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A little less than a month ago, we had reported about a brand new series of smartphones that Samsung is widely rumored to bring out any time now- the Galaxy M series, being heralded by 4 incoming smartphone models: M10, M20, M30 and M50.
Now, we have irrefutable evidence about one of the said models, the Galaxy M10. Just today, on the 18th of December, Galaxy M10 has been given the green light by Wi-Fi Alliance for conformity to its standards of interoperability.
This means that the not only will Galaxy M10 be the first smartphone from the M series to enter the market, but the release date of the Galaxy M10 is also really close.
Samsung has now confirmed that the device would be launched in India first on January 28. The Galaxy M10 would be an online exclusive device and would be available to purchase from Amazon as well as the Samsung Online Shop.
Samsung looks to replace the aging Galaxy J series with the new budget series in M, and while our guess is as good as yours, we think the Galaxy M10 will hit the sweet spot of INR 7,000-10,000 ($100-120) in the budget segment which is currently ruled by Xiaomi and Honor handsets in India.
If you loved the devices like Galaxy J3, Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7, it’s time to bid them adios, and welcome the new Galaxy M10 — should be followed by more devices like M20 and M50 down the line. Keep watching this space for more.
We don’t think Samsung will release the M10 with its One UI and Android Pie pre-installed, but we would expect an update for that later on. Right now, Samsung is busy updating its flagship devices in Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 to Android 9 Pie while on the hardware front, it has exciting phones like Galaxy S10, 5G phone (S10 variant), and a Galaxy Flex foldable phone lined up.


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Anheuser-Busch InBev completes acquisition of Grupo Modelo
Constellation Brands transaction expected to close June 7
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Leuven, Belgium, has completed its acquisition of Grupo Modelo, Mexico City, in a transaction valued at $20.1 billion. The combined company will benefit from the growth potential that Modelo brands such as Corona have globally outside of the United States, as well as locally in Mexico, where there also will be opportunities to introduce AB InBev brands through Modelo’s distribution network, the companies say.
The combined company will lead the global beer industry with roughly 400 million hectoliters of beer volume annually, bringing together five of the top six most valuable beer brands in the world, the companies note. The acquisition also is expected to generate approximately $1 billion in cost synergies.
“We have tremendous respect for Grupo Modelo and its brands, and we are thrilled to welcome our Grupo Modelo colleagues to the global team,” said Carlos Brito, chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev, in a statement. “We look forward to realizing our opportunities for growth and bringing our beers to more consumers around the world as we join two world-class brewers.”
As previously announced, Ricardo Tadeu will serve as zone president of Mexico and chief executive officer of Grupo Modelo, effective immediately. Mexico will become AB InBev's seventh zone. Grupo Modelo’s headquarters will remain in Mexico City, and it will continue to have a local board, which will be appointed by AB InBev at its next shareholders meeting.
The related transaction with Victor, N.Y.-based Constellation Brands — including the sale of Grupo Modelo’s Piedras Negras brewery, Grupo Modelo’s 50 percent stake in Crown Imports, and perpetual rights to Grupo Modelo’s brands in the United States — is expected to close June 7.

domain: news


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It’s not always so bad to lack funds in the early days of starting a business. That’s the belief of Richard Caballero, founder and CEO of ComLinked Corp. (the name stands for “companies linked”), an online marketplace in which businesses can connect with one another and develop better sales channels.
Caballero, a 25-year veteran of the tech industry, mulled over a few different funding options when plotting the launch of ComLinked. “We considered crowdfunding,” he says in this week’s BusinessCast podcast. “But we really wanted to launch it first, because it was very difficult for people to grasp the concept before there was a viable example live and functioning.”
While Caballero hasn’t ruled out crowdfunding entirely—especially now that ComLinked is up and running—he opted instead for a DIY approach to financing his new venture. And that has yielded some surprising benefits.
“I bootstrapped it and paid for it out of pocket, with some help from family members. Due to limited funds initially, the platform took longer to develop than originally planned,” says Caballero. “But at the same time it enabled us to really, thoroughly test the platform with beta users. Not only in Canada, but across companies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.”
Caballero feels that early feedback has been essential in allowing his company to develop a platform good enough to take to market.
For more of Caballero’s thoughts, check out this week’s BusinessCast, which you can listen to by clicking the button above or download by clicking on the iTunes logo below:
For more BusinessCast podcasts, click here.


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Apple stock tumbled below $100 per share immediately following the company’s earnings report last month and now appears to be holding steady in the lower $90 per share range. At this point investors are looking for the bottom and considering when might be a good time to get into (or back into) Apple stock.
What bears are saying about Apple stock
In a report dated May 8, RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani and team said investor sentiment on the iPhone maker is currently skewed toward the negative, but they believe its stock is oversold. Shares have plunged 11% since the company’s April 26 earnings report, compared to the S&P 500’s 2% decline in the same timeframe. The RBC team said investors are becoming more interested now in Apple stock since the price has come down, but they’re trying to gauge whether it’s close to a bottom.
A decade ago, no one talked about tail risk hedge funds, which were a minuscule niche of the market. However, today many large investors, including pension funds and other institutions, have mandates that require the inclusion of tail risk protection. In a recent interview with ValueWalk, Kris Sidial of tail risk fund Ambrus Group, a Read More
Perhaps the key arguments against Apple are those dealing with the iPhone. There have been concerns that replacement cycles are growing longer and longer for quite some time. And then there’s the weakness of the iPhone 6s, which caused the company to report its first ever unit decline in the March quarter. Perhaps worse than this are the reports that the iPhone 7 won’t be very different than the iPhone 6s.
Another big bearish argument the RBC team gives for Apple stock is China, which shifted from being the tailwind it was is for about four or five quarters to being a headwind in the March quarter as sales plunged year over year in the region. Further, some investors are concerned that the company’s margins have peaked, and management implied even more downside going forward in their guidance. Daryanani and team also report that some investors are concerned that the practice of doing share repurchases by raising debt is unsustainable. Further, much of Apple’s cash is trapped overseas, which makes the company’s valuation even less attractive.
What bulls are saying about Apple stock
The RBC team said Apple bulls expect iPhone growth to accelerate in the long term and the replacement cycle to smooth out this year and next, especially if the company releases a phone with an OLED display, as rumors have suggested. Bulls also see services as providing a solid base for revenues going forward as they were 12% of total revenues in the March quarter, and they expect services to see growth in the double digits and be accretive to margins.
Further, the U.S. dollar should finally begin to weaken, which should make currencies become a tailwind to revenues and margins. Also Apple stock trades at less than seven times free cash flow, which bulls say is attractive and “close to historical trough valuations,” said the RBC team. Bulls also believe the current setup is similar to what we saw in 2013 with the iPhone 5s and 5c cycle as sentiment got extremely bearish then, but then the iPhone 6 proved to be a massive success.
Apple stock poised for a rally
Daryanani and team note that Apple’s valuation is currently within 10% of the 2013 troughs, so they believe it will rally soon, but only in the $90 to $110 range. They add that iPhone cycles will likely keep growing longer and “keep a lid on revenue/EPS growth for AAPL till we get an innovative iPhone iteration.”
However, they believe that in fiscal 2017, the iPhone 7 will at least drive stable, mid-single digit growth in units. They have an Outperform rating and $120 per share price target on Apple stock.


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Australia’s favourite annual toy sale, BIG W’s Toy Mania, is here with over 1,000 products from big name brands like Barbie, LEGO and Hot Wheels up to 50% off.
To mark the biggest ever Toy Mania sale, BIG W has released its Toy Mania Report, a deep dive into this year’s toy trends and the hottest items on Aussie kid’s wish lists, based on the retailer’s data and team of toy experts.
To see more of Big W’s Toy Mania sale watch the video player above
The key toy trends for 2021 are products for holidaying at home, a resurgence of toys for schoolyard fun, solo play, collectables for the big kids and small screen love.
BIG W is providing many ways to shop the Toy Mania sale, with Contactless Pickup, Home Delivery and Direct to Boot service available.
Online/in store lay-by gives customers the choice to lay-by now for Christmas either from home or in store - that’s 20 weeks that BIG W will store your gifts away from prying little eyes!
And to further help customers budget now for Christmas, payment solutions with Afterpay and ZipPay are also available.
For more details visit bigw.com.au
This content is a paid partnership between Big W and The Morning Show


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We’re proud to announce our partnership with Auctane, home to brands ShipStation and ShipEngine. Paired with ShipperHQ’s powerful pre-purchase shipping solution, merchants can seamlessly manage shipping from browsing, to checkout and delivery.
Want to step up your Magento shipping strategy game? Start with ShipperHQ. Explore features like Dimensional Packing, Delivery Date & Time and more.
With this 8-step shipping strategy checklist by your side, you can offer an effective, Amazon like-experience to your online customers and much more.
From non-traditional showrooms to augmented reality (AR), storefronts are quickly testing the waters and evolving to keep up with the changing ecommerce landscape.
The holiday season may feel like a bit of a mystery this year, but we’ve got valuable stats that shed…
For ecommerce retailers and consumers alike, 2020 has been a year of transformation, both for better and worse. See how…
Shopify Plus and ShipperHQ have officially partnered up to offer merchants more powerful checkout conversion than ever using powerful shipping strategies.
Holiday shopping brings a crucial and reliable boost to millions of retailers. But the 2020 season won’t see such massive leaps. But there’s good news too.
See how enabling Delivery Date & Time functionality can increase conversions and combat cart abandonment at checkout.
Amazon-style checkout is a feature merchants dream of offering. But without the resources to build it, it might seem like a pipe dream. Here’s why it’s not.


