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Khatija Haque - Head of Research & Chief Economist
Published Date: 09 November 2020
The Dubai PMI declined to 49.9 in October from 51.5 in October, the lowest reading since May. Output and new work increased at a slower rate last month, while firms in the private sector continued to shed jobs. The business expectations component of the survey fell to a series low of 50.6 in October, with weak demand and uncertainty about the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on activity weighing on sentiment.
Source: IHS Markit, Emirates NBD Research
All three sector PMIs declined in October, with only the wholesale & retail sector PMI indicating an expansion in the sector last month, albeit at the slowest rate since May. Output and new order growth in the wholesale and retail trade sector slowed in October, despite further price discounting by firms. Businesses were optimistic about their future output, although the degree of optimism was the weakest since April.
The travel and tourism sector saw output and new orders fall in October despite a further reduction in prices charged as the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to weigh on tourism. IATA reported international passenger air traffic was still down -88.8% y/y in September, even after recovering somewhat over the summer. The acceleration in the spread of Covid-19 across Europe and the UK in October, and the re-imposition of travel restrictions, was likely a major factor in much weaker business expectations in Dubai's travel & tourism sector last month. The UK, Germany, France and Italy accounted for more than 14% of Dubai’s international visitors in 2019. The future output index for the travel & tourism sector fell to 46.4 in October from 58.8 in September, indicating that more firms in the sector expect their output to be lower in a year’s time.
Source: Emirates NBD Research
The construction sector index declined to 48.2 in October from 50.4 in September, as output, new work and employment all fell last month. The business expectations component also moved below the neutral 50-level for the first time in the survey history.


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iPhone sales grew by 474 per cent in Asia-Pacific, with Greater China -- which includes mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan -- showing great strength. IPhone unit shipments grew by more than nine times in Greater China.
The company recorded double-digit growth in both Mac desktop and portable shipments. Desktop shipments totaled 1.23 million units, growing 40 per cent, and laptop shipments totaled 2.12 million, growing 28 per cent. Overall PC revenue totaled $4.45 billion, growing by 27 per cent.
The company has not determined if Mac shipments would be affected by the iPad, said Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer.
"We don't have enough to come to a judgment. We'll see how it goes," Cook said.
The iPad is in its early days, and Apple is trying to capitalize on the early mover advantage, company officials said. A new iPad model with Wi-Fi and 3G capabilities is due to go on sale in the U.S. on April 30. The iPad will go on sale in nine additional countries at the end of May, though the country names weren't specified.
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Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. is a company that holds many luxurious hotels and casinos in China. The Start World Macau, Four City Club casinos including the Grand Waldo hotel and Galaxy Macau are some of the properties that the company holds and maintains in Macau.
Galaxy announced their quarterly results almost a month earlier than usual, and has turned its attention to winning back gamblers by making way for two new casinos in Macau. Their report stated that the adjusted earnings for the first quarter fell 40 percent to $297 million. Also, due to decline in high-class gamblers due to China’s recent crackdown, revenue has also dipped 32 percent.
As China’s gambling economy slows down and President Xi Jinping’s nationwide crackdown stretches, the company expects gaming revenue to fall to an all new low. The total revenue from gambling has already been declining at an alarming rate in the world’s most popular gaming hub. Galaxy’s market shares closed at $4.90 after a rise of 4 percent. It also climbed 0.4 percent in the Hang Seng Index.
Galaxy plan to start its two new projects from May 27 on Cotai Strip in Macau. Victor Yip, an analyst at UOB-Kay Hian Holdings Ltd., said that the two new projects by Galaxy Entertainment Group are so big that they wanted to get done with their results and move to the next step. Starting these two new projects will also make Galaxy the city’s first casino operators to start a new wave of expanded casinos and resorts.
Company in its latest announcement, said that despite the challenges, they hope to remain optimistic in a longer-term scenario and are focused on launching the two new openings – Galaxy Macau Phase 2 and Broadway at Galaxy Macau.


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SEJONG, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s rice output fell to the lowest level in nearly 40 years in 2017 amid the government’s efforts to tackle the yearslong oversupply of the staple grain, data showed Tuesday.
The country’s rice production reached 3.97 million tons this year, down 5.3 percent from 4.2 million tons produced in 2016, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It marked the smallest amount since 1980 when it hit 3.55 million tons.
A total of 754,713 hectares of rice paddies was cultivated this year, down 3.1 percent from last year.
The South Korean government has been pushing to control rice production in order to deal with a chronic glut of the grain as people’s taste becomes increasingly westernized.
Some 3.7 million tons of rice is expected to be consumed this year, with rice production exceeding demand for nearly 300,000 tons.
Earlier, the South Korean government said it will purchase 720,000 tons of rice harvested this year to stabilize domestic market prices.


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Batteries Plus: The specialty's in the name ... and the service
November 26, 2007 -
By Mike Schwalke -
Special to The Times
Ten years ago, laptops and cell phones were rarities at best, and iPods were a fantasy. But the ever-accelerating pace of consumer electronics innovations has made these products almost ubiquitous.
As people clamor to keep up with technology, they soon become aware that keeping their latest gizmos charged is essential, and that no rechargeable battery will last forever.
A new store that caters to the growing need for batteries of all shapes and sizes opened its doors last month on Youree Drive. Batteries Plus is the nation's largest chain of battery retailers and sells 12,000 different kinds of batteries.
"It's kind of a one-stop shop," said Brad King, general manager of the Shreveport location. He said before he started working for Batteries Plus, he had no inkling of how wide and diverse the market for batteries was.
"Initially that was my first thought. "¦ Whenever you hear about a battery store, all you think of is your basic double-A, triple-A and nine-volts." He said his store has more than 1,000 batteries in stock for everything from cell phones and camcorders to wheelchairs and hearing aids.
"Everything, whether it's portable or electric, is going to where it's computerized," King said. "If electricity goes out, you have to have a backup plan."
He noted that one of his largest clients is the hotel and hospitality industry, which has a need to keep the electricity flowing constantly.
"Everything these days is becoming more battery operated," said Toby Credeur, owner of the Batteries Plus franchise. "The demand for batteries is going to grow."
Credeur said he first became aware of Batteries Plus while in Houston and he thought the concept was a strong one.
King said Batteries Plus' major local competitors are geared mainly toward automotive and industrial batteries, whereas his store caters to a broader range of battery needs.
Because Batteries Plus appears to be a retail store, King said customers may not realize it also provides automotive batteries. According to King, Batteries Plus sells directly to consumers through the store, but also provides batteries for commercial clients. King also said his employees will make house calls to replace batteries in wheelchairs and ventilators.
"Another thing that distinguishes us is that we have the knowledge to help the customer out with their battery needs," he said. "We like to practice not only giving the customer what they want but ask them questions about how they used the battery, how they treated the battery, so we can help them in the future."
King said every Batteries Plus employee is trained to help instruct customers on proper use and handling of different types of batteries, including the correct way to charge a battery so as to extend its life.
Batteries Plus is also a drop-off center for battery recycling. Although they cannot accept older batteries that have mercury content, King said they accept all other kinds of batteries for recycling, including those with some lead content and depleted car batteries.


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According to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG), there has been a 2.5 per cent worldwide increase in silicon wafer area shipments during the second quarter of 2015, when compared to the first quarter.
Referring to the press release, “New quarterly total area shipments are 4.4 per cent higher than second quarter of 2014 shipments. First half of 2015 shipments are 7.8 per cent higher than the first half of 2014. Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch or 2.54cm to 12-inches or 30.48cm) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or ‘chips’ are fabricated.”
The published report also states that the growth cited is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.


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The apex sugar industry body, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (Isma), has traded charges with its counterpart in the jute sector over the quality of bags for packing. While Isma says jute mills have supplied sub-standard bags for packing sugar, the Indian Jute Mills Association (Ijma) denies this.
The issue arose after the centre, under pressure from West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee, mandated (in January) that only jute bags be used for packing agri commodities, including sugar. Isma challenged the decision through a petition in the Patna high court in March. A decision has not been issued and the next hearing is on July 25.
Isma says the jute bags available do not conform to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. While the BIS standard calls for a 650g bag, the average would be 400-450g. This means mills have to add an extra 200-250g of sugar to meet the gross weight requirement of a 50-kg bag. So, they lose a kg for every two quintals of sugar sold, implying a total loss of 125,000 tonnes for the 25 million tonnes of sugar produced annually, said Abinash Verma, secretary-general of Isma.
Also, he contends, jute bags have gaps of more than 1.5 cm, allowing heavy leakage of sugar and pilferage in transit. This also allows moisture ingress. The presence of batching oil, used for softening of jute during the manufacturing process, also hits the quality of sugar, beside being harmful to human health, said Verma.
Other bulk consumers such as manufacturers of beverages, confectionaries, biscuits and sweets, which consume around 60 per cent of India’s sugar output have complained about the quality of jute bags, said Verma. He urged the government to allow sugar packing in polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) bags.
But a senior official with BIS said the issue had not been raised with it. “No such case has come before the BIS, so far. In case of such a complaint, BIS would enquire only into issues related to IS-marked quality,” the official said.
Manish Poddar, chairman of the Ijma, rubbished Isma’s accusations, and said despite the government’s order, sugar mills were packing only 75 per cent of their output in jute bags. They must be forced to put the remaining 25 per cent in jute bag packing, too, he said.
Raw jute output has been stagnant at around 11 million bales annually (a bale is 170 kg) in the past five years. On the other hand, the output of foodgrain and sugar has risen substantially in this period, the former by 20 per cent and sugar by 35 per cent. The sugar industry says there is inadequate quantity of jute bags and mills are forced to use PP/HDPE bags for even levy sugar supplies, which are sometimes refused by state agencies.


