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With over 30 million players registered since its 2014 launch, Destiny is one of the most popular shooters on consoles today. Now it looks like PC players will be able to get in on the action with upcoming sequel Destiny 2, according to online reports.
The rumor got going yesterday with a NeoGAF poster citing "somebody that works at Activision" as confirming that PC support for the sequel was being communicated to Activision employees. That tidbit was then fleshed out by Kotaku's Jason Schreier, who says he heard about the PC plans "earlier this year" and cites "several sources" in confirming the information. Schreier seems well-positioned to know, too, as he previously wrote an in-depth report on Destiny's messy development history.The reported addition of PC support will likely be aided by the fact that Activision and Bungie officially abandoned the last-generation consoles (i.e., Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) for Destiny's last Rise of Iron expansion. That likely means any sequel won't have to worry about scaling back the PC experience so it also works on console hardware that is over a decade old at this point. The upcoming launch of the PS4 Pro and Xbox's Project Scorpio should also ensure that the development team can target relatively high-end PCs alongside the console market.
According to Schreier, the "late 2017" release for Destiny 2 is being planned as a "proper sequel" to the original game, which has now been significantly patched up and expanded since its launch. "The Taken King was a reboot for Destiny 1 to fix small things," one source told Schreier. "This is the overhaul to fix big things."


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Container availability continues to be a problem for shippers of pulses and special crops, say industry officials.
Ritesh Ramakrishnan, joint managing director of Transworld Group, a shipping and logistics conglomerate that primarily services markets in India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, said COVID-19 has upended the ocean freight business.
There has been a 20 to 25 percent drop in the volume of goods handled by the shipping sector as a result of the pandemic.
Container ship operators have idled an estimated 13 to 15 percent of their capacity in the last month, Ramakrishnan said during a webinar organized by the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC).
That has taken about three million containers out of circulation.
About 30 percent of Canada’s pulse crops are exported in containers. There are mounting concerns whether the container issue will sort itself out before the new crop harvest starts in August.
Stephen Paul, vice-president of supply chain logistics with Canada’s Ray-Mont Logistics, said the situation is far too fluid to have a definitive answer to that question.
If North Americans return to work and resume traditional shopping habits by July 1, he thinks the container shortage and backlog issue should be resolved in time for new crop shipments in late summer and early fall.
“But if this continues to move forward past July, every week that goes by is going to start to affect the ability to move the crops,” Paul said during the GPC webinar.
He said there has been an increase in demand for the movement of pulses as concerned grocery shoppers stockpile products like beans and lentils but logistical constraints are impeding trade of the commodities.
There has been a tremendous amount of “blank sailings” or cancelled container vessels from China to North America and other destinations in the past two months.
People are not buying the consumer goods that China manufactures and ships around the world. That means there are precious few empty containers in North America available to be filled with goods like agricultural commodities for the backhaul trip to China.
“We’re probably running at about 50 percent capacity on shipments going to Asia and Southeast Asia,” said Paul.
Mahim Sharma, head of shipping and logistics at Glencore Agriculture India, said imported containers are stuck at terminals in Indian ports. Deliveries of those containers are 20 to 30 percent of what they once were.
The majority of Indian ports have declared force majeure, meaning unforeseeable circumstances are preventing importers and exporters from fulfilling contracts. Ports still operating have limited capacity.
“The majority of operations in India are still labour intensive,” he said.
Many port workers and truckers are unable to report to work due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Paul said the container shortage issue is going to linger until North Americans return to work and start buying consumer goods.
Even when that occurs there will likely be a six-week lag before there is a free flow of containers because there is a huge backlog of loaded containers sitting at port position waiting to be placed on ships.
Chris Oliver, nautical director of the International Chamber of Shipping, a group that represents 80 percent of the world’s shipping companies, said it is hard to comply with many of the new COVID-19 rules and regulations.
“All of this is slowing down the whole transportation process,” he said.
“There are clearly longer waiting times in ports because of this.”
Ships may completely bypass certain ports if they don’t have a big volume of containers to drop off at that port rather than risk sitting at anchor for an unpredictable number of days.
All of the panelists on the GPC webinar anticipate rising protectionism as countries attempt to secure food supplies and there could be a temporary shift away from just-in-time inventory to stockpiling essential goods like food products.
But Oliver said people tend to have short memories and the supply chain will eventually revert back to a just-in-time system due to economics.
Ramakrishnan said there may be attempts by India and South America to replace portions of China’s massive manufacturing sector if the pandemic drags on.
That could cause a supply shock in the container industry. But he noted that replacing China is a tall order.
There could also be a shift out of containerized shipments into bulk transportation of commodities like pulses because container rates have been rising despite vastly reduced fuel costs.

domain: news


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SAN FRANCISCO — Google Maps has found its way back to the iPhone.
The world’s most popular online mapping system returned late Wednesday with the release of the Google Maps iPhone app. The release comes nearly three months after Apple Inc. replaced Google Maps as the device’s built-in navigation system and inserted its own map software into the latest version of its mobile operating system.
Apple’s maps application proved to be far inferior to Google’s, turning what was supposed to be a setback for Google into a vindication.
The product’s shoddiness prompted Apple chief executive Tim Cook to issue a rare public apology and recommend that iPhone owners consider using Google maps through a mobile Web browser or seek other alternatives until his company could fix the problems.
Among other things, Apple’s maps misplaced landmarks, overlooked towns and sometimes got people horribly lost.


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The up coming phase in the Bitcoin revolution will be the standardization of the exchanges in which the coins are traded. Bitcoin is currently in the Wild West prospector times of its evolution. The world has agreed that a Bitcoin offers a stored evaluate of worth in the identical way that gold and silver have throughout the ages. Like gold and silver, Bitcoin is only worth what the other particular person is willing to shell out you for it. This has led to dishonest given that investing started. Crooked scales and stuffed ore all grew to become portion of the norm as both the miners and the assayers sought to pad their base traces. bitcoin to euro This led to governmental oversight and the development of centralized exchanges.
The Bitcoin desire has been to law enforcement its own local community and stay outside of the actual physical scrutiny of any international govt. The Utopian aspiration was shattered a month in the past when Mt. Gox, by considerably the biggest Bitcoin trade, shut down because of to a safety breach and theft of around $300 million worth of Bitcoin. Consumers who had Bitcoin on deposit with Mt. Gox still do not know how a lot they will get back again. The concerns at Mt. Gox lay bare the cyber safety argument. Surprisingly, Bitcoin as a forex has demonstrated impressive resilience. This resilience could quite well be just the improve necessary to legitimize the currency and the lean in direction of governmental involvement that could truly assist this fledgling store of benefit soar to its mainstream potential.
The timing of the Mt. Gox incident might show to be a boon for the currency. Tera Group, out of Summit New Jersey, previously experienced proposed a bilateral arrangement to the Commodity Buying and selling Futures Commission (CFTC) to commence buying and selling Bitcoins by means of a swap-execution facility or, centralized exchange. The huge greater part of professional forex investing is accomplished by means of swaps agreements which is why we comply with the business traders in our own buying and selling. A swap agreement is basically an insurance coverage coverage that supplies a assured value at a particular point in time to shield from currency fluctuations. It is what the commodity exchanges are started on. The swap marketplaces are the superhighways of the financial market. They method enormous volumes although gathering a little toll on each and every transaction. Therefore, the cost on the person swap is little but the sheer volume of swaps processed helps make it a huge revenue supply for all of the major banks.
The CFTC has yet to comment on Tera Group’s proposal. We commented in November that Bitcoin had transcended novelty standing and that the income pool was becoming as well huge for worldwide financial institutions to dismiss. Bitcoin’s resilience in the face of the Mt. Gox debacle is a testomony to the electrical power of a global grassroots movement. Bitcoin need to have plunged across the world as proprietors of Bitcoins attempted to exchange them for difficult currency. The market’s response turned out to be quite orderly. Even though prices did drop throughout the board, the market place appeared to realize that it was an personal firm’s dilemma and was as a result confined to Mt. Gox customers’ potential to get their income out. As a consequence, Bitcoin costs have stabilized close to $585. This is effectively off the December high of $1,two hundred but very near the common cost for the last six months.
The last coincidentally timed piece of the structural transformation from Bitcoin as an anarchist, alternative store of worth that exists outside the institutionalized financial sector to getting integrated into that very same monetary program is its capability to be taxed by the brick and mortar governments it was produced to circumvent. The Inner Profits Services lastly determined enough is enough and it would like its lower. The IRS has declared Bitcoin as property rather than currency and is for that reason matter to property laws rather than currency rules. This enables the IRS to get their share whilst legitimizing the need to have for a central trade to verify worth. It also eradicates arguments with the U.S. Treasury and Congress in excess of legal tender issues. It is merely valued as a very good that can be exchanged for other goods and services, barter.
Bitcoin is a international marketplace executing transactions on an electronic network. That appears an terrible lot like the fx marketplaces. Market regulators and the banking sector are likely to speedily uncover that the failure of Mt. Gox has done far more to encourage the specific take care of of global Bitcoin consumers instead than ending this upstart’s existence. Personal customers of Bitcoin will clamor for the authorities to safeguard its individuals from crooked exchanges just as farmers had been cheated in the grain trade of historic Egypt or gold and cattle by assayers and stockyards in the Wild West. Tera Team may possibly be in the appropriate place at the proper time with the proper notion as Bitcoin could have established alone to be self-sustaining at the retail stage. Institutional and lawful constructions are becoming place in location to continue its evolution as the monetary sector is remaining to determine out how to monetize it.


