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When the COVID-19 crisis first hit, demand plummeted for Romy Taormina’s flagship product, a band that travelers wear on their wrists to ease nausea. Now that travel is coming back, her business is being whipsawed by the same supply issues that marked the start of the global pandemic.
Her exasperation is felt by small business owners across a range of industries in the U.S. Besides the global microchip shortage, which President Joe Biden recently called a “national security issue,” electricians can’t source the little plastic boxes they need to rewire light fixtures. Contractors are reporting a 200% surge in the price of lumber. Even the supply of Taiwanese tapioca is drying up, Inc. reports.
While the recent blockage of the Suez Canal deserves some blame—as do extreme weather events like the freak snowstorm that roiled Texas in February—the real culprit remains the pandemic, says Sridhar Tayur, professor of operations management at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
“The pandemic and its recovery is very K-shaped,” he says, referring to a post-recessionary climate in which certain parts of the economy resume growth while others lag behind indefinitely. “Some of the companies’ issues with supply and supply chain management and labor is because they’re unable to meet increased demand.” For others, he says, “they’re really hoping their former level of demand will come back.”
Barring another crisis, Tayur says shipping issues and delays should clear up by the end of the summer. But that’s not an invitation to return your company operations to business as usual, he says.
Business owners should stop prioritizing efficiency over buffering or “smart buffering,” he says, pointing to the practice of having a diverse supply chain, investing in local capacity, and stockpiling key products. Read the full story.


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ADVISORS say small businesses could provide a happy hunting ground for tax inspectors.
The UK Business Advisors (UKBA) group says the taxman has a ‘view to implementing’ checks on some 200,000 small businesses from the middle of the year.
UKBA says the taxman anticipates raising an additional £600m in tax over four years – an average of £3,000 per company.
Richard Terhorst, specialist in the financial support arm of the UK Business Advisors said: “HMRC have found a new hunting ground - taxpayers whose records are poor. We strongly recommend that businesses with concerns about their records get in touch with us. We’ll give you a health check. It could save you a lot of grief and cost in the future.”
UKBA’s own research indicates some 40 per cent of small businesses have either inadequate or poor record keeping. Common problems include poor evidence of expenditure.
> Visit www.ukba.co.uk

domain: news


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THE farm industry said the need for first border inspection facilities at ports remains urgent to deter smuggling or dangerous produce.
Gregorio A. San Diego, Jr., chairman of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA) and the Philippine Egg Board Association, said cold examination facilities for agriculture (CEFA) are “very long delayed.”
“What is happening (under the current system) is what they call the open-close policy,” which consists of a visual inspection of the goods near the container door,” Mr. San Diego said in a Viber message.
Federation of Free Farmers National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said such inspection facilities will check the container’s contents, determine their tariff classification, weight or volume, value, quarantine clearance, and other parameters.
A first border inspection facility “will obviously be resisted by persons who are gaining from the current system” because they will be prevented from engaging in smuggling, misdeclaration and undervaluation of imports, he said via Viber.
UBRA President Elias Jose M. Inciong added that all imported produce must come with key information that legitimate importers are more likely to comply with.
“It is important to know the (manufacturing) date and (when it was frozen) so that the legal importers can be distinguished from the illegal ones. Right now, there is no distinction,” Mr. Inciong said by phone.
“The problem… is there is no data on the shelf life of these products,” he added.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday seized smuggled frozen meat worth P35 million in Meycauayan City, Bulacan.
Several frozen spoiled meat products, including pork feet, lamb and chicken skin were found, the DA’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Inspectorate and Enforcement said.
The meat products came from Germany and India, and were found being repacked for sale, the inspectorate added.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said the establishment of first border inspection facilities for agricultural imports has entered its “final stages.”
SINAG Executive Director Jayson H. Cainglet said by phone that “since last year, we’ve been talking to the President and the DA and we are in the middle of formalizing the creation of a CEFA in Bulacan,” he said by phone.
The DA initially set the creation of the first CEFA in 2019 in Subic, with P500 million in funding, to address the African Swine Fever crisis, but this failed to proceed.
“President Marcos is left holding the bag and he is the one who is expected right now by everyone to execute it,” Mr. Inciong said.
Mr. Cainglet also cited the need to amend the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Law by allowing other parties to charge smugglers. Such amendments would also create a special court to handle these cases. “Under the agri-smuggling law, only the BoC (Bureau of Customs) can file cases against smugglers.”
The amendments are pending in committee at both the House and Senate. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz


text: Nikon Corporation, which supplies lithography equipment for microelectronics manufacturing, said its optical lithography exposure tool data is available for the latest release of EDA giant Synopsys' Proteus optical proximity correction (OPC) software. As part of an ongoing collaboration, the two companies developed an embedded scanner parameter module, which delivers the "manufacturing-aware" OPC and resolution enhancement technology (RET) lithography simulation models needed to make chips at 45nm and below. At these sizes, critical dimension (CD) control takes place at the single nanometer level. Current OPC design tools use idealized models of lithography tools to synchronize with the mask pattern. The pattern can only be optimized by comparing the simulated model to the calibrated exposure results, an approach that may not produce accurate, predictable models, according to a Synopsys release. That's why Nikon and Synopsys collaborated to develop a "manufacturing-aware" OPC solution that provides improved modeling accuracy. The new interface gives Proteus modeling customers access to Nikon's proprietary scanner information, including such higher-order lithographic effects like polarization, flare, synchronization, and various aberration data. This methodology can accurately predict lithographic printing effects previously missed with traditional "idealized" OPC models, according to Synopsys, increasing OPC modeling accuracy and reducing OPC modeling time. "By incorporating our proprietary scanner information into the Proteus software, Nikon customers can gain a competitive advantage with improved OPC accuracy and faster optimization time," Toshikazu Umatate, executive officer of the precision equipment company at Nikon, said in a statement. "Combining proprietary lithography information from Nikon with Proteus mask-synthesis data moves OPC accuracy into a new domain leading to improved CD control at 45 nanometers and below," Wolfgang Fichtner, senior VP and general manager of the silicon engineering group at Synopsys, said in a statement.


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There has been a lot of buzz recently about ditching plastic straws, Starbucks and Walt Disney Company have already jumped on board, and many more companies are expected to follow suite.
Starbucks has rolled out a new lid that doesn’t require a straw, they liken it to an adult sippy cup, and collapsible metal straws are now being sold in more and more places, but is there a better way to combat this plastic straw?
Twitter user Alex Hughesie thinks so.
Do you remember fruit loops straws? I used to LOVE those things, which of course we only got on special occasions because we weren’t allowed sugary cereals in my house. Unfortunately they were discontinued in 2009, but a change.org petition to bring them back has surfaced online and it seems Kellogs has taken note. While they don’t plan on bringing back the original, they have created a new special edition cereal straw, which will be available at their New York City cafe starting August 7th.
I know…so far away right? Well fear not, the nice folks at Kellogs have given us a DIY to make the straws ourselves at home. Check out the instructions HERE.


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NVIDIA offers this
showing off gameplay from Battlefield V
. Word is: "Battlefield V has
been fully unveiled at EA Play 2018, and we’ve been able to capture exclusive
direct-feed PC footage from the new Grand Operations mode. Watch now to see how
Battlefield V looks on PC." According to the description, "Watch exclusive
Battlefield V Grand Operations PC gameplay, captured on a GeForce GTX 1080 Ti by
the amazing Ms Vixen, battling across the Narvik map."


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Chevrolet will return with a strong offensive in the midsize segment. The GM subsidiary plans to launch a new generation Malibu during next month New York Auto Show. The car was already anticipated by a sketch and some promises to be more efficient and connected than the old model.
Chevrolet designers used an entirely new architecture, which for Malibu includes a wheelbase nearly four inches longer than the outgoing model. That, in turn, provides increased rear legroom and interior space. Due to a higher-strength steel structure, the new Malibu is also expected to be 300 pounds lighter than the current model, which benefits the sedan’s fuel economy and handling.
"The roofline has been stretched rearward giving a more sleek profile, while the front wheels have moved forward and front and rear overhangs have been reduced. Along with the sculpted body side, these cues help Malibu appear more dynamic and sophisticated", says Ed Welburn, General Motors’ vice president of Global Design.
The 2016 Malibu is expected to go on sale by the end of 2015.


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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Sheri Reymond of Overland Park loves a good pair of Stephen Bonnano sandals.
"I've had these I think about five years," Reymond said as showed off her first pair.
Reymond owns three pairs of the pricey slip-ons. Many cost over $100.
In January, Reymond got an email for a 50 percent off sale. She immediately told her friend, Amy Hammons.
"You can go onto their website and pick your style, pick your color," Hammons said. "They're a unique piece of footwear."
And there's the Jackie Onassis factor. The fashionable first lady has been photographed wearing a pair back in the day, which makes them more attractive to savvy and stylish shoppers.
Both Reymond and Hammons placed their orders and paid for the sandals back in January. Now, eight months later, they continue to wait for them.
They tried to call and email the Florida based company but got nowhere.
"This is a little frustrating," Hammons said.
The company told West Palm Scripps station WPTV each sandal takes two hours to make. The sale brought overwhelming demand. Customers placed more than 4,000 orders.
"I'm mostly concerned that the company has gone out of business," Reymond said.
Stephen Bonnano says his company is not closing and that orders are going out daily.
A statement on the company website apologizes to customers for any inconvenience.
As for Reymond and Hammons, the company says their new sandals should be delivered in a week.