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In a unanimous vote, the board of directors of the National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) approved a resolution opposing the proposed interchange fee settlement agreement in the antitrust litigation by merchants against Visa, MasterCard, and their member banks. N.G.A. is a named plaintiff and class representative in the lawsuit In Re Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation.
“N.G.A. joined the lawsuit on behalf of its independent retail grocer members over seven years ago to bring about real reform of the anticompetitive credit card swipe fee system. This proposed settlement agreement fails in this regard by allowing Visa and MasterCard to continue their dominant anticompetitive practices,” said N.G.A. President and CEO Peter Larkin. “Meanwhile, merchants and consumers will continue to pay exorbitant swipe fees with no hope of reform. N.G.A.’s members are also concerned about Visa and MasterCard’s ability to use their dominance to prevent emerging and innovative lower cost payment options.”
The proposed settlement agreement terms would curtail the opportunity for merchants to reform the monopolistic fees and rules set by Visa, MasterCard, and their banks by requiring merchants to broadly waive their rights to take future action against the card companies, N.G.A. said in a statement. While the proposed agreement does provide merchants with the ability to pass along some costs of accepting cards, it only does so under almost 10 pages of burdensome restrictions imposed and enforced by Visa and MasterCard, making it unlikely that many of N.G.A.’s members will be able to make this provision workable.
In addition, the provision for cost of acceptance charges does little to nothing for grocers who are keenly sensitive to the backlash consumers exhibited to bank fees, and how consumer reactions could particularly affect the ultra-competitive supermarket industry, N.G.A. said. Merchants already face the reality that surcharging is currently prohibited in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas, where 42 percent of all U.S. retail sales are made.
“The proposed settlement represents a small fraction of the $350 billion in swipe fees the card companies have charged merchants and ultimately consumers for the last seven years,” Larkin said. “This agreement only ensures that the card companies will continue to fix hidden swipe fees and be able to increase them at will for years to come.”
N.G.A. has retained the services of Constantine Cannon to represent it in the case going forward.
For more information about N.G.A., its government relations priorities, key issues and members visit www.nationalgrocers.org.


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Apple has always been a step ahead in innovation and ideas. The screen-to-body ratio of iPhone X initiated the trend after which almost every brand launched a phone with this feature at a lower price since Apple charges a premium as well. After much success of iPhone X, Apple might have thought that it is time to launch new phones to keep up with the competition and remain in business.
The new iPhone arrivals
You must remember the very popular iPhone 5c that was available in multiple colors and was the cheapest iPhone option of all. Apple is trying the strategy again with iPhone X by not only introducing grey, white, blue, red and orange colors but rumors suggest that it may also reserve the dual-camera feature for their high-end phone only.
With a price tag of about $700, 6.1-inch screen iPhone X would be a great option for people willing to buy an iPhone X but with a lower budget. The other two iPhone models are no less in terms of features and offerings. The 5.8-inch screen iPhone X is said to have better specs than the originally introduced iPhone X and that too at a lower price. Additionally, iPhone X plus might be slightly more expensive, expected to be around $1000 but has a screen of 6.5 inches. The good news is that after these phones are launched, the original iPhone X will get cheaper to buy!
Will the new color variety work?
While it is true that iPhone has always been popular in grey or black which may seem quite boring to a lot of people, these colors give iPhone a premium look. In colors like red and orange, the premium look does not remain the same and hence the target market gets smaller. Nevertheless, the market is unpredictable and consumers are eager to try new phones. Also, when the colors combine with a machine like iPhone X, it is likely to attract more consumers than usual because iPhone 5c was also sold mainly because of its color variety.
The phones are likely to launch this fall and whether the colorful range is successful or not is yet to be seen.


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Regent Seven Seas Cruises will celebrate the ship’s christening in Miami on 21 February 2020
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Author: Elizabeth Robinson/11 June 2018/Categories: News, Building and refurbishment
Croatian shipyard Brodosplit has floated out Oceanwide Expeditions’ new Polar Class 6 ice-strengthened expedition cruise ship, which will be named Hondius when she enters service in 2019.
Hondius is 107.6 metres long, 17.6 metres wide and will be powered by two main engines so she can sail at a speed of 15 knots. In addition, the vessel will have a flexible power management system to minimise fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce her impact on the environment, Other environmental features will include hazardous-free coating and paint, steam-powered onboard heating systems, LED interior and exterior lighting, and a system that uses waste heat to cool water for the main engines.
The vessel can accommodate 75 crew members, as well as 196 passengers in 85 cabins, some of which will have balconies. The vessel will also offer an observation lounge with a separate lecture room, zodiacs for excursions and an indoor water sports platform for launching kayaks and other craft.
“This ship is a symbol of Brodosplit restructuring and a breakthrough in organisational and technological design because it is built with new software, tools and technology, almost 80-85% of the ship is already equipped on the bridge construction, resulting in a better quality of production, shorter deadlines and lower construction costs,” said Tomislav Debeljak, CEO of Brodosplit.
“I am very pleased with the quality of the ship, which is already equipped with built-in drive and numerous equipment for passenger and crew accommodation,” said Wijnand van Gessel, owner of Oceanwide Expeditions. “Our team has a great deal of cooperation with the shipyard, and the ship will receive the first polar bearers in June next year.”
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Via our website, magazine and social networks, we aim to be the world's best supplier of news and insight into the global passenger shipping industries. Our content covers both the cruise and ferry businesses, and provides our audience with insight into building and refurbishment, marine operations, onboard experience, ports and destinations and more.
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The passenger car segment was a main contributor to the the rise in used-vehicle prices in 2018, according to J.D. Power's December Used Car and Truck Guidelines.
Vehicles such as small cars and midsize cars, which had seen falling prices in years past, saw a resurgence in demand in 2018. Stronger demand led to lower depreciation through most of the year, which led to higher wholesale prices, which helped lift the overall used market.
Final numbers have not been tabulated for full-year 2018, but J.D. Power expects compact car prices to end the year around 9% over where they were at the same time in 2017. Similarly, J.D. Power expects prices for the midsize car segment to grow around 7% once full-year numbers have been reported.
SUV prices, which have been strong for most of 2018 and 2017, are expected to increase in 2018, but not by as much as certain vehicles in the car segment.
“There are a few reasons for this; one of the primary drivers is the increase in used supply of these segments along with affordability, which favors more competitively priced passenger cars,” noted the J.D. Power report. “With that said, compact utility prices are expected to end the year nearly 2% above 2017’s level while mid-size utility prices are expected to increase by nearly 5%.”
The luxury segment continued to struggle through most of 2018. The forecast for the segment, once final numbers for December have been included, is for most premium segments to be down.
One segment, the luxury midsize car segment, is expected to see prices fall by more than 7%, J.D. Power noted.
Looking back at 2018, J.D. Power found that wholesale used vehicles up to 8 years in age fell 3.5% in November, marking the third consecutive month of declines, according to its most recent Used Car and Light Truck Guidelines.
Strong price gains seen through the rest of 2018 offset this three-month decline, however. Despite this three-month decline, J.D. Power Valuation Services’ Seasonally Adjusted Used Vehicle Price Index remained at its highest level since early 2016.
Overall used vehicle prices at the start of December were up 2.8%, on a year-over-year basis, according to J.D. Power’s most recent data.
Originally posted on Vehicle Remarketing


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Cyberpunk 2077 Gets New Trailer
CD PROJEKT RED has released a new trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 at the Xbox E3 press conference.
You can watch it below, featuring Keanu Reeves:
Cyberpunk 2077 — Official E3 2019 Cinematic Trailer
The game will come out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16.
The second area available in the expansion passes for Nintendo and Game Freak’s Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, discover what awaits players in The Crown Tundra with the latest video for the game
The hunt is on for two elusive Legendary Moose in Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Online this week


