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Mr. Hernandez will head Marketing, Events and Corporate Selling Teams and will be responsible for brand identity against EC Hispanic Media’s key assets: El Clasificado, quinceanera.com, alborde.com, SuSocioDeNegocios.com, and pacoslist.com
Los Angeles – June 17, 2011. EC Hispanic Media, owner of El Clasificado, elclasificado.com, Quinceañera Expo, quinceanera.com, alborde.com, Su Socio de Negocios and pacoslist.com, announces that Hugo Hernandez has joined its senior management team as Director of Marketing and Events. Until recently, Mr. Hernandez worked at impreMedia where he held various positions including: National Automotive Sales Manager, Corporate Accounts Manager and Director of Sports Initiatives. While there, Mr. Hernandez was responsible for creating and co-selling some of impreMedia’s largest marketing programs to key brands such as Ford, Kia, Dodge, Farmers Insurance, Dish Latino, Budweiser, Miller, Best Buy, La Curacao and others.
“EC Hispanic Media in general and our flagship brand El Clasificado specifically have made key gains in distribution, events, content offerings and overall presence on and offline. Our company is ready to attract top talent to join our already talented employee pool” said Martha de la Torre, CEO and Co-Founder of El Clasificado and EC Hispanic Media. “Mr. Hernandez is an experienced and visionary executive in the creation and implementation of solutions that drive substantial value to our users, clients and to our brands. He will utilize our superb distribution system, events and online offerings to bring key value to our clients.”
Mr. Hernandez will report directly to Mrs. de la Torre and will lead all B2B and B2C branding, events and corporate selling efforts. In addition, Mr. Hernandez will be responsible for brand identity against EC Hispanic Media’s key media assets: El Clasificado.com, quinceanera.com, Al Borde.com, SuSocioDeNegocios.com, and pacoslist.com. Under his leadership, EC Hispanic Media will soon announce the details of a “guerrilla” marketing campaign entitled “Think about it!” The campaign will target Hispanic advertising agencies and major brands.
“In an ever changing media world, EC Hispanic Media’s El Clasificado has managed to challenge and win against great media brands in the marketplace. I joined this team because I believe in its corporate leadership, distribution and audience. Big brands can find great value here. What sets this company apart is its favorable online position and strategy. There is no doubt that elclasificado.com is set to become the Craigslist of the Hispanic market. I want to be a part of it.”
About EC Hispanic Media:
EC Hispanic Media is a Los Angeles based company with headquarters in Norwalk, California. Through its flagship print product, El Clasificado, EC Hispanic media reaches 1.5 million Hispanics on a weekly basis. Its footprint extends from the Central Valley of California to San Diego with a distribution of 460,000. In the last year, the distribution has grown at a neck breaking pace, and has recently expanded into the Fresno and the Bakersfield markets. EC Hispanic media also owns elclasificado.com which generates 6 million page views a month from across the United States. EC Hispanic Media’s events division produces “Quinceañera Expo” which attracts 10,000 attendees annually, and the “Su Socio de Negocios” small business workshop series. EC Hispanic Media also reaches the bilingual Hispanic via its online property alborde.com and its “Día de los Muertos” event in November.
Contact: Alicia Garcia de Angela
Director of Communications


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Say hello to the new boss
Historic Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa changes hands again and becomes Le Meridien
The Stoneleigh Hotel changed hands yet again over the weekend, and it will become a Le Méridien on January 31, to be owned by private equity hotelier HEI and managed by Starwood. According to Starwood's website, the hotel will be called "Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh."
A hotel staffer confirmed that the hand-off had already taken place. "I believe it took place on the 7th," he said. "The new company seems very nice. As far as any changes, it's too early to tell."
HEI Inc is a player in the hospitality industry that focuses on full-service and select service, upper upscale, and luxury properties located in large metropolitan markets. It owns more than 44 properties in 16 states. Brands include Westin, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Aloft, Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Hilton and Embassy Suites.
The company has been the target of a boycott at the Le Méridien in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where 94 percent of the hotel staff says that working conditions have not gotten better since they were acquired by HEI three years ago.
Around Dallas, HEI already owns three hotels, two by the Galleria — Le Meridien Dallas and the Sheraton — and, in Fort Worth, the Dallas-Fort Marriott Hotel & Golf Club at Champions Circle (whoo).
Starwood oversees dozens of properties around DFW. Le Méridien is a Paris-born chain with 100 properties in 43 countries worldwide. The company pushes the whole "art" thing, calling its team "a group of cultural innovators and artists who define and enrich the guest experience," with a "global array of visionaries, from painters to photographers, musicians to designers, chefs to architects."
HEI acquired the Stoneleigh from Luxe, the company headed by California hotel impresario Efrem Harkham. Luxe owned it for only a year; the Stoneleigh still appears on Luxe's website, and the phone still auto-greets you with "Luxe Stoneleigh."
Harkham did not respond to an email inquiry.
The Stoneleigh has undergone some big changes in the past few years. It was closed in 2006 for a $36 million renovation and reopened in 2008 with a new restaurant called Bolla. In November, Bolla was replaced by a new entity, T/X Restaurant, with Southwestern cuisine.

domain: news


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Huntington Encourages Shoppers To Think Local This Holiday Season
Small businesses urged to be on guard for cyberthreats during the holidays and take steps to protect themselves
The Huntington National Bank
COLUMBUS, Ohio - With the holiday shopping season underway, Huntington National Bank (Nasdaq: HBAN; www.huntington.com) is encouraging consumers to support small businesses and shop local. According to a 2021 Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy report, there are 32.5 million small businesses in the U.S., representing 99 percent of all businesses in the country. Small businesses employ almost 47 percent of the nation’s workforce. “Locally-owned small businesses are essential to the fabric of our communities,” said Huntington’s SBA Program Director, Maggie Ference. “When small businesses succeed, so do individuals and communities. It becomes a rising tide for everyone.” In addition to providing vital goods and services, small businesses bring essential jobs to the communities they serve and drive economic development. From 1995 to 2020, small businesses accounted for 62 percent of net new job creation in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because the health of local businesses and communities are so intertwined, Ference said it remains critical to shop local. “We see local business owners continuing to work hard and innovate during this difficult time. It is such an inspiration and so important that we continue to show our support.” In addition to shopping in-person or online at favorite local establishments this holiday season, there are some other ways consumers can support local businesses, like sharing an experience on social media, writing reviews and seeking out new local businesses. While some of the hurdles for small businesses have changed compared to the 2020 holiday shopping season, it continues to be a critical time to think local. “Small businesses have faced one obstacle after another since the beginning of last year, and the current supply chain and labor challenges are just the latest,” Ference said. “But that shouldn’t prevent shoppers from supporting their local businesses. Just plan ahead and have a little patience.” Huntington is committed to helping businesses thrive and ensuring its programs and support reflect the needs of people and businesses in its footprint. With the new year fast approaching, many entrepreneurs will begin pursuing their dream of starting a small business. This can be an exciting time, but one that is also filled with its share of uncertainty and challenges. For many of these entrepreneurs, one of the biggest challenges is securing the financing to start their business. Knowing the importance of small businesses to our communities, Huntington has invested in resources and programs to help business owners turn their dreams into reality. Building on its position as the nation’s No. 1 Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) lender by volume, Huntington developed creative lending options and a variety of other features that will help bring relief, recovery and growth to small businesses. @Huntington_Bank encourages consumers to support small businesses and shop local this holiday season. Recognizing the barriers to banking that exist for some small businesses, Huntington has made a commitment to support minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses as part of its Lift Local Business program. The program offers loans, business planning support and other services to help small business owners achieve their goals. In the first year of the program, Huntington booked $22 million in loans, helping more than 300 minority-, women- and veteran-owned small businesses. In June, Huntington announced a five-year, $100 million extension to this program. Huntington continues to invest in its communities to support economic inclusion and to help make its customers and its communities more financially secure in the future. In June, the bank announced a new strategy to tackle social, racial, environmental and economic inequities across its footprint by committing $40 billion toward its new Strategic Community Plan. This includes expanding its small business lending programs into its new footprint following the merger with TCF Financial Corporation and committing $10 billion over five years, of which $2 billion will focus on lending to minority-owned businesses or businesses operating in majority-minority communities. “The entrepreneurial spirit remains strong in this country, and everyone deserves an opportunity at financial success,” said Ference. “Access to capital is vital for those looking to start a new business or expand their existing business, and I’m so proud of the steps Huntington has taken to provide support for underserved businesses across our footprint.” Last year, Huntington launched its Support Local video series, a customer-inspired campaign that highlights the strength and resilience of small businesses across the Midwest. The campaign documents the real-life stories of small businesses and the conversations Huntington had with owners who found creative ways to manage their businesses and support their communities during the pandemic.


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The precision machining industry is generating strong sales and positive prospects going into calendar year 2014.
PMPA’s January Business Trends Report’s Index of Sales bounced back up to 126 from December 2013’s high for any December of 100.
January 2014 ‘s 126 was just 2 points shy of January 2013’s 128.
Precision Machining Businesses had a great month in January.
Outlook for sales remains positive with 87% of respondents expecting the level of sales to remain the same or increase over the next three months.
Profitability is expected to remain the same or improve by 93% of respondents.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of shops scheduled overtime- 36% scheduled 45 hours or more.
Note: This report was our inaugural issue of the Business Trends Reporting using our newly updated secure, online reporting system. Effective with this move to the new system, we have established the year 2010 as our index base.


