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Another Bancolombia App Outage Highlights the Need for More Competition in Colombia’s Banking System
Bancolombia is Colombia’s biggest bank on most metrics and, remarkably, surveys often measure it as one of the most — if not the most — popular brands.
Photo: Bancolombia headquarters in Medellín, Colombia. (Credit: Juan Camilo Trujillo)
Personally, as a shareholder and ex-employee, I question whether a bank should ever be popular. And given its ongoing system failures, which date back a decade, I wonder how people even come to that conclusion.
The Bancolombia app went down for around 24 hours this weekend — meaning that literally millions of people were unable carry out their usual banking services. It is incredibly unacceptable, and the industry regulator Superfinanciera Colombia needs to be holding a top-to-bottom investigation and applying the applicable fines.
Colombia is effectively a country of four major banks.
This is another example of why borders need to be breached. The need for open finance has never been higher.
Brazilian neo-bank Nubank has made a positive impact, but Colombia needs 20 more — and not fintech startups but plug-and-play banks that will drive fees down and force the incumbent banks to up their game.
This is a country where banks still charge you for the privilege of looking after your money. Dickensian some would say.
While Bancolombia said, “Don’t worry you can still get your money from an ATM” during the outage, that flies in the face of its drive towards online transactions and sets aside the fact that it is a long weekend when many are away from the cities.
No doubt, industry trade group Asobancaria will see this as normal. But it is not. It’s a shambles.
Personally, it hasn’t affected me unduly. But there are many, many clients much closer to the hand-to-mouth scenario who will be troubled by this — not to mention all the businesses that also are reliant.


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Confusion About CBD Sales
CBD products are spreading like wildfire across the nation since the passing of the Farm Bill Act of 2018. This past weekend I was at my local coffee shop and noticed they were offering CBD infusedshots for coffee, tea and juice. Obviously this isn't too crazy, as everyone needs relief (if you ask me) and the cannabis plant has so much to offer to us humans (and well, mammals, as all mammals have an endocannabinoid system).
Across the nation many communities are seeing an injection of CBD product availability--at vape and tobacco shops, at groceries and cafes, or even online with big retailers like Amazon and Target for raw CBD oil or infused lotions.
Even with the rescheduling of the versatile cannabinoid CBD, sales have yet to be regulated by the FDA, and in turn regulated for retail space. We've seen some states set guidelines, like California who released a statement last summer telling retailers to wait until regulation and laws are ready to implement. But the movement cannot be stopped when it's beneficial to the populations health and well being, and many retailers have ignored this memo.
Therefore this has bred a ton of confusion about who can sell this stuff. (The Farm Bill of 2018 set in stone the availability and regulation in cultivating hemp, not sales.) There are reports of local authorities pulling products from retailers shelves, or enacting bans on possession of CBD products in California, Ohio, New York and Texas.
Lawmakers in Texas and California are often in opposition, but they’re both pushing bipartisan legislation to sidestep federal law and allow sales of the compound found in hemp and marijuana. Republicans and Democrats in Congress also are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change its stance.
Resolving the confusion can’t come quick enough for Jonathan Eppers, who makes Vybes, a popular CBD oil-infused beverage. California health inspectors raided his Los Angeles warehouse in January and impounded $100,000 worth of the drink.
Eppers said about 50 California retailers have since dropped his product and he’s moved production to Texas. He estimates lost sales, legal costs and relocation expenses have cost him at least $500,000.
“What is going on is unbelievable and asinine,” Eppers said. “They put us in this state of limbo that’s costing us.”
Eppers and CBD fans are mystified by the legal insecurity. After all, they say, retailers in California and nine other states that have broadly legalized marijuana sell edibles and other products that get people high, though pot is illegal under federal law. U.S. officials generally have taken a hands-off approach in states where pot is legal.
This back and forth comes from the FDA failing to regulate this exploding substance efficiently for the market. Due to this, many lawmakers are pushing for bipartisan legislation to sidestep federal law--or just calling for the FDA to approve and regulate CBD products.
The FDA says CBD can’t be added to food or sold as a dietary supplement because officials haven’t determined if it’s safe or effective for other conditions.
Just last week the FDA announced that it will hold a public hearing in May to gather more information.

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Xiaomi is ready to bring back its Redmi K-series back to India with the upcoming launch of the Redmi K50i 5G. Noted insider Ishan Agarwal confirms the device is headed to India and expects it to be a rebrand of the Redmi Note 11T Pro that launched in China last month. This means the K50i should bring a Dimensity 8100 chipset alongside a 6.6-inch IPS LCD with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging.
In terms of cameras, the K50i may launch with a 64MP main shooter alongside an 8MP ultrawide module and a 2MP depth helper. The front should carry a 16MP selfie cam….
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Supporting residents with Web Chat
Published on 09 January 2019
Did you know that the Shire’s Web Chat has been running for over a year?
With over 22,000 chats having taken place, totalling to 3,200 hours, the Shire has seen an increasing preference for Web Chat.
From Monday 14 January until mid-February 2019, we are trialling expanding our service from 8.30am – 5pm Monday to Friday to offer a 24/7 Web Chat service.
Using Web Chat, you can have a live conversation with a Customer Service representative instantly online over the weekend and after work, together with our out of hours phone support.
This increase in online support reflects the changing needs of our residents with the number of online interactions and online payments steadily increasing.
We know the community like to contact us at their convenience. Providing online services is a great opportunity to allow our community to contact us at a time that suits them from the comfort of their own home.
The Shire’s website had more than 2.5 million users last year, with visitors looking up information and completing online payments, service requests, kindergarten applications, tender submissions, permit applications or reporting problems such as fallen trees.
To interact directly with our Customer Service Team 24/7 through our Web Chat system, simply visit our website: mornpen.vic.gov.au


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Original article by Isabelle Lane
The New Daily – Page: Online : 13-Nov-19
Five of the 10 most-trusted brands in Australia, as measured by Roy Morgan, have been embroiled in wage underpayment scandals in recent years. They include the nation’s most trusted brand, Bunnings, as well as Woolworths, Coles, Qantas and the ABC. RMIT University’s Professor Anthony Forsyth rejects suggestions that the wage theft scandals can be attributed to Australia’s complex industrial awards system; instead, he contends that businesses are simply not giving sufficient priority to ensuring that their employees are being paid properly.
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, RMIT UNIVERSITY


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Welcome to IER's newest mod. More info to come. Q&A session will be held on the AC forum within a day or two. We will announce when it starts.
-logo by After_Midnight
Download here: http://acusccmod.weebly.com/blog/corvette-dp-beta-released
Just a heads-up:
Some stuff changed in the physics code for the next game update. So once it's released, the car likely will crash the game. I'll fix it as soon as possible after the game update is released (14 hours -ish).
Talking about the corvette.
Time for announcement number 2 out of 3 on Thursday, July 17, 2014.
For this announcement, we talk about another modder that quietly joined our group only a few weeks ago.
You may know him for his professional 3D modeling for various games, or for his Nissan Primera project on the official Assetto Corsa forums.
Patrik Marek has recently started the Porsche 911 (991) GT America and has made good progress with the use of very good references. As with the Oreca, it was only started around a week ago, so still very early, but already looking great!
The 911 GTA competes in the slowest class of TUSCC, GT Daytona, or GTD. Competing with BMW Z4s, Ferrari GTs, and much more.
- More to come. -
For the first part of our announcement trio for this week, it's a W.I.P car.
Over the recent weeks, we've had a few group members come and go very quietly. One of which, is Paule_NLC. Known for his work with the VLN 2009 modification, he brings his skills to IER, with the Oreca FLM09, a.k.a the LMPC car.
Worth noting: The car is still early in progress. It was only started a week ago.
More to come.


