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SAIB Bank promotes personal banking services
SAIB Bank launches a new OOH campaign to promote several of their personal banking services, as well as their recently launched smart wallet application “Cashati”.
Since its inception back in 1976 as the first joint Arab Bank working in Egypt, SAIB Bank (Société Arabe Internationale de Banque) has earned a strong reputation as a trusted banking institution as well as a contributor to Egyptian society through their CSR initiatives.
Their new campaign advertises a variety of personal banking services and financial solutions, such as the smartphone payment application Cashati, real estate and SME funding opportunities, and personal loans for cars.
The ads showcase the services over dark-blue branded backgrounds crowned with SAIB Bank logo, as well as double-decker poles with rural artwork to reinforce the Cashati availability and convenience features.
With Gates, Double-decker poles, and Large and X-Large uni-poles, the campaign can be found on selected locations across the Greater Cairo.


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24 Sep, 2021, 09:00 ET
DALLAS, Sept. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. ("SC") today announced that Chrysler Capital will serve as the title sponsor for the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association ("CMDA"). The five-year annual sponsorship will include several initiatives aimed at outlining and supporting minority dealer trends and building a conduit for the next generation of minority dealers.
The Chrysler Minority Dealers Association is a national trade association representing ethnic minority dealership owners of Stellantis dealerships. The CMDA addresses the specific needs of minority dealers and those aspiring to become dealers.
Over the five-year term as title sponsor, Chrysler Capital plans to make total sponsorship contributions of more than $2.8 million to the CMDA for three developmental initiatives:
- Annual Membership Meetings Title Sponsor
Chrysler Capital will become the lead sponsor for CMDA's annual organizational and networking efforts to strengthen and enhance the minority dealer businesses and customer experiences of its current membership.
- Chrysler Capital Dealer Development Fellowship Program
Chrysler Capital will provide financial and educational support annually to CMDA, for at least 10 high potential minority dealer candidates to attend the Future Dealers Course offered by CMDA's Original Equipment Manufacturer ("OEM") partner Stellantis.
- Chrysler Capital Intern Scholarship
Chrysler Capital will also help CMDA sponsor five interns to participate in a newly created dealership internship program within CMDA dealerships, focused on developing future minority dealers.
In addition to these programs, Chrysler Capital with work with the CMDA to develop floorplanning and capital financing programs, as well as promotional materials that offer advantages to CMDA members.
Chrysler Capital, the full-service finance provider for Stellantis US and its dealers, has committed to this multi-year agreement to support CMDA's continued growth and development of its minority dealership members. The emphasis will be on activities, programs and events that ensure all voices are heard across the industry.
"I am excited about our ongoing partnership with the CMDA and how together we are investing in the future of minority dealers. As a committed and engaged title sponsor, we look forward to contributing to the success of the CMDA and its members," said Dr. Virnitia Hendricks, SC Chief Diversity Officer and Head of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Bruce Jackson, SC President of Chrysler Capital and Auto Relationships, said, "This partnership only reinforces the commitment that SC has placed on creating a more equitable business for all dealer partners and customers. Chrysler Capital is committed to focusing on consistently elevating the voices of dealers and their customers. It is important we recognize how our strategic decisions impact our dealer partners. Working closely with the CMDA provides us the forum to better understand dealer and customer needs and execute on improving the mutually beneficial relationship we have with CMDA members."
About Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.
Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC) ("SC") is a full-service consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to our more than 3.1 million customers across the full credit spectrum. SC, which began originating retail installment contracts in 1997, had an average managed asset portfolio of approximately $64 billion (for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021), and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. (www.santanderconsumerusa.com)
SOURCE Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc.
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Apple takes more heat for the labor practices of its suppliers than anybody, but it's largely a victim of its own success in that regard. The biggest spotlight draws the loudest critics. And as Tim Cook has repeatedly pointed out, the company really does make an effort, starting with an independent audit of Foxconn labor conditions. FWD asks an important, overlooked question: Can everyone else that outsources manufacturing to China and beyond say the same?
Kinja is in read-only mode. We are working to restore service.


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FLY Racing has announced it signed the Rockstar Racing/Husqvarna team to a multiyear deal to promote its professional motocross racewear. Team riders Martin Davalos, Zach Osborne, and Zach Bell will compete in the Supercross and outdoor Pro Motocross series wearing FLY Racing’s Evolution, Kinetic and Lite Hydrogen racewear lines.
FLY Racing CEO Craig Shoemaker had this to say about the new relationship: “We are happy to be a part of such a professional program with such good people and riders. We’re excited to see what this team and these riders can do this year, and we look forward to them winning some races in 2015 for the FLY Racing brand.”
Watch for Team Rockstar Husqvarna riders when they line up on the gate at round one of the 2015 Supercross series, which begins on January 3rd, at Anaheim Stadium in California.
To browse FLY Racing’s full line-up of professional motocross equipment and casual wear, visit www.flyracing.com.


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Facebook phishing email
The email, which resembles genuine friend requests, includes the message `Hi, the following person invited you to be their friend on Facebook’ and an invitation to join the social networking site.
Symantec security channel product manager, Robert Pregnell, said the email can be identified as a fake because it has no confirm button and there is no prompt for an email address to sign up to the site.
“At this time we can’t say that this particular email is of a particularly aggressive or high-profile attack,” he said.
“Have a different password for each online account and stay updated,” he said. “Make sure your antivirus, internet security, operating system and web browser software is up-to-date.”
“Multi-layered internet security programs offer additional protection with strong, non-obtrusive firewalls, watching for personal details going out of your computer, and for suspicious behaviour, even by legitimate programs on your computer.”
McAfee Asia Pacific chief technology officer, Michael Sentonas, said the Facebook phishing scam is designed to trick the recipient into going through the login process in order to accept the new friend request.
“For the unsuspecting people that do click on this and submit their login information, they may appear to login as they would normally, however, their credentials are almost always sent to the scammer as well,” he said.
He said research conducted by McAfee has shown that as much as 85 per cent of emails in some months are spam, including these types of phishing scams.


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This week players can play Rainbow Six Siege for free during the weekend, Ubisoft has announced that For Honor will be holding an open beta. If you were looking forward to the Exo Suit Power Ranger Costumes that will make Noctis, Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis invincible for 30 minutes, well that’s been delayed due to the costumes being somewhat identical to the power ranger movie. A few details have been mentioned on The next Star Wars Battlefront game. Feel free to read on to see what’s going on in the gaming Industry.
This week our news seems to be mostly about February. Upcoming patches, a beta, DLC drops and even free games. The Xbox is getting a makeover and a game we’ve been following finally has a release date. Read on for all the details.
This week CoD: Infinite Warfare gets a new update, details on Resident Evil 7’s Season Pass and lastly special editions for Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Injustice 2. Keep on reading to find out what’s going on in the gaming industry.
This week’s update is brought to you by the letter “B”. We have a couple of betas, the return of Iron Banner and the Bungie Bounty, a blockbuster cancellation, and the biggest update Gears 4 has seen. We also have details on Nintendo Switch and their upcoming lineup of titles. Read on for more!
This week news is slow but we get a new video for Mass Effect: Andromeda, Killer Instinct get’s a new character. Keep on reading to see what’s going on in the Gaming Industry.
This week we have a collection of holiday themed events, new maps, new content, and even a free trial for two big name games. There’s also some updates, trailers and double XP periods going on so be sure to check it out. And don’t forget about our own group news. There’s a few things you may be interested to know about.
This week saw several big updates. Halo 5 practically released a new game, Destiny sees The Dawn(ing) of a new event, PlayStation has a surprise game reveal, Ubisoft opens beta registration and Battlefield is getting a new… battlefield. We also have a large amount of SIP News featuring some new apparel, two contests and a chance to saw lizard creatures in half with friends. If you want to know more then read on.
This week Titanfall 2 gets its very first free DLC and Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Star Wars Battlefront should be getting some new content as well. Battlefield 1 is getting a new game mode so stay tuned for that. Ubisoft has announced they will be supporting Rainbow Six Siege with another full year of content. Iron Banner is making its return to Destiny. Saved the best for last a Bonus Weekend Sale is going on because of The Game Awards 2016, and if you missed out in watching the award show, well a few games were announced and some new videos for Prey, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Death Stranding, The Walking Dead and so on were shown last night so keep on reading to see what’s going on in the gaming Industry.
For everyone in the United States it’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means everyone is working off their food coma with shopping. The Xbox marketplace has plenty right now, but that’s not all we’ve got. Overwatch overhauls a character, Xbox throws out more free games, a collector’s edition to die for and Telltale announces a new adventure with Clementine is coming soon. To catch up on the slow holiday news week, keep reading.
This week a few games are getting updates, a few celebrations, and some Black Friday Deals. The Grim Raiders have a new member on the team so Read below to see what’s going on in the gaming Industry.


