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Internet retail sales in SA totalled R6.6bn in 2015. But by global standards, online shopping is still in its infancy. Compared to China, SA is decades behind. China’s e-commerce market was worth about $603bn in 2015 and is forecast to grow to $892bn by 2018. Online purchases in SA will climb to R10bn by the end of 2016.
Bradley Elliott, MD of digital firm Platinum Seed, said while cheaper data and smartphone penetration were aiding e-commerce, local consumers were wary of transacting digitally.
“The mistrust around online payments stems from two main reasons: the phishing methods that crime syndicates use, and education around the security of online payments, which is often too technical for normal consumers to understand.
“There are simple things to check before conducting online transactions, although where general consumers remain ignorant, online retail remains risky in the eye of the consumer,” Elliott said.
Debit and credit card companies have tried to use additional innovative steps to increase trust about online payment, 3D Secure being an example. But their execution has been poor and “made it more of a hassle for end users to transact. The main issue here is that we’re trying to use developed market solutions for developing market consumers, and need to think up new ways that make it easy for local users.”
A Euromonitor report on internet retailing in SA said another factor holding back consumers from transacting online was the long delivery time. Retailers have had to be innovative by introducing more delivery options for consumers.
“Makro rolled out locker-based collection services for its online customers in 2014. This service is expected to supplement the company’s home delivery and in-store click-and-collect services. In 2015, Makro took this idea one step further by partnering with McDonald’s SA on a pilot project to test collection lockers located at McDonald’s fast-food outlets,” the report outlined.
In sub-Saharan Africa, mobile penetration is expected to rise to 48.7% by 2020, with the population gaining access to mobile devices, which means consumer spending habits are likely to shift.
SA’s internet penetration lies at 34%, while mobile penetration is at 86%, according to data from World Wide Worx.
Elliott said as the internet of things becomes more of a reality, there will be more opportunities for retailers and consumers.


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Nikon's next flagship full-frame camera, the Nikon Z9, is expected to match the incoming Canon EOS R3 for both resolution and burst shooting speed, according to fresh rumors.
So far, all we officially know about the Nikon Z9 is that it'll have a newly-developed stacked FX (or full-frame) sensor. Stacked full-frame sensors are exciting because they have faster read-out speeds than today's BSI (backside-illuminated) chips, which means superior burst shooting and autofocus skills.
But now the pretty reliable Nikon Rumors has said that "the Z9 will have a 45MP sensor that will allow up to 30fps" burst shooting. This is significant for a couple of reasons: firstly, it's a step above previous rumors, which suggested that 20fps would be the continuous shooting limit, but it'd also mean the Z9 would likely match the Canon EOS R3 for both resolution and speed.
- These are the best full-frame cameras you can buy right now
- Nikon Z9 release date, price, specs and rumors
- Canon EOS R3 release date, price, features and rumors
Canon hasn't yet officially confirmed the resolution of the Canon EOS R3, its equivalent mirrorless camera for pro sports photographers, but rumors have strongly suggested that it'll also be a 45MP camera. We do already officially know that R3 will be able to shoot 30fps bursts and oversampled 4K video.
These specs don't necessarily mean that both cameras will regularly hit those speeds or offer an identical shooting performance. Quoted burst speeds are always a theoretical maximum in ideal conditions, and other factors – including burst depth (the length of time it can maintain those speeds) and the file format you're shooting in – can have a big influence on the real-world experience.
But the strong likelihood of the Nikon Z9 being a 45MP camera with Sony A1-level shooting power does give us a sense of the kind of powerhouse it's going to be. Earlier rumors had suggested that Nikon had been testing 50MP and 60MP sensors with the Z9, but it seems that 45MP is going to be the sweet spot for those looking to balance resolution and file size with the lightning-fast continuous shooting.
Head to head
Both the Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R3 are part of a new breed of mirrorless full-frame cameras that trump the performance of pro sports DSLRs – and are likely looking to tempt professionals to make the DSLR-to-mirrorless switch.
The impending battle between the two cameras is really a mirrorless re-enactment of the Nikon D6 vs Canon 1D X Mark III wars, which was going to be the main photographic tussle for the 2020 Olympics before they were postponed last year.
The big difference this time is resolution. Pro sports cameras have previously tended to have lower-resolution sensors, in order to unlock fast burst shooting speeds and the convenience of smaller file sizes. For example, the Nikon D6 has a 20.8MP sensor, while the Canon EOS 1D X Mark III is even lower at 20.1MP.
But the rumors that both the Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R3 will both have 45MP with 30fps maximum burst shooting speeds suggests that the two cameras will take sports cameras to the next level.
The only downside is that the two cameras will miss this year's Olympics, at least in an official capacity, with the Canon EOS R3 expected to get a full launch in September and the Nikon Z9 rumored to be debuting in November or December. But if you watch the Olympics carefully, it's possible you could see both cameras being tested in the wild.
- Check out our guide to the best cameras you can buy right now
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Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile.

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The lead dairy economist for RaboResearch expects milk prices paid to dairy farmers will continue to fall for now.
Lucas Fuess tells Brownfield the prices paid for Class III and IV milk dipped lower and lower, into the 18-dollar range. “You know, those prices are not necessarily exciting for dairy farmers here when they’re dealing with costs that have climbed over the past two years and will still be pretty high this year.”
Fuess says as the U.S.
Economist says dairy prices are falling with additional production


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With all the doom and gloom about the European debt crisis, it’s easy to underestimate the impact of early-stage tech companies, sprouting up in hubs like London and Berlin. These startups have fueled a 14 percent increase in venture capital investment in Europe, compared to the same period last year.
Figures released today by Dow Jones VentureSource reveal some surprising insights about the startup economy in Europe, and provide some cause for optimism.
One recent phenomena is the trend for investment in consumer internet. A few years ago, young enterprise companies like Autonomy, later acquired by HP, dominated the market. Now, according to the data, consumer services experienced the greatest gains of any industry, raising a mammoth €463 million (equivalent to $567 million) through 72 deals. Almost two-thirds of the capital went to consumer information services, which include social media, video and online entertainment, and search companies.
But it’s not all good news and celebration this quarter. Deal activity fell 20 percent due to the disappointing exit environment. Only three companies went public this quarter, half the number of IPOs recorded in the first quarter of 2011. According to Dow Jones, venture capital investment totaled €2.2 billion for 550 deals, a 10 percent decline in deals compared to this time last year.
In part due to tariff cuts in Britain, there were also deep declines in investment in the renewable energy and healthcare sectors.
The UK remains the top destination for startup activity and investment, followed closely by Germany and France.


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Yesterday’s launch of the 15-core Xeon E7 v2 chip may be the incentive that Chipzilla needs to pull the plug on its high-end Itanium chip.
Itanium is found mostly in Hewlett-Packard servers running HP-UX, OpenVMS or Linux. The Xeon E7 v2 chip is based on the x86 instruction set architecture and it can run Windows or Linux and with a better performance.
The new Xeon E7 v2 chips have the throughput and performance to run in-memory applications, and also reliability, availability and serviceability features, which were originally introduced in Itanium. All up, it means that the advantages of Itanium are disappearing.
The maker of expensive printer ink, HP is the only one interested in flogging the stuff and it does have contracts for the chips. Ironically some of them are porting Itanium for x86 anyway, which makes the whole thing look silly.
Intel’s most recent Itanium chip, code-named Poulson, was released in late 2012 and the next one named Kittson, is due for release in 2015, and that may be the last product in the line. But Intel has already scaled back its plans for Kittson, saying it would be made using the older 32-nanometer manufacturing process, so the question is why would it bother.
Most analysts will tell you that HP’s customers are better off switching to x86 and getting it over with.
Obviously, we are not the only one who thinks this. Oracle decided in 2011 that the chip “was nearing the end of its life” and decided to stop supporting the architecture which caused HP to file a lawsuit against Oracle seeking damages and continued software support. Microsoft has stopped software development for Itanium.
Intel is insisting in the teeth of all the evidence that the Itanium is an important part of Intel’s portfolio, but it has said these things before and still pulled them before. However, about the only use the chip has is for those who are running Unix-based systems and supported application stacks and moving to x86 is too expensive.
HP has promised to continue to invest in Unix-based Integrity NonStop servers running on the Itanium chips, even if it noticed that more x86 servers are being adopted by more customers. It launched the Proliant DL580 Gen8 server with the latest Xeon E7 v2 chip. Integrity NonStop servers, which have traditionally been based on Itanium chips.
Still it is hard to see why Intel would put any of its much needed cash keeping the technology alive. It would be better off cancelling it, creating paths for its customers to move to x86 and spending the dosh on a nice holiday.


