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This year’s date crop is bigger and better than ever – 25% bigger than average, according to industry experts. That’s good news for date lovers around the world; Israel supplies some 60% of the Medjool dates sold around the world. Israeli dates are popular in the Arab world as well, industry officials said.
The bigger crop this year is the result of the very wet winter Israel went through this year. Some 40,000 tons of Medjool dates are grown here, spread along about 6,000 dunams of land, much of it in the Arava region. Industry officials told Globes that they expect to increase the amount grown in Israel to 100,000 tons. Currently, the world market for Medjool dates is about 50,000 tons. Medjool dates are considered the top variety of dates, and provides 75% of dates eaten in Israel.
Oren Korin, head of the Western Arava Agricultural Association, said “we are witnesses to the development of the western Arava in the area of dates. Dates are [in] demand all over the world, as they play an important role in many traditions, and they have become more popular as part of the trend towards healthier eating. Dates also have a long shelf life and can be stored for an extended period of time,” he said.


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RTD saké canned cocktail to launch in UK
A new ready-to-drink saké canned cocktail will hit the market in the UK.
Shima Drinks, a Japanese inspired startup, has launched the canned beverage into the hard seltzer category.
The company, which is the brainchild of Matt Brunault and Hector Butler, is hoping to capitalise on the growing demand for low alcohol ‘healthier’ drinks as well as the growing Asian restaurant segment in the UK.
Combined with sparkling water and natural flavours, the new drink offers a healthier alternative to other hard seltzer products.
“Asian, and in particular Japanese, restaurants are the fastest growing segment in the UK, and the often fast/casual nature suits RTDs particularly well,” said Hector Butler.
However many of the drinks serving this sector are inauthentic, with white wine being the common alternative to beer, and there is very little innovation,” he said.
“We are combining the authentic ingredients with an innovative serve format that speaks to the already existing trends of pre-mix and hard seltzer in the UK.”
“We’re forecasting consumers will become fatigued with common base spirits, creating room for a saké-based rtd.”

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Samsung’s smartphones have been most criticised for their plastic build quality even on premium smartphones. The Note 3 was a step in the right direction but the Galaxy S5 is clearly not. Well, that gives people from other companies a chance to have some fun. HTC’s President for America, Jason Mackenzie commented in an interview that Samsung phones are for people who want cheap plastic.
HTC is riding high on the One (M8) wave and rightfully so, the build quality is stunning, thanks to that all metal awesomeness. So, Mr. Mackenzie has all the right to go ahead and make fun of Samsung smartphones. According to him, Samsung’s marketing muscle helps them sell millions of those plastic phones. He feels, Samsung says, “we have a lot of cash, let’s go out and paint the world blue”. Check out his full comment in the interview below:
“I think they (Samsung) play to their strength: they say, ‘we have a lot of cash, let’s go out and paint the world blue. And I think that’s evident when you look at that product…If you want to buy a product built out of cheap plastic, there’s a solution for you. But we’re going after a different customer, someone who wants the best.”-Jason Mackenzie, president, HTC America
Whatever anyone at HTC says, we all know that the Galaxy S5 will still sell in millions. HTC does not have the marketing muscle but they should sure make the most of all the hype the One (M8) has generated. So, what do you think of it, does Samsung smartphones feel like cheap plastic?


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Messaging & Online Collaboration: 10 Ways Adobe Is Transforming Enterprise Digital Experiences
Introducing Adobe's CQ5
CQ5 from Adobe includes new modules for mobile and marketing campaign management as well as new integration with Adobe Online Marketing Suite, allowing businesses to deliver more targeted content to identified segments and transform a website from a general communications platform into a focused vehicle for lead generation and revenue acceleration.
In one of the biggest enterprise announcements the company has made to date, Adobe Systems on Feb. 25 introduced its new WEM (Web Experience Management) suite, which merges Adobe enterprise technologies with recently acquired Day Software and Omniture solutions. Adobe's WEM suite is a unified Web 2.0 content management suite that combines optimized mobile experiences, integrated Web analytics, social media collaboration, digital asset management and campaign management, said Rob Pinkerton, senior director of product marketing at Adobe, in an interview with eWEEK. Moreover, the company's entrance in the WEM market marks another important milestone in Adobe's vision of delivering customer-centric solutions across organizations, Pinkerton said. The new WEM suite will help IT professionals and developers optimize digital channels to acquire new customers, gain customer insight and deliver personalized experiences across devicesleading to better conversion rates and a superior brand experience, he said. Marketers can deliver localized and relevant content for targeted multi-channel campaigns.


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Harrisonburg Restaurant Week serves up local flavor
The City of Harrisonburg is home to a unique blend of locally-owned restaurants, craft breweries, grocers, bakeries and cafes, and Virginia’s first culinary district. The inaugural Harrisonburg Restaurant week, set for March 5 – 11, 2017, showcases the local flavors at more than 40 participating restaurants throughout the city.
The week-long celebration will feature the popular Taste of Downtown and introduce Savor on Port and Relish Uptown, a new branding initiative that will include a collection of local restaurants specifically on Port Republic Road and various locations throughout the city. Participating restaurants will serve upsignature dishes, daily specials, small plates, brunch bites, sweet treats and more. The week offers patrons an opportunity to visit an impressive and diverse mix of locally-owned eateries with international influences ranging from mainstream American to Asian-fusion cuisine to authentic Indian fare.
During Harrisonburg’s Restaurant Week, our chefs will showcase their creativity and talents. They create global comfort foods sourced from area farms and dishes that are inspired from secret family recipes, making it easy for you to take a “Culinary Trip around the World” right here in the Shenandoah Valley.
“This is a great opportunity to team up with our local food businesses to showcase the culinary arts in Harrisonburg,” says Brenda Black, Director of Tourism and Visitor Services. “We’re inviting visitors and our neighbors to join us as we indulge in home-grown goodness and celebrate the bounty of the Shenandoah Valley.”
“O’Neill’s Grill is very excited to be a part of restaurant week,” says Tim O’Neill, owner of O’Neill’s Grill. “It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our scratch kitchen to some of the community that hasn’t visited us before. We are also going to tie this event to one of our local monthly charity events.”
“I love these types of city wide events,” says Scott Coles, chef at Jimmy Madison’s Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar. “It’s an opportunity to stretch beyond my culinary boundaries and be a little more adventurous. My menu for Restaurant Week this year is “Contemporary Country” themed, with dishes such as Beer Can Quail, Mac & Cheese Tower, Spam Dynamite and a Baked Virginian.” He also says, “Restaurant Week is a chance for me to explore what the other creative minds of Harrisonburg have to offer.”
“Taste of Downtown is a unique showcase of the downtown food scene, which boasts more than 40 food-related businesses in a 40-block district” says Kim Kirk, Chief Marketing Officer at Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. “Every restaurant offers a unique atmosphere and culinary experience. This diversity coupled with our chefs’ commitment to showcasing the local culture and ingredients are what makes Harrisonburg’s food scene incredible.”
Tickets are not required; however, reservations are encouraged and should be made directly with the restaurant. Guests can visit as many places as they wish during the seven‐day event.
For a list of participating restaurants and details of their offers, visit www.VisitHarrisonburgVA.com/dining/harrisonburg-restaurant-week or www.tasteofdowntownhburg.com.


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(Bloomberg) -- The British public is providing the government an unexpected funding boost in the run-up to the Budget, easing some of the pressure on markets that are having to absorb a record supply of government bonds.
Retail investors bought more than £13.5 billion ($17.1 billion) of National Savings and Investments products on balance in the first nine months of the financial year, almost double the amount expected for the whole of 2023-24, analysis of Bank of England data shows.
The rush by ordinary investors is helpful for the Treasury because it comes at at time when bond markets are being asked to buy gilts to finance the budget deficit as well as those sold by BOE as it unwinds its quantitative-easing program. Together, the two are expected to amount to a net £204 billion in the coming fiscal year, according to RBC Capital Markets. UK bond yields have risen faster than peers so far in 2024, with the 10-year rate trading around 4.2%.
Analysts said more could be raised from retail investors through the government savings bank in the next financial year. The Debt Management Office will reveal its updated financing plans alongside the Budget on March 6.
The DMO said that it expected to raise £7.5 billion at the time of the Autumn Statement in November. However, much more has been raised as savers are enticed by higher rates offered by the government savings bank.
Sanjay Raja, chief UK economist at Deutsche Bank, said retail investors were “coming to the rescue” of Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt by offsetting an overrun in the government’s net cash requirement.
The NS&I inflows coincided with the state-backed bank raising rates on several of its products, with inflows of almost £8 billion in September alone. Those rates have since come tumbling down again on conviction the BOE’s monetary tightening campaign is over.
Mark Capleton, rates strategist at Bank of America, said it was hard for the government to “finesse the exact flows” into NS&I given the volatile rates environment. He said the recent surge is unlikely to mark a policy shift to bring in more retail investors but added that the UK could use this source more in the future.
“There has been some debate about whether they would use retail products as a form of diversification of financing when the gross financing need is so large,” he said. “I do think there is a a strong possibility that next year we see greater use of NS&I.”
To be sure, the UK’s retail bond program pales in comparison to those in other countries. Italy is currently selling a new retail bond that has already amassed over €11 billion in orders and is set to surpass the previous record of €18 billion set in July, according to Rabobank strategists.
The short-maturity of NS&I’s offerings also differ from the longer-dated nature of gilt financing, meaning it will soon need to be refinanced by the government.
“From a market’s perspective, both NS&I and retail bond issuance are likely to be viewed as short-dated funding sources,” said Imogen Bachra, head of non-dollar rates strategy at NatWest Markets. “Although on the surface it helps to solve the DMO’s supply-demand imbalance, it doesn’t necessarily help with the duration mismatch of supply and demand.”
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.


