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The City of Salem’s Holiday celebrations will once again be plentiful early in December. The annual Christmas Tree Lighting will officially get the festivities started on Friday, December 1, at 6 p.m. at the Salem Farmers Market. The annual Christmas Parade and the Gingerbread Festival will also take place that weekend. Please take a moment to review these activities, including the new Salem Crafty Christmas set for December 9.
HOLIDAY EVENTS IN SALEM
Lighting of the Christmas Tree Dec. 1 6pm Salem Farmers Market
Christmas Parade Dec. 1 6:30pm Downtown Salem
Gingerbread Festival Dec. 2 11am - 4pm Salem Public Library
Salem Crafty Christmas CANCELLED Dec. 9 Downtown Salem
Lighting of the City of Salem Christmas Tree
Come join us for the Annual Lighting of the City of Salem Christmas Tree on Friday, December 1, 6 p.m. at the Salem Farmers Market. This is a fun tradition that brings the community together in the downtown area to view the beautiful decorations on Main Street. and enjoy holiday music just before the Salem Christmas Parade begins at 6:30 p.m.
Gingerbread Festival at the Library
The Salem Parks and Recreation Department and the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce present this year’s Gingerbread Festival at the Salem Public Library on Saturday, December 2, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out the incredible culinary creations, take a photo with Santa, warm-up at the fire pits and enjoy children’s activities, vendors and games.
Salem Crafty Christmas with Parkway Brewing & Craft Artisans CANCELLED
The Salem Farmers Market, the Salem Public Library and the Salem Parks and Recreation Department are proud to introduce a brand new holiday event this December - “Salem Crafty Christmas” on Saturday, December 9. This event will take place on both sides of Main Street and feature more than 40 crafters on one side and craft beer from Salem’s own Parkway Brewing Company on the other. While the market hosts our talented artisans, Library Square will welcome another edition of Parkway Downtown featuring food by Long Fin Grill and music by Half Moon.
Downtown shoppers also can pick-up a “Passport” at the Salem Farmers Market Information table that Saturday. Once they get it stamped by four participating merchants, they can turn it back in at the Market before 3 p.m. and be eligible for door prizes. Participating merchants in the Downtown area will also have their holiday window displays judged by the Salem Garden Club, and the Salem Chorale Society will be strolling through downtown caroling.
For more information on the Lighting of the Christmas Tree, the Gingerbread Festival and the Salem Crafty Christmas please call 375-3057.
The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce sponsors and organizes the Christmas Parade. You can get information on that event by calling 387-0267.


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Blog: How the other half live...
Olly Wehring | 9 September 2008
Readers, it would appear the bar has been set for your companies when it comes to press trips. The European launch of Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V – retailing at GBP420 (US$740) per bottle – has brought around 25 consumer journalists to London this week, and just-drinks has been invited along for the two-day ride. The bad news for the likes of our subscribers, however, is that we've been given a taste of how the consumer journalist-side lives... and we quite like it.
The itinerary for the last two days? Check this out:
Accommodation: Two nights at Claridges.
Evening One: Dinner at private dining club Mosimann's, opened exclusively for us.
Day One: Journey downstream on the River Thames from the Tower of London on a 95-ft high sail barge. The day-long trip is book-ended by the exclusive opening of Tower Bridge at the height of both rush hours (0930 and 1715). Whilst onboard, clay pigeon shooting off the side of the boat, hosted by gun company Holland and Holland.
Evening Two: Travel to dining location by fleet of Rolls Royce Phantoms. Dinner hosted at Hampton Court Palace, opened exclusively for us, in the Tudor Great Hall. Return to hotel, again by Rolls Royce Phantom. Bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label King George V awaits journalist in his room.
Day Two: Bespoke shirt fitting at Saville Row tailor Ede & Ravenscroft.
All I can say is, if economic times are really as bad as we've heard, then bring on the recession.
Today is SABMiller's final day. Some time this evening, Brussel's time, the second-biggest brewer in the world will be subsumed into the biggest, creating a beer behemoth of unprecedented proportions....
No, this is not PepsiCo's new ad slogan for its Mountain Dew brand....
Major wine players flocked to China ready for online giant Alibaba's 9.9 Global Wine and Spirits Festival, which took place on 9 September....
In May, Heineken's CEO, Jean-François van Boxmeer, called Vietnam the "poster child" for international beer thanks to strong demographics and growing demand....
- Five ways small brands can beat big players
- Interview, Bulldog Gin CEO Anshuman Vohra, Pt II
- Pernod Ricard Q1 2017 results by region, brand
- Heineken's Q3 2016 results - Preview
- Analysts upbeat on Pernod Ricard's US success
- Bacardi rolls out new Oakheart rum packs to US
- Seedlip eyes global growth with export deal
- Beam Suntory workers end Jim Beam strike
- Diageo weathers Thailand alcohol ban
- Boston Beer Co outlines Samuel Adams innovation
- Global gin insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Scotch whisky insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global rum insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Wine Market 2016-2020
- Global RTD insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends

domain: news


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Fashion designer Kate Spade dead in apparent suicide
Kate Spade built a fashion empire which began with handbags for young women at a time when the industry was dominated by Europe.
Wednesday 6 June 2018 00:07, UK
Fashion designer Kate Spade has been found dead in her New York apartment in an apparent suicide, police have said.
The 55-year-old American businesswoman was said to have been found by a housekeeper inside the apartment on Park Avenue in Manhattan's Upper East Side at about 10.20am local time (3.30pm in the UK).
She was found hanged and left a note, The Associated Press reported, citing unnamed sources.
The New York Police Department confirmed her death under her birth name, Katherine Noel Brosnahan.
Spade began her career in 1986 as accessories editor at the now-closed Mademoiselle magazine, leaving in 1991.
But she was best-known for her handbag range, launched in 1993 with Andy Spade, who she married the following year.
Her designs, aimed at young working women at a time when the industry was dominated by Europe, were dominated by cheerful colours and prints and they saw her become one of the biggest names in US fashion.
In 1999, she told the New York Times she had been frustrated by the "over-accessorised" handbags of that era and wanted "a functional bag that was sophisticated and had some style".
Her label Kate Spade New York has more than 140 shops and outlet stores across the US and more than 175 stores across the world.
It began by selling handbags before expanding to include clothing, jewellery, bedding and fragrances.
She sold the brand in 2006 and was no longer directly involved in the management of the company at the time of her death.
Kate Spade New York said in a statement: "Although Kate has not been affiliated with the brand for more than a decade, she and her husband and creative partner, Andy, were the founders of our beloved brand.
"Kate will be dearly missed."
In 2016, Spade, her husband and their creative partners launched Frances Valentine, which sells shoes and handbags directly to consumers online and through a handful of retailers including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Shopbop.
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email email@example.com in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.


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After claiming the UK’s biggest opening of 2017 so far, Disney’s Beauty And The Beast looks set to dominate the box office both here and in the US. Meanwhile, the studio is already looking forward to two of its most anticipated live-action remakes.
With more than a dozen re-makes currently in the works, the next arrival, Mulan, is easily one of the most anticipated. In a recent interview, Disney’s president of Motion Picture Production, Sean Bailey, hinted as to what to expect when it arrives in cinemas in early November 2018. Unlike Beauty And The Beast, the film isn’t set to be a musical. Instead, Bailey anticipates something tougher. “Mulan is clearly an empowered female story, but we can also do something new in this re-imagining, make a little more muscular, stronger, with a touch of Ridley Scott,” he said.
Niki Caro has already been announced as director. And, with Disney determined to make a culturally authentic film, an extensive talent search is currently underway in mainland China. No less anticipated, but without a release date as yet, is Guy Ritchie’s re-working of Aladdin. While the likes of Cinderella, Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book and Beauty And The Beast have been respectful towards their originals, Ritchie is likely to bring his trademark style to the story, something that’s not just new but, according to Bailey, a good fit for the material.
“When we talked about Aladdin, he [Ritchie] said, ‘My stories are really about street hustlers. That’s what I know how to do. And Aladdin is a classic street hustler who makes good.’ Guy’s got his own version of that story in his life. But he wanted to honour and respect the Disney of it all,” said Bailey. He added, “The idea of a highly energised Guy Ritchie Disney musical felt, like, oh we haven’t done that before.” Aladdin has just kicked off the casting phase.
Meanwhile, Jon Favreau is working simultaneously on two projects: a live action The Lion King and The Jungle Book 2. The success of Beauty And The Beast could have a bearing on how soon The Lion King arrives on our screen


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What Does the Future Hold for Your Automobiles
When discussing the future of the automotive industry, people picture cars that run on clean energy. Environmentally responsible vehicles certainly are one aspect of the automotive future. As they forage into the future of the automotive industry, manufacturers, however, are also looking to ideas from the past. The future of the automotive industry will contain many innovations, both from the future and the past.
The most noticeable trend in the automotive industry has been an increase in fuel efficiency. Across the industry, manufacturers have been building more efficient vehicles. Honda, however, leads the industry with the new Honda Jazz. This is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the U.K.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Over the last decade, technology in hybrid cars has changed significantly. Originally, hybrid cars contained two engines: an electric and a combustion engine. The newest hybrid Honda cars, however, are only powered by an electric engine. When the battery is drained, the combustion engine recharges the electric battery. The power to move the automobile, though, comes from the battery.
This transition from two engines to one engine has allowed Honda to build more efficient automobiles than the company could previously. In the future, new Honda cars will likely be powered by an electric engine. The battery, however, will not be recharged by a combustion engine. It will be recharged by a hydrogen fuel cell.
Honda recently announced plans to manufacture the Honda Fit, which is the company’s most efficient automobile that is widely sold, in Thailand. These vehicles will be sold throughout Thailand and its neighboring countries. The main goal of this decision is to reduce the distance the cars are shipped before being sold. This will reduce the production cost, and it will have a positive impact on the environment.
Honda will be the first company to recycle hybrid batteries. The company is already removing rare elements from old batteries and hopes to use them in new ones this September or October. If Honda’s recycling program succeeds, then other automotive manufacturers might begin to recycle old parts.
The future of the automotive industry will include advances in technology. Future vehicles will be much more efficient than even the most efficient cars available today. Companies, however, are also relying on old strategies of regional manufacturing and recycling as they move into the future.


