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From Friday the 13th to Resident Evil 7, these five games have the most potential to deliver the scares out of all the horror titles releasing in 2017.
2016 was set to be a banner year for the horror genre. Sadly, many of the most anticipated horror games of 2016 were delayed to next year, and others were cancelled before they could even finish development. However, 2016's loss is 2017's gain, and unless there are more delays, horror fans have plenty to be excited about next year.
There are many horror games scheduled to launch in 2017, including the likes of Allison Road, Overkill's The Walking Dead, and We Happy Few, but out of all the horror games eyeing a 2017 release, we think these five have the most potential.
5 Days Gone
The first new IP from Syphon Filter creator Sony Bend since 1999, Days Gone is an open world zombie game where players have to deal with massive hordes of brutal undead that sprint full-speed at the player. Days Gone's E3 2016 trailer was a surprise treat at the show, and had PlayStation fans excited for what is shaping up to be one of the console's most promising upcoming exclusive games.
Days Gone is expected to release in 2017, exclusively for PS4.
4 Friday the 13th
Originally slated for release in 2016, Friday the 13th was one of the many horror games delayed to 2017. However, Friday the 13th's delay seems like it will be worth it, as the developers will not only have extra time to polish the multiplayer experience, but they are also adding a full-fledged single player story campaign as well. Whether working together with friends to survive Jason's onslaught or battling the invincible monstrosity in the story campaign, Friday the 13th looks like it will be delivering plenty of thrills and chills for horror fans.
Friday the 13th is scheduled to release in the first quarter of 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
3 Hello Neighbor
One of the more unique horror games scheduled to release in 2017 is Hello Neighbor. This creepy game takes inspiration from films like Alfred Hitchock's Rear Window and the more recent Don't Breathe, with players suspecting that their neighbor is up to some nefarious deeds. Featuring dynamic AI that becomes smarter over time, players are tasked with invading their neighbor's home and discovering his secrets, all the while avoiding detection in what is sure to be an intense blend of the stealth and horror genres.
Hello Neighbor will release in 2017 for PC.
2 Outlast II
Any doubts that Outlast II would be able to deliver the same level of scares as the original were put to rest for anyone that bothered to play through its chilling demo. Outlast II retains the found-footage style of gameplay from the original, but has a focus on religious horror and trades the cramped asylum of the first game for more open environments.
Outlast II will be available in the first quarter of 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
1 Resident Evil VII
Arguably the most high profile horror game releasing in 2017 is Resident Evil VII. The game's announcement came as a shock to fans at E3 2016, especially when it was revealed that Resident Evil VII would be a first-person exploratory game, which is quite the departure from the third-person action seen in previous entries.
Capcom has launched an aggressive marketing campaign to ensure Resident Evil VII returns the franchise to its former glory, an effort that has included a number of trailers and TV spots, along with the disturbing Beginning Hour demo that gives a player a taste of what's to come in the full version of the game.
Resident Evil VII will be available on January 24th, 2017 for PC, PS4, PlayStation VR, and Xbox One.
From the looks of it, 2017 will be a great year to be a fan of the horror genre. However, something that could be scarier than any of the games on this list is if all of them are delayed again. For the sake of horror fans, here's hoping they won't have to deal with even more delays of their most anticipated horror games.
Which 2017 horror game are you looking forward to the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!


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Vikas Gulati, vice president for mobile advertising platform Vserv has joined Opera Mediaworks as managing director for Asia.
This comes as Opera Mediaworks eyes expansion into more countries in the APAC region. Key markets the company will focus on include India, Indonesia, South Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. Opera Mediaworks’ Asia operations will be run out of parent company Opera Software’s Singapore office where Gulati will be based.
Gulati is responsible for building and scaling the revenue and operations for Opera Mediaworks. He will be tasked to enhance the platform capabilities and strengthening the position in mobile advertising ecosystem. He will also be driving the network and relationship with advertisers, premium publishers, developers and strategic partnerships in APAC. Gulati also plans to hire key talent to help Opera Mediaworks reach its business goals.
Gulati has 16 years of experience in building and scaling up digital media, mobile and ad-tech startups in Asia. Until recently, he was vice president for Vserv (mobile advertising exchange) and built its SE Asia business, driving all aspects of business, strategy & operations.
In 2008, he set up the Asia business for Sprice - a leading online travel search and display network, now part of Travelport. He has held various leadership roles at ZenithOptimedia/Publicis, managing top accounts such as Procter & Gamble, Asia Pacific Breweries, LVMH, ESPN and LG, among many others.
“We see huge opportunities in mobile video adoption and, in turn, mobile-video advertising in the Asia-Pacific region,” Gulati said. “We also see other trends in Asia Pacific – the adoption of better audience targeting, and big retailers and e-commerce sites such as Flipkart and Snapdeal strengthening their focus in m-commerce as consumers get more comfortable making purchases on their mobile devices.”
Opera also rolled out Sponsored Web Pass earlier this year, which brings easy to understand mobile internet packages to consumers around the world. It allows brands and advertisers to sponsor the cost of the customer’s mobile internet access, providing users free mobile data.

domain: news


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Looking for innovative and unique keyboard? The Korea-based company, Celluon has announced its new virtual laser keyboard, named as Celluon CL850 which utilizes the 3D electronic perception technology that able to detect the location and movement of the user’s fingers. With an integrated bluetooth and USB connectivity, this virtual keyboard can connect with desktop PCs or even laptops.
Besides, this amazing laser keyboard is comes with a built-in buzzer for keystroke sound. It’s cool, right? The new Celluon CL850 that support wide variety of languages including English, Spanish, German, French, and Korean will cost around 100,000 KRW ($110) to 200,000 KRW ($215).


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A story from a team of Kentucky veterans puts Hemp in the News this week.
Kentucky farmer Mike Lewis has DEA helicopters flying over his farm every day. Why? Because as well as growing shiitake mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, pork and other exclusive food products, Lewis is growing industrial hemp.
Lewis and his team of veterans are some of the first Americans to grow hemp since it was made illegal in the prohibition era. They are striving to raise awareness about the economic growth potential of hemp.
The Growing Warriors, as they call themselves, are making tool handles and textiles from their home grown and self-processed hemp. A loom was given to them, which they are using to weave American flags from hemp.
While textile mills sit empty in places across the U.S., Americans are importing about $500 million of hemp from China, Canada, and other countries.
Click here to read more.


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There is a huge market in the US for homeopathic remedies. In 2007 alone, it was estimated Americans spent more than $3bn on a controversial system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, and which has long been dismissed by mainstream science.
Now, the US government is requiring that producers of such items ensure that if they want to claim they are effective treatments, then they need to make available the proof. Otherwise, they will need to point out that there is “no scientific evidence that the product works”.
“Homeopathy, which dates back to the late-eighteenth century, is based on the view that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people,” said a notice, filed earlier this month by the Federal Trade Commission.
“Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance. In general, homeopathic product claims are not based on modern scientific methods and are not accepted by modern medical experts, but homeopathy nevertheless has many adherents.”
Slate said there was near-unanimous mainstream scientific consensus that homeopathy’s purported mechanism of action – using ultra-highly diluted substances to allow “like to cure like” – runs counter to basic principles of chemistry, biology, and physics.
Health policy expert Timothy Caulfield recently said: “To believe homeopathy works … is to believe in magic.”
Source: The Independent


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Burglars are believed to make away with gold ornaments and cash from a shop of Amin Jewellers at Gulshan DCC market in the capital early on Monday.
Shakhawat, a salesman of Amin Jewellers, said, “The shop was closed on Sunday for weekly holiday. On Monday morning, we came to the shop and found out that gold and cash have been missing and a part of the ceiling is broken.”
Abu Bakkar Siddique, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, said, “We are suspecting that burglar entered the shop through the broken ceiling and later repaired it.”
Around 689 tolas of gold jewellery and Tk 24 lakh have been missing from the shop, sources said..


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Public protector asks for help in investigating illegal minibus conversions
Public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has asked the minibus taxi industry for information to help her investigate how panel vans were illegally converted into minibus taxis for public transport.
Her office said on Wednesday she called on taxi operators who "knowingly or inadvertently acquired Toyota Quantum panel vans that have allegedly been converted illegally into minibus taxis to approach her office".
"It has come to (her) attention that unscrupulous businesses sell such vehicles to taxi operators in hard cash‚ as opposed to credit‚ to evade the stringent measures that are able to detect and thwart this fraudulent practice.
"We call on all the affected taxi operators who bought such illegally converted vehicles from 2005 to date to approach the public protector’s offices in the provinces and at head office."
The call applied to vehicles bought as new or used and those acquired at auctions.
The investigation was launched in 2012 after a complaint that vehicles were allegedly modified by manufacturers‚ importers and builders (MIBs)‚ and converted into minibus taxis although not safe for that.
It was alleged these vehicles did not meet government safety regulations‚ national standards and specifications and so did not operate legally as taxis.
These taxis allegedly contributed to motor vehicle accidents as they were structurally unsafe and unstable.
In the past‚ the Department of Transport admitted registering more than 2‚000 dangerous "pseudo-Quantums" for use on roads‚ despite warnings from the manufacturer that they were unsafe.
That admission was made at a hearing conducted by former public protector Thuli Madonsela on the conversion of panel vans into minibus taxis.
Complainant Hennie de Beer said the conversions were unsafe as the chassis and floor of the vehicles were weak because they were built to carry goods and not people.
The inquiry also heard that private companies‚ with links to car dealerships‚ were responsible for the conversions.
Taxi owners‚ who were sold the panel vans during the government’s taxi recapitalisation drive‚ thought they were buying safe new Quantum Ses’ fikile models. Instead‚ the inquiry heard‚ they were sold vehicles made by Toyota to transport goods.
Toyota issued a warning in 2009 to the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications to ensure the vehicles were tested to ascertain they met safety standards.