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BOSTON (Reuters) - Investor Fredric Zaino, who spent 15 years at hedge fund Millennium Management, has launched his own firm and plans to invest in micro-, small- and mid-cap public and private companies focusing on biotech, real estate and consumer products.
Keystone Capital Partners has already made investments with biotechnolgy companies PolarityTE Inc and Vaccinex Inc and expects to make another seven to 10 investments this year, Zaino said.
The company plans to invest roughly $50 million and is currently not planning to try and raise funds from outside investors. The New York-based firm is being led by Zaino and three senior colleagues.
Zaino, who specialized on the biotech/med tech sector at one of the industry's biggest hedge funds Millennium, said he plans to help finance select biotechs that need capital for new trials, adding that the sector will likely be more robust than the retail, restaurants and travel sectors.
"People are worried about things like COVID, but the one sector that would have a tailwind is biotech."
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)


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It might feel dangerous to buy tech stocks as the Nasdaq hovers in close proximity to its all-time higher. As the previous Wall Street declaring goes, “bulls make funds, bears make funds, but pigs get slaughtered.”
However, traders who decide to avoid all tech shares right until the marketplace cools off could be ignoring some great secular and cyclical expansion stories. Below are a few stocks that fit that description: Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU), MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:MELI), and Infinera (NASDAQ:INFN).
Roku is a person of the world’s major producers of streaming video clip units. But it in fact generates most of its revenues and gross revenue from its software program platform, which makes income from integrated ads and information partnerships.
The growth of this application ecosystem — which runs across its individual devices, other set-best boxes, and clever TVs — minimizes Roku’s dependence on its reduced-margin components organization, allows it to promote less expensive equipment to keep aggressive, and persistently boosts its gross margins.
Roku ended last quarter with 53.6 million lively accounts, as opposed to just 13.4 million lively accounts at the conclusion of 2016. It truly is locking in all people customers by increasing the Roku Channel, its ad-supported streaming online video platform that offers totally free exhibits, motion pictures, and stay-Television set channels.
Roku is a excellent enjoy on the streaming movie sector, as nicely as a prolonged-time period guess on the dying of conventional Television. That secular shift could tether even extra advertisers and articles companions to the business.
Roku’s profits rose 58% past calendar year as men and women acquired a lot more streaming gadgets and watched more videos during the pandemic. But contrary to other “pandemic shares,” Roku isn’t predicted to knowledge a significant slowdown — analysts even now foresee 55% revenue advancement this yr.
Roku’s income keep on being slender and its stock is undeniably costly at 20 times this-year’s profits. But it is really little by little evolving into a next-gen media system, particularly following its takeover of Quibi’s first written content, and could keep extraordinary expansion costs for years to come.
MercadoLibre is Latin America’s major e-commerce firm. It operates throughout 18 international locations, and generates most of its profits in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. It served approximately 70 million special lively customers previous quarter and procedures their payments as a result of its Mercado Pago platform.
MercadoLibre’s income surged 73% in 2020 as the pandemic drove extra shoppers on the net, though its gross items quantity (GMV) — the benefit of all products sold across its marketplaces — greater 50% to $20.9 billion.
Analysts hope its revenue to rise 58% to $6.3 billion this year, even as it faces harder put up-pandemic comparisons. It can retain that momentum simply because Latin The united states stays an underpenetrated e-commerce market.
Brazil, the region’s most significant economy, has an e-commerce penetration amount of just 12.5%, in accordance to Fidelity Worldwide, BTG Pactual Research, and Euromonitor. By comparison, China and the U.S. have e-commerce penetration charges of 27.3% and 20.3%, respectively.
Consequently, MercadoLibre could however have lots of place to grow over the following several yrs. It really is not a great enterprise — it isn’t really constantly successful, it faces more compact challengers, and the inventory is not low-priced at 12 situations this year’s profits — but it’s continue to additional reasonably priced than lots of of the market’s frothier tech stocks.
MercadoLibre’s stock has slipped 7% this yr, but the current resurgence in COVID-19 scenarios could make it a defensive pandemic perform yet again. It could also be an eye-catching option to the high-expansion Chinese e-commerce shares that are becoming squeezed by Chinese and U.S. regulators.
Infinera’s optical gadgets enable carriers to broaden the potential of their existing networks without the need of laying down supplemental fiber. Its expansion costs may possibly to begin with appear to be unimpressive — earnings rose 4% to $1.36 billion very last year and it posted a internet loss. But Infinera is a cyclical stock.
Most fiber networks at the moment transfer info at 100G to 200G speeds across very long distances and 400G to 600G speeds across shorter distances. A lot of carriers have progressively begun to take a look at out 800G connections over the previous 12 months, and only 3 companies — Infinera, Ciena, and Huawei — present these 800G upgrades.
Trade blacklists and sanctions have cut Huawei off from several carriers exterior of China, so Infinera and Ciena are the only feasible choices for many carriers. Most carriers will probable split their 800G contracts concerning the two businesses to prevent putting all their eggs in a solitary basket.
Infinera recently offered a rosy see of the potential at its most recent trader working day. It instructed investors it expected to outpace the progress of the broader optical current market and will mature its revenues at a compound yearly development charge (CAGR) of 8%-12% in between 2020 and 2025, broaden its gross margins, and launch new optical products.
Analysts assume Infinera’s income to rise 5% this calendar year and 9% following yr as its profitability improves. Still its stock trades at just 1.3 times this year’s revenue — so it could create large gains as its 800G orders roll in around the subsequent couple of years.
This posting signifies the feeling of the author, who may well disagree with the “official” recommendation posture of a Motley Fool quality advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even a single of our very own — helps us all feel critically about investing and make conclusions that support us become smarter, happier, and richer.


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ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce is focusing on the development and training of new exporters from the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector to boost Pakistan’s exports in the coming years, said Minister of Commerce Khurram Dastgir.
While talking to a delegation of technical experts from the Centre for Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) based in The Hague, Netherlands, he said there was a need for ‘a hand-holding’ of the prospective SME exporters and guide them to graduate to the next level.
The minister asked CBI experts to focus on assisting Pakistani enterprises in developing their products through the Export Coaching Programmes (ECPs) in industrial and consumer products, primarily in the fruits and vegetables sector, floriculture, fisheries and specific sectors of textile and light engineering, as per the GSP Plus requirements.
He also asked the delegation to lay special emphasis on export coaching, institutional development and human resource development.
CBI is working in Pakistan since 2008 and is working on its new five-year plan for the country. A team of technical experts from the Netherlands is due to visit Pakistan to seek ground-level information to provide input for the upcoming plan.
Last year, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and CBI in The Hague for the institutional building of TDAP and capacity building of other business support organisations (BSOs) in Pakistan.
CBI will also work for institutional development of other BSO active in the industrial, surgical, medical equipment and agriculture sectors.
It is currently extending its support to Pakistan Institute of Trade and Development, National Productivity Organisations, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Engineering Development Board, SMEDA and PAAPAM.
“Our focus is to address issues of prospective exporters at the sectoral level and build a sustainable supply chain for exporters,” said a representative of the CBI.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2016.
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This article first appeared on the Yahoo7 Finance web site at this link: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/1586030-233201747.html
Why are we so pessimistic?
The optimism in the business sector that is evident in the Dun & Bradstreet and NAB business surveys has failed to translate to stronger economic activity, lower unemployment or any clear sign that the economy is doing well.
It goes to show that the business sector is just one part of the economy – an important one to be sure, but just one cog in the system. There is no doubt that it is important for the business sector to do well. But in isolation, high levels of business optimism are not enough to get economic growth to an above trend pace, the unemployment rate down and living standards higher.
To understand why the economy remains problematic, why the budget is still in large deficit and why the RBA has set interest rates at record lows, despite buoyant levels of business confidence, one only has to look at consumers.
Consumer sentiment is languishing in the doldrums and is a factor holding back household consumption spending.
The Westpac – Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment continues to show more pessimists than optimists, a position that has been evident for nine months. This extended period of pessimism is rare. The last time consumers were pessimistic for such a duration was in 2008, as the global economy plunged into the deepest recession since the 1930s.
When consumers are pessimistic, they tend to curtail spending growth. There is caution about running down savings or adding to debt because weak sentiment is usually associated with a lack of job security, weak incomes growth and cost of living pressures.
These dynamics are at play in the economy tight now.
In terms of cost of living pressures, a further threat to consumer sentiment and spending will come in the form of higher energy prices. The 15 to 20 per cent lift in electricity prices, which took effect from 1 July, will show up in bills in the next few months. In addition to hitting the cash flow of consumers, it is likely to create further uncertainty in the minds of consumers. The news of these bills will be high profile and will sap confidence.
Next week, the Australian Bureau of Statistic releases the next round of wages data. These are likely to confirm annual wages growth stuck around 2 per cent, which is effectively the same as the increase in inflation. As a result, real wages are flat or even falling slightly, which means that for a given level of spending for consumers, wages growth is not allowing for a reduction in household debt or increase in savings, because all wage increases that are being delivered are gobbled up by inflation.
The bottom line for the economy is that it continues to muddle along. A recession is a million miles away, a strong pick up in growth and significant reductions in unemployment are similarly illusive.
The business sector optimism needs to spread to consumers and it appears the missing link is the on-going weakness in income and wages growth. To get wages growth higher, the economy needs to be stronger and the unemployment rate lower.
This means interest rates will remain very low for an extended period of time and, if inflation and wages growth remains low, there is still a better than even chance the RBA will move rates even lower as it aims to inject some momentum into the economy.