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The director of the first UK coffee cup recycling scheme has called for action from businesses and Government to tackle the rising tide of coffee cup waste.
Peter Goodwin agreed that businesses “absolutely” need to make more responsibility, but that the Government also needs to step up.
“Everyone needs to take responsibility; the reality is that everyone has been getting away with it for a long time. Everyone in the industry knew that cups weren’t being recycled,” said the co-director of Simply Cups.
“The Government is equally to blame as the business community.”
A recent report by the Environmental Audit Committee revealed seven million coffee cups that are thrown away across the country every day.
The vast majority of these polyethylene-lined beverage containers are never recycled and taxpayers bear 90 per cent of the costs incurred disposing of these cups.
One of the committee’s recommendations to Government was that businesses should take financial responsibility for coffee cup recycling.
Simply Cups provides the only specialist collection and recycling service for disposable coffee cups in the country.
The Independent’s Cut the Cup Waste campaign is also calling for action to address the problem.
One measure supported by the campaign is the committee’s proposal to introduce a 25p charge on all drinks sold in disposable cups – a so-called “latte levy”. An exclusive poll for The Independent has found that the majority of the British public would back such a levy.
Supporters of such a charge say that the extra cash could be used to improve the infrastructure to deal with disposable cups.
Simply Cups works with ACE UK, one of the only specialist plants in the country capable of recycling coffee cups.
Though much has been made of the lack of facilities capable of recycling plastic-lined coffee cups in Britain, Mr Goodwin said this is not his main concern.
“There is plenty of infrastructure that could take a hell of a lot more cups than are currently being recovered,” he said. “If you look at ACE UK their facility is designed around beverage cartons, and the same technology takes polyethylene out of a beverage carton that takes it out of a cup.”
Instead, Simply Cups’ primarily focus has been creating a commercially viable system to get the cups out of the marketplace and into the recycling facilities in large enough quantities.
“This problem is pretty straightforward, it’s about getting economies of scale and getting material out of the marketplace – if you prove there is value in the material and it’s going to a facility that is paying money for it, then the reality is there is a return on the investment to build more facilities,” he said.
“Once you’ve got the material, innovation follows.”
When their operations began in 2014, virtually all cups were either incinerated or sent to landfill as they were essentially worthless.
According to Mr Goodwin, the recent Chinese refusal to continue importing large quantities of “foreign garbage” from Europe has been a wake-up call that has forced the industry to acknowledge its waste problem.
He hopes this will lead to increased pressure to adopt more “circular” solutions when disposing of their coffee cups.
However, he said coffee chains are still not taking the issue as seriously as they should be, and there is still too much focus on consumers taking action to deal with the problem.
Many of the big brands have launched schemes in recent months to tackle cup waste, with Starbucks launching a 5p charge for single-use cups in 35 central London locations earlier this week.
Others have encouraged the use of reusable cups in-store by offering discounts to customers who bring their own.
“My frustration is that at the moment is that there are certain brands spending more money trying to get good PR stories than actually trying to solve the problem,” said Mr Goodwin.
“They need to understand that if they want to operate they have to provide these solutions, and if they don’t do it their brand is going to suffer – and if they don’t do it collectively they are going to pay a lot more in government intervention.”
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SAN RAFAEL, CA, Nov 30, 2016 – Autodesk, Inc. reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2017. Revenue was $490M, a decrease of 18 percent compared to the third quarter last year as reported, with a loss of $143M.
“We are pleased with our results for the quarter, which were driven by strong growth in product subscription,” said Carl Bass, Autodesk president and CEO. “This was the first quarter of selling only subscriptions, a significant milestone in our business model transition. We also had a record-breaking quarter for cloud subscription additions, driven by continued momentum of BIM 360 and Fusion 360. Coupled with diligent cost control, we continue to progress steadily to our fiscal year 2020 goals.”
A complete chart of the financial results is available here.
Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything.
For more information, visit autodesk.com.


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'Mock Convenience Store' is a Smear
ALBANY, NY (01/11/2011)(readMedia)-- Statement by Jim Calvin, President, New York Association of Convenience Stores
The so-called "mock convenience store" set up by anti-tobacco groups in the Well of the Legislative Office Building today is a gross distortion that smears the entire convenience store trade.
- It creates the false impression that store operators display cigarettes within easy reach of children. Since 2002, under state law, tobacco products must be displayed behind the counter in an area accessible only to employees. We comply with that law.
- It creates the false impression that virtually all we sell is tobacco and candy. Today's convenience store sells a wide variety of products including tobacco, candy, coffee, prepared food, soft drinks, snacks, dairy products, beer, lottery, household items, newspapers, automotive supplies, and other merchandise.
- It lacks the signage that convenience stores display warning that those under 18 may not buy tobacco products and that the store has proper ID procedures in place, and it lacks the Lottery terminal that stores routinely use to scan the ID of tobacco customers to verify their age and prevent underage sales.
The majority of C-store operators are responsible business people. As parents and citizens, they share the community's commitment to preventing youth access tobacco. Through training, stringent policies and ID procedures, and use of technology, they helped dramatically reduce the incidence of underage sales in New York State over the past 10 years, as the Health Department will attest.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control have repeatedly found that most underage smokers get their cigarettes not from retail stores, but from adult relatives or acquaintances. Yet the health advocates say it's still our fault, claiming the mere sight of cigarette displays in our stores is what prompts kids to start smoking in the first place. By that logic, the lottery displays at the front of our stores are driving our youth to a lifetime of gambling.
We respect the work the public health community has done to reduce tobacco consumption. But the virtue of that cause does not entitle them to smear an entire industry of responsible neighborhood retailers.


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Malaysia’s Lion Group, which has just opened the Parkson Department Store in HCM City’s downtown area, is also interested in the steel and real estate industries in Vietnam, CEO Alfred Cheng said.
Steel production is a major field of Lion and it is providing 5.5 million tonnes of steel a year, he said at the opening ceremony of the department store last Wednesday. The shopping plaza is the first of Parkson Vietnam, a member of the group. Retailing is the first step for Lion in Vietnam, he said.
“We are a leading steel maker in Malaysia, supplying a wide range of products,” he said.
He added Lion had invested in China, Singapore, Indonesia, the US, and Mexico to produce steel, motorcycles, tires, pulp and paper, as well as in realty and retailing. The group has about 100,000 employees and around US$4.7 billion in annual profit, he said.
Parkson Vietnam plans to set up 10 department stores in Vietnamese cities in the next two or three-years, and this requires US$70 million.
Cheng said he expected these plans to succeed as Parkson has succeeded in China, where it opened the first department store in 1994 in Beijing, and is operating 43 in all.


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Easing inflationary pressures necessitate April rates pause
29 Mar 2023|
With further signs that inflationary pressures are receding, the nation’s largest business network has renewed its call for the Reserve Bank to pause any further increases to the cash rate at its April meeting.
“While still too high, it appears inflation has now peaked and is beginning to return to more sustainable levels,” ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.
“In reaching a decision at its April meeting, it’s critical that the Reserve Bank pause and take stock of the cumulative tightening that’s already in the system.
“Just like households, small businesses are feeling the pinch of rising rates and are yet to experience the full effect of a 3.5 per cent increase in just 10 months.
“Escalating interest rates mean more small businesses are struggling to keep up with loans on capital assets and buildings, as well as cover rising operational costs.
“Today’s CPI reading of 6.8 per cent is further confirmation that Australia has passed the turning point. Coupled with stagnant retail sales and falling household consumption, the signs of a broad slowdown in economic activity are becoming clearer.
“If the Reserve Bank doesn’t give full consideration to these deteriorating economic conditions they could move too aggressively and raise rates quicker than the economy can handle.
“Power prices continue to remain a key concern for business with electricity costs soaring 17.2 per cent in the last 12 months. Energy price relief in the upcoming May budget will go some way in addressing these immediate pressures but increasing energy supply must remain a priority.


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Biden Says U.S. Wants Competition, Not Confrontation, With China
President says U.S. will join allies to pressure Beijing to adhere to international rules
WASHINGTON—President Biden forecast “steep competition” with China and said his administration is teaming up with allies around the world to hold China accountable for violating international rules with its aggressive actions in the region.
In his first press conference since taking office, Mr. Biden on Thursday gave the most extensive comments of his presidency on China and his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, recounting phone calls and encounters dating to before either was president.
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The official Army of the Dead poster, shared by Snyder on Twitter, confirmed that the zombie heist movie will breakout onto Netflix on May 21. For now, though, the poster keeps the living dead crushed behind a vault door. We're expecting to get a peek behind that door later this week, as the director announced that the movie will be getting its first teaser on February 25.Set in post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Army of the Dead gives rise to a group of mercenaries who infiltrate a quarantine zone to raid a casino during a zombie outbreak. The movie stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro, Nora Arnezeder, Matthias Schweighöfer, Samantha Win, Theo Rossi, Huma Qureshi, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Richard Cetrone.
The Snyder-directed flick appeared in Netflix's sizzle reel for 2021 at the start of the year, with the streaming giant promising to release at least one new movie a week throughout 2021 for a total of at least 70. The titles on the forthcoming slate featured an impressive roster of A-list actors including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Gal Gadot, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Ryan Reynolds, and more.Army of the Dead is also getting a prequel movie and an anime series at Netflix, with Shay Hatten onboard to write the scripts for both. Matthias Schweighöfer is attached to helm and star in the international prequel movie, which is said to follow his Army of the Dead character Ludwig Dieter, while the anime series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, will chronicle the origins of Dave Bautista's Scott Ward.
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
In This Article
Tears of the Kingdom Speedrunners Are Taking Breaking the Game to a New Level
8h ago - A game seemingly made to be broken.
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Cities scrap car curb plans as sales growth slows
The city governments of Xian and Hangzhou yesterday scrapped plans to cap the number of new car registrations as growth in car sales across the country slowed again last month.
The number of passenger cars delivered by manufacturers to dealers rose 10.71 per cent to 1.12 million last month, markedly slower than the 15.77 per cent growth reported in June.
Including commercial vehicles like trucks and buses, whose sales have been in steady decline since March last year, overall vehicle sales rose 8.2 per cent year on year to 1.38 million last month, according to data released yesterday by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
That compares with a growth of 9.9 per cent in June and 16 per cent in May.
Analysts believe manufacturers are cutting shipments to dealers as inventories pile up.
Last week, the China Automobile Dealers Association said the ratio of sales to stock rose to a 'dangerous level' of 1.98 in June, meaning there were almost two cars in stock for every new one sold.
The recommended level is 1.5.
Amid this general slowdown, the Xian government, which had earlier said it would launch a public consultation next Wednesday over a proposal to cap the number of new car registrations in the city, pulled the plan altogether yesterday.
The Hangzhou government also told local media the same day that the time was not right for such a policy.
The market has long expected Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing - where car ownership exceeds a million vehicles - to impose the cap following the example of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Guiyang.
Car shares plummeted and dealers took to the streets last month when Guangzhou became the fourth city to limit the number of car registrations and set a cap at 120,000 a year - less than half of the city's 300,000 new car sales last year.