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Store giant in £2bn bid for Safeway
The £2 billion offer has been made in an apparent attempt to head-off a full takeover of Safeway by rival WM Morrison, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Asda, Safeway and Morrison declined to comment on the report.
The report comes after months of wrangling over the Safeway takeover.
In January, Morrison put forward a £2.5 billion bid for Safeway.
Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's followed with their own offers.
But regulators decided the Morrison bid was the only one which would not stifle competition in the sector.
Morrison was cleared to launch a new bid by December 29. But with days before the deadline, Asda was reported to have made the £2 billion offer for the 70 Safeway stores which represent about 15% of the chain's total.
Such a move would be certain to face significant regulatory hurdles, experts said.
But sources told the Journal Wal-Mart hoped further investigation by the Competition Commission would prompt Morrison to lose interest and drop its bid.
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Government officials have claimed with increasing urgency they need the power to collect information about individualls to stop crimes and protect the public. Utah is on the brink of setting limits on what kind of personal data the government can collect.
The sheer number of data breaches and privacy overreaches have highlighted just how little control individuals have over information about themselves. They are frequently unaware of what information an organization has collected, how the data pieces are being used, or who those pieces are shared with. They also assume the organizations sitting on the data hoard are taking necessary steps to prevent theft or fraudulent use—but there isn’t a lot of regulation spelling out what those necessary steps are.
Data collection is out of control, and in the absence of any federal action, states have moved forward with their own laws. California is leading the way with strong privacy legislation that protects consumers from aggressive data collection by private enterprises, and New York’s cybersecurity regulations outline what financial services organizations such as insurance companies and banks have to do to safeguard consumer personal data. Earlier this month, Utah legislature passed the privacy bill 5HB 57, which requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant in order to get third-party providers to hand over user data. The bill is headed to Gov. Gary Herbert’s desk for signature.
“Utah legislators passed this latest privacy law, which requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant with probable cause in order to access any electronic data held by a third party, at least in most cases,” Molly Davis, a policy analyst at Libertas Institute, wrote for Wired.
5HB 57 prevents, at least for Utah residents, law enforcement officials from obtaining user data from third-party providers such as Google and Facebook just by asking. Currently, email and cloud service providers, social media companies, and other online entities can’t refuse to hand over the data or place restrictions on what the government can do with the information. This includes information on mobile devices such as photographs, email and text messages, and app-related data. Investigators have asked online services for account information such as usernames, IP addresses and login times as well as content provided by the users, such as emails, images, and documents.
“They [government] can access a person’s information so long as the company is willing to share—a loose practice that could easily be abused,” Davis said.
The Supreme Court originally ruled that consumers have no expectation of privacy when they give their information to third party providers, and narrowed that scope recently by excluding cell phone location data collected by mobile carriers from this category. The Supreme Court also encouraged legislators to pass laws defining what kind of data required a warrant and what didn’t.
With Utah’s privacy law, both state and federal law enforcement officials interested in information about Utah residents would first need to provide a judge with reasons for why they need the information and get a warrant before they can go to the providers for user data. They would need to show how the desired information was necessary for an ongoing investigation.
“If there is a legitimate safety concern requiring access to a person's data, law enforcement will still be able to obtain a warrant,” Davis said. “Without that warrant requirement in place, private data is left vulnerable to fishing expeditions that are rife for abuse.”
There are exceptions to the bill—the warrant requirement can be skipped in case of an emergency, or if the data invollved will be used to committ a felony or misdemeanours involving physical violance, sexual abuse, or dishonesty.
Model for Others
While this law covers only Utah, it can act as a template for other states considering how to protect user privacy from government overreach. Congress continues to deliberate on how to draft the federal consumer data privacy law, while states are already hard at work with their own versions—including restricting what companies can do with user data, defining how companies handle user consent, securing the data companies are allowed to have, and what companies have to do in case something goes wrong.
Much of the focus in 2017 and 2018 was on how companies would comply with the European Union’s data protection law. That’s just one law. In the United States, businesses have to deal with a patchwork of state and federals laws and sector-specific regulations.
Every state has its own breach notification law—when and how consumers are notified in the event of an information breach—but many of them are patterned after California’s law, which is considered the most comprehensive. Many of these laws have evolved over the years to add on new data security and privacy requirements, such as Colorado’s new HB18-1128, which increased oversight of third-parties and required businesses to establish formal information security policies. Vermont legislature passed a law to regulate data brokers. North Carolina legislators are considering a proposal to redefine breaches to include ransomware and to require businesses to undertake “reasonable security procedures and practices” to protect user data.
Oregon’s Health Information Property Act expands HIPAA’s protections to give users greater control over the use of their personal medical information. Virginia’s HB 2793 focuses on how businesses would care for, and dispose of, customer records. Under the proposed law, the business will have make sure customer information is shredded, erased, or otherwise modified when they are no longer needed to “make it unreadable or undecipherable through any means.”.
California is setting the tone again for data privacy legislation protecting consumers from aggressive data collection, mining, and sharing by private companies. Washington is considering Senate Bill 5376 which borrows elements from GDPR and California’s law. If passed, Washington-based consumers will have the right to access personal data being held, demand its deletion, and prevent information from being sold to third-parties. New York’s Right to Know of 2019 would require businesses to provide users with details about what kind of personal information they have collected on the users. New York is defining personal data widely, going beyond names, addresses, and Social Security numbers to include Internet activity, user-generated content, physical and sexual characteristics, racial, religious, political, professional, educational, and commercial information. Like California’s law, both Washington and New York are focusing on any entities that have business within the state, regardless of physical location.
When Utah legislator Craig Hall introduced HB 57, he said the bill would designate the creator of digital content as the owner, not the companies that operate the infrastructure holding the content.
"I want to make clear that the protections that we now have in the paper world are also in place for the electronic world," Hall said at the time.


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The Covid-19 pandemic has not only affected the daily life of people but also affected the pets and animals. The most affected animals are cats b and dogs. The spread is f this pandemic is quite easy with any type contact. This is the reason the adoption and sale if this animals have been stopped.
3 ways that have affected the dogs sale and adoption:
• Singapore pet shelters are flowing as more animals are being brought in but there is a reduction in pet sale and more cancelled adoptions. The reason is either the paranoia that the animals can spread Covid-19as well as financial concerns. Hyperlink: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3075512/singapore-animal-shelters-full-pet-adoption-drives
• In another news it had been seen that the animals and pets are not checked for the Covid-19 as they can not transferred the virus to other humans or animals. The instruction have been given to the pet owners of taking care of your pets Hyperlink: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/askst-can-coronavirus-covid-19-infect-pets-and-what-precautions-should-pet-owners-take
• The Hong Kong news about the dog tested to have ‘weak positive’ have given a little anxiety to many pet owners. Some have abandoned their animals where most of them are advised to take care of their families, loved ones and pets as preventive measure. Hyperlink: https://m.facebook.com/spcasingapore/posts/10157470333083155


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Thank you for contacting me about alcohol and beer duty.
In 2013, the Government took the decision to end the beer duty escalator, and beer duty has been frozen or cut several times since then. Duty on spirits has been frozen over the past two years. As a result of these changes, a typical pint is cheaper than it would have been had these measures not been introduced. I share your concern about the future of pubs and the hardship caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The steps taken by HMRC to make it easier to claim back the duty on any beer thrown away as a result of pub closures were a timely and sensible intervention.
I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement that, for the second year running, alcohol duties will be frozen, covering duty on spirits, beer, wine, and cider which will save drinkers £1.7 billion.
I am encouraged that the Government and the Treasury recognise the importance of supporting our pubs and keeping costs down for customers. I welcome the Chancellor’s commitment in the recent Budget to extend this support. There is a broad recognition of the need to reform the current duty system to support the alcoholic drinks and pubs sector in the longer term, and on 1 October, a call for evidence for reform of Alcohol Duty was published.
I welcome the temporary cut to VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for all food and non-alcoholic drinks, which has been extended until the end of September and will be followed by a 12.5 per cent rate until 31 March 2022. This will continue to support restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés and similar premises across the UK. I am not aware of any plans to permanently reduce the rate of VAT on all food and drink sold in pubs. I have spoken to colleagues at the Treasury who have made it clear that the temporary reduction to VAT was intended as a measure to support the industry during the coronavirus pandemic. To extend this reduction indefinitely would limit funding long-term for the vital public services which have served us so well in this time of national crisis.
Beer Duty Suspension (Producers)
My understanding is that Beer Duty doesn’t always have to be paid to HMRC immediately, and that an application can be made to HMRC before duty becomes payable in these cases. These suspensions can be granted if, for example, beer is held post-production on your registered premises in duty suspension, has been sent to other registered premises approved to receive beer in duty suspension, has been sent to an excise warehouse approved to hold beer in duty suspension for certain purposes, or has been sent to a registered beer packager. There are strict rules governing these suspensions so I would suggest directly contacting HRMC to discuss these options, or identifying specific criteria at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/beer-duty.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP