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Ohio Approves Funding for Planned Whirlpool Expansion
Oct 20, 2004
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Whirlpool Corporation's latest U.S. expansion efforts got a boost from the state of Ohio when the State Controlling Board released U.S. $3.9 million in development funds to support Whirlpool's expansion projects in the state
The decision comes after Whirlpool decided to invest U.S. $23 million in new equipment and $5 million in inventory at its Clyde, OH, U.S. facility, where the company is expected to begin building its next generation of washing machines in 2006.
"(Whirlpool doesn't) get into specifics as far as the type of machinery they're making. That's proprietary information," Clyde City Manager Dan Weaver said. "But Clyde was in competition with other divisions of Whirlpool in other states and probably in other countries as far as whether they were going to build the machine. And they chose once again to build that new product in Clyde."
The state incentive will help retain more than 3,000 jobs at the Clyde factory, where workers churn out 18,000 washing machines daily, Mr. Weaver said.
"It's the largest washing machine factory anywhere in the world," noted Christopher Wyse, spokesperson for the Benton Harbor, MI, U.S.-based company, although he did not confirm Mr. Weaver's figures.
Mr. Wyse said the announcement was just confirmation of plans Whirlpool announced in May when it said it would invest up to $145 million in its Ohio facilities. "It has been and remains an important part of our North American manufacturing platform," Mr. Wyse said.
The state incentive package included a 15-year, 100-percent tax abatement, Mr. Weaver said. Whirlpool agreed to donate $718,000 to Clyde City Schools, an amount based on taxes it would have paid to the school throughout 15 years. Mr. Weaver said the company will donate an additional $85,333 over 9 years; a figure based on inventory tax the company would have paid. The inventory tax gift is only for 9 years because the state is phasing it out.
"The decision to expand its existing facilities here as opposed to locating elsewhere speaks to the quality of our workforce and the high level of cooperation that we've been able to achieve between public and private entities and state and local government organizations," said State Senator Larry Mumper, R-Marion, in announcing the release of the funds.
Whirlpool is said to employ 9,400 people in the state of Ohio. In addition to the Clyde facility, the company builds dishwashers in Findlay, OH and Kitchen Aid small appliances in Greenville, OH. (The News-Messenger)
Back to Breaking News


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Shopper found injured in Bedford in coma
A man who was found injured in a street in Bedfordshire minutes after leaving a Tesco store is now in a coma.
The Polish man left the Cardington Road store with his shopping at 1941 BST on Saturday night.
A woman passing by found him 15 minutes later lying on the ground in a lay-by near the shopping complex.
He was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where he is in a coma. His mother has flown from Poland to be at his bedside.
Police said it was not clear how he was injured. Officers have urged any witnesses to come forward.
They said they especially wanted to speak to the woman who stopped and tried to help but failed to leave any details of her identity with the ambulance crew who attended the scene.


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Did you know our apples are under threat? A small BC company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits has asked the Canadian and US governments to approve a genetically modified “non-browning” apple. Normally when an apple is first cut, it will brown, but this GM apple will not brown for 15 to 18 days!
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Back to the non-browning apple and why it needs to be stopped. Who wants a non-browning apple? Apple growers don’t want it. Consumers don’t want to buy it. But the GM apple could be approved this year. It would be the first genetically modified apple in the world and first GM fruit grown in Canada.
Consumers feel that a non-browning apple is deceptive – it will look fresh when they are not. And because neither the company nor Health Canada has conducted animal feeding trials to test the safety of eating GM apples, we are relying on one company’s opinion that it’s safe.
We need to raise awareness and get petitions signed so that our Government doesn’t approve it. Spread the word! Across Canada we need your action and if you live in BC, we need five thousand signatures in hard copy form by May 6th. Print off a copy of this petition, make sure your complete address and postal code are recorded, and mail to the address listed at the base of the petition.


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The Covid-19 pandemic has sucker-punched Bata Shoe Company, Bangladesh Limited.
The footwear manufacturer, which has been serving local customers since 1962, reported a massive quarterly loss for the first time in its history.
Bata suffered a staggering 85 percent year-on-year drop in revenue in the second quarter of this year. This occurred despite Eid-ul-Fitr – one of the largest festivals of the country, when retailers usually make up for a big part of their annual sales – having passed.
This quarterly loss has exceeded the company's total annual income of 2019.
"Generally, around 25 percent of business comes during the Eid festival, and at the same time, high value products also sell during this period which generates a high margin," a Bata official told The Business Standard.
He said the opportunities were washed out by the 66-day countrywide shutdown enforced to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
"For that reason, the company achieved only 15 percent of revenue against the same period last year which negatively affected profit," said the official seeking anonymity.
He said the operating costs remained the same.
In the April-June period, the company earned only Tk41.26 crore revenue, which had been Tk282 crore in the previous year at the same time.
The company posted a net loss of Tk73.51 crore in the second quarter.
In the first half of this year, the net loss of the company stood at Tk70.68 crore and its loss per share was Tk51.67.
However, in the first quarter of this year, the company witnessed a drop in net profit by 37 percent to Tk2.83 crore and earnings per share stood at Tk2.07.
Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, the company posted net operating cash flow per share of negative Tk5.85.
A senior officer of the company said from the beginning of 2020, "We had planned for the production schedule keeping Eid business in mind. From the organisation's point of view, it considered that there would be significant sales during the festival. Therefore, the company started to build its stock three months prior."
"However, due to Covid-19, the business has been affected and the cash-generating cycle hampered – resulting in a negative impact on the net operating cash flow," he added.
The company did not pay any dividends owing to a liquidity crisis triggered by a slowdown of business amid the pandemic.
It had earlier paid a 125 percent cash dividend as interim to its shareholders on the basis of its third quarter financial statement in 2019.
This interim dividend is considered the final dividend for the year that ended on December 31, 2019. So far, this is the lowest dividend paid by the company.
In 2017, the footwear manufacturer posted a net profit of Tk115 crore. It gave out a 335 percent cash dividend to its shareholders that year.
Despite its net profit coming down to Tk99 crore in 2018, Bata gave out a 345 percent cash dividend to its shareholders that year.
On Tuesday, the closing price of each of the company's shares was Tk693.20 on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, while its highest price was Tk998.80 within the last year.
The company, listed with the share market in 1985 and has paid-up capital of Tk14 crore.
Bata UK holds 70 percent of the total shares of Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Limited.
Institutional, foreign and general investors hold 18.98 percent, 1.94 percent and 9.08 percent shares, in that order, of the company.


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Unlocking billions of lost capital in last mile logistics
Logistics is a fast-moving and competitive sector where those that fail to adapt, fail to survive. While the battle lines for survival are often drawn in the last mile, the challenges for the logistics sector start in the burgeoning e-commerce market.
We’re seeing tremendous and continuous expansion in this sector. E-commerce is reportedly growing at rates of between 7 to 10% in mature markets and closer to 300% in the emerging markets. The industry shows no signs of stopping with e-commerce sales projected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021.
As a result of this sustained increase in e-commerce orders, the parcel industry is now predicted to grow by 9% annually to more than $343bn by the end of 2020. From air freight to trucking to ocean, parcels are flooding various transport markets, affecting shippers and delivery firms the world over.
Mounting customer expectations exacerbate the situation. When Amazon Prime was launched in 2005 its free two-day shipping service was widely regarded as a luxury. Now, a two-day delivery window is demanded by one-in-five customers and more than 100 million individuals subscribe to the Amazon Prime service.
Further research reveals two-thirds of consumers choose one retailer over another due to superior delivery options, and half are likely to abandon their shopping cart if free delivery isn’t an option. However, 50% are also willing to pay for a more convenient delivery option where, for example, a precise delivery window is available.
An increasingly complex landscape is emerging for the logistics industry thanks to the exponential growth of the e-commerce industry. It is imperative that businesses start to invest in new technologies now to support high parcel volume growth, expedite deliveries in specific time slots and also delight customers with free and speedy shipping.
E-commerce giants are investing in machine learning to compete in the logistics arena. They hope these solutions will provide their businesses with an opportunity to combine automation and personalisation to improve the customer experience.
However, progress has been slow because, while businesses have begun to develop new technologies and supply chain models, many are failing to address the needs of the last mile.
This is an oversight of many e-commerce firms. First/last mile logistics takes up to 57% of all transportation costs. This represents £66 billion of trapped capital based on figures from Honeywell and McKinsey.
As such, the inefficiencies of the last mile must be addressed to help meet customer demands for fast deliveries, while simultaneously boosting the bottom line and brand reputation for e-commerce and logistics businesses.
The Last Mile Challenge
Last mile delivery is becoming an increasingly complex problem involving a heterogeneous mixture of resources and tasks.
Let's look at a common scenario to explain this point. To fulfil customer deliveries, an operations and fleet manager needs to assign resources (delivery mechanism) to specific tasks (delivery of products).


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Nvidia had a good quarter and managed to beat the street with strong earnings and growth in several key markets.
One interesting part of the financial conference call was that sales of high performance Tesla computing units grew. Nvidia pointed out that several OEMs announced that they will ship Tesla based servers combined with an ARM 64 SoC (System-on-chip). Nvidia didn’t comment if any of OEMs plan to use Nvidia’s own Denver based dual-core CPU and Kepler based graphics cores.
ARM 64-bit server processors will initially target the micro web services, but the GPU might expand their market reach. Nvidia says it has the opportunity to target new markets "by providing them (GPU) muscle to tackle HPC workloads."
The success of ARMv8 in the micro server space has yet to be proven, but the fact that these SoCs are really efficient might be interesting to a few companies.
Nvidia also mentioned that Tesla GPUs now power the world's 15 most energy-efficient supercomputers as listed in the Green500 list and we are quite sure that this market really likes GPUs for tasks that can be handled in a very parallel and smart way.
Tegra K1 64 should be the official name of what we knew as Project Denver, and the ongoing rumour claims that this chip powers the next generation Nexus tablet with Android L.
All in all, we expect another strong quarter from Nvidia.