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(Corrects paragraph 3 to say stock fell 16.3% so far this week, not 8%)
By Hyunjoo Jin, Noel Randewich and Greg Roumeliotis
(Reuters) – Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk sold about $5 billion in shares, the billionaire reported in filings on Wednesday, just days after he polled Twitter users about selling 10% of his stake.
In his first share sale since 2016, Musk’s trust sold nearly 3.6 million shares in Tesla, worth around $4 billion, while he also sold another 934,000 shares for $1.1 billion after exercising options to acquire nearly 2.2 million shares.
The 4.5 million shares equate to about 3% of his total holdings in the electric vehicle manufacturer, which makes up the vast part of his estimated $281.6 billion fortune, according to Forbes.
Musk on Saturday polled Twitter users about selling 10% of his stake, helping to push down Tesla’s share price after a majority on Twitter said they agreed with the sale.
The stock sank 12% on Tuesday in a multi-day selloff that endangered the company’s position in the $1 trillion club, but recovered 4.3% on Wednesday.
The options-related sales were set up in September through a trading plan that allows corporate insiders to establish preplanned transactions on a schedule, the filing said. The sales of the option-related shares paid for associated taxes. It was not clear how or whether the trading plan related to Musk’s Twitter poll. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
The additional share sales were separate and provide Musk with sizeable reserves of cash, given his wealth is largely tied to his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk has more than 20 million further stock options that are due to expire in August of next year.
If Musk carried out the 10% stock sale plan, it would be a slight negative near term, said Mark Arnold, chief investment officer at Hyperion Asset Management in Brisbane where Tesla is the top holding in its global fund.
“But the stock is pretty liquid and its not a huge percentage of total issued shares, so it shouldn’t have that much of an impact … we’re quite comfortable with the outlook for the business,” he said.
While Tesla has lost close to $150 billion in market value this week, retail investors have been net buyers of the stock. Some 58% of Tesla trade orders on Fidelity’s brokerage website on Wednesday were for purchases, rather than sales.
Retail investors made net purchases of $157 million on Monday and Tuesday, according to Vanda Research.
Tesla is now up more than 51% in 2021, thanks largely to an October rally that was fueled by an agreement to sell 100,000 vehicles to rental car company Hertz.
“The company itself is on fire, with strong results,” said Tim Ghriskey, a senior portfolio strategist at New York-based investment management firm Ingalls and Snyder.
Bullish sentiment returned to Tesla’s options on Wednesday, with about 1.1 calls traded for every put. Calls are typically used for bullish trades, while buying puts shows a bearish bias.
The company’s options accounted for about $109 billion in premium changing hands over the last two weeks, or about one in every three dollars traded in the U.S.-listed options market, according to a Reuters analysis of Trade Alert data.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, Noel Randewich and Greg Roumeliotis; Additional reporting by Sruthi Shankar, Subrat Patnaik, Medha Singh and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Katanga Johnson and Chris Prentice in Washington, Tom Westbrook in Sydney and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Ira Iosebashvili in New York; Editing by Peter Henderson and Richard Pullin)
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products:


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Brown: new company’s chairman
There is a really vibrant and creative atmosphere which will be a breath of fresh air for John Brown. The sad thing is that it shows there is increasingly less room for the small guys."
The merger has prompted a reshuffle at senior management level. John Brown will become chairman, Andrew Hirsch, currently chief executive officer of JBP, will become chief executive officer of the new company and Simon Chappell, managing director of Citrus, will head the expansion overseas as president of John Brown Inc. Dean Fitzpatrick will become managing director of the company in the UK.
Brown said if there were to be any job losses they would be kept to a minimum. "It is too early to tell if there will be any redundancies, but if there are any it is hoped they will be voluntary," he said. "Together we will be an even bigger force to be reckoned with in our industry than we were individually before. We will be hard to beat."
Citrus produces magazines for clients including BSkyB, Wella, English Heritage and Microsoft. John Brown’s clients include AA, Virgin, WH Smith, Nike and Waitrose. Insiders say there could be a potential clash between Citrus’s title for Vodafone and John Brown’s contract with rival Orange and the retailers are expected to respond to the move in the next two weeks. Elsewhere it is thought that JBP will be able to take advantage of Citrus’s online developments while Citrus will be able to move into the US where JBP has a presence.
Citrus has won several contracts in the past four months with a total value of more than £2m and is expected to increase its business by 20 per cent this year.
One industry observer said: "Citrus has got a reputation of being the next big thing – now it won’t be because the next big thing has bought it."
While insiders say the merger will put increased pressure on Redwood, others claim it will ease the burden on medium to small-sized publishers who will have one less rival to compete against. Brown said further mergers or acquisitions were "not something we would rule out in the future".
By Ruth Addicott


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In the mid-2010s, smart home technology hit the mainstream, thanks largely to. These clunky columns and pucks had embedded robotic voices from Google and Amazon that listened and responded to basic queries on simple topics like weather, sports scores and movie trivia.
Gradually, those capabilities expanded to, , and dozens of other devices. Today, millions of households have at least one smart speaker. Everything from to toilets are online and operated by app or voice.
Looking back on 2021, we saw less accumulation of new smart devices and more refining of the core uses for smart home tech and the networks that power it. Though this pattern was industrywide, Amazon led the pack. Here's a look at the last 12 months across the smart home.
The way devices connect is changing, and will continue to change in 2022. Big industry presences such as Amazon and Google are investing in networking and expanding how smart home devices get online.
Project CHIP (that's Connected Home over IP) rebranded as Matter in mid-2021 and kicked off a months-long PR circuit promising big things for the smart home. Development was, however, and we're now anticipating a 2022 release. Still, the premise is intriguing.
The goal of this project is to create a unifying protocol across major device brands that would allow smart home products to work together seamlessly. We've described it before as "a single, IP-based, open-source standard that works over Wi-Fi, supports all major control platforms, and acts like a universal language that smart home devices can use to connect with and understand each other."
In 2021, Matter inched closer to reality by gaining buy-in from major brands including Apple, Samsung, Google and Amazon. With this team of heavy hitters supporting the project, some even promoting it on their own sites, Matter will likely change the smart home game next year, if all goes as planned.
In January, Amazon announced the launch of. It went live in June and is enabled by default on compatible Echo and Ring devices.
In short, select Echo and Ring devices use Bluetooth LE and 900MHz LoRa signals, as well as your home's wireless network, to create a sort of mesh system that keeps devices on the edge of your network's reach online. This extends to other devices in the neighborhood, meaning your neighbor's device could use your network to stay online, too.
Our resident networking expert Ry Crist says that's not as scary . Multiple layers of encryption, regular data deletion and rolling IDs are just Amazon is instating to make Sidewalk more palatable to privacy-minded users.
Sidewalk does help your Echo and Ring products stay better connected to your smart home, potentially alleviating pesky smart home connectivity headaches. That said, the feature is something of a background update that doesn't change day-to-day use of your devices.
Ring Alarm Pro
What's more immediately exciting than Amazon Sidewalk (though that admittedly has some interesting potential) is the tech giant's security brand Ring, which launched a new generation of its DIY home security system.
Theisn't just a security system: It works with an to provide mesh Wi-Fi, seamless backup Wi-Fi using cellular data (in case of power or internet outages), internet security and household usage monitoring features, local storage and processing for some of Ring's video devices, compatibility and Z-Wave compatibility. The latter means potential for integrating more smart home devices like flood sensors and all sorts of other little gadgets.
The Ring Alarm Pro is one of the most compelling examples on the market of an integrated smart home platform for a reasonable price and super easy installation. And with the more niche smart home offerings like Z-Wave compatibility piggy-backing on products and services with much more mainstream appeal (hello, Wi-Fi, home security and backup internet), this product seems poised to smuggle a lot more smarts into the average person's home.
Wi-Fi 6 and 6E
Speaking of internet, we also saw the rise of the latest Wi-Fi band, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. This new Wi-Fi standard was released prior to 2021, but the year brought several newto the market.
Faster speeds, stronger bands and better range are nothing but good news for the internet of things. Problem is, smart home devices aren't compatible with this new Wi-Fi yet. For now, it's just a handful of the latest smartphones, laptops and routers (we're keeping a).
Besides the Ring Alarm Pro, Wi-Fi 6 compatible smart home devices have yet to make a splash, but we expect adoption to spread pretty quickly in the coming months. All in all, better Wi-Fi is critical to future device generations and keeping a house with dozens of connected devices running smoothly.
New smarts and features
Big brands updated their devices with hardware and software that added significant features and capabilities.
Google's Sleep Sensing tech
In March 2021, Google released the second generation of the. This 8-inch smart display is a favorite of ours, especially if you're looking for a device that doesn't have a camera. However, the new model added Sleep Sensing, and that raised the eyebrows of anyone concerned with privacy.
Sleep Sensing uses Google's miniature radar technology Motion Sense, which is powered by, to detect submillimeter movements of the person sleeping closest to the display in order to provide sleep tracking data and suggestions for better rest. Motion Sense on the Nest Hub also enables Quick Gestures, a way to control music playback with a wave of your hand, instead of talking to Google Assistant or tapping the screen. If we see more smart displays from Google in the future, it's likely Soli will be there.
Amazon's AZ2 chip
TheAmazon announced in September is 22 times faster than the previous chip, AZ1. It also powers voice recognition and facial recognition capabilities the company calls Visual ID. You'll find Visual ID on Amazon's recently released and presumably all the Echo devices Amazon releases in the future. New chips don't often make the front page, but they're important for supporting new technology now and in future upgrades.
Apple's ultrawideband expansion
The long awaitedlaunched in 2021 with the goal of helping iOS users find their stuff. It relies on the ultrawideband capabilities of Apple's U1 chip, in the iPhone 11 and newer. This year's launch of AirTags was the first time we really saw UWB technology come to life. It's a significant improvement over Bluetooth, which can track items to within 5 meters or so. UWB can pinpoint a device to within 5 to 10 centimeters.
The HomePod Mini is also equipped with the U1 chip, but Apple didn't really turn it on until a 2021 software update. Currently, UWB is used in the HomePod Mini to enhance the audio handoff feature between UWB-equipped iPhones and the speaker or to locate an AirTag with an audible ping. Future devices, integrations and software updates could really expand the way the Siri-powered smart home locates and understands its pieces.
Home security focus
There were a handful of new devices, but they're all mostly based on well-established product segments. We saw updated versions of things we were already buying. Nearly every major smart home device category got a new generation of existing products this year, but smart home security saw the most significant growth. This is the place where we actually did see genuinely new stuff.
Nest home security
Google bought Nest, famous for, nearly seven years ago, and has since developed the brand into a serious smart home competitor in multiple markets. Most recently, Nest rolled out , including , an , a and a . Expect the company to add a new wired video doorbell to replace its existing option ( ) soon.
This new product line shows Google really establishing a footprint in the DIY home security market -- rejecting the piecemeal approach of years past. We liked the cameras generally, though none of them blew us away. That said, we're seeing smarter features, like alerts that distinguish between people, animals, packages and vehicles, become the industry norm. And of course, resolutions are rising and prices are falling, slowly but steadily.
Ring security products
Ring had a pretty ridiculous year, frankly. It launched nearly 20 distinct devices, ranging from the excellentto the mediocre , from the super featured (with built-in radar) to the super affordable (which was selling for about $40 on Black Friday).
But along with its veritable deluge of new products, Ring also battled to rehabilitate its public image after years of playing host to racist vitriol on its Neighbors app, fostering unethical and chummy relations with police departments, and fending off suspicions following .
How much these controversies really damaged Ring's brand is hard to say, considering the company still commands impressive control over the market. Aside from optics, did Ring improve? That's a complicated question to answer, and.
The company offers industry-leading options for security and privacy (including end-to-end video encryption and local storage and processing if you get Ring Alarm Pro); by the same token, Ring is also normalizing the transformation of public space into recorded space, and facilitating () the sharing of footage with police forces.
In short, that Ring has had a successful year is inarguable; whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate.
The rest of the field
Amazon and Google aren't the only companies developing popular home security devices., , and plenty of other developers continued to refine their product lines. Arlo's security cameras continue to be best-in-class for most people, and Wyze continues to push prices down across the whole industry.
Unlike some others, the home security market remains incredibly competitive entering 2022, and not only with regard to security cameras and video doorbells. Increasingly, companies like Wyze, Ring and others are adding more holistic home security systems, sometimes even including professional monitoring subscriptions.
A flyover year
What we saw in 2021 wasn't leaps and bounds for the smart home. It doesn't need that right now. The smart home became more refined this year. Privacy discussions took steps forward. Existing products and technologies got better and the things we loved in 2014 are still evolving to be their best yet.
At the time of this article, we don't have any word on the release of Amazon's. There's no real-life . We're OK with that. The smart home made significant improvements in 2021 that might not have grabbed headlines but certainly made progress. There's a good chance that means big things for 2022.