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Cardano’s Ada acquired a contemporary wave of optimism and shopping for quantity on Feb. 26 that pushed its worth to a brand new all-time excessive of $1.29, making it the third-ranked cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Information from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView exhibits that Ada surged 27% from a low of $0.98 in the course of the early buying and selling hours on Feb. 26 to its new excessive at $1.29 on report buying and selling quantity.
Momentum for the undertaking has been constructing all through the month of February following the integration of the Mary upgrade to Cardano’s testnet on Feb. 3. The improve allows sensible contract performance, serving to rework the blockchain right into a multiasset community much like Ethereum.
Mary’s mainnet launch date revealed
The newest rise in worth coincided with Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson posting the next tweet, indicating Mary could be stay on the mainnet firstly of the following epoch on March 1:
Women and Gents, the rocket is within the air. Mary will attain orbit in a single epoch: https://t.co/7D9WTH68iw welcome to the Mary period: “I used to be benevolent and good; distress made me a fiend. Make me completely satisfied, and I shall once more be virtuous.”
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) February 24, 2021
Ada briefly spiked to $1.17 following the announcement earlier than pressures in the broader cryptocurrency market pushed it again under the $1.00 degree on Feb. 25.
Thereafter, the buying and selling quantity for Ada has surged to a brand new report of $12.8 billion, serving to elevate it to a brand new all-time excessive. The open curiosity for Ada futures also rose to $580 million, surpassing Litecoin (LTC) to turn out to be the third-largest derivatives market.
In response to knowledge from Cointelegraph Markets Pro, in the meantime, market circumstances for Ada have been favorable for a while.
The VORTECS™ rating, unique to Cointelegraph, is an algorithmic comparability of historic and present market circumstances derived from a mix of knowledge factors together with market sentiment, buying and selling quantity, latest worth actions and Twitter exercise.
As seen on the chart above, the VORTECS™ rating for Ada reached a excessive of 79 on Feb. 25, round 24 hours earlier than the worth started to spike 27% to a brand new all-time excessive.
Good contract performance is the important thing part of the Mary improve and is anticipated to usher in a brand new period of performance for the Cardano ecosystem. As soon as built-in, decentralized finance purposes will be capable of function on the community and supply an outlet for customers who wish to escape high gas fees on the Ethereum community.


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Have you ever sent work documents to your personal email or cloud account?
Did you delete them when you were done? How about when you left the company?
Varonis conducted a short survey at several industry events this year to estimate how much confidential information is being leaked beyond corporate walls. The results are in and nearly 30%of respondents said they store corporate data in personal accounts. What’s more, 5% admit to uploading confidential information.
In many cases, employees don’t realize the risks involved or that they might be breaching their NDA. Surprisingly, 44% claim not to have signed an NDA at all.
Our findings underscore the need for companies to clearly communicate the value of their IP and the expectations for its protection to its employees.
Download the full report to see what else we found, including stats about what happens to corporate data residing in personal accounts when employees walk out the door.


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In a PBS interview CNN founder Ted Turner says if global warming continues people will cut out the middlemen and start eating each other to survive.
If steps aren't taken to stem global warming, "We'll be eight degrees hotter in 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow," Turner said during a wide-ranging, hour-long interview with PBS's Charlie Rose that aired Tuesday.
"Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals," said Turner, 69. "Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state – like Somalia or Sudan – and living conditions will be intolerable."
It's probably a good time to buy stock in Soylent Green.
Link (Thanks, Scott!)
Apple has joined Facebook, Spotify and YouTube in tossing Alex Jones and InfoWars material from their platforms. Apple has removed the entire library for five of Infowars’ six podcasts from its iTunes and Podcast apps, BuzzFeed News has learned. Among the podcasts, which were removed from Apples’ iTunes directory, are the show “War Room” as […]
A 3 percent climb in share price made Apple the world’s first trillion-dollar publicly-traded company. Apple’s ascent from the brink of bankruptcy to the world’s most valuable public company has been a business tour de force, marked by rapid innovation, a series of smash-hit products and the creation of a sophisticated, globe-spanning supply chain that […]
Twitter’s stock closed 20.5% on Friday after the company announced it lost 1 million active users. More user loss is predicted.
SEO can be a fickle creature, but it can work in your favor—you just need the right tools. When it comes to getting your site on that coveted first page of Google, SERPstash Premium simplifies the process with 21 user-friendly tools designed to break down your page’s performance and show you where you can improve. Lifetime […]
Running a Shopify store is a great way to net some extra cash on the side or—if you really know what you’re doing—replace your 9-to-5 altogether. However, success doesn’t come naturally, and newcomers tend to receive mixed results when starting on their own. This E-Commerce Bootcamp can help start your Shopify venture off on the right […]
You might be used to rolling your own smokes, but let’s face it: it’s not the cleanest or most eco-friendly way to enjoy your habit. Instead of fussing with papers, the Twisty Glass Blunt makes having a smoke as easy as packing your herb, twisting, and lighting up. You can get your own in the […]


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Georgia, Iowa, South Carolina And Texas: What Reopening Looks Like In These States
We check in with several states that are moving forward with reopening. How have businesses adapted? Are people going back to work? And what’s happened to infection rates?
Kimberly Atkins, senior news correspondent for WBUR. (@KimberlyEAtkins)
From The Reading List
New York Times: “See Which States Are Reopening and Which Are Still Shut Down” — “In Georgia, barbers are giving haircuts armed with face masks and latex gloves. In Texas, movie theaters are filling with customers, who crunch on popcorn several seats away from the nearest stranger. People are sweating at gyms again in Tennessee. America’s reopening has begun in force, just weeks after the coronavirus put most of the country on lockdown.”
Houston Chronicle: “Barber shops, salons in northwest Houston reopen” — “Many beauty services such as barber shops and nail salons are reopening following an order from Gov. Greg Abbott allowing them to resume business, and residents around northwest Houston are coming out for their services.”
South Carolina Public Radio: “SC Lede: COVID-19 — Take It Outside” — “On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for May 2, 2020, we bring you insight into how Gov. Henry McMaster and other political leaders envision reopening the state, take the pulse of the Palmetto State’s tourism industry, and find out what this year’s college football season could look like.”
Iowa Public Radio: “Businesses Partially Re-Open in 77 Iowa Counties Amidst Pandemic” — “Seventy-seven counties in Iowa are partially re-opening business in the midst of this pandemic on Friday. Iowa’s Governor Kim Reynolds set the scene Thursday during her press conference.”
WABE: “Experts Highlight Risks And Strain As Some Georgia Malls Move To Reopen” — “Even though malls aren’t what they used to be, they can still get crowded.”
Washington Post: “As Iowa reopens, workers are being forced to choose between a paycheck and their health” — “Terrie Neider loves to be around people. ‘I’m chatty,’ she said. ‘Customer service is my thing. It’s what I’m good at.’ So when she was looking to supplement her monthly Social Security check, the 64-year-old took a part-time job at the Casey’s General Store off the main strip in this rural southeastern Iowa town. She worked three shifts, about 24 hours a week, running the cash register and occasionally making pizza, earning just enough to make ends meet.”
Texas Tribune: “At a Texas mall reopening, some antsy shoppers wore homemade masks while others called coronavirus a farce” — “It was 10:18 a.m. Friday, and the Barton Creek Square mall in Austin was opening in 42 minutes. John Whitton and Marina Oneill stood by their car outside wearing face masks — Oneill’s a DIY mask made by her roommate from a bra cup — waiting to buy a swimsuit (for Oneill) and shoes (for Whitton).”
Business Insider: “In South Carolina, residents slowly return to select reopened retail stores and beaches, even as the state extends its state of emergency order. Here’s what it’s like.” — “South Carolina became one of the first states to allow businesses to reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak last week, joining nearby Georgia in taking an early gamble in restarting the economy.”
CNN: “Tensions and backlash mount as US coronavirus reopenings reveal a new way of life” — “With nearly all states partially reopened this week, backlash and frustrations are growing Friday as Americans struggle with ways to combat the deadly coronavirus. More than 45 states by Sunday will have relaxed restrictions on some combination of businesses, services or parks, hoping to lift economies crushed by a pandemic that has killed nearly 76,000 people in the United States and infected over 1.2 million.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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With the growing threat of fraud fueled by the digital acceleration that took place in 2020, Experian recently released its 2021 Future of Fraud Forecast that reveals five emerging fraud threats...
Jan 12, 2021
Consumers seem to have a heightened awareness about the value of their information with about 69% of Indian consumers saying they like the changes being made to the customer experience as a result of...
Jun 25, 2020
Trusted online relationships are based on businesses providing both a secure environment and seamless consumer experiences, according to Experian’s 2019 Identity and Fraud Report: Asia-Pacific...
Apr 23, 2019


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U.K. Inflation Expectations Rise to Highest Since 2013
(Bloomberg) -- U.K. households are more pessimistic about the outlook for inflation than at any time in five years, according to Citigroup and YouGov. And with oil prices up 40 percent in the past year and above $80 a barrel again, there’s potential for concerns to intensify. Citi says that above-average inflation expectations “could risk becoming self-fulfilling and thus a concern for Bank of England rate setters.”
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.


