might house this battery.
Such rapid charging must have a detrimental effect on battery life and it remains to be seen how Vivo has implemented the tech in the Nex 3.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Broadband provider TalkTalk is planning to scrap desktop PCs for all its office staff and bring in MacBook Pro laptops from Apple.
The company has so far installed laptops for 150 of its staff at its West London headquarters as part of a trial, and intends to replace around 1,500 PCs with Apple laptops over the next few months.
TalkTalk declined to give a reason for the switch.
According to The Times newspaper, this is the largest rollout of Apple’s computers in the enterprise market.
A survey by the Enterprise Desktop Alliance in the US found that two out of three IT administrators in large firms with Macs and PCs expected to see an increase in the number of Macs this year. The survey was carried out before the iPad was launched.
However, Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa, said: "Our stats do not show Apple's major uptake in the enterprise market.
"Apple's share in the PC market has been less than 1 percent in the last several years and has not changed."
In addition, a Forrester report out in February, ‘Understanding the Influential Information Worker,’ found that just two percent of people surveyed used an Apple desktop computer for work. The majority of workers, 48 percent, used Dell.
The study was based on responses from 3,218 US, Canadian and UK information workers at companies with at least 100 employees.
Nevertheless, the respondents to the Enterprise Desktop Alliance survey said employee preference, productivity and ease of technical support are driving Macs into the enterprise. The popularity of the iPhone has also encouraged the use of Macs, as they are more compatible with the Apple phone.


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Here is a digest of some news items you may have missed this weekend:
According to the ebrary’s Global Student E-book Survey which was previewed this week at the Charleston Conference, “students’ use of electronic books has grown little, if at all, over the past three years.” These findings come from “international surveys of more than 6,500 college students conducted in 2008 and again this year.”
Amazon Prime has added Kindle book lending to its list of perks, alongside streaming movies and TV shows and free two-day shipping from Amazon.com. The service “allows Amazon Prime members to borrow one book a month from a specific selection that Amazon said includes “over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers.” Amazon said the Lending Library has more than 5,000 titles to choose from.”
While some may find this a threat, if the library community plays it right, this Amazon perk might help point out what a good deal circulating ebooks from your local public library is. In any case, a number of library blogs have picked up on this story. See: Kindle Lending Library launches with 5,000 titles and Amazon’s Library Model: Can we learn from it?.
Gary Price from InfoDocket picked up this article from the Gainesville Sun. Library administrators are planning to convert historic Newell Hall into a “library without books” where “the experience would be one where students bring in their laptops or work on available computers to access the library’s extensive electronic collection of books, research articles, course reserves and academic journals.”
The folks at Alexander Street Press just announced a “new streaming video package for academic and public libraries” called VAST. The database will start with 10,000 titles with plans to expand to 22,000 by 2013.
“The University of California (UC) and several other major research institutions have partnered to develop the DMPTool, a flexible online application to help researchers generate data management plans, which are simple but effective documents for ensuring good data stewardship.” (The development of this type app dovetails with concerns and needs expressed at this past week’s Charleston Conference.)
Joining the growing list of university press aggregators, Cambridge University Press announced that a new service called University Publishing Online will add content from the Mathematical Association of America (based in Washington D.C.) and Liverpool University Press, Foundation Books (based in India) to the established Cambridge Books Online platform. Plans call for “content from Edinburgh University Press and Nottingham University Press will be available from early 2012.”
Tom Gilson. Test Bio


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51% of US Households Own An Apple Product
A new survey commissioned by CNBC is as good a reason as any of why Apple's stock price has been on such a tear in recent years. More than half of all US homes own an Apple product, according to CNBC's All-America Economic survey -- and 1 in 10 homes that don't own any Apple products plan to purchase one in the next year.
“It's a fantastic business model — the more of our products you own, the more likely you are to buy more,” says Jay Campbell, a vice president of Hart Research Associates, which conducts the CNBC survey along with Bill McInturff. “Planned obsolescence has always been a part of the technology industries sales model, but Apple has taken it to a whole new level.”
Among other findings in the survey:
- Income level is a strong indicator of Apple product ownership: 28% of those making under $30k/year own one, while 77% of those making more than $75k/year do.
- 63% of those aged 18-34 and 35-49 own Apple products, while only 50% of the 50-64 group do, and 26% among those 65 and older.
- 61% of households with children own an Apple product, versus 48% in those without kids.
- The average home in the South owns 1.2 Apple products, the smallest in any region. The average household in the country owns 1.6 devices.
CNBC noted that "the poll of 836 Americans was conducted by landline and cellphone from March 19 to 22 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent."


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Kia Soul EV expected to get more battery capacity this year
According to Park Tae-joon – a battery expert reporter – from the South Korean electronic newspaper etnews, the Kia Soul EV will get its battery capacity upgraded from 27 to 35 kWh. This 30 % battery capacity increase is expected to be available in South Korea in the first half of this year.
Since the current Kia Soul EV – with its 27 kWh battery – has a 93 miles (150 km) EPA range, we can expect a jump to 120 miles (194 km) with the new battery. The silly NEDC should increase from 212 to 275 km.
Just as a curiosity, the Renault Samsung SM3 ZE in South Korea is expected to get a similar upgrade (27 to 35 kWh), but from a different battery cell maker. While Kia’s battery cell maker is SK innovation, Renault is a LG Chem‘s customer.
The Seoul Motor Show 2017 (March 30 – April 9) and the 4th International Electric Vehicle Expo (March 17 – 23) are both good opportunities for the Korean automakers show us what to expect from them regarding electric vehicles.
I still hope that Kia will make an electric car that hasn’t the aerodynamics of a brick, Kia could learn something from its sister company Hyundai and its IONIQ car. Making electric cars more aerodynamic it’s the best way to get better range.
But future looks bright and I think that Kia has more aerodynamic electric cars planned. One clear example it’s the hybrid Kia Niro with a drag coefficient of 0,29 and a great EPA MPG for such a big car. The Kia Niro is prepared to have BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) and PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) versions when Kia decides to.


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Amanda Bynes made a dramatic return to social media on Tuesday, debuting bright pink hair and a septum piercing.
The 33-year-old actress has been conspicuously absent from Twitter since June, when she shared a snap of herself graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, Calif.
But on Tuesday, the star delighted her followers by popping up to showcase her new look, and also debut her new Instagram page.
Sharing a snap of herself with pink hair and a ring through the middle of her nose, the She’s the Man star tweeted: “Hey guys! I’m on instagram now!” along with a link to her account.
Once redirected there, fans could see the same picture, as well as a snap of Amanda in a tattoo studio before she went from blonde to pink, and another of her wearing heart-shaped sunglasses and sticking her tongue out for the camera.
Amanda has endured a series of personal ups and downs, including stints at a psychiatric hospital in 2014 and in March this year, but proved she’d turned things around when she graduated from FIDM with an Associate’s degree in merchandise product development.