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Volkswagen might have finally decided what to do with one of its crown jewels, Elon Musk is in distress, and Nikola has a new president. All that and more in The Morning Shift for February 22, 2022.
This was rumored last week, after, last October, Volkswagen saying that it was pumping the brakes on the plan. It’s unclear what has changed (other than Tesla’s continued dominance) in the stock market, too. This would be directly out of the Tesla playbook, which is going public to fund a big EV push.
From The Wall Street Journal:
The German auto maker said it had worked out a framework agreement with Porsche SE that still requires formal approval of both companies and their supervisory boards. VW shares jumped nearly 9% on the news as trading opened on the Frankfurt stock exchange, and were trading at around €188.14 by midmorning, equivalent to $212.81.
The announcement comes after more than a year of speculation and intense discussion among VW core shareholders that include Porsche Automobil Holding SE, the fund owned by the Porsche and Piëch families, the state of Lower Saxony, which controls around 20% of VW and has special rights under Germany’s “VW Law,” and the influential IG Metall labor union which holds half the seats on VW’s board of directors.
Porsche SE confirmed the talks and said it could purchase Porsche AG shares in the event of an IPO. People close to the family said as recently as December that it was considering selling some of its 53% stake in VW to take a large share of Porsche, which the family ceded to VW after Porsche’s failed attempt to take over VW in 2008.
Porsche Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke first raised the benefits of a potential IPO in 2018, saying such a move could unlock value and replicate Ferrari NV’s successful share sale years earlier. The deliberations didn’t gain support from VW at the time.
But the prospect has remained part of conversations around Porsche and officials have openly flirted with the idea that would give one of the world’s most coveted car brands more independence.
“I think Porsche could be an interesting part for thinking about an IPO,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said during a briefing with U.S. reporters last year, cautioning that a final decision won’t be his to make. “We have to hand it to Volkswagen and they have nothing decided.”
Porsche has been sort of an odd duck in the VW universe after it got absorbed in a very strange failed takeover attempt in the 2000s, and continuing on through the current strangeness around VW sending Bugatti to Rimac via Porsche.
2nd Gear: Meanwhile, All Those Burned Porsches and Bentleys In The Atlantic Could Be A $335 Million Loss
I’m not quite sure why this story has taken on a life of its own, other than that some men just want to watch the world burn, but according to a new estimate, that boat fire off the Azores could amount to losses of up to $335 million.
Via Automotive News:
The Anderson Economic Group on Monday increased its estimate from $282 million on Friday.
VW has not disclosed its potential losses from the fire aboard the crippled Felicity Ace and it is unclear how much insurance will cover the costs for the lost vehicles. Of the 4,000 vehicles, 1,100 of them are Porsches. The rest of the vehicles are from the VW brand, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini, according to various reports.
“The lost Porsche vehicles alone, which we assume are 1,100 vehicles including many customized high-end models, would exceed $140 million. We further anticipate salvage costs in excess of $150 million,” Anderson’s report said. “Similar disasters in the recent past suggests total losses for this incident may not be realized for a year or more and could be far above the value of the lost cargo.”
“Given that the ship continues to burn, no crew is onboard, and suspected lithium fires have been confirmed, we now estimate that nearly all of the vehicles are irreparably damaged and will not be saleable in the U.S. market. We note that these vehicles have experienced fire, smoke, and water damage, and they risk being submerged in salt water, as well. Today’s report that the fires are ebbing included the telling explanation that there was probably little combustible material left to burn.”
Poor Matt Farah has a car on the boat.
The claim, made on Monday, comes after the same lawyer said last week that the Securities and Exchange Commission was trying to “chill” Elon’s right to free speech.
Alex Spiro, Musk’s outside counsel, claimed in a letter last week that the SEC was targeting Tesla Inc. and its chief executive officer because Musk is an outspoken government critic. Spiro wrote to a judge Monday that at least one SEC staff member responded to this by leaking certain information regarding its probe.
“This leak is emblematic of the vindictive, improper conduct that occasioned my letter,” Spiro wrote. He didn’t elaborate on what information he was accusing the SEC of divulging.
Musk tweeted on Tuesday that his lawyer was “peeling back the first layer of the corruption onion” and told his 74.5 million followers to “stay tuned.”
Spiro said in his letter Monday he had requested specific SEC staff to preserve records and devices and reported the matter to the SEC Office of Inspector General.
Press officials for the SEC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing. Tesla shares fell 2.3% to $837.14 as of 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, before the start of regular trading.
Does any of this mean anything, outside of the legal maneuvering? Not unless you’re a Tesla shareholder or short. I fear that the whole drama has reached boring levels of absurdity.
Tesla’s cursed plant in Germany is still far from a sure thing, and, as Bloomberg reports, a legal challenge over water has the potential to upend it. The issue is that climate change has stressed the area’s water supply, and Tesla’s plant would demand lots of water.
While Musk in August flippantly pointed to water “everywhere” around Berlin, the region is suffering from falling groundwater levels and prolonged droughts due to climate change.
That has sparked a legal challenge that will go to court next week and an acknowledgment from local authorities that supplies will not suffice once Tesla ramps up the plant.
The issue has the potential to further delay or even stop the 5 billion euro ($5.7 billion) project in what could turn into a costly setback to the automaker’s expansion.
“Tesla will increase the problem for sure,” said Irina Engelhardt, who heads the hydrogeology department at Berlin’s Technical University. “There might not be enough water for everyone.”
“The current water supply is sufficient for the first stage of the factory,” Brandenburg Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said in an interview. Once Tesla expands the site, “we will need more.”
I am impressed with how succinct this quote is from a local resident:
Steinbach said that while he is taking the environmental concerns very seriously, the large majority of the local population is in favor of the factory. Brandenburg authorities are backing efforts to drill for more water in the area and supplies could also be sourced from further away if necessary, he said.
But digging new wells probably will not make the concerns disappear. Manuela Hoyer, who lives just a few miles from the factory, says Tesla is getting preferential treatment from local politicians even though it would make an already serious environmental issue worse.
“We have been told for years that we should not water our lawns,” Hoyer, who is active in a citizen’s initiative monitoring the project, said in an interview. “Then the world’s richest man comes along and gets everything he wants.”
It would, at this stage, still be a major surprise if Tesla’s plans were disrupted, a seriously unpleasant one, too, for Tesla, given how big the market for EVs is in Europe and how big it will become. Still, it seems like the smart money is on the plant ultimately getting approved.
That is Michael Lohscheller, who, as Peter Campbell from the Financial Times notes, is a “proper automobile grown-up,” having spent time at Opel, Mitsubishi, and Volkswagen.
From Nikola’s release:
“Michael Lohscheller brings several decades of direct automotive industry expertise to our already accomplished leadership team at Nikola. His role will be immediately pivotal as the Nikola Tre BEV moves into production, and as we continue to achieve development milestones for the Nikola Tre FCEV,” said Nikola Chief Executive Officer Mark Russell.
Lohscheller’s career has included leadership roles in finance, technology, purchasing and logistics at Volkswagen, before becoming Volkswagen Group of America Executive Vice President. Lohscheller was named CEO of Opel, both under GM and Stellantis ownership. Under his leadership, Lohscheller led Opel to sustainable profitability. He also oversaw Opel’s transformation into a respected electrified car brand. Most recently Lohscheller served as CEO of VinFast, the global electric automotive brand from Vietnam.
“As Nikola moves into global production, an experienced and respected industry veteran like Michael strengthens the Nikola team,” said Stephen Girsky, Nikola Corporation board chair. “He knows his way around the manufacturing floors, board rooms and showrooms and has worked with the latest technologies throughout his career. We are pleased to welcome Michael to the team.”
This is a startingly level-headed thing for Nikola to do, though I will also note that plenty of automotive industry veterans have gone to auto startups and not fared as well as their track records suggest. Take Byton.
If you think the end of last year’s Formula 1 season was some bullshit, well, that is the history of racing, which is almost all chicanery.
On February 22, 1959, Lee Petty defeats Johnny Beauchamp in a photo finish at the just-opened Daytona International Speedway in Florida to win the first-ever Daytona 500. The race was so close that Beauchamp was initially named the winner by William France, the owner of the track and head of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). However, Petty, who was driving a hardtop Oldsmobile 88, challenged the results and three days later, with the assistance of news photographs, he was officially named the champ. There was speculation that France declared Beauchamp the winner in order to intentionally stir up controversy and generate publicity for his new race track.
It is a blessed week in New York, by which I mean alternate side parking was suspended yesterday.


