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Us cancels Double Taxation exemption for Shipping in Hong Kong
The United States has announced the end of its double taxation relief agreement with Hong Kong on international shipping income, following the abolition of independent customs territory status and the ban on the "Made in Hong Kong" label.
Under the original bilateral agreement, Hong Kong companies were only required to pay tax in Hong Kong (which is exempted under the Inland Revenue Ordinance) and in the United States to avoid double taxation.In the event of termination of the agreement, the Hong Kong company will be subject to a 4% tax in the United States on one half of the gross income from each voyage into the United States and one half of the gross income from each voyage out of the United States.Since the agreement is bilateral, US companies established in Hong Kong after the termination of the agreement will also be subject to double US and Hong Kong tax rates.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said recently that the cancellation of the AGREEMENT in the US would increase the operating costs of shipping companies. In particular, us companies would be subject to double taxation, which was described as "hurting others", while Hong Kong companies would benefit from the duty-free arrangement in Hong Kong.
A Spokesman for the Hong Kong Government said that upon termination of the relevant agreement between Hong Kong and the United States, us companies would be required to pay tax to both the US and Hong Kong governments, while Hong Kong companies would only be required to pay tax to the US government due to the exemption of shipping income from Hong Kong under Section 23B of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.The spokesman said the cancellation of the agreement has hindered the development of the shipping industry in both places and harmed everyone.
Hong Kong shipping transportation officials pointed out that at present it is difficult to know after the termination of the agreement, whether to ship company to port operation decision how much impact, but there are many influence factors in this problem, including freight routes, transit network perfection, pick up the mainland export goods, etc., and Hong Kong itself low tax rates, even if the ship company needs to pay the double tax rates, not necessarily involves very large amount.
Hong Kong shipping officials said they could not rule out some companies leaving for Singapore, which also has duty-free agreements with the United States, such as some ocean-going shipping companies that focus on U.S. business.He believes that the companies that will be affected this time will be the charterers, but will not affect Hong Kong's shipping trade, because as long as there is business, American companies will continue to invest in Hong Kong.
So far, Hong Kong has signed agreements with 49 (originally 50) major trading partners, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Russia, the Chinese mainland and Macau, covering regions that make up more than 80 percent of international trade.These agreements enable shipping companies, who are employed to file and pay taxes in Hong Kong, to avoid being taxed in another region.With Hong Kong's low tax rate and simple tax system, it attracts a large number of shipping companies to operate in Hong Kong and arrange their business to pay tax in Hong Kong whenever possible.
According to the Hong Kong Maritime Industry Overview 2019 released by the Hong Kong Maritime Port Authority last year, more than 2,600 merchant ships are owned or managed by hong Kong-registered shipowners, accounting for about 10 per cent of the world's merchant fleet and ranking fourth in the world, behind famous tax havens such as Panama and the Marshall Islands.
According to the Hong Kong Maritime Port Authority, as of June this year, there were 1,957 registered freighters in Hong Kong, with a total throughput of 8.647 million teUs of containers.In addition, According to the UK's Baltic Exchange International Shipping Centres Development Index (ISCD), Hong Kong overtook London as the world's second largest international shipping centre after Singapore for the first time that year.
Hong Kong has reached arrangements with more than 40 countries and regions to exempt shipping revenue from double taxation
It is well known that, given the international nature of shipping business, shipping companies are more vulnerable to double taxation than other types of businesses.In response to the appeal of the Hong Kong trade, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has implemented the revised legislation since 1 April 1998, which allows Hong Kong shipping companies to enjoy tax relief on their shipping income in areas with reciprocal tax relief legislation.At the same time, Hong Kong is endeavouring to negotiate double taxation relief arrangements for shipping income with places that do not have reciprocal tax relief legislation, and with places that do have reciprocal tax relief legislation but still prefer bilateral agreements.The above tax relief arrangements with global trading partners will greatly reduce the maritime tax burden on Hong Kong and its trading partners, enhance their international competitiveness, attract more overseas investors to Invest in Hong Kong and increase the interest of Hong Kong shipping companies in investing overseas.We will further consolidate and strengthen Hong Kong's position as an international shipping centre.
Double taxation relief arrangements include the following:
Tax exemption treatment arrangement: Under section 23B of the Inland Revenue Ordinance, shipping companies in Hong Kong enjoy tax relief in areas with similar tax exemption treatment legislation.
Avoidance of double taxation agreement covering shipping income: A bilateral agreement may mutually exempt a shipping company of one contracting party from taxes payable in the other Contracting Party on profits derived from the operation of international shipping.This agreement frees shipowners from the burden of double taxation.
Comprehensive avoidance of double taxation Agreements: Bilateral agreements/arrangements provide relief from double taxation on all types of income, including shipping income.
At present, Hong Kong has signed up with tax authorities of 42 countries and territories for double taxation relief arrangements related to shipping income.
Countries and territories with double taxation avoidance agreements include Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and the United States;Chile, South Korea and New Zealand are exempt from tax.Complete avoidance of double taxation agreement with Austria, Belgium, brunei, Canada, the Czech republic, France, guernsey, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, jersey, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, mainland China, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, united Arab emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam.
In addition, the HKSAR Government is also discussing with the tax authorities of Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cyprus, Finland, India, Israel, Macao SAR, Macedonia, Mauritius, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia the arrangement for mutual exemption of shipping tax.