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After starring as the face for Filling Pieces‘ debut ready-to-wear campaign, Majid Jordan once again team up with the Amsterdam based fashion label. Now,this time around the Canadian artists co-designed an exclusive shoe which is set to be launched at ComplexCON 2018 which is this weekend. With a strong presence in the music scene and because of a shared vision on bridging gaps, bringing together different worlds and mixing genres, it felt natural for Filling Pieces to enter into the design process with the Toronto based musicians.
Filling Pieces founder Guillaume Philibert (@gsrnn) on collaborating with Majid Jordan:
“We first met Majid & Jordan during our Barneys New York ready-to-wear campaign shoot in LA. But we really got to know them when we went to the Rotterdam and Amsterdam shows of their European tour. Afterwards, they swung by the office and we spoke about music, art, design and other mutual interests. It felt we had an affinity as we shared a lot of ideas and viewpoints so a collaboration felt really natural. When we took them on a tour of the office and reached the design studio, they were super excited and we bounced of their energy and literally created that pair of shoes together in one day.”
“We are honored to collaborate with Filling Pieces on our new signature shoe. It’s amazing what music can lead to. Filling Pieces is a company that we look up to and after meeting their team in Amsterdam we could not wait to work together. The shoe came out even better than we could imagine. FPGP1 forever.”
The limited edition sneaker was produced in an extremely limited run and will be exclusively available at ComplexCON 2018 November 3/4) , where Filling Pieces will be joined by Majid Jordan themselves for the release of the shoe.


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Walt Disney Co (DIS) Given New $125.00 Price Target at Instinet
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) had its target price raised by Instinet to $125.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday. Instinet’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.90% from the company’s current price.
Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Vetr cut Walt Disney from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $115.94 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday. Drexel Hamilton reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $103.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up previously from $101.00) on shares of Walt Disney in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies set a $115.00 target price on Walt Disney and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.84.
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) opened at 112.71 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $110.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $178.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34 and a beta of 1.25. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $90.32 and a 52-week high of $113.16.
This article was originally published by and is the sole property of American Banking News. If you happen to be reading this article on another website, it was stolen and illegally republished in violation of U.S. and International copyright law. The original version of this story can be read at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2017/03/21/walt-disney-co-dis-given-new-125-00-price-target-at-instinet.html
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 16.29%. The business had revenue of $14.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Walt Disney will post $5.94 earnings per share for the current year.
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In other Walt Disney news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 925 shares of Walt Disney stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.61, for a total value of $96,764.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 25,745 shares in the company, valued at $2,693,184.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,925 shares of company stock valued at $747,764. 13.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,507,183,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 34,148,450 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $3,558,951,000 after buying an additional 3,579,822 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 149.1% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,372,709 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $498,910,000 after buying an additional 3,216,153 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1,054.2% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 2,704,130 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $281,899,000 after buying an additional 2,469,854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Walt Disney during the fourth quarter worth approximately $250,510,000. Institutional investors own 58.65% of the company’s stock.
About Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Company is an entertainment company. The Company operates in four business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products & Interactive Media. The media networks segment includes cable and broadcast television networks, television production and distribution operations, domestic television stations, and radio networks and stations.
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Yakuza: Of The End to hit Japan in the summer
SEGA has announced the Japanese release date for their zombified Yakuza spin-off.
Yakuza: Of The End will hit PlayStation 3s in Japan on June the 9th.
The game, which takes place in a Tokyo stuck by a zombie apocalypse, was due out on March the 17th just ten days after the West coast of Japan was stuck by the tsunami.
SEGA decided to hold off on releasing Kazuma and co's zombie encounter after the disaster struck and now have pledged to donate a portion of the game's profits to the Japanese Red Cross relief efforts.
- OlliOlli 2 devs Roll7 troll the game's Twitter critics
- DayZ creator teams up with Improbable to make the game worlds he's always wanted
- Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster coming to the PS4 in the summer
- [Update] Possible March PS Plus Instant Game Collection line-up appears on NeoGAF
- Trading gold for subscriptions coming soon to World Of Warcraft
- Unity 5 arrives completely free
- Mad Max gets slated for a September release
- Console ports of Gone Home have been shelved by Fullbright
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain release date leaked, getting an autumn release


