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JD Sports did not pay any rents or service charges across its store estate for the second quarter of the year and is in discussions with its landlords about the rents due in June.
A spokesman for the retailer confirmed JD Sports did not pay any of its quarterly rents or service charges across its approximately 390-strong store estate in the UK and Ireland on the due date last Wednesday.
He said the fashion retailer was in discussions with landlords about rents ahead of the next quarterly due date on June 24.
The business made the decision to close all of its stores across the UK, Europe and the USA due to the coronavirus outbreak on March 24. It said while it would continue to trade from its ecommerce site, the store closures would have a “significant impact” on its financial outlook.
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Turkish acrylic producer Aksa Akrilik receives financing to boost energy efficiency
The Turkish acrylic producer Aksa Akrilik will be financed with a multi-currency financing package worth almost USD 95 million with a seven-year maturity by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This is EBRD’s fourth loan to Aksa.
The company is the world’s greatest producer of acrylic fiber with the investments it has made and the innovations it has introduced over the years. Aksa is now a global giant with approximately 300 customers across 5 continents.
With more than 1200 employees, Aksa is the world’s largest and Turkey’s only acrylic fiber producer with a capacity of 315 000 tons per year. Aksa’s fibres and filaments are woven into synthetic fibre cloth, blankets, carpets and knitted wear and are sold domestically and abroad.
The loan will finance the development of new products and will enhance energy and resource efficiency at Aksa’s production plant in Yalova, in north-western Turkey. The financing will support an ambitious investment programme to boost the company’s overall competitiveness at home and abroad.
The new financing comes under the A/B loan structure and includes USD 50 million on the Bank’s own account (provided in US dollars and Euros) and EUR 30 million and USD 10 million syndicated to ING and the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, respectively.
The EBRD is a major investor in Turkey. Since 2009 it has invested EUR 10 billion in various sectors of the Turkish economy, with almost all investment in the private sector. In 2017 alone, the bank invested EUR 1,6 billion in 51 projects, signifying EBRD’s commitment to mobilizing foreign financing to the Turkish economy. It also marks the first transaction with the bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, or BBK, and a strengthening of cooperation with ING Group, one of the EBRD’s largest co-financiers.
Enhancing the competitiveness of Turkey’s major industrial players such as Aksa, especially through greater resource efficiency, is among the EBRD’s priorities in the country.
LATEST issue 4/2019
The machine tools market in Romania is a dynamically developing sector which constitutes an important pillar of the country’s economy. Which are the main trends and leading importers - find out in issue 4/2019...
A recently published survey examines several SEE countries as attractive markets and manufacturing hubs for automotive investments. Among them are Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria...
Metallurgy has longstanding traditions in Albania although the country has been struggling to create and maintain a strong industrial sector. Among the main industries today are: mining, basic metals, hydropower...
The Chinese manufacturer of automotive interiors Yanfeng has started the construction of a factory in Kragujevac in central Serbia. The factory will be located on 18 500 square metres and will create 200 jobs...

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PARIS – Nissan showcased its new challenger to the C-segment at the Paris Motor Show, the Nissan Pulsar 5-door hatchback, and debuted its formidable Pulsar NISMO Concept.
The Pulsar NISMO threads motorsport-level performance and technology deeper into Nissan’s lineup. Next to it on stage was Nissan’s Pulsar power solution available in Europe next spring: the Pulsar 190 PS 1.6 DIG-T, equipped with a turbocharged 190 horsepower engine.
On the heels of 12 product launches in 12 months, sponsorship of the UEFA Champion’s League, and full production capacity at its European plants, Nissan has made Pulsar its latest push on the continent. Built in Barcelona, it goes on sale from Oct. 3.
The model carries the Around View Monitor and Safety Shield Technologies, and Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox says advanced technologies are broadening customer choice and the driving experience.
“Important, as well, is the technology. And we’ve put into the car similar technology as what we put into our class-leading Qashqai and X-Trail,” said Willcox. “The Around View Monitor is available, but also it has the advanced Safety Shield System, which give customers a very clear message about the technology, makes the car much easier to drive, and provides high levels of safety, which we think is really important.”
At the Paris Show, Nissan’s second pure-electric vehicle, the e-NV200, flanked the Nissan LEAF, the world’s top selling EV with sales of 135,000.
CEO Carlos Ghosn says technology is driving Nissan’s differentiation and growth in Europe.
“The European market is getting better. That doesn’t mean it’s in very good shape. The growth is going to be around between 3 and 4 percent following our forecast,” said Ghosn.
“The winners in this competition are those who are capable of bringing fresh air, new cars and technology that serves the specific needs of consumers – not only in reinforcing our offer in segments that are growing in Europe like the crossover, but also bringing technology that is specific to the consumer: fuel efficiency, emissions, driving pleasure. That is what our strategy is about.”
The European auto market has seen a nascent recovery after last year’s low and Paris stands as a benchmark of that rebound.
The Paris show runs through October 19 and will feature over 100 world premieres and some 1.2 million visitors.


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Market Research (Reports, Surveys, Forecasts, Subscribers, …) News
SVOD subscriptions grew by 28% in 2019
Aug 3, 2020 – According to Digital TV Research, the number of SVOD subscriptions grew by 28% in 2019. However the total subscribing rose by only 16%, meaning that the average number of subscriptions per subsciber went up to 1.59, from 1.44 in 2018.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, Subscribers, Worldwide
Charter residential video customers up 102,000 in 2Q 2020
Jul 31, 2020 – Charter Communications has reported results to ended June 30, 2020. Residential video customers increased by 102,000 in the quarter. At the end of the period, Charter had 15.7 million residential video customers.
News categories: Charter Communications, Cable TV, Digital TV, Results, Subscribers, USA
Global TV panel shipments decline 8.4% YoY in 1H20
Jul 28, 2020 – According to TrendForce, under the dual influences of production capacity shifts and the COVID-19 pandemic, global TV panel shipment reached a modest figure of 129.05 million pieces in 1H20, an 8.4% decrease YoY.
News categories: TrendForce, Jeanette Chan, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide
Linear TV remains dominant form of television viewership in 2019
Jul 28, 2020 – According to Omdia, linear TV accounted for 63% of TV viewing in the U.S. in 2019, compared to 16% for long-form viewing and 12% for PVR time-shifted TV. The fastest-growing segment of the non-linear video market was social media.
News categories: Omdia, Rob Moyser, Digital TV, Europe, Market Research, Social TV, USA
TV shipments now expected to fall only 1.7% in 2020
Jul 27, 2020 – According to TrendForce, shipments of TV brands in 2020 are expected to reach a mere 214.11 million units, a 1.7% decrease YoY, but a 4% increase from the previous forecast in March, when the outbreak’s spread was most aggressive.
News categories: TrendForce, Iris Hu, COVID-19, Digital TV, Market Research, Smart TV, Worldwide
Verizon FIOS video subscribers down 81,000 in 2Q 2020
Jul 24, 2020 – Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) has reported second-quarter 2020 results. Consumer reported 81,000 Fios Video net losses in second-quarter 2020, reflecting the ongoing shift from traditional linear video to OTT offerings.
News categories: Verizon Communications, Digital TV, IPTV, Results, Subscribers, USA
Pay TV revenue in Japan to grow at 1.9% CAGR over next five years
Jul 24, 2020 – Japan’s total pay-TV services revenue is set to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.9% during 2019-2024, increasing from $8.9bn in 2019 to $9.8bn in 2024, according to revised pay-TV forecasts from GlobalData.
News categories: GlobalData, Deepa Dhingra, Cable TV, Digital TV, IPTV, Japan, Market Research, Satellite
AR/VR device shipments projected to reach 43.2 million units in 2025
Jul 23, 2020 – Total shipments of AR/VR devices are expected to reach 5.12 million units in 2020, according to TrendForce. The market is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 53.1% from 2020 to 2025.
News categories: TrendForce, Jason Tsai, Digital TV, Market Research, VR, Worldwide
HBO Max at 4.1M; AT&T U.S. down 954k; Vrio down 2.5M video subs in 2Q 2020
Jul 23, 2020 – AT&T (NYSE:T) has reported results for Q2 2020. HBO Max had 4.1 million subscribers after 1 month of operation.For the quarter, U.S. video subscribers were down 854,000, and Vrio subscribers were down 312,000 excluding the closure of DIRECTV Venezuela.
News categories: AT&T, John Stankey, Digital TV, IPTV, Latin America, OTT, Results, Satellite, Subscribers, USA
- INVIDI extends addressable TV partnership with Tata Elxsi
- SVOD subscriptions grew by 28% in 2019
- ATEME negotiating acquisition of ANEVIA
- Charter residential video customers up 102,000 in 2Q 2020
- QNET Telecom selects ATEME for video transcoding
- Discovery joins On Addressability dynamic ad insertion initiative
- 3SS and Hoppr enable monetization on Android TV
- Liberty Latin America to acquire Telefónica’s operations in Costa Rica
- KDDI selects VisualOn media player for au Smart Pass
- PMG and American Tower partner to accelerate ATSC 3.0 SFN deployment
- Eurofins updates testing services for CI Plus 2.0
- Eutelsat 8 West B selected by Strong Roots for Ethiopian FTA DTH
- Yes partners with Synamedia to achieve broadcast-equivalent latency
- Seven broadcasters launch NEXTGEN TV in Portland, OR
- Global TV panel shipments decline 8.4% YoY in 1H20
- Linear TV remains dominant form of television viewership in 2019
- ACCESS adds NetRange App Store to its in-vehicle infotainment offer
- iSpot provides attribution and OTT measurement for OpenAP ads
- Humax announces Android TV STB supporting AV1 and HDR10
- Kaltura to power CETIN's wholesale Cloud TV service for the CEE region