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Vancouver, BC – August 14, 2012. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that the dollar volume of homes sold through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC declined 12.9 per cent to $3.1 billion in July compared to the same month last year. A total of 6,482 MLS® residential unit sales were recorded over the same period, down 0.8 per cent from July 2011. The average MLS® residential price was $474,954, 12.2 per cent lower than a year ago.
“While some potential homebuyers in Vancouver are taking a breather over the summer months, stronger consumer demand continues across the rest of the province,All Articles More Like This


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In the midst of Nigeria’s foreign currency squeeze, one person stands out in the scramble to obtain hard currency — Aliko Dangote.
When the Federal Government restricted the supply of dollars in June 2015 to prop up the value of the naira, companies owned by Dangote landed a healthy share of dollars available at official rate.
A survey of foreign currency transactions made during an 11-week period in March to May this year shows that Dangote businesses bought at least $161 million in hard currency from the Central Bank. That was about 9 percent of all the hard currency the apex bank sold over the period.
In a single week in March, one dollar in every eight went to Dangote companies. Compared with buying dollars on the more expensive unofficial market, though, Dangote companies benefited to the tune of about $100 million.
The wrangling for dollars highlights Dangote’s pivotal role as Africa’s biggest economy tries to diversify away from oil.
Over the past year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) pegged the naira to the dollar at an official rate of between N197 and N199. The CBN doled out dollars at the official rate to companies it deemed strategic to the Nigerian economy. Until June 20, 2016 when the apex bank abandoned the peg, anyone else had to pay a lot more on the black market.
Small businesses complained that the foreign exchange restrictions were forcing them out of business. Frank Jacobs, president of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), said the majority of manufacturers — 2,000 of them — had been unable to source raw materials because they could not obtain dollars to pay for imports, adding that up to 100 companies either shut completely or cut production. “The large companies have better clout,” he said.
Dangote’s purchases were entirely legal, and some economists say the 59-year-old deserved such special treatment because he has promised to build a much-needed oil refinery. He also has a track record helping Nigeria become more self-sufficient in cement and food.
Dangote Cement said it had received enough dollars. “We believe that we are being treated fairly and we do not receive preferential treatment,” Chief Financial Officer Brian Egan said.
Late June this year, the average black market rate was about N320 per dollar. The difference against the official rate equated to about N20 billion ($101 million). Analysts are of the view that Dangote got more hard currency than other companies because his plan to build a refinery will help the government end fuel imports, which cost Nigeria about $6 billion a year.
With the collapse in oil price in the international market which hit Nigeria’s revenue hard, pushing it into its worst economic crisis for decades, most investors are currently caught in a frenzied pursuit of the cheapest available dollars. Crude oil and gas revenue brings in 90 percent of the country’s foreign currency earnings and funds 70 percent of the states’ budget. At the same time as collecting lower revenue from crude oil sales, Nigeria has also had to spend billions importing refined products because it lacks refining capacity.
Africa’s biggest economy contracted for the first time in at least 12 years in the first quarter of this year, and state governments are struggling to pay public servants. After the apex bank abandoned the currency peg, the naira tumbled 30 percent against the dollar in a single day.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it a priority to fund investments that can help make the country more self-sufficient in everything from food to energy. Recently, the President said the central bank would give companies that helped to diversify the economy incentives.
Buhari backed the central bank’s plans to adopt a more flexible foreign exchange policy. But he long resisted devaluing the official naira rate. “We cannot get away from the fact that a strong currency is predicated on a strong economy,” he said. In January, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said the bank would assist the Dangote Group to access foreign exchange to facilitate its refinery project, which will be the country’s first private oil refinery and is due by 2018. Emefiele also said the bank would help companies that boost local food production.
However, Muda Yusuf, Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said the apex bank’s allocation of hard currency gave businesses only 20 percent of what they needed to operate.
Sani Dangote, group vice-president, said the Dangote Group was not getting 100 percent of its foreign exchange needs, but “some amount to make sure the industries keep going,” adding that the company’s sugar refinery was running at 60 percent capacity.
But Dangote, whose businesses refine sugar and produce cement and mill flour, continued to expand. He pushed ahead with plans to build the $12 billion oil refinery, a gas pipeline across West Africa, a tomato plant and farms in Nigeria to produce one-million tonnes of rice. Some analysts say about 80 percent of Dangote’s dollar purchases during the 11-week period were for the import of equipment and raw materials for his agricultural, sugar, cement and food companies.
Moses Ochonu, a Nigerian-born African history professor at Vanderbilt University in the US, has criticised Dangote for having outsized power in the Nigerian economy. But he admits Dangote also creates jobs. “People are willing to give him the benefit. He is contributing a lot to the economy,” he said.


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Used hatchback costs rose in 2015
New data has revealed that the cost of owning a used city hatchback car increased during 2015.
A new report by cap revealed that the city car sector was one of the main used cars, and it is this high use that led to higher overall depreciation than vehicle sectors and the market average. It means car buyers need to consider the total cost of ownership, as well as maintenance, fuel, and insurance.
The latest cap data also revealed the total cost of ownership varies significantly between city runabouts. The Suzuki Celerio offers the best value, with monthly costs of just £192, as well as an initial price tag of £6,944.
The three city cars with the highest service and maintenance costs are the Peugeot 108, starting from £797, the Citroen C1 starting from £771 and the Vauxhall Viva starting from £725. However, despite the high service and maintenance costs, all three appear among the best overall buys, when looking at total cost of ownership.
In contrast, the Smart ForFour Night Sky Hatchback, has the highest, monthly maintenance costs at £1,251, contrasting with the Toyota Aygo, which costs just £441 in servicing, offering great value in the top three.
Philip Nothard, cap consumer and retail editor, comments, ‘The good news is that there are very attractive new car offers, with low rate PCP headline figures.
‘Due to this sector being the lower-cost vehicles, they have been subject to the increased registration through pre-registrations, as they continue to be a popular option for motorists.’


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2009 was a blockbuster year financially for Apple but delivered some blows including a serious health problem for the company's beloved leader, Steve Jobs, attack from clone makers, and trouble with Google. We offer the Top 10 biggest stories for App...
Dell has delayed the closing of a plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by three months because PC demand is rising, the company said on Tuesday.
Seagate Technology today announced what it's calling the world's thinnest laptop and netbook hard drive, the Momentus Thin drive, which at 7mm, is just over a quarter of an inch thick and is 25% slimmer than a traditional .37-in. (9.5mm), 2.5-in. har...
Microsoft yesterday re-released a Windows 7 installation tool that it admitted included open-source code, and has posted the utility's source code to its own open-source site.
If you spend half your day in Gmail, as I do, then you're probably up for just about anything that can help you manage mail more quickly. The Gboard promises to do just that, so I jumped at the chance to give it a spin.
The growing demand for online applications could push the number of mobile devices accessing the Internet past 1 billion by 2013, IDC said in a survey issued on Wednesday.
The already intense Google-Microsoft rivalry heated up considerably last month with the long-expected release of Google's Chrome operating system to the open-source community.
Wondering why thin and light laptops with monster battery life haven't been a smashing success? Acer chairman J.T. Wang says Dell and HP are to blame.
Apple may unveil a 10.1-in. tablet as early as March, a pair of Wall Street analysts said today.
With its first laptop, gScreen Computer will deliver 4.6 million pixels of desktop real estate with the Spacebook's dual 17-inch LED screens, for under US$3,000.
Microsoft's attempts to ensure better application compatibility for Windows 7 than its immediate predecessor, Windows Vista, had at launch appear to have borne fruit.
Seagate Technology. the world's largest hard-disk drive maker, is planning to launch a new drive that's 25 percent thinner than current models. The 7-millimeter high drive will allow laptop PC makers to further reduce the thickness of their computers...
The fate of the once-named CrunchPad has been decided: The device will be coming to market by the end of the week under the name JooJoo. Fusion Garage -- the onetime manufacturing partner with TechCrunch -- held a video call for reporters and analyst...
Dell has announced its latest laptop for business users, the Vostro V13.
Apple reclaimed the top spot in the computer-reliability ranking of Rescuecom, a Syracuse, N.Y.-based technical support franchise, as netbook maker Asus' rating plummeted, Rescuecom's CEO said Saturday.
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Carpenter Technology adds new additive manufacturing unit
Carpenter Additive is company's latest move to grab share of growing market.
It was another turn of the 3-D printed metal screw for Carpenter Technology, the 130-year-old specialty metals maker founded in Reading and now headquartered in Philadelphia.
In its continued effort to take a leading role in additive manufacturing, which officials like CEO Tony Thene say could transform manufacturing, Carpenter announced the creation of its Carpenter Additive business unit.
That unit is one of several units under the company's Performance Engineered Products business segment, according to Stephen Peskosky, vice president of corporate development for Carpenter.
Over the past three years, Carpenter has invested more than $50 million in research and development, according to its 2018 annual report, and millions more to acquire additive manufacturing-related companies, Peskosky explained.
Those newly acquired, once separate companies are now "one family unit under" under the Carpenter Additive roof, Peskosky added.
The new business unit comprises several company locations specializing in various aspects of additive manufacturing and powder operations.
Those locations include a superalloy facility in Athens, Ala., the original plant in Reading and Muhlenberg Township, and plants in England, California and West Virginia.
In October, Carpenter bought a British Company, LPW Technology Ltd., for $81 million.
That company, which has operations near Pittsburgh, develops advanced metal powders and specializes in powder life cycle management, a field devoted to understanding how materials behave before, during and after additive manufacturing processes.
In February 2018, Carpenter acquired Camarillo, Calif.-based CalRAM LLC for $13.3 million. That acquisition gave Carpenter the ability to produce metal, 3-D printed parts in addition to supplying customers with raw materials for additive manufacturing.
And the company's first real foray into the additive manufacturing market came early in 2017 when it acquired Puris, a titanium powder manufacturer in West Virginia for $35 million.
“From powder production to manufacturing and finishing parts, the full spectrum of our capabilities is what differentiates Carpenter Additive from the rest of the AM industry,” Thene said in Tuesday's press release.
Metal additive manufacturing has evolved to enable the creation of complex parts for demanding applications.
Company officials say the new business unit brings together expertise in applications, materials and part production to help customers in aerospace, energy, transportation, consumer products, medical devices and industrial fields.
More than half of the company's profits come from the aerospace and defense industry.
"We believe that our ability to be an innovator in special material development and manufacturing processes has been and will continue to be an important factor in the success of the company," officials said in that report.