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Tata Motors Q4 Results: Rs 7,585-Crore Surprise Loss; Revenue Beats Estimates
Tata Motors Ltd. reported a surprise loss on account of exceptional items even as demand for its cars and utility vehicles lifted domestic sales.
The automaker reported a loss of Rs 7,585 crore in the January-March period against the Rs 2,941-crore profit in the quarter ended December, according to an exchange filing. A consensus of analysts tracked by Bloomberg had pegged the bottom line at Rs 2,774 crore.
Tata Motors recognised an exceptional charge of Rs 14,994 crore under the Jaguar Land Rover ‘Reimagine’ strategy. These include asset write-downs worth Rs 9,606 crore in relation to models that have been cancelled by the company. It reported another Rs 5,388 crore in restructuring costs, including Rs 5,312 crore on costs accruals to settle legal obligations and work performed to date and provisions for redundancies and other third-party obligations.
Adjusted for one-time items, the company would have reported a profit before tax of Rs 5,703 crore.
Q4 Highlights (QoQ)
Revenue rose 17% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 88,628 crore, against the Rs 87,517-crore forecast.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose 10.7% to Rs 12,745 crore.
Margin contracted to 14.4% from 15.2%, but surpassed consensus estimate of 12.8%.
The Mumbai-based automaker sold 21% more vehicles than the preceding quarter at 1.82 lakh units in the three months to March. That came as domestic sales, after a washout in the first quarter of the 2020-21 fiscal on account of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, gradually recovered, aided by a quicker-than-expected economic recovery and demand for personal mobility. Also, Tata Motors’ decision to hike prices from April, the second time this year to counter rising input costs, may have prompted pre-buying in March.
Tata Motors’ peer Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., too, indicated a steep commodity price increase. The nation’s largest carmaker saw its profit fall over the preceding three months in the fourth quarter.
Sales of JLR, which contributes 80% to Tata Motors’ revenue, however, saw a 3.88% sequential decline in sales in the January-March period at 1.23 lakh units. The luxury brand in February had said it expected to reduce its global salaried workforce by about 2,000 people in the next financial year to cut costs in reorganization. The company, according to a Bloomberg report, also announced a £2.5-billion ($3.5 billion) annual budget for investment in electrification and related technologies and said the Jaguar brand will go entirely electric by 2025.
Demand for JLR has also started improving in key markets like China, Europe and the U.S. Last week Moody’s Investors Service revised its outlook on Tata Motors from “negative” to “stable” because of overall improvement in its consolidated financials and turnaround in operations of JLR.
Tata Motors’ Business Outlook
Supply situation over the next few months likely to be adversely impacted.
Disruptions from Covid-19 lockdowns in India and semi-conductor shortages worldwide to impact sales.
Semi-conductor shortage to impact JLR’s April-June quarter production plans.
Difficult to mitigate the impact of semi-conductor shortage.
Expect April-June quarter to be relatively weak.
Expect JLR sales to continue to recover in FY22.
Will consider fundraising in the subsequent board meeting.
Shares of Tata Motors closed 3.5% higher before the results were announced compared with a 1.2% gain in the benchmark Nifty 50.