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Remaster scheduled for a multi-platform release on 8th September.
Publisher THQ Nordic has announced the release date for its upcoming role-playing game Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning.
The remaster is being ported by KAIKO and set for release on 8th September for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. The game was originally developed by Big Huge Games and released back in 2012.
Aside from the improved visuals and inclusion of all previous downloadable content update expansions, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will have a new DLC expansion called Fatesworn set for release in 2021.
There will be three editions of the game that fans can look forward to; the Standard Edition is just the standalone game, while the Fate Edition includes the game and the aforementioned Fatesworn expansion.
The Collector’s Edition comes with the game, a figurine of Alyn Shir (measuring 8.2″ tall, 7.1″ wide, and 5.6″ deep), custom keychain, the soundtrack composed by Grant Kirkhope on CD, five pieces of in-game artwork, and a collector’s box (trailer embedded below).
Pre-orders are available now from the official game website.


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Each week, 7-8th grade students at Heron School transform into master chefs as part of Ms. Riedel’s Cooking Club, an extracurricular activity provided by the school to help students stay connected and engaged.
Students who “Zoom in” from 3:30-5:30 p.m. every Friday night get to learn and prepare fresh and tasty recipes just in time for the weekend that range from cream cheese wontons and healthy vegetable fried quinoa to beef taco empanadas with homemade dough and fresh pico, yummy chocolate-covered strawberries, and tasty spaghetti and meatballs.
“You might have a new favorite after today’s club,” explained Riedel after last week’s cooking class finale as she taught students how to prepare and cook baked chicken with sweet mashed potatoes and braised kale. Students were able to put their unique touch to it by choosing their favorite spices such as paprika, seasoned salt, and garlic powder.
Although last Friday concluded Ms. Riedel’s 6-week cooking club, she hopes students will continue learning and trying new recipes and cooking for their families. To encourage students to keep cooking and to emphasize that there is no wrong way to cook, she left students with these encouraging words, “Cooking is not an exact science, it’s an art.”


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LL Bean has record year, plans $100M in spending
Full-time employees to receive 8 percent bonus
L.L. Bean says it had a record year for profits and saw revenue growth of 3 percent.
CEO Chris McCormick told workers on Friday that after four consecutive years of growth, the Maine-based retailer is ready to accelerate expansion plans.
He says the privately held company plans its largest single-year capital investment and will spend an additional $100 million on website changes, retail expansion and business systems.
The company's performance beat the industry average.
L.L. Bean's board was happy enough with the revenue gain to authorize an 8 percent bonus for full-time workers. That's the biggest bonus since 2005.
In a memo to Bean's 5,100 full- and part-time workers, McCormick said the company has been conservative for the past few years and is now ready to "grab market share."


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The coronavirus pandemic spurred extra online buying, extra delayed shipments and extra customer support inquiries. These will increase had been further amplified in the course of the 2020 vacation season, with customer support name volumes increasing triple digits. The coronavirus pandemic modified consumer habits, forcing meals retailers to adapt quickly. Millions of households began buying groceries online for pickup or residence delivery and many will proceed using ecommerce choices after the crisis passes. Concern over delivery reliability has created a crisis of confidence in some shoppers, and types may still undergo or miss out on this digital opportunity if they don’t improve service. Customers have individual wants in relation to fee strategies, however they could cancel a possible sale if they can not pay how they need on an ecommerce web site.
- While pandemic-related lockdowns negatively impacted some, others had been in a place to benefit.
- Therefore, online shopping is also good for objects that you should attempt on, similar to shoes or garments.
- Retailers have to be agile and in a position to shortly shift what product goes the place and when products are shipped to them.
- You don’t should reside in this country to get one of many products this store sells.
In reality, retail specialists say that online shopping will soon overtake conventional shopping in financial phrases. The term doesn’t only include buying issues online but in addition looking for them online. In other phrases, I might have been engaged in online purchasing but did not purchase anything.


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Stock markets are often driven by fear and greed. Not this one.
For sure, the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) in London is trying to raise funds for companies and make money for investors. But its companies must also fix social problems or improve the environment.
"The organizations that pass our vetting process and meet [our] listing requirements are then free to trade," the Social Stock Exchange says.
The SSE has seen rapid growth since it launched with just 12 companies in 2013. Today it has nearly 50, including MagneGas (, a cleantech company based in Florida, which joined the exchange earlier this month. )
Thanks to its partnership with NEX (, a U.K. regulated exchange that focuses on electronic trading, the SSE operates like a traditional stock market, allowing investors to buy and sell shares. )
"From seed investment through to IPO and secondary listings, the Social Stock Exchange is able to cater for all fund-raising and visibility needs of those companies that fit its admission criteria," the SSE says.
The London exchange claims to be the only regulated market in Europe offering investors the chance to trade shares in companies committed to a better world.
The SSE says that ability to buy and sell shares is key to encouraging more people to put money into impact investing and social enterprises.
Other platforms, such as Canada's Social Venture Connexion (SVX), are taking a more cautious approach.
"The question for the future is how SVX can manage that secondary market, changes in value of shares and so on," said Adam Spence, director of SVX. "We need to look at the technological, regulatory and even moral implications of a secondary market in impact investments. That will take a few years."
SVX launched its online platform in 2013, connecting investors with qualified social enterprises that are not listed on a stock exchange but want to raise money via private share placements or crowdfunding.
Spence says the idea took root in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
"It was the early days of recession and we saw a huge need for capital to solve problems like inequality, climate change and so on. So we started to look at ways to mobilize capital," he explained.
Before companies can raise capital on SVX, they are assessed on the impact of their products or services. One of its members, Komodo OpenLab, recently raised $500,000 Canadian dollars ($390,000) to finance a device that helps people with mobility problems.
Impact investing is also growing in Asia. Bangladesh-born social entrepreneur Durreen Shahnaz has set up a public exchange -- the Singapore-based Impact Investment Exchange -- and Impact Partners, a platform for private placements and crowdfunding to help social enterprises raise capital.
The former banker and media executive says she's building a "pipeline of high-impact enterprises" that she hopes will eventually list on the exchange.


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FDX Stock: What to Know as FedEx Consolidates Operating Companies
According to a press release from the delivery company, this will see it unite its various operating companies under one FedEx banner. That includes its FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Services, and other FedEx businesses.
The company says this change is part of its DRIVE transformation. The goal of this is to reduce costs by simplifying its business structure. The company expects to complete this change in 2024 and realize $4 billion in permanent cost reductions for fiscal 2025.
Raj Subramaniam, president and CEO of FedEx, said the following about the change.
“We are building a simplified experience for our customers, who are at the center of everything we do, so they can adapt to the market. This combination will allow us to provide customers with even greater value, offering the most advanced data-driven insights to help them make smarter decisions for their business.”
How This Affects FDX Stock
FedEx moving to simplify its operations is a good move for the company. It should allow it to better serve customers while consolidating its business to weather a rough economy. That could also benefit FDX stock and prevent dips due to the weak economy.
FDX stock is up 2.6% as of Wednesday morning and is up 30.9% since the start of the year.
Investors looking for more of the latest stock market news will want to keep reading!
InvestorPlace is home to all of the hottest stock market news traders need to know about on Wednesday! Among that is what has shares of InflaRx (NASDAQ:IFRX) stock up, the latest on artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, and more. You can find out all about these topics at the following links!
More Wednesday Stock Market News
The post FDX Stock: What to Know as FedEx Consolidates Operating Companies appeared first on InvestorPlace.