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Samsung South Africa has warned that smartphone buyers should be on the lookout for counterfeit devices that are being sold in the country.
“Counterfeit goods have become an increasingly worrying problem in South Africa,” said Samsung.
The company warned that if you buy a smartphone from unauthorised dealers you are at risk of losing out financially, as there are limited options should you discover that the device is faulty.
“There are no consumer care or repair options available to support any of the device components, or any way of being compensated if the product turns out to be a counterfeit,” said Samsung with regards to purchasing a device from non-approved dealers.
“If the purchase price is too good to be true, then it probably is. If a Samsung Galaxy smartphone is found on sale at a much reduced price, we urge consumers to check with our customer care centres before purchasing the device.”
There are physical differences between authentic Samsung smartphones and counterfeit devices, which can help consumers identify an imitation phone.
The Samsung logo on counterfeits is slightly raised, like a sticker. The screen will also appear a tad lighter than on a genuine device.
“A closer look at a genuine Samsung device will reveal sensors on the forward-facing camera, which do not appear on the fake unit.”
Battery size is another obvious giveaway, especially on the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Samsung said the genuine battery is much larger, has higher-quality labels, and well-designed positive and negative nodes.
“The battery is probably the most important determinant of a fake device as it will impact how the device is charged,” said Samsung.
“The design of the battery compartment is very different with softer connectors on the genuine phone while the sticker displays the IMEI number clearly alongside the Icasa branding.”
Samsung provided the table below which compares the differences between real and fake devices.
|Authentic Smartphones||Counterfeit Smartphones|
|The genuine device has around seven to eight screws.||The counterfeit device has only two or three screws and the rest are imitations.|
|The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes in a genuine Samsung box.||The counterfeit Samsung Galaxy S5 also comes in a genuine Samsung box, it is advisable to open it first to ensure it is a genuine device.|
|On screen off mode, the authentic device’s screen appears darker.||The counterfeit appears much lighter.|
|Samsung uses a variety of manufacturers across the globe to produce its smartphone batteries. These batteries will always specify where the ‘cell’ was made and assembled.||A fake battery will always say ‘Made in Korea’, with no specific mention of where it was assembled.|
|Samsung smartphones are sold at authorised Samsung dealers or local operators.||Counterfeit Samsung smartphones can be sold anywhere, including off the street.
Online purchases that do not allow for returns are not sold by genuine dealers.
|Ensure your purchase comes with the Samsung South Africa two-year warranty||Samsung smartphones that do not carry a two-year warranty are not authentic.|


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EXIM Renews Supply Chain Finance Guarantee of $180 Million Purchase Facility Supporting Sales of CFM International Aircraft Engines
WASHINGTON - Yesterday the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) approved the renewal of a 90 percent guarantee of a $180 million purchase facility under EXIM's Supply Chain Finance Guarantee Program. The transaction will support aircraft engines sales from CFM International, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio, to The Boeing Company for use in exports.
EXIM's guarantee will further support U.S. jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the commercial lending market, particularly in sectors such as aviation that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. EXIM estimates that the renewal of the facility will support $353 million in export sales and 600 American jobs, including jobs at businesses that make up the aircraft manufacturing supply chain across Indiana, North Carolina, and Ohio.
"One of EXIM's primary roles is to fill gaps in private-sector financing in support of U.S. exports. Throughout the pandemic, EXIM has fulfilled that mission by helping to ensure that American manufacturing jobs remain secure while the world navigates the historic disruptions to various markets and sectors," said EXIM Acting President and Chairman James Burrows. "The renewal of EXIM's guarantee of this facility creates greater certainty for American workers as our country continues to build back better from the pandemic."
The guaranteed lender is Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in New York, New York. The EXIM-guaranteed purchase facility was originally approved by EXIM's Board of Directors in July 2020 for $510 million. The lender will continue to purchase accounts receivable due from Boeing to CFM International for purchases of its LEAP 1B aircraft engines being used in the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The EXIM-guaranteed financing will be repaid over nine months.
EXIM's Supply Chain Finance Guarantee Program enables approved lenders to expand capacity under their existing supply chain programs to reach more U.S. exporters and their respective suppliers. Under the program, EXIM provides a 90 percent guarantee to a participating lender that purchases accounts receivable from suppliers of an approved exporter, facilitating cash flow and liquidity for both the supplier and the exporter.
CFM International is the world's leading supplier of jet engines for single-aisle aircraft. A 50/50 joint company between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, CFM International develops, produces, and sells the advanced-technology LEAP engine as well as the best-selling CFM56 engine.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation's official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt. Learn more at www.exim.gov.


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Net Zero & Decarbonisation: Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I
17 February 2022
Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I (SBF GB&I), the UK’s third largest soft drinks maker, is accelerating its fight against climate change by targeting a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from direct operations and a 30% decrease across its value chain by 2030.
Progress to date
SBF GB&I has already committed to science-based targets to achieve reductions in emissions by 2030 and since 2015 has reduced its carbon footprint by 25% (ISO 14064).
Progress has been made by investing in a new energy and water efficient production line at its Coleford factory, continued investment in warehousing and operations efficiencies and using increasing amounts of recycled plastic (rPET) in its primary packaigng.
In 2020, Ribena become the largest UK soft drink brand to use 100% recycled and 100% recyclable plastic bottles. This shift from using virgin plastic made from fossil fuels to rPET reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 79% and builds towards SBF GB&I’s 2030 ambition to move to fully sustainable packaging by 2030.
Opportunities and challenges
SBF GB&I’s 100% sustainable plastic packaging target will play a crucial role in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating plastic derived from fossil-fuels.
To do this, SBF GB&I is undergoing a major transformation project to optimise all its bottles for recycling, with the aim of boosting the domestic availability of recycled material. Doing this will mean more bottles can be made back into bottles and remove the need for virgin plastic.
Ribena was the first of its brands to be overhauled and Lucozade will follow in 2021/2 with a design fit for bottle-to-bottle recycling.
To help consumers play their part in keeping bottles in circulation, SBF GB&I became founding members of Circularity Scotland – the administrator delivering Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme – in the hope of increasing collection rates to 90% and replicating the model throughout other parts of the UK.
SBF GB&I continues to promote energy conservation through its supply chain, is exploring further renewable energy options and is transitioning its fleet over to hybrid vehicles while trialling electric vehicles for its city-centre sales teams in Ireland.
“Improving the sustainability of our packaging and processes is vital on this journey. We have already reduced our carbon footprint by 25% in the last five years and we are committed to reaching net zero as part of our wider vision to Grow for Good.”
Michelle Norman, Director of Sustainability and External Affairs, Suntory Beverage & Food Europe


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Samsung Galaxy S5 is not part of the company’s plans with respect to the new Android 7.0 Nougat, but this doesn’t mean the tech giant won’t ensure that your aging phone has the latest security updates.
After January’s Android Security Patches for the 2014 Samsung Galaxy S5 appeared for users of Sprint and Verizon Wireless in the U.S., the same is now happening for those in Europe. The update doesn’t bring any major new features to the phone, but according to the changelog, the update has fixes for bugs, critical vulnerabilities as well as performance improvements, among others.
Like the version that rolled out to folks in the U.S. early in the week, this Galaxy S5 update is not heavy, weighing about 53.5MB and it is available as an over the air update (OTA). Due to this, not all S5 users across the continent will receive the OTA notification at the same time. In fact, it could take a few days before everyone finally gets the update downloaded and installed on their S5 handset.
Alternatively, you can also do a manual check and see if the update is ready for downloading on your device. This can be done via Settings>About Device>Download Updates Manually. Do make sure that your phone has enough battery juice, at least 50%, before proceeding with this process. Otherwise, keep it connected to a power source the whole time. The update will bump the software version of the Galaxy S5 to G900FXXS1CQA9.
Those in the west are not only receiving January’s Android Security Patch on Samsung Galaxy S5, it is also happening for Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge as well. When this will happen for the latter devices in Europe is still unknown, but it shouldn’t be long. Also, note that the latest update has been spotted in the Netherlands, but it should make it to other regions very soon.
Have you received the latest Android Security Patch for the month of January on your Samsung Galaxy S5? Feel free to let us know via the comments below.


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Times might be tight for Lindsay Lohan, but she isn't letting that effect her fashion sense.
RadarOnline.com spotted the blonde bombshell wearing a Hermes belt that typically goes for about $1,000!
The 25-year-old sported a 70's inspired outfit complete with barely there Daisy Duke shorts and a pair of sky high platforms to hit the stores near her Venice, Ca home with her younger sister Ali.
Just one month ago, Lohan told no-nonsense Judge Stephanie Sautner that she couldn't afford her court-ordered psychological counseling. The judge didn't buy the poverty plea and gave her 21 days to get the counseling started, which Lohan did.
Lohan (legally) stole the show last week when she attended Kim Kardashian's wedding wearing a white version of Pippa Middleton's royal wedding Temperley gown.