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Moscow and Paris, September two 2020
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has effectively launched a global support venture for its new client PERI, a single of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of formwork and scaffolding techniques, to deliver support for a lot more than seven,000 PERI staff across fifty six nations.
Due to the fact the start off of this agreement, which commenced in November 2019, the company has effectively implemented 3 introductory phases, which now deliver a centralized consumer support desk to support a lot more than seven,000 PERI staff throughout the world. Atos not only enhanced the high quality of support and improved person fulfillment, but also minimized support costs.
“In unique regions of PERI’s presence, the IT support support was fragmented – someplace the operate was carried out with community contractors, someplace the issues have been solved by the company’s very own sources. Synergy


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HIGH POINT, NC -- U.S. residential furniture manufacturers and distributors saw a 5 percent increase in new orders during the month of June.
June sales were up from a 3 percent increase in May, according to Smith Leonard, an accounting firm that publishes Furniture Insights, a review of the industry. In the firm’s report for June, new furniture orders remained 5 percent ahead of last year's first half of the year.
In addition to an increase in sales, shipments in June were 4 percent higher than the same time last year, with year-to-date shipments up 6 percent. Backlogs were down 6 percent from May as shipments exceeded orders. Backlogs were 10 percent higher than June 2013, down from 13 percent reported last month, the firm reported.
“We do see that the upholstery business seems better than case goods, but overall we are pleased to see the consistent improvement in orders and shipments, with the other key indicators pretty much in line,” the firm reported. “We are also hearing that commercial furniture business continues to improve as construction and refurbishments in that sector have picked up.”
Housing starts in July were up 15.7 percent over June and 21.7 percent over July 2013.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.


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THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA
THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; Rockport to Replace Bartle Bogle Hegarty
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: October 25, 1994
The Rockport Company said yesterday that it would not renew its yearlong contract with Bartle Bogle Hegarty in London when it expires on Dec. 31. As a result, Rockport is talking to several agencies about the creative portion of its global footwear account with billings estimated at $3 million to $4 million.
In confirming a report this week in Adweek, Kate Toomey, a spokeswoman for Rockport in Marlboro, Mass., said the company was "looking to put an emphasis on the 35-to-49 age group," rather than the younger consumers addressed in advertising by Bartle Bogle.
Trade publications had been speculating about an agency change since June, when John Thorbeck, the president and chief executive who hired Bartle Bogle, left Rockport.


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After getting the "Most progressive state in tourism" award from the Centre, Punjab has bagged "Best rural tourism initiative" award at International Tourism Conclave and Travel Awards (ITCTA) held in Shimla to mark World Tourism Day.
At present there are 17 approved farm houses under this scheme and the state government plans to add more, based on response from travel industry. Basanta Raj Kumar, IFS, executive director, Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) received the award from Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.
An official spokesperson of the Punjab tourism department said that PHTPB’s marketing efforts to reach out to travel trade has been successful and travel industry has well appreciated the product — farm tourism. In its bid to facilitate farm owners, PHTPB said, it has been organizing workshops by industry professionals and further create a platform to promote through interaction with tour operators at various travel exhibitions and travel industry forums.
He said that farm tourism operator acts as guide and host to the guests visiting to Punjab who wish to enjoy the rustic way of life as an experiential tourism. These farm houses are approved by PHTPB on pre-qualification criteria basis which also come along with certain benefits and special dispensation from Punjab government, he said.


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IMO Launches the IMO Q2 with Carphone Warehouse
IMO, the UK-based challenger mobile brand from Verve Connect, has launched their IMO Q2 smartphone with retail giant Carphone Warehouse this month. IMO specialises in creating high quality mobile devices and making them widely accessible at “pocket-money prices”.
The IMO Q2 successfully launched with Tesco and Virgin Mobile last year and is regularly one of the UK’s top 10 GFK pre pay devices. The smartphone is now available in Carphone Warehouse across 310 of their retail stores and their online channels, with prices starting from £34.99 on Pay as you go and SIM free at £54.99.
The IMO Q2 is a compact 4″ android smartphone, with a 5MP front and rear camera, and a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. It targets consumers who are looking for a great value entry level Android handset.
Nigel Whitehead, Head of Sales and Propositions, commented “The IMO Q2 has been a huge success for us since we launched it into the UK market last year. To date over 100,000 happy UK customers have purchased the device, and over 300,000 consumers are enjoying an IMO product.
“The addition of Carphone Warehouse as a sales channel partner means the IMO Q2 will be available to purchase in nearly 50% of the UK’s mobile retail outlets, and will bring the IMO brand to a new customer profile. Our strategy is always to try and provide consumers with high quality mobile devices with strong functionality, at the most affordable prices.
“We are delighted to launch the IMO Q2 with Carphone Warehouse, and are confident we can grow our partnership with them throughout 2018 and beyond. We have an exciting new portfolio launching in the 2H this year and will work with Carphone and our other partners, to further establish the IMO brand in the UK market, and make our products easily accessible to all.”
OS: Android 5.1
Display: 4.0″ WVGA
Camera: 5MP Rear / 5MP Front
Chipset & CPU: SC7731C/ Quad Core 1.2GHz
Memory: 1GB RAM + 8GB ROM / Micro SD (Up to 32GB)
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
Battery: 1450 mAh
Other features: Sensor, Accelerometer/Proximity


