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The U.K. inflation rate was unchanged in July as the effects of the pound’s drop after the Brexit vote a year ago started to fade.
Consumer prices increased 2.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday. Economists forecast a 2.7 percent rate. The pace of factory input-price gains fell the most since 2012.
Economists have lowered estimates for how fast inflation will accelerate this year after the pound’s 13 percent decline since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union sparked a pickup in price growth over the past year. The report supports Bank of England Governor Mark Carney’s case for waiting to raise interest rates from a record low even as inflation breaches the 2 percent target.
The pound fell after the data were published and was trading down 0.4 percent at $1.2913 as of 9:31 a.m. in London.
Core inflation — which excludes volatile food and energy prices — was unchanged from 2.4 percent. Input prices for factories increased 6.5 percent on the year, compared with a 10 percent rate in June.
The retail price index, used by rail carriers to set fares this month, nevertheless rose 3.6 percent on the year, up from 3.5 percent in June.
The cost of motor fuel kept a lid on consumer prices last month, the ONS said in the report. Prices for clothing, household goods and food propped up the inflation rate.
While two BOE policy makers backed an increase to keep prices in check at the last meeting, Carney said the uncertainty from Brexit augured to keep borrowing costs unchanged.
— With assistance by Mark Evans


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It looks as if Mexico's auto retailers are going to hit sales of a million units this year - a first for that market.
According to an analysis by the Automotive News Data Center, light-vehicle sales will be between 1,019,000 and 1,037,000 units if the sales trend for the year holds true.
Mexico has been sizzling all year. And October was no exception.
October sales rose 12.0 percent from the previous October, to 91,292 units. That brought the January-through-October total to 849,721 - a 17.9 percent increase over the year-ago period.
General Motors lengthened its lead in its annual race with Nissan for sales dominance in Mexico. GM's October sales were up 23.2 percent from the year-ago period, while Nissan's were up 4.4 percent. GM sold 20,789 vehicles during the month, compared with Nissan's 18,857.
For the first 10 months, GM sales were up 19.1 percent over the same period of last year. Nissan sales rose 14.3 percent.
Ford Motor Co.'s October sales were up 3.3 percent over the previous October, and DaimlerChrysler's sales increased 17.8 percent. For the 10-month period, Ford Motor sales were up 14.7 percent and DaimlerChrysler's rose 19.4 percent.
Production took a dip in October, dropping 0.9 percent from the October 2003 figure to 148,056 units. For the first 10 months, Mexico's production was down 2.8 percent from the same period of last year.
You may e-mail Chaz Osburn at

domain: news


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CHICAGO — The Network of Executive Women on Friday named Donna Giordano, president of the Ralphs division of Kroger, and Monica Turner, general manager of market strategy and planning for Procter & Gamble, co-chairs of the NEW Executive Leaders Forum 2013.
"The Network is fortunate to have the input of Donna and Monica as they draw on their life and career experiences to ensure the Forum's status as a premier industry event," stated Trudy Bourgeois, president of The Center for Workforce Excellence. "One of the first female presidents of a grocery banner, Donna Giordano has been a true pioneer," she said. "[And] women like Monica Turner have the skills and traits necessary for the future growth of their organizations and the industry as a whole. Monica is ready and willing to lead with boldness and courage."
The seventh annual NEW Forum will be held July 23-25 at the Terranea Resort in Los Angeles. More than 250 executives in the consumer products and retail industry are expected to attend the invitation-only event for senior-level women, NEW noted.
As president of Ralphs Grocery, Giordano is responsible for nearly 250 stores in Southern California that employ more than 25,000 associates. Giordano's retail career began in Denver when she joined Kroger's King Soopers chain in 1972 while earning a bachelor's degree in marketing. Turner, a NEW Board member at-large, joined Procter & Gamble as a sales representative in 1987 after serving as a summer intern. In her current role, she leads P&G's U.S. market strategy and planning organization in North America, a unit with more than 400 employees and an annual budget of $80 million.
Find us on Facebook for more insight, analysis and the latest in drug store news.


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Former VW Brand Boss Herbert Diess is Volkswagen Group's New CEO
Matthias Müller is out
Confirming speculation from earlier in the week, Volkswagen appointed Herbert Diess as its new CEO at a board meeting on Thursday. He replaces Matthias Müller, who stepped up to lead Volkswagen through the dark days of dieselgate after a management shakeup.
Diess served as the head of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand since 2015. During this time, he was known for securing a deal that would streamline VW's operations as it shifts to an electrified future. That deal cut many jobs but promised to save the company billions of euros. Before joining VW, Diess worked for BMW from 1996 in various positions, including as leader of the company's purchasing network. Here, he slashed supply costs by more than 4 billion euros.
Diess' predecessor, Müller, has led Volkswagen since the fall 2015. His tenure began when Martin Winterkorn resigned amid the huge scandal that involved VW installing cheat devices on millions of diesels to help skirt emissions controls. Müller made it his top priority to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group. He has been with the company since the 1970s, and just prior to his appointment as top dog at Volkswagen, he led the Porsche brand from 2010.
Two days ago, Volkswagen confirmed there would be changes to the company's board of management. The company hinted at Müller's exit, and cryptically, said he "showed his general willingness to contribute to the changes."
In a statement today, chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Dieter Pötsch said Müller "has done outstanding work for the Volkswagen Group." Specifically, he praised Müller's work in helping VW recover from dieselgate. "Not only did he safely navigate Volkswagen through that time; together with his team, he also fundamentally realigned the Group's strategy, initiated cultural change and, with great personal commitment, made sure that the Volkswagen Group not just stayed on track but is now more robust than ever before," said Pötsch. In addition to announcing a new CEO, Volkswagen said it was reorganizing itself into six business areas and the China region.
It's unclear exactly what's going on, but Bloomberg provides a few more answers. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that VW didn't view Müller as the right person to take on big changes the company is planning to make. As VW was figuring out what to do, Müller agreed to make room for a new CEO, the sources said.
As Bloomberg points out, Diess remained relaxed when asked tough questions related to the future of diesel while Müller gave only curt answers to the press at the recent Geneva auto show. As Bankhaus Metzler analyst Juergen Pieper said to Bloomberg, Müller "has displayed a certain weariness about his post."
Müller's resignation is effective immediately. Now, Diess will be charged with leading VW in its goal of introducing 15 new electric vehicles by 2025.
Source: Volkswagen, Bloomberg
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HOUSTON - What's Your Point host Greg Groogan sits down one on one with Congressman Dan Crenshaw, talking about, U.S. Iran relations, the impeachment trial, trade deals and the economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Dueling statements from President Donald Trump's legal team and House Democrats offer a preview of the arguments in his impeachment trial. Trump's team has issued a fiery response ahead of opening arguments while House Democrats laid out their case in forceful fashion, saying the president had "abandoned his oath" and betrayed the public trust. Trump's impeachment trial begins in earnest on Tuesday. Democrats and lawyers for the president are seeking to make their case for an American public bracing for a presidential election in 10 months.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran says two newly constructed satellites have passed pre-launch tests and will be transported to the nation's space center for eventual launch, without elaborating. The telecommunications minister tweeted Sunday about the development, calling it an "important research step." Iran has not said when it will launch the satellites but often coordinates its launches with national holidays. It will celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution next month. Iran says its satellite program, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications. The U.S. and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's supreme leader has lashed out at Western countries as he led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed "American clowns" who he said pretend to support the Iranian nation but would stick their "poisoned dagger" into its back. He insisted Iran would not bow to U.S. pressure after months of crushing sanctions and a series of recent crises, from the killing of a top Iranian general to the accidental shootdown of a passenger plane. Khamenei said the mass funerals for the general who was killed in a U.S. airstrike show that the Iranian people support the Islamic Republic despite its trials.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street saw solid gains reaching new record highs last week as investors welcomed an initial trade deal by the U.S. and China and a batch of positive corporate earnings and economic data. The S&P index ended the week at 3,329.62 after hitting records several times last week. The S&P is up 3.1% so far this year and technology stocks are once again leading the way with a gain of 5.9%. The Dow closed at 29,348.10 and the Nasdaq ended the week at 9,388.94. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks closed at 1,699.64.
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 16, 2020-- The National Retail Federation welcomed today's Senate passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
"The world has changed dramatically since the United States, Canada and Mexico first agreed to tear down barriers to free trade a quarter-century ago," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "This updated agreement will modernize trade among our closest trading partners and pave the way for continued prosperity across the borders of North America as the global economy continues to evolve. This agreement will support the millions of U.S. jobs that depend on free trade with Canada and Mexico and will ensure the continued availability of affordable everyday necessities for American families."
NRF has been a leading supporter of the administration's efforts to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement. Shay cited provisions on digital trade, customs procedures and trade facilitation as key improvements in the new agreement.
The USMCA was approved by the House in December and now goes to President Trump for his signature.
The National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade association, passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail thrive. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation's largest private-sector employer, contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP and supporting one in four U.S. jobs - 42 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies.