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• Bank customers face more than 10 charges, taxes
• Payment service firms, banks’ earnings to increase
• Nigeria, others need $152b investment in 10 years
Transactions through electronic payment (e-payment) channels that would facilitate the country’s planned cashless policy hit a cumulative value of N284 trillion in the first half of this year, data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed.
The data showed that the depth of adoption of the electronic channels within the period was significant, as no fewer than 3.81 billion transactions were recorded across all payment platforms.
The development showed that the cashless policy, which has already taken off in some states and the expected national rollout in March 2020, came with a mix of opportunities and costs for banks and their customers, government and payment service providers.
Channels that would be prominent in the cashless era include the Internet (web) platform, which are currently enmeshed in controversy over planned Value Added Tax charge on transactions by 2020.
In the last six months, it generated 47.98 million transactions valued at N223.35 billion, while mobile money records showed 104.8 million transactions worth N1.97 trillion.
The inter-bank e-payment platform recorded 1.76 billion activities worth N203.35 trillion, while the National Instant Payment platform generated 504.2 million activities, valued at N49.35 trillion.
Electronic cheque transaction had 3.42 million activities in the period, worth N2.3 trillion, with the Automated Teller Machine and Point of Sales terminals recording 424.62 million and 187.7 million transactions valued at N3.24 trillion and N1.38 trillion respectively, while the popular Remita generated 21.6 million activities worth N9.84 trillion.
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Automated Payment Services (NAPS), an integrated multi-bank e-payment, e-collection and payroll and bulk payment platform, designed for the instant processing of payroll, pension, personnel records and execution of funds transfer, direct debit, collections, schedule delivery and payment instructions, generated 20.6 million transactions, valued at N11.59 trillion.
With the withdrawal and deposit limit enforcement, bank customers would either comply and patronise more fully the electronic channels or face charges. The development, which signals more charges for bank customers as they use the services in the financial system, is currently about 10 or more.
As a survival strategy after the implementation of the Treasury Single Account, banks redoubled their instinct for multiple charges against customers in the face of dwindling opportunities and income, which subsists till now.
In no particular order, there is Account Maintenance Fee, with associated Value Added Tax (VAT); Card Maintenance Fee and associated VAT; SMS alert charge and associated VAT; Remote-on-Us, with associated VAT; Mobile transfer charge with VAT; online transactions charges; and the planned online transactions with VAT.
For financial experts and bank customers, it is really an era of taxes and charges, despite the difficult economic climate and low business activities.
CBN, foreseeing the panicky reaction to the zero Commission on Turnover (CoT) policy, reversed itself by approving a negotiable CoT charge, which should not be more than N1 per N1000 withdrawal on current account, as well as the Stamp Duty Tax.
The managing director of Cowry Assets Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu, commended the initiative but also called for caution. He told The Guardian: “It also came with the benefits of minimal keeping of cash at homes. It is long we heard that thieves made away with millions from people’s homes and that is courtesy of the cashless initiative. But the platforms that run these services will be maintained and it is a private business, so there must be cost.”
He stressed: “I will be quick to point that there is the need to be cautious in the charges and taxes associated with the use of these platforms, particularly on payment platforms, otherwise, it would be discouraging. When you ask people to embrace cashless policy and at the same time, you tax them on the use of the cashless platform, it becomes double jeopardy. I think they should think seriously about that planned online tax.”
The managing director of Financial Derivatives Limited, Bismarck Rewane, on his part, said: “We must discourage full cash-based transactions by all means and to any extent possible. Cashless system is good for transparency and payment efficiency. It will be beneficial to all.”
A banker in one of the top five banks, who only identified himself as Austin, said each transaction has many service providers at the backend and these are private businesses working to create convenience, safety and efficiency, so they deserve to earn money.
“I don’t know how much is too costly for an average customer to pay, but you can be sure that the regulator has a justified position when it allows a cost to be put on some services. But these services are optional too somehow,” he said.
But Samuel Elias, an operator of a medium sized dry cleaning shop, lamented that rather than a mutually beneficial relationship, nearly everything about banking transactions has associated charges and taxes.
“These banks act as if they are above the law. They do whatever they want to do and repeatedly. How can you say that you want people to bring money to the bank, only for you to be reducing their balances with multiple charges? Nothing is done for the sake of customer relations, yet they declare billions of naira every year,” he said.
Meanwhile, the need to rev up productive capacity in Nigeria and the rest of African economies resonated at a United Nations’ forum, where it was estimated that no less than $68 billion-$152 billion investment is required on the continent in the next 10 years.
Described as “massive investment” needs at between 3.1 per cent and 6.9 per cent of the continent’s economy, they are meant for building infrastructure and ensuring sustained growth.
The meeting called, “Promoting Innovation and Infrastructure Development: A Pathway for Boosting Manufacturing in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” was part of the UN-designated Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III).
African Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Albert Muchanga, told a gathering on infrastructure that young Africans would “produce the magic” needed to revolutionise the continent.
The development has raised a new task for leaders to devise an “incentive structure” to promote a startup culture among young Africans.
Muchanga said all that is needed is working to “harmonise our policies, rules and regulations” to smooth cross-border trade while focusing on the next generation.
“We’re not leaving the youth behind. We’re promoting startups among African youths. Because we know that if we localise knowledge and innovation, then we’ll be able to spearhead the process of sustainable development,” he said.
But the African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Akinwumi Adesina, warned that the continent is moving backwards and urged executives to produce more high-value manufactured products instead of exporting raw materials.
“Unfortunately, Africa today is de-industrialising and there is no region of the world that has actually created wealth without industrialising. Infrastructure is critical. Ports, rail, digital infrastructure, all those things are going to be very critical. That’s our bread and butter every day at the African Development Bank, connecting Africa and achieving the goal of African unity,” he said.
Already, AfDB said it has invested more than $150 million in building technology hubs in Rwanda, Senegal and Cape Verde, while it also runs collaboration and mentorship schemes to bring African entrepreneurs and investors together.
In a monitored programme, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said the “winds of hope are blowing across” Africa, as economists address raising cash for building roads, power plants and other infrastructure in the region.
He said the emergence of free trade areas across the continent provide “concrete opportunities for economic transformation. Yet, challenges remain. Despite progress, new policies are needed to unleash the full potential of industrialisation, especially in this time of technological revolution.”
In her submission, Nigerian-born UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, said there has been a “clear renewal of commitment by leader after leader to implement the 2030 agenda.”
According to her, “This is absolutely critical to respond to challenges that affect all countries – poverty, gross inequalities, discrimination against women and girls, climate change, and a rapidly deteriorating natural environment.”
Source: The guardian


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Go Daddy, the current volume leader among registrars, recently returned to $8.95 after briefly lowering its prices to $7.95 in an apparent response to price cuts by EV1Servers and Hostway. Last month EV1Servers hiked its domain pricing from $5 per year to $6.49, which equals the lowest reseller rate available from its wholesale provider, OpenSRS.
But others are willing to sell domains below cost as a marketing strategy. The newest is MyValueHost, a new business unit of HostMysite.com, which has begun selling domain names for $4 a year.
"We started the offer a couple of weeks ago with very little promotion," said Lou Honick of MyValueHost, which was launched last year. "We register the domain names through OpenSRS and we're obviously taking a loss on every name registered, but the influx of hosting business has allowed us to sustain the offer." Honick said the offer, which has a 10-domain limit, has resulted in 500 domain registrations in its early days.
A number of providers using Go Daddy's Wild West Domains wholesale unit are also selling names below the $6.75 reseller rate, some as low as $4.95. The strategy hasn't yet affected pricing from domain wholesalers, who receive their minimum price even if their clients resell for less or even give them away for free, a strategy used by DotCanada and HostMySite are doing for customers who commit to a one-year hosting plan.