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At this time with Corona rampaging the world, a lot of concerts are being canceled. GigsGuide, a startup within the travel and music industry, has launched a unique product to focus on this: virtual tours with artists. They call this “Operation Paradise City”.
“Just because we can’t travel to see great gigs right now, it doesn’t mean great music can’t come to us!” says Francesco Cetraro, founder GigsGuide.
Since Monday, they have added support for “virtual” concerts to GigsGuide, and they now list loads of great events with incredible artists from all over the world. These can be found here: https://gigs.guide/live
The core of GigsGuide functionalities is also there, such as help with finding artists and gigs that best match the users taste.
“True to our commitment of not making money off the music, particularly right now when artists need all the support they can get, the service is completely free for artists and for users.” says Francesco.
The initiative has already been picked up by media around the world, such as BBC, Forbes and The Guardian.
Have you as a startup been affected by the Corona situation yourself?
“The GigsGuide team is in good shape. To be honest, we were mostly self-isolating and working from home before too, so our lifestyle hasn’t really changed much.” says Francesco


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BANGKOK, Thailand -- Opposition parties have agreed to cooperate in the run-up to a snap election called Friday by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but remain divided over whether to boycott the poll, which they have little chance of winning.
The main opposition groups -- the Democrat, Chart Thai and Mahachon parties -- haven't signed off on a Democrat Party suggestion to boycott the polls and instead concentrate on efforts to pressure Mr. Thaksin to quit.
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West Indies batting legend Brian Lara has been named a brand ambassador for Indian consumer deliverables company USHA International.
USHA International Limited is a company that provides Asain household products like sewing machines, dry irons, fans, coolers, water dispensers and kitchen appliances.
Lara announced the partnership on his Instagram page on Tuesday.
“I am honoured to be the brand ambassador for India’s legendary and iconic consumer deliverables company, USHA International,” he said.
“It’s no secret how much I endorse living an active, healthy lifestyle. That’s why I wanted to be associated with a company that not only does the same, but one that is also passionate about giving back and touching lives,” he said.
Lara, arguably one of the greatest batsmen of all time, has a massive global following was the best batsman in the world for much of his career that began in 1990 and culminated in 2007. During that time, playing for the West Indies, Lara scored 11,953 Test runs at an average of 52.88. The man dubbed The Prince of Port of Spain, in his native Trinidad and Tobago, still holds the world record for highest Test innings, 400 not out, made against England in 2004.


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Oct 07 ' 20 - by Kevin Petersen - Press Release - 0Using Online Press Releases During The Holiday Season
As we round the last corner of the year, it's officially time to start thinking about holiday offers. For most brands, the holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, followed by a whirlwind December. And the time to start promoting your holiday offers? Now. We recommend you start gearing up in September by creating content like email campaigns and social media posts, and shoring up your website with conversion marketing strategies like onsite retargeting offers, a streamlined checkout process, and a cart recovery campaign.
Then, you're ready to hit launch in late October, early November.
While we always recommend a smart mix of communication strategies, including email, social media, in-store, and online promotions, don't forget the value of using online press releases as well. Here are 5 advantages of using press releases during the holiday season.
#1 - Promote Your Holiday Deals
The primary reason for using a press release is to share your news! Let potential customers know about special offers and promotions, one-day-only shopping events, in-store events and promotions, temporary holiday hours or policies, shipping offers, and anything else that affects their holiday shopping experience.
#2 - Get In The News
Especially for local and brick and mortar stores, your holiday promotions could have a big impact on your community. If you're hosting an event, like pictures with Santa, attending local pop-up shopping events, or donating a portion of your proceeds to a local charity, try and get your name in the news!
Publishing your press release is the first step. Next, you should share it on your website and social media sites. Finally, you should do some digging to find the contact information for journalists and editors at your local newspapers, community magazines, and television networks and ask them to share your holiday happenings.
#3 - Boost SEO
A natural benefit of publishing online press releases is the SEO value they have. A well-written SEO press release that answers a question or solves a problem, that contains strategic anchor text links, and that is optimized for long tail keywords is more likely to rank organically in the search engine results pages.
#4 - Increase Website Traffic
In addition to your release potentially ranking in the SERPs for keyword searches, online press releases also help drive website traffic directly from the news and media sites where they're syndicated. Online PR Media partners with more than 5,000 news and media sites, and many customers receive 100+ full-page reprints on these reputable outlets. When you upload your press release for distribution, you can choose up to 7 industries that help us decide where to send your news. By choosing relevant industries, your news goes directly to the news and media sites that cover those industries; whose readers consume news just like yours!
This gives you direct access to a previously untapped and unattainable audience that may see your news and visit your website.
#5 - The Wire Is Quiet In December
Using press releases to share your holiday offers in October and November is pretty common, but December is a slow month for press releases. Why? Maybe because companies are in holiday mode, wrapping up the year and waiting for the New Year to start "working" again. Maybe retailers assume shoppers have already made up their minds by December or they're just too busy with the holiday rush to focus on marketing.
But December is the perfect time to publish press releases because the wire is quiet. There will be less competition for placement, journalists will be actively looking for stories, and customers will be looking to snag last minute deals. Even online retail giant, Amazon isn't above using press releases to communicate their December promotions!
Plan Your Holiday Press Strategy Now
There's still plenty of time to incorporate online press releases into your holiday marketing strategy. Need help with writing or selecting a distribution package? Online PR Media is here for you!


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Cyber crime scams are growing as fraudsters target people through emails, online banking systems, text messages and online transactions – including businesses.
According to a National Cyber Security Centrereport released earlier this year, criminals are launching more online attacks against British businesses than ever before, with fraudsters targeting people through emails, online banking systems, text messages and online transactions. A recent government study found that almost half – at 44% – of small and medium-sized businesses had been targeted by fraudsters and almost one in four had been victims of fraud, with an average cost to the business of £35,000.
The National Hairdressers Federation carried out a survey of its members, with similar findings:
- Over half (56%) had been the victim of cyber fraud and 52% had suffered a financial loss.
- Only 17% had their losses covered by their bank.
- Card fraud and phone scams were the most common kinds of fraud.
“If you don’t take cyber security seriously, you are risking serious financial and reputational loss,” states Hilary Hall, NHF chief executive. “Salons and barbershops hold data on clients and employees which is very valuable to cyber criminals. Remember that GDPR imposes much stricter requirements than the old Data Protection Act and you must make sure that any data you hold is secure and protected.”
The government’s Cyber Aware initiative advises businesses to take steps to improve online security:
- Update your software and apps when prompted as they updated will fix weaknesses in your systems to help prevent cyber-attacks.
- Use different passwords for all your accounts and include letters, numbers, capitals and symbols which can’t easily crack.
- Regularly back-up data so it can easily be restored if hacked, lost or stolen.
- Make sure your mobile devices are PIN or password-protected and can be tracked or remotely wiped or locked if stolen, especially if you hold business records on your phone.
- Don’t assume that phone calls, texts, emails or invoices are genuine. Have a clear procedure for making payments and get team members to check before agreeing to give or change payment details to anyone.
For help and advice from the NHF, visit www.nhf.info


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4K Resolution Not Necessary For New Games
A great thing according to me at this year’s E3 was that the developers and studios did not focus just on games and DLCs. There was a lot of buzz around, about the upcoming consoles (both PS and Xbox’s), so much that studios spoke about what they felt about these upcoming launches. With this, many gamers shared a common concern, of the impact that 4K gaming will bring, and if all new games that come out will only be playable on a 4K television screen. To this, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that he won’t make it mandatory for every game to run at 4K.
According to Spencer, developers have the full freedom to decide what they would want to do, and it was up to them to decide the resolution of the game. In fact, he went on to reassure that games that would be launched would be playable on Xbox One as well. He said “One thing we should make sure that everyone understands is, every game that comes out of the Xbox One family will run on the original Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Scorpio, so we have had some questions, ‘Are there going to be Scorpio-exclusive games?’ No, the line of games you’re going to get to play is the same.”
Spencer also hinted that there would be little or no difference in the visuals of the games that have already been launched.
This is what Microsoft had to say about their consoles, however, Sony continues to be secretive about their consoles.


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It has taken HSBC and its online banking arm First Direct just 500 development days to develop a mobile banking service that runs across the Link cash machine network.
The two banks will use the Monilink mobile platform, developed by Monitise, to bridge the gap between cash machines and internet banking.
The service is expected to pave the way to paying for transactions using a phone.
The application uses a downloadable mobile Java applet to give customers access to basic banking services on-demand, including mini-statements and balance enquiries through their mobile handset.
The bank worked with a consortium to build the service, allowing it to introduce the applications much more quickly.Read article on Alliance & Leicester


text: For those of you out there who love Bejeweled, here’s some good news to start your weekend right. PopCap Games recently released a statement in an interview that they will be bringing Bejeweled 3 to iOS. Yes! That means, if you own an iPhone or iPad, you’ll soon have acces to the latest version! PopCap Games definitely took its time unveiling Bejeweled 3 to iDevices, but we can’t blame them. After all, they’re a company who started with the game in desktop version, trying to make money of selling the game. This will be great for people who are always on the go but still want some fun in their lives. The company is organizing a meetup at the Game Developers’ Conference in San Francisco later this month, so hopefully they’ll release the game to iDevices sooner than we think!


