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Highest distinction for chief designer Michael Mauer and the Style Porsche design team
Essen/Stuttgart. In appreciation of its uninterrupted great design performance, the Style Porsche design team has been awarded as the “red dot: design team of the year 2012.” Chief designer Michael Mauer and his team of 80 have been dedicated to the task of sustaining and advancing the Porsche identity across all model ranges since 2004. With the new Porsche 911 Carrera, the design team has triumphed in carrying forward the success story of the 911, which has spanned a period of nearly 50 years up to now. For this, the design icon was already awarded the “red dot: best of the best 2012” this year.
“That we won both of these most renowned awards this year makes me and my team proud indeed. It means we pursue the right design philosophy. With our work, we have ensured that a Porsche has always been a signature Porsche for many decades – from the 911 up to the Cayenne. The quality of our design is founded on our brand values: tradition and innovation, sportiness and suitability for everyday driving. This unique combination and the conviction that good design has to be honest, functional and timeless constitute the foundation of our characteristic Porsche design language,” says Michael Mauer, Director Style Porsche.
Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, initiator and CEO of the red dot design award, explained the decision to bestow the honorary title to Style Porsche: “The Porsche 911, like no other sports car, actually like no other vehicle as such, stands for tradition and innovation in the finest and truly symbiotic sense.” The team of Style Porsche, he said, realises this balance to perfection, creating a profound product identity. “Even beyond the 911, Porsche has continually done great things. The successful introduction of the new generations of the Boxster and the Cayenne, as well as the launch of the outstanding Panamera, are product coups without precedent.”
The presentation of the honorary title takes place during the red dot gala in the Aalto Theatre in Essen on the evening of 2 July 2012.
Automotive and design enthusiasts can pay a visit to the special exhibition: “Style Porsche – The Future of History” of the “red dot: design team of the year 2012.” In the red dot design museum in Essen, you will gain insight into the design work of Michael Mauer and Style Porsche.
source: Porsche AG


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Canadian foreign exchange and payment services provider Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange (VBCE) has joined forces with financial settlement network EMQ.
The partnership aims to facilitate near real-time cross-border payments as well as augment the international reach for businesses and consumers in Canada.
With the integration of EMQ’s global network, VBCE’s customers will be offered instant access to ‘fast, secure and cost-effective’ cross-border solutions across Europe and in major Asian markets including China, Japan and India.
The companies are expecting to add more markets to the list in upcoming months.
VBCE Business Development vice-president Kevin Ma said: “The speed and reach of EMQ’s global network allow us to pilot new services in one market and scale them rapidly across others to meet the evolving customer needs. This is especially important for our business with a diverse product portfolio.
“We look forward to further expanding our partnership with EMQ as we continue to innovate and deliver comprehensive financial services in Canada and beyond.”
The integration with EMQ’s Connect API is said to provide VBCE with access to its full suite of cross-border capabilities, such as competitive pricing, wholesale FX management and real-time AML screening.
It will enable VBCE to offer enhanced customer propositions without the need to manage complex network infrastructure.
Commenting on the development, EMQ co-founder and CEO Max Liu said: “Digital transformation is driving rapid change in customer expectations across the payments ecosystem, which requires a more flexible and high performance network infrastructure like EMQ to deliver speed, certainty and a consistent international payments experience.
“With customers at the heart of our business, we are constantly optimising our network with real-time service levels to address their needs in this fast-changing landscape. We are delighted to partner with VBCE to expand its digital and customer capabilities across our global network.”
EMQ’s network covers key global markets across Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. The fintech currently offers in minutes cross-border payments throughout Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Nepal, the UK and 19 markets in Africa.
In January this year, EMQ expanded its operations into South Korea, offering cross-border payout capabilities to businesses worldwide.

domain: news


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The Food and Drug Administration may ban the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food, the agency announced in a statement on Thursday.
The organization “proposed to revoke the regulation authorizing” its use and declared that “the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe,” citing studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which found potentially dangerous health effects.
The citrus-boosting additive was previously used in beverages including Gatorade, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other products and still remains in drinks including Sun Drop and numerous off-brand sodas.
The FDA announced that the toxicology reports have given the administration “conclusive scientific evidence to support [the] proposal to remove the FDA’s food additive authorization for BVO.”
The government agency first noted that the food additive was deemed no longer “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) in 1970 when the agency first began regulating the vegetable oil.
Since then, many food companies have voluntarily reformulated their products to eliminate the use of BVO.
“Health concerns about BVO stem from one of its ingredients, bromine. Bromine can irritate the skin, nose, mouth and stomach,” Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian at the Mayo Clinic, told the Food Network.
“It’s also been linked to neurologic symptoms in people who drink large quantities of citrus soda — more than 2 liters a day.”
Just last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill prohibiting the sale of food containing four chemicals, including BVO.
The new California law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, imposing fines of up to $10,000 for violations.
The four ingredients — BVO, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye No. 3 — are already banned in the European Union due to research linking them to cancer, reproductive issues and other health problems.
A similar bill is making its way through the New York Legislature: Assembly Bill A6424 would ban the same four chemicals, plus titanium dioxide.
Critics of California’s bill complained that state-by-state regulation would cause confusion for consumers and manufacturers, but the FDA’s recent announcement offers to clarify any national inconsistencies.
The FDA noted the newest bill and shared that the administration is currently “reviewing and reassessing the safety” of all four ingredients recently banned in California, giving special attention to Red No. 3, which several brands have also voluntarily removed from their ingredient lists.
Just Born Quality Confections, the manufacturer of vibrant marshmallow Peeps, announced that candy will no longer contain the dye after Easter 2024.
“We’ve known for years that Red Dye 3 and the other toxic chemicals banned under California’s landmark pose serious risks to our health,” Brian Ronholm, Consumer Reports’ director of food policy, said in a statement, calling the widespread use of the dye in food marketed for children “concerning.”
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British Wellness Brand Neom Makes Skin-care Play, Sets Sights on U.S.
LONDON — Neom, the British wellness brand built around essential oils and natural ingredients, is breaking into the skin-care market with products aimed at stressed-out skin, and plans to expand in the U.S. in September.
Cofounder and creative director Nicola Elliott started Neom 14 years ago after calling time on a magazine career at U.K. Glamour, where she was working on beauty, fashion and celebrity features. The travel, bad eating, stress and lack of sleep became too much, so she trained as an aromatherapist and nutritionist and started the brand with 15,000 pounds, alongside cofounder Oliver Mennell.
Source: Read Full Article


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It was another huge week for 5G, with T-Mobile on Friday becoming the fourth and final US carrier to turn on its next-gen cellular network. AT&T also just stormed into the fray, showing off the fastest 5G speeds CNET's seen so far. (We tested 5G in the UK and Australia, too.)
Meanwhile, we made it through two Democratic presidential debates, found out iPhone designer Jony Ive is leaving Apple and learned more details about Amazon's upcoming Prime Day. That, and much more.
Here are the stories you don't want to miss.
AT&T wants to figure out how to get mind-boggling possibilities out of the lab and onto the internet.
I met two Aibo owners whose enthusiasm for Sony's robot dog seemed extreme at first glance. Now I'm not so sure.
An exclusive look at Amazon's artificial intelligence work for its Go stores, warehouse robots and Alexa Shopping.
In a new report, the social network suggests people around the globe want its content oversight board to have more power than originally anticipated.
From Apple TV Plus to its chief designer moving on, the iPhone maker is becoming a different company.
Welcome to Swipe Right, where we answer your questions about online dating. This time around: telling women they're gorgeous, and writing a solid profile bio.
Carbon raised $260 million that should help it advance toward the ability to 3D-print products made of multiple materials.
What started as a small gathering in a basement has exploded into one of the world's biggest cultural blowouts.
Spoiler-free: Swing back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Tom Holland's Peter Parker and meet Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio in this joyous globetrotting adventure.


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2 posts tagged "The Line"
Vanessa Traina is a busy bee. Somewhere between styling Joseph Altuzarra’s Spring ’14 runway and preparing to head to the shows in Paris, Traina’s found time to serve as the executive creative director of THE LINE—a luxury e-tailer that launches today and features a tightly edited selection of clothing, beauty products, and home goods. Handpicked by Traina, the site’s stock includes what the stylist calls “quintessentials”—that is, pieces that are clean, simple, and, above all, timeless. “With all of the fast fashion today, we felt the need to strip down and get back to the basics,” Traina said. “We are not aiming to bring you the hottest trend of the season; we are presenting items that are elevated yet familiar.”
One not-so-familiar brand is Protagonist (above), which, designed by Kate Wendelborn is launching exclusively with THE LINE. Protagonist captures THE LINE’s minimalist focus: brushed wool pullovers, crisp white blouses, and boxy tunics (in shades of black, white, and blush) look current yet trend-proof.
Other brands featured include Reed Krakoff, Rodin Olio Lusso (best known for its cult-favorite beauty oil), interiors range Andrianna Shamaris, J.W. Anderson, Assouline, and Vince, among others. “We are very excited about the brands that we have on board,” Traina said. “We essentially wanted to create the perfect, seasonless wardrobe—those items that you can throw on no matter the day, time, or season.”


