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Independent booksellers are invited to nominate their stores for the London Book Fair’s 2019 Bookstore of the Year Award, which is sponsored by book wholesaler Gardners.
The judges are looking for excellence in a range of areas, including customer service, staff knowledge, events, displays, outreach, atmosphere, innovation, imagination, and incorporation of digital technology, as well as style and flare. Independents or chain branches whose primary business is outside the U.K. are eligible for nomination.
Booksellers will need to provide two reasons of up to 300 words each for why the judges should select their application for the shortlist.
Each shortlisted bookstore will be awarded £500 and a travel stipend to visit the Gardners headquarters in Eastbourne, England.
In addition, the grand prize winner will receive a net credit on an existing Gardners account equating to £1000 of products at retail value or a £600 credit toward a new account.
The entry deadline is Friday, December 21. The winner will be presented with a trophy at the annual awards ceremony held at the London Book Fair on Tuesday, March 12, 2019.
Established more than 30 years ago, Gardners has grown to become a leading wholesaler of books, e-books, music, and film to retailers around the world.


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The ATS-V And CT5-V Blackwing sport sedans are Cadillac’s pinnacle of premium performance, delivering on world-beating specs, while offering incredible easter egg details that will have even the most particular of personalities peering them over even after months of ownership. Based on our time with a Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, they drive special, they feel special, and they’re designed special. And based on a recent theme sketch shared to the world via the GM Design Instagram page, that was always the case.
View this post on Instagram
The design was created by Robin Krieg, currently serving as lead exterior designer of the Cadillac brand. This isn’t the first design sketch we’ve seen from Krieg. Late last year, the GM Design page shared a sketch of a T1 Escalade sketch, also by Krieg, that offered a glimpse at what the Escalade looked like years prior to production. GM Design tends to be ahead of the engineering teams when it comes to future product development.
Some outlets have speculated that this Cadillac Blackwing design sketch eludes to some sort of mid-engined supercar coming down the road, but we at MC&T understand that not to be the case. Such an idea may have been bounced around on a whiteboard, but Cadillac has some pretty expedient EV plans in the works. This appears to be only a theme sketch, for the CT5-V Blackwing in particular. Nevertheless, a behind-the-scenes look at the GM Design process is always fascinating.
For the collector, Cadillac has so far offered some exceptionally rare versions of its Blackwing sedans, such as the Dark Emerald Frost colored CT4-V and CT5-V where only 150 were made in total for the 2021 model year. Also rare is the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Collector Series that made its sneaky debut at auction in Florida not too long ago, and only 120 of those will be produced.

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Ahead Of Met Gala 2023: What Can We Look Forward To
The celebrity Prom is here!
Fashionistas reunite! The Met Gala 2023, the year's most anticipated fashion event, takes place tonight. For the past 28 years, on the first Monday of May, Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour has hosted a fundraising gala to benefit the Costume Institute, the museum's collection of fashion artefacts.
What began as a $50 midnight dinner has now turned into a $50,000 fashion phenomenon. All eyes will be on the biggest A-Listers and models as they walk the red carpet and up the stairs of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, whether they dress to impress on theme or entirely ignore it. Stars including Rihanna have already begun giving us a taste of what we can expect from them.
not even monday pic.twitter.com/CsX6etu04z— Rihanna (@rihanna) April 30, 2023
Over the years, the gala has been appointed a theme in tandem with the exhibition launched at the Museum. A few themes of the past include Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination, Camp: Notes on Fashion and China: Through the Looking Glass. However tonight’s theme has been made to be more specific to a designer, a tribute to one of the most influential creatives of our time, Karl Lagerfeld.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
With Karl's legacy including collaborations with Chloe, Fendi, Balmain and most notably, Chanel. There is a list of concepts we can expect or hope to see on the Met Gala carpet in 2023.
His vintage work with Chloe between 1963 to 1983 and 1992 to 1997 could take the stage tonight. The use of prints and making camp yet classy pieces would do to serve well.
1983/84 - Chloé campaign, shower dress
via getty images. Naomi Campbell for Chloe ss95
Lagerfeld has always been a source of controversy, particularly in the fashion world, since there are plenty of celebrities who thrive on causing a bit of havoc, we could see a revival of his Fendi collections which generally included a lot of fur.
Fendi Haute Fourrure Fall 2015. Image WWD/GIOVANNI GIANNONI
With Karl Lagerfeld being most famous for his role at Chanel, there is no doubt that the French fashion house will be the most displayed designer today. We can hope to see Chanel ambassadors like Lily Rose Depp and Margot Robbie pull out vintage archive pieces. With Chanel’s aesthetic, there should be plenty of opulent designs that include a use of tweed, bows, pearls and gold.
Vogue’s most recent cover also indicates that many high fashion brands including Versace and Givenchy will produce their own designs, interpreting Karl Lagerfeld’s genius in their own way.
The Met Gala will be held on May 1, 2023. The official red carpet live stream will be available on Vogue's official website and social media handles from 6:30pm EST.


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Despite the promise of Blockchain technologies to bring better security to online transactions and business processes, its rapid growth and adoption is bringing new cyber risks with equal force that will likely evolve with continued success.
RMIT has launched Australia’s first university short course on blockchain strategy, built with industry to enable business leader to develop a rich and relevant understanding of blockchain.
This year businesses will move from talking about the potential of distributed ledger technology inspired by Bitcoin’s blockchain to actually implementing and testing it, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s chairperson, Greg Medcra...
Thousands of publicly accessible FTP servers, including many Seagate network-attached storage devices, are being used by criminals to malware that mines cryptocurrency.
Yeah, Wright. After publicly claiming he was the elusive Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright suddenly says he can't handle the pressure to provide further proof.
There's some confusion around what the Bitcoin blockchain can and can't do. Gartner analysts list 7 common myths about Bitcoin blockchain technology.
Talk of blockchain technology is everywhere, it seems -- but what is it, and what does it do?
Four weeks: That's how long Swedish bitcoin mining company KnCMiner takes to build a new datacenter, from breaking ground to beginning operations.
Some people who use uTorrent, the popular BitTorrent client, are up in arms over the presence of cryptocurrency mining software on their computers which they say was installed without their permission.
Melbourne start-up, CoinJar, has confirmed it will commence trials for its bitcoin EFTPOS card next week.
Coinbase, one of the more prominent exchanges for buying and selling bitcoins, is opening up wider access to the digital currency in Europe.
The U.S. Federal Election Commission appears to be warming to the idea of political donations in bitcoin, but has left the larger question of the upper value limit of such donations unresolved.
Plaintiffs in two class-action suits charging the embattled Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox with fraud have agreed to a settlement, and new plans to revive the exchange have been drafted.
Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology want to give Bitcoin a boost.
Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has abandoned its bid for revival and filed for liquidation with a Japanese court, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
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It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
As the Maserati or BMW of laptops, it would fit perfectly in the hands of a professional needing firepower under the hood, sophistication and class on the surface, and gaming prowess (sports mode if you will) in between.
The MSI PS63 is an amazing laptop and I would definitely consider buying one in the future.
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Revolution is coming to North Lakes! With their grand opening on Australia Day Friday the 26th of January.
Doors will be opening from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.
The park will have the Kiddies Playground, Performance Arena and a huge main Arena open.
They will also have outdoor trampolines that have a bungee harness.
To book online visit their website by clicking here.


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Golden tributes to Rio at city Beer Festival
Thousands expected at 39th Peterborough Beer Festival
Drinkers will be able to toast the success of Britain’s medal winning Olympians with a selectionof golden Rio themed pints at Peterborough Beer Festival. The 39th Peterborough Beer Festivalofficiallystartedatthe Embankment on Tuesday for people in the trade - but thousands of punters are expected togothroughthegateslooking for the perfect pint this week.
Drinkers will be able to samplebeerspayingtributeto Britain’sOlympians, including OpeningCeremonyfromCardiff brewery Brains, Rio Gold from Ellgood’s of Wisbech and Rio from Moorhouse’s of Burnley.
The event is the second biggest beer festival in the country, and there are more than 400 different beers, ciders andwinesonofferuntil the event closes on Saturday night.
Thisyear, festivalgoers will be able to experience a new wayof serving beer - as well as aspecialspectacleintheskies.
Mike Blakesley, f rom CAMRA, said: “This year for the first time we will have an American style Key Keg system for some of the beers.
“The system is used at the Stoneworks micropub in the city centre, and has been very popular. It is the first time we have it for the festival, but we will belimiting it to half apint, as the beer is very frothy, and it would take too long to serve pints.
“We have also extended our ‘Local’ bar in the left hand tent.
“Wehave20-30local brewers with beers here, and we know customers like to support the local brewers.
“This year we have also been told the Red Arrows will be flying overhead on Thursday at 3pm on their way to an air show. It is also possible they will be flying overhead on Friday at the same time as well.”
Mike also said the festival had expanded the cider and wine bars, and had a large selection of continental bottled beers on offer.
And along with the beers on offer, there is a variety of entertainment.
Mike said: “We have the normal funfair, and live music all week.“Thisyearwehave put in a seated section in the left hand tent. “We want people to come along with their family and a picnic, and have a great day out.
“Last year’s event was so popular we ran out of beer by the endofSaturday night, and we are sure the people of Peterboroughwillcomeandsupport us again this year.
“This year is the 39th Peterborough Beer Festival, and we are already looking at doing something special for the 40th.”
The festival is open from noon until 11pm every day until Saturday. Entry prices are £2 before 3pm, and £6 afterwards. Discountsareavailable for CAMRA members.
Beer glasses cost £3, but this is refundable.
For more information visit www.peterborough-camra. org.uk/
Bill Taylor, beer festival bard
Queues and punters at the Beer Festival
Pints being pulled at the festival