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Emphasizing government’s assurance of timely availability of essential commodities to the consumers, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) and Information Choudhary Zulfkar Ali today set deadline for ration distribution from 10th to 15th of every month with instructions to concerned for firm adherence to the same.
The Minister said this in a meeting convened to review the performance of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Legal Metrology and Information Department in Jammu here today.
While taking a review of the status of availability and distribution of ration in Jammu division, the Minister asked the SDMs to keep a strict supervision over the whole process of lifting, procurement and distribution of ration to the targeted destinations.
“Elaborating on the significance of an effective monitoring mechanism for success of any programme, the Minister said that we all have to work in coordination and cohesion and complement each other in ensuring that the consumers are not deprived of their basic rights and get their due in time without any inconvenience”. The performance of administration at all levels would be judged by the promptness it shows to public needs and its effective delivery of service to the people, he added. He added that the state government expends Rs. 700 crore on providing subsidized ration to its people and it becomes our prime and moral responsibility to ensure that these funds are utilized for optimum benefit to the public.
He said that proper monitoring of the the ration distribution shall be done and concerned officers will ensure that on 16th of every month the utilization certificates are submitted and lifting of ration starts for the next month.
Meanwhile, the Minister announced an additional quota of 1kg sugar for the consumers of the region in view of Eid.
The Minister asked the officers not to issue ration to non state subjects and cancel all such ration cards which have been made in favour of any non state subject, if any.
Taking cognizance of exorbitant rates of certain edibles being charged in malls, cinema houses and other business establishments, the Minister ordered constitution of a committee to keep check into the issues of overcharging by such business houses besides fixing prices of items being sold inside these establishments under the prescribed norms and rules. The committee would be comprised of Director CAPD as its head with ADC, Deputy Controller LMD, Deputy Director Supplies and concerned Ads as its members. He asked the concerned to submit the report, in this regard, to Deputy Commissioner for further compliance to the Ministry for necessary action.
The Minister, while laying stress on effective implementation of NFS, said that this Act guarantees timely ration distribution to consumers and concerted efforts should be made for its effective implementation. He also asked for implementation of other revolutionary schemes like MMMS, Prime Minister Ujjwala scheme in letter and spirit.
Assessing the status of Adhaar seeding in Jammu, the Minister asked the Deputy Commissioner to further expedite the process to facilitate the consumers with timely supply of essentials.
Reviewing the functioning of LMD, the Minister emphasized upon the officers to further expand the ambit of their services and intensify checking drives to save the consumers from unfair trade practices. He also asked them to accord special emphasis on several issues like dual MRP, deceptive tactics by traders, malpractices by nursing homes and clinics, home delivery of LPG, profiteering and hoarding etcetera.
The Minister, while reviewing the working of Information department, stressed on highlighting the development aspects of the district and also asked Deputy Commissioner to constitute an integrated committee and sub committees comprising officers from concerned departments like CAPD, LMD, Police and Information for market checking. This endeavor is aimed at to safeguard the interests of consumers besides ensuring them quality products at reasonable price.
Deputy Commissioner Jammu Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Ch Rashid Azam Inqalabi, Joint Director Information Manisha Sarin, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Rifat Kohli and other senior officers of the concerned departments were present in the meeting.


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TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. this week showed off fuel-efficient scooters using three different engine approaches: fuel cell, gas-electric hybrid and all-electric. Honda didn't say when any of the concept vehicles might come to market, but it did say engineers would continue to improve the designs.
CEO Takeo Fukui personally unveiled the scooters at Honda's test facilities in Tochigi, near Tokyo, on Tuesday.
With the fuel cell scooter, Honda said its engineers redesigned and miniaturized technology developed for cars. No automakers are selling fuel cell vehicles yet, but most are developing them given their potential as non-polluting means of transportation. Fuel cells use hydrogen and air to create electricity that powers a motor.
The fuel cell scooter is based on a 125cc gas-powered version, and holds the fuel cell stack in its midsection. Engineers are still working to reduce the scooter's weight and to offer storage space comparable to gas-powered peers.
The hybrid scooter is based on a standard 50cc model. It weighs 20 pounds more than its gas-powered sibling, Honda's Dio Z4, but the electric motor helping the gas engine means 1.6 times the fuel economy.
Honda said it also produces 37 percent less carbon dioxide, a gas that many scientists tied to global warming.
Like hybrid cars, the hybrid scooter charges the battery during deceleration and temporarily shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stopped in traffic.
Honda already sells two hybrid cars, the two-door Insight and four-door hybrid Civic. It will add a hybrid Accord by year's end.
Honda's all-electric Moped-EV scooter, the only one with a name, uses a long-life battery and can climb hills up to a 12-degree incline, Honda says.
Several all-electric scooters have appeared in recent years, most from China, but none by Honda, the world's largest motorcycle maker.
Night vision feature announced
As part of Tuesday's event, Honda also announced new technology that sends a warning signal to a driver when two sensors under the headlights detect a pedestrian in the dark.
The so-called intelligent night vision system technology, a world first, will be available as an option on the new Honda Legend luxury sedan, to be launched in October.
Other car makers such as rival Toyota Motor Corp. have similar technology that displays objects using night vision sensors, but Honda's is the first to pick out pedestrians, enclosing the image in an orange frame in a heads-up display reflected above the dashboard.
Honda did not say how much the night vision system would cost, but an engineer said it would be "a few thousand dollars".
The technology is far from complete: while it is smart enough to recognize people by the shape of the head and shoulders as well as by detecting body temperature, it won't be able to pick them out on a bicycle or under an opaque umbrella.
The system is also useless in temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reuters contributed to this report.


text: A report just released by Bleepingcomputer.com reveals that Entercom’s Sept. 2019 cyber-attack of last year also resulted in a data breach of names, usernames & passwords of Radio.com users. Entercom has notified affected users by letter & filed with California’s Office of the Attorney General. “As part of our investigation into that attack, we became aware of unauthorized activity relating to third-party cloud hosting services, which we use to store information relating to Radio.com users,” Entercom explains.”Specifically, our investigation determined that for approximately three (3) hours on August 4, 2019, an unauthorized actor accessed information relating to Radio.com users contained in database backup files.” The company discovered that an unauthorized actor was able to access the protected personal information of an undisclosed number of Radio.com users. Entercom also urges users who received the data breach notification letters to change their passwords for Radio.com accounts and for any other accounts where the same password was used. This is the third time Entercom has been affected by a security incident or breach. Radio.com users who haven’t received notification of this data breach should be aware of this report’s findings & take appropriate measures.