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If tech is shifting how people watch television, why not join forces with startups responsible for creating the tools that are changing TV business today?
That's the goal of the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas, to forge relationships between startups and major media companies by starting a discussion on the future trends in the entertainment and news industry. The event brings together content distributors, media execs, and tech innovators from around the globe to collaborate on innovative solutions in media today.
It's All About Control
Consumers want more control over their media content: From creating personal playlists to watching a series on sites that accommodate binge-watching. As journalist Marie-José Montpetit explains in this article for The Guardian, “A whole generation is being raised on a steady diet of Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. Live television has become a niche for reality TV, sports, reruns and newscasts.”
Thanks to social media, more people are sharing comments and opinions online about their favorite shows. Even breaking news comes from social sites like Twitter, first. This has completely changed how traditional content is not only consumed but also delivered. According to a report by Nielsen, Americans now own four digital devices on average, and the average U.S. consumer spends 60 hours a week consuming content across devices. A majority of U.S. households now own High-Definition Televisions (HDTVs), Internet-connected computers and smartphones, giving consumer more choices for how and when they access content.
As the convergence of TV and internet continue to strengthen, while demand for control from consumers increase, large corporations need to look for new ways to reach audiences by looking at the source of change: technology.
Startups offer companies tools to help the “old” get with the “new” (Think Snapchat Discovery Platform, currently media and advertising companies' tech darling). The reality is that many corporations cannot grow or develop new ideas organically, so they depend on the innovation from startups to push them into nascent industries.
NAB Show has produced a program called SPROCKIT, that spotlights disruptive new media and entertainment companies. According to Gordon Smith, the president and CEO of the NAB, last year 27 startups were selected to work alongside influencers from leading media companies — such as AARP, Cox Media Group, Disney/ABC Television Group, Google, Hearst Television, and Univision. This year, 30 startups were chosen to participate, including social media-focused startups:
Clippit– Startup helps television fans create short clips of TV programs, comment about them and share via social media.
Kiwrc– Making mobile apps go fast, providing users with the content they want, when and where they want it.
YuVue– Enables publishers and brands to discover and acquire consumer photos and videos shared on social media.
CinemaCraft– Enabling publishers to deliver context driven engagement for videos on social networks
Each of the companies chosen provides a unique answer to the question of how media businesses can leverage innovation to sustain growth.
“Each startup offers innovative, market-ready mobile, web and/or cloud-based technologies that are already gaining traction and many have already been recognized by industry leaders, funders and consumers for the quality of their offering. Sprockit helps them extend their reach and business model,” explains SPROCKIT founder, director and CEO Harry Glazer.
For startups there's also the advantage of partnering with a larger corporation, which can help expand the business and increase visibility to the mainstream audience. A win-win situation.
SPROCKIT corporate members include: AARP, Comcast, Cox Media, Disney/ABC Television Group, E.W. Scripps Company, Gannett Broadcasting, Google, Graham Media Group, Hearst Television, Media General, Pearl TV, Raycom Media, Scripps and Univision Communications Inc. SPROCKIT supporters include: Angel Capital Association, Boston Consulting Group, Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at USC, Ernst & Young, Interactive Television Alliance, Irving Group, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, National Venture Capital Association, New Amsterdam Media, New Vantage Group, SmithGeiger and Springboard Enterprises.
SPROCKIT kicks off at NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 11-16, 2015.
is proud to announce our media partnership with the SPROCKIT startup hub at the NAB Show April 11-16 in Las Vegas this year, produced by The National Association of Broadcasters. To take advantage of a free exhibit registration, use code ND16 at
Image Credit: Dennis Skley on Flickr


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The Shahid service recorded 284 million views of TV shows and series last year.
“The television experience is rapidly evolving for viewers across the MENA region,” said Choong Ro Lee, President of Samsung Middle East and North Africa.
“We at Samsung are dedicated to create new and innovative ways to deliver the best viewing experience, and with our partnership with MBC Group we will continue offering viewers the content they want, when they want in a new MENA consumer lifestyle. As a leader in the visual display market, Samsung’s Smart TV line-up offers a powerful platform for the Shahid service, providing viewers with unrivalled picture quality and the ultimate front row experience as they enjoy premium content.”
DTVE: the week in view – Should streamers help to fund Europe’s network expansion? digitaltveurope.com/comment/should… https://t.co/x6aSHT8EvH
05 December 2021 @ 19:34:00 UTC
ICYMI: Vodafone TV arrives on LG TVs in Spain digitaltveurope.com/2021/12/03/vod… https://t.co/dpCVTHxPFr
05 December 2021 @ 19:30:00 UTC
ICYMI: Vizio ads AVOD content to WatchFree+ streamer digitaltveurope.com/2021/12/03/viz… https://t.co/i6syMw9Eli
04 December 2021 @ 19:30:00 UTC


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Motoring Journalist Sued After Porsche 917 Engine Blows Up
Forced to Pay Damages of £111,000
Mark Hales, 62, an automotive journalist blew up the engine of David Piper’s 917 while pitting the Porsche 917 against a classic Ferrari belonging to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Disaster struck during the track test when he over-revved the Porsche and caused its engine to blow up.
The incident took place at Cadwell Park, near Louth, Lincolnshire, UK back in April 2009 when Hales was writing a freelance feature for the Octane and Auto Italia magazines.
According to the SWNS report, Hales claimed the car ‘popped out’ of gear as he was shifting from second to third. Hales claimed he entered a gentleman’s agreement with Mr. Piper so any mechanical damage was to be covered by the owner. But Piper denied any conversation existed and took Hales to the High Court last week seeking £48,000 ($75,960) in damages. He told the court that he loaned the Porsche on the understanding “you bend it, you mend it”.
Ultimately, Judge Simon Brown QC sided with Mr Piper and awarded full damages along with £63,000 ($99,697) in costs leaving Hales with a total bill of £111,000. ($175,657)


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External factors create uncertainty for S’pore’s H2
Advance estimates of Singapore’s economic growth in the second quarter of the year proved to be slightly encouraging. The estimates released by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Thursday recorded a 2.2 per cent growth year on year. This is in line with analysts’ expectations and is marginally higher than the revised 2.1 per cent growth in the previous quarter. However, economists are cautious going into the third quarter of the year. Some have downgraded their growth forecast for the full year, citing external factors like China’s waning growth and instability in the EU post-“Brexit” that could dampen Singapore’s growth in the second half of 2016.
BOE surprises markets by holding rates, signals August loosening
The Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday, wrong-footing many investors who had expected the first cut in more than seven years with Britain’s economy reeling from last month’s vote to leave the European Union. The BOE said it was likely to deliver stimulus in three weeks’ time, possibly as a “package of measures”, once it has assessed how the June 23 referendum decision has affected the economy, the world’s fifth largest.
PSB Academy starts work on S$15m city campus
Private education institution PSB Academy announced plans for a new S$15 million campus at Marina Square at its groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday. Dubbed “Future Academy”, it will occupy over 100,000 square feet across two floors within the shopping centre, and the move to the new campus is slated for the fourth quarter this year, subject to the Council for Private Education’s (CPE) approval.
“We are creating an education experience that gives our students a ‘smarter way forward’,” said PSB Academy executive chairman Viva Sinniah.
Singapore Real Estate
Luxury condo deals double in first half
Condo transactions of S$10 million and above in the January-June period are up sharply from a year ago, marking the strongest showing since the second half of 2013. The strong pick-up was fuelled largely by foreign buying, attractive pricing and a general improvement in property market sentiment in recent months. According to CBRE Research’s analysis of URA Realis caveats data, 19 condos were sold for at least S$10 million each, adding up to S$259 million – more than double the eight transactions totalling S$103 million in H2 2015. The H1 performance is the best since the 21 deals worth S$265 million in H2 2013.
Retail woes: Don’t blame the landlords
It was the eve of a public holiday in early July. We were in the middle of the two-month-long Great Singapore Sale (GSS). We were also in a week-long Lebaran holidays in Indonesia, from where many visitors were expected to descend on Singapore’s shores to enjoy our food and spend money in this shopping paradise. Perhaps that is now all in the past. Because on this evening, the department stores on Orchard Road were quiet. The shopper void is especially stark given the GSS period and the holidays: Ground-floor, street-fronting retail space along Orchard Road, including eateries, were not even half occupied.
Competition watchdog looks into supply of HDB lift spare parts
A Spotlight has been thrown on proper lift maintenance following a string of high-profile incidents that left one man dead and others injured in recent months. But within the industry, there have been restrictive practices in the supply of lift spare parts – key for a proper maintenance regime – for public housing estates here, the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) said on Thursday. The competition watchdog, acting on a complaint it received, has begun investigations into an allegation that several companies were refusing to supply spare parts for elevators installed in HDB estates.
Fancy cooking your meal in a mall’s shared kitchen?
The upcoming mall at OUE Downtown looks set to not only enliven Shenton Way, but also offer bold retail concepts – such as cooking meals in a shared kitchen and having lunch delivered to lockers. OUE Downtown (formerly DBS Building) in the generally staid financial district is being redeveloped into a mixed-use project comprising offices, serviced apartments and a $195 million mall.
First Reit’s Q2 DPU edges up on Kupang acquisition
Boosted by contributions from an acquisition in Indonesia, First Real Estate Investment Trust’s distribution per unit (DPU) for the second quarter ended June 30 edged up 1.9 per cent to 2.11 Singapore cents. The Kupang property acquired late last year comprises Siloam Hospitals Kupang and Lippo Plaza Kupang. The higher DPU came as the distributable amount for the quarter was 5.5 per cent higher at S$16.24 million from a year ago while gross revenue rose 6.5 per cent to S$26.6 million. Net property income (NPI) increased 6.9 per cent to S$26.32 million.
Views, Reviews & Forum
BNM rate cut: No big impact on margins seen
Compared to the previous steep cuts to the key lending rate of 150 basis points over a six-month period during the global financial crisis of 2008-09, the 25 basis points (bps) reduction announced on Wednesday is not expected to have a sizeable impact on the net interest margins (NIM) of banks. Analysts expect the impact of the 0.25 per cent cut to have a slight effect but caution that additional easing would further compress margins and dampen earnings. The average sector margin has dipped to about 2.17 per cent, but subsequent reductions appear to be more than a possibility following the abrupt change in the central bank’s position.
Plan it right for second CBD
Good urban master-planning is crucial to creating great places that people love to live, work and play in. This process guides land use, identifies the way people and traffic move, and integrates new neighbourhoods with existing communities. A visionary masterplan can ignite the social, physical and economic rejuvenation of backwaters. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has sought masterplan proposals for Jurong Lake District, now earmarked as the second Central Business District (CBD). Anchored by the future high-speed rail terminus, the 360ha district is set to be eco-friendly and well connected, with offices, waterfront homes, hotels, greenery and recreational facilities.
S’pore businesses sharpen Asean focus amid Brexit uncertainty
Following Britain’s vote last month to leave the European Union, Singapore businesses are sharpening their focus on emerging and immediate opportunities in the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean), given the uncertainty looming large over the United Kingdom and European markets, said the head of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) on Thursday (July 14).
S’porean millennials lead in online cross-border shopping
Millennials in Singapore lead the way in cross-border online shopping in the Asia-Pacific region, showed a survey by e-payments giant PayPal, the results of which were released yesterday. About 80 per cent of these shoppers, aged 18 to 34, shopped online in the past 12 months at the time of the survey — conducted from September to October last year — with the most spending on travel, event tickets and entertainment. Of this group, 69 per cent bought from overseas merchants, the highest out of the six key markets covered by PayPal in the survey — India, China, Singapore, Japan, Australia and South Korea.
Global Economy & Global Real Estate
Yen hit again as bullish spell continues for global stocks
Bank of Korea holds key rate at record low, cuts growth forecast
Bank of England keeps rates unchanged
Brexit vote ravages sentiment in UK housing market: poll
Galaxy woos big shoppers as Macau gaming slumps
Seller-financed home sales are ‘toxic transactions’
California Fitness closes all its gyms in Hong Kong
Additional Articles of Interest – Local & Overseas Real Estate
Local & Overseas Real Estate – Full Article