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A hot version of the Land Rover Discovery Sport SUV could be in development, based on these recent spy shots.
Caught in Scandinavia in last few weeks of the winter testing season, the Discovery Sport prototype has a newly designed nose cone. Autocar’s spy photographers also say that this test vehicle is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine, making it almost certainly a prototype fitted with the JLR’s upcoming, all-new Ingenium unit.
But a combination of the subtly more aggressive styling of this nose cone and the extra air intake capacity hints at that this Discovery Sport could be powered by a performance version of the Ingenium petrol engine.
Although not radically different from that used by the current model, the new nose has a wider main air intake and narrower mounting area for the aluminium ‘bash plate’.
The air intakes on the front corners of the car are also bigger and shaped more like the auxiliary intakes used by the Range Rover Sport SVR and also featured on the new Evoque Convertible.
Close examination of the spy shots also seem to show small air intakes on the lower edges of the nose cone, which could well be cooling ducts for the front brakes. The slot-like air intake directly under the radiator grille is also noticeably slimmer than on today’s production car.
New Ingenium petrol with 298bhp


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Hedi Slimane has found his new muse for the latest edition of Saint Laurent Music Project: British singer-songwriter and ’60s style icon Marianne Faithfull. The music project, which began last year, features celebrated iconic rock stars wearing pieces from the Saint Laurent collection. It also gives the fashion house an opportunity to feature the artists’ original soundtracks for the labels runaway shows.
Looking at the Saint Laurent collection you definitely can see the influence of the 60’s vixen’s personal style on Slimane’s catwalk shows with rock babes sporting heavy bangs, leather mini skirts, fur, and a rock n roll attitude.
Here is a look at some of Marianne Faithfull’s celebrated looks:
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Funding secured from Puma Private Equity, Active Partners and Gresham House Ventures
TravelLocal bags £8.3m in Series B to accelerate international growth
Tailor-made holidays company TravelLocal has announced it has secured £8.3 million in a Series B funding round.
The growth investors are existing Series A investors Active Partners and Gresham House Ventures, with Puma Private Equity joining as a new investor and leading this round.
The new funding will help accelerate the company's international growth, including investment in its managed marketplace platform and further brand marketing, including broadcasting its latest TV advert.
Aside from this funding round, the business founded in 2016 saw Channel 4 Ventures, which have also invested in WhatThreeWords and Pinterest, recently increase its media-for-equity investment.
Alistair Daly, former CMO of listed holidays disruptor brand On the Beach Plc, is a board advisor and investor in the business, also.
This Series B funding round follows the merger in July 2021 of TravelLocal (UK) and Trip.me (Germany), both of which are now fully integrated under the TravelLocal brand.
Tom Stapleton, CEO of TravelLocal, said: “TravelLocal has performed very strongly again coming out of the pandemic as people travel extensively - and increasingly with a strong desire to do so in a more sustainable, meaningful way, that supports local people and economies.
“Our unique business model enables everyone to do just that. This funding round reflects the excellent growth opportunity we now have, and the first-class team we have built to tackle it."
Mark Lyons, investment director of new investor Puma Private Equity, said: “Although incomes are being squeezed in the current environment, travel continues to be a priority expenditure for many and baby boomers are spending $120 billion annually on leisure travel.
“We believe there is huge scope for TravelLocal to grow and continue transforming the tailor-made holiday industry.
“We are really encouraged by the strength of the management team and the resilience of the business post its merger in 2021 which has significantly increased its global reach.
“This investment will enable the team to do more to engage with their target audience, in particular their expanding base of US clients.”
Nick Evans, managing partner of Active Partners, added: "TravelLocal is disrupting the travel market with its bespoke, authentic experiences, using travel as a force for good in local regions.
“After weathering the storm of the pandemic and completing a successful merger, the brand's remarkable growth is a testament to its unique offering and the unwavering resilience of the fantastic team.


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SureWest Communications has agreed to sell in a deal valued at $340.9 million, excluding debt.
Its buyer, Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: CNSL), is offering $23 a share in a cash and stock deal that lets Surewest (Nasdaq: SURW) shareholders choose either cash or an equivalent amount of Consolidated shares. However, overall, half of Surewest shares can be exchanged for cash and half for stock.
The $23 represents a 47 percent premium to SureWest’s closing share price on Friday.
SureWest, which bought Lenexa-based Internet provider Everest Broadband Inc. in 2008, has operations in the Sacramento, Calif., and Kansas City markets and has 210 local employees.
The latest deal, described as strategic, forms a company that operates in six states and employs 1,775. The diversification will help drive growth, according to a Monday release.
SureWest spokesman Ron Rogers emphasized that SureWest would remain an independent company until the transaction closes, which is expected by the end of the third quarter, pending standard regulatory and shareholder approvals.
“Until the sale is complete, today’s announcement should have no impact on employees’ day-to-day responsibilities or the way in which SureWest conducts business,” Rogers said.
A Consolidated spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for an interview, but Rogers said Consolidated had indicated that it looked forward to working with SureWest employees and would use the “best of both companies to take advantage of the growth we have experienced in the Kansas City and Sacramento regions.”
SureWest customers also will continue to receive the same offerings from SureWest, but they may expand once the transaction is complete, Rogers said.
“This transaction combines our cash flow-generating business with SureWest’s growth-oriented strategy, resulting in a financially strong company with a robust balance sheet and attractive dividend payout ratio,” Consolidated CEO Bob Currey said in the release. “SureWest has built one of the highest-quality networks in the industry and transformed itself into a leading broadband provider. The combined company will create a broader platform from which to expand our products and services to meet the demands of our customers.”
Consolidated, which has 950 employees, reported $383.4 million in 2010 revenue, with 466,426 total connections as of Sept. 30. It offers voice, data and video services to residential and business customers in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas.
SureWest serves 130,000 residential and 15,700 business customers in its two markets, which include more than 321,700 potential residential customers.
SureWest CEO Steve Oldham said the deal “creates scale by combining our proven capabilities in delivering leading-edge digital TV and broadband services as a stronger, more competitive communications company.”
The combined company will have annual revenue of about $620 million; joining is expected to save about $25 million a year in operational costs and between $5 million and $10 million in capital spending.
Consolidated expects acquisition costs of between $20 million and $25 million during the two years after the deal closes; it says it’s in a position to gain from SureWest’s roughly $67 million in net operating losses.


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Portadown man (45) jailed for a year for role in a "systemic organised operation'' to sell £75,000 counterfeit designer goods
A 45-year-old man has been jailed for 12 months for his role in a "systemic organised operation'' to sell counterfeit designer goods worth £75,000.
Nawaz Ashraf, of Parkmore, Craigavon, Co Armagh, was told by a judge that he was sending him to prison as he had previous convictions for similar offences dating back 20 years.
Ashraf pleaed guilty at Belfast Crown Court to 13 counts of trading in counterfeit products and one charge of possessing criminal property.
His father Mohammed Ashraf (68), and his cousin Mohammed Waseem, (28), both of Cranny Road, Portadown, pleaded guilty to the same charges but were spared prison, receiving 12-month sentences suspended for two years.
Police searched two residential properties at Cranny Road, Portadown and a business address at Dargan Crescent in Belfast belong to Clothing Concept Ltd run by Mohammed Waseem.
Officers seized counterfeit Nike, Adidas, Jack Wills, Louis Vuitton, Timberland, Chanel and Diesel clothing, footwear and handbags valued at £75,000.
Judge David McFarland heard that police also recovered almost £24,000 in cash and over €5,000.
Police also recovered fake badges belonging to designer Michael Kors which could be "stuck onto'' handbags or purses.
The prosecution branded the activities of the three accused as a "systemic organised operation'', and said the aggravating factors in the case were Nawaz Ashraf's four previous convictions for his involvement in the sale of countefeit goods and also the value of the goods.
Defence barrister Seamus Lannon said he was making a "mercy submission'' to the court not to send Nawaz Ashraf to prison as he was a carer for his brother, asking the court for "one final opportunity to put his house in order and to keep his house in order".'
Judge McFarland said he was suspending the sentences for Mohammed Ashraf and Mohammed Waseem, warning them not to commit any further offences in the next two years or risk going to prison.
He told Nawaz Ashraf: "You have been convicted of similar offences in the past and you have received penalties such as a fine, suspended sentence, community service order and a three month prison sentence reduced on appeal.
"You have not taken the opportunity that was offered to you by the courts in the past and you have not learned the lesson that the courts were trying impart to you.''
The Belfast Recorder ordered a destruction of all the fake goods and adjourned confiscation proceedings until March 2019.


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Red Light Cameras In Suffolk Increase Revenue, If Not Safety
Suffolk County has released its annual Red Light Camera report, and it shows that about 150,000 more tickets were issued in 2014 compared to 2013, a 55 percent increase.
In 2013 Suffolk moved about 30 red light cameras from intersections with relatively few red light violations to intersections with more violations. The effect was a sizable increase in the number of tickets and a huge increase in the amount of money raised. Revenue from red light cameras went from $5 million in 2013 to nearly $28 million in 2014. Tom Cilmi, a Republican legislator from Islip, calls the program a money grab disguised in safety.
“We are receiving so much revenue, and ticket volume has gone up so much. And particularly that we are charging people administrative fees on top of the ticket prices is troubling,” Cilmi said.
While red light camera revenue has helped shore up the county’s perennial budget problems, their impact on safety has been mixed. Overall, the number of t-bone, or side impact, crashes at red light camera intersections was reduced by 20 percent. The number of rear end collisions, however, shot up 42 percent. Injuries at red light camera intersections dropped by about 4 percent. But that’s actually worse than non-red light camera intersections. According to state data, injuries at all intersections in the state dropped by about 5 percent.