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Administrators Andrew Reid Posted December 5, 2015 Administrators Share Posted December 5, 2015 Panasonic froze image sensor research and development in 2011 and have only now resumed.The company has committed $80m to revitalise their image sensors business in light of growing revenue from their imaging business as a whole and hot demand for sensors.One of the goals of the $80m investment is the creation of an 8K sensor to be released in Panasonic cameras around 2018.Read the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Previously it has been a rule of thumb within the industry that if the global growth was at a given percentage, the growth in the shipping trade and thereby the shipping business would be said percentage times three. However, that kind of rule of thumb is no longer applicable in the current shipping market. The global growth does not provide a tip-off on growth in the shipping industry, and the growth seen in China is not necessarily as positive as one could hope. It could very well end with a battering for the dry bulk segment, is the conclusion from Danish Ship Finance’s chief analyst, Christopher Rex, who on Thursday commented on the development of the shipping industry in connection with Danish Ship Finance’s launch of a new interim report.
“Chinese growth is generated at the moment, but the growth coming will create less demand for international shipping. In the future, it will be the service industries in China and not the heavy industries which will create growth, so that the demand for seaborne transportation will plateau,” says Christopher Rex.
The growth of the global economy is at 2 percent while the growth in China alone is at 5 percent. The Chinese economy and the country’s demand for iron and steel are considered driving forces for international shipping, but no longer can China’s growth be attributed such great importance because the growth is now to a greater extent being driven by service industries rather than export-oriented and investment-oriented sectors.
“The Chinese economy is in the process of changing its legs by rebalancing. The number most often quoted is 1.3 million Chinese citizens, but when you are talking about the Chinese market, the question remains whether that number is really accurate?”
Rex refers to Eastern China, which is on a par with the EU’s development, while Western China is very poor. In reality, China’s growth may be driven by just 650 million Chinese citizens, estimates Danish Ship Finance.
“Of course, China could go in and suddenly boost their growth. Yet our long-term prospect for China is that we are relatively close to reaching the potential of the Chinese economy. Importation flattens, dry bulk freight flattens, and steel production flattens. We do not believe that much in China,” says Christopher Rex.
According to Danish Ship Finance’s projections, the flattening of the Chinese growth could mean that production will move back to Europe and the U.S. from China and thereby also remove part of the shipping business.


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05 August 2016
#FirstThursdays Cape Town has fast become a popular monthly event on the city’s social calendar. And this month, the red bus and its partners at 81 Long Street took part for the first time.
Held on the first Thursday of every month, the event is open to anyone and everyone – and free for all to attend. It’s an opportunity for locals and visitors to explore the inner city on foot, visiting art galleries and attending cultural events in the CBD.
Stop 5, home to our biggest and busiest tour office, opened its doors to #FirstThursdays goers on Thursday, 4 August. Together with Kamili Coffee, Amiti Shop and our Travel Depot, the red bus welcomed crowds of people with free local beer on tap, wine, macaroons and snacks.
Our tenants in the Travel Depot – namely Cape Town Helicopters, SA Forest Adventures and Aquila Private Game Reserve – offered one-night-only deals and our one-day bus tickets were discounted.
Thanks to Groot Constantia for quenching our #FirstThursdays thirst
Amiti Shop – a South African Design Collective – was a big hit among locals and visitors! They stock the most beautiful contemporary local designer goods
Groot Constantia wine and a Kit-Kat flavoured macaroon (courtesy of Amiti Shop) – a deliciously good treat!
Thank you to all those who popped in and supported our first #FirstThursdays event. Here’s to the next one!


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WASHINGTON — Scientists have taken a big step toward practical applications for a type of lithium-ion battery that, unlike conventional ones, uses a water-salt solution as its electrolyte to prevent fire and explosion hazards, according to a new study published Wednesday.
Researchers at the University of Maryland and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have created such a safe battery that reaches the 4.0 volt mark desired for household electronics such as laptop computers, they reported in Joule, Cell Press’s new interdisciplinary energy journal.
“In the past, if you wanted high energy, you would choose a non-aqueous lithium-ion battery, but you would have to compromise on safety,” said co-senior author Kang Xu, a lab fellow at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory specializing in electrochemistry and materials science.
“If you preferred safety, you could use an aqueous battery such as nickel/metal hydride, but you would have to settle for lower energy,” Xu said. “Now, we are showing that you can simultaneously have access to both high energy and high safety.”
The research followed a 2015 study in the U.S. journal Science that produced a similar 3.0 volt battery with an aqueous electrolyte but was stymied from achieving higher voltages by the so-called “cathodic challenge,” in which one end of the battery, made from either graphite or lithium metal, is degraded by the aqueous electrolyte.
To solve this problem and make the leap from three volts to four, the researchers designed a new gel polymer electrolyte coating that can be applied to the graphite or lithium anode.
This hydrophobic coating expels water molecules from the vicinity of the electrode surface and then, upon charging for the first time, decomposes and forms a stable interphase — a thin mixture of breakdown products that separates the solid anode from the liquid electrolyte.
This interphase can further protect the anode from debilitating side reactions, allowing the battery to use desirable anode materials, such as graphite or lithium metal, and achieve better energy density and cycling ability.
“The key innovation here is making the right gel that can block water contact with the anode so that the water doesn’t decompose and can also form the right interphase to support high battery performance,” said co-senior author Chunsheng Wang, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Maryland.
All aqueous lithium-ion batteries benefit from the inflammability of water-based electrolytes as opposed to the highly flammable organic solvents used in their current commercial non-aqueous counterparts.
Unique to this one, however, is that even when the interphase layer is damaged, it reacts slowly with the lithium or lithiated graphite anode, preventing the smoking, fire, or explosion that could otherwise occur if a damaged battery brought the metal into direct contact with the electrolyte.
Next, the researchers plan to increase the number of full-performance cycles that the battery can complete and to reduce material expenses.
“Right now, we are talking about 50-100 cycles, but to compare with organic electrolyte batteries, we want to get to 500 or more,” Wang added.


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COTSWOLD MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has urged smaller businesses to use Brexit to succeed.
Mr Clifton-Brown described Brexit as a 'golden opportunity' for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) to start exporting more whilst speaking in the House of Commons.
He said: "With 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises reluctant to export, does my right hon. friend agree that the prospect of Brexit gives those firms, particularly those from Scotland, a golden opportunity to use the great British entrepreneurial spirit to go out into the world and succeed?"
Theresa May, the prime minister responded: "Small businesses and entrepreneurs are essential to an economy that is working for everyone.
"The opportunity that comes from Brexit is to see those firms go out and export across the world, and to do those trade deals that will be of benefit to them, to their communities and to our economy.
"We want to encourage more businesses to go out there and export."
As the chairman of the APPG for International Trade and Investment, Mr Clifton-Brown frequently lobbies the government to encourage British firms to export their goods and services internationally.
Commenting afterwards Mr Clifton-Brown said: "Since 2007, UK export performance has been stronger outside the EU than within the Single Market.
"Forging new trade partnerships outside of the EU will certainly be challenging but with this Government’s policy of promoting British trade across international markets I am confident that British small and medium-sized enterprises will prosper in the years ahead."


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Mining firm Argo Blockchain installs 1,000 more mining machines, financial news outlet ProactiveInvestors reports on Sept. 19.
Mounting cryptocurrency regulations have some Chinese bitcoin miners fleeing the world’s second-largest economy. Their surprise destination? Iran.
BitFury, a crypto mining company, has announced the closing of a private placement investment of $80 million, bringing the total funds raised by the firm to $170 million since its Series A round in 2014.
Japanese tech firm GMO is expanding its nascent cryptocurrency mining operation beyond bitcoin through the release of a software client designed to mine zcash and other Equihash-based cryptocurrencies using general-purpose GPU chips.
A two-day mining summit will focus on delivering the latest industry insights, high-class networking, and knowledge exchange on cryptocurrency mining.
Uminers is pleased to announce the release of our new website, designed with a fresh new look and user-friendly navigation, updated with the latest information about our products.


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McCain Foods opens distribution center in Burley, Idaho
The $200 million state-of-the-art expansion will increase the company’s capacity to meet growing product demand.
McCain Foods USA, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., opened an expanded distribution center in Burley, Idaho.
The $200 million state-of-the-art expansion will increase the company’s capacity to meet growing product demand, strengthen partnerships with local growers and create more than 180 new jobs for area residents.
“McCain Foods has a rich history in Idaho, thanks for our dedicated employees, trusted grower partners and the overall community,” says Dale McCarthy, vice president of integrated supply chain. “This $200 million expansion will deepen our roots and commitment in this great state and grow the potato industry for years to come.”
McCain Foods Burley has been in operation for over 20 years, and employs over 730 individuals who produce and distribute over 4.7 million pounds of potatoes across North America daily.


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The Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-headquartered startup Quant that provides data analysis and artificial intelligence services on Tuesday (March 17) raised $1.2 million in a Pre-Series A funding round from Business Incubators & Accelerators (BIAC) with participation from a number of regional angel investors.
The company in a statement said that the funds will be utilised to augment operations in the domain of research and development, creating products based on data and AI, and also to expand its footprint across KSA and new markets.
Ahmed Bukhamseen, the CEO & Co-founder of Quant in a statement affirmed the need for data science and AI for the Saudi and MENA market,
“At Quant, we are proud to be at the forefront of companies that provide data science to enhance decision-making and enable organizations to achieve their goals by taking advantage of our technical expertise in data science, advanced products and strategic partnerships,”
Nawaf Al-Sahhaf, CEO of BIAC mentioned that their investment in Quant comes with a strategy that delves into enabling innovation and entrepreneurship in the tech startup ecosystem. He added that the investment will help Quant to expand rapidly across KSA and build new avenues for expansion whilst leveraging the efficiency of the company to become one the leading companies in the data science and AI sector.
Started in 2015 by Ahmed Bukhamseen, Quant graduated from Badir Technology Incubators and Accelerators Program in 2017. The company utilises data analytics and AI to offer a spectrum of specialised services and products that return a number of use cases such as real-time analytical reporting, increasing revenues, enhancing decision-making and risk reductions for businesses and startups. The company has also specifically built personalised products for businesses working in the real estate sector – providing interactive indicator boards to assimilate the market status and trends by capitalising on the geographical & demographic data, and other key real estate indicators.