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Facebook’s not long ago released app, Hobbi, an experiment in small-sort information development around personalized assignments, hobbies, and other Pinterest-y content, is presently shutting down. The app initial arrived on iOS in February as one particular of now various launches from Facebook’s internal R&D group, the NPE Group.
Hobbi people have now been notified by way of thrust notification that the app is shutting down on July 10, 2020. The application enables end users to export their knowledge from its settings.
In the couple months it is been are living on the U.S. Application Retail outlet, Hobbi only attained 7,000 downloads, in accordance to estimates from Sensor Tower. Apptopia also reported the application had beneath 10K downloads and noticed negligible gains for the duration of May perhaps and June.
While Hobbi evidently took cues from Pinterest, it was not built to be a pinboard of inspirational tips. Rather, Hobbi buyers would organize photographs of their jobs — like gardening, cooking, arts & crafts, décor, and much more — in a visible diary of sorts. The aim was to photograph the project’s progress more than time, including text to explain the steps, as needed.
The conclusion end result would be a highlight reel of all individuals ways that could be published externally when the task was finished.
But Hobbi was a relatively bare bones app. There was very little else to do but doc your possess initiatives. You could not look through and observe tasks other consumers had produced, outside of a couple of samples, nor could you observe top rated people throughout the support. And even the resources for documentation were underdeveloped. Beyond a distinctive “Notes” industry for producing down a project’s steps, the app working experience felt like a watered-down model of Stories.
Facebook was not by itself in pursuing the possible of limited-type imaginative articles. Google’s interior R&D group, Space 120, also published its have experiment in this location with the online video app Tangi. And Pinterest was a short while ago spotted testing a new version of Story Pins, that would make it possible for users to showcase Do-it-yourself and resourceful content material in a similar way.
It is not stunning to see Hobbi wind down so promptly, offered its absence of traction. Facebook now reported its NPE Crew experiments would include apps that altered incredibly swiftly and would shut down if consumers didn’t come across them practical.
In addition to Hobbi, the NPE Staff has introduced a quantity of apps considering the fact that final summer time, like meme creator Whale, conversational app Bump, music app Aux, couples app Tuned, Apple Watch application Kit, audio calling app CatchUp, collaborative songs app Collab, reside function companion Venue, and predictions application Forecast. Before Hobbi, the only a person to have shut down was Bump. (Some are not dwell in the U.S., possibly.)
Of course, Facebook may possibly not intend to use these experiments to generate a set of totally new social apps created from the floor-up. As a substitute, it’s most likely searching to accumulate information about what capabilities resonate with users and how unique development equipment are utilized. This is knowledge that can advise Facebook’s improvement of features for its key established of applications, like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.
We have reached out to Facebook for remark but one particular had not been delivered at the time of publication.


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When business negotiation tactics fail to consider outside interests, especially in the case of international mergers, deals can fall apart quickly. Automakers Renault and Fiat Chrysler discovered this when they ignored other stakeholders in an ill-fated attempt at a deal.
The idea of a merger was sparked because of tightening global competition and demand for new technologies, including self-driving cars, and automakers were feeling the urge to merge. For years, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and Renault chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn—both known as tough negotiators and demanding bosses— discussed the possibility of blending their two companies, but nothing came of it.
Then everything changed. In July 2018, Marchionne died suddenly of an undisclosed illness. Four months later, Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo and charged with underreporting his assets and misusing company funds. Imprisoned in Japan, he eventually stepped down from Renault and was replaced by auto-industry veteran Jean- Dominique Senard.
Fiat Chrysler chairman John Elkann, an American-Italian whose grandfather, former Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli, had handpicked him in his twenties to run the family business, stepped up the search for a merger partner and reached out to Renault, among other companies.
For both Renault and Fiat Chrysler, the benefits of a merger appeared obvious. The combined company would overtake General Motors to become the world’s third-largest auto manufacturer by volume, after Toyota and Volkswagen. Amid a downturn in the European auto market, Renault would gain access to new international markets.
Both sides would save billions by buying supplies and components jointly and sharing development costs. And Elkann wanted to enfold Fiat Chrysler into a larger company to make it easier for him to diversify his family’s holdings.
Yet despite such apparent synergies, the negotiations flamed out within a month. What went wrong? As we’ll see, the parties’ business negotiation tactics failed to adequately account for the interests and concerns of other parties that had a significant stake in the deal, namely the government of France and Japanese automaker Nissan. The common tendency to focus myopically on the parties at the table is a common mistake, one that all negotiators need to learn to anticipate and overcome.
An understanding of why Renault’s merger with Fiat Chrysler fizzled out begins with the French automaker’s alliance with Nissan. In 1999, Renault bailed out a struggling Nissan to form a strategic alliance that has been heralded as a “model of cross-cultural cooperation,” according to the New York Times. Under the agreement, the automakers share purchasing and development costs while maintaining their unique identities and concentrating on different global markets. Mitsubishi and other automakers have since joined the alliance.
However, cracks formed in the partnership. After Nissan rebounded, its CEO, Hiroto Saikawa, complained that the alliance’s ownership structure no longer made sense: Renault owned 43.4% of Nissan, while Nissan owned only 15% of Renault—even though Nissan sold 5.5 million cars in the that fiscal year as compared to fewer than 4 million for Renault. Moreover, Nissan’s ownership stake in Renault doesn’t include voting rights, while Renault has full voting rights in Nissan, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Those resentments came to a head when Renault’s Ghosn tried to advance plans to merge Renault and Nissan by creating a holding company for all their shares. At that point, Nissan executives reportedly shared the allegations with Japanese prosecutors about financial wrongdoing by Ghosn that led to his arrest, the Journal reports.
Ghosn’s departure from Renault created new problems for the cross-cultural alliance. The Brazilian-born French executive had learned to navigate Japanese corporate culture, which prioritizes consensus building and generally eschews direct confrontation, according to the Journal. Concerned about Nissan’s sagging financial performance, Senard, Ghosn’s replacement at Renault, reportedly tried to “smooth things over,” according to the Times. But when Nissan leaked an informal proposal Senard presented to officially merge the two companies to the press, Senard viewed it as a “serious breach of trust,” the Times reports.
Using business negotiation tactics to turn deal blockers to partners
To head off sabotage and add value, your team should take time to fully answer the following questions before embarking on any important negotiation:
- What other parties would be affected by our deal?
- Do these parties have legitimate concerns that we need to address in our negotiations?
- How might they try to sabotage the deal or our relationship if they feel excluded or wronged?
- How can we ensure that their voices are heard so they can contribute to rather than threaten the deal?
Senard was careful to inform French president Emmanuel Macron about Fiat Chrysler’s overture toward Renault. The French government owns a 15% stake in Renault and would want to see its interests represented at the bargaining table, such as protections on French jobs. In a meeting with Senard, French economy and finance minister Bruno Le Maire said that any deal reached would need to be compatible with Renault’s alliance with Nissan.
There was one interested party that Renault decided not to tell about its talks with Fiat Chrysler: Nissan. If they joined forces, Renault and Fiat Chrysler— which sold a combined 8.7 million cars last year—would become “an even more overbearing partner” for Nissan, the Times reports. Unlike Renault, Fiat Chrysler competes with Nissan in the U.S. market. Renault’s leaders worried their Japanese counterparts might try to sabotage talks with press leaks, a source told the Times. It was clear that Renault’s trust in Nissan’s leadership had been badly shaken by past leaks and Ghosn’s arrest.
Lost in translation
On May 26, Fiat Chrysler sent Renault a formal proposal for a fifty-fifty merger in which Senard would be CEO of the new company, Elkann would be its nonexecutive chairman, and Fiat Chrysler’s Agnelli family and the French government would have diluted stakes and voting powers, according to the Journal.
Only then did Renault’s Senard email Saikawa, Nissan’s CEO, to fill him in. Nissan executives felt blindsided and betrayed: Their company’s technology would be critical to the proposed combination, yet Nissan was being treated like an outsider in a merger that would “swap out one small 43% shareholder for a bigger 43% shareholder it doesn’t know,” a source told the Times. Nissan wanted a seat at the negotiating table, yet it shared its concerns so subtly that they were “essentially lost in translation,” according to the Journal.
The French government was also concerned about Fiat Chrysler’s business negotiation tactics. After reading in a newspaper that Fiat considered the offer it had made Renault to be nonnegotiable, Le Maire called Fiat’s Elkann to demand job guarantees and other measures aimed at protecting Renault’s presence in France.
An unacceptable delay
On June 3, Nissan CEO Saikawa said the proposed deal would necessitate a “fundamental review” of his company’s alliance with Renault, a statement that alarmed the French government. The same day, Renault’s board assembled to discuss the merger but held off on a vote.
Two days later, the Renault board, which included a French government representative and two Nissan representatives, reconvened to discuss and negotiate the deal. Fiat Chrysler had offered France concessions to address its concerns, including representation on the combined company’s board and a promise to base its European headquarters in France.
After several hours, 14 members of the 20-person board backed the deal, the Times reports, but Nissan’s representatives abstained from voting. Believing this was a sign of future opposition, the French government’s representative, Martin Vial, conferred with Le Maire. He then announced to the board that the finance minister was flying to Tokyo the next day to discuss the merger with the Japanese government and needed a five-day delay on a final vote.
For Fiat Chrysler, the delay was a sign that the French government would be a meddlesome partner, a situation the Italian-American company could not abide, according to the Times. After conferring with Senard and his board, Fiat Chrysler chair Elkann emailed a letter to Senard: The deal was off.
Expanding the scope
In the press, the French government was roundly criticized for trying to micromanage the deal. That accusation may be fair, but it’s also notable that France appeared to be the only party attuned to Nissan’s objections to a Renault–Fiat Chrysler tie-up. “The bride [Renault] was already in a committed relationship, which a watchful parent wanted to preserve,” the Journal wrote.
Rather than being up front with Nissan about the negotiations and trying to work through their growing rift, Renault shut out Nissan entirely until the deal was practically done. Given this slight, as well as Nissan’s legitimate concerns about how the merger would affect its alliance with Renault, it was hardly surprising that Nissan declined to bless the deal.
More broadly, the failed talks highlight the importance in dealmaking of looking beyond the parties at the table to consider how business negotiation tactics could affect other interested parties—including existing clients, customers, and partners; government entities; and the public at large. Rather than viewing such parties as potential deal blockers, think about what they might bring to the table. After all, in negotiation, complexity brings opportunities for value-creating tradeoffs.
Lessons from failed business negotiation tactics
Here are other negotiation tips from the Renault–Fiat Chrysler talks:
- Expect cross-cultural challenges. A Renault–Fiat Chrysler merger would have resulted in a melting pot of American, Italian, French, and Japanese cultures. Cross-cultural business partnerships often fail to live up to their initial promise, so negotiators need to prepare to manage different expectations and practices during the implementation stage.
- Don’t minimize the effect of changes at the top. The departure of longtime leaders can open up new possibilities for negotiation between organizations, yet their replacements may lack the know-how and relationships needed to get a deal done. A willingness to listen and learn will carry them far.
- Build flexibility into your deal. As Nissan and Renault changed over time, Nissan came to perceive the structure of their alliance as fundamentally unfair. The parties could have avoided such perceptions by building flexibility into their initial deal, such as allowing ownership in each other’s companies to fluctuate based on revenue. They might also have specified regular renegotiating periods in their contract that would allow the arrangement to adapt and thrive over time.
Have you dealt with similarly poor business negotiation tactics? How did these tactics impact the outcome of a deal?