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Vietnam at incipient period for Hahal markets
Lack of market standards and cultural understanding are the main reasons challenging Vietnamese exporters.
Vietnam’s journey to Halal markets remains incipient, requiring great efforts for the market penetration, local authorities said today [December 20] when discussing strategies for the long-term business.
There remains great potential for Vietnamese businesses to export Halal food as Vietnam is one of the world’s largest exporters of farm produce and seafood, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Nguyen Quoc Dung said at a conference on potential and opportunities in the Halal market in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and South Pacific.
Vietnam has about 20 items exported to Halal markets, Dung said, adding that only 50 Vietnamese firms get Halal certification each year.
|Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung at the conference on Dec 12. Photos: Tung Dinh/ Nong Nghiep Viet Nam|
Southeast Asia – South Asia and South Pacific are potential Halal markets with 860 million people accounting for 66% of total Muslims around the globe. The region consumes US$470 billion worth of Halal food in 2018, the largest spending on Halal food in the world.
Global Islamic Economy Report 2019 said that the Muslim populations worldwide spent a total of US$1.4 trillion for Halal food and beverages in 2018 and the global Halal food and beverage market is forecast to post a CAGR of 6.3% by 2024 thanks to Islamic faith-inspired ethical consumption needs.
Situated in the region, Vietnam is given opportunities to ship products to the aforementioned markets and other parts of the world thanks to the growing Muslim population and new consumption trends. More non-Muslims tend to consume Halal products thanks to environmental standards and food safety requirements, participants said at the event that marked the participation of foreign ambassadors, high-ranking officials from foreign affairs and agriculture ministries, and businesses.
According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Phung Duc Tien, nearly 50% of Vietnam’s farm produce like rice, veggies, and fruits, tea, coffee, cashew nut, pepper is suitable for Halal markets.
In addition, Vietnam is geographically close to Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Particularly, demand for Halal products in Vietnam has been also on the rise with the growing Muslim community and an increasing number of Muslim visitors.
It is time to look critically at the opportunities given by the growing demand for Halal-certified products, participants said at the conference.
|Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development at the conference.|
Tien said cultural differences and challenges in Halal certification in Islamic states have disheartened Vietnamese firms.
Approaching Halal markets requires respect and understanding of cultural and religious values in addition to commitment and trust, he noted.
To penetrate Halal markets, Vietnam should have a suitable regulatory framework for the production, processing, and export of domestic products.
In addition, it requires unified Halal certification in different Muslim countries around the world to facilitate the export of domestic items.
Tien said MoFA and MARD will build action plans to support domestic exporters to approach Halal consumers while other agencies should focus on tourism and services heading towards those markets.
Ambassador of Vietnam to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai said Vietnamese businesses need specific plans with well-prepared consultancy, training, cooperation, and investment before penetrating Halal markets while authorities should be tasked with having long-term strategies to support local firms.
It requires a specialized agency to approach Halal markets that enable ambassadors to connect with when conducting market promotion plans and disseminating knowledge on Halal markets and Muslim culture via manual for example.
Dato’ Shariffah Norhana Syed Mustaffa, Ambassador of Malaysia to Vietnam, once told The Hanoi Times that being one of the world’s most powerful bodies responsible for Islamic affairs, Malaysia’s expertise in this field could be significant for Vietnam’s businesses. Malaysia can offer its expertise in the Halal industry to assist Vietnamese businesses in venturing into the US$2.3 trillion Halal markets.
The move becomes valuable in the context that Vietnam is making efforts to boost its export to the potential global market that is largely formed from a highly hygienic perspective.
The global halal food market has great potential and Vietnam could tap into this market if it uses its advantages, such as being a strong exporter of agricultural and aquaculture products, the ambassador said.
"The country possesses abundant raw materials including coffee, rice, agriculture, and aquaculture products which have high potential to be turned into Halal end products," she said.
She said Vietnamese businesses could have faced some challenges relating to the issuance of Halal certificates, whilst generally lacking information about the market, business culture, and consumption patterns. All of which hinder them from becoming deeply involved in the Halal market.
"Furthermore, many business owners in Vietnam still do not understand the Halal economy, unlike Japan, Korea, Russia, and Taiwan. Continuous engagements, training, dialogues with enlarged stakeholders must be initiated in order to gain further Halal traction," she noted.
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The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict , this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for .
Some financial gurus say consumers should live 100 percent debt-free. No credit cards. No car loans. No debt of any kind for any reason.
That might seem like smart advice until the question of buying a home comes up. Then, the debt-free life can become problematic.
In 2014, only 5 percent of first-time homebuyers purchased a home without a mortgage, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors.
Some first-timers receive their home as a gift, so those results suggest that even less than 5 percent managed to save up enough cash to buy a home outright. That’s not nobody, but it’s a small slice of the total population of first-time buyers.
Good credit can save you thousands on your mortgage. Check your credit score for free at myBankrate.com.
Financial guru Dave Ramsey, to take one example, is “a huge fan” of paying cash for a home, according to an article on his website.
The experiences of Ramsey’s fans suggest that “paying cash for a home is the result of hard work and discipline — there’s no magic pill to make it quicker or easier,” the article states.
Indeed, fans reported that they paid cash — or planned to do so — by:
- Financing and paying off a starter home first.
- Building a home themselves and paying cash for materials over time.
- Saving and investing for 10 years before buying.
- Buying a $14,000 fixer-upper and doing the repair work themselves.
- Living in a family member’s home while they tried to save enough to buy.
You need credit to get credit
If those strategies don’t work out, buyers can have trouble when they eventually try to get a mortgage, says Maura Neill, a Realtor for Re/Max Around Atlanta.
“They don’t have bad credit, but they have no credit,” Neill says. “They’ve taken a Dave Ramsey course or done some other type of financial planning and the advice is, ‘Don’t use credit cards, pay cash.’ That’s fantastic advice until you talk to lenders to get prequalified and they say, ‘It’s not a problem of you having a 500 credit score. It’s a problem of you not having any credit at all.'”
A call for patience
Another article on Ramsey’s website acknowledges that his “100 Percent Down Plan” might be out of reach for some. In that case, homebuyers are advised to wait to get a mortgage until:
- They’re debt-free.
- They have at least three to six months of expenses in emergency savings.
- They have a down payment of at least 10 percent, and preferably 20 percent.
- If married, they’ve been hitched for at least a year.
“If you aren’t paying cash, get a fixed-rate mortgage for 15 years or less. Keep your payment low — no more than 25 percent of your take-home pay,” the article advises.
Moderation in credit
Financial planners, like Bob Morrison, a principal at Downing Street Wealth Management in Littleton, Colorado, say consumers should avoid overusing or underusing credit.
“Normally, (buying a home) requires credit, so establishing credit for that is very important,” Morrison says. “You don’t want to go crazy and buy things that aren’t within your means, but at the same time, using credit prudently is wise.”
Ronit Rogoszinski, wealth adviser for Arch Financial Group in Garden City, New York, says being “zeroed out or maxed out” with credit “doesn’t make sense either way.”
“You may be missing the opportunity to maybe buy a home that you can build equity in and maybe have as your legacy to your children,” Rogoszinski says. “The extremes just don’t work.”
2 credit score options
Homebuyers who don’t have credit or whose credit file is too thin to generate a credit score have two options, says Greg Cook, mortgage consultant at Platinum Home Mortgage in Temecula, California.
Alternative credit option
One option is to create an alternative credit history from other financial records, such as rent checks, insurance premiums and utility bills. This process is time-consuming and can take several months to complete, and Cook says not all lenders have the resources to do it.
What’s more, he says, the result “isn’t going to be a great score” because the alternative credit history won’t date back more than two or three years. That means the buyer will probably pay a higher interest rate for a home loan than someone who has a good traditional credit history.
Credit card option
The other option is to get a credit card, charge a modest sum and make at least the minimum payment for at least six months, the minimum time necessary to generate a FICO score.
The account must be undisputed and reported to the credit bureaus and cannot be associated with any account holder who has been reported as deceased, according to MyFICO.com.
“Unlike alternative credit, it is real credit,” Cook says. “If you have a six months’ history with two active trade lines and everything else is in order, you could very well get a (loan) approval.”