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Ethical Bean donates 2,460 lbs of Coffee to Union Gospel Mission; Donation valued at $22,000
VANCOUVER, BC– Ethical Bean Coffee Co. has donated 2,460 lbs of custom-roasted, fair trade certified and organic coffee to Union Gospel Mission, a donation which has a wholesale value of $22,000.
“These deliveries will last us for months,” says UGM Head Chef Randy Spark. “Our guests really appreciate it, especially when it gets cold and wet. Coffee lovers know how comforting a hot cup can be. And we’ve already had plenty of compliments on how great it tastes.”
When Ethical Bean first offered the coffee, Spark didn’t know how he was going to store it all. So Ethical Bean responded by custom-roasting several batches for freshness and offering their own storage space, so UGM can pick it up as needed. The $22,000 savings will be useful to UGM as the Mission meets increased need during a particularly cold winter.
Says Viren Malik, Ethical Bean’s Director of Sales, “Fair trade certified and organic coffee is already renewing and developing communities overseas, so we’re happy to support the local community with this donation.”
Ethical Bean Coffee was recently featured in the December issue of O Magazine as one of Oprah’s “favorite things,” the only coffee company and the only Canadian company to be featured in the issue.
MEDIA EVENT DETAILS:
Who & What: UGM
Head Chef Randy Spark and Ethical Bean’s Viren Malik will be on hand,
dwarfed by about 2,460 lbs of Ethical Bean Coffee in colourful bags.
When: Monday, December 6, 11:00am-12:00pm
Where: Ethical Bean Headquarters - 1315 Kootenay Street, Vancouver (near 1st and Boundary)
About Union Gospel Mission
Union Gospel Mission has been reaching hungry, hurting, and homeless men,
women, youth, and children for nearly 70 years. Through its 8 locations
in Metro Vancouver and the city of Mission, UGM provides counseling,
education, safe housing, and alcohol and drug recovery to those
struggling with poverty, homelessness, and addiction. The heart of the
mission is to demonstrate God’s transforming love, ease the burden of
the most vulnerable, rebuild the lives of the broken, and offer dignity
to those who feel cast aside. UGM is a proud member of the Canadian
Council of Christian Charities. To find out more, visit www.ugm.ca.
22/11/2010Back to Media Centre


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It was a tough 2014 for Dreamworks, and now the nightmare continues, this time for employees as management plans to eliminate nearly a quarter of its jobs. Even as Dreamworks Animation won a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for How to Train Your Dragon 2, this wasn’t enough to stem the tide of economic decline after a few flops like Penguins of Madagascar for which the studio had to take an $80 million writedown. Mr. Peabody and Sherman also received a tepid response and cost the studio money.
Dreaworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told CNBC that it was probably a mistake to rev up production of films from two a year to three in 2010. Now the company will narrow its goals to two films a year. “I don’t think we ever retained the creative capacity to maintain the highest level of quality while we went for quantity, ” he said.
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Dreamworks received some attention as a takeover target last year from Softbank and Hasbro, but the two companies ultimately decided not to buy the studio. Katzenberg says, “I remain 1, 000 percent committed to DWA… my efforts in the last couple have years have been spent on expanding the company. It’s now time to turn my attention back to our core business.”
One of the casualties of this narrowed focus is Dreamworks Redwood studio, which will be closed. Variety calls this move, “the end of an era” since the studio, Pacific Data Images, was an innovator in computer graphics animation and worked on films such as Batman Forever, Terminator 2 and Toys. PDI first collaborated with Dreamworks in 1998’s Antz, along with the hugely popular Shrek. Dreamworks had a 40% stake in the company, and despite its past successes, PDI is facing layoffs for half its workforce.
>Read an earlier version of this story: DreamWorks Animation to Make Fewer Movies


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Latest Surveillance Stories
GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Mar. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Roger Ralston, CEO of DirectView Holdings, Inc.
Best known as a freeware Internet security and personal protection software developer, Czech Republic-based AVG has announced a new product designed to help prevent facial recognition technology from determining a person’s identity.
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The South American SWIR market report defines and segments the South American SWIR with market size forecasts and analysis.
PORTLAND, Oregon, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report by Allied Market Research entitled, "South Africa IP Video Surveillance and VSaaS Market - Size,
NICE Actimize Holistic Trade Surveillance solutions include communication-monitoring capabilities as a key strength NEW YORK, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- NICE
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Businesses have a new option for premier secure transaction processing.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb.
DALLAS, February 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global UAV Market 2015-2025 is a 218 pages research report available with ReportsnReports.com that provides readers with a
- A person in a secondary role, specifically the second most important character (after the protagonist).
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The latest threat report released by CERT NZ shows 736 cyber security incidents, the largest volume so far for a single quarter, with 112 of those referred to the Police.
"The rising number of reports we are seeing demonstrates the growing level of trust for CERT NZ as a central front door for cyber security issues,” said CERT NZ Director Rob Pope.
CERT NZ's latest report includes deeper analysis and categorisation of reported vulnerabilities - 69 vulnerability reports were received over quarter one and two of 2018, with 15 handled under CERT NZ's coordinated vulnerability disclosure policy (CVD).
Vulnerability reports were received across a range of categories, including websites (54 per cent), authentication, authorisation and accounting (14 per cent), and networking (13 per cent).
Phishing scam reports were up significantly to 455 in the period from 1 April to 30 June, from 196 in the first quarter.
CERT NZ said the increase was the result of closer collaboration with the financial sector and has helped paint a better picture of the phishing campaigns constantly targeting New Zealanders.
Meanwhile, 68 per cent of the cyber security losses reported were for small amounts, typically less than $500 and, once again, those over 55 made up the largest age group reporting, accounting for three quarters of reported losses.
In one incident, CERT NZ received a report from an online e-commerce store that had repeatedly suffered breaches over the course of a year.
Those breaches led to customers being tricked into paying money into the attacker’s bank account, even though customers were using the store’s real website. In some cases, the attacker even sent customers goods to try and hide their activities.
Despite a specialist IT services company being hired to improve the website’s security, the attacker kept returning and compromising it.
“We were able to help them identify the key areas where their website’s security was falling short and to understand why these weaknesses hadn’t been resolved by their temporary and partial fixes,” said Pope. “With guidance from our team, they were able to take steps to resolve the weaknesses and keep the attacker out for good.
“It’s information from cases like this that enable us to create data-driven content that helps Kiwis stay resilient to cyber security threats."
The CERT NZ guide to securing business websites is available here.


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Android has grown into a hugely popular platform, according to usage tracked by ad network Millennial Media. Google's platform is generating more revenue than Apple's.
The mobile space is exploding with smartphones in every pocket and tablets on the horizon. James Kendrick brings you the latest news from the mobile world and a breakdown of what it means to you.
James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' writing has appeared in many print publications: Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine to name a few. James' coverage of the mobile technology sector has regularly appeared in the New York Times, Salon.com and CNN/ Fortune online. Not just a writer, James has filmed numerous video reviews and how-tos that have garnered well over a million viewers. He has appeared on local news segments and been interviewed by the Associated Press on mobile technology topics. Additionally, James has been podcasting about mobile technology for years.
Sprint is now offering the Tab for $299 with a data contract, an excellent price. Often a price drop indicates a forthcoming new model, which Samsung has already stated it will be producing.
The Android version of LogMeIn Ignition has been optimized for use on larger screen tablets, and in this video I demonstrate using the 7-inch Galaxy Tab to run a Mac and a PC solely by touch.
The Nvidia Tegra 2 is powerful enough to power awesome modular systems. Imagine a phone that morphs into a notebook, tablet and desktop as needed.
It's not often you can call a notebook "sexy", but it's an adequate description of the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 I am evaluating. The U260 is the thinnest and lightest Windows notebook I have used.
The big announcement today aside, I have no intention of getting a Verizon iPhone any time soon. I'm not passing on Big Red's iPhone because there's little new, I'm passing because I don't need it.
Best Buy has launched a program to help with buyer's remorse, the Buy Back program that gives on-the-spot rebates when you trade in a gadget for the next big thing.
The mass display of me-too tablets at the CES last week is a testament to the tablet that Jobs built. While everyone else plays catch-up, Apple could shake things up again with a little iPad.
I followed the CES coverage last week carefully, looking for that rare Windows tablet that nailed both the form factor and the user interface. It was pretty much a waste of time.
It is with great amusement I have been following the news that finally, OMG, the iPhone is coming to Verizon in the U.S.! I have to go on record stating it's much ado about nothing.
You get more than mobile news coverage here on Mobile News, you also get read-world reviews of important gadgets. Here is a day in the life of the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Verizon is having a press event next Tuesday and the WSJ claims it will be to make the announcement of the iPhone coming to Big Red. I believe we'll see the mythical white iPhone at last.
The CES is already winding down in Sin City and as expected tablets were the hot ticket items. Here's my short list of the most innovative mobile gadgets at the CES 2011.
Technology writer James Kendrick shares the week in his home office, aka Mobile News Manor, in this weekly column covering gadgets, apps and ebooks.
I am sitting in the local coffee shop working away on the Lenovo IdeaPad U260 notebook running Windows 7. This has rapidly become my favorite laptop to grab when heading out for a few hours.


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Colorado’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.4 percent in April, and there was minimal growth in the state’s labor force, according to a report Friday from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
More in Business
Uber has managed to hold the title of world’s largest ride-hailing service despite its seemingly endless string of scandals.
With Black Friday having stretched into a November full of deals, stores will be stepping it up as holiday shopping begins in earnest.
The Federal Communications Commission formally released a draft of its plan to kill net-neutrality rules , which equalized access to the internet and prevented broadband providers from favoring their own apps and services.
An empty oil storage tank in Weld County over-pressurized Monday night, blowing its lid and likely causing a boom heard around Lochbuie.


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Environmental criteria will soon take higher priority in Hamburg’s annual expenditure of around EUR 250 million on goods, cargo and services. A senate resolution has established a 150-page catalogue of criteria with environmental standards for purchasing and contracting – from printer paper, light bulbs, cleaning agents and wall paint – right up to company cars. The directive also contains a list of products, for instance coffee machines with aluminium caps, mineral water in disposable bottles, disposable dishes or chlorinated cleaning agents that the administration cannot purchase in future.
Signal to economy
Environmental criteria such as life cycle costs, repair and recycling capability, packaging, climate impact and use of resources are set to play a more important role in the city’s selection. Together with the price, they will soon be binding in any award decision. Environment senator Jens Kerstan said: “Hamburg’s administration will soon play a leading role in Germany in terms of procurement and contracting.” This sends an important signal to commerce and citizens to be more aware of their purchasing decisions and the story behind a product. The city’s purchasing power of several hundred million euros annually could lead to a reduction in the sale of environmentally harmful products and boost the acceptance of sustainable products on the market.
Promoting climate protection
Under the new criteria for procurement, 50 per cent of cars in the vehicle fleet used by Hamburg’s core administration must be electric-run by 2020. The share of recycling paper used in Hamburg’s authorities is to increase as well. So far, the use of recycling paper has meant that 285 tonnes of CO2 were avoided. Some 51.9 million litres of water and 10.65 million kWh of power have been saved by choosing recycling paper instead of fresh fibre paper.
Kerstan added: “The environment friendly procurement will also help in terms of climate protection. It promotes energy saving, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy and helps reduce climate harming CO2 greenhouse gases. Environment friendly products are usually durable and less energy is required in their production and consumption.”
Aources and further information:


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Sentiment within the manufacturing industry in South Africa has remained optimistic about an improvement in economic conditions that could drive up demand in 2024 after business activity plunged for the fifth month in a row in January.
SENTIMENT within the manufacturing industry in South Africa has remained optimistic about an improvement in economic conditions that could drive up demand in 2024 after business activity plunged for the fifth month in a row in January.
The S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained in contractionary territory in January as demand levels continued to worsen at the start of 2024, signalling the sharpest drop in new order volumes in a year.
S&P said on Monday that the PMI ticked up from 49.0 index points in December to 49.2 in January, indicating a slight decline in the sector’s performance for the second month running.
The S&P PMI is similar to that of Absa, which plunged as demand and activity faltered, while new vehicle sales and exports also declined to 43.6 index points in January, down from 50.9 in December.
S&P said that firms reported a decrease in new business for the ninth month in a row in January.
The pace of decline was the sharpest recorded in a year, as survey panellists commented on weak economic conditions and reduced client spending power.
S&P said new orders from abroad also fell as firms suggested that worsening global demand and shipping disruption led to a drop in sales.
It further said that businesses faced further headwinds on the supply side, largely as a result of the Durban port crisis.
Delays to the processing of shipping containers meant that one in five firms saw their delivery times lengthen over the latest survey period, marking the second-fastest deterioration in supplier performance in nearly two years.
S&P said these factors, combined, resulted in a solid contraction in business activity in January, even though the rate of reduction softened slightly from December, in part due to an uptick in services output.
S&P Global Market Intelligence senior economist David Owen said South African businesses remained beset by demand and supply-side challenges at the beginning of the year, notably the Durban port crisis and its impact on delivery times and output capacity.
Owen said the latest PMI data suggested that supplier performance worsened at a similar pace to December’s 23-month record, with some firms noting shortages of inputs and the curtailment of activity.
“At the same time, companies registered the sharpest decline in new orders in exactly a year, as the impact of inflation and weak customer confidence continued to be felt across all sectors,” Owen said.
“That said, a slowing of input cost inflation meant that output prices rose only modestly, which suggests that clients should start to see some relief on prices.
“This turnaround has given firms greater optimism that 2024 will deliver a better year for the private sector.
“Indeed, nearly half of all surveyed firms expect business activity to increase by January 2025. This confidence encouraged more stable trends in purchasing and employment, which signals that firms are willing to spend more in the hope of a near-term recovery.”
Meanwhile, purchase costs rose at the weakest pace since December 2020 and wage costs lifted only modestly while employment fell at the slowest pace for three months.
Together, this meant that selling charges were raised at only a moderate pace in January, with the rise closely matching those seen in the preceding two months.
Business also acted to soften the rate of job cuts during January, and as a result, employment fell only fractionally and at the slowest pace for three months.
Some firms reported a drop in staff numbers due to lower workloads and financial issues, whereas others noted the filling of previously vacated roles.
Finally, S&P said businesses were strongly upbeat about activity and demand trends in 2024, with many predicting an improvement in economic conditions that could help drive company expansion, with the degree of optimism rising to its highest since last July.
– BUSINESS REPORT


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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Golden Grail Technology, doing business as Golden Grail Beverages (OTC: GOGY) has recently announced a partnership with the Asian American Trade Associations Council (AATAC) to expand its distribution network and increase sales and brand recognition. The partnership will focus on Golden Grail Beverages’ emerging healthy functional beverage categories, including energy drinks, flavored water, and sparkling flavored water.
The partnership with AATAC, representing over 50,000 retailers in over 80,000 locations, will significantly enhance Golden Grail Beverages’ geographical reach and diversify the retail outlets where its products can be purchased. Golden Grail Beverages currently distributes its products, such as Spider Energy Drink, Sway Energy Drink, Cause Water, and KOZ Water, in various retail locations in the US as well as through Amazon.
This expansion will particularly focus on C-stores across North America, including well-known chains such as BP, 76, Sunoco, Gulf, Chevron, Shell, Marathon, Arco, Circle K, and more. With the current number of C-stores in the country standing at a little over 152,000, this agreement will ensure that Golden Grail Beverages reaches more Americans daily than grocery, drugstore, dollar stores, and big box stores combined.
In addition to this strategic partnership, Golden Grail Beverages has seen significant brand growth in Spider Energy drinks through its affiliation with NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis. This collaboration has increased the visibility of Spider Energy drinks and connected them with the passionate and dedicated NASCAR fan base. The Spider Energy partnership with Ellis has driven brand recognition and fostered a strong connection with consumers.
Russ Kaffenberger, Chief Revenue Officer at Golden Grail Beverages, expressed his enthusiasm about the new partnership, “The partnership agreement with AATAC expands Golden Grail Beverages’ brands availability to a wider consumer base. AATAC’s expertise in the convenience store industry helps reach new markets and increase brand exposure. This agreement aligns with Golden Grail Beverages’ strategic growth plans, reinforcing its commitment to expanding its product portfolio.”
Golden Grail Technology (OTC: GOGY), www.GoldenGrailBeverages.com, is a fast-growing company focused on driving innovation, promoting growth, and managing a diverse beverage portfolio with responsible investment. We target brands with a proven sales history, robust retail presence, loyal consumer base, and strong value propositions. Our growing portfolio includes brands within emerging and expanding beverage categories, such as Spider Energy Drink, Sway Energy Drink, Trevi Fruit Essence Water, Tickle Water, Sketch Can for Tweens, Cause Water, KOZ Water, and Scorpion Energy Hemp/CBD. We are dedicated to eco-friendly practices and replacing plastic with more sustainable alternatives to reduce plastic pollution. Golden Grail pledges to do our part to create a sustainable future while maintaining an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.