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Value retailer Matalan will be opening a new store in Rugby and bringing 80 jobs to the area.
The 20,000 sq ft store will open on May 7 at Junction One Retail Park on Leicester Road.
The new store will provide everything under one roof, hosting ladieswear, menswear, kidswear and homeware.
Mike Jeans, retail director for Matalan, said: “We are thrilled to be expanding our business and opening up a store in Rugby. The new store will not only bring employment to the area but will also provide an easy and enjoyable shopping experience for customers, offering high quality, valuable and affordable products from fashion through to homeware.”
Matalan is continuing its recruitment search for the new Rugby store and residents can apply for a selection of positions at www.matalan.jobs


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SimXperience Revealed The AccuForce Pro V2 Steering System
When it comes to high-quality sim racing Force Feedback wheels, Direct Drive units are considered to be the ultimate solution. That said, high-quality usually comes at a price. That is where the new SimXperience AccuForce wheel comes in.
SimXperience now revealed the successor of the popular AccuForce Pro Simulation Steering System. Currently, the new product, named AccuForce Pro V2 is undergoing its final test Stage.
Whilst retaining the same quality features and performance as its predecessor, the AccuForce Pro V2 has had its price tag significantly reduced. The price reduction has been achieved by removing the USB slip ring and changing the housing design. Furthermore, SimXperience optimized their supply chain further reducing the production cost. The controller, motor, quick release, adjustable button box, Sim Commander software and the genuine suede steering wheel will remain unchanged.
Three different versions of the SimXperience AccuForce Pro V2 will become available:
- AccuForce Pro V2 “Complete” – $1299
- AccuForce Pro V2 “Your Way” – Starting at $899
- AccuForce V2 DIY – $704
At the time of writing, SimXperience did not yet set an official release schedule.
Official Webpage – simxperience.com


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Sir John Soane’s Museum in London is to host the Stadia: Sport and Vision in Architecture exhibition, which will feature original sketches of the Colosseum in Rome (pictured) and a model of the 2012 Olympic Stadium, designed by Populous. The exhibition will open in summer 2012.
The brand has been given a new look by Bulletproof, in a bid to make “luxury” chocolate more palatable for a contemporary audience.
Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell have worked on the new identity system, which has been designed to help the museum attract a broader new audience.
The company’s new identity has been designed by Studio Sutherl&, the consultancy behind Royal Mail’s Agatha Christie stamps from 2016.
Hancock, an MP for the Department for Culture, Digital, Media and Sport, has pledged to prioritise the protection of intellectual property and original ideas.


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No move to hike milk price: Pawar
New Delhi, Jan 22 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has denied any move to hike milk prices.
Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Pawar blamed the media for creating confusion over milk prices.
"There is no proposal regarding the milk price. Media has raised an irrelevant matter. What I had said is that India is the largest producer of milk in the world ... The growth of milk production in our country is four percent, it is more than the agriculture output, but we need to increase it," he said.
He said this a day after he announced that prices of milk are set to rise due to mismatch in demand and supply.
Earlier, he had pointed the finger of blame at the state governments, saying they had not done enough to increase the production of milk.
The government, struggling to tame food inflation, which was hovering near 20 percent in December, said the country had adequate grain stocks, and ruled out rice imports that seemed likely after the worst monsoon in 37 years ravaged paddy fields in 2009. (ANI)


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Peter Rivera watched Thursday as a man pulled up to his home and took to Rivera's car with an Exacto knife, a squeegee, and several square yards of blue-and-white vinyl.
About half an hour later Rivera's 1998 Ford Ranger was a rolling advertisement for an online insurance company: "Keep your insurance rates in check. LowestPremium.com."
The text is mingled with a blue banner on either side of the car and 10 big, white checkmarks -- all plastered around Rivera's side-panels, tailgate, hood, and doors. The job, covering only part of his car, is known as a "half-wrap."
Rivera, a 34-year-old Berkeley waiter who commutes to San Francisco each day, wasn't an unwilling victim to this ad-jacking, of course. About two weeks earlier, he and his roommate had caught sight of a quarter-page print ad in SF Weekly placed by San Diego-based Autowraps.com.
The ad said they could earn $400 a month by surrendering their vehicle to the same kind of ads seen on San Francisco's MUNI buses and employee automobiles sporting their companies' dot-com logos -- not to mention the Yahoo-outfitted taxicabs seen in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Both roommates soon signed up, and waited to be identified as 1,000 miles-per-month drivers with desirable travel habits. If selected, some advertiser would pin hopes for plenty of roadside exposure on disposable-income types.
Rivera and roommate salivated at the prospect of just about breaking even on their car payment.
"I was totally into it," Rivera said. "I'm still totally into it."
His partial wrap, dictated by the advertiser, nets Rivera $250 per month for a three-month run. A spate of premium cars, notably the 1999 Volkswagen Beetle and high-riding sport-utility vehicles, trucks, and vans win a $400 full-wrap rate. Lesser vehicles get $300 a month.
"That's free money," Rivera said. "My car payment's not that much. I have 0.9 percent financing, so basically I'm getting a free car."
Welcome to the business model built by Daniel Shifrin, founder and president of Autowraps.com.
"We're really getting jazzed about this," Shifrin said. "This is a national phenomenon."
Indeed, it seems to bring to life the hoax that was an Esquire magazine article about a supposed chance to get a free minivan draped in an ad for "Stay Fresh" sanitary napkins.
"People are calling like crazy," Shifrin said.
So far, the database is filled with about 5,000 willing drivers hoping to get draped. Nationwide, 150 cars have been wrapped in the company's three-month soft-launch period, with many dot coms among the clients eager to stake out new territory in the new economy's space-scarce ad world.
The name carries a hint as to Autowraps.com's business, but if you stopped in at their website, you might think you'd hit upon an environmentalist's mission statement.
"Today the personal vehicle dominates the outdoor landscape more than any other time in history.... The car is king of the outdoors. The sheer physical dominance of the car coupled with the worst traffic congestion levels in history make" -- and here comes the clincher -- "the personal vehicle a natural medium for outdoor advertising."