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Most women would admit to carrying half their lives around in their handbags, but now it seems the same can be said about British men. According to a new poll, the average 'manbag' contains not only the essentials like glasses, umbrella and glasses, but a whopping £880-worth of tech.
The survey of 2,000 Brits, by Vouchercodes.co.uk, revealed that the manbag is becoming an ever more essential piece of kit, enabling men to keep their gadgets and everyday items with him day to day.
Topping the list of items hidden within was the wallet, with smartphones, tablets and laptops following close behind. As well as the big ticket items, headphones, glasses, aftershave, chewing gum, umbrellas and diaries featured among the top ten.
One in ten packed for a night away too, including spare underwear in their kit, while nine per cent added a toothbrush just in case.
"For those men who aren't sure, the practical benefits of carrying a bag outweigh the potential fashion risks, there are some great websites that allow you to browse through a huge variety of styles, from satchels to holdalls, meaning there's something for everyone."
The boys still have some way to go before they match up to the girls though - a recent survey by John Lewis priced the contents of the average woman's handbag at an eye-watering £1,209.99.
Have you embraced the 'manbag' trend? Leave your comments below...


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It’s one of the best-known electronic sounds ever – perhaps the best electronic sound branding in history. It made its launch in 1983 – right before Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, no less. But it seems the THX “Deep Note” was due for an upgrade. And that’s what it got last […]Read more
Google Glass meets … French Horn? Wearable camera technology could offer a new window into centuries of Classical Music tradition. That could happen not only via Google Glass but other online and camera tech, too. Sarah Willis, French Horn player, is using Glass as a way to bring young people closer to the Classical experience. […]
brings together the latest breaking news on music, technology, gear, and live visuals. Got a project, found a news tip, or want to share your product? Submit to us directly.


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Thailand on 25 January 2022 announced that the country will regulate the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment.
In a joint statement, the Bank of Thailand (BOT), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said they “deem it necessary to regulate the usage of digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services, to avert potential impacts on the country’s financial stability and economic system.”
The regulators also said that they had reviewed the pros and cons of crypto assets.
“Digital asset business operators have expanded their business to cover services related to the use of digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services,” the regulators note.
Use of crypto as a mode of payment in Thailand
The regulators noted the risks cryptocurrencies pose to Thailand’s financial sector.
“At present, widespread adoption of digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services poses risk to the country’s economic and financial system. Therefore, clear supervision of such activity is needed,” noted Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, Governor of the BOT.
Therefore, a robust framework for regulating cryptocurrencies is being built to safeguard individuals and businesses from risks of price volatility, data leakage, cybertheft, as well as money laundering.
“Recognising such risks and implications, regulators will consider exercising power in accordance with the relevant legal frameworks to limit the widespread adoption of digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services,” the regulators said.
The statement added that “guidelines will be issued for certain digital assets that are supportive of the financial system and financial innovation while not posing systemic risks.”
Read the full press release here.
Thailand’s own crypto
According to Yahoo Finance, the crypto market has grown substantially in the country. Thailand also plans to launch its own digital token, TAT coin, which is part of the country’s ‘cryptourism’ campaign.
Retailers and real estate developers in Thailand are reportedly accepting digital assets as payments, in line with a boom in the crypto market in the country.
In December 2021, Thailand’s central bank said that it is aiming to test a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) for public use in late 2022.
(Main and Featured images: Tezos/@tezos/Unsplash)


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Arellano is a seasoned financial services leader who will further TransUnion’s ability to deliver innovative information solutions in the Philippines, helping businesses make informed decisions, and aiding consumers in accessing the financial products and services that lead to a higher quality of life.
“The Philippines economy is poised for long-term economic growth, and as the first comprehensive private credit bureau in the country, TransUnion is well positioned to provide services and solutions that enable the country’s citizens and businesses to thrive,” said Lawrence Tsong, TransUnion’s Asia Pacific regional president. “I am very excited about Pia’s appointment, her extensive understanding of the Filipino marketplace and her keen desire to help extend TransUnion’s global data, analytics and technology capabilities.”
Arellano most recently served as head of sales at Visa, where she was responsible for business development in the Philippines and Guam. Prior to working at Visa, she served as the vice president of retail banking for ChinaTrust, and as a business development manager for Western Union. Arellano holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines, where she graduated cum laude. She also studied European Business at ESSCA University in France.
Arellano replaces Tina Stockdale, who has accepted a new opportunity within the industry.
"I sincerely thank Tina for all she has done for TransUnion in the Philippines,” said Lawrence Tsong, TransUnion’s Asia Pacific regional president. “She has led the region through an exciting period of growth and we wish her well in her new role.”
TransUnion helped launch the first credit bureau in the Philippines in 2011, supporting the government’s priority of increasing financial inclusion, and is helping lenders extend new credit to 25,000 Filipinos every month, enabling them to obtain credit cards, working capital for small businesses, and other resources to improve their standard of living.
In addition, TransUnion offers consumer risk information solutions to businesses across a number of industries in the Philippines.
Chicago, November 20, 2017 – TransUnion (NYSE: TRU), a leading global information solutions provider, announced today the appointment of Pia Arellano as the president and CEO of TransUnion’s operations in the Philippines. The appointment is effective immediately.


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Series of Books for Writers on Earning More from Their Books
expertclick.com – Friday January 1, 2016
Many writers don't realize the many ways they can make money from their books. Now author Gini Graham Scott, who has published over 50 books with mainstream publishers, has written a series of books for writers on how to earn more money from their books.
Ed Victor – an honoured literary agent
theguardian.com – Thursday December 31, 2015
The veteran literary agent Ed Victor has been awarded a CBE in the New Year honours list.
With a client list that ranges from Joan Collins to U2 and from Nigella Lawson to the estate of Irish Murdoch, Victor is one of the books business’s most glamorous figures, leading a jet-set lifestyle divided between homes in London and the Hamptons.
Print survives as a new literature is born
theguardian.com – Sunday December 27, 2015
This Christmas, in a tradition almost as hallowed as carol singing and turkey dinners, more than half of all the titles sold annually in the UK will have been traded in the frantic bazaar that dominates autumn business. This festive bonanza remains one of the few landmarks in an environment that, roughly since the millennium, has been rocked by a succession of seismic aftershocks, apparently threatening the very existence of Grub Street.
The Book Is Risen! Publishers Say Physical Book Sales Are Back on the Rise
mic.com – Saturday December 26, 2015
This Christmas, the best gift to get your loved ones might be a book — an actual one with pages made from dead trees.
Long considered doomed, the physical book has been making a comeback in recent years with sales surging in 2014 and continuing to increase at a more modest pace this year. According to raw data from Nielsen BookScan,Quartz reported, 501 million books were sold in 2013, a number that grew to 559 million for 2014, and 2015 now stands at 571 million.
Author Publishes 5 Books with 5 Different Publishers in 10 Months
expertclick.com – Monday December 21, 2015
While many authors struggle to get one book published by a traditional publisher, author Gini Graham Scott has published 5 books with different publishers – and she helps other writers find publishers and agents. Plus she has a feature film in release and a second feature in production – and she helps screenwriters and filmmakers find producers, agents, and distributors, too.
Winners and losers: publishers pick the 2015 books they loved, missed and envied
theguardian.com – Friday December 18, 2015
Which books did well, which were left on the shelves, and which made editors green with envy?
Children’s Publishers Choose Their Favorite Reads of 2015
publishersweekly.com – Wednesday December 16, 2015
We asked staffers at children’s publishing houses to tell us about their favorite children’s book they read this year (new or backlist), and how they discovered it. Our only proviso: it couldn’t be a book that their company had published. See their responses, and happy reading!
Self-Publishing Stars of 2015
publishersweekly.com – Saturday December 12, 2015
In BookLife and Publishers Weekly’s second annual starred reviews roundup, we celebrate the best of the best: the self-published books that received starred reviews in 2015. And we check in with some of the authors of these titles, asking them for writing advice and self-publishing tips for aspiring writers.
Frankfurt Book Fair Considers an Early Start for Agents
publishersweekly.com – Thursday December 10, 2015
Frankfurt Book Fair officials this week confirmed that talks are underway to possibly open rights dealing at the fair a day earlier in 2016.
Although no final decision has been reached, Frankfurt LitAg director Riky Stock told PW that more than 50 agencies have now added their names to a preliminary list of agencies interested in scheduling meetings in the Frankfurt Book Fair Literary Agents & Scouts Centre (LitAg) on the Tuesday before the fair’s official Wednesday opening. Stock said the list will help determine if there is enough interest to make a Tuesday LitAg opening feasible for next year. The 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair is scheduled for October 19-23.
Skrawl Online Screenwriters' Room
By Alexandra Daniel
firstwriter.com – Thursday December 3, 2015
Skrawl, the free online community that turns the storytelling process into a social media experience, will be going Hollywood in January 2016, and it wants to take one talented undiscovered writer along for the ride.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website