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An industry-backed Copyright Alliance (www.copyrightalliance.com) was launched in Washington, D.C., in June, to "promote the value of copyright as an agent for creativity, jobs, and growth.” The group wants to actively strengthen current copyright law and the 11.3 million American jobs based on copyright-related businesses and industries. Backed by 29 organizations from the worlds of entertainment, arts, technology, and sports—e.g., MPAA, NBC, PPA, News Corp., Disney, Time Warner, the Business Software Alliance, Microsoft, ASCAP, and the NBA—the Copyright Alliance has received initial support from several members of Congress.
HALLMARK MUSEUM (www.hmpc.org) announced a planned expansion of its exhibition, archive and exhibit preparation space for January 2008. The new facilities, located in the historic Crocker Bank Building in Turners Falls, Massachusetts, will provide three new galleries, an exhibit mounting and framing area, staff quarters, a book shop and an archive room for study of the museum's permanent collection.
KOELNMESSE (www.koelnmesse.com) plans to launch the first specialized imaging and photography show in South-East Asia and The Pacific region, Imaging Expo Singapore. The event will be held November 2-4, 2007, in Suntec City, Singapore.
TAKEGREATPICTURES.COM (www.takegreatpictures.com) announced that its new "Events and Destinations" page recommends unique fairs, festivals, getaways and other extravaganzas for photographers to hone their skills.
The number of mobile camera phones in use will top 1 billion this year, according to Strategy Analytics Ltd. Sales were about 3 million in 2001 and 500 million last year. To lure consumers to upgrade their camera phones, manufacturers will offer souped up zoom capabilities, autofocus, better flashes, and faster shutter speeds.
HAHNEMUHLE USA (www.hahnemuhle.com) received international acclaim for their digital FineArt Papers. Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Hahnemühle Digital FineArt Collection, the papers were once again acknowledged by the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) and the British Institute of Professional Photographers (BIPP). Awarded the “Best fine Art Inkjet Paper” and “Best Inkjet Papers” awards, the Hahnemühle Digital FineArt Collection also won the TIPA award in 2005.
TAMRON (www.tamron.com) has produced nine Podcasts, including four brand new titles, currently available for download free of charge on the company's website. The latest Podcasts include two by Don Gale, on selecting the best lenses and getting great scenic and wildlife pictures; Michael Ayers, on lighting, posing, and direction that will let you take your bridal portraits to the next level; and Andre Costantini, an excursion through Detroit to uncover abstracts, architectural classics, and iconic urban images.
MITSUBISHI IMAGING (MPM), INC. (www.mitsubishiimaging.com) celebrated the opening of Diamond-Jet.com, an online store selling the company’s patented Diamond Jet line of inkjet papers. The site targets the professional photography market and marks Mitsubishi Imaging’s entry into e-commerce.
MOHAWK FINE PAPERS INC. (www.mohawkpaper.com) is committed to taking action against global warming. Mohawk’s initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have made it a leader in the paper industry. Last month, Mohawk announced select premium product lines, including Strathmore, are now made carbon neutral within its production and distribution process.
THE EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY (www.kodak.com) donated the Kodak Nexpress 2100 Plus Digital Production Color Press with the Kodak Fifth Imaging Unit Solution, Kodak Nexglosser Glossing Unit, Kodak Prinergy Workflow Software, and Kodak Web-to-Print Solutions to Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) in Wisconsin. With eight Centers of Excellence, the college focuses on workforce development. Kodak's new digital printing and workflow solutions are the core of WCTC's new Applied Technology Center.
HP (www.hp.com) unveiled the HP Gallery at Calumet Photo, a new, permanent fine art and commercial photography gallery at Calumet Photographic's new Manhattan store located in the center of the Photo District. The gallery officially opened in May, with the HP-sponsored Francis Hills exhibit, "The Accidental Photographer," which continues through July 28, 2007. The HP Gallery at Calumet Photo will host a number of exhibits created on HP professional printing technologies. Hills' exhibit, which showcases more than 50 images from his celebrity, fashion, beauty, Clothing Immaterial and French Foreign Legion collections, was produced with the HP Designjet Z3100 and HP Photosmart Pro B9180 photo printers on HP professional photo papers.
THE CHINATOWN FILM FESTIVAL (www.cff2008.org) will present “Perceptions of Chinatown,” a photography exhibition that invites photographers from around the world to submit images that depict their views of Asian culture. The 60 - 80 top entries will be selected then displayed in New York City's Chinatown, leading up to the Film Festival, scheduled for October 2008. The Chinatown Film Festival is the first of its kind, bringing together 25 films from Asia. The festival theme is "The Bridge: Connecting Cultures Through Film in the Heart of Asian Traditions."
THE HOLTER MUSEUM OF ART (www.holtermuseum.org) presents its annual, national, juried exhibition opening June 4 and running through August 19. Admission is free for everyone. Museum hours are: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00 am to 5:30 pm; Wednesday: Noon-8:00 pm; Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm; and Sunday: 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Curated by the neon artist Willem Volkersz, this exhibition has the theme "character, as found in people and places."
People in the News
LEICA CAMERA INC. USA (www.leica.com) announced several corporate developments and appointments including, promotion and expansion in the Marketing Department, Photographic Division, and a new Sales Manager, Canada. Brian Bell has returned to Leica Camera Inc. USA as national sales manager, Canada, after a two-year hiatus. Justin Stailey has joined Leica’s Marketing Department, Photographic Division, as product specialist.


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Got your measure? Overcoming CTV’s biggest challenge.
It is sometimes hard to believe that Connected TV has only been around for a few short years. From an age perspective, it remains in its infancy. From an advertising viewpoint, it has already taken its place in the marketing mix.
Indeed, not only has CTV taken its place, it has rapidly become an integral element of a marketing strategy, its relevance and importance seemingly rising by the month.
New research from Advertising Week and performance marketing specialists MNTN have precisely illustrated the point, finding that nine out of 10 marketers believe CTV will become “very relevant” over the next five years.
Download our research findings and see what marketers revealed when it comes to linear TV reporting, CTV reporting and what metrics they’d like to be able to measure in the near future.


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WebOS is alive.
I'm Bridget Carey and this is your CNET Update.
Mobile World Congress, the mother of all mobile trade shows kicked off in Barcelona and we already have tons of news to talk about.
Samsung did not bring out the Galaxy S4 to the show but it was announced that the S4 will be unveiled on March 14th at a New York City event.
This one is the S3.
And as one of the most
anticipated smartphones of the year, it's no surprise that the S4 will get its own spotlight at a separate event, but you can expect the S4 will have a Visa mobile payment system called payWave.
Samsung and Visa announced the partnership for future Samsung devices will work with Visa's mobile payment system and the S4 will be the flagship product for that program.
Many groups have been spending years trying to grow mobile payments.
It's the idea that you can wave your phone at a register to pay but it just doesn't take an off yet in the U.S. Samsung phones
are very popular but it might not really take off until Apple includes that technology in the iPhone.
Mobile payments will be a big theme at this year's show as MasterCard also unveiled a digital payment system called MasterPass, which works for purchases in stores as well as online and on the phone.
Samsung did show up Galaxy Note 8. It's an 8-inch tablet that'll compete with the iPad mini, but of course, price will determine how competitive it will be and Samsung didn't announce the price.
It has an SD
card slot, built-in S-Pen Stylus.
It'll be loaded with Android Jellybean and will be WiFi only in the U.S. Expect it to come out sometime before July.
Samsung is also launching arrival to the Apple TV streaming box, it's called the HomeSync.
It's an Android powered media box that streams movies, TV shows and games to your TV and it also streams movies from a Galaxy smartphone.
No word on price but that'll be out in April.
And surprising news, WebOS is still alive.
LG will be using HP's defunct mobile operating system on future televisions.
Meanwhile, HP is back in the tablet game, this time, with an Android model called the Slate 7. It'll be out in April for $170.
Also at Mobile World Congress, we gotta look at a voice control personal system app called Indigo.
It's like Apple Siri but this works on Android Windows Phone 8 and your web browser.
It'll eventually also come to iOS.
It's similar to how Siri works,
where you ask questions and get answers based on web search results and it can create appointments, open apps, dictate e-mails or post status to social networks.
And one Indigo account will sync between your devices even if you have a Windows phone and an Android tablet.
That's your Tech News Update.
You can find more details on these stories at the blog cnet.com/update.
From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.