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UN secretary-general offers Lavrov condolences on Churkin’s deathWorld February 21, 19:53
OPEC does not see problems regarding growth of Russian oil exportBusiness & Economy February 21, 19:46
Kremlin to bake 100,000 pancakes for MaslenitsaSociety & Culture February 21, 19:23
Production of Mercedes Benz cars to start in Russia in 2019Business & Economy February 21, 18:43
UN Security Council holds a minute of silence in memory of Russia’s deceased envoyWorld February 21, 18:30
Russia and US might launch joint operations against terrorists in Raqqa — ministerWorld February 21, 18:17
Ankara’s talks with Moscow over purchase of S-400 go on positivelyMilitary & Defense February 21, 18:07
Russia's Autovaz starts Lada Vesta sales in GermanyBusiness & Economy February 21, 17:31
Syrian opposition’s Moscow Group to take part in Geneva talksWorld February 21, 17:21
“I would like to point out that the integration process is reaching a new level, although we are still to do a great deal to ensure the newly-created Eurasian Economic Union should achieve capacity operation and the people of our countries feel real feedback from the efforts we exert,” Putin said.
Putin said that the integration project of creating the Eurasian Economic Union is already yielding practical results. In particular. he noted that commodity turnover between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan integrated into the Customs Union has risen by 50% to over $64 billion since July 1, 2011.
According to Putin, key economic and legal issues in the competence of the Eurasian Economic Community will be referred to the Eurasian Economic Union.
The Treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on May 29, 2014 in Astana.
The agreement is the basic document defining the accords between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan for creating the Eurasian Economic Union for the free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce and conducting coordinated, agreed or common policies in key sectors of the economy, such as energy, industry, agriculture and transport.
The agreement stipulates the transition of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the common economic space.
The document says that the union is open for accession by any state sharing the union’s goals and principles on the terms agreed by the member countries.
The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union is set to come into effect from January 1, 2015.


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Nov 05, Colombo: Sri Lanka Customs has earned a significant income last month, the Director General of Sri Lanka Customs Mrs. Sudharma Karunarathne announced today.
The income during the month of October has been recorded as Rs. 3.87 billion Mrs. Sudharma Karunarathne says. In September also the Customs earned Rs. 3.46 billion rupees.
The increase of income via import of motor vehicles has contributed to the rapid increase. Earnings via import of motor vehicles rose from Rs. 180 million in January this year to Rs. 1.47 billion by October.
The Director General attributes the rapid increase of importing motor vehicles to the tax concessions declared by the government.
Sri Lanka in June this year reduced vehicle import taxes by 50 percent and removed the 15% import surcharge levied on all imports.