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Amazon is expected to evenly divide its pledged 50,000 new jobs between the new offices, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
After more than a year-long, high-profile evaluation of more than 230 contenders, online retail giant Amazon has chosen two locations for its second and third North American headquarters — New York City and Northern Virginia — according to reports.
Amazon is expected to make the announcement that it has selected Long Island City in Queens and Crystal City in Arlington County, Virginia, as early as Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the news citing anonymous sources.
NBC News reported last week that Amazon had decided to split its sought-after office location between two cities.
Amazon's pledged 50,000 new jobs will be divided evenly between the two cities, the Journal reported. It's not clear how Amazon will split its estimated$5 billion inspendingto build a campus comparable to its original Seattle home base.
The company also said that it expects construction and operation of the so-called HQ2 to create "tens of thousands of additional jobs and tens of billions of dollars in additional investment in the surrounding community."
Steve Case, the former chief executive officer of AOL applauded the choice onInstagram, saying "Amazon's announcement is a win not just for VA, but for the entire greater DC region."
But immediate praise was not universal.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the newly elected House representative for the Bronx-Queens area, tweetedthat she's been getting calls from area residents who are outraged.
"Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
She added in that the promise of bringing jobs to the community needs to be closely examined. "Has the company promised to hire in the existing community? - What's the quality of jobs how many are promised? Are these jobs low-wage or high wage? Are there benefits? Can people collectively bargain?" she wrote in another tweet.
After announcing that it was looking a new location for its second headquarters in September 2017, Amazon received applications from 238 cities. It narrowed the list to20 finalists in January.
The two cities faced tough competition but managed to beat out contenders like Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles to win the highly coveted bid.


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More credit-card issuers are ditching bitcoin.
Three of the largest banks in the U.S. said Friday that they would no longer permit credit-card customers to buy bitcoin with their credit cards. The decisions were announced after a brutal week for bitcoin prices, which have plummeted more than 50% from their peak in December.
Continue Reading Below
Citigroup Inc. said late Friday that it has decided to no longer permit its credit card customers to buy bitcoin with their Citi credit cards. The bank is in the process of implementing the block, which will apply to Citi credit-card holders globally. "We will continue to review our policy as this market evolves," said a bank spokeswoman.
The bank joins JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp., which earlier Friday also said they won't allow credit-card customers to use credit cards to buy bitcoin.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Jan. 25 that banks were becoming concerned about the risks associated with credit cards being used to purchase bitcoin. Capital One Financial Corp. prohibited credit-card purchases of bitcoin in January and Discover Financial Services banned them in 2015.
With the latest announcements, most top credit-card issuers by volume won't allow bitcoin purchases. One of the biggest concerns for banks is that bitcoin purchases will push up their card losses. That includes cardholders who don't pay their bills when the price of bitcoin falls below what they paid to buy it with the card.
The price of bitcoin rose to about $9,300 in weekend trading after falling about 20% for the week ended Friday.
Overall credit-card charge-offs are on the rise because of several factors, including looser underwriting standards in recent years. That has investors concerned because losses are up during a relatively strong economy when unemployment is low. Some banks have taken steps to slow down the pace at which losses are rising -- but bitcoin card purchases could complicate those efforts.
Fraud losses are also a top concern for card issuers. Credit-card holders typically aren't responsible for fraudulent purchases on their cards. Those costs are often shouldered by the issuer or the merchant where the transaction occurred. But as more exchanges emerge that sell cryptocurrencies, some card issuers say there is a higher risk of card holders buying bitcoin from a fraudulent merchant. Cardholders would then contest the purchase with the issuer, which could likely result in the card issuer writing off that purchase as a loss.
Write to AnnaMaria Andriotis at email@example.com


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Creators compare the $250 crowdfunded console's power to a chip from a $100 2016 smartphone. Since its announcement as a crowdfunded game console in 2018, the Intellivision Amico has had a weird public image. There have been many YouTube pronouncements about its family-friendliness, yet there are few concrete details that have convinced us it will stand out in an increasingly crowded home-gaming market.
Intellivision CEO said there is misinformation in what arstechnica wrote
They apparently use hacked information for the article, which is kinda douchey