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Spintek Gaming Technologies and B&D Signs Announce Product Development Joint Venture
02:06 p.m Sep 21, 1998 Eastern
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 21, 1998--Spintek Gaming Technologies (OTC/BB:SPTK) and B&D Signs Monday announced plans for a joint venture relationship targeted at visual information products for the casino industry.
The two companies will unveil one of the new products at the World Gaming Conference and Exhibition this week.
"B&D Signs has created some of the most visually exciting products placed in casinos throughout the U.S.," remarked Robert Guinn, vice president of engineering and product and research development for Spintek. "By bringing our engineering and technology expertise to the relationship in the areas of multimedia sign and informational kiosk development, the resulting technology will meet the market demand for unique, innovative products."
Darell Johns, vice president of sales for B&D Signs remarked, "We are excited to be combining the talents of two dynamic companies in this fast-growing market. B&D has been very successful in its sales efforts over the last year and we are eager to work with Spintek to provide the high-tech visual information casinos are demanding."
Spintek Gaming Technologies is a Nevada corporation based in Las Vegas, whose focus is the development, acquisition and marketing of diversified technology, including unique gaming industry products. Spintek offers a new standard of operational coin control with AccuSystem, which brings a new level of gaming device security and management information to the casino industry.
This news release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and projects of SPTK and its subsidiaries which involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to competition from other gaming operations, licensing and other regulatory risks. Further information on potential factors which could affect the financial conditions and results of operations of SPTK and its subsidiaries are included in the filings of SPTK with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to SPTK's Form 10-KSB/A for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997.
Newsbit furnished by:
A: NetShift Software Ltd.
A: Hughenden Yard, Marlborough, Wilts,SN8 1LT, UK
T: +44 (0)1672 511 094
F: +44 (0)1672 511 078
E: [email protected]
E: [email protected]
Thanks Tim and Anna!


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Honda Motor President and CEO Takahiro Hachigo says that the Japanese automaker will attempt to make two-thirds of its overall sales from hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric vehicle (EV) and fuel cell vehicle (FCV) sales by 2030.
Hachigo projects that a bulk of those sales will come from plug-in hybrid models, the first of which is slated to make its North American debut by 2018. Honda will follow up by making plug-in hybrid drivetrains available on all of its major models. A new Honda EV is also expected to debut in 2018.
FCVs will also be a part of the two-thirds mix, with Honda announcing that sales of the Clarity Fuel Cell will begin in Japan this March. A joint next-generation fuel cell project with GM is slated to make its product debut around 2020.
Honda does not currently offer a plug-in model.


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Vodafone has launched new RED Postpaid Plans in India with Lowest Bill Guarantee, Complimentary mobile insurance, Unlimited international roaming benefits, and Entertainment content offerings. According to Vodafone, Lowest Bill Guarantee is an industry first feature that will automatically keep the consumer on the lowest possible bill on their chosen plan by billing them on the best-suited plan within the RED postpaid portfolio basis their monthly usage. New postpaid plans start from ₹399 per month and go up to ₹2,999 per month. Find the plan details and benefits below.
Complimentary Mobile Insurance
Customers choosing RED Entertainment+ plans and above will receive the complimentary Mobile Insurance that enables consumers to protect their smartphones from any physical or liquid damages. Consumers can also change the handset any number of times and register the new device to continue enjoying complimentary insurance.
- RED Together – Get guaranteed savings of up to 20% on total rentals
- Free 12 months subscription of Amazon Prime services at no extra cost
- 12 months of free Vodafone Play
- 12 Months of free Netflix subscription with RED International, RED International+, RED Signature and RED Signature+ plans
- Unlimited free calls and data in 20 countries at ₹180/day as an add-on pack
Commenting on the launch Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director – Consumer Business, Vodafone India, said, “Vodafone India is excited to introduce the latest Vodafone RED Postpaid plans for our consumers, catering to their entertainment, travel and smartphone-related needs. Differentiated offerings like complimentary mobile insurance, lowest bill guarantee reflect Vodafone’s customer-first philosophy of keeping the customer at the center of every proposition.”


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Two executives with widely different backgrounds are leading Hawaiian Airlines’ new flight plan beyond the Islands to become a key player in the global transportation market.
As senior vice president of marketing, Avi Mannis is the generalist, having worked in different departments at the airline for the past seven years, including senior director of transformation and vice president of revenue management and schedule planning. He brings to the airline marketing experience from the Mainland East Coast and Europe.
Working directly under Mannis is Kevin Yim, senior director of global marketing communications. Born and raised in Hawaii, Yim started his marketing career at radio station KIKI-FM in Honolulu, where he learned to move quickly and be aware that all moves are public. He also worked at Bank of Hawaii for 14 years, where he learned marketing skills such as direct mail, sales support, traditional advertising and early web.
Together, they head an 11-person communications team that, with the help of five agencies, do all the advertising, email, social media and promotions around the globe.
Hawaiian Airlines is not about to give up its position as Hawaii’s biggest interisland carrier. But, it clearly sees its future in international travel. It has aggressively pursued expansion outside of its interisland and West Coast routes, starting with Australia 10 years ago, Tokyo in 2010, New York in 2012 and Beijing this year.
The challenge for Mannis and Yim is to fill the seats on those international flights.
Mannis is quick to credit the communications team and others for marketing Hawaiian Airlines to the world.
“I owe, to some extent, a great debt to the rest of the business community in Hawaii for providing that kind of background where you can develop really talented marketing generalists that have broad perspectives, but also the skills to go out and hustle in a global marketplace to get stuff done,” he said. “I think we absolutely punch above our weight as marketers globally because of the background and the skill-set of Kevin and his colleagues who came into the organization from other local companies.”
Competing against the giants
Yim and Mannis know that they have to be creative because they cannot compete dollar-for-dollar with the bigger airlines at many of the destinations Hawaiian flies to.
Yim declined to disclose his marketing budget but, according to Hawaiian Airlines’ annual 10-K filing, it spent $14.1 million in advertising in 2013, $11.2 million in 2012 and $9.2 million in 2011. Compare that to United Continental Airlines, the No. 1 airline servicing Hawaii by number of passengers, which spent $178 million on advertising in 2013, or Alaska Airlines, the No. 4 airline servicing Hawaii, which spent $28 million on advertising last year. (For each airline, advertising makes up less than 1 percent of its operating expenses.)
“In the big global scheme of things, Hawaiian Airlines is a fairly small, teeny-tiny little airline and our resources aren’t as great as the big airline carriers of the world,” Yim said. “We cannot afford to go in and buy TV and print ads in a lot of these markets, so we do have to be super creative.”
Among its creative marketing tools is the experiential event, usually tied to the sponsorship of an existing event. Or, it might create its own event, usually in tandem with social media.
In Beijing, the company used Chinese social media platforms Sina Weibo and WeChat — roughly the Chinese versions of Facebook and Twitter — to build a fan base with promotional ticket giveaways and showcasing Hawaii. After a critical mass of audience was built, it engaged the customer by creating a participatory social media contest. It sent its marketing messages to only Chinese language followers in the city, inviting them to go to high-end Solana Mall to have their photograph taken with cardboard cutouts of Hawaii, then post it on their social media accounts. If participants completed those social media actions, they would be entered to win a pair of tickets to Hawaii.
“When they post it to their social media channel, their friends and followers see this message now,” Yim said. “It’s not just about the 9,000 people who came to the event — times that by how many people are on their friends list, who might be able to see that.”
Yim said participants also hung around in the area, where Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants approached them to talk about Hawaii. Travel agents were on hand as well.
“One of the big changes has been the level of creativity that we’ve had to employ in getting attention in these markets,” Mannis said. “It’s no longer about buying the right billboards or media placement; it’s about going in and creating buzz and creating experiences for people who interact with our brand in a very personal way that have been the most successful for us in international markets.”
In June in New York City, the company sponsored the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge, a well-respected outrigger canoe race in New York Harbor. The airline created a Hawaii festival around the race to give people a sample of Hawaii.
With New York City, the competition is not only other U.S. carriers, but also other leisure destinations such as the Caribbean, which is closer and may be perceived as a cheaper vacation compared to Hawaii.
“In some ways, New York is a lot like China, more so than, say, the West Coast,” Yim said.
Before entering international markets, Hawaiian Airlines works with the Hawaii Tourism Authority and its brand managers who have done research in various parts of the world. It approaches major markets such as China, Japan and New York City with specific market research on consumer opinions about airlines, Hawaii as a destination and brand recognition of Hawaiian Airlines. The study is used as a benchmark to measure how effective its marketing strategy is over time. It conducts a new market survey every six months to a year to see how it has improved, Mannis said.
Another key strategy is exploring the destination in person.
“There’s a real benefit to immersion in a place,” Mannis said. “You ride the subways, just immerse yourself in a city, and understand where consumers are getting their information. The ambient environment tells you a lot about where you have to go to get people’s attention. We can hire great agencies for many of the places we go, but there’s no substitute for being on the ground in the place and getting a sense of it.”
Boot camp for agents
Travel agencies still play a big role in Hawaiian Airlines’ marketing and booking strategy, so much so that every 18 months it hosts a Hawaii boot camp. In partnership with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, HTA and hotel partners, agencies are brought to Hawaii for cultural training.
“It’s the maemae training from HTA, which talks about what is Hawaii,” Yim said, noting that it helps its travel partners promote Hawaii in a way that is sensitive, accurate and authentic.
He said it’s important that his team is based in Hawaii and knows the Islands, from where they are able to direct agencies abroad.
In places where Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines are already known, the challenge is becoming the airline of choice for travelers. For example, in San Francisco, where travelers have been coming to Hawaii for generations, it will employ traditional advertising to saturate the market.
“We are very tactical and deliberate in the times of year and the places we do that,” Mannis said. “It is still an important tool for us; it’s just something we use judiciously. It’s less an important tool for us in international markets just because those big Asian metro areas tend to be quite expensive.”
Portals of choice
Digital advertising is an important tool for Hawaiian Airlines because it drives people to its website to buy. Mannis said the portal of choice to buy tickets depends on the market. Generally speaking, most North American travelers purchase directly from the airline while Asian travelers go through travel agencies. However, people still want to visit the website for more information, and Hawaiian has versions of its website in every language spoken in the places it travels to.
Mannis said the airline is building a new infrastructure for its website.
“It’s the kind of thing you have to do from time to time,” he said. “It is a complex e-commerce business. A very large portion of our revenue is sold through that, and over time our business has changed. The kinds of products we’re selling are broader, from seat upgrades to whole vacations instead of just your airline ticket, and the back-end infrastructure that supports those transactions needed to evolve so that we could handle the full range of what we think our business is going to be like now, and what we think it’s going to be like in five years’ time.”
Both Yim and Mannis believe that other Hawaii companies have something the rest of the world wants, whether it’s a big hotel brand such as Outrigger Enterprises Group or someone making a mobile app. But they advise doing research before venturing into global markets.
“If you’re going out and trying to compete globally, the worst mistake you can make is to assume that Korea is like Japan, or China is like Korea, or even that Tokyo is like Osaka,” Mannis said. “You have to get out there, you have to get on the ground, and you have to understand the differences and the consumer psychology in each of the markets in advance so that you don’t go and make mistakes. When you do make mistakes, you have to learn very quickly.”