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Tickets are still available for the World Fishing Network and ICAST Tuesday night concert featuring country music star, Easton..
Cascade Crest Tools has been manufacturing fly fishing materials since 1978, but describes itself as ‘the least visible company in fly tying’. However, this innovative little company tucked away close by the Rogue River in Central Point, Oregon steps into the spotlight this week when it exhibits at the world’s..
American Fishing Wire will be officially launching a new distributor agreement at ICAST. The USA's most prominent premium wire leader..
A new coding system introduced by German manufacturer Behr Angelsport onto product packaging proved a big hit with retailers..
An EFTTEX regular – and one of the world’s most famous hook brands – has confirmed its support of..
Catfish specialist Rippin Lips has introduced a new fish-gripper that has a number of improvements over the company’s original..


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Today [October 1 2015] – the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month – travellers through Heathrow’s Terminal 2 are invited to join express fitness classes in support of The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign. [UPDATE – IMAGES below].
The fitness classes will be hosted by Russell Bateman, founder of the supermodel-endorsed exercise project, Skinny Bitch Collective (SBC) with his signature strengthening and empowering movements. House of Voga will be offering a dynamic fusion of Yoga and “Vogueing”, stretching and posing to an 80s beat. Zumba Fitness instructors will bring a mix of low-intensity and high-intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party.
According to Cancer Research UK’s website, “An analysis combining the results of 31 studies on physical activity and breast cancer found that the women who did the most activity had a 12% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared with the least active women. The analysis also showed that the more activity a woman does, the more she can reduce her risk of breast cancer. For example, for every 2 hours a week a woman spends doing moderate to vigorous activity, the risk of breast cancer falls by 5%”. Taking this into consideration the event aims to raise awareness of a healthy lifestyle to travellers.
The event will take place within Heathrow Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal underneath Richard Wilson’s Slipstream sculpture, where more than 6.2 million passengers on 41,481 flights pass through every day. A 90ft pink ribbon will be installed on the Terminal building windows throughout the month of October. See schedule of events below…
The 2015 Estée Lauder Companies BCA Campaign is empowering women, men and families around the world to take action to help defeat breast cancer through the universal call-to-action “Every Action Counts. What’s Yours?” The BCA Campaign invites people to share all the meaningful ways they take action on BCAcampaign.com and social media channels, and support lifesaving breast cancer research by making a donation to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF).
Each of our actions—big or small—counts in the fight against breast cancer. For every action submitted on BCAcampaign.com or unique post on Instagram or Twitter with #BCAstrength between October 1, 2015 and World Cancer Day on February 4, 2016, The Estée Lauder Companies will donate $25 to fund a half-hour of breast cancer research through BCRF, with the goal of funding up to 500 research hours ($25,000) through the support of our global digital community.
The BCA Campaign supports BCRF by raising awareness and funding for its research grantmaking program, which advances the most promising, innovative breast cancer research worldwide. Funds are raised through The Estée Lauder Companies’ employee activities, Pink Ribbon Product sales, contributions from many of The Estée Lauder Companies’ iconic brands and donations made on BCAcampaign.com. The limited edition Estée Lauder Pink Ribbon Products will be available at World Duty Free stores at Heathrow Airport.


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PARIS — Atos signed a new partnership agreement with ComplianceQuest.
“Companies in highly regulated industries such as medical devices and pharmaceuticals must maintain massive archives of data on product quality, research and development, adverse events, and other areas with regulatory oversight,” said Narendar G. Reddy, head of life sciences at Atos Syntel. “It is no longer simply about record keeping, and companies are increasingly turning to cloud-based solutions like ComplianceQuest to turn data into a competitive advantage.”
ComplianceQuest provides enterprises with a unified suite of cloud-based applications for quality management, supplier management, customer and field service quality, as well as health and safety.
“Atos provides a comprehensive suite of cloud and Salesforce-based solutions, and I am happy to welcome them to the ComplianceQuest partner program,” said Prashanth Rajendran, chief executive officer of ComplianceQuest. “Their clients understand the need for a reliable, scalable, cloud-native EQMS solution, and we feel that the combination of our products and Atos’ strong implementation and integration abilities will drive success for our mutual customers.”
Under the terms of the agreement, ComplianceQuest will provide training and certification for Atos developers, access to a dedicated solution development area for prototyping, building and testing solutions, and joint pursuit of implementation opportunities.
ComplianceQuest leverages the Salesforce platform to provide solutions for enterprises industries like life sciences, aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods.
Atos Syntel offers a suite of Salesforce services that includes test automation, continuous integration and development (CI/CD), DevOps automation, and automated support and monitoring driven by the SyntBots intelligent automation platform.
For more information, visit atos.net.


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Honda Civic Type-R Nurburgring teaser
Honda is clearly feeling supremely confident about its upcoming Civic hot-hatch, releasing a teaser clip branding Germany's Nurburgring with its iconic 'Type-R' insignia.
Claimed to have been filmed at the famed 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, the clip shows a young man dressed in black scale a fence to gain access to the circuit and proceed to stamp the Type-R logo on the already graffitied track.
Despite not even showing the recently spied fourth-generation Honda Civic Type-R, the video shows huge confidence on the part of the car maker in reaching its goal of building the world's fastest front-wheel-drive car around the circuit.
That title is currently held by the Renault Megane RS265 Trophy, which recorded an 8min7.79sec lap of the famed German racetrack in 2011.
The all-new Civic Type-R is expected to be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, developed with knowledge learned from Honda’s involvement in the World Touring Car Championship, likely to see outputs near 200kW and 400Nm.
The Japanese manufacturer plans to build the new Type-R alongside the standard Civic hatchback at Honda’s UK plant in Swindon and launch it by 2015.


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Earlier this year, Facebook launched a new feature for iOS screen readers called automatic alt text. Powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, it recognizes the objects in a photo and then describes them, which is incredibly handy for users who are blind. It arrived on Android soon after, and two weeks ago, the social network officially made the tool available in 20 other languages. These are just a few recent examples of how Facebook is attempting to make its products -- as well as the internet as a whole -- more accessible to those with disabilities. It all started five years ago when Jeff Wieland, who worked on the company's user research team at the time, discovered that there were people with disabilities who were having a rather terrible experience with Facebook.
"There's this concept of alt text for photos, which used to be provided by the site owner or web developer," said Wieland. "But now the internet is all photos ... The only way we could really provide the text for photos at our scale, would be to use computers to do this." Fortunately, Facebook's AI team had been working on computer vision for at least a year and a half already and had the technology and expertise to work on the project. According to Crista Earl, the director of Web Services for the American Foundation for the Blind, most sites have incorrect or poorly designed forms. "For example, when trying to book a flight on a travel site ... the manner of selecting choices poses an obstacle to users of assistive technology." Inadequately labeled videos and images are also a problem. Other common issues are low-contrast images and tiny fonts for those with low vision. "During my experience online with accessibility issues, I have struggled with a lot of different things," said Kevin Cao, a visually impaired tech support employee for the New York Institute for Special Education. Examples include the lack of voice descriptions for images and text. A few of his favorite sites are YouTube and Applevis.com, a community website for low-vision Apple users, which he said have "clear label buttons, links and heading recognition." As for how he thinks Facebook is doing, he believes it's good for now but could use improvement. "I would like to add more picture descriptions with faces, people," he said. That's the same feedback Wieland heard as well. "They want to know what a person's hair is like, et cetera.
There's an Empathy Lab located in the middle of the Facebook campus that's partially designed to simulate disabilities to engineers and developers. On display are assistive technologies such as a Braille display for phones, a computer that uses eye tracking for control as well as screen-reading software. "It allows them to play with some of the technologies that people use day in and day out," said Wieland. "It makes it feel real and close to home."


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Hibernate ORM version
6.1.0.Final was just announced a few days ago, but the announcement didn’t go into a too much detail.
Read on if you want to know more about some of the hot new features this shiny new release comes with.
We just released Hibernate ORM version
We are pleased to announce that Hibernate 5.5.0.Final is now officially Jakarta JPA 2.2 and 3.0 certified.
We are happy to announce the new Hibernate ORM 5.5.0.Final release!
We are excited to announce the release of 5.5.0.Alpha1.