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MANILA, Philippines – Faced with polarizing issues and disinformation, several Filipinos have gone above and beyond to cut through the noise, heed the call of their community, and answer with collective action.
This year, Rappler’s civic engagement arm will be bringing back the MovePH Awards to celebrate individuals, organizations, and initiatives that are making a difference.
With the theme “Inspiring movements with impact,” this year’s awards will recognize MovePH Ambassadors who are pushing for change in their field – not just for themselves but also for others.
One ambassador will be chosen from each of the 5 categories of the 2019 MovePH Awards. Exemplifying how communities and businesses can work together, among those being recognized is the MovePH Ambassador for entrepreneurship and social development.
After reviewing more than 70 nominations, we have selected 3 finalists for this year’s MovePH Ambassador for entrepreneurship and social development.
Along with the judges’ scores, part of the criteria for this year’s 2019 MovePH Ambassadors is the community vote, comprising 30% of the overall score.
Now we want to know your top choices, as we open public voting for the finalists until January 10, 2020.
MovePH awardees will be recognized in an awarding ceremony in February 2020.
Meet the Filipinos who inspire courage in their community and seek to move the country forward.
Caramoan, a secluded town at the tail of Camarines Sur in Bicol Region, can rival the beauty of Boracay. However, beneath the surface, much of the region’s once abundant coral has been destroyed by dynamite and cyanide fishing over the past few decades – a practice which continues today, despite its illegality.
Agrabah, founded by CEO Jun Ocol, is advocating to teach the farming community of Caramoan to adapt 3D ocean farming, which uses horizontal ropes on the water’s surface, anchored to hurricane-proof floats, that connect to lines underwater supporting seaweed crops and interspersed with hanging net enclosures to grow scallops and mussels. Clam and oyster cages, also connected to the surface ropes, sit on the seafloor.
This type of farming helps regenerate coral reefs and increase the fish stock in the area. Currently, Agrabah is supporting seaweed farmers of Caramoan, helping the community have sustainable livelihood through a secure market.
Agrabah Ventures empowers Filipino farmers to earn fair and steady profit by fostering connections between farmers and potential partners. Through an online platform, Agrabah allows farmers, fisherfolk and consumers to find each other and make transactions at fair value, thereby solving the problem of unfair market pricing and scarceness of supply.
Agrabah supports over 1,000 seaweed farmers in Bicol region and cut flower farmers in Pampanga and Benguet. It also provides technical training in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to empower women in farming communities especially to join.
Agrabah is currently raising at least $250,000 to scale their impact. With this amount they can help over 50,000 farmers nationwide.
Crystal Seas is a family-owned company established in 2006. It’s guided by 4 principles, which are to promote Mindanao culture through handwoven and handcrafted products, provide better livelihood opportunities for marginalized communities by partnering with them and developing their skills in handicraft production, introduce the people behind the designs, and pursue these aspirations for the greater glory of God.
Kickstarted in 2006, it has created partnerships with Inaul weavers of Maguindanao, Tboli and Blaan women of South Cotabato, Kalagan women and persons with disabilities, and out-of-school and women groups of Davao City.
Since the Marawi siege, Crystal Seas has promoted Balud, the handwoven textile of the Maranao, catching the eye of exporters and global brand Fitflop as it partnered with Crystal Seas to make bags made of the cloth from Marawi to match their shoes.
This year, it launched another accessories line, Onse, which aims to highlight the 11 tribes of Davao City, and make them co-creators of the designs under the label.
Crystal Seas aims to create a Mindanao brand through its Mindanao-inspired designs, further amplified in a global platform as the products become ambassadors of the people who made them and the place where they came from.
Being from the southern part of the Philippines, Crystal Seas designer Carmaela Alcantara hopes to improve the social enterprise’s marketing activities to let more people know about its communities and its story.
Everything Green Trading and Consulting is the the start-up social enterprise that’s behind Gree-ne-las, environmental-friendly alternative hotel slippers produced by Filipino marginalized communities that aim to contribute to the zero-waste solution.
Gree-ne-las are made from unprocessed abaca “bakbak” or dried abaca leaf sheaths. Camille Duque Albarracin, the founder of Everything Green Trading and Consulting, and her team move to give back to the environment by reducing the carbon footprint through maximizing the use of local resources, and promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Sustainable Forest Management.
They “greenovate” products to bridge it to the mainstream market, particularly the hospitality industry such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, and wellness centers.
They collaborate, co-create, and spark creativity and product innovation among women, persons with disabilities, the youth, indigenous people and other sectors to help with product design and innovation.
Gree-ne-las also prepares them to become “investment-ready’ and find solutions to environmental problems of the community.
Gree-ne-las has impacted the lives of artisans of 32 families from marginalized communities in Bicol including the Kabihug tribe. They aim to reach out to at least 200 more families by 2021.
With this project, they hope to reduce at least 42,000 kilos per month of textile and rubber waste from Boracay and other tourist destinations. Aside from supplying slippers, they also provide a workshop for the staff and management on sustainable and zero-waste hotel operations tailor fit to the set-up and requirements of the place in order to completely understand the philosophy and values of going green.
They hope this project would have a ripple effect not just on hotels but also on the millions of travelers here in the Philippines and the world. – Rappler.com