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New Daylight trailer showcases procedurally generated scaresWritten by: / / 2 Comments
2014 is looking like a good year for survival horror fans and leading the charge is Zombie Studios’ procedurally generated psychological thriller Daylight which will be one of the first games released to be running on Unreal Engine 4.
In Daylight you play as a woman who awakens in a deserted hospital with only her cellphone to illuminate the facility’s maze-like corridors. The game’s publisher Atlus recently revealed a new trailer showcasing the type of spine-chilling experience you can expect from this imminent release. Take a look below:
Daylight is headed to PC and PS4 in early 2014. Head over here for El33tonline’s previous coverage of this first-person survival horror title.


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For the pact couple years, MR Seafoods has given away three seafood coupons to be used at their store or mobile locations in December ($150, $100 & $50). This year they are doing the same, however, to enter the giveaway, you will need to bring a non-perishable food item to receive a ballot.
2020 has been a tough year for many families on Prince Edward Island. MR Seafoods will donate the non-perishable food items to local food banks across PEI.
The draw will happen at 4pm on December 5th, 2020.
Have a Joyous and Happy Holiday Season!
-The MR Seafoods Team


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1 billion in Bitcoin from former dark web drug market Silk Road The cryptocurrency was seized during the dismantling of darknet market wiki Silk Road. After all, the market for drugs is notoriously inefficient. And most of the sites conduct business in bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that. Hydra specialized in same-day "dead drop" drug delivery services, to explore more of Benzinga's Cryptocurrency market coverage. Authorities to crack down on Silk Road, the Internet black market drug trade, and the digital currency that funds it, Bitcoins. Law enforcement seized server infrastructure and 543 Bitcoins The Russian-language Hydra Market platform was used for drug trafficking. Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets were seized by the been a key online marketplace for the sale of deadly drugs worldwide, said.
By J Aldridge darknet market superlist 2022 Cited by 112 Cryptomarkets represent an important drug market innovation by bringing buyers and sellers of illegal drugs together in a 'hidden' yet public online. The gram of marijuana Forbes bought with bitcoins on the Silk Road black market. Researcher Sarah Meikeljohn was able to identify the. Evolution holds the vendors' Bitcoin funds in the site's centralized "escrow" system before Evolution's administrators and the two of the. A handful of cryptocurrencies dominate the market, with Bitcoin More than 100,000 illegal drug transactions had taken place on the site. The illegal drug trade: The mass production of illegal drugs is widely recognized as devastating plague to all peoples of all cultures. A study. After all, the market for drugs is notoriously inefficient. And most of the sites conduct business in bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that.
Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets were seized by the been a key online marketplace for the sale of deadly drugs worldwide, said. By J Aldridge Cited by 8 2022, this cryptomarket enabled anyone to mail order illegal drugs and other goods with anonymous bitcoin payments. Following its demise, cryptomarkets have. Bitcoin drugs market. Imposes Sanctions on Russian Darknet Market darknet market status and Crypto Exchange drugs and other illegal offerings, including ransomware activity. Silk Road was an online black market, selling everything from drugs to stolen credit cards and murderers-for-hire. It was shut down by the. By A ElBahrawy 2022 Cited by 15 We analyse 24 separate episodes of unexpected marketplace closure by inspecting 133 million Bitcoin transactions among 38 million users. The bitcoin drugs market. imposed new sanctions on Hydra Market and Garantex as it counterfeit currency and illegal drugs are all available on Hydra.
An image of the Hydra marketplace prior to its takedown. The raid also involved the take down of Bitcoin Bank Mixer, a well-known. By N Christin 2022 Cited by darknet market stats 868 line marketplace that operates as a Tor hidden service and uses Bitcoin as its exchange currency. We gather and analyze data over eight. Cryptocurrencies are among the largest unregulated markets in the world. We find that approximately one-quarter of bitcoin users are involved in illegal. This first EMCDDA investigation into the world of online drug markets brings Andrew bitcoin drugs market 4: Staying in the shadows: the use of bitcoin and. It is the markets that are truly hidden and operate on an invitation only basis that really drive the exchange and sale of illegal arms, drugs. By S Foley 2022 Cited by 608 The numerous online cryptocurrency exchanges and markets have daily dollar volume of around 50 bitcoin drugs market Over 170 cryptofunds have emerged (hedge funds that.
Dark Markets Uruguay
He posted a live link to bitcoin drugs market a video with my address etc so i had to shut down my shipping address. In order to analyze the total size of the deep Web, we need an average site size in documents and data storage to use as a multiplier applied to the entire population estimate. Elliptic wasn’t impressed with the quality of the intelligence provided by Antinalysis, saying it performs poorly on detecting links to major darknet markets and other criminal entities. This, in turn, pushed the site admins to regularly come up with multiple. Stolen data, forged documents and drugs were all sold on what is reportedly the world's second-biggest darknet platform. Ravencoin is a Proof-of-Work blockchain designed to allow anyone to issue tokens. Key Marketing Points: Merry Ravenell presents Book 1 of the SnowFang series. Ollakseni rehellinen, Spurdomarketin ratkaisujärjestelmä ei herätä paljon luottamusta, ja ellet osaa sujuvasti suomen kieltä, saatat löytää itsellesi vaikeuksia jos riitautat tilauksen. She fears for Toby and her pack, but her thoughts are torn-she also fears her sister is in danger. The 'digital dollar' is the commonly used reference of a potential United States central bank digital currency (CBDC). Risk curves can contain multiple data points that represent different asset types or individual investments. We are making long-term investments for strengthening security and data governance with industry experts," the company said.
Praise: "This book is wonderful in showing the two sides bitcoin drugs market of Kitten's personality, the kind, caring and sensitive side as well as the strong willed and determined side. With the United States serving as the world’s largest bitcoin drugs market art and antiquities market (Pownall 2017), there is even greater opportunity for illicit actors to use U. Analysis of sales data shows that vendors tend to confine their activity to one market level: retail, middle or wholesale. Other findings include consumers making purchases via friends operating Tor browser and Bitcoin payments, rather than directly.


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TCL today launched their new TV model i.e. P8E. It’s India’s first 4K AI Android 9 TV with hands-free voice search. It will be available on this Prime Day and will be more powerful than regular AI TVs available right now.
- TCL is bringing the world’s first hands-free voice search technology in the P8E models.
- Now with TCL P8E TV, you can control all smart home devices with the voice command.
TCL is global top-2 TV Corporation and one amongst the leading consumer electronics companies in India. Today they unveiled India’s first 4K AI Android 9 Smart TV 55” P8E with hands-free voice search technology. The power-packed TV exudes elegance in its design. The bezel-less full screen with the best metal materials adopts the ART5 laser cutting technology to guarantee the overall stability of the screen, preventing it from light bleeding. Leveraging the far-field technology, it marks the first-of-its-kind innovation in India. The 55” P8E TCL TV will be available on Amazon, from 15 July.
Table of Contents
Hands-free AI Voice Interaction (Farfield):
Voice interaction with smart home devices is the most natural form of communication and P8E TCL TV enables the same. With far-field technology, the latest advancement in AI-enabled voice commands, the TCL P8E listens to your voice commands even from a considerable distance while de-cluttering the background noises. This allows users to control the TV, right from turning the device on or off to switching channels and making program reservations. Furthermore, the technology connects with other smart home devices, equipping users to easily control robot sweepers, curtains, lights etc., thus transforming the TV into a seamless gadget enabling smart and intuitive life experience.
TCL AI in unveiling the next-gen AI:
With the latest launch, TCL has leveraged AI in providing the most dynamic and immersive viewing experience. The AI-algorithm works in the back-end to enhance the picture quality, adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation, to deliver a stunning picture quality enhanced for each scene, whether watching an action-packed movie or a thrilling live-action sports event. The audio is more authentic and life-like than ever before, with AI dynamically improving the strength of signals, the volume of speakers, etc. This is on top of the AI-enabled interconnectedness, allowing users to seamlessly run all of their smart home devices.
India’s First Android Pie (9) Smart TV:
With the latest launch, TCL is bringing India’s first Smart TV propelled by Android Pie (9), the latest version of the OS. Get the most updated experience of a new world of movies, shows, and games from Google Play, YouTube, and other apps.
Bouquet of Apps & Digital Content:
Whether you are a Netflix aficionado or a fan of Prime Videos, TCL seamlessly brings the best digital entertainment. In addition, TCL Channel provides users with seamless access to 950,000+ content provisions including movies, series, live shows, sports, music to kids, owing to TCL’s associations with India’s leading VOD players like ErosNow, ZEE5, Hotstar, Voot, Jio Cinema, Hungama Play, ALTBalaji and YuppTV. Compatible with Alexa, the latest innovation by TCL has users better connected to quality entertainment and seamless functionality.
Powerful Hardware & Functionality:
The P8E series provides strong hardware quad-core CPU, triple-core 600-800 MHz GPU, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB Storage, ensuring faster & smarter experience. TCL P8S also supports HDMI 2.0, USB2.0, WIFI 2.4G and Bluetooth connections.
As a company, TCL Electronics is driven by a customer-first approach and the latest launch further affirms the brand’s commitment to the Indian market. It had previously partnered with Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Delhi Capitals as a sponsor, in order to win the “heart” of the nation. The development came on top of TCL inaugurating its panel factory in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Launched in December last year, the panel factory marked the brand’s first manufacturing unit outside of China. It not only allowed TCL to provide Indian-centric products at competitive prices but also created over 8,000 jobs, thus contributing to the economic development of the overall region.
Commenting on the latest launch, TCL India Country Manager Mr Mike Chen, said
“At TCL, we have been committed to delivering smart and innovative solutions that upgrade everyday living without causing a strain on one’s pocket. To the same end, we are excited to bring India’s very first 4K AI Android 9 Smart TV with Handsfree (Farfield) technology. The latest launch carries our 38 years of legacy forward, serving industry-leading innovations in AI & IoT to serve an integrated and immersive experience, within a price bracket that feels comfortable. We are affirmative that India’s growing number of tech and digitally savvy users would appreciate this advanced offering and look forward to an affirmative response.”
So guys what do you think? Can TCL crack the overcrowded TV market in India? Do let us know your views on this topic in the comments section below!
Keep visiting for more such awesome posts, internet tips, gadget reviews, and remember we cover,
“Everything under the Sun!”