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This week witnessed a momentous event for Latin American fintech (and, more broadly, tech). Nubank, the world's largest challenger bank IPOed yesterday, with shares jumping on the first day of trading. Founded only eight years ago to offer consumers a no fee credit card, it is now Latin America's most valuable listed bank, ahead of giants like Itau. The transaction ranks as the fifth-largest US stock market flotation of 2021. No small achievement, to say the least.
If the idea of a Colombian founding such a juggernaut in Brazil in the midst of a recession isn't catchy enough, Latin America crowned three new unicorns this week. E-commerce aggregator Merama received its "horn" in about 12 months. Clara even faster, specifically eight months after its launch. Incode - which operates an identity verification and authentication platform - has taken longer, but achieved a roughly 10-fold step-up over its prior mark via this financing.
Such headlines confirm what has been a defining year for the region's tech scene. Furthermore, they continue to share the spotlight that used to be only Brazil's, as attention spreads to its Spanish speaking neighbors, particularly Mexico.
The mixture of select regulatory tailwinds, mobile penetration, urban clustering and now, more than ever, a proven exit pipeline has set up a mighty stage for talented entrepreneurs to circumvent chronic inefficiencies that have hampered the region for decades. In the good words of AFC Richmond’s star striker, Dani Rojas the region is experiencing mucho mucho fintech joy.
A Tropical Winter
Crypto executives urge light touch as Congress mulls new regulation - Top executives from six major cryptocurrency companies including Coinbase and Circle this week urged Congress to provide clearer rules for the booming $3t industry, but warned that overly tough restrictions would push it overseas. The U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee hearing marked the first time the industry's senior leaders have explained their businesses to U.S. lawmakers amid growing concerns cryptocurrencies may pose systemic risks and hurt investors. Read more
This banker is minting money in the fintech boom - His firm, Financial Technology Partners LP, is on track for some $600m in revenue this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Valuations of similar listed firms would peg its worth at $2b or more. Mr. McLaughlin owns it all, having doled out none of the firm’s equity to its 225 or so employees. Read more
WhatsApp launches cryptocurrency payments pilot in the US - WhatsApp has launched a new pilot that lets a “limited number” of people in the US send and receive money from within a chat using cryptocurrency. The feature is powered by Novi, Meta’s digital wallet that launched as a pilot six weeks ago, with payments made using Pax Dollars (USDP), a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar issued by Paxos. Read more
Monzo valuation hits $4.5b on back of drawing thousands of new customers - British neo bank Monzo’s valuation has surged to $4.5b, an increase of more than 200% since the start of the year, as thousands of new customers helped double revenues. It marks a sharp recovery since warnings that the online bank could struggle to continue as a going concern after a bruising start to the pandemic. Read more
These are the world’s richest families - Bloomberg ranks the top 25 wealthiest families globally and points out that scarcely a day goes by without a massive stock sale hitting the market from one of them. $99m one day, $146m the next, almost $294m last week alone. Read more
Meme stock traders thrilled by DOJ’s criminal probe of hedge funds - The horde of rambunctious individual investors across Reddit, Stocktwits and Twitter are thrilled with a sense of vindication. They’ve long demanded that authorities rein in hedge funds — who they see as part of the Wall Street establishment that bets against companies in a greedy pursuit of profits. Read more
Self-described Bitcoin creator must pay $100m in suit - The brother of Dave Kleiman, a computer security expert who died in 2013, alleged that the late Florida man worked with Wright to create and mine Bitcoin in its early years. As a result, the plaintiffs claimed the estate was entitled to half of a cache of as many as 1.1m Bitcoins worth some $70b, which are thought to be held by Satoshi. Read more
Better.com’s SPAC merger will be delayed by changes it made a day before laying off 900 people on Zoom - The company will seek new regulatory approval after revising the terms of the merger with Aurora Acquisition Corp. That will push back the closing of the transaction, which the companies had previously announced was likely to happen in the fourth quarter. Read more
Kickstarter will move its crowdfunding platform to blockchain - It’s hatching a standalone company to build a crowdfunding system much like Kickstarter’s but based on blockchain technology. When it’s ready, Kickstarter will switch its own website to the new infrastructure, and the new company will make the tools available for anyone to create a competing crowdfunding site. Read more
Visa launches crypto consulting services in push for mainstream adoption - The payments processor said that its crypto advisory practice, housed within its consulting and analytics division, will offer advice to financial institutions, retailers and other firms on everything from rolling out crypto features to exploring non-fungible tokens. Read more
Coinbase launches high-interest DeFi yields to 70 countries - Using the DAI stablecoin, customers can opt in to earn DeFi yield. Customers’ DAI holdings will be deposited with Compound Finance, which Coinbase describes as an “industry leading” DeFi protocol. The interest on this yield is, however, variable. Read more
AgentSync - Denver based provider of infrastructure for the insurance industry raised $75m in Series B funding led by Valor Equity Partners. Read more
CinetPay - Ivory Coast based payment gateway for Francophone Africa raised $2.4m in Seed funding from 4DX Ventures and Flutterwave. Read more
Enfuce - Helsinki based API-first card issuing and payments processing service raised €45m in Series C funding led by Vitruvian Partners. Read more
Flip - Indonesia based money transfer platform raised $48m in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital India, Insight Partners and Insignia Ventures Partners. Read more
Hometap - Boston based startup that helps homeowners take out cash without assuming new debt raised $60m in new funding led by American Family Ventures. Read more
Hummingbird RegTech - San Francisco based risk and compliance management startup raised $30m in Series B funding led by Battery Ventures. Read more
Lydia - France based financial super app raised $100m in Series C funding led by Dragoneer, Accel and Tencent. Read more
Majority - Houston based mobile bank for U.S. migrants raised $27m in Series A funding led by Valar Ventures. Read more
Mambu - Amsterdam based provider of embedded financial services and banking APIs raised €235m in Series E funding led by EQT Growth. Read more
Monzo - UK based digital bank raised $500m in new funding led by Abu Dhabi Growth Fund. Read more
Nearside - San Francisco based online bank for SMBs raised $58m in Series B funding led by Valar Ventures. Read more
Paradigm - New York based institutional liquidity network for derivative traders raised $35m in Series A funding led by Jump Capital and Alameda Ventures. Read more
Pento - London based provider of payroll management software for SMEs raised $35m in Series B funding led by Tiger Global and Avid Ventures. Read more
Pleo - Denmark based provider of expense management software and smart company cards raised $200m in extended Series C funding led by Coatue. Read more
Resolve - San Francisco based embedded BNPL solutions provider for B2B transactions that spun out of Affirm raised $25m in Series A funding led by Insight Partners. Read more
Rho - New York based corporate spend and cash management startup raised $75m in Series B funding led by Dragoneer. Read more
Stacked - Chicago based provider of passive tools for retail investors in crypto raised $35m in Series A funding led by Alameda Research and Mirana Ventures. Read more
Stride Funding - Boston based student finance startup raised $12m in Series A funding led by Firework Ventures. Read more
Sympl - Egypt based BNPL startup raised $6m in Seed funding led by Beco Capital. Read more
Tipalti - San Mateo based accounts payable automation startup raised $270m in Series F funding led by G-Squared. Read more
TRM Labs - San Francisco based blockchain analysis startup raised $60m in Series B funding led by Tiger Global. Read more
FinTech Collective Newsletter
Curated News with Context
Delivered every Saturday, the weekly newsletter, produced by our team, provides a tightly edited rundown of global fintech news, along with a bit of our original analysis.


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Safety consulting and certification company UL LLC has opened a newly established 3D printing training center at the University of Louisville.
The UL Additive Manufacturing Competency Center (UL AMCC) is an end-to-end training center for established technical and business professionals and will be a hub for advancing metal 3D printing knowledge and workforce expertise. The first-of-its-kind facility will allow to set up safety systems, identify hazards from materials as well as machines and manufacture parts with safety built into designs.
“Our vision has always been to collaborate with the additive manufacturing industry to further innovation, safety and quality. The UL AMCC is a direct outcome of that collaboration. The University of Louisville, AM machine manufacturers and other industry leaders demonstrated incredible commitment in the creation of this facility,” said Simin Zhou, vice president of UL’s Digital Manufacturing Technologies division.
UL also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with manufacturer of industrial 3D printing solutions, EOS, to provide AM training, conformity advisory services and facility safety management to EOS customers in order to promote proper usage and advance 3D printing technologies to the manufacturing industry.


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Curcugen, a bioavailability-enhanced, water-dispersible curcuminoid complex from DolCas Biotech has achieved self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status.
Curcugen, a bioavailability-enhanced, water-dispersible curcuminoid complex from DolCas Biotech has achieved self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status. The status was determined by an independent panel of scientific experts who concluded that the ingredient meets FDA’s definition of safety when used as an ingredient in yogurt, nutrition bars, smoothies, and other food and beverage products at levels of 40-60 mg per serving.
Concurrently, the panel determined an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of Curcugen at 210 mg/person, day, using Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) standards. The ADI also falls in line with the 2010 EFSA scientific opinion on the “conservative estimate” for assessing exposure to curcumin. The upper limit for consumption of Curcugen, determined the panel, is 1,400 mg/person/day in the same food formats that meet FDA GRAS requirements. These conclusions were drawn directly from the battery of toxicological studies.
“With the new self-GRAS status in place, we can continue studying the brand and broaden its integration into beverages, food and confectionary, and expand its application to additional categories, including sports nutrition and general wellbeing,” said KG Rao, CEO and President of DolCas Biotech, in a press release.


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As the pandemic settled in, many were looking to escape urban environs and get back to the land. Letitia Webster, Tractor Supply’s SVP of ecommerce, omnichannel and MDM, and a keynote at Ecommerce Operations Summit (Aug. 17-18, Nashville) talks about how her team met this new demand and improved processes along the way.
Finding enough workers is a problem, and you need to be mindful of how the workforce is changing to meet staffing objectives. Mark Irvin, chief inclusion and diversity officer for Best Buy and a keynoter at Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021, talks about how his charge aligns with the company’s labor management strategy.
Ecommerce Operations Summit 2021 is back live, at the Gaylord Opreyland in Nashville on Aug. 17-18, and the team at Multichannel Merchant has a great event on tap to help operations and fulfillment professionals keep on top of key industry trends and address the challenges of a disruptive time. Read on for some program highlights.
Absolute productivity has declined in many ecommerce fulfillment centers because productivity has not kept up with the rate of increased costs. Some larger companies are paying $18 to $20 per hour in some markets. With this in mind, here are 6 ways to become more efficient and reduce costs in your ecommerce fulfillment operations.
In 2021, will order demand continue at the same volume? How will it change? And how will it impact my labor demand? For many multichannel companies, this means moving toward fulfillment automation in order to decrease the amount of labor and its increasing costs. Here are 2 scenarios where automation was cost justified.
Locus Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfillment warehouses, has raised $150 million in a Series E round, led by Tiger Global Management and Bond, bringing its valuation to the unicorn level north of $1 billion as its business multiplies. The company is looking to expand in Europe and enter APAC in 2022.
The past year has redefined how Americans shop. Ecommerce, BOPIS and curbside are table stakes, and free shipping is expected. What exactly does that mean for ecommerce fulfillment operations? Now more than ever, they must be strategic, sophisticated and responsive. Here are 10 key areas to pursue in 2021.