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BitTorrent, the company behind the peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol, has a bit of a branding challenge. Allegedly responsible for as much as a third of all Internet traffic at one point, BitTorrent is associated with piracy in the public’s imagination. But the company would like to argue that that is an unfair characterization; rather, the BitTorrent protocol is in fact an ideal marketing platform for brands and publishers.
This is the idea behind its latest pitch, anyway. BitTorrent — which is used by record labels to legally release music, broadcasters to legally distribute their shows, the U.K. government to keep its citizens informed on where their tax money is being spent — is now actively pursuing advertisers with a suite of new products with this deck:
The brand pitches its “Bundle” product as a way for artists to sell their work “without selling your soul,” and “The Internet’s own record store.”
And with 170 million active monthly users, BitTorrent is better than Pinterest, IGN and Spotify. Two-thirds (63 percent) of that user base is under the age of 34. Half (51 percent) are high school students. The deck highlights how digitally savvy this community is, with a surprising 100 percent of them “more likely” to have a paid music subscription.
“Let’s bring clarity and light to the truth,” is how Jascha Kaykas-Wolff, chief marketing officer at the company, describes it. “BitTorrent is not a piracy website. The fact is, we developed a protocol that is sometimes used for that.”
The protocol itself, even if sometimes used toward unsavory ends, is not inherently flawed. There is a critical difference between the company BitTorrent, Inc., and the open source file transfer protocol it’s named after. While true that the latter powers piracy through torrent indexing — see, most notoriously, Pirate Bay — BitTorrent the company is a separate entity that uses the file transfer protocol for legal purposes.
Christian Averill, director of communications, said that BitTorrent is, simply put, a software company that lets users download software, bundles of content (songs, movies) and sync content across devices. “Maybe it’s our fault for not doing this all along,” said Averill. “But we’re getting the story out there.”
Easier said than done.
“It is going to be a tough road for BitTorrent to convince marketers that it is a legitimate platform to do business with,” said James Fox, CEO of Red Peak Branding. But, he added, at the same time, BitTorrent is “nicely placed” in a counter-cultural position.
“In the same way Dov Charney used Vice magazine to be the Vogue for his American Apparel, some clever brand owner may want BitTorrent to be the media placement of choice for their product or service. BitTorrent would be a great place to create buzz around a new video game or even a new album release.”
Gaming and music are precisely where BitTorrent has seen most interest, said Kaykas-Wolff. He also touts its “decentralized technology” to clients. The growing concern among consumers about privacy and data has been a boon for BitTorrent, which has long described itself as a champion of the free Internet.
BitTorrent offers a few products. Bundle, the most entrenched, lets brands and publishers package content to be downloaded by users in batches. As the deck shows, the Bundle is “built for bigger stories,” with five of 2013’s most downloaded bundles at 3 GB or more. They included work from Marc Ecko and Madonna and music by Moby.
The company also recently introduced Sync, which lets users share content across devices — not on a cloud — without limits. In July, it unveiled a chat client, Bleep, which offers, according to the company, a decentralized connection so you can send information without the risk of it being snooped on. There’s also a growing media network that has clients including Spring, Hotwire and EA. According to the company’s pitch deck, it serves 10 billion monthly impressions across video, banner and mobile ads, and boasts a two to five times return on investment versus “other marketing channels.”
Brands seem to be listening. The company recently brokered a deal with General Electric for a new campaign where a song created by Matthew Dear out of sounds from GE machines like subsea compressors and jet engines could be downloaded via the company’s Bundle. Since the launch on Aug. 27, 1.5 million people have downloaded the content. Just 30,000 people streamed it on SoundCloud, where the song was also hosted.
That work was the first sponsored Bundle at BitTorrent — the company hopes more advertisers will sign on. The brand is also launching soon paygates for content, of which they will take a percentage. Another revenue source is the company licensing its technology to other tech companies.
The company has been profitable for “years,” executives claim. But it has gone through many iterations since the protocol it was named after was created in 2001. Every time a new product is introduced, the subject of renaming the company comes up, said Kaykas-Wolff. But over time, the company realized that whenever a product had “by BitTorrent” in its name (SoShare by BitTorrent, Sync by BitTorrent) it was more popular.
“We have wonderful awareness as a brand,” said Kaykas-Wolff. “It would be nearly impossible to spend the marketing dollars to get it. So let’s just reinforce what it is, who we are, and what we do.”
Why YouTube’s focus on competing with streamers may have hurt the platform as brands focus on TikTok
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Dentsu’s new global gaming lead reflects on gaming strategy ‘void’ in advertising, media
Despite the rapid rise of gaming in recent years — or perhaps because of it — many brands and marketers are still confused about how to best reach the gaming community. Dentsu's new global gaming lead Brent Koning is equipped to navigate these uncertain waters.
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Member ExclusiveDigiday+ Research: 60% of brands, retailers say holiday revenue will increase this year — slightly
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Why Spotify makes Wrapped its annual marketing moment
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Mourinho had earlier signed a three-year deal reportedly worth £45million to become the new boss at Old Trafford.
But United and former club Chelsea cannot agree who has permission to market Mourinho merchandise – including aftershave, perfume and room freshener.
Chelsea bought the rights to sell the Special One name in 2005.
And the trademark restrictions remain in force until 2025.
Among the items covered are hair, skin and suntan products, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap and bath salts, eyeliner, lipstick and nail polish.
United now face having to pay Chelsea hefty compensation to use the trademark.
“Jose is in that elite marketing bracket”A legal expert
A legal expert said: “It’s hard to imagine Steve Bruce perfume or Sam Allardyce nail polish.
“But Jose is in that elite marketing bracket.”
Mourinho celebrated his new job by posting a photo of his United contract on his new Instagram account.
He hailed it a “special honour” to take charge. It was also a special day for United fan Steven Ribeiro.
He became the first person to get a Man U shirt signed by Mourinho when the United boss wound down the window of his car outside his house in west London.
Meanwhile, it was revealed Mourinho, 53, keeps just one picture on his office wall – and it is of himself.
His daughter Matilde, 19, posted a photo of the room online yesterday.
It showed a United shirt on a chair, a painting of Mourinho on the wall and a photo of him with his children on his cabinet.


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India’s youngest and fastest growing media company, ScoopWhoop, launches exclusive womenswear collection for ‘Unsanskaari’ Indian Woman.
According to a report in afaqs!, the collection features ScoopWhoop’s iconic ‘Kaafi Feminist’ and ‘Kaafi Liberal’ designs in a wider range of silhouettes. The designs also featured feminist icons such as Frida Kahlo and Kaali, making a bold statement.
Image Courtesy: Core Communique
ScoopWhoop’s shop features a collection of vibrant, quirky products. The media brand has always stood up for the bold, free-spirited Indian woman, supporting her as she overcomes ‘log kya kahenge’ and other societal drama, to reach her true potential.
“Our womenswear collection has been specially crafted for the bold, beautiful, and daring women of today. It’s for those who are not afraid to make a noise for the right reasons,” Sriparna Tikekar, co-founder, said in a press statement.
Founded in 2013, ScoopWhoop is India’s most engaging youth media platform for news and entertainment. The platform drives 30 million unique active users, 250 million video views and over 400 million content views across channels per month.


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The ACCC has reauthorised an agreement among infant formula manufacturers and importers that prohibits them from advertising and promoting infant formula directly to the public.
The Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula: Manufacturers and Importers Agreement forms part of Australia’s implementation of its obligations as signatory to the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (1981) and has been authorised in more or less its current form since 1992.
The Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula: Manufacturers and Importers Agreement (MAIF Agreement) has been authorised until 31 July 2024 after the ACCC accepted that the MAIF Agreement would continue to ensure important restrictions on the promotion of breastmilk substitutes.
“Without this agreement among infant formula manufacturers and importers there is a risk of an increase in the marketing of infant formula, both directly to consumers and indirectly through references to infants in the marketing of toddler milk,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
“A continued ban on infant formula advertising is likely to result in public benefits by protecting rates of breastfeeding, which has significant public health benefits.”
However, the ACCC is concerned that the marketing of toddler milk products is significantly undermining the agreement’s effectiveness, along with a lack of timeliness and transparency in how complaints about advertising are handled under the agreement.
“The ACCC has noted the rise in advertising for toddler milk products, and is aware of concerns that this may be used as a proxy to market infant formula. Our decision on whether to authorise this agreement was finely balanced as a result,” Ms Rickard said.
“We can only grant authorisation in cases where the public benefit outweighs the detriment, and we carefully considered whether this agreement reached that threshold.”
Signatories to the MAIF agreement are not able to promote infant formula but are free to advertise toddler milk products. Studies submitted to the ACCC and anecdotal evidence from multiple submissions, including from healthcare professionals, indicated consumers could be confused between infant formula and toddler milk products and advertising.
“The issues raised by this application go beyond the scope of competition law, and raise significant health policy issues. We recognise that Australia’s response to health policy issues is a matter for the Australian Government,” Ms Rickard said.
“We would encourage the Department of Health to consider these issues through its broad review of the effectiveness of this agreement, which is due to be undertaken later this year.”


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Archive for the ‘smart2go’ Category
- March 22, 2007 Nokia N95 multimedia computer starts shipping posted in 3D graphics, Announce, camera, Communications, Company, EDGE, GPS, HSDPA, microSD, Mobile, Model, N95, Network, Nokia, S60, smart2go, Symbian OS, WCDMA, WLAN
- February 9, 2007 Nokia Delivers Free Downloadable Maps to the Mobile World posted in Announce, Communications, Company, Exciting, free download, High Tech, maps, Mobile, New, Nokia, Released, smart2go, Technology
About the archives
Welcome to the archives here at Latest News and Rumors. Have a look around.


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Berkshire Hathaway recently pared its stake in HP Inc. by several million shares.
The move, shown Wednesday in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, saw the Warren Buffett-helmed company’s total number of HP Inc. shares owned go from 120.95 million to 115.45 million. The transactions involved about 5.5 million shares, according to the disclosure.
Berkshire Hathaway started doing so with $27.79 million worth on Monday, with additional sales of HP Inc. stock happening in the two days after that, the filing shows.
FOX Business reached out to HP Inc. for comment.
The tech company has brought in a total of $39.9 billion in net revenue over the first three quarters of its fiscal year 2023, a roughly 17% decrease from the $48.1 billion posted in the same time frame last year. Its net earnings over nine months was $2.29 billion.
|BRK.A||BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.||547,469.99||+24.94||+0.00%|
|BRK.B||BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC.||360.05||-1.15||-0.32%|
In late August, HP Inc. said its diluted net earnings per share was projected to ultimately come in between $2.95 and $3.07 for the fiscal year.
Compared to where it opened Thursday, the value of HP Inc. shares have experienced a drop of roughly 2% so far.
HP Inc. had previously reported earlier in the year that Berkshire Hathaway held ownership of 12.3% of the tech company’s common stock. Berkshire Hathaway holding a large chunk of HP Inc. stock first became public in the spring of 2022, as FOX Business previously reported.
In total, Berkshire Hathaway’s sales of HP Inc. stock this week amounted to about $158.5 million, according to the SEC filing. Its stake has changed to 11.7%.
Buffett, who recently turned 93, has held the CEO position at Berkshire Hathaway for decades. The legendary investor often called the "Oracle of Omaha" has an estimated personal fortune worth $123.5 billion, most of which comes from Berkshire Hathaway, according to Forbes.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class A
The company’s market capitalization hovered around $805.4 billion Thursday afternoon.