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Customers don’t want high-speed Internet
Autore: Welcome to Fudzilla
Time Warner says it, so it must be true
Time Warner Cable’s Chief Financial Officer Irene Esteves has written off the impact of high speed internet access is having on consumers. Google has been providing high-speed internet to Kansas City in a bid to pilot the technology in the US. The move should be scaring the Beejesus out of the cable companies but Esteves says she is not bovered.
So why are the cable companies not following Google’s Eric Schmidt, who classified Fibre as “a real business” rather than a mere experiment. Esteves told the Verge that people did not really want their Internet to go like the clappers. Esteves said the cable companies were in the business of delivering what consumers want, and stay a little ahead of what we think they will want. At that Time Warner Cable was already delivering 1 gigabit, 10 gigabit-per-second to business customers, so it certainly has the capability of doing it.
Residential customers have thus far shown little interest in the superfast broadband speeds. Only a small fraction of our customer base” ultimately choose those options, Esteves said. In otherwords if you think you want breakneck internet speeds and Time Warner does not think so then you are wrong.
Esteves said that she was not totally blind to Google Fiber’s potential but insists that no one really wants the service. While Google could reinvent until Time Warner Cable sees clear evidence of that happening, the provider is perfectly content with its current offerings.
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- Internet marketing, gli italiani che guadagnano 25mila euro al mese
- Connessione a internet fino a 10Gbps su doppino in rame


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Philip Morris International : US Ruling A Boost To Smoke-Free Alternatives
July 11, 2020: Philippines The move of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the marketing of electrically heated tobacco product IQOS as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) to reduce exposure to harmful substances showed how smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes could be regulated differently from cigarette products to promote public health, Philip Morris International (PMI) said.
In a statement, PMI chief executive officer Andre Calantzopoulos said the US FDA's decision earlier this week to authorize the company to market IQOS as MRTP is a public health milestone.
"Many of the tens of millions of American men and women who smoke today will quit but many won't. Today's decision makes it possible to inform these adults that switching completely to IQOS is a better choice than continuing to smoke," he said.
He said IQOS is a different product from combustible cigarettes and must be regulated differently, as the US FDA has recognized. "Now more than ever there is an urgent need for a fundamentally different conversation on a cooperative approach to achieve a smoke-free future.
The FDA's decision provides an important example of how governments and public health organizations can regulate smoke-free alternatives to differentiate them from cigarettes in order to promote the public health," he said. IQOS is the first and only electronic nicotine product to be granted marketing orders through the FDA's MRTP process.
For a company to be allowed to market its product as MRTP, it should show the US FDA that such product would or is expected to benefit the population as a whole. The US FDA said in a statement that the agency authorized PMI to market IQOS with the following information: the product heats tobacco but does not burn it it significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals and scientific studies show switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system reduces the body's exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.
It said it would closely monitor how IQOS is used by consumers to determine if the product does not cause increased use among youth. It added the products are not safe so people, especially young people who do not currently use tobacco products, should not start using them or any other tobacco product.
The agency's latest move follows a decision it made last year to authorize the commercialization of IQOS in the US. "We are excited that this important decision will help guide the choices of adult smokers in the US.
The best choice for health is to never start smoking or to quit altogether. For those who don't quit, the best thing they can do is switch to a scientifically substantiated smoke-free product," Calantzopoulos said.
As of end-March, PMI estimates there are 10.6 million adult smokers globally who have quit smoking and switched to IQOS. "We believe that this decision can help to further accelerate the transition of US adults away from cigarettes.
We, along with our licensee Altria, are committed to guarding against unintended use and fully support FDA's focus on protecting youth," Calantzopoulos said. He said PMI would continue to work with the US FDA to provide any additional information needed in order to market IQOS with reduced risk claims.
He said "harnessing innovations like IQOS to dramatically speed-up the decline in cigarette smoking is the opportunity of this century. Comprehensive, science-based regulation can help to rapidly shift adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking to better options, while simultaneously guarding against unintended consequences.


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Important foods like grains and cooking oil again are growing more costly in many places around the world.
Observers say that is because countries have put export restrictions in place to protect food supplies at home. They also blame the price rise on weather conditions and the Ukraine war.
Caroline Kyalo is a 28-year-old who works at a hair salon in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. She experienced the rising cost of food while planning meals for her two children. The price of onions has risen by 200 percent since neighboring Tanzania restricted agricultural exports. Kyalo tried a different kind of onion but those became too costly as well. Cooking oil and corn flour prices are increasing also.
So, she said, “I just decided to be cooking once a day.”
East Africa has fertile land and a large workforce. But the high cost of growing and transporting crops and a lack of rain have resulted in decreased local production. In the case of onions, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization found that, in 2014, Kenya was getting half of its onions from Tanzania. Some traders have tried to get supplies from Ethiopia. Others have stopped selling onions altogether.
But Timothy Kinyua, who says prices have reached their highest level in seven years, promised he would sell the crop.
“It’s something we can’t cook without,” he said.
Spreading food restrictions
Joseph Glauber is with the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. He said Tanzania’s onion limits this year are one example of the spread of food restrictions. He called it a “contagion,” or something that spreads like an infectious disease. His organization says that 19 countries have put 41 food export restrictions in place. The restrictions include bans or taxes.
India banned the export of some rice earlier this year cutting one fifth of the world’s export market. Myanmar answered with its own export bans. India has also restricted onion exports. The action sent prices climbing in Bangladesh.
Dry weather in Spain has hurt its olive crop causing European buyers to look to Turkey. But rising prices there led to export limits.
Morocco, which suffered a deadly earthquake recently, has also stopped exports of crops including onions, potatoes and tomatoes.
‘The new normal’
Over a period of years, food prices change sharply. In 2007 and 2008, rice and wheat prices doubled. Glauber, who also is a former economist from the Department of Agriculture, said changes are likely to continue.
“I think increased volatility is certainly the new normal,” he said.
For example, both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of wheat, barely, sunflower oil and several other foods important to developing nations. The conflict between them interferes with production by both.
Changes in weather are also affecting agriculture, observers say. El Niño is a periodic warm current in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is linked to changes in weather in several places around the world. Some scientists say climate change could make the El Niño current more severe affecting weather everywhere.
For example, a lack of rain in India means export restrictions there might not end with the new rice harvest in October.
Importers face added risk
Most at risk from weather changes are nations that depend heavily on imported food. The World Banks, for example, notes that the Philippines imports 14 percent of its food. However, recent storms could mean further crop deficits. Rice prices there increased 8.7 percent in August. That is double the increase from the month before.
Since prices increased, Philippine food store owners say they are losing money. Thirty-two-year-old Charina Em owns a store in the Trabajo market in Manila.
“We cannot save money anymore. It is like we just work so that we can have food daily,” she said.
Cynthia Esguerra is 66 years old and has several diseases. She said she has had to choose between medicines and food.
“I just don’t worry about my sickness. I leave it up to God. I don’t buy medicines anymore, I just put it there to buy food, or loans,” she said.
I’m Mario Ritter, Jr.
Aniruddha Ghosal, Evelyne Musambi and Jeoal Calupitan reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English.
Words in This Story
salon –n. a business that cuts hair and offers beauty treatments
volatility –n. the condition of changing sharply or unpredictably