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In the beginning of October, representatives from some of the top global pharmaceutical companies gathered in Stockholm for the TSS User Forum – a bi-annual event that brings together TSS’ customers from all around the world.
TSS User Forum plays a central role in the development of TSS’ solutions and in forming our value proposition. It also serves as a vital cornerstone in the foundation for our partnership with customers and partners. As always, this year’s forum addressed the business problems and needs facing our customers – both those of today and tomorrow.
During three days, we presented our current offerings as well as ongoing projects, shared best practices, and listened to external guest speakers as well as business cases presented by the participating pharma companies.
Technology changes exponentially
As we all know, technology is changing rapidly at an exponential rate, and these changes seem to be accelerating. To prevent falling behind, companies need to define profound business strategies and create integrated business processes based on close collaboration with relevant organisations. We need to partner up and harmonize our course of action. And as the speed of which technology and business change increases, forums for profound reflection and strategic direction become essential.
Calling this a user forum is an understatement. I’ve been to many user conferences and the TSS User Forum was far more forward looking and embracing of emerging technologies. The forum embraced the immediate technical horizon and helped educate the audience. TSS was also provocative in terms of challenging users to think differently.
I think that TSS is uniquely situated as they are sitting on a tremendous repository of information from the industry. I see huge potential in a collaborative process across multiple companies taking some of the waste out from the supply chain and streamlining the processes.
– Director of Supply Chain Logistics IMS at a top 10 Global Pharmaceutical Company
The rise of emerging technologies
This year’s theme was “Digitalization, Harmonization and Change”, and the event agenda addressed various topics related to emerging technologies and business change in the digital age. During a visit at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) as well as the IBM Science Centre and Watson Lab, we deep dived into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology to learn more about how these technologies could be applied in the pharmaceutical supply chain. TSS also presented our identified AI initiatives as well as concrete examples of what is waiting in the product development pipeline.
“What I really enjoyed during the conference was the great perspective on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The AI presentation, that we got on the first day, was amazing in terms of where we are today and all the directions we could find ourselves going in.”
“On a practical level it made us start to think about, and realize, the potential impact AI could have on the BioPharm industry. For me, the key piece is the data. We have to be able to not only collect the data, we need to share it and most importantly – we have to make sure it’s clean data, bring it all together, aggregate it, and then fully leverage it to our advantage. That, for me, was a key takeaway.”
– Steven Jacobs – President, Global BioPharm Solutions
Just like previous years, TSS User Forum offered a unique chance to share knowledge and experiences with industry colleagues and experts in a relaxed atmosphere. We would like to thank all attendees who, thanks to their positive spirit and brilliant minds, made this year’s event a success!


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US-based private equity firm Thoma Bravo, has made an offer to acquire cyber security company Sophos for approximately $3.9 billion. According to a statement by Sophos, its board of directors have “stated their intention to unanimously recommend the offer”.
With a 40-year history, Thoma Bravo has acquired more than 200 software and technology companies representing more than $50 billion of value, according to a statement from the company.
Sophos protects more than 400,000 organizations of all sizes in more than 150 countries from cyberthreats, according to the company.
[Image courtesy: Sophos]


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Macy’s Passport, one of San Francisco’s most popular fashion-charity events, has — not surprisingly — reached a milestone.
“It’s always the crown jewel,” says Passport producer Larry Hashbarger. “From day one, it was very successful. I didn’t know I’d be around for 25 years able to produce the 25th silver anniversary, with all of the rich history.”
The event, which benefits HIV/AIDS programs, is at the Herbst and Festival pavilions at Fort Mason Center. It opens today with a program called “Fashion Inform” strictly for pre-invited high school students and continues with glittering fashion shows and entertainment Wednesday and Thursday.
The shows have been called “fashion theater,” featuring the adrenaline of Marc Ecko’s extreme world of sports, with motorcycles roaring down the runway. Then there’s dancing by the award-winning the Spirit of Uganda youth troupe, as well as a number choreographed by “So You Think You Can Dance’s” Brian Friedman.
Of course, there’s the cutting-edge runway fashion by top American designers.
Among the highlights: Performances from Cirque du Soleil’s “Mystere”; “A Day in the Life” with Calvin Klein’s designs; Via Spiga’s “A Really Big Shoe,” choreographed by Friedman; a Levi’s-sponsored musical segment, Academy of Art University students’ “Future Vision”; and silver anniversary gowns by Klein, Michael Kors, Tracey Reese, Anna Sui and Jessica McClintock to be auctioned on e-Bay.
Thursday’s main event, the Gala Evening, features special guest Dita von Teese. The international burlesque queen,wearing a costume of 250,000 crystals, will reprise a performance-art piece in which she appears in an oversized Champagne glass. Meanwhile, the New York fashion industry will be on hand to take in the designs. The gathering is hosted by honorary co-chairmen Ambassador James C. Hormel and Timothy C. Wu; it is co-chaired by Gail DeMartini and Bonhams chief executive officer Laura King Pfaff. Another special guest is food maven Narsai David, who will preside over an auction of fantasy packages.
Wednesday’s event, geared toward a younger crowd, features pre-show cocktails and a post-show party at which guests may mingle with Passport models.
To commemorate Passport’s 25th anniversary, Macy’s has created special, limited-edition merchandise in silver, available at West Coast Macy’s stories.
Noting that Macy’s Passport has raised $25 million for AIDS charity, Robert Mettler, chief executive officer of Macy’s West, says “What began in San Francisco over 25 years ago has reached into our communities across the western United States and with the help of the Federated Fund, across the globe to Africa.”
Where: Herbst and Festival pavilions, Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, San Francisco
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday; 5:30 p.m. Thursday
Tickets: $85 to $1,000
Contact: (415) 421-8497; www.ticketmaster.com


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With the wet/dry election less than two weeks away, one local organization has publicly announced their support for the referendum and legalized alcohol sales in McCreary County.
In a statement released by Adam Phillips, Executive Director of Tourism for McCreary County, the Commission voted to endorse and support the passing of the referendum, stating it would be a boon to local business and tourism efforts.
“Given the great importance of tourism on our local economy and the potential economic impact of legalized alcohol sales in our community, the McCreary County Tourist Commission voted by majority vote to officially endorse efforts to legalize sales in the upcoming vote on March 8th,” the statement read.
“The McCreary County Tourist Commission, as a whole, believes that legalizing alcohol sales locally will help our local business owners, will provide much needed revenue for county government and will help boost the local tourism industry.”
According to the statement, all commissioners voted in favor of the endorsement, save for Magistrate Jason Mann who abstained, and Wanda Worley, who was not present.
Members voting in favor were: Dianna Bybee, Susie Strunk-Thompson, Peg Taylor, Jessie Kidd and Nina Bradley.
The move is the first official endorsement by a quasi-government entity to publicly support the possibility of legalized alcohol sales in the county.
The wet/dry election will take place on Tuesday, March 8, with all polling places open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The last county-wide vote on alcohol sales occurred in August 2012, with “dry” supporters winning the election by one percent of the total vote.
With over 5,000 votes cast in that election, “no” votes carried the day by only 47 votes, 2,532 – 2,485.


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China’s Human Horizons Group Inc. has announced plans to unveil an all-new Digital GT- HiPhi Z. The new GT will be officially on display and available for purchase reservations at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in April 2022, with mass production and delivery within 2022.
This will be the company’s second all-electric flagship model after the launch of the HiPhi X Super SUV.
The mass-market production HiPhi Z will feature the world’s first Star-Ring Intelligent Signal Display (ISD) light system, Electromagnetic NT Door, Active Aero Spoiler, and Flexible Protective Wheels.
It will also feature a vehicle-mounted multi-axis displacement digital robot HiPhi Bot. And, through collaboration with the world’s top game software company, Epic Games, the most advanced 3D rendering development engine, Unreal Engine 5.
Human Horizons Founder, Ding Lei, says “At Human Horizons, we strive to continuously innovate and push the boundaries of possibility. For this new range of vehicles, we look up to concepts of space and time for inspiration, drawing parallels between science, art, human imagination, and sensory experience to create something truly special. As a flagship model, the HiPhi Z represents everything we want to be in a brand and is built for people who are, like us, driven by a desire to explore and create.”
HiPhi is a premium brand created by Human Horizons and enhanced by its users.
The HiPhi range are EVs with a lightweight hybrid aluminium-steel construction and sustainable vegan leathers and recyclable materials..


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From a California State Controller’s Office Press Release
SACRAMENTO—State Controller Betty T. Yee reported today California’s total revenues of $8.31 billion for November were $449.8 million above expectations, powered by strong retail sales. Personal income tax (PIT), the largest state revenue source, fell short by nearly $200 million.
For the first five months of the 2017-18 fiscal year, total revenues of $40.96 billion are outpacing budget projections by 2.5 percent, with retail sales and use taxes and corporation tax beating expectations.
Sales tax receipts of $3.30 billion for November were $538.1 million higher than anticipated in the budget. For the fiscal year, sales tax receipts of $10.16 billion are $733.4 million above budget estimates.
Corporation taxes for November came in at negative $18.9 million as refunds outpaced receipts. That is not unusual, as there also was a negative for corporation taxes last November and the Department of Finance estimated negatives for the month in both years. However, this year’s shortfall was better than expected, leading total corporation tax receipts for the month to beat budget estimates by $89.2 million, or 83 percent. For the fiscal year to date, total corporation tax receipts of $1.79 billion are $233.1 million above assumptions in the 2017-18 Budget Act.
PIT receipts for November totaled $4.64 billion, 4.0 percent below projections. For the fiscal year, PIT receipts of $27.60 billion are under budget estimates by 0.1 percent.
Unused borrowable resources through November exceeded projections by $2.37 billion, or 12.3 percent. Outstanding loans of $20.15 billion at the end of November were $294.4 million less than 2017-18 Budget Act estimates. This loan balance consists of borrowing from the state’s internal funds.
For more details, read the monthly cash report and the Controller’s California Fiscal Focus newsletter, which discusses expected Federal Reserve rate changes and state laws with fiscal impacts that take effect on January 1.


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© Vogue Images
Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Madonna and Britney Spears -- that's a list few Indian designers can boast of as clientele.
Falguni & Shane Peacock's work is bold and risqué with feathered, studded, Cavalli-esque gowns, a big selling point for international pop artists.
In recognition of their work, the duo were awarded the Pride of India 2013 by the NRI Institute, a non-profit organisation founded by non-resident Indians to provide a platform for the diaspora, at the UK's House of Lords on July 19.
Though the awardees weren't able to receive the honour in person -- hectic preparations for India Bridal Fashion Week that opens on July 23 in Delhi -- have them pre-occupied.
"It made us very happy that we could bring our country recognition in the form of an award called the Pride of India," they said, in an official statement. "The award reiterates our position in the global fashion arena as not just Indian, but truly international designers."