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LivePerson and Afiniti: Integrating artificial intelligence technologies to create better conversations and a more customized experience
LivePerson’s Conversational Cloud® and Afiniti’s pairing technology enable an AI-powered personalized experience throughout the customer journey
Customer expectations have greatly shifted in recent years, especially as we’ve moved into “the age of the customer” — a time when brands are expected to anticipate and meet customer needs. And artificial intelligence is a critical tool in achieving those goals.
According to a recent LivePerson survey, 83% of customers prefer brands that let them use messaging conversations to digitally browse, interact, and make purchases. Conversational channels such as text messaging, WhatsApp, iMessage, and others are growing in popularity, with 63% of consumers saying that messaging with a brand makes them feel a deeper personal connection.
Brands have expanded their online shopping and digital channel options, but continue to face challenges with creating more personalized customer service with customer-agent interactions.
That’s why LivePerson and Afiniti have today announced a new strategic partnership to bring AI-powered personalization efforts, featuring customer-agent pairing, to consumers’ digital channels — all through LivePerson’s industry-leading Conversational Cloud platform.
This partnership will build better customer-brand engagement by using AI to pair customers and contact center agents based on best fit. Afiniti’s AI pairing technology will be natively integrated with LivePerson’s Conversational Cloud, streamlining deployment, driving revenue for clients, and bringing a more personalized customer experience to millions of people to improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Ben Evans, Afiniti’s Executive Vice President of Partnerships, and Dan Sincavage, LivePerson’s Senior Vice President of Voice & Global Partnerships, discuss the partnership below.
In your own words, why did Afiniti and LivePerson decide to partner?
Ben: This partnership combines Afiniti and LivePerson’s powerful AI capabilities through a native integration, helping companies improve the agent and customer experience, while driving more revenue.
Not only do we share the goal of helping businesses have better conversations with their customers, but LivePerson’s powerful messaging platform, innovative culture, and drive to deliver a sustainable competitive advantage for its clients have made them an excellent partner for Afiniti.
By partnering with LivePerson, a leader in customer engagement solutions, Afiniti is also able to extend our proven AI pairing technology beyond voice and into messaging on multiple channels.
Dan: At LivePerson, we’re all about creating customer engagement that feels Curiously Human™. That is to say, a customized experience where AI understands customer behavior and intent, connects them to brands across conversational channels, and delivers meaningful outcomes. Afiniti’s goal of pairing people based on individual behavior and interpersonal connection aligns seamlessly with this mission.
By natively integrating Afiniti’s behavioral pairing technology, our platform will help brands deliver even more personalized customer service, delight their customers, drive revenue, and cut costs. The partnership will allow us to create better customer engagement for more brands and their customers across the globe.
You both used the term “native integration”; tell us more about it
Ben: At the point in the customer journey a live agent is required, LivePerson’s Conversational Cloud communicates with Afiniti’s pairing solution to determine agent selection. Afiniti’s AI analyzes historical data to identify subtle customer and agent behavioral patterns. By combining this information with real-time agent availability and utilization, the customer is paired with the best agent in milliseconds, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, happier agents, and better commercial outcomes for the brand.
Dan: The integration will be seamless in both synchronous and asynchronous messaging channels, plus offer self-serve audit capabilities to monitor operations for reliability and stability. In short, by integrating directly into our platform, Afiniti brings 16 years of expertise in pairing customers and agents to all of the conversational channels supported by our solution.
Our Conversational Cloud powers nearly a billion conversational interactions per month. Afiniti’s pairing technology is helping us set our sights on even better outcomes for the customers and agents that participate in these conversations on a massive scale.
Dan, what are the specific benefits for joint clients and customers?
Dan: This strategic partnership will help customers have better conversations with brands on the channels they love using everyday with friends and family. Simply put: They will be more satisfied, and will feel more individually catered to by the brands they are engaging with.
Our joint clients will also unlock even more value from their LivePerson solution, with more tools for their personalization strategy, an array of self-service portals and monitoring options, and seamless deployment, enabled by our close partnership and strong integration. They will be able to optimize any metric prioritized by their business strategy across sales, service, and retention.
Furthermore, Afiniti’s continuous ON/OFF benchmarking will ensure precise measurement of the value delivered through pairings, while the native integration will provide a seamless and fast setup. Plus, a pay-for-performance model means clients will be charged only a share of the value that LivePerson and Afiniti deliver together.
Lastly, what does the timeline look like for the deployment of this partnership for a customized experience?
Ben: This announcement is the first step in a multi-year relationship. We are currently targeting GA in early 2023, with a strong pipeline of early access clients in development.
Both LivePerson and Afiniti will work closely with clients from discovery to implementation. Clients can expect the deployment process to take about 16 weeks, and once deployed, we’ll provide ongoing, global post-launch support.


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Ahead of the lover’s day this Sunday, the biggest known celebrations in Uganda have been organized at Serena hotel Kampala where Alex Muhangi’s comedy store has organized a lover’s dinner that will have lovers dine as they enjoy Comedy and music.
The latest development in the upcoming event is that Rema, one of the lovers’ favorite singers has been dumped and replaced by Sheebah who is an equally loved star.
According to sources, the comedy store contacted Rema’s management about a performance at the dinner but she declined to cite she will have a photoshoot that day with her husband Hamza.
Comedy store Valentine’s dinner will also have artists Spice Diana and Cindy and also all pronounced comedians. Singles will pay 300,000ugx while a couple will pay 500,000ugx and a table at 2,500,000ugx. It will start at 3 PM till 8 PM, enough time for lovers to call it a day.
Interested in Marketing, Sales, Advertising, & Ugandan Music!
Sapiosexual & Ambivert


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Bloomberg | Aug 14, 2019 10:47
(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here.
Germany’s economy shrank in the second quarter, ramping up pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel to unleash fiscal stimulus as manufacturers reel from a U.S.-China trade war.
Output fell 0.1% from the previous three months, in line with forecasts, as exports slumped. The economy has contracted in two of the last four quarters. Merkel said Tuesday the country was heading into a “difficult phase” and even hinted her reluctance to respond is softening.
Wednesday’s report, pared with a protracted slump in business expectations and economic sentiment, raised the risk that Europe’s largest economy is on the verge of falling into a recession. It would be the first since six and a half years.
Economists’ reactions to the data resemble different shades of gloom.
“As the external environment remains sluggish and domestic activity is increasingly impacted, we expect a period of protracted underperformance,” said Markus Guetschow, an economist at Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) & Co. in London. Robert Greil, chief strategist at Merck Finck Privatbankiers said the second-quarter contraction “is not a drama but a warning shot.”
Germany’s performance is weighing heavily on a region struggling to sustain momentum. While the Dutch economy managed to maintain its pace of expansion, growth slowed in the largest euro-area countries. Profit warnings from across the bloc suggest little sign of a turnaround.
“The sick man needs its medicine,” Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at TF Global Markets said. “Hence, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, will have to unleash a new fiscal stimulus package for his country to combat the effects of U.S.-China trade war. This may just do some of the trick for the euro-zone’s economy.”
Henkel AG summed up Germany’s woes in a profit warning on Tuesday. The industrial firm is facing pressure on two fronts, a slowdown in the auto industry and weaker demand in China, the same environment that’s crippled manufacturing across the country.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday delayed the imposition of some new tariffs on Beijing by three months to December. However, there was further bad news from China, the world’s second-largest economy, on Wednesday, with cooling retail sales and the slowest growth in industrial output since 2002.
In Germany, second-quarter output was damped by trade, with exports falling faster than imports. Private consumption and government spending were higher than in the previous three months. Investment rose despite a decline in construction.
What Bloomberg’s Economists Say
“The industrial sector tipped the economy into contraction in 2Q, and the risk is of further weakness in the second half of the year. If there’s any good news to take from this release, it’s that services must have continued to expand, indicating patches of resilience persist.”
--Jamie Rush.Read the full GERMANY REACT
The European Central Bank has already all but committed to hand out fresh stimulus to jump-start the economy and is forecast to cut interest rates as early as September. All that has helped push yields on German debt to record lows below zero. Earlier this month, the euro fell to the softest since mid-2017.
ECB President Mario Draghi has been among the chorus of international voices pleading with Germany to loosen the purse strings after running surpluses over the past half decade.
German industry has been mired in a slump as worsening trade woes and weaker global growth sap demand for machinery and cars. Industrial production suffered its biggest drop in a decade in June, and freight volumes at German airports saw the steepest decline since 2012, suggesting a government forecast for growth of 0.5% this year, the weakest since 2013, might still be too optimistic.
Among the casualties is Siemens, which said earlier this month it would struggle to meet financial goals because of a deteriorating economy and heightened political uncertainty. Automotive supplier Rheinmetall also lowered its outlook, scrapping expectations for a “tangible” recovery in the coming months.
Written By: Bloomberg
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Online retail giant Amazon could soon start charging sales taxes to Oklahoma customers – a move that would help fill a sizable state budget shortfall for next fiscal year, Oklahoma Watch has learned.
An Oklahoma Tax Commission official said the agency is in discussions with online retailers to voluntarily collect sales and use taxes, and two state legislators said they expect agreements could be struck in coming weeks or months with Amazon, the country’s largest e-commerce site.
The Seattle-based company recently announced it will begin collecting and remitting sales taxes in 10 new states, including nearby Missouri and Iowa. That brings the total number of states to 39 where customers are subject to that tax.
Oklahoma could join their ranks, officials said, and that could potentially send an infusion of cash that would impact this year’s fiscal budget, as well as the estimated $870 million budget shortfall the state faces next year.
“I am very optimistic we will have a deal with Amazon and that will help us a lot,” said Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City. “They are the single biggest online retailer and that would be great for the state’s revenue situation if that were to happen.”
Amazon officials could not be reached for comment. Michael McNutt, a spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin, said the governor’s office has been in “continuous talks” with Amazon. He, however, did not say whether a move by the retailer was imminent or not.
Oklahoma Tax Commission spokeswoman Paula Ross said she can’t talk about conversations with specific companies because of privacy restrictions. But she too said state officials have been in contact with the 500 biggest online companies, including Amazon, following the passage of last year’s Retail Protection Act.
That measure requires online retailers to either start voluntarily collecting the sales tax or notify their customers of the existing – yet seldomly followed law – that it is the customer’s responsibility to pay the tax when a merchant doesn’t have a physical presence in the state.
The idea behind the law is that it would easier for the companies to begin collecting and remitting the tax to the state rather than notify customers. It also includes an incentive that retailers that voluntarily collect the taxes by May 1 would be protected from paying previous uncollected sales and use taxes owed to the state.
Ross said her agency has been working on securing agreements with top retailers for them to start collecting the tax as soon as possible.
“We feel like we are working toward that goal,” she said. “And we are hopeful that it will occur.”
Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, who sponsored the Retail Protection Act, said he, too, expects Amazon and other out-of-state Internet retailers to begin collecting sales tax by the May 1 deadline. And he said he is optimistic there could be an announcement from Amazon within the “next month or two.”
Ross said such a move would increase revenue collections as early as the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. But how much in state revenue that could bring is unknown, she said.
Ross said the state doesn’t provide estimates for how much revenue the state is missing out on annually from specific companies. But a seven-year-old report, which hasn’t been updated, pegged the total at nearly $300 million if all out-of-state Internet sales and use tax revenues were collected each year.
She said that amount of new revenue the state could see if all major online retailers came on board is likely lower now because many smaller retailers have voluntarily collected the tax in past years. But she said the total amount is still likely in the area of “hundreds of millions” of dollars that the the state is currently forgoing.
Note: This article was updated Wednesday evening with comments from Gov. Mary Fallin’s office.