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BY: LYNDA GRAY
Deer farmers have copped the brunt of the Covid-19 effect on red meat prices.
Silver Fern Farms and Alliance enforced on suppliers from early May a “base” schedule price with the possibility of a top-up payment depending on the eventual market price received.
Hardest hit are SFF suppliers, who in the week beginning May 10 were offered prices ranging from $3.80 to $5/kg, depending on weight. For the same week Alliance prices ranged from $5.70 to $6.50/kg.
John Somerville, NZDFA chair said deer farmers were aware of the pressures along the supply chain most but were blindsided by the new payment arrangement.
“Most farmers were getting everything killed before the lockdown at about $7/kg and then it was ‘bang’ – a lot of farmers are angry at the suddenness of it all.”
Specialist venison exporter Duncan NZ was sticking with its usual schedule payment system although chief executive Andrew Duncan said in a newsletter to suppliers that this arrangement might not be sustainable.
He said that a big influence on demand will be the time it takes to unclog the supply chain of venison held in cold storage during the lockdown of restaurants and foodservice distributors. This product would be first in line for consumption as demand slowly kicked in, so a lag time in new orders was inevitable.
Mountain River would continue to offer a “competitive schedule”, marketing manager John Sadler said. He downplays the significance of Covid-19 on the price plunge and says that stocks of venison had been accumulating well before the pandemic.
“There was too much stock and then Covid came along. Its impact kicked in after the main venison season, but my concern is how it will effect the next chilled season.”
He blames the stocks build-up in part to the “pet food bubble” of 2017-2018 leading some marketers to divert venison from European wholesalers to the higher paying United States pet food market. That bubble burst and left New Zealand exporters with a stock problem when they failed to get back into European markets.
Sadler said venison, unlike lamb or beef, lacked liquidity in marketing terms. It was a niche and seasonal product of small volumes which was difficult to swap in and out of markets.
“Unfortunately, the meat industry is based on short-term pricing which makes it difficult when you’re trying to develop and support long term marketing strategies.”
While it might be cold comfort for deer farmers, he believed the long-term prospects for venison were good.
“My opinion is that we will ride through this. It’s a short-term problem, but exactly what that means remains to be seen.”


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In a sunny park in Copenhagen, Mathias Buch Jensen was unimpressed. All around him, people were tucking into beer and chips. There were few signs that the latest offensive in the worldwide war on obesity was having much effect.
But then Denmark might not be the best place to experiment with a "fat tax" on lardy products. "You know, Danes are big fans of butter," Buch Jensen mused. "We love fat."
He added: "Knowing the Danes, it could have the opposite effect. Like naughty children, when they are told not to do something, they do it even more."
In a country known for butter and bacon, Denmark's new tax is a body blow. Danes who go shopping today will pay an extra 25p on a pack of butter and 8p on a packet of crisps, as the new tax on foods which contain more than 2.3% saturated fat comes into effect. Everything from milk to oils, meats and pre-cooked foods such as pizzas will be targeted. The additional revenue raised will fund obesity-fighting measures.
The move has parallels elsewhere in Europe. Hungary has recently imposed a tax on all foods with unhealthy levels of sugar, salt and carbohydrates, as well as goods with high levels of caffeine. Denmark, Switzerland and Austria have already banned trans fats, while Finland and Romania are considering fat taxes.
But it is Britain which has the biggest obesity problem in Europe, and campaigners have urged the government to follow Denmark's lead. Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, said: "It is not a question of whether we should follow the Danes' lead – we have to. If we don't do anything about it, by 2050, 70% of the British population will be obese or overweight and that would result not only in the downfall of the NHS but also of our national workforce." A recent study found that poor health and obesity costs the UK economy at least £21.5bn a year.
Some experts argue that fat is the wrong target and that salt, sugar and refined carbohydrates should be tackled instead, but Dr Colin Waine, former chairman of the National Obesity Forum, welcomed the move. "All these things need to be looked at, but saturated fats have a higher calorie content than carbohydrates. I don't think you can do everything all at once."
Fewer than 10% of Danes are obese, below the 15% European average, according to the OECD. Britain's rate is 24.5%.
Buch Jensen, for one, is not planning to change his eating habits. Asked if he would be giving up butter, he offered a compromise: "I would fry cabbage in butter, and add a little more butter at the end. That way at least I'm getting my vegetables."