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Walmart to Pay $25 Settlement Over Defective Gas Can Injury Claims
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest big-box retailer, has agreed to pay $25 million as a settlement contribution to settle unresolved personal injury lawsuits filed by on behalf of victims who were injured or killed by exploding portable plastic gas cans, according to a news report by NBC.
Wal-Mart is the largest US reseller of the alleged defective product, plastic gas cans manufactured by Blitz. According to the lawsuit, Wal-Mart allegedly sold tens of millions of the Blitz gasoline containers with safety defects. Blitz, maker of the gas cans and other plastic containers, is in bankruptcy, largely due to litigation and settlement payouts.
Lives Lost Over Unit Costs of a Few Cents
Over the course of the past decade, at least 80 separate lawsuits have been filed by people who allege the exploding gas cans caused them burn injuries. Defendants include a number retailers as well as the manufacturer, Blitz. Wal-Mart informed NBC News it was named as a defendant in a total of 24 of the lawsuits.
According to the lawsuits, both Blitz and Wal-Mart are accused of “knowingly selling a defective product that could explode and produce catastrophic and sometimes fatal injuries”. The lawsuits further allege the defendant (Blitz) refused to add a safety device, known as a flame arrester, to make the cans safer.
Most consumer-grade gasoline cans are manufactured without a flame arrester. Some experts have argued that adding this basic safety feature would cost only a few pennies at most. A flame arrester is a small piece of wire mesh, like a fine screen, placed inside the spout of a gas can. The holes are narrow and extremely close together – large enough to allow fluid to pass through but narrow enough to deter against the migration of vapors (the trigger for a gasoline explosion).
Lawsuits Filed by Burn Injury Victims, Wal-Mart Denies Liability
Parties to the lawsuits, including Blitz USA’s estate, debtors, participating insurers and Walmart, have agreed to contribute a total of $161 million to settle with many of the plaintiffs, while denying liability. Wal-Mart’s financial contribution equates to just over 15 percent of the proposed $161 million fund that aims to settle dozens of lawsuits. A hearing on the proposed settlement is set for early in January.
In depositions, Wal-Mart officials insisted that the manufacturer, Blitz, was responsible for the safety of the product. A former gas can buyer for Wal-Mart, Jacques DesHommes, said when questioned in 2010 that even after being sued over alleged gas can explosions, the company did not follow-up or investigate claims of explosions to see if and how they were actually happening. DesHommes said:
“Wal-Mart does not test the can, the products. The suppliers test the products.”
Diane Breneman, an attorney who has represented about 30 of the plaintiffs in separate gas can claims, said Wal-Mart should have used its power years ago to demand these cans be made safer.
“If you repeatedly are sued in cases and the allegations are people are being severely burned or burning to death, you can’t hide your head in the sand,” Breneman said. “You’re making money off of those cans. You have a responsibility at that point to investigate it, to do whatever is necessary, if you’re going to continue to sell the product.”


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Apple and Google told journalists today a lot more about the COVID-19 contact tracing mechanism coming to smartphones soon.
Apple and Google have combined to create a way for smartphones to tell you if you’ve been in contact with someone who has COVID-19. Today, the two companies revealed more of what’s going on.
There was plenty of new information revealed, focusing on how the privacy elements have now been tightened up further, for instance. It was confirmed that Phase 1, where an app is downloaded to an Android or Apple phone, will be available within weeks – Phase 2, where the system is baked into iOS and Android without any download required, will come later.
The way it works is that every smartphone, Apple or Android, with the app on board, would be looking out for other smartphones it comes near to. When it’s close, the phone sends a beacon by Bluetooth which is picked up by the other phone. It’s done in the background, 24 hours a day, and it’s all automatic. If one of the people you’ve been near later contracts COVID-19 and it’s confirmed by their health authority, your phone will automatically receive an alert to say you’ve been in contact with someone with the disease. It doesn’t say who, where or when that happened.
Here’s what’s important from today’s news.
Stronger privacy protections
These have come about thanks to conversations with health authorities and governments. The feedback has led to revisions, with privacy protections in the protocol being strengthened. First, something called the tracing key has been removed. It remained on your phone for a period of time and so could be a privacy risk. It’s gone, so now random, independent keys are created by the phone itself and are regenerated on a daily basis.
What’s paramount is that the broadcast keys don’t reveal either anyone’s identity or their location.
Bluetooth metadata is encrypted
As the phones broadcast these quickly changing identifiers, there's associated metadata, so now additional encryption to that metadata is applied which will further decrease the risk that someone can be tracked.
Reported exposure time capped
The exposure time returned to the health authorities application, if there has been a proximity match is now capped at 30 minutes. Longer times did not add value and risked compromising privacy.
There have also been changes to design so that it’s easier for public health authorities to build apps that work with the system.
This is a good thing: hospitals and health authorities are good at getting us well, not at building apps, so they need every bit of help they can get.
Bluetooth data change
This is really cool: Apple and Google have now included additional information in the Bluetooth payload about transmission power level. Different phones broadcast with different strengths of Bluetooth signal, according to their design and their processors. Adding this data to the receiving device means the public health authorities’ applications can better estimate the distance between those two devices and this should lead to higher quality modeling about the risk the user incurred.
The app makers can also take advantage of added functions where authorities can specify signal strength and duration of exposure, again so level of risk can be determined.
I asked how good the distance estimation is getting and can it go further. I’m told it has been revised and will continue to be revised. Essentially the combination of knowing the transmission power of the device with the received strength of the device doing the local matches will let authorities model the relationship to exposure risks. As more data is received, the models can be improved further.
Cryptography algorithm altered
Me, I don’t deal with cryptography algorithms much, but I’m glad these guys do. The one used before has been swapped from HMAC to one called AES which is supported on more phones around the world.
And there’s another benefit: it decreases the power usage overall.
I asked how much the new developments will help battery life. After all, if it’s going to cane the battery, nobody will install it. I’m told that it will vary according to the device but AES should help. It seems that the experience with Bluetooth that both Google and Apple have will ensure that low power is used whenever possible.
No to Huawei
This had been presumed before, but it’s now confirmed that the app won’t work in China on Android phones. Google Mobile Services is needed and that’s not available in China. So, that’s not just Huawei out of the loop but Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus and so on. The iPhone app will work in China, however.
More on Forbes:


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If restaurants and bars do not buck up and comply with Covid-19 safety protocols, they could have their entire liquor stock confiscated — and even have their liquor licences permanently discontinued.
This is as the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane have expressed concerns over the non-compliance with regulations in the restaurant industry.
Tourism ministry spokesperson Blessing Manale told TimesLIVE that the minister had been inundated with reports of non-compliant restaurants at the weekend.
“The minister has received and continues to receive calls and WhatsApp messages of people complaining about the non-compliance of restaurants, some telling her that certain restaurants are even offering their customers takeaway alcohol,” he said.
Manale said he was aware that the NCCC was concerned about the non-compliance in the industry, but could not comment on behalf of the council.
He said it was very unlikely that the entire industry would be punished because of those who were not adhering.
“We will look at the discontinuation of liquor licences, and even permanent discontinuation, for individual restaurants. We are going to be harsh on enforcement so that we do not paint the whole sector with the same brush.”
Manale warned that the department was looking at confiscating all liquor stock from those found to be flouting regulations.
“We will confiscate stock. First as evidence and generally as a tool of committing the crime. Can you imagine a R5,000 fine plus the confiscation of your stock? The punishment of taking your stock alone will make you pack and go.”
Restaurant Association of SA (Rasa) CEO Wendy Alberts encouraged the reporting of non-compliant restaurants so that the industry as a whole could be spared.
“As unfortunate as it is, we must therefore encourage the reporting of non-compliant restaurants so that we can save the industry as a whole. We urge everyone to follow the regulations and hope that everyone stays safe,” she said.
Alberts said it was unthinkable that due to a few operators not following the rules, the entire industry may suffer again.
“To date we have had reports of restaurants operating past curfew, ignoring the social distancing protocols and not ensuring masks are used and so on These incidents have sprang up all over social media and have garnered the attention of the minister of tourism and the NCCC,” she said. “Due to these infractions, consideration is being held to impose stricter protocols or even reverting to off-site consumption and even to close the restaurant sector.”


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Mumbai-based logistics services company Leap India has secured about $13 million in a Series B funding round led by new investors IndiaNivesh Growth Fund, Sixth Sense and TCI Ventures.
The investment is understood to include participation from existing backers Mayfield and Rishabh Mariwala, the manager of domestic family office Sharp Ventures. It comes as the approval of a reformed goods...
Space Cycle, a boutique fitness studio chain operating in mainland China and Taiwan, has raised a RMB100 million ($15.6 million) Series B round of funding led by Alibaba Taiwan Entrepreneurs Fund.
Creador is targeting $500 million for its fourth Southeast Asia and India-focused fund. The private equity firm closed its previous vehicle at $415 million in late 2016.
SBI Investment, the VC arm of Japan’s SBI Holdings, has launched a JPY50 billion ($450 million) fund that will focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology.
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings has led a Series C round of undisclosed size for Rokid, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) developer focused on home automation devices.