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Sainsbury raises profit guidance after Argos integration boost
Supermarket group expects full-year profit to exceed analyst estimate of €631m
The integration of housewares chain Argos advanced more quickly than expected, bolstering a solid Christmas trading period for Sainsbury’s. Photograph: Neil Hall / Reuters
The London-based supermarket operator said it expects full-year underlying profit to be moderately ahead of the consensus analyst estimate of £559 million (€631 million). Sainsbury said the 2016 purchase of Argos, which offers everything from televisions to table fans via online and catalogue sales, would deliver as much as £20 million (€22.6 million) more to its earnings this year than previously expected.
The shares rose as much as 1.8 per cent early Wednesday in London.
Sainsbury continues a run of relatively strong results for the UK’s grocers that began with Wm Morrison earlier this week, after nonfood retailers like Debenhams and Mothercare issued profit warnings following weak Christmas sales.
Growth in Sainsbury’s core grocery business provides further evidence that British shoppers were willing to swallow rising food prices over Christmas, amid signs that inflation stoked by the pound’s weakness may be levelling off.
Overall like-for-like retail sales rose 1.1 per cent in the 15 weeks through January 6th, Sainsbury said. That compares with analysts’ estimates for growth of 1 per cent.
Argos had a strong Black Friday sale before Christmas, Sainsbury said. But overall sales of general merchandise, which include the chain, fell in the latest period. That indicates the synergy benefits may stem largely from cost cutting. – Bloomberg


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So not that long left before we get to see more of the game.
Fans of DICE’s Battlefield games who are eagerly looking forward to Battlefield 1– you don’t have to wait much longer to see the new World War 1 era shooter in action again. DICE have confirmed on Twitter that they will be debuting a brand new trailer for the upcoming game at Gamescom this year.
The new trailer should hopefully live up to the other trailers for the game so far- the first of which is one of the most liked YouTube videos in history, and which kicked off the kind of hype cycle for this game that the Battlefield series has rarely seen before. Mostly I am looking to see more of the kind of large scale action that the Battlefield series is known for, but in a WW1 garb.
Battlefield 1 is set to launch on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC this October. Gamescom, meanwhile, will be held in mid-August, so we should have the new trailer on hand in a couple of weeks.
— Randy Evans (@killat0n_) July 28, 2016


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PepsiCo sues Gujarat potato farmers
a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/pepsico-india-lays-potato-farmers-gujarat-sued-1510090-2019-04-25" class="companylink" title="Over">Over 190 activists on Wednesday urged the Centre to ask PepsiCo India to withdraw its "false" cases against Gujarat farmers for allegedly illegally growing a particular variety of potatoes "registered" by the company.
In a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, 194 signatories have sought financial aid and protection of rights of farmers who have been sued for growing and selling a potato variety called FC-5 potato, for which PepsiCo India Holdings claimed to have obtained "exclusive rights in the country in 2016".
"This is to bring to your urgent notice our serious concerns and facts around legal suits that are going against farmers on the matter of plant varietal rights. These are being filed by PepsiCo, a US multinational company against potato farmers in Gujarat, with regard to alleged infringement of its rights under Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPVFR) Act 2001.
"For us, this is a matter of concern with regard to this set of farmers who have been sued and intimidated, as well as others who could be similarly bullied by seed and food corporations through vexatious litigation in the assertion of plant breeder rights," the letter said.
It asked the ministry to write to PepsiCo India Holdings, asking it to withdraw its "false and untenable cases" against the farmers. ■


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Codemasters have finally released some information regarding F1 2013, showing off a teaser trailer which reveals F1 2013 Classic Edition.
Codemasters have revealed that the game will be releasing this Autumn for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 which will feature a new gamemode called F1 Classics, giving fans the chance to race classic cars on iconic circuits against legendary drivers.
F1 2013 will of course feature the latest drivers, teams and tracks as you get the chance to drive as Hamilton in the Mercedes or Perez in the McLaren. There will be updated rules, tyre changes and remodelled handling.
The new game gives fans the chance to compete against legendary drivers in cars from different eras of FORMULA ONE with a range of classic content from the 1980s. F1 Classics, introduced by legendary broadcaster Murray Walker, allows players to race iconic 1980s cars from Williams, Lotus and Ferrari against drivers including Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Gerhard Berger, with more to be announced, on classic circuits Brands Hatch and Jerez.
Furthermore there will be the chance pick up a premium edition of F1 2013 and get your hands on two more content packs which feature the 1990s additional circuits and classic cars from both Williams and Ferrari, and drivers such as David Coulthard, Eddie Irvine, Alain Prost and Jacques Villenueve.
Once again F1 2013 will have full RaceNet integration into the game, allowing you access to challenges, stats and fancy in-game progress stats and figures.
We've also got some screenshots for you to take a look at which you can of course find below.


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The company wants more than 50% of Coca-Cola sales to come from lower and no calorie versions by 2020, and says it is putting the concept of choice at the centre of its marketing strategy.
Its new ‘one brand’ strategy will see each version take on the same branding style, but with various low calorie or zero sugar attributes highlighted clearly on the front of each pack. Each variety will retain its distinctive colour coding.
Coca-Cola will double 2015 media investment in low and zero calorie / sugar versions, with these products included alongside the full calorie version in the final frames of all Coca-Cola TV ads.
Coca-Cola says its ‘one brand’ marketing strategy will unify its portfolio - Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, and Coca-Cola Life.
“Under this new approach, the enduring appeal of Coca-Cola will be extended across all four products in the Coca-Cola portfolio,” said Jon Woods, general manager, Coca-Cola Great Britain & Ireland.
“We believe our no and lower sugar variants will benefit from this closer association with Coca-Cola.
“By extending the appeal of the original Coca-Cola across our lower and no sugar variants we believe we can drive sustainable growth for our business in Great Britain in the years ahead.”
A key part of the strategy, which will be launched in May, is promoting choice. Coca-Cola says that, although it has created different options in terms of flavor, sugar and caffeine content over the years, more needs to be done in making the distinctions clear.
“This is a significant change for Coca-Cola Great Britain, which for the first time is putting “choice” at the core of its marketing strategy,” said a statement from the company.
“The new approach will place much more focus on the distinct characteristics of each Coca-Cola, raise awareness of the choice available and helping people choose the right Coke for them.”
Research revealed that consumers don’t always understand the difference between each Coca-Cola variety, with five in 10 consumers unaware that Coca-Cola Zero is a no sugar, no calorie version.
New pack designs will keep the colours associated with each drink (green for Coca-Cola Life, for example) to distinguish each product. But the branding will be in the same style, with each variant highlighting its properties on a standard position on the front of the pack.
The packaging – which will start to appear on shelves in the coming weeks – will adopt the UK government’s front-of-pack labelling scheme. This shows nutrient amounts and percentage reference intakes with colour coding, showing consumers how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and energy (calories) are in each product.
Coca-Cola says it has joined the front-of-pack labelling scheme in an effort to provide consumers with clearer information about its products.
The company is a sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2015 and will – for the first time – promote all four variants as part of the campaign.
The new marketing strategy will also be implemented in Ireland, France, Belgium, the Nordic countries, and Holland, and Spain.


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Elektron Machinedrum news
- Hot newsSpecial price
[BKFR] A 2-week sale on Elektron hardware
Elektron offers a 15% discount off its hardware until December 14th.
- Promo BF
[BKFR] Black Friday at Elektron
Elektron is pretty busy this week and along with the Analog Keys introduction, the brand offers a 10% discount off a selection of hardware.
Elektron Triple OS Release
Elektron has released three new operating systems.
Machinedrum Anniversary Trade-In Program
Ten years ago Elektron Music Machines released the original Machinedrum: To celebrate this anniversary, Elektron offers Machinedrum MKI owners to trade in their old units, pay an upgrade price and receive a new Machinedrum SPS-1UW+ MKII in return.
Elektron Machinedrum Sound Packs
Elektron Music Machines introduced Machinedrum Sound Packs.


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Retail sales jumped 17.7% in May as the country began emerging from nationwide lockdowns.
May’s retail sales numbers marked the largest single-month increase since 1992. Prior to the May spike, U.S. retail spending had been in decline for three consecutive months. The upbeat report sent stocks rallying on Tuesday.
- Are we there yet?Last month’s numbers marked a big improvement from April, but May’s overall retail spending figure of $486 billion is still well below pre-pandemic levels.
- Long road ahead. Despite the promising data, some economists predict it could still take the U.S. economy years to recover from its pandemic-induced hibernation.
- eCommerce express. eCommerce sales grew through the pandemic due to lockdown orders keeping shoppers indoors, and the trend continued in May with a 8.4% increase.
How does it affect my wallet?
Beyond expectations. The 17.7% increase topped expectations by a wide margin. A Wall Street Journal found economists only expected a 7.7% increase in May.
Grain of salt. Many parts of the U.S. remain partially locked down, and another outbreak could easily derail the reopenings. Stay diligent before you go “all-in” on the U.S. economic comeback.
- Unemployment remains high, and it will be hard for the country to get back up to speed until people get back to work.
Don’t want to miss our financial news you can finally use? Subscribe to our newsletter – it’s free!