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Want more deals? Visit CNN Underscored’s Guide to Black Friday for wall-to-wall coverage of the best discounts to be found during the biggest shopping event of the year.
Black Friday 2022: Featured deal
Target: The retailer is celebrating Black Friday all month long with major savings across categories and Deals of the Day available for just 24 hours.
There are decidedly two camps of shoppers when it comes to the biggest shopping week of the year: the ones who’ve been eagerly curating wishlists for months, and those who get a shiver of anxiety down their spine whenever the words “Black Friday” are uttered. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, you probably like to save money — and that’s where we come in.
It might be hard to believe, but retailers across the online shopping sphere are already offering early Black Friday deals. We’ve scoured the web and rounded up all the best early Black Friday deals from all the best brands. If you want to get a head start on the savings, you’ll find some of the lowest prices of the year below.
And even though Black Friday is still a few days away, it’s never too early to start preparing for the main event. Read on for everything we know about Black Friday 2022 so far, plus tips to make sure you’re ready when it arrives.
• Bed Bath & Beyond: As early as Nov. 6 you can save on early Black Friday deals, with up to 25% off your purchase come Cyber Monday.
• Best Buy: The electronics and appliance retailer kicked off holiday shopping well before November with new deals arriving every week in the lead-up to Black Friday.
• Buy Buy Baby: Get up to 40% off all things baby, from strollers to toys to diapers and more.
• Chewy: Deep discounts on Chewy’s proprietary brands have dropped, so you can start stocking up on everything you need for your furry family members.
• Lowe’s: Save on all things home DIY and more during this month-long event at Lowe’s.
• Macy’s: Shop ahead of the rush at Macy’s and save on home decor, clothes and gifts for the whole family.
• Michaels: Shop a wide array of arts and crafts deals including up to 70% off Christmas decor and BOGO 50% off all crayola.
• Nordstrom: Holiday deals are here, with new markdowns on top brands for men, women and kids — plus luxe home goods — now through Nov. 29.
• Target: Make more than a month of Black Friday at Target, where a slew of deals are launched weekly and a new Deal of the Day is chosen daily.
• The Home Depot: Shop discounted tools, appliances and more at The Home Depot right now.
• Walmart: Walmart’s Black Friday Deals for Days event brings discounts across every category, from home to tech to toys to vacuums.
• Wayfair: Wayfair just kicked off its Black Friday sneak peek so you can save on furniture, holiday decor and much, much more.
• Adonit: Shop tech accessories like chargers, styluses, cases and more up to 40% off now through Nov. 28.
• Adorama: Get up to 50% off on a variety of categories including gaming, wearables, computers, home electronics, cameras, lighting, and video and audio equipment.
• Anker: Save up to $150 on portable chargers, cables, power banks and more right now.
• B&H Photo Video: Save up to $1200 on must-have photo and video gear.
• Eufy: Eufy is offering deals on home security systems, smart home tech, robot vacuums and much more right now.
• Google: Tons of tech (including Underscored faves like the Nest Mini, Thermostat and Pixel 7) are on sale at the Google Store starting Nov.17.
• JBL: Now through Nov. 28, shop deals up to 70% off to save on headphones, speakers, gaming gear and more.
• Lenovo: Right now you can shop Early Black Friday Deal Days at Lenovo and save on a wide variety of tech must-haves.
• Moft: During this early Black Friday sale, you’ll get tiered savings on tech accessories through Nov. 28.
• Roku: Starting Nov. 13, get $12 off Roku Express, $25 off Roku Streaming Stick 4K, $30 off Roku Ultra and $50 off Roku Streambar. Check out our Roku recommendations then shop the sale with confidence.
• Samsung: Shop some of the deepest discounts of the year on the latest smartphones, watches, laptops. tablets and more.
• Satechi: Through Cyber Monday, you can get 40% off the Black Friday Collection when you use code DEALS at checkout.
• Soundcore: A wide array of headphones, earbuds, speakers and more are on sale right now.
Black Friday mattress and bedding deals
• Amerisleep: Get $450 off any mattress and save on bedroom accessories, bed frames and more.
• Avocado: Get 10% off sitewide with code SAVE10 and shop other markdowns on the Fleece, Organic Cotton and Alpaca collections.
• Awara Sleep: Starting Nov. 8, get $300 off a mattress plus $499 in accessories, free.
• Bear: Right now, you can use code BF35 for 35% off sitewide — plus get free accessories when you purchase a mattress.
• Beautyrest: A bunch of mattresses, including those in the Black Hybrid and Harmony Lux lines are up to $600 off.
• Birch: Get $400 off any Birch Mattress and 2 Free Eco-Rest Pillows right now.
• Big Blanket Co.: Stay cozy all winter under an enormous blanket from Big Blanket Co. and save up to $100 through Nov. 22.
• Big Fig: Plus-sized sleepers can sleep comfortably on a mattress from Big Fig and save $400 with code FRIYAY.
• Botana Bedding: Save on Botana Bedding starting Nov. 15 and through the holidays.
• Brentwood Home: Get 10% off luxurious linens and homeware sitewide with code SAVE10 through the end of the year.
• Brooklinen: The fan-favorite bedding brand is offering 20% off sitewide through Nov. 30. (We recommend the ultra-soft linen sheets and pillows in particular.)
• Brooklyn Bedding: Score at least 25% off sitewide through Dec. 6 at Brooklyn Bedding.
• Buffy: Get up to 40% off Underscored–approved bedding, pillows and more sitewide.
• Casper: Right now, beloved DTC brand Casper is offering up to $800 off mattresses and 25% off sheets.
Cozy Earth: Starting Nov. 15, get 30% to 35% off premium bedding and loungewear sitewide. (P.S. Our editors are big fans of the brand.)
• Dreamcloud: Through Dec. 5, shop at Dreamcloud for major savings — 25% off sitewide and free accessories worth $499 with a mattress purchase.
• Essentia: Now through Nov. 27, shop Essentia’s biggest sale of the year and get 25% off your purchase plus 2 free organic pillows with the purchase of a mattress.
• Good Side: Save 30% on silk sleep products sitewide with code HOLIDAY30.
• Helix: Take advantage of tiered savings and get 2 free Dream Pillows when you spend $600 or more.
• Mattress Firm: Right now, you can get a king bed for the price of a queen and a queen bed for the price of a twin. Plus, save up to $700 on select mattresses from top brands and get 20% off Sleepy’s pillows.
• Nectar Sleep: Starting Nov. 8, get 33% off sitewide.
• Nolah: Nolah’s Black Friday Sale is live now, with up to $700 off mattresses plus two free pillows.
• Purple: Get up to $300 off premium mattresses plus $500 off the Ascent Adjustable Base, now through Dec. 8.
• Saatva: Underscored readers can access $350 off $1000 now through Nov. 28.
• Serta: Now through Dec. 6, Serta mattresses are up to $800 off.
• Slumberland: Underscored readers can get an exclusive $100 discount on orders of $599 or more with code CNNEXCLUSIVE, now through the end of the month.
• Tuft & Needle: Now through Dec. 2, save up to $750 on mattresses and 20% on accessories.
• Vaya: Get $300 off any mattress plus 2 free pillows right now.
• Zoma: Get $150 off any mattress plus 2 free pillows, plus 30% off adjustable beds and more.
Black Friday furniture, decor and home deals
• Albany Park: Now through Nov. 12, get 12% off sofas and sectionals with code CNN12.
• Anthropologie: Prepare to host this holiday season (or attend with a host gift in hand) and save, thanks to Anthropologie’s 30% off sale on home items, Nov. 17 through 20.
• Article: Get up to 40% off stylish furniture for your entire home, thanks to this sitewide sale live now through Nov. 28.
• Aura Frames: Keep family memories close by with a digital frame. Now through Nov. 19 you can save $20 on the Mason frame, with more promos to come.
• Branch: Starting Nov. 10, take advantage of Branch’s Cyber Sale to save 10% off the entire WFH collection (including ergonomic chairs and standing desks) and up to 15% off bundles, plus free shipping with code BFCM.
• Burrow: Save on modular furniture, mattresses and more with these tiered discounts available with code BF22: 15% off up to $1,599, $275 off $1,600 or more, $350 off $2,000 or more, $450 off $2,500 or more, $550 off $3,000 or more, $750 off $4,000 or more and $1,000 off $5,000 or more.
• Castlery: Now through Dec. 4, get up to 40% off select products.
• Floyd: Shop discounted furniture during this holiday sale, live now through Nov. 28.
• Hatch: Use code EARLY30 to take $30 off the Restore sleep device, now through Nov. 29.
• Joybird: Now through Nov. 29, Joybird will be offering 35% off sitewide.
• Lalo: Shop baby and toddler products up to 40% off sitewide starting Nov. 15.
• Letterfolk: Chic, customizable welcome mats and more are 30% off sitewide.
• Lightology: Save on all things lamp, chandelier, sconce and more right now, with up to 20% off select brands starting Nov. 15.
• Loftie: Get 15% off everything — including the Underscored-approved alarm clock and sunrise lamp — at Loftie right now.
• Lovesac: Modular, technology-enhanced furniture is up to 35% off sitewide, plus free shipping.
• Moon Pod: These grown up bean bag chairs are the epitome of comfort, and right now they’re 25% off sitewide with stackable codes for additional savings.
• Neighbor: Shop cozy outdoor furniture at 15% off sitewide, now through the end of the month.
• Open Spaces: The bestselling Entryway Rack is 30% off, and almost everything else is 25% off with code HOLIDAY22.
• Outer: Starting Nov. 10, shop 20% off chic outdoor furniture sitewide.
• Overstock: Take advantage of Overstock’s massive discounts now through Dec. 10 — you’ll find thousands of deals across every category, plus score free shipping.
• Poketo: Save on cute stationery, desk supplies and more and get 30% off sitewide with code HOLIDAY22.
• Slumberland: Get 30% off furniture, home decor, bedding and more — plus free shipping — during Slumberland’s Thanksgiving Sale, happening now.
• Speks: Starting Nov. 8, snag some magnetic desk accessories at 25% off — perfect for all your stocking stuffer needs.
• Steelcase: Non-ugly office furniture exists, and it’s on sale right now — get up to 15% 20% off two items starting Nov. 24.
• Sundays: Get up to 20% off furniture, plus free shipping on everything.
• Wooj: Get 15% off snazzy 3D-printed lighting from Wooj right now.
• Yield: Candles, incense, glassware and more are 30% off sitewide with code HOLIDAY22.
Black Friday kitchen and dining deals
• Atlas Coffee Club: Use code FREECOFFEE to get your first bag of coffee free and up to $55 off gifts from one of our favorite coffee subscriptions.
• Atlas Tea Club: Get your first box free and up to $55 off gifts for all the tea lovers in your life, now through Nov. 28 with code FREETEA.
• Beast Health: Sleek personal blenders and accessories are 20% off right now.
• Caraway Home: Use code CYBER22 to take advantage of a rare sale on Caraway’s gorgeous cookware, bakeware and other kitchen accessories.
• Fly By Jing: Shop the brand’s biggest sale ever and get up to half off flavorful sauces, spices and more.
• Ghia: Get non-alcoholic spirits from Ghia 20% off through Nov. 28.
• GIR: Functional, beautiful kitchen tools are 30% off sitewide with code HOLIDAY22.
• Godiva: Get discounts on a variety of gorgeous chocolates now through Nov. 13.
• Great Jones: Shop the brand’s biggest sale ever and get up to 50% off now through Nov. 28. Plus, get free gifts with your purchase this week.
• Hurom: Now through Nov. 30, get up to 35% off a slow juicer from Hurom.
• Material: Shop this once-yearly sitewide sale and save on gorgeous kitchen essentials, including the linen and glassware collections.
• Ninja Kitchen: Get $35 off the OG751 wood-fired outdoor grill with the exclusive code CNN35, now through Dec. 15.
• Omsom: Shop delicious flavors from a variety of Asian cuisines and get 20% off sitewide, no code necessary.
• Our Place: Our Place’s kitchenware is a staple in our editors’ kitchens, thanks to their nonstick versatility and gorgeous designs. Shop everything the brand has to offer on sale now through Nov. 28.
• Shaker & Spoon: Underscored readers can take advantage of this exclusive offer for $15 off any subscription order with code CNN15, valid now through Dec. 15.
• Sur La Table: Right now you can save on top kitchenware and appliance brands, thanks to these early Black Friday deals.
• Tupperware: Black Friday deals are live right now, so snag food storage up to 25% off now through Thanksgiving — you’ll need somewhere to store all those leftovers, after all.
• Vitamix: Save on premium blenders right now — Vitamix is offering $50 off full size blenders and $75 off the A3500, plus deals on immersion blender bundles.
Outdoors and backyard deals
• Kenyon Grills: Kenyon Grills 20% off all grills and 25% off all grill accessories now through Nov. 30.
• Rumpl: Starting Nov. 14, get 25% off almost everything, including Underscored-approved blankets perfect for adventures everywhere.
• Solo Stove: Through Dec. 4, snag fire pits, pizza ovens and accessories at their lowest prices of the year.
• Yeti: If you purchase $200 or more in Yeti products now through Dec. 19, you’ll receive a free gift of two Rambler Lowball Tumblers with your purchase.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills: Get cult-favorite brow products and more up and save, thanks to sitewide and tiered discounts now through Dec. 2.
• Bala: The chicest ankle weights (and other exercise equipment) on the market are up to 25% off sitewide during Bala’s biggest sale of the year.
• BidetKing: Shop bidets up to $400 off with code FRIDAY.
• Billie: Shoppers can get 20% off orders of $20 or more with code SHOP20 and save on razors, wax kits and more.
• Burt’s Bees: Makeup, skincare and more is 20% off with code HOLIDAY through the end of the month, perfect for saving on stocking stuffers.
• Ceremonia: The more you spend, the more you save during this sitewide promo at this Latinx hair care brand.
• Coco & Eve: Starting Nov. 14 and running through Dec. 2, Coco & Eve is offering 20 to 50% off select bestselling hair and beauty products.
• Dossier: The more you spend on these affordable (and convincing) perfume dupes, the more you’ll save — up to 40% off when you stock up.
• Drybar: Get salon-quality blowouts at home for less, thanks to a 30% discount on all hair tools and 25% off liquid products.
• First Aid Beauty: Keep your skin happy during the coldest months of the year and save — First Aid Beauty is offering BOGO discounts and free gifts with bundles.
• HigherDose: Save 20% on infrared sauna blankets and more starting Nov. 11.
• Kitsch: Score 25 to 60% off hair products and more during this sitewide sale at Kitsch.
• Lululemon Studio: Upgrade your at-home workouts to studio quality with the Lululemon Studio Mirror, a reflective screen turns any room in your house into a home gym. Score $700 off with code LLSTUDIO700.
• Native: Get natural deodorant and more 30% when you spend $30, now through Nov. 29.
• Onsen: Underscored-favorite waffle-weave towels are 30% off sitewide.
• Pat McGrath Labs: Get 30% off orders of $50 and over, 35% off orders of $150 and over and 40% off orders of $250 and over.
• Peace Out: Get up to 35% off targeted skincare now through Nov. 28.
• Peloton: Between Nov. 14 and 28, get up to $300 off accessories with the purchase of a Peloton Bike, Bike+ (our top exercise bike pick) or Tread.
• Soko Glam: Trending (and effective) Korean skin care is 35% off sitewide throughout November, meaning you can save a ton on your favorite products.
• Soulcycle: Enthusiasts of the popular cycling workout will be pleased to know that Soulcycle is offering $600 off each bike for at-home sweating — the lowest price ever.
• Superfeet: Save on premium insoles thanks to 25% off sitewide and free ground shipping from Superfeet, starting Nov. 10.
• Tushy: Shop discounted bidets during Tushy’s Early Holiday Deals and save up to $100 on bestsellers right now.
• Ulta: Find beauty deals galore at Ulta Beauty through Nov. 19, with early access deals on brand favorites up to 30% off plus exclusive offers online.
• Urban Decay: Starting Nov. 16, get 30% off makeup sitewide and even steeper Cyber Monday discounts.
Black Friday clothing, shoe and accessory deals
• Carter’s: Shop kids’ clothing and get 50 to 60% off the entire site.
• Cotopaxi: Shop sustainable outdoor gear and save up to 75% on select styles.
• Fabletics: Get 80% off workout clothes, athleisure and more sitewide starting through Nov. 29.
• Gymshark: Get up to 60% off workout wear and athleisure during this sitewide sale, lasting through Nov. 30.
• Hanky Panky: Get $12 off the Holiday Thong 5-pack gift box, the perfect stocking stuffer, through Nov. 30.
• Hill House Home: Nap dresses and other frilly numbers are 30% off during this sitewide sale starting Nov. 14.
• Janji: Save on fitness apparel during Janji’s biggest sale of the year, with items at least 25% off now through Nov. 27.
• Koio: Save on handcrafted leather shoes thanks to this 20% off sitewide sale.
• Machete: Now through the end of the month, get 20% off sitewide to save on gorgeous jewelry, accessories and more.
• Madewell: Get 40% or more off almost everything during this Black Friday event — use code OHJOY to score the savings.
• Naked Cashmere: Shop quality cashmere essentials for less right now, thanks to deals on the limited edition Black Friday Collection.
• OshKosh B’gosh: Kids’ clothes are 50 to 60% off the entire site right now.
• Sheertex: Save on some of the brand’s indestructible tights — they start at just $25.
• Summersalt: Save on everything from swim to loungewear and more during this promo, offering 30% off sitewide with code THANKFUL, plus additional deals all week long.
• The North Face: Shoppers with an XPLR Pass can get 25% off their order, plus get 40% off select sale right now.
• TKEES: Get up to 70% off chic sandals and apparel during this sitewide sale, now through Nov. 28.
• Tommy John: Get 30% off underwear, loungewear and more sitewide.
• Topo Designs: Get up to 50% off sustainable outdoor gear and accessories.
• Twillory: Versatile, breathable men’s clothing is up to half off through Nov. 28.
• Universal Standard: Find bestselling wardrobe staples at new low prices, plus new deals daily and bundled savings from this size-inclusive brand.
• Wolf and Badger: Shop sustainable and ethically produced fashion, jewelry, beauty and more and get up to 50% off select designers.
• You Swim: Unique one-pieces, bikinis and more from You Swim are 25% off during this sitewide sale.
• Away: For the first time ever, Away is offering Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on all its famous suitcases, plus up to 40% off select bags and accessories through Nov. 28.
• Calpak: Ultra-chic hardshell luggage, duffels, toiletry organizers and more are 20% off during this sitewide sale.
• Paravel: Shop Oprah-approved luggage, backpacks and more and get 20% off orders over $100 with code GIFTING20, now through Dec. 15.
• Chewy: Deep discounts on Chewy’s proprietary brands have dropped, so you can start stocking up on everything you need for your furry family members.
• Fable Pets: Save on pet gear and get 20% off single products and 35% off sets with code HOLIDAY2022.
• Little Beast: Get 25% off pet clothing and accessories sitewide with code LOVE25.
• Wagz: Take advantage of this early holiday promo and save on the Freedom Collar and bundles.
This year, Black Friday falls on Nov. 25, 2022.
Black Friday is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving and marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. Of course, over the years, Black Friday deals have become available prior to the actual event, with many retailers opening for doorbuster savings on Thanksgiving evening.
Online deals, however, often go live sooner than Black Friday too. Some retailers already have deals live, and you can expect to start seeing even more major price drops on the most coveted items at top retailers starting the Monday before Black Friday, Nov. 21, and continuing through Cyber Monday on Nov. 28.
Most retailers haven’t officially announced specific deals, but last year we saw savings that ran the gamut from electronics and major appliances to small household items — any of which would make for the perfect gift for at least one person on your holiday list.
We expect similar products to be on sale this year. Look out for deals at major retailers like Amazon, Sephora, Target, Best Buy and more, along with sales at smaller brands and businesses looking to get on your radar. There will likely be a few discounts on Apple and Samsung products; smart TVs; gaming and toys; smart home products, including home security and smart lights; vacuums, including Dyson and Roomba; air fryers and other kitchen essentials; and apparel from top brands — to name just a few categories.
It can’t hurt to bookmark the sites of your favorite retailers and check back often to see if new promos have gone live. It’s also the right time to sign up for brand newsletters, since they’re often the most direct way to find out when sales start and gain access to special subscriber promos.
And be sure to follow CNN Underscored on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and check the site regularly. On Black Friday (and every other day of the year) we’ll be highlighting the best deals around the clock that you won’t want to miss.