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Smiley Company is planning a kids’ TV series based on the iconic yellow emoticons that the world knows so well.
The emoji company, owner of the word "emoji," has appointed Global Merchandising Services as its licensing agent for the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland.
The National Gallery Company has partnered with DeVancer for iBeanis tablet cushion bean bags featuring two of the museum's most well-known paintings.
Smiley is continuing to expand its presence in the back-to-school market with the addition of 12 licensees in key territories across Europe.
Hoho Rights has been appointed as the licensing agent for Shen Marketing’s environmentally focused girls’ property Pink Chillies.
The Joester Loria Group has brokered a new deal to bring The World of Eric Carle to a range of bottle and pacifier items from Bottle Pets in the U.S. and Canada.
The Sharpe Company has appointed brand licensing agency Lisle International to license and build merchandise ranges for the artist Zoobs in the U.K.
The streetwear brand b+ab has launched a new knitwear collection in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan featuring King Features' classic character Olive Oyl.
Willows Activity Farm in London Colney, near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, is planning to construct a new themed adventure play area featuring Silvergate Media's "Peter Rabbit."
Epic Rights has secured a slate of new licensing partnerships for the rock band KISS in markets around the world.
CBS has teamed with Genera Games to release a new 'Star Trek' puzzle adventure game for iOS and Android devices.
Aristocrat won top honors at the Global Gaming Awards in Las Vegas, with its “The Walking Dead Slot Game” named Casino Product of the Year.
Sears has teamed with online engagement ring retailer James Allen to open jewelry boutiques at 16 Sears locations throughout New York, Maryland and Puerto Rico.
DHX Brands has signed a deal with Egmont Publishing for the international rights to produce children’s books and magazines based on the Teletubbies brand.
Sony Pictures Consumer Products, in collaboration with Budge Studios and Lafig, has released the first Smurfs food mobile app–"The Smurfs Bakery."
Loudmouth is teaming with performance headwear company Headsweats in a new deal brokered by the brand's licensing agent, The Brand Liaison.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington, England, has announced a series of new licensing partnerships for products ranging from stationery to textiles.
A host of new Smiley offerings will debut this month from new and ongoing licensees of the brand.
E-commerce apparel retailer Design by Humans has launched a Skelenimals t-shirt design contest that challenges fans to create new Skelanimals designs.
Sports and lifestyle apparel company Loudmouth has named Dennis Green as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.
Debra Valencia and her agent The Brand Liaison continue to build the artist's licensing program with new design collections and product lines.
©2015 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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Process control and automation: Weathering the storm with smart solutions
Confectionery Production considers how the latest process control and automation technology can help offset myriad challenges facing the confectionery and bakery sectors. Daisy Phillipson reports
With consumers demanding a greater array of snacks and sweet treats, the confectionery and sweet bakery sectors have always strived to innovate with expanding product ranges and increasingly complex processes.
But maintaining agility has not been easy amid what’s being described as a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges.“ “Food and beverage producers in Europe have already been faced with price increases last year as a result of Covid-19, lockdowns, labour shortages and the stranded container ship in the Suez Canal,” says Roger Gaemperle, head of industry strategy and marketing CPG and LS EMEA at industrial automation firm Rockwell Automation.
“The situation has significantly worsened in 2022 with the Ukraine conflict and adverse weather conditions throughout Europe.” Gaemperle elaborated on the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on the food sector, including disrupted production and exports from one of the biggest suppliers of wheat, corn and vegetable oil. Energy prices have also skyrocketed due to Europe’s reliance on Russian imports.
“The result is that energy, fertiliser, packaging, raw material, transport and personnel costs all skyrocketed at the same time,” adds Gaemperle. “Many larger producers – like for example Nestlé, Coca Cola and Danone – have raised prices to combat inflation and rising input prices.” But what about smaller manufacturers? Amid the various challenges present today, they must find a way to decrease costs at the factory floor level by measures such as increasing sustainability, flexibility, productivity and yield, without the freedom of high upfront investments. While the adoption of automation and digital technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in the confectionery and sweet bakery segments, there is still significant potential in utilising these tools further while opting for cost-effective solutions.
To achieve goals such as minimising energy consumption, maximising yield and producing a range of high quality products, the ability to make informed decisions is vital. “By leveraging an open and flexible control system like Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx DCS in combination with the FT innovation suite for IIoT and analytics applications, manufacturers will benefit from all the features of a modern DCS such as easy integration, scalability and flexibility, as well as open and secure connectivity and native analytics-enabled automation layer,” says Giancarlo Scarturchio, EMEA process programme manager at Rockwell Automation.
“So, the control system is providing the ability to acquire data, contextualise and analyse it in real-time and ultimately drive actions out of the data, which is the key to driving efficiency and flexibility.”
For suppliers at the start of their digital journey, it’s important to identify the problems that need to be solved. Once these are outlined, it is smart to first make use of solutions with a high cost-benefit-ratio and relatively low upfront cost. For example, smart IoT sensors such as those offered by Rockwell Automation together with the right software can be used for predictive maintenance. “The investment is relatively low, but the impact can be huge if they avoid for example a major breakdown of critical equipment in a factory,” says Scarturchio. “Another example is software to collect and calculate OEE data.
The insight producers get from such a solution can potentially allow them to increase OEE by several percentage points and thereby dramatically lower the cost of goods sold due to both the higher equipment utilisation and higher output.” Another level of predictive maintenance can be achieved with artificial intelligence (AI) at the Edge. “AI at the Edge using a machine controller with an AI library, for example, allows companies to collect, process and react to data collected at line level in real-time,” explains Daniel Rossek, regional marketing manager at technology provider Omron UK.
“Although the scope of the data remains relatively large, organisations need less resources in terms of hardware, communication infrastructure or processing capabilities at enterprise levels.” Omron provides AI capability in a machine controller that operates at the Edge of the machine, enabling predictive maintenance in real-time. “In addition to microsecond response time to potential failures, the risk of potential security threats linked to the use of AI can be controlled more easily than with AI on the cloud,” notes Rossek.
For its part, Mecatherm – which develops equipment and production lines for this sector – has introduced digital solutions for predictive maintenance on its machinery, including M-Care. Accessible with a smartphone or tablet, M-Care services are available on an internet processing platform that offers a user-friendly interface to provide operators with readable content. To detect possible anomalies on an oven, sensors are used to collect data on critical functions. This information is sent to the processing platform and algorithms make it possible to detect the drifts of the critical parameters and spot any malfunctions before the machine shuts down. If an issue is detected, the operator receives an alert and is then supported with step-by-step guidance to correct it.
Offsetting energy costs
As discussed, high gas and electricity costs have pushed up the price of manufacturing, and now more than ever digital tools and smart solutions are integral to achieving optimum energy usage. “Rising energy costs have had a direct impact within the confectionery industry, where elements of the production and packaging processes are powered by electricity,” says Simon Hill, group solutions specialist, packaging at tna solutions Europe.
“Coupled with the rising energy costs, raw material prices have skyrocketed, with the price of sugar effectively doubling since 2020. This has put pressure on confectionery manufacturers to look at ways to increase efficiency and reduce overheads.” the defined parameters to the individual CO2 emissions, identifying consumption in a holistic and customer-specific manner. “Our analysis covers the machines’ lifecycle, from manufacture and transport to use. The latter accounts for around two thirds of the entire equipment lifecycle,” explains Steffen Carbon, responsible for eco-friendly product design at Syntegon. “
Confectionery equipment business Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen (WDS) also focuses on the life cycle of its machines, having recently announced the launch of its LifeCycleCare service concept. As part of the company’s focus on providing optimum after-sales services, the business notes that LifeCycleCare is essentially a promise to support its customers for the entire lifetime of a machine and ensure the sysHill highlights two innovations that are capable of decreasing the energy consumption on its bagging machines, including tna’s rotary jaws and the power save function.
The power save function automatically turns off elements of the tna robag (above) including the heater, servo motor controls and the user interface within typical sized lines of ten or more bag makers, which adds up to significant energy savings. Meanwhile, tna’s unique rotary jaw technology saves energy as the free motion of the jaws rotate continuously with no friction. “Holding off on updating equipment right now is effectively a gamble, as the instability in the market means we’re unsure of when the energy crisis might end, and how much worse it might get,” adds Hill, reflecting on the company’s systems for the sector.
“But having the equipment in place can reduce costs in the long term and help mitigate this risk as the payback will compound as time goes on,” he concludes in advising on appropriate investment strategy. In addition to costs, concern for the environment has driven the need to meet sustainability objectives. For its part, to offer food manufacturers, including those in the bakery and confectionery segments, full transparency on the carbon footprint of its machines, Syntegon (below) recently announced a certified CO2 calculation offering. Developed by the processing and packaging machines provider, the software-based approach covers parameters such as electricity, compressed air, media and packaging materials.
The flexible methodology relates the defined parameters to the individual CO2 emissions, identifying consumption in a holistic and customer-specific manner. “Our analysis covers the machines’ lifecycle, from manufacture and transport to use. The latter accounts for around two thirds of the entire equipment lifecycle,” explains Steffen Carbon, responsible for eco-friendly product design at Syntegon. “ Confectionery equipment business Winkler und Dünnebier Süßwarenmaschinen (WDS) also focuses on the life cycle of its machines, having recently announced the launch of its LifeCycleCare service concept.
As part of the company’s focus on providing optimum after-sales services, the business notes that LifeCycleCare is essentially a promise to support its customers for the entire lifetime of a machine and ensure the system is as digitalised as possible to improve efficiency. The comprehensive contractual support consists of four components including operating support, expert care, analytics and reporting, and managed security.
Robotics for all levels
In times when margins are being squeezed even more than usual, solutions that can help to reduce waste and minimise product and packaging giveaway are proving to be of vital importance. Machine automation and digital services provider ABB provided a real-life example of these benefits in the case of Kraft Foods, which commissioned CKF Systems to design an automated re-circulating distribution system with four ABB 4-axis IRB 660 robots for its Cadbury Roses and Heroes products.
Located in three production areas and over two floors, the sophisticated solution comprises an automated robotic system with high level delivery and return alongside vision controlled distribution that automatically feeds the two packing plants. The wrapped units are handled in open plastic tote bins that can be reused as opposed to cardboard boxes that were previously crushed and removed from the packaging area, therefore eliminating cardboard waste.
The four enclosed robot cells, which are defended with in-floor induction loops, light guards and secure gate access, have six pallet-feed conveyors to receive product and to discharge the re-palletised empty tote bins. System control is via a Rockwell PLC with Ethernet communication and safety controlled via a GuardLogix PLC, while seven HD cameras capable of identifying both colour and shape ensure the right product is routed to the designated hopper.
The operation of the equipment also needed to be relatively easy and uncomplicated. This was achieved by an HMI interface located at three control suites, with specifically developed software providing a flexible and user-friendly interface for automatic operation and manual override options. “Significant benefits have been realised by the success of this project,” says David Moreton, BD&E project manager at Kraft Foods UK. “Given the volumes of these two packing plants, we have improved operational efficiency with additional positives brought about by the reduction in material movements, vehicle activity and cardboard usage. The automation has enhanced our environmental programme and, importantly, decreased the plant’s carbon footprint.”
The success of the project certainly demonstrates how automated lines and robotic technology can deliver significant benefits and savings to a confectionery business. But for manufacturers that do not have the revenue to complete a factory overhaul or embark on a huge project, there are other options available. “ In times of low cash flow, subscription-based services, in particular in software, are increasingly popular as there usually is only a small upfront investment required with relatively low monthly or yearly fees,” comments Rockwell’s Gaemperle. “In addition, producers typically don’t have to take care of updating these solutions or ensuring cyber security themselves with such a business model, as that is taken care of by the solution provider.”
Similarly, Omron Financial Services offers manufacturers a range of leasing options for technologies including mobile robots and cobots, as well as an online calculator tool to provide a quick idea of the monthly cost. “Our leasing solutions enable companies to acquire our latest technologies, so that they can continue to maintain a competitive edge and increase their return on investment,” says Almudena Marcos Bardera, EMEA services business development manager at Omron Industrial Automation. “Our complete lease service package takes away much of the initial financial burden and enables them to focus on their core business activities.”