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A popular Toronto craft brewery is expanding, and breathing new life into a once mighty building and neighbourhood.
Bellwoods Brewery, which opened at Ossington Ave. and Queen St. W. in 2012, has set its sights on a 20,000-square-feet warehouse at Dupont St. and Dovercourt Rd. as the future headquarters for its brewing operations.
There are still municipal and provincial technicalities to work out, but Bellwoods owner Mike Clark said he hopes the location will be open by the summer of 2015, employing at least 15 full-time staff and about 30 part-time workers.
The Ossington brewpub currently produces about 2,500 hectolitres of beer; Clark said that within a few years, his team hopes to make 15,000 hectolitres annually at the Dupont St. building. They are also hoping to open a second retail store there, as well as a restaurant and private event spaces.
“Right now we’re just running out of beer,” said Clark. “We have hundreds of people asking us to sell beer at their restaurants, but we’re not at that stage. We can’t keep our own retail store stocked.”
Bellwoods’ Bottle Shop even had to shut down for 24 hours three times last year because its supplies had been depleted, according to a post on the brewery’s website announcing the expansion plans.
Clark and co-owner Luke Pestl started looking for a second location last summer. The owner of the Dupont St. warehouse is currently using the facility to store furniture, and has granted Bellwoods a long-term lease. He’s also bringing the building up to modern standards, said Clark.
“Basically he wants to restore it to its original glory. It’s really the best remaining example of mid-20th century Dupont manufacturing architecture,” said Clark. “He wanted to a see a young, up-and-coming business go in and bring new energy to the neighbourhood. He felt we fit the bill.”
The building, at 950 Dupont St., was once the home of the Hamilton Gear and Machinery Co. It was just one of dozens of manufacturing plants that once lined Dupont St., just north of Bloor St.
Today, the plants are gone, and the area is more of a home to car repair shops and hardware stores than upscale bars and restaurants.
“Enterprises, as great as Eastern Airlines or as lowly as a corner store, will often die pathetically, with no ceremony or celebration of their achievements. Dupont Street in Toronto at the close of the twentieth century is an open graveyard of such industries, most of which collapsed without so much as a pauper’s funeral,” wrote Toronto Star editor Alfred Holden in a 1998 essay for Taddle Creek Magazine.
“Their skeletons lie exposed. They are the parking lots, warehouse loft condos and retail joints of the post-industrial age.”
Holden wrote that everything from the machinery needed to open and close the pilot’s canopy over the cockpit in the supersonic Avro Arrow jet to the gears that transmit power to the retractable roof of the Rogers Centre were made at the Hamilton plant.
“We think it will be a really inspiring place to work,” said Clark.


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Huawei’s new Honor V10 smartphone just made available in the market in China. The phone was available for pre-order on JD.com and according to their official reports, the phone has received over 570,000 registrations at JD.com alone. We have spotted the phone with its real life images and the phone was also appeared on TENNA‘s website. As per the registrations the phone will be sold out in just a couple of minutes.
JD.com is the only giant retailer to sell out this Honor V10 smartphone in China. The phone is receiving good response from all the consumers and people around the world get to take a hands-on of this device as soon as possible. Apart from this retailer, there are a couple of other retailers who are also selling this phone but there is no any registrations for this phone are available. You have to go to the stores and purchase this device from there only.
Apart from the Chinese market, the phone is also ready to be unveiled in the European market. The company has held an event in Europe to launch this device. So we could expect to see the same Huawei’s Honor V10 smartphone in the International markets in a few days. Apart from the European markets, the phone may also be released in North America before the end of this year. There is no any information about the phone’s availability in other Asian countries like India.
As far as the phone’s specifications are concerned, the Huawei Honor V10 smartphone sports a 5.99 Inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1080 x 2160 pixels of screen resolution along with a screen aspect ratio of 18:9. The phone is designed with
Furthermore, the phone is powered by an Octa-Core Hisilicon Kirin 970 Processor with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU. The phone runs on a latest Android OS, Android 8.0 Oreo Operating System with EMUI 8.0 on top of it.
Apart from this, the Honor V10 phone is available in three different variants with 4GB and 6GB RAM and 64GB of Storage Memory and 6GB RAM with 128GB of Storage Memory. The phone also allows you to expand the memory upto 256GB by using a microSD card. You can insert the microSD card to the second slot of the SIM and it features a Hybrid Dual SIM cards.
On the camera front, the Honor V10 features dual cameras at the back panel. It has a combination of 16 Megapixel + 20 Megapixel at the back panel along with a 13 Megapixel of the front facing camera. The Primary camera offers Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR functions to capture the perfect shots in all the conditions. The front facing camera gets you the perfect selfies along with full HD video calls.
The device has 3750 mAh battery capacity and features a Fingerprint Scanner as well. The Scanner is front mounted which is embedded within the home button. There is a physical home button available on the front panel of the device.
On the connectivity front, the phone offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC and Infrared. The phone is available in different color options so you can choose the right color which is suitable for your needs.
If we talk about its pricing, the translates of its price is around $410 for its 4GB/ 64GB variant. If you want to upgrade the 4GB variant to 6GB, you need to pay a sum of $40 and you will get an upgraded edition of the phone. There will be different carriers come to sell out this phone with an impressive plans and price tags. So get ready to become an owner of this all new stunning, Honor V10 smartphone.


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A local brewery is going out of its way to ensure its employees have cash in their pockets during El Paso’s Stay Home, Work Safe order.
Aurellia’s Bottle Shop & Brewhouse will brew a special beer with 100% of proceeds going to employees.
Justin Gibson, co-owner of the brewhouse, has laid off 10 employees since Governor Greg Abbott’s statewide order.
The statewide order closing bars went into effect on March 20th. He currently has nine employees he is working hard to keep on the payroll.
Gibson said the donation will include employees laid off and is expecting to produce 140 – 160 bottles.
The brewery mentioned on Facebook this will be their biggest beer brewed to-date, a whopping 15.3% ABV.
View this post on Instagram
Release date TBA (likely in the next 6 to 7 days) Hey Everyone, Justin here. Hope ya'll are safe and healthy. Our plan moving forward is to continue serving El Paso and maintaining our business throughout the duration of this quarantine and doing our part to bring quality food and beer to peoples homes and cars via curb side. Ya'll have been so incredibly supportive in this difficult and uncertain time. Today we announce our next Bottle Release – the biggest beer we've ever brewed at 15.3% ABV. "We're All In This Together", an Imperial Stout Aged on Madagascar Vanilla and Korintje Cinnamon set to be released next week. Pre-orders begin today, and can be taken over the phone or via our online portal at Aurellias.com. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to my employees. Limited quantities available (as usual), and we are asking $20 per 22oz Bomber Bottle. ❤ #bottlerelease #elpaso #drinklocalbeer #supportlocal #vanilla #cinnamon #eptx #texasbeer #imperialstout
The American Imperial Stout, named “We’re All In This Together,” will be aged on Madagascar vanilla beans and Korintje cinnamon.
“Instead of sell(ing) the beer, and in order to help take care of my amazing staff who have stuck with me through all of this — I’m donating 100% of the sales to my employees,” Gibson said on Facebook.
The local brewhouse plans to hold a bottle release on April 7th.
You can make a donation either by phone at (915) 996-9051 or via the online portal at Aurellias.com.