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All the sessions from Transform 2021 are available on-demand now. Watch now.
Until the Epic Games Store announced in late 2018 that it would take a 12% cut of game revenue, the industry seemed locked-in to a store cut of 30% for PC, mobile, and console. It was a largely non-negotiable fee paid to list our apps and games. They didn’t pull this figure out of thin air — it’s a throwback to the era of the discs — CDs, DVDs and game discs — when 30% was the going rate of physical retailers. In those days, publishers would also have to shoulder the cost of printing and shipping masses of physical copies of their album, movie, or game.
These additional costs aren’t typically present in digital distribution. So paying 30% to access vast payment infrastructures, content distribution networks, digital rights management, and anti-fraud processes seems fair, right? Not according to game developers, only 6% of whom feel the 30% cut is fair. Developers wanting to keep a greater share of the profits from their work is no surprise, but this figure is stark nevertheless. And as competition for content hots up due to the emergence of new regions, audiences, platforms, and technologies, creators of content hold greater sway.
The upshot of all this is, potentially, meaningful challenge to the balance of power between the Apple App Store and Google Play and the hegemony of PC superpower Steam. These giant ecosystems have been content with the status quo and, in the case of Apple and Google, coexisted in something akin to a cold war, wanting it all but conscious that a duopoly is better than mutually assured destruction. While it’s clear that the strength of previously unapproachable walls is being tested, it’s yet to be seen whether this will manifest as a phony war that the incumbents use to entrench their positions or whether we’re on the cusp of total war.
The fees domino effect
The market has undeniably reacted to that 12% incursion by Epic Games in 2018 (with a further incentive of the waiver of the Unreal Engine’s 5% fee for games that use the Epic Store). Microsoft has matched 12% for games, while letting other types of apps keep 100% of their revenue. Even Steam has reacted, in a fashion, by taking a slightly lesser cut from games that have already successfully sold lots of units at the 30% rate.
Three top investment pros open up about what it takes to get your video game funded.
Watch On Demand
Similar conflict is playing out in the mobile sphere. While the App Store and Google Play have incentivized longevity when it comes to subscriptions, halving their cut to 15% after 12 months, they’ve had to go further. Apple has enshrined a 15% fee for apps that make less than $1 million per year. Google has recently undercut this by agreeing to take 15% of the first $1 million in revenue from all apps instead of 30%, regardless of the app’s total annual revenue. It claims this means a 50% reduction in fees for 99% of developers who use the platform.
It’s tempting to frame these developments simply as Epic vs. Steam or Apple vs. Google. The reality is that external forces are bringing pressure to bear too. Take Huawei’s AppGallery, which last year tempted developers with the promise of keeping anything from 85% to 100% of their revenue. Why do the incumbent stores care? Because Huawei now has over 530 million active monthly users and 384 billion app installs per year on its network of devices. With vast ready-made audiences that have increasing spending power, it’s top-shelf content that stores like AppGallery are after to boost their own platform offers, and they’re increasingly able to compete with the likes of Google and Apple for it.
The legal theater
The app store war is playing out in the global legal theater, both in direct conflict with each other as in the case of Epic and Apple, and with national and supranational agencies that are homing in on potential areas of non-competition.
Epic Games’ metaverse mega-hit Fortnite was removed from the App Store almost a year ago (in August) after Epic tried to circumvent Apple’s payment processes and therefore the 30% revenue share. While most global markets had seemed content to wait for the judgment of U.S. federal court — both companies’ home market — Australia recently overturned a verdict that paused Epic’s legal action in that country. This could be the catalyst for more actions to proceed, particularly in the U.K. and European Union (which has pursued a number of antitrust cases in recent years).
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, was given an astronomical $5.15 billion fine by the European Commission in 2018 for using the Android operating system to shut rivals out (Alphabet plans to appeal). It’s also being pursued by 37 U.S. attorneys general who argue, amongst many other points, that it induced mobile device manufacturers such as Samsung and mobile network operators to adopt Android and thus not compete with Google Play.
With U.S. President Joe Biden issuing an Executive Order this month instructing the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to clamp down on anticompetitive practices in the U.S. economy, app stores and marketplaces will come under greater scrutiny alongside the rest of Big Tech.
The payments question
Money talks, and games are a golden goose, particularly as the in-app purchases and advertising that are ubiquitous in mobile spread into the PC and console arena. Much of the conflict between regulators, stores, developers and publishers boils down to payments infrastructure.
Epic vs. Google escalated quickly when Epic tried to implement direct payments in Fortnite iOS. The U.S. case against Google notes that the Play Store effectively forces app publishers to use Google Billing as an intermediary. Why? Because having app developers and publishers use proprietary payments infrastructure is the only effective way to enforce app store fees.
Microsoft, then, is making an unprecedented play by allowing apps to run their payments through third-party ecommerce platforms, essentially making its cut 0%. Because of the rich monetization around games, Microsoft will still charge them 12% as noted, though this is still a competitive levy in today’s market.
Glasnost, or walled gardens?
Apple’s App Store is often referred to as a “walled garden” because it doesn’t permit third-party apps such as Amazon’s App Store, arguing that this would compromise security and UX. Google Play is a little more nuanced. The open source roots of Android mean you can sideload third-party apps, although Amazon itself is heavily referenced in the upcoming antitrust case by the U.S. attorneys general for being unfairly kept out of the Android ecosystem. With signs that Android 12 could be locking down parts of its UX that were previously customizable, it almost looks as though walls are being fortified rather than torn down.
Microsoft again provides a challenge to these developments with a strategy seemingly based on glasnost, Russian for “openness and transparency.” In addition to permitting third-party payments, it has surprised the market by announcing that Android apps will run natively on Windows 11. They’ll be downloadable from Amazon’s Appstore via the Windows store that’s included in the operating system. This is a considerable change of tack after previously allowing Android apps to be reworked and ported to Windows, perhaps in response to Apple running iOS apps on macs with M1 chips.
The walled garden and glasnost approaches couldn’t be more different, although of course each strategy makes sense. Conservatism is for those with an interest in preserving the status quo, while more radical action befits challengers. The dichotomy between them becomes frankly bamboozling when you consider the marketing, payments and content flows between Amazon’s Appstore and the Windows Store. Throw in the fact that Microsoft is also soliciting Steam and we could be looking at a store-in-a-store-in-a-store.
Could Microsoft be developing the first metastore?
The challenge of social gaming
Alongside device manufacturers such as Huawei and Samsung, which are aggressively growing their own stores, other platforms have the user numbers and ambition to disrupt the gaming ecosystem. While driving digital sales or user acquisition are typically massive focus points for games, this is no concern at all for social media platforms.
The user base of one platform, Facebook, matches the size of the entire mobile gaming audience worldwide, which itself is an astounding 2.7 billion. Facebook has come a long way since the days we were spammed with endless Farmville invites, making games part of its core offering and even rolling out a cloud gaming service to 98% of the United States. Snap, too, has been growing its gaming brand since 2019 and offers curated content from the likes of Zynga and PikPok. By leveraging the cross-platform potential of HTML5, these enormous social platforms can offer gaming to their huge user bases across devices, with no downloads needed.
In doing so, social platforms are moving towards becoming social gaming ecosystems. These already exist in the form of platforms such as the wildly popular Roblox. With 42 million daily active users sharing experiences in the Roblox metaverse and a valuation of around $42 billion, what’s to stop Roblox following the likes of Epic and Fortnite and deciding that that 30% of every Robux purchase on iOS is too steep a tax, especially when it isn’t reliant on the Apple ecosystem for user acquisition?
The cusp of total war
Google and Apple will weather their increasing legal challenges and batten down the hatches to maintain their dominance. Google will retain the largest market share through its Android platform. Apple will still have a cachet that makes it the most lucrative ecosystem. Yet nobody has any doubt that the store wars are going to be anything but cold over the coming decade. In fact, referring simply to the actors in this arena as ‘stores’ will soon be too simplistic. The likes of Steam and Google Play are competing for content, audience and revenue not just with each other, but increasingly with major device manufacturers, social media giants and ecommerce platforms.
Video streaming giant Netflix has accelerated plans to create a game streaming service within the next year; joining a still-nascent space currently led by Microsoft’s Xbox following its announcements at E3. A relatively limited arena of conflict for now, if cloud gaming can eventually achieve the scale needed to make it profitable it will leave a mark on the entire business model of video games by making subscriptions central to the monetization mix – likely to be yet another source of conflict if music artists’ disdain for their cut of streaming revenue is anything to go by.
Ultimately, content is king and appetite for the very best of it is growing amongst a wide range of actors with the resources and infrastructures to compete with even the largest incumbents. Whether it’s over the most popular hypercasual title, triple-A game, or burgeoning metaverse, the app store war is set to spark a content arms race the likes of which gaming has never seen before.
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Ford Motor Co. currently controls about 40 percent of the van market in the United States, and its President of the Americas Joe Hinrichs is confident the all new Transit can grab even more market share.
The Transit is lighter, more fuel efficient, more versatile, has more cargo space and can haul more weight than the Ford E-series van it's replacing.
"Now we're going to have more products and even better products to offer our customers," Hinrichs said. "The additional exicting part of this is we'll get to talk to new customers, who needed more cubic space than we could offer in a van prior to this."
Building such a highly versatile vehicle required first building a highly flexible production facility. Ford spent $1.1 billion converting its Kansas City Assembly Plant to produce the new vehicle. Hinrichs said the investment makes Kansas City Assembly Plant the most modern Ford has and its global standard for production.
It was an investment that followed passage of the Missouri Jobs Act, which offered busineses tax incentives based on plant investment and employment. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called a special meeting of the General Assembly to get the act passed. Since then, Ford added 2,000 jobs at the plant and now plans to add another 800 for a second shift on the Transit line later this year.
"I couldn't be prouder of anything else I've done as your governor," Nixon told plant workers Wednesday morning. "Today, as the very first Transit rolls off the assembly line, it's a moment for all of us to reflect on the roles we played to make this a reality."
Plant Manager Dan Jowiski called the official launch of production a big day for all the employees who put so much hard work into reaching that moment.
"This is only the beginning of great things to come," Jowiski said.
John Ruppert, general manager of Ford's North American fleet leasing and sales operation, said the new Transit went through 4.6 million miles of road testing and other commercial-grade testing, which is much more rigorous than retail automobile testing. The Transit offers three roof heights, two wheel bases, three lengths and three power trains. Ford also has a commitment from at least 10 upfitters within 20 miles of the plant to add tool and part shelving or convert the van for a wide variety of other uses.
The Transit is expected to hit showroom floors this summer.
James reports about banking, financial services and law.


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Don’t forget that this evening the annual Elberton Rotary Club Tailgate Party will take place in anticipation of the Elbert County vs. Hart County football game.
The tailgate party features hot dog dinners that will be available for purchase.
Included in the meal are two hotdogs, baked beans, chili, coleslaw, chips, a drink, and a homemade cookie.
Cost per hot dog meal will be six dollars, and can be picked up at the Civic Center beginning at 5:00pm this evening.
Sue Cone, with the Elberton Rotary Club says it’s a great fundraiser, and talks about where the proceeds from events like this go towards.
“The beauty about the six dollars is that everything we make goes right back into the community. We build wheelchair ramps for people that need them, and last year we gave over $26,000 in local scholarships to Elbert County seniors”, said Cone. “Rotary is the biggest contributor to local scholarships in our community.”
Advance tickets are available for purchase and can be purchased from any Rotary Club member or by contacting Sue Cone directly at (706) 213-3306.
Cone also says those who aren’t able to purchase advance tickets are welcome to purchase a hot dog dinner at the Civic Center.


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A partnership between Google and Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi is rumoured to be in the works to help the tech giant with its autonomous vehicles, according to The Nikkei.
Self-driving taxis and other services are part of Google’s plans for the automakers, who will work alongside Waymo, Google’s autonomous vehicle company.
An announcement of Waymo’s plans is reported to be made this spring.
Self-driving Nissan cars used as taxis and developing a system that manages payments and reservations are some of the ideas that both companies are considering in the partnership.
Both Waymo and the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance had nothing to announce, but a spokesperson for the latter company said Nikkei’s report is “based on rumours and speculation.”
The Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance is a partnership with its respective automotive companies that work together and develop better zero-emission vehicles and new automotive technologies.
Source: Reuters via The Nikkei


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People are drawn to Vietnam for its friendly people, rich culture and beautiful scenery, but for many, the greatest drawcard is its mouth-watering cuisine
New Chinese language website is WeChat enabled and contains content for retail travel agents to increase sales
Vietjet will run a three-golden-day promotion offering 2,000,000 tickets priced
TASTE LAB is a space for gourmet, creativity, exchange and experience sharing
Vietjet is now leading the domestic aviation market in Vietnam and actively expanding
Majestic Princess, Sun Princess and Diamond Princess will offer over 50 sailings, providing 140,000 domestic guests
two key promotions in its APAC team as the business continues to support its Australian base and expands further into Asian markets
three in five expats in the USA would describe the locals as welcoming (59 percent) and outgoing (64 percent), 35 percent find it hard to make local friends
The pavilions will make it easier for buyers and exhibitors to connect during the show and facilitate greater ease of navigation
Vietjet is to offer a 3 golden days promotion from March 6 to 8, 2018 with 1,500,000 tickets priced from HKD0
the first comprehensive market research report on what is expected to be the “The Next Big Thing” in Asia-Pacific tourism
Royal First Class and Royal Silk Class passengers will be served Orange Jelly and Look Chup. Passengers traveling in Economy Class will be served Orange Jelly
Australians aren’t afraid of travelling to the back of
Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), the leading technology provider to the global travel industry, today announced an expanded three-year partnership with Far Eastern Air Transport, opening a wider var...
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) recently celebrated the launch of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for its flight operations on the Bangkok-Taipei route
The flights to Kaohsiung help THAI to strengthen its route network and increase its competitive positioning in Taiwan, in addition to THAI’s roundtrip flights to Taipei
Growth in visitors from Taiwan have helped drive record international tourism to Queensland in the year to June 2017.
Vietjet has kicked off a new three golden-day promotion offering 200,000 discounted air tickets
Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc. today announced the opening of The Westin Yilan Resort, marking the brand’s first hot spring resort in Taiwan situated in the island’s no...
With a mission of making air travel accessible to everyone and a more popular means of transportation for all sorts of passengers