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Profits take a dive at Kuoni
PROFITS at Swiss travel giant Kuoni crashed 90% in the first half of the year, the group has told its long suffering investors.
The company, which fired off a profits warning last month, added that full-year figures would be half those of last year as it suffered losses at its Nordic budget holiday operations.
Net income in the first half fell to Swfr2.9m (£1.2m) from Swfr29.9m in the same period a year earlier on turnover up 13% at Swfr1.97bn. Britain's First Choice is thought to be a bidder for Kuoni's Scandinavian operations.
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Amazon has heavily discounted a number of Kindle e-Readers for Father’s Day. The Seattle company is hoping that marking down some of their most popular devices by $20 to $30 it will encourage people to buy one as gift. These deals will be available from now until June 18th 2017.
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times.


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“It’s that time of year when we are all in the mood for a little splurge, and let’s face it, this year we all deserve it!” said Wayback Burgers President Patrick Conlin. “The Peppermint Bark Shake looks festive and tastes even better.”
CHESHIRE, Conn. (PRWEB) November 19, 2020
Wayback Burgers, America’s favorite hometown burger joint and one of the nation’s fastest-growing burger franchises, is ready to celebrate the holidays with a new Peppermint Bark Shake – a limited-time beverage offer to usher in the holiday season.
Move over pumpkin spice, it’s time for peppermint bark and candy canes to take center stage. The cool treat is a chocolate peppermint shake drizzled with Hershey's syrup and topped with whipped cream and candy crunchies.
The festive shake will only be around for a short time, November 16 - December 31.
The shake makes its debut at participating locations for $4.69.
“It’s that time of year when we are all in the mood for a little splurge, and let’s face it, this year we all deserve it!” said Wayback Burgers President Patrick Conlin. “The Peppermint Bark Shake looks festive and tastes even better. It’s the perfect mix of cool, calming mint and rich and delicious chocolate!”
For more information on Wayback Burgers and the Peppermint Bark Shake, please visit http://www.WaybackBurgers.com, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more information about the Wayback Burgers franchise opportunity, visit https://waybackburgers.com/franchising/.
About Wayback Burgers
Founded in 1991 in Newark, Delaware, Wayback Burgers is a Connecticut-based fast-casual franchise with a reputation for cooked to order burgers and thick, hand-dipped milkshakes, served in an environment that hearkens back to a simpler place and time — when customer service meant something and everyone felt the warmth of the community. Wayback Burgers currently operates in 31 states with over 166 locations nationally and internationally in Brunei, Sudan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Pakistan, The Netherlands, and Manitoba, Canada. Through its executed international franchise agreements, Wayback Burgers plans to open in 38 provinces/countries, including the Middle East, Northern Africa, South Africa, Bangladesh, Ireland, Germany, and, in Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Currently, there are LOIs for Japan.


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Customers were rightfully outraged when Logitech announced it would end service and support for its Harmony Link devices next year. Now, Logitech is attempting to right some of the wrongs of this situation, even though its plans to end the life of all Link devices hasn't changed. According to a Logitech blog post, the company will now provide all Harmony Link users with a free replacement Harmony Hub before service and support to Link devices ends in March 2018.
When Link users were notified of the discontinuation via email, Logitech also informed them that customers within warranty could replace the Link with a Harmony Hub for free. However, out-of-warranty customers were only allowed a 35-percent discount to purchase a Harmony Hub.
Customers were originally frustrated by Logitech's decision to end the life of Link devices apparently solely for business purposes. Many users claimed they experienced no problems with the Link and the devices worked as promised. However, some were also upset that Logitech was essentially forcing them to pay for an updated device that they wouldn't want or need if not for Logitech's decision to brick their currently functioning devices.
Now, all customers can get a free Harmony Hub to replace their to-be-bricked Harmony Link, regardless of warranty state. "We will reach out to you between now and March 2018 to make arrangements to replace your Link with a free Harmony Hub," Logitech's blog post details. Customers can also go to Logitech's contact page to arrange to receive a replacement device. Those who already redeemed the 35-percent discount on a Hub will be refunded the full amount paid for the replacement Hub.
Logitech decided to shut down all Harmony Link systems because it would not renew a technology certificate license that expires in March 2018. We now know that's an encryption certificate that, if not renewed, could leave vulnerabilities in the Link system. The Harmony Link lets users control home entertainment devices, including TVs, stereos, VCRs, and BlueRay players, through a companion mobile app. The Harmony Hub appears to be the more advanced version of the Link, letting users control home entertainment devices in addition other smart home devices—like lightbulbs, cameras, and more—through the companion app.


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Thursday, July 7, 2011
Guatemala Cup of Excellence 2011 Auction
Today the Cup of Excellence auction was held at ANACAFE, where the best coffees of Guatemala were sold to local and foreign buyers. Finca El Socorro (P11 coffee provider) got the first place and also the best bid, that give us the certain that our P11 brand is offering the very best. I had the pleasure to see some friends there and the opportunity to taste several delicious coffees including the likes of Finca el Injerto, Finca La Esperanza and Finca Retana. Congrats to all participating coffee producers!


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NetEnt launches Narcos
The big summer release of 2019 has to be Narcos from NetEnt, one of the leading software providers in the online casino industry. This game has capitalised on the popularity of the Netflix series of the same name and you can spin and win big with this Pablo Escobar themed slot game and make the most of some great hidden treasures, you might even find Pablo Escobar’s millions. The slot machine has a 96,23 % RTP which is good for players and means your chances of winning are reasonable.
The game has a setup of 5 reels and 3-rows and its main features are Locked-up, Drive- by, Walking Wilds and Free Spins. But be warned, getting your hands on Pablo’s fortune is not easy and the free spins mode is hard to unlock. If you are successful, however, you could be in for an awesome pay-out. Narco’s is available on a number of top UK online casino sites and you can play it for between 0.20 cents and €400 per spin on all devices, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.
Gambling is big business –for the taxman in Sweden
The Swedish government is benefitting enormously from Sweden’s new online gambling license. Sweden’s Skatteverket tax agency (STA) said that its revenue from gambling tax for the first half of 2019 was almost SEK1.84b (US$190.7m). That is double the amount that the government had estimated they would make when they launched their newly regulated online casino and gambling industry in January this year.
The director of Sweden’s Skatteverket tax agency, Marie Matsson said the government had made more in the first six months of the year than what they had expected to make from the online gambling industry in the entire year. There are currently 86 licenced gambling companies in Sweden, and they pay an 18% tax on their revenue plus altogether they have paid SEK67m for licenses and they have had to pay an extra SEK57m in supervision fees.
But it’s not all good news. Sweden’s online gambling industry has struggled to adapt and most of the 86 licence holders have reported a significant drop in their Swedish revenue. But according to Sweden’s Spelinspektionen regulatory body, the online casinos should be able to follow the rules, pay their tax and still make money. So, even if the online casino operators are not entirely happy, the Swedish taxman most certainly is, and the country is reaping the rewards of this burgeoning industry.


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Eating chicken could also send a cocktail of antibiotics into your body, say a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which has found antibiotic residues in 40% of chicken samples in Delhi and NCR. Regular consumers are at danger of developing antibiotic resistance. In other words, eating chicken could make you immune to antibiotics for common illnesses.
The CSE study was conducted to study the reasons behind rising antibiotic resistance among patients. In the study, 22.9% of the 70 samples contained one antibiotic while 17.1% had more than one. The CSE report says that poultry owners routinely pumped antibiotics into chicken to promote growth so that they look bigger. Sadly, India has no law to regulate antibiotic use among poultry birds.
In India, the resistance to fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin is rapidly increasing. Treating sepsis, pneumonia and tuberculosis (TB) with fluoroquinolones is getting tough because the microbes that cause them are becoming resistant to fluoroquinolones.


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The U.S. Postal Service recognized Shutterfly Inc. with its Partnership for Growth Award on the final day of the National Postal Forum (NPF), the country’s premier mailing and shipping conference. The Partnership for Growth Award is given annually at NPF to recognize a strong mailing industry contributor that drives innovation and growth using USPS. Shutterfly was selected to receive this year’s Award by Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan and the USPS Executive Leadership Team. Shutterfly is being recognized for continuously working with the Postal Service to ensure the company reaches its customers using new and innovative technologies that increase the value of the mail. Click Read More below for additional information.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today reported net sales of $10.59 billion for the retail month of July, the four weeks ended August 5, 2018, an increase of 10.1 percent from $9.62 billion last year. For the first forty-eight weeks of fiscal 2018, the Company reported net sales of $127.40 billion, an increase of 12.1 percent from $113.70 billion last year.
more detail at: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=83830&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2362907