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Tottenham Hotspur players Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.
- Marketing and tourism experts say the proposed deal by SA Tourism to sponsor English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is a good idea, but South Africans are not ready to receive it.
- Load shedding, unemployment and government corruption contributed to SA not being ready for the proposal.
- The experts say there are other cost-effective ways to promote SA tourism.
The proposed deal by SA Tourism to sponsor English Premier League (EPL) club Tottenham Hotspur is a good idea, but the government needs to get its house in order before it can be well received, say experts.
With millions of South Africans languishing in poverty and joblessness, government corruption, a lack of trust in leadership and rolling blackouts, South Africans cannot be receptive to this proposal, although it can yield significant financial returns for the tourism industry, they say.
SA Tourism is under fire amid reports of a three-year multimillion-pound deal to sponsor the English club.
The deal, worth £42.5 million (about R900 million), which President Cyril Ramaphosa said could not be justified, was proposed to start at the beginning of the 2023-’24 season and end at the end of the 2026-’27 season.
Speaking to News24 on Friday, Professor Ndivhuwo Tshipala from the Tshwane University of Technology, said the sponsorship would put South Africa on the global map due to the EPL’s reach.
Tottenham Hotspur is being watched in Africa, Asia, South America, etc. For sure, that would create brand awareness, which is about information and exposure. It has the biggest power to influence and set an agenda. Surely, we would get attention. Our footprint would be in most continents around the world.
He said due to the current state of the country, South Africans needed to be in the mood to receive the proposal.
“We are at a place where everybody wants the most basic things done first. Currently, everyone is thinking about electricity, the cost of living, gender-based violence and crime. Everything that could be of benefit becomes suspicious.”
Marketing expert Dr Beate Stiehler-Mulder from the University of Johannesburg lauded SA Tourism for its creative and innovative marketing idea.
“I’m a big supporter of not doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I will give it to them – they came up with something unique,” she said.
However, she said the current state of the country would not be conducive to the deal.
It’s a good idea to do it in 2025, not now. The reason for that is our house is not clean at the moment. The deal is not strategically sound, and it is not sensitive to where we are as a country. As much as we want to attract the world, you also want to make sure your South African audience feels proud of what we’re showcasing to the world because we are so much the ambassadors of our country.
Stiehler-Mulder said load shedding was one of the main crippling challenges to marketing tourism.
“Probably in the next month or two if you search on Airbnb, one of the filters will be questions about backup power systems,” she said.
Responding to the deal itself, she said although it could create awareness about South Africa, the visual aspect of marketing was equally crucial in promoting the country.
We’re not only in a space where we want to create brand awareness. This is what this sponsorship would get. It would get us millions of eyeballs, but we need a combination of a branding and a call-to-action strategy. And this can be done a lot more affordably using, for example, online and television advertisements to show off our beautiful scenery.
“What we need now is to encourage people to book holidays in South Africa (not only making them aware of the country) because we need to save our sector and get out of this Covid-19 slump, and start creating jobs again.”
It remains to be seen if the proposed sponsorship deal will go ahead.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said although the Office of the President had not yet been briefed on it, Ramaphosa did not think the deal was justified.
SA Tourism spokesperson Thandiwe Mathibela declined to comment on the president’s response, while tourism department spokesperson Steve Motale told News24 he could not respond until the department and Ramaphosa “engaged” formally.
Motale, however, said that there were pending meetings between various government stakeholders, including the SA Tourism board, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Ramaphosa.
If the R900-million deal falls flat, how else can South Africa spend the money?
Tshipala suggested promoting South Africa through the Southern African Development Community, Brics, embassies and recruiting ambassadors to promote the country.
“It is doable. I think SA Tourism wanted to go for the jugular, but it would have been better at a time when the environment was conducive,” he said.


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The Superior Courtroom gave judgment last week on the initial case the place a “Covid defence” has been lifted for non-payment of lease. Westfield London’s homeowners won a ruling that The Fragrance Store ought to fork out in excess of £160,000 in unpaid lease and provider fees accrued for the duration of the pandemic.
TFS took a five-year lease of premises at Westfield London in July 2019 at an original yearly lease of £200,000, but in a “side letter” agreed to an aggregate of a £180,000 for every year foundation lease as well as turnover lease.
On the other hand, thanks to Covid-19 lockdowns, the business remained closed to the general public from 26 March 2020 till 15 June 2020, between five November 2020 and two December 2020 and from 19 December 2020 till 12 April 2021. TFS has not paid any lease considering the fact that April 2020 and the regular provider demand for April, May and June 2020 is also outstanding. Fund supervisor Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft – which owns the centre in a joint enterprise with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield –sought summary judgment for lease amounting to £166,884 (inclusive of VAT) and curiosity at the contractual fee.
Main Learn Marsh at the Superior Courtroom granted Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft summary judgment in its declare versus the perfume retail chain, TFS Outlets, with no the need to have for a full demo.
The ruling has lifted alarm bells for stores as unpaid rents proceed to pile up.
Tom Morton, affiliate spouse at legislation organization Fox Williams, explained the judgment need to be cautionary be aware for retail tenants as the place re-opens.
“In what might occur as a nice surprise to several landlords and a negative surprise to several stores, the Superior Courtroom granted summary judgment and ordered TFS to fork out the debt.
“TFS argued that the landlord was making an attempt to circumnavigate the ‘Code of Exercise for commercial house associations for the duration of the pandemic’. The code includes pointers for landlords and tenants to get the job done with each other to resolve disputes, and only to litigate as a last resort. It sits together with (but does not acquire priority in excess of) the Coronavirus Act 2020 [the moratorium] which does limit some landlords’ cures versus tenants affected by Covid-19, and helps prevent forfeiture of leases, selected insolvency proceedings and other cures typically available to landlords. The courtroom disagreed. It discovered that the landlord had complied with the code in searching for alternate indicates of resolving the dispute. It also discovered that the Coronavirus Act 2020 did not avert a landlord suing for a debt and that it did so for a rationale. The tenant had no real prospect of defending the declare and there was no other persuasive rationale why the matter need to carry on to demo.”
Morton ongoing: “The case might yet be subject matter to even more judicial scrutiny, but it need to stand as a welcome reminder to landlords (and a cautionary be aware to tenants) that basically ‘pleading the pandemic’ will not, on its have, assist a tenant. The courts are prepared to implement the tenant’s obligations the place acceptable.”
The former CEO of one particular womenswear many explained the final decision will occur as a surprise to several stores: “I need to envision this will mail shockwaves all-around stores with suppliers. In particular individuals in buying centres the place they also fork out huge provider fees.
“Preserving cash has been the major, and for several, the only precedence for the duration of this last year. Under no circumstances have so several cash flows been modelled so several situations. Lots of stores have withheld payments of rents in an energy to survive. They have cited Covid-19 as a justification. They also considered they had been helped by the governments intervention to protect them from the methods typically open up to them to get rents paid. The typical routes of Business Rents Arrear recovery and terminating leases, having back again their qualities have been, temporarily, suspended. Vendors heaved a collective sigh of aid. This will be a huge shock and might signify extra retail casualties. Some will just not have the money. I would hope landlords can get the job done with these stores and sort out a strategy the place money can be paid in excess of a lengthy time period. But even that might not be enough for some.”
She included: “Does this show that the authorities rushed as a result of new legislation to check out to aid for the duration of this time, but that the legislation will be scrupulous looking at the detail and maybe the legislation was not restricted enough? I’m not confident. Judges do not glimpse kindly on rushed as a result of legislation.”
Just one fashion retailer industry onlooker explained: “Fashion retail will have to be a little extra cautious in terms of managing its money. Anyone with say 200 suppliers throughout the place will now need to have to be extra careful. This counts as a be aware of caution.”
On the other hand, house authorities have welcomed the go.
Scott Parsons, main functioning officer British isles, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, explained to Drapers: “The impacts of the earlier year which has viewed the industry endure months of authorities imposed closures, has established unprecedented problems for both stores and landlords. Above that time, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has put in place a number of help measures these as going to regular payments, deferred rents and lessened provider fees.
“However, lease selection remains an challenge and the authorities moratorium is not supporting as it encourages ‘can fork out will not pay’ behaviour. In the end our technique is to get the job done with individuals who have interaction with us to access a reasonable and optimistic consequence for all and for individuals who refuse to have interaction, we have been compelled to acquire much better action. We welcome the consequence of this judgement as we go to a recovery for the industry which observed extra than 1.two million buyers visit Westfield London and Westfield Stratford Metropolis for the reopening week – massively optimistic news for stores and landlords alike.”
Just one house skilled explained: “The code of follow could not be any clearer. Tenants ought to fork out. Wherever they need to have help, they need to have to seek settlement and be transparent.”