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Known for governmental efficiency, the city-state of Singapore scored highest overall for the three measures it could control: regulatory structure (35% of the total score and included in the drivers category), digital infrastructure (12%) and ease of doing business (10%), which are both part of the enablers category. That was enough to be firmly ensconced in second place despite middling scores for quality of life – due to a very high cost of living – and per-capita crypto jobs, companies and events, which comprise the opportunities category.
For more on the criteria and how we weighted them, see: How We Ranked CoinDesk’s Crypto Hubs 2023: Our Methodology.
Despite the crypto industry’s well-earned reputation as the Wild West, crypto founders tend to prioritize predictability and clear regulations when shopping for a place to incorporate. That’s why the well-regulated, efficiently governed city-state of Singapore hosts the headquarters or satellites of some of the biggest brands in crypto, including Binance, Coinbase and Crypto.com. But after the spectacular failures of its homegrown darlings Terraform Labs and Three Arrows Capital plunged the ecosystem into Crypto Winter, Singapore’s crypto community is licking its wounds – and beginning to look to the future.
Singapore still has a strong reputation: it received the most mentions for best crypto hub in a select CoinDesk survey sent to about three dozen globetrotting crypto professionals this spring. The Red Dot has all the ingredients of a strong crypto hub, with the highest rating in the world for digital infrastructure (as measured by the Tufts/Fletcher Digital Evolution Index) and second-highest ranking in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index.
It is the most competitive fintech hub in the Asia Pacific region, according to the 2023 Global Financial Centres Index, edging out Hong Kong, and a regulatory leader for crypto. In 2020, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) passed the Payment Services License Act. “There were all these companies that were all rushing to Singapore to apply for the license because it was actually the first regulator in the region that had a proper digital-assets licensing framework,” said Pamela Lee, head of APAC sales at Talos, developer of institutional-grade technology for digital-asset trading.
Prakash Somosundram, founder of Enjinstarter, a blockchain-based crowdfunding platform for early crypto projects, described having had a “front row seat” to the Singaporean crypto scene since 2015. “In the early days, when it came to crypto, from a regulatory perspective, it was very pro. So this is where a lot of crypto influencers moved their capital,” Somosundram said. And with no capital gains tax, “It is an ideal place for the crypto affluent to actually come here.”
A highly educated workforce and institutional fintech know-how have been a potent mix for Singapore. Among the first initial coin offerings (ICO) were Singaporean startups such as cryptocurrency payment platform TenX, which raised $43 million in just seven minutes in 2017. That year, Singapore even surpassed the U.S. with $1.5 billion versus $1.2 billion in ICO funding, an astounding amount for a locale that is roughly the landmass of New York City, with just two-thirds of the population.
Until the current Crypto Winter, Singapore was a magnet for a stereotypically brash strain of crypto celebrity culture and lifestyle. That world centered on the wealthy enclave of Sentosa Island, which Somosundram calls “Crypto Island.“ Sentosa is the only place in the city-state where foreigners can own property, and wealthy expats have flooded in. Sentosa’s inhabitants have included Chengpeng “CZ” Zhao, founder and CEO of Binance, and crypto thought leader and U.S. investor Balaji Srinivasan. Back then, crypto meetups, conferences and events were held in villas or even on yachts, Somosundram said.
Sooner than later, CZ and Balaji moved on, though. Zhuling Chen, founder and CEO of staking access startup RockX, his second crypto startup in Singapore, said that his view of the local crypto community is decidedly different from a luxury island for conspicuous billionaires. He describes a racially and gender diverse community, one that has diversified its cryptocurrency ecosystem as well. In addition to the ICOs, “Singapore had one of the earliest Ethereum communities,” he said. “When you go to NEAR meetups, or Solana, you see different people at each. There’s a strong fanbase” for a lot of different token projects.
The residents of Singapore come from around the world, with roughly 30% of the population non-citizens, or expats. “Singapore’s years of being a fintech hub attracted talent from all over the Asia-Pacific region,” Chen said. “We find it’s reasonably attractive to find good talent here.” Indeed, Chen said his 40 employees represent eight different nationalities.
“We don't want to be seen as crypto bros,” said Lee, who is on the Women in Blockchain committee of the Blockchain Association of Singapore. “I don't think that that's the mindset that Singapore really wants to build. What we want to be is a fintech hub that has a very innovative environment for people to collaborate and grow together.”
As Singapore resets itself, both the MAS and crypto investors are a little more wary than before. The government-owned conglomerate and VC, Temasek Holdings, reportedly wrote off $200 million in losses to Sam Bankman-Fried’s now-defunct FTX. While Chen said Singapore is maintaining its commitment in terms of promoting blockchain, he acknowledges that there is tightening on the banking side, with more attention paid to know-your-customer and anti-money-laundering measures. The cautious posture may drive the crypto affluent to move to Dubai and Hong Kong, said Somosundram, where recent pro-crypto regulations are attracting companies and VC funding.
He said he is moving his Enjinstarter’s tokens from an offshore entity to Dubai and has applied for the first phase of the startup’s license there. “We are losing our lunch to Hong Kong and Dubai,” Somosundram said. Both Chen and Lee say that although momentum may be moving toward Dubai and Hong Kong as hot spots, Singapore is not losing ground to them.
“Because of how comfortable we are in Singapore, it's actually not so easy to move an entire business that has been set up here, to Hong Kong,” Lee said. “You would rather just stay here and set up a smaller office somewhere else.”
In any case, Singapore is wildly better-positioned in the crypto regulatory space than the world’s top financial hub, New York City. Earlier this month, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of crypto exchange Gemini, announced that it would increase the headcount of its Singapore outpost to over 100, compared to a reported 500 employees worldwide at present.
“Our Singapore office will serve as a hub for our larger APAC operations,” Gemini stated in a blog post. “We believe that APAC will be a great driver of the next wave of growth for crypto and Gemini.”
CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


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The central government on 7 September sought public feedback on draft guidelines aimed at prohibiting “dark patterns” by digital business operators.
The guidelines prohibit about 10 dark patterns like false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, disguised advertising, subscription trap and more such “dark patterns”. The public can comment on the guidelines uploaded on the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry’s website till October 5.
It is worth noting that the ministry on 28 June 2023 formed a 17 member taskforce in identification and regulation of dark patterns. These guidelines were finalised after an elaborate discussion with representatives of Amazon, Flipkart, Google, Meta, Ola Cabs, Swiggy, Zomato, Ship Rocket, Go-MMT, and Nasscom, who were members of the Task Force.
According to the consumers affairs ministry, 5 meetings of the members of the Task Force were held, wherein inputs for draft policy were taken from all the members of the Task Force.The Task Force submitted the draft guidelines to ministry last month.
A letter was also sent out by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) on June 28 to major online platforms in India asking them to desist from using dark patterns.
Disguised advertisement is defined as a practice of posing, masking advertisements as other types of content such as user generated content or new articles or false advertisements. False Urgency means falsely stating or implying the sense of urgency or scarcity so as to mislead a user into making an immediate purchase or take an immediate action, which may lead to a purchase. Diguised advertising and False Urgency are common in the real money gaming sector.
Dark patterns are a common phenomenon of many apps and websites. The EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, recently conducted a survey of 399 retail websites and apps for dark patterns, and found that nearly 4 out of every 10 retail websites rely on manipulative practices to exploit consumers’ vulnerabilities or trick them.


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Post-acquisition Tounguestun team will operate independently
This is Zomato’s 12th acquisition deal globally
Zomato plan to incorporate the capabilities of Tonguestun app within Zomato
Gurugram-based online restaurant discovery and food delivery platform Zomato has acquired Bengaluru-based startup TongueStun Food for about $18 Mn in a cash and stock deal.
TongueStun was founded by Manjunath Ramakrishnan in 2012. The startup works as an e-marketplace and has so far raised around $5 Mn funding from Unicorn Ventures, the early stage investing arm of investment bank o3 Capital and Haresh Chawla who is a partner at private equity fund, True North.
In an email interaction with the Inc42 team, an official spokesperson of the Zomato team confirmed the deal.
Zomato plans to incorporate the capabilities of TongueStun app within Zomato app which will provide a high-frequency use case for the users. This will allow them to order food for pickup from their cafeterias using the Zomato app.
The company has also confirmed that post-acquisition, the TongueStun team would not change and the services will continue as is, in the same shape and form for all business partners.
“We see immense growth opportunity in the food@work (food at work) space, and with the help of TongueStun, we hope we’re able to delight our users at their workplaces as well. This market is very high frequency, and customers are very sticky as they end up placing more than 20 orders a month on the TongueStun platform,” the Zomato spokesperson said.
The acquisition of Tonguestun is the 12th acquisition deal for Zomato globally. Including the acquisition of TongueStun, so far Zomato has acquired four Indian startups which include Bengaluru-based Runnr, a B2B online service provider platform for hyperlocal logistics service, Delhi-based MapleGraph, and a tech-based logistics company Sparse Labs. Other global startup acquisitions by Zomato include NexTable, Mekanist, Urbanspoon, Cibando, LunchTime, Obedovat, Menu Mania and gastronauci.pl.
According to April 2017 report by Netscribes, the online food delivery market in India can be expected to grow by 34-36% over 2015 to 2020.
However the report also state that despite the popularity of online food ordering, market penetration at the time of publishing of the report was only around 0.7%.
In June 2018, online food delivery giants such as Swiggy, Zomato, UberEats, and FoodPanda, among other local players were in talks with government as they were facing challenges when the GST on restaurants was cut to 5% from 18% in November 2017 and the input tax credit (ITC) provision was withdrawn.