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The burgeoning certification trend could lead to significant water and energy savings down the line because so many consumer and industrial goods are made in Asia, the New York Times reports.
For instance, Intel has cut its global energy bill for $111 million since 2008 after making $59 million worth of sustainability investments in 1,500 worldwide, the newspaper reports. The projects have offset emissions equivalent to the amount produced by 126,000 American households a year.
Last month, Nike opened its first water-free facility, which will end the use of water and process chemicals from fabric dyeing at its Taiwanese contract manufacturer Far Eastern New Century. The process, which Nike has dubbed ColorDry, reduces dyeing time by 40 percent, energy use by about 60 percent and the required factory footprint by 25 percent compared to traditional methods, the company says.
Still, the certification trend is in its infancy. Only about 300 manufacturing facilities in Asia are certified or waiting for certification through the US Green Building Council‘s LEED rating tool.
Some Western companies are hiring personnel or instituting new processes to better monitor manufacturing as well. In August, one month after an investigative report accused one of Apple’s major suppliers of dozens environmental, safety and labor violations, the company began searching for an environmental manager.
At the time, Apple said the manager would work with the company’s Asia Pacific and Japan Environmental Affairs Team, which supports the company’s corporate environmental groups to deliver programs on reducing its carbon footprint, elimination of hazardous substances, energy efficiency, design for recycling, product recycling and take-back solutions.


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Reliance Industries earlier today announced that Jio Platforms was getting its eighth major investment in the company, in just over six weeks. The latest investment has come from Abu Dhabi-based investment group Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), which has invested Rs 5,683.50 crore in Jio Platforms, for a 1.16% equity stake in the firm. Reliance Jio has previously announced investments from Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR and Mubadala Investment Company, over the past few weeks. With a total investment of Rs 97,885.65 crore in exchange for a 21.06 percent stake, Reliance Jio Platforms has proven to be one of the most lucrative companies for foreign investors.
Reliance Jio and its investments in India's telecom space have changed the face of the industry. Jio Platforms could definitely evolve as a technology company that has expertise in multiple domains. Jio's technology umbrella already includes broadband services, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented and Mixed Reality and blockchain. The money invested by Mubadala, as well as the likes of KKR, General Atlantic, Facebook, Silver Lake Partners and Vista Equity Partners will help the company achieve the Digital India vision for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small businesses, micro-businesses and farmers.
“I am delighted that ADIA, with its track record of more than four decades of successful long-term value investing across the world, is partnering with Jio Platforms in its mission to take India to digital leadership and generate inclusive growth opportunities. This investment is a strong endorsement of our strategy and India’s potential.” said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, upon announcement of the deal.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and is known for making landmark investments on behalf of the government of Abu Dhabi. It is chaired by His Highness Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. Founded over 44 years ago, ADIA is one of the world’s foremost investors, and is a member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Elucidating his outlook on investing in India’s leading technology platform, Hamad Shahwan Aldhaheri, executive director of ADIA’s private equities department, said, “Jio Platforms is at the forefront of India’s digital revolution, poised to benefit from major socio- economic developments and the transformative effects of technology on the way people live and work. The rapid growth of the business, which has established itself as a market leader in just four years, has been built on a strong track record of strategic execution. Our investment in Jio is a further demonstration of ADIA’s ability to draw on deep regional and sector expertise to invest globally in market leading companies and alongside proven partners.”
With Jio Platforms poised as a transformative player in India’s technology industry that has drastically transformed the telecom industry of India, ADIA’s investment in Jio Platforms has further cemented the company’s position as a market leader. With investments from abroad touching close to Rs 1 lakh crore, Jio Platform is set to revolutionise India’s digital endeavours by leading on all grounds – from enterprise to consumer technologies alike.


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Krispy Kreme Celebrates National Doughnut Day With Free Giveaways
It all goes down on June 1st. Krispy Kreme has announced that they will be celebrating National Doughnut Day by giving away their famed confectionary delights at participating locations throughout the United States. Customers will receive a complimentary donut of their choice, including Original Gla...
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Just because it was the 25th birthday of the World Wide Web yesterday doesn't mean you should go and buy some tech stocks as a gift (though it would be a nice gesture). The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dipped 11 points Wednesday for its third straight loss, as investors remain wary of fresh news from Ukraine.
Those East-vs.-West jitters are still weighing on Wall Street. Wild and crazy Vladimir Putin stated that if the people of Ukraine's "Little-Russia," also known as Crimea, want to join the Russian Federation, then ... let's just say Putin has already booked Grey Goose bottle service in clubs across northern Asia for the welcome party. That possible annexation is freaking Wall Street out, man.
President Obama finished his interview with Zack Galifianakis and moved on to the new PM of Ukraine. The pro-Western Prime Minister Yatsenyuk is furious with Russia's intervention in his country. The two leaders vented about Putin together in the Oval Office on Wednesday (word is the guy never puts the toilet seat back down) and promised they had each other's backs.
Who's going to blink first? The people of the Crimean peninsula will vote this weekend on joining the Russian Federation. How Putin and Obama react, and the geopolitical ripples those reactions could cause, will be on the minds of investors who just want economic peace and quiet.
The Federal Trade Commission, which fights to protect consumers from fraudulent businesses, is investigating Herbalife (HLF 3.84%) for potentially questionable businesses. Herbalife announced the news Wednesday in a company report but said it's excited for the investigation to reveal that its actually just an awesome dietary-drink company and not a ridiculous Ponzi scheme.
Isn't there a bit of a hedge-fund cat fight here? Famous heavyweight investor Carl Icahn owns a lot of Herbalife stock, while hedge-fund manager (and Icahn's rival) Billy "the Kid" Ackman has bet a lot of money that it will lose. Yeah, the fat-cat fight is on.
Ackman goes to Washington often. According to a report last week by The New York Times, Ackman is hanging out with lawmakers 24/7, lobbying hard to convince them that Herbalife is a "pyramid scheme" that only survives by doping salespeople to buy loads of inventory to sell themselves. The Times pointed out that Ackman stands to make a lot of money if Herbalife stock falls, since he has massive "short" bets that gain in value as the stock declines.
It's been a terrible short so far for Ackman, and a win for Icahn. Icahn has watched with pleasure as the stock rose 46% in the past 12 months. On the flip side, Herbalife's rise has been the bane of Ackman's existence, as his very public campaign to reveal the truth that Herbalife stinks has fallen on deaf ears. The 7% drop of the stock on Wednesday was a small token of relief for Ackman's Herba-nightmare.
Here's some sweet news ... if you're the lucky/hungry/potentially overweight shareholder of Krispy Kreme (KKD), the stock jumped 10.2% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the doughnut legend reported a surprising profit of $14.8 million last quarter, up from $4.8 million the year before. Eat it, Dunkin'.
What's driving the sugar binge? Krispy Kreme isn't just the favorite post-game junk-food treat handed out by cool Midwest hockey moms -- two strategic changes have helped the company. First, offering coffee and other quality beverages has improved customer traffic. And second, Krispy Kreme has started adding stores abroad (although international growth has been slow, investors like the overall expansion plan). Doughnuts in Kuwait? Cool.
The takeaway is that Krispy Kreme's glazed, fried treasures are consistent and predictably good -- but its financials? Not so much. The stock has been known to be volatile on Wall Street, given the company's inconsistent bottom-line performances. So Wednesday's impressive profit figures satisfied investors, leading to the stock surge.
- February retail sales
- Fourth-quarter corporate earnings: Hugo Boss, SeaWorld
MarketSnacks Fact of the Day: The average cash bonus on Wall Street last year jumped to $164,530.
As originally published on MarketSnacks.com


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We’ve been hearing for a couple of months now that Apple will soon launch updated models of its tablet. It’s about time that the company launched new iPads so it’s certainly not going to be surprising when it finally does that. It appears that the launch may not be that far off as Apple’s international regulatory filings have revealed at least two new iPad models.
If relaxing games with soothing music is something that you might be interested in, you will be pleased to learn that Snowman’s Alto’s Odyssey has been released. The game’s release date was announced last week and sure enough it looks like the developers were able to release it as promised.
While a lot of research is being done on alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for safety and environmental purposes, right now the majority of our electronic gadgets are powered using lithium-ion batteries and it is a reality that’s hard to escape. This means that components need to build such batteries are constantly in demand.
We’re sure many rolled their eyes when Apple announced the Apple Pencil a couple of years ago. On the surface it seemed like a stylus that Apple had rebranded, but upon its release, many have since found it to be an invaluable companion and a must-have accessory for the iPad Pro.
Microsoft’s Cortana personal assistant has been available on iOS for quite some time now but it didn’t have native support for Apple’s popular tablets right out the gate. Microsoft has finally updated its Cortana for iOS app with native support for the iPad. This means that users can get a proper look and feel from the app on their tablets when they’re using Cortana. Microsoft has optimized the app’s interface […]
Right now we are seeing more subscription services than ever. Even software that used to be one-off purchases are now seeing subscriptions, where users can pay a monthly fee and ensure that they’ll never have to worry about purchasing upgrades in the future. However could the same be applied to hardware?
When it comes to launching new products or product refreshes, Apple sometimes makes announcements in the early part of the year, usually in the first quarter around March, but could that be happening this year? According to a report from DigiTimes (via Cult of Mac), that seems to be a possibility.
Even though the global tablet market has seen better days, Apple continues to be the leader, outselling its biggest rivals. Latest data from industry tracker IDC shows that Apple sold more tablets than both Samsung and Amazon combined. Apple itself confirmed in its earnings results that it sold 43.8 million iPads in 2017.
Last year Microsoft announced that they would be bringing its Edge browser onto iOS devices, but unfortunately the initial release seemed catered more towards iPhone users. However the good news is that it looks like Microsoft could be getting ready to test out a beta version of the Edge browser for the iPad.
Many are wondering with reports of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X sales apparently doing poorly, how will Apple’s financials look like? Turns out that investors might not need to worry because according to the company’s latest financial results, they have managed to record an all-time quarterly high of $88.3 billion in revenue.
We are approaching that point in time where Apple’s iPad lineups are due for a refresh. It is speculated that maybe they could be announced at WWDC 2018, but now it seems that it could be even later, or that’s what a recent report from Bloomberg is suggesting where they claim that Apple’s new iPad could be released towards the end of the year.
According to the rumors, Apple is said to be working on an iPad with Face ID. Recently it was discovered that in the iOS 11.3 beta that there are references made to a “modern iPad”, but it is unclear as to what this means. Now it seems that there is growing evidence to suggest that the “modern iPad” is an iPad with Face ID.
Right now Apple’s iPad lineup consists of the iPad mini, the iPad, and the iPad Pro. However could there be a new iPad in the works? According to a recent tweet by the editor of iHelpBR Filipe Esposito, there were some clues found inside of the beta of iOS 11.3 that seems to suggest that there could be a new iPad in the works.
Apple is one of those companies where at this point in time, every move they make, the world is watching. This is why we’re sure that there are many out there who are curious to see what Apple could be up to next, whether it be a new iPhone, new iPad, new Mac computer, or maybe something completely unexpected.