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According to Keramat Veiskarami, the managing director of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company (NIOPDC), in the mentioned 15-day period the country’s gasoline consumption decreased by nearly 50 million liters compared to the figure for the previous year’s same period.
Iranians consumed 94 million liters of gasoline on average during the previous year’s Norouz holidays, Veiskarami said.
“Fortunately, the significant decrease in gasoline consumption is an indication of the people’s conformance to the general recommendations of the Coronavirus Headquarters regarding the traffic bans during Norouz [holidays] this year, and it is hoped that this trend will continue in the coming days,” the official noted.
NIOPDC had previously announced the country’s average gasoline consumption for the previous Iranian calendar month of Esfand (February 20-March 19) to be 68 million liters, while the figure fell to 44.9 million liters in the first week of the holidays.
Iranian government has imposed an intercity travel ban in late March to prevent further spread of the coronavirus during the New Year holidays.


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What you need to know
- Google is reportedly making a "Nest Wifi" system as a successor to Google Wifi.
- The new hardware will double as Google Assistant speakers.
- It'll likely be announced at Google's upcoming October 15 event.
Google recently announced that it'll be holding an event on October 15 to show off its latest hardware, with the main focus expected to be the Pixel 4. Alongside that, however, a report from 9to5Google now says we can look forward to new "Nest Wifi" hardware.
Following up on the Google Wifi mesh router system that was released in 2016, Nest Wifi is said to change up the mesh connection ever-so-slightly with there being one primary router and two secondary ones — not unlike what we see with the popular Eero mesh routers.
You'll be able to buy a bundle that includes the main Nest Wifi router and its two secondary ones, and along with providing greater wireless coverage throughout your home, the smaller Nest Wifi routers will also act as Google Assistant speakers.
In addition to the Google Assistant functionality, Nest Wifi is also reported to have a fresh design compared to Google Wifi, specifically one that's "much more home-friendly and in line with other recent Google hardware." The report goes on to say that Nest Wifi will be available in three colors and support backward compatibility with Google Wifi routers.
We're inching closer and closer to Google's October 15 event, so stay tuned over the next few weeks to see what the company has in store for us.
Google Pixel 4: Leaks, Release Date, Specs, and News!
Two years old and still a solid router.
Google Wifi may be soon replaced by Nest Wifi, but that doesn't mean it's a bad purchase these days. It continues to be easy to install, have excellent wireless performance, and look clean/minimalistic in your home. If you don't feel like waiting on Nest Wifi, give Google Wifi a shot.
Get the Android Central Newsletter
Instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.


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But as government and Wall Street continue their embrace of virtual currencies that, some say, threaten to blow up the industry status quo and eliminate the need for banks, corporations are also striving to create the stablecoin of the future, challenging governments' long-held monopoly on money.
Years after Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg first declared his intention to launch a transnational stablecoin via Facebook's "Libra" project that would, he hoped, enable cross-border payments on Facebook's platform, the Facebook-backed digital-currency project Diem is reportedly planning to launch its first stablecoin in 2021 as a small-scale pilot, according to an anonymously sourced report from CNBC.
But Libra, which involved a convoluted plan to launch a stablecoin backed by a potpourri of fiat currencies, was quickly scaled back after Facebook's talk about creating a new international financial system to supplant the dollar apparently rattled too many feathers. What was left was later spun off as Diem, a re-branding that has given life to a scaled-back vision of corporate stablecoin dominance. However, When it finally arrives, Diem won't come with the same fanfare and controversy of the original idea envisioned by the social media giant nearly two years ago.
The person, who preferred to remain anonymous as the details haven't yet been made public, said this pilot will be small in scale, focusing largely on transactions between individual consumers. There may also be an option for users to buy goods and purchases, the person added. However, there is no confirmed date for the launch and timing could therefore change.


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Hyundai Posts Operating Profits Dropping
D-Bo , Jan. 27, 2014, 12:46 p.m.
Hyundai Motor's fourth-quarter profit rose nearly 11 percent last year from 2012, but its operating profit for the whole year fell 1.5 percent to US$7.7 billion despite growing sales.
Korea's largest automaker said that although it enjoyed robust sales overseas, especially in China and the U.S., sluggish domestic demand, the strengthening won and the weakening Japanese yen put pressure on its yearly profit.
Hyundai Motor has set its global sales target for this year at nearly five million cars -- a near 4 percent jump from last year's performance. Hyundai's affiliate Kia Motors also saw its annual profit drop by nearly 10 percent last year.


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Planet Fitness discounted membership available
Fredericksburg’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) this week is offering a one-year membership to Planet Fitness in Eagle Village for $50, less than half the usual cost.
The deal is the first of a weekly promotion the EDA designed to support Fredericksburg gyms, yoga studios and fitness centers — which have been hit hard by the pandemic. Every week through May 10, a different fitness business in the City of Fredericksburg will be featured. People will be given the chance to buy a $100 gift card/membership to each business for just $50. The EDA will subsidize the rest of the cost.
The cards are available at FXBGLoveLocal.com (click here for the offer) and at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center at 706 Caroline Street. Cards from the following businesses will be sold in the following subsequent weeks:
- Bio Community Fitness West (Week of March 8)
- Bodyworks Downtown Athletic Club (Week of March 15)
- Dragonfly Yoga Studio (Week of March 22)
- Fly Fitness Inspiration (Week of March 29)
- Fredericksburg Fitness Studio (Week of April 5)
- FXBG TRX (Week of April 12)
- Gold’s Gym (Week of April 19)
- Green Fitness & Wellness (Week of April 26)
- Sol to Soul Yoga (Week of May 3)
- Sweat FXBG (Week of May 10)


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Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) hyperscale data centre specialist, AirTrunk, is strengthening its presence in Japan, announcing plans to build a new 110+ megawatt (MW) hyperscale data centre in West Tokyo, named AirTrunk TOK2 (TOK2).
The company says that TOK2 will become its eighth data centre, joining its rapidly expanding APJ platform that includes SYD1, SYD2, SYD3 and MEL1 in Australia, SGP1 in Singapore, HKG1 in Hong Kong and TOK1 in Japan. Combined, the company says the platform will offer 1.2 gigawatt (GW) of capacity.
Robin Khuda, AirTrunk's Founder & Chief Executive Officer, said: “As Japan continues to digitalise at scale, we are seeing strong shifts in cloud adoption, with analysts projecting the country’s public cloud services market to grow 19.5% annually to 2025*. Global and Japanese technology companies are focusing on Tokyo as a key growth market.
“AirTrunk’s new TOK2 hyperscale data centre in West Tokyo, along with TOK1 in East Tokyo, will take our total capacity in Japan to more than 410MW, giving customers the unprecedented ability to scale and grow in the Tokyo region. The facility will be delivered with AirTrunk’s trademark speed, scale, reliability, and efficiency,” he added.
The new data centre services a major cloud availability zone and complementing AirTrunk’s East Tokyo data centre, TOK1, that opened less than six months ago. Together, the data centres will provide location diversity for AirTrunk’s hyperscale customers in the Tokyo region.
Built across more than 4.6 hectares (11.36 acres) of land and powered by dedicated high voltage substations, the campus will utilise flexible, innovative designs configured to meet customer requirements and drive greater capacity optimisation, AirTrunk said in a statement.
Maintaining AirTrunk’s high efficiency and sustainability standards, it is designed to an industry-low power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15 and will utilise direct air-free cooling
AirTrunk investment to offer support to the Japan Digital Agency’s digitalisation efforts
AirTrunk’s Head of Japan, Nori Matsushita, said: “AirTrunk’s multi-billion-dollar investment into the economy will support the Japan Digital Agency’s path towards digitalisation, contributing to the country’s post-COVID recovery. We are also creating thousands of jobs in Japan during the development and ongoing operations of our data centres.”
Matsushita added “it’s an exciting time to be a part of AirTrunk in Japan as we expand our team to support the growth of our data centre platform. With a diverse and flexible workplace, learning and development opportunities, a new state-of-the-art headquarters in Shibuya Tokyo and industry-leading data centres, AirTrunkers can make their impact as we scale and sustain the digital future of Japan and beyond.”
As with TOK1, AirTrunk will continue to work with Japanese construction conglomerate, Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd on the development of TOK2.


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YAKIMA, WASH. — Don Carrell has been named chief executive officer of Kwik Lok Corp. He will succeed John K. Rothenbueler, who has announced his intent to retire on April 1. Mr. Rothenbueler will continue in his role as chairman.
Mr. Carrell joined Kwik Lok in 2017 as chief operating officer. Earlier, he was general manager at Rainier Plastics, Inc. Mr. Carrell also has worked as vice-president of manufacturing at Shields Bag and Printing Co., vice-president of finance and controller at Shields Bag and Printing Co., and senior logistics manager at Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood Works.
He received a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness/agricultural economics from Washington State University and a master’s degree in business administration and management from Gonzaga University.
“I am committed to continuing the Kwik Lok legacy of customer service, innovation and growth,” Mr. Carrell said. “We have a terrific team and are well-positioned for an exciting future.”
Mr. Rothenbueler has been with Kwik Lok since 2015, joining the company as president and later being elevated to c.e.o. Prior to Kwik Lok he was a partner at Alegria & Company, and earlier he was a senior manager at Deloitte.
“John’s contributions to Kwik Lok have been too numerous to count,” said Stephanie Jackson, spokesperson for the Kwik Lok board of directors. “He has developed a strategy that keeps our company healthy and innovative while maintaining a positive culture in the face of great change. I am glad he will remain in the role as board chair and happy that he has reached this well-deserved milestone in his career.”
Kwik Lok manufactures plastic bag closures for the packaging industry.