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Retail has moved online and only two options remain: Sink or swim.
Experts at a recent retail summit held by the Australian Information Industry Association and Australian Retailers Association said retailers can either join the throng of businesses entering the online space, or get pushed aside by the tidal wave of customers, filling the pockets of eCommerce businesses.
Chairman of Red Design Group and advisory board member of yoghurt business FiveAM Life, Don Fraser, says when there is a seismic and rapid change taking place in the industry, those in the industry or market are usually divided into three groups:
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“Those who make things happen, those who watch what happens and those that wonder what’s happened,” he says.
The retail industry is in the midst of such a change and so far research suggests the majority of Australian businesses are not keeping up. The latest Roy Morgan State of the Nation report found internet shopping has experience more than a decade of year-on-year growth and now over 50% of Australians shop online, with total spending equating to $24.3 billion online for the 12 months to March this year.
This figure was an increase of 11.9% from March 2012 and outstripped total retail sales growth for the same period by 8.5%.
Despite the continual increase in consumers shopping online, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show only 43% of Australian businesses have a web presence. The figures reflect particularly poorly upon small businesses, with only one-third of micro businesses online.
With eCommerce quickly becoming the favoured way of shopping for many consumers, Google’s retail industry leader Ross McDonald says Australian businesses are playing catch-up.
“Australian businesses are years behind Australian consumers. Measure your business from what your next-door neighbour, brother, mother, nieces and nephews expect of today’s retailer.
“There is the gap which has opened up and this gap increases in size as more and more technologies come on board,” he says.
McDonald says as retailers need to remember the fundamental consumer needs haven’t changed, people simply have more information and technology available to them to influence their purchasing decisions and methods.
“When thinking about technology it’s easy to be fixated upon a device. Amongst that noise it’s easy to forget the consumer still has a set of needs they want to fulfil. They’ve got kids and wives to buy presents for and they’ve still got to put food on the table.
“Fundamentally, people become aware of their needs, consider their options and then make a purchase decision,” he says.
The difference, McDonald says, is now technology has infiltrated everyday life and it’s starting to drive buyer choices.
“The path to purchase has traditionally been considered like a funnel where you’ll consider three options and then go and buy one, but what’s happened with online technology is the funnel is now fat in the middle. You might be aware of five things, but then you go online and find ten different options.
“All of a sudden, the consideration space has become much much bigger and this is a challenging world for retailers and brands as they now have to understand how to navigate this consideration space,” he says.
In the United States, research by the Interactive Advertising Bureau shows 53% of consumers have stopped an in-store purchase as a result of researching the product on their smartphone. Almost 40% of these customers didn’t make the purchase because they found a better price at another store and a further 30% found a better price online.
McDonald says consumers still predominately shop in-store, but the stores people go to are determined by information online.
“Our research says 80% to 90% of purchases still happen in-store, but the way consumers get to the store is very different and that’s because the lounge room of today looks a lot like this [he displays an image of a family sitting in front on the TV simultaneously using tablets, mobiles and laptops],” he says.
McDonald says the challenge for retailers is to close the gap between the household of today and the retailer.
“This is pretty much everybody’s home. Australia has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the world and we have the highest tablet penetration with one-in-five households having a tablet.
“We can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in the US or the UK, if we don’t sort it out right now for our consumers, then someone else from overseas will do it for us,” he says.
Story continues on page 2. Please click below.


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iPhones still Apple’s bread and butter as profits reach $US7.7 billion
The iPhone is still Apple’s bread and butter gadget, as the tech titan reports strong quarterly profits led by its iPhone sales.
Apple’s good news comes after its biggest rival in the smartphone market, Samsung, recently reported quarterly guidance far weaker than expected.
Apple reported its fiscal third quarter (April-June) results overnight in the US, posting a profit of $US7.7 billion ($A8.19 billion), up from $6.9 billion for the same quarter last year, and a quarterly revenue of $37.4 billion.
Apple sold 35.2 million iPhones during the quarter, compared to 31.2 million in the same period a year ago.
According to The New York Times, the quarter ending in June is traditionally a slow time of year for smartphone sales industrywide, as many consumers hold out until the holiday shopping season to buy new phones.
The highly anticipated release of the iPhone 6 with a larger screen, slated for later this year, will likely see the product remain the jewel in Apple’s crown.
The tech giant’s Mac computers were its second best performing product, selling 4.4 million units in the quarter, up from 3.8 million the same time last year.
“Our record June quarter revenue was fuelled by strong sales of iPhone and Mac and the continued growth of revenue from the Apple ecosystem, driving our highest EPS growth rate in seven quarters,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
International sales drove 59% of the quarter’s revenue.
Tablets let the company down, with iPad sales shrinking to 13.3 million from 14.6 million last year.
Apple shareholders will be satisfied with the results, with Cook announcing the company returned over $8 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter.
Apple also provided a guidance for its fiscal 2014 fourth quarter, estimating revenue between $37 billion and $40 billion and a gross margin between 37% and 38%.
This article originally appeared on SmartCompany.


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India's first organised and emerging home interior building material platform Mistry.Store announced it has raised a seed funding round of Rs 16.44 Cr ($2 million) led by Omidyar Network India, an investment firm focused on impact.
Waveform VC and Bharat Founders Fund along with marquee angel investors such as Maninder Gulati (OYO), Vasant Sridhar (Co-founder, OfBusiness), Sumer Juneja (Managing Partner, SoftBank), Vikram Chopra (Founder, Cars24), Rohit Kapoor (CEO, Swiggy), Alok Mittal (Founder, Indifi) and Sharad Goenka (COO, Globalfaces) amongst others also participated in the round.
Founded by Vaibhav Poddar and Bhanu Mahajan in 2022, Mistry.Store is a platform simplifying building material purchases like wood, plumbing, paints, hardware, electricals etc. for homeowners.
Home interiors is a $25+ billion market in India employing over five million professionals. However the market continues to be extremely fragmented with problems like price opacity, counterfeit products, poor customer service and ad-hoc professional fees. Mistry.Store will use the funding to transform home-building material purchases by creating an end-to-end tech enabled solution for home interior professionals and their homeowner customers.
The platform is primarily focused on enabling home interior professionals like architects, interior decorators, contractors etc., to be able to procure affordable and high quality building materials on behalf of their customers. At present, the company is focused on Delhi and NCR region.
Speaking about the fundraise, Mistry.Store’s founder Vaibhav Poddar said, "Renovating or building your home in India is always an expensive and tiresome experience. We at Mistry.Store are aiming to simplify the material purchasing journey which is typically led by home interior professionals. While this market is highly organized in western countries, no significant player has emerged yet in the India market, owing to local market dynamics. We aim to keep the home interior professionals our “north-star” and create a community and an ecosystem for them to improve their business and personal outcomes.”
Cofounder, Bhanu Mahajan added, “Besides convenience and trust, we help the professionals get extra income too. We are the first platform for professionals that not just ensures them best deals but also enhances their knowledge and productivity.”
Speaking about the investment Abhirup Sarkar, Omidyar Network India, said “The home building material market in India continues to be fraught with inefficiencies, inflated pricing and severe opacity for end consumers. By addressing these concerns and by empowering the small businesses and independent professionals who are at the heart of the industry, Mistry.store aims to organise this large fragmented market through technology. In doing so, it will create significant positive impact on these businesses and professionals by helping them access a wider range of quality products, augment their incomes through increased business and also deliver an enhanced value proposition to their end customers.”


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The growth in importance of small shopping centres and retail parks in CEE-16 has strengthened.
Colliers Office Agency team is delighted to bring you the latest edition in the ExCEEding Borders series of reports. After a seemingly never-ending journey across pandemic mountain and through lockdown valley over the last 18 months, we take a look at what’s been happening across the office sector in Central and Eastern Europe.
The report presents the situation in the key office markets of 15 CEE countries, including three Baltic countries. We highlight changes in key market indicators such as total office stock, take-up and leasing conditions, vacancy levels, space under construction and our short-term forecasts. The individual office market data from each country is also enriched with concise commentaries and images of modern office projects from across the region.


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Mervyn King defends the squeeze on UK take-home pay
Mervyn King has said that the squeeze on UK take-home pay is necessary.
Speaking in Newcastle, the Bank of England governor said the current high inflation rate was necessary as the UK economy adjusts to higher commodity prices and becomes more competitive.
"Higher import and energy prices and taxes, have squeezed real take-home pay by around 12%," he said.
"Given the rise in VAT and other price rises this year, real wages are likely to fall again.
"As a result, in 2011, real wages are likely to be no higher than they were in 2005," he added.