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Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) was downgraded by stock analysts at Vetr from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Monday, May 8th. They presently have a $79.40 price objective on the retailer’s stock. Vetr‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 0.80% from the company’s previous close.
WMT has been the subject of several other reports. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Wal-Mart Stores from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Bank of America Corp upgraded Wal-Mart Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Co started coverage on Wal-Mart Stores in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $71.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Wal-Mart Stores from $74.00 to $70.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.54.
Shares of Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) traded up 1.59% on Monday, hitting $78.77. 18,472,162 shares of the stock were exchanged. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.82. Wal-Mart Stores has a 12 month low of $65.28 and a 12 month high of $79.44. The company has a market cap of $239.07 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89 and a beta of 0.09.
Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 18th. The retailer reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $116.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.01 billion. Wal-Mart Stores had a return on equity of 17.71% and a net margin of 2.98%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Wal-Mart Stores will post $4.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 6th. Wal-Mart Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.48%.
In other news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 3,667,343 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.99, for a total transaction of $264,012,022.57. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,507,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $756,408,072.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 3,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $211,500,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,507,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $740,752,453.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,585,041 shares of company stock valued at $1,110,035,611 over the last 90 days. 51.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Vantage Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vantage Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,118 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $153,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. Asset Planning Services Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.7% in the first quarter. Asset Planning Services Ltd. now owns 1,511 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $109,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 3,661 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Fort Point Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Wal-Mart Stores by 0.4% in the third quarter. Fort Point Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,663 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Alexandria Capital LLC raised its position in Wal-Mart Stores by 0.9% in the first quarter. Alexandria Capital LLC now owns 2,513 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 29.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Wal-Mart Stores
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc is engaged in the operation of retail, wholesale and other units in various formats around the world. The Company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club. The Walmart U.S. segment includes its mass merchant concept in the United States operating under the Walmart or Wal-Mart brands, as well as digital retail.
To view Vetr’s full report, visit Vetr’s official website.
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PE appetite for restaurants just keeps growing
It seems that private equity firms are hungry for restaurant deals. Since the start of 2014, 20 European restaurant groups have been snapped up by private equity firms in deals worth a combined $1.4 billion, according to data provider Dealogic.
And the flurry of interest in the sector shows no signs of abating, with Japanese-style chain Yo Sushi! currently on the market and funds continuing to look at new opportunities.
Adam McLelland, a managing director with turnaround advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal in London, said: “It’s not a difficult market to find opportunities in. There is a range of investment bankers at every restaurant in the City marketing their wares.” McLelland specialises in providing advice and due diligence services to funds.
In the past year, Prezzo, an Italian-style restaurant chain, was sold to TPG for £304 million; Cinven sold Ask and Zizzi Italian-style restaurants to Bridgepoint for £250 million; Côte, a bistro chain, was bought by BC Partners for £250 million and Casual Dining Group, backed by Apollo, bought Las Iguanas, a Latin American-style chain, for £85 million.
McLelland said: “You don’t need to go very far to find a list of more deals coming to the market in the next 12 months. But it’s highly competitive, and the multiples that are being paid are high, both in comparison to other industry sectors, and in comparison to the sector a few years ago.” Restaurants have two big attractions for private equity, the first being the market fundamentals, which show European consumers eating out more, following a trend that is more advanced in the US and suggests further growth.
The second is the mechanics of the industry, which allow private equity firms to generate growth through opening more branches. Charles Ind is managing partner of Bowmark Capital, which recently sold Las Iguanas and has bar-restaurant chain Drake & Morgan in its portfolio. Ind said: “Restaurants are scalable businesses. Once you have a proven formula, there is often significant scope to roll it out. This type of investment-led growth is fundamentally attractive to private equity investors.”
Bowmark bought Las Iguanas in 2007 for around £30 million, and doubled its size before exiting. Ind said: “Arguably, the ideal time to invest is when a chain has seven to 10 sites, so the concept is proven but there is visible roll-out potential for at least another 40 sites.
Obviously, it depends on the nature of the proposition, and what the end game is. But it’s about scale – can you double the estate, and then double it again? It’s much riskier investing when there are only three or four sites, when it’s not yet clear there’s a replicable format.”
Making money in restaurants is not a given. Mid-market restaurants live or die by the quality of their operational management, Ind says, because consistency of service and quality is tough to maintain across national brands.
Core Capital is a lower mid-market investor that previously backed Loch Fyne restaurants and now owns Brasserie Blanc, established by chef Raymond Blanc. Managing partner Stephen Edwards said: “There’s been a heavy emphasis on roll-out as a source of growth, but our view is that you also need to see like-for-like revenue growth in your existing estate. If you can get those two things to work, then you have a healthy brand.”
Differentiation is also critical. Ron Pearson, the Bowmark partner responsible for Las Iguanas and Drake & Morgan, said: “The proposition has to be appealing, not only to consumers, but also to landlords, because the key to a successful roll-out is securing new sites for expansion. The proposition has to be differentiated, and sales per square foot have to be sufficient to justify sometimes very high rents.
“If you have a proven model, it’s getting to the sites that is the biggest challenge. Having a proven site-finding capability is a key success factor that we look for in a business.”
The need to maximise sales per square foot in the face of rising high street rents and rates has led to the appearance of innovative concepts. All-day dining brands like Côte are thriving, as is Loungers, a chain of neighbourhood café-bars that steers clear of premium city centre sites and was backed in 2012 by Piper Private Equity.
Another trick is to avoid the most costly licences. Sites in the UK have their nature of use defined by the local authority, and a property with A3 usage can have a fully functioning kitchen to prepare and sell food. By contrast, an A1 site is a typical retail site and cannot have proper ovens. A1 sites are generally cheaper than the sought-after A3 restaurant locations.
Omar Kayat is a partner at Graphite and has worked on several restaurant deals. He said: “There are plenty of people with typical restaurant businesses, who need full kitchen facilities, chasing after A3 sites. But, if you’re able to have a limited hot offering with a cold offering alongside it, like Itsu, for example, then you can actually trade out of potentially cheaper A1 sites. That opens up the range of sites that you can go for.”
Graphite is currently invested in Hawksmoor, a chain of London steak restaurants, and its investment in Wagamama, a noodle chain, in 1996 was one of the first private equity restaurant deals. Wagamama grew from two sites to 70 in the UK and 36 abroad under Graphite’s ownership, before a sale to Lion Capital in 2005.
Kayat said: “Is it harder than it was in 1996? Of course it is, because there is more competition today. But that’s the same for many asset classes. There have been a lot of restaurant deals in the last two or three years, so inevitably prices are higher. It’s more competitive than it was but it’s a space that still has a lots more opportunities.”
Many of those opportunities are at the smaller end of the market, he says, where changes in tax regulations and Enterprise Investment Schemes have created a good fundraising environment for new concepts and, along with crowdfunding, have enabled new brands to grow quickly.
“We have seen, in London in particular, that there has been an explosion of new concepts. This makes it really exciting,” Kayat said.
Supersize PE: the making of a mega deal
It was one of the most lip-smacking restaurant deals in European private equity. Cinven, which bought Gondola (owner of Pizza Express and other restaurant chains) in 2007, emerged this year with a large helping of profit.
Cinven acquired Gondola, the market leader in UK casual dining, through a £900 million public-to-private on the London Stock Exchange.
The menu for Cinven’s exit went like this: the hors d’oeuvres and main course were the sale of Byron Hamburgers to Hutton Collins in October 2013 and Pizza Express to Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital in July 2014, for a total of £1 billion. Pudding and coffee were the sale of Ask and Zizzi to Bridgepoint for £250 million, announced in December 2014.
The total sale proceeds were £1.3 billion and Cinven made 2.4 times their money – leaving plenty to spare for a tip.
This story first appeared in the print edition of Financial News dated September 28