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Chick-fil-A plans UK expansion after previously facing backlash from LGBTQ rights activists. Chick-fil-A announced last week its plans to launch in the United Kingdom in 2025, marking the company's first permanent expansion outside of North America.
Is there a Chick-fil-A in London?
Major US fast food chain Chick-fil-A is set to open in the UK in 2025, in a second attempt to break into the UK market. The brand previously opened in the Oracle Shopping Centre in Reading in 2019, but announced just a week later that the lease would end after six months following protests by gay rights campaigners.
Is Chick-fil-A coming to England?
The fast food chain, which is eying additional locations in Europe and Asia, will invest $100 million during the next decade in the country.
Is there a Chick-fil-A in Africa?
The company also has operations in Canada, and previously had restaurants in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The restaurant has a breakfast menu, and a lunch and dinner menu. The chain also provides catering services.
Is there a Chick-fil-A in Japan?
Chick-fil-A, Inc. Hi there. Thanks for reaching out! Although we have no immediate plans of expanding to Japan at this time, we appreciate your feedback.


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India is the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, which primarily come from inefficient combustion of fossil fuels in electricity generation and stationary energy use. The Union government has set a goal to reduce its emissions intensity by 20-25% below 2005 levels by 2020.
Electric vehicles or EVs have grown in popularity worldwide over recent years, as they reduce air pollution and also save money on fuel and maintenance. The electric mobility landscape in India is rapidly changing with EV incentives and regulations coming in from different government bodies.
Performance vs Cost
In terms of performance, there is no longer the gulf there once existed between EVs and their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. EVs, in fact, fare better than ICE vehicles on a range of transport policy goals, including enhanced energy security, reduced reliance on crude oil, better air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
EVs are, therefore, emerging as the preferred d clean technology for the future of mobility.
The economics of EVs has also improved significantly, while advancements, especially in battery and charging technologies, are expected to reduce costs further.
Central Government Policy roll out snapshot
- 2010: The Indian government announced a strategy to reward OEMs with a budget of INR 950 billion.
- 2012: The incentive program was scrapped, resulting in a 70% reduction in electric vehicle sales.
- 2013: The Indian government has established the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020
- 2015: FAME-I scheme launched on 01-Apr-15 till 31-Mar-19 by the Dept. of Heavy Industries. Allocated total financial outlay of INR 5.29 billion
- 2019: FAME-II commenced from 01-Apr-19. The union cabinet approved an outlay of INR 100 billion. Taxes reduced to 5% on EVs and Electric Chargers.
Incentives: Consumer Demand
- State level Subsidies & Exemptions
While 17 States have rolled out their final EV policies, 3 states have come out with their draft EV policies.
Looking at state-wise incentives
|Per kWh of battery capacity||Max subsidy||Road tax exemption|
|Electric Two wheelers||0 – Rs. 10,000||Rs. 30,000||100%|
|Electric Four wheelers||0 – Rs. 10,000||Rs. 2,50,000||100%|
- Income Tax Benefits for individuals
If you are planning to buy an electric car, you may be wondering if the benefits will outweigh the cost. In order to encourage people from buying EVs Govt. of India has announced Income Tax benefits:
- Under section 80EEB, a total tax exemption of up Rs 1,50,000 can be availed when paying off the EV loan. This tax exemption is available for both 4-wheeler and 2-wheeler EV purchases. (Only for people buying on loan from financing institutions/NBFCs)
- Customs duty exemption on import of specific components
- GST on EVs reduced from 12% to 5%
- Non Financial Incentive
Among non-financial incentives, permit waivers for EVs and a complementary ban on permit renewals for polluting vehicles are expected to be highly impactful in promoting the steady conversion of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) commercial vehicles to electric.
Incentives – Charging Infrastructure
The lack of charging infrastructure is one of the most significant barriers to EV adoption in India. In order to encourage consumers to adopt electric vehicles, the government has announced various incentives for all kinds of electric vehicles, including electric cars, two-wheelers and buses.
A robust network of EV charging infrastructure reassures consumers of charging availability thus reducing range anxiety associated with electric vehicles.
- The Ministry of Power has rolled out a series of guidelines for charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles, both for businesses and individuals
The ministry has further ensured
- Charging EVs to be considered a service and not a sale of electricity
- No license is required to operate EV charging stations
- Notification permitting private charging at residences & offices; tariff not to be more than the average cost of supply plus 15%.
- Goods & Services Tax Council reduced GST on EV charging stations reduced from 18% to 5%
- State governments across Delhi, Karnataka. Maharashtra, Telangana and a few others have mandated institutional and commercial complexes including IT parks besides new residential buildings to have 20-25% of parking spaces to be EV ready.
EV Charging Infrastructure in India
EV Charging is a critical component for the adoption of Electric Vehicles. To ensure a smooth transition from ICE to EV, EV charging infrastructure should be set up at strategic locations, for example: near workplace, near residential areas and at public places like malls and restaurants.
The Department of Heavy Industries has also sanctioned 2636 charging stations in 62 cities across 24 States/UTs under FAME India scheme phase II. State-wise allocation of these charging stations is as follows:
To make this happen, India has seen a slew start-ups who have entered this space and are building solutions to solve this problem, besides legacy companies in the automotive and power generation space.
SemaConnect is the leading provider of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment to North American and Indian Commercial & Residential Market. Established in 2008, SemaConnect has done 17,000 + installations world-over while having its R&D, IT Dev & Manufacturing in India.
SemaConnect is a Blink Charging Company BLNK (NASDAQ). With more than 17,000 smart charging stations already sold in the US and Canada, SemaConnect is one of the largest integrated electric vehicles charging providers supplying both charging hardware and cloud-based software.
Our worldwide clients include Intel, Amazon, Adidas, CISCO, American Express, GVR, Volvo, Wells Fargo, Ritz Carlton, and Marriot.
Having started the India Sales & Marketing office in 2021, we have already made headways in the market with more than 100 installations in India.
SemaConnect is also the first vendor in India that is certified compliant by the Open Charge Alliance on OCPP & OCPI. SemaConnect products are also certified by Automotive Research Association of India for compliance on IS17017 on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Climatic Environment tests, Interoperability and mechanical tests.
To know about us log onto www.semaconnect.in or call +91 8068971240


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Do you miss French cars? Come on, admit it; they have a different sort of Euro flair that’s hard to resist.
Good news: It looks like they will return to North America faster than expected.
Faced with slowing demand in Europe, PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares has just told the Wall Street Journal that plans for a Peugeot comeback on our roads have been moved up from 2026 to 2023, which is barely four years from now.
This comes a few days after we learned that PSA had made a play for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in recent weeks but was immediately rebuffed. The two sides are not talking right now and it remains to be seen how badly PSA wants to find a partner here as a condition for its return.
A Full Lineup?
Unlike FCA, which relaunched the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands in North America with a limited number of models, Peugeot apparently would like to offer a wide selection of vehicles to ensure maximum visibility on the market.
“What we can bring to [North America] is based on everything you see today,” Tavares was quoted as saying.
The current Peugeot lineup includes hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, SUVs and vans, with four electric models in the mix such as the hot little e-208 (range of 340 km based on the WLTP test cycle).
Of course, a lot of things can change by 2023 and the brand’s offerings for North America could be significantly different at that time. That’s particularly true if the current shift away from passenger cars and toward SUVs continues on this side of the Atlantic.
The WSJ report also hints at an alternative retail strategy, meaning that Peugeot cars would be sold mostly online instead of using traditional dealerships. That makes even more sense after the FCA takeover fell through. However, the company would still need some sort of showrooms, similar to Tesla stores, to allow potential customers to get familiar with the brand and explore its vehicles from up close before buying.
We’ll keep you updated as usual. In the meantime, feel free to revisit our photo gallery we posted last summer featuring beautiful French cars we’d like to see in Canada.


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Here are the companies Yahoo Finance is watching today.
A downgrade for Apple (AAPL). New Street research is now rating the stock a Sell, saying many investors are too optimistic about the pace of iPhone replacements. HSBC also downgraded the stock this week, urging investors to reduce their holdings.
There are a lot of eyes on Tracon Pharmaceuticals (TCON). The biotech company ended a late-stage trial of a cancer treatment, after the medication delivered disappointing results. The CEO says they will continue to work on other treatments and have enough cash to last into late 2020.
Boeing (BA) says it's now completed nearly a hundred test flights for a software fix on its 737 Max jets. The CEO, Dennis Muilenburg, also says it’s making progress with its plan to get the fix onto its grounded planes. However, it may be several more weeks before that plan is turned over to FAA officials. The FAA would have to sign off before any fix is rolled out.
J.Crew may be looking at an IPO for its Madewell brand of women's clothing. The retailer said it's hired legal and financial advisors to look into the public offering, which could come as early as the the second half of 2019. The clothing company said the move is meant, in party, to strengthen its balance sheet. Reuters says the company's debt exceeds $1.7 billion.