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Australia has gone 27 years without going into recession. That record-breaking period will, according to experts, end in 2020. Historic natural disasters, followed immediately by the coronavirus pandemic, have thrown global supply chains into chaos, disrupted travel, and brought down consumer confidence.
Countries in which the pandemic has spread, so far, have suffered serious economic slowdowns, as consumers stay home to avoid contact with the public. The Australian economy has, according to experts, likely already contracted in the first quarter of 2020. Looking forward, growth in the second quarter is looking it will flatten. The first community transmission of coronavirus was documented in NSW in the first week of March, strongly suggesting that the country will soon face the direct, as well as the indirect impacts of the pandemic.
In order to succeed in a stagnant or contracting economy, business leaders need to take steps to recession-proof their operations. That means getting control of their cash flow, learning to drive growth through market consolidation, and innovating to expand into new markets.
Stabilise cash flow
Cash flow interruptions are common for all kinds of businesses, even when the economy is growing. During a recession, budget shortfalls and other kinds of interruptions only become more common, making it difficult for unprepared businesses to focus on anything other than their short term financial difficulties. To avoid this, businesses need to familiarise themselves with the tools that are available to them to quickly and easily manage these kinds of issues, so that leaders can focus on the bigger picture.
When businesses quickly need additional cash to cover costs, they turn to invoice finance. It allows businesses to access funds in a matter of hours, by exchanging an outstanding invoice for cash. The financial institution receiving the invoice pays out most of its value up front, and then collects payment from the client. Once the payment is received, the remaining balance is paid out, less their fee.
Supply chain finance
Another way to boost liquidity is to extend payment terms with supply chain finance. Here, the business works with a financial institution to offer payment to suppliers on their behalf. Their own supply payments—now due to the financial institution—can then be deferred by up to 90 days after the invoicing date. This allows businesses to redirect their existing working capital for other uses, or allows them to make supply purchases when they don’t have sufficient capital on hand.
Boost competitiveness within your industry
When the economy is growing and consumers are spending more than the year before, businesses don’t necessarily need to win customers over from competitors in order to grow. During a recession, consumer spending is going down, so growth needs to come at the direct expense of a competitor. This means that, when facing tough times, businesses need to focus on their competitiveness within their industries, and look for ways to consolidate more of the market. This means streamlining operations to keep costs low and to maximise profits. At the same time, though, businesses need to look outside their comfort zone for growth opportunities to pursue. That might mean finding new market segments to access at home, or expanding internationally to reach more customers.
Consider opportunities overseas
All of Australia’s biggest trading partners are experiencing economic slowdowns, with some, such as China, facing a partial lockdown of their economy. This is one of the core reasons why Australia is expected to go into recession. Struggling economies in China, Japan, South Korea, and the US won’t be able to buoy Australian businesses that are facing declining consumer spending at home. This doesn’t mean that they are out of options, though. Businesses can instead look into the possibility of expanding into other international markets, and making use of international labour.
As the global economy slows, manufacturing-focused countries in Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia will begin to feel the drop in consumer demand, leaving them with a great deal of excess production capacity. This will drive down labour costs in those countries, providing cash strapped businesses with additional options. Not only will it drive down supply costs in general, it may also provide businesses with advantageous outsourcing opportunities. Those businesses who recognise and seize these opportunities first, may gain a critical cost advantage over competitors.
After nearly three decades of growth, many Australian businesses have never experienced a recession. This will inevitably make it difficult for many to adjust, giving more flexible and forward-thinking competitors an edge. By taking control of their cash flow and finding ways to drive growth in a contracting economy, businesses can thrive even as their competitors struggle.


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British Airways published an update regarding the September 6 data breach incident, saying that the hackers may have stolen the personal and banking info of some extra 185,000 customers, on top of the 380,000 estimated initially.
"In addition, from the investigation we know that fewer of the customers we originally announced were impacted. Of the 380,000 payment card details announced, 244,000 were affected," says British Airways' press release.
The new information has been unearthed following an ongoing investigation by specialist cyber forensic investigators and the National Crime Agency.
British Airways also said in their update that they "are notifying the holders of 77,000 payment cards, not previously notified, that the name, billing address, email address, card payment information, including card number, expiry date and CVV have potentially been compromised, and a further 108,000 without CVV."
The 185,000 customers who had their private information compromised were those who used a payment card to make reward bookings from April 21 to July 28, 2018.
An extra 77K customers had their private and banking info stolen together with their payment cards' CVV code
Although British Airways has no irrefutable proof that the hackers behind the attack have exfiltrated the accessed data to one of their servers, the airline is "taking a prudent approach in notifying potentially affected customers, advising them to contact their bank or card provider as a precaution."
According to the airline, only customers that will receive a notification saying that their data has been compromised by Friday 26 October at 17:00 GMT is part of the newly discovered wave of stolen data.
All customers that were affected by the hack will be reimbursed by the British Airways airline, and they will also receive credit rating monitoring services to avoid any credit rating issues.
As discovered on September 11 by RiskIQ's Yonathan Klijnsma, the British Airways data breach which exposed the payment card details of around 380,000 customers is the work of the Magecart cybercriminal group.


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Publisher Nordic Games has acquired the Scandinavian arm of struggling international retailer GAME.
GAME Group headlines
Following news that the OpCapita buyout may not be happening and reports that this week marks the company’s last stand, shares in GAME Group have crashed – and then rebounded again.
Shares in the GAME Group have gone down by more than half after it lowered revenue forecasts last week.
It never ends, does it? Modern Warfare 3 has become Amazon UK GAME’s most pre-ordered title ever, both companies have said.
The GAME Group’s announced that its suffered a loss of £51.5 million, not including tax, for the first six months of 2011.
UK store chain GameStation has gone on the defensive after an in-store marketing campaign was described as “openly sexist” by a female employee.
GAME Group latest


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ASSOCIATED PRESS: Investors excited about number of viewers of original programming on Internet television-streaming service.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: The European Union alleges Google is abusing its dominance as it launches a probe into the Android mobile operating system.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Companies are being sued for decades-old technology patents.
CAREERCAST: There's nothing worse than being a newspaper reporter, according to a new study.
BLOOMBERG: Economic value in the United States is being held up by college graduates in the wake of lost factory jobs.
NEW YORK TIMES: Families depend on public assistance despite steady employment.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Researchers say air travel is getting worse.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Farmers on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are being pressed for water — that supplies the Central Valley and down to San Diego — being siphoned.
BLOOMBERG: Apple CEO Tim Cook told fans to skip the lines and buy his company's newest gadget online.
GIZMODO: Amazon looks to end fake reviews pumping up a seller's rating.
DETROIT FREE PRESS: The potentially deadly bacteria was found by inspectors in Michigan.
USA TODAY: Analyst says YouTube's plan to provide a subscription that guarantees no ads would boost revenue.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Scammers are increasingly turning to the phone and the AP released a list of five things to know to protect yourself.