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Self-proclaimed consumer champion Which? has been branded “irresponsible and idiotic” for urging consumers to set up fake email addresses and “dirty” their data when they sign up to new companies to protect themselves “if something goes wrong”.
The recommendation is just one of a number of “key data asks” included in a new report from the organisation, Control, Alt or Delete? – The Future of Consumer Data, which calls for consumers to be given more control over their personal information.
Whether Which? would be happy for its own customers to “dirty” their data is another matter. While the organisation – a registered charity – claims to be at the forefront of fighting the consumer’s corner, it also makes millions of pounds a year through its data-driven commercial enterprises. Which? CEO Peter Vicary-Smith, who recently announced he will stand down in September this year, is paid a whopping £462,000 a year.
Nevertheless, Which? points out that with companies and organisations now processing unprecedented amounts of personal data, many consumers feel uneasy and powerless over the impact it has in their daily lives.
The report features extensive interviews with consumers over how they feel about data use. It found that people are often pragmatic about this, particularly if they see a benefit to them. But there are still significant concerns, with most (81%) saying they are worried about their data being sold to third parties.
It reveals a widespread sense of disempowerment. Many consumers are unsure of either the impact that data collection, transfer and sharing has on them, or whether it is worth the trade-off for the benefits they receive, it claims.
The organisation’s “key data asks” are:
More transparency: People must be given a clearer picture on the impact of data collection and sharing on their lives. This information must be delivered in a timely manner that’s sensitive to the context of what they’re doing. We’re calling on the new Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation to take a lead on driving this.
Digital advertising: ‘People-based’ marketing is now big business, particularly with huge and powerful companies such as Facebook and Google. We’re calling on the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) to urgently review this emerging advertising market to better understand the impact on consumers.
Tech check: We’re calling on the Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation to review how technology is used to move consumer data around networks and systems. While we want to support technology and innovation, we also want oversight and enforcement for when things go wrong. How to protect your data privacy.
Check your settings: Investigate the menus or settings to see whether you can control what data is collected and shared. For example, the Android and iOS operating systems now enable you to set what kinds of data individual apps can access.
‘Dirty’ your data: We use fake data in our testing, and you can too. Use a ‘spam’ email to create non-essential accounts. Known as ‘dirtying’ your data, this process means the impact on you is minimal if something does go wrong.
Set secure passwords: Securing your personal data is as important as maintaining your privacy. Make sure you set strong, unique and memorable passwords for all your accounts and devices.
A recent report released by data specialists Wilmington Millennium found that up to a third of customer data captured via web forms and stored in customer databases is already being fabricated.
One industry insider said: “While many of the recommendations in this report are laudable, urging consumers to set up fake email addresses is both irresponsible and idiotic. Which? certainly wouldn’t want its own customers to do that. If it is really such a consumer champion, it should be promoting how GDPR will empower the public to control their data. This recommendation hardly chimes with the Information Commissioner’s Office message.”
For its part, the ICO’s has refrained from criticising the report’s findings but is quick to point out its work around GDPR. Deputy commissioner Steve Wood said: “This research is a timely and valuable contribution to the debate on data protection, privacy and the digital economy.
“We completely agree that consumers need more help realising the value and importance of their personal data. That’s why, to coincide with the introduction of GDPR, we have launched a public awareness campaign called ‘Your Data Matters’.
“As consumers, sharing data safely and efficiently can make our lives easier, but that digital trail is valuable so it’s important that it stays safe and is only used in ways that we would expect and can control.
“In many ways it feels like we are at a data ethics tipping point in respect of the public’s trust in the way that their personal data is collected and used. This reinforces the need for fairness, transparency and accountability.”
Up to a third of online customer data ‘could be fake’
ICO accused of ‘bottling it’ as Which? escapes battering
ICO launches investigation into Which? data practices
‘Consumer champion’ Which? admits to data breach
Privacy chief accused of sucking up to the Daily Mail
Illegal data being sold on industrial scale for just 4p
Which? goes to war with Microsoft over Windows 10


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The degree of bias is dependent on a huge number of factors which affect a human’s perspective of an issue. Too many to mention here but to focus on just one cognitive bias, confirmation bias is frequently featured in leadership development as the single greatest hindrance to good decision making.
Anekanta Consulting's founder presented AI and Facial Recognition (AFR) Ethical Guidance at the Security Buyer Live event. Find out what is happening in the world of standards and regulation and hear a useful non-technical "AI learner's" overview of AI.
Anekanta Consulting supports International Women's Day 2022. We all have a role to play in eradicating bias from every day life, corporate culture and technology. How diverse is your perspective?
The Anekanta Consulting team is delighted to see its founder recognised alongside the UK's key AI influencers in the Artificial Intelligence Industry in the UK Landscape Overview 2021: Companies, Investors, Influencers and Trends.
We are delighted to announce that our founder Pauline Norstrom has been appointed to the Digital Catapult Machine Intelligence Garage ethics advisory board, alongside her portfolio of AI advisory roles and founder of our growing team here at Anekanta Consulting.
Anekanta Consulting's founder was invited to share her views on the regulation of this rapidly evolving area of AI based identity technology with leading provider of online security news Security On Screen.
This was an educational and insightful evidence session led by its Chair Lord Clement Jones; and where many perspectives were considered; including police use of the technology, commercial examples such as access control and ID verification in banking, and the confusing patchwork framework of legislation in the UK.
Anekanta Consulting welcomes the EU proposals released today. We believe that the new regulation will provide clarity to developers and users of AI based systems.
See the recording. Our founder Pauline Norstrom, was invited as a panelist on this fascinating webinar on Digital Identities: How Secure are They? by The OSPAs Chaired by Professor Martin Gill.
The British Security Industry Association launches its Guide to the Legal and Ethical use of Automated Facial Recognition (AFR)...


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Frozen yogurt fans who frequent the Menchie’s at Penrose Square will now have to go cold turkey.
The company closed its store at 2405 Columbia Pike on New Year’s Eve, according to a Menchie’s representative. The froyo shop opened roughly four years ago.
“We closed the location because it simply wasn’t making any money,” said company representative Camey Turpin. Menchie’s has no plans to open another location in the area anytime soon. The closest Menchie’s store is along U Street in Northwest D.C.
It wasn’t immediately clear what might replace the business. Arlington County has not recently issued any building permits for that address.
Photos by Dave Emke
Explore the hidden gem that is Arlington Heights with Susan Minnick in this week’s Neighborhood Spotlight.
After sunny, near-perfect weather during the work week, a cloudier and cooler weekend awaits. The local news cycle in Arlington has remained busy, shifting from stories around this month’s County…
The cement spheres of “Dark Star Park” in Rosslyn, the electric blue ribbon of “Dressed Up and Pinned” in Courthouse and the twin striped monoliths of “Echo” in the park…
(Updated 2:15 p.m.) Hundreds of students walked out of their classrooms this morning to take a stand against sexual assault and harassment in Arlington Public Schools. Walkouts were held from…