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Orexo has filed for FDA approval of a nasal high-dose naloxone formulation based on its amorphOX drug delivery technology, putting it on track to bring the opioid overdose rescue formulation to market in the first half of 2024.
The Swedish drug developer expects the opioid overdose market to split in two, with low-dose products becoming widely available over the counter and high-dose formulations dominating the prescription market. Orexo envisages its nasal naloxone formulation, OX124, competing for a high-dose market that will be driven by a need for potent and longer-lasting overdose rescue medications.
To unlock that opportunity, Orexo has applied its amorphOX delivery technology to naloxone, the active ingredient in Emergent BioSolutions’ approved rescue medication Narcan. The powder-based technology consists of particles built from the drug and carrier materials. By presenting particles as an amorphous composite, Orexo aims to improve chemical and physical stability.
Orexo is seeking approval on the strength of data from a pivotal study in healthy volunteers, which found OX124 provided a significantly faster and higher absorption of naloxone than intramuscular dosing with an injection reference product. An earlier exploratory study linked OX124 to more rapid absorption and higher bioavailability than Narcan. OX124 is protected by patents until 2039.
“With the filing of OX124 we are now one step closer to bringing this important product to market, providing this life-saving medication to the stigmatized and underserved patient group with opioid use disorder. From a business perspective this medication is a great strategic fit, further expanding our portfolio for patients with opioid use disorder,” Orexo CEO Nikolaj Sørensen said in a statement.
Orexo expects the market to grow from the current $300 million to $500 million range as the availability of naloxone products such as OX124 increases.


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Utility regulator OfReg is providing consumers with a new system to test the speed of their internet connections and verify whether they are receiving the level of service they are paying for.
Internet services have been the topic of frequent consumer complaints, Public Accounts Committee chairman Ezzard Miller said during a hearing concerning the performance of OfReg in July.
The new independent speed test system launched by OfReg last week is meant to support and further enhance the internet infrastructure in Cayman, the regulator said in a press release.
OfReg noted that consumers can file a complaint, if the speed test indicates a service provider is not delivering the contracted service level.
Alee Fa’amoe, executive director ICT at OfReg, said, “Sometimes internet issues exist outside the control of the ISPs, but there is occasionally intentional slowing to regulate online traffic. This can have costly and frustrating consequences for the consumer, who receives a sub-standard internet service.”
He said, “The new speed test will allow us to identify when these actions occur, which will help us protect consumers from [internet service providers] who are failing to deliver what customers and businesses are paying for.
“Having a complete view of our network, from the end-user perspective, puts the customer at the centre of our actions as we investigate issues and resolve measures in a proactive fashion.”
The OfReg Speed Test is a third-party tool, located at a data centre in Miami that facilitates 90% of the internet traffic for the Caribbean. Customers and internet service providers are able to use the website ofregspeedtest.ky to ensure they are receiving or delivering the contracted bandwidth, latency and quality of service.
The tool provides users with metrics for upload and download speeds, as well as ping and jitter, meaning how fast data can be requested and received and the variation in response times.
Joey Ricard, of developers Klizo Solutions, who built the OfReg Speed Test system, said the COVID-19 pandemic and transition to remote working had shown how everyone requires good internet speeds to properly function and perform in their jobs.
“This speed test allows the end user to see the real speed of internet they are receiving, but the system also collates the results into a database, showing real time information about speed and consistency across multiple tests,” he said.
The tool also includes a traceroute feature that shows a map of how the data is flowing from various locations across the Cayman Islands to the Miami-based server.
Consumer complaints about internet service levels can be directed to the regulator using the email address [email protected].