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Singapore Press Holdings Magazines (SPH Magazines) and HardwareZone (HWZ) have apologised for a data breach affecting 685,000 user profiles on the forum site.Meanwhile, a police report has been lodged and the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has been informed, according to a press statement confirming the move. In addition, SPH Magazines, which owns the HWZ site, has also engaged security consultants to conduct a “thorough review of the system”.“SPH Magazines and HWZ sincerely apologise to HWZ users for this breach of security. We remain committed to protecting all personal data shared with us,” the statement added.The move follows an investigation which found that a senior moderator’s account had been compromised by an unidentified hacker. The hacker then used the account to view approximately 685,000 registered user profiles since September 2017. This arose from a suspicious posting on the HWZ Forum website on 18 February 2018, which sparked the investigation to confirm if there was a security breach.According to SPH and HWZ, the hacker used the compromised credentials to impersonate the senior moderator to retrieve user profile data. This comprised of name, email address and user ID of forum users, and possible optional data fields, such as year of birth, gender, country and education, to name a few.The statement also explained that the HWZ database does not contain NRIC numbers, telephone numbers and addresses. This was because this information was purged in line with the PDPC Guidelines in July 2015. As a matter of precaution, forum users were also advised to change their forum account password.
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The dual-SIM Redmi 4A will be available in Dark grey and Gold colour
options. The phone will also sell on company's official website.
Updated : June 29, 2017, 10:49 am
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, alongside Redmi 4 and 4A goes on sale today again on Mi.com.
Updated : June 21, 2017, 12:31 pm
Here are the best smartphones you can buy in India as of June, 2017 across all price ranges.
Updated : June 16, 2017, 4:05 pm
Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi 4A and Redmi Note 4 will be available for pre-orders in India via Mi.com.
Updated : June 9, 2017, 12:29 pm
If you were to talk about specs (and design and build) and leave it at that, the Redmi 4A is definitely the one to buy.
Updated : June 5, 2017, 1:51 pm
Today, Lenovo's sub-brand Motorola launched the Moto C in India at Rs 5,999.
Updated : June 2, 2017, 2:04 pm
Moto C and Moto C Plus launched today at a price tag starting Rs 6,200 and Rs 6,900 respectively.
Updated : May 16, 2017, 4:25 pm
Xiaomi Redmi 4A was launched earlier this year, goes on sale at 3PM today, exclusively on Amazon.
Updated : May 11, 2017, 7:22 pm
We list the best smartphones under Rs 10,000 that you can buy in India currently.
Updated : May 4, 2017, 9:00 pm
Xiaomi finally unveils the Mi Pad 3 on Wednesday at a price of 1499 yuan, which is approx Rs 14,139.
Updated : April 5, 2017, 4:54 pm
Xiaomi Redmi Note for available for pre-orders in India on Mi.com
Updated : March 31, 2017, 1:02 pm
Just like the Moto G5 Plus, the Moto G5 too uses Android 7 aka Nougat software in its almost unmodified form.
Updated : March 28, 2017, 6:21 pm
Updated : March 28, 2017, 4:20 pm
The company for the first-time is going to hold a pre-order system on Mi.com as it is known for following flash sale model for its smartphone sales.
Updated : March 25, 2017, 4:59 pm
Announced in December last year, Nokia 150 feature phone is now available in India.
Updated : March 24, 2017, 10:53 am


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Book publishers and authors are warning that censorship is increasing in Hong Kong. They say bookstores are returning books connected to authors who have been involved in the recent pro-democracy protests.
Bookstores are reportedly under pressure to not carry books that may offend the central government in mainland China.
Carmen Kwong Wing-suen is the chief editor of the book publishing company Up Publications. She said her company had hundreds of books returned by Sino United Publishing, which oversees several other publishing companies.
Ms. Kwong co-wrote a book on the Occupy Central protests. She said the book received orders for only 28 copies instead of the normal 200 copies. She also said most of the books recently returned by Sino United Publishing were not about political topics.
Sino United Publishing operates 51 stores through its subsidiaries. Company officials say each store owner makes his or her own decision about which titles to carry.
Bruce Lui Ping-kuen is a former reporter and now teaches journalism at Hong Kong's Baptist University. He said the rejection of books by publishers supportive of the pro-democracy movement is part of the increased censorship in the city.
“I think looking at the book censorship case in a way it’s a reflection of the differences between censorship in Hong Kong and the censorship we have under one country, two systems," he said.
Mr. Lui also said censoring books from publishers supportive of the pro-democracy movement is an example of “creative ways to limit or stop voices that are hostile to the Communist Party.”
David Bandurski is a researcher at the University of Hong Kong’s China Media Project. He said censorship is becoming more widespread in Hong Kong, from print media to broadcast media. He said friends in the media industry tell him about the difficulties they face when trying to cover sensitive news.
"Because I have a lot of friends working in the industry who discuss with me quite a lot. Sometimes, when they want to do some kind of sensitive news, especially on mainland China, then their boss will use all kinds of excuses to block them or give them more difficulties in doing so.”
VOA’s Shannon Van Sant reported this story from Hong Kong. Staff members wrote it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
Words in This Story:
censorship – n. the system or practice of removing books, movies, letters, etc., that officials consider offensive, immoral, or harmful to society
subsidiary – n. a company that is owned or controlled by another company
creative – adj. done in an unusual and often dishonest way


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If you’ve got a couple of spare dollar bills laying around, you might be in luck — you only need a million more to see the Super Bowl from the comfort of a luxury suite at MetLife Stadium.
The cold-weather Super Bowl locale has fueled interest in the indoor seating option, and one optimistic seller has listed a full-service, climate-controlled suite for the Feb. 2 Seattle-Denver matchup at $1,019,000 on the secondary ticket market, according to the New York Post. Other sellers’ prices passed the $500,000 mark.
Prices for luxury suites at Super Bowl XLVIII are more than double those of suites at previous Super Bowls, and given the weather forecast, the comfort is coming at a premium. Temperatures are predicted to be close to freezing for the 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
?The weather is a big factor,?? Seatgeek.com spokesman Connor Gregoire said. ?It?s going to be cold, and being inside comes at a higher price.??
Adding to the price inflation is suite availability. MetLife Stadium has 220 suites, which go for about $350,000 for the season, but a number of the rooms were reserved for NFL and Super Bowl decision-makers, who sell them to sponsors or other high rollers for upwards of $400,000.
The cheapest suite price among online sellers Monday was $318,000 for a room in the upper ?nosebleed? area.
Regular ticket prices for the game have spiked, too, with the cheapest seat in the stadium going for $2,096 on the secondary market. Face value for those seats is between $800 and $850.
Photo via Twitter/@andrewtavani


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On Monday, Verizon rolled out what it refers to as the nation's largest deployment of gigabit Internet. is the new ticket to blazing Internet speeds. The service, called Fios Gigabit Connection, promises download speeds of up to 940 megabits per second, and upload speeds of 880 megabits per second. The company announced the service for customers located in the northeast, with online pricing starting at $70 a month, or $80 as part of a triple-play bundle.
This video was produced by YT Wochit Tech using http://wochit.com
Date Added: 2019-02-22
Category: Verizon Fiber
Watched 96 times


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After a quarter culminating in splitting itself apart, Hewlett-Packard published fourth quarter earnings after the bell on Tuesday.
The tech giant reported a net income of $2 billion, or 70 cents per share (statement).
Non-GAAP earnings were $1.06 per share on a revenue of $28.4 billion, down two percent year-over-year.
Wall Street was looking for earnings of $1.06 per share on revenue of $28.76 billion.
As a result, HP shares tumbled slightly by roughly 2.6 percent in after-hours trading.
For fiscal 2014, HP produced earnings of $3.74 per share and revenue of $111.5 billion, down one percent from the year prior.
Asserting that HP's "turnaround" journey is on track, CEO Meg Whitman reflected on 2014 in prepared remarks:
In FY14, we stabilized our revenue trajectory, strengthened our operations, showed strong financial discipline, and once again made innovation the cornerstone of our company. Our product roadmaps are the best they've been in years and our partners and customers believe in us. There's still a lot left to do, but our efforts to date, combined with the separation we announced in October, sets the stage for accelerated progress in FY15 and beyond.
Amid plans to splinter its PC and printer businesses from the enterprise unit, HP's fourth quarter upgrades hit upon everything from staple products such as HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage to a roadmap headed toward the 3D printing market in 2016.
Both the enterprise group and enterprise services departments at HP saw revenue decline last quarter by four and seven percent, respectively, year-over-year.
"We have already established a Separation Management Office tasked with driving the separation process," Whitman said.
Software, printing, and financial services all also saw single-digit declines.
But Personal Services -- comprised of consumer and commercial services encompassing desktops and laptops -- demonstrated growth by four percent during the fourth quarter. Total PC units were up five percent. Looking closer, desktops were actually down two percent but notebooks surged slightly at eight percent.
Looking forward, Wall Street is counting HP to deliver first quarter earnings of at least 93 cents per share on revenue of $27.55 billion.
HP followed up with a fiscal Q1 earnings guidance range of 89 to 93 cents per share. For fiscal 2015, HP is eyeing shares to drop between $3.83 to $4.03 a pop.
UPDATE: Reiterating 2014 marked HP's third year in its "five-year turnaround," Whitman assured shareholders during the quarterly conference call that the software maker is entering 2015 with the "strongest portfolio" in a decade.
Whitman spoke optimistically about the establishment of HP Enterprise and HP Inc. as two publicly-traded companies while reminding analysts and investors that these are still early days for the dramatic shift.
"We have already established a Separation Management Office tasked with driving the separation process," Whitman said, promising subsequent updates will be offered in the new year.