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One of the coolest things about trade shows is the “hot off the press” angle many manufacturers take in showcasing their products. This year at the Western Farm Progress Show in Regina, I saw a number of those products. Some of the products are so new, they don’t have pricing yet. It makes for a great atmosphere around the show and it gives companies a chance to showcase what they’re all about and what they bring to the table. Traditionally the Farm Progress has always promoted new innovations and this year is no different.
Morris Industries is one of the companies using the show to display some of it’s cool new prototype equipment. Historically, Morris has always been in the seeding business, so the making of a disc drill just made sense. We spoke with Don Henry, Morris’s Chief Operating Officer about their new disc drill, some of it’s revolutionary new features, and what drove them to develop it.
If you cannot see the embedded video below click here.


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Samsung is one of the few “mainstream” companies that still bet in the range of “rugged” smartphones. Apparently, even being a “niche” the company is collecting good results. That explains why it keeps bringing new smartphones every year. The company seems to be already preparing for a new smartphone under the XCover lineup. The device will reach the market as Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro 2 and has just passed through the Geekbench benchmark database. The handset appeared on the benchmark database website with the model number SM-G736B. The benchmark listing reveals some key specifications of the upcoming Samsung rugged smartphone.
Galaxy XCover Pro 2 appears on Geekbench
The upcoming smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro 2, appeared with model number SM-G736B. The device emerged on the Geekbench 5 database website. As per the listing, it scores 766 points in the Single-Core tests. When it comes to the multi-core department, the device has amassed 2,722 points. As per the benchmark listing, the Galaxy XCover Pro 2 will carry an Octa-core processor with the codename Lahaina. Out of these eight cores, four will be clocked at up to 1.80 GHz frequency, while the other four will come at 2.40 GHz frequency.
Gizchina News of the week
We already know that the Lahaina codename stands for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor. Furthermore, the four higher clocks are ARM Cortex-A78 cores, whereas the four slower are efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores with a 1.80 GHz base frequency. This chipset uses the 6 nm fabrication process from TSMC and also has an Adreno 642L which is one of the best offerings in Qualcomm’s mid-range department. The processor also boasts other good devices like the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE, Galaxy A52s 5G, and the Realme GT Master Edition.
The benchmark listing further reveals that the Galaxy XCover Pro 2 will come with 6 GB of RAM. Furthermore, it will run Android 12. It’s not a big surprise when we’re talking of Samsung. The Korean firm came from one of the worst brands in terms of Android update to one of the best. The device will likely run the company’s One UI 4.0 skin on top, or even the newer One UI 4.1 branch.
For now, there is no word regarding the release date of the Galaxy XCover Pro 2. However, we can expect it to go official very soon. We expect a quiet launch for this handset and it will likely target a few specific markets including Europe and the US. For now, Samsung is directing all the spotlight to the imminent Galaxy A series event that will bring devices such as the Galaxy A53 and the A73.


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Palm Labs Adhesives, a manufacturer and distributor of anaerobic threadlockers and gasket makers, has launched a new e-commerce website.
Palm Labs Adhesives’ President Roger Szafranski says the new site makes buying adhesives easy and leaves “the Science of Sticky to us.” The company adds the website lets the customer feel confident they are getting the highest quality products at the most competitive prices from a U.S. company.
The company says the site provides 24-hour access to all products and packaging sizes. The site also has technical data sheets and safety data sheets available for reference and download as well as part number cross reference search capability. Palm Labs Adhesive is ISO 9001:2015 certified and ISO 10993-5 medical device approved.


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The 5G variant of the Galaxy Z Flip will soon be unveiled alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2. We had exclusively reported that the phone will have 256GB of internal storage and that it will come in a brand new color. Now, the phone has moved one step closer to the launch after bagging the necessary certification from Bluetooth SIG.
Multiple variants of the Galaxy Z Flip 5G have appeared on Bluetooth SIG’s database. We’ve spotted listings for SM-F707B, SM-F707U (for AT&T and T-Mobile), SM-F707U1, SM-F707U_SPR (Sprint), and SM-F707W (Canada) on Bluetooth SIG’s website. It is now pretty much confirmed that the Galaxy Z Flip 5G will be available in the US through AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. The phone will also be launched in Canada, if that needed any confirmation.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G is said to feature the Snapdragon 865 processor rather than the Snapdragon 855+ that’s used in the LTE variant of the foldable phone. It is being expected that the phone will have the same design and screen size as that of the Galaxy Z Flip. The phone will have a combined battery capacity of around 3,200mAh and support for 15W fast charging.


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Suzuki World Rally Car breaks cover
- 18th July 2006, 8:38am
No inforation was released about the date of the test or the specification of the car, but it is known that the driver was the team chief Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima.
Suzuki also confirmed that its FIA World Rally Championship programme was running on time, but that initially meant that the program would start with the muted 2007/2008 championship, which the FIA have now overlooked.
It is not know whether the team's plans will now be re-assessed, now that the traditional calendar format will be utilised from next year.
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From my perspective, there’s more commonality in both the overall moods and concerns – regardless of geography – than during any time in recent memory. Even the terms expressed by a vast majority of those providing insights and observations are almost identical: optimism and caution. Perhaps that’s because the U.S. dairy industry is consolidating, and its producer base is shrinking.
The USDA’s semiannual estimate of cattle inventories indicated there were fewer dairy cows and replacement heifers to start the new year. Milk cows, at 9.38 million head, were down 1% from the previous year. Milk replacement heifers, at 4.45 million head, were down 3%. (Detailed statistical analysis of state and national dairy herds and milk production will be featured in the April 1, 2022, issue of Progressive Dairy.)
For the most part, optimistic attitudes are based on outlooks that milk prices will be the highest since 2014. Adding caution and apprehension, however, are high costs for inputs of all sorts, if you can get them. Labor pains are acute. Finding a balance between milk supply and demand affects short-term production and long-term investment. Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs) and trade policies are elephants in almost every geographic room, although specific debates vary.
There are obviously issues that impact individual states and regions differently. Those include drought in the West and fluid milk sales declines in the Class I-dependent Southeast.
To kick off the overview, I’ll turn to some folks I consider longtime friends.
I’ve known Sam Miller, managing director and group head of agricultural banking for BMO Harris Bank, for decades. At one point, we even lived in the same city in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley.
For Miller, several factors are contributing to dairy producer optimism, led by higher milk prices, a belief the economy is learning to live with the pandemic and increased dairy product exports. Financial positions for most dairy producers, and for the industry as a whole, have improved from recent years.
Setting limits on that optimism are concerns over labor availability and costs, and the inflationary impacts on almost every expense category. Geopolitical concerns that may affect export markets stretch from the borders of Russia-Ukraine and China-Taiwan all the way to dairy farms from New England to the Pacific Northwest.
Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, regularly produces a map identifying the centroid of U.S. milk production. While we don’t know exactly where the U.S. milk centroid is to start 2022, it’s been somewhere in Kansas over the past couple of decades.
As a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, my only connection to that state as a youth was concern that Dorothy would make it home from her journey to see the Wizard of Oz. Then, I met Lynda Foster. With her family, Foster operates a 180-cow, Lely robot dairy near Fort Scott and the last remaining dairy in Bourbon County. She’s a past member of Progressive Dairy’s editorial adviser board.
For the Fosters, higher milk prices are providing a hopeful start to 2022, tempered by memories of how quickly prices and outlooks can change. As the calendar turns to another cropping year, there’s caution due to worries over costs and supplies of inputs to produce the feed for their dairy herd.
Supply chain challenges are causing delays for items used every day on the farm, adding to cow health treatment headaches even under the best animal care management efforts. “I have had more back orders than I’ve ever seen on just normal daily use products like dry cow treatments, mastitis treatments, medicine for use on uterine infections or heel warts. How are we supposed to take care of our animals when we can’t get the products we need?” she wonders.
So far, their milk production is below limits set under a base-excess program implemented on Jan. 1, 2022. What impact that has long-term is unknown. Labor is a concern even though the Fosters were one of the first to install robotic milkers in the area, in 2016. She’s seeing much greater interest in automation investment among fellow producers.
When it comes to potential FMMO reform, Foster has heard pleas for change grow louder. She recalls the important roles dairy cooperatives and federal orders have had and continue to play to strengthen the U.S. dairy industry – and doesn’t want “the baby thrown out with the bath water.”
“As a whole, the dairy producers are still hanging in there. The risk management tools and government assistance programs were definitely a lifesaver to many of us,” Foster said. She’s worried, however, that higher projected milk prices will give producers a false sense of security, and they’ll reduce use of risk management tools.
Strong demand, both home and abroad and enhanced through dairy checkoff programs, adds to her positive outlook. “I feel the state of dairy is still in good shape and hopefully will improve this year,” Foster concluded.
It varies by state and region, but we already know U.S. dairy producers enter 2022 facing the third-lowest hay inventories since 1977.
Ev Thomas of Oak Point Agronomics Ltd., Hammond, New York, finds nervousness on several fronts when it comes to producing other major dairy ration components this year. That concern starts with crop production input costs and product availability, especially fertilizer. He advises producers to work with crop advisers when it comes to soil testing and manure applications in an effort to reduce costs.
“Most dairy farms are running a significant nutrient imbalance,” he said. “More nutrients are coming onto the farm as fertilizer and purchased feed than are leaving the farm as milk and cull livestock.”
In addition to fertilizer, one issue less frequently addressed has to do with glyphosate. With about 90% of U.S. corn and soybeans produced from genetically engineered seed, glyphosate has not only almost tripled in price, but supplies have dwindled due to production issues in China and Louisiana. With seeds previously ordered, producers may not be able to swap Roundup Ready crops for conventional seed.
Resilient domestic demand for dairy products will combine with the continuation of a global economic recovery that will support higher-protein diets and demand for dairy products around the world, according to Tanner Ehmke, CoBank’s lead economist for dairy and specialty crops. The outlook of higher milk prices has slowed U.S. cow culling rates somewhat and boosted prices for replacement animals, a sign some producers are positioning themselves for growth.
However, although dairy farmers are showing signs of improved profitability, growth in U.S. milk supplies are not expected to return for several months. A period of financial healing, along with base-excess programs, will slow the pace of growth, as will labor tightness, construction and input costs, and supply chain backlogs.
Stephenson’s map for 2022 is likely to show cows and milk production are migrating to the center of the U.S. As noted in a Progressive Dairy article last fall, that movement is closely linked to large-scale regional cheese processing capacity, according to Ben Laine, dairy analyst with RaboResearch. Now and into the future, the “sweet spot” for expansion of both dairy farms and cheese manufacturers will be tied to economies of scale for milk production and buyer availability and processing capacity. With the ability to manufacture, store and move cheese longer distances, dairy expansion is being driven to the Upper Midwest and Plains states, Laine explained.
Speaking on a recent Dairy Download podcast, Jackson Takach, chief economist and senior director of strategy, research and analytics with the federal agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer MAC), notes dairy is trailing crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton), poultry and pork in terms of investment and growth among other ag sectors, in part due to the extreme run-up in costs and market disruptions caused by the pandemic, especially in food service outlets.
Takach said he believes producers shouldn’t see dramatic changes in interest rates on operating loans in 2022. Instead, the increases will work their way into next year’s loan renewal season.
Northeast: A brighter price outlook, but uncertainty abounds
Southeast: The struggles continue
Mideast: Balancing multiple market forces
Wisconsin the Midwest base for ‘forward’
Appalachian market shares Southeast challenges
I-29 Corridor: At the intersection of growth and balance
Southwest: The neighborhood is changing
Water, regulations add to regional challenges
California in a ‘state’ of its own


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If you've ever fancied dinner in Lapland - without even having to leave your dining table - then your luck might be in.
Because a restaurant has become the first in the UK to offer its customers a festive virtual reality using state-of-the-art wearable technology.
As new research shows Lapland is our favourite Christmas destination, diners at TGI Fridays will be taken on a virtual dog-sled ride through the festive Finnish region.
Customers wearing the hi-tech headgear will be taken on a fully-immersive 360 degree sled-ride and will experience what it is actually like to travel through the snowy province for 90 seconds.
From the comfort of their table at the restaurant, diners will experience the spectacular views in Lapland at high speeds while ten huskies virtually pull them along.
All the footage was captured by a trekker using a dog sled to travel through the town of Kiruna, 85 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
The content was filmed in temperatures as low as -17 degrees Celsius - but fortunately for customers at TGI Fridays, they won't experience the cold.
The equipment to show the virtual reality used is the new hi-tech Galaxy Gear VR headset, which is powered by Oculus technology .
It comes as a new study by the restaurant chain found nearly half of us, 43 per cent, see Lapland as the perfect destination for a festive holiday.
The new virtual reality scheme has been introduced at TGI Fridays in Stratford, London, and it is set to be available to customers at other restaurants across the UK throughout December.
Rachel McDowell, from TGI Fridays UK, said: "We always pull out all the stops for Christmas at TGI Fridays because it's the most fun time of year.
"As nearly half of us think Lapland is the ideal holiday destination, we couldn't think of a better way of doing that than making people's Christmas dreams come true virtually.
"The experience, powered by cutting-edge Oculus technology, is truly incredible.
"It gives guests 100 per cent freedom of vision to explore the stunning, magical snow-scape in Lapland.
"It will undoubtedly be the talking point of any Christmas party at - we hope guests have as much fun experiencing it as we did creating it!"


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Denny’s first-ever, all day, every day value menu will provide consumers a variety of meal choices at affordable prices, featuring traditional favorites as well as new a la carte menu items for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and late night.
According to the company, the Denny’s 16-item value menu will establish an alternative to fast-food establishments by providing consumers a wide variety of everyday affordable menu items.
The national rollout is a result of a successful test in a limited number of markets across the country where the $2 $4 $6 $8 menu was introduced in late December.
“We listened to our guests and have responded with the launch of a new menu with a new price structure that will excite them to come to Denny’s for a satisfying meal out at a great price,” says Nelson Marchioli, CEO and President of Denny’s.
“The new $2 $4 $6 $8 offering redefines the concept of traditional value menus, moving consumers beyond the idea that fast food is their only affordable option.”
While consumers have reduced their spending on dining out over the past year, recent data indicates that Americans have developed an increased appetite for eating out; more consumers plan to increase that portion of their budget in the coming months than those who plan to cut back.
“The initial response to this menu has been very positive,” says John Dillon, Vice President Marketing, Denny’s Corporation.
“With feedback directly from our guests, we’ve been able to create the only real 24-hour option to the typical fast-food value menu. With $2 $4 $6 $8 our guests tell us they can now get an amazing variety of affordable meal options literally any time of day, without having to compromise on service or quality to do it.”
Denny’s $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu offers four items at each price point:
Biscuit & Gravy with Hash Browns or an Egg
Stack of Pancakes
Pancake Puppies Sundae
Everyday Value Slam
All You Can Eat Pancakes
Three Cheese Melt with Soup or Garden Salad
Buffalo Chicken Wraps with Crispy Tortilla Chips
Southern Omelette with Hash Browns and choice of bread
Endless Soup & Garden Salad
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Fries
Classic Burger and Fries
Grand Slam Slugger, coffee, and juice
Lemon Pepper Chicken, two sides, dinner bread, and drink
Asian Chicken Salad and drink
Spicy Cowboy Chopped Steak, two sides, dinner bread, and drink


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In the past 25 years EU-China trade has increased more than 40-fold to reach over €129 billion in 2003. But with 1.3 billion potential consumers, a growing middle class and rising disposable incomes, and 9 per cent annual growth, the landscape is rich with opportunities for food manufacturers.
"Europe is tasty! This is the message I will carry to China. Be it wine, cheese, ham or olive oil, the EU has a longstanding tradition of quality food. China and the EU have great food trade potential which has to be further developed," said Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler.
Bilateral meetings with ministers and round table talks with the industry will focus on pushing the quality and diversity of European food. China's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its impact on farm trade, relaunching the stalled WTO talks on agricultural trade liberalisation and rural development will also be aired at the table.
At €129 billion, China is now the second most important trading partner for the EU, after the US. But underpinning Europe's drive, and Fischler's visit next week, into this emerging market is the widening deficit between the two trading blocs. Whereas the EU enjoyed a trade surplus with China at the beginning of the 1980s, EU-China trade relations are now marked by a sizeable and widening EU deficit - standing at €57.2 billion in 2003.
"The ability of EU agriculture to produce large quantities of excellent food products, and the diversity and quality of those products, means that the EU has become a major exporter of many foodstuffs, being the second biggest exporter globally with agricultural exports worth €61 billion in 2002," said the Commissioner.
The EU is currently the world's biggest producer of wine and of olive oil - with 65 per cent and 80 per cent of production respectively, the largest exporter of wine, 70 per cent global market share, and a major player in other markets, for horticultural and dairy products, meats, eggs and sugar.
A 25-strong food and beverage trade delegation from across the food chain will accompany Fischler next week, and includes a handful of ingredients firms. Harry Salonaho, the CEO of Finnish functional food ingredients company Valio with a turnover of €1.6bn in 2003, will be present. The CEO of Dutch wheat, tapioca and waxy maize starch company Avebe - Petrus Krijne - will be there. Danish dairy food and milk ingredients co-operative, Arla Foods - one of the largest dairy companies in Europe with a turnover of €5.4bn last year- will be represented by executive vice president member of the board Andreas Lundby.
Belgian's giant beverage company Interbrew - turnover €7 billion in 2003 - is also in the delegation, along the Danish Bacon and Meat Council, Greek fruit and olive firm Kronos, and Italian olive oil company Colavita.
A recent report from investment bank Goldman Sachs warns that despite the massive potential in emerging markets, increased exports from China threaten profitability in many product areas - notably for ingredients.
For the food companies China has not been so problematic, as food production tends to be domestically based. However, we are beginning to see a threat in ingredients, claims the report.
According to Goldman Sachs, both global ingredients leader Danisco and UK company Tate & Lyle have commented on increased competition from China as having a negative impact on their ingredient operations.
"If China's ingredient industry expands at the breakneck speed of the rest of the economy then we might expect further margin pressure from this area," said the report.
In 2003, a raft of ingredients companies - Danisco, Cargill for example - announced moves to lay down roots in China. But as the report reveals, the need to accelerate developments in this burgeoning economy must be a top priority for leaders in the ingredients industry keen to hold onto their market share both at home and away.
A massive importer of raw materials - notably wheat, corn and soy - reports in the Chinese press recently suggest that the country will soon start to manage risk through the futures market.
The reports claim that corn futures will likely be put on China's commodity futures market as early as April or May.
Zhu Yuchen, president of the Dalian Commodity Exchange, one of China's three futures exchanges, was quoted by the Chinese newspaper China Daily as saying that they are preparing for the corn futures trading.
"We are not sure of the timetable yet since it needs final approval from the State Council but hopefully it will be in April or May," Zhu said, "Or if regulators need more time, it may be settled in autumn." According to the press report, insiders said the exchange also plans to launch a new soybean contract soon to enrich its soy product series.
Earlier this month the Chinese government said that it had invested 4.7 billion yuan (US$566 million) in building 41 large grain production bases capable of providing one third of the country's total output.
The State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC), say press reports, has concluded that large bases producing high-quality cereals, including wheat, rice, soybeans and corns, was the fastest and most effective way to increase the grain output.