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We’re only a week into autumn and some stores here are already selling Christmas decorations. Even though Christmas is 86 days away, Costco and Lowe’s erected their holiday displays over the past two weeks, and others are following along.
Some retailers, however, have fought back against the so-called ‘Christmas Creep.’ Target announced in 2017 that it wouldn’t display Christmas items at the front of the store until after Thanksgiving.
What do you think? Is it too early to get into the Christmas spirit?
Friday’s poll: On National Chocolate Milk Day, we asked your favorite kind. Not even close. Byrne Dairy ran away with this one, capturing 80% of the votes. Hershey’s chocolate syrup with milk finished second at 8%. Ovaltine powder mix, premixed store brands and Nesquik powder brought up the rear.
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Subscribers only: Join an insider text group with Charlie Miller to get news and updates on the Best of Central New York. SIGN UP HERE


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Flat beverages are helping overall sales at Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. stay fizzy in Mexico despite a tax on sodas, Reuters reports.
As Mexico moved toward implementing a soda tax to combat soaring rates of obesity and diabetes three years ago, the beverage industry fought back hard, warning that sales in the world’s No. 2 consumer of sugary drinks could take a hit.
But more than two years later, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have found ways to prosper in Mexico thanks to alternative beverages and resilient demand, a Reuters review of corporate filings and executive comments shows.
On Thursday, PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Indra Nooyi described the nation, the biggest for net revenue after the United States, as “one of the brightest stars” in Latin America amid turmoil in Venezuela and Brazil.
“We feel good about our business in Mexico,” she said in the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
PepsiCo’s shares popped to record highs on Thursday after its earnings of $1.35 a share beat analyst estimates.
After the tax was implemented in January 2014, beverage sales volumes declined for one quarter in Pepsi’s case and two quarters for Coke.
Since then, both have posted consistent growth in volumes in Mexico. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo both declined to comment.
Growth in other drinks the companies produce, like bottled water and juice, has contributed to that resilience. General economic growth in the country has also helped.
To read the entire article click here.
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How Trump threatens China and why Americans will pay for it again
The world economic community has been waiting for this week to fully end the US-Chinese trade war. These expectations were the stronger, the more serious the consequences of this confrontation. It has long been clear to business and financial circles that it cannot continue like this - the exchange of duties between Washington and Beijing slows down the world economy and badly affects the national economies of these countries.
In recent months, Trump has reported that the case is moving towards a “good” deal with China, that Beijing is ready to make concessions (and he went to them), and that concluding a final agreement is only a matter of time. The Celestial Empire secretly agreed to remove the requirement for American companies to share know-how in exchange for permission to work in the Chinese market. At least Trump has repeatedly stated that such a requirement exists and representatives of American business complain about it.
On the other hand, China’s unexpected flexibility is explained by the threat of the introduction of new trade duties against it - by $ 200 billion. Previously, the parties agreed on a truce in a trade war, and so far Trump “as it were” postponed the introduction of these measures. And now, just a few days before the crucial stage of the negotiations, Trump's Twitter has once again become “vicious” and many threats have come down from it. And such in scale that economists on both sides of the ocean were surprised by this.
A double salvo from Trump across China followed on Twitter on Sunday. On the eve of the talks, they were waiting for the next sayings in the style of “everything is going well” and “there will be a great deal ahead.” However, this did not happen. The US president accused Chinese sales representatives of trying to renegotiate the terms of a potential agreement, for which Beijing will certainly be punished. Trump here seems to have forgotten that this is actually about negotiations, and not just about the humiliating ceremony of signing a profitable US deal for China.
For 10 months, China has been paying Tariffs to the USA of 25% on 50 Billion Dollars of High Tech, and 10% on 200 Billion Dollars of other goods. These payments are partially responsible for our great economic results. The 10% will go up to 25% on Friday. 325 Billions Dollars....
The second tweet continued the first. In it, Trump warned about the prospects for the introduction of new 25 percent duties already at $ 325 billion, and for goods that were not previously subject to such duties. The reason is “the deal continues, but too slowly, as they are trying to revise the conditions.” These statements by Trump are now being actively discussed both in the US and in China. Moreover, the scale of these discussions is such that no negotiations can ever happen.
Trump's tweets surprised many Chinese officials. China is now considering the possibility of canceling trade talks, which should resume in Washington starting Wednesday.
So far, no official in China or the United States has confirmed Trump’s maxim that Beijing allegedly shirks some already agreed conditions. However, even if we assume that this is so, the threats from the US president really humiliate China and put it in a dependent position at the talks.
Having cocked the trigger of this “pistol”, Trump caused the Chinese side to refuse to talk on blackmail terms. US business circles rightly point out that China warned against the inadmissibility of such rhetoric and "will fulfill its promise if it avoids negotiations under threat." But then why this behavior to Trump himself?
First of all, Western economists point out that rates for China have increased. And this is one of the reasons why Trump decided on threats before the negotiations. Business agency Bloomberg notes that China's sales representative Liu He should arrive in Washington on Wednesday, along with a delegation of about 100 people. Now, Mr. He is faced with a choice - either not to go to the United States at all, or not only to accept the existing Trump demands, but also, probably, to make new concessions.
One of the most popular opinions is that Trump is deliberately swinging the markets so as not to let go of the levers of influence on them. After two high-profile tweets of the US President on Sunday on Monday, the Chinese market collapsed by 7-8% at once. As usual, the echo rolled through to other emerging markets: the Russian RTS index fell by 1.5% at the opening of trading. In parallel, Brent crude fell by 0.51%. In short, the effect of tweets was quite large-scale.
The position of Trump is stronger, the higher the rates, economists say. If there is something to back up the threats, then the situation may ultimately turn into not just a US victory in the trade war with China, but a full-scale triumph with many concessions and restrictions.
Thus, at Trump at least three goals - economic, associated with the game on the collapse of the Chinese market, political - to earn points in political circles, as well as image, designed to conquer the electorate.
But there are problems
The trade war does not come to Trump as easily as he would like. Or how much does he imagine this, speaking of "impressive economic results" on Sunday tweet. Tsargrad previously wrote that the economic confrontation with China has put many branches of the American economy at risk. The fact is that a large number of American companies are using China as a production base. Industrialization is traditionally well developed in the Middle Kingdom; there is the necessary capacity for production, cheap labor.
In addition, for 10 months of 2018, despite the trade war, the trade turnover of China and the United States grew by 12% and reached $ 526.1 billion. During this period, China only increased exports by 12.3% to $ 392.1 billion, and imports from the United States - only by 8.5%, to $ 134 billion. Thus, the negative trade balance of the United States and China reached $ 258.1 billion. This is Washington's net loss from trade with Beijing.
However, Trump managed to throw a noose around his neck for his personal image trade war with China, as well as American farmers, who for the time being suffer reciprocal duties from China, but may soon take the White House by storm, demanding to make a deal with Beijing. Farmers ’affairs are very bad, as Western economists have already said. Soybean producers, for example, suffered the most, for example, exports to China had previously reached 60% of all American exports to this country, and now they have almost stopped.
The impact of the trade war back and ordinary Americans, the middle class of society. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump's intention to hit China with new duties has already caused a flurry of criticism from US trade groups, as this is a potential increase in the value of imports for Americans.
An assessment by the American Clothing and Footwear Association is also given. According to her, if Trump enforces the “sentence” against China and increases the duties on clothes by up to 25%, then the spending of the average American family of four will increase by $ 500 a year.
It is in this way that Trump exposes entire sectors of the American economy, US citizens, large companies that benefit from the lowest possible duties on trade with China. This is done for the sake of political interests and a confident victory over Beijing, which Trump cannot wait to be included in an asset in order to trump it during the election campaign. The interests of the United States at the same time, it seems, is nothing.


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By STAFF | NACSOnline.com
To recapture diners who prefer buying from food trucks, college foodservice programs are going mobile.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Food trucks have had a hot and cold relationship with restaurants for years, but now universities are starting to shoo away the mobile eateries in favor of their own food trucks, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The University of Alabama used to allow Brothers Street Eats to sell food on campus, but that ended in April. This fall, the school will park its own La Lola Loca food truck selling chicken tinga with pineapple and chipotle barbecue pulled pork. “Having a truck of our own gives us the flexibility to respond directly to our students, rather than working with off-campus vendors to address student requests,” said Virginia Johnson, associate vice president for auxiliary services.
Across the country at the University of California, Riverside, the school’s dining services launched the Culinary Chameleon at the beginning of this year. But the food truck that has a revolving menu doesn’t tout its connection to the university.
Universities say mobile eateries are profitable and give them the ability to change menus quickly. Aramark Corp. and Bon Appétit Management Co., which run university foodservices, have had more demand for college-operated food trucks. Aramark will boost its university-sponsored mobile eateries by nine, while Bon Appétit will launch five more trucks this fall.
Currently, close to 100 undergraduate schools run their own food trucks, compared with around 12 in 2007, according to the National Association of College and University Food Services.


text: News Man dances to earn Sticky Fingers in Pizza Hut ad July 19, 2012 12:18 by Robin Hicks 4 Pizza Hut has launched a TV ad to promote its Sticky Fingers ribs. In the ad, a man dances in front of his friends to earn his share of the new menu addition. The agency behind the ad was M&C Saatchi Sydney. Robin Hicks topics ad agency, Advertising, Marketing, Pizza Hut Share Tweet Share Comments: 4 Add Comment Fat Fred 19 Jul 12 The Sticky Fingers are disgusting – and I say that as a large man Reply Hoin 20 Jul 12 He’ll have to do a lot more dancing than that if he wants to lose the extra weight he’d gain if he ate the Sticky Fingers. Reply SONG 23 Jul 12 What is the name on the song playing? Reply Joss 10 Aug 12 What a horrible ad, horrible bite and horrible song. get the drift ……. Reply Have your say Name Email Address (optional) Website (optional) ADVERTISEMENT Most Discussed 62 Comments ADMA faces calls for boycott for Trump “support” 39 Comments Facebook streaming numbers plummet 94% after Nielsen recalibration 28 Comments Don Smallgoods wants to feature Aussie ‘Dons’ in latest campaign 25 Comments How Facebook and Twitter have turned the Australian public into pirates 24 Comments Remember the time McDonald’s created the #DownUnderBigMac hashtag and nobody used it?