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Read the affiliate disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report effortlessly and without spending any money. Read more
Microsoft accidentally teased a new Control Center feature that’s now in the works for Windows 10 in the recently released Windows 10 build 16199 for PCs in the Fast Ring, the latest preview of what will eventually become the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. When the company made the announcement and detailed build 16199, the company accidentally included an image showing a brand new icon on the Windows 10 taskbar — which was quickly deleted.
The settings icon doesn’t appear to be present in the newest Insider Preview builds. Windows Central’s Zac Bowden says that, according to his sources, the company is currently testing a new feature called Control Center which will house all the Quick Actions currently available in the Action Center alongside more toggles and options, including a brightness slider. So, it turns out that the new icon is more than just a plain shortcut.
Relocating the Quick Action buttons
The new entirely customizable Control Center removes the Quick Action buttons (brightness controls, Wi-Fi, and Tablet Mode) from the Action Center and relocates them to a dedicated panel which can be activated via the new Settings icon on the taskbar. There are more features that will be announced sometime in the future, so Microsoft might decide to postpone or cancel this feature before we get it for testing. For now, though, it seems that it’s still in the development process and appears to be present in some of the latest internal Windows 10 builds.
RELATED STORIES TO CHECK OUT:


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ADSI and 3GMTS Inks Technology and Mutual Referral Partnership
SHELTON, CT: ADSI, a provider of logistics software and mobile computing solutions for manufacturers, distributors, and online retailers have recently inked a technology partnership with 3GMTS that allows the integration among their solutions. 3GMTS, is a Transportation Management System (TMS) software development company that allows Shippers and Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) address the issues related to logistics management through its solutions.
The collaboration would empower shippers and third party logistics (3PL) providers improve delivery outcomes through an end-to-end advanced transportation planning and execution solution. It would also help them in controlling freight costs across all delivery modes.
Bob Fischer, President and CEO, ADSI states, “We believe this integration is a perfect fit for companies that need a robust transportation planning and execution solution that addresses all modes, including small parcel, LTL and truckload shipping.”
The deal would also provide customers with a solution that is being built upon the latest advances brought about in the technological field. The latest solution would include functions like end-to-end shipment planning, carrier rate and service analysis and selection, built-in EDI and shipment processing for domestic and international shipments.
The CEO of 3GMTS, Mitch Weseley says that the companies have been forced to reorganize their distribution network to meet the demands of online buyers. He went on to add that they decided to partner ADSI after evaluating the marketplace to enhance small parcel shipping. He asserts that the collaboration is a perfect fit for those who want SaaS, private cloud or classic on-premise implementations.


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Banks can be instrumental in changing the behaviour of the Indian consumer, said V Vaidyanathan, Senior General Manager and Country Head, Retail Business, ICICI Bank, on the third and final day of the 7th KSA Retail Summit in the Capital on Friday.
Speaking on "Learning from Spending Patterns: an insight into the Indian consumer," Vaidyanathan highlighted the significance of value proposition in winning the customers.
He pointed out the changing psyche of the Indian consumers who are all set to welcome change, which has become possible due to their stable incomes these days. Harminder Sahni, Principal, KSA Technopak, in his presentation on "Indian consumer and future shopping trends in India," tried to provide an insight into the Indian consumer basket. He talked about the emerging consumer segments and also enumerated the preferred retail destinations and formats.
"In keeping with global trends, the spending power of Indians has risen significantly," he said. He concluded his presentation by saying that consumers have changed, shopping trends are changing and the change is good for innovation and growth.
The other highlights of the day included a presentation on "E-tailing in India: the road ahead" by Mahendra Swarup, Chief Executive, Times Internet Limited. Swarup said there are good opportunities for e-tailing in the Indian market because people are preferring Internet.


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As Meta (Facebook’s parent company) presented a livestream update of its vision for artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse going forward, data shows many decentralized metaverse projects were heating up, with bigger players entering the space.
Projects such as NFTWorlds and Webbland have been in the top five non-fungible token (NFT) series by sales volume recently, according to data from CryptoSlam. Banking giant JPMorgan recently became one of the first major banks to enter the metaverse by purchasing land on blockchain-enabled Decentraland in February.
“I see a larger macro trend of large institutions and companies like Facebook going and trending towards the metaverse,” said Yohann Calpu, CryptoSlam’s chief blockchain officer, telling Forkast it was these macro trends that were driving interest in smaller metaverse projects as well.
While Facebook is outlining its initial forays into the space, dozens of other companies are trying to beat the social media giant to the punch by building their versions faster.
A project consisting of 10,000 plots of digital land on Ethereum, NFTWorlds’ sales volumes topped US$52 million in February — a more than 2,000% rise in monthly sales figures from November. The series was the third-highest selling in the past 24 hours on Tuesday, outselling leading series like Axie Infinity and Bored Ape Yacht Club
Crypto Voxels, another decentralized metaverse project on the Ethereum blockchain, recently announced a land cap of 70,000 plots after significant public interest, which Calpu said was a further driver of interest in the project.
“The one thing about metaverse is that there will never be a shortage of digital land, so it’s just about what makes yours unique,” he said. “If you’re looking to invest in a metaverse [on a large scale] you want to know what the land cap is.”
Legendary NFT series Axie Infinity reached a significant landmark recently as well, becoming the first series to reach US$4 billion in sales volume — almost double that of second-place CryptoPunks. Axie Infinity exploded in popularity and helped launch the play-to-earn function of video games by featuring NFTs as playable characters in a video game.
This is why, Calpu says, NFTs and blockchain will play such a significant part in the burgeoning metaverse as they allow for ownership of gaming items and interoperability between games.
“The dream that all game players had [prior to blockchain] was that they could own their in-game items,” he said.
Despite this fact, if leading metaverse developer Meta has any plans to incorporate blockchain into its vision for the metaverse, it is being very quiet about it.
The social media giant used its livestreamed event last week to provide updates on an upcoming AI-enabled voice assistant program “CAIRaoke” (pronounced karaoke) and to outline how AI will be incorporated into the metaverse. Throughout the event and at a follow-up roundtable event attended by Forkast, the firm made little reference to blockchain.
Calpu sees this as a missed opportunity for the social media giant, explaining that all the features of the metaverse, like decorating avatars and exploring digital worlds that Meta was announcing, will be greatly improved through blockchain by introducing ownership of these assets to the space.
Nonetheless, Meta’s ongoing interest is impacting the interest in the decentralized metaverse, too.
“When you have leaders in the industry from Web 2.0 that are making these shifts into their business, people start to take notice,” he said.


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Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Release Date, News & Update: 'Tango' Arrives In Europe Recently! Impressive Specs & Features Revealed
After arriving in the United States last month, Lenovo Phab2 Pro 'Tango' smartphone is now available for sale in Europe. A quick look reveals that Lenovo's online stores in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands have the device in stock and are selling it for € 499. Contained, the UK brand site still shows the device with the description "briefly".
At the moment, there are about 35 Tango-compatible applications already available in the Play Store. It allows you to evaluate anything in your home. It visualizes how furniture and appliances will appear in your home, playing AR dominoes, painting and drawing "any surface of the Your Home, and play with virtual pets. Lenovo Phab2 Pro 'Tango' will simply answers all those needs.
Lenovo Phab2 Pro 'Tango' was announced earlier this year and only hit the market this month. It offers a 6.4-inch Quad HD display, Snapdragon 652 chipset with Adreno 510 GPU, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, 16 megapixel main camera and 8 megapixel front camera. Finally, to feed all this there is a battery of 4,050 mAh and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
The first smartphone of the 'Tango' project hit the market for $ 499. People can expect Asus to bet on similar specifications, but charging a lower price - as the company's CEO has assured us that we will see a more cost-effective Tango project smartphone. Unfortunately, a possible product release date was not given. It has only been said that it will hit the market sometime in 2017. Therefore, Lenovo Phab2 Pro 'Tango' is still worth trying.
Lenovo Phab2 Pro 'Tango' will also be expected to expand to Asia market soon. As India is the second largest smartphone market in the world, there is a possibility that there will be a launch there. China and Korea should also receive this product since there have been some high-end smartphones sold like candy there.


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The e-commerce giant recently aquired Whole Foods for $13.7bn, sending a message to food companies, like Torie & Howard, that the move will boost the availability of organic foods to more US households.
However, manufacturers should not rely solely on Amazon to extend their natural product footprint.
Two submission processes
Miche Bacher, founder and CEO of vegan and gluten-free cookie startup Miche’s Kitchen, noted that products on the shelf at Whole Foods does not mean they will automatically be available on Amazon. BakeryandSnacks met up with her at the recent Snack Attack event being held in New York.
“Right now the two [avenues] are separate,” she said. “To get into Whole Foods, [a producer] must go through the submission process. They have a calendar they follow for 10 annual category reviews. [The producer must] submit its insurance; ‘RangeMe’ info; spreadsheet and a PowerPoint presentation, as well as product samples.
“This is done regionally,” Bacher added. “[Whole Foods] then reviews the [submission] and decides whether to stock the product. Once [the producer] is in a certain number of stores or regions, they will consider it for global distribution.”
Amazon has separate parameters.
“You pay to be on their site and how much you pay and how well your product sells determines whether you are part of their distribution system or you take care of that," she said.
Miche’s Kitchen, which uses sprouted grains and seeds for its cookies started entering the US market last month and is currently available in eight stores on the east coast.
Bacher has gathered her initial investment from family and friends, and is entering another round with investors.
Miche’s Kitchen is currently working with Amazon Fresh for local delivery and hopes to eventually enter the conventional channel as well, as Bacher believes that 90% of natural food startups limit themselves to the natural channel only.
“I have mixed feelings about Amazon’s acquisition [of Whole Foods],” Bacher said. “In some ways, it gives natural foods a platform they would not ordinarily have. [I know that] this is going to be hard for the ‘little guys' as it costs a fortune to get into Amazon and the national distribution channel. I think the acquisition will create a barrier for smaller players.”
But Bacher is not intimidated by the situation and is confident her products deliver health and wellness to its audience.
By the end of Q4, Miche’s Kitchen is expected to be available in 60 to 100 brick & mortar stores, including Whole Foods, across the US, “which is not a lot, but we’re starting from zero,” Bacher said.
Bahlsen’s Amazon initiative
German baker Bahlsen also plans to work with Amazon to expand its US footprint, the company told this site at Snack Attack.
The company is known for its cakes made with butter, and its milk and dark chocolate cookies.
“The US market represents a small piece of our business as we sell in over 70 countries worldwide. We’re relatively new in the US, and we've been distributing through domestic channels for the past few years," Kathi Carroll, marketing director of Bahlsen North America said.
“We [expect to be on] Amazon in the next few weeks and know that e-commerce will be a more popular way for people to shop for snacks,” she added.