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Uncertainty continues to loom over Maggi as FSSAI denies giving clean-chit
There seem to be no respite to the ongoing Maggi crisis. Even though a ray of hope appeared on Tuesday, when there were reports that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved labs, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) found Maggi noodles safe for consumption. But it got contradicted with a statement issued by the food regulatory body stating they have not given any clean chit or declared Maggi safe.
Nestle India stock which reacted positively on Wednesday and was up almost 8%, took a U-turn and dipped 6% to end at Rs 6,488 on Thursday.
According to the statement issued by FSSAI, the samples tested by labs at Goa and subsequently Mysore were primarily drawn from Nestle's Bicholim factory in Goa, which manufactures the noodles largely for exports to as many as eight countries. "In any case, the test results of Goa samples had no bearing on the order dated 5th June, 2015 as the samples tested qua Goa were not assumed to be unsafe while passing the Recall order by FSSAI. As such, the present test reports do not have any bearing on that order," it said.
On reports of Maggi noodles being found safe in UK and Singapore, the regulator said it had requested Nestle India to share details of the tests but the company "has not shared the details of the said test reports of UK and Singapore Regulators with the FSSAI stating that they do not have this information".
FSSAI said the Food Safety Department of Goa had drawn 5 samples of Maggi noodles on its direction issued in May. These samples were first sent to Goa-based Food and Drugs Laboratory and later to Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI). While the lead content has been found to be within permissible limits of test reports of CFTRI, FSSAI said: "A perusal of the tests results from CFTRI, Mysore shows that the said samples have not been tested for MSG." It further highlighted that, Nestle has not responded to the show cause notice of June 5.
The regulator also added that Nestle had informed earlier that all their Maggi noodles for exports to eight countries were manufactured only at the Goa factory. "Part of the local domestic supplies, including 4 out of 5 samples tested, was also from the product manufactured at the Bicholim (Goa) factory.” In June, FSSAI had banned Maggi noodles only after it found 30 samples "unsafe and hazardous for human consumption.
Last Saturday, Nestle India Managing Director, Suresh Narayanan, however, expressed his desire of bringing Maggi back to the market as quickly as possible and also termed it as his first and primary mandate after joining the new position. He further highlighted that they are looking at opportunities to launch new products in order to overcome the huge loss of Rs 64.4 crore, their first quarterly loss in three decades, on the back of more than Rs 320 crore Maggi being recalled from the market after being termed as ‘unsafe’ by the FSSAI.
Rajat Sharma who was recently elected as President of the NBA talks about his plans for the industry body
The Country Sales Manager Media at Akamai says that technology seems to be taking over all possible spaces and people considering it in both positive and negative ways
The India Marketing Lead of Skyscanner believes that with the acquisition by Ctrip they have reached the market leader status
Our typical marketing budget is usually 10 per cent of the topline spend
The BBC carried out a survey along with Globescan to see how the world looks at the issue of ‘fake news’
The objective of content marketing is not just to encourage product purchase or generate ROI. The key to its success lies in building relationships based on trust, opines Dasgupta
The interesting animated rap music video encapsulates Droom’s ecosystem tools and their role in facilitating second-hand automobile transactions


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A South Korean company is selling a COVID-19 mask that covers just the nose while people are eating or drinking.
The mask is known as a “kosk” — a combination of mask and the Korean word for nose, “ko.”
It can be folded up to cover only the nose while dining and then unfolded back down over the mouth after eating.
A box of the masks retails for about $8.
The Washington Post reports the mask went viral on social media in South Korea after the company, Atman, unveiled it. It is somewhat odd-looking since it wraps around only the middle of the face.
Mask-wearing at restaurants has been a thorny subject throughout the pandemic since it is impossible to dine out and wear a face covering. Rules that require people to wear masks when they walk to the door or the restroom, but not at the table, have befuddled some diners as inconsistent and unscientific.
The nose is one of the key areas where virus particles can enter a person and infect them, so the kosk tries to offer at least some level of protection at the table.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.


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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Domino’s corporate for the wage policies of independently owned pizza shops within its franchise.
Schneiderman alleges in his lawsuit that ten Domino’s stores in his state underpaid their employees. His lawsuit goes beyond the stores in question and seeks to make Domino’s corporate responsible as well. Franchises typically consists of multiple businesses that contract with a corporation in order to sell its products, while remaining independently owned.
“We were disappointed to learn that the Attorney General chose to file a lawsuit that disregards the nature of franchising and demeans the role of small business owners,” Domino’s Spokesman Tim McIntyre told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “We believe that every employee deserves to be treated fairly and paid what they are entitled.”
The federal government can make a corporation responsible for the independent businesses it contracts with by declaring them a joint-employer. A franchisor typically has to assert direct control over the wage and hiring practices of the businesses it contracts, with which Domino’s maintains it didn’t do. Domino’s officials noted the corporation merely worked with the attorney general to encourage proper wage policies.
“Attorney General now wants the company to take steps that would not only deprive our independent business owners of the opportunity to make their own employment decisions,” McIntyre said. “[It] could impact the viability of the franchise model, the many opportunities it offers to those looking to start their own businesses.”
McIntyre warns anything beyond guidance would undermine what makes the ten stores independent. The attorney general lawsuit mirrors efforts taken on the federal level to change what it means to be a joint-employer. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has worked to expand the definition of joint-employer beyond direct control over wage and hiring policies.
“Through its franchise relationship and its use of tools, resources and technology, engages in sufficient control over its franchisees’ operations, beyond protection of the brand,” the NLRB has previously argued in a legal brief. “To make it a putative joint employer with its franchisees, sharing liability for violations of our Act.”
The International Franchise Association argued the federal push and the lawsuit seeks to misrepresent where liability should rest. McDonald’s and Browning-Ferris Industries are the main cases that have allowed the NLRB to revisit the joint-employer standard. Feds declared Browning-Ferris a joint-employer with Leadpoint Business Services Jan. 12 while the McDonald’s case is still ongoing.
Schneiderman did not respond to a request for comment by TheDCNF.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact email@example.com.


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April 3, 2020
Over the last few weeks, I’ve come to two undeniable conclusions. The first is that the Wisconsin tourism industry was one of the first and hardest hit industries as we’ve worked to flatten the curve of COVID-19. The second is that if provided the financial resources, we will lead Wisconsin’s economic comeback.
Proposed State Relief Funds
Today, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers showed his commitment to our industry by including several provisions in his second package of relief and support legislation. With the Department of Tourism’s return on investment increasing to $8-to-$1, it is clear that tourism promotion is a great investment in Wisconsin’s economic recovery. The provisions include:
1) Regional Destination Marketing Organization Grant Program ($2 Million)
In order to uplift our entire industry, rather than just some parts of each region, this $2 million grant program will incentivize coordinated and collaborative marketing and promotion activities to drive larger scale initiatives and enable regional partnerships. This proposal would model tourism promotion already implemented in other states by incentivizing the creation of regional coalitions to work in unity for greater synergy and awareness building.
2) Co-op marketing grants ($3 Million)
This proposal offsets the loss of room tax for the Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) by temporarily supplementing their buy into current and expanded co-op marketing programs with the Department. The Department of Tourism is a marketing organization and the fastest way we can help our industry recover is to quickly infuse marketing that gets travelers back on the road. After all, heads don’t put themselves in beds.
Governor Evers’ support doesn’t end there. Today’s announcement comes just days after he announced a first piece of legislation, which included additional funding for struggling business and provisions for workers who recently filed for unemployment. The first package included $25 million for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, a repeal of the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance, expanding and improving access to telehealth services, among many other proposals.
Today’s proposal shores up the unemployment fund to ensure businesses don’t see an increase in UI taxes as a result of the unusually high claims we are currently experiencing, secures funding for lifting the one-week waiting period for unemployment compensation for struggling workers and proposes $150 million (inclusive of the $25 million in the first package) for WEDC to provide relief to small businesses and workers.
Tourism has traditionally enjoyed strong bipartisan support and I am hoping that we can rely on that support now, more than ever. If you want to share your support for the tourism industry, I encourage you to reach out and discuss this legislation with your state representative and your state senator. It is very important that your elected leaders hear just how this public health emergency has impacted you.
COVID-19 Federal CARES ACT
This week also saw the enactment of a $2 trillion federal relief bill that will have tremendous impact upon the businesses that make up the tourism industry. If you represent a business, here are some helpful resources to help you access these federal funds:
- US Travel Association’s summary and eligibility guide can be found here.
- Small Business Association’s disaster loan assistance program can be found here.
- The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation continues to update their COVID-19 resources here.
I know that there is no single program that can make you whole and there is no one-size fits all approach to helping us get through this. But, together, we will get to the other side of this and we will be stronger than ever.