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What could Brexit mean for UK motorists? A rundown of the impact leaving the EU could have on drivers and the car industry as a whole
With the motor industry supporting some 800,000 UK jobs, the referendum result voting in favour of leaving the EU has gone against the wishes of three quarters of firms within the sector, according to a recent survey.
But the move away from the European Union could have a wider impact on the nation's drivers as well as those involved in the automotive industry.
Here's a rundown of what might change for motorists and UK car manufacturing as a result of Brexit.
We're out: But what impact will it have on the automotive industry in the UK? And will British drivers face steeper costs for cars, insurance and fuel?
UK motor industry
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the automotive industry accounts for more than £69.5 billion in turnover and £15.5 billion of value added to the UK economy each year.
It directly employs some 160,000 people in manufacturing and a further 799,000 across the wider sector. More than 30 car manufacturers produce in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK alone, which is supported by more than 2,000 component providers in the country. A massive 1,587,677 cars rolled off UK production lines in 2015.
In short, it is one of the biggest industries that could be affected by a decision to opt out of the EU, especially when you take into account that 11.8 per cent of total UK exports are from this one sector - the majority of which end up in Europe.
Speaking after the results of the referendum, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, 'The British public has chosen a new future out of Europe. Government must now maintain economic stability and secure a deal with the EU which safeguards UK automotive interests.
'This includes securing tariff-free access to European and other global markets, ensuring we can recruit talent from the EU and the rest of the world and making the UK the most competitive place in Europe for automotive investment.'
HOW THE VOTES WENT IN AREAS WHERE THE MOST UK CARS ARE BUILT
JAGUAR LAND ROVER: The Indian-owned manufacturer produced 489,923 cars at UK plants in Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull where the vote was in favour to leave by 56 per cent over 44 per cent.
NISSAN: The Sunderland plant not only builds the Juke, Qashqai and Note it also makes the powertrains for the electric LEAF and Infiniti models - 476,589 cars in total last year.
That makes the 61 per cent vote in favour to leave despite 7,000 people being employed at the car facility.
MINI: A total of 201,207 cars were built at the Oxford plant last year. The majority of voters wanted to stay in the EU, with 70 per cent casting their vote for the remain campaign.
TOYOTA: The Japanese car brand made 190,161 Auris and Avensis models at the Burnaston facility in Derby last year. The vote in the region was 57 per cent in favour to leave.
HONDA: The Swindon plant produced a total of 119,414 cars last year, with the Civic, CR-V and Jazz all built at the facility. Some 55 per cent of votes in the area chose to back the Vote Leave campaign.
VAUXHALL: The Astra is the lone British-built car for Vauxhall, but due to the massive demand they produced 85,241 of them in 2015. Wirral marginally favoured remain with 52 per cent of votes.
According to a recent survey carried out by the industry representative, 77 per cent of its members - large and small - said a vote to remain in the EU would be best for their business.
Some carmakers have been more outspoken about the subject than other.
Japanese manufacturer Toyota, which produces cars and engines at its sites in Burnaston, Derbyshire and Deeside in North Wales said in a letter to its workers on Monday: 'If the UK leaves the EU, we think it unlikely that the UK can keep the current trading arrangements … and this would mean we would have to pay duties on parts and cars.'
Nissan, which has a long-established car plant in Sunderland - turning out half a million motors a year - even took legal action against Vote Leave for using its logo to back the campaign.
Last week, BMW voiced its concerns by saying a vote to leave 'won't make life any easier'.
Dr Ian Robertson, global sales and marketing director at BMW, said: 'It's very simple. We have no plan B. We will continue whatever the result and consider our next steps then. There's no immediate issue. The UK is our fourth biggest market.
'But it could impact on future investment plans. We just don't know. If Britain leaves the EU there will be great uncertainty.
'We employ 8,000 people directly in the UK and support a further 50,000 jobs. We also have a lot of UK employees working abroad in Europe.'
And according to the Financial Times, Ford said it 'will take whatever action is needed' to keep its UK operations competitive in a sign the car group may be preparing to cut costs in the wake of the Brexit vote.
The carmaker said: 'We will continue working toward this goal with key stakeholders in the UK and across the other Member States and EU institutions to ensure they understand our concerns which mirror those of the majority of the UK and European auto industry.
'While Ford will take whatever action is needed to ensure that our European business remains competitive and keeps to the path toward sustainable profitability, we have made no changes to our current investment plans and will not do so unless there is clear evidence that action is needed.'
Range Rovers and Land Rovers are built on the production line at the Jaguar Land Rover factory on January in Solihull
Stephen Cooper, head of Industrial Manufacturing at KPMG UK said there will be 'very real implications' to the access of engineering talent as a result of the vote to leave.
'Manufacturers will need to consider their strategy,' he said.
'Firstly in retaining their non-UK workforce, secondly in attracting non-UK based expertise and thirdly, more long term and one for the government to support, in developing talent on a much greater scale than they do currently.'
But Cooper also added that the move could be a positive step for UK-based carmakers.
'We should not lose sight of the fact that this result can also lead to opportunities for manufacturers,' he added.
'A drop in the value of sterling could make the UK a magnet for trade, and the need to reshape trade policy may result in quicker decision making, and reduced red tape.'
Buying a car
The RAC said there's little evidence to suggest that a decision to leave the EU would make buying a car more expensive. The UK is one of Europe's largest car markets, so it is widely expected that manufacturers will be keen to stay competitive.
Longer-term, trade tariffs between the UK and EU would need to be renegotiated, though. Unfavourable deals could lead to cars becoming cheaper abroad – and perhaps the return of unofficial 'grey' imports from Europe.
Toyota said this could mean paying duties on cars of as much as 10 per cent - this would mean carmakers having to decide between making losses or charging more for their vehicles.
Online broker AutoeBid.com said it expects list prices to increase. 'Brexit has knocked 10 per cent of the value of the pound this morning and leaves great uncertainty for EU car manufacturers with trade terms now requiring negotiation,' a spokesperson for the site said.
'We believe that list prices will increase significantly over the coming months to adjust for the new exchange rates, making now a great time to buy your next car.
'For those buying on finance the historic low interest rates may be hard to maintain, also causing a sharp increase in monthly payments. To defend the pound's decline central banks typically have to raise interest rates.'
There will also be implications for anyone who has purchased a car on finance, as the Financial Conduct Authority explained.
'Much financial regulation currently applicable in the UK derives from EU legislation,' it said.
'This regulation will remain applicable until any changes are made, which will be a matter for government and parliament. Firms must continue to abide by their obligations under UK law, including those derived from EU law and continue with implementation plans for legislation that is still to come into effect.'
The AA had predicted fuel prices could rise by 19p per litre on the back of a Brexit vote, though other commentators have vetoed the suggestions
Petrol and diesel prices
According to comparative figures, the UK is already one of the most expensive places to fill your tank in Europe.
Some commentators have predicted steep post-Brexit price increases of up to 19p per litre.
The AA said a 'worst-case scenario' would see petrol prices soar by 18.7p per litre, leaving a two-car family that refuels twice a month £494 worse off each year.
That was based on predictions from Goldman Sachs and HSBC that the pound's value could fall by 20 per cent after Brexit.
However, RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams advised caution, saying: 'A 20 per cent fall in the value of the pound would – based on current exchange rates – only add £2 to the cost of filling up an average 55-litre petrol car.
'This would mean a two-car household filling up with petrol twice a month would spend £232 as opposed to £224.
'While the strength of the pound is a significant factor in the price motorists pay for petrol and diesel due to wholesale fuel being traded in dollars, the oil price is currently a greater influence.'
Williams later added: 'It is too early to tell what the implications are in the mid to long term but it is likely motorists will see some volatility in the price of fuel on UK forecourts in the coming weeks.
'While the cost of crude has dropped as markets react to fears of a global economic slowdown the fall in the value of the pound to levels not seen since 1985 means that retailers are facing an increase in the wholesale price of around 1.5 pence which will very be likely passed on to motorists at the pump.'
Driving in Europe
Britain has never been part of Europe's passport-free Schengen area, so existing passport checks will remain at borders.
Once inside the EU, British drivers would still be able to travel freely, with healthcare costs covered by the existing European Health Insurance Card.
Length of stay could be limited, though. Many non-EU nationalities are restricted to 90 days maximum without a visa.
The RAC also warned that new trade agreements post-Brexit would almost certainly mean tighter Customs controls.
'This could lead to delays when leaving or entering the UK, and spell the end of the cross-Channel booze cruise, as personal allowances for alcohol and cigarettes are likely to be reduced,' the motoring body commented.
'On the flip side, we could see the return of duty-free shopping at ports and on ferries.'
Breakdown cover and insurance
The vote to leave the EU is not likely to affect breakdown cover abroad, the AA and RAC have both said.
However, the consequences for car insurance are less certain.
The EU Motor Insurance Directive, which guarantees that drivers are insured throughout Europe, may no longer apply – potentially increasing the cost of cover for driving abroad.
A 2012 European Court of Justice ruling that insurance companies could not take a driver's gender into account when setting premiums could also be abandoned.
In theory, that would lead to higher prices for men, but significant savings for women.
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Dubai based Nigerian businessman, Mompha arrives Court today for his arraignment.
The Instagram big boy was arraigned on 14 counts by the EFFC. He was charged for cyber fraud and money laundering.
Watch video below
– Mompha arrives Court for his arraignment on 14 counts by the EFFC.
– He was charged for cyber fraud and money laundering.pic.twitter.com/Ay1f4PBOAt
— SubDeliveryZone (@SubDeliveryZone) November 25, 2019


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A new law,which is already in force, requires website owners to get the explicit consent of visitors to install and run “cookies” …and that almost certainly affects you.
B2B Marketing Online
B2B Marketing Online has been reporting from Google’s high-powered Zeitgeist conference, which has just taken place here in the UK, in The Future is Calling. No less a luminary than Sir Tim Berners Lee declared himself at the event to be excited about ‘mobile’, and it’s something we should all be taking an interest in. But I’d be prepared to bet that most of us are quietly ignoring it. We shouldn’t be. The statistics suggest that a large – and rapidly increasing – proportion of your prospects and customers now… Read More »Are you as mobile as your customers?


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L.A.-based Splash Entertainment has announced promotions for co-CEO Mike Young, CFO and COO Steve Rosen and sales and digital distribution VP David Di Lorenzo, as well as the exit of Splash co-CEO and Splash-owned Kabillion VOD network president Nicolas Atlan.
In addition to his responsibilities as current co-CEO, Young has added chairman to his title and will work to grow the company’s recent success in the children’s business, with Rosen stepping into Atlan’s co-CEO role and Di Lorenzo taking over as the new president of Kabillion.
It is not yet clear what Atlan’s next move will entail, but the industry veteran is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. Before entering the fold at Splash, Atlan was co-CEO and executive producer at Moonscoop in Paris.
Rosen has served as EVP, CFO and COO of Splash since 2003 and was instrumental in launching Kabillion, its digital network and Splash’s theatrical division, which just released its first animated feature Norm of the North, which Rosen produced.
Prior to joining Splash, Rosen was EVP & COO of indie producer/distributor Kushner-Locke Company.
Di Lorenzo came to Splash in 2007 as VP of sales and marketing and during his time helped establish the company’s digital business through relationships with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. He’s also led Splash’s growth in international licensing and consumer products.
Di Lorenzo previously worked 11 years at Universal Studios in licensing and retail marketing for hit film franchises including Jurassic Park and Fast and Furious.


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PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are not about to get their travel wings clipped by the economic gloom. They are projected to be the second most seasoned travellers in Southeast Asia within the next four years.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Tan Kok Liang said the projection by the Association showed that despite the fluctuating ringgit, the country’s outbound tourism remained resilient, reported The Star.
“Malaysia is also expected to record the highest ratio of outbound travel in relation to the total number of households,” Tan said.
According to a report published by Mastercard on the future of outbound travel in Asia-Pacific between 2016 and 2021, Malaysians made an estimated 11.9 million international outbound travel trips in 2016 and the number is forecast to grow by an average of 3.5% annually to reach 14.2 million trips by 2021.
“The fluctuating ringgit has not discouraged Malaysians from travelling. However, now they are going to destinations nearer to home and are more cost-conscious,” Tan said.
He said with a rise in the number of flights within the region and more competitively-priced fares for journeys to Asean countries, more Malaysians are travelling to destinations nearer to home.
“From nature to beaches, food and culture, Asean countries have a lot to offer,” he said.
He added that Internet connectivity and availability of travel-related mobile apps have also helped give Malaysians “peace of mind” and confidence to travel abroad independently.
Tan said it would be good to convert some of these travellers to domestic tourists to boost the national economy and create more business opportunities.
“We hope that the government will look into possible incentives for domestic tourists,” he said.
Young Malaysians still enjoy travelling despite the current the economic gloom.
“The fluctuating ringgit will not affect my choice of travel destination,” said a 31-year-old teacher who wanted to be known only as Sal.
However, she said, it would affect other travel-related decisions, such as travelling off-season, staying in cheaper accommodations and getting around by walking or using public transportation.
Sal said she worked two part-time jobs just to fund her travels while she was still at university.