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Photo industry veteran Rob Comeau has joined Advertek Inc., a specialist in personalized printing, as Director of Business Development. According to a press release, Comeau will leverage his decades of experience in specialty photo retailing, professional and travel photography as well as wholesale printing sales to build customer relationships in the fast-growing North American photo personalization market.
Founded in 1996, Advertek Inc., based in Toronto, ONT, Canada, offers a full range of traditional commercial printing services, personalization and mail, large-format printing, as well as bindery and finishing. In recent years, the company has added digital photo personalization printing, dye-sublimation printing and photo gifting services to its portfolio.
“Advertek has steadily gained share in the online photo printing and gifting market,” said co-CEO Joe Montalbano, who bought the Advertek business together with co-CEO Simon Spina in 1999. “Bringing Rob on board is the next step to expand our customer base across North America.”


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Announcing ExpressVPN’s 2021 scholarship winner
We are excited to announce the winner of the ExpressVPN Future of Privacy Scholarship 2021: Ishmael Liwanda, a law...
The internet is safer now—but a VPN is still essential protection
The internet is a far more encrypted place than it was 10 years ago, but privacy and security experts still recommend a VPN for most users.
Guide: Protect your privacy at the workplace
Employer monitoring increased with the emergence of Covid-19, and it’s likely here to stay. Here are tips to maintain some of your personal privacy.
Our privacy analysis of 10 opioid treatment and recovery apps
The study raises questions about privacy and security surrounding telehealth, which has been on the rise amid calls for social distancing.
The rise of telehealth: What it means for patient privacy
The increased adoption of telehealth services across the globe brings with it new and unprecedented privacy and security challenges.
Taking an exam? First, install surveillance software
Universities are spending millions of dollars buying online proctoring and monitoring services, raising ethical concerns and adding to student stress.
Privacy flaw found in Google and Apple’s contact-tracing tool
Hundreds of contact-tracing apps on Android devices didn't keep sensitive data secure.
Here’s what vaccine scams look like
Covid-19 vaccinations are free, but that’s not stopping scammers from trying to get credit card and personal information through phishing and other methods.
Guide to data hoarding for the end of the world
Do you like to download large quantities of information off the internet for safe keeping? You might be a data hoarder—and that’s a good thing!
Tests, shots, apps: The invasive new world of travel
Amid Covid-19, summer travel will happen. Is it worth the loss of your privacy?


text: TimeTrade recently announced the availability of TimeTrade Retail 2.0, a new SaaS solution designed to enable self-service appointment scheduling for retailers’ customers. The announcement was presented during the inaugural members meeting of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. “Multichannel crossover is essential to building customer loyalty and growing retail revenues,” said Gary Ambrosino, President of TimeTrade in a press release. “TimeTrade for Retail 2.0 increases store traffic when customers pre-schedule in-store appointments offered through Internet, social media and catalogue channels. TimeTrade makes it possible for even small and medium-sized retailers to offer this kind of capability.” The new solution offers access to iPad, Android and iPhone users, providing sales associates control over in-store customer flow queue. TimeTrade currently provides online self-service appointment scheduling for more than 10,000 retail locations and its retail customers include Guitar Center, J.Crew, PETCO and Sprint.


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In July, popular esports LAN series World Cyber Games (WCG) announced a new direction — moving from a ‘competition’ to a ‘festival’.
Last month, Esports Insider highlighted WCG’s comeback and structural shift following the pandemic, which included collaborations with esports platforms, including influencers, leagues and game companies.
However, how different was WCG’s latest ‘festival’? And was it a successful re-debut for the esports brand?
Held in Busan, South Korea from July 28th to July 30th, Korean esports startup Bigpicture Interactive, the owners of WCG welcomed gamers to a newly transformed event following an overhauling of its old image.
WCG 2023 BUSAN was held at the BEXCO Convention Center, South Korea’s second-largest convention centre, with the support of the city’s government. According to the organisers, the event surpassed 20,000 Korean attendees.
As part of WCG’s transition into an esports festival, attendees not only witnessed esports competitions but the venue featured ‘Sparring Zones’, a mix of Western LAN parties and Korean internet cafes, in which people could compete in.
WCG was one of the world’s first recognised multi-event esports competitions, a title it holds very dear. However, as the ecosystem evolves, it’s important to adapt. Instead of just bringing together esports fans through LAN tournament events, WCG aims to attract wider gaming audiences as well.
The organisers in particular highlighted that subculture genre game events (Gensin Impact: Genius Invokation TCG and Epic Seven), which could have easily gone unnoticed at WCG, were well received. Further bridging the gaming space, the festival interestingly featured a new releases booth for trading card games (TCG) attempting to enter the esports market as well as a flea market selling things such as classic Game Paks (ROM cartridges) and merch.
Despite WCG’s shift in presentation, the event’s esports leagues still took centre stage. The Grand Finals featured top players across traditional WCG leagues where players competed for three days to be named the victor. To put an emphasis on mobile esports — one of the industry’s rising sectors — WCG 2023 BUSAN featured tournaments in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Clash Royale and Hearthstone.
Whilst WCG has looked towards instilling more of a community focus in its events, competitions will always be in its lifeblood. However, transitions such as this are becoming more and more of an effective way to keep the spirit of esports, whilst also attracting general gaming fandoms.
Alongside WCG, the success of this model can also be shown throughout DreamHack’s portfolio of events as well as Evo becoming the FGC’s largest community showcase. But even at the heart of these events, there’s esports.
At WCG 2023 BUSAN Indonesian MDL team EVOS Icon won in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, beating the Philippines’ ECHO Proud. After the competition, players from EVOS Icon greeted Korean gamers and other competing teams to commemorate the global competition being held in Korea.
Former Tribe Gaming and paiN Gaming Brazilian player LucasxGamer won nearly all of his Clash Royale matches, save for one disqualification, and took home the winner’s title. Meanwhile, Korea’s DuckDragon walked out victorious in Hearthstone.
WCG Rivals #4, the series’ esports content IP emphasising the concept of international competition, was also present at the event with Korea taking on China. The event somewhat paid tribute to esports’ roots with the two countries facing off in Starcraft 2 and Warcraft 3.
Jaeho ‘Moon’ Jang, a professional Warcraft 3 player for DRX, commented on South Korea’s victory: “I’m happy that I was able to participate in WCG and I’m twice as happy that the Korean team won. Thank you everyone for all your support.”
According to WCG’s organisers, the Sparring Zones, where attendees could compete with each other directly, garnered interest during the event. Similarly to how Western gaming and esports events have developed from LAN parties, WCG stated that it looked to encourage attendees to participate as players rather than spectators.
A Bigpicture Interactive spokesperson told Esports Insider: “The Sparring Zones, which were one of WCG’s challenges, have been successful and WCG will continue to serve as a stepping stone for fresh change.”
Whilst there was an apparent new focus on mobile esports, Bigpicture Interactive detailed to Esports Insider that it also looked to pioneer two new genres, TCG and subcultures.
During this year’s WCG, the event showcased traditional esports leagues such as the Hearthstone Grand Final, whilst also demonstrating the physical card game “CookieRun: Braverse” — created by Korean game company Devsisters — ahead of its formal launch date. According to Bigpicture Interactive, Devsisters’ choice to showcase CookieRun: Braverse at WCG 2023 BUSAN as opposed to Korean B2B gaming trade shows like G-star could be seen as a move into the global esports market.
WCG also noted that other popular, subculture events included the Genshin: Genius Invokation TCG tournament and Epic Seven guild leagues. The implementation of these leagues continues to solidify how diversification is now ever present within the esports sector, even when it comes to wide-scale events.
Whilst it may seem like an obvious move for many esports and gaming showcases, perhaps the biggest addition to WCG was its cosplay event. Taking more of a professional tone, the event featured professional and amateur cosplayers, with the goal to showcase the event’s festival vibe.
This year’s festival in Busan, South Korea, demonstrated WCG’s willingness to adapt and change with the new esports climate. A climate that puts a heavy emphasis on attendees and fan interaction as opposed to esporting excellence. Since WCG’s reboot, Bigpicture Interactive has focused on entertainment content, attempting to give new life to an old brand with over 20 years under its belt.
In a Korean media interview, Bigpicture Interactive Co. CEO Kwangjun Song emphasised: “Through repeated experimentation, WCG will continue to showcase new exhibits. We are doing our best to make gamers happy and WCG will continue to evolve as an event to excite gamers by carefully considering meaningful new ideas.”
The conclusion of WCG BUSAN, World Cyber Games’ biggest event since the global pandemic, provided a glimpse into the future of the new-look WCG. One that we may be seeing for years to come.
This piece has been written in collaboration with World Cyber Games