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Advertisers may be missing out on the potential benefits of advertising that better represents the LGBT community, according to YouGov research. The market research firm finds that LGBT consumers are more apt than the public as a whole to respond to advertising by searching for products and services, but also wish they were represented more in ads.
Specifically, two-thirds of the LGBT consumers responding to the survey agreed that they don’t see their lifestyle represented enough in advertising, compared to half of the total adult respondent base. Likewise, more than half (52%) wish they could see more ads with families like their own, versus 39% of the fellow public.
GEICO and Verizon Wireless, among others, would be do well to pay attention: they’re the two brands with the broadest ad awareness among LGBT consumers, per separate YouGov research.
In the US, some 42% of LGBT consumer respondents report searching for products and services on their phones as a result of seeing posters and billboards, which makes them almost a third more likely to do so than the public at-large.
Moreover, roughly one-third agree that they search online for products they see advertised while watching TV, compared to about one-quarter of all US adults.
While TV appears to be a solid medium for marketing to LGBT consumers, advertisers should also consider advertising in streaming video and on LGBT websites and blogs, as these are among the most heavily consumed forms of media by the LGBT community.
About the Data: The results are based on an ongoing survey using YouGov Profiles. The data, collected in early June, had roughly 3,000 LGBT respondents and 50,000 total adult respondents.


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Jayapura, Jubi – Papua Industry and Trade Office is tightening the monitoring of imported products, in particular from Papua New Guinea.
The Head of Papua Industry and Trade Office Max Olua told reporters in Jayapura on Tuesday (9/8/2016) that his office would intensively conduct monitoring, because some products from Papua New Guinea such as the fast foods are now circulated in Jayapura City and its surrounding areas.
“Control over the food products from Papua New Guinea is very important to protect consumers from expired products,” he said.
He said in Jayapura, products from Papua New Guinea are not only coming by land, but also via the sea.
He said the imported products from Papua New Guinea to Papua not only monitored by his office, but also by the Papua Border and Foreign Affairs Agency. Therefore, they are keeping the coordination on monitoring the circulation of products.
“There are some entries for the products from Papua New Guinea to Papua. To control the circulation of productes coming to Papua, we need to increase the coordination among relevant agencies,” he said.
He said it’s not only the products from PNG that getting attention, but also the Indonesian products (Papua) bought by PNG citizens also under their monitoring. “Everyday many PNG citizens come and enter to the border area to buy the basic commodities from the Indonesian traders,” said Olua.
Earlier, the Head of Papua Border and Foreign Affairs Agency, Suzana Wanggai told in regular days the number of people visiting the border market could reach 900 people. “It proves that the border area is not a place to be fear to visit,” said Wanggai. (*/rom)


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Voice recognition is simplified and faster, while the display audio system has smartphone-like functionality. Christie Schweinsberg reports.
If you’ve ever searched through touchscreen menus, fruitlessly trying to find a function, or slogged through voice-recognition system prompts, you can understand why many new-vehicle buyers don’t use infotainment features.
Responding to these frustrations, Honda has revamped the functionality of its infotainment offerings, launching updated display audio and voice-recognition systems in the ’18 Odyssey minivan, going on sale this spring in the U.S. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Simplifying the voice-recognition system and speeding up response times were two development goals, Derek Adelman, electrical project leader for the new Odyssey, tells WardsAuto in an interview. This article first appeared in WardsAuto.
19 Apr 2017 - 20 Apr 2017, LONDON, UK
This is the largest and most comprehensive forum in Europe dedicated to connected car insurance. With over 400 attendees from across 25+ countries globally and 50+ executives speakers, this event will address the technological challenges and new business models to impact the motor insurance industry as it converges with the connected car.


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Advanced Cell Diagnostics Launches New Website and Online Store
News Oct 13, 2015
Advanced Cell Diagnostics Inc. (ACD), a technology and market leader in the field of molecular pathology and developer of cell and tissue-based RNA analysis tools, has announced the launch of its new website, www.acdbio.com. In response to the growing popularity of ACD’s proprietary RNAscope® in situ hybridization (ISH) technology, the site has been completely re-designed to better serve its thousands of monthly visitors. The new site graphically presents RNAscope technology, with streamlined navigation to interactively present all resources. New visitors can now rapidly and visually learn about the technology, see its applications and access relevant peer-reviewed publications. With fast and convenient e-commerce capabilities, ACD’s customers will also be able to access sales quotes in real time and place online orders, significantly easing the buying process.
In light of its ability to sensitively and specifically detect and quantify RNA targets in the context of the cell or tissue, RNAscope ISH is becoming an increasingly popular technology, with over 300 peer-reviewed publications to date featuring RNAscope ISH – currently at the rate of over 17 new publications per month. The new website reflects this business growth, together with the company’s continual dedication to customer service. Tom Olenic, Chief Commercial Officer of ACD, commented: “Of our monthly web visits, the majority are from scientists who are new to our technology, searching for how RNA ISH can enrich their research, so we prioritized visual presentation of our technology and diverse application content. On the other side, the sharp growth of our install base requires that we adopt modern B2B infrastructure to scale and ease the transactional processes. Scientists are busy; so searching through our 7,000 gene probe catalog, which grew by over 150% this past year, and selecting just the right probe for the right gene has to be fast and easy.”
ACD will continue to expand its online store features, soon to support customers outside of the US and also those who place orders using purchase orders. The new website is one facet of ACD’s initiative to incorporate modern business infrastructure to support and intimately interact with its growing customer base.
Analytical Tool Predicts Disease-Causing GenesNews
Predicting genes that can cause disease due to the production of truncated or altered proteins that take on a new or different function, rather than those that lose their function, is now possible thanks to an international team of researchers that has developed a new analytical tool to effectively and efficiently predict such candidate genes.
Gene Regulator May Contribute to Protein Pileup in Exfoliation GlaucomaNews
Researchers are seeking factors that contribute to protein pileup in exfoliation glaucomaREAD MORE
Nano-tech Diagnostic Can Indicate Cancer or Thrombotic Risk in One Drop of BloodNews
A team of international researchers led by Professor Martin Hegner, Investigator in CRANN and Trinity’s School of Physics, have developed an automated diagnostic platform that can quantify bleeding – and thrombotic risks – in a single drop of blood, within seconds.READ MORE