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Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. Earnings: Beats Analysts’ Estimates
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE:DKS) reported net income above Wall Street’s expectations for the first quarter. Dick’s Sporting Goods is an authentic, full-line sporting goods retailer offering a assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel, and footwear in a specialty store environment.
Investing Insights: What’s the Future of Microsoft’s Stock?
Dick’s Sporting Goods Earnings Cheat Sheet for the First Quarter
Results: Net income for Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. rose to $57.2 million (45 cents per share) vs. $37.5 million (30 cents per share) in the same quarter a year earlier. This marks a rise of 52.4% from the year-earlier quarter.
Revenue: Rose 15.1% to $1.28 billion from the year-earlier quarter.
Actual vs. Wall St. Expectations: Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. reported adjusted net income of 52 cents per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean estimate of 38 cents per share. It beat the average revenue estimate of $1.23 billion.
Quoting Management: “We had an exceptionally strong first quarter as we generated record earnings with a 50% increase in earnings per share on 15% sales growth. We also maintained a healthy balance sheet while returning capital to stockholders through our dividend and share repurchase programs,” said Edward W. Stack, Chairman and CEO. “For 2012, we are raising our full year guidance as we continue to invest in new stores and our eCommerce business as well as our margin accelerators including inventory management, private brands, and product mix shift.”
The company has now seen net income rise in three straight quarters. In the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year, net income rose 27% and in the third quarter of the last fiscal year, the figure rose more than twofold.
Revenue has increased for four quarters in a row. Revenue increased 6.1% to $1.61 billion in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year. The figure rose 9.3% in the third quarter of the last fiscal year from the year earlier and climbed 6.6% in the second quarter of the last fiscal year from the year-ago quarter.
The company beat estimates last quarter after being in line with expectations in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year with net income of 88 cents per share.
Looking Forward: Expectations for the company’s next-quarter performance are higher than they were ninety days ago. Over the past three months, the average estimate for the second quarter has risen to 63 cents per share from 61 cents. For the fiscal year, the average estimate has moved up from $2.38 a share to $2.43 over the last ninety days.
(Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)
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A teacher who had denied selling thousands of pounds worth of goods stolen from Swansea’s Debenhams store by her estranged husband on eBay will not face a re-trial after the jury in her Swansea Crown Court trial was unable to reach a verdict.
At the court on Friday, Mari Richards, 38, of Graigola Road, Glais, Swansea, was formally acquitted by Judge Peter Heywood of converting criminal property after prosecutor Janet Gedrych said the Crown Prosecution Service would not be seeking a re-trial.
But her husband Gareth Richards, a former security worker at the Debenhams store in Swansea’s Quadrant Shopping Centre, who admitted stealing luxury items from the store including leather goods, sunglasses, watches and bras, is to be sentenced in a month’s time at Swansea Crown Court for theft.
All sentencing options will be considered
Judge Peter Heywood granted him bail in the meantime on the conditions he does not enter Debenhams in Swansea and that he continues to co-operate with the probation service.
Gareth Richards, who also lives in Glais, was told “all sentencing options including prison” would be considered.
He was employed at the Swansea Debenhams store from 2008 on its Loss Prevention Team aimed at reducing theft.
The court heard at Mari Richards’ five-day trial that Gareth Richards’ thefts ended after an “unknown woman” came to the store and let a member of the sales staff know what was going on.
They set up a sting operation
The store’s security team then set up what prosecutor Ms Gedrych called “a sting” to catch Gareth Richards, involving placing a CCTV camera over a jewellery counter which recorded him opening it and taking a piece of jewellery out.
Ms Gedrych said: “In 2012 a female member of the public approached a member of staff, this led them to set up an investigation into an eBay account, Mari48888.
“They discovered Gareth Richards was married to someone called Mari and set up what would probably be called a sting. A CCTV camera was set up over a jewellery counter and Mr Richards was filmed unlocking it and removing an item from it.
'Husband was to blame'
“A Debenhams manager using a false name and address then made a test purchase of a watch on eBay which had a Debenhams bar code on it.”
Ms Gedrych alleged during the trial an account looked at by police found £22,000 was paid into an account held by the defendant and that an average of £1,000 worth of goods a month was being sold on her eBay account.
However, during the trial, Mari Richards insisted her “thieving and cheating” husband was to blame because he had access to her eBay and other accounts. She sobbed in court as she spoke about her “deceitful” husband Gareth and his six-month affair with a work colleague.
She said she was totally shocked he had been using her eBay account to sell thousands of pounds worth of designer goods he had taken from the department store while working as a trusted security guard.
Jurors unable to decide
She was adamant she had not seen anything untoward on her bank statements, credit card bills or emails for around two years.
But the mother-of-two said she did not go through her finances with a fine tooth comb during what was a turbulent period of her life – which saw her suffer a miscarriage and lose two grandparents.
After long deliberations the jurors informed the judge they could not come to a decision on the case and they were discharged.
The court heard on Friday a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation was in place to determine how much Gareth Richards had benefited by.


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Huawei won't release any other smartphones powered by Microsoft Windows Phone, as the two handsets it made available running the OS weren't profitable. Instead, consumers want to enjoy Google Android smartphones, which yields a thriving community and jam-packed app store.
"We have tried using the Windows Phone OS," said Richard Yu, Huawei consumer business group lead. "But it has been difficult to persuade consumers to buy a Windows Phone. It wasn't profitable for us. We were losing money for two years on those phones."
Windows Phone now has just over 8.1 percent of global market share - still far behind Android and Apple iOS - but shows that Microsoft is able to continue expanding the OS further.
- >> NEXT STORY: Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 both spotted running Android 5.0 Lollipop
- << PREVIOUS STORY: Australian law enforcement investigating bitcoin crime link


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Narrow your search
A concept image of the upcoming Apple smartphone gets posted by the Chinese carrier on China's version of Twitter. It is not a leaked image of the actual phone, as previously reported.
The forthcoming phablet could feature the metal trimming ushered in with the recently announced Galaxy Alpha.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has revealed that the company is dumping the Oppo Color OS in China in favour of its own OnePlus ROM in time for its second generation flagship phone.
Chinese media reports suggest the investigation could focus on Microsoft's "de facto monopoly" in China's OS market.
Madefire unveils its Android app, along with a "Print" feature to store local copies of your comics, and a "Create" tool for all those aspiring Jack Kirby's on DeviantArt.
Security firm Qihoo 360 says hackers gained control of some Tesla Model S functions -- but skimps on details of how the car was hacked.
While Facebook itself is blocked by the Chinese government, Facebook-owned Instagram is growing fast in that country.
Thomas Lee hopes to bring the Internet of Things into the mainstream. If the tech industry can play nice, he may succeed.
Through #AmazonCart, the company can use the mobile heft of Twitter to draw in smartphone shoppers.
Users of the microblogging service must not harm China's unity, speak unkindly of the country's constitution, promote rumors, or spread superstitions.


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Ring2, a London company that makes mobile-conferencing software, has announced the availability of its client for Windows Mobile handsets.
Previously available only for BlackBerry devices, the Ring2 application lets users patch into conferences using a mobile handset as a remote control, with the ability to see a real-time list of participants; add, remove and mute participants; and record and download conversations.
"This service enhancement is a result of the strong market adoption of our remote control for BlackBerry smartphones," said the company's vice president of product management, Alex Breen. "The mobile remote control we offer is unique in the industry and gets straight to the heart of everyday problems that frustrate frequent conference callers."
The service bears a per-minute-per-caller charge as well as an initial setup fee. A Symbian Series 60 version of Ring2's controller was promised for release this year, but it has so far not materialised.


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NEW YORK – May 8, 2017 – Homeowners with a bad credit score can expect to pay double – in some cases, even nearly triple – what owners with solid credit pay for their home insurance, according to a new state-by-state study by insuranceQuotes.
Policyholders with fair credit pay an average of 36 percent more than those with excellent credit, the study found. When a consumer’s credit is poor, premiums can more than double, increasing an average of 114 percent.
“Many consumers aren’t even aware that, in most states, credit plays a significant role in determining how much you pay for home insurance,” says Laura Adams, senior insurance analyst of insuranceQuotes. “So, even if you don’t plan on using credit to borrow money, it still affects your finances.”
Consumers in these states saw the greatest spike in home insurance premiums when their credit was poor:
- South Dakota: 288.1%
- Arizona: 268.6%
- Oklahoma: 248%
- Nevada: 235.3%
- Oregon: 234.9%
On the other hand, consumers in these states saw the smallest increase:
- North Carolina: 0.2%
- Florida: 25.7%
- New York: 29.3%
- Wyoming: 43.9%
- Hawaii: 53.1%
The list excludes California, Massachusetts, and Maryland, which prohibit the use of credit scores when setting home insurance rates, the authors note.
© Copyright 2017 INFORMATION INC., Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688


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Cyprus’ consumer prices continued to decline in September, though at a slower pace than in the previous month, figures from the Statistical Service showed Friday.
The consumer price index dropped 2.5 percent year-over-year in September, following a 2.7 percent decrease in August. In July, prices had fallen 3.0 percent.
Utility costs plunged 9.5 percent in September from a year ago and transport costs dipped by 5.4 percent. Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages slid 1.5 percent, while that for alcoholic beverages and tobacco grew by 2.23 percent.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.5 percent in September. This was mainly due to the increases in the prices of certain clothing and footwear items, of certain fresh fruits and vegetable and of electricity, the agency said.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com


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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong Airlines, an internationally-acclaimed airline, have signed a codeshare agreement to provide travellers with enhanced connections between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Subject to regulatory approval, Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on Hong Kong Airlines’ flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok, allowing business and leisure travellers to book a round trip between Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi via Thailand’s capital.
In addition, the code will appear on flights between Hong Kong and Okinawa, a popular tourism destination in southern Japan.
Passengers of Hong Kong Airlines will also benefit from enhanced access across the Middle East and Europe under the partnership, with the airline’s ‘HX’ code being placed on Etihad Airways’ triple-daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, together with two upcoming services that will connect Abu Dhabi to Madrid from March 29th 2015 and to Hong Kong from June 15th 2015.
Flights under the codeshare agreement can be booked from 23 December 2014 via travel agents or through the airlines’ sales offices and contact centres.
Passengers can travel from January 6th 2015, or in the case of Etihad Airways’ Hong Kong and Madrid services, from the launch dates.
Kevin Knight, chief strategy and planning officer at Etihad Airways, said: “Codeshares are a fundamental part of Etihad Airways’ long-term growth strategy and we are delighted to sign this agreement with Hong Kong Airlines.
“Our partnership will result in multiple benefits for both airlines and, importantly, there are considerable advantages for travellers as well, such as enhanced connections and a more frequent service between the various destinations covered.”
Etihad Airways was recently recognised as the World’s Leading Airline for the sixth consecutive year by the World Travel Awards.