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Amazon finally unveiled its long-awaited smartphone, the Fire Phone. #epicfail #at&texclusiveareyoukidding #tooheavyandawkward #toolate #seenitbefore #wherearetheapps #shouldhavecalledzuckandaskedfirst #jeffwhatwereyouthinking
Built around the Amazon Prime experience, the Fire Phone runs the same heavily tweaked version of Android found on the Kindle Fire. That means it’ll have access to the 240,000+ apps in the Amazon Appstore, but not every app in the Google Play store (which is roughly five times as big as Amazon’s Appstore). What’s missing? Most notably Snapchat and YouTube.
Firefly and the Amazon Experience
The phone is a market leader in one category: helping you buy stuff from Amazon. That’s thanks to the phone’s “Firefly” feature, which is “basically an everything-scanner.” Once you open up the Firefly app (via a dedicated button on the side of the phone), you can point your phone at just about any item – a DVD, a bottle of water or any number of 70 million other products – and the Fire Phone will display it on Amazon. Firefly can also scan text like phone numbers, restaurant signs and QR codes, then identify that text to make calls, create contacts, send emails, go to websites and more.
Firefly also recognizes a quarter of a million movies and TV shows and 160 live TV channels. It taps into Amazon’s X-Ray feature to show you relevant info about what you’re watching, like the cast and plot. Like Shazam, Firefly can recognize songs, then let you download those songs or add them to a Wish List. Unlike Shazam, you can then use that information to buy concert tickets on StubHub or create an iHeartRadio station around that song.
Inside, the phone has a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a battery that Amazon says should last “all day” and a 13 MP camera (that can also shoot 1080p video).
The standout hardware feature is the phone’s four cameras positioned at the four corners of the phone’s 4.7-inch screen. These cameras create “Dynamic Perspective,” a custom-designed sensor system that responds to the way you hold and look at your phone.
What’s that mean? If you’re buying a Yankees ticket on Stubhub, you can look 90 degrees to the left and right of your seat like you’re in the stadium. It also means that the phone can access hidden panels or perform shortcuts based on the way you tilt your phone. The feature also helps you read books or long web pages without ever touching the screen.
Odds, Ends and Nice Features
Amazon’s 24/7 tech support feature, “Mayday,” is also included in the Fire Phone. First included in the most recent wave of Kindle Fire tablets, Mayday offers free, live, on-device tech support where Amazon’s experts will guide you through any issues you’re having on your device. Amazon also says you can get Mayday help in 15 seconds or less, with no waiting in line and no appointments required.
Amazon’s also offering some nice free perks with the device. The big add-in is a free year of Amazon Prime (normally $99) with every phone purchase. If you’re a Prime customer already, Amazon will tack on 12 months to your subscription. Amazon’s also including 1,000 Amazon Coins (a $10 value) for apps, games and in-app purchases with the phone. Finally, for photo fanatics, Amazon is offering free unlimited Cloud Drive storage for pictures you take with the Fire Phone.
The Fire Phone will be an AT&T exclusive (at least to start), and is now available for pre-order (to launch on July 25). It’ll run you $200 for the 32GB version and $300 for the 64GB model along with the standard two-year contract.
Should You Buy One?
If you live in the Amazon ecosystem – if you’re a Prime customer, addicted to Amazon Instant Video, newly-launched Amazon Prime Music and the Kindle Owners Lending Library – this phone was made for you. It’s the best parts of Amazon condensed into a device small enough to fit into your pocket.
For everyone else, the phone is good, but not a must-own device. While the hardware is acceptable, the app offerings will leave sophisticated users wanting. The phone also doesn’t have Bluetooth LE, which is bad news for wearables. It was also rumored that Amazon might offer the phone for free or underwrite service costs, but neither of those happened, which is a big relief to other Android manufacturers. More importantly, the Firefly technology will undoubtedly end up as an app, or be given away free to other manufacturers, when Amazon realizes that it cannot sell enough phones by itself.
While I’m hugely impressed with the nascent image recognition software and I am sure it is the beginning of a new era in mobile assisted living, for all but the biggest Amazon junkies, it may be early to jump into the Fire.


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The impact of COVID-19 has led to strange times for marketers. We’re seeing new paradigm shifts every day, and at thunder::tech, we are working hard to help you navigate its impact on your business. This content is one of many resources we are creating for marketing and management in the midst of the coronavirus.
As things continue to change, we’re helping by providing marketing advice, fresh perspectives and strategic planning for companies during and after the pandemic. For a full list of our COVID-19 resources, click here.
This blog is one of several in our series on consumer behavior trends in various industries during the pandemic. We're exploring different developments and things marketers should watch as the coronavirus progresses.
Be sure to catch up on the other posts in this series:
As we dive deeper into the impact COVID-19 has had in all industries, let’s take a deeper look into the trends we’re seeing in the travel & tourism industry as things move forward.
Travel and Tourism Trends
There’s no way to sugar coat it. By every measure, the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel industry. The images of the world’s shutdown numbers are staggering. Approximately 100 million travel sector jobs
have been or are set to be eliminated. U.S. airlines are down 95% compared to last year and international passenger revenues are set to decrease by over $300 billion. U.S. hotel occupancy rates remain around 25 percent.
Travel plans are being disrupted and canceled left and right. The latest Traveler Sentiment Study
by Longwoods International shows the intent to travel among American travelers. Highlights of the survey include:
- 21% of American travelers are shifting travel plans from fly-in to drive destinations (which should benefit the Midwest with many short-drive regions).
- Concerns about COVID-19 are impacting decisions to travel in the next six months. This indicates there will be a pent-up demand when it is safe to travel again.
This lack of immediate travel plans means Ohio (the state we’re headquartered in) traveler spending is down 86%, a $524 million dollar loss. As a result, state and local tax returns from travel businesses to-date are down. Forecasters are predicting the revival of the economy will take anywhere from 6-12 months to rebound.
What will adjusting look like?
A recent CivicScience study
showed that Americans feel different levels of comfort with the idea of going back to travel and tourism-related activities, including events, vacations and gatherings outside the immediate family.
A little less than half of survey respondents said they would be ready to attend small gatherings with family and friends within one month of lockdowns ending. But for larger gatherings, most people said they would wait six months or more.
But the unease of a pandemic and the fear of large gatherings does not mean the desire to travel will go away entirely. In a recent survey by Skift Research
, the research arm of the travel trade publication, one-third of Americans said they hope to travel within three months after restrictions are lifted.
Research by H2R Market Research
gives further insight into the general public’s thought process when it comes to traveling again.
- Most (71%) said that they would need an “all clear” message or indication from the government before going on vacation.
- Almost half said they would check and avoid any intended destination that has new COVID-19 cases.
- And 38% said they would need to see other travelers venturing out again before they go anywhere.
Another survey found that
over half of Americans will avoid crowded public spaces on their next vacation, implying that national parks and historic sites will be the first to see revenue growth.
This aligns with the H2R survey, which asked where people were most likely to visit first. The results showed:
- Historic landmarks/places (30%)
- National/state parks (27%)
- Natural wonders (25%)
- History museums (20%)
- Brewery/winery tours (19%)
- Theaters (18%)
- Zoos/animal attractions (18%)
- Botanical gardens (17%)
- Science centers (17%)
- Family entertainment centers (17%)
The resurgence of the road trip and other trends
With some states loosening travel restrictions, “people want to get out — just within their own control,” said Tori Barnes, the executive vice president for public affairs and policy for the U.S. Travel Association.
You can expect to see a surge in road trips, which will be a huge opportunity for people to move around and help jump start the economy. Road trips have always been a great alternative to flight travel and are traditionally very price-conscious, which is nothing new for the American public.
According to the Family Travel Association
, parents consistently rank price as the largest challenge they face when traveling with children. Road trips also mean that family vacations after COVID-19 are likely to become shorter so that they cost less and allow less chance for families to be exposed to germs. To keep families spending money on shorter trips, many travel industry suppliers will offer special rates and discounts.
After staying inside for the better part of 2020, many tourists may choose wellness or outdoor experiences that involve getting active and healthy. This includes cycling and trekking tours as well as mindfulness and yoga retreats.
Vacation spots that are able to offer outdoor experiences already have an advantage in rebounding after COVID-19. Organizing well-executed, valuable vacation options for tourists will be key. Experiences that feel thrown together or cheap will be extra disappointing for tourists after lockdowns are lifted.
Along the lines of road trips comes staycations. People are not going to be running to planes or trains, but instead taking their automobiles to the nearest drivable retreat to get away but not super far from home. Many cities and organizations may launch “stay local” campaigns to attract visitors.
Large gatherings of people may also be a thing in the past as we have seen the push for weddings, showers, birthday parties getting smaller. From here on out the new marketing message could be “go smaller” and all of the reasons why you should include health, safety and economic benefits.
According to the same CivicScience study
, large-scale events like concerts and sporting events most likely will not reappear until 2021 unless a vaccine is made available. Smaller venues and concerts clubs may open first with limited crowds, but there’s a very slim chance that anything resembling previous crowds will occur in 2020.
This is underscored by the study’s finding that 38% of adults would wait six months or more after lifted lockdowns to attend events with big crowds.
Interestingly enough, younger consumers are more eager to return to events with large crowds. Most respondents who said they would return to large crowds within a month of lifted lockdowns were ages 18-34. Women are more likely to be wary of returning too soon.
One day at a time
Coming out of quarantine will not happen all at once, but in phases. Americans have varying priorities when it comes to travel and social gatherings after lockdown, with the majority focused on seeing family and friends in small groups first.
Looking beyond smaller social engagements, it’s hard to determine the public’s timetable. After months of lockdown and clear concerns about mingling again, it’s hard to imagine something like an international vacation, sporting event or concert happening any time soon.
But “we are all in this together,” and as long as employees and consumers are feeling safe and believe in your message for the future, all we can do is take it day by day and we will make it through.