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Former Vice President Joe Biden laid out a $700 billion plan Thursday to revive the U.S. economy with an America-centric approach to job creation and manufacturing, issuing a direct challenge to President Trump as they prepare to compete for working-class voters in the November election.
Mr. Biden’s “Buy American” economic agenda is designed to counter Mr. Trump’s “America First” platform through what he said would be the largest mobilization since World War II of public investments in procurement, infrastructure and research and development.
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FDA is warning consumers to be wary of Internet sites and e-mails promoting unapproved H1N1 virus treatments. “Consumers who purchase products to treat the novel 2009 H1N1 virus that are not approved, cleared or authorized by the FDA for the treatment or prevention of influenza risk their health and the health of their families,” says Michael Chappell, acting FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, in the agency’s announcement. “In conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission, the FDA has developed an aggressive strategy to identify, investigate, and take regulatory or criminal action against individuals or businesses that wrongfully promote purported 2009 H1N1 influenza products in an attempt to take advantage of the current flu public health emergency.”
But is FDA worried about counterfeit Tamiflu and Relenza popping up? I am. Hoarding already seems to be happening, but the drug industry as well as doctors are working to prevent it, reports a New York Times article. The unintended consequence of limiting antiviral prescriptions to influenza-stricken patients, however, could mean that healthy patients seeking backup antivirals may look elsewhere, opening up a new market for counterfeiters.
Think of the risks that counterfeit antivirals could pose. Fake products could leave patients unprotected against viruses, or minimally protected if the fakes contain some legitimate ingredients. That could lead to drug resistance. In addition, patients may even be exposed to potentially harmful ingredients.
The good news is that drug manufacturers are trying to stave off counterfeiting threats. Check out this page on Roche’s site, maker of Tamiflu. And Relenza may be harder to counterfeit, given the fact that it is delivered through an inhaler. But the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is still worried.
What can worry teach us? To stockpile even more than we did. Drug manufacturers have been building up supplies in the National Strategic Stockpile, but there are sure to be some lessons to be learned. Were enough supplies stockpiled? Did pharmacies and hospitals themselves stockpile enough supplies?
Building up enough supply to outweigh demand may run counter to economic bottom lines, but such steps may be needed to avoid the panic that could push patients toward counterfeits.


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The use of the PRESTO fare system will increase along with the modernization of Toronto’s transit system, according to the TTC’s chief executive officer.
During this week’s TTC Town Hall, a meeting where customers can voice concerns and ask questions, transit head Andy Byford announced the increased usage of the PRESTO fare system that will be implemented in the near future.
“[Customers] will walk into that station and they will go in and tap on a PRESTO reader,” Byford said. “You might want to get off and board onto a bus, and that bus will be one of our brand new articulated buses, once again using the PRESTO reader that you will find on both the bus and on the streetcar.”
The vision of the PRESTO fare system as an integral part of the future transit system was shared by Cheryn Thoun, TTC’s head of customer communications.
“We continue to work to modernize our system and create conveniences that we know customers have come to expect,” Thoun said. “We’ve installed PRESTO card readers in 100 streetcars and in the coming weeks we will install the remainder, so all streetcars will be PRESTO enabled by the end of December.”
However, some customers appeared skeptical about the proposed change.
“Does sytem-wide PRESTO mean no more discount transit?” one TTC customer asked via Twitter.
“Why are we even using PRESTO when the banks will give us the system for free?” asked another customer who attended the TTC Town Hall.
Byford responded to these questions by saying that, overall, the increased usage of the PRESTO fare system will make boarding the TTC easier for all customers.
“You don’t have to carry one card for Toronto, another card for Mississauga, another one for YRT — you will have one card,” Byford said. “We will move straight to new-generation PRESTO where you won’t even have to have a PRESTO card, you’ll be able to use a debit card, a credit card or even your phone.”


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"A number of voice over internet protocol apps do not comply with local law"
Skype has disappeared from App Stores in China, including Apple’s.
New York Times reports that Microsoft’s internet phone call and messaging service has become unavailable on sites where apps are downloaded in China.
“We have been notified by the Ministry of Public Security that a number of voice over internet protocol apps do not comply with local law. Therefore these apps have been removed from the app store in China,” an Apple spokeswoman said on Tuesday. “These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business.”
Users reportedly complained on Chinese internet messaging boards after not being able to pay for Skype’s ervices in late October.
The removal led to a volley of complaints from Chinese users on internet message boards who were no longer able to pay for Skype’s services through Apple. The users said that the disruption began in late October.
Whilst Skype cannot be downloaded in China, it can still function. However, the future of the service remains unclear.
NY times describes its removal as “the most recent example of a decades-long push by China’s government to control and monitor the flow of information online.”
A Microsoft spokesman said Skype had been “temporarily removed” from Apple’s store, adding that the company was “working to reinstate the app as soon as possible.”
The spokesman did not mention Skype’s absence from Android app stores, including third-party ones. Android users in China often use alternate app stores to download their apps as Google’s services are restricted in the country.


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Windows Mobile 6.5 phones will be arriving on October 6, with Microsoft now pushing the term 'Windows Phone' for handsets using the Operating System.
Although Windows Mobile 6.5 has been on the horizon for some time, clarification of the arrival date has only just arrived.
In Europe mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba will be producing devices.
"In just five weeks, you'll have a bunch of new Windows phones to choose from," Windows official mobile blog announces.
A key change for Microsoft's new strategy will be to push the term 'Windows Phone' to ensure people know that the handset is utilising the company's OS.
"Interestingly enough, we discovered that most people who carry a Windows phone don't realize it's running Windows Mobile," adds the blog post, by way of explanation.
"We also heard from many people considering their very first smartphone purchase that they'd very strongly consider a phone running Windows because it's a brand they know and trust.
"You'll see us try to simplify our branding so it's easier for people to know when they're carrying a Windows phone and easier to find them in stores."
Phones for all
Microsoft is keen not to limit its OS to just smartphones or business devices adding; "On 6 Oct, you'll see new Windows phones designed for a variety of tastes, needs and price points - with or without keyboards, with or without touch screens, as well as your choice of GPS, accelerometer and high resolution camera.
"There are a lot of great options and we can't wait to show them to you. Until then, keep an eye on our partners as they announce details on new Windows phones and where you can find them this fall."
Windows Marketplace for Mobile and My Phone
Microsoft also announced Windows Marketplace - its equivalent of Apple's app store, and My phone.
"We also included the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser and added free services like My Phone to help protect data in the event of a lost phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a wide variety of applications for direct download."
We also included the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser and added free services like My Phone to help protect data in the event of a lost phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a wide variety of applications for direct download.


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The massive success of Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water is a testament to the changing mindset of today’s consumer. We are more socially conscious than ever. Many people don’t mind to pay a bit more for a product when they know that the company is making strides to improve our environment and to give back to society in a positive way.
When Ryan Emmons founded Waiakea when he was just 22 years old, his vision was to bring to market a product that was truly sustainable. He and his team have run hundreds of tests to perfect the packaging of the volcanic water so that it was actually sustainable and degradable. His hard work paid off and Waiakea is set to release the first fully sustainable water bottle the industry has ever seen.
People everywhere are anticipating the launch of the volcanic water and the company has already locked in a commitment with health food giant Whole Foods. Waiakea is reporting 4,000% growth in the short time it was founded. The average annual growth has been about 170%. Production has gone from 2,200 cases to over 120,000. Waiakea is now the darling of the water bottle industry with a $10 million valuation.
Ironically, 10 million is the same amount of miles that surround the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii where the company bottles its water. The water comes from a single source that is also sustainable. Volcano water has been a buzz lately due to the natural health benefits that come from drinking it. It is known as some of the purest water in the world and is bottled only after traveling over 14,000 feet of volcanic rock. The water originates as melted snow or rainfall on top of the volcano and as it travels down the water picks up rich minerals like calcium and magnesium. The traveling process almost makes the water very alkaline, giving it additional benefits.
Purest Water on the Planet
However, sales aren’t the most important thing for Waiakea Water. Emmons wanted his company to have a tangible element of social responsibility. Giving back to those in need is at the core of every decision the team at Waiakea makes. For every bottle of water the company sells they also donate 650ML of clean water to places in the world that need it most. They have donated over 500 million liters of water to rural communities to Africa. Waiakea has also donated hundreds of water pumps through its partner, PumpAid. These pumps have brought clean water to over 100,000 people who otherwise would have had limited access.


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You can brighten the sink and "get the white back" by pouring in vinegar and leaving it there for a while, Bond said. Also, try the soft scrub made from baking soda and water. "It's not a matter of elbow grease. It's a matter of letting it set for a period of time," she said.
"To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with hot water," Consumer Reports' Greener Choices website says. "You might have to repeat the procedure more than once or leave the baking soda and vinegar to 'cook' overnight."
"The toilet bowl is difficult, even under the best of circumstances," Bond said. "Go to a health food store and get a really good bathroom toilet product."
For those who want to try a homemade product, Consumer Reports suggests pouring a cup of borax into the toilet and letting it set overnight. "In the morning, scrub and flush," it said. "For an extra-strength cleaner, add 1/4 cup vinegar to the borax."
Clean with diluted vinegar and then do a water rinse afterward, Sutton said.
For those who don't want to make their own cleaning products or buy a green one, there are other ways to get greener. "If you've bought your old conventional cleaners, try using a little less of them," Rangan said. That could mean diluting a window cleaner or targeting your cleaning as much as possible. If there's a spot of black mold in the bathroom, for example, go after that without bleaching the whole wall.
And, she said, "you don't need an antibacterial product."
Sutton said consumers should also look for products that are fragrance-free, and avoid air fresheners. "It's not killing or destroying odor, it's covering up odor that floods your nose," she said.
There's still a lot of educating left to do about green cleaning, Sutton said.
"It takes a little knowhow, and when you get the knowhow, you're set for life," Bond said.
EPA Green Homes website: www.epa.gov/greenhomes/
Consumer Reports' Greener Choices: http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=0111homemadecleaners
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BMW Set to Restore Elvis Presley’s 1957 507 Roadster
Nearly four decades after his death, the iconic entertainer known as the King of Rock & Roll remains one of the most lucrative names worldwide. In fact, it’s estimated that Elvis Presley Enterprises, the corporate entity that guards the Presley estate, continues to rake in an estimated $700 million per year. So, it was no surprise when BMW jumped at the chance to recover the 1957 BMW 507 Roadster that the King once drove. Now, they’ve got plan to return the beat-up ride to its former Elvis-worthy glory.
In 1957, Presley’s Let me Be your Teddy Bear topped charts and the King of Rock & Roll was making women worldwide swoon. Meanwhile, BMW was having a tough time selling its newest ride, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. So, the company recruited Auto Union driver Hans Stuck to race the 507 Roadster and to help market it to potential buyers in celebrity circles and high political places.
The next year, while serving in the US Army, the King himself happened to spot the 507 at the Monthlery track in Paris, France. He liked what he saw, dropped a wad of cash and drove it away. By that time, wear and tear from being on BMW’s press fleet had taken a toll on the car and subsequently was outfitted with a new four-speed manual transmission, new windshield and a rebuilt 3.2-liter 150hp V8 engine. Cosmetically, the gleaming white ride faced another challenge – a continuous barrage of female fans who scrawled their phone numbers across its hood in lipstick. That’s why Presley had the car painted red.
When Presley returned to the United State, the Army reportedly shipped the Roadster to him. But what happened to the car once it crossed the Pond is a bit of a mystery. What is known is that the car changed hands – and engines – a time or two before being bought by Jack Castor in 1968 and disappearing into a warehouse for the ensuing decades.
Finally, the King’s ride has again emerged. Castor recently shipped the car back across the ocean to BMW’s Munich museum, where it will be featured in the museum’s Lost & Found exhibit. It’ll remain on display until August 10, when BMW begins a full restoration expected to take upward of two years.
We here at E3 Spark Plugs already are anxious to see the final result. And we’re wondering – which Presley tune would you most want to crank up on the radio while cruising in the King’s Roadster? Post your thoughts on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.


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Source: Xinhua Published: 2018-4-6
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had asked the US Trade Representative to consider slapping $100 billion worth of additional tariffs on China, a dramatic move that threatens to undermine the global trade system.
As staunch supporters of free trade and multilateralism, China and European countries would bear the consequences of US trade protectionism if Trump topples the global order, experts have said.
Resorting to protectionist moves the likes of which haven`t been seen in decades, Washington announced last month that it would impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum.
The White House then decided to grant the European Union (EU) and six other economies a temporary exemption from the tariffs before Trump signed a memorandum that imposes tariffs on Chinese imports worth up to $50 billion.
The concurrence was "interesting," said Andre Sapir, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank specializing in economy and finance.
"In a sense the message that was given to the European countries is that, you know you are exempted from the severe measures, I`m taking tough measures against China on steel and other products ... I want to know on which side (you are)," said Sapir.
After signing the memorandum, Trump called the leaders of France and Germany to discuss cooperation on trade policy toward China.
During their conversation, Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed "joining forces to counter" China`s economic practices and alleged "intellectual property theft," said the White House.
But a German government statement said Merkel called for a dialogue between the EU and the United States on trade policy, taking into account the rules-based international trade system.
Meanwhile, in his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump also discussed with Macron trade practices between the United States and the EU and the "next steps" in addressing China`s trade practices, while reaffirming the cooperative relationship between the United States and its two important allies, according to the White House.
"You know we are not going to be a player (in Trump`s game). The only way we can be a player is by leading the coalition of countries to say that the world trading system, the rules-based system is our primary objective," Sapir said.
Trump was obviously trying to get Germany and France to side with him. In fact, he was using "divide-and-rule tactics," said Wang Yiwei, an expert on European studies at Renmin University in Beijing.
SELLING SNAKE OIL
However, due to Trump`s increasingly isolationist policy, the United States is no longer Europe`s go-to guy. What`s more, his trying to sell his European partners on the so-called "China trade threat" is nothing short of "selling snake oil," according to some European media.
"Trump questioned the global trading order after the Second World War. And he wants to go back to nineteenth-century nationalist protectionism," said DPA, a leading press agency in Germany, in an analytical report published after Trump`s phone conversation with Merkel.
"If they (European countries) play games with the Americans at the expense of free trade with China, then Europe would have practically taken over Trump`s protectionism," DPA said.
The DPA said that for the EU, taking sides in the trade dispute can be likened to a tightrope act. The agency also said that on the one hand, Merkel wants to engage in dialogue to prevent an escalation and a trade war. On the other hand, it said, she emphasizes that Europe will not let itself be blackmailed by Trump and will fight for a continuation of the internationally agreed rules.
A bilateral agreement between the EU and the United States would "enable Trump to drive a wedge between the EU and the other WTO (World Trade Organization) members," said Gabriel Felbermayr, director of the Center for International Economics at the Ifo Institute for Economic Research, a Munich-based institution.
It would be better to tackle the existing problems with negotiations rather than unilateral measures, and "small and poorer countries would be isolated and left behind by such an agreement, and would stand hardly any chance of fighting the USA`s illegal tariffs," Felbermayr said.
The Trump administration earlier this week proposed a 25 percent tariff on 1,300 Chinese industrial and other products. In response, China released a list of similar proposed duties on US imports worth $50 billion.
Experts fear that the fresh escalation could put the shaky recovery of the global economy at stake, if no one halts Washington`s irrational move.
"It is no longer the United States, but China that has become Europe`s most important trading partner," said Felbermayr.
As of 2016, the EU had been China`s largest trading partner in a row for 12 years, while China was ranked as the EU`s second-largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years.
"In a world of great uncertainties, a stable China-EU relationship is an invaluable asset," said Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU.
"China and the EU, as major members of the WTO and comprehensive strategic partners, should take a clear stance against protectionism, jointly preserve the rules-based multilateral trade order and keep the global economy on a sound and sustainable track," Zhang said in a signed article published on the Politico website Wednesday.
"This is a joint responsibility. China and the EU must act together to make that happen," Zhang said.
Wang Yiwei is a senior fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.


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Madison to host antique show
A new Madison event celebrates the old.
The Madison Antique Show & Sale brings dealers from across the Southeast to the Madison Square Center for the Arts April 30-May 2. Enthusiastic collectors as well as those developing an appreciation for antiques and collectibles will find an array of treasures to suit every budget.
“There will be items in every price point,” said dealer sponsor Pie Fincher of Greenwood, who is helping organize the event. “There’s something for everybody, from the less expensive pieces to the more expensive treasures.”
The show begins April 30 with a 6-8 p.m. Preview Party. Tickets are $40 a couple or $25 per person and allow purchasers to browse the booths and start buying while they enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The Madison Jazz Society will provide live music to shop by.
Tickets to the Preview Party also provide entry to both the May 1 show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and May 2 show, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets to individual day shows cost $7.
“This is our first inaugural event and we want it to be something that people will be talking about until it’s time for next year’s show and sale,” said Robin McCrory, Madison’s director of business and downtown development. “The dealers are so excited about coming to Madison and introducing their collections to the market here.
“We certainly hope the public will support this event by purchasing tickets to attend either the gala preview or the daily show and sale,” she said.
Antiques available will include country and formal furniture and decorative accessories, silver, rugs, books, linens, maps, jewelry, collectibles, Black Forest items and more.
Fincher said shoppers don’t have to be experts in antiques to enjoy the sale and find that perfect item to take home.
“It’s a good learning experience for newcomers,” she said. “The dealers are so knowledgeable, and they are so happy to talk to people and share their love of antiques.”
Antique Restoration Studio of Southaven will have a booth at the show to repair chipped or cracked glass and crystal pieces on site. Pottery and porcelain items will be taken back to the studio for repairs. Anyone with questions about the restoration service can call (901) 497-8207 before the show.
Money raised from the show will go toward the renovation and restoration of the city’s arts center at 2103 Main Street.
“The arts center is in need of renovation, particularly in the area of the stage,” McCrory said. “Madison has a five-year plan totaling about $450,000 to $500,000 to renovate the building.”
Because of the enormous amount of work to market and run the antiques show, the city has enlisted the assistance of the Madison Central High School PTO, which will share in the profit from ticket sales. The PTO will use the money for technology advancements at Madison Central.
“We appreciate being able to work with the city. It’s a great fund-raising opportunity as well as chance to be part of a successful community event,” PTO member Jan Entrekin said. “We’re encouraging all of our parents with the school system to attend.”
Tickets are now available at Madison City Hall for the Preview Party and the sale. Call City Hall at (601) 856-7116 or McCrory at (601) 941-8392 for tickets.
Tickets for the shows May 1 and May 2 will be available at the door. On those two days, Lurney D’s food truck will be parked at the Madison Square Center for the Art for service.


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An industry expert weighs up this question against data that reflects that nearly 40 to 50 per cent of the $40-billion turnover of the auto component industry comes from the internal combustion (IC) engine powertrain industry.
A rapidly changing powertrain technology landscape, stricter regulations, shifting customer preferences, increasing demand for connectivity and digitisation have become important factors for shaping the future of mobility. The Niti Aayog recently unveiled the vision document for the Indian automotive industry 'India Leaps Ahead - Transformative Mobility solutions for all', jointly authored by Rocky Mountain Institute.
The report is indeed a paradigm shift in the way we think about mobility and is rightly driven by the need to significantly cut down Co2 emission by 37 per cent and energy consumption to 64 per cent by 2030. The automotive industry will be a nodal actor in the scheme of things. It is interesting to note that the report envisages a significant penetration of Battery EVs (BEVs), almost 100 per cent in case of Commercial Passenger Vehicles and 40 per cent Personal Passenger Vehicles, 100 per cent of three-wheelers and 40 per cent of two-wheelers to be electric and the entire public transit system to be electric by 2030. While the target may seem a bit ambitious, it is no doubt that the rollout of the EVs will be much faster than we in the automotive industry expect it to be.
Having said that, speaking from the perspective of the auto-component industry, as we embark on a new journey, we must take into account that we have a very vibrant and flourishing IC engine powertrain industry, almost 40 to 50 per cent of the $40-billion turnover of the auto component industry comes from this segment and that apart, engine and powertrain account for over 30 per cent of our $11 billion exports.
The industry employs 1.5 million people directly and as many indirectly. That apart the industry over the years has a gross block of around $12 billion. We must ensure that ushering in of new technologies should not be so disruptive that the entire industry is wiped out. Therefore in my opinion it would be logical to take one step at a time; we should encourage hybrid technologies to coexist with pure-electric as it allows for the conventional industry to evolve with the new.
In the same vein, while the entire industry congratulates and stands with the government on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout by July 1, we are a bit concerned that the GST rate on hybrids at 43 per cent is almost penal compared to a benign 12 per cent on the Electric Vehicles. We would like to believe that the high rate on the hybrids is merely a matter of oversight and would be rectified to make it at par with that on the electric vehicles.
The Niti Aayog report lays emphasis on developing an indigenous component-manufacturing ecosystem, akin to the FAME scheme. However, I must caution that allowing duty-free import of components for electric vehicles will be detrimental to the development of a local ecosystem. I urge the government to allocate significant funding towards indigenous R&D for creation of standard battery, motors and other components of powertrain ensuring creation of local IP.
Apart from the above, the automotive industry in India is facing a slew of new regulations on the front of safety, emissions, and environment including that of graduating from BS-IV to BS-VI. The component industry will witness a major disruption unless we prepare ourselves well to brace these changes. Therefore, the need of the hour for the industry is to embrace these changes well enough and timely enough to the expectations of our customers, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), else they will be forced to consider suppliers from other geographies!
Apart from the changes on the technology front, we all have to gear up for the mother-of-all reforms - the GST. ACMA had strongly recommended to the government for a rate of 18 per cent for the auto component sector, as it is an intermediary industry and has to combat the menace of Grey and Counterfeit products in the aftermarket. I am glad to report that over 30 per cent of auto components are at 18 per cent, but we are concerned about the remaining 70 per cent.
Vinnie Mehta is the Director-General of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).


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Q Clothier | Rye 51, a dual concept men’s retailer, has relocated their New Orleans store to Canal Place.
The Dallas-based store originally opened months in the South Market downtown neighborhood, before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. It is now located on the second floor of Canal Place, located at 333 Canal St., Suite 219.
Q Clothier, an upscale men’s store that offers custom clothing and personal style guidance, opened its first store in 2003. Rye 51 offers small-batch selections of clothing, accessories and more for men.
The retailer has styled sports stars including Zion Williamson, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Jared Goff and is the official clothier of “Monday Night Football,” a news release said. It has nine locations across the Midwest and Southeast.
This is the first time the retailer has opened a store in an indoor shopping mall, according to its founder and president, Raja Ratan, who says business so far has been “outstanding.”
In May, Canal Place announced that international luxury fashion retailer Golden Goose, an Italian-based luxury fashion line known for its sneakers, would open a store by the end of the year.


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Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg laid out his strategy for augmented reality, saying the social network will use smartphone cameras to overlay virtual items on the real world rather than waiting for AR glasses to be technically possible. Anyone with a good idea or some experience can join the AR Studio and start experimenting with this new exciting tech, which has gone well past Pokemon Go already.
Facebook made a huge bet on virtual reality (VR) with its purchase of Oculus Rift for $2 billion in 2014, but both Oculus and VR technology, on the whole, have run into some headwinds since then.
Zuckerberg also predicted the advent of augmented reality street art, and suggested that as technology makes people working in traditional jobs more productive, more and more people will contribute to society through the arts. Developers can apply to access a beta version of the platform now.
Facebook Spaces has a tonne of features for friends to hangout in a virtual universe - naturally there's a selfie stick so your avatar can even take a picture of itself.
Rachel Franklin, Facebook's head of social VR says, "We want Facebook Spaces to be a comfortable place for everyone".More news: March for Science events set around region for Earth Day
Developers can also use three inputs to trigger their augmented reality effects: Face Tracker, Sensor data, such as the gyroscope and location, and Scripting APIs to pull in data from other apps and respond to user inputs in real time.
But Facebook wants the technology that drove the game to live on.
Facebook is teaming-up with Udacity to create custom training programmes for Developer Circles.


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Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.
Microsoft Quietly Launches Interoperability Forum
Microsoft has launched the Interoperability Forum, but it's hard to find and doesn't have much activity yet.
J. Nicholas Hoover
March 25, 2008
2 Min Read
When Microsoft laid out its broad commitment to more openness last month, one of the concrete steps it said it would take was the opening of the Interoperability Forum to allow customers around the world to have an open dialogue on how Microsoft products could work better with those of other vendors. That forum is now online, albeit empty and unannounced.
One of the four interoperability principles Microsoft announced last month was a pledge to more openly engage customers, partners, and third-party vendors in conversation about the company's direction. The company announced that it would be holding a series of events, hosting online content, and directly engaging people online to create a deeper conversation about how Microsoft should be integrating and interoperating with third-party products.
The Interoperability Forum is one of those new ventures, though its presence isn't the most out in the open. Hosted on Microsoft's MSDN Forums, the Interoperability Forum has thus far seen only posts from Microsoft, with no community involvement whatsoever. In order to get to the forum, which appears to have launched March 19, those interested have to know where to look on Microsoft's own interoperability Web site, and then have to click through several screens to get to the actual forum.
Microsoft's forum has three areas: interoperability conversations, technical interoperability scenarios, and achieving interoperability through standards. The first aims to facilitate general conversation, the next to discuss and resolve technical issues related to interoperability, and the third to talk about how Microsoft should adhere to industry standards.
There are other places where Microsoft has begun a dialogue about interoperability, such as Port 25, a Microsoft blog that focuses on Microsoft's involvement in and engagement with the open source community. The company has also set up more formal ventures with top customers and partners to determine where interoperability is most important, including a group of top CIOs and CTOs called the Interoperability Customer Executive Council and a similar group of software vendors called the Interop Vendor Alliance.
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The shares of
Mankind Pharma rockets on Thursday closed at Rs 1,913.75 up by 10 per cent after it
announced strong first quarter earnings on Wednesday with a favourable view by
Mankind net profit
Pharma reported a 66 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 494
crore in the June quarter. The company had reported a net profit of Rs 298
crore in the corresponding quarter of 2022-23.
company’s total income increased to Rs 2,637 crore in first quarter of the
current fiscal from Rs 2,196 crore in the year-ago period, Mankind Pharma said
in a regulatory filing.
Business achieved a robust 14% YoY growth in Q1FY24, while the Secondary Sales
demonstrated an impressive growth rate of 12.5%, showcasing a remarkable
outperformance of 1.5 times compared to the 8.5% growth in the Industry Primary
the other hand, the Consumer Healthcare segment witnessed a growth of 8% YoY
and 36% QoQ, Secondary sales in Prega News, HealthOKTM, Manforce condoms up by
30% YoY, 23% YoY and 11% YoY respectively in Q1FY24.
business witnessed a growth of 214% YoY in Q1FY24 aided by certain one-off
opportunities in the US.
company said its board has approved the re-appointment of Ramesh Juneja as its
chairman and Rajeev Juneja as vice-chairman and managing director.


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Jennifer Lopez reunites with Fiat for new collaboration.
Fiat is intensifying its promotional tactics for the recently released 500e, utilizing a unique “product drop” strategy in Jennifer Lopez’s latest music video. Our team carefully analyzed the entire video, eagerly anticipating a prominent display of the car, but we must keep in mind that this is a music video and the concept of a product drop should not be taken literally in the world of marketing. As stated by Fiat, the plan is to strategically release the new 500e in various locations to generate excitement, attraction, and brand loyalty among consumers.
What is the reason behind featuring the 500e in JLo’s latest music video? There are two significant motives. The infamous Jenny from the block is currently at the peak of her popularity. The music video in question, titled “Can’t Get Enough,” serves as the first release from her highly-anticipated ninth studio album, This Is Me … Now. Combining with the album’s launch, a new film entitled This Is Me … Now: A Love Story will be available on Prime Video.
JLo has been a devoted patron of the brand since 2012. Her collaboration with them began when she took a Fiat 500 Cabriolet for a spin through the lively streets of Manhattan, en route to her hometown of the Bronx.
According to Olivier Francois, global chief marketing officer at Stellantis, the partnership between Fiat and Jennifer Lopez has been ongoing for over ten years. It all began when the Fiat 500 made its return to the American market. “Can’t Get Enough” serves as a continuation of this long-standing relationship. As we introduce the latest version of our all-new, all-electric Fiat 500e to the US, having Jennifer join us in celebrating its arrival is a testament to the journey we embarked on together in 2012.
The latest release from this brand is the second addition to their product line, following the successful launch of the (RED) Edition. The drop of the (RED) Edition took us by surprise, although it was marketed as a launch at the time. It is likely that the newly unveiled model will utilize the same front-wheel drive setup with a single electric motor, boasting 118 horsepower and an estimated range of 149 miles according to EPA calculations.
The update of the range is a significant step up from its predecessor, making it a strong contender for success in the American market. Yet, it will face tough competition. The impending release of the new Mini electric vehicle and the promising design of the Volvo EX30 pose a potential challenge for the 500e’s triumph.
There isn’t much information we can gather from the video as the 500e’s key moment seems quite brief – a mere blink and you may overlook it. Fortunately, there are other impressive vehicles that captivate car enthusiasts, such as vintage models of the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz SL.
The 500e under discussion possesses a striking copper hue, leading us to speculate that it may be dubbed the Copper Edition. Fiat has disclosed that the model will be open for ordering on March 12, hence we anticipate further details to be revealed at that time.
After conducting some online investigation, we uncovered a collection of the cars owned by Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. According to HotCars, the famous duo possess a Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, Bentley Mulsanne, Mercedes-AMG S63, a 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet, and the quintessential Hollywood business car, the Tesla Model S Plaid.


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Mountain Province is temporarily banning the entry of live pigs and fresh, frozen, or processed pork products due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) scare.
Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr said the move is intended to protect the local swine industry.
While Cordillera is still ASF-free, the Mountain Province politiko said that banning the entry of pigs and pork products is a necessary measure.
Lacwasan also urged residents to be vigilant and report unusual observations on pigs.
Moreover, he called on piggeries to cooperate because it is for the survival of the whole industry.


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The John Lewis Partnership suffered a sales fall last week at its eponymous department stores and supermarket chain Waitrose.
John Lewis head of internal communications Simon Fowler said a challenging week had been expected, but observed: “What is reassuring is our underlying trade continued to maintain a steady course and we captured some valuable additional sales in the lead-up to Mother’s Day.”
He said that, among the department stores, the Peter Jones store stood out as “a clear winner” as womenswear and accessories “excelled as new season’s fashion proved a strong hit with Chelsea customers”. Oxford Street also did well.
Fowler added: “Our focus now shifts to Easter, where encouragingly our performance is already ahead of last year, indicating that the later fall of Easter should play to our advantage in the weeks ahead.”
Waitrose supply chain director Mark Williamson said the changed timing of Easter meant a year-on-year sales comparison “isn’t meaningful” and that sales are “well ahead of target”.
Waitrose’s second convenience store opened in Clifton, Bristol, during the week and met its sales target for the entire week in the first three days of trading.
Good weather stimulated the biggest sales week for tomatoes at Waitrose since last August, while burgers were up as the first barbecues of the years took place.
John Lewis Partnership’s sales were down 13.3 per cent to £125.5m for the week.


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ConMed (NSDQ:CNMD) shares ticked up today after the medical device company yesterday reported third-quarter results that topped Wall Street’s forecast and announced the retirement of its financial chief.
Utica, N.Y.-based ConMed posted profits of $7.2 million, or 26¢ per share, on sales of $190.1 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, for a -1.9% profit slide on sales growth of 2.9% compared with Q3 2016.
Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share were 42¢, a penny ahead of The Street, where analysts were looking for sales of $187.1 million.
“We are very pleased with our continued top-line progress, especially when considering the impact of one less selling day and the issues associated with two hurricanes. International performance remained strong, posting a sixth consecutive quarter of growth across both general surgery and orthopedics. Conversely, domestic orthopedics reported results are still lagging, but signs point to an improving trend and we are encouraged by the underlying efforts to return this business to positive growth in 2018,” president & CEO Curt Hartman.
ConMed raised its sales outlook but cut the high end of its earnings forecast for the rest of the year, saying it now expects to report adjusted EPS of $1.85 to $1.90, compared with $1.85 to $1.95 previously, on constant-currency sales growth of 2.50% to 3.25%, compared with 2.0% to 3.0% previously.
The company also said that CFO Luke Pomilio is set to retire as soon as a replacement can be found.
“On behalf of the Board and the entire ConMed team, I would like to thank Luke for his invaluable contributions to the improvement of the company’s commercial execution, to the development of our financial organization, and to ConMed as a whole. We appreciate his commitment to our company and its shareholders during his distinguished career here, and we wish him the very best as he transitions into retirement,” Hartman said.
“I have been honored to be a part of the ConMed team for the last two decades and to lead its finance team for the past several years. I am proud of the progress we have made in strengthening the company’s profile, and I am confident that ConMed is well positioned for growth and success,” Pomilio added.
CNMD shares were up 0.6% to $53.51 apiece today in late-morning trading.


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While the holiday shopping season officially begins on the Friday following Thanksgiving, a day known as Black Friday, many retailers consider Thanksgiving day to be the unofficial beginning of the holiday retail season. Here’s a list of major retailers that will be open, as well as those that will remain closed, on Thanksgiving 2017.
Open for Business
Retailers that will be open on Thanksgiving in 2017 include Macy’s, which will open at 5:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Walmart, which will open at 6:00 p.m. on the holiday, and Target, which will open at 6:00 p.m. Other stores open on Thanksgiving will include Best Buy, which will be opening at 5:00 p.m., Sears, which will be opening at 6:00 p.m., and Kohls, which will open at 6:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Many major retailers have announced their plans to remain closed on Thanksgiving in order to let employees have the day off. Among these retailers are Designer Shoe Warehouse, Guitar Center, Hobby Lobby, IKEA, Cabela’s, Patagonia, Game Stop, and Neiman Marcus. Also remaining closed will be OfficeMax, Sam’s Club, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Half Price Books.
CBL Properties, which owns and operates 62 malls throughout the United States, has announced that all locations will be closed on Thanksgiving 2017. Other retailers that have announced their intentions to stay closed on Thanksgiving are Home Depot, Pier 1, H&M, Nordstrom, and Costco.
Shoppers in the New England states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine will not be able to take advantage of Thanksgiving holiday sales, as retailers in these states are legally prevented from opening on Thanksgiving. The laws, called Blue Laws, prevent retailers from opening prior to midnight on the day after Thanksgiving. However, stores such as gas stations, small grocery stores, and restaurants are permitted to stay open on the holiday. In these states, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart will all open at 1:00 a.m. on Friday November 24.


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The US California gym reopens the student "quarantine warehouse ..
Premier League restart time or synchronized with La Liga players will all resume training this week
According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, what is the solution to the problem of winning the cabinet in the parliamentary election?
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Leon VS Mexico America Preview: Leon sits firmly on the top spot, Mexico America hopes to defend the glory of the No. 1 giant in the Mexican Super League
The epidemic caused sales of duty-free shops in South Korea to drop 37.7% year-on-year last year
The new site of Fengtai District Government Service Center officially opened
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The BBC will have to have challenged the perspectives of climate sceptic Lord Lawson in an interview in August, the court docket docket instances unit for the company has dominated.
The ex-chancellor claimed in an interview with the Today programme that “official figures” confirmed relatively priced world temperatures had “slightly declined”.
This view, showed to be false by way of the Met Office, used to be as soon as once not challenged on air.
The BBC admitted it had breached its “guidelines on accuracy and impartiality”.
Conservative peer Lord Lawson’s look on Radio four’s flagship Today programme sparked a lot of court docket docket instances from listeners.
He had been invited on to talk about the most recent movie on climate trade by way of former US Vice President Al Gore.
During the interview, Lord Lawson mentioned “official figures” confirmed that “during this past 10 years, if anything… average world temperature has slightly declined”.
He additionally claimed the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had showed there had not been in an building up in excessive climate occasions for the entire 10 years.
Dr Peter Stott, of the Met Office, got right kind right kind right kind right kind proper right kind proper right kind proper right here at the programme tomorrow to come to come to come to take a look at that Lord Lawson’s statistics, which he did not cite on the time, had been wrong.
Dr Stott additionally mentioned the IPCC has obviously indicated an building up in excessive climate occasions in every single place the field had been an an an identical to human use of fossil fuels.
The Global Warming Policy Foundation, a promoting selling and promoting and selling and promoting and selling promoting and selling and promoting and selling selling and promoting and selling promoting and selling selling promoting and selling and promoting and advertising selling and promoting and advertising promoting and advertising advertising marketing campaign group of workers chaired by way of Lord Lawson, later showed his statistics had been “erroneous”.
- Anger over ‘unfaithful’ climate claims
- What is climate trade?
The BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan mentioned the Today programme had a remit to be offering dissenting critiques, aimed at tricky lazy and consensus perspectives.
But he mentioned the BBC’s court docket docket instances division dominated loss of scrutiny of Lord Lawson’s claims intended the interview fell wanting editorial can have to haves.
It dominated that the peer’s statements “were, at the least, contestable and should have been challenged”.
A paper by way of Skeptical Science claims that 97% of scientists in every single place the field imagine climate trade is led to by way of other people.
In 2014 the BBC Trust discussed the company has “a duty to reflect the weight of scientific agreement but it should also reflect the existence of critical views appropriately”.


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Tabria Majors wants to start a conversation with companies like Victoria's Secret.
On Halloween, the 27-year-old model shared a series of stunning pics of herself recreating three of the company's ads on social media.
"Maybe I'll be a Victoria's Secret Angel this year for Halloween, since it ain't happening in real life lol," Majors wrote. "Just paying homage to a few of my favorite pics/outfits from VS here and showing that curvy girls can rock (and sell) lingerie just as well as straight size models."
Majors did the post in order to start a discussion about the industry and the campaigns that are seen around the world.
"I really want to open the discussion of inclusivity in mainstream media," she told HuffPost Canada. "I just want to know why they, and so many other companies, don't cater to the average-sized woman."
Majors said the "main argument" she's heard is that it's "expensive, time-consuming, and companies don't have the proper resources to expand their sizes."
But Majors doesn't buy that argument.
She commented that the "plus-size industry brings in billions of dollars each year, and the potential profit companies would make should counter any of their hesitations."
Since sharing the images last week, the post has been liked almost 30,000 times. Majors has also received a lot of love in the comments of the post.
"You go girl!!! @victoriassecret you should probably have her in your next runway show, I'd actually buy more then," one Instagram user wrote.
While another Instagram user said that they were so encouraged "to even try to wear lingerie now! You are beautiful!!! @tabriamajors."
A third comment told Majors, "Disappointed that I didn't see any models like you on the Victoria's Secret page. We need to support beautiful women like you [heart emoji] keep doing what ur doing gurl [heart emoji]."


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China has said it will impose tariffs on $60bn (£46bn) of US goods from 1 June, extending a bilateral trade war.
The move comes three days after the US more than doubled tariffs on $200bn of Chinese imports.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump denied that US consumers would pay for higher tariffs on Chinese imports and warned China not to follow suit.
But Beijing said it would not swallow any "bitter fruit" that harmed its interests.
The Chinese tariffs will apply to more than 5,000 US products, ranging from 5% to 25%.
The move was announced in a statement by the Tariff Policy Commission of China's cabinet, the State Council.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a news briefing in Beijing that China would "never surrender to external pressure.
"China should not retaliate - will only get worse!" Mr Trump tweeted shortly before news of the Chinese decision came.
Mr Trump also said China had "taken so advantage of the US for so many years".
He added that US consumers could avoid the tariffs by buying the same products from other sources.
"Many tariffed companies will be leaving China for Vietnam and other such countries in Asia. That's why China wants to make a deal so badly!" he said
Following the Chinese announcement, stocks on Wall Street fell in pre-market trading, pointing to big losses once trading begins as investors react to the latest round of tit-for-tat tariffs.
Shares in carmakers were particularly hard hit, with Ford and General Motors both set to open at least 2% lower.
Markets in Europe also extended losses, with the FTSE 100 down about 0.5%, while the main indexes in Frankfurt and Paris were more than 1% lower.
The US argues that China's trade surplus with the US is the result of unfair practices, including state support for domestic companies. It also accuses China of stealing intellectual property from US firms.
The latest round of US-Chinese trade negotiations ended in Washington on Friday without a deal.
Mr Trump's approach in the dispute has put him at odds with his own top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, who has said "both sides will suffer".


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Dell has been scolded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for not making it clear that a USB cable wasn't included with a printer. According to a statement on the events , "a reader challenged whether the ad should have stated that an essential cable to connect the printer with the PC was not included in the price".
The ASA upheld the complaint and said it was essential to have a cable to use the printer and "that a cable was likely to cost approximately £14". Gold plated then, hopefully.
"We considered the ad gave the impression that the printer could be used in conjunction with a computer without the purchase of any further equipment," concluded the ASA. "The natural expectation among customers was that a cable would be included in the advertised price unless the ad specifically stated that it was not."
Printer cables are generally left out by manufacturers in the continual drive to cut costs in the cut-throat price-targeted printer market.
The ASA told Dell to "ensure their ads stated that cables were not included in the advertised prices for printers in future, if that was the case".


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Read more: https://bit.ly/3gJUXlp
“Beijing Ubox, a Chinese intelligent vending machine maker, is weighing a Hong Kong initial public offering that could raise as much as US$500 million,” Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2WmSQg3
“Chinese electric-vehicle maker Li Auto has received the green light from the Hong Kong stock exchange for a listing in the city, following in the steps of its rival XPeng, which completed such a share sale last month,” Bloomberg reported.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2THexGJ
Meicai, a Chinese startup that connects restaurants with vegetable producers, is considering shifting its initial public offering to Hong Kong from the U.S. after Beijing’s recent crackdown on overseas listings, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Read more: https://bloom.bg/3zA7JtI
Chinese video-sharing mobile app Kuaishou has filed a preliminary prospectus with the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, signaling its preparations for an initial public offering in the city. The company, however, disclosed neither a specific timetable nor the size of its financial debut.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2U33UdW
Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands, an entertainment company specializing in blockchain and gaming, has secured US$4.1 million in strategic investments via convertible notes from investors including M7 Asia and Mind Fund.
Read more: https://bit.ly/2CvXkHa
Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. has filed confidentially for a second listing in Hong Kong, according to people with knowledge of the matter, joining rival Alibaba in tapping the city’s stock market for funds.
Read more: https://bloom.bg/2Wj60Y0
The Shanghai Stock Exchange is poised to approve the first three listings on the city’s upcoming Technology Innovation Board, accelerating China’s pace of support for technology companies amid its escalating trade war with the US.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2JJrGZq
San Francisco voters this November will be asked to approve a corporate tax increase on stock-based compensation from 0.38% to 1.5%. Why it matters: The rate hike would be retroactive to May 7, thereby applying to Uber’s IPO.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2Heb7kC
SoftBank Group Corp. is considering audacious fundraising plans, including a public offering of its $100 billion investment fund and the launch of a second fund of at least that size, as it looks to seize on an exploding startup scene, people familiar with the matter said.
Read more: https://on.wsj.com/2JfGJZC
Mainland investors are racing to buy mutual funds linked to Shanghai’s new Nasdaq-style technology board in the expectation that these funds will have privileged access to upcoming initial public offerings, potentially enjoying handsome returns upon public trading.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2ZV9LDE
Slack filed papers for its initial public offering on Friday, revealing $400 million in revenue and $139 million in losses. Slack, part of a highly anticipated class of tech companies to file for an IPO, will pursue a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SK.
Read more: https://cnb.cx/2ZEB0Cm
Uber on Friday morning disclosed that it plans to raise upwards of $10.35 billion in its IPO, at a market cap that could approach $84 billion. Why it matters: If successful, this would be one of the largest IPOs of all time.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2DArAi0
Uber released its long-awaited IPO prospectus, tacking another near-term market debut onto a busy IPO season. The company has self-reported unaudited financials for several quarters — one of the few tech giants expected to debut this year to do so.
Read more: https://cnb.cx/2P40lku
Chinese video platform Bilibili today launched a convertible bond sale and a follow-on share offering that could net the company around US$621 million combined. Bilibili announced the fundraising but did not disclose detailed terms.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2UqiVrV
The workplace messaging company Slack Technologies Inc. plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange in June or July, according to a person familiar with the matter. Slack is one of several highly valued private companies eyeing public offerings this year.
Read more: https://bloom.bg/2Iao9ln
We are now seeing a wave of longtime private companies coming public and with that we are getting data on usage, financial performance, and a host of other issues that is very useful market data. I spent some time looking at Pinterest’s S1 today. They filed it a week or two ago.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2FMdhIQ
Maoyan Entertainment, China’s largest movie ticketing app backed by Tencent and Meituan, has delayed its Hong Kong IPO and put off its listing date to February 4. It also named three new cornerstone investors, including a US$2.6 million investment by Xiaomi.
Read more: http://bit.ly/2TpJxWy
Megvii, the owner of facial recognition developer Face++, is considering an initial public offering in Hong Kong that could net as much as $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said.
Read more: https://bloom.bg/2HaX964
Recent Articles Autonomous Vehicles Google Troubled Waymo Worker Shows Human Problems Continue By Amir Efrati Facebook Uber/Lyft Policy Zuckerberg to Have Biggest Impact on Tech in 2019, Subscribers Say By Wendy Pollack Markets The Other Winners of Tech’s Big IPOs By Cory Weinberg Uber/Lyft What W
Read more: http://bit.ly/2TxkC2E


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The New York Times has released its March 15 list of best-selling books and DC is proud to announce that Harleen has made the prestigious New York Times best-seller list in the Graphic Books and Manga category.
Described by CBR as “A haunting modernization of a classic tale…” and AIPTcomics.com praising the series as “…a masterpiece of a Harley Quinn Story” this hardcover collects writer/artist Stjepan Sejic’s three issue series, reimagining Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s descent into madness and transformation into Harley Quinn, including her seductively dangerous romance with The Joker.
The collected edition also includes a variant cover gallery, a graphic timeline of the making of Harleen, and a look at the original script outline alongside the corresponding pages. Harleen carries DC’s Black Label content descriptor (for mature readers Ages 17+) and is available everywhere books are sold for $29.99.
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