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Hundreds of thousands of Bangladesh’s garment workers protest over factory deaths
Hundreds of thousands of garment workers walked out of their factories in Bangladesh Thursday, police said, to protest the deaths of up to 1000 people in a building collapse, in the latest tragedy to hit the sector.
Grief turned to anger as the workers, some carrying sticks, blockaded key highways in at least three industrial areas just outside the capital Dhaka, forcing factory owners to declare a day’s holiday.
“There were hundreds of thousands of them,” said Abdul Baten, police chief of Gazipur district, where hundreds of large garment factories are based. “They occupied roads for a while and then dispersed.”
Police inspector Kamrul Islam said the workers had attacked several factories whose bosses had refused to give employees the day off.
“They were protesting the deaths of the workers in Savar,” he said, referring to the town outside Dhaka where Wednesday’s collapse of an eight-storey building housing five garment factories took place, injuring more than 1,000 people.
“Many wanted to donate blood to their fellow workers,” he added.
Some 1,500 workers marched to the Dhaka headquarters of the main manufacturers association, demanding the owners of the collapsed factories be punished.
“The owners must be hanged,” one protester cried, as others tried to lay seige to the headquarters.
Some workers smashed windows and vehicles before they were chased away by police, Wahidul Islam, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka police, told AFP.
Thousands of workers have staged a demonstration in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka to protest poor working conditions and safety standards for the country’s garment workers after a factory collapsed, leaving over 200 workers dead.
On Thursday, protesters took to the streets and chanted slogans such as “we want execution of the garment factory owners”.
On Wednesday, some 250 people were killed and over 1000 others injured after the eight-story building collapsed in Dhaka.
The factory located in the Savar district on the outskirts of Dhaka, housed garment factories and a shopping center.
Police officials say factory owners had ignored warnings against allowing workers into the building after a crack was detected the day before.
Last November, 112 workers were killed in a blaze at a factory in an industrial suburb of Dhaka.
In 2005, more than 70 people were killed after a garment factory building collapsed in the same area.
Bangladesh owns around 4,500 garment factories and is the second largest clothes exporter after China.
Thousands of garment factory workers have protested in the capital, Dhaka, over the death of more than 200 workers in building collapse, as rescuers continued to hunt for survivors, local media have reported.
Al Jazeera’s special correspondent, whom we are not naming because of reporting restrictions, said on Thursday that thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka with sticks in their hands chanting slogans such as “we want execution of the garment factory owners”.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association building office has been attacked, our correspondent said.
Workers have blocked a road and indulged in vandalism at some places, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
The protests come a day after a garment factory collapsed killing about 200, and there are fears the death toll might go up, even as criticism mounted of foreign firms that source cheap clothes from the country.
After visiting the disaster site, Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, the interior minister, told reporters the building had violated construction codes and that “the culprits would be punished”.
More than 1,000 people were injured when the site housing five garment factories on the outskirts of Dhaka imploded on Wednesday, allegedly after managers ignored workers’ warnings that the building had become unstable.
Mourning for victims
Flags flew at half-mast on Thursday as the shell-shocked country declared a day of mourning for the victims of the nation’s worst factory disaster, which highlighted a new safety concerns in Bangladesh’s vital garment industry.
Army Brigadier General Mohammed Siddiqul Alam Shikder said many people were still trapped in the building, which housed a number of garment factories employing hundreds of people.
Workers had said a day earlier that large cracks had developed in the structure.
A clearer picture of the rescue operation would be available by the afternoon, Shikder said.
Searchers worked through the night to get through the jumbled mess of concrete with drills or their bare hands, passing water and flashlights to those pinned inside the building.
“I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry. We can’t leave them behind this way,” said fire official Abul Khayer.
Colonel Ibne Fazal Shaikuzzaman said that dozens of people had been found alive in a room in the Rana Plaza and all of them had been rescued.
The local police chief, Mohammaed Asaduzzaman, said police and the government’s Capital Development Authority had filed separate cases of negligence against the building owner.
Rescuers cut holes in the jumbled mess of concrete, passing water and torches to those pinned inside the building as rescue operations illuminated by floodlights continued through the night.
The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh’s booming garment industry, the second biggest in the world.
After the cracks were reported, managers of a bank that had an office in the building evacuated their employees.
The garment factories kept working, ignoring instructions from the local industrial police force said Mostafizur Rahman, director of that force.
Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager gave assurances that there was no problem, so employees went inside.
“After about an hour or so, the building collapsed suddenly,” Rahim said. He next remembered regaining consciousness outside.
Only the ground floor of the Rana Plaza in the Savar district remained intact after the collapse.
Fire crews said up to 2,000 people were in the building when it collapsed.
Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.
The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for major brands including North American retailers The Children’s Place and Dress Barn, Britain’s Primark, Spain’s Mango and Italy’s Benetton.
Ether Tex said Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, was one of its customers.
Primark acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza, but many other retailers distanced themselves from the disaster, saying they were not involved with the factories at the time of the collapse or had not recently ordered garments from them.
- Bangladesh collapse victims toll to 275 (wcpo.com)
- Survivors found after Dhaka factory collapse (aljazeera.com)
- Hundreds of thousands of Bangladesh’s garment workers walk out in protest over factory deaths (rawstory.com)


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The coronavirus pandemic has introduced many challenges – not least for the nation’s onerous-working GPs and other frontline health workers. The company already entered the ring against the big three pharmacy companies when it launched Amazon Pharmacy in November. Mr Elfalak stated it appeared AJ simply wanted to explore the terrain after the household moved into the property full time three months ago. Velvet Ice Cream is committed to the safety of its products and is conducting this recall in full cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration. The decision follows a safety review and public session by the Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Agency (MHRA) earlier this 12 months. It’s gentle in your clothes too, with 18% more fabric safety than an strange washing machine. Enabling women to buy the progestogen-only pill in pharmacies shall be particularly helpful at a time when accessing sexual health providers has turn into extra challenging in components of the UK because of pressure on NHS assets and the Covid pandemic. Many sorts of lubricant eye drops are safe and efficient to make use of, even whereas wearing contacts. And whereas the varieties of remedies could have changed, the commitment to promoting and nurturing the wellbeing of the British folks is as sturdy as ever.
USGS Water resources conjunctivitis report 99-4279. Nor have I heard of anyone using it to treat Lyme or Lyme cyst types before (which doesn’t suggest something other than I have never heard it). The move was welcomed by client healthcare affiliation PAGB. The transfer was built on its 2018 acquisition of PillPack, which Amazon mentioned would stay separate and cater to clients who want pre-sorted doses of a number of medicine. Both brands can be obtainable for all women of little one-bearing age, which would additionally include teenagers who meet the factors for supply. Many of these fits have been filed by Cameron’s predecessor, Democrat Andy Beshear, who’s now Kentucky’s governor. Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed the lawsuit in Franklin County Circuit Court in Kentucky’s capital metropolis. The end result might have enormous results on a whole bunch of similar lawsuits filed throughout the nation. Buyers must set up a profile on Amazon’s web site. There are many alternate options you can use instead which might be simply nearly as good, perhaps even better. Like different pharmacies providing this service, Boots is proud to offer the facility which embraces helpful trendy expertise. The state is looking for civil penalties. FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky’s attorney general on Wednesday sued CVS Health, accusing its pharmacy chain of flooding the state with prescription opioids that contributed to the state’s addiction woes.
LabCorp’s test kits would be accessible at some pharmacy shops and online, CVS said. April 19 (Reuters) – CVS Health Corp stated on Monday it might offer three over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at its drugstores in addition to on-line starting this week, increasing entry to dwelling testing within the United States. The Business Insider report, which is predicated on three unnamed sources, was printed Wednesday – the same day Amazon announced its $8.45billion deal to purchase film studio MGM. Amazon is also looking at launching physical pharmacies within the United States, the Insider reported final month. AmerisourceBergen alone shipped 1.9 million and 1.5 million doses of oxycodone to McCloud Family and Drug Emporium pharmacies from 2006-2014, Cabell County lawyer Mark Pifko mentioned. Amazon is seeking to develop its pharmacy operations in the US by creating physical pharmacies to ‘win over a bigger slice of the prescription-drug business’, a brand new report claims.
The COVID-19 pandemic induced a pointy enhance in at-house medical care over the past 15 months. The Lovima and Hana Pills are additionally progestogen-solely and include desogestrel, which can help to stop ovulation. It’s the state’s newest legal motion towards firms it blames for supplying a large pipeline of prescription pills into Kentucky. Boots affords a Prescription Text Message Service which means they will send you a dwell replace textual content when your prescription is prepared for assortment in retailer, making wasted journeys a factor of the past and slicing down on time hanging round in store. In keeping with Bloomberg, six-month prescriptions will probably be offered to shoppers for as little as $6. The companies, in flip, say poor communication and pill quotas set by federal brokers are to blame, along with a rise in prescriptions written by doctors. Similar lawsuits have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements; this is the primary to be tried in a federal courtroom. That avoided allowing a federal choose to make the decision, which could have served as a template for all of the other claims by cities, counties, and Native American teams — claims that add up to tens of billions of dollars.


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RadioShack was founded 96 years ago, and it once had thousands of locations.
In a Chapter 11 reorganization petition filed Wednesday in the U.S Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, General Wireless stated it planned to close 187 stores this month, with the process already underway.
Parent company General Wireless, which filed for Chapter 11 protection March 8 in U.S. Bankruptcy court in DE, disclosed its latest plan for closures late last week in court papers. Those stores were deemed the ones with the "lowest sales velocity and highest rent".
Following the latest wave of store closings, Radio Shack will have about 800 stores still operating in the United States. Business Insider published the full list of closings.
There are 42 Texas locations on the list, but none of those stores are in the Rio Grande Valley.
The company operates Sprint stores within RadioShack locations, as well as franchising the name to other stores. Subsequently, General Wireless, a joint venture of hedge fund Standard General and Sprint, acquired it and has run 1,518 stores.
But the Sprint Stores at those locations will remain open. The companies teamed up during the last RadioShack bankruptcy in 2015.
Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. "It isn't enough to do it in the privacy of my office or our colleagues behind our closed doors". Based on his record, it is clear Judge Gorsuch would serve as a rubber stamp for the President who appointed him.
The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to terms on Sunday with free agent forward Omri Casspi, according to multiple reports. Minnesota now is 4.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she would not vote for the measure without additional changes to provide more aid to older Americans. Three of Pennsylvania's 13 congressional Republicans have said they plan to vote "no" on the bill, each citing different reasons.
Oil prices were also hit by information from Libya, which is exempt from the cartel's deal due to fighting in the country. US WTI and Brent crude oil prices averaged $43.3 per barrel and $43.7 per barrel in 2016, respectively.
The Spurs were a little more comfortable, ending a two-game skid with a 118-102 win against the Sacramento Kings. Almost every team sits their stars, especially squads that have championship aspirations.
The government witness list also names police investigators and university staff who knew about earlier complaints about Sandusky. Prosecutors say Spanier and two of his former top lieutenants dealt with complaints about Sandusky more than 15 years ago.
So far, OPEC has delivered almost all the cutbacks it promised, mostly because Saudi Arabia has pulled back more than it agreed. The price action would be more bearish on a move below the 38.2% of the move up from the June 2016 low at the $47.60.
Only 43 percent can name a Supreme Court justice
If Gorsuch is confirmed, he will re-establish a narrow conservative majority on the nation's highest court. Leahy said Republicans are now pressing to "rubber stamp a nominee selected by extreme interest groups".
Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ promotional materials surface
The Korean tech giant is expected to introduce the Galaxy S8 with curved displays covering the entire front of the smartphone. The fingerprint sensor will be on the back, based on numerous reports and leaked images, and it won't be in the best location.