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EV stocks bucked the broader market downturn and ended mostly higher, although market leader Tesla, Inc. TSLA was down for a fourth straight week. Charging stocks also came under selling pressure, while China EV stocks recorded handsome gains.
Here are the key events that happened in the EV space during the week:
Tesla Bears Brunt Of Non-Tesla Headlines: Tesla stock remained under pressure amid fears that production disruption in China will impact the company's fundamentals in the near term. Citing the slow ramp following restart of production at Giga Shanghai, longtime Tesla bull and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives took down his price target for the stock from $1,400 to $1,000.
Reports suggest that despite Shanghai's gradually easing of COVID restrictions, Tesla will have to continue with closed-loop production until mid-June. The company, which is currently running a single shift at the plant, is expected to revert to double shifts in the unfolding week.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the company plans to hold its second AI Day on August 19 and also suggested the event would serve as a recruitment drive to attract fresh software/AI/chip talent.
Some of Tesla stock weakness is also attributable to updates on Musk's pursuit of social media platform Twitter, Inc. TWTR. Even as Musk has backtracked, citing inaccuracies in the reporting of the number of spam accounts on the platform, it has emerged that he may be legally bound to complete the transaction. Musk also faced a setback after a media outlet broached the issue of the Tesla CEO and his SpaceX venture paying $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim against him in 2018.
Musk brushed off the allegations as false claims and suggested that there is a political angle to the development, in apparent reference to him announcing that he is switching his allegiance to the Republican Party. He also tweeted that Tesla is looking to set up a legal department to initiate and executive lawsuits.
In another development, Tesla was removed from S&P's ESG Index following an annual update to the list, with the agency reasoning that the company's "lack of a low-carbon strategy" and "codes of business conduct," along with claims of racism and poor working conditions reported at the Fremont plant leading to the move.
China Discusses EV Subsidy Extension: Reports suggest that the Chinese government has initiated talks with domestic EV makers regarding an extension of subsidies through the end of 2023. This is seen as a welcome development as the industry is reeling under the impact of geopolitical tensions.
Nio, Inc. NIO kept its tryst with Singapore, as the Chinese EV startup successfully listed on the Singapore stock exchange on Friday. The company also said it plans to have Singapore as a research hub for AI and self-driving. Additionally, Nio shares are to be added to both Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Composite Index and the Hang Seng Tech Index, beginning June 13.
Fisker Confirms Production Of Second EV Model: Fisker, Inc. FSR and partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Limited HNHPF announced completion of the acquisition of a manufacturing plant in Ohio and confirmed that the two companies will start manufacturing the PEAR EV, having a base price of under $29,900, in 2024.
Lordstown Names CEO To Additional Role of Chairman: Lordstown Motors Corp. RIDE announced following its annual shareholder meeting, that Daniel Ninivaggi will assume the dual roles of chairman and chief executive officer. The company also elected two independent directors to its board.
Honda Teases Prologue EV : Japanese automaker Honda Motor Company Limited HMC announced a teaser image of its Prologue electric SUV, which would be its first EV to go on sales in the U.S. Prologue will be the first of the two EVs the company plans to co-develop with General Motors Corporation GM. It is expected to be delivered in 2024.
EV Stock Performances for The Week:
© 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Pew's consumer banking project studied the accounts that Americans rely on every day to manage their finances, including checking accounts, prepaid cards, and mobile payments.
The initiative built partnerships with key stakeholders to advocate for effective consumer protections and a level playing field in the financial marketplace.
Data Visualization June 24, 2015
Who Reads 40 Pages of Disclosures?
The need for a disclosure box


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Do camels wash? If so, what type of soap do they use?
A Staffordshire couple hopes the answer will be the natural liquid soaps made by their company, which is trying to break into the camel-racing circuit in the Middle East.
The move follows the success enjoyed by Tim and Elaine Woodley, who set up Red Star Natural Liquid Soaps in their kitchen in Kinver two years ago.
Boosted by support from Business Link West Midlands, Tim and Elaine have seen Red Star Natural Liquid Soaps grow beyond their wildest dreams.
Mr Woodley said: "We were talking to a UK Trade and Investment adviser about selling our horse shampoos overseas and one of the markets that was mentioned was the Middle East.
"Horse racing is very popular over there, but so is camel racing. The horses are looked after very well, with their own hospitals, and it is the same for camels.
"Some of them are worth more than £1 million. So now we are looking to develop a new soap which suits camels."
The husband and wife team is now looking at providing their natural household soaps and pet shampoos to a growing distribution network in the UK, Finland, Denmark and the United States.
After two years of formulating, manufacturing and selling hand crafted soaps in their spare time, the couple launched their soap making business in June 2004.
At the time, Tim was a full time firefighter, nurse Elaine was about to go on maternity leave and son Jake was aged just two.
The company has now grown to a team of three part-time staff as well as Tim and Elaine, who produce the liquid soaps in small quantities at their home workshop.
Mr Woodley said: "We were quite crafty and started off producing hard and then liquid soaps for humans. Then we extended this for our dogs, then horses.
"My wife is allergic to horses, so we have never kept them, but we started producing the soaps because people kept asking us to.
"The horse-owners helped us to develop the soap."
Larger, bulk quantities are made by Provimi in Lichfield, while the hard bar soap is produced only by Red Star because it is not possible to produce en mass in a factory.
"We've seen Red Star's turnover double year-on-year for the past four years," said Business Link adviser Catherine Bray.
"Now we're helping the business plan for a future out of the house and in new premises where they'll be employing a growing army of soap makers."
Initially concentrating on cruelty and animal product free soap bars, the Red Star range now focuses on liquid products for people, dogs and horses.
Mr Woodley said: "We're determined to make soaps from scratch using the original, constituent natural ingredients that contain no animal products and involve no animal testing.
"We really were making everything at the kitchen sink at home and simply couldn't keep up with demand.
"We develop them all at home with pots and pans. It is a bit like cooking, but a little more complicated."
The Woodleys use only essential oils and natural ingredients, which led to their first liquid soap - which was continually sold out in its first year of production - winning an award for excellence and innovation from Viva!, the international vegetarian charity.
The Woodleys were struggling to expand their business profitably while retaining control of their products and the manufacturing process.
Business Link West Midlands funded consultancy from industry expert and author Melinda Coss to help with planning, financial forecasts and establishing a route to market.
"Most importantly, Business Link helped locate a contract manufacturer who would not compromise our values," said Mr Woodley.
"They make the soap just like we do at home. It is still hand-made, but with much bigger pots and pans and this now allows us to mass manufacture."
The consultancy Red Star received also ensured the business had an effective pricing structure in place and that steps were taken to protect its intellectual property, including trade marking the business name and logo.
"The jewel in our crown is the new Red Star Pony Polish," said Mr Woodley.
"It's the only horse shampoo on the market that's both natural and free from animal products and we worked with horse owners around the country to make sure it's right."
One of those local horse owners was Wendy Turner Webster, animal rights campaigner and presenter of Channel 4's Absolutely Animals and Pet Rescue.
She has gone on to give Red Star her endorsement and in return the company is sponsoring her at the Horse of the Year Show Qualifiers.
The soaps are mainly sold online direct to customers, but the business is steadily building a distributor network both in the UK and overseas with products regularly exported to Europe and the Americas.
Mr Woodley said: "We've been going for a few years, but have been growing by 80 per cent every year."


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Sam Yen, chief innovation officer for Commercial Banking at JPMorgan Chase, said a simple mindset should guide financial intuitions and other providers striving to innovate B2B payments for their business clients.
“What we think is core, banking services, is actually somebody else’s chore,” Yen told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster, recalling a scenario from his early days with the bank. “Working with our commercial real estate clients, I was shocked to discover that the only reason residents kept a checkbook was because that’s all the property owner would accept,” he said.
“We saw an opportunity to go beyond traditional banking and address a real need for both property owners and residents. But we didn’t call it a payment solution, we thought of this as a property management solution where the payments and the banking were actually embedded and wrapped up as a tool to actually run your business better,” he said while noting the breadth of comparable opportunities he expects will present themselves going forward.
Currently, B2B transactions are marked by complexity, by a labyrinth of fund flows across borders that demand new ways of thinking about how money can and should move. There’s ample opportunity to refashion commercial payments and make them more user-friendly.
Commercial banking, he said, is primed to do just that by helping businesses of all sizes scale more easily by deepening their ties to the Connected Economy.
“Technology is not as scary as it once was,” he said, noting that while businesses are more open to new ideas today than in the past, it’s also important for financial institutions and their clients not to get too hung up on the details of payment modalities or the hardware and software aspects.
Despite his deep tech background, Yen said the path forward for building embedded B2B payments is not really about the technology or innovation, calling them just “instruments and tools.”
Instead, he said, what he is trying to achieve in improving business payments practices is to make them seamless and memorable experiences along the lines of what numerous consumer products and service companies already do so well.
“These companies look to simplify the experience of their clients and their customers,” he said. “They’re just looking for one aspect of their [customer’s] lives to make easier and in some cases, more delightful,” noting that the same objective should be applied in commercial relationships.
From Delightful to Delay
Given that most of us have already been able to consolidate many of the formerly physical financial aspects of our personal lives through digital wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay), P2P payments and buy now, pay later options, Yen said those same experiences could easily transfer to our professional lives.
Not only can those trends spark new ways of thinking about business, he said, but a lag time of a few years in embracing innovation is the norm and to be expected, as is the inevitable B2B catch-up that is happening now.
“You’re often able to look at the innovations that happen in the consumer space,” he said, “and those innovations take a couple of years to filter over to businesses and enterprises.”
With that in mind, Yen said providers are right to seek to “consumerize” financial services with the enterprises’ input. The most successful approach for any B2B solutions provider lies in understanding and interpreting the client’s needs from the beginning. “Co-innovation” helps improve the day-to-day experience of running operations.
To that point, Yen said JPMorgan Chase can and does leverage data that winds its way through information technology systems to examine what’s happened in the past, what happens in real time, and what’s needed (with machine learning in the mix) to make sure small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can grow to their optimal and desired state.
In fact, not unlike his old one-check-per-month example, JP Morgan Chase announced this month that it was piloting Story by J.P. Morgan, an integrated suite of digital commercial real estate management solutions to simplify and streamline portfolio management by providing access to a digital rent payment platform, unique data, insights and resources that help clients scale their real estate business.
“There are just so many little things that can be done to transform how small and mid-sized businesses operate and create efficiencies,” he said.
That approach, he said, is not about just banking, “it’s the innovation recipe in general.”