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Skip to comments.FDA: Florida, Mexico Supplied 'Majority' of Tomatoes in Outbreak
Posted on 06/14/2008 5:47:48 AM PDT by BloodOrFreedom
Parts of Florida and Mexico were supplying "the vast majority" of tomatoes sold when the salmonella outbreak began in April and thus remain leading suspects, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
But the FDA hasn't narrowed its hunt to just those two places, said Dr. David Acheson, the agency's food safety chief.
"The logical assumption would be that Florida or Mexico are the most likely source" because of the outbreak's timing, he told The Associated Press. "But we have not simply shifted the focus to those two places. ... It's wide open for anybody not on that exclusion list."
The government counts 228 illnesses in 23 states linked to salmonella-tainted tomatoes, and is urging consumers nationwide to avoid raw red plum, red Roma or red round tomatoes unless they were grown in specific states or countries that FDA has cleared of suspicion. Check FDA's Web site — http://www.fda.gov — for an updated list. Also safe are grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes sold with the vine still attached.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
ATTN: If at your local supermarket you view a mexican invader who passes up on the tomatoes: DO NOT BUY. They are probably privvy to info that you are not
If Florida is one of the culprits, why no salmonella outbreak here then? Just a few days ago the same FDA declared all Florida tomatoes safe. I think since Florida is #1 tomato grower in the country they added it to the list so Mexico won’t have a fit over single finger pointing.
I thought I heard on the radio several days ago that the FDA had cleared Florida.
Maybe I “mis-heard.” :)
IMHO, when this is over, and if the FDA is honest, the tomatoes will have come from Mexico and they will discover Mexicans taking a dump in the fields is the source.
This is Florida's peek season for tomotoes and the growers were starting to hurt bigtime over this ....
..Florida was given the 'all clear'...
That's why FDA has not yet identified a spot source to examine.
I'd first isolate all the produce terminals that handle tomatoes from both Mexico and Florida.
This would be consistent with the methodology used for a couple of "ricin attacks" in the mail. Someone in LEO simply call the Postal Inspectors about the identities of the suspect drivers, managers, and trminals used in those attacks.
aided by the filth column, our supermarkets.
"Almost all vegetables are contaminated with something because they water them with sewer water and put on a lot of chemicals," [Sergio Martinez, a 40-year-old bricklayer in Mexico City] said, noting that he washes all his produce with bleach and water. . . "The gringos are really demanding about quality," said Ricardo Montiel, 41, who was selling tomatoes, apples and avocados from his stand in Mexico City's largest food market.
The first time I saw this (sewage and vegetables) in the MSM was a NY Times article ten years ago. Raw sewage was used to irrigate fields growing vegetables. Photos with the article showed workers standing in ankle-deep sewage covering the field. Even if clean water was used to wash the vegetables the sewage would be inside the vegetables. I have not knowingly bought anything grown in Mexicorruption since then.
Smart move. In my family, we buy tomatoes that are grown in NJ.
About 15 yrs ago we were having trouble with a pepper weevil. It burrows into the pod so there is no killing them, The USDA and NMDA sent out letters, if pepper weevils were found in one of your fields you would be required to destroy the crop. Yeah, like you’d tell on yourself.
Everyone knew the weevil was coming in from Mexico but they never stopped the trucks.
I'm confused...wouldn't the government proclaim Mexico Tomatoes "safe" if they were trying to appease the Mexican go'vt and invaders? Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way...
We do the same, we try getting all the produce from the local growers (thankfully, I live in Florida) and the rest from WholeFoods who always disclaims the source of the produce so it’s easy to stick to US products. Moreso, WF also buys from the local growers first before bringing produce from other states so it adds to helping further the local farmers.
I am sure NAFTA is making this now even easier.
500,000th site visited.
FDA nears finding cause of 2008 salmonella problem
Fears offending Mexico. "What's a few sick people?"
E. Overshoe, North Dakota. Black FDA SUVs and helicopters swarmed onto the property at this subdivision home. Neighbors reported remembering the couple living there in 2008 had tomato plants in "a kind of glass shed" . . . .
Good to hear. So many farmers go out of business as they are undercut by larger establishments and pushed out by the high cost of business. Around where I live, most of the farmers have sold out to the large developers. There are 2 new developments and a golf course being constructed in my town presently
June 13, 2008
Florida pols seek FDA help on safe tomatoes
More than a dozen members of Congress from Florida have sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach asking that his agency do a better job of telling consumers that Florida tomatoes are OK.
Although tomatoes from 19 Florida counties have been cleared in the recent salmonella scare, boxes of them are rotting on loading docks because consumers don’t know they’re safe to eat, they write. They ask for a detailed plan, including timeframes, for how he plans to proceed.
The letter notes that Florida is the nation’s largest producer of tomatoes, and during the six- to seven-month season the industry employs 30,000 people. The crop is worth $500-million to $700-million.
Posted by Wes Allison at 3:06:48 PM on June 13, 2008
in U.S. House
Hallelujah! Putting pressure on a politicized FDA is good....
That's okay. It's nice to know of more dealers where quality food can be purchased...I am in NJ, do they have a website?
Who needs the FDA... could have told you where the tainted tomatoes came from the first day the story broke...
I’ve long been in the habit of blanching tomatoes, because the Mexican tomatoes are picked so early, their skins are tough.
It’s easy, just dip each tomato in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, turning over at 30 seconds. The skin comes right off.
That should eliminate any salmonella problem. Then you can slice or chop the skinless tomato. If you are really concerned, add a splash of Tabasco sauce and stir the chopped tomato a bit. It will take out any remaining bacteria.
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Amazon's 7-year itch
(Fortune Magazine) -- In the wake of Amazon.com's rousing first quarter--profits of $111 million, up 115% from last year--it seems relevant to look back on an article this writer reported seven years ago (Fortune, May 1, 2000). We aimed then to forecast what this five-year-old, hugely innovative Seattle company might look like some years out, say, in 2007, which just happens to be right now.
Depending on your grading criteria, our predictions perhaps deserve a B or even a B+. We were good on profits and the stock, not so hot on revenues. Back in 2000, Amazon was a big money loser, and some analysts doubted it would ever make money. We forecast it would, and profits indeed materialized in 2003. Now 2007 profits look as if they could beat the 2004 record of $589 million.
Our revenue forecast, though, was too optimistic. We thought 1999 revenues of $1.6 billion might grow to $30 billion in 2007. But Amazon's whopping growth slowed, and the company is now estimating $14 billion in revenues this year.
And the stock? In spring 2000 it was a famous holding of Legg Mason's Bill Miller (who still owns it), a valuation quandary, and a stock that this writer, having voyaged up the Amazon.com, said she wouldn't be buying. The bubble had by then burst, and the stock had collapsed from $113 per share to around $50. It then sank all the way to $5.50 before recovering. And recently, with the first-quarter news, the stock leaped from $44 to above $60.
So suppose an investor bought at $50 in the spring of 2000 and held to a recent price of $62. That would be a compound annual growth rate of 3.1%--oops, far less than the 6½% coupon a ten-year Treasury bond bought in May 2000 would have carried.
But the key forecast in our article concerned what Amazon might make in operating margins (that is, before taxes) on our hypothetical $30 billion in 2007 revenues. For aid here, we turned to two unnamed buy-side analysts. The optimist in this pair, believing Amazon would solidify its first-mover advantage, predicted an operating margin of 10%. The pessimist, expecting e-tailing competition to stay fierce, said margins would be 4% at best.
Neither analyst precisely hit the mark (as noted, neither did we). But the pessimistic analyst clearly gets the nod: In the past three years, Amazon's operating margin has ranged from 3.5% to 5.1%. Even in this year's first quarter, it was only 4.8%. These results aren't even up to Wal-Mart's 5.5% or so. Amazon has therefore not produced--so far--the profits justifying the rich valuation it usually fetches.
We won't feel sorry for founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, 43: His one-quarter share of Amazon was recently worth about $6.3 billion. He's also a large Texas landowner and has just bought a spacious vacation home in California's Beverly Hills. The Spanish-style house was listed for $31 million and probably went for something less. For Bezos the price appears to have been a yawn. He hasn't reported selling a single Amazon share.
From the May 28, 2007 issue