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In a surprising development, Augusta Utilities has announced the temporary closure of its Walker Street customer service location on Friday. The closure is attributed to the need for essential building repairs, ensuring the safety and functionality of the facility. However, customers need not fret, as the department has reassured that regular business hours will resume on Monday, restoring convenient access to in-person services.
During the closure, customers are encouraged to explore alternative payment options. Augusta Utilities has provided two viable solutions to facilitate payment transactions. Firstly, customers can utilize the self-service kiosk, a reliable and user-friendly option for making payments. Secondly, for those seeking a face-to-face interaction, the Peach Orchard Road location is available to provide in-person services and assistance.
These measures have been implemented to mitigate any inconvenience caused by the temporary closure. It is essential for Augusta Utilities to ensure that customers have convenient access to payment facilities, especially during challenging times. The recent cyberattack on the city’s computer systems has presented additional hurdles, potentially affecting the availability of account information. However, Augusta Utilities remains committed to addressing these obstacles and facilitating payment processing to the best of their ability.
Despite the cyberattack’s impact on the city’s computer systems, Augusta Utilities has proactively taken steps to maintain in-person payment capabilities. While there might be limitations on accessing detailed account information, the agency has emphasized its continued ability to accept in-person payments. This dedication to customer service and flexibility is commendable, considering the challenges posed by the cyberattack.
In times like these, it is crucial for utilities providers to demonstrate resilience and adaptability to ensure that essential services remain accessible to customers. Augusta Utilities’ proactive response in offering alternative payment options is a testament to their commitment to customer satisfaction and convenience. By providing a self-service kiosk and an alternative location for in-person payments, they are ensuring that customers can continue to meet their payment obligations without significant disruption.
It is worth noting that building repairs are essential to guarantee a safe and comfortable environment for both customers and employees. Augusta Utilities’ proactive approach to maintenance and repairs is indicative of their dedication to providing reliable and efficient services. By temporarily closing the Walker Street location to address these repairs, they are taking the necessary steps to uphold their commitment to excellence in customer service.
As the repairs are completed and the Walker Street location reopens, customers can look forward to the resumption of regular business hours. Augusta Utilities understands the importance of maintaining a seamless service experience and is working diligently to ensure that the closure remains as brief as possible.
In conclusion, Augusta Utilities’ decision to temporarily close the Walker Street customer service location for repairs showcases their commitment to providing a safe and efficient environment for both customers and employees. The provision of alternative payment options, such as the self-service kiosk and the Peach Orchard Road location, ensures that customers can continue to meet their payment obligations despite the challenges posed by the recent cyberattack. As repairs are swiftly carried out, customers can anticipate the prompt reopening of the Walker Street facility, allowing for the seamless resumption of regular business operations. Augusta Utilities’ dedication to customer satisfaction and adaptability in the face of adversity sets a commendable precedent for utilities providers everywhere.


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This article has been updated with two further pieces of content…
Continue to read this article for a summary of some key commercial differences between the US & EU markets with regard to selling ecommerce technology.
The U.S. has the second-largest e-commerce market in the world. With $340B in annual sales, we lag only behind China. As of this writing, solutions in the headless category have raised over $2.5 BB in funding. While European nations like the U.K. and Germany still rank within the top five, combined, they still represent less than half the e-commerce global market share that the U.S. commands. With that in mind, it begs the question: Why are European nations quicker to adopt headless e-commerce—the new, innovative approach to e-commerce that’s quickly becoming the new normal?
What Is Headless E-Commerce?
Headless e-commerce separates front-end experiences from back-end data and functionality. It allows developers to use the API platform to deliver its best feature to any user experience, without causing any disruptions to back-end data. Headless e-commerce only requires APIs to communicate between the back end and front end of the platform, unlike traditional e-commerce platforms that combine front- and back-end data and offer limited flexibility. As a result, headless e-commerce offers the following advantages:
- It’s easier to implement, use, and maintain.
- It requires little to no coding.
- It’s more affordable.
Again, however, if headless e-commerce offers such compelling benefits, why isn’t it being embraced as readily in the U.S. as in Europe?
Why Are Headless E-Commerce Sales Higher in Europe?
Even though the U.S. holds a much larger market share for e-commerce, U.S. brands are still behind with headless e-commerce adaptations. Here are a few possible reasons why.
Leading Headless Platforms are Based in Europe
Some of the world’s first headless platforms were developed in Europe, so it makes sense that European businesses would be more likely to embrace them. Commercetools is headquartered in Munich, while Spryker is headquartered in Berlin.
“I think the simplest explanation is that the first entirely headless commerce platforms were created in Europe,” says Anthony Young, Head of Global Alliances for Spryker. “It would follow that early adopters would be regionally biased to be in those same countries. This would have a follow-on effect through the years — a kind of first mover advantage that has compounded.”
Patrick Friday, CEO of Vue Storefront, agrees. “A lot of great companies advocating for headless are from Europe, and this is where they started market education, as it was just much simpler. There’s Vue Storefront, Commercetools, Contentful, Storyblok, Prismic, Talon.one and many, many, more great companies with European headquarters.”
Europe’s E-Commerce Landscape Is More Complex
According to Jamus Driscoll, CEO of Elastic Path, “There is built-in complexity in EMEA with different languages and varying legislation across countries that means a one-size-fits-all SaaS solution always requires customization.” Eastern Europe, in particular, has been a massive resource for EMEA with deep technical skills. As the market has matured, these skills have allowed businesses to hire locally and inexpensively to support headless deployments.
“Selling in the EMEA is more complex,” says Eric Ingraham, CEO of Swell. “Optimizing for that complexity by improving the customer experience has a higher benefit/cost ratio than what we do in the U.S. currently.”
No matter the reason, it’s clear that although Europe may embrace headless e-commerce more readily right now, U.S. companies are poised to catch up soon. As a leader in e-commerce recruiting, The Rosenstein Group helps U.S.-based companies leverage new technology that will drive better business results and customer experiences. For more information, send us a message.


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Factories call for £50bn lending boost
Manufacturers are calling for a £50bn boost to the Bank of England's 'money-printing' scheme to alleviate the on-going drought in business lending.
Funding: Manufacturers are calling for a £50bn QE boost
Only a dramatic increase in the Old Lady's quantitative easing programme will turn the 'fragile' green shoots into a sustainable recovery, according to the Engineering Employers Federation.
EEF chief economist Steve Radley said: 'Any growth in the current quarter could well be fleeting (so) the Bank must pull the remaining policy levers it has available.'
Britain is the only one of the world's main economic powers to remain mired in recession - despite the Bank having mopped up £175bn of government bonds to flood the financial system with cash.
At a pivotal meeting this Thursday, the Bank's rate-setting monetary policy committee is expected to lift its total QE spending from £175bn to £225bn, according to a majority of City economists polled by Bloomberg.
The fragility of Britain's economic rebound was underlined by a battery of unsettling economic studies released this morning.
In a report for accountants Deloitte, leading economist Roger Bootle warned that the public finances are in their 'worst shape for half a century'.
Plugging the black hole in the budget will require annual public spending cuts of £30bn over the coming five years - equivalent to 2% of economic output.
An austerity drive of that size would reduce economic growth by a full percentage compared to recent years, according to Bootle.
The dire state of UK PLC was highlighted by a survey from the CBI, which showed that 40% of small and medium-sized businesses suffered a drop in their order books during the third quarter.
And the British Retail Consortium warned that it will be a 'long, slow climb' out of recession, even though consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in 18 months.
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- A group of ministers, led by commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, have decided to stay within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
- The treaty - which covers all 10 ASEAN countries along with India, China, New Zealand, Australian, Japan and South Korea - requires signatories to eliminate tariffs with each other.
- However, India has proposed to cut tariffs on only 74% of the goods that it trades with China.
It is no secret that India wants to play a more central role in Southeast Asia
, based on its Act East Policy
, and now its made a decisive step in direction by choosing to stay within the the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement comprising 16 countries in the Asia Pacific region.
The decision follows months of speculation over whether or not the Indian government should pull out from the treaty.
The treaty requires all signatories to eliminate tariffs with each other. It covers all 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with India, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Together, the 16 countries account for nearly 30% of global trade and 45% of the world’s population. If ratified by all members, the treaty will lead to the creation of the world’s largest trade bloc
In April 2018, a research note published by NITI Aayog
, the government’s think tank, criticised the free trade agreement, saying that India would be forced to grant more market access to China, with which it already has a huge trade deficit, if it were to sign. And as a result, the flood of Chinese imports, especially in most segments where China boosts superior manufacturing capacity, would erode the competitiveness of Indian producers. Conversely, India’s exports would have limited traction in China. The conditions for staying
As criticism of the RCEP mounted, the government set up a special group of ministers
, led by trade minister Suresh Prabhu, to assess the implications of signing the treaty. The committee decided that India will stay in the treaty, but on a few conditions.
It won’t be able to eliminate all tariffs with countries with which it does not already have a bilateral free trade agreement, namely China, Australia and New Zealand.
A government official told Mint
that India would only be able to cut tariffs on 74% of goods that it trades with these countries. Additionally, any tariff elimination on more than 86% of goods traded with a specific country will have to be discussed individually with that country’s government. India has currently agreed to waive tariffs on 86% of goods with all 10 ASEAN countries along with Japan and Korea. However, most nations are clamouring for a 92% elimination.
India will set forth the conditions at the upcoming meeting of the RCEP in Singapore on 30 and 31 August
. Negotiations on the treaty have been going on since 2012 and were expected to conclude by the end of this year. However, this will likely be pushed to 2019 as a number of issues are resolved including exclusion of the metals sector from the treaty and access for skilled professionals.