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Two hospitality executives have joined a five-star resort in Sarasota, bringing with them nearly 50 years of combined experience.
The Ritz-Carlton, located west of Interstate 75 on Sarasota Bay, recently announced Jillian Dampier as the new director of group and catering sales and Peter Francis as director of transient sales.
Dampier has held several leadership positions throughout her 20 years of experience and across well-known brands including Hyatt, Conrad Hotels and Resorts, and properties within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. In her new position, she’ll be in charge of sales for group events while also overseeing special events like weddings, corporate catering and social events.
Francis also has worked for prominent brands, even kicking off his 28-year hospitality career at Walt Disney World before settling in for 18 years with Marriott Bonvoy brands.
“We feel extremely fortunate to have Jillian and Peter joining the ladies and gentlemen at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota,” the property’s General Manager Rajesh Khubchandani says in a news release. “Their combined experience is guaranteed to elevate our hotel’s offerings in virtually every respect.”


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There’s approximately a billion trillion tablets on the market now, or so it would seem, the vast majority of them running Android or some presto-change-o OS based on the Android kernel. What manufacturers will have to do if they plan on taking a piece of this pie at this point is one of two things: get a whole new most-powerful processor to become king OR make a unique tablet to carve out a niche. What the team at French NFC and Zigbee specialist TazTag has done is to integrate AuthenTec’s TCS2 TouchChip sensor into its TazPad Android tablet alongside fingerprint biometric security — a tablet with real business intentions.
The last time we saw this tablet it was back in February where we were to believe it was going to break cover at CeBIT. What we now are to understand is that the developers at TazTag are currently preparing to put the TazPad into volume production but that they’re waiting for investment funding to move forward with the project. On the other hand, they seem pretty confident that they’re going to get it.
We wanted to offer enhanced security capabilities with the TazPad, which is why we selected AuthenTec’s durable, high resolution TCS2 touch sensor for integration in this unique NFC-enabled Android tablet.” says Eric Fouchard, TazTag’s CEO.
“No other Android tablet combines fingerprint authentication with the NFC transaction capabilities of the TazPad. Whether a user is interested in convenient yet secure authentication for NFC, ZigBee or Wi-Fi transactions or linking a customer to a back-end system for authentication, the TazPad is a very capable platform for mobile identification. We look forward to supporting TazTag in a successful launch of this new NFC tablet,” notes AuthenTec’s Alan Kramer.
With talk of the inner workings of the tablet before it’s technically started mass production comes cash to continue. This tablet will feature a 7-inch color screen, multitouch, HDMI, camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Zigbee. I don’t know about you, but even though all of this sounds good, I’d still have to be convinced with some more brand-backing or at least a full list of specs before I pick one of these up – or I recommend my multi-million-dollar business “Burns-co” to pick up a batch.


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The elegant top blogger in Africa, a hard nut to crack when it comes to dominating the online world, a Media personality of our time Linda Ikeji is set to expand her media industry as she has laydown plans to join the league of topnotch when it comes to online TV with the launch of her online streaming service, tagged: Linda Ikeji TV on May 22.
With her recent post shared on instagram Linda ikeji said she wanted her own online TV so as to represent what Netflix the World’s largest online contet streaming service with 125million subscribers be to Africa and the World at large.
She indicated that her company, Linda Ikeji Media, has also bought quite a number of TV series and movies from independent producers which her subscribers will enjoy on the Linda Ikeji TV platform.
Linda 37, hinted that she had spent over half a billion on the project. She also said that the DSTV version of her channel will be launched later in the year, adding that
“the online channel, which will reach the world instead of being restricted to just Nigerians, was more of a priority to her.”


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But if you need motivation for supporting local retailers, talk to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s Stacy Mitchell.
“For every dollar spent at a local business, roughly 50 cents is re-spent locally,” Mitchell says. “For every dollar spent at a big box, just 14 cents stays local.”
Mitchell, author of “Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses,” was in town this week to speak with Detroit’s burgeoning entrepreneurial community.
“Buy local” movements are often perceived to have the patchouli oil taint of crunchy neo-hippies and Park Slope moms. But, in truth, the intellectual origins of "buy local" are rooted in a fiercely libertarian philosophy.
“Big box stores receive tax breaks and subsidies worth millions of dollars,” says Mitchell. “But when it comes to small businesses, they’re told it’s all about the free market.”
Not only do “economic development” programs put the thumb on the scales for big box and national chains but, according to Mitchell, government land use policy (i.e. sprawl) favors national retailers.
“Independent businesses tend to do better in walkable urban areas,” she says. The very communities that governments tried to demolish or abandon with Robert Moses/Great Society-style urban renewal initiatives.
But Mitchell sees some “counter-trends” that suggest small business is increasingly popular in the marketplace. She points to a doubling of local farmers’ markets (from 3000 to 6000) in the last five years and the increasing viability of smaller, neighborhood grocers. She also notes more than 400 new independent bookstores have opened nationwide in recent years.
As for Detroit’s efforts to rebuild local commerce, Mitchell says she was impressed with the collaborative spirit among local business owners.
“I really enjoyed my time in midtown,” she says. “It seemed like a neighborhood where entrepreneurs are trying to rebuild the neighborhood from scratch.”
But Detroit is still the kind of place where downtown shopping malls remain plausible development ideas. Small business is still behind the eight ball.
There are some things, Mitchell says, business owners can do to bolster their position. The first is to form an independent business alliance. She points a group in Austin, TX as a model.
Entrepreneurs should also try to own the spaces they occupy. That way, they can’t be priced out of the very communities they helped revitalize.
Michigan governments can also help by simply keeping their accounts with appropriate community banks, thus increasing the capital available for small business lending.
“One thing so clear is that big banks do very little small business lending,” says Mitchell. “Community and midsize banks account for 1/5 of banking assets but they do 60% of small business lending.”
Community banks are also less likely to require nine-figure federal bailouts or tank the housing market by offering interest-only smartARMs to every fool capable of filling out an application. But I digress…
While supporting independent retail is well and good in theory, it can be difficult to do in practice. Every week throughout the holiday season, we’ll highlight interesting shops in metro Detroit communities. Last week we looked at downtown Detroit and yesterday it was Ferndale. You can keep track of the entire series using the “Skip The Mall” tag.


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San Antonio — The Progressive Retailers Organization was at the Westin La Cantera Hill Coun
Compton, Calif. – Steel Horse is launching several new mobile video products this month under its new Mobile Cinema brand, including an expanded line of modular overhead consoles for the minivan market.
The new line also includes an upgraded portable system called the Video Traveler, which is easier to install and can now act as a freestanding system when used in the home or office, the company said. The new Video Traveler portable line comes in screen sizes ranging from 4 inches to 10.4 inches at street prices from $299 to $1299.
New Mobile Cinema overhead console screens have been redesigned in a modular approach so that all screen sizes fit the same installation bezel for both easy installation and reduced dealer inventories, said the company. The new overhead screens are available in 5.6 inch, 6.4 inch, 7 inch and 8 inch. The 7-inch model comes in a 16:9 aspect ratio for DVDs. Street prices for the screens range from $599 to $1299.


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We know the LG G2 is going to be released in Canada, but we don’t know when, for how much, and from which carrier it will be available.
But MK News, a local Korean paper, claims that the phone will be put on sale in South Korea the day following the announcement, and that all four major US carriers, including Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T will sell the device.
This bodes well for widespread availability of the sequel to the LG Optimus G, which went on sale last November on TELUS, Bell and Rogers. The Rogers version was one of the company’s first to boast 2600Mhz compatibility, which the company is now touting as LTE Max. We really liked the LG Optimus G, but the device still hasn’t been updated past Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and suffered from poor camera performance and some questionable software additions.
The LG G2 is expected to have a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display, a 2.3Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a strange rear placement of the volume and power buttons. A removable 2540mAh battery is also rumoured, along with a nano-SIM slot and Android 4.2.2.
LG has not been quiet about its upcoming flagship, announcing the name, the processor and even a case well before the actual product.
We’ll be in New York tomorrow for the announcement, which begins at 11am ET/8am PT.
Via: MK News (Korean)


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Lincoln spokesperson Christian Bokich reminded AN that the automaker is "preparing the way for seven new or significantly refreshed vehicles" that will be launched over the next four years, and the largest ad blitz in 2011 will focus on the refreshed MKX crossover, as well as the MKZ sedan and its hybrid counterpart. Following that, Lincoln has plans to launch a completely overhauled version of its Navigator SUV, an all-new C-segment vehicle and the overhauled 2013 MKZ, which Tasca says will be "strikingly different from its Ford Fusion sibling."
[Source: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: John Neff/Autoblog/AOL]