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Debate continues on Sunday alcohol sales
HARTFORD -- The state's police chiefs joined a coalition of liquor store owners on Monday in testifying against a proposal to allow retail sales of alcohol on Sundays.
They said the expansion would result in more crime and as many as 300 smaller package stores would be put out of business.
But proponents of the legislation, which has died in committee during recent sessions of the General Assembly, said that more than 75 years after the end of Prohibition, Connecticut continues to restrict consumers on the second busiest shopping day of the week.
Expanding the law to include Sunday sales, they said, would add $8 million a year in taxes for the revenue-starved state.
During a public hearing before the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee, law enforcement officials said that crime would rise accordingly.
West Hartford Police Chief James J. Strillacci, Capitol lobbyist for the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said that if enacted, as many as 3,000 retail outlets would be allowed to sell alcohol, including supermarkets and package stores.
"Our first concern as police chiefs is the workload," he said, noting that stopping after-hours sales, sales to minors, and sales to intoxicated persons are part of their daily mission. "It'll be more work for our officers with no additional resources."
A seventh day of sales would increase the chances of illegal activity by more than one-sixth, he said.
"In all likelihood, it's going to be more than one-sixth. Sunday being a day off, it's going to be a busier day than a typical work day," he said. "Minors are not in school on Sunday, so they're going to have all day, a full day, to find that willing adult accomplice that's going to buy and then hand it off to them for money."
Carroll Hughes, Capitol lobbyist for the Connecticut Package Stores Association, predicted that Sunday sales would mean hundreds of package stores would go out of business. Dozens of association members attended the hearing Monday, most wearing "Save my job" lapel stickers.
Hughes criticized a committee staff report on the issue and argued that border town merchants in Connecticut are losing business every day of the week, not just Sundays, because of better retail prices.
"The revenue in Connecticut from Sunday sales would come from chronic drinkers who buy every single day," Hughes said, criticizing those in favor of the expansion.
"These people sitting over here who protest the Sunday sales and call it a Blue Law, what they really aren't telling you is that they want (alcohol to be sold) 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they sell the same rotgut to the street people as the boutique vodkas," Hughes said.
The retailers in favor of Sunday sales include those located along the borders with New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Sen. John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, co-chairman of the committee and a proponent of the bill, said merchants in his border town have lost business to shops across the border in Massachusetts, which, like 46 other states, has Sunday alcohol sales.
Bruce Nevins, a Danbury resident who owns WineWise in Greenwich, said that New York state's law is taking away customers.
"Our customers complain continually that they cannot see or understand any logic to this travesty of justice that exists," Nevins said. "It causes a major inconvenience for consumers and it provides protectionism by the state of Connecticut for a tiny special-interest trade group, a few hundred members, a minority of the 2,000-plus licensed permittees that sell wine, liquor and beer."
He said that when Connecticut shoppers go out of state to buy alcohol, they combine their shopping trips and purchase other items that Connecticut is losing sales taxes on.
"They buy their food, they buy their gas," Nevins said. "Our customers, the citizens of this state, the businesses of this state, want the right to make these purchases on Sunday the same as citizens in 47 out of the 50 states have."
Groups that also spoke out against the expansion of alcohol sales included Mothers Against Drunk Driving and others concerned about the social costs. "If you guys were selling grass seed or lawnmowers on Sundays, these guys couldn't care less," said Rep. Mary M. Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, a committee member.
Currently, bars, restaurants, breweries and farm wineries can sell alcohol on Sunday.
Hughes said that the Massachusetts and Rhode Island stores that are taking away Connecticut business have a variety of businesses with lower prices.
"You don't run out of something you use occasionally," said Hughes.
The committee's deadline for action is late Friday afternoon.


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- ZooLogics Chicken Meals for Dogs, 2-pound, with the lot number 41567, and manufacture date of Nov. 2, 2017; and
- ZooLogics Duck Meals for Dogs, 2-pound, lot number 41957, and manufacture date of Nov 16, 2017.
company officials told the FDA, because they only sell products online through direct-to-customer sales. Included in the Saturday recall were:The Food and Drug Administration and the Washington State Department of Agriculture are investigating what FDA describes as a “pattern of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes contamination in raw pet foods manufactured by Arrow Reliance Inc.” FDA has received a total of six complaints of illness in animals who were fed the raw pet foods, including the death of one kitten. Salmonella recovered from the kitten was indistinguishable from the Salmonella found in a closed package of Darwin’s food from the same lot that was fed to the animal, according to the agency. People who handle contaminated pet food and anything it touches, including counter tops, utensils and pet bowls, are at risk of contracting infections from pathogens such as Salmonella. Infected pets, which don’t always show symptoms, can transfer Salmonella infection to people. In addition to the reports of sick pets, FDA reports it is aware of at least three animals that were reported to have been injured by bone shards in Darwin’s pet food. Arrow Reliance Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Food, issued the latest in a series of recall notices on Saturday. The company notified its customers of the recall by emails sent only to those customers who purchased the recalled products. No public recall notice was issued,


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Heetch was suspended by a Paris court last year for running an illegal taxi service. Now, it’s trying to rebuild its business.
The Scottish startup has built an online used car marketplace that attempts to digitise a notoriously difficult business.
The first Mondial Innovation Forum takes place at the Paris Motor Show on October 5; get your discount code now.
Tech.eu caught up with BlaBlaCar co-founder Nicolas Brusson in San Francisco, to discuss their latest $200 million round and the company’s plans for the future.
Started out of a single-room Berlin office in 2011, driver booking platform Blacklane has raised more than €22 million in funding from Daimler and others. Ivo Spigel caught up with CEO Dr. Jens Wohltorf.
With 600+ staff and a profitable online business that generated more than £93 million in sales last year, we were delighted to meet up with Skyscanner‘s COO, Mark Logan, recently for a video interview.


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Growth in the use of shared accommodation is outpacing its traditional rivals, despite new hotel developments adding thousands of new rooms to the Australian market in 2017, a new report shows.
In Australia in 2017 the number of nights in which guests used shared accommodation, such as Airbnb and Stayz, surged by 9.6 per cent, while nights at conventional hotels grew by 5.6 per cent, Deloitte Access Economics’ Tourism and Market Outlook found.
Yet guests were spoiled for choice with 5500 new hotel rooms and serviced apartments delivered in the same period – an uplift of 2.3 per cent to total stock.
Adele Labine-Romain, Deloitte’s national tourism, hospitality and leisure leader, said shared accommodation had been growing faster than traditional hotels in the past few years, and different factors were at play behind this.
“Certainly, the sharing economy growth is higher than the traditional economy,” she said.
“In parts of the market, the shared economy has actually facilitated a visitor economy where there wasn’t sufficient traditional supply. In other cases, we’ve had anecdotal feedback that having the sharing economy options has tempered the really high spike in terms of room rates that the hotels were able to command in the past.”
Ms Labine-Romain said business travellers were driving the growth of hotel stays in the domestic market, while the surge in shared accommodation rentals was coming from those visiting friends and family on holiday. This was similar for international travellers who were opting for sharing platforms over stays with friends and family.
- Related: Choice unveils $100m of new hotels in Perth, Melbourne and Bendigo
- Related: Australian hotel sales hit seven-year low as development pipeline picks up
The upcoming pipeline of new hotel developments would have an inevitable impact on both accommodation markets, she said.
“The pipeline is really strong and that will have an overall dampening effect on all of the market whether that’s the hotel market or Airbnb more generally, (which happens) as soon as you put more options into the marketplace,” she said.
“Hopefully the pie will grow as fast as the pipeline but the pipeline is pretty impressive, so we’re anticipating an overall dampening effect across all of commercial accommodation now.”
The years 2019 and 2020 are tipped to be the biggest for the hotel industry, with a boost of 3.4 per cent to total supply each year. Some of these new entries include luxury brands Ritz Carlton, W Hotels and Mandarin Oriental, which will be opening hotels in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
While this increase in the number of luxury hotels would constrain the growth in occupancy, room rates are still expected to climb, the report found.
“Despite expectations of limited growth in occupancy rates, these and other luxury properties will help push the average daily rate upward over the three-year forecast period, growing at 2.8 per cent per annum,” Ms Labine-Romain said.
The strong growth in the tourism and accommodation market has created new opportunities for disruption, which has also fuelled objection from traditional hotel owners and operators.
In Sydney, residential property listings on Airbnb classified as commercial operations increased by 42 per cent in a year, Tourism Accommodation Australia figures show. TAA, which represents the interests of accommodation and hospitality businesses, considers a residential property as a commercial listing, as opposed to a shared home, if it is available for more than 90 days a year or when the host lists a portfolio of properties that are not their own home.
TAA chief executive officer Carol Giuseppi called for a crackdown on “quasi-hotels” which lacked transparency and regulation.
“Far from being just a place where ‘mum and dad’ operators can rent out a room or their house for a few days, this part of the economy is morphing into actual commercial operations which compete directly with existing hotels, costing jobs and affecting investment in one of the most vital sectors in NSW,” she said.
However, Airbnb’s Australian head of public policy Brent Thomas said this was “yet another example of a powerful vested interest trying to protect the bottom line of their members”.
“Their excessive policies would only serve to hurt the people, small businesses and communities that rely on home sharing and the benefits it brings,” he said.
“It is also the latest example of Tourism Accommodation Australia’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde routine – one minute they are talking up the health of hotels and the building boom, the next minute they are talking hotels down and calling for protectionist red tape.”
Tourism Research Australia’s latest International Visitor Survey figures released this week show a record international tourism spending of $41.3 billion – up 6 per cent. But nights spent in hotels, resorts and serviced apartments only increased by 1 per cent to 29.2 million nights.
“Unregulated accommodation accounts for four times the number of international visitor nights as regulated hotel, resort, motel and serviced apartment accommodation,” Ms Giuseppi said.
Mr Thomas said a form of regulation was needed for shared accommodation.
“We will continue to urge governments to introduce fair, innovative rules for home sharing that reflect how people travel and use their homes today, just as there are in South Australia and Tasmania.”
Nationwide, TAA data shows 40,204 rooms across 200 hotel projects are in the pipeline until 2025 – making it “the most extensive and comprehensive hotel rejuvenation phase in Australia’s tourism history”, Ms Giuseppi said.
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