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On the economic impact of the proposed legislation, the Commission, industry and NGOs have all come up with very different estimates. The Commission estimated the overall economic impact at around 2.3 billion euro over 11 years (0.05 per cent of the annual turnover of the sector), but these figures were heavily disputed by industry studies performed by the German BDI and the Mercer study in France. NGOs, on the other hand, compared the costs to industry with the financial gains from reductions in public health costs and less negative impacts on the environment.
As regards the final agreement, reactions were mixed.
European Chemicals Industry Council (CEFIC) Director-General Alain Perroy said that he regretted the "unnecessary requirements added to the authorisation element of REACH" relating to the substitution of dangerous substances.
"It will clearly add to costs," said Perroy who denounced the "illusion" that substitution could be governed by a "command and control approach". The end result will be "legal uncertainty" for business and, consequently, reduced investments and innovation, Perroy warned.
European engineering association Orgalime, REACH will force changes to the whole supply chain of companies which frequently use many chemicals in consumer goods such as mobile phones. "It is not always easy to find an equally performing and reliable new supplier," said Orgalime Secretary-General Adrian Harris.
Guy Thiran of Eurometaux warned that key raw materials used in the metal industry would likely become costlier under REACH. He pointed out that naturally derived substances such as ores and concentrates do not fit in the categories defined under the draft. "Metals are elements, not conventional man-made substances," Thiran pointed out. "Alloys do not behave in practice as simple preparations."
Not all of the comments were negative, however, with UNICE, CEFIC, Eurometaux and Orgalime adding that some aspects of REACH had "moved in the right direction".
"Companies will not have to elaborate a Chemical Safety Report for substances [produced or imported] below ten tonnes a year. This is good news, particularly for SMEs," they said.
"Another example relates to 'data protection' where companies may now request confidentiality for the name of their substance in order to protect their information from unfair competitors."
Small-business organisations said that they appreciated efforts made to ease the bureaucratic burden for SMEs by cutting down on safety assessments for substances produced in smaller quantities. But overall, small business organisation UEAPME said the result is "quite disappointing."
The European trade union confederation (ETUC) welcomed the fact that the burden of proof is now firmly placed on producers to prove that their products are safe. "That marks clear progress, because industry will now have to provide information on the safety of their chemicals before they can put them on the market," said Joel Decaillon of ETUC.
Environmental organisations were doubtful about the compromise. On the positive side, Greenpeace and the WWF welcomed:
- The fact that companies will now be responsible to prove the safety of chemicals produced or imported in large volumes (above 10 tonnes a year);
- that there is a mechanism to replace persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals if safer alternatives exist, and;
- that the public is allowed to request information about the presence of chemicals in products.
But on the negative side, they pointed to "major loopholes". These include:
- Less stringent safety requirements for carcinogens and chemicals which can cause birth defects and reproductive illnesses;
- substances imported in low volumes (below ten tonnes per year) for which "no meaningful safety data" will be required, and;
- provisions relative to 'high-concern' chemicals that will still be allowed onto the market if producers can prove that they can be "adequately controlled" when a "safe threshold" can be defined where their detection is considered as posing no threat to human health.


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Last week saw a staple of the Rope Dye Callander hit Berlin, the Selvedge Run Trade Show.
Fashion trade shows are where brands gather twice a year to show their Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter collations. Buyers, store owner, press and other industry professionals visit these shows and decide what will be stocking store shelves or lining their pages for the coming season.
It’s not only denim, it’s lifestyle
As the name suggests the Selvedge Run has a strong affinity for denim, but it is bigger than that. It is a lifestyle show. The qualities that are found in a pair of selvedge denim jeans informs the ethos of the brands who choose to show there and the buyers and store owners who visit the show to place their orders. There is a clear focus on quality which represents a welcome respite from the monotony of fast fashion.
A new home
This season, the show found a new home in the “Palais am Funkturm”. It was the perfect summer location with the spacious interiors, beautiful natural light and most importantly in the 32 degree summer heat, air conditioning! The brands and visitors could happily relax and do business.
Old faithful’s and new faces
Over the three days of the show, returning brands such as Pure Blue Japan, Iron Heart, Simmons Bilt and Stevenson Overall Co. sat alongside new faces like Nine Lives Brand, Burgus Plus, Fine Creek Leathers and Vasco. All in all, there were around 80 brands exhibiting, all representing the very best in terms of quality and crafted menswear.
A brand portfolio like this attracts some of the world’s most renowned menswear stores. American Classics (UK), VMC (Switzerland), Self Edge (USA), Godspeed Store (AUS) and Standard & Strange (USA) all visited the show to see the latest from their current brands and to see what’s new. They trust that the Selvedge Run’s brand policy will only bring them brands that adhere to the highest standard of quality and ethical manufacture.


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When it comes to software like Windows or Office, it is safe to say that Microsoft probably holds a majority market share. In fact last we checked, Microsoft’s share of the PC market was still around the 90% mark, but in terms of actual software released across all sorts of devices, Microsoft admits that they could do better.
Speaking at the Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, D.C., Microsoft’s COO, Kevin Turner, revealed that Microsoft’s market share in terms of devices currently sits at a lowly 14%, nowhere near their dominance when it comes to the PC market. “The reality is the world’s shifted, the world’s evolved. We now measure ourselves by total device space. We have a much bigger opportunity than we’ve ever had in the past to grow our business, but we have to rethink how we look at our business.”
He then stated that this was a positive thing as it allows Microsoft to challenge themselves and be more open about releasing software onto non-Windows based devices, like for the iPad and even Android. Earlier this year we saw Microsoft release a touch version of Office for the iPad, and word has it that Microsoft is working on a version of Office for Android tablets that could see a release ahead of the Windows version.
Naturally Microsoft’s focus would still be on Windows but at the same time it is good to know that Microsoft will not be playing exclusive with their software, so here’s hoping that Microsoft’s device market share will see an increase in the future.
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China’s inflation shot up in November driven by rising pork prices due to a swine fever outbreak, official data showed Tuesday.
The country’s National Bureau of Statistics said that the consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, rose 4.5 per cent year-on-year last month, after a 3.8 per cent rise in October.
It added that Food prices jumped 19.1 per cent, with pork prices soaring 110.2 per cent.
China has been battling an outbreak of swine fever, which has led to the government intervening to stabilise prices and calling for the revamping of the pig farming industry.
The producer price index, which measures the cost of goods at the factory gate, dropped 1.4 per cent year-on-year in November.
According to the bureau, the decrease indicates that manufacturers are forced to discount their products due to a slowdown of the economy against the backdrop of the trade war with the U.S.