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Apple has decided to pay $113 million to settle complaint with more than 30 US states over its slowdown in performance of older iPhones to manage battery power.
The latest “batterygate” payment will divide the settlement among California and 33 other states, according to a statement by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
The settlement resolutions complaints that the tech giant made distortions about iPhone batteries and software updates that regulated processing performance to manage insufficient battery power, according to the state official.
“This type of behavior hurts the pockets of customers and bounds their ability to make informed purchases”
Today’s settlement guarantees customers will have access to the information they need to make a well-informed decision when purchasing and using Apple products.
The settlement resolves complaints about Apple’s iPhone 6 and 7 generation phones which according to the states’ complaint were vulnerable to performance loss.


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On 23rd June the British people voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. It is unknown what the British exit from the European Union may look like. However most predictions show the UK heading for a recession and a long term devaluation of the pound, with this in mind what would this mean for the British Cruise Industry.
It has been argued that international perception of Britain has changed, and that the country is now seen as isolationist and unwelcoming. It remains to be seen if the vote for Brexit has damaged the British brand enough to make people stay away.
However the fall of the pound has made Britain a cheaper cruise destination, both for passengers and the ships docking at our ports.
In the recession we seen a boom in Ex-UK cruises, there is the potential that this could continue going as flight costs rise. The British tourist’s pound is now worth less than what it was before, this could hit their spending while on holidays and focus them on lower cost holidays.
There is the potential that the economic shock will mean people will cut back on big purchases, passengers may also choose to trade down, picking a shorter cruise, a lower category of cabin, cutting back on add on spending such as shore excursions or surcharge restaurants.
As mentioned the fall of the pound is good for tourists visiting the UK, however with Cruise Lines costs generally being in USD this may see UK operations suffer, as well as pressure on margins.
UK Shipyards could benefit as the fall of the pound sees them become more competitive, and could see them involved further in vessel maintenance and refurbishment.
Several cruise lines have significant UK offices, if the UK was to remove itself from the single market it would make sense for some of the wider European focused work, to migrate to the European Union. This would not be in the style of a mass exit, but more as a slow evolution of the practicalities.
The leading British Cruise Lines all have options on how to deal with Brexit, and their response would be measured based on the demands of the market.
P&O could deal with a significant negative environment by shrinking its fleet, Oceana to a brand in Australia or the Middle East & Asia. Arcadia could also be reallocated to Cunard or to Holland America, fitting in well with its sister ships. P&O however is division of Carnival Corp & PLC who have the financial strength to sustain P&O as is through a turbulent period.
Fred Olsen has remained a stable line for several years, however aspects of its fleet are aging and if push comes to shove the former Royal Viking twins could be disposed of, significantly reducing the lines capacity. Fred Olsen also has the support of a strong parent company.
CMV, while a UK based cruise line CMV does have an office in South Africa and Australia which would reduce exposure – with the vessels being chartered the company could work to shrink its fleet quickly by returning vessels to their owners.
Thomson Cruises – the line is currently migrating to the TUI brand as well as receiving new cruise ships. The withdrawal of the older fleet as well as the slower migration of ships from TUI Cruises, Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 would manage any capacity concerns in the short term.
All in all it is unlikely that the cruise lines would be required to make such significant changes, but as floating assets in an international business the cruise ships are free to move as the market demands. It may not be that the vessels make a loss, more that they could be more profitable elsewhere.
What do you think the effect of Brexit will be on the cruise industry?