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Ontario International Airport (ONT) officials welcomed the announcement that Southwest Airlines will add daily nonstop service to Nashville International Airport (BNA) beginning June 4. The new service is now available for booking at Southwest.com.
“Our friends at Southwest Airlines have a wonderful home at Ontario International, and we couldn’t be more pleased by their continued commitment to our airport, and the addition of new service to Nashville,” said Atif Elkadi, CEO of the Ontario International Airport. “This nonstop link to Nashville will allow visitors from Tennessee the opportunity to experience everything that Southern California and the Inland Empire have to offer, while also providing seamless connecting opportunities for travelers from our region visiting the East Coast and the Southeast.”
Nashville will become Southwest’s 12th nonstop destination from ONT while Music City will be the Southern California gateway’s 24th nonstop destination overall.
News of the ONT-BNA service, announced earlier today, comes just weeks after Ontario earned the highest score among California airports in the prestigious J.D. Power 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study which rated airports on their terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check and food, beverage and retail offerings.


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Hanjin is still working on a restructuring plan, and it has already begun returning chartered vessels in an attempt to reduce its overhead; its charter fees amount to millions per day. The judge's order to sell vessels means that the firm will be much smaller if it manages to avoid total liquidation - a fate the court will decide sometime in December.
Mike Radak, chief operating officer of Hanjin Shipping America, told the LA Times that the carrier was giving back chartered vessels as soon as they were unloaded. "Once it's empty, we hand the keys over to the chartering company," he said.
Radak said that his understanding is that all of the line's owned vessels would be brought back to Busan as they were free of cargo.
The sale of Hanjin's ships is expected to put further downward pressure on weakened prices for older container tonnage, especially smaller, less efficient vessels. In addition, Hanjin-chartered vessels coming off hire may have difficulty finding new employment in a saturated market and many are likely to go into layup, analysts say.
Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.


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More details for Mortal Kombat X could be coming at Gamescom, series creator and NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon teased on Twitter.
In response to a fan’s question regarding the recent drought of information about the game, Boon responded by saying “I won’t play GAMES or try to COMpete with you.”
A bit cryptic, but the capitals spell out Gamescom, the annual European gaming convention that will once again be held in Cologne, Germany next month, from August 13 through 17. This could make up for the game’s lack of presence at San Diego ComicCon.
The last official announcement for Mortal Kombat X came out of EVO 2014, when Boon revealed Raiden among the game’s growing roster. Lord Raiden rounds out seven currently known fights, the others being Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and newcomers D’Vorah, Cassie Cage, and Kotal Kah.
Mortal Kombat X is currently slated as a 2015 release for Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360.


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Construction begins on Midtown Manhattan Apple retail storeConstruction on Apple\'s second Manhattan retail store is now underway according to tips from reliable sources.
News of the construction efforts around General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue were also echoed in a NY Times article this morning. In the article, The Times also confirmed specifics of the exterior design of the location, including the Louvre-like glass cube, first detailed in an AppleInsider report last January.
\"By fall, a glass cube 32 by 32 by 32 feet will be set like a jumbo gemstone into the middle of the plaza of the General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue,\" said the major New York publication. \"From the outside, the cube will appear empty. But inside will be a circular glass stairway and a cylindrical elevator leading to a 25,000-square-foot underground space.\"
The transparent structure, made entirely of glass, will usher visitors to what is rumored to become Apple Computer\'s most elegant flagship retail store to date. Additionally, the plaza at the base of the GM building will be completely re-landscaped. Two pools will flank the cube, surrounded by movable chairs, tables, planters and a half-dozen honey locust trees, The Times said.
This latest news comes just weeks after sources reported that Apple had secured a lease for a third Manhattan retail store. Unlike its SoHo store and the one planned for the underground concourse of the GM building, Apple\'s third store will be much smaller —around 2,000 square feet.
According to Apple documents, the third retail store is destined for Manhattan\'s Flatiron district, near the Flatiron building at 22nd and Broadway. However, AppleInsider has been unable to rule out reports that the lease was actually inked for a location closer to Chelsea, at West 17th and 8th Ave.
Apple\'s initial retail plan for Manhattan called for three stores, AppleInsider believes. But a city with a population of over 8 million residents may demand at least one more. That\'s why the Mac maker is believed to be scouting yet another location in Manhattan\'s Upper West Side near 84th and Broadway. To date, there is no word on a lease signing for this location.


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Fisker Ocean Makes International Design Festival Appearance
The Fisker Ocean appears at Southern Sweden Design Days 2023, an international design festival, as the European Road Tour continues.
Fisker Ocean in San Francisco
New photos surface of a Fisker Ocean parked on a hilly street of San Francisco showing off a stunning Big Sur Blue exterior and 22″ SlipStream wheels without covers.
Fisker Ocean Photos from Autonomy Mobility World Expo in Paris
We have photos of the Fisker Ocean, which is currently on display at the Autonomy Mobility World Expo in Paris as the European Road Tour continues.
Fisker Ocean Orlando Pop Up Location Photos
The Fisker Ocean appeared today at Icon Park in Orlando, Florida for reservation holders to check out the electric SUV. Today, we received photos and video of the Fisker Ocean from the Orlando pop-up location. Readers and members of Fiskerati Forums had a chance to check out the electric SUV. Continue Reading
Fisker Ocean Production Begins
Fisker starts official production of the Fisker Ocean electric SUV at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria as the company is now making sellable vehicles. Today, marks the official start of production of the Fisker Ocean electric SUV. If you’ve been following along, each week we’ve been counting down the days Continue Reading
5 Days Away, Test Drive, & Professional Photos of the Fisker Ocean
New professional photos of the Fisker Ocean from our trip to Graz, Austria to test drive the electric SUV. Today, we are less than a week away from the official start of production of the Fisker Ocean. November 17th is next week, just right around the corner. This week in Continue Reading
Photos and Video of Fisker Ocean Leaving Texas
Texans in Houston, Austin, and Dallas will miss the Fisker Ocean as it leaves the Lone Star State after this leg of the road tour ends. Today, we received photos and video of the Fisker Ocean’s last moments in Texas. The footage shows the electric SUV getting packed up and Continue Reading
Fisker Ocean Photos from Austin
The family got to check out the Fisker Ocean in Austin, TX on our road trip to Walt Disney World in our electric vehicle. Today, we had a chance to attend the Fisker Ocean pop-up location in Austin, TX. If you’ve been following along, we’re on a family road trip Continue Reading
Fisker Ocean Viewings From Paris to Seattle, Production Right on Schedule, & Texas You’re Next
People all over the world were excited this week getting a chance to see the Fisker Ocean in two continents and the electric SUV impressed. This was an incredible week with showings of the Fisker Ocean in Paris, France and Seattle, WA. The production intent Fisker Ocean made its first Continue Reading
Fisker Ocean Photos and Videos from Seattle
Members of Fiskerati Forums shared their photos and videos with us today from Seattle as the Fisker Ocean Road Tour gets underway. Today, the electric SUV made its first stop in Seattle, WA as the Fisker Ocean Road Tour gets underway. The Fisker Ocean is on display this weekend in Continue Reading


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According to an interview with the mayor on theboardwalkblog Facebook page, there are two new 80 room hotels potentially coming to the island. One is the Wall Street Holdings 1 property on Schellenger Ave where Colleens and Stardust are today which will be a Choice suites hotel. The other location wasn't specified. It would be interesting to see what the new hotels are expected to look like and where the second hotel is going to be built.
here is the full story and one final tour of the spot. http://wildwoodvideoarchive.com/saying-goodbye-to-the-ocean-holiday-motel/


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Let’s bank on a bit of sun and fun
GRIM. It must be one of the most over-used words this year. It is trotted out repeatedly to describe the weather, financial outlook, prospects of certain prominent politicians and embattled airline operators.
The repetition induces the same bleak, battle-weary feeling in many of us as does the greyest of Monday mornings. All four of those in August, for example.
The long-term lack of optimism has led to the largest number of Britons emigrating this year since records began. I believe, however, that we may be close to recession fatigue. It appears from the latest John Lewis figures that we are about to cock a snook at the many Cassandras warning of impending doom by beginning to shop on the high street again.
After a poor summer, John Lewis announced much better figures for the beginning of September. Surprisingly, however, Oxford Street’s store soared by 16% on last year while Newcastle dropped by 0.8% on 2007 figures.
For a region which has long enjoyed spending its disposable money to look good and enjoy life, the need to count the pennies must be hitting hard to stifle the urge to visit the high street. When many families have stayed at home this year instead of jetting off to a holiday, retail therapy has a purpose over and above spending hard-earned money.
Shopping equals entertainment. It’s a good day out, complete with coffee, chats, people-watching and bargain-grabbing.
MetroCentre was conceived as a day out – with the family. Go along any Bank Holiday and you’ll see how many hundreds of families agree. The artificiality of it, always warm, dry, with ice cream and sweets every few hundred yards, reminds me of a theme park. People are encouraged to stay and to spend, and make it a real holiday with a visit to the cinema, meal and even a cocktail.
If this summer has resulted in many sodden stay-at-home people, I predict a rise in package holidays and shopping figures next year, whatever the financial predictions. None of us knows for certain what tomorrow will bring. Let’s bank on a bit of sun and fun.
Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm


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Monday, August 8, 2011
Online Spending Hits $37.5 Billion In Q2
Online spending on e-commerce sites hit $37.5 billion in Q2, according to the latest numbers from comScore. According to the Internet measurement firm, online retail spending was up 14 percent in Q2 versus a year ago. The gain was the seventh consecutive quarter of positive, year-over-year growth for the industry. Online sales have been growing since Q4 of 2009, with the last three quarters seeing double digit growth. Q4 of 2010 saw a year-to-year growth of 11 percent and Q1 saw 12 percent growth. comScore noted that "consumers are continuing to shift to the online channel" with almost $1 of over $10 of discretionary spending occurring online.