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Intl investment forum to promote global cooperation
The 2020 International Investment Forum, an important part of the 2020 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), will explore trends in the global economy and investment promotion in the post-epidemic era.
The forum is expected to feature one keynote conference and nine parallel forums, which are aimed at shoring up the confidence of global investors, helping other countries benefit from China's economic achievements, and giving China a voice in the world of investment.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the keynote conference will take place virtually, with former president of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic and ambassadors of the Philippines and Yemen giving speeches.
Among those sharing their insights into the topics will be Li Yong, director-general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and Ramon Lopez, secretary of Trade and Industry of the Philippines.
Lin Yifu, a renowned economist, Qi Bin, deputy general manager of the China Investment Corporation, and other experts will also deliver on-site speeches at the keynote conference.
The nine parallel forums will focus on the Belt and Road Initiative, marine transportation and e-commerce business cooperation between countries involved in the Maritime Silk Road, global asset management, industrial internet, and new energy.
This year's CIFIT will be held both online and offline. The offline event, which is set to take place in Xiamen from Sept 8 to 11, will have an exhibition area of 110,000 square meters and 16 exhibition zones for exhibitors from 38 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, and Japan.
The online event, which will be launched on Sept 8, will feature exhibitions, project matchmaking, investment negotiations, forums and symposiums, and contract signings.


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As per a new supply chain report, Apple is placing a large order for millimeter wave 5G antennas for iPhone 13, which indicates that the company might be planning to expand the availability of mmWave 5G support to more countries later this year. iPhone 12 had launched with mmWave 5G support, but only for the United States.
The report comes via Patently Apple from its supply chain sources in Taiwan. A supplier of millimeter wave antennas, Qiqi, has become part of iPhone’s supplier list and joins Murata Manufacturing Co. of Japan. The report also mentions that Apple is working with telecom companies around the world to prepare for the expansion of mmWave availability so that the new iPhone 13 models can work with the faster 5G variant.
iPhone 13 models will support mmWave 5G in more countries in 2021
While the report does not go into details of which countries would be next on the list to get support for mmWave 5G. At the time of writing, many countries such as China, Australia, Singapore, and more are working on adopting the faster 5G variant.
The difference between sub-6GHz 5G and mmWave 5G is that the former supports speeds that are faster than 4G/LTE but not significantly. It provides better latency and longer range. On the other hand, mmWave 5G provides the ideal next-generation experience with higher speeds and minimum latency, but it covers shorter ranges and requires base stations to be set up in various venues to provide support.
The primary reason that Apple did not include mmWave 5G in all iPhone 12 models was that not only do they cost more at the moment, but the support is also limited to the United States only, where multiple carriers support mmWave.
Patently Apple reports that Qiqi’s chairman spoke at a conference recently where he said that 5G product shipments are expected to increase this year compared to 2020, hinting at a larger order.
Qiqi’s chairman Xie Hongbo, who was once the CEO of Wistron’s NeWeb Corporation, announced at the law conference a few days ago that 5G-related product shipments will increase significantly this year, especially the US market where millimeter wave-related antennas are being used. It is optimistic that the revenue from 5G will account for a larger proportion of this year than in 2020. Two to three times increase, vaguely revealing that a large order is approaching.
Apple is also planning on launching a new iPad Pro model this year with 5G support. We expect it to also feature mmWave 5G support in the United States.


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25 Apr 2023
New Syringe Filter Machine project
We are excited to announce the completion of our new Syringe Filter Machine project, which comes with improved features, including higher pr ...
16 Jan 2023
Isra Analytica 2023
Our first time attending Isra Analytica, and it was a great success.
28 Nov 2022
Analytica Munich 2022
We were excited to be at #Analytica 2022, June 21-24, in Munich, Germany.
10 Jan 2022
NEW CHMLAB CATALOGUE
In 2022 we are launching a new catalog with our wide range of products.
01 Jun 2018
Visit us in Achema 2018
Frankfurt, June 11-15th About 3,800 international exhibitors already registered for the upcoming ACHEMA 2018, with more than 167,000 visitor ...


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Apple's new 12.9-inch iPad Pro has 4GB of RAM, doubling iPad Air 2. By: Roger Fingas Thursday, September 10, 2015 10:28 AM Apple's new iPad Pro may have 4 gigabytes of RAM, the most ever for an iOS device, Adobe inadvertently revealed in a press release, which has since been edited to remove the claim.
The release previously stated that the Pro is "great for creative workflows with a high res 12.9" touch screen display at 2732 x 2048 pixels, A9X chip, and 4GB RAM," G for Games noted on Thursday. A later check showed however that Adobe edited the sentence to strip out references to both RAM and the A9X. The latter is a major marketing point for the tablet, but Apple typically avoids disclosing how much RAM it uses in mobile devices. Four gigabytes would be the most RAM in any iOS device to date, double the amount in the iPad Air 2. App Store sur Twitter : "Live from San Francisco. Watch the keynote now only on #AppleEvent... Events - Special Event September 2015 - Apple. Verizon to begin testing its super speedy 5G network in 2016. Verizon wants to deliver even faster data speeds.
Verizon has confirmed plans to begin testing the first super speedy 5G network in the U.S. next year. Its new service will have 50 times the throughput of existing 4G LTE networks, and Verizon is working with a number of partners, including Samsung, to accelerate its development. “By nearly all accounts, 5G technology should be introduced in the U.S. sometime after 2020, but Verizon is accelerating the expected rate of innovation,” the carrier announced today. “By working closely with key partners, Verizon aims to launch field technology trials next year.” Verizon’s initial plan is to create 5G “sandboxes” at its Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Francisco Innovation Centers that will allow it to trial 5G networks before making them available to the public.
Dominant Apple gets a big bite in the market share pie. Apple's iPhone 6 hashtag leads to job-offers for Dubai Filipina. Dubai-based Filipino expat Debbie Fortes says she is now chasing her dream after a picture that she clicked with her iPhone 6 was selected by Apple for its global ad campaign.
Apple launched the global #ShotOniPhone6 campaign in March this year. “People take incredible photos and videos on iPhone 6 every day,” Apple says, sharing the images of 77 photographers from 70 cities and 24 countries. Debbie is one of them, and her breath-taking shot of the Liwa desert is now being to be featured in magazines, newspapers, billboards, transit posters and more. Comparison: Apple Music vs. Google Play Music All Access. Google debuted its own streaming service in 2013 as Google Play Music All Access, after Google Play music's initial debut in 2011.
All Access was initially priced at $9.99, but in June of 2015, Google unsurprisingly unveiled an ad-supported, free version to differentiate itself from Apple's subscription Music service. Designed to compete directly with other streaming services such as Spotify, Rdio and newcomer Apple Music, All Access is based on Songza, the human-curated music streaming startup acquired by Google last year. The most striking difference between Google Play Music All Access and Apple Music (apart from the incredibly verbose name) is the user interface, though music curation and discovery services come in at a close second.
Opening up GPMAA, users are first greeted by the day of the week and various playlists arranged around activities like "Waking Up", "Singing in the Shower", and "Getting Out of Bed". These are followed by Recent Activity and Recommended For You. Features. Apple News sur Twitter : "Siri vs. Google Now: Who wins the AI cat fight? #apple"... Emailing yourself? Google Inbox suggests saving reminders instead. Beta Software Program. Calling All App Developers: Six Twitter Accounts You NEED to Follow. Asap. The app development industry can be a tricky business – especially if you don’t have any mentors.
Want some good, sound advice? Cool. Here are six Twitter feeds every person developing an app should follow. 1.) Google Apps Dev: @GoogleAppsDev You had to know this was going to be the first one. 2.) 3.) 4.) Joy Franklin™ sur Twitter : "Apple Maps is getting a really useful feature that Google Maps doesn't have... Apple's iPhone 7 Secret Camera Project Revealed. Apple is making the Watch better by making it even more realtime. By: Sam Oliver Sunday, June 14, 2015 2:21 PM Apple is set to introduce two new features in the second generation of watchOS — internet connectivity independent of the iPhone and push-capable complications — that promise to make the company's first wearable an even better companion.
The Apple Watch is a study in contrasts. On one hand, Watch wearers can almost forget that they own an iPhone, especially when roaming around their house and taking calls or sending messages from their wrist. On the other hand, you can't do that without an iPhone. Apple is beginning to cut the umbilical with watchOS 2. Instagram. Transform parts of your screen into Mario levels with Screentendo. World's biggest Apple Store will open in Dubai this summer. Apple acquires high-accuracy GPS technology firm Coherent Navigation. By AppleInsider Staff Sunday, May 17, 2015, 11:01 am PT (02:01 pm ET) In the midst of a major overhaul for its Maps service, Apple seems to have made another under-the-radar acquisition as the company apparently snapped up Coherent Navigation, makers of high-accuracy GPS devices and software.
Coherent Navigation co-founders Paul Lego, William Bencze, and Brett Ledvina have all joined Apple in recent weeks, and the company's domain name has been redirected to Apple's network. Virtual reality game asks you to fight blind. Uber and other app-hailing services become legal in the Philippines. One on One: Ken Segall, the Man Who Put the 'i' in iMac. Is Apple Splitting the Baby? One of Apple's Best Ideas Ever. Instagram. The Secret Sauce to App Success. According to an article in the Financial Times this week: “The number of downloads in the UK grew 5 per cent in 2014 but revenues generated rose about 30 per cent as apps become popular as a way to watch, read, listen and play… The rise in app consumption comes alongside data showing the state of the UK app economy is similarly robust.
The UK is the largest app-development market in Europe by revenues ahead of Germany and France — and fifth biggest behind the US, Japan, China and South Korea.” It’s no secret that apps are a major part of day-to-day life. If you can think of it, there is probably an app for it and, as the article explains, developers are here, there and everywhere desperately hoping they can create the next flappy birds or candy crush app. So, how do you develop an app that is going to wow customers – and not just once, but every time? Apple IPhone Sales in China Seen Surpassing U.S. for First Time.
Apple Inc.’s IPhone sales in China may have exceeded the U.S. for the first time in the latest quarter, thanks to brisk demand during the country’s New Year celebrations.
Apple will probably show on Monday that earnings jumped by more than 20 percent when it reports results for the second fiscal quarter, which ended in March. While Apple doesn’t break out shipments by country, the company may have sold 18 million to 20 million iPhones in greater China during the period, while U.S. deliveries were about 14 million to 15 million, according to Creative Strategies LLC. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were both designed with larger screens, which are popular among consumers in China and other countries in Asia. That, along with last week’s rollout of the Apple Watch, underscore the importance of Chinese customers for Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s efforts to keep up sales momentum. Diagnostics & Usage. Apple seeds first iOS 8.3 beta to developers.
AAPL reaches an all-time high share price. Safari extension gallery. Safari.


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Alexa, Ship My Purchase
Amazon is testing its own delivery service. If it succeeds, expect a price war.
Last week rumors started to circulate about Amazon’s plan to create a self-owned shipping system similar to UPS and Fedex.
This could easily disrupt the entire US shipping industry given the volume Amazon currently delivers.
To give you an idea of the capacity we’re talking, in 2017 Amazon accounted 10% of UPS’s entire shipping total. According to the attached USA Today link, over the next few months Amazon will begin truck shipping individual orders from their existing distribution centers in higher volume markets like LA.
Assuming that goes well expect them to spider-web shipping capabilities out across the country. If Amazon gets this right they could achieve the ultimate example of Industry Verticalization by self-owning other links in their own supply chain.
If you’ve seen Fedex/UPS’s financials lately you’ll understand how lucrative this business can be. And it feels like Mr. Bezos and team are looking to take a bite out of this low hanging fruit.


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Mike Mann founded and manages three companies that appeared on the 2012 Inc. 500, a list that recognizes some of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mann’s Phone.com placed No. 262 on the Inc. 500. Two of Mann’s other companies, DomainMarket.com and SEO.com, were ranked No. 292 and No. 491, respectively.
“I’m so excited to see all our hard work pay off,” Mann said. “I hope it is the first time one businessman has had three companies on this prestigious list in the same year.”
Inc. magazine began compiling the Inc. 500 in the early 1980s to recognize the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America.
“My businesses are in unique market niches, but they all leverage premium keyword domains, which convert new customers better than comparable sites, and simultaneously get higher ranking in Google, a double bonus,” Mann explained.
SEO.com is an Internet marketing firm specializing in search engine optimization, a strategy used to improve website ranking in search engines like Google. DomainMarket.com is an online marketplace for quick acquisitions of premium domain names and Phone.com provides small businesses with affordable voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone services including convergent apps and award-winning customer service.
“I’m always looking to start new, cutting-edge companies and expand our charities,” Mann said. “As such, we require fresh people to help lead them to success. My new companies have a built-in network for support on day one from our family, but they also have access to innovative strategies from my book and from Best Practices Guide, that have helped guide all of our firms and charitable works.”
Mann always stresses the importance of participating in charitable works. In addition to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Mann is also passionate about working for charitable causes. His charitable endeavors include Grassroots.org, Make Change! Trust and ChangeTheWorld.org. “I have always believed that once your business has found success, you should share that success with causes that will benefit society,” he said.


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posted by admin on 21/06/06
. -- General Motors Corp. is making progress in turning around its core North American auto-making business, the company's top executive told shareholders Tuesday.
Speaking at the company's annual meeting here, Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said GM has been aggressively implementing the revitalization plan that was first announced at last year's meeting, which was marked by shareholder criticism of the auto maker's financial and market-share woes.
While the tone of this meeting was less hostile, holders did approve a measure that could give them more influence in the election of board members. The proposal on so-called cumulative voting had failed on 19 prior occasions, according to GM.
Mr. Wagoner said that GM's first-quarter profit of $445 million, which ended a five-quarter streak of losses, "was an encouraging sign that our turnaround plan is working." Last month, the company transformed a previously reported first-quarter loss into a profit after regulators allowed GM to revise the way it accounted for a health-care deal with the United Auto Workers union.
The CEO said that the company is working to "change GM for tomorrow" and that he has no doubt the efforts will be successful. "Our goal is to structure GM for sustained profitability and growth."
"We have absolute clarity about the road ahead," Mr. Wagoner said, thanking shareholders for being patient and supportive of the company even as it slashed its stock dividend earlier this year. "We have a strong plan and I have no doubt we will succeed."
But the GM chief warned that near-record gasoline prices continue to be a deterrent to GM's recovery, carving deeply into its sales of the sport-utility vehicles and pick-up trucks that have for years been the company's biggest profit-makers.
GM endured one of its most difficult years in 2005, as it struggled with a continued loss of market share and a burdensome cost structure. The world's largest auto maker posted a $10.6 billion loss and saw its top supplier, Delphi Corp., plunge into bankruptcy. GM's share price suffered the ire of Wall Street, moving as low as $18.33 in December, a two-decade low.
The auto maker's shares have soared in recent months amid optimism that the turnaround plan is gaining traction, and that has relieved some of the pressure on Mr. Wagoner, who earlier this year had to face down talk he was on the way out. The stock was off 80 cents, or 3%, at $25.25 in 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, but is up roughly 30% year-to-date.
GM's restructuring is anchored by a plan to cut 30,000 jobs and shutter nine manufacturing plants in North America, while also trimming benefits to employees and reducing the financial drain of its "JOBS Bank" of idled workers who get paid near-full wages and benefits. GM also cut its dividend to shareholders in half and cut executive pay earlier this year.
GM is offering early retirement and buyout packages to its entire U.S. hourly work force in hopes of reaching its attrition goals. The company reports the plan, which runs through the end of June, is making progress, but has not given specific results. Mr. Wagoner told shareholders Tuesday that he is "quite pleased" with the results of the program, but added that the company still has more work to do to achieve its cost-cutting goals.
GM has also been taking steps to boost liquidity. Among recent moves, the company in April reached a deal to sell a controlling stake in its profitable General Motors Acceptance Corp. to Cerberus Capital Management. The transaction, which is expected to add $14 billion to GM's coffers over three years, is on track to close by the end of the year, Mr. Wagoner said.
The executive also said he is pleased with the success of the company's newly launched vehicles, especially full-size SUVs.
Mr. Wagoner said that new models accounted for one-third of sales in the first quarter and should represent 30% of U.S. retail sales volume for the whole of 2006, up from 20% last year. In 2007, launch vehicles are expected to account for 40% of total sales.
The GM chief also reiterated the company's commitment to improving the profitability of its sales. Last summer, the company launched an employee-discount-for-everyone program that spurred record sales but failed to boost profits.
"Rather than incentives, we're promoting our brands," Mr. Wagoner said Tuesday. "We're focused on the mix and quality of our brands, including reducing the rental business."
Sales to rental car agencies are generally considered to be less profitable than those to retail customers.
While improving the sales mix will undoubtedly result in "some challenging months" for sales figures, "it will pay off in the long term," he said. Holders Vote on Resolutions
Taking up various resolutions Tuesday, shareholders voted 54% in favor of a proposal for cumulative voting, while 43% rejected it and 4% abstained, the company announced at the meeting. Under cumulative voting, a shareholder may cast all cumulated votes for a single candidate or split votes among multiple candidates, as that shareholder sees fit.
Stockholders who suggested the proposal said cumulative voting could lead to a more diverse board of directors, with at least one member focused on corporate governance. "On the heels of two major convictions at [bankrupt energy company] Enron, the company could benefit with one director focused on corporate governance," said California-based shareholder John Chevedden.
Mr. Wagoner said the proposal could undermine the company's goals. In GM's opposition statement to the proposal, the company said that cumulative voting could lead to the election "of a board member obligated to represent the special interest of a small number of stockholders."
Shareholders countered that the director they may elect under the new cumulative system would represent "specialized expertise," not special interests.
Shareholders also approved a measure Tuesday requiring that GM directors be elected by an outright majority of votes. The board has to consider it before it is adopted, but Mr. Wagoner noted that laws in Delaware, where GM is incorporated, look to be on track to force companies such as GM to move toward majority voting on the election of directors.
Shareholders shot down a plan to replace the entire board, with each of the current directors getting 96.6% of the vote.
A separate proposal to recoup executive bonuses that may have been improperly awarded in recent years gained relatively strong support at the annual meeting. The proposal argues that due to financial restatements in the 2000 through 2004 period, executive compensation based on financial performance was flawed and overpaid.
Nearly 42% of the votes were in favor of the initiative. Even though it failed, the board will conduct a "thorough review" of the proposal, Mr. Wagoner said. Write to John D. Stoll at firstname.lastname@example.org and Simona Covel at email@example.com


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Smart packaging and printed electronics aren’t strangers to the flexible packaging industry, but to say that they’ve become widely adopted technologies in the field is quite the overstatement.
Check out the April 2017 issue of Flexible Packaging, featuring a preview of the 2017 Global Pouch Forum, the latest FPA news, and much more!
Copyright ©2017. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing


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FAISALABAD – Close and productive working relationship between Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), National Textile University (NTU) and National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering (NIBGE) is imperative to re-organize the industrial sector on modern scientific lines.
Addressing the FCCI Standing Committee on Technical Training and Industry-Academia Linkages, Dr Shahid Mansoor, Director NIBGE, explained in detail the new inventions including Nanotechnology. He told that Faisalabad is predominantly an agro-industrial city.
“Textile is the mainstay of its economy and in order to face future challenges we must add value in the entire chain of textile sector right from ginning up to fashion garments”, he added. He told that NIBGE has world class laboratories where testing facilities are also available and local exporters must avail from these facilities. He told that NIBGE scientists could also resolve their individual as well as collective problems.
Regarding agriculture, he told that NIBGE has been working on different crops including rice. “It has evolved many new verities and strains of different crops which are high yielding and have resistance against different diseases”, he said and told that Pakistan is currently importing edible oil whereas being agriculture country, we could produce oilseeds locally to fulfill our domestic needs.
Dr Waheed S Khan, Principle Scientific Officer NIBGE, said that biotechnology could transfer Pakistan economy by enhancing the shelf life of our perishable items including vegetables and fruits. “We have knowledge, skills and technology but FCCI has to play its role to convince concerned sectors to adopt these technologies to improve the quality of their exportable surplus.
He also explained the achievements of NIBGE and told that it has invented many new products and technologies which should be commercialized to harvest its economical benefits.
Regarding nanotechnology, he told that we could earn billions of dollars by introducing this emerging technology in textile sector.
Earlier, Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain, President FCCI, told that Faisalabad is the main industrial hub of Pakistan. “It is also producing more than 50% raw material for entire domestic industry of Pakistan”, he told and specifically mentioned four major crops including wheat, sugarcane, corn and cotton. He told that our real issue is to enhance per acer yield of these crops as we are lagging far behind in per acre yield of these crops.
He told that despite of agriculture country we are importing pulses, cereals and edible oil whereas our focus is on only wheat. He said that local seeds of rice can produce 30 to 35 mond while through imported seeds we could get yield up to 55 maunds per acre. Similarly the local seed of corn has potential to give yield of only 30 mond whereas we could get 60 mond per acre yield through imported seeds.
He said that wrong selection of crops is our major problem. “We could revive our economy by putting our agriculture on the right track”, he said and told that we have surplus wheat whereas we are spending 3 billion dollar on the import of edible oil. He said that in order to exploit our domestic potential, we must bring more area under cultivation of corn instead of sowing sugarcane and wheat. He told that sugarcane has been cultivated in cotton belt and due to this reason our cotton production has dwindled from 14 million to 10 million bales.
On the other side the Indian cotton has jumped from 8 million to 30 million bales due to the use of imported seed of Bt cotton. He said that NIBGE should also evolve high yielding and diseases resistant verities of different crops to give a quantum jump to our agriculture production. Similarly NIBGE should also introduce new and cost effective technologies for the treatment of industrial waste water. Dr Ahsan Nazeer of NTU also gave a detailed presentation on use of nanotechnology in textile sector. A question answer session was also held in which Dr Habib Aslam Ghaba and Muzzamil Sultan participated. Later Senior Vice President Mian Tanveer offered vote of thanks.


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Microsoft has introduced a new line up for its Laptops, Headphones, Speaker and a webcam.
The company showcased laptops of two sizes 13.5 inch and 15 inch, naming them Surface Laptop 4. The processor will either include the 11th generation or AMD Ryzen. Other things of the laptop are similar to Laptop Surface 3. People in the U.S, Canada and Japan can prebook the new additions already while these will be available to a wider market in near future.
The Surface Headphone 2, A-USB and a wireless headset, are all part of the new line-up which is very obviously geared towards remote work. Microsoft also revealed a branded USB-A connection webcam and Modern USB-C speaker, in case people want to go all Microsoft…?
And lastly, we also came to know that the infamous Android based mobile device, Surface Duo will be available in other markets very soon.


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It’ll be the first of a £1.6bn network.
British firm Pivot Power has announced it will build a new large-scale battery and electric vehicle supercharging hub in the north of England.
The hub will be built close to the M6, the longest motorway in Britain, and the announcement comes as Britain looks to speed up its banning of petrol and diesel cars in order to cut the country’s emissions to 80 percent of those produced in 1990 by 2050.
Currently the UK has close to 16,500 charging points nationwide, but with the large influx of electric cars expected in the coming years, that number will have to increase to at least 100,000 in the next two years to satisfy demand, according to a report by Emu Analytics, per Reuters.
Planning permission for Pivot Power’s M6 facility has already been granted, and it is set to open near Carlisle in a year’s time. Following it will be a £1.6 billion network of 45 similar large-scale battery and charging sites across the country which will be built over the next five years. Another previously announced site in Southampton is also currently under development. UK-based investment manager Downing LLP has backed the project financially so far.
While the number of electric vehicles on UK roads is still relatively small – just 37,483 at the most recent official count. The best selling of these are the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3, the electric version of the Volkswagen Golf, and the Renault Zoe. Despite the current meagre number, Pivot Power chief technology officer Michael Clark expects the battery and charging facilities to start earning money for the firm right away.
“It is important for us not to rely on retail customers initially. The batteries will be earning their keep from day one,” Clark told Reuters.
Electric cars can also provide economic benefits for those that drive them.
According to a new study from automotive data experts hpi, maintenance costs for electric cars are, on average, 23 percent lower than equivalent petrol cars over three years and 60,000 miles.
“An electric car motor has far fewer moving parts than a petrol or diesel engine,” said Chris Plumb, senior valuations editor at cap hpi. “They also benefit from gentler driving styles that lead to lower wear and tear of brakes and tyres.”
“While the purchase price is often higher at the moment, but coming down all the time, drivers will find an EV much cheaper to run with significantly lower costs to charge rather than visit the pump and lower maintenance costs,” he added.
Source: Read Full Article


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When Tori Locklear set up a camera near her mirror, she was planning to upload another one of those 'How to Curl Your Hair' instructional videos.
The result was much worse — and much funnier — when Locklear pulled the curling iron away and a chunk of her hair came away with it. Her reaction was, understandably, horror.
But when she uploaded the video a few months after recording, it seemed as though Locklear might be ready to laugh with the world.
[ Related: Heated car seats cause two women to burn bums ]
"Me around October 2012 attempting to curl my hair, but instead something else happened. It burned off. Cool," the description says.
At least we hope she was ready for the attention, because the video has gained more than a million views since it was uploaded on Feb. 18.
The video has viewers asking how it is even possible to burn off your hair with a regular curling iron.
The American Academy of Dermatology has issued warnings to women against using too many chemicals and heat styling devices. Constant exposure to heat weakens the hair cuticle, that outside layer of scaly-looking, overlapping cells always shown closeup in shampoo commercials.
A dermatologist in the above warning said to think of hair like a steak, soft and flexible when raw but firmer and easier to break apart after it's cooked.
Yum, barbecued hair.


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Czech carmaker Skoda has released a couple of photos teasing its all-new Skoda Superb. The new sedan is said to debut next year at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The first photo shows the Superb wearing Skoda’s prominent front grille, flanked by a set of LED headlights. The second shot is from the side displaying a silhouette of sedan with coupe-like profile.
Said to be based on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, the Skoda Superb is expected to grow slightly in size compared to the current model but 75 kg lighter. No other information were disclosed.


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Archive for the ‘Hyundai News’ Category
Does Hyundai have electric public transportation?
Last month, Hyundai revealed an electric double-decker bus that will be used for public transportation. This is a first for Hyundai, and we are excited to share the final product with our readers. Below, we will answer some questions you may have about the new Hyundai electric double-decker bus.
Hyundai is coming out with a new vehicle and we have the details
Hyundai is expanding its vehicle collection to include a new vehicle, the Hyundai Venue. It isn’t available yet, but we are going to take our first look at the Hyundai Venue today to see what it is all about. Stay with us to learn more about the newest Hyundai vehicle line.
View our Hyundai Elevate concept video gallery
What is the Hyundai Elevate concept? It is something better seen than heard about, but we have videos to satisfy your curiosity. It is hard to get the full picture when we tell you that this concept vehicle can walk and climb instead of just roll. Watch through our Hyundai Elevate concept video gallery and be amazed at a glimpse of what the future holds.
The First 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric was delivered to Baltimore, MD
This month, February 2019, the first 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric was delivered to its new home in Baltimore, MD. There, it will contribute to cleaner air and less fuel consumption. People are making the change to electric vehicles, and you can too. Keep reading to learn about the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric and its first delivery.


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According to sources Jaag TV will shut down it transmission in the next few days and will be re-launched after rebranding as G News Network (GNN). The date for relaunch has been decided as 14th August which is celebrated as Independence Day in Pakistan
As we reported earlier that in 2016 the channel was purchased by Gourmet which is a famous food company in Pakistan. The deal was done between Samaa TV & Gourmet after multiple failed attempts by management of Samaa TV to increase the viewership of the channel.
Samaa TV purchased the channel as CNBC Pakistan and attempted to turn it into a profitable channel but after failure decided to sell it. Owners of Gourmet foods were planning to launch a channel from their hub Lahore when they decided to purchase Jaag TV.
It is expected that the channel will be re-launched from Lahore on Independence Day with the same team. What will happen to their staff in Karachi is still not known and employees fear that they might lose their job.
27 years ago Gourmet started as a food bakery from Lahore and soon it became the biggest food network with outlets all over Punjab. It has more than 100 outlets in Lahore alone which signifies how successful it has been in the provincial capital.


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A major missing piece of the puzzle among equities listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), was filled today as MTN Nigeria, begins trading.
MTN Nigeria trading under the ticker (MTN) is the Nigerian unit of MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile-phone company.
The shares will have a free float of 21 percent, and trading began today at N90 a share, for those able to get their orders with brokers filled.
Upon listing MTN will have a market capitalization equivalent to N1.8 trillion ($5.1 billion), less than 2 times 2018 annual revenues.
The listing will be adding a fourth major sector to the NSE after Financials like Zenith Bank or Guaranty Trust Bank, Industrial names like Dangote Cement, and Consumers goods firms like Nestle and Nigerian Breweries.
Analysts say this will help balance the Nigerian bourse, give investors options for sector rotation and reduce volatility associated with a single name dragging down the entire market.
By revenues, MTN is estimated to be the largest corporate company in Nigeria with 2018 revenue of N1 trillion.
By market capitalization it will be the second largest listed company.
The top 5 largest listed firms in Nigeria are now Dangote Cement, MTN Nigeria, Nestle Nigeria, Guaranty Trust Bank, and Zenith Bank.


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Dog and cat owners flooded veterinarians with calls Monday about pet safety worries in the wake of a massive weekend recall of several widely sold pet foods.
One Livermore woman and a Las Vegas man separately told the Times they suspect the pet food sickened their 14-year-old cats.
One cat died a week ago, and the other is fighting for its life in a Livermore animal hospital.
East Bay animal hospitals, however, said they saw no recent big increase in cats or dogs with kidney ailments — a common problem in older animals.
“A lot of people are concerned. We’re seeing a lot more of that than people bringing in animals,” said Steven Krome, a veterinarian at the Blackhawk Veterinary Hospital. “There’s a lot of frustration because of limited information. We’re kind of in the dark, and our customers are really in the dark.”
More than 60 million cans and pouches of moist cat and dog food sold under dozens of brand names were recalled Saturday after being linked to deaths of 10 animals with kidney problems.
Representatives for Menu Foods, the manufacturer, could not be reached Monday, but the company has said that its tests failed to identify a safety problem with its food.
Menu Foods manufactures the food as store brands for Safeway, Wal-Mart and Kroger. It also produces several brand name pet foods such as Iams, a unit of Proctor and Gamble, and Nestle Purina PetCare and Hills Pet Nutrition, the unit of Colgate-Palmolive that makes Science Diet Brand.
At one large San Ramon animal hospital, five people brought their cats and dogs in for blood tests during the weekend after discovering that their pet foods were among the recalled brands.
“We haven’t identified any cases yet,” said Liesl Peterson, a veterinarian at the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center, “but we recommend the animals get tested if their owners confirm that their pets were eating the recalled brands.”
Kidney problems in animals sometimes do not become evident until the kidneys are near failure, she added. “We try to catch it early.”
Diagnosing kidney functions is more difficult because the symptoms — extreme lethargy, loss of appetite and diarrhea — can be caused by many other ailments, said Dr. Bob Lucas of the Contra Costa Veterinary Emergency Center in Concord.
He and other veterinarians advised that pet owners should find out whether they were buying one of the recalled foods by checking the Menu Food Web site at www.menufoods.com/recall.
Krome said if an apparently healthy dog or cat rarely ate a spoonful of a recalled food, he might not test the animal. But if the pet regularly ate one of the foods, he would want a blood test done.
“If you have concerns, you should call your vet,” he said.
Problems with mass distributed pet food, like with human foods, are difficult to track down quickly.
Cathy Targett of Livermore said she believes her 14-year-old cat Pumpkin is fighting to survive kidney failure in an animal hospital because it ate Iams cat food, a premium brand.
“I can’t prove it,” said Targett, a former veterinary technician, “but I think it’s very suggestive.”
Pumpkin was doing fine a few days ago, until he lost his appetite and energy and developed ulcers in his mouth. The family pet is now getting intravenous liquids to help in his struggle to survive.
Laura Rensink, Pumpkin’s vet at the Del Valle Animal Hospital in Livermore, said it is possible that bad food caused the cat’s renal failure, but she cannot say for sure.
“Cats compensate for their diseases very well, until they reach the edge of the cliff and plummet off,” Rensink said in an e-mail Monday night.
She called the food recall “massive” because it involves many types of popular brands.
Keith Brown, a bartender who moved from Walnut Creek to Las Vegas last year, said he believes cat food contributed to the fatal disease that took his 14-year-old cat Agusta a week ago.
After his cat was gone and the recall was announced, Brown found out he had bought Iams food subject to the recall.
“I feel guilty because I feel that I killed my cat. I poisoned her,” Brown said Monday by phone. “But I couldn’t have known. I trust the pet food companies to produce safe food. I’m very upset.”
New York Times contributed to this story. Reach reporter Denis Cuff at 925-943-8267 or email@example.com.
A list of recalled pet foods can be found at the Menu Foods Web site, www.menufoods.com/recall. Consumers can call the company at 866-463-6738 for information.


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DETROIT (WXYZ) — The owner of a salon on Detroit's west side is reeling after thieves broke in and stole everything from hair dryers to trash bins. She thought the fence and barbed wire would protect the business she had prayed and meditated for and dreamed of.
"Amor Natural Way, the vision for it has always been to have a natural hair and twisting salon in the city of Detroit for all-natural styles," says owner Amor Shanee. "It runs off no chemicals, just all protective styles for the natural healthiness of your hair and natural hair growth."
She’s been managing a studio in Southfield while preparing her new salon for a grand opening in the coming weeks.
It appears someone hopped the fence then stole a brand new window air conditioning unit and used that space as the entry point.
"They took everything from supplies to products to appliances, electronics," she said.
The thieves ransacked the salon in the process. Police do not have any suspects as of now. Shanee says she is doing what she can to pick up the pieces and move forward with the grand opening
She is hoping to replace the stolen items, install security cameras and move forward with the grand opening in August as planned. A GoFundMe page has been created to assist with expenses here.


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Forget toiletries and bathrobes — surprising items like mattresses are being stolen from luxury hotel rooms too
The list of items routinely disappearing from European hotel rooms includes television sets, pieces of art, and even mattresses, in addition to more traditional thefts like tiny toiletries, bathrobes, and towels. Sarymsakov Andrey/Shutterstock A Germany-based luxury hotel guide just conducted a survey that found hotel guests are taking unconventional “souvenirs” from their hotel rooms.While common…
- A Germany-based luxury hotel guide just conducted a survey that found hotel guests are taking unconventional “souvenirs” from their hotel rooms.
- While common items like towels, bathrobes, pens, and toiletries find their way into departing guests’ luggage most frequently, 1,157 luxury hotels in Europe reported that other items are regularly stolen too.
- Coffeemakers, television sets, works of art, and even mattresses are among the more extravagant clipped items.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Some things are almost expected to go missing from hotel rooms, like tiny toiletries and branded pens. Others, like television sets and coffeemakers, are most certainly not.
Wellness Heaven, a Germany-based luxury hotel guide, surveyed 1,157 luxury hoteliers from four- and five-star hotels primarily located in Europe to establish what items hotel guests are taking home with them beyond mini shampoo bottles.
Some items are expected — nearly three-quarters of hotelier respondents said towels and bathrobes are most frequently taken from hotel rooms. But mattresses and artwork thefts were also reported by a surprisingly large number of hoteliers. According to the survey, 49 hotels reported having mattresses stolen. The survey found that those more expensive, big ticket items are most likely to be stolen in the middle of the night, and also more likely to be taken from five-star hotels than four-star hotels.
The CEO of Wellness Heaven, Tassilo Keilmann, told CNN that many instances of thievery go unreported by luxury hotels for a simple reason. “In a lot of cases, they don’t report it to the police, because they don’t want to be connected to crime,” Keilmann said, even though it is relatively simple to determine which guest walked away with a mattress.
The survey also collected data on more unique one-off thefts that don’t necessarily point to a larger trend. One hotelier in Austria, for example, reported the theft of pine wood sauna benches; another in the Maldives said their hotel is constantly ordering new floral arrangements to keep up with the disappearance rate.
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A clever new piece of technology has been introduced to help broken-down electric vehicles and four-wheel-drives be towed without engine damage.
Currently, it isn’t possible to tow some vehicles – such as many EVs and 4x4s – along with cars dealing with seized brakes or failed wheel bearings.
Many manufacturers recommend that EVs shouldn’t be towed as the car’s electric motor is mechanically linked to the wheels and can’t be placed in neutral. Towing one can cause lasting damage to the car’s powertrain.
However, Steve Ives, chief engineer for the AA, has come up with a solution. It’s a freewheeling hub that rescue patrols can fix to the rear wheels of a broken down vehicle, allowing it to be towed while saving time by avoiding the need for a low-loader.
The system – first created in wood form in Ives’ shed at home – is now being piloted by 200 AA patrols across the country, before a full rollout to all 2,100 patrols by June next year.
Ives said: “I love the challenge of coming up with solutions to seemingly impossible situations. I worked for many hours in my shed at night and eventually crafted a wooden prototype. This has now been put into production and is working well.”
In other motoring news, Vauxhall has introduced a new front-wheel-drive variant of its Grandland X Hybrid to give buyers a cheaper entry into the range.
While the all-wheel-drive Grandland X Hybrid utilises a twin-motor setup – with one at the front and one at the rear of the car – the front-wheel-drive variant ditches that rearward motor.
It enters the market priced from £32,390, coming in underneath the four-wheel-drive’s £35,590 entry price.
According to Vauxhall, the car’s efficiency has improved. The manufacturer claims 15mpg more than its four-wheel-drive stablemate at 192mpg, while emissions sit at 25g/km CO2. The all-electric range has been improved too, meaning 34 miles of petrol-free driving should be possible.


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Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is all set to rock the Auto Expo Motor Show 2014, with an impressive lineup of global and Indian models, in the largest two wheeler pavilion at the expo.
Prime attraction at HMSI pavilion would no doubt be the Honda RC213V of Marc Marquez, which won the MotoGP 2013 championship.
However if there is one motorcycle all Indian Motorcycle Enthusiasts are waiting eagerly to be launched in India, it is the Honda CBR500R. And while Honda has confirmed its presence at the expo, there is no word yet on the launch date.
Indian Motorcycling Enthusiasts will also get a chance to see Honda CBR600F, which too is likely to come to India soon and should help HMSI compete with the likes of Ninja 650R.
Honda would also be showcasing Goldwing motorcycle and PCX125 scooter at their pavilion, along with other motorcycles from their current lineup.
While there is no word yet on whether or not the CBR300 would be launched at the Auto Expo, we are hoping that it would be.
Akshway Kumar would also be making an appearance at HMSI Booth, along with cartoon character, Chhota Bheem. There will also be an outdoor activity area, where people can watch Honda ATVs in action.
Of course we will be there to bring you all the action from the Honda Motorcycle and Scooter Pavilion at Auto Expo Motor Show 2014, so stay tuned for in-depth coverage.


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MARKET REVERSAL PUTS OCEAN CARRIERS OFF ORDERING LARGER SHIPS
The rapid deterioration of the container shipping market is putting off ocean carriers from moving to the next phase of very large containerships, senior shipping executives told an industry conference in Hamburg.
Hans Payer, executive at the German classification society Germanischer Lloyd, told the International Symposium on Liner Shipping that several carriers and shipyards have considered building 12,000-TEU ships, going beyond the current limit of about 8,000 TEUs.
“It is just the present crisis which postpones ordering ships of that size (of 12,000 TEUs),” Payer said.
China Shipping Container Line has also shelved its plan to build the container shipping industry’s first 9,500-TEU containerships, industry executives told American Shipper.
Nikolaus Schues, chairman and owner of Hamburg-based charter owner Laeiszt and president of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, told the conference that two 7,500-TEU containerships ordered by Hapag-Lloyd will be delivered this fall, and “further increases in sizes are already under discussion.” Schues cited studies about 12,000 or 18,000-TEU boxships.
“The question of whether such mega-carriers will be built, and whether this is necessary, cannot seriously be answered at the moment,” he said. “Larger ships may be more economical than smaller ones, presuming they are sufficiently well filled, but they will cause higher costs for the on-carriage and delivery of the boxes in the ports.”
Peter Dietrich, head of the German port operator HHLA, criticized “the fallacy of scale” in container shipping.
“He who stands up in the cinema hall sees better,” Dietrich told the Hamburg conference. “But if everyone stands up, then only the very tall ones enjoy the movie!”


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From a standing start in 2013, HonestBrew has been a forerunner in the subscription beer business despite dealing with some unusual corporate bullying.
As a man well versed in securing investment from institutional backers, a new fundraising push has got Giles Fuchs looking back on how he’s honed his technique for banking growth capital.
Boom Cycle was first on the spinning scene in 2011, but now faces intense competition. Here’s how it plans to use a £2.1m investment to dominate indoor cycling.
Adam Smith may have coined the phrase, but Napoleon made it famous: England is a “nation of shopkeepers”. Today, Britain is a nation of startups, with a record 608,100 new companies formed in 2016 alone. But when it comes to helping startups to scale, we have lamentably failed.
Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud has one again utilised the power of the crowd to raise funding for his sustainable homes business, with nearly £2m raised so far.
With equity crowdfunding on the rise, Real Business brings you 2016’s ten biggest crowdfunding deals – including a beer brand and one swapping currency.
More companies in the technology space were backed by venture capital and institutional sources than during the market peak back in 2000, new findings from Ascendant Corporate Finance have found.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has voted to legalise equity crowdfunding in the US, and British fundraising platform Seedrs is ready to capitalise on the opportunity with an American expansion.
Hardly a day goes by without a news headline referring to “innovation” or “digital disruption” as reports of large businesses struggling to find growth look to adapt their business model in the face of new competitors.
Raising funds is a complex part of the business cycle. Here's what you need to know about fundraising.
Companies looking to raise cash need a hook to attract the right investor, argues Jamie Beare.
With private family photo-sharing and messaging app Togethera having just charged itself with £220,000 worth of expansion capital, we grilled co-founder Sokratis Papafloratos on what it takes to secure the backing of successful entrepreneurs like the founders of Secret Escapes and Shutl.


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THREE grand can buy you a round-trip airfare to most places around the world, however new research shows that Australians are now forking out this same exorbitant amount each year to cover their far less exciting travel plans.
Global workplace provider Regus has found that the cost of commuting to work has skyrocketed by 52% in just five years, now cutting Australian pockets by more than $3,000 each year.
Not only are prices becoming more unaffordable but the average time per year it takes to get to work has risen to 241 hours, just over ten days out of the year.
According to Regus Australian and New Zealand CEO Paul Migliorini, organisations are now adjusting procedure and more frequently turning to remote working solutions such as Skype, WhatsApp and Google Hangouts to help ease this financial burden.
"Work is no longer a matter of where you go but what you do, and it's refreshing to see so many businesses realign their policies to ease the burden on employees," says Migliorini.
"Reducing the commuting burden not only offers workers a better work-life balance, but businesses are increasingly realising the benefits this has on productivity as a whole."
Nearly 80% of senior management personnel surveyed by Regus have confirmed their support for remote working, and 68% of businesses report their need to offer remote working solutions for staff retention and development.
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HP will be bundling Netscape with all new HP desktops and laptops sold in the US and Canada. Under this initiative, users will have the choice of either Netscape or Internet Explorer. The company has said it made the choice to use Netscape because of its relative security and its ability to use two rendering engines - both that of IE and Firefox. The deal will also help AOL by making it easier for users to sign up to it.
TechSpot is celebrating its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.


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Buyers Must Adapt Quickly to the Change of Currency Value
Since late last year, the Euro has been decreasing at a steady but significant rate. Currently down 16% from just six months ago, the European Central Bank declared purchases of 60 billion euro per month in bonds in an attempt to alleviate the economic situation. In light of this sensitive monetary situation, many markets around the world are being affected. The art market, for example, is seeing a significant decrease in European buyers. With the strengthening dollar, the opportunity is presented for cash-heavy Americans to scoop up prized works of art. The world of global sourcing, however, has a different fate. Intimately woven together through trade agreements, the question of how the Euro affects sourcing markets, particularly India’s, is delicate and far-reaching.
With Europe the runner-up of India’s major trading partners, the decline in the Euro has created ripples for both European and Indian companies alike. As the Indian rupee builds strength against the Euro, European buyers could suffer losses of up to 12% in exchange rates by 2016. Economists report that stock holders might see a depreciation of value as high as 15%. Many Indian companies have made profits in rupees. They will ask European buyers to continue to pay for products in rupees - now at a higher price due to the falling Euro. European buyers may have to consider other low cost sourcing destination options.
However, European buyers may come out without too much damage in this situation if their Indian suppliers have their operating income in Euro. In this case, the Indian companies will suffer as they will be paid less to do the same amount of work.
Certainly one thing that can be counted on is that as the Euro continues to fall, the U.S. dollar will continue to climb. Rather than being excited by the prospect of having a stronger currency, U.S. financial experts are worried about the how the high dollar will play out in the world of international exports. As the dollar increases in value, exports abroad will too increase in price, although Federal officials should not worry too much about the impact of expensive exports on the country’s GDP as it only makes up 13% of the country’s income. However, if you as a supplier would like to sell your products overseas, you should still be careful of the dollar appreciation because it may affect your export revenues. Cost control should be your first priority.
In order to reduce the impact of exchange rates, buyers have to develop a contingency plan for global sourcing, for example, consider other sourcing locations or negotiate with suppliers for better quality products. You should always have a Plan B when doing international business. Otherwise, you may suffer from unexpected economic shocks.


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You may not be thinking lofty topics like public health and environmentalism when you grill fish in your backyard, but Barton Seaver says the path to understanding such complex topics in human terms goes right through our stomachs ...
A month after dead pigs washed ashore in a Shanghai river, the city got an even more serious meat problem: A new bird flu appeared at poultry markets. But even a recent rat meat scandal hasn't kept Shanghai's omnivores from enjoying KFC and Kung Pao Chicken.
The number of honeybees has now dwindled to the point where there may not be enough to pollinate some major U.S. crops, including almonds, blueberries and apples. And this year brought farmers closer than ever to a true pollination crisis.
Some 9 million Britons have taken up baking in the last year alone. A TV program showcasing home bakers is a runaway hit, and sales of baking goods have skyrocketed. Then there are the cake clubs, where the rules call for pacing yourself — and sampling as much as you can.
When you give to WAMU, your tax-deductible membership gift helps make possible award-winning programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, and other favorites.


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American Apparel, the troubled clothing chain embroiled in a legal battle with its founder and former chief executive Dov Charney, announced plans yesterday to slash around $30m (£19m) of costs in a bid to reverse sharp losses and turn itself around.
The company said it will close underperforming stores and would cut jobs in order to reduce costs over the next 18 months. However, it warned there could be no guarantee that even after the restructuring it would have sufficient funds in the next 12 months unless it raised extra capital.
“We are committed to turning this company around. [Yesterday’s] announcements are necessary steps to help American Apparel adapt to headwinds in the retail industry, preserve jobs for the overwhelming majority of our 10,000 employees, and return the business to long-term profitability,” said Paula Schneider, the retailer’s chief executive.
American Apparel has been posting losses for the last five years and is also trying to emerge from a showdown with Charney, who was ousted last year for allegedly misusing company funds and after a series of misconduct allegations made by staff. It is facing about 20 lawsuits from Charney and shareholders.


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On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the Chinese military had successfully implanted malicious microchips in motherboards used by almost 30 U.S. companies as well as intelligence agencies.
Implanting microchips is a hardware hack that literally adds a piece that shouldn’t be there, opening a door for further attacks. Here’s what you need to know:
What did the microchips do?
The specific components added by a unit of the People’s Liberation Army allowed the motherboards to communicate with and be controlled or modified by an outside computer. That meant that these systems were pre-programmed to accept modifications, including, for example, manipulation of the requirement for a password.
Bloomberg quoted Joe Grand, a hardware hacker, as saying that “Having a well-done, nation-state-level hardware implant surface would be like witnessing a unicorn jumping over a rainbow.”
How did they get there?
The motherboards with the malicious chips were manufactured in China for the U.S. company Supermicro. That company assembles its products in the U.S., but its main product, motherboards, is manufactured in China. Supermicro, although not a household name for many Americans, supplies the hardware, often custom-built, for a wide range of companies and government agencies.
That means that compromising the motherboards manufactured by Supermicro was an easy way to give China uninhibited access to key American industries and government operations. That’s exactly what happened.
More specifically, the microchips themselves were manufactured by the Chinese military. Its officers then approached Chinese factories making motherboards for Supermicro and, with bribes and threats, had those microchips inserted during production. Those motherboards then became part of servers sold by Supermicro and used in U.S. data centers.
How was the problem discovered?
As Bloomberg reports, the problem was discovered when Amazon looked into acquiring video compressing and formatting start-up Elemental Technologies. As part of its review, Amazon had a third-party security firm analyze Elemental’s servers. That review found that within the motherboards used in the company’s servers was a tiny microchip that wasn’t part of the original design.
Amazon reported this to U.S. authorities. Elemental's products, in addition to working on commercial projects like streaming the Olympics, also were used by the Department of Defense, CIA drone operations, and Navy warships.
How big was the problem?
The problem was much bigger than Elemental and affected almost 30 companies. That’s because it wasn’t just Elemental who used Supermicro motherboards, but more than 900 companies in 100 countries in 2015. The supply chain itself had been compromised.
When did we learn about it?
Intelligence sources had long said that the Chinese were attempting this sort of hardware attack, but the first report of activity targeted at Supermicro came in 2014 in a report made to the Obama White House. Washington was limited in its response because no attack had been reported and they had few details to act on.
In May 2015, Apple reported suspicious activity to the FBI but kept the details quiet. Apple quietly cut ties with Supermicro soon after. The Amazon report to the FBI seems to have been much more cooperative and allowed better government understanding of the supply chain breach. After that, Amazon also worked to cut ties with its data center in China and eventually sold it off. The full investigation, however, is still ongoing.
What was China after?
According to the Bloomberg report, Beijing wanted “long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks.” Consumer data does not appear to have been the target.
What do the companies involved have to say?
Amazon, Apple, and Supermicro have all disputed the findings of Bloomberg’s report. Those statements, however, are disputed by the series of interviews, documents, and other information provided by both industry insiders and government officials involved in the matter to Bloomberg.
What are some key takeaways?
For one thing, this report undermines the long-held confidence that China wouldn’t want to try a hardware hack because it might hurt international trust in Chinese products driving lucrative manufacturing away from the country. It also means that although the U.S. has been focused on software attacks, added vigilance on imported hardware is also necessary.
Additionally, this means that China already likely has much, much more information on both U.S. industry and military operations than was previously thought, and that Beijing is willing to aggressively and illegally go after this information.
Finally, for President Trump’s promise of a better trade deal with China, it lends more credibility to claims of improper behavior on the part of Beijing, and perhaps justifies domestic production of key industries — not steel, but perhaps motherboards.
[Also read: Mike Pence: Google shouldn't help China censor Internet searches]


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Sweet tooth equals sweet dollars
Chocolate sales soar over Easter holiday
by Jeff Colbourne
NNSL (Apr 15/98) - Easter is over, but not the chocolate. And if sales are any indication there's plenty of the sweet stuff still floating around.
At Shopper's Drug Mart, owner Daryl Dolynny said sales were the highest he's seen in years.
"We were one of the few retailers that had sufficient quantity of chocolates going into the Easter season and we were quite happy with the sales," said Dolynny on Monday.
Many, many thousands of dollars worth of chocolates stocked the shelves at the Panda mall store last week. "I don't know the figure off-hand but we did bring in heavier-than-normal (stock)," he said.
Traditionally, more than a few retailers have run out over the years so he tends to carry a little heavier stock to accommodate that.
"I probably bumped up my numbers about 20 to 30 per cent this year. I almost had a 100 per cent sell-through."
Sales compare to the early '90s this Easter. "It's a very definite sweet tooth out there especially for Easter," he added.
The depth of product has increased also said Dolynny.
New companies are making chocolate, Hot items this year for instance were a T-Rex chocolate, little truck and trailers made of chocolate.
Sutherland's Drugs on Franklin Avenue is also pleased with the chocolate sales this Easter but some chocolate didn't sell well.
"We brought in the hollow eggs filled with the name-chocolate-bar types. We brought in the solid rabbits and hollow rabbits. The hollow rabbits don't sell that well but they went fairly well. More than 90 per cent of them were sold," said store manager Stephen Gwilliam.
"The thing that didn't go -- and I didn't think it would go that well -- was the Ferrero Roche eggs."
Sutherland's said chocolate sales are not a huge thing for them.
"We realize that the world's largest retailer is going to dominant the segment," said Gwilliam.
Wal-Mart had little difficulty selling its chocolate stock. By late afternoon on Saturday a large selection dwindled down to close to nothing.
A Wal-Mart manager said sales were fairly high.


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A contest for designers to create a logo, song, mascot and slogan for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the 11th ASEAN Para Games (Para Games 11) was launched in Hanoi on August 30.
|The press conference launching the SEA Games 31 logo and slogan design contest on August 30|
The launching of the contest was co-organised by the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the Vietnam Sports Administration.
Vietnamese designers aged 15 years and over can send their entries to www.logoseagame31.com.vn, from September 1 to October 10. For songs, entries should be submitted to the organising board ahead of the November 10 deadline.
The organising board will present eight first prizes worth 30 million VND (1,300 USD) each and 16 consolation prizes worth 5 million VND each.
In addition, the winner of the song composing category will get 50 million VND.
An awards presentation ceremony is scheduled to be held on October 30.
SEA Games 31 and Para Games 11 will be hosted by Vietnam in 2021.-VNA


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BAKERS have thanked North East customers after their support forced a Government U-turn on the dreaded pasty tax.
Greggs was among those with the most to celebrate yesterday as the firm’s share price rose 8.12%, recovering some of the £30m wiped of its value as a result of George Osborne’s Budget.
The firm faced financial troubles as a result of proposals announced in March to place 20% VAT on all food sold hot, ending a rule which had previously exempted pasties and sausage rolls. The Treasury has instead decided not to hit pasties with the tax if they are sold fresh from an oven but not kept on heated trays, as is the case in Greggs stores.
Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan said the change in proposals shows ministers are prepared to listen.
He said: “They have listened to us, they took on our proposal and went with that. We don’t store savouries in a heated environment or use heat retaining packages for our savouries, we don’t cook to order, we don’t market them as hot, but if we did any of that then that would now be subject to VAT.
“The changes follow a tremendous showing of support. We are indebted to the people of the North East who signed our petition, to The Journal for its support and great credit to two MPs in particular.
“Mary Glindon and Ian Swales were tremendous in helping to get our alternative proposals listened to by the Government, also, the Duchess of Northumberland who personally signed the petition and lent her support.
“We couldn’t have asked for more, the people of the North East have been outstanding. But again, the Government has been good in seeing people wanted a better way forward.” Mr McMeikan praised Treasury minister David Gauke, who he said had shown a great willingness to listen to the arguments put forward.
The baking industry won its fight following a high profile campaign that was backed by thousands of people, including the many Journal readers who supported the Save Our Savouries campaign.
The U-turn means the 20% tax will now be charged only on cooked pies and pasties that are kept hot, but not those that are still warm after coming out of the oven. Mr McMeikan said the new rules had cleared up anomalies in the tax system and would mean bakers who kept their savoury products hot would now not be able to avoid paying VAT.
He added: “It’s a much clearer, workable way forward. We are very pleased for our customers and I think the Government deserves to be applauded.”
Michael Dickson, managing director at South Tyneside’s Dickson bakers also welcomed the news.
The firm collected 7,000 signatures in its campaign against the tax, bringing in support from former foreign secretary David Miliband along the way.
Mr Dickson said: “Bakers and members of the public across the UK have united in expressing their concerns to the Government, so it is great to finally see that Westminster has listened and brought some common sense to situation. It has been our aim since the initial announcement to have a tax system that is workable, where businesses like ours pay VAT on goods they sell intentionally hot but fresh bakery products sold from our deli counters – where it is impossible to determine with any accuracy whether these products are above or below ambient temperature – should remain exempt from VAT.
“I am pleased we have all finally arrived at the same solution.”
Caravan tax U-turn: Pages 34&39