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LSE pulls plug on £500m buyback
Shares in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) slumped more than 10% today as it halted a £500m share buy-back and warned of 'more difficult and uncertain market conditions ahead'.
Looking ahead: CEO Clara Furse says the market environment is getting more difficult
The shares fell 61p to 518.5p. Clara Furse, who is expected to stand down as chief executive early next year, said October had been 'a very difficult month for the markets' as she reported a 30% rise in profits to £127m in the six months to September.
Revenues rose 70% to £345m following the takeover of Borsa Italiana. But on a pro-forma basis revenues and operating profits rose by 5%.
The exchange said it was halting a £500m share buy-back scheme which has so far seen it buy in some £100m of its own shares in the last year.
It said: 'The board remains committed to returning capital to shareholders when it is in shareholders' interests to do so but believes that following significant changes in global financial market conditions, it is currently prudent to retain a more robust balance sheet and to provide financial flexibility to pursue investment opportunities.'
In the last few months the LSE has faced growing competition from new share trading platforms.
Furse said she believed that the first-half performance had been 'resilient' but admitted: 'Looking ahead the market environment is getting more difficult.
'There are major changes in the marketplace and there is also the real possibility of a major recession in the UK. The last month has been a very difficult one for markets.'
Analysts expect LSE's earnings to start falling and several trimmed their profit forecasts.
The LSE raised the half-year dividend by 5% to 8.4p a share.
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iPhone X’s TrueDepth Camera will Share Face Mapping Data with Third-Party App Developers
According to Apple Guidelines Developers will Require Explicit User Permission
Finally, iPhone lover’s wait is over, since iPhone X is officially out along with new surprises. The front-facing TrueDepth camera is one such a surprise powering the FaceID feature. Another surprise comes with Apple contract recently shared with iPhone x app developers, which opens up users to a new but unclear privacy risk. According to this contract, the data obtained by the TrueDepth camera can be transmitted to non-Apple servers.
This third-party app developer agreement with Apple, unfolds that third-party app developers will have access to only the visual facial mapping data instead of the mathematical representation of it which is used for Face ID to unlock the iPhone X. Facial mapping data later encrypted on the device itself, thus its employees not even have access to it.
Apple explained that “App makers who want to use the new camera on the iPhone X can capture a rough map of a user’s face and a stream of more than 50 kinds of facial expressions. This data, which can be removed from the phone and stored on a developer’s own servers, can help monitor how often users blink, smile or even raise an eyebrow.”
Of course, Apple has also explained the restrictions that the facial data will never be used for marketing and advertising and it cannot be sold to data brokers and analytics companies. Also, Apple bans developers to use identifying facial information for creating profiles of otherwise anonymous users.
SEE ALSO:- Upgrade Your App to iOS 11
Still, it seems like iPhone X users have to exercise some caution for the privacy risk of new iPhone model. Whenever a fun-looking third-party app will ask for permission to access the data collected through the TrueDepth camera of iPhone X, users need to think twice before tapping on OK.
Do you want to build an iOS 11 app to be a part of iPhone family? Surely you can be. Excellent Webworld renders the best iPhone app development services, compatible with current market requirements and demands of users. The expert iPhone app developers at Excellent Webworld are up-to-date with latest iPhone models and their functionalities and capable to make a robust iPhone app. Contact us for consulting further details of your iPhone app.


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Foodspotting, a geolocation guide for foodies, announced today that it has scored $3 million in Series A funding in a round led by BlueRun Ventures with follow-on participation from seed round investors. Jay Jamison, a Venture Partner at BlueRun, will also be joining Foodspotting's board.
Foodspotting was launched by Alexa Andrzejewski (Adaptive Path) and Ted Grubb (Get Satisfaction). Soraya Darabi (Epicurious, The New York Times, Drop.io) advised the project, and then joined full-time in 2010 as a co-founder.
According to Andrzejewsk, "We bootstrapped from September 2009 to August 2010, when we closed our first angel round of 750k and began expanding the team beyond Ted, Soraya and I. Now we're up to seven people, in both NY and SF."
The service is currently available on the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch [iTunes link], where it has seen 550,000 downloads since launching in March 2010. Meanwhile, a beta version of the app for Android users was launched in December.
Foodspotting also has a growing number of partnerships — integrating with Zagat's iPhone app a few months ago and expanding its guides program with experts like Anthony Bourdain via a partnership with the Travel Channel, to name a few.
So how will the money be spent? Since Foodspotting aims to become the "Pandora for Food," the company will put the money toward amping up its food discovery experience. In short: It will be hiring more developers who will work on adding more usability to the app, including expert recommendations, restaurant specials and local deals. Right now, the app appeals mostly to foodies — Foodspotting is hoping to gain a wider audience of restaurant-goers with these improvements.
"I am incredibly grateful to the team, investors, partners and Foodspotting community that have helped us cover the earth with food sightings in just one year," says Andrzejewski. "We look forward to working with BlueRun Ventures, a mobile-focused VC, to help us leverage this rich information in satisfying the practical need of finding good food. We're not a food photo sharing site or food social network, rather, our aim is to be a resource that is powered by a passionate community."
Image courtesy of Flickr, SweetOnVeg


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The full English is well and truly nailed to the menu with bacon consumption increasing 14.3 per cent.
Sausage sales were also up 5.9 per cent showing processed pork products remained a breakfast staple.
Figures from the the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) showed people had cut down on bacon and sausages in sandwiches and for dinnertime treats like sausages and mash.
But bacon remains the king of breakfasts, particularly at the weekend, giving a kick in the teeth of the stark warnings of cancer.
Steve Evans, a senior consumer insight analyst at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), said: "Breakfast continues to deliver growth for bacon."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made clear that eating processed red meat raises the risk of cancer.
It said eating just 50g of processed meat a day increased the chance of developing certain types of cancer by 18 per cent.
Mr Evans said: "The AHDB Consumer Tracker suggests that consumers are still aware of the messaging arising from the WHO report. However, enjoyment has a far greater influence on consumption choice than health does.
"The satisfaction consumers get from bacon and sausages at breakfast appears to be outweighing any health concerns at this meal occasion."
Chris Russell, consumer analyst at Kantar Worldpanel, said: "Declines in bacon consumption at other meals and falling sales overall suggest concerns around processed meats may be leading to changes in behaviour at other times of the day, but we’re not ready quite yet to give up our bacon at breakfast."