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Elm Analytics - Automotive Supply Chain Risk Digest #205 - January 8 - 14, 2021
CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT
After just one week on the job, Kia COO Bill Peffer has left the automaker. He has been named the new CEO of Maserati North America, effective immediately.
With help from a $2.8M grant from JobsOhio, Honda is planning a $200M investment into its engine plant in Anna, Ohio. The project will create 120 new jobs there.
GM unveiled a new logo and website late last week as part of its latest effort to show its seriousness about an all-electric future.
Audi is aiming to phase out combustion engines and offer only EVs in 10 to 15 years.
NHTSA has expanded a voluntary data-sharing initiative designed to gather and distribute data on the testing and development of automated driving systems nationwide.
Volkswagen recalled 56k Golf vehicles to fix a software issue affecting the infotainment system and backup camera. The recall affects the most recent eight-gen models made through July 2020.
Toyota has settled a probe from the U.S. Justice Department over its delayed filing of emissions-related defect reports for $180M. In a court filing, the Justice Department said that the automaker routinely filed reports late or failed to report at all from 2005-2015.
MERGERS, VENTURES, ACQUISITIONS
Magna and LG announced a joint venture to manufacture electric drivetrains.
PPG is acquiring Stuttgart, Germany based Wörwag, a manufacturer of automotive coatings.
Chinese tech giant Baidu is teaming with Chinese automaker Geely to form a new EV venture. Geely says the venture will focus on intelligent and connected vehicles.
Geely is also starting a new 50/50 JV with iPhone maker Foxconn that will build EVs for other automakers and provide consulting services.
Ford is ceasing operations in Brazil by the end of the year. Production will stop immediately at its Camacari assembly plant and Taubate engine plant, while production at its plant in Horizonte will continue through the fourth quarter.
An explosion killed a worker and seriously injured an additional six at CATL's Brunp facility in Ningxiang, China.
FCA is idling production at its assembly plants in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and Toluca, Mexico, until the end of January due to the ongoing global microchip shortage.
Ford is halting production at its Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant from Jan. 11-17 due to the ongoing microchip shortage affecting many automakers and suppliers in the industry.
Honda is shutting down its Swindon factory in the UK due to supply chain issues. The closure is thought to be related to a semiconductor shortage.
Chip shortages have also suspended production at Subaru's three Gunma Manufacturing plants.
The semiconductor shortage began with the Covid-19 pandemic. Automakers dropped orders anticipating plunging sales, and demand for consumer electronics boomed. "Then automotive came back faster than expected, and that's where you get into this problem."
Toyota is slowing the production of its San Antonio, Texas, manufactured Tundra pickups. A supplier shortage of semiconductors has caused the slowdown.
The Trump administration has agreed to delay the start of significantly higher penalties for automakers that fail to meet fuel efficiency requirements. The move could save the auto industry hundreds of millions of dollars at least.
NHTSA issued new rules this week that would allow manufacturers to bypass some crash standards for their autonomous vehicles that carry only goods, not people. It also gives manufacturers a freer hand to design passenger-carrying vehicles without standard controls like steering wheels and brake pedals.