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Tickets to the 26th annual Burning Man festival, which begins this year in late August, are once again proving to be a hot item. And because of problems last year, organizers are making every effort to end scalping and the sale of counterfeit tickets.
This year, Black Rock City LLC, which runs the festival held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, held two rounds of tickets lotteries, with the last ending this week. Tickets were scooped up quickly in each round. On March 28, 10,000 full-price tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, the event’s final round of ticket sales.
Organizers are working with InTicketing to create a Secure Ticket Exchange Program, that will allow people to buy and sell tickets at a central source. The system will go live on the Burning Man website later this month.
Tickets will not be available at the event’s box office this year as organizers are urging participants to plan ahead and purchase tickets prior to arriving at the playa.
Burning Man takes place from August 27 to September 3.
Photo Credit: Jason Hickey, via Wikimedia Commons


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By: Julie Engbloom, Peter Fisk – Lane Powell PC This May, Oregon’s legislature passed a set of amendments to the state’s already..
Tag Archives: IoT
Waco, Texas is partnering with Itron on IoT powered water service improvements. Waco will use Itron’s OpenWay Riva IoT service..
The spiritual successor to the Mirai botnet is now looming inside millions of IoT devices. Will it wreak havoc on..


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Tori Belle Cosmetics founder Tori Bella Bella has made her mark on beauty for over a decade, but she’s already become something of a fashion icon.
Belle, founder of Bella Beauty, has released three line of beauty products over the past decade.
The first two were a line of skin creams and lipsticks that went on sale in 2013.
The third line, Bella Beauty’s new line of cosmetics, was launched in late 2017.
The brand’s most recent cosmetics, however, have been very eye-catching.
Belles new line, B&F, is a collection of five products, which range from cosmetics to skincare.
The five products are all products that Belle is known for, including B&F’s new BOOY!
Brow and Lash, BOOy!
Body Lotion, and BOOytastic Lipstick.
Belly is a big fan of skincares, as her products have a lot of similarities to skinfas.
She has a wide array of skinfash, which has been a staple of beauty for years, but her products are made from a different formula, according to The Huffington Post.
The new B&Fs formula is very much inspired by traditional Asian skincaring.
These ingredients are all infused with Korean botanicals, like Chinese ginger, Japanese ginger, and Japanese honeysuckle, according the brand.
Bela Beauty’s B&FW line has received great reviews, and Bella Beauty is very happy with the success of her products.
According to Belle’s Instagram account, B+F has been featured on the covers of magazines like Essence, Cosmopolitan, and Vanity Fair.
“The Beauty world is full of beauty fans that are obsessed with B&FT products, and I love to support their cause,” Bella Bella told The Huffington Mail.
“I have always wanted to be a celebrity makeup artist and it feels like now I’m getting my wish.”
Belle has become a fashionista herself and has been photographed with a range of fashion models, but it was her first collaboration with a brand that truly caught her eye.
“B&F is a brand I love and a brand with a very unique brand identity that I can’t wait to wear,” Belle told The Daily Dot.
Belis makeup line has garnered a ton of buzz and attention, and she’s now looking to continue the trend.
“When I first started, I didn’t know how to make a makeup line.
It took me a while to figure it out,” Belis said.
“But now, I’m a makeup artist, and the beauty of makeup is always a great fit for me.”
The brand is launching the B&FF line in May 2018 and has said that they’re aiming to have a product in every woman’s hands by the end of that month.
Beles products have also inspired a slew of other brands, like MAC, JCPenney, and Prada.
Belas new beauty line, Bebe, is going to be even more limited than the Belles previous line, but Belle thinks it’s just the beginning.
“Bebe is just the start of our brand.
I hope it will be a hit with people,” Bela Bella told HuffPost.
Bely Beauty is set to launch their B&EF line in 2018.