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Petrol set to slide as OPEC dithers
Weekly petrol prices; US Election
Retail petrol: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol rose by 3.4 cents per litre to 123.6 cents per litre in the week to November 6. Prices rose in all capital cities except Melbourne and Canberra.
US Election update: This morning (Sydney time), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James B Comey said that the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices had finished. The FBI has not changed the conclusions it had expressed back in July. The petrol figures have implications for retailers, especially petrol marketing groups.
What does it all mean?
Petrol prices were up last week but the blame goes almost solely to the vagaries of the discounting cycle rather than fundamental changes on global oil markets. The average Sydney petrol price rose almost 12 cents in the space of a week with Adelaide prices up 7 cents. Sydney and Adelaide prices are now on the way down from highs with Melbourne prices only slightly above cost price (the terminal gate price).
Petrol prices are set to slide given the failure of OPEC oil producers to reach agreement on a deal to restrict production. The Singapore gasoline price slid 7 per cent in US dollar terms last week and fell an even greater 8 per cent in Australian dollar terms – the biggest weekly fall in four months. Generally it takes 2-3 weeks for changes in global oil prices to affect pump prices. Pump prices may fall around 2 cents in the coming week.
OPEC oil producers next meet on November 30 and it is still possible for members to hammer out a production agreement, so there is no room for complacency. One sticking point is Iran – the country argues that it shouldn’t be subject to a production agreement given that it has only recently returned to the global market as a producer.
Financial markets have today responded to news that the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices had concluded with no change to the original findings. The Aussie dollar rose from US76.65 cents to above US77 cents before retracing. Sharemarkets in Asia have lifted by around 1 per cent. The US Dow Jones futures price has also lifted around 1.2 per cent in after hours’ trade.
What do the figures show?
According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol rose by 3.4 cents to 123.6 cents a litre in the past week after falling by 1.6 cents in the previous week. The metropolitan petrol price rose by 4.3 cents to 122.8 cents per litre while the regional price rose by 1.6 cents to 125.4 cents per litre.
Average unleaded petrol prices across states and territories over the past week were: Sydney (up by 11.8 cents to 129.1 c/l), Melbourne (down 1.9 cents to 116.1 c/l), Brisbane (up by 4.2 cents to 121.2 c/l), Adelaide (up by 7.0 cents to 124.6 c/l), Perth (up by 2.2 cents to 123.7 c/l), Darwin (up by 1.4 cents to 129.1 c/l), Canberra (down by 0.1 cents to 129.0 c/l) and Hobart (up by 0.7 cents to 125.0 c/l).
The national average Australian price of diesel petrol was up by 0.7 cents to 123.1 cents per litre in the week to November 6. The metropolitan price rose by 0.9 cents to 123.1 c/l, while the regional average price was up by 0.6 cents to 123.1 c/l.
Today the national average wholesale (terminal gate) unleaded petrol price stands at 110.8 cents a litre, down by 1.9 cents a litre over the week. The terminal gate diesel price stands at 108.6 cents a litre, down by 1.5 cents a litre over the previous week.
Last week the key Singapore gasoline price fell by US$4.82 or 7 per cent to US$59.20 a barrel. In Australian dollar terms the Singapore gasoline price fell by $6.70 a barrel or 8 per cent to $77.08 a barrel or 48.48 cents a litre.
MotorMouth records the following retail prices for capital cities today: Sydney 126.4c; Melbourne 113.3c; Brisbane 135.2c; Adelaide 134.5c; Perth 118.1c; Canberra 128.7c; Darwin 129.1c; Hobart 125.3c.
What is the importance of the economic data?
Weekly figures on petrol prices are compiled by ORIMA Research on behalf of the Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP). National average retail prices are calculated as the weighted average of each State/Territory’s metropolitan and non-metropolitan retail petrol prices, with the weights based on the number of registered petrol vehicles in each of these regions. AIP data for retail petrol prices is based on available market data supplied by MotorMouth.
What are the implications for interest rates and investors?
Petrol prices are poised to fall in coming weeks, lifting consumer spending power in the all-important lead-up to Christmas.
Petrol is trading around 4 cents a litre lower than a year ago and around 17 cents lower than two years ago. Simply, petrol isn’t overly influencing spending decisions at present.
Financial market uncertainty will persist until the US election results are fully known Wednesday afternoon (Sydney time).
Extracted from The Bull


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Riva Ganguly made the remarks at a views-exchange meeting organized by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) at Bangabandhu Conference Hall of World Trade Centre in the city. Out of 10 billion dollar mutual trade, during fiscal 2018-19, the export of Bangladesh has surpassed $1.04 billion. Indian High Commissioner expressed her optimism that the non-tariff barriers in terms of Bangladesh's export to India would be removed based on bilateral discussions. Business leaders drew the attention of the Indian High Commissioner about non-tariff barriers, transit cargo movement, and reduction in cost of doing business, investment in skilled human resources, health sector, and other matters. The board of directors, leaders of different trade bodies, and civil society members participated in the views-exchange meeting.
Source: Dhaka Tribune June 17, 2019 17:26 UTC


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U.S. tech platform CURO Group Holdings Corp. (NYSE: CURO) announced on Monday it is set to acquire Canada-based point-of-sale financing and payment tech provider Flexiti. CURO reported that under the terms of the agreement, it will acquire Flexiti for cash at closing of $85 million. The transaction also includes contingent consideration of up to $36 million based on the achievement of risk-adjusted revenue and origination targets over the next two years.
CURO further revealed the acquisition of Flexiti further diversifies CURO’s revenue mix by product and geography and accesses the full spectrum of Canadian consumers by adding an established omnichannel private label credit card platform and POS financing capabilities.
“Flexiti primarily serves prime consumers and the combination presents significant revenue and earnings growth opportunities by using CURO’s expertise to expand Flexiti’s non-prime product offerings. The transaction also provides the opportunity to leverage CURO’s loan servicing experience to improve Flexiti’s profit margins.”
CURO also noted the combination of it and Flexiti brings together two complementary businesses with like-minded management teams to serve prime and non-prime Canadian consumers directly or at the POS. In connection with the transaction, Flexiti refinanced and expanded its nonrecourse asset-backed warehouse financing facility from $296 million to $390 million. Don Gayhardt, President and CEO of CURO, spoke about the acquisition by stating:
“CURO has been focused on M&A opportunities that align with our key strategic growth areas in Canada and cards, and this acquisition accelerates our progress on both fronts. Beyond the compelling strategic rationale and enhancements this transaction brings to our long-term growth strategy, Flexiti is a strong cultural fit for CURO.”
Peter Kalen, founder and CEO of Flexiti, then concluded:
“Flexiti continues to grow at a rapid rate and this transaction will enable us to accelerate our growth trajectory. I am tremendously proud of the success that Flexiti has achieved in its seven years of operations and I have no doubt we are better positioned than ever to provide great BNPL offerings to our retail partners and cardholders.”


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However, all attempts to gloss and meet certain “elite” image nothing more than a publicity stunt, which was coined by the best experts on public relations. The thing is that these cigarettes are initially directed their attempts at advertising the fair sex. “Soft as the breeze in May,” in the 1920s, the tobacco industry products under the name “Marlboro” placed emphasis on the equality of men and women who follow fashion trends of emancipation. In the 1950s Philip Morris began to think about the need to change course. Not too popular brand tried to save his position, trying to avoid the disastrous results of actions of scientists. The thing is that at that time were released research data Luther Terry, under which he claimed a strong link smoking with lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Such disclosure has long been feared all the tobacco corporations. And as it turned out, not without reason in connection with an introduction to such information in 1953 in the U.S. for the first time the history of cigarettes significantly decreased their consumption. Of course, thinking about the health of ordinary American citizens, no one was going. The fact that cigarettes cause great harm to health, the owners of tobacco factories and heard, without any research, but do we know a lot of businessmen who care about something besides the well being of themselves and their own family? So in this case, the actions were quite predictable. Tobacco companies immediately tried to refute this information, trying to convince Americans of the unreliability of research, and when such a move has not led to expected results, are recklessly accuse competitors in that they produce more harmful varieties. Of course, a large proportion of the charges were accounted for cigarettes, while products with the filter is completely harmless. At that time it was believed that these cigarettes exclusively female domain, because brand “Marlboro” in this case was left on the horse. However, due to the reduction in cigarette consumption in general, Philip Morris might well fail, but because he urgently needed to teach American males to think that smoking cigarettes without a filter is not shameful. From now on, ladies’ tobacco products were to become universal.
The media business: advertising; camel’s success and controversy – new york times
Indeed, a rival tobacco company is testing the popularity of a penguin in sunglasses to promote one of its brands.
The latest attacks on Joe Camel came yesterday in a special issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assocation devoted to the dangers of smoking. It savaged the character’s appeal to, and efficacy in reaching, children.
A coalition of health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, wasted no time in petitioning the Federal Trade Commission to ban the campaign, which the groups assailed as “one of the most egregious examples in recent history of tobacco advertising that targets children.”
Joe Camel was actually born in Europe. The caricatured camel was created in 1974 by a British artist, Nicholas Price, for a French advertising campaign that subsequently ran in other countries in the 1970’s. Indeed, Mr. O’Toole recalled a visit to France many years ago during which he glimpsed Joe Camel wearing a Foreign Legion cap. The inspiration behind Mr. Price’s cartoon was the camel, named Old Joe, that has appeared on all Camel packages since the brand’s initial appearance in 1913..
Joe Camel first appeared in this country in 1988, in materials created for the 75th anniversary of the Camel brand by Trone Advertising. Trone is a small agency in Greensboro, N.C., that Reynolds uses on various advertising and promotional projects.
The anniversary logo then appeared in Camel advertising, created by the brand’s main agency, McCann Erickson, New York, which carried the theme “75 years and still smokin’!” Based on positive consumer response to the character, and the success of the anniversary promotion, Joe Camel became the centerpiece of Camel’s advertising, with the addition of a slogan, “Smooth character.”
Among the most contentious aspects of Joe Camel’s appearance has been that nose. Reynolds has always said this protuberance is nothing more than an exaggerated rendering of a camel’s nose critics say it was drawn in a phallic fashion to suggest that smoking is a virile pursuit.
Reynolds has relied on Joe Camel to give the brand, the first nationally advertised cigarette, a more contemporary image among the crucially important segment of younger male smokers.
“The over 21 year old smoker is the most prized of all consumers,” said Roy Burry, a senior vice president of Kidder, Peabody & Company in New York who follows the tobacco industry. “A young smoker will stick with smoking longer than an older smoker, who dies or quits.”
The original, unfiltered Camel brand was once the most popular cigarette in America, thanks to memorable slogans like “I’d walk a mile for a Camel.” It went into a steep decline during the 1950’s as a result of a boom in filtered brands like Marlboro, made by Reynolds’s archrival, Philip Morris.
Though filtered Camels were introduced, their ever changing campaigns, utilizing a variety of male oriented imagery, never caught fire until Joe Camel walked in.
That is a singular accomplishment for two reasons First, as Emanuel Goldman, an industry analyst for Paine Webber Inc. in San Francisco, noted, “It’s very difficult to take the image of a product and flip it so quickly.”
The second reason is that in the full price segment of the $43 billion cigarette industry, which includes brands like Camel, sales are falling 5 percent to 8 percent a year. All the industry’s growth is in cheaper brands, which have now captured a record 25 percent of the market, said John C. Maxwell Jr., managing director of Wheat First Securities in Richmond.
Another sign of Joe Camel’s success is that the campaign has progressed even as Reynolds has changed agencies on the Camel account. McCann worked on Joe Camel ads through 1989, when the brand was moved to Young & Rubicam in New York. Y.& R. worked on the account until October, when Reynolds moved the most significant portion of the account to Mezzina/Brown Inc. in New York, an agency founded by two former top Y. & R. Camel account executives.


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Sony Ericsson Shows Off New Clam-Shell Phone
Published on: 25th Mar 2009
Note -- this news article is more than a year old.
Sony Ericsson has announced its latest mobile phone, the clam shell T707, a phone that lights up when you receive a call and you can personalise the light settings to each of your friends, so you always know who wants you. If you are too busy to answer, simply end the call with a wave of your hand over the screen you can also do the same gesture to snooze the alarm.
The phone comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera and supports 3G connectivity.
The company has signed up tennis champion, Maria Sharapova to promote the phone.
"The T707 is the next step in the style evolution from Sony Ericsson," said Linda Schori, Global Marketing Business Manager for Style Category, Sony Ericsson. "Maria Sharapova is the perfect partner for us as she exemplifies not only elegance but also substance, just like the T707. It works hard and is also sleek, glamorous and desirable - a truly winning combination!"
The T707 supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 2100. The T707a supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100.
The phone will be available in selected markets from Q2 - pricing to be announced.


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"Flash storage is bringing disruptive price-performance advantages to the storage industry, particularly for applications that require reliable, low latency access to data," said Steve Fingerhut, vice president of marketing, Enterprise Storage Solutions, SanDisk.
"Organizations of all sizes need affordable access to flash storage technology to accelerate server and storage performance," said Steve Fingerhut, Vice President, Marketing, SanDisk Enterprise Division.
"Leveraging our expertise and technology leadership, we are delivering the industry's first high-performance SAS switching solution for extending DAS environments," said Steve Fingerhut, senior director of marketing, Storage Components Division, LSI.
"By offering OEM customers a complete production-ready family of solutions for external storage applications, LSI is enabling the growth of SAS interface technology in external storage," said Steve Fingerhut, senior director of marketing, Storage Components Group, LSI.
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Starbucks Canada to open more than 150 stores in 2013
- Katie Scaff, Staff Writer
Starbucks Canada says it will undergo the largest expansion this year in the company’s 26-year history, with plans to open more than 150 stores across the country.
The growth of the Seattle-based Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) subsidiary comes in part thanks to Target Corp., which will open Starbucks outlets in many of the 124 Canadian locations it plans to open in 2013. Starbucks Canada said the expansion is also a response to the success it has seen since launching its Blonde roast last year.
With more than 1,200 locations, Canada is Starbucks’ biggest international market.
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Deal would offer UK 'double deal dividend'
Europe is full of secular growth trends including digitalisation, faster growth in emerging markets, consumer loyalty to premium brands and increased health awareness.
September's disastrous Salzburg summit brought the risk of a 'no-deal' Brexit into sharper relief.
Brexit deal still crucial
'Range of operational issues'
Fund sizes to reduce
Employs 3,000 people in UK
Echoes of the dotcom bubble ring true
Lowest measure since index launched in 1995
£34bn of non-sterling assets to be merged
UK markets have become increasingly volatile, as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit looms ever larger.
Protecting investments in the event of no deal
Boost in products being issued
Industry Voice: With Brexit talks breaking down late on Sunday night in Brussels over the Irish border, investors may be wondering how to best navigate the next few weeks and months. Our assessment is that a number of UK assets have already priced in...
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While lucrative tobacco shops abound in Kahnawake, selling, distributing or manufacturing cannabis on the territory remains illegal.
Kahnawake is currently drafting its own cannabis legislation and taking its time to make sure citizens’ concerns are heard, said Delaronde.
“We have to build some trust here,” he explained. “We need our own laws to make sure we have control over the situation.”
Opinion in Kahnawake on legalizing cannabis sales is split.
The council recently released results of an opinion polls that surveyed 425 people in the community, 55 per cent of whom either “agreed or strongly agreed” with allowing the legal sale of cannabis on the territory.
Kahnawake’s cannabis bill could be adopted before Christmas, Delaronde said, but committees will still need to create a series of rules and regulations to compliment the law, which will ensure the final legislation only enters into force much later.
The council is also still working out if and how the community will impose a “royalty” on cannabis sales — or to tax non-Indigenous people who come into the community to buy the product.
Delaronde says charging a royalty could ensure cannabis is not cheaper on the territory than in the rest of the province.
“If the price is lower in Kahnawake are we encouraging our young people to smoke more?” Delaronde asked.
The legal process Kahnawake is going through to legalize cannabis sales is highlighting a tension between the federal, provincial, and First Nations governments regarding who has final authority over the drug.


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Dronamics has announced a partnership with Cotesa, a manufacturer of composite fibre components for aerospace and automotive companies, to aid the launch of long-range cargo drones in Europe.
The agreement ensures that the production of the Dronamics’ cargo drones will be ready to support the demand for the commercial routes to be launched in Europe in 2023.
Drone airline license
Dronamics recently became the first drone cargo company to obtain a European drone airline license.
Their Black Swan drone carries 350kg (770lb) up to 2,500km (1,550mi) and will be manufactured at Cotesa’s facilities in Germany.
“We are delighted to have Cotesa as a manufacturing partner in Europe,” said Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and CEO of Dronamics.
“This agreement to produce the Black Swan in their German facility supports our promise to enable same day delivery for everyone, everywhere, and the start of Dronamics’ commercial operations as the first drone cargo airline on the continent next year.”
Innovator in air mobility
“Cotesa is proud to be a partner of Dronamics and support the next step of the development of their offering,” said Christian Bartsch, CEO of Cotesa.
“Based on our long experience and competence in the manufacturing of components and assemblies for civil aviation, Cotesa is excited to partner with such an innovator in the air mobility space.”


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MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — PepsiCo Beverages Canada has introduced the 7UP EcoGreen bottle, Canada's — and North America's — first soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic, the company reported Wednesday.
By introducing the 7UP EcoGreen bottle in Canada, PepsiCo Beverages Canada will reduce the amount of virgin plastic used by approximately 6 million lbs. over the course of one year, the company reported. Studies published by the Association for Post-Consumer Plastic Recyclers in 2010 estimated this reduced use of virgin plastic will lead to a reduction of more than 30% in greenhouse gas emissions and more than 55% in energy use, based on current 7UP production levels.
"After three years of research and development, we have cracked the code to commercially develop a soft drink bottle made from 100% recycled PET plastic, and Canada has proudly led the way," said Richard Glover, president of PepsiCo Beverages Canada. "Consumers want products and packaging that reflects their desire to protect the environment, and PepsiCo is committed to delivering on that with this kind of world-class innovation."
The 7UP EcoGreen bottle will be available across all 7UP and Diet 7UP package sizes beginning in early August, and will look and feel like any other PET plastic soft drink bottle. Although there will be an incremental cost to produce the 7UP EcoGreen bottle, PepsiCo Beverages Canada said it plans to price 7UP beverages on par with other soft drink brands.
The bottle will be produced in multiple PepsiCo manufacturing facilities across Canada. The company invested $1 million in production enhancements in its facilities, including resin handling systems and inspection systems.
PepsiCo Beverages Canada's long-term plan is to increase the use of bottles made from 100% recycled plastic.


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TAS Group and B2 Payment Solutions Form EMV Partnership in US
Italy-based software group TAS has signed an international reseller agreement with North America’s B2 Payment Solutions, which it said will help the US payment industry capitalise on Europay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) migration.
TAS said that the agreement represents a significant milestone in its international expansion and an important step in its North American market penetration and business development.
Migration to EMV, already underway in the US, will enable US payment industry players to pursue significant opportunities for global interoperability, fraud reduction, near field communication (NFC) and mobile synergies, catching up with much of the rest of the world.
The new partnership will allow issuers, acquirers, vendors, merchants and processors engaged in EMV projects to benefit from proven technological and business know-how. The product offering will be initially focused on EMV data preparation and personalisation; then extending to transaction acquiring and authorisation.


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China's Baidu Looks to Mobile Search for Growth
China's top search engine, Baidu Inc, plans to begin monetising its mobile search traffic and social media platforms this year in an effort to boost growth outside its traditional PC domain, Baidu's chief executive said on Friday.
Baidu has expanded its dominant position in China's Internet search market ever since Google Inc decided in 2010 to relocate its search engine to Hong Kong following a standoff with the Chinese government over Internet censorship.
On Thursday, the company reported fourth-quarter earnings slightly ahead of Wall Street's estimates on strong revenue growth, sending its shares up 1 percent in after-hours trade.
"We do think mobile will become a very important channel to distribute our products and that has increasingly become true over the past quarter. And we think during the coming year, mobile will represent an ever larger percentage of our total traffic," Robin Li, chief executive of Baidu told an earnings conference call.
"In the past, we have not spent any resources in monetising the mobile traffic. But starting from this year, we will do something to figure out how to better serve our customers on our mobile platform," Li said.
In December last year, Dell Inc launched a smartphone based on Baidu Yi, a Linux-based mobile platform that links with Baidu's Internet services and will also run Android apps. Li said the firm was hoping to work with more smartphone vendors to expand the use of its mobile platform.
While investors are concerned that a softer Chinese economy would hurt advertising sentiment, Baidu's Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Li said she did not see such a big impact from the macroeconomy.
"We do not read too much into the macro environment," she said, adding that large clients' spending would continue to contribute to the bulk of Baidu's revenue growth.
Baidu said it expects first-quarter revenue of $666.5 million to $688 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S were looking for revenue of $678.8 million.
"The guidance is in-line, but people think that considering the (economic) environment and the early Chinese new year, maybe the company is giving conservative guidance," said Qi Guo an analyst at ThinkEquity.
FRESH GROWTH STREAMS
Other than mobile, Baidu is also pursuing a strategy to monetise its social media platforms and internationalise its business, the chief executive said.
Baidu broke ground earlier this year on a new office building that would house its mobile Internet research centre and its international headquarters.
In the fourth quarter, China's online search market grew 70.2 percent to 568 billion yuan, according to technology consulting firm iResearch. For 2011, Baidu had a 76.1 percent share of the market, while Google had 19.8 percent. Baidu reported fourth-quarter net income of $326.3 million, or 93 cents per American depositary share. Analysts, on average, were looking for earnings of 91 cents per ADS, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Baidu's revenue came in at $710.9 million, a hair above the average analyst expectation of $708.8 million. At this time last year, Baidu reported revenue of $371.3 million.
With more than half a billion users, China is the world's largest Internet market. Yet, Internet penetration is only at 38.3 percent and user sophistication outside the big cities remains low.
Baidu has made efforts to expand into mobile, travel and online video sectors to boost growth, and is also in the midst of launching its own browser, Baidu Liuluanqi.
Shares of Baidu have gained more than 17 percent since the start of the year, but remain off their 52-week high of $165.96. (Editing by Alex Richardson)


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A plastics manufacturing firm has invested more than £1m on fitting out a state-of-the-art new plant and offices in Washington, Tyne & Wear.
Signal Plastics has moved to the two storey 42,700 sq ft plant on Bentall Business Park having previously been located on Washington’s Crowther Industrial Estate.
The ground floor of the new facility will accommodate Signal Plastics’ modern manufacturing plant and the first floor will be the new base for staff and management of parent company, Omega Plastics Group.
Alan Franklin, managing director at Signal Plastics, said: “We’ve seen significant growth in demand for our high volume automotive moulding range and we needed more space in which to accommodate new plant and machinery. At almost five times the size of our previous site, the unit at Bentall Business Park fits the bill perfectly and by remaining in Washington we’ve been able to ensure a smooth transition for our supply chain partners and employees.
“It also helps being able to house all of our parent company’s staff and management under the same roof so this really is the ideal location for us.”
As well as relocating Signal Plastics, the Omega Plastics Group retains its production facilities in Blyth, Northumberland and Hartlepool on Teesside.
All of Signal Plastics’ 41 employees will be based at Bentall Business Park and the site will also provide hot desks for team members visiting from Blyth and Hartlepool.
One of the biggest pieces of machinery to be installed at the site is a new £400,000 1,300 tonne injection moulding press and overhead robotic equipment. Signal Plastics’ investment at Washington also includes 800 tonne, 500 tonne and 180 tonne machines and there are plans for further investment in additional new machinery in 2017.
Manufactured by Negri Bossi, world leaders in plastic injection moulding plant and machinery, the press and auxiliary equipment enables Signal Plastics to produce more and larger parts for the automotive sector.
As well as manufacturing automotive components, Omega Plastics Group provides bespoke rapid and production tooling products and plastic injection moulding to customers across a range of sectors including healthcare, electronics, FMCG and bio-tech.
In November 2016, Omega Plastics Group announced a £200,000 investment in new high-tech machinery to increase productivity at its plant on Teesside.


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Dow Jones industrial average fell solidly first Friday, along with S&P 500 futures as well as Nasdaq futures, implying a pause following a great stock niche rally on election effects. Megacap stocks such as Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft stock are actually blinking investment indicators.
Following the good, Roku stock, Square (SQ), Cloudflare (NET), Axon Enterprise (AAXN), Trade Desk (TTD), T-Mobile US (TMUS) and Peloton Interactive (PTON) had been amid the many notable earnings stories.
Roku (ROKU), Square stock, Cloudflare, Axon Enterprise, Trade Desk, Peloton and T-Mobile each beat quarterly earnings perspectives, with Roku streaming in a surprise make money. Most but Peloton stock rose immediately. T-Mobile stock and also Axon are actually flirting with camera spots.
Meanwhile, China electric-powered automobile designers, that are skyrocketing and added to profits late Thursday, might be taking a breather. Nio (NIO), Xpeng Motors (XPEV) as well as Li Auto (LI) retreated sharply over night, nonetheless, Nio and Li have pared losses and Xpeng has now relocated higher. Tesla (TSLA), which in turn has been much more subdued, retreated somewhat.
Li Auto is actually recalling some Li One electrical SUVs due to a suspension issue, after acknowledging there was an issue one day prior. Tesla likewise lately recalled a lot of U.S. made Model S vehicles within China for suspension issues, though the business stated the problem is actually Chinese motorists.
Stock Market Rally Continues On Election Results
Wednesday’s strong profits established a stock sector rally on the Dow Jones and S&P 500. The main indexes as well as leading stocks continued the powerful advance of theirs on Thursday, with the Nasdaq staging a follow-through day. The Dow Jones shut well above the 50-day collection of its. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 index rallied to just beneath their mid-October peaks.
Microsoft (MSFT), looking similar to the S&P and Nasdaq 500, will continue to flash investment indicators. Apple stock, Amazon.com along with Salesforce.com (CRM) also are selling early entries today. Facebook (fb) along with Google mom or dad Alphabet (GOOGL) rose more in their investment ranges.
A number of even more primary stocks cleared camera areas Thursday, including II VI (IIVI), Yeti (YETI) in addition to the Palantir (PLTR), while recent breakouts provided profits.
Investors seem to similar to the current election benefits, that suggest that Joe Biden will get the presidential race as the GOP is favored to hold the Senate, saying absolutely no major sweeping changes. There’s still a dwindling down probability that President Donald Trump might pull out a different Electoral College victory. But Biden has edged in front inside Georgia, and that is essentially a must win for Trump. Meanwhile, Georgia may keep runoffs for 2 Senate seats on Jan. 5 that will likely resolve exactly who regulates the upper chamber of Congress.
Microsoft stock is on IBD Leaderboard. Microsoft as well as CRM stock are actually IBD Long Term Leaders. Amazon stock and also Facebook are actually on the IBD fifty.
Dow Jones Futures Today
Dow Jones futures fell 0.9 % vs. reasonable value. S&P 500 futures sank 1%. Nasdaq 100 futures retreated 1.1 %. Remember that right away action of Dow futures and elsewhere does not necessarily translate into genuine trading in the subsequent typical stock niche period.
But Dow Jones futures have pointed to advertise gains that are strong in the past several treatments.
Here at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday, the October work article is actually due. That is sure to transfer Dow futures before the open.