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Korea needs to source battery materials on its own
Demand for batteries is rising as more electric vehicles (EVs) hit the roads, and companies are scrambling to acquire key battery materials amid a supply shortage.
According to market tracker Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, there is already a lithium supply shortage that will grow from 10,000 tons this year to 189,000 tons in 2025. Market analysis firm Commodities Research Unit announced that global demand for nickel was 2.39 million tons last year, and is expected to grow to 3.32 million tons in 2024.
“Key material prices are drawing a steep upward curve due to a supply shortage,” said Cho Chul, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.
With demand rising, prices are following. Based on data from the Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corporation, lithium hydroxide sold for 106,290 yuan ($16,487) per ton as of Oct. 1, up 193 percent from last year’s average price. Nickel was $17,800 per ton as of Oct. 5, up 29 percent. Cobalt was $52,960 per ton as of Oct. 5, up 69 percent.
Key materials like lithium, nickel and cobalt make up one-third of battery costs, and the ability to acquire them will determine the competitiveness of battery companies and even EVs.
“We mostly rely on imports for materials to make batteries,” said Sohn Jung-soo, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. “We need to start obtaining the raw materials that we're importing by ourselves.”
Local battery makers are focusing on nickel and cobalt supplies. LG Energy Solution invested 35 billion won in Shanghai-based raw material producer Greatpower to acquire a 4.8 percent stake. With that deal, Greatpower will supply LG Energy Solution with 20,000 tons of nickel for six years starting in 2023. According to LG Energy Solution, that amount is sufficient to produce batteries for more than 300,000 EVs.
The company also signed a purchase deal with Queensland’s Australian Mines in August to purchase 71,000 tons of nickel and 7,000 tons of cobalt over six years starting from the end of 2024.
A spokesperson for Samsung SDI said it can’t reveal sourcing deals for key materials, but it's working on them.
“We are planning to stabilize supply regarding key metals through investment and long-term purchase deals,” said Kim Yoon-tae, head of Samsung SDI’s finance and management support team, during the company’s second quarter conference call.
Hyundai Motor in September began construction of an EV battery plant in Indonesia, investing 1.3 trillion won. Once completed, the plant will produce nickel-cobalt-manganese-and-aluminium (NCMA) batteries with a capacity of 10 gigawtt hours (GWh) every year. (NCMA batteries use less cobalt by adding aluminum and are chemically more stable than nickel-cobalt-and-manganese (NCM) batteries.) The company plans to increase production up to 30 GWhs in the future.
“We need to focus on the fact that Indonesia has the largest nickel reserves in the world,” said an official for a battery manufacturing company. Indonesia has 21 million tons of nickel reserves, 22 percent of global reserves.
Among the various materials used to make batteries, the importance of nickel may rise.
“Nickel prices are going to become more important due to a rise in demand for high-nickel batteries, which have a nickel content of 80 percent,” said Jeon Chang-hyun, an analyst at IBK Securities.
Foreign companies are also competing in the race to acquire battery materials.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), a battery manufacturer in Ningde, China, acquired Vancouver’s Millennial Lithium for 377 million Canadian dollars ($300 million) in September. In August, it invested $240 million in Perth, Australia-based AVZ Minerals’ project to mine lithium in Congo.
Tesla acquired rights to mine a 41 square kilometer (15.8 square miles) lithium-rich deposit in Nevada last year. It signed a five-year sales agreement with Australian mining company Piedmont Lithium to purchase lithium last year.
As demand for battery materials rise, many local companies are focusing on battery recycling, with which they can extract key materials.
Hyundai Motor Group has been cooperating with SK Innovation since September last year to recycle batteries to extract metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. As of June, SK Innovation had 54 patents for technologies to extract Lithium hydroxide from lithium in used batteries. Ultium Cells, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution and General Motors, signed an agreement with Canada’s battery recycling company Li-Cycle to recycle used batteries.
“Acquiring materials is important, but the importance of developing battery processing technology is also growing,” said researcher Cho.
BY MOON BYUNG-JOO, LEE TAE-HEE [firstname.lastname@example.org]


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Book a Free PR Consultation with us at Let’s Do Business Show
We are delighted to be offering 10 show goers an exclusive consultation with one of our experts at the Let’s Do Business Show being held at Uttoxeter Race Course on Thursday 28th June. The team from FCM will also be exhibiting at the show and visitors are welcome to visit their stand A23 to talk to the team about how they can put their business in the spotlight.
In 2014, Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis named FCM as one of his Small Business Sunday winners on Twitter and the team has since enjoyed being part of what Theo describes as his own personal ‘friendly club’ of small business owners.
Celebrating its 13th year in business in June, FCM continues to grow organically and is proud to provide PR and Communication services for some great businesses including Molson Coors, Branston Golf & Country Club, National Forest Adventure Farm, Burton Albion, Burton & District Chamber of Commerce and Malone Group to name but a few.
Karen McElroy, Director of FCM said: “We’re delighted to be exhibiting at Let’s Do Business again this year and looking forward to meeting lots businesses from across the region.
“There are some great business stories out there and many of them are never told. We love nothing more than uncovering those stories and helping businesses to tell them, whether that’s in the media or sharing with their employees.
“We almost guarantee that there is at least one great story in every business. That’s why we’re holding free one to one sessions at Let’s Do Business to help businesses realise their news potential and find out how being in the spotlight can help their business thrive and grow!”
To book an exclusive one to one 20 minute consultation at the event to talk about how PR could help your business email Helen Phillips at email@example.com.
Photo caption: Tracey Anne Chadwick, Theo Paphitis and Karen McElroy receiving their Small Business Sunday winner’s certificate
About Small Business Sunday
Small Business Sunday is a Twitter campaign set up by the former Dragon and serial entrepreneur as a way to promote the small businesses that are so vital to our Country’s economy.
Theo said: “I admire people who have passion and energy and was struck by the number of business owners on Twitter who wanted to tell me about their new products and services. Small Business Sunday was born so that people have a specific time slot to tweet and can pitch their 'sell' directly to me.”
So each Sunday, between 5.00pm and 7.30pm, small businesses can tweet him @TheoPaphitis and describe their business in one tweet including the all-important hashtag #SBS. Theo then selects the six tweets that he feels are most worthy and re-Tweets their messages to his many thousands of followers.
Theo’s promotion gained instantaneous benefit for FCM with the number of followers on Twitter increasing by nearly 20% in less than 24hrs.
The company also received a boost to their profile thanks to a feature on the SBS website (http://www.theopaphitissbs.com) that’s exclusive to Small Business Sunday winners.


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The iPhone 14 model launched in September will be upgraded by Apple to 6GB RAM compared to only 4GB like in the iPhone 13.
According to a report from TrendForceiPhone 14 Pro models will be upgraded to faster and more power-efficient LPDDR5 RAM, while other models iPhone 14″ and the standard iPhone 14 Max is expected to use LPDDR4X RAM on par with the iPhone 13 Pro.
If reporting from TrendForce is correct, this year’s iPhone 14 series will be equipped with RAM when compared to iPhone 13 as follows:
iPhone 13 Mini: 4GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 13: 4GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 13 Pro: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 14: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 14 Max: 6GB (LPDDR4X)
iPhone 14 Pro: 6GB (LPDDR5)
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6GB (LPDDR5)
Famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also previously stated that all four iPhone 14 models will be equipped with 6GB RAM and iPhone 14 Pro models will be upgraded to LPDDR5 RAM type.
TrendForce also adds that the iPhone 14 Pro models will have internal storage starting at 256GB, compared to 128GB. However, this information is not certain.
As previously rumored, two features that are expected to be exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models are an upgraded 48MP rear camera lens and an A16 chip. The standard iPhone 14 models are expected to use the iPhone 13’s A15 chip.
Leaked news also suggests that Apple will not launch iPhone 14 Mini this year. There will be 4 models Iphone New includes iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro all with 6.1-inch screen and iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max with 6.7-inch screen to be launched in Apple’s September event.
Watch a video of upcoming iPhone 14 models:
Hai Nguyen (synthetic)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vietnamnet.vn – Read the original article here


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Australia won't run out of things to eat and drink, and shoppers have no reason to panic, according to food growers and manufacturers.
- Farmers launch a marketing campaign reminding Australians there won't be a food shortage
- The farm lobby will tell people "Aussie farmers have your back"
- The Prime Minister has urged people to stop panic buying and hoarding
There's been unprecedented demand for food across Australia as the community adopts to new regulations designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The national farm lobby will today launch a public campaign to tell Australians that "Aussie farmers have your back".
National Farmers' Federation (NFF) chief executive Tony Mahar said his organisation had never felt the need for such a widespread public campaign, but these were "unprecedented times".
"There is no reason to be frightened; there is no food shortage or scarcity in Australia," Mr Mahar said.
Despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling on Australians to "just stop it" and end the rush on panic buying, Mr Mahar said industry wanted to reiterate that farmers produce more food than Australia consumes.
"The message from the farmers of Australia is relax, calm down, be sensible and we'll get through this crisis, no problems," Mr Mahar said.
"We're definitely not going to run out of food. There's no food shortages in Australia... we produce enough food for 75 million people in this country and there's only 25 million of us.
"There's no risks to food security or food shortages and people just need to calm down."
New look at meat
Export-focused abattoirs have readjusted to meet the insatiable domestic demand for meat.
The Australian Meat Industry Council (AIMC) said there was "absolutely and utterly" no chance of the running out of meat.
"We have got a multitude of supply chains around Australia to ensure product," AMIC chief executive Patrick Hutchinson said.
Mr Hutchinson said the demand for mince in particular had surged in recent days, and some processors had even shifted to mincing "choice cuts" to meet the demand.
"Butchers are saying to us across Australia that this is the biggest single demand they've ever seen for their product ever," Mr Hutchinson said.
"Meat has now become a non-discretionary spend, it's a need not a want, within the Australian community and we're rising to the challenge of meeting it."
SPC operating around the clock
In Victoria's Goulburn Valley, SPC's cannery is operating around the clock to meet the increased demand for tinned goods.
"In a year we'll produce around 47 million cans and we're trying to increase that at the moment," SPC chief executive Robert Giles said.
"We've seen a definite increase of panic buying of canned tomatoes, fruit, baked beans and spaghetti — about 100 per cent across those lines into the retail market and in the health and aged care sectors about 20 per cent so far," he said.
Mr Giles said the factory was trying to make the most of the product it had.
"Rather than having a large range of different flavoured tomatoes we'll try and keep the factory going longer on one basic — diced tomato — that will maximise the output," he said.
Australia's largest flour producer Manildra said it was also operating its factories around the clock to meet demand.
"We continue to work with retailers and wholesalers to locally produce 100 per cent Australian flour, sugar and oil ranges to restock the nations supermarket shelves," he said.
- Agricultural Policy
- Alice Springs
- Broken Hill
- Coffs Harbour
- Federal Government
- Food Processing
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- Government and Politics
- Infectious Diseases (Other)
- Mount Gambier
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- Parliament House
- Port Lincoln
- Port Macquarie
- Port Pirie


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Beijing on April 27th news, according to foreign media reports, Amazon investment in distribution center and digital content, resulting in the second quarter operating profit is expected to influence market expectations, the company’s share price fell 7.24% on Friday, its biggest one-day drop in more than a year.
Amazon shares on Friday fell 19.89 U.S. dollars in the Nasdaq stock market trading, or $7.24%, to close at $254.81, the largest single day decline since February 2012. Amazon expects the company’s second quarter operating loss of $340 million to operating profit of $10 million, less than market analysts expected operating profit of $165 million 100 thousand. Amazon’s first quarter net profit of $82 million, earnings per share of $0.18, the company’s net profit for the same period last year was $130 million, earnings per share of $0.28.
Amazon CEO Geoff · Bezos (Jeff Bezos) are putting money into the new distribution center and digital content, in order to attract new users and can bring additional revenue for the company third party seller. However, while spending growth in the Amazon, the number of sales of the company’s sales growth is still in decline.
Oppenheimer, an analyst at
investment bank, ·, (Jason Helfstein), said: "investors are disappointed with Amazon’s customers and sales growth. These two data will continue to decline."
Amazon said sales of goods as a retail sales indicator increased in the first quarter fell to 30%, down from last year’s $49%. JP Morgan analyst · (Anmuth) in this regard, the decline in this value, which means that as the main competitors in the Amazon, the store’s blood loss is gradually reduced Doug.
Anmuth in an investor report released on Friday pointed out that with the traditional retailers to increase online choice, price matching more radical, and the confrontation with the Amazon is also more intense. Traditional retailers are losing market share."
even if the slowdown in sales growth, Amazon has made progress in reducing the cost of delivery. Last year, Bezos 20 new distribution center, by providing more rapid delivery services to attract them to participate in online shopping buyers. Amazon’s approach, but also in order to attract new sellers to sell goods through the Amazon site and fulfill orders.
CFO Thomas · Sikutake (Thomas Szkutak) said in a conference call, third party sales on Amazon products accounted for the company’s total sales of 40%. Sikutake said digital content.


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RAR UK Automation is formalising three deals with ancillary system providers as it targets the next generation of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).
The IntraLogisteX exhibitor will work with ROEQ (RObotic EQupment), the Danish firm that was formed in 2017, which designs and manufacturers products including carts, lifters, conveyors, racks, and docking stations. RARUK Automation will supply the entire ROEQ portfolio.
RAR UK is also finalising a deal with Telford-based Iconsys to add robotic arms to its AMR offering. By utilising its iAM-R product, internal logistics and production flows can become optimised via the use of an automatic, mobile material gripper.
Finally, RAR UK is also set to work with Denmark-based Enabled Robotics – which uses mobile cobots equipped with ultraviolet (UV) light sources or disinfectant sprayers
Demonstrations of of a MiR250 AMR operating with a ROEQ S-300 Cart will be provided to visitors to IntraLogisteX 2020 – which takes place on 1st and 2nd October, at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.
RARUK (Stand 210) will be exhibiting on at IntraLogisteX, which is being held on 1st & 2nd October 2020 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.


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The Rand outperformed almost all major currencies, while the UK's easing of lockdown boosts economic activity and consumer confidence.
Week starting 19-04-2021
- In the US, the onset of higher inflation has left markets unsettled. Consumer prices rose to 2.6% in March, largely attributed to rising energy prices. Most notable was the rise in the prices of gasoline, which increased by 22.5%. Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve attempted to calm the markets by attributing the uptick in inflation to the “base effect”, as the result of record-low inflation in March of last year.
- Despite the concerns over upwards price pressure, last week’s US data continued to bolster the positive sentiment and optimism over the country’s economic recovery. Retail Sales rebounded by 9.8% in March, after a 3% decline in February. Furthermore, weekly jobless claims fell to 576,000, with 193,000 fewer Americans filing for unemployment benefits, helping the Fed to support their case for their dovish policy and current use of monetary tools.
- The risk-on mood in the market also saw US equities reach new highs, with the S&P 500 and Down Jones rising by 1.37% and 1.18%, respectively. This marks the fourth consecutive week of gains for the S&P 500. Global optimism has stifled any Dollar momentum, which lost ground against all of the G7 countries. The Dollar Index dipped by 0.66%, closing the week at 91.55. GBP/USD rose by 0.89%, closing the week around 1.3830, with an open of 1.3710 on Monday.
- This week, Durable Goods Orders (March) are forecasted to rise by 0.7%, after the previous month’s 1.1% decline. All eyes remain on the Federal Reserve and the progression towards full employment, as well as their handling of rising inflation.
- Over in the EU, Retail Sales were released for February. Sales fell by 2.9%, exceeding the expected of 5%.
- The lack of any major catalyst left the Euro in a relatively flat position, with EUR pairs moving mostly on counter-currency flows. The Euro made gains against US Dollar weakness and took losses against Australasian currency pairs. While the EUR/GBP dipped slightly, EUR/USD moved 0.73% higher. After opening the week at 1.189, the EUR/USD pair closed at 1.1983.
- This week, the EU’s inflation rate for March will be released and is expected to come in at 1.3%, higher than February’s YoY figure of 0.9%.
- The UK re-emerged from lockdown this last week, with pubs, gyms, and non-essential retail re-opening last week Monday. The easing of lockdown has already begun to boost economic activity and consumer confidence, with brick-and-mortar retail surging to Christmas-like levels. The easing of lockdown restrictions is likely to help support a strong Q2 for the UK, provided that the region can keep the coronavirus under control. Upcoming COVID-19 data and the rate of new infections will be closely monitored.
- Despite early indications of a full economic recovery, the Pound struggled to hold onto its multi-week highs, giving up some ground against emerging markets. Risk-taking market behaviour has seen investors shy away from the Pound, while the FTSE 100 reached 7,000 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
- A widening trade deficit further limited the Pound’s potential for upside, as February’s Balance of Trade came in at -£7.1 billion. The increasing deficit, from a figure of -£3.4 billion in January, contributed to excess sterling supply, as imports far outstripped exports.
- This week, the UK’s inflation rate for March is due and is forecasted at 1% YoY after February’s 0.9% figure. Claimant Count Change is expected to increase by 150 thousand, after February’s rise by 86.6 thousand, to 2.76 million. GFK Consumer Confidence for April will also be released this week.
- The Rand had another strong week in the markets, outperforming almost all major currencies. Making large moves on the back of risk-taking trading, the Rand gained 1.13% and 2.01% on the Pound and US Dollar, respectively. The GBP/ZAR pair managed to break through the R20.0 resistance and fell towards R19.50, before rebounding slightly and closing the week around the GBP/ZAR R19.75 mark. The USD/ZAR pair touched lows of R14.15, after kicking off the week around R14.625, and closed at R14.30.
- Retail Sales climbed by 2.3% in March (YoY), exceeding the consensus of a further decline after last month’s Retail Sales came in at -3.7%. This week, South Africa’s March Inflation Rate will be released and is forecasted to rise back to 3.2% after last month’s decline to 2.9%.
- The Aussie Dollar was one of the week's biggest gainers, as business conditions continue to surge. The Westpac Consumer Confidence is up to 118.8 for April, from 111.8 in March. The unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in March, from 5.8%. It is worth noting that, while 70,700 jobs were added in March, 91,500 part-time jobs were added and full-time employment fell by 20,800.
- The Aussie Dollar, combined with greenback weakness, saw the USD/AUD pair depreciate by 1.45%. While GBP/AUD held up relatively better, the pair still fell by 0.56% and closed the week at 1.788. Only the South African Rand was able to overshadow the strong performance of the Aussie Dollar, with the AUD/ZAR pair falling by 0.57%.
- Next week, Australian Retail Sales will be reported for March, which is expected to rise by 0.2% after the drop of 0.8% in February.
- The Kiwi Dollar was another winner in the markets last week. GBP/NZD dipped by 0.69% during the week's trade, closing at 1.9355 from an open of 1.950. The USD/ZAR pair moved downwards by 1.57%, underpinned by bearish US Dollar price action.
- Last week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand indicated that interest rates will remain at 0.25%. Business PMI (NZ) jumped to a record high of 63.6, from 53.4 in the previous month, smashing the forecasted estimates of around 54.5.
- This week, New Zealand’s inflation rate for Q1 will be released, and is forecasted to rise to 0.8%, from previous quarterly inflation of 0.5%.
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