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Techfest 2018: We’re excited to partner technology-driven youths — MTN
May 18, 2018
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, on Friday said that the company was excited over the opportunity to partner with young dynamic technological innovators in Nigeria.
Nwafor made the assertion during the maiden “Tech Festival’’ with the theme: “Spark Your Curiosity’’, which brought together digital operators and innovators to explore, debate and explore technological solutions to societal problems.
Saint-Nwafor told the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that she was excited to be part of the initiative to use technological means to develop the creative minds of Nigerian youths.
“I think the youth have come of age and technology would always hold a key aspect in solving societal problems we are faced with in our country.
“In the age we are in, technology is important in delivering innovative commercial solutions to the day-to-day needs of the populace.
“At MTN, we have already proved this by introducing the much talked about 5G Technology by a smart robot.
“We also have the award winning Lumos; Pay as you go Solar powered solution alongside `the Call Assist business solution; the Customer-Self Service platform.
“The company also has several virtual reality gaming coroners which have become the source of attraction for many young students (our future entrepreneurs),’’ she added.
NAN reports that the event, which held this week, was in collaboration with Diamond Bank (the organisers), MTN, Visa, Microsoft, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Deloitte and Touche, Interswitch and The Beat FM.
The TechFest platform was organised to expand opportunities for technology-focused co-creation and partnerships.
It connected home grown entrepreneurs to potential investors and venture capitalists, highlighting some of Nigeria’s best talents, innovations and ideas.


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Credit card lenders operating in the UK have been turning the screw on applicants for borrowing arrangements in recent months, it has been claimed.
Figures from MoneyExpert suggest that some 3.24 million British consumers have been turned down for a credit card deal over the course of the past six months.
An increasing number of people are finding it difficult to manage their debt problems and in an effort to avoid any kind of risk British companies are becoming increasingly harsh in their credit card lending criteria.
Close to 18,000 UK consumers are now thought to have their credit applications refused each day and almost seven per cent of all adults have experienced this kind of rejection in the past half-year.
"Given the turmoil in the mortgage markets the options are running out for people with problem debts," said Sean Gardner from MoneyExpert.
"They need to take control of their borrowing and crucially to reduce their debts."
Last week, Beccy Boden-Wilks, a debt adviser and spokesperson for National Debtline, suggested that credit card debt is becoming more and more difficult to clear for consumers in the UK.


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Kolkata, July 24 (HS): Attending a webinar on ‘Indian Foreign Trade Policy under Covid Era’ organized by the city’s premier Merchants Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), international trade expert and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Director Professor Manoj Pant said on Friday, “India should not only use the COVID crisis to revive its trade policy, but re-skill its unskilled work force through a combination of useful methods in its training processes.”
Underscoring the role of various Indian Technical Institutes (ITI) and the Indian Institutes of Technologies (IIT) across the country in re-skilling the unskilled and semi-skilled workers, Professor Pant said that technology could create standardized products critical for small scale industries. The use of digital technologies is critical and their payment mechanism is also a critical part of logistics.
According to him, agriculture and constructions sectors in India accounted for 55 per cent of direct employment. As Indian economy engaged a huge labour force, in todayâ€™s world even unskilled labours were required to perform as per the global demand even when doing repetitive tasks. In the 1970s, China wanted its population to go into farming. Yet, by 1985, it became a large exporter of manufactured goods, Prof Pant said and informed that all East Asian and South East Asian nations imported their products from China as the value addition in China was just 6 per cent of the total export.
Replying to a query from Hindusthan Samachar, Prof Pant said Indiaâ€™s share in global agriculture exports had now doubled from 1 to 2 per cent as no other country could grow tropical foods like India.
“India has 4 to 5 per cent share of global trade and services and it is a direct buyer-seller relationship in which logistics does play a critical role,” he said. Following the COVID crisis, many countries were now looking at shifting operations from China to India, Prof Pant claimed and said but for that India needs a large pool of skilled and semi skilled labour force. Accordingly, It is important to re-skill India through a combination of studies in ITIs and IITs. “As China is not politically acceptable these days, there will soon be a structural shift in trade away from China.
For this to happen, skill of the Indian workforce, including unskilled labour would be important.” Prof Pant was welcomed at the webinar by Akash Shah, Senior Vice President, MCCI who sought to know how India could be a significant part of the global value chain.


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This July, a record breaking 300+ attendees turned out for the 2013 Liveclicker Video Commerce Summit. Speakers, sponsors, and attendees, including many of the e-commerce industry’s front-line experts, came together to share how they’re using video to improve the bottom line.
Video commerce industry leaders like Zappos and Cisco participated in engaging sessions including “How-To, Educational, and Training Videos Done Right” and “Building a Top-Notch YouTube Presence”. Not surprisingly, the summit was a tremendous success, connecting like-minded people and innovative companies throughout the industry.
Fritz Brumder, CEO of brandlive states,
“I was surprised by the quality of attendees. …


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The reduction in data prices is expected to drive further internet connectivity, facilitate business growth and enable communication.
Speaking about the new 4G offers, MTN Rwanda’s Chief Marketing Officer, Richard Acheampong said, “We at MTN believe that every Rwandan deserves the benefits of a modern connected world. Our reduction in pricing indicates our commitment to internet connectivity and making high-speed internet affordable for all.”
Data continues to be one of the fastest growing sources of revenue and subscriptions for MTN Rwanda, with data revenue year on year to date growth of 52.6%.
“MTN continues to see a steady growth of data subscribers on the network and we expect this trend to continue now with the reduction in 4G bundles. Through our pro-customer centric approach, we are not only offering our customers lower rates but also giving them the experience of a good quality network,” added Acheampong.
2018 saw U900 being deployed across the whole network countrywide to drive network efficiency and offer better customer experience. The population coverage went from 53% as of 2017 to 92% in 2018. The plan continues in 2019 that entails upgrading the capacity of 3G sites to enable them to carry more traffic, as well as the building of additional sites.
MTN Rwanda continues to be customer-centric and introduce affordable products and services that will deliver a bold digital world to its customers. This will happen with more affordable data, reliable network and affordable Internet-enabled handsets such as the newly introduced entry-level smartphone, ’Ikosora’. This combination not only drives smartphone penetration but allows for affordable digital inclusivity. With MTN data, everyone has an offer that suits their needs, regardless of budget.


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Artificial Intelligence is now everywhere. From Education to Medical Treatment to Health, it's now reached to make users aware of their pale or unhealthy food. Researchers from Boston University developed a new AI named BERT, which detects unsafe food. The AI detects the food is safe or not based on Amazon Customer reviews. At the initial stage, it's accuracy is about 74% which isn't too bad, to begin with.
It is able to detect any food which is contaminated with chemicals and toxins. Many people often get ill or suffer from food poisoning disease due to having unsafe food in their meal. Taking into consideration the global health program, the researchers arrived at this AI Program that uses the world’s largest online retailer to help detect unsafe food items. It goes with the process The developers of AI has linked the amazon.com food reviews with AI BERT(Bidirectional Encode Representation from Transformations). Approximately 1.297,156 reviews are linked from amazon.com which will be easy for the application to identify the quality food.
Img Src: the spoon
Assistant professor of global health Dr Elaine Nsoesie notified that health departments in the US are already collecting data from Twitter and Google for foodborne diseases.
It's been found over 600 million suffered from disease due to bad unsafe food BERT is a great utilization of technology which will actually make the user aware of their food whether they are consuming good food or not. Developers now are not just adding reviews from Amazon, but product reviews from other websites. Whenever any product is labelled as foul, or pale then that food gets an unsafe tag.