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June 29, 2017
My how time flies. In my 2012 post I held some glimmer of hope that Sears would leverage analytics and refocus its resources as it faced store closings.
On a sunny Sunday in 2017, I am writing and reflecting on the lost hope for Sears, a victim not just of a shift in retailing but of a dire future it created for itself.
Business experts have been weighing in on Sears' announcement that it may face bankruptcy. The news comes as retailers struggle with the consumer interest in online shopping.
Sears' current woes are a stark contrast to Amazon, which has achieved success with scaling analytics, machine learning, and cloud service development into services and strategic partners. Amazon's evolution sounds like an ironic modern day retelling of Sears' evolution beyond its mail order catalog. Sears started with mail order to serve one-stop shopping for consumers' household needs, just like Amazon's start with books. Sears added stores in response to the suburban sprawl of the 1950s and 1960s, just like Amazon added products to address the growing consumer searches online. Amazon now has choices for specific tastes in a way that no sales catalog or large department store can match easily.
The losses Sears racked up took years to mount. Yet why didn't Sears turn things around?
Part of the issue lies in Sears not fully integrating an analytics framework to its strategy. Outsourcing analytics services, as I described in a later post covering the creation of MetaScale, was a good chess move for Sears. But chess is not won with just one move or two. The next move for Sears was seeking retail-by-mobile, followed by finding better ways to integrate third party data into its own operations. Right now more and more retailers are using third party data aggregation providers for understanding demographic trends and for establishing advanced analytic models based on the data.
It's not just clothing retailers experimenting with mobile. Business Insider reported a Starbucks announcement of a dedicated mobile order and pay-only store at its Seattle headquarters, an experiment in eliminating lines at its stores.
Amazon's forays beyond its initial business model of online book sales reflect wise redeployment of capital based on third-party data aggregation and analytics. For example, Amazon has used machine learning to help predict likely purchase outcomes, raising its sales. It then reinvested earnings to make forays into additional services that expand customer experience, such as delivery drones, experiments with brick-and-mortar bookstores, and most intriguingly, a budding personalization advertising platform. And Amazon it is making money while some of its advances are still in the early stages. Marketing experts are watching how Amazon is positioning itself in digital advertising. Research firm eMarketer projects that Amazon will generate more than $1 billion in US ad revenue.
Contrast those factoids against the strategy from Sears' parent company ESL Investment. The holding company invested heavily in real estate holdings, with Sears acquiring a larger real estate footprint through its Kmart acquisition in 2005. Real estate is valuable in general, but its development can direct resources into assets that can be difficult to unload. Sears is now straddled with locations in malls experiencing declining footprints, and that in turn has impacted its earnings. Sears lags behind The Gap, Inc. The owner of Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Gap stores has been profitable for years due to its streamlining of supporting operations and giving customers a seamless experience across site brands. The New York Times reported that these retail brands were the first to achieve $1 billion in online revenue in a fiscal quarter back in 2009.
The message can't be any clearer. Delaying analytics investment and deployment impacts critical decisions that can free your capital to invest in profitable outcomes.
Many more retailers will face repercussions for a few years to come. Customers are now more accustomed to shopping online, and they are looking for customer experience as much as a good deal. The tactics of webrooming and showrooming are now embedded in the consumer psyche.
Interestingly, not all retailers are suffering. Tanger Outlets CEO Steven Tanger on CNBC said that Tanger outlet malls and its off-brand stores Marshalls and TJMaxx have done well in the current retail climate. He believes that the current consumer shift has been really happening for a long time.
"We've been having this conversation for 20 years," he said. "You may recall ... it was called dot-com. And now it's called e-commerce ... [Blaming] Amazon is a convenient scapegoat."
Tanger has a point. Again, chess is not won with just one move or two. It is a series of strategies meant to achieve an objective. And Amazon, The Gap, and Starbucks are proving that analytics investment is the right gambit for staying ahead of the competition.
Pierre DeBois is the founder of Zimana, a small business analytics consultancy that reviews data from Web analytics and social media dashboard solutions, then provides recommendations and Web development action that improves marketing strategy and business profitability. He also has provided his business and engineering acumen at various corporations such as Ford Motor Co. He writes analytics articles for UBM's AllAnalytics.com.
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Russia and Ukraine together export 26 percent of the world’s wheat (pdf), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Due to the war, the three largest shipping companies in the world suspended bookings to and from Russia. In addition, most Black Sea ports—the points of departure for two-thirds of Ukrainian grain exports—have been shut down.
Wheat prices around the world have increased sharply since the start of the conflict as trade disruptions have raised fears of a wheat shortage. The war has caused extreme volatility in both cash and futures markets.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade surged more than 50 percent to $12.94 per bushel before it began to retreat this week. In Europe, wheat futures on Paris-based Euronext have also gone up sharply.
Ukraine, often dubbed “the breadbasket of Europe,” has favorable conditions for the growth of agricultural crops and grain. Besides wheat, Ukraine and Russia combined account for about 16 percent of corn exports and 30 percent of barley exports (pdf).
The wheat futures market in the United States has attracted “a phenomenal amount of outside speculative money” according to Joe Vaclavik, founder and president of Standard Grain, a Tennessee-based commodity brokerage.
And this was due to the assumption that the war would cause a drastic surge in demand for wheat in the United States, he told The Epoch Times.
“A lot of what we’ve seen to this point, in my opinion, is speculative buying in the market,” Vaclavik added. “It’s not because we’ve seen any drastic surge in actual demand for U.S. wheat.”
Russia is the largest wheat exporter in the world, followed by the E.U., Australia, the United States, and Ukraine.
The ongoing war is expected to add further fuel to the U.S. food inflation.
The U.S. annual inflation rate surged to 7.9 percent in February, according to the latest report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Soaring food prices were one of the major contributors to the high inflation, with the price index for food at home increasing 8.6 percent over the last year.
Vaclavik predicts that food inflation will get worse because of the surge in prices of agricultural commodities and farming input costs. Corn and soybean prices have also headed north, he noted.
The Black Sea region is a crucial supplier of grains and oilseed products for the world market.
Sanctions against Belarus and Russia are also having a big impact on fertilizer supply chains, increasing input costs for farmers.
“The impact of higher prices will mainly be felt by companies in the feed industry, the baking industry, brewers, and producers of vegetable oils and spreads due to their heavy reliance on grains and oilseeds,” according to a recent report by Thijs Geijer, a senior economist covering the food and agriculture sector at ING Bank.
The tension in the Black Sea region “also leads to more demand and higher prices for grains and vegetable oils from other regions,” Geijer wrote. “For example, Asian palm oil producers and suppliers and Australian wheat producers and suppliers are experiencing additional last-minute demand.”
Rising energy prices are also putting more pressure on farmers and food manufacturers around the world. Industrial bakers and flour mills, especially, have relatively high energy costs compared to other food manufacturers, according to the ING report.
While higher wheat prices might be good news for U.S. farmers, wheat supplies in the United States cannot be increased instantly.
“Part of the problem is that our wheat crop in the U.S. is largely a winter wheat crop, which is planted in the fall and harvested in the summer,” Vaclavik explained.
“We won’t have a chance to plant another winter wheat crop until September or October of this year. So, it’s going to take a while until producers have an opportunity to expand acreage of wheat in the United States.”
The nation’s wheat growers have raised concerns about large market fluctuations since Putin launched his invasion on Feb. 24. Supply chain issues and the availability of inputs also continue to present challenges for U.S. farmers.
Major wheat-producing states are Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Besides the war, dry weather has been pushing wheat prices higher.
In the United States, wheat has been hit by “drought conditions across the Great Plains, with a fair bit of the hard red wheat crop likely to be destroyed and its acreage transitioned into other crops,” according to Steven Burke, an economist at Spain-based FocusEconomics, provider of price forecasts for commodities.
“This comes amid still-strong demand and ongoing supply woes in South America, also brought on by poor weather conditions,” Burke told The Epoch Times.
According to him, markets are likely to remain tight in the near term. However, he noted, stronger Australian and Indian exports this year are expected to offset reduced exports from Ukraine and Russia.