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New research conducted by Amcor reveals the differences in European consumer attitudes to buying grocery products online.
The research surveyed 1,000 online grocery shoppers across France, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, to study their buying preferences and understand wider e-commerce trends in Europe. For brands and food producers, Amcor argues that this research represents a valuable insight into varying preferences for fresh produce, meat, and dairy deliveries, and what measures brands can take to ensure the freshness and quality consumers are demanding from online shopping.
Key highlights from Amcor’s consumer research include:
UK consumers show a much stronger willingness to buy fresh food online
UK consumers set themselves apart from their European neighbours in their willingness to buy fresh food online. Most (69%) say they buy the same amount of food, or more, online than in-store – compared to only 30% of Europeans in other countries. The top reason shoppers gave for buying more online was convenience. They perceived a time saving, as well as noting the ease of delivery versus having to carry groceries home.
Ensuring quality and food waste reduction are important for online shoppers
Amcor says that the research also revealed why consumers in other European nations may not be embracing online purchases of fresh food to the same degree as the UK. This is largely because of concerns about freshness – 61% of European shoppers prefer to see and test fresh produce before buying it.
Specifically, 78% of French shoppers want to physically check the quality of fresh produce before they buy whilst 77% of Germans prefer to buy produce from stores daily to avoid food waste.
Food subscriptions are booming – particularly in the Netherlands
Food subscriptions are increasing in popularity across Europe. Dutch shoppers lead the trend, saying they subscribe to fruit and veg deliveries (36%), coffee deliveries (36%), and snack subscriptions (34%). Across the rest of Europe just over a quarter (26%) of respondents in Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands say they have used a meal kit subscription.
Europeans are united by their love of a morning coffee, with 20-34% of all respondents subscribing to fresh coffee deliveries.
Dairy and chilled desserts are popular with online shoppers across Europe
According to the research, the most popular fresh food category for online purchase is dairy, with 65% of shoppers buying cheese online, and 61% buying yogurt and chilled desserts. After dairy, fruit, and vegetables are some of the most common items to buy online (54%), and the most popular option for food subscriptions. But this only applies to whole produce.
Meanwhile, pre-packed vegetables and pre-cut fruit are apparently a less popular option, at 36% and 22% respectively. European shoppers might enjoy having fresh fruit and vegetable delivered to their door, but they’ll do the chopping themselves.
The biggest packaging consideration for consumers is sustainability – which is the primary packaging requirement for 65% of consumers.
Recyclable packaging was the primary sustainability attribute online shoppers look for. Amcor’s research showed that over a third of online consumers believe packaging recyclability to be very important to them. Furthermore, 13% of online shoppers cited a lack of packaging information available online, highlighting an opportunity for e-retailers to add sustainability information.
Chris Fesen, Marketing Director, Food at Amcor commented: “E-commerce purchases for fresh food are increasing, and food producers can adapt to take advantage of this emerging market. However, many consumers are still concerned about freshness and food waste – in a brick-and-mortar store, shoppers can visibly check the freshness of produce, meat, and dairy but this is more difficult with home delivery. Brands should opt for packaging that keeps food safe and fresh in transit and displays this freshness to re-assure customers.
“To meet sustainability goals, it’s vital for fresh food brands to balance the use of more sustainable, recyclable materials, with packaging that continues to extend shelf life and avoid food waste.”
The full study can be read here.


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A "Joint Declaration by China and the Philippines" was announced on November 21st. The declaration states that in the field of trade China will accelerate the approval of relevant certification processes and expand the import of such top-quality agricultural products as tropical fruit from the Philippines. This is an effort to improve the trade balance between the two countries.
In addition, the two countries aim to improve cooperation through the "Six Year Plan for Trade Cooperation (2017-2022)". This agreement promotes the use of local currency in bilateral trade, accelerates cooperation between customs services in both countries, and promotes the facilitation of trade activities. At the same time, the two countries will also speed up the "Plan for Industrial Cooperation between China and the Philippines". This plan aims to create more favorable conditions for companies in both countries to invest in each other.
Source: Beijing Business Paper


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What’s a hot tub acrylics manufacturer got in common with a golf goods distributor?
More than you’d guess, it turns out.
In a special publication this week, we profile Cincinnati’s 150 largest private companies. If you’re a regular reader of the Business Courier, many of these names ought to look familiar; some of them you probably see in print every week. But we’re sure there will be a few among these 150 that will be new to you, and that’s one of the most significant reasons we continue to dedicate hours of research into figuring out how some of the city’s most influential companies stack up.
Earning more than $50 million in annual revenue is no happy accident, and we’re here to celebrate that. So although this list is intended to publicly commend our city’s most powerful private companies, it’s also intended to help you gauge trends in growth and keep you up-to-date on the city’s latest and greatest movers and shakers. The 150 names you’ll find on this year’s list make up some of the brightest and most successful companies and individuals in Cincinnati, and they account for a huge portion of the city’s business fabric – our listmakers have a combined revenue of $40 billion.
We’re pleased to welcome six new companies to this year’s list, each of which are in the middle of a narrative of success that’s a strong representation of this city’s business savvy, entrepreneurship, vision and continuous growth. We spoke with four of the six top executives running the show at this year’s new companies who shared their insight on their growth and the challenges they’ve faced. Click on the image at right to check out what they had to say.


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Mumbai: India’s gold demand abated on Friday as prices neared the most-watched Rs15,000-mark, along with a weak rupee weighing on sentiment, dealers said.
“We are not hearing much from our customers as prices have touched Rs15,000,” said a dealer with a state-run bank in Mumbai. “A weak rupee is also keeping buyers away.”
The most-traded October contract was 0.31% higher at Rs14,985 per 10 grams at 2:03pm, after hitting a high of Rs15,004, the loftiest level since 6 August.
The Indian rupee eased as a choppy start to domestic share market failed to provide clarity on direction of foreign fund flows. A weak rupee makes the dollar-quoted yellow metal expensive.
However, dealers said demand had picked-up since the start of the month after a period of lull as traders sought to replenish stocks to meet festive demand.
“Demand is definitely better than last two months,” said another dealer with a private bank in Mumbai.
A section of India’s top gold merchants are preparing for a sharp pick-up in gold sales this festive season, suggesting demand by the world’s top consumer is rebounding despite near-record prices and a bleak monsoon.


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To offer greater options for weed control, Kuhn Farm Machinery has announced a lineup of mechanical weeders which will be launched at Agritechnica next month.
The Rowliner is designed for row crops and is available in configurations from six to twelve rows. The Tineliner tined weeder expands the company’s shallow tillage solutions and will be available in 6m to 12m working widths.
An additional product range, the Starliner rotary hoe, will be introduced to the market in 2025.
More details on the mechanical weeding range will be announced at Agritechnica. For more information go to www.kuhn.co.uk


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The Association of Hotels and Tourist Companies reports that the weekends of May and June will have an occupancy of more than 70%
Mazatlan. Without-. After a successful Holy Week and Easter vacation period, with hotel occupancies at 95% and a historical economic spill of 1,100 million pesos , Mazatlán will maintain its good tourist streak for the coming months, until summer.
The director of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Companies of Mazatlán, Julio Birrueta, confirmed that according to the reservations in the beach lodging establishments , the following weekends will reach an occupancy of 75% .
” We have already done everything necessary in terms of negotiations for the summer, now we are going to start working for the winter season, ” he said.
He commented that summer is coming well, for the four weeks of July and two of August they expect occupancy levels of 75%, with full weekends.
During the week the influx of people drops a little, compared to the weekends.
” These numbers are very similar to what we brought before the Covid-19 pandemic, everything that is summer, Christmas, Easter and official bridges, the behavior in the occupation is similar ,” he said.
Julio Birrueta pointed out that for five years, prior to the pandemic, July already brought this trend, while May has been the same, because the drop in congresses and conventions has been replaced by pleasure tourism.
” Weekends are well occupied in May and June, I’m talking about levels of 70 and 75%, which is very good, and generally lower during the week ,” he insisted.
DIVERSIFY THE OFFER
The hotel executive announced that by the fall of this year, the congress and convention segment will have a significant recovery, however, he is confident that by 2023 the levels that were before the pandemic will be reached.
He pointed out that the concern of Mazatlan, paradoxically, is not the occupation, on the contrary, there is tourism and there is an excellent job offer, there is even a struggle to find personnel for certain positions within the hotel industry.
“The problem is not quantitative, but qualitative, we need to give game to the rural area of Mazatlan, as well as Rosario, Concordia, Copala, Teacapán, in Escuinapa,” he concluded.


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Xbox Studios director of live operations Crystin Cox shared some advice for developers on how to deal with monetizing their games in an ethical manner in a recent episode of Google for Games’ Game Dev Dialogs podcast.
Cox, who was previously a lead game designer and head of commerce on Guild Wars 2 and a former game director for Nexon’s MapleStory, said developers would be best served by treating all their players with the same care they treat the children who play their games.
“Within any age group, there’s vulnerable groups and vulnerable for a variety of reasons, but still vulnerable,” she said.
While the basic ethics of fairness, respect, and accountability should be the same regardless, Cox said vulnerable populations will have “edge cases” that developers need to consider and address, no matter how frequently they come up.
“It’s easier to just accommodate them than it is to deal with the consequences of not taking into consideration how you’re going to manage the more vulnerable population,” Cox said.
“Because even if I remove ethics from this conversation and we just talk hard business, there’s nothing good about having thousands of thousands of dollars or tens of thousands of dollars charged back onto credit cards and then getting fined by credit card payment companies. So there’s tons of risk associated with allowing things like exploitative spending or binge spending.”
Despite that, Cox was clear about not wanting to rely on hard business considerations


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Pudgy Penguins surges after announcement of new toy line! The Pudgy Penguins collection recently made a huge announcement that helped boost their trading volume immensely within the last 24 hours!
The Pudgy Toy Line
The Pudgy Penguins team announced through their official Twitter the launch of their first licensing opportunity, a real-life toy line. This announcement comes only a month after the collection announced its partnership with the toy maker for both Fortnite and Nickelodeon, PMI toys.
Introducing our Pudgy Toys Lineup, licensed directly from the community.
This is the first of many instances where the Pudgy Penguins IP will allow Web2 to meet Web3.
Congratulations to the Penguins who were selected. More is coming, just look… pic.twitter.com/82iblNKCa3
— Pudgy Penguins (@pudgypenguins) August 11, 2022
The team describes the new toy line to be “licensed directly from the community” as the 15 penguins chosen to be made into toys are those that are owned by certain chosen holders themselves.
Surge In Price
Since the announcement, many in the community have been expressing their excitement for the future of Pudgy Penguins, raising both the floor price and trading volume of the collection within just a day.
According to data by OpenSea, the project saw more than a 300% increase in sales volume, raising its floor price by 60% since last month.
Pudgy Penguins just flipped Cool Cats… what is happening lol
— Zeneca_33 (🔮,🔥) (@Zeneca_33) August 11, 2022
To the surprise of many in the community, Pudgy Penguins was even able to flip the Cool Cats collection with a floor price of 2.68 ETH in comparison to Cool Cats’ 2.43 ETH.
The two collections are known to be part of the same category of ‘cute meta’ NFTs, with Cool Cats usually dominating Pudgy Penguins for the last year. However, with this new toy line announcement, many seem to have become more bullish on Pudgy Penguins than ever before.