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Increased inward investment, business expansion and economic growth mean that Africa is poised for a transformation in the way that supply chains are financed. Liz Salecka investigates opportunities for banks to harness the continent’s supply chain finance potential.
With high annual economic growth rates of up to 7% a year in some countries, such as Nigeria, and huge scope for ongoing business expansion and trade, demand for sophisticated financing solutions is growing across the African continent.
This is particularly the case with supply chain finance as both foreign and domestic multinational corporations (MNCs), seeking extended payment terms, increasingly look to support smaller local suppliers with improved access to working capital.
“Supply chain finance is still in its infancy across the African continent but its potential for growth is very exciting,” says Stephen Meintjes, head of financial institution and trade transactional product and services at Standard Bank.
“Those countries that are experiencing the most rapid economic growth at present such as Ghana and Nigeria in the west; Kenya in the east; and Zambia more centrally is where the biggest potential for supply chain finance lies. South Africa itself is the biggest single market at the moment.”
Standard Chartered Bank estimates that the African supply chain finance market has been growing by 20 to 25% a year since 2010.
“The 2008 financial crisis was a pivotal period for supply chain finance in Africa,” says Philip Panaino, the bank’s regional head of transaction banking, Africa.
“The resultant credit squeeze and reduction in trade finance availability compelled financial managers to focus more on working capital optimisation, improved liquidity management and the diversification of funding sources.”
He explains that buyers in Africa are looking to take advantage of benefits that include extended payment terms, while suppliers are seeking out early payment and more favourable financing terms, based on the credit rating of large anchor buyers (suppliers). Supply chain finance is also providing suppliers with an alternative source of funding and can be used to eliminate exposures to buyers on their balance sheets.
“Banks are promoting supply chain finance by structuring solutions that provide non-recourse or off-balance sheet financing to companies,” Panaino adds. “These solutions are proving to be increasingly popular amongst the larger corporations in Africa.”
The ongoing evolution of supply chain finance across Africa stems from a number of factors.
Michelle Knowles, head of supply chain finance product management at Barclays Africa, identifies three main drivers:
- A greater focus on working capital optimisation;
- The shift towards open account trade from documentary-based trade – this has enhanced the need to ensure sufficient liquidity and risk mitigation;
- Social responsibility – corporates focusing more attention on supporting their strategic partners.
Treasurers of MNCs with a presence in Africa, which have already had experience with supply chain finance in the US and Europe, have played a key role in promoting its acceptance and adoption. Indigenous companies are now taking a lead from them.
Knowles points out that whereas global MNCs have been expanding rapidly to other parts of the region, indigenous large companies from growth countries such as Kenya and Nigeria are also expanding across borders. “They see supply chain finance as a way of helping them to achieve above-average growth,” she says.
“MNCs are driving supply chain finance but we are also seeing enquiries from mid-market companies now – whether on the buy or supply side,” adds Meintjes. “Smaller companies have a great desire to use it to gain faster access to cost-effective finance.”
Global banks are also playing their part in spearheading growth by making supply chain finance readily available to corporates right across the continent.
Standard Chartered Bank is now running “sizeable” programmes in key and growth markets such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
Citi, meanwhile, is running programmes in East African countries that include Kenya, Uganda and Zambia and also launched one in Nigeria in 2014. The bank now has more than 10 programmes in South Africa.
“International banks and a few regional banks have been very visible in promoting the benefits of supply chain finance in Africa through their marketing efforts,” says Panaino, but notes: “This is not as much the case with local banks.”
Peter Crawley, head of trade and treasury solutions, Africa at Citi concurs, pointing out that the provision of supply chain finance is more the preserve of global banks than regional or local players because of the technological investment, reach and resources it requires.
“Many banks in Africa do see value in offering supply chain finance, but when you consider the US$100mn-plus investment required in a platform, the strong organisation and management capabilities required, and the need for on-the-ground resources to onboard suppliers, this is a hard model to copy,” he says.
However, Knowles explains that, although global banks do dominate in the provision of supply chain finance, regional banks are getting involved with smaller, bespoke transactions. “There is definitely a role that they can play in this space,” she says, noting that regional banks are focusing on providing solutions for their strategic clients.
Standard Bank is one indigenous bank that is positioning itself in this business.
“We aim to play a leading role in supply chain finance and are already offering it to selected large corporate clients in selected markets,” says Meintjes. “We are investing substantially in our capabilities as we see it as a product of the future.”
He explains that banks must continually manage their credit risk and supply chain finance is one of the products that enables this. Under Basel III, banks, amongst other requirements, are required to hold capital according to their financing books’ risk profiles. The better the risk profile, the lower the capital requirement.
The increased availability of sophisticated technology-based supply chain finance platforms is also helping to promote the adoption of supply chain finance.
“Solutions such as factoring and receivables finance have been around for decades but platform-based supply chain finance is now taking off,” says Crawley. “The use of technology [integration into the buyer’s accounts payable processes] eliminates paper handling and the potential for fraud and duplication, as well as systemically providing suppliers with the key advantages of supply chain finance.”
Panaino concurs, pointing out that supply chain finance take-up had, at one point, been hindered by the high workload and cost involved in on-boarding suppliers and buyers, as well as the largely paper-based financing associated with traditional programmes.
He believes that, in Africa, a supply chain finance solution should deliver capabilities in a secure and transparent way – but not impose massive IT development obligations on either the suppliers or buyers involved.
Standard Chartered Bank offers a number of different supply chain finance solutions in the region, including Vendor Prepay which, it claims, meets the needs of smaller SME suppliers by delivering instant financing with minimal onboarding, IT and documentation demands. The bank recently implemented the first such electronic supply chain solution in West Africa for one of the largest MNCs in the beverages industry.
Supply chain finance remains underdeveloped in Africa in comparison to other regions and there are still many challenges that need to be overcome.
While many treasurers now have a good awareness of it, this has not necessarily yet filtered through to the rest of their organisations.
“Instances abound where corporate treasurers and financial managers are disconnected from procurement, thereby undermining the success of any supply chain finance initiative,” says Panaino. “There is definitely a need for greater alignment and education on supply chain finance within the corporate market.”
There are also different legal and regulatory frameworks across Africa to contend with.
As Panaino explains, legislation around documents of title, withholding tax, and banks’ rights in respect of receivables purchased and perfection requirements can be obscure and “difficult to grapple with” in many jurisdictions.
Further challenges are posed by the accounting rules and standards in different countries where ambiguities can affect the legal determination that receivables sold to financiers by suppliers constitute “a true sale”.
“To overcome some of these hurdles, banks have to take the lead in articulating supply chain finance benefits and promoting alignment with regulators, clients and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors,” says Panaino.
Similar issues are impeding the growth prospects for cross-border supply chain finance programmes.
Crawley points out that most of the programmes rolled out are in-country – involving the provision of finance in the same currency to suppliers based in the same country as the buyer. “Cross-border programmes are more complex because if the need to onboard suppliers in different countries,” he says. “The exchange controls and FX regulations practised in different countries across the continent also don’t lend themselves well to automated platforms.”
“Many programmes targeting suppliers in Africa are presently domestic but cross-border programmes targeting local suppliers would definitely help boost exports,” adds Panaino, noting that his bank is keen to pursue such new opportunities.
While the roll-out of programmes for suppliers continues to gather momentum across Africa, other types of supply chain finance solutions are also being sought.
There is growing demand for a range of working capital solutions spanning receivables finance, distributor finance and structured trade and commodity finance.
“Demand for receivables finance is coming from large corporates, suppliers and distributors and this is being offered on both a recourse and non-recourse basis,” says Mike Brandon, senior product manager, supply chain finance at Barclays Africa, explaining that for smaller suppliers, working with buyers that have not set up programmes, this represents a viable and cost-effective financing alternative.
The main areas of interest are supplier and distributor financing solutions, while pre-shipment finance is also becoming more relevant.
“Distributor finance is being sought by large supply-side companies experiencing strong growth. They see this as a way of enabling distributors to sell more so that they can meet demand and grow their business,” says Crawley.
Similarly, Panaino notes that many companies are interested in solutions such as pre-shipment finance, but adds: “The challenge with pre-shipment finance is that the product has to be carefully structured to mitigate performance risk, and only a few banks are adept at providing such structured solutions.
“While interest is there, credit availability is limited and the credit quality of the company can make all the difference.”


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In the very recently installment of the “iEconomy” series, a birds eye view look has been taken by The New York Times to see how Apple has minimized their corporate tax burdens, which is by taking advantage of a few legal maneuvers and also loopholes around the globe. The strategies made by Apple of course are legally to the last line in the book and are actually used by alot of other corporations aswell, though with a spotlight dangling over Apple as they have reached the surface in popularity and success so fast, they have become the globes most valuable and publicly traded company with new record-setting profits, though they have attracted alot of attention obviously on how they handle their own money.
Apple, for instance, was among the first tech companies to designate overseas salespeople in high-tax countries in a manner that allowed them to sell on behalf of low-tax subsidiaries on other continents, sidestepping income taxes, according to former executives. Apple was a pioneer of an accounting technique known as the “Double Irish With a Dutch Sandwich,” which reduces taxes by routing profits through Irish subsidiaries and the Netherlands and then to the Caribbean. Today, that tactic is used by hundreds of other corporations — some of which directly imitated Apple’s methods, say accountants at those companies.
Across all the tactics that have been used by Apple:
- Setting up subsidiaries in low-tax locations such as Nevada, Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the British Virgin Islands, routing as much revenue as possible through these locations. By routing much of its U.S. revenue through its Braeburn Capital subsidiary in tax-free Reno, Nevada, Apple is able to avoid California’s corporate tax rate of 8.84%, while also reducing its tax burden on money earned in other states.
– Apple’s iTunes S.à r.l. subsidiary in Luxembourg consists mainly of a mailbox and a few dozen employees, but records $1 billion per year in revenue as the entity responsible for all iTunes Store transactions throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. With the iTunes Store offering strictly downloadable goods, Apple is able to take advantage of favorable tax treatment available in Luxembourg as part of the country’s efforts to attract businesses.
– Apple has substantial operations in Ireland, but the report notes that one of the main benefits of locating there is that Apple is able to internally transfer its patent royalty earnings to a subsidiary there, with the money being subjected to a 12.5% tax rate rather than the 35% tax rate found in the United States. More than one-third of Apple’s worldwide revenue is booked through its Irish subsidiaries.
– Apple records 70% of its revenue overseas, even though much of the product value would normally be considered to derive from their design, which occurs in the United States.
Overall though, $3.3 billion has already been paid by Apple in corporate taxes for 2011 on the earnings of 34.2 billion in profits made, which is a very effective tax rate of 9.8%, which is considered to be extremely low by all corporate general standards. Though with the strategies of the company being reliant on a very disjointed and complex system of laws in taxes throughout the globe, it’s quite hard for the U.S. to by themselves require Apple to book even more of their own revenue within their home country, which right now has the highest corporate tax rate on the globe when the federal and average state rates are added in.
Apple has already provided a response officially to The New York Times, which highlights their role in job creations within the U.S., as the tax payments they do make, it’s giving that is charitable. It has also been noted by the company that their own practices in business are within the full compliance of all of the laws and also accounting rules.