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celebritiesNoah Cyrus (24), sister of Miley Cyrus (31), has stunned her Instagram followers with a stunning new outfit. The singer appears in a revealing condom-like dress, a body bag and a life-sized stocking. The photos sparked a storm of criticism. “I'm glad my kids can't see this.”
Noah Cyrus' photo series immediately caught the attention of her 5.9 million Instagram followers. The post has already received more than 300,000 likes. Her dress is from Swiss brand Prototype and leaves very little to the imagination. Noah wears only skin-colored boxers under the sheer dress. The singer's fans compare the garment to a condom, a body bag or a life-sized sock. Others casually think of the time when Chris Griffin from the animated series “Family Guy” was stuffed with a vacuum cleaner like a “gas station sandwich.”
Some wonder why the singer is showing off her breasts while young fans are watching too. “I'm glad my kids can't see this,” she says, among other things. Also: “Her father must be feeling very uncomfortable.” “This is really unnecessary. What's wrong with her?”, asks another person. “This is undoubtedly the result of living in her sister's shadow,” one follower concluded.
(Read more below the pictures)
Comparisons have also been made to Bianca Sensori, wife of rapper Kanye West. “For a moment I thought this was Bianca Sensori. 'It really looks like her,' it seems. And for good reason. The prototype is also behind the infamous see-through coat the Australian architect was recently spotted in. She also wore nothing underneath the sheer fabric. She became Sensori She is now known around the world for her revealing clothing, imposed on her by her husband. This will not please Kim Kardashian, West's ex-wife. “She warned Kanye not to let Bianca dress like this in front of her children,” a source told the Daily Mail.
The prototype's clothes fit well into the eccentric fashion circus of Kanye's life and that's no coincidence. Behind the brand are designers Laura Beham and Callum Pidgeon, who took a senior position at his Yeezy brand last year. It is no coincidence that they make clothes where the entire face is covered with cloth, which is the style in which rappers like to appear.
(Read more below the picture)
The government is a fan
The prototype attracts attention not only because of its controversial clothes. The brand also has a great mission. The company recycles. The production of clothing is harmful to the environment, so the brand does not make fashion from new materials, but from unsold items from other companies. Even think police uniforms, teddy bear parts, or old Yeezy stuff. In 2022, the brand received a design award from the Swiss State Agency for Culture, because it combats overproduction and waste well.
look. The Cyrus family does carpool karaoke
Noah Cyrus is engaged: 'I've never felt love like this before'
Noah Cyrus Admits: 'It's So Hard Being Miley's Little Sister'
Kim Kardashian believes that Bianca Sensori's revealing clothes are too extreme: “Not in the presence of children”
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Thinking your business is too small to be hacked makes you a very attractive target for a cybercriminal. Cyber terrorists understand that small to mid-size businesses often fail to prepare for the possibilities inherent in data encroachment. This has resulted in rising numbers of digital security breaches in the small business sector. This article will review the latest statistics on cybersecurity for the small to mid-size company, discuss why you should worry, and offer a resource to help mitigate the risks.
Just looking at the numbers could make any business owner lose sleep; last year cybercrimes cost us $2 trillion. The problem in part is that cybercriminals regularly change their tactics so that companies are constantly counteracting these moves in a kind of digital arms race.
Your employees add a level of uncertainty into the security equation. You may have the best firewalls, virus protection, and upgrades that money can buy, and all it takes is one unsuspecting employee to click on a phishing email to unleash malware on your organization. Estimates predict employee cybersecurity awareness programs will cost companies $10 billion annually by 2027. And, with many employees working from home, an increase in mobile malware is almost inevitable. But despite these trends, small businesses comprise just 13% of spending in the cybersecurity market; most small companies invest less than $500 annually.
But how do these statistics impact the small business owner who is a very small fish in a perceived global pond? Let’s look at the numbers to determine your risk. CPO Magazine reports:
Cyberterrorists can do more than cost you money, they can wreck a small business. But small companies continue to believe it can’t happen to them because they aren’t large enough to be a target. The reality is that, in today’s digital environments, every business is at risk.
Find a cybersecurity firm that works closely with businesses of all sizes to help mitigate the risk of a cyber breach. Consider asking experienced security professionals about a customized program that will help your company stay safe as exposure to risk continues to increase in the future. It doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. In fact, there are a surprising number of options available to help protect even the smallest of businesses.


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Google has come under fire from MPs for not doing enough in the fight against piracy with the search engine giant accused of failing to make it difficult for users to access illegal download sites.
The Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee has published a report on the creative economy and highlighted Google for failing to tackle access to copyright infringing websites.
Although the report largely concentrates on films and music there has also been an ongoing issue in the software market with the web becoming an increasingly popular place for illegal downloads to be made available as well as counterfeit products listed on various sites for sale.
The software industry, with the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) being particularly active, has been lobbying government over the past few years to try to get the issue of intellectual property rights higher up the agenda and the latest report points out that the creative industries contribute £36bn annually to the UK economy and that income should not be threatened by piracy.
John Whittingdale MP, chair of the committee, said that the creative industries were of huge importance to the UK economy but that sector was being put at risk because of a lack of robust IP protection,
"We very much welcome recent moves to obtain a voluntary agreement between rights owners and Internet Service Providers to take measures to deter illegal file-sharing. However, if this fails to materialise, the Government must use the powers given to it by Parliament in the Digital Economy Act," he said.
"We are also unimpressed by Google's continued failure to stop directing consumers to illegal, copyright infringing material on the flimsy excuse that some of the sites may also host some legal content," he added "The continuing promotion of illegal content through search engines is simply unacceptable, and efforts to stop it have so far been derisory. There is no reason why they cannot demote and ultimately remove sites hosting large amounts of illegal material from search engine results.
The recommendations that are put forward by the report include advising the government to have a central champion of IP and to increase the maxuimum penalty for serious online copyright theft to 10 years in prison.


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Jaguar-Land Rover to invest in EV production in the UK
This past Friday in London, Jaguar Land Rover announced it will modernize one of its existing assembly plants in central England so that it can eventually produce a range of new electrified vehicles. Them ove is also designed to kick-start a moribund British auto industry that has been hit hard in recent years by global consumer trends as well as uncertainty over Brexit.
The plant in question is the facility in Castle Bromwich; the plan is for it to produce a number of different electrified models in the coming years, including the next-generation Jaguar XJ. The model was to have gone entirely electric, but the automaker has confirmed that gasoline-powered versions would also be offered during the new generation’s lifespan.
The investments amount to several hundred million pounds sterling, and it will allow Jaguar-Land Rover to maintain jobs within Britain. Despite now being owned by an Indian conglomerate, the company has very much held on to its British roots, so that is a crucial motivator. As well, the move is in line with the company’s oft-stated goal of moving speedily towards the electrification of its product range.
The company also confirmed, moreover, that a battery-production facility will be up and running as soon as 2020. The plant will have a capacity of 150,000 units per year. In subsequent years, the Castle Bromwich will become operational, and new Jaguar-Land Rover EVs will begin to see the light of day.


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There have been rumors about the Google tablet for a while now. All we knew till now is that Google is working on a new tablet with its very own mobile operating system, Android. The search engine giant is of course not manufacturing the device, but just working on the design. So who is the manufacturer? The rumors had it that Asus will be the lucky company. Well, these were just the rumors, till now that is.
Yes, we have the confirmed new from Android Authority that Asus is indeed working with Google on bringing out the Google tablet. An Asus representative, who remains unnamed, gave the information that Asus has reached the final stages of the production of Google tablet and will be releasing it in the end of June. And what do we have in the end of June? You guessed it right, Google I/O. So we can make a bold guess that the two companies would be releasing the “awesome” tablet at the Google I/O even taking place this time in San Francisco. Android Authority says that this was the only info they could extract from the Asus representative.
There are already a lot of Android tablets out there, but only one of two of them are Google branded. The new Asus / Google hybrid tablet, called the Nexus 7, would be almost the first tablet that is designed by Google. The 7 inch tablet will be running the latest version of the mobile operating system, Android 4.0.4, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.
If you want more, the Nexus 7 will be running on an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core processor. Yes, that is powerful. And if you are worried about the price, you can relax. The rumors say that it would be in the $150 – $200 range. “Now that we have seen Nvidia’s Kai platform and [easyazon-link asin=”B00548QAPC” locale=”us”]Acer’s Iconia Tab 110[/easyazon-link], the $200 price tag seems increasingly probable.”
So, keep your eyes open for more rumors and info on the yet to be released Asus Nexus 7 Google tablet.
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PANEL: HOW TO KEEP UP IN THE ERA OF E-COMMERCE
18 Jul 2018
Physical retailers are being hit hard with challenges thanks to the era of e-commerce. Bricks-and-mortar brands are having to take more risks and think more creatively to drive footfall into their stores. In turn, we've seen a rise of the online-only store. But despite the trend towards online shopping, data shows that 88% of shopping in the UK is still done in physical stores, suggesting that consumers are not ready to move to an exclusively online shopping experience. We've brought together a selection of retailers, both on and offline, to share their insights and strategies on how to keep their customers engaged and spending.


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Low weight and greater efficiency might not be the sexiest of selling points for a sports car unless you're a devotee of Lotus founder Colin Chapman's "add lightness" philosophy. Thankfully for those less-is-more enthusiasts, however, Mazda has steadily adhered to that formula with its MX-5 Miata – and now, word from the crew at GoAuto is that company engineers are working even harder to adhere to that design philosophy, with thoughts of smaller, force-fed engines and lighter curb weights dominating discussions for the next iteration of the iconic roadster.
There have long been rumors of a rotary-powered MX-5, but that's probably not in the cards. A modern take on the RX-7 is supposedly being worked up to take a new version of Felix Wankel's whirling dervish of an engine zipping into the future, with the MX-5 getting a newly developed line of four cylinders with direct injection and forced induction (finally!). A heavy-breathing Miata, packing the muscle of a MazdaSpeed3, for instance, might move the neo-MGB into a new realm at the top of its range.
Three words that tend to generate a half-frown on enthusiasts faces are being thrown about in the same sentence as the new Miata: "Electric power steering." We can see the push for the greater energy efficiency that EPS offers, but hopefully Mazda can make the Miata's helm joyously alive instead of Toyota Corolla-style numbness, all shot up with Novocaine (as most such systems tend to be).
Chassis details are also in the realm of conjecture at this point, but with words like "lighter" being shoved at us, we expect some significant re-engineering going on under the skin. That skin, by the way, will likely be more expressive than the rather safe MX-5 we have now, with Mazda's design chief Laurens van den Acker on record as saying the plan is for the car to "be more dramatic and give it some balls."