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China-focused Long Hill Capital has reached a final close of $265 million on its second US dollar-denominated VC fund as well as a first close of about $30 million for its first renminbi vehicle.
LPs in Fund II were predominantly investors from Long Hill’s first vehicle, which closed in 2016 at $125 million, including New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Asia Alternatives. Investors in the renminbi...
01VC has secured institutional LP support for its second fund, which closed at $100 million. The early-stage investor plans to deploy it across industrial and enterprise deals in China and Southeast Asia
Singapore hotel management and booking platform RedDoorz has raised $70 million in Series C funding less than a month after closing a $45 million Series B.
LBNCo, an Australian fiber optic network provider acquired last year by a consortium led by ROC Partners, will be sold to industry peer Uniti Wireless for A$100 million ($67.7 million).
J-Star has sold Tokai Trim, a Japanese manufacturer of seat covers for cars and motorcycles, to domestic hotel chain operator Rembrandt Holdings.


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Data marketing agency The Blueberry Wave has launched Wave Business, a B2B data solution containing more than 130M business contacts in over 200 countries.
It has brought together the latest data sources available to create the ‘ultimate’ sales database in a single comprehensive view.
Wave Business is claimed to provide a solution to businesses needing data to run integrated, measurable marketing campaigns.
Containing a unique blend of factual data, along with the agency’s proprietary algorithms and mapping techniques, Wave Business claims to set new benchmarks for the industry with the most accurate and wide-ranging B2B database created to date.
The UK element alone features more than 5.2M contactable companies, 11.6M contacts and 2.6M email addresses. Furthermore, the agency says the file is constantly refreshed and its depth of data is unsurpassed in the industry.
Pamela Bath, managing director at the Cotswolds agency, said: “The Blueberry Wave has been in the data business for over 14 years and we, along with our clients, were becoming increasingly frustrated at the paucity of data in the B2B space.
“We saw a gap in the market to launch something new; a product that would offer companies a richness and depth of B2B data not seen before; a product that would really support their growth strategies, driving their ability to develop deep customer insights through data matching and profiling, as well as managing their communications activities across the whole customer lifecycle from acquisition to retention and re-activation.
“This is an exciting development for The Blueberry Wave, its clients and the data industry as a whole. We believe the face of B2B data is changing for the better, and we are proud to be leading the way.”
Established in 2000, Cirencester-based The Blueberry Wave specialises in data strategy, planning, research, insight and database design and management.


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WAL-MART STORES REPORTS SEPTEMBER SALES
WAL-MART STORES REPORTS SEPTEMBER SALES BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
(NYSE: WMT; PSE), today reported net sales for the month of September of $4,162,000,000, an increase of 28 percent from sales of $3,253,000,000 in the same period a year earlier.
For the eight months ending Sept. 30, sales increased 26 percent to $33,494,000,000 from $26,577,000,000 for the same period a year ago. Same store sales increased 12 percent for the month of September and 12 percent for the eight months ended Sept. 30. Sam's Clubs had sales of $942,000,000, up 34 percent for the month, and $7,543,000,000, up 32 percent for the eight months ended Sept. 30. Same club sales increased 9 percent for the month and 11 percent for the eight months. The company had 1,804 Wal-Mart stores (includes 17 Supercenter stores), 241 Sam's Clubs and four Hypermart*USA units in operation at Sept. 30, compared with 1,637 Wal-Mart stores (includes six Supercenter stores), 190 Sam's Clubs and four Hypermart*USA units a year ago. Wal-Mart (WMT) operates in a 44-state trade area, and its securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges. -0- 10/8/92 /CONTACT: Paul Carter of Wal-Mart Stores, 501-273-4184/ (WMT) CO: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ST: Arkansas IN: REA SU:
BR-BN -- AT002 -- 0272 10/08/92 08:58 EDT
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|Date:||Oct 8, 1992|
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|Next Article:||THE CATO CORPORATION REPORTS RECORD SEPTEMBER SALES UP 40.6 PERCENT|


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April 26, 2006 – Infineon Technologies AG swung to an 22 million euro (US $27.2 million) EBIT profit in fiscal 2Q06 vs. a 122 million euro ($150.9 million) loss in the prior quarter, due largely to improvement in the memory products segment.
Overall company sales rose 19% sequentially to 1.99 billion euro ($2.46 billion), while net loss shrunk to 26 million euro ($32.3 million) from 183 million euro ($227.4 million) in fiscal 1Q06. Compared with a year ago, revenues increased 24%, while the net loss was reduced by 77%.
Revenues in the company’s memory products segment improved significantly sequentially, due to a strong reduction in cost/bit thanks to significantly higher bit shipments, and a slight increase in average selling prices — driven mainly by higher pricing and shipments of DDR2 memories and a higher shipment mix of specialty products. EBIT profits for the memory unit swung from a 118 million euro ($146.6 million) loss to a 30 million euro ($37.3 million) profit.
Also, “Very strong” EBIT increase in the automotive, industrial, and multimarket business units more than offset a slightly increased EBIT loss in the communication solutions segment, the company said.
“The second quarter results demonstrate that both the memory products business and the logic business are well positioned to operate successfully as separate companies in the future,” stated Wolfgang Ziebart, Infineon president and CEO.
For fiscal 3Q06, Infineon expects a decline in its logic segments compared with 2Q06. Its memory unit, renamed Qimonda, will be officially spun off on May 1. A 30 million euro ($37.3 million) gain from the March IPO of Inotera Memories Inc., the JV between Infineon and Nanya Technology Corp., will be recorded in fiscal 3Q06. Costs associated with the restructuring of Altis Semiconductor, Infineon’s JV with IBM in France, is expected to have a minor impact on 3Q06 group results.


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Tonight CNBC reports that an ongoing antitrust investigation of Google undertaken by 50 attorneys general is expanding. While it started by looking into Google’s advertising business, it has apparently, as expected, expanded its scope to include search and the Android platform. Over the years Google has reached into more services — next up: checking — and platforms with increasingly deep ties to one another, and as the investigation concerns the use of customer data, it seems obvious that it will reach every part of the company eventually.
The 48 state AGs, as well as two representing Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, did not comment on the latest report, while Google said in a September blog post that it would cooperate with investigations.
social experiment by Livio Acerbo #greengroundit #engadget https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/14/google-antitrust-android/


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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Salesforce.com will spend more than $2.3 billion to buy marketing software company ExactTarget.
More than 6,000 companies use ExactTarget to manage their digital marketing, including Coca-Cola Co., Gap Inc. and Nike Inc.
Salesforce.com, a cloud computing company, will pay $33.75 per share. That's a 53 percent premium to ExactTarget's Monday closing price of $22.10. The companies put the deal's value at approximately $2.5 billion.
The company has targeted the cloud marketing space for acquisitions as grows increasingly important to corporations. Salesforce.com bought Buddy media last year.
The buyout announced Tuesday has been approved unanimously by the boards of both companies and is expected to close by July 31.
Salesforce.com said that the acquisition is expected to lower its fiscal 2014 adjusted earnings by about 16 cents per share and increase its revenue by $120 million to $125 million. Adjusted earnings are now expected in a range of 31 cents to 33 cents per share on revenue between $3.96 billion and $4 billion.
Analysts expect earnings of 48 cents per share on revenue of $3.87 billion.
The transaction is predicted to reduce second-quarter adjusted earnings by approximately 5 cents per share, with results now anticipated between 6 cents to 7 cents per share.
Wall Street expects earnings of 12 cents per share.
ExactTarget Inc. has about 69.3 million outstanding shares, according to FactSet. Shares in the company jumped 53 percent, or $11.64, to $33.74 in early trading.
Shares of Salesforce.com Inc., based in San Francisco, fell 4 percent, or $1.68, to $39.36.


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WREV Electric Vehicles
Transportation is a crucial aspect of everyday business, particularly for companies in rural areas that often face greater challenges connecting with customers than their urban counterparts. Delivering goods and ferrying staff to and from work in remote locations can increase costs and stifle growth.
Researchers in our Centre for Business in Society have been working with local government and industry on an initiative to help rural businesses from a range of sectors make the most of the potential long-term benefits of using electric vehicles.
The two-year study in rural Warwickshire saw the university, the county council and over 15 businesses based in the countryside work together to ditch diesel and petrol and trial the use of battery-powered alternatives for work, leisure, visiting clients, carrying out deliveries and supporting staff travel.
Throughout the study, researchers from the university analysed the use of the vehicles along with estimated cost savings, participant feedback and carbon emissions. The fleet of 17 vehicles loaned as part of the initiative – including BMW i3s and Nissan Leafs – completed more than 200,000 miles for the businesses involved, and one organisation that took part saved over £3,000 in fuel costs across the trial period.
Negative feedback from participants was few and far between, but included comments on the lack of charging points in rural locations and associated ‘range anxiety’ about the distances that the vehicles can cover between charges.
Findings from the trial are now being used to used inform policymakers, businesses and other stakeholders in their decision-making about the potential advantages and disadvantages of low carbon technology for rural motoring.