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PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Selling Limited-Time Cosmetic Crates and Keys to Fund Tournament Prize Pool
The proceeds from the new limited-time crates will fund the Gamescom PUBG Invitational prize pool.
There will be a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds esports tournament at this year's Gamescom, and the prize pool will be funded through limited-time microtransactions in the game. That prize pool will be $350,000, and will be awarded to the winners who score the best across three games. The Invitational will include Solo mode, Duo mode, Duo first-person mode and Squad mod, and will span four days.
The new microtransactions will take the form of a limited-time crate and key system that will launch on August 3. Three new crates will launch that day - the Wanderer Crate, the Survivor Crate, and the Gamescom invitational Crate - and they will be filled with cosmetics inspired by the Battle Royale movie. While the first two crates will be opened with Battle Points, just like the crates already in the game are, the Gamescom Invitational Crate will require a special key. That key will cost $2.50, and the proceeds from that crate will be used to fund the Invitational prize pool and the setup of the event.
You'll be able to watch the event on the PUBG Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer, and Twitter channels when it happens from August 23 - 26, 2017. Play starts at 10 AM ET daily.
You can find more information about the event, and who's playing, over on the official PUBG website.
It's cool that these are going to be directly Battle Royale inspired, but I have to wonder what that actually means considering almost everyone was in high-school uniforms.
But the real question is: what are the shades of these outfits?
Every tacticool numbnut knows that the brown trenchcoat is desirable because it blends in with the ground and the white shirts and blue pants are to be avoided because they don't.
It's all about that tactical E D G E -!
You know, watching this, it's made me realise how easily battle royale games could be turned into e-Sports. Why no developers haven't tried this before is baffling.


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To celebrate, five Oceanhouse Media apps are on sale 50% off January 23-27
Pioneering app development studio Oceanhouse Media turns five years old on January 23rd, 2014. In honor of this milestone event, the California-based company is launching an anniversary app sale January 23rd through January 27th offering 50% off some of their favorite bedtime digital book apps for iOS and Android devices. The successful company generated revenues of $3.9 million in 2012 (a 3,055% 3-year growth rate), and was subsequently recognized in 2013 as the 114th fastest growing private company in the US by Inc. Magazine. The company was also recognized as 9th fastest growing amongst software companies.
Five years ago, Michel Kripalani- a father of two and a veteran of the video gaming industry- founded Oceanhouse Media, with his wife Karen, as his third entrepreneurial venture. After the success of the company’s debut app, Bowls - Authentic Tibetan Singing Bowls in March of 2009, the Kripalanis sought out licensing opportunities with their family’s favorite brands in children’s and self-improvement genres. The initial goal was to create mobile app versions of best-selling print books, card decks and calendars. The company has since secured licensing agreements with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Hay House, Mercer Mayer, HarperCollins, Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Chronicle Books, Chicken Soup for the Soul and many others. “Partnering with the best brands, publishing houses and authors has been an an exciting ride and an incredible honor,” revealed Kripalani, “Our joy comes from delivering this beloved content to our customers in innovative and highly interactive formats. Giving children new ways to learn and providing adults with transformative tools in the palm of their hand is our motivation for being here.”
In an overly crowded app market, Oceanhouse Media sets themselves apart with a commitment to high quality products. Operating under a ‘5 Stars or No Stars’ core value, every app the company ships is required to meet top-notch standards. Trail-blazing, innovators from the infancy of the app industry, Oceanhouse Media initially developed and introduced many of the features that digital children’s book apps use today; including three different ways to read a story, individual word highlighting, and picture/ word association techniques. In 2012, the company became the first, and only, to provide a “record & share” feature, allowing users to record their own customized narration of a story and send it to family members anywhere.
Today, Oceanhouse Media is an industry leader, having released more than 350 mobile apps. Eighteen of Oceanhouse Media’s apps have reached the number one spot within their category on the App Store, twelve of those being their signature children’s omBooks. The company has been selected by Google as one of its Top Developers, a badge recognizing established, respected developers for their commitment to high- quality and innovative Android apps. In late 2013, Oceanhouse Media received two esteemed Parents’ Choice GOLD awards for Ice is Nice and On Beyond Bugs from The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series.
“Even after five years, Oceanhouse continues to operate under its original mantra ‘creativity with a purpose’,” said Kripalani, “Five years ago, we never could have predicted the app market would be as dynamic and multifaceted as it is today and we can only hope the next five years will bring us as much excitement and surprise.”
To view the company’s anniversary app deals visit: www.omapp.com/products/type/sale
About Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
Creators of the award-winning Dr. Seuss digital book apps, Oceanhouse Media, Inc. is a leading publisher of more than 350 mobile and desktop apps for iOS (iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch®), AndroidTM, NOOK TabletsTM, Kindle FireTM, HP TouchPadTM and Windows 8 devices. The company was founded in early 2009 by Michel Kripalani, a veteran of the video gaming industry. Seventeen of the company’s apps have reached the number one spot within their categories on Apple’s App StoreSM. In addition, Google has selected the company as one of its Top Developers, a designation granted to only 150 groups worldwide.
Oceanhouse Media's corporate focus is to uplift, educate and inspire through technology. For more information, visit http://www.oceanhousemedia.com. Follow the company on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OceanhouseMedia) and Twitter (@OceanhouseMedia).


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CeX confirms it is victim of cyber attack – here’s what to do if you are a customer
- Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Bosses at pre-owned games and DVD retailer CeX, which has stores in Ipswich, Colchester, Felixstowe, Lowestoft and Newmarket, have said customers may have been affected by a recent security hack into its systems.
An email from the company was sent out to its customers today, August 30, stating that an “unauthorised third party” had accessed its systems, and that they believed “some customer data has been compromised”.
The retailer confirmed it did not have any card data stored, and had not held customer card data since 2009.
The email sent to customers said: “We are taking this extremely seriously and want to provide you with details of the situation and how it might affect you.
“We also want to reassure you that we are investigating this as a priority and are taking a number of measures to prevent this from happening again.
The email continued: “As a result of a breach of security in which an unauthorised third party accessed our computer systems, we believe that some customer data has been compromised.
“This includes personal information, and, for a small number of customers, it also includes encrypted data from expired credit or debit cards.
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“As a customer of CeX, there is a possibility this might affect you.”
The firm said additional measures had already been put in place, and were working with the authorities to track down those responsible.
However, CeX bosses urged customers to change the passwords on their webuy.com online account, and change the password on other accounts which use the same password as a safety measure.


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Lotus Ruan, October 2014
Not only have American partners begun fighting back against what they views as threats to academic freedom, but many Chinese view the soft-power initiative as a waste of money.
Lotus Ruan, August 2014
Guo Meimei is being used to represent all that's wrong with Chinese charities -- and maybe China itself.
Lotus Ruan, October 2013
After months of speculation, the Shanghai Free Trade Zone became a reality on Sept. 29. But many Chinese have reacted to the launch with skepticism, questioning how "free" the free trade zone will really be.


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Will Disney Investors Be Treated To Another Magical Earnings Report?
Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) will report its fourth quarter results on Thursday after market close. Analysts are expecting the company to book $0.88 per share on $12.37 billion in revenue.
Disney reported its third quarter results on August 5. At that time, the company earned a record high $1.28 per share, topping analyst expectations by $0.11 per share. In fact, Disney generated a greater earnings per share in the first three quarters of the year than it has in any previous full fiscal year. Revenue rose 7.6 percent from a year ago to $12.46 billion, besting analyst expectations by $290 million.
The stock is up 4.5 percent over the last three months; Shares were recently trading at $90.46 on Wednesday.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) halted some pre-orders of Disney movies over an alleged contract dispute. Amazon's move appeared to be of little concern to shareholders, given the plethora of options available for consumers to purchase a DVD. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. jumped in and offered "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" for $14.96 on pre-order, while Amazon eventually resumed pre-orders in late August.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the dispute between Disney and Amazon stems from differences regarding promotion and product placement within Amazon's website, as well as other financial issues.
Shares of Disney traded above the $90 level for the first time ever in mid-August as investors continued to see a strong pipeline of new products being released for many years to come. For example, Disney premiered a one-hour "Star Wars" movie on its Disney XD app and WatchDisneyXD.com on September 29 to build up hype for the new "Star Wars" films hitting the big screen in December 2015. Disney also integrated" Star Wars" within its theme parks and plans to sell toys at retail outlets.
Disney filed for three separate patents related to the use of drones in air shows. The company didn't elaborate how it intends to use drones, and management may or may not discuss the topic during its post-earnings conference call.
Disney acquired indirectly a 10-percent stake in Vice Media through its 50-percent stake in A&E Networks.
Disney's Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo spoke at a Goldman Sachs conference on September 10. The executive hinted that the company continues to explore "new media" opportunities including Maker Studios, which could end up being a creator of content similar to Marvel and LucasFilm. Disney will also remain active in streaming content and won't ignore OTT partnerships.
Rasulo also confirmed the company is on pace for $6 billion to $8 billion in buybacks for fiscal 2015.
Disney secured an agreement with TNT involving broadcast rights for the next five Marvel movies; Disney also secured a new merchandising partnership with Hasbro to sell Disney-related products, including those tied with "Frozen." In addition, J.C. Penney revealed during its analyst day it will expand its Disney shops within J.C. Penney stores.
Cause For Concern?
Analysts at Cowen Research suggested that TV viewership continues to be sluggish in the quarter, fueling concern that advertisers may shift marketing dollars to digital channels and away from traditional TV channels that include Disney's ABC and ESPN. Concerns were further expanded on in a report by RBC Capital Markets, stating that ABC.com (along with NBC.com) have seen declines in viewership at the expense of Netflix.
Disney extended Bob Iger's role as chief executive officer through 2018. The executive previously planned to retire in 2016.
The National Basketball Association announced a long-term media rights contracts with Disney and Time Warner granting the two companies the rights to broadcast NBA games through the 2024-2025 season.
Finally, Disney announced a plethora of movie releases through the end of the decade, including "The Avengers 3," which will be split into two movies in 2018 and 2019.
© 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Tag "lg enact"
Verizon today began offering its latest entry-level smartphone, the LG Enact. Priced at $19 with a two-year service agreement, the phone features a QWERTY keyboard, 4-inch 800×480 display, 5-megapixel rear
Verizon will soon introduce a new QWERTY slider smartphone from LG in the next days, reports @evleaks. Called the LG Enact, it should feature a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel rear
Verizon will introduce the LG Enact as part of its mid-range smartphone lineup later this year, according to @evleaks. Specifics are light as of now, however we might look for