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AUSTIN, Minn. — The makers of Hormel® Natural Choice® deli meats announced today the addition of new single-serve lunchmeat options, further expanding the brand’s growing portfolio of 100 percent natural* deli meats, snacks and bacons made without artificial preservatives or ingredients.
Packaged with 2 ounces – or five slices – of 100 percent natural* deli meat, the new offering provides additional, convenient choices for consumers to enjoy their favorite lunch meat.
“We’ve received feedback from consumers that smaller households sometimes struggle to get through the entire package of lunchmeat, so we wanted to provide a convenient option for them,” said Samantha Balaski, Hormel®Natural Choice® brand manager. “They are also perfect for on-the-go snacks for those seeking additional protein throughout the day.”
Hormel® Natural Choice® single-serve lunchmeat is available in four convenient varieties. These perfectly portioned pouches are available in oven roasted turkey, applewood smoked turkey, honey ham and cherrywood smoked ham.
The 2-ounce resealable pouches (MSRP $1.29-$1.49) include 9 to 10 grams of protein and can be found at Hy-Vee, Price Chopper (Golub), Grocer’s Supply, Woodman’s, Giant Carlisle, Brookshire, Cub Foods, Meijer and Shaw’s stores this summer.
For more information about Hormel® Natural Choice™ products, including recipes, nutritional information and where to buy, as well as our new “Good Feeds Us All” campaign, visit www.makethenaturalchoice.com or follow the brand on social media at www.facebook.com/hormelnaturalchoice and www.instagram.com/hormelnaturalchoice.
* Minimally processed. No artificial ingredients
ABOUT HORMEL FOODS – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Skippy®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin’s®, Wholly Guacamole®, Hormel® Black Label® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the ninth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ – focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.


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Canadian airline WestJet is to test contactless and NFC payments for in-flight purchases, American Banker reports. Technology from GuestLogix and MasterCard will boost transaction security in the air, where online authorisations are impractical. “Airlines have come to recognize there is a wide array of merchandise they can sell onboard, including items like wine and apparel they can have delivered to passengers’ homes when they land,” says GuestLogix.
- Meet NFC World’s partners at Mobile World Congress
- Survey: India now has a higher percentage of citizens with a mobile wallet than China
- Alipay users sent red packets worth $79m during Chinese New Year
- Apple Pay users doubled in 2017 to 127m, says top analyst
- Six more Amazon Go stores to open this year?


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Jack Debrabander discusses the benefits of IV bars and how they can improve a person’s overall health.
Recently, health has been a major news topic, with the coronavirus pandemic jeopardizing the health of people around the country and globe. People are desperately searching for ways to stay healthy while avoiding the COVID-19 virus. This is in addition to the usual desires of most citizens to achieve a stronger immune system, healthier skin, and a variety of other health benefits. Jack Debrabander, a student at Michigan State University, is trying to do his part to improve the health of his fellow Michiganders and other visitors from around the globe.
Jack Debrabander plans to open an IV bar in the nearby town of Ann Arbor, Mich. He states that IV bars have been proven to improve the overall health of clients, through administering vitamin combinations designed to boost the immune system, promote superior hydration, improve athletic performance, prevent aging, and provide a variety of other health benefits.
“Drip bars provide IV vitamin therapy that can improve a variety of health issues caused by vitamin deficiency,” Jack Debrabander says. “These health issues can range from vitamin C deficiency or dehydration to a painful hangover following a big night out.”
Jack Debrabander explains that IV vitamin drips provide a higher concentration of vitamins than the patient normally receives. This deficit of vitamins the patient is receiving can be due to a poor diet, an aversion to taking oral vitamins, a hereditary issue, or a number of other causes. Jack Debrabander adds that oral vitamins are broken down in the digestive tract and stomach, greatly affecting how much of the vitamin is absorbed (roughly 50 percent). A vitamin given through an IV is absorbed at a drastically higher percentage, up to 90 percent.
“Many people are struggling to improve their health, because they can’t seem to consume the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals they need,” Jack Debrabander said. “Others are battling with chronic dehydration. Vitamin IVs can help combat these issues and lead to an overall healthier body.”
Jack Debrabander states that more vitamins and minerals in the bloodstream lead to more vitamins and minerals in the cells. These cells use those vitamins and minerals to ward off illness and maintain general health. Jack Debrabander adds that doctors have been using vitamin combinations administered by IV to combat allergies, pain, sinus problems, asthma, migraines, chronic fatigue, and more for decades. He states that athