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Chicken, lime and lemongrass might not be the most traditional sausage flavour, but it has come out tops in this year's national sausage competition.
Up to 500 sausages from all around the country were entered for consideration in this year's Devro Great NZ Sausage Competition, which was held in Auckland tonight.
The supreme award was given to the Mangawhai Meat Shop, in Northland, for a banger with the unique combination of chicken, lime and lemongrass.
The shop - which has won awards in the past - boasts other home-made delights including spicy Italian pork, honey lamb and rosemary, pork, beef and an award-winning smoked kransky, cabanossi and chorizo smoked in their own smokehouse.
The mastermind behind it is award-winning butcher Dan Klink, who has had a passion for butchery since he was a teenager.
Speaking at the ceremony, held at the Fresh Factory in Auckland, Klink thanked all those involved in the industry.
He also acknowledged his wife, who he said had to put up with him spending more than 80 hours at work every week and coming up with all sorts of [flavour] ideas to enter into competitions.
Judge Kathy Paterson, who is also the president of Food Writers New Zealand, called the winning banger "perfect."
"This sausage was mouth-watering. It really stood out from the rest because of its flavour combination which while unique, wasn't over the top - it was just perfect, really,'' she said.
Paterson praised the butcher behind the winning treat.
"Dan is an extremely passionate butcher and it really shows. The competition is all about finding the best and I'm confident we have done that.''
The 500 entries received this year were all examined carefully and tasted by a panel of judges made up of 24 people from different areas of the food industry.
There was a variety of categories in which the different sausages were entered into -including pork, poultry, beef, continental, black pudding, gourmet and traditional flavours.
The judges included top chefs, food writers and other heavyweight experts within the food industry.
The winner of the People's Choice Award went to New World Rolleston's pork and Tasmanian apple cider sausage.
The Wildcard Winner was awarded to Col's Butchery, in Mount Maunganui, for its free range chicken and parsley entry.


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The chair of the cross-party British Infrastructure Group (BIG), Grant Shapps MP, has called on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate claims of “potential collusion between some major operators,” which it’s alleged may have contributed to the sudden collapse of mobile retailer Phones 4U in 2014.
At present the High Court is in the process of considering a £1bn damages claim in the Phones 4U case, which at its height had around 350 shops across the UK. Such companies tend to be at least partly dependent upon agreements with the main mobile network operators for contract deals and other products (O2, Three UK, Vodafone and EE also have their own competing retail outlets).
As part of that case EE (BT) has sought to defend itself by claiming that the then CEO of O2, Ronan Dunne, attempted to suggest a coordinated withdrawal from independent shops (prior to the Phones 4U collapse). In a separate example EE further claims that one of Vodafone UK’s former bosses, Guy Laurence, tried to discuss pricing for 4G services and an executive for Carphone Warehouse later made a similar approach (i.e. the accusation is that they wanted EE to impose higher charges on consumers).
EE said they did not agree to any of the suggestions and lodged a protest with the lawyers for each company. O2 has denied the claims, while both Vodafone and the Carphone Warehouse declined to comment. All of the operators deny unlawfully colluding to rid the market of Phones 4U.
Grant Shapps MP said (Telegraph):
“Fresh revelations of potential collusion between some major operators will worry consumers and the British Infrastructure Group of MPs is anxious to see the sector come clean. [Mobile operators] can start by ensuring that full competition always benefits consumers.”
Shapps also called on mobile firms to stop “dodgy practices,” such as “continuing to charge full whack after a contract has ended.” We assume the latter is a reference to the issue of mobile and handset bundles, where consumers sometimes continue to pay the full price even after they’ve finished their contract and thus paid-off the cost of the handset. Ofcom are already looking to remedy this with new measures (expected very soon).
The CMA has also declined to comment and no doubt they’ll want to see the outcome of this case before deciding whether or not to investigate further.

domain: news


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UK medical cannabis cultivator Glass Pharms has officially completed the construction of its 2.4 hectare ‘state-of-the-art’ carbon negative cultivation facility just nine months after construction began.
With its products now set to enter the UK medical cannabis supply chain in a matter of months, Glass Pharms says it hopes to disrupt not just the UK market, but the way in which cannabis growers approach sustainability in a notoriously carbon-intensive industry.
Glass Pharms’ Mark Heley told Business of Cannabis: “A lot of people are using dirty processes and then making their business more sustainable by offsetting, what we’re doing is building something that has genuine circular economics built in.”
In December 2021, the company secured £22.5m in funding to build its facility, following two years of research growing to nail down its strategy.
This investment, according to Mr Heley, was secured in a large part due to the company’s focus on sustainability and innovation in terms of reducing its carbon footprint.
“To find the right kind of investors in the UK for major CapEx spend… you’ve got to look at these issues.
“And that’s why we were able to get the support of our investors from an environmental infrastructure investment fund. It’s a very different type of funding, and it’s based on the innovations we’re doing in this space.
“They looked at the 15-year plan that we have in terms of how we’re using the energy, water and resources within the facility. That’s why we were able to attract the right funders.”
Glass Pharms broke ground on its facility in October 2022, a month after announcing that it had partnered with specialist greenhouse manufacturers Kubo to build its growing facility, while Askam Civil Engineering was brought in to construct the its ‘substantial service building’.
“Bringing all of these elements of the project together has been an interesting challenge,” Mr Heley added.
The greenhouse space is designed specifically to minimise energy use, and its height is ‘unusually high’ compared to conventional glass houses. This extra height helps Glass Pharms facilitate a ‘laminar flow’ air current.


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You don't have to look far to notice that one of the biggest changes in how we pay for things is the explosion of "tap-and-go" payments.
Whether it's for a round of drinks or groceries, Australians are more likely to pay for something by waving a plastic card near a terminal than people anywhere else in the world.
But did you know this boom in "contactless" purchases is likely to have added hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy-wide cost of payments?
And guess who ends up wearing that impost, ultimately? That's right – the consumer.
We all know there are parts of the financial system where banks aren't competing as fiercely as we'd like. Well, here is another one of those that I admit is a bit obscure, but important.
Imagine you make a tap-and-go payment using a debit card (let's leave credit cards for another day).
Much of the time, waving the card next to a terminal, instead of inserting it, selecting Cheque or Savings and entering your PIN, is a no-brainer. It often won't cost you any more, and you've saved a few seconds. But that's only what you see as the customer.
In reality, choosing to tap-and-go instead of "dip and PIN" does result in different costs for the retailers, because it means the payment goes through a different set of pipes – the credit card networks owned by Visa or MasterCard.
According to RBA estimates, the merchant will pay an average of about 0.55 per cent of the transaction's value in a "merchant service fee" to their bank when the payment goes through the credit card network. But if it goes through the eftpos (CHQ or SAV) system, this drops to 0.15 per cent.
That may not sound like a big difference – it's an extra 40¢ on a $100 transaction. But across the $270 billion in debit card payments a year in the economy, it adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars in extra fees going to banks and the international card giants.
In other words, all that tapping of debit cards is probably costing merchants hundreds of millions a year more than if people were doing it the old-fashioned way.
That in itself may not be a competition concern because until recently the credit card companies were the only ones providing cards and terminals that could support contactless payments across the economy.
Accepting tap-and-go payments is probably good for retailers' businesses because of the time saved, so there is an argument they should pay a bit extra for it.
Except that now, eftpos has put out its own tap-and-go system, which is capable of making contactless payments at a significantly lower cost than the Visa and Mastercard-run schemes.
Eftpos has released 20 million cards with contactless chips – Commonwealth Bank recently began sending them to customers – and it has terminals that take contactless payments covering 80 per cent of transactions.
Meanwhile, some retailers have been pushing their banks for the option of sending their tap-and-go payments through the eftpos system, instead of via Visa or Mastercard, because as mentioned above, it would save them significant sums.
Yet despite pressure from retailers, the banks aren't yet allowing retailers to have their tap-and-go payments sent through the cheaper eftpos network.
Why does this matter?
Because it suggests some payments are more expensive than they need to be, and it makes you wonder how hard the banks are really competing.
If the major banks were competing fiercely to win the business of these retailers, you might think one of them would have jumped at the chance to provide a less costly way of accepting tap-and-go payments from consumers. This may happen – but it hasn't yet.
A recent Reserve Bank submission says banks are "considering" giving retailers the option of sending their contactless payments through the eftpos network. Such a move would "contribute to a more competitive and efficient payment system", the RBA said.
But the simple fact is the banks have known about this issue for years and haven't done much about it yet, and that's probably because they make more money from the current situation.
Remember, the banks are getting a bigger fee for every contactless payment that goes through the international credit card giants' pipes than they get when you press CHQ or SAV.
This may all sound obscure, but it's caught the eye of Treasurer Scott Morrison. In the discussion about bank fees following last month's blitz on ATM fees, Morrison said he was looking at the fees charged "when you tap your contactless card at the supermarket".
It would not be surprising if the chief executives of Westpac and ANZ Bank face questions on this issue when they appear before the government's banking inquiry this week.
On face value it looks like another example of competition not being up to scratch.
Ross Gittins is on leave.


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Rebecca Grant was recently seen on entertainment news for the three minute update. (celebrity news)
What is Rebecca Grant Wearing?
Rebecca wore a Dolce & Gabbana Black Leather Halter top dress
Swarovski jeweled necklace from the personal collection of Rachel Zoe.
The clip is reminiscent of when Rebecca dressed for E! TV’s Match Mistress. (Dating Special for valentines day)


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The first F.O.O.D. Program article released by C3 Solutions, The Icing on the Cake: Making Omnichannel Grocery Seamlessly Smooth, discusses the various industry factors that are creating serious competitive challenges for food and grocery retailers; placing a special emphasis on the introduction of grocery e-commerce
The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) announced today it is introducing Kroger Pay, a mobile payment solution that securely combines a customer's payment and loyalty card information to create a faster checkout experience.
Visionstate Corp. (TSX-V: VIS) (“Visionstate” or the “Company”) today announced that its IoT cloud-based facility management solution WANDA, through its partner Bunzl Canada, has been implemented in the Greater Toronto Area in two high-traffic grocery stores
Online grocery in the U.S. is on the cusp of a major increase in consumer adoption. New research from Bain & Company and Google, Omnichannel Grocery is Open for Business – and Ready to Grow, predicts e-commerce penetration is expected to at least triple in the next decade
Farmstead, the first online grocer to offer fresh, high-quality groceries, delivered for free, announced today a new offering that brings prices for certain popular staples down even lower than local supermarkets
Peapod Digital Labs, the digital and eCommerce engine for leading grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, has announced a milestone on its journey to help Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brands extend same day grocery delivery
RangeMe, the award-winning online platform revolutionizing new product discovery between product suppliers and top retailers across the country, announced a new partnership with the flourishing California-based retailer Grocery Outlet, a nationwide leader in extreme-value grocery.
As internet-based shopping continues to revolutionize the way Americans purchase goods, more and more companies have turned to Cheer Pack North America to provide sustainable flexible packaging for the e-commerce marketplace
UPS (NYSE:UPS) today said it would expand to 10 additional cities a program that enables its package delivery drivers to use Latch smart access devices to make in-building deliveries to multi-unit buildings securely and conveniently for residents who are not at home to receive packages


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India is expected to grow into one of the auto industry’s superpowers during the next decade, according to a new report by J.D. Power & Associates – and is likely to become the world’s third-largest automotive market by 2020.
The new study, “India Automotive 2020: The Next Giant from Asia,” noted that the vast subcontinental market already surpassed France, the United Kingdom and Italy to become the sixth-largest automotive market in the world in 2010. More than 2.7 million light vehicles were sold in India in 2010, up from just 700,000 a decade earlier.
By 2020, the report projected, India’s automotive volume will grow to 11 million, positioning the nation of 1.2 billion just behind China, with projected annual sales of 35 million units in 2020, and the U.S., where light vehicles sales are pegged to reach 17.4 million.
“India has quickly become one of the largest and fastest-growing automotive markets in the world,” said John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations at J.D. Power and Associates.


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Home > Pressrelease > Europe Steam Boiler Market size worth $6.5 Bn by 2032
Europe Steam Boiler Market size worth $6.5 Bn by 2032
- Published Date: March 23, 2023
Europe Steam Boiler Market size is set to surpass USD 6.5 billion by 2032, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights Inc.
As per the report, surging need for space heating in Europe is a key driver behind market growth. Cooling and heating constitutes nearly 50% of the EU’s energy consumption as the region experiences both very high temperatures during summers and extremely cold weather during winters. In fact, in the backdrop of the ongoing energy crisis, surging disposable income of people in the region, specifically those living in cold countries, in increasingly going towards space heating solutions. Under the EU State aid rules, the European Commission recently approved a €2.98 billion (USD 3.15 billion) German scheme for encouraging district heating by using clean energy.
Easy availability of oil reserves to impel fuel segment expansion
Based on fuel, the oil segment accounted for over 20% of the Europe steam boiler market in 2022, owing to the easy availability of oil, with countries such as Norway sitting on vast oil reserves. The widescale availability of the fuel increases its adoption as a power source for heating systems. In fact, oil is responsible for almost 35% of the region’s energy mix. The region is also a major importer of oil, with total crude oil imports to the region standing at 440.3 million tonnes in 2020. While Russia was a major exporter to the region in 2020, the bloc is currently exploring deals with other oil producing countries to reduce their reliance on Russian energy imports.
Rising government policies to cut carbon emissions to fuel condensing technology segment growth
Europe steam boiler market size from the condensing technology segment is anticipated to reach over USD 5 billion by 2032. Condensing boilers have a low heating cost and are highly energy-efficient as they consume less gas. Shifting government policies towards the utilization of energy-efficient heating technologies to curb carbon emissions in the region are expected to elevate the product demand. To that end, US and Germany entered into a Climate and Energy Partnership in July 2021 to collaborate on deploying critical energy technologies.
Tightening emission control norms to foster commercial application segment growth
Europe steam boiler market from commercial applications is predicted to observe more than 7.5% growth rate by 2032, driven by the growing adoption of strict emission norms to promote the use of advanced, low-carbon heating systems. Increasing spending by private players and publicly traded firms for the expansion of their respective work areas are creating a strong demand for space heating solutions such as steam boilers. Meanwhile, government and private investments towards the upgradation of the region’s healthcare infrastructure is slated to bring further revenue opportunities to the market.
Browse key industry insights spread across 1070 pages with 1564 market data tables & 35 figures & charts from the report, “Europe Steam Boiler Market Size By Capacity, By Fuel (Natural Gas, Oil, Coal), By Technology (Condensing, Non-Condensing), By Application (Commercial, Industrial), COVID-19 Impact Analysis, Forecasts 2023 – 2032”, in detail along with the table of contents:
Strong focus on achieving carbon neutrality across France
France steam boiler market value is projected to witness USD 900 million by 2032, fueled by the French government’s strong resolve towards achieving carbon neutrality. The country has taken a climate pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and become Europe’s first major decarbonized economy. For this purpose, it has set ambitious targets to expedite its transition towards a cleaner and healthier future, further elevate the business scenario for energy-efficient heating systems such as steam boilers. The country’s efforts towards decarbonizing is also creating lucrative opportunities for the market.
Product innovations to define the competitive landscape for Europe steam boiler market
Key participants operating in the global industry are Miura America Co., Clayton Industries, FERROLI, Atlantic Boilers, John Cockerill, Cochran, Hurst Boiler & Welding Co, Hoval, VIESSMANN, and Bosch Industriekessel, among others. Many of these firms are focusing on product innovations to consolidate their standing in a rapidly expanding market.


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On a recent episode of ABC's hit reality show "Shark Tank," investors Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner all walked away from the negotiating table, leaving only Kevin O'Leary. And O'Leary's opening bid to entrepreneurs Charlie Williams and Brad Boskovic was low.
The investor also known as Mr. Wonderful offered the two founders of the personalized wrapping paper start-up DigiWrap $150,000 for 50 percent equity in their company.
Bags made by DigiWrap retail for $8.50 and are sold through a third-party retailer, Zazzle. Tissue paper is sold direct to consumer, starting at $10.99 a sheet.


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The deal originally proposed that Diageo will buy a 26% share in the Indian spirits company through a combination of share purchase from existing promoters and preferential allotment of shares, totalling close to 38 million shares Rs 1,440 apiece.
However, it is understood that only 65,000 shares were tendered in, with the stock currently a premium of 44% over the offer price at 2,077 a share. As yet, there has been no official confirmation from either party.
This development is the latest in a long line surrounding the bid. Back at the beginning of March, the Indian Competition Commission approved its 1.28 billion pound purchase of a stake in United Spirits after Indian authorities questioned whether a put clause in the agreement was compliant with local legislation, following initial concerns that the deal would have an adverse impact on competition.
Since then, mid-April saw Diageo report slowing growth in its third-quarter interims, although the quarter did see a strong price/mix, boosted by price increases taken on U.S. spirits brands since May 2012. The shares have dropped 6% since reaching an all-time high last month, and currently yield around 2.2%.
If you're looking for another company that should soar in price, though, we've pinpointed our favorite growth share and produced a special report in which we evaluate its finances, risks, and growth prospects going forward. Simply click here to get your copy delivered to your inbox immediately -- completely free.


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NORTHBROOK, Ill., April 1 /PRNewswire/ — Since 2003, actor Dennis Haysbert has delivered his trademark baritone, reassuring messages such as “That’s Allstate’s Stand” and “Are you in Good Hands(R)?” throughout commercials created by Allstate, the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Now, he is making his Spanish-speaking debut in several new Spanish-language television commercials that emphasize the importance of having the best protection and assure viewers that “Con Allstate, estás en buenas manos.” (“With Allstate, you’re in Good Hands(R).”)
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/allstate/43303/
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100401/MM80284 )
“Research has shown that Hispanic consumers view Dennis as a well-recognized, trusted and powerful presence in our advertising,” said Georgina Flores, senior marketing manager for Allstate Insurance Company.
Haysbert will appear in several new commercials this year, including one that will launch in coming months titled, “Protection.” The ad reinforces the fact that because consumers want to protect their families, Allstate provides them with the best protection at a price that’s affordable: “Allstate pone la mejor protección a tu alcance.” (“Allstate gives you the best protection that’s within your reach.”)
“These new ads, like all of Allstate’s marketing efforts targeting the Hispanic community, demonstrate the various ways that Allstate actively protects customers everyday. We are a company that truly cares about providing quality service to our customers and our communities, and Allstate is here to provide that service twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, where, when and how customers want to be serviced,” Flores added.
Presently, Haysbert can be seen in “Enough,” which emphasizes how local Allstate agents can help consumers save money, and “Cell Phone,” which promotes the importance of safe driving and specifically, the Safe Driving Bonus(R) check feature of Allstate’s Your Choice Auto(R) insurance product.
Another new commercial, “Break Up,” will emphasize the ease of switching to Allstate with the assistance of an Allstate agent, and the savings consumers can enjoy if they do, and will feature music by Jose Jose, a popular Mexican singer know among generations of Hispanics for his romantic ballads. Another commercial slated to air in coming months (“Good Night”) will showcase Allstate’s 24/7 availability — via Allstate agents, online or via phone.
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate(R)” slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via http://www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate(R).
(Spanish-language Web site available at http://www.miallstate.com.)


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There may have been more to Disney+'s rough launch last week. While subscribers were told the company's platforms weren't functioning properly due to the amount of people trying to access the site, the BBC has confirmed that thousands of accounts were apparently compromised at the same time. Now the company is warning Disney+ accounts in Canada were hacked — and strangers may be using your account.
While some people are blaming Disney's inability to launch properly, experts are attributing it to something else: re-using passwords.
People are warned time and time again not to re-use passwords across multiple platforms because hackers are able to retrieve that account information and use it to hack into Disney+ and Netflix subscriptions.
An analyst from BBC explained, "Whilst many may consider having a unique password for each online service to be difficult to manage, password managers simplify this process and allow you to generate and securely store unique difficult-to-guess passwords."
Because Disney+ is not currently launched worldwide, these illegal accounts are in high demand.
Although most subscribers have realized their accounts were broken into, recovery of their account is anything but easy. Once hackers are in, they change your password, email, and delete all devices connected to the account leaving you essentially with no access.
These unlucky people, as of now, have received no support from Disney+ and are venting their frustrations on Twitter.
One user jokingly said that Disney+ security is from the same era as the first Lion King film.
So not only does this suck but it also goes towards something I was noticing with Disney+ the security seems from t… https://t.co/A8leoOlitp— KurtzOperations (@KurtzOperations) 1574024948
Another user also warned users that their hacked accounts also include any memberships you have with the Disney Store and the Disney Vacation Club, "@disneyplus HUGE security issue- all Disney accounts are linked together so they have the same password. This means a hack on one is a hack on all. Spending the morning on the phone with Disney Vacation Club. Got access back to DVC and http://Disneyworld.com but not Disney+ :(."
@disneyplus HUGE security issue- all Disney accounts are linked together so they have the same password. This means… https://t.co/RtAQCcbxT1— Alicia (@Alicia) 1574011783
Narcity may receive a portion of sales if you purchase something from this article, which was created independently by Narcity's editorial team just for you.


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Brussels, Belgium, 26 September 2017 – the European BIC Network publicly launches today its ‘EU|BIC Impact Report 2017’ highlighting the trends of the last three years (2014-2016). This report compiled from quantitative and qualitative data shows the added value EU|BICs create in the European economy and in their regional ecosystems. Supporting more than 82,000 clients, and facilitating the creation of more than 12,400 startups, the EU|BICs helped to generate over 75,000 jobs and leveraged more than 1.96 billion euros in funding for innovative small businesses, shifting from public funding to private.
As confirmed by the report launched today, EU|BICs demonstrate their role in making the European economies grow. The three-year time span shows that, after completing the EU|BIC support programmes, the survival rate of the companies is at 87%. The results also show that EU|BICs have fulfilled their inherent public mission by fostering entrepreneurship and innovation values at the local and regional level. Over the three years, the 150 quality-certified business and innovation centres hosted 11,622 promotional events to stimulate innovative entrepreneurship engaging a total number of 619,650 participants from Europe and overseas.
Javier Echarri, Chief Executive Officer at EBN, welcomes the launch of this report: “The professional support that EU|BICs are providing to the courageous entrepreneurs knocking at their doors demonstrate the EU|BIC model is highly effective at scaling-up Europe’s innovative small businesses. The certification process and the strict quality criteria EU|BICs run through, position them as the trustable business support organisations in Europe.”
With 150 certified business and innovation centres, during the reported period, providing business support to more than 33,000 startups, almost 47,000 SMEs and over 1,500 large companies, the EBN network positions itself as a key player within the European innovation ecosystem, one that has a clear understanding of how to scale up the potentialities of Europe’s startups and SMEs. Based on this evidence, EBN continuously invites European and regional authorities to adopt the EU|BIC model in deploying more efficient business support schemes that deliver sustainable jobs and growth through innovation, a position that has been clearly backed by the European Court of Auditors in its 2014 report (“Special Report: Has the ERDF successfully supported the development of business incubators?”).
Patrick Valverde, Chairman of EBN commented: “The EU|BICs have been working to enhance and promote entrepreneurs since the 1980’s. We have collectively embraced a culture of permanent evolution to be better aligned to the market and more international, and consequently cater to the ever changing conditions that the entrepreneurs face”.
EBN is an established not-for-profit international association of EU|BICs, incubators, innovation centres, clusters and other intermediaries who help innovative startups and SMEs develop their innovative businesses. Our members are mostly public-private partnerships with a local economic development remit. EBN’s 250 members are spread over 40 countries in and out of Europe. Of those, around 150 are labelled quality-certified EU|BICs (Business and Innovation Centres). These EU|BICs are exclusively awarded a quality label by EBN that attests the excellence of their business support services. Every year, EBN conducts a performance survey to those 150 EU|BICs in order to track, identify and analyse the network’s added value to the economy. To date, EBN members have created thousands of new businesses and tens of thousands of new skilled and sustainable jobs.
EU|BICs – incubators, accelerators and other business support organisations whose quality of support services delivered to entrepreneurs is uniquely certified by EBN in collaboration with the European Commission.


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MODESTO — Greens Market is now Greens Table. And Greens Central is becoming The Bistro at Greens Central.
That may sound confusing, but the changes make sense, according to Steve Smith, general manager of Greens.
Greens Market opened in February 2011 at 10th and Needham streets. At the time, owner Ann Endsley said the goal was to open a deli and grocery store focusing on local, seasonal and organic food. Roughly 40 percent of the business was prepared food.
But the quiches, brownies and lunch specials proved far more popular than expected, Smith said. Greens found itself a popular morning coffee and lunch stop for downtown residents and employees.
The only problem with that: no kitchen at Greens Market. The food was made at the former Modesto Joe's location on 10th Street, which eventually opened as Greens Central.
Now, the original Greens has moved into the former Lunch Pail location on Bangs Road off McHenry Avenue, and the downtown Greens is expanding. Smith said the bigger Bistro at Greens Central will open in about two weeks; in the meantime, downtown Greens fans still can get their coffee at Greens Central.
As for the grocery items, Greens Table still will feature "unique, one-of-a-kind items" that proved popular, but won't carry produce and other fresh food, Smith said.
Elsewhere around the Business Beat:
Goodwill also is on the move, but not nearly as far.
"We're moving across the street," said Sally Wooden, public relations director for Goodwill Industries of San Joaquin Valley Inc. The thrift store is moving out of its longtime location at 2500 McHenry Ave. into a bigger spot at the former Rite Aid drug store.
"They are rebuilding that shopping center from the ground up," Wooden said. "We're excited about that. Everything is just going to be brand-new about that store."
That includes the stock. Wooden said Goodwill is planning a big sale in advance of the move, tentatively set for late March. "That way, all we have to do is move our fixtures," she said.
Bleachers, the sports-themed hamburger spot near Five Points on McHenry Avenue, has closed. A message on the eatery's Facebook page says the business could not survive the struggling economy, but that its owners are working on a new venture. So stay tuned
Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Patty Guerra at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; (209) 578-2343 or email@example.com.


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Moody’s Analytics announces the launch of Supply Chain Catalyst, a data and analytics platform for monitoring and managing supply chain risk. The solution helps organizations identify structural vulnerabilities and anticipate potential disruptions across their supply chain by providing a 360-degree view of suppliers across financial, sustainability, reputational and operational risk factors.
Gartner top data and analytics trends help accelerate renewal, drive innovation and rebuild organizations and society over the next three to five years. Leverage these trends into must-have investments to enable recovery.
By the end of 2024, 75% of enterprises will shift from piloting to operationalizing AI, driving a fivefold increase in streaming data and analytics infrastructures.


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Washington (October 3, 2019) – On the one-year anniversary of Senate passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), members of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, wrote to Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao demanding that she take immediate action to comply with the law by removing Frances Smith from the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee (ACPAC) and appoint a legitimate consumer advocate to fill her seat. In the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act, Congress reestablished the ACPAC to evaluate existing consumer protection programs and, if necessary, provide the Secretary with recommendations to improve existing programs or create new ones. The Secretary is required to appoint four members to the committee, one of whom must represent “nonprofit public interest groups with expertise in consumer protection matters.” DOT has intentionally flouted the law by filling the consumer protection seat with Frances Smith of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an anti-regulation think tank with a predisposition to oppose efforts to improve or expand DOT’s aviation consumer protection programs.
“The flying public is legitimately upset with the commercial airline industry — over sky-high fees, massive IT meltdowns, shrinking seats, and the transparency of fare and fee information,” write the Senators in their letter to Secretary Chao. “As the nation’s only aviation cop on the beat, it is the DOT’s obligation to protect the flying public from abusive consumer practices — with the help of the ACPAC. At a minimum, this includes ensuring that the ACPAC has the congressionally mandated consumer representation.”
In addition to calling on Secretary Chao to replace Frances Smith, Senators Markey and Blumenthal also requested information about DOT’s process for identifying and appointing a consumer representative.
A copy of the letter can be found HERE.


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WIKIMEDIA, RAGESOSSIn what has been a very busy year for biopharmaceutical industry mergers and acquisitions, one of the most active players on the scene, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, has snapped up another company in a multibillion-dollar deal. Teva announced last week (October 1) that it would acquire Mexican drugmaker Representaciones e Investigaciones Médicas, S.A. de C.V. (Rimsa) for $2.3 billion. The deal will make Teva a leading pharma company in Mexico, which experts identify as one of the top five emerging markets in the world.
“This acquisition delivers on our strategy of increasing our presence in key emerging markets in order to position Teva for long-term growth in these markets,” Teva CEO Erez Vigodman said in a statement. “Rimsa will provide Teva with a significant platform for growth by combining the strong Rimsa brand, licensed portfolio of differentiated, patent-protected products, promising pipeline, significant relationships with physicians, patients and healthcare...
Rimsa reported revenue of $227 million in 2014 and has grown by about 10.6 percent, year-over-year since 2011. The transaction is expected to be completed by early 2016.
Earlier this year, Teva bought Allergan Generics for a whopping $40.5 billion and made a failed $40 billion-dollar bid to buy Mylan Pharmaceuticals.


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If you have an Xbox One, you may have noticed a new system update earlier this week. As part of the update Microsoft added web results into the Xbox One search function. Using Bing as a back end, Xbox One allows users to perform simple, natural language voice searches using the Kinect microphone.
Starting this week with the new update, Xbox Bing will return not only games, music, and video results from the Xbox marketplace, it will also include relevant items from the web.
If you choose to Internet Explorer on your Xbox One, you can now also highlight text on any web page, then press the menu button to activate Bing search for the highlighted terms. This is similar to the Lasso search feature unrolled on Bing for iPad a few years ago.
Meet Your Favorite Search Engine Watch Contributors
Many of SEW’s leading expert contributors will be at ClickZ Live, the new online and digital marketing event kicking off in New York (March 31-April 3). Hear from the likes of:
Eric Enge and more!


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Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Home Care Packages
At the request of Senator Polley, I move:
That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) the latest waiting list for aged care home packages for the December quarter indicates there are around 105 000 vulnerable older Australians waiting for the home care package for which they have been approved,
(ii) the waiting list includes 82 000 older Australians waiting with high needs—many are living with dementia, and
(iii) the waiting list has grown by almost 15 000 since the home care package reforms were introduced by the Government just a year ago;
(b) calls on the Minister for Aged Care to explain why he described the current waiting list as being on a "positive trajectory"; and
(c) condemns the Turnbull Government for failing to care for older Australians and providing no solutions to deal with the growing home care package waiting list crisis.
The coalition government is committed to quality care for senior Australians, with a record $18.6 billion of aged-care investment in 2017-18, part of nearly $100 billion committed over five years. In February 2017, we transitioned to a new home-care system which gives consumers more choice and control over their care. This new system for the first time allows us to better understand the extent of demand for home care packages and uncovers the extent of the problem left by the former Labor government. In September 2017, we announced the release of 6,000 additional level 3 and 4 home care packages over 2017-18, more than doubling the planned growth of high-level packages this year. We are now releasing around 3,000 home care packages on a weekly basis. This is a record delivery of home care packages and supports the minister's statement of a positive trajectory.
Question agreed to.


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heyThe lawsuit targeting the Play Store, an ‘online’ store for getting apps and other digital content on Android phones, comes at a time when major information technology companies are facing increasing criticism and lawsuits.
“We are bringing this lawsuit to end Google’s illegal monopoly and ultimately give a voice to millions of consumers and business owners,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“This company has inspired millions of consumers to look to Google, and Google alone, to access the millions of applications they want to download to their mobile phones and tablets.”
The lawsuit, backed by 37 attorneys general, accuses Google of employing anti-competitive methods to discourage app distribution through channels other than its Play Store, whose payment system charges transaction fees.
“Android and Google Play provide an openness and choice that other platforms don’t have,” said Wilson White, Google’s director of public policy.
At the same time, the decision is expected in a lawsuit brought by Epic Games against Apple for abusing the dominant position in its online store, the App Store.
The App Store is the only place for apps and other content for the iPhone and other devices running the iOS operating system.
Conversely, those using Android mobile hardware can obtain applications through means other than the Play Store.
ALSO READ: Trump announces class action lawsuit against Facebook, Google and Twitter


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YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) forecast a better-than-expected 14.4 percent fall in annual operating profit on Thursday, defying a quake-induced setback in the past few months and projecting another year of record sales.
Japan’s No. 2 automaker forecast an operating profit of 460 billion yen (3.5 billion pounds) for the year to March 2012, above an average forecast of 432 billion yen in a survey of 21 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn had flagged a positive surprise for sales a day earlier, saying the numbers would call for “significantly higher” volumes this year.
Speaking at a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker event on Wednesday, Ghosn had also said Nissan was “very near” normal production levels after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disrupted the industry’s supply chain on an unprecedented scale.
Nissan expects net profit of 270 billion yen, down 15.4 percent from last year, assuming an average dollar rate of 80 yen and euro of 115 yen. Revenue is seen rising 7.1 percent to 9.4 trillion yen, and Nissan plans to double its dividend to 20 yen this year.
Before the forecasts, Nissan’s shares ended up 1.3 percent, taking a cue from Ghosn’s bullish comments on Wednesday.
Nissan has been charging ahead in China and has been laying the groundwork for industry-beating growth in other emerging markets such as India and Russia. Plans to accelerate growth in Brazil are also in the pipeline and will be announced soon, Ghosn said on Wednesday.
For the 2011/12 business year, Nissan expects sales to rise 9.9 percent to 4.60 million vehicles, and for production to climb 11.2 percent to 4.613 million vehicles.
“The volume is stronger than what anyone expected,” said Kurt Sanger, analyst at Deutsche Securities.
Nissan’s operating profit exceeds the guidance provided by domestic rivals Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Honda Motor Co (7267.T), which expect 300 billion yen and 200 billion yen respectively. Toyota and Honda, unlike Nissan, report under U.S. accounting standards, meaning their profits made in China are excluded from the operating line.
“What is emerging since the quake is that everyone’s reality is different. You could say that Honda may be erring on the side of conservatism, but then you also have to note that they still can’t build the Civic, their core product, and that’s 20 percent of their U.S. sales,” Sanger said.
By region, Nissan sees sales in China, its biggest market, rising 12.3 percent to 1.150 million vehicles, and growing 7.7 percent in the United States to 1.04 million vehicles.
In Europe, it expects growth of 10.4 percent to 670,000 cars, while sales in Japan are seen rising 1.7 percent to 610,000.
Ghosn, also CEO of Nissan partner Renault SA (RENA.PA), is due to outline a roadmap for the next six years at Nissan on Monday.
Earlier, Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T) also unveiled consensus-beating forecasts, sending its shares up 3.1 percent by the close.
Additional reporting by Mayumi Negishi; Editing by Chris Gallagher


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It would appear that the Detroit motor show of 2014 is pulling out pleasure after pleasure for motor enthusiasts and they haven’t stopped yet. The Subaru Impreza WRX STI is making a return to the UK market! OK so it hasn’t officially been unveiled as a WRX STI, but the stylings are somewhat recognizable with the huge rear wing and bonnet scoop helping us reminisce of times gone by.
So the latest Subaru Impreza looks like what you’d expect it to, and it seems we will be getting the performance to match. A 2.5-litre flat-four turbo, 305hp and 290lb ft that is set in motion with a six speed manual gearbox with Subaru’s latest Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and torque vectoring. There is also said to be a race spec Impreza WRX STI that will be competing at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in June, so you can imagine that getting more out of your own won’t take much at all. Subaru are also promising that the latest Impreza will be a much more compliant ride with meticulously re-tuned’ springs and dampers helping to accompany a more responsive drive, that has been tested at the previously mentioned Nurbugring.
Worried about spending £30k on a Subaru Impreza WRX STI though? It’s a problem that many drivers have had in the past which has lead to Subaru losing out on potential buyers to the likes of BMW. This is an issue that Subaru have addressed this time around and we have to say that it makes a hell of a lot of sense when you think how competitive this market will be this year. Soft touch materials along with new trim and dials aim to provide ‘both a suitably sporty feel and more upmarket ambience’. All very promising and certainly an improvement on previous models, but unfortunately the rest of Europe have fine tuned their interiors over the years and we feel that Subaru may still just lack on this particular issue. The fact still remains however, that this is a Subaru Impreza WRX STI. They have always been exciting and the new version is available for £4,000 less than the previous model at a value of £28,995 and that is putting it right in the mix of a very exciting market. It will be up against the likes of the New Seat Leon, the Megane 265 and what is looking to be it’s closest competition the new Audi S3. Come May we will find out just how impressive the latest Impreza WRX STI will be and to say we are excited is an understatement.
Keith Michaels are Subaru Car Insurance Specialists and over the years we have put together schemes that are aimed specifically at these vehicles. On top of that we are able to offer quotes for Modified Car insurance, Performance Car Insurance and Japanese Import Car Insurance at extremely competitive rates. For your quote call our team today.


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Rivian has recently unveiled the latest addition to its lineup, the Rivian Travel Kitchen. While the spotlight may currently be on the debut of the R2 electric SUV and the teaser for the upcoming R3 and R3X electric crossovers, the Travel Kitchen is a noteworthy development in itself.
Unlike its previous design meant to fit into the Gear Tunnel, the new Travel Kitchen is now designed to attach to the back of Rivian’s models, making it compatible with more than just the R1T. It is also compatible with the new Rivian Cargo Box, offering additional storage options. The portable kitchen includes a Cooler, Water Tank, and a branded cookware set.
The decision to switch to a new mounting system makes sense in light of Rivian’s recent announcements focusing on SUV and crossover models, rather than smaller pickups. With no plans for an R2T or R3T at the moment, Rivian is committed to its current lineup of larger vehicles.
Overall, the Rivian Travel Kitchen introduces a versatile and portable cooking solution for Rivian owners, highlighting the brand’s commitment to innovation and convenience in their vehicles.


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By Chris Kelly, VP, North America Transportation & Logistics, Zebra Technologies, www.zebra.com
A new study shows how transportation and logistics companies are embracing the Internet of Things to transform their industry.
The demands of customers and regulators on transportation and logistics (T&L) companies continue to increase amidst staff shortages and tight margins. How can these companies at the heart of the economy respond? Better and faster access to information can help. One way to improve that access is to leverage the Internet of Things (IoT). And, the T&L industry is at the forefront of that trend.
According to a recent survey by Forrester Consulting, 96 percent of T&L companies agree the IoT is the most strategic technological initiative their organization will undertake in the next decade. In fact, 90 percent of T&L companies either have or plan to deploy IoT solutions within a year.


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General Motors in the US is battling its way through difficult times. It has stated now that once it steers clear of its bankruptcy it will acquire some of its strongest overseas business operations including General Motors India.
"The new company will acquire GM's strongest operations. They include GM subsidiaries outside the United States, including its operations in India and rest of the Asia Pacific region, which will continue to operate without interruption," General Motors India (GMI) said in a statement.
"The new GM will have a very positive impact on GM's operations in India as well. It will enable us to continue to take advantage of our company's global resources through the introduction of exciting new products and the continued commitment to our expansion plans for India," GMI President and Managing Director Karl Slym said.
General Motors India has remained unaffected from the unrest in parent company. GM India has already launched new models and other launches are already underway for the coming months. General Motors is planning to launch its crossover model Cruze shortly in India. It has also confirmed that it will launch its mini car also in India by the year end.


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The milestone comes just over a year after announcing the platform’s freelancers earned one billion dollars
Fiverr (NYSE: FVRR), the company that is changing how the world works together, today announced that freelancers selling digital services through its platform have collectively earned over two billion dollars. Notably, half of that two billion was earned in just over a year, as in February 2020 it announced that Fiverr freelancers had earned over one billion dollars since the company’s launch a decade prior.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005118/en/
Freelancers on Fiverr Have Earned Over 2 Billion Dollars (Graphic: Business Wire)
“This impressive milestone symbolizes the increase in trust business owners have had working with freelancers over the past year,” said Fiverr Founder & CEO Micha Kaufman. “Fiverr is growing fast, underscoring that businesses see the benefit of integrating freelancers into their organizations, as their agility and skills offer flexible, quick, and cost-effective solutions. Remote work has been the mode of work during the pandemic and because of its success, it is here to stay.”
While the entire Fiverr platform grew immensely over the past year, key categories that saw massive amounts of growth and categories where freelancers are earning the most money include:
- E-Commerce Development
- Architecture & Interior Design
- Voice Over
- Graphics for Streamers
There is a high earning potential among these categories, with sellers charging thousands of dollars for many of their services. Pro Illustration sellers are charging over $6,000 for some services, and in Pro E-Commerce Development sellers are offering services well over $3,000. Similarly, in Architecture & Interior Design, sellers' prices can range from hundreds to over $2,500 depending on the service, and Voice Over sellers charge well into the thousands for audiobooks. With increasing demand for skilled freelancers in Character Modeling and Short Video Ads, the prices are rising here too. This is likely due, in part, to the shutdown of real world video and campaign shoots, as well as the immense rise in popularity of short video clips on TikTok and Reels.
Over the course of the past year, Fiverr saw freelancers joining its platform in record numbers, whether it was to find a new source of income or to simply monetize their skills while spending more time at home. Entrepreneurs continued to tap into freelance talent for help building new companies and small business owners turned to them to digitally transform and adapt to changing customer needs. Working with freelancers has proven to be an invaluable resource for businesses around the world, and the subsequent earnings clearly demonstrate this. In just over one year Fiverr freelancers matched the amount of earnings from the past decade.
Fiverr’s mission is to change how the world works together. For over 10 years, the Fiverr platform has been at the forefront of the future of work connecting businesses of all sizes with skilled freelancers offering digital services in more than 500 categories, across 9 verticals including graphic design, digital marketing, programming, video and animation. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2021, over 3.8 million customers bought a wide range of services from freelancers across more than 160 countries. We invite you to become part of the future of work by visiting us at fiverr.com, read our blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


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5/11/2023 – Margaritaville at Sea has announced that it will be suspending service on its only ship Paradise from May 21 to June 1 in
3/9/2023 After receiving approval from the Bahamian government, Royal Caribbean is set to move forward with the first ROYAL BEACH CLUB, which will be at
2/2/2023 – New shops are coming to VIRGIN VOYAGES! Starboard Cruise Services, owned by LVHM (Louis Vuitton Hennessy Moet), will be taking the place of
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Bullet for My Valentine’s New Album: First-Week Sales Revealed
Bullet for My Valentine’s new, self-titled album has debuted with No. 153 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, racking up 7,700 album equivalent units (6,000 of which were pure album sales).
Lambgoat notes that this number, though impressive by many (if not most) metal standards, marks a major fall-off for Bullet for My Valentine: it’s their first album since their 2003 debut, The Poison, not to sell at least 20,000 copies right out of the gate and crack the Top 20 of the aforementioned Billboard 200.
By way of comparison, here are the first week figures for BFMV’s albums released in-between The Poison and their eponymous offering:
- Scream Aim Fire (2005) — 53,000 copies – No. 4 on the Billboard 200
- Fever (2010) — 71,000 — No. 3
- Temper Temper (2013) — 41,000 — No. 13
- Venom (2015) — 21,000 — No. 8
- Gravity (2018) — 26,000 — No. 17
So, yeah, this new album is a precipitous drop.
I could not for the life of me tell you what happened here. I don’t like Bullet for My Valentine and I don’t know what makes any of their albums better or worse than any of their other albums. I don’t think the pandemic or even just general modern day industry B.S. (e.g., illegal downloading) explains a 71% sales drop from just four years ago. And it’s not like the band didn’t promote the record.
I’d like to think this is because all of Bullet for My Valentine’s audience collectively heard Rust in Peace for the first time and realized this band sucks. That’s probably not what really happened, either, though.
Speculate recklessly in the comments section.


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Before it ends, the coronavirus crisis described by the U.S. government as "our Pearl Harbor moment" will likely kill hundreds of thousands of Americans while the nation sinks further into recession, if not a full-blown depression. Small businesses will shutter. Hourly workers will become homeless. Unemployment will continue to soar, exposing a fragile system left in place after decades of globalization.
Stimulus money might help, but what the United States really needs is a self-sustaining, homegrown commodity that would benefit everyone, from the agricultural farmer to the medical patient, as well as all the clerks and customers in between — not to mention the hospitals and clinics experiencing severe shortages of gloves, face masks, and gowns.
That commodity would be hemp, a powerhouse of a plant that until recently had been criminalized by the federal government because it is a cannabis derivative, although it does not contain enough THC to get a person high. Legalized at the federal level with the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp is expected to become a billion-dollar industry in Florida and has the potential to be a godsend for multi-generational farmers who have suffered economically since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the 1990s.
Florida, in fact, is the only state where hemp can be grown year-round. During the summer, farmers can grow industrial hemp for its fiber, and in winter, they can produce CBD-rich hemp.
"The rest of the United States can only produce 70 percent of what we can produce in Florida," says Glenn Whitworth of Whitworth Farms in Boynton Beach. "We can get four harvests a year when other places are lucky to get two, maybe three."
Whitworth Farms once boasted the freshest tomatoes in the region but went out of business after it was unable to keep up with cheaper imports from Mexico. Today it is back in operation as a hemp farm through a partnership with Green Point Research, a Florida biotech company that sells bulk cannabinoid extracts to other companies for use in their products.
But if history is any indicator, Whitworth says, the American farmer will probably end up getting screwed once the market becomes saturated with cheaper hemp from abroad. After all, Mexico is preparing to become a major player in the future global market after it legalizes marijuana and hemp, which the country planned to do this month before the virus postponed all legislative action.
"The only thing that is going to keep farmers alive is possibly hemp, and the only thing that is going to keep the hemp industry alive in Florida is making it so the farmer doesn't have to compete with other nations to supply my nation," Whitworth says. "That's an immediate turnoff to farmers."
While the country is on economic lock down, it might be a good time to rethink the outsourcing of all manufacturing to foreign countries for the sole benefit of shareholders and executives.
"The economy needs to change in a way that's resilient," says David Hasenauer, CEO of Green Point Research. "We need to get back to the idea of localization. And that's where hemp really benefits as a feed stock for all these manufacturing components, whether it's packaging, 3D printing, or making masks and ventilators."
Hemp is a super-food, rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. It is also rich in non-psychoactive cannabinoids, including CBD. Hemp can be grown for its industrial fiber, which has served humanity for tens of thousands of years. It can even be turned into toilet paper.
In 1942, less than a year after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in a raid that sent the United States into World War II, the nation was facing shortages of fiber, so the federal government encouraged farmers in Kentucky and Wisconsin to grow hemp to be used in ropes, parachutes, and uniforms. The government even produced the propaganda film Hemp for Victory, which shows how hemp can be turned into fiber.
It was a hypocritical move. Only five years earlier, the federal government had made marijuana illegal after manipulating the masses into believing weed was the Devil's lettuce. Immediately after the war, the hemp program was shut down, and the government later tried to deny it existed.
In today's war against coronavirus, hemp can come in handy in other ways. Klaus Wallace, the owner of Rawganique, a hemp-fiber producer in Washington state, offers a hemp face mask, which sold out at one point last week when governors and mayors throughout the United States began mandating the use of masks to prevent the spread of the virus. Wallace is quick to say his masks are not medical grade or comparable to the N95 masks that have been in high demand.
"It was originally designed as a dust mask to use when you are cleaning your workshop or house or bathroom, as well as when you have a cold or flu and you need to go outside. You wear a mask so you don't infect other people," says Wallace, who has been in the hemp industry for more than two decades and sells a wide range of hemp clothing, accessories, and bed and bath products. "Turns out the coronavirus is similar to the flu because infection is through droplets, so it stands to reason [a hemp mask] has a certain amount of protection."
For many people, hemp is medicine that can be purchased over-the-counter at certain retail shops, including the Hemp Pantry in Inverness, which sells products such as hemp flower and CBD honey. But those retailers were left seeking clarification after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all nonessential businesses closed.
DeSantis' list of essential services is broad and includes gun shops, hardware stores, and car dealerships. But it makes no mention of hemp retailers, which is why Carlos Lopez-Cantera, president of the Hemp Industries Association of Florida, wrote an op-ed for the Sun Sentinel earlier this month calling for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to designate the industry as "critical infrastructure," which would allow it to remain in operation during emergencies.
Medical marijuana dispensaries, which sell CBD products along with the psychoactive THC products, have been allowed to remain open as essential businesses, and sales have been skyrocketing as patients stockpile cannabis for the long haul. However, only medical marijuana patients registered with the state are allowed to purchase products from dispensaries. No such permit is needed to buy products from the hemp retailers because their products contain only traces of THC.
"The healing properties are in all the cannabinoids, not just THC," says Rebekah Potter, operating manager of Hemp Pantry. "Not everybody wants to get high. I have people who don't react well to THC. What's going to happen in the next 30 days when they can't get what they need to be able to function every day?"
Unsure of how to proceed, Potter says, she is accepting orders only online and by phone.
Hasenauer, the CEO of Green Point Research, hopes the federal government will recognize hemp as an essential commodity as it did during World War II.
"It's the same concept, except we are fighting the virus instead of the Nazis," he says. "There will be more viruses and more issues that we have to deal with as a human race, and we need as many alternative therapies as possible. And we need localized manufacturing of all those things."
Written By: Carlos Miller


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Orders for Durable Goods Surge on Aircraft Demand
Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News
Orders for U.S. durable goods jumped in July by the most on record as bookings surged for commercial aircraft. Demand for business equipment eased after the biggest gain in seven months.
Bookings for all goods meant to last at least three years rose 22.6%, the Commerce Department said. A U.K. air show helped spark a 318% jump in plane orders, the most since January 2011. Orders for non-military capital goods excluding aircraft fell 0.5% last month after a June increase of 5.4% that was the strongest since November.
Prospects that demand will be sustained are giving companies reason to make larger investments in their operations. Persistent job growth that keeps households spending, along with a pickup in overseas markets, would help provide an added boost for manufacturers.
“When you get past the volatility of the aircraft, what you’re seeing is continued firming in core business spending,” said Tim Quinlan, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities. “The underlying trend here is ongoing moderate pace” of capital investment, he said.
The median forecast of 78 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News estimated total durable goods orders would climb 8%. June orders rose a revised 2.7%. Estimates ranged from a 0.5% gain to a 38.1% surge after a previously reported June increase of 1.7%.
The July gain in durables orders also reflected increased demand for automobiles. Bookings for motor vehicles climbed by the most since August 2009.
A boost in transactions for aircraft helped lift the overall goods figure. Boeing Co., the Chicago-based aerospace company, said it received 324 orders for planes last month, almost three times the 109 tally in June. The company’s reported deals picked up at the Farnborough Air Show in England last month.
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Reproduction, redistribution, display or rebroadcast by any means without written permission is prohibited.


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Apple has reportedly approved to update the cloud-based instant messaging app "Telegram" on iOS after its CEO, a Russian internet entrepreneur, Pavel Durov complained about the iPhone-maker blocking the app updates in a public "Telegram" message.
"Apple has been preventing 'Telegram' from updating its iOS apps globally ever since the Russian authorities ordered Apple to remove 'Telegram' from the app store," Durav wrote on Friday.
"While Russia makes up only 7 per cent of Telegram's userbase, Apple is restricting updates for all Telegram users around the world since mid-April."
The Russian government banned Telegram in April because the messaging app company, in an ongoing court trial in Russia refused to hand over encryption keys that would allow the country's "Federal Security Service (FSB)", access to sensitive user data.
Along with Amazon and Google Cloud platforms, the Russian government requested Apple also to pull "Telegram" off their respective app stores to which the Cupertino, California-headquarted did not succumb, The Verge reported.
"Thank you @Apple and @tim_cook for letting us deliver the latest version of @telegram to millions of users, despite the recent setbacks," Durov tweeted on Saturday.
Apple iOS 11 is here: From AR to better multi-tasking, here’s how it will change your iPhone and iPad experience
Launched in 2013, "Telegram" was invented by Durov, who frequently clashed with the security services over his social network "VKontakte" and left Russia in 2014.
"By attempting to block the 'Telegram' messaging app, the Russian authorities are launching the latest in a series of attacks on online freedom of expression in the country," Denis Krivosheev, the human rights group's deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia had said in April.
(With IANS Inputs)


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GLOBAL COSMETICS COMPANY SPONSORED SYMPOSIUM ON SKIN BARRIERS AND SKIN REDNESS AMONG RENOWNED DERMATOLOGISTS
DALLAS, TX (November 11, 2019) – As a leader in skincare innovation worldwide, Mary Kay Inc. continued its commitment to advance skin science as a symposium sponsor at the 44th annual meeting of The Japanese Society of Investigative Dermatology (JSID). At the conference held Nov. 8 – 10 in Aomori, Japan, the symposium on skin barriers and skin redness provided a collaborative environment to share technological advances and breakthroughs on skin health.
Established in 1981, the mission of JSID is to advance inspire and energize the next generation of dermatologists by encouraging collaboration and scientific exchange between all dermatology societies. The society also aims to bolster the position of dermatology in the interdisciplinary world by enhancing the quality of science and research to maintain healthy skin and further advance the treatment of skin diseases. JSID is the largest and most prominent organization in the field of dermatology research in Japan, and supports young academicians by organizing seminars to encourage promising young doctors to become dermatological researchers.
At the Mary Kay-sponsored symposium on skin barriers and skin redness, a panel featured Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Scientific Officer at Mary Kay Inc., as the moderator. The panel explored environmental protection strategies against skin aging in Asians, protein response to skin inflammation and skin barrier defects.
“Sensitive skin affects about half of all women across the globe and in recent years, there has been a rise in ‘sensitive skin’ and ‘redness relief’ claims in skin care products sold in Asia,” said Dr. Gildea. “The skin barrier is constantly strained by exposure to UV rays, haze and smog that carry pollutants such as black carbon, chemicals and heavy metals. These pollutants can accumulate on the skin and result in persistent flushing or facial redness. Therefore, consumers are seeking products that work to relieve and help sensitive facial skin.”
Panel speakers at the symposium included three renowned dermatologists:
- Dr. Akimichi Morita, MD Ph.D., Department of Geriatric and Environmental Dermatology at Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences
- Dr. Sang Eun Lee, MD Ph.D., Department of Dermatology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea
- Dr. Gyohei Egawa, MD Ph.D., Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine
“As a global company, it’s important that we have a broad product portfolio that meets the diverse needs of women worldwide, a portfolio that can grow and evolve as needs change,” said Dr. Gildea. “By participating in events like JSID, we’re able to learn and share relevant research while continuing to develop breakthrough products with powerful benefits that deliver the skin care benefits women want.”
For more information about JSID, click here.


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Stellantis and CATL sign MoU to produce LFP batteries in Europe
Stellantis aims to leverage CATL’s lithium iron phosphate batteries to power its European electric vehicle production; the two firms agree to a 50:50 joint venture for a factory to support production of affordable electric cars.
The 14-brand Stellantis and CATL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the local supply of LFP battery cells and modules to power Stellantis’ electric vehicle production in Europe. To further support Stellantis’ aggressive electrification strategy, the two companies are considering the possibility to form a joint venture with equivalent contributions.
The MoU outlines a long-term collaboration between CATL and Stellantis on two strategic fronts: building a technology roadmap to support Stellantis’ cutting-edge battery electric vehicles and identifying opportunities to further strengthen the battery value chain.
“This MoU with CATL on LFP battery chemistry is another ingredient in our long-term strategy to protect freedom of mobility for the European middle class,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “CATL is the industry leader in this sector and together with our iconic vehicle brands, we will bring innovative and accessible battery technology to our customers while helping us achieve our carbon net zero ambition by 2038.”
“We are very pleased to elevate our cooperation with Stellantis to a new level. With Stellantis’ time-honoured expertise in car manufacturing and CATL’s advanced battery technology, we believe the partnership will be a decisive step on both parties’ journey towards carbon neutrality goals,” said Robin Zeng, Chairman and General Manager of CATL. “We will remain dedicated to delivering more competitive and sustainable solutions for our partners to promote global energy transition.”
Featuring a long service life and high thermal stability, LFP technology can enable Stellantis to offer high-quality, durable, and affordable electric vehicles in passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs in the B and C segments.
As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. Stellantis is on track to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038. Stellantis is assembling a roster of partnerships to ensure a stable, low-carbon supply of key materials for its electrified future.
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Square Enix has announced a role-playing game with turn-based gameplay Tactic Ogre: reborn. It’s a remaster of a remake of the original Tactics Ogre, which was released in the 1990s on the Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation (a remake was released in 2010 on the PSP).
The game will get improved sound and graphics, a redesigned combat system, more advanced enemy artificial intelligence, as well as updated controls and gameplay. Among the pleasant innovations are automatic saves and the ability to change the speed of the battle.
“Experienced players in Tactics Ogre will be waiting for a game that will surpass all of their fondest memories. And for newbies, Tactics Ogre is a game like they’ve never seen before. The revived Tactics Ogre is even deeper than before. Players will be able to further immerse themselves in the world of the game and its events.”says the description.
The action of the game takes place in the state of Valery, where, after a break of fifty years, a conflict erupted. The main character will have to decide the fate of the kingdom.
The game has a non-linear plot, the development of which depends on the decisions made. There are several endings and a squad level system.
The game will be released on November 11 this year for PC, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders are already open, but they are not available in Russia at the time of writing.🤡 A fan donated $100K in Diablo Immortal and now he can’t play
Source: VG Times


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Stage Tec, the Berlin-based manufacturer of professional audio technology, has been working very successfully with its Chinese sales partner Stagetec Media Technology for many years. Since there is a growing market for Stage Tec products in China, the sales team has decided to enter into a partnership. “With ACE we have found a strong partner who is well networked throughout China. ACE has a lot of experience, has implemented countless projects and represents well-known international manufacturers on the Chinese market,” explains Zeng Dong, Managing Director of Stagetec Media Technology. “In addition, ACE’s activities in the broadcasting sector complement our activities in the theatre sector very well. Stage Tec will benefit from this partnership”.
ACE (Advanced Communication Equipment (International) Company Ltd.) was founded in 1982 in Hong Kong as an engineering office and has been providing audio, video and lighting services ever since. ACE’s project portfolio includes broadcasters, broadcasters, theatres, live shows as well as sports stadiums, multifunctional centres, congress and event halls. Another argument for the partnership was that ACE is not only present in all major cities in China, but that it also serves the Hong Kong and Macau markets in addition to the entire Chinese market.


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Yikes! Pokémon Go just helped someone expose their cheating partner
It’s not even been out for two weeks and already Pokémon Go has become the talking point the world over. From sparking a fitness revolution, helping with people’s mental health and even helping people find love, the new mobile app has not only fulfilled many people’s dreams of becoming a real life Pokémon trainer but has also become a resounding success. In fact, it’s now so popular that it’s surpassed Tinder as the most popular app on Android smartphones. It’s literally taking over people’s lives (and inspiring some hella cool nail art, too).
For those unaware, Pokémon Go is an augmented reality game that utilizes GPS tracking to help you become a real life Pokémon Master.
However, for one user Pokémon Go has helped expose something else: her cheating boyfriend.
Due to the app’s reliance on GPS, it makes a digital footprint of where you caught your Pokémon, something that Evan Scribner, from Queens, New York, didn’t quite take into account when he was caught cheating through the app.
Speaking to the New York Post, Evan said how he had gone to his ex-girlfriend’s house in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he just happened to come across a Pokémon.
“She saw that I had caught a Pokémon while at my ex’s house,” Scribner said, before going on to explain that, when questioned by his partner as to why he was stalking around his ex’s neighbourhood, he couldn’t come up with a good reason.
“She found out last night at my house,” he told the paper, “and hasn’t contacted me since then.”
Yikes! This is kinda hilarious, tragic and embarrasing all at the same time, isn’t it.


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Playtech Unveils New Cash Cubes Bingo GamePublished February 29, 2016 by Mike P
Cash Cubes is a game-changing speed bingo variant that is now available at leading Playtech bingo sites.
Playtech is a well-known and leading self-styled omni-channel software provider that creates content across all types of online gambling, including sports betting, online casino, and live dealers, among others. And the latest innovation from Playtech is in the realm of online bingo, which now has an innovative new gaming concept called Cash Cubes.
Speed Bingo Variant
Now, what makes Cash Cubes innovative is that Playtech has designed it as a speed bingo variant that functions on mobile devices. At present, online bingo players are most familiar with 90-ball and 75-ball as being the core variants. But Playtech is attempting to introduce a new 36-ball variant that enables players to place multiple stakes.
Playtech has also made Cash Cubes innovative in that the value of each stake on an active bingo ticket will result in a proportional share of any winnings. Quite simply, this will mean that the players who place higher value stakes will win the larger shares. And an opportunity will never be far away, as a new game of Cash Cubes will begin every two minutes.
Cash Cubes has also been developed to provide longevity to bingo players, who are able to collect the cubes over multiple rounds with the aim of unlocking rewards in the long-term. Primarily, these will be in the form of gaming credit.
Special Launch Event
Also coinciding with the release of Cash Cubes is a special £50,000 event that is taking place across the Playtech bingo network. Holding such an event will help to stir up interest in this new online bingo variant that is seeking to evolve the current landscape.
Any bingo players who wish to experience Cash Cubes can do so at participating Playtech bingo sites. Three sites to offer this new game from launch are Betfred Bingo, Mecca Bingo, and Winner Bingo. Each site can run Cash Cubes on desktop, tablet, or smartphone devices.


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Google on Tuesday announced the appointment of Nitin Bawankule as the country head for Google Cloud India which offers cloud platform services to Indian businesses in India. Bawankule, who has been with Google India for over six years as the head of sales for multiple verticals including e-commerce, retail, classifieds and education, will report to Rick Harshman, managing director, Asia Pacific, Google Cloud.
A statement from Google announced that Bawankule is an IIM Bangalore and VNIT Nagpur alumnus, and brings with him over 20 years of experience and understanding of the digital, technology and consumer industry. He has worked at Dell, Motorola Mobility, Whirlpool and Godrej GE Appliances before joining Google six years ago.
Making the announcement, Harshman said, “Nitin brings with him an excellent mix of Digital, technical and consumer products sales experience. We are very excited to have him join our team and take our India story to the next level. With thousands of customers, a robust partner ecosystem backed by an India cloud region, we are excited by the momentum we have seen so far and will continue to invest in building a rich and diverse cloud ecosystem here.”
Bawankule, now the director at Google Cloud, India, said, “By 2020, the public cloud services market in India is poised to reach $4.10 billion. Business leaders across industries are increasingly adopting cloud technology because they understand it helps solve a number of real challenges — teams work better together, data becomes useful to make smart decisions and companies create new value to stay competitive in a quickly changing economy. I am very excited to be part of Google Cloud at this pivotal point.”
The recent operationalisation of the cloud region in Mumbai reflects the commitment of Google Cloud in the Indian market and helping Indian businesses grow profitably. Additionally the company has been investing in developing the ecosystem in India – spanning learning and certification for technical audiences, local and global partners and new customers building their business on Google Cloud.
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Prajakta is a Writer/Editor/Social Media diva. Lover of all that is 'quaint', her favourite things include dogs, Starbucks, butter popcorn, Jane Austen novels and neo-noir films. She has previously worked for HuffPost, CNN IBN, The Indian Express and Bose.


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In the ongoing battle of geeks against government, Razer, developer of some very nice hardware, has shown their disapproval of the bill, and the White House itself has shown opposition.
The official Facebook page of Razer has stated under a picture showing their team with “Fuck SOPA” written in letters three feet high and in bright green to highlight the news of SOPA to those who have, for some reason, not heard of it. They detailed the basic idea of the bill as something that could hurt the internet, calling it “ham-fisted” and hurting both community and developer alike.
Razer is among a select few individuals who plan to black out their sites in protest of SOPA, which includes a large amount of Reddit which gets several million hits on a daily basis. Razer voiced their intention to shut down their site for one day on January 18th as an awareness of what SOPA could do to Americans on the internet.
In addition to this, the White House made a formal response to a pair of sizable petitions asking for the bill to be struck down and burned to ashes. Their response said that the Administration acknowledged that online piracy is a major problem across the internet, but at the same time that it reduces freedom of expression and undermines the internet as a whole. The response goes on to say that any attempts to solve the problem of online piracy must not allow censorship of lawful activity, and not inhibit innovation by businesses. They also showed a degree of internet savvy by saying that laws should not tamper with the internet by manipulating the Domain Name System, which is among the few security aspects the internet naturally has.
Even though a website can be accessed without a domain name by putting in the hosting IP of it, only one person can own a specific domain at any time, meaning any attempts to mimic Steam, GameFAQS, or 4chan will fall to bits at the domain name. Anyone who is even slightly smart about internet security knows to spot typos and subdomain trickery. Touching the DNS can cause a major disaster if a security leak happens.
Others who have publicly stated that they oppose SOPA include Craigslist, Google, 4chan, Twitter, Facebook, and several others. Each of them having millions of users and countless views. Sites that (to my knowledge) plan to have a blackout are Reddit, Razer, Destructoid, Cryptocat and the ones who have shown interest in having their own blackouts include Explosm, Wikipedia, and Mojang.
Considering the unpopularity of this bill, I don’t want to see what happens if it passes. Remember, it’s not that they support piracy, but that this can be exploited. As any gamer knows, especially MMO gamers, if something can be exploited, it will be exploited.


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Research undertaken at the eBay Innovation Lab has revealed that 2016 will be the year 3D entertainment finally hits the mainstream – after trying and failing to capture our imaginations since 2011.
From robots to virtual reality, holograms and 3D printing, consumers were measured at the eBay Innovation Lab via gaze tracking, NFC rating systems and dwell time to determine the adoption rate and receptiveness to technology tipped to change the entertainment world across Australia.
The results showed that 42% of Aussies are entertainment junkies – whether it’s immersive VR surroundings or the latest drone – Aussies love to interact with and buy tech that will provide hours of entertainment.
Living in a virtual reality world
Since the Samsung VR Gear headset release at the end of 2014 the accessibility of a fully immersed, 3D world has started to become viable, and this is beginning to change consumer perceptions of what is possible in entertainment and gaming.
In the past six months virtual reality has started to capture more than just the early adopters’ imaginations. There has been an incremental increase of 523% in sales on eBay, showing a promising adoption speed to consumers’ everyday lives, with eBay Innovation Lab participants spending a total of 11 hours in a virtual reality world.
eBay predicts 2016 will see a growing shift in the way brands will communicate with consumers; in September 2015 alone, Netflix announced their virtual living room with Oculus Rift, as well as Sotheby’s using virtual reality to sell luxury homes, proving this is just the beginning of brands giving consumers opportunities for a more immersive and useful experience.
The untapped opportunity of Holograms
Apart from Princess Leia and Star Wars, consumer’s interaction with holograms has been especially limited to date. The Holho hologram had the least amount of interest from participants in the eBay Innovation Lab, however those that did engage, spent significantly more time with it than any other product – approximately 1.21 minutes more, closely followed by the virtual reality experience.
With the Microsoft Hololens developer kit due out in early 2016, the eBay Innovation Lab results show it will need to get it into people’s hands before consumers fully understand the benefits. Based on the findings, when experienced it will be the biggest game changer to entertainment and gaming compared to anything else consumers have seen in the last twenty years.
Futurist, Chris Riddell comments; “Virtual Reality truly pulls down barriers of time, borders and distance, connecting people no matter where they are and what they are doing. This technology is bringing new environments into the home, the office and excitingly the classroom – with education methods rapidly evolving to give the next generation truly immersive learning surroundings. In fact Australians across these sectors are in many ways ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to utilising this technology.
This was proven at the eBay Innovation Lab where we saw that consumers who engaged with virtual reality and the hologram - the ultimate in 3D visuals, stayed and experienced it longer than they did anything else.”


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We see plenty of offers for free Google Drive storage, and cloud storage in general. But as of today, it looks like Amazon has thrown down some details on a similar offer. The Amazon offer is for Cloud Drive storage space.
The popular music tagging app SoundHound, which answers questions such as, “who sings this song?” has updated their Android app this week with a much requested feature. Today the company has delivered full cloud
This week we’re seeing another update to one of Google’s popular apps. After Maps received a large update, they’re now busy with Drive. The last update to Google Drive was back in May but this newest version is
Swiftkey, makers of the popular keyboard app, has finally launched its cloud service that seems both logical and yet unusual for a keyboard app. Simply called SwiftKey Cloud, the service allows users to sync their personal
An updated version of the Box app has landed in the Play Store today. The Box team has said this update was intended to make the app faster and more relevant to you — the user. With that in mind, some of the changes that
The SwiftKey Cloud beta launched a short time back and it looks like the first update has arrived. The details are coming by way of the SwiftKey blog where they offers details on the updated release for both tablets and


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Most read articles in May on eeNews Europe
The top article on eeNews Europe covered a wide range of topics, from boards to chips to the war in Ukraine. The most popular article was the imminent launch of Kontron’s programmable logic controller based around the Raspberry Pi4 compute module.
However it is RISC-V that dominates the list with its gaining momentum. Students in Denmark designed a RISC-V chip with open source tools and had it made on Google’s multi-project wafer service, while Espressif announced a shift away from the Tensilica cores exclusively to RISC-V. Calista Redmond, CEO of RISC-V International talked to Nick Flaherty about those trends and the challenges involved, while Dr Sailesh Chittipeddi, Executive Vice President and General Manager of IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas Electronics also highlighted the move to RISC-V alongside its recovery in the ARM microcontroller maker in a frank discussion. But there are challenges, as RISC-V startup Rivos found when faced with the legal wrath of Apple.
The industry is heading for a significant decline, says analyst Malcom Penn, backed up by the latest results from Bosch. The supercycle of high demand and capacity shortages will come to an end in Q3 or Q4 this year, and new capacity coming onstream will drive down prices in the industry, which may be good news for customers. This is the continuing cycle of the industry, and doesn’t impact on the long term average growth that will see the semiconductor market doubling to $1tn by 2030, but a dip of 20 to 30% next year will provide some pretty significant bumps in the road that will see 2nm and 1nm process technology. Imec in Belgium also detailed its path beyond 1nm to the age of the atomic transistor.
But there is still plenty of innovation. The first version of the ARM Coretex M5 will be on display next month, while ST Microelectronics is developing its first high performance neural processor unit, running alongside an M55 core. At the same time, a number of deals for FreeRTOS on various microcontrollers was of interest for developers adding secure cloud connectivity to their designs.
The war in Ukraine continues to be an issue for the industry in Europe, with Siemens and contract manufacturer Jabil pulling out of operations in Russia as a result of the continuing hostilities.
- Most read articles on eeNews Europe in April
- Most read articles in March
- Most read articles in February
- Most read articles in January
- Most read articles of 2021


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WASHINGTON – The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on Dec. 5, the recall of pepperoni and ham products by St. Clair Shores, Mich.-based Alexander & Hornung. Officials with the company, which is a subsidiary of Westminster, Colo.-based Perdue Premium Meat Co. Inc., suspected the products of being contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes.
The company notified FSIS about the issue after product sampling results were positive for Listeria. The list of products, which were produced on multiple dates, are listed here and are labeled with establishment number “EST. M10125” inside the USDA’s mark of inspection. No reports of illness or injury have been linked to the products, according to the USDA.


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OVERSUPPLIED global grain markets have eroded European commodities giant Louis Dreyfus’ core earnings.
Sales for 2016 fell to $49.8 billion from $55.7b, although shipped volumes were stable at 81 million tonnes.
The Dutch-based private company, which handles about 10 per cent of the world’s agricultural commodity trade, particularly cotton, sugar and rice, has had two years of reduced profits because of growing grain stockpiles and low prices.
Its 2016 core operating profits for its business segments falling from $1.85b in 2015 to $1.6b.
“Oversupply, market shocks, geopolitical dynamics and adverse weather conditions were some of the difficulties that the agribusiness industry had to face during 2016,” chief executive officer Gonzalo Ramirez Martiarena said.
“Market fundamentals are unlikely to be very different in 2017, so our agility in adapting to changing market conditions will remain critical.”
The company is the fourth player in the so-called ABCD quartet of trading giants leading agricultural commodities trade, alongside Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge and Cargill.
Louis Dreyfus’ Australian business is a long-time buyer and exporter of grain and cotton, having originally established as wheat buying arm of the parent company in Melbourne in 1913.
It is also involved in dairy, sugar and oilseed exports and fertiliser imports, and in the past decade has developed a metals trading business in Australia
The company owns three Macrofertil fertiliser warehouses in Western Australia and storage sheds in South Australia and Victoria.
It operates cotton gins at Dalby and Emerald in Queensland and Moree, New South Wales.


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Now things are starting to look a little more official.
Fedora Infrastructure Lead Kevin Fenzi made an announcement in the Fedora mailing list recently that the team is reviving the Fedora Mobility SIG, a group of developers interesting in bringing Fedora to phones.
The Fedora SIG has been around for a long time… but it’s been largely inactive for the past 10 years. Now that phones designed to run Linux are a a thing, the plan is to create official images for those phones, as well as some phones that ship with Android.
Work will initially focus on the PinePhone, but according to the Fedora Mobility wiki page, the team also hopes to support Purism’s Librem 5 smartphone eventually, as well as the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T smartphones “when they gain mainline kernel support.”
For now the easiest way to run Fedora on a PinePhone is to either use that unofficial build script mentioned above, or grab the latest compiled image from the developer’s GitHub page (although the latest version right now is already several months out of date).
You can find more details or participate by joining the Fedora Mobility SIG’s chat rooms:


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SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Monday reported its second-quarter sales increased 3.5% to $676.7 million, while its comparable-store sales for the period increased 5.1%.
For the 13-week period ended June 25, the company's net income increased 0.9% to $20.7 million, compared with $20.5 million in 2010, while earnings per share increased to 77 cents, compared with 76 cents in 2010.
Weis attributed its sales increases to grand openings in three key markets, successful sales building programs, operational improvements at store level and improved administrative expense management.
"One year ago, we generated record earnings in the second quarter when our company posted a 35% increase in net income,” Weis president and CEO David Hepfinger said. “We have now improved upon those results while posting strong sales and comparable-store sales gains," he said. "We continue to invest in our growth through the upgrade of our store base and disciplined sales-building programs, which have helped us achieve our results. We also continue to benefit from improved productivity and efficiencies at store and distribution levels."