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Fourth Android 8.0 Oreo beta now rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+
It’s been about a month and a half since Samsung announced the first Android 8.0 Oreo beta for its Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones. Since then, there have been a second and a third beta, and now there’s a fourth. The latest update, build number ZQL8 for both phones, features a long list of bug fixes.
The fourth Oreo beta for the S8 and S8+ comes in at a shade over 850MB, which is larger than each of the previous two betas.
Fourth Android 8.0 Oreo beta now rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ was written by the awesome team at Android Police.


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United Parcel Service Inc. is the latest company to run afoul of a U.S. law prohibiting bribery overseas, announcing that it is investigating possible violations within its Supply Chain Solutions subsidiary.
In a regulatory filing, the Atlanta-based shipping company disclosed that the possible violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act began prior to its 2001 acquisition of a freight forwarding business from Fritz Companies Inc. UPS added that a small number of former employees directed the questionable conduct.
Earlier this month, DaimlerChrysler AG also disclosed that it has dismissed or suspended several employees after the company determined that “improper payments” were made in a number of jurisdictions, primarily in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
The UPS filing did not disclose the names of the employees or the countries where violations may have taken place, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
UPS noted that earlier this month it informed the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice of its investigation. “We have implemented numerous remediation steps,” it said, adding that it intends to cooperate fully with any review by the government.
The shipping company also stated: “We do not believe that the results of this investigation, the remediation or related penalties, if any, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations, nor do we believe that these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.”
Last March, Titan Corp. agreed to plead guilty to criminal and civil charges and pay $28.5 million in fines stemming from payments to a presidential election campaign in the West African nation of Benin. That same month, Halliburton disclosed that the DoJ and the SEC broadened their investigations into possible bribery of officials in Nigeria.


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HOUSTON — Group 1 Automotive Inc., a Fortune 500 automotive retailer, is assessing damage at its eight Oklahoma City, Okla., dealerships in the aftermath of an April 26 hailstorm. Several Houston locations were also impacted by hail and heavy rain on April 27.
Preliminary assessments indicate there is damage to some of the facilities in Oklahoma City and to about 3,200 new and used vehicles located at the eight Oklahoma City stores and at various Houston locations. The company is insured with large deductibles and currently estimates it will incur pretax charges related to the deductibles in the range of $8 million to $10 million in the second quarter.
The affected dealerships in Oklahoma City are open for business with full capacity in the parts, service and collision areas, but with limited sales operations. All of the company’s Houston dealerships are open with full service and sales capacity.
The eight Oklahoma City dealerships are comprised of 12 franchises, including Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Acura. On a combined basis, the eight dealerships represented 6.1 percent of Group 1’s total new vehicle unit sales in 2012.
Group 1 officials said the company is working with its manufacturer partners to replace the damaged inventory as quickly as possible, and will source inventory from its other stores. But officials also said they don’t expect inventories at these locations to be fully replenished until mid-summer.


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OPI has just announced it’s teaming up with Coca-Cola to launch a limited edition set of nail lacquers for summer 2014.
Some of The Coca-Cola Company’s best known brands will be the inspiration behind the new nail colors and include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Coke Zero.
OPI’s new Coca-Cola line of nail polishes will be available internationally in June 2014.
Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-Founder and Executive Vice President said in a statement, “These two iconic brands truly deliver happiness in a bottle – whether it’s a refreshing, invigorating sip of Coke or a set of fingers and toes perfectly polished with OPI nail lacquer.”
Added Kate Dwyer, Group Director Worldwide Licensing, The Coca-Cola Company, “We’re excited to partner with OPI, a preeminent nail polish brand with global reach and influence among our core target teen audience. Coca-Cola has a long history of collaborations with beauty and lifestyle brands to further connect with consumers and tastemakers in a way that is meaningful and relevant for them.”
The company hasn’t released full details on the collection yet, so stay tuned to News for Shoppers for updates when they’re revealed.


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Fresh Hippo Ventures into Online Pharmacy Business with Yao123.com
Alibaba-owned 'fresh e-commerce chain' carried out a delivery and distribution cooperation agreement with an online-pharmacy giant, Yao123.com, marking the first marriage of the new-retail and new-healthcare in China.
China's new-retail and new-healthcare vanguards Fresh Hippo and Yao123.com initiated a new plan to integrate the massive digital pharmacy market into a company that has hundreds of branches around China, in a move to consolidate the demand for the medical products with new and fast consumption points.
The cooperation between Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd.(1099: HK) subsidiary Yao123.com (国药在线) and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA: US) owned Fresh Hippo (盒马鲜生) marked the first organic co-distribution agreement in China's new healthcare and retail scene, further diminishing the thin-line between the new-retail and digital-pharmacies.
The parties went along utilizing the pharmaceutical vending machines named "Hippo First-aid Kit" that are located in the Fresh Hippo stores.
Yao123.com committed providing the drugs and pharmaceutical consumer services, whereas Fresh Hippo will be responsible for the logistics and delivery, facilitating a door-to-door service within 30 minutes for the customers who reside within three kilometres.
After three years of rapid expansion, the number of Fresh Hippo stores reached 160, as of June 2019, and Fresh Hippo has been obtaining medical-services related approvals, gradually. The company has launched its "Hippo First-aid Kits" in 2017, selling late-night emergency products, including, among others, condoms, batteries, and thermometers, and the average delivery time found to be 18 munites for those products, accounting 40% of the orders between 20:00 to 22:00 PM, according to the investigation by a Chinese publication of medical news, vcbeat.com.
"Chinese scale and big data always facilitate startups to execute to-the-point strategic cooperation decisions," quoted an analyst from iyiou.com, the sister publication of EqualOcean.
Apart from Fresh Hippo's new initiative, Alibaba has already invested heavily in Healthcare, in a move to get an advantage of China's problematic and massive healthcare industry; there are great spaces that are waiting to be filled by the innovative startups.
Ali Health (阿里健康), Alibaba-owned healthcare unicorn, provides digital pharmacy services as one part of its broad healthcare services scope. Fresh Hippo's new initiative considered as yet another fractionation of healthcare services by Alibaba, to commercialize the healthcare industry by all possible means.


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This weekend saw an array of fashion shows in Paris, France including Miu Miu’s collection, it looks like July has more fashion related activities in stock for the world. The fashion shows extended to Monday as Christian Dior also unveiled its couture collection for 2018 which had Adwoa Aboah and more models walked the runway.
But, more of the party for the weekend’s shows were seen after Miu Miu’s exhibition where experts and highly esteemed names in the industry like Naomi Campbell, Adwoa Aboah etc gathered at Hotel Regina to have a long night fun together.
See photos below:
Image Source: vogue


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“With the highly secure online storage capabilities of Microsoft Office 365, I don’t worry about losing financial data or finding information to comply with Chevrolet auditors. Now I sleep better at night.”
—Nick Portello, Network Manager, Steve Moore Chevrolet
Teamwork is important for customer-focused service, yet Steve Moore Chevrolet staff didn’t have IT collaboration tools. “We couldn’t track documents or access data when outside of the office,” says Nick Portello, Network Manager at Steve Moore Chevrolet. “It
was hard to find information for auditors because we didn’t have a secure place to store documents, which meant that we could be out of compliance.“
After evaluating Google Apps, Steve Moore Chevrolet chose Microsoft Office 365 online communication and collaboration tools. “Unlike Google, Microsoft offers a familiar user interface—that’s an absolute must for our staff,” says Portello.
PTG, a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, introduced Steve Moore to Office 365. They configured 63 Microsoft Exchange Online mailbox accounts, deployed Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus, and built an intranet based on Microsoft SharePoint Online. Staff
uses team sites for document collaboration and Microsoft Office Web Apps to edit documents through a web browser.
Reduced risk of fines up to US$250,000. With data stored at Microsoft data centers, Portello can quickly find data for Chevrolet auditors and no longer worries about losing information or paying fines.
Better customer service. Managers can now update SharePoint Online folders with pricing sheets, so sales staff can access the information with mobile devices and instantly answer customers’ questions.
Enhanced communications. Business development staff uses instant messaging to send sales representatives customer preference data to close sales.
Boosted productivity. “I’m saving 40 percent of my day not running to my computer for information,” says Portello. “With Office 365 I can use my mobile device to access information.”
For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit:


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Uber has announced that it has expanded into three new cities in Malaysia: Alor Setar, Langkawi, and Miri. This announcement comes just in time for the LIMA ’17 exhibition taking place in Langkawi this week.
Uber is also the official ride-sharing partner for LIMA ’17; which likely explains the timing of this announcement. This also includes additional promo codes for those requesting rides in Langkawi from 21 to 25 March. LIMA ’17’s Facebook page has extra details on the promotion.
The company is also celebrating its three years in Malaysia with a promotion for the rest of the country. From 21 to 27 March, passengers can use the promo code “UBER3RDBDAY”, to receive a 33 percent discount on their ride. The code is only good for five rides; so don’t over do it.
Uber currently caters to 12 cities in Malaysia, covering almost all state capitals and major tourist destinations.
Interestingly, Kota Bharu remains as the only state capital without any Uber services.


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Reports have surfaced that the iconic fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 may have plans to file for bankruptcy. Insiders of the brand’s finances disclosed pivotal information to Bloomberg. Among the reports includes,
“Forever 21 Inc. is scrambling to line up additional financing this month as cash to pay vendors and landlords dwindles to a critical level, according to people with knowledge of the matter.”
The fashion empire reportedly “has about 800 stores worldwide and more than 3 billion dollars in estimated annual sales.” Filing for bankruptcy would help the brand “shed unprofitable stores and recapitalize the business,” as stated by Bloomberg.
The falling of Forever 21 could be a sign of the times. As CNBC reports, most of its stores are located in malls which are seeing less and less traffic these days. Similar brands like TopShop have already filed for bankruptcy and have resorted to shutting down all of their US stores. Although there has been no official word from Forever 21 on whether they are planning on closing down their stores, it’s looking like they will meet the same fate as their competition.
Although bankruptcy isn’t pretty, it doesn’t mean the end. it could be just the technique the business needs for revival while also helping them shed any locations and avenues that are weighing them down. With more and more competition applying pressure as well as an emerging preference for online shopping, even the most staple brands can cease to be relevant.
Do you believe Forever 21 will come out of this financial crisis stronger than ever, or make room for smaller businesses to snatch up their customer base?


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Berlin: Volkswagen AG
is disappointed with the offers so far for its MAN Energy Solutions
division, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially dealing another blow to the German automaker’s efforts to focus on cars.
VW has been holding bilateral talks since last year with potential buyers including Cummins
Inc., said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
Competitors including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. have previously shown interest, they said, adding that the carmaker may decide to retain the business unless better offers emerge.
Abandoning a sale of MAN Energy Solutions would mark a setback for VW’s efforts to concentrate on its core passenger car operations, which are requiring heavy spending to make the transition to electric vehicles. It sold a smaller-than-expected 10% stake in the Traton SE heavy-truck division in an initial public offering last year after months of delays and a previous attempt to divest the Ducati motorbike division was shot down by key stakeholders.
VW declined to comment on the effort to sell MAN. A representative for Cummins didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment while Mitsubishi Heavy couldn’t immediately be reached for comment outside of regular business hours. The shares rose were up 0.7% as of 10:43 a.m. Friday in Frankfurt.
VW decided about nine months ago to review strategic options including a sale of the specialist in large engines used in ships and factories. It also put industrial transmissions maker Renk
AG, on the block. The power engineering group, which includes both Man Energy Solutions and Renk, has an sum-of-the-parts value of 2.5 billion euros ($2.76 billion), according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Dean.
A deal for Renk could still materialize as the maker of large gearboxes for tanks and other machinery has drawn interest from buyout firms EQT AB and Triton as well as German defence company Rheinmetall AG, according to people familiar with the matter. A winning bidder is expected to be selected in the next few weeks, they said.
A representative for EQT declined to comment. Representatives for Triton and Rheinmetall didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
MAN Energy Solutions has about 14,000 employees worldwide and recently changed its name from MAN Diesel
& Turbo to highlight its sustainability offerings, which was seen as an effort to broaden the appeal of the unit.


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The value of Zhejiang province's foreign trade in the first quarter of this year hit 861.9 billion yuan ($132.7 billion), soaring by 37.2 percent year-on-year, according to the latest statistics from customs authorities.
Exports and imports in Zhejiang surged 39 percent and 32.9 percent respectively to 613.79 billion yuan and 249.11 billion yuan in the first quarter.
Zhejiang's foreign trade volume in March stood at 289.89 billion yuan, up 27.8 percent from the previous year. The province's monthly imports amounted to a record high of 99.65 billion yuan.
In Q1, the province's foreign trade volume accounted for 10.2 percent of the national aggregate, up 0.6 percent from the previous year.


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It can be tricky to evaluate innovative new lending products. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) isn’t a new concept and consumers love to use it, but many financial institutions are still proceeding with caution before launching this payment preference to their cardholders.
And no wonder. Despite its success, regulatory agencies and press have shined a spotlight on 3rd-party BNPL providers, exposing the absence of consumer protection guardrails. Additionally, comparisons of BNPL to payday loans also position it as a program designed for the financially fragile. If that were the case, how could a financial institution launch BNPL as a product if it may not be beneficial for consumers?
It’s important to assess the risk to financial institutions and cardholders alike when considering a new lending product. So let’s take a look at the data:
BNPL is low risk, especially compared with credit cards
In 2022, the CFPB’s study on the five largest 3rd-party BNPL providers found a charge-off rate of 3.8 percent. Since then, these numbers have steadily decreased. Affirm’s data shows their BNPL loans have been performing better year over year, with 30+ day delinquency rates lower than major credit card issuers today. In fact, Klarna’s Q2 credit loss rate in 2023 was only 0.41%.
BNPL from financial institutions are also low risk. equipifi data shows running aggregate delinquency rates at 1.35 percent, and similar to Affirm, this rate is decreasing as well.
Compare this to the national credit card delinquency rate of 2.58 percent and charge off rate of 3.38 percent in Q2 2023. When using this as a benchmark, we can see that BNPL programs are not materially riskier than credit cards.
BNPL does not pose a significant risk to the issuer.
BNPL is for consumers across income levels
What about the claim that BNPL is only used by the financially fragile? When it comes to 3rd-party BNPL, the Federal Reserve found in 2022 that there was a correlation between income level and likelihood of BNPL usage. Higher income borrowers were more likely to be heavy BNPL users while lower income borrowers were more likely to be light BNPL users.
equipifi data shows that BNPL programs from financial institutions are utilized by cardholders of all income levels, with use cases ranging from everyday purchases to medical bills. Meaning, while consumers can find BNPL beneficial when they are experiencing financial duress, they also use it as a budgeting tool.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach
Your BNPL program is a tool for you as a financial institution to serve your cardholders and strategically reach your institutional goals. On an industry level, BNPL programs are low-risk and show broad adoption. In fact, some financial institutions accept slightly higher charge off rates to encourage engagement and grow deposit relationships. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
So look for a BNPL product that will allow you to set your own parameters and help you manage your own risk. Make adjustments so that your cardholders receive the type of BNPL offers that best reflect where they are in their financial journey.


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Amazon Alexa would now be able to play digital recordings from Apple, making Amazon’s line of Echo gadgets the first outsider customers to help the Apple Podcasts administration without utilizing AirPlay. Previously, this degree of help was constrained to Apple’s HomePod. As per Amazon, the expansion brings to Alexa gadgets Apple’s library of more than 800,000 webcasts. It additionally enables clients to set Apple Podcasts as their favored podcast service.
The move is the most recent in a progression of associations between the two opponents, which additionally incorporated the dispatch of the Apple TV application on Amazon’s Fire TV stage, just as the launch of Apple Music on Echo gadgets and Fire TV. Amazon, accordingly, has extended its grouping of Apple stock to incorporate Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch and then some.
To begin, Apple clients who need to stream from Apple Podcasts will initially need to connect their Apple ID in the Alexa application. Clients would then be able to ask Alexa to play or resume the digital recordings they need to hear. Other player directions, as “next” or “fast forward,” work, as well. What’s more, as you move between gadgets, your advancement inside every scene will likewise synchronize, which implies you can begin tuning in on Alexa, at that point get back on track on your iPhone.
In the Alexa application’s Settings, clients will likewise have the option to determine Apple Podcasts as their default player, which implies whenever they approach Alexa for a podcast without showing a source, it will stream from the Apple Podcasts administration.
Not to be beaten, Spotify likewise today declared its help for spilling web recordings on Alexa in the U.S.
Obviously, Spotify Premium clients have had the option to utilize Spotify Connect to stream to Echo before today.
In any case, presently, Spotify says that both Free and Premium U.S. clients will have the option to approach Alexa for digital broadcasts just as set Spotify as their default player.
Alexa’s help for Spotify podcasts was really reported in September (close by different news) at Amazon’s yearly Alexa occasion in Seattle, so it’s to a lesser degree an surprise than the Apple expansion.
At the time, Amazon said it was including support for Spotify’s digital recording library in the U.S., which would bring “hundreds of thousands” of webcasts to Alexa gadgets. That additionally incorporates Spotify’s various select web recordings — something that will give Echo clients motivation to set Spotify as their default, maybe.
Soon after that declaration, Spotify said its free help would likewise now stream to Alexa gadgets, rather than just its paid assistance for Premium subscribers.