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Vancouver-based precious stone company Diagem (TSX: DGM) has developed a new plant to eliminate precious mineral waste at its Brazilian operations, business daily Gazeta Mercantil reported.
After witnessing conventional techniques result in losses of up to 50%, the company's engineers decided to develop their own alluvial diamond plant. "Recently, a garimpeiro [artisan miner] found a 60-carat diamond in waste material that had been treated four times by a company," Jose Aldo Duarte Ferraz, a Diagem engineer who developed the new industrial plant, was quoted as saying.
The US$2mn plant includes 10 processing units including a digger, dredger, conveyors and an X-ray machine. To reach zero losses, the extracted material passes through a triage process in which sand, clay and gravel are eliminated using conventional processes. "Since the diamond's density is close to other heavy minerals, when these are discarded, precious stones end up being thrown away too," Ferraz said.
The X-ray machine, called Sortex, the only item not manufactured locally, carries out the final separation at the end of the process. The machine will begin operations in three months, according to the report.
Developing better techniques is important for Diagem to continue extracting large quantities of diamonds from its Juina properties located in the center-west state of Mato Grosso. Amoss de Melo Oliveira, a geologist with the national department of mineral research (DNPM), said that due to the exhaustion of high quality alluvial reserves the state's diamond production fell 10% from 2000 to 2001.
The official said that close to 95% of Mato Grosso's production comes from garimpeiros and the rest from large companies. "Only those companies with resources to carry out exploration will stay in the business, since alluvial diamonds, which are easier to discover, are being exhausted," Oliveira said.
Diagem, in fact, is investing US$10mn in exploring kimberlite bodies and alluvial deposits at its Juina properties. The district is the country's largest producer of diamonds, turning out 400,000 carats of the 700,000 carats reported nationally in 2000. Last year's figures still have not been released by the DNPM.
Oliveira said that 90% of the Juina district's production is lower value gems selling for US$25/carat. The remaining 10% is sold at a high premium of US$120/carat. Diagem's Ferraz disagrees, saying that 20% are high quality stones. "There have already been extracted stones of more than 400 carats worth US$10mn," the company engineer said.
Since Diagem established itself in Juina in 1995, it has spent US$10mn on mineral exploration. Over the next three months, the company will begin production at secondary reserves despite not having concluded economic feasibility studies. "We will begin the work because we have other indications that they are economically feasible," Ferraz said.
Earlier this month, the company reported that it recovered 262 diamonds with a total weight of 130.56 carats at one of its Juina properties.


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The Food and Drug Administration has approved a treatment for a disease that causes brittle nails.
The Department of Health and Human Services last week unveiled a new free Web-based application, MappyHealth, which utilizes Twitter to help track health concerns at the community level in real time.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic ulcer treatment made by Wockhardt, the Indian drug maker said Monday.
As of Saturday, California became the latest state to implement "sales tax fairness," in requiring online-only retailers to begin collecting sales taxes on products sold to California residents.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday alerted the public that certain external analgesics have been associated with burns.
U.S. retail sales in August reflected a solid back-to-school season.
Two generic drug makers have settled with a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and another company concerning a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted regulatory approval for a generic drug to treat tension headaches.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic psychiatric drug made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Lupin said Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for multiple sclerosis.


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It is no question that it has been a volatile time for cryptocurrencies. In fact, it has been a volatile time for the overall market. It is normal to let day to day fluctuations take over your emotions, but remember, we are not trading crypto, we are investing in it. We see the long term efficiencies and potential of the assets we are invested in. Dan Held, a Bitcoin educator and Director of Growth Marketing at Kraken has a great tweet on this:
Investing in an asset as volatile at bitcoin and ether is not for everyone. We do not recommend it for all of our clients. You and your investment advisor should sit down and discuss the risks involved and your time horizon when considering.
Crypto news has been clouded with the fall of LUNA which we covered last week, and I’ll throw one more article in here that explains what happened well. Cryptocurrencies were already on a decline and the design flaws behind stable and pegged coins had a ripple effect throughout the market.Still, less than expected coverage has been on a much-anticipated move for one of our favorite networks: Ethereum.
Ethereum currently relies on a proof-of-work model which is highly energy demanding, but it is moving to a proof-of-stake method to be more efficient. The Ropsten test method is expected to happen on June 8th (which is closely approaching!) and it is a positive sign that developers are still committed to this merge.
Prices of goods and services become more expensive as time goes by. Do you remember how much it cost to go to the movies when you were a kid? Well, it cost me $34 for two tickets the other day. YIKES! That’s inflation. That’s why it is so important when putting together your financial plan that you take into account the effects of inflation.
Gold and commodities have been thought of as some of the best inflation hedges, so where does Bitcoin lie when it comes to inflation? Is it comparable?
Talks of further adoption of bitcoin continue. Nayib Bukele announced that 44 countries were meeting in El Salvador to discuss bitcoin this week. This doesn’t mean that all of these countries are going to adopt the currency as legal tender. The mix of countries attending was a range between dollarized countries and others with strong central banking systems, but it is fascinating nonetheless to see the peaking interest.
Crypto.com made headlines with its huge marketing campaigns. For us in LA, one of the biggest advertising moments was when Staples Center become the Crypto.com Arena. This name rights deal is something that I still haven’t been able to get used to, but what else is the company up to?


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And after reading a new interview in Vogue with chief marketing officer of L Brands, Ed Razek, I’m pretty sure I know who’s at fault for the brand’s falling out with young women. Lane Bryant still.
A group of women have bravely stripped off for a lingerie campaign designed to celebrate ‘body victories’. Ranging from a plus-size model to a wheelchair user and a brain cancer survivor, the six.
Rihanna’s new lingerie line is out just in time for Valentine’s Day – but not everyone is feeling the love. The line, Savage X Fenty, was designed to be inclusive for a range of sizes, but some women.
"Plus size women are often desexualized and left feeling like they are not worthy of beautiful lingerie or feeling sexy," Gregg tells Bustle in an interview. "Seeing representation of bodies that look.
May 11 is almost here — and Rihanna has NOT let up on the sneak peeks at her new lingerie line.
Cami And Shorty Set, $69. savagex.com. “Lingerie brands have historically overlooked plus-size women for far too long. Not only are we limited in the kinds of styles we can buy, we’re also rarely ever.
1)plus size lingerie 2)mature,charming,comfortable. 3)polyester/cotton/spandex. 4)good quality. 5)competitive price. Polyester/cotton/spandex mature women plus size.
You might think that the only plus-size models anywhere near Miami Swim Week. would be at the Miami Curves Week pop-up event for full-figured women looking for swimsuits and lingerie. But you would.
NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Adore Me, a disruptive e-commerce lingerie startup ranked #9 on Crain’s 2016 Fast 50 list of fastest-growing companies in NYC, launches its 2018 Valentine’s Day.
Tolliver poses in lingerie from her new company, Liberté, which targets women who wear between standard and plus-size bras. Georgia Nerheim Designing and manufacturing bras that are sexy and fit.
Plus-size women are ALWAYS an afterthought in this industry,’ the size 20 model said. but I’m not going to be made to feel.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A brand apart. L Brands’ Ed Razek (centre) who has caused controversy with his comments about plus-size and. her own lingerie company, Lively, which uses a wide range of.
It has started by stocking more colours and fashionable styles in bigger sizes in its lingerie label Ambrielle and launching Boutique +, a line for heavier millennial shoppers. According to research.
To encourage designers to use models of all sizes in their shows, a group of plus-size women turned up at London Fashion Week venues in their underwear, holding signs in celebration of curves. The.
Gabi Gregg, plus-size blogger, clothing designer, and my personal style icon has done what I’ve been waiting for someone to do for a long time: created sexy, un-frumpy lingerie for plus-sized women.


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Targeting The Buying Power Of Black America
Buying Power of Black America
By D.A. Barber.
The spending power of “Black America” is approaching a trillion dollars, making it the 16th largest market in the world and on the verge of surpassing the gross national income of Mexico, according a new report.
According to a monetary break down of the black consumer market, “The Buying Power of Black America” report notes that now may be a good time for businesses to “develop a strategy for increasing their share of the black American market.” As the nation recovers from the recession, “black consumers represent a margin of profitability in most consumer product categories.”
The 105-page report, based on U.S. Department of Commerce data, says black consumers spent $836 billion in 2011 on “clothing, entertainment, food, beverages, toys, consumer technology, cosmetics, autos, travel, and dozens of other categories.”
According to the report, “the top five categories showing an increase in spending between 2010 and 2011 were Appliances, $2.7billion (29 percent); Sports and Recreational Equipment, $850 million (28 percent); Personal and Professional Services, $5 billion (27 percent); Computers, $5 billion (21 percent); and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, $4.3billion (16 percent).”
But more telling was how and which companies were targeting these black consumers through advertising.
“The largest single investment that Corporate America makes in the Black community is in advertising,” said Ken Smikle, president of Target Market News and editor of the report. “That investment is about $2 billion a year, but it should be at least twice that amount given the importance of the market and the role these consumers play in any company’s bottom line.”
The report ranked the major companies by the dollars they spent on advertising in black media outlets and that ranking says something about how corporate America views the spending habits of black America: The No.1 company Procter & Gamble, spent $78.9 million in 2011, while the No.80 company, Apple, spent just $1.6 million.
Featured Photo Credit: theblacklistconcerns.blogspot.com


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LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Those affected by Hurricane Laura have until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to apply for disaster food stamps.
Twenty-one parishes - including all Southwest Louisiana parishes - have been approved for DSNAP.
Residents of approved parishes can apply by calling 1-888-LA-HELP-U (1-888-524-3578) between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. until Wednesday, Sept. 23. After 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, no additional DSNAP applications will be accepted.
Pre-registration online is a helpful first step but is not required. Those who pre-registered online must still call and be interviewed.
When calling to apply and be interviewed, residents will provide information on their household members, income, resources and disaster-related expenses. A list of items to have ready before calling can be found at www.dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP-Laura.
· Jeff Davis
· St. Landry


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it actually looks kind of okay.
The Times can count about the same number of paying daily readers today as it could in 1995.
In those pre-digital days, the Times’ daily circulation stood at 1.5 million. Today, it counts 625,000 daily print payers (home delivery and single copy) and those 1 million digital payers. That’s a little over 1.6 million. That’s another mind-boggling equivalency. With all that has changed, in the news business particularly, roughly the same number of people pay for The New York Times. One takeaway: Even at the peak of financial success — and the ’90s were good for the industry — the Times still relied on only a tiny percentage of Americans. At one point, a million and a half paying readers meant sustaining prosperity. Now, it seems like a shaky lifeline. There’s truth and there’s perception, and a lot to think about.