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As the world continues to evolve and technology advances, various industries are also changing and adapting to meet consumer demands and stay ahead of the competition.
Experts from various industries gathered in Lagos for a strategy night ahead of the upcoming Lagos Tour event and shared their predictions on what they believe will be the key drivers of growth and innovation in the coming years.
Ediale Kingsley, organizer of Lagos Tour, also known as Tourla, introduced the event to the public and provided information on expected innovations in various industries.
In the mental health industry, Pamela Udoka, a clinical psychologist and licensed therapist, predicts that therapy sessions will become the norm for mental health check-ups.
She believes there will be a paradigm shift as more individuals, married couples, and families realize the importance of considering their psychological well-being and mental health.
Husayn Zaguru, public speaker and CEO of Zaguruville Empire Concepts Ltd, predicted that the media and communications industry would see a continued shift towards public speaking.
He believes that the field of virtual speaking is gaining popularity, and with the proliferation of platforms like TED Talks and Toastmasters International, as well as the rise of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, the industry is ushering in new trends.
Oke Adesoji, founder of Gladtech Technologies and Software Developer, predicts that no-code technology will change software programming development by 2023.
According to him, no-code technology, also known as low code or citizen development, will greatly increase the speed and efficiency of software development.
No-code technology allows users to create and deploy software applications without writing code, using drag-and-drop visual interfaces and pre-built templates.
Aja Lekwa, CEO of Sharemyfame Pictures, predicts that pan-Africanism and co-production deals will become increasingly important in the next wave of Nollywood.
Collaboration, he said, with other African countries can lead to better funding, skills development of manpower, equipment, richer stories and a bigger market for the Nigerian film industry.
According to Saheed Apanpa, a director and producer at Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry is poised to focus on pan-Africanism and co-production deals. Apanpa believes this could be driven by the realization that the industry has great growth potential and that working with other African countries can lead to better financing, skills development of manpower, equipment, richer stories and a market. even bigger.
Also read: Nigerian start-ups awarded €120,000 from Orange Corners Innovation Fund
Furthermore, it could also lead to the global film financing and distribution community taking Nollywood Africa more seriously, allowing the industry to command a higher price for its content.
Crystabel Amy Goddy, an actress, model, and businesswoman, predicts that the film and entertainment industry will expand more than ever in the coming years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
She believes that people are more open to freely “living” and wearing the trends seen on social media platforms. Many people are looking for entertainment, while others want a job in entertainment to be popular and enjoy other perks as well.
She sees the movie industry as largely trend driven, but also as an industry worth billions if managed thoroughly and with care.
Employment in the industry is also growing and would continue due to new content delivery methods including online TV and mobile, so both actors and off-camera employees (editors, cinematographers, etc.) they would stay busy. A triumph, a triumph for all.
Tonye Obinna-Igbokwe, co-founder of Unlocking Creativity Consultancy, predicts that artificial intelligence (AI) will be a major focus for companies in the content creation industry.
Obinna-Igbokwe predicts that as technology advances, AI tools will become more sophisticated and help with content generation, editing, and optimization. This will lead to more personalized, high-quality content for audiences and better understanding and targeting of those audiences.
Chimezie Chika, CEO of SOCHIKAMNELEANYA FARM, predicts that marketing, integrity and branding will become key growth drivers in the online marketing industry.
He believed that companies would benefit from investing in marketing and selling their brand to the right audience by offering solutions to their existing problem and not getting caught in the negative net of offering customers less value than they paid for.
Adaobi Sandra Ijoma, founder of Nutrifix Naturals, predicts that development will become a major driver of innovation in the herbal remedies industry. She believes that new discoveries and research in the field will lead to the innovation of new and healthy formulations, resulting in growth and a healthier society.
Andrea Ekpenyong, founder of Marriage Nurturer, said dependency will be a major focus for couples as a measure to thrive in love and relationships. She believes that people realize that relationships require a level of mutual dependency to achieve one of the core goals of being a union.
NIFEMI Ojo, CEO and Founder of NIFEMI OJO ENTERPRISE, explained the importance of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria and the benefits of registering a company with the commission.
It also highlights the service offered by your company, which is that they handle the CAC Records and deliver both the certificate and the other supporting documents within a period of 1 to 7 days, which is great news for people who want to register their business. or company in commission.
According to Ediale Kingsley, CEO of Sabistation PR and Media, the PR industry may see a shift towards more use of AI-powered tools for tasks like data analysis, media monitoring and content creation.
Kingsley believes this could help PR professionals work more efficiently and effectively by automating repetitive tasks and providing them with valuable insight.
Additionally, the public relations industry may see an increase in the use of virtual and augmented reality technology in public relations campaigns to create immersive experiences for the public and build brand awareness.
Kingsley also points out that social media will continue to play a vital role in the public relations industry, and professionals will need to adapt to changes in social media platforms and ensure they can connect with their target audience effectively.
The Tour de Lagos, also known as Tourla, will take place between April 1 and October 23, with every Saturday in between dedicated to touring the city.
The tour’s theme is “Business Earnings and Media Tour” and will feature a variety of activities including business talks and workshops, press conferences and visibility opportunities for participants, phone shop sales training sessions, sales formulas, earnings and more, stage theater, PR film show, comedy and music.


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Malicious people are spreading fraudulent emails posing as CD Projekt Red partners and offering to subscribe to a non-existent beta. Watch out for this scam.
- Latest news
Five months out from the release of Cyperpunk 2077, we were able to try a prologue from Projekt RED's long-awaited RPG. Here's our main takeaways.
The Japanese version of CD Projekt Red's highly anticipated RPG will probably be heavily censored because of nudity.
In the first instalment of Night City Wire, CD Projekt Red revealed a brand new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, announced an anime tie-in project with Netflix, and discussed developement of the hotly anticipated game.
A new trailer will be unveiled along more information on the gameplay of Cyberpunk 2077 during the Night City Wire event.
Thanks to cross-gen compatibility, it'll be possible to play Cyberpunk 2077 on PS5 and Xbox Series X... pending an upgrade in 2021.
The development of Cyberpunk seems complicated for CD Red Projekt, and the health crisis we're currently living certainly didn't help. Their next game is postponed again.
CD Projekt studio, makers of Cyberpunk 2077 announced that the Stadia version of the game will not be released in September as on other plateforms.
Following other postponements in respect for current events in the US, CD Projekt Red have moved their upcoming Night City Wire event showcasing Cyberpunk 2077 to June 25.
Gangs and Factions are legion in Night City, here's a quick overview of what we know.
CD Projekt RED pays tribute to George Miller's film with a vehicle inspired by his post-apocalyptic super-production.
New information has been teased for CD Projekt RED's upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, and will be revealed in a June 11 bulletin titled 'Night City Wire'.
If there will not be E3 this year, never mind because the CD Projekt game has many other conferences to go!
After several leaks, Microsoft officially unveils its Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Console Bundle in collaboration with CD Projekt RED.
CD Projekt has announced that DLC and various expansions for the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 will be revealed before the release of the game, which is currently scheduled for September on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC.
The studio, known for its free DLCs, CD Projekt, also contributes to the fight against Coronavirus by making a nice donation to a local organization.
CD Projekt Red has announced its plans for the next 5 years in an article of Eurogamer: multiplayer for Cyberpunk 2077 and new The Witcher game are planned.
Following the latest announcements regarding the Xbox Series X, CD Projekt have taken the opportunity to announce that Cybepunk 2077 will benefit from cross-buy, at least on the machines part of the Xbox family.
The studio behind The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 have posted record financial results.
CD Projekt Red have released a statement revealing that the hotly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed until September 17, 2020.