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- Bitcoin's price goes through accumulation phases, hype cycles, bubbles, and crashes.
- Factors such as the current Bitcoin balance on exchanges can be used to track the behavior of market players.
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It’s been a bullish start to the year for. Beginning the year at $28,800, it has doubled in value, hitting a record high of $58,300 late last month. Since then, its has corrected, rebounded, and is now threatening to break another all-time high.
But make no mistake, the crypto market doesn’t just always go up. It goes through accumulation phases and hype cycles, bubbles and crashes.
As markets go, it’s an exceptionally volatile and risky one. So to get a better understanding, we spoke to Ki Young Ju, CEO of crypto data provider CryptoQuant, who discussed five crucial ways to understand where the market’s at now—and where it’s heading.
1.Institutional investors are leading this growth
The key difference between this current market growth and Bitcoin’s surge at the end of 2017 was that it was led by huge retail demand then, according to Ju. This time around, it’s large companies and investors that are accumulating even greater amounts of Bitcoin, while the retail crowd—made up of everyday, casual investors—has yet to show up.
The way to see this in the charts is by looking at the current Bitcoin balance on exchanges. At the end of 2017, the Bitcoin balance on exchanges was at its all-time high (at the time) as retail investors flooded the market and kept their coins on exchanges. But after peaking in March 2020, this number has been steadily declining.
“I guess we are still in a sell-side liquidity crunch. There’s no Bitcoins to sell in exchanges,” Ju told Decrypt.
The idea here is that Bitcoin is being sucked away from exchanges into long-term storage, he said. This makes sense when you consider companies like Tesla, which has bought $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin—the company won’t want to keep the Bitcoin on an exchange, it will want its crypto put into cold storage (a much safer way of storing cryptocurrency, where the crypto wallet is not connected to the Internet).
2.Whale watching can help confirm this
So, given that market players are so important to this current cycle, how does CryptoQuant track their behavior? One key metric here, Ju points out, is the seven-day moving average for Bitcoin inflows to all exchanges. This shows the average size of Bitcoin transactions sent to exchanges. If the average rises, that means whales are depositing large sums of Bitcoin, likely in preparation for a sale.
Ju explained that whales tend to realize their profits when retail investors are more active on exchanges, and this can be during times of extreme fear. As a result, this metric can often show when the market has bottomed out and indicate the presence of retail investors.
As you can see in the graph, the red line tends to spike when there are large drops or when the market price hits rock bottom. As such, Ju suggested that right now the market is dominated by whales and there are few retail investors. This implies that the market is dissimilar from the end of 2017, when retail investors flooded in, and that it’s not being led by retail investors—or at least, they haven’t come back yet.
3.Keeping an eye on Coinbase Pro
With a largely institutional-led rally, it’s important to watch the larger purchases taking place. A lot of big investors use Coinbase’s brokerage platform Coinbase Prime—where, Ju speculates, trades are executed through its professional trading platform. Therefore, by watching inflows and outflows to Coinbase Pro, it’s possible to see when larger investors are buying and selling.
The core assumption for inflows and outflows is that when exchanges see larger inflows, that suggests traders are moving their coins to the exchange to sell them. And vice versa, when exchanges see larger outflows, that could be investors putting their newly bought Bitcoin into long-term storage. In Coinbase’s case, Bitcoin outflows likely go tocustody wallets for over-the-counter trades (large trades between institutions), according to Ju.
“The latest significant outflow happened in the price range $48,000-$50,000. So I think those price ranges are the accumulation range,” he said.
Ju pointed to significant Coinbase Pro outflows ahead of the announcement on February 8 that Tesla had bought $1.5 billion in Bitcoin. At the time, he said it was likely that Tesla was behind these outflows. This implies that keeping an eye on Coinbase Pro outflows can indicate when bigger players are buying.
Another indicator of large buying activity on Coinbase Pro can be the so-called “Coinbase premium”. This is the difference in value between the price of Bitcoin on Coinbase (both its main and its Pro exchanges) and crypto exchange Binance. As Bitcoin’s price rose earlier this year, the Coinbase premium rose, a bullish sign.
4.Observing stablecoin holdings to time the market
There are two types of cryptocurrencies: volatile coins like Bitcoin, andsuch as , which are coins pegged to fiat currencies. The former are used for trading (since they can go up or down in value) while the latter are largely used for storing value without such heavy volatility.
So another key metric to watch, according to the CryptoQuant CEO, is the ratio between Bitcoin and stablecoins held on crypto exchanges. Specifically, the ratio is the exchange’s Bitcoin holdings divided by the stablecoin holdings.
When the ratio rises—and there’s more Bitcoin in the exchange compared to stablecoins—it indicates selling pressure is high as there’s more to offload. When it falls, that suggests a lot of money is waiting on the sidelines, held in stablecoins, and is ready to buy.
When Bitcoin started rising toward the end of last year, the ratio started rising as traders swapped their stablecoins for Bitcoin. But it has since fallen, as more stablecoins have been created and sent to exchanges.
Ju noted, “This indicates buying power is still prevailing.”
5.Bitcoin miners impacting the market
Bitcoin miners are rewarded with around 1,000 BTC in mining rewards and transaction fees per day, worth around $55 million. To pay for the cost of mining, they will usually offload some of their newly mined coins onto the market, and may sell the rest to turn a profit. As a result, miners do have some impact on the Bitcoin market.
Ju pointed to one particular miner who was affiliated with Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool, meaning he had previously participated in its mining pool but doesn’t belong to the company. He said that this whale impacted the price of Bitcoin when it was around $42,000.
However, the impact of Bitcoin miners on the price of Bitcoin has weakened recently, according to Ju. While they have been sending large amounts of Bitcoin to exchanges, the price hasn’t moved that much—at least particularly not with a downward trajectory. Despite this, large miners in particular still have the ability to move the market and are worth keeping a close eye on.
The Bitcoin market might seem opaque but these five ways of looking at it might make it a little more illuminated.
The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.


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Inc. 30 Under 30. Founder and CEO, Rootstrap — a digital development agency. Digital Product Expert.
Global tourism could potentially shrink by more than 50%, with the U.S. travel industry alone likely losing $24 billion in foreign spending. But crisis is, and always will be, a mother of invention. Travel companies have fast-tracked new technologies and businesses of all sizes have pivoted to survive in this strange new world.
Airlines have already seen traveler confidence increase, slowly inching back from record-low numbers in April, which saw a huge decrease in passenger TSA screenings from the prior year, to the end of August. It’s still not great, but it’s moving in the right direction.
Of course, a lot of air travel could be considered more critical, less casual. It’s business-related. It’s family related. It’s essential. Leisure travel businesses have been slower to recover.


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Sony Music Entertainment has promoted Jacob Fowler to executive vice president and chief product officer.
Based in New York, he reports directly to Kevin Kelleher, chief operating officer.
In this role, Fowler will lead global product strategy, working closely with the leadership of Sony Music’s Global Digital Business (GDB) group and The Orchard in overseeing a newly created worldwide group that combines the product technology and engineering teamsof the two divisions.
The new global group will continue to build on a range of applications Sony Music currently provides to its workforce and creative partners, including SME’s Real Time Insights tool for artists, its Apollo data analytics platform for employees, and The Orchard’s Workstation + Suite.
They will also partner with Sony Music’s companies and divisions around the world to develop a new suite of digital tools and applications for employees, artists and labels, which will support content creation, early insights, transparency and business enhancements.
Additionally, Fowler will continue to oversee technology for The Orchard, as well as AWAL and neighbouring rights division KNR.
Kevin Kelleher said: “Our advanced technology offerings are a competitive differentiator for Sony Music, and Jacob is a talented executive who shares our vision for the important role innovative products and capabilities will play in our value proposition and success moving forward. We are excited for him to build on his leadership in developing The Orchard’s best-in-class platform by combining our strong product cultures and teams around the world to grow Sony Music’s wider suite of product offerings.”
Jacob Fowler said: “The product and engineering teams at Sony Music Entertainment, including The Orchard, have built great applications with forward-looking mindsets. I’m excited to help bring together our collective capabilities and leverage the world class products we have built to continue to innovate at an enhanced scale that benefits the organisation globally. It’s a thrill to have the ability to take on new career opportunities and challenges within Sony Music.”
Since 2020, Fowler has served as chief technology officer of The Orchard, overseeing all technology strategy for the company and helping lead a range of key initiatives including the launch of the OrchardGo mobile app.
Previously, he served as senior vice president of engineering and product for The Orchard, where he helped lead a number of key product launches and acquisition integrations. He joined The Orchard as a product manager within the technology group in 2016.
The company has announced that Eliah Seton has been named Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.
March 10, 2023
By launching Splits, TuneCore now features the most comprehensive suite of artist support services and the industry’s most affordable distribution....
March 01, 2023
Warner Music India Acquires a Majority Stake In Divo.
February 08, 2023
Spotify is widely considered to be the largest music streaming service in the world
February 02, 2023