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The Better Business Bureau is warning about what it calls a deceptive company offering consumers advanced fee loans.
People have reported losing thousands of dollars. They claim once they pay for that advanced fee, they never receive it.
When you see an "F" rating from the BBB, you know there is a problem with a company.
Lendwell Financial Services, based in Charleston, W. Va., has that failing "F" grade along with an alert. Tom Gallagher with the Richmond BBB said it appears the company is operating an advanced fee loan scheme. "We talked to a person from Midlothian who paid $450 for insurance, and this poor person is out that money," Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the company targets people in desperate financial situations. In order to get the loan, the company tells consumers they need to pay some sort of fee up front, usually hundreds of dollars. Consumers claim after they pay, they never see that loan. Complaint after complaint filed with the BBB shows the same problem, customers being charged a fee but getting nothing in return.
"If you have to pay any money out front as an advanced fee to get a loan, back off. Don't mess with it. These things are trouble," Gallagher said.
The BBB has not been able to get in touch with the company to address the allegations. We also reached out to Lendwell Financial Services but the phone number listed was disconnected and a web address we found online didn't work. While the company claims to be located in West Virginia, the BBB says it's probably a bogus address. "They could be located anywhere. They could be located inside of a post office or a drop off box at one of the UPS stores, where they have mail boxes for rent," Gallagher said.
The Federal Trade Commission reminds consumer it's illegal for companies to call and promise a loan or credit card and ask them to pay before they deliver. Also, keep in mind, legitimate lenders may charge fees but those charges will be made clear and the money will be taken from the amount you borrow. "When we think it through logically, why would we have to pay money to be able to borrow the money?" Gallagher said.
The BBB warns many times deceptive companies will ask you to load money on a GreenDot card or another type of prepaid card, or to wire funds through Western Union because those methods can't be traced. As a rule of thumb, before you do give up your cash or private information, research the company with organizations like the BBB. If you've already given up your money, you should file a complaint with the BBB.


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Evo-Stik has launched a new and improved version of its number one all purpose DIY adhesive, Serious Glue. The new formulation fix and repair adhesive now offers customers an even stronger bond, that’s not only flexible and impact resistant but maintains its super strong hold in extreme temperatures and wet conditions. And, the enhanced speed of new Serious Glue means it now works even faster.
Serious Glue is ideal for all fixing and repair jobs inside and outside the home. It works on a range of materials, including wood, plastics, leather, rubber, stone, fabrics, ceramics, earthenware, glass and tiles.
Jon Griffiths, Products Manager, commented: “Serious Glue offers all the benefits of a superglue but its unique formulation ensures a stronger and more flexible, temperature resistant bond.”
Serious Glue is available in 5g and 33g tubes. RRP retail price is £3.99 for 5g and £4.99 for 33g.
To find out more, call 01785 272727


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Local food clusters — to help fruits of the land get from Southwestern Ontario farmers to nearby consumers — could help tap into some of the $18-billion bounty of food that’s otherwise imported into Ontario each year, a new report says.
The study on sustainable food systems says Southwestern Ontario could, with concerted effort, extend its economic reach well beyond what it’s already doing.
“There is enormous potential,” said co-author and researcher Tom Schell. “When we crunched the job numbers, we were blown away by the number of jobs we can create: somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 jobs. There isn’t anything out there that comes close to having that kind of impact.”
Food clusters would be mini-networks that help connect food producers with processors, institutions such as schools and independent stores and households.
Right now, for example, a restaurateur wanting to buy and serve a menu with locally grown leek, veal and strawberries usually has to search out multiple sources, or instead source other ingredients through central distribution networks in Toronto.
A food hub — either a formal or informal group to co-ordinate logistics, food safety and traceability — would enable a network of nearby suppliers and buyers to make those connections.
That, in turn, improves what Schell calls the “quadruple bottom line” — having positive economic, environmental, social and nutritional benefits.
Food that’s produced and consumed locally encourages local jobs on- and off-farm, reduces food waste, reduces transportation costs and energy use, vouchsafes nutrition and encourages innovation, the report says.
It also builds self-reliance, one key to sustainability, as Ontario’s population grows, Schell said.
The project and report, with more than 60 recommendations developed after 18 months of research, is a joint effort of the London Training Centre and the Southwest Economic Alliance (SWEA) and was supported with money from the province and by dozens of other organizations in the region.
“It’s time to talk about this as an economic opportunity,” said David Corke of the London Training Centre.


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Reliance to Launch JioMart, an Online Grocery Service in India
Reliance Industries Ltd has launched an online grocery service, JioMart, the head of its grocery retail business said, in a move aimed at rivalling Amazon.com’s local unit and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart in the huge Indian market.
JioMart will deliver groceries in more than 200 towns across the country, Damodar Mall, chief executive of grocery retail at the Indian conglomerate, said on Twitter late on Saturday.
Mumbai-headquartered Reliance has not announced JioMart’s launch at a time it is selling $7 billion in new shares.
Reliance launched a small pilot of JioMart deliveries in select areas of the Indian financial capital Mumbai late last month, days after announcing that Facebook Inc would spend $5.7 billion for 9.99 % stake in the company’s digital unit, Jio Platforms.
That partnership will help Reliance roll out service for India’s grocers and small businesses by capitalising on India’s 400 million-strong user base for Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service.
JioMart, the e-commerce venture of Reliance’s retail arm, offers free express grocery delivery from neighbourhood mom-and-pop stores. It will pose a formidable challenge to local rivals, which are also betting big on groceries for their growth.
The launch comes as India is witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the product catalogue on JioMart’s website will be expanded after lockdown restrictions aimed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus are eased.
“Never waste a crisis, they say!” Mall said in his tweet. “A wise colleague mentioned today, ‘Alibaba also flourished starting from the SARS crisis.’”
Reliance is on a fundraising spree with Jio Platforms, which houses telecoms ventures Jio Infocomm, winning a massive $10 billion from investors including Facebook, KKR & Co Inc and General Atlantic in a month.
Neha writes articles on sectors including medicine, food, materials, and science & technology. A qualified statistician, she has the ability to observe and analyze the trends in global markets and write compelling articles that help CXOs in decision making. She is a bookworm and loves to read fiction, lifestyle, science and technology. Neha comes with 6 years of experience in content writing and editing that involves blog writing, preparation of study materials and OERs.


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When Rivian Automotive (RIVN 2.53%) made its debut trading on the public markets on Nov. 10, 2021, early investors were required to hold onto shares for a period of 180 days. With the end of that holding period closing in, Rivian shares have been dropping. Shares have declined 33% in the last month, and dipped as much as much as 4.5% today before paring that drop. As of 1:40 p.m. ET, the stock was down 1.6% on the day.
Large early investors in Rivian include Amazon and Ford Motor Company. They own 160 million and 100 million shares, respectively, representing stakes of about 18% and 11% in Rivian. Those two giants aren't the only owners from prior to the initial public offering (IPO) with shares locked up until the waiting period expires this Monday, May 9.
There's no indication whether the early owners will sell shares once the restriction is lifted. But adding to recent uncertainty, and likely volatility, in the stock is the first-quarter results the company will also be reporting next week on May 11.
Long-term investors should keep their eye on the business progress more than the stock price, especially when stock sales after the lockup period could be unrelated to the company's business. Some early investors may simply want to reap some reward from their pre-IPO stakes.
The first-quarter report will be more substantial for investors. The company reduced its 2022 production estimates in the last quarterly report due to supply chain challenges. The update on that topic will be important to hear. More recently, the company's planned second production facility to be built in Georgia has made progress with the state offering $1.5 billion in incentives for the project.
If the business update has an optimistic tone, investors may even do well to take advantage of the added volatility, and lower stock price, that the share lockup expiration may be providing.


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Nokia Lumia Flame Windows Phone 8 in the making
Last week Nokia announced its latest line of Lumia smartphones that will be running the new Windows Phone 8 operating system once it has been released. The Lumia 820 and 920 were revealed to the world in a joint press conference with Microsoft, and now there are reports of a Nokia Lumia Flame Windows Phone 8 handset in the making.
It is being reported by The Verge that a number of sources have indicated that Nokia has another Lumia handset planned, and this is set to be called the Nokia Lumia Flame. The handset looks to be a more affordable option along the lines of the Lumia 610 and 710, and the handset will feature a four inch display powered by a dual core processor clocked at 1.0GHz.
Other features are said to include 4GB of built in storage, 512MB of RAM, and a five megapixel camera. The specifications for the Flame are low meaning it is going to be an entry level device, but owners will be able to upgrade the memory thanks to the microSD card port.
It is believed that the handset will be targeted at low end markets and may arrive during the first quarter of 2013. The handset is unlikely to see all the razzmatazz that both the Lumia 820 and 920 recently saw, but having a more affordable option in its line up of Windows Phone 8 handsets makes sense for Nokia.
The Android platform has long had cheaper smartphone options available to consumers, as not everyone can afford the latest and most powerful devices. Nokia is still pinning all its hopes on Microsoft’s mobile platform to turn around its flagging fortunes, and try and claw back some of the market share it has lost to Android and the iPhone.
Will you be getting a Windows Phone 8 device from Nokia?