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WEBSTER — Shaw's has announced it will close its supermarket on Worcester Road by Feb. 20.
According to a company press release, Shaw's will also close a store in Medford.
"The stores identified have not been profitable for quite some time, and despite the best efforts of the company and our associates, we have not been able to reposition them to better compete in the marketplace and don't anticipate being able to change this trend," according to a press release issued by Shaw's today.
"The decision to close a store is always difficult — given the impact on associates and customers — it was made only after careful evaluation and was guided by what is best for the company's ongoing success and future growth. By closing under-performing locations, it will allow us the opportunity to reinvest in our existing store base and build a stronger company," the release said.
Shaw's spokesman Steve E. Sylven said he could not provide numbers on how many employees would be affected, because the company is seeking to transfer some of those employees to other Shaw's or Star Market stores.
The company said it does not have plans to close any of its other stores.
Shaw's operates supermarkets locally in Worcester, Northbridge (Whitinsville), Auburn, Sturbridge, and Shrewsbury.
The Webster store has faced stiff competition, with a brand-new Price Chopper that opened in 2013 in the former Cranston Print Works building, and a Market Basket supermarket up the road, in Oxford.
Aaron Nicodemus can be reached at email@example.com


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IN THIS SECTION:
Opportunity for coastal shipping reform sails away
2 December 2015
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) says the Senate’s failure to pass coastal shipping reform is a missed opportunity to restore competition around the Australian coast.
“A vibrant shipping industry is vital to a competitive agriculture sector. Open markets mean a more competitive economy and in the end, lower prices for consumers,” NFF President Brent Finlay said.
“Australian farmers have a strong market reputation as producers of high quality food and fibre. But Australia is a high price economy in comparison to other parts of the world, so our competitiveness is critical.
“As it stands, farmers and their suppliers have no right to choose who carries their goods around the coast, and no ability to negotiate a fair price for the service. It can be cheaper to ship goods for export than to supply the domestic market.
“Australia needs more efficient freight services – whether by air or sea, road or rail. The current cost of shipping is so prohibitive that most of the domestic freight task is carried on land, placing more pressure on our road and rail networks.
“Tasmania is a case in point, with enormous potential to increase the value of its agricultural production. But it is held back by ageing, unreliable, expensive transport systems. Reforming coastal shipping will bring new freight options and more regular, reliable services to the Tasmanian coast, unlocking its potential.
“Competition is a key driver of economic activity, which stimulates our national growth and prosperity. Last week the competitiveness reform agenda took a step backwards. Let’s not let this set a precedent for the future of freight policy in Australia,” Mr Finlay said.
Media Enquiries: Sophie Keatinge on 02 6269 5666, 0408 448 250 or
NFF NATIONAL CONGRESS
National Agriculture Day 2018


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MakerBot announced today it’s developing the Digitizer, a long-in-the-works desktop 3D scanner that will complement its line of 3D printers. MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis made the announcement at Austin’s SXSW Interactive.
“It’s a natural progression for us to create a product that makes 3D printing even easier,” Bre said in a statement. “With the MakerBot Digitizer, now everyone will be able to scan a physical item, digitize it, and print it in 3D – with little or no design experience.”
The scanner is not yet ready for prime time. MakerBot is still testing the prototype. No word on the price or when makers can get their hands on one. MakerBot will start taking orders in the fall.
The scanner consists of a turntable on which you mount objects you wish to scan. Lasers and cameras translate that object into a digital files. Bre said the scanner will be ideal for archiving, prototyping, replicating, and digitizing prototypes, models, parts, artifacts, artwork, jewelry, and other objects.
“If something gets broken, you can print it again.”
While there is a growing library of consumer-class 3D and CAD software, creating 3D models takes skill and practice. The Digitizer aims to make 3D printing easier, delivering the much sought-after “washer/dryer” combination for 3D printing.
While he hadn’t seen the Digitizer yet, Kerry Stevenson, who writes the popular Fabbaloo 3D printing blog, was excited by the news.
“It solves the problem of uploading a design,” he said. “The magic is getting the design and being able to push it out into the printer. It should enable a household owner to print more things–things that are more useful to them.”
Matt Griffin, former community manager for MakerBot and now Adafruit Industry’s director of community support and evangelism, said the new device will be attractive because it “closes the gap” between creating 3D files and printing out physical objects.
“The scanner is for people who want to get their hands dirty and have an intuitive experience,” he said.
We’ll have more on this story in the days to come.
This post has been updated
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Why Peanut Butter & Coffee Is a Great Combo
Investing in the Coupon Nation
A Staple of the Global Consumer Foods Industry
Consumer Goods Companies: Great Expectations
Consumer packaged goods giant Unilever, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture , the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other founding participants, today announced the U.S.
Social media sites are trying to determine what sort of control they have over user-generated content, particularly when it affects advertising.


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Like many other industries, Vietnam’s tourism industry has been especially hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is thought that over $4 trillion could be lost in global revenues as a result of the virus’ impact on tourism worldwide, and it’s easy to see how a nation like Vietnam has been affected.
While Vietnam had a relatively short lockdown, it still struggled to keep visitor numbers from within the nation coming to key tourist sites. This was made all the more difficult due to the fact that international flights were effectively curtailed for many months. As such, it is thought that marginally more than 25% of the nations’ hotel rooms were filled in autumn 2020.
The lack of foreign visitors had a particularly grave impact on the overall spend in Vietnam’s tourist industry. It has been estimated that visitors from abroad will typically spend over 10-times that of a domestic tourist. What’s particularly worrying is the ripple-effect that this is having on many more industries in a nation that has grown ever more reliant upon the revenues brought in from foreign visitors. So what can be done to help draw in visitors back to Vietnam?
Opening up with caution
Much of Vietnam’s opening up will be guarded in correlation with how the pandemic is progressing worldwide. There has been the suggestion that travel bubbles with countries with low infection rates like Australia could be a step forward, and this could be an important stepping tone in the gradual lifting of travel restrictions.
All of which could give a much needed lifeline to Vietnam’s hotels that are still operating with much lower room occupancy than normal. Hotels in other countries have other ways of keeping revenues flowing in. For example the Resorts casino resort has an online presence and customers can go to the article to learn more about the bonuses.
Such an approach is obviously beyond the reach of most Vietnamese hotels and therefore much needs to be done to boost domestic tourism before international restrictions open. Such an approach will focus on outdoor tourism such as the nation’s famous beaches and mountains to ensure that things stay affordable and safe.
In addition to this, there is a real need to promote the specialist areas in which key locations of Vietnam operate. For example, the area around Dalat should be internationally known for the quality of its hiking, and the same is true for Mui Ne in terms of water sports.
Thankfully Vietnam has been enjoying a much greater boost in terms of the tourism infrastructure for when visitor numbers return to normal. After all, the Tan Son Nhat airport was listed as one of the world’s best and it’s this dedication to investing in infrastructure that’s going to determine Vietnam’s success over the long term.
Ultimately, there are still so many unknowns regarding how the pandemic will play out, that any attempt at a long-term plan should be extremely cautious. Short-term steps such as encouraging a greater domestic tourism effort are essential for keeping the nation’s hotels and ancillary industries in business.
Similarly, greater efforts will need to be made to ensure that Vietnam is up to the task once travel restrictions start to open. Effectively marketing Vietnam as a cost-effective travel destination on digital platforms is key to helping raise the profile of the nation. All of which will take time and money, but it’s essential that further investment is needed if Vietnam wishes to continue the impressive tourism figures that it enjoyed before the pandemic struck.


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Back in 2019, Prada revamped its signature nylon bag offerings by introducing an environmentally-conscious range called Re-Nylon. The bags were made from nylon waste via ECONYL regenerated nylon yarn. Production was just one area that the luxury retailer wanted to tackle in its eco-friendly mission. The other part was education through the Prada x UNESCO for the Sea Beyond sustainability campaign. (UNESCO stands for The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.) Today marked the completion of the two’s educational program that initially kicked off in October 2020.
The program was conceived as an exploratory project for high schools all around the world to raise awareness on ocean preservation. In participating in this awareness campaign, every school received a Sea Beyond toolkit consisting of educational and creative materials that would enable students to play an active role in furthering the global ocean sustainability movement. Students from all over the world — Portugal, Germany, Mexico, France, China, the U.S., and several other countries — were then tasked with developing awareness campaigns that focused on ocean preservation.
In supporting this initiative, Prada wanted to highlight the importance of environmental responsibility and mindful production practices. As expressed by Prada Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Lorenzo Bertelli, the goal here was to encourage the new generation to think deeply about the future of the planet and how to build a business that is both financially and environmentally sustainable. “For us, everything has started from bringing in Re-Nylon — the regenerated nylon that we use to make our products and to convert the material of an iconic product that we have into a sustainable material,’’ said Bertelli at the Prada Sea Beyond Award Ceremony.
During the event, the contest winner was announced: the Portuguese school Agrupamento de Escolas de Vialonga located in Lisbon. The school ended up winning the prize of €5,000 that will be invested into educational materials and received a king-sized spool of recycled nylon yarn as their trophy. The students’ winning project was a short cartoon titled “Redes circulares: Cerco ao plástico no mar” (“Circular nets: a sea of plastic”), which showed how plastic endangers the ocean’s ecosystems and shared advice for how to collect plastic waste for upcycling opportunities. Prada and UNESCO will both share the top three campaigns on their social channels and websites, www.pradagroup.com and www.ioc.unesco.org respectively.
If you’re an environmentally-conscious shopper, browse through Prada’s Re-Nylon selects, below, or abstain from purchasing new garments completely by shopping secondhand retailers to reduce fashion waste.
We only include products that have been independently selected by TZR’s editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.


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The OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association) has just announced the winners of its demonstrator Award, which is granted to innovative concepts that show the manifold areas of application of printed and organic electronics.
The Hamburg-based KROENERT GmbH & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of coating and laminating lines for web materials, is about to finish the construction of the biggest production line for printed electronics and organic photovoltaics (OPV) in the Americas. The system will be supplied to CSEM Brasil, a subsidiary of the Neuchatel, Switzerland-based CSEM SA. With the commissioning of KROENERT’s LabCo, the company wants to strengthen its position as one of the leading organic and printed electronics suppliers.
The Norwegian Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) recently announced that it has successfully demonstrated the industry’s first integrated-system product to combine printed electronics technology, real-time sensing capability, and near-field communication (NFC) functionality.