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News - General News - Technology
Aussie auto coatings company hits the spot
CIT wins GM certification, US licensing deal as one-process coating takes off
15 Mar 2011
A SMALL Australian company specialising in coatings for automotive interior plastics has signed an agreement with leading global paint supplier Red Spot to take its world-first single-process coatings to world markets.
Coating & Industrial Technologies (CIT), which was established in 2004 in Victoria to develop and make new coatings, has also received global certification from General Motors for its advanced Sigma Colour Series coatings that can be applied to directly polypropylene parts without the usual ‘flame treatment’ and/or priming, saving car companies and their suppliers both energy and money.
Based in Dandenong, CIT already supplies its Gamma coatings to all three Australian manufacturers for the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion.
The coatings are developed and made by the small team at the Dandenong plant for the car-makers’ Tier 1 suppliers, who spray the coatings on to polypropylene/TPO parts such as console mouldings and door linings.
Now, US-based, Japanese-owned Red Spot Paint & Varnish has signed a collaborative agreement with CIT to make the Australian company’s Sigma and Gamma ranges of coatings, not only for the North American market but also for Asia – including Japan and China – and Europe.
Red Spot already supplies its products for major motor manufacturers, including GM and Toyota.
The deal, announced earlier this month, pitches CIT into the big league against painting giants such as DuPont, PPG and Nippon.
Left: Holden Commodore Omega interior.
CIT director of administration and marketing Eric Schell told GoAuto that the Red Spot licensing agreement and the GM certification had both come within the past month.
The GM certification means CIT’s Sigma range meets the latest and most stringent standards laid down by the company for global suppliers. It was announced in mid February, while the Red Spot deal followed on March 1.
Mr Schell said that when GM had expressed an interest in primer-less Sigma coatings, CIT representatives had travelled to the US to discuss an arrangement with potential partners to supply overseas customers.
He said Red Spot was the stand-out company for a potential collaboration, as it already had strong links with GM and other companies.
“For us, Red Spot has always been the technology leader in that particular field of expertise,” he said.
Mr Schell and other CIT partners founded the small company in 2004, coming from a background in the automotive supply business, making bodykits and plastic parts such as bumpers for local car-makers. Part of that business required robotic painting of plastic parts.
“A lot of the technology that was available then was relatively old technology and things had moved on, so we thought there was a niche to develop new coatings,” he said.
“One system that we have developed, called the Sigma Colour Series, is ground-breaking, because it does away with the normal flame treatment and/or priming of polypropylene components.
“We have the Sigma series approved for the new interior performance specification that General Motors is introducing.
“At the moment, there are not that many companies that have achieved that specification.
“For us, more importantly, we are the only company in the world that has achieved that specification with our system. There is no other system where you don’t use flame and/or primer to get it to actually stick to it.
“It is a good product for cost savings and also good for the environment. Technically, this Sigma system is quite a feat.”
Mr Schell said it had taken CIT about two years to get its Sigma system approved by GM’s certification process, which includes tests for durability.
He said tests involve resistance to UV exposure and everyday chemicals such as sunscreen and mosquito spray, which are tough on such coatings.
Mr Schell the GM certification and Red Spot licensing agreement were “almost like winning a world championship, in a sense”.
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Confronting the Post-Pandemic reality
Over the past two months, the coronavirus pandemic has developed into what UN Secretary-General António Guterres described as the “greatest test” the global community has faced since World War II. Indeed, news of the situation has largely been bleak: On Wednesday, April 15th, the total number of recorded Covid-19 cases has surpassed two million globally with over 130,000 deaths. Furthermore, recent statistics show that the virus has already spread to 210 states, while the UK, Brazil and Russia have become the latest countries facing major outbreaks.
Nevertheless, recent news also suggest glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel. Several countries that were hit hardest have now overcome the peak of the virus, while others show signs of success in ‘flattening the curve’ of new daily infections. In Asia, China and South Korea, and Taiwan have now been able to contain the spread of the virus and are getting busy restarting the economy. In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the country would cautiously start lifting the lockdown measures, with Spain and Italy announcing similar steps of allowing a fraction of non-essential workers to return to work and small businesses to reopen. The USA, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic, is also showing signs that social distancing and other measures have been successful in reducing new infections.
With these positive developments in mind, businesses are naturally looking forward to the prospects of reopening and returning to ‘normalcy’. This hope in a quick V-shaped snapback or recovery, however, may be wrongly placed. Just like World War II reshuffled the global power-deck and ushered in major social change, many experts have warned that the coronavirus pandemic will similarly bring about a ‘new normal’ in which governments and businesses alike will be challenged to adapt to an unprecedented post-pandemic reality. As such it is vital for businesses and organizations to understand how the business landscape will change and consider various strategies in overcoming these challenges.
By tracking relevant news and analysing key trends on social media, we can shed some light on critical forecasts for the near and long-term future and uncover key strategies that can help businesses overcome this crisis and adapt to imminent change.
Until Vaccines Are Developed, COVID-19 is Here to Stay.
To plan for the near future, it is important to understand how long the coronavirus will continue to pose a threat to society. One possible answer to this question can be found in the article “How the Pandemic Will End” written by Ed Yong, a science journalist at The Atlantic. Since its publication on March 25th, the article has been shared over one million times on Twitter and Facebook and received widespread praise by several high profile people, including former US President Barack Obama, who holds the most followed account on Twitter (115 Million Followers). Yong provides an overview of the likely scenarios the world will be facing in the coming months and argues that the only viable endgame to the pandemic is to “play whack-a-mole with the coronavirus” suppressing it until a vaccine can be produced”. This process, he believes, would be long and complicated and could take up to 18-24 months, during which new waves of outbreaks are likely to arise. In his most recent article “Our Pandemic Summer” which is also gaining significant media traction (Over fifty thousand shares since April 15th), Yong highlights several challenges to restarting businesses in the near future, including that rushing to reopen without proper measures could lead to a false sense of security in employers. As such it is imperative that businesses approach the reopening of their operations in a steady and methodical way.
Working from Home is the New Normal
With strict quarantine and stay-at-home orders enacted by governments around the world, many companies have adopted remote-work policies to keep operations running. This has been particularly apparent within social media coverage: With over 220,000 combined mentions since the beginning of March, the hashtags #workfromhome and #workingfromhome have surged and are some of the most used keywords during the pandemic. With the development of a viable vaccine still many months away, it is unlikely that many big businesses are able to have their employees back in the office at full capacity soon and without strict measures. In fact, many experts and professionals believe that working from from home could remain even after the crisis has passed as many companies were pleasantly surprised to find that online-only operations have worked well. Global Workplace Analytics predicted that 30 percent of people will work from home multiple days per week within a couple of years, while research and advisory firm Gartner noted that there has been a surge in demand by companies asking to put remote work solutions in place. As one Gartner analyst summarised it: “It’s an old-school mentality to think you have to have a presence in an office and [...] once people adjust to working from home, they actually do more work”.
Focus on Technologies and Data Privacy
If working from home is to become a stable part of operations for businesses, employers will be forced to think about adopting new and innovative processes and technologies to try and make up for benefits of working in a shared office space. Social media coverage suggests that this is already happening: With over 20,000 mentions between 1 March to 15 April, the hashtag #futureofwork has been trending during the pandemic, with viral posts showing that several tech companies have focused on the development of innovative tools to be used for work, including Holographic teleconferencing to make up for the loss of face-to-face interactions when working remotely. While these technologies are still in development, companies, for now, are increasingly turning to video call services such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts for internal communication.
In particular, Zoom has had a remarkable boost in popularity during the crisis. Since the beginning of March, Zoom has been mentioned in over 630,000 posts on Twitter and Facebook, which is significantly higher than Skype’s 200,000 and Google Hangouts’ 25,000 mentions. With the top hashtags including #workfromhome, #wfh and #webinar, it suggests that Zoom has become a stable part of work for many employees’. This surge in popularity however didn’t come without criticism, spikes in coverage at the beginning of April showed that social media users had picked up on news revealing serious security and privacy issues as Zoom didn’t use end-to-end encryption for its video calls, which resulted in numerous incidents where hackers and trolls were able to disrupt private video calls. In response, governments from India, Taiwan and Singapore as well as major companies like Tesla, Google, and Siemens have recently banned its employees from using Zoom. While Zoom itself has promised to fix the issues and even hired the ex-security chief of Facebook to help, this story suggests that privacy has become of increased importance for businesses in their quest to create and incorporate new technologies into their operations.
Future-proofing your Business
During a pandemic, strong measures around safety are, of course, key for businesses to restart operations. Naturally, implementing social distancing in the office, conducting routine temperature checks, and providing disinfectants and facemasks are essential to keeping employees safe. But these measures alone will not be sufficient to overcome the new challenges of the post-pandemic world and businesses with more traditional business models will be forced to make more structural changes to stay afloat. Creating a more agile business model through digitization or pursuing strategies to cater to emerging demands will be key for future survival.
1. Digital Transformation
Several experts have argued that those companies that are fast-tracking digital transformation will be the ones staying ahead of the competition. Many recent events, such as Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference going virtual, suggest that some companies are already moving in that direction. McDonald’s, for example, has been working on its digital transformation even before the Covid-19 Pandemic emerged. Its efforts to stay agile and integrate technology into daily business operations has paid off as it was particularly well prepared to weather and adapt to the coronavirus outbreak. During the height of the coronavirus outbreak in China, its food franchises have implemented no-contact delivery services to ensure the safety of both customers and employees. The installation of digital kiosks in its stores also helped to make ordering food more efficient and limit person-to-person interaction. It has also continued to develop and improve its mobile app to provide more customer-friendly services and is using big-data analysis to determine the peak business hours and learn customer habits.
2. Catering to New Demands - Uber’s move from ride-sharing to labour-sharing
The post-pandemic economy in many countries will likely look very different than before and certain industries will struggle and may not survive if they don’t cater their businesses model to new demands. Several studies are already predicting which sectors consumers will turn to. In Southeast Asia for example sectors expected to benefit from increased consumer spending are likely healthcare, pharmaceutical, consumer electronics, logistics, sports/body wellness and education. As such, brands may need to actively look how to tap into these sectors.
A great example of a company catering to new demand has been Uber. With social distancing measures in place, sharing closed spaces such as cars with strangers is and will be avoided by many people around the world in the near and long-term future. Consequently, demand for ride-hailing companies like Uber has dived significantly, with reports showing that journeys managed by the Uber app in the US have fallen by 94%. However, the company has found a new way to adapt its operations to this new business environment. Earlier in April, it announced the launch of ‘Work Hub’, to help drivers find alternative gig work as demand for rides has plummeted. Through the Work Hub, Uber drivers can connect with three Uber platforms: Uber Eats (food deliveries), Uber Freight (trucking), and Uber Works (blue-collar temp shifts)”. Drivers are even allowed to respond to openings of several external companies looking to hire, including McDonald's, PepsiCo, UPS, and 7-Eleven. Forbes wrote that the move from ride-sharing to labour-sharing could mark the beginning of Uber’s long-term expansion into all kinds of work, which is likely to be in high demand in a post-COVID-19 economy: “By moving into general casual and temporary work with its Work Hub, Uber is signalling the direction that the rest of the gig economy is likely to travel in the medium- and long-term”.
Looking ahead: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. It is difficult to determine exactly what the future holds and how the world will look like when we come out of this. No doubt many businesses and economies will struggle, already we are seeing record new unemployment claims in the USA, while China has reported its first GDP decline in Q1 since 1992. Nevertheless, what the crisis has shown is that governments which acted quickly and decisively and used innovative solutions to confront the threat were able to prevent the loss of countless lives and stop their economies from spiraling into disaster. It is imperative that businesses do the same by continuing to look ahead, adapt to new realities, and keep a can-do attitude.


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The Commonwealth Bank’s decision to integrate retail offers into its mobile banking app signals the arrival of the ‘super app’ play to Australia’s financial services market and a new generation of integrated consumer experiences, industry experts agree.
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is branding its new partnership with contextual intelligence platform, NumberEight, a direct response to growing impetus for alternative digital advertising solutions that meet tighter privacy regulations and forthcoming iOS updates.
A locally designed app that offers contactless off-street parking for Porsche drivers looks set to become the foundation for many more digital functions and part of the brand’s driving experience internationally.
Qantas has trialled the CommonPass digital health app with customers on an international repatriation flight from Frankfurt to Darwin. It follows a successful crew trial last month and comes as the national carrier prepares for COVID-safe international travel to...
One of the country’s largest independent supermarket owners, Ritchies IGA, has rolled out a new digital customer loyalty program to mature and build on its longstanding customer membership offering.
An online shop, mobile app, fresh take on customer loyalty and new product ranging are just some of the steps Max Brenner’s local marketing chief says it’s taking to prepare the once-embattled brand as Australia recovers from COVID-19.


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Look, I like Apple as much as the next person. I’m on my fifth iPad already. You’ll have to take my iPad Pro from my cold dead fingers. That being said, it can be a little much when fans of the company want them to make everything. There have been calls for an Apple TV (no not this one) called the iTV (no, not the UK TV channel) as well as a whole freaking car.
Whether those things will happen remains to be seen, but while other people are pining for an Apple toaster, we’re much more interested in the ongoing rumours that Apple is working in their own head-mounted display. CNET quoted an anonymous source who they seem to think has credible information on Apple’s plans for an AR/VR headset.
A History of Unoriginality
Apple has a reputation for making some incredibly polished products. They also have a (largely self-made) reputation for being exceptionally creative. While I can easily concede that Apple was a pioneer of personal computing with the original Macs and an innovator in that space for decades, that hasn’t really been the case for them in modern times.
The iPhone, iPad and iPod were all amazingly successful and worthy products. They created new industries virtually overnight. But Apple certainly didn’t invent smartphones, tablet computers or digital music players.
Instead, the company took a step back and bided their time until technology had met their vision for what those products should be. Thus we got the iPhone and all the rest. It’s a refinement and fulfilment of potential.
That’s not an indictment of Apple at all, just an observation that they are not in the business of taking the risk of making entirely new things. So the idea that Apple is getting into the VR business is pretty exciting given their history. Products like the Oculus Rift are definitely consumer-ready, but they still have plenty of things that make them clunky compared to most mainstream electronics. I suppose people imagine that Apple will work the same sort of transformative magic on an AR/VR HMD: User-friendly, pretty and probably very expensive.
Putting Their Money Where Their Mouths Are
Apple has been quietly (well not that quietly) buying up AR/VR technologies. Their amazing ARKit SDK is one result of those acquisitions and according to the latest rumours, Apple is doing a lot of development behind the scenes. In other words, it’s not like Apple has decided to get into this all of a sudden.
News on the Grapevine
So what exactly is this anonymous source saying about what’s apparently called “project T288”?
First of all, it will be a while before any actual product is available for purchase. The purported release date is in 2020.
The second important point is that this HMD will be wireless out of the box. This isn’t terribly surprising given that other HMDs now also have first- and -third-party wireless modules. The technology is now finally where it needs to be.
The third point is that this device will be a hybrid AR/VR product. Once again not super surprising given the way things are going with HMDs like the Windows Mixed Reality products.
The HMD seems to be a standalone unit consisting of a box which presumably has the computer bits in it. This will link wirelessly with the headset. Those computing bits are predicted to be Apple’s own CPU technology, which will also reportedly feature in Macs from 2020 onwards. The processor in the VR box will apparently use a 5-nanometer process, which is very advanced compared to CPU technology today.
The last eye-popping specification is the use of two 8K displays. That’s going to eliminate any chicken wire effect but will require a lot of bandwidth over the wireless link and a lot of graphics processing power.
A Sign of Things to Come?
Plenty of these specifications seem too good to be true for a product that will only come out in 2020 or at least is supposed to. It also sounds expensive as heck, but then if you can sell $1000+ tablets, that may not be something Apple is worried about. Whether this is exactly what Apple will do, or whether they bring any AR/VR product out at all at least we can be sure that any competition is good for us consumers. So bring it on Apple, our bodies are ready.


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There is no defect in Tesla's autopilot, but rather the result of reducing the accident by 40%
The US Department of Transportation's Department of Transportation, which was investigating the technical safety of the case where a fatality accident occurred in the "semi" automatic operation system "autopilot" mode installed in the Tesla Motors electric vehicle (EV) The National Road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the findings. It is concluded that Tesla's autopilot has succeeded in drastically reducing accidents rather than danger.
Report - NHTSA
Fatal Tesla Autopilot accident investigation ends with no recall ordered - The Verge
Death accidents between trailer and Tesla Model S occurred in Florida, USA in May 2016NHTSA, which had been conducting the research for about six months, has concluded that there is no evidence of defects in Tesla's autopilot, and announced that there is no need for recall.
NHTSA analyzed running records and air bag motion records of all vehicles equipped with auto pilot function among model S · model X manufactured from 2014 to 2016 and found that autopilot lane keep function "Autosteer ( It was found that the collision accident rate of Tesla car decreased by about 40% after the addition of Auto Steer).
In addition, in the case of a fatal accident in Florida, we also conclude that AEB was not functioning in the event of an accident, that "AEB is not assuming collision avoidance at first meeting" in the first place.
ConsistentlyEarlon Mask CEO who has complained about the safety of autopilot modeIn response to the NHTSA survey report that the company's own assertion was acknowledged, "" Data shows that the accident rate of Tesla vehicles has dropped by 40% after the introduction of the auto-steering function " It's the main point of the result. "
Report highlight: "The data show that the Tesla vehicles crash rate dropped by almost 40 percent after Autosteer installation."- Elon Musk (@ elonmusk)January 19, 2017
NHTSA notifies Tesla that the autopilot is not a "driving complete and safe automatic driving" but a driving support function to the last, and the driver notes that it is necessary to secure the safety with his own operation Admitting that there is an obligation, assuming that this obligation was fulfilled by the fact that the necessary information was disclosed and available to the driver through notifications on the online site, etc., the operation method of Tesla's autopilot We have concluded that there was no problem with that.
The NHTSA survey report result of this time has given a mark on the safety of Tesla's autopilot mode and it will greatly influence the outcome of the lawsuit on traffic accidents caused by Autopilot which is currently centered mainly in the United States It is likely to become.


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Blimpie Swaps Coke for Pepsi
Atlanta-based Blimpie International is dropping Coca-Cola from its 1,900 sandwich outlets in favor of Pepsi. Coca-Cola had supplied Blimpie for the past 38 years, since the chain opened in 1964. According to Blimpie president Jeff Endervelt, Pepsi is more aggressive, market-wise, and offered a better deal. Coca-Cola
sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the switch. A Fulton County judge would not stop the change, which is under way. Coke plans to seek arbitration under its contract with Blimpie.
Moderator Comment: Is Coke losing its edge in fountain? Is Gatorade losing its position as the leader of the sports drink segment?
Coke obviously has taken a public relations hit losing an account the size of Blimpie in its own backyard. That said, recent numbers show that Coke still holds about a 60 percent share of the fountain business.
On the bottled side of the business, Gatorade has lost a couple of share points to Powerade. The Pepsi brand still remains the leader of that category, however. [George
Anderson – Moderator]


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Pumpkins & Pooches Parade in Pandosy Village
Yesterday Pandosy Village pet owners celebrated the Halloween season with the village's first ever pet costume parade!
The trick or treaters visited local pet shops Pounce and Hound Fine Pet Goods and Bone Appetit. At each location, they were given bags of treats.
The cutest costume prize went to a super cute Australian Labradoodle...
The most fashionable prize was swept up by a darling dashund.
More than $400 raised from this Pandosy Village Business Association event was donated to the Kelowna BCSPCA.
Pounce and Hound Fine Pet Goods
Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital
2720 Richter Street, Kelowna
Also in Natural Pet Health Blog
The last few years the tick population has been crazy - ticks have been populating shrubs from the trestles to Kelowna's urban parks. No-one likes dealing with ticks, and we all want to protect our pets against Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Our Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital tick spray uses the power of rose geranium, lavender and lemongrass to repel ticks with a potent floral aroma.


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Now that Windows 10 is a full month old, usage statistics from firms like StatCounter and NetApplications are starting to roll in. So far, there's... ...http://www.pcworld.in/news/windows-10-usage-fast-start-edge-not-so-much
Windows 10 in August set a record for a one-month increase in user share for any operating system, an analytics firm said today. According to... ...http://www.computerworld.in/news/windows-10-sets-one-month-os-adoption-record
Microsoft this week bumped up its claim of Windows 10 devices to 75 million when a company executive tweeted that figure Wednesday. "More than 75... ...http://www.channelworld.in/news/windows-10-hits-the-75-million-mark
Even with aggressive setup switching, Edge has been adopted by a minority of those running Windows 10, according to two metrics vendors... ...http://www.cio.in/news/edge-browser-fails-to-win-over-windows-10-users
Windows 10 adoption is already slowing down just a matter of weeks after it was released to the general public. StatCounter figures quoted by The... ...http://www.in.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/Windows-10-adoption-slows-down-as-it-nears-5-share/articleshow/48516875.cms
Chrome superó a Firefox arriba...


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Customers of crypto alternate Binance can now stake Dai and Kava because the alternate’s decentralized finance (DeFi) staking platform goes are residing.
Binance’s DeFi staking program used to be first announced Wednesday with Dai, the stablecoin generated by loans on MakerDAO. The Binance initiative targets to faucet into this year’s booming DeFi market by offering the skill for customers accumulate staking rewards (same to passion) on receive digital assets.
On Thursday, Binance added Kava because the 2d asset to its staking product. Kava is a DeFi platform backed by Binance, Huobi and OKEx with a local token by the same name.
In an announcement to CoinDesk, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao talked about:
“Our customers were soliciting for Binance.com giving them accumulate entry to to DeFi. Binance prioritizes user experience and within the spirit of the community, Binance.com now offers recount integration into these DeFi merchandise allowing the merchandise’ worth to waft out to Binance.com customers and that’s taking place with KAVA and BNB to name a few.”
The skedaddle design Kava customers now no longer must interface with the Kava app however as an different can skedaddle straight by strategy of Binance’s DeFi staking portal.
Kava’s CEO and co-founder, Brian Kerr, talked about at the sleek time’s DeFi market would no longer resemble the following day’s, claiming the field is great at the “tip of the iceberg” in phrases of adoption.
Staking in DeFi design customers can bewitch part, utilizing dapper contracts, on an excellent deal of things by skill of balloting in a proof-of-stake mannequin as smartly as earning passive rewards by locking up their crypto.
One amongst India’s largest exchanges and a subsidiary of Binance, WarzirX, unbiased currently announced it used to be increasing a DeFi product known as an computerized market maker in collaboration with Matic.
The chief in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the good journalistic standards and abides by a strict location of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an self reliant running subsidiary of Digital Foreign money Community, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.


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Medical device makers Allergan (NYSE:AGN) and Invacare (NYSE:IVC) are among the companies targeted by the Healthcare Supply Chain Assn. for allegedly shifting the cost of a new federal excise tax to their customers.
A new website sponsired by the organization is the latest effort in an ongoing battle between group purchasers and medical device makers over the 2.3% medical device tax that took effect at the start of the year.
Several surveys have shown that many companies plan to raise prices in order to cover the impact of the sales levy, but healthcare purchasing groups have pushed back, accusing some device makers of dodging their obligation to contribute to the cost of healthcare reform.
Allergan and Invacare did not immediately return requests for comment.
Allergan has been quiet about its plans for dealing with the tax, but Invacare has made no secret of its intentions to pass the tax onto customers.
"Based on its interpretation of the regulations, the company expects that the impact from the tax when it first takes effect in 2013 will be less than $1.5 million; and it intends to pass it on to the market," Invacare said in a press release issued late last year.
Medical device makers have been actively fighting for repeal of the tax, but buyers like the Healthcare Supply Chain Assn. have stayed out of the debate over whether the levy itself is appropriate or not.
"HSCA took no position on the medical device excise tax, other than expressing its concern that the device industry not be allowed to pass along the cost of the tax to hospitals – in effect, double-taxing hospitals," HSCA president Curtis Rooney said in prepared remarks posted on the "Medical Device Tax Watch" website. "It is disheartening to find that some medical device companies have chosen to tack the tax right onto their invoices."
Purchasing groups have gone so far as to petition the IRS to protect hospitals from price hikes by requiring device makers to promise that their tax burden isn’t baked into their prices.
The effort is not in vain, as a handful of industry surveys have already found that medical device companies are looking for various ways to offset the cost of the medical device tax, including by raising prices for their products. A GPO protest, however, packs quite a punch. About 96%-98% of hospitals use some form of group purchasing and ¾ of hospital purchases are made through GPOs, according to HSCA.
"American hospitals have already lived up to their shared financial responsibility for national healthcare reform, and now face mounting budgetary strain as they continue to deliver affordable and effective patient care with fewer dollars," according to Rooney. "As hospitals, long-term care facilities and other healthcare providers continue to stretch their budget dollars, they will continue to rely on their GPO partners to reduce healthcare costs and deliver the best medical products and services at the best value."
HSCA, formerly the Health Industry Group Purchasing Assn., represents 15 group purchasing organizations with a mission of advocacy, education, sales and utilization of goods and services within the health industry. Medtech buying titans Premier health alliance and Novation are both member organizations.
Last month group purchasing organization Novation issued a "firm stance" of its own, accusing unnamed device makers of shifting their tax burdens onto an already stressed healthcare system.
The HSCA’s full list of "cost-shifting suppliers" includes:


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Disney have announced Toy Story 4.
The confirmation came from Disney CEO Bob Iger during a financial analyst conference call. It was also confirmed that John Lasseter will return as director.
Toy Story 3 made over a billion dollars upon its release in 2010, with rumours swirling ever since that Disney were looking to continue the franchise.
It has been a big day for Disney, with the earlier announcement that Star Wars Episode VII will be known as Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
No casting news has yet been announced.


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Creating An Airbnb For The Food Industry
Americans waste a lot of food — by some estimates, we throw away 40 percent of our food supply every year. But researchers from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business are using tech to try to reduce that number.
Through a grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department, they’ll look for ways to better match food producers and consumers.
With me to explain is Tim Richards. He’s a professor of agribusiness at the Casey School, and teaches economics and the economics of the food industry.


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By Jacqueline Palank
The developer of the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower in Panama on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a plan in hand to restructure.
Newland International Properties Corp., a Panama company, licenses the Trump name but isn't an affiliate of Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc. or Trump Organization LLC.
According to papers filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, Newland has secured the support of 62% of its secured noteholders for a restructuring plan that would repay their $220 million in claims with new notes.
Newland has been in default on the notes since November 2011, when it missed an interest and principal payment. The noteholder trustee is HSBC Bank USA.
The plan, which is subject to court approval, would also pay unsecured creditors in full and preserve the stake of owner Ocean Point Development Corp., which court papers show is controlled by developer Roger Khafif, Colombian development company Espacios Urbanos SA and Colombian architecture firm Arias, Serna & Saravia SA
Located on 2.8 acres on the Punta Pacifica Peninsula in Panama City, the Trump Ocean Club features a hotel, condo, retail, office space and restaurants. Construction on the building is complete and the hotel, residences, offices, shops and restaurants are currently operating, while a private beach club is slated for completion this September.
Developers are also currently working on adding a casino to the mix, which will require approval from the Panamanian government.
Newland blamed its missed debt payment on a cash crunch brought on by such factors as constricted financing for real-estate projects, rising commodity prices and declining real-estate sales. Not only has the economic downturn stopped people from purchasing vacation homes, but Newland said it also led to delays or cancellations in sale closings and hurt its ability to collect outstanding balances.
Newland reported assets and debts each in the range of $100 million to $500 million in its Chapter 11 petition. The company's biggest unsecured creditor is Trump Marks Panama LLC, which licenses the Trump name to Newland and is owed $15.3 million.
The law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP will represent Newland in its bankruptcy case, numbered 13-11396.
(Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review covers news about distressed companies and those under bankruptcy protection. Go to http://dbr.dowjones.com)
Write to Jacqueline Palank at email@example.com.


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NetSuite said that it is now natively integrated with the WorldPay Corporate Gateway via its core NetSuite application and NetSuite SuiteCommerce.
The announcement, which strengthens an eight-year relationship between NetSuite and WorldPay, gives NetSuite customers access to more than 200 payment methods in 115 currencies, and represents NetSuite’s first integration with a payment acceptance provider covering all of Europe and beyond. NetSuite users will be able to benefit from the WorldPay Corporate Gateway platform without needing to adopt additional software or change their business processes.
NetSuite added that the further integration between NetSuite and WorldPay creates particular advantages for companies which use its new SuiteCommerce platform, whose technology transcends the limitations and complexity of first-generation electronic commerce (e-commerce) systems to deliver new efficiencies for merchants and a superior experience for customers.
“NetSuite and WorldPay are both focused on giving our mutual clients the tools and scalable processes they need to reach new markets, remove purchasing barriers and adapt to the needs of each individual customer,” said Craig Sullivan, vice president and general manager, international for NetSuite. “Taking our partnership to the next level ensures that companies relying on NetSuite can take advantage of every possible growth opportunity, domestically and internationally.”
Sibos 2017 Day Two highlights: Brexit and banking, and why ‘data is the new oil’ in financial services
How nation first politics can impact global financial organisations It’s clear that data and regulation are the two key topics that are ... read more
Day one of the global Money 20/20 conference focused on AI and machine learning, investor and fintech partnerships and the future of robotics.
On day one of SIBOS, panellists unanimously agreed that doing nothing to modernise payments was no longer safe bet for transaction banking.
On day one of Sibos 2017, Stefan Dab, The Boston Consulting Group led a conversation examining the future of correspondent banking, and specifically the pain points corporate treasurers face in their cross-border payments operations and where technology can be developed to alleviate these.