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Pepco delivers resilient results as it expands its store footprint
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Pepco Group, a Steinhoff subsidiary and the owner of the Pepco and Dealz brands in mainland Europe and Poundland in the UK, posted a 12 percent growth in its quarterly revenue as it rolled out a record number of stores, cut costs and upped the anti to attract customers.
Pepco said yesterday that the growth was led by the Pepco banner that saw a 20 percent revenue increase.
Listed on the Warsaw stock exchange last May, Pepco group said the first quarter was its strongest ever quarter for store openings as it opened 161 new stores, of those, 146 were Pepco.
"These include 55 in the strategically important Western European markets of Italy, Austria, and Spain, which continue to trade ahead of expectations," the company said.
The group said it saw resilient underlying constant currency like-for-like (LFL) sales growth in the quarter, which rose 0.7 percent.
Poundland's LFL rose1.5 percent, as the firm continued to make progress across all aspects of its offer development programme, including range improvements in general merchandise and clothing, further expansion of multi-price penetration to 41.5 percent and the introduction of its new chilled and frozen offer to a further 52 stores.
Chief executive Andy Bond said while there were supply chain and demand challenges presented by the Coronavirus pandemic, consumer proposition had helped deliver buoyant results, despite the supply chain and demand challenges presented by Covid-19.
Bond said the strength of its consumer proposition of all three of its brands ensured that the group delivered a resilient trading performance.
The group also said it had seen significant delivery on operating cost initiatives, which both reduced its costs and delivered a more flexible, revenue-linked cost base.
Pepco’s markdown reduced by 0.8 percentage points to a historic low of 0.4 percent to sales, reflecting the initial impact of new improved processes within the supply chain, supported by new enhanced tools.
The reduced markdown and flow of goods also served to reduce absolute store labour costs while preserving levels of customer service, the group said.
Poundland had also successfully renegotiated 30 store leases, reducing passing rent by an average of 22 percent.
Closing net debt on an IFRS16 basis was €1.248 million (R22m), up from €1.174m in the corresponding period in 2021, which Pepco said reflected strong cash Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) and working capital efficiency offsetting increased lease liabilities from a record quarter of store expansion.
Closing net debt excluding leases of €115m from €187m in 2021 reflected strong cash generation while continuing to invest significantly in strategic growth initiatives, the retailer said.
Looking ahead, Bond said, “I will leave at the end of March confident that we have a clear growth plan and strong capability to deliver our long term-term profit growth aspirations, both this year and well into the future, through the excellent management teams led by Trevor and Nick.”
Last week Bond announced his retirement due to health reasons.
Trevor Masters, the chief operating officer of the Pepco, will assume the role of interim chief executive from March 31 and will be supported by management, including Nick Wharton, who has returned to business full-time as chief financial Officer.
Bond will be an advisor to the board of directors until the end of the fiscal year.
The infamous Steinhoff holds a 79 percent share in Pepco, which contributes about 45 percent to group revenue.
Steinhoff holds 79 percent of Pepco, which contributes about 45 percent to group revenue. Steinhoff had raised approximately €1 billion (R17bn) through Pepco’s listing in 2021.
This week Steinhoff announced that it planned to list its American-based subsidiary Mattress Firm on the New York Stock Exchange.
The retailer said it had applied to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering as part of a possible listing on the bourse. The company said the number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not been determined as yet.


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Econet rolls out green tuck-shops
TELECOMSBy BiztechAfrica - Sept. 12, 2012, 10:47 a.m.
By Alfonce Mbizwo, Harare, Zimbabwe
Econet has launched its 'Green kiosks', a franchise which will see its vendors offer a wider range of the company’s products.
Econet chief executive Douglas Mboweni said the group had already started rolling out the units, which would soon eliminate illegal structures particularly in the high density areas.
To date 100 units had been deployed in Harare and outlying areas and the target would be to have 5 000 units by the end of February 2013. About seven sites had been put up in Chitungwiza, a satellite city of Harare with a reported population of more than one million, which have the capacity to operate for the full 24 hrs.
The group was working with local authorities over site mapping, approval and vendor licencing.
“We will however pick sites that are convenient to use,” Mboweni said.
Mboweni would not disclose how much it cost to set up a single unit or the capital spend to date. All he said was that the units will be given to vendors for free.
He added that the company could only disclose the cost in three months because at the moment they did not have a fixed supplier for the units.
Each unit is fully insulated with 50mm thick walls to ensure that the inside remain cool. It also has secure 14 compartment recharge station each with its own door and token for security purposes "but also to keep dust off the customers’ handsets.”
The charging compartments can charge up to 14 cellphones.
The vendors who will have the units will do all the transactions that support the company. They will offer transactions such as airtime, Ecocash, solar products and free phone recharges.
“Increased product range means increased business volumes,” he said.
Mboweni said that Econet will continue leading through innovation and they had a number of solar initiatives in the pipeline including the home power station, which he said would operate off the network through GPRS.
“This is a moving process as we will continue to look at what else we can bring under the umbrella," he said.
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IN DEPTHKenya rolls out e-extension to improve agriculture
In a bid to curb the overwhelmed number of agricultural extension officers in Kenya, the ministry of agriculture is embracing technology with their introduction of E-Extension services, which are aimed at reaching out to over 7 million farmers annually.


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Chips4Makers has officially launched a crowdfunding campaign to produce the Retro-uC, an open-silicon microcontroller capable of acting as a Zilog Z80, MOS Technologies 6502, or Motorola M68K microprocessor.
“I am delighted to announce that the Retro-uC crowdsupply campaign has now been launched. It has taken a little longer to straighten out the last hurdles in production and delivery but now the campaign is waiting for you,” says Staf Verhaegen of the project’s launch, in an announcement on LinkedIn.
“Together with the Crowd Supply staff, the delay has also been used to streamline the pledge targets. Next to the hardware targets now also open silicon development support is included in some of the targets. This is to help to bootstrap the low-volume open silicon movement. This is the first step on the road to low-volume low-cost open silicon. I much appreciate any support or expertise you can provide in this endeavour.”
The Retro-uC itself is available as a bare chip, Arduino Mega layout development board, breadboard-compatible breakout, or Perf+2-style prototyping board. In all cases, the chip can run cores designed for compatibility with the classic Zilog Z80, MOS 6502, and Motorola M68K microprocessors, found in vintage computing machines including the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Commodore Amiga respectively. Both the source code and the tool chain will be released under open-source licences, Staf has confirmed.
More information is available on the Crowd Supply campaign page.
Developer Marcelo Samsoniuk has demonstrated just how flexible the open RISC-V instruction set architecture is by creating his own implementation – in, he claims, just one night.
“Developed in a magic night of 19 Aug, 2018 between 2am and 8am, the darkriscv is a very experimental implementation of the open source RISC-V instruction set,” Marcelo writes of his creation. “Nowadays, after one week of exciting sleepless nights of work (which explains the lots of typos you will found ahead), the darkriscv reached a very good quality result, in a way that the “hello world” compiled by the standard riscv-elf-gcc is working fine!
“At the moment, the darksocv [darkriscv-based system-on-chip (SoC) design] is not so relevant and the only function is provide support for the cache controller as well some basic glue-logic,” Marcelo continues. “The proposal in the future is make possible connect the darkriscv to large external memories, as well make possible connect multiple darkriscv cores in a SMP configuration and maybe provide Ethernet communication. Another possible update for the future is integrate the cache controller in the core, in a way is possible a better flow control.”
The full darkriscv implementation can be found on Marcelo’s GitHub repository, under the BSD 3-clause licence.
Embedded Design’s Ville Baillie is running a series on over-the-air updates for embedded Linux installations, a key feature of being able to keep Internet of Things (IoT) deployments functional and secure, with this week’s instalment looking at the currently-available off-the-shelf solutions.
“Once an Embedded Linux product leaves the lab and enters the real-world, the question of how to update the device will become important to consider,” Ville writes by way of introduction. “Updates are not always necessary, but it’s hard to think of any software that does not have bugs that are discovered at some point. Even if your software is perfect, if the device communicates on networks or the internet with any open-source libraries, security updates may become a necessity.”
In the second part of the series, Ville examines the relative pros and cons of several off-the-shelf solutions for updating embedded Linux platforms: Mender, SWUpdate, and RAUC. “The decision of which system to use really depends on the project,” he concludes. “It seems that Mender is probably easier to get started with, whereas SWUpdate might be useful for integrating with an update system that has already partially been developed in house, and RAUC might be used as an alternative to SWUpdate.”
Advertising, search, and computing giant Google has announced the release of a new cross-platform open-source cryptographic library aimed at protecting implementers from common cryptographic mistakes: Tink.
“In cryptography, subtle mistakes can have serious consequences, and understanding how to implement cryptography correctly requires digesting decades’ worth of academic literature. Needless to say, many developers don’t have time for that,” explains Google’s Thai Duong of the project’s inspiration.
“To help our developers ship secure cryptographic code we’ve developed Tink – a multi-language, cross-platform cryptographic library. Tink aims to provide cryptographic APIs that are secure, easy to use correctly, and hard(er) to misuse. Tink is built on top of existing libraries such as BoringSSL and Java Cryptography Architecture, but includes countermeasures to many weaknesses in these libraries, which were discovered by Project Wycheproof, another project from our team. With Tink, many common cryptographic operations such as data encryption, digital signatures, etc. can be done with only a few lines of code.”
While Tink has been publicly available via Google’s GitHub repository for nearly two years, and the company has been using it internally for its own services, it wasn’t until last night’s announcement of Tink 1.2.0 that the library became truly cross-platform.
Open-source developer Bootlin has announced the end of its funded programme to develop and upstream open-source mainline drivers for the video processing unit (VPU) hardware in Allwinner’s system-on-chip products, but has pledged to continue best-effort development despite having exhausted the crowdfunded budget.
Bootlin announced its campaign to fund development of an open-source driver bundle for Allwinner VPUs back in February. Following a successful funding run, the company was able to deliver all primary goals by July, making it possible to use the hardware acceleration features of Allwinner’s VPUs using a mainstream Linux kernel for the first time.
Now, with the budget spent and the end of Paul Kocialkowski’s internship at the company, Bootlin has offered a final update on the project. “Over the past six months, we have worked hard to reach the goals announced in the project’s crowdfunding campaign and we were able to deliver most of the main goals last month,” the company writes.
“We have now exhausted the budget that was provided through the crowdfunding campaign: both Maxime Ripard’s time (who worked mainly on the H264 decoding and helping with DRM topics) and Paul’s internship are over, and therefore the remaining work will be done on a best-effort basis, without direct funding,” the company explains. “This will therefore be the last weekly update, but we will be publishing updates once in a while when interesting progress is made.”
Work continues on tweaking the patches for upstream inclusion, adding support for the newer Allwinner H5 and A64 chips, and integrating the userspace drivers with popular open-source media playback software.
The finalised programme for ORConf, the open-source digital design conference organised by the Free and Open Source Silicon (FOSSi) Foundation, has been published ahead of the event’s opening later this month – and with it the news that storage giant Western Digital has become the headline sponsor.
Scheduled for the 21st to the 23rd of September at Poland’s Gdansk University of Technology, the ORConf schedule is packed with talks and workshops covering everything from the RISC-V ecosystem to tools like SpinalHDL, Chisel3, SymbiFlow, and even a talk by project founder Wilson Snyder on Verilator’s 4.0 release.
New to the schedule is a talk by Western Digital’s Zvonimir Z. Bandic on the company’s use of the open RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) in storage processing products – a project the company has previously stated will see it shipping a billion RISC-V cores a year, one of the biggest deployments of an open ISA in history.
More details on the event, of which AB Open is a sponsor, can be found on the official website alongside links to register for a free individual ticket or buy a supportive business ticket.
Finally, the Pwn2Own security contest, in which researchers compete to exploit vulnerabilities in popular consumer products in exchange for cash prizes and ownership of the items in question, is to extend to cover Internet of Things (IoT) products for the first time amid growing concerns over the lack of security-focused thinking in their development.
“The Internet of Things is rapidly expanding into all aspects of our lives, from the smart home to the factory floor and connected cars, but products are often rushed to market without enough attention paid to their security,” claims Brian Gorenc, director of vulnerability research for Trend Micro and member of the Zero Day Initiative which organises the Pwn2Own events. “The ZDI is committed to helping remedy this situation by revealing vulnerabilities to vendors and minimising their risk of being exploited. That’s why we’ve extended the scope of this year’s Pwn2Own Tokyo contest beyond the standard mobile devices. We’re looking forward to seeing what some of the world’s best researchers bring to the event.”
Extending what was previously known as Mobile Pwn2Own, the new event will add consumer-oriented Internet of Things products including the Amazon Echo, Amazon Cloud Cam, Google Home, and Nest Cam IQ to the list of target devices, along with popular smartphone products. Each vulnerability discovered and demonstrated is eligible for a cash prize of up to $150,000, while details of the precise nature of the vulnerability are kept private pending responsible disclosure to the companies involved.
Pwn2Own Tokyo is schedule to take place on the 13th and 14th of November during the PacSec security conference in Japan. More information is available on the Zero Day Initiative website.