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Following the recent launch of Tech Nation, we will be running a series of profile pieces on each of the digital clusters featured in the report.
The emerging digital technology community in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire is focused around Hull. In the past, the region has seen the emergence of a range of locally grown tech companies such as Trident, Ebuyer and Summit who collectively employ over 600 people.
C4DI co-founder John Connolly believes companies in the area have pivoted strategically embrace digital technologies: “Hull’s digital cluster reflects an established service sector and a growing startup scene as well as innovative companies that pre-date digital but have pivoted to become digital.”
Over 12,000 people are now employed in digital business across the cluster which has been partly fuelled by the excellent computer sciences department at the University of Hull. Along with this pool of digitally-enabled students to tap into, tech companies in the area are boosted by a high-speed fibre optic network provided by Kingston Communications.
The city also boasts the fantastic Platform Studios who are showcasing at the Games Development Conference in San Francisco. Here’s what their founder Lindsay West had to say on being part of the emerging tech cluster in Hull: “The Platform Studios are a dynamic collaborative of young entrepreneurial tech businesses based in Hull and Grimsby. We specialise in game and software development and with the ViSR both VR hardware and software development. Creating a new global hub in The Humber Region and enabling start ups to remain and be supported here.”
Three example companies were profiled in the report:


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Bitcoin and cryptocurrency prices on the Indian Exchange WazirX have dropped after the announcement of a bill that will ban all private cryptocurrencies.
Regulatory discussions in India over a ban on cryptocurrencies caused panic in sales on the main cryptocurrency Exchange, WazirX, resulting in a massive price drop for major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Etherium.
Cryptocurrency prices in India fell shortly after parliament announced the introduction and list of 26 new bills in the winter session, which included the Cryptocurrency and Official Digital Currency Regulation, 2021. The bill seeks one legislative vote on the creation of an official digital document currency while imposing a ban on “all private cryptocurrencies” as of Monday.
A massive sell-off on WazirX this morning, November 24, has sunk the price of Bitcoin by nearly 4,600,000 Indian rupees ($61,820.73) to 3,917,659 rupees ($52,650.55), a drop of 14.8% in two hours. Likewise, other popular cryptos, including Etherium and Cardano, experienced double-digit price depreciation locally on the Exchange.
According to WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty highlighted that the Indian cryptocurrency market is generally traded at a premium compared to the global market:
This sales panic event caused the Indian market to correct and prices to reach the global level.
Shetty also pointed out the various use cases of cryptocurrencies as an asset or utility and cited former Indian finance secretary Subhash Chandra Garg’s suggestion that “there should be a ban on the use of digital currency”, if there is.
Jay Hao, CEO of Exchange OKEx, highlighted the need for a differentiated approach to regulating digital assets in India:
India is home to the largest number of crypto owners in the world, and the responsibility rests with the government to protect the interests of a large number of cryptocurrency investors in the country.
Bitcoin Markets CEO Caroline Bowler said:
This ban will not work in the long run and would be a step backwards, the ban is not an option to protect investors’ interests
The thing about cryptocurrency is that while governments may try to ban it or try to contain it, the very decentralized nature of the technology somehow prohibits it.
As a final word of advice to Indian inventors, Shetty believes in the need to have faith in our legislators. “Let’s not panic,” he concluded.


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This State Buys the Most American Cars
Find out if you’re getting ripped off on your car insurance in less than two minutes.
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Just like cheering for your sports team, buying a car from America can give you a sense of pride and patriotism. Even if your favorite American car isn’t manufactured domestically, you can still feel proud driving around an American brand.
So, which state is the most patriotic based on car ownership? Michigan is the state with the most American vehicles, according to iSeeCars.com.
Michigan buys the most American cars
iSeeCars.com looked at over 4 million used cars from 2016 to 2020 that were sold between January 1 and June 12, 2021. The American brands included Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln, Ram, and Tesla.
Michigan had the highest percentage of cars come from those American brands at 79.6%. It might come as no surprise since the state is home to the "Motor City" and headquarters for the Big Three automakers.
Other states in the top spots
South Dakota took second place at 78.4% and North Dakota took third at 70.4%. The second and third place has one of the biggest percentage gaps. Seven out of the top 10 states on this list, including South Dakota and North Dakota, are located in the Midwest.
The U.S. auto industry has been concentrated in the Midwest since the late nineteenth century, according to Cross Currents. A majority of production facilities are concentrated in an "auto corridor" that extends through several states.
The Midwest offers accessible raw materials which makes it attractive for assembly plants. Many new plants have been built in the region to reduce distribution costs.
Why are more people buying American cars?
States with more diverse populations buy a mix of car brands. American cars were once seen as inferior to their foreign rivals. On Consumer Reports Top Picks list for 2021, the majority of cars came from Japan. Another Japanese brand, Mazda, has most of its lineup featured in a list of the safest SUVs.
Still, today, many American brands have caught up in terms of car reliability and quality. American pickup trucks are the most popular car in the country, but there’s a large range of options whether you want an electric vehicle or a luxury SUV. Tesla is an auto giant that a lot of people don’t even know is American.
The Tesla Model 3 was ranked first on the most American-Made Index. The index considers things like where an automaker’s car parts are manufactured, and the location of the final assembly.
Whether you’re looking for an electric truck in the making like the Ford F-150 Lightning, or a spacious SUV like the Chevy Suburban, American brands have something for you.
No matter which brand you go with, Jerry can help you save money on car insurance. The free AI-powered app compares rates from top companies to get you the best coverage for the best price.


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AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) (UPS.N) and its Dutch takeover target TNT Express NV TNTE.AS have submitted plans to meet European anti-trust concerns as they battle to keep the acquisition on track.
The two companies said they planned to sell assets and open up their air flight operations, but gave no details, leaving TNT Express shares languishing some 20 percent below the 9.50 euros offer price as many investors took the view that the deal was unlikely to happen.
Andre Mulder, analyst at brokerage Kepler Capital, said it was unclear how any proposed concessions would work in practice, in particular the opening up of their airline networks, as this would require some competitors to change their overall logistics strategies.
“We however doubt whether that is sufficient to please the EC. We remain negative on the chance of success,” Mulder said.
TNT Express shares rose just over 1 percent in early trade to 7.65 euros.
The European Commission (EC), Europe’s competition watchdog, is worried the 5.2 billion euros (4.2 billion pounds) takeover by UPS, the world’s No. 1 package delivery firm, would leave only two other big players, Deutsche Post AG’s (DPWGn.DE) DHL and U.S.-based FedEx Corp (FDX.N).
The EC last month warned UPS about the combined companies’ high market share and said it would seek concessions before it could approve the deal.
The two companies did not say on Friday which operations and assets could be sold and did not name any possible buyers or users of their air flight operations. But they said the terms of the offer would not change due to their proposed concessions.
“The proposed remedies aim to address the EC’s concerns regarding the competitive effects of the intended merger on the international express small package market in Europe,” the two said in a joint statement.
UPS has argued that in addition to FedEx and DHL, its competitors also include national postal companies such as French mail group DPD and Royal Mail’s GBPO.UL European express parcel service GLS, as well as freight forwarders like Swiss companies Kuehne & Nagel KNIN.VX and Panalpina (PWTN.S).
But divestments were widely expected for the deal to go ahead. Analysts had said UPS might need to sell some assets and restructure operations, based on the overlap with TNT Express’s network, as well as regulatory restrictions, and had flagged the UK business as one area that could be sold.
TNT Express is the market leader in Europe with an 18 percent share, while Deutsche Post DHL is second at 15 percent and UPS has 10 percent.
Analysts have estimated that in the UK, TNT Express and UPS have a combined market share of about 35 percent, while in Germany and France their share is about 30 percent and in the Netherlands it is below 30 percent.
TNT Express has conditionally sold its airlines operations to Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group, the Dutch company said two weeks ago.
UPS, under European law, cannot own TNT’s airline operations as it is an American company.
UPS has talked to FedEx and subsidiaries of France’s La Poste LAPST.UL and Britain’s Royal Mail to sell assets or open its network to rivals, news agency Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. ($1 = 0.7705 euros)
Editing by Sara Webb and David Holmes