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Video-streaming giant Netflix, has added video games service to the platform with the introduction of five mobile games, playable on Android devices, while games on IOS devices are still being processed.
The titles are included in a Netflix subscription, and there’ll be no additional purchases required, Mike Verdu, Netflix’s vice president of game development, said.
The streaming company has targeted video games as its next big thing — it’s an industry that’s larger than the movie and TV businesses.
The initial offering includes titles linked to Netflix shows, such as Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game.
Also included are Shooting Hoops, Card Blast and Teeter Up.
Netflix adds video games service


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Once again, India made its presence at ISSA/Interclean exhibition in Amsterdam, which saw the convergence of more than 660 exhibitors from various countries. Clean India Journal has been participating in the exhibition since 2006 and this time too it made its mark by representing the Indian Cleaning Industry.
This time trade visitors from India were able to seal deals with international machine manufacturers and expand their offerings to the Indian market. Some 670 manufacturers from 42 countries presented their latest products and solutions to an international audience of industry professionals. Cleaning service providers from India and the UAE made their presence at the exhibition.
Interacting with exhibitors, JP Nair, Managing Director of Virtual Info Systems Pvt Ltd, publisher of Clean India Journal, said, “There are many manufacturers who are looking at expanding their business in the Indian market. There is a lot of buzz and hunt for ideal distributors who could meet the international standards of supplying and servicing international products in India.”
More and more European companies are looking at growing markets in India, the UAE, China and even countries like Russia and Australia. As per records, the exhibition has had visitors over 28,001, from 130 countries registering 72% of international attendance.
Besides the regular cleaning machines, equipment with specific and multiple applications were on display. There were even smaller and light-weight scrubbing machines targeting smaller applications. In the bigger machine category, scrubber driers and sweepers targeting the Asian markets attracted attention. Flooding the hygiene section were the regular products from Europe and Asia, besides some innovative sensor based accessories introduced to ensure hygiene levels.
VERMOP Salmon was named the Overall Winner of the ninth Amsterdam Innovation Award for its Mag system. The Mag system brings an entirely new way of attaching mop covers to the mop holder – its ease of use, hygienic touch-free operation, flexibility, intuitiveness and ergonomics.
The winner in the ‘Machines, Accessories and Components’ category was Kärcher with its B80W, while Alpheios’s Infection Prefention Monitor was identified as the most innovative product in the ‘Cleaning Management and Training Solutions’ category. The first year’s ‘Visitor’s Choice’ Award went to Alpheios with its IPM.
The next ISSA/Interclean Amsterdam takes place from May 6-9, 2014, when it will celebrate its 25th anniversary.


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The trump management will reimpose tariffs on certain aluminum imports from canada, escalating trade tensions only months after a trade contract between your united states, canada and mexico moved into impact.
President donald trump on thursday said he'd put tariffs of 10 % on unalloyed and unwrought canadian aluminium, mentioning threats to united states security.
In 2018, the us levied a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum from canada and another nations, saying that imports posed a nationwide security hazard.
The move fuelled a substantial escalation of trade tensions with of washingtons closest allies, and caused retaliatory canadian tasks on c$16.6bn (us$12.2bn) well worth people items. tariffs on canada and mexico were eliminated final may as part of the negotiations that resulted in the usmca trade bargain, which replaced nafta.
Under usmca, the united states gets the directly to reimpose tariffs if surges of exports in metal and aluminium towards us take place.
In a declaration on thursday, the usa trade associates office said canadian aluminum exports to the united states had surged above historical amounts.
Chrystia freeland, canadian deputy prime minister, stated the tariffs had been unwarranted and unsatisfactory, and therefore canada meant to swiftlyimpose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures.
Canadian aluminium cannot undermine us nationwide protection, ms freeland said. canadian aluminum strengthens us national protection and it has done this for decades through unparalleled co-operation between our two nations.
She included:in time of a global pandemic and an overall economy, the very last thing canadian and us employees require is new tariffs that boost charges for manufacturers and consumers, impede the no-cost flow of trade, and hurt provincial and condition economies.
The usa chamber of commerce, a business group, stated the reimposition of tariffs against canada was a step into the incorrect course.
These tariffs will boost charges for united states makers, tend to be opposed by most us aluminium producers, and can draw retaliation against us exports in the same way they did prior to, stated myron brilliant, the teams mind of worldwide affairs. we encourage the administration to reconsider this move.
The aluminum association, which represents many of us and foreign businesses in the industry including the ones that make the input material and process it into sheet, foil and plate form final month composed to trade representative robert lighthizer to outline their particular significance of a reliable source of natural aluminum.
The signatories of the letter also remarked that while canadian exports of raw aluminium into the united states have increased because the tariffs had been removed, volumes are at a similar degree to 2017, and in maintaining the historical trend.
The large level of power necessary to change aluminiums key ingredient, alumina, into refined steel has actually led many businesses to anchor their creation of natural aluminum in nations including canada, iceland or russia, where there's an ample power offer. china, which subsidies its business, can be a large producer.


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Back in 2016 when the Dieselgate scandal surfaced, it was hard to guess just how big of an impact it would have on the industry as a whole. Personally, I think that was the tipping point for the beginning of the electric cars revolution. But apart from making electrified cars a lot more popular in a very short period of time, the Dieselgate scandal also turned a very powerful spotlight onto the compression-ignition mills that certain customers loved and couldn’t part ways with.
The DieselGate Changed The Industry Forever
The legislators around the world started an inquiry into how diesels were regulated and scrutinized everything related to them, no matter what brand they wore on their shiny plastic engine covers. Plenty of accusations flew left and right, and even today certain car makers are still being judged for various charges, accused of all sorts of wrongdoings.
In such a turbulent market, car makers decided to hit the brake pedal and start dropping diesels slowly but surely. As a result, the biggest issue was the sudden increase of fleet CO2 emissions once diesels were no longer a big part of their portfolios. That’s how we find ourselves at the end of 2020 with a considerably growing portfolio of mild-hybrid BMW models, and a steadily decreasing amount of diesels available, prompting yet more headaches for the people in charge.
The reason why cutting diesels from the line-up is problematic has a lot to do with fleet CO2 figures. American customers might not be aware of this, as diesels never really became mainstream in the U.S., but Europeans are very much aware of the fact that up until a few years back, diesels were the customers’ main choice. More than half of all cars sold here by BMW were powered by diesels, which have considerably lower CO2 emissions than their petrol counterparts.
After 2016 and the Dieselgate scandal, the sides switched, petrol models becoming more and more popular, in turn prompting an increase in fleet CO2 figures. Chip in the tightening regulations related to diesel engines altogether and the fumes they are allowed to emit, and you can figure how BMW and other companies are now feeling like they are caught between a rock and a hard place.
It’s a shame too, because diesels do have certain advantages and with modern-day exhaust treatments, they are far from the polluting, harmful powerplants they used to be. They are still unmatched in terms of efficiency, especially on longer routes and provide incredible torque figures.
Sure, they also have some disadvantages, like the trademark NVH levels way above what a petrol-powered car would have to deal with, but if we’re talking about straight six mills, that’s not really a problem anymore, thanks to the inherent balance these engines usually have.
One Of The Best BMW Engines – B57S
And that’s exactly what we’re going to discuss here today, the retiring of probably the best diesel engine ever made by BMW, the B57S.
That codename might not say a lot to many people but what you should know is that this used to be the only diesel engine in the world with a quad-turbo setup. Also, it was one of only two powerplants to share this architecture. Care to guess which one was the other engine? The W16 8-liter monster installed in the Bugatti Veyron initially and now the Chiron.
The problem is, no matter how nice this might sound on paper, it’s never a good thing to complicate engines and having four turbos fitted to one does cause a lot of issues. I’m not necessarily talking about the long-term reliability but rather the entire production process. That’s actually one of the reasons BMW invoked when they announced they will be ceasing the production of the quad-turbo diesel monster found under the M50d moniker.


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The independent Australian producer has innovated the RTD category with the release of an aluminium bottle format.
Members can now access workplace wellbeing material and support through an official partnership with Luemo.
Watch our interview with 2019 winner of the Retail Drinks Industry Award for Liquor Store Owner of the Year – Steven Dinnell, Porter’s Liquor, St Ives.
The annual celebration will be kicking off in Sydney next week.
The pair behind Hop & Clover Brewing Co. describe their approach to brewing and how it all started with second hand equipment.
Nominations for the 2021 Retail Drinks Industry Awards will close on 28 February 2021.
South Australian winery Hither & Yon has become state’s first carbon neutral winery, one of three Australia-wide.
The recently opened store has a new take on sustainability by exclusively selling wine on tap.
Multiple recent new releases across several brands in the Constellation Brands portfolio have been driven by innovation.
The Vine and Shine Trail was launched this week to put Queensland winemakers on the map.