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By Jay Jay
With KAZAM dominating the proceedings recently with a flurry of smartphone and tablet launches, Huawei packed a new punch with the launch of its new wearable, the 4.5G Smartband in London yesterday. They also announced that their highly-anticipated 4.5G mobile technology will launch next year and it will allow consumers to watch 2k moving images aka videos at 2K video on the move.
Expected to be revealed in detail at the MWC in Barcelona, the device will be the first ever wearable to suport the 4.5G LTE connectivity. The LTE-M chips for the Smartband has been developed by Neul that was acquired by Huawei last year.
The company also claimed that the new chip will reinforce the 'cellular Internet of Things' concept in the near future. Apart from unique connectivity, the Smartband will also feature a heart rate monitor, can track fitness levels and pair with smart thermostats and energy readers.
Speaking in the event in London, the Huawei spokesperson said, "4.5G supports up to 100K per cell connections via LTE-M, 100 times that of 4G. LTE-M also provides better coverage. Receivers require just 1/100th of the signal of existing 2G system, 20dB gain, using low-power terminals." Huawei's current flagship in the wearables market is the TalkBand B1 which was launched in the Mobile World Congress last year.
Like its predecessor, the Smartband could also contain a OLED display, embedded Bluetooth connectivity as well as NFC connectivity.


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The realme 10 is a impressively capable smartphone not just for casual day-to-day use but also for gaming and media consumption. Here’s our review.
MSI has announced its lineup of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics cards under its SUPRIM, GAMING TRIO, and VENTUS series.
vivo has released an upgraded version of its Y02s with more storage while keeping it at the same price as the original.
PlayPark has launched two Hardcore servers for Cabal Online and Cabal Mobile: Heroes of Nevareth to kick off its new Cabalverse.
Alyss is joining Tower of Fantasy’s growing roster of simulacrum when it’s 2.3 update releases next month.
The Xbox and Bethesda Developer_Direct showcased new gameplay and information on some of their upcoming titles.
Tower of Fantasy is celebrating its 6-month anniversary with the launch of its 2.3 update next month.
Riot Games has announced the Valorant VCT LOCK//IN tournament, which will be held from February 13th to March 4th, 2023, at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil.
Secretlab has launched its new Valorant Collection, the first set of officially-licensed Valorant merchandise to be released.
AMD has announced its latest Ryzen Game Bundle, offering Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for purchases of select Ryzen 7000 series processors.
The first NVIDIA GeForce Days of 2023 is happening this weekend from January 13-15, 2023.
Goddess of Victory: Nikke is currently holding its winter event, which introduces three limited-time characters, new costumes, and more.
PUBG Mobile and Globe Telecom have kicked off the PUBG Mobile National Championship (PMNC).
The beta for Valorant’s newest game mode, Swiftplay, is now available until the end of the current patch.
Kingston has announced a heatsink-equipped variant of its FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD.


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Surveillance video shows gunman in fatal Phoenix jewelry shop shooting
Phoenix police on Tuesday released video footage to help identify a gunman in the homicide of a jewelry shop worker.
Mikhail Y. Khachaturov, 56, was shot dead by an unknown assailant Oct. 21 at R&R We Buy Gold, on the northwest corner of Seventh Street and Dunlap Avenue.
According to witnesses, only a single gunshot was heard at the scene.
Police say the possible criminal was wearing a tan jumpsuit, beanie, glasses and a black -and-white backpack.
A reward of up to $1,000 is available to anyone with information that leads to the man's arrest and/or indictment.
Authorities ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.


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International food and drink group Princes has invested over £750,000 in to the UK’s recycling infrastructure this year by ensuring that all of its packaging recycling evidence is sourced solely from UK reprocessors.
The UK Packaging Waste Regulations dictate that UK businesses with an annual turnover of £2million that handle over 50 tonnes of packaging must show they have met Government recycling targets by acquiring recovery notes (PRNs) from recycling businesses – these provide evidence that waste packaging material has been recycled into a new product. The additional income from PRNs can be used by recycling companies to invest in their ability to process increasing quantities of packaging waste sustainably. At present, just over half (52%) of recovery notes required by UK businesses are issued by UK recyclers with the remainder issued by international recycling companies.
“By purchasing export PRNs, businesses are moving potential investment into the UK’s recycling capacity overseas. At a time when single-use packaging is under such heavy scrutiny, we need to improve the UK’s ability to recycle sustainably. As a business, we feel by working with Valpak, our chosen compliance scheme, to purchase all of our evidence from UK recyclers in 2018, we are investing in that much-needed infrastructure,” said David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director at Princes.
“Valpak was very pleased to be given this challenge from Princes. We purchase more UK evidence than any other compliance scheme in the UK, and by Princes supporting us in this way, we can ensure their evidence costs are channelled to UK reprocessing. This type of decision helps us direct funding towards UK reprocessing on behalf of our customers and therefore help investment in UK capacity,” said Steve Gough, Valpak CEO. “We have been working to support UK reprocessing for many years and it has been great to have a company like Princes come forward and specifically direct us to do this on their behalf. Our targeted compliance service is specifically designed to offer businesses this opportunity.”
According to a National Audit Office report, packaging exports have increased sixfold since 2002. The report also stated that there was a risk that some material was not handled to UK standards ‘and is instead sent to landfill or contributes to pollution’. Many industry participants, including Valpak, provided detailed evidence to the enquiry, which covered a broad range of topics. Suggestions included improvements to the current system, as well as more fundamental reforms. It is expected the Government will consider some of these when they consult on new regulations later this year.
David McDiarmid added: “Recycling technology and scalability is developing all the time – this process will speed up with more UK investment, hence our move to reject export PRNs. As a particular focus, plastic recycling needs a much more advanced infrastructure to ensure we recycle and reuse as much plastic as possible, founded on circular economy principles.”
Princes’ announcement follows confirmation earlier this year that the company has achieved 51 percent recycled plastic in its soft drinks and oils range, and 30 percent recycled content in its HDPE drinks range.