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FSC has 'failed the world's forests' say critics
Timber certification body under attack from environmentalists for slipping standards
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has come under increasingly harsh
criticisms from a variety of environmental organizations. The FSC is an
international not-for-profit organization that certifies wood products: its
stamp of approval is meant to create confidence that the wood was harvested in
an environmentally-sustainable and socially-responsible manner. For years the
FSC stamp has been imperative for concerned consumers in purchasing wood
products. Yet amid growing troubles for the FSC, recent attacks from
environmental organizations like World Rainforest Movement and Ecological
Internet are putting the organization's credibility into question.
Last week the World Rainforest Movement released a scathing press release
calling a decision by the FSC to certify eucalyptus plantations in Brazil its
"death certificate." The eucalyptus plantations are owned by Veracel, a
partnership between Aracruz Celulose of Brazil and Stora Enso ...
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Don’t we all wonder what it would be like to be an international fashion model as we flip through our pages of Vogue and Bazaar. Thankfully for all of us dreamy hopeful’s Lanvin is changing the game for fashion ad’s. It’s nothing new to put “real” people on the catwalk, but in an official ad that will be seen internationally is almost unheard of. Creative director Alber Elbaz stated, “It’s about bringing a sense of reality to fashion to show that the lofty world of high style is not as unattainable as it seems. Fashion doesn’t look good only on models, it can look good on different people of different ages and different body shapes,” he said. “We didn’t think there would be such a big talk because we just did it and we thought let’s try to work with real people. Let’s do street casting, let’s work with different men and women of different ages and see what comes out of it.” Casting people as they were caught walking out of bars, found on popular fashion blogs like Advanced Style, or eating in restaurant’s, there was no where off limits.
So the next question is what was it about these select people that caught the eye of Alber Elbaz? According to the head honcho himself it’s about their mystique, “It’s beyond visual. Sure, they might have great eyes or features but it’s more about their presence, their ownership of their own individuality,” Ludlum said. “You might see someone who has style, but if you strip away everything, are they still powerful? Because we are taking them out of who they are and putting them in new clothes. Are they interesting beyond what they’re wearing?”


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Chelsea Handler just put her money where her mouth is with a Nordstrom shopping spree, just days after the company dropped Ivanka Trump's brand.
The comedienne has been extremely critical of Donald Trump throughout his entire campaign and continues to be into his first days as president. She chimed in Thursday to POTUS' battle with Nordstrom by doing something he probably would not approve of: spending serious cash at the department store because they stopped selling Ivanka's goods.
Handler posted an image of herself outside the White House this morning with a ton of bags in her hand.
"A Jew and a Gay went to pick a Muslim up from the airport, headed straight to Nordstrom, and then headed over to @whitehouse to give our thanks," she captioned the photo, tagging the president's Instagram account as well.
Earlier this morning, Handler also tweeted about the Ivanka story. "Trump says his daughter has been treated 'so unfairly' by Nordstrom," she wrote, "Oh, was she detained for 19 hours when she tried to enter the store?"
The "so unfairly" quote Chelsea's referencing comes from a tweet Trump send out Wednesday over the store's decision to stop selling his daughter's products.
My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!
The message was also re-tweeted from the POTUS Twitter account.
"To reiterate what we've already shared when asked, we made this decision based on performance. Over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have steadily declined to the point where it didn't make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now," a spokesperson for Nordstrom told TooFab following Trump's tweet.
"We've had a great relationship with the Ivanka Trump team," the statement continued. "We've had open conversations with them over the past year to share what we've seen and Ivanka was personally informed of our decision in early January."


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By snatching up ZeTrip, which makes the Rove travel log app, TripAdvisor can further expand its offerings beyond search and reviews and keep consumers engaged throughout their trip.
Business watchdogs have clamped down on a hotel fining guests for negative online reviews.
Before visiting the US, President Xi Jinping said China is a hacking victim, too, and suggests both countries will benefit from computer security cooperation.
A fun new infographic stacks up the onscreen mayhem and finds out who's the least and most destructive superhero out there.
Sprint names Tarek Robbiati as its new chief financial officer and Gunther Ottendorfer its new chief operating officer, just the latest in a shake-up in the management ranks.
The ride-hailing service -- already integrated with United Airlines, Starbucks and Trip Advisor -- continues its expansion into other apps.
The man behind the heartbeat-reading startup has warned of the potential abuses of the new technology.
The world's largest software maker hits a milestone Saturday. Read its co-founder and former CEO's letter to employees asking them to remember the transformative properties of technology.
Brent Callinicos helped lead financing rounds that made the ride-hailing startup the second-most valuable venture-backed company.
Get ready for simpler designs and new features on your smartphone apps, with developers applying the stripped-down concepts they employed for the Apple Watch.


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BANGALORE: Microsoft will announce the worldwide launch of Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions at Advertising Week 2006 in New York.
In a move that combines the company’s broad set of global advertising products and services into a unified offering for advertisers Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions is designed to connect advertisers with their target audiences across multiple devices including PCs, XBox, web-enabled mobile phones and PDAs.
With Digital Advertising Solutions, advertisers in Asia will now have easier access to Microsoft’s extensive set of network properties and advertising solutions.
Joanne Bradford, Microsoft corporate vice president and chief media revenue officer, said: “Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions is a response to one of advertisers’ key pain points. As today’s consumers spend more time online across various digital devices like mobile phones and video games, advertisers are finding they can no longer reach their entire target audience by advertising on a single medium.
Microsoft is uniquely positioned because of our extensive global audience, high level of consumer engagement, and engaging ad opportunities across Microsoft’s platform and services to connect advertisers with a million different audiences of one. We’re addressing the reality of media fragmentation and enabling advertisers to get back to what they do best, creating engaging and creative ads.”
Talking about the announcement, Rajnish, head of Digital Marketing Revenue and Strategic Business, MSN & Windows Live India said: “Our approach in Asia and throughout the world has always been to provide easy and supported access to world-class service and cutting edge innovative advertising solutions. With Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, we are making this process easier than ever.”
The Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions brand will be unveiled in Asia at AdTech Shanghai on 18-19 October.
© CyberMedia News


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- April 12, 2022
- Posted by: Maestro Legal
by Vanshika Arora*
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched a probe into the alleged Unfair Trade Practices, committed by the food aggregator giants Zomato and Swiggy. Filed under Section 19(1)(a) of the Competition Act, 2002; National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), has alleged that the practices of Zomato Limited and Bundl Technologies Private Limited (Swiggy), are violative of Section 3(4) and 3(1) of the Act. Section 3(4) and 3(1) highlight the conditions that can cause Appreciable Adverse Effects on Competition (AAEC) in India. The Director General of the CCI shall be carrying out a thorough investigation as per Section 26(1) of the Act, which will then yield a detailed report in 60 days.
NRAI has contended that Zomato and Swiggy form part of the hyperlocal ‘restaurant marketplace with delivery services’ product market, since these aggregators are logistics-enabled restaurant marketplaces with search compare booking and delivery options; not forming part of the Vertically Integrated Food Chains (VIFC); which offer distinct self-delivery partners. In view of their monopoly in the market, and significantly high market shares, NRAI, in consonance with the de minimis doctrine has contended violations on various grounds.
Primarily, NRAI has contended that the food aggregators market has reached an abysmal level of consolidation wherein all emerging players are being integrated into the two dominating players, leaving no room for others to enter the hyperlocal restaurant marketplace and delivery system. Moreover, NRAI has also alleged that Zomato and Swiggy engage in enforcing vertical trade agreements and restraints on restaurant parties because of their compounding network effect. Not only that, it has also been contended that Swiggy and Zomato indulge in Food Bundling, Data Masking, and restricting restaurant parties from self-delivery (apart from a few exceptions, where VIFCs are allowed to use their own self-delivery partners, by adhering to some conditions and checks). Furthermore, NRAI has delineated that these entities have been playing a dual role, wherein they are operating cloud kitchens, that act as their own private brands, hence creating a conflict of interest, where they act both as an intermediary and as a participant, creating a preferential treatment mechanism and profiteering from the best of both worlds. Another allegation raised by NRAI is that both parties engage in unfair, one-sided contracts with Restaurants, through incentives, lower commissions, and exclusivity contracts that repel new entrants. Both parties also impose price parity clauses on restaurant parties, during their initial signage policy. These signage policies make it amply clear that subscribing restaurants have to ensure that their prices are at parity on all marketplaces where their menus are listed. Interestingly, it has been bought out by the NRAI, that the two dominant aggregators have been engaging in the practices of deep discounting, which have to be incurred by the restaurants to feature in their lists. This puts subscribing restaurants into a double-edged sword, wherein restaurants either have to incur losses to feature higher up on the lists, or incur a loss in commission, by not providing sufficient discounts.
In response to the delineations of NRAI, Zomato and Swiggy have stated that self-delivery services are usually discouraged, unless a party meets some parameters, since these food aggregators rely on the idea of efficient and trust-worthy delivery. Therefore, to retain customers and uphold their goodwill, subscribing restaurants have to meet certain parameters and maintain a desirable Order Requiring Support (ORS) before they can self-deliver. Moreover, reliance was placed on their unique and intricately built real-time delivery tracking system and feedback mechanism, which would be extremely difficult for every restaurant subscriber to replicate. In response to food-bundling, both these entities have suggested that food-bundling is not an appreciable adverse effect since it is only done to ensure efficiency of the platform. Reverting to the dual-role that these companies have been allegedly playing, Zomato has argued that it had shut down its cloud-kitchen (Access Kitchen Program); while Swiggy has argued that cloud kitchens do not make it an entitled participant in the industry since they are treated at par with other subscribing restaurants, in a non-discriminatory manner.
The Competition Commission of India has found merit in the allegations raised by NRAI, especially with the issues pertaining to platform neutrality, and price parity. Such an investigation by CCI is essential to ensure a level playing field for emerging ventures in a globalised economy such as India. Especially when the country is in its initial stages of startup boom, it is essential for the government to ensure that no handful of dominant players control market variables and phenomena. Furthermore, in order to ensure that subscribing restaurants are not being subjected to arbitrary terms and that their interests are being met, along with the interests of the consumers, a detailed investigation into companies that corner more than 95% of the food delivery market, is essential.