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Love Fall? Then, the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta is a MUST Do
Have you ever been to the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta?
The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta is one of the most unique fall Festivals in Oregon. Since 2004 people from around the country gather to witness costumed characters paddling inside giant pumpkins in a series of races. This fun filled weekend includes Pumpkins and Pints, a giant pumpkin weigh-off, Regatta Run, and Regatta festival and pumpkin races.
When is this year's West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta?
Set the date for Sunday, October 22nd. The FREE event is held at Lake of the Commons (8325 SW Nyberg St, Tualatin, OR 97062) from 10 am till 4 pm. The pumpkin races are are at 12 pm and 2 pm.
Who supplies the giant pumpkins for the Regatta races?
The Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers and their members supply all the giant gourds for the event. According to the website, they "Grow 'Em BIG!"
The Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG) is an association of gardeners focused on the fun-filled, competitive hobby of growing obscenely large vegetables. While Atlantic Giant pumpkins and squash are often the show-stoppers, we grow and recognize all fruits and vegetables on the international competition list defined by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC). We host annual weigh-offs, as well as other community events, including the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta.


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Apple has started shipping out the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to customers in the U.K. and the rest of Europe.
Those who places an order before shipping dates slipped started to see their order status change to “preparing for shipment” on Monday, and many are reporting their new machine has now shipped this morning.
Apple started shipping the new MacBook Pro to customers in the U.S. last week, and many retail stores there now have units for pickup. However, those in the U.K. and Europe have had to wait a little while longer.
[contextly_auto_sidebar] Now orders are shipping, but it seems the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar isn’t available to purchase in Apple stores just yet. According to 9to5Mac, stores in the U.K. expect to get their demo units in next week.
The shipping delay for Europe is likely due to the fact that the new MacBook Pro is Apple’s fast-selling pro computer to date. Despite price hikes around the world, fans can’t wait to get their hands on that fancy Touch Bar and the first Mac with Touch ID.
Apple hasn’t yet told us just how many units it has sold so far, but there are still 4-5 week shipping delays on all standard 13- and 15-inch models almost a month after the machine got its official unveiling and became available to purchase.


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Japan’s current method of combating content piracy via bootleg-hunting software has been less effective than the Japanese government expected it to be. To help boost its anti-piracy campaign, the Japanese government will be hiring a specialist that would help them monitor and search for sites that are hosting unlicensed copyrighted material.
According to Yahoo Japan, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has relied on automated methods to sniff out illegal uploads of copyrighted materials. Over time, this method has become less effective as the pirated content has been altered slightly in order to bypass detection by said method. To counter the pirates, the METI has decided to hire a specialist that would personally search video-streaming and download sites for copyrighted material. Said specialist would also determine whether or not its presence constitutes economic damage to the rights holders. Should said pirated materials be judged harmful, the ministry would then explore various avenues for legal action.
Yahoo Japan reports that this specialist will be focused on anime and other live-action content such as movies and TV dramas, so it seems that music piracy isn’t as much of a priority for now.


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June 5, 2020
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others have lit a powder keg in the U.S. and abroad, leading to nearly two weeks of protests and demonstrations that highlight the pervasive and long-standing issues of racism, racial inequality and police brutality.
As public pressure mounts on those in positions to create change, a number of technology and health organizations have...
May 27, 2020
For quite a while now, tech titans Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple have been quickly gaining prominence in the healthcare industry. In a new report, CB Insights dives into what each of the companies are up to and possible next moves.
First, Facebook, the report shines light on the fact that it has the ability to look at huge swaths of user data and behaviors. It also looks at how...
March 23, 2020
Last week saw a number of diagnostic testing startups, telehealth providers and others announce new services that would deliver at-home COVID-19 testing-kits to consumers. But the majority of these of offerings have since been rescinded or hang in doubt thanks to new warnings and regulatory clarifications issued this weekend by the FDA.
On Friday evening, the agency released an alert to consumers...
February 19, 2020
Amazon employees and their families living in Seattle will now have access to tech-enabled Amazon Care, CNBC first reported. This comes roughly five months after the news emerged that the company was planning this rollout.
Like many services on the market, the tech giant will be offering face-to-face and virtual care options.
Patients will be able to access care through multiple channels...
December 31, 2019
This year provider organizations continued their dive into digital. Big names in the provider space including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ascension and Brigham and Women’s Hospital made major deals with well-known tech companies. We’ve also seen new technologies catching on in the provider space, notably voice.
Another major trend is the use of telemedicine. While the technology is...
December 13, 2019
Amazon has continued to make a splash in the digital health world in 2019. This year it has been particularly active in the voice space. Its efforts include everything from launching a new Amazon Alexa feature that reminds patients to take their medication to a medical transcription function that runs on Amazon Web Services.
But Amazon hasn’t put all of its eggs in the voice basket. In 2018, the...
November 26, 2019
Amazon is jumping into the medication adherence space with a new feature that lets users link up their pharmacy prescription information and, in turn, get reminders about when to take their pills and order refills.
The latest feature was born out of a collaboration between the online retail giant and Omnicell, a tech-enabled medication management company. Initially the feature will be rolled out...
October 30, 2019
Articles referenced in today's episode:
Alphabet makes offer to acquire Fitbit
Facebook's new tool tells users what checkups they need, where to get them
Amazon makes its second digital health acquisition with Health Navigator
October 24, 2019
Amazon has quietly made another digital health acquisition, buying digital health startup Health Navigator for an undisclosed amount. CNBC first reported the news.
Founded in 2014, La Grange, Illinois-based Health Navigator offers digital health clinical content in the form of APIs that can be used by EHRs, telemedicine providers, health chatbots and medical call centers.
Amazon will reportedly...
September 24, 2019
Amazon is launching Amazon Care, a virtual primary care offering for its Seattle-based employees. CNBC broke the news after Amazon sent information about the program to its employees and launched a website, amazon.care, laying out the details of the offering.
"To help Amazon employees get excellent medical advice and help whenever it’s needed, we’re piloting a new program for employees and their...


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Charlotte Olympia Dellal is bringing her playful shoe line to the West Coast with a whirlwind round of appearances in Los Angeles. The designer behind the Charlotte Olympia label landed in sunny California last week for a bit of a personal vacation before a series of store events — and one fabulous dinner party.
Yesterday, the designer headed to her recently opened store at South Coast Plaza for a personal appearance. Olympia stepped out in her signature watermelon peep-toe heels, paired with a springy Michael Kors floral dress.
On Tuesday, Olympia and her co-host and friend, Liz Goldwyn, celebrated the opening of her two latest storefronts with a special dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel. On hand were big names (and big fans), including Demi Moore, Dita Von Teese, Elle Fanning, Marisa Tomei and Cameron Silver. From the décor to the chic shoes, see all the buzz from last night’s big party.


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Lucid has teased a new electric SUV to be based on the same platform as its newly launched Air electric sedan.
We already caught a glimpse of the electric SUV when it was spied on while filming some media content last month.
But now Lucid has made it official: their next car is going to be an electric SUV based on the Air platform.
It should go into production shortly after Lucid brings the Air into production in spring 2021.
With the launch of the Air last night, they released several new teaser images of the electric SUV.
The images are quite dark, but you can see a clear resemblance with the sedan version of the vehicle:
Not much else is known about the SUV as Lucid still focuses on bringing the sedan to market.
Nothing too surprising here. It’s basically standard now for new EV startups to leverage the development on their first platform to deliver more than one vehicle.
Tesla led the way by following Model S with the Model X. Rivian has leveraged its platform for both an electric pickup and an SUV, and now Lucid is making an SUV version of the Air.
Considering it will be based on the Air platform, it should have the same specs, but it will achieve lesser performance due to the form factor.
Lucid has achieved some great innovation in powertrain efficiency that the SUV is going to be able to benefit from.
However, the Air’s record range and efficiency is also enabled through great aerodynamic performance with a 0.21 drag coefficient.
The SUV version won’t be able to achieve that and it will also be heavier.
With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s still able to achieve a range of over 400 miles.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Malaysia leads in the region with 88% of digital consumers and 90% of consumers will go digital by the end of 2021, the Facebook and Bain & Company’s annual SYNC Southeast Asia report states.
Past roles in Lazada Malaysia & Tesco, deep online-offline retail experience To deliver integrated commerce services to ADA’s current & potential clients
Matrade aims to assist 600 Malaysian companies achieve RM60mil export sales globally via its eBizLink programme.
Lazada launches LazPitch, the first undergraduate competition which invites young talents to develop and shape the future of e-commerce.
Funds to go into strengthening market lead in Malaysia, growing into Singapore Trusted one-shop destination, provides largest range of genuine, curated, items
Empowering 1k online business with actionable data analytics First party data crucial with advent of increased privacy environments
In a discussion with Stripe’s business lead for Asia Pacific, we learn about the US-based startup’s view of the region, and how they are helping accelerate the region’s growing payment needs.
Foodpanda Malaysia announced a collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and MDEC to encourage the adoption of e-commerce by micro, small and medium enterprises.
Initiatives, under Belanjawan 2021, aim to benefit 300k local businesses Partners will contribute further US$48.1mil in subsidies, incentives, discounts
A new Facebook and Bain study finds that mega-dales fays have a big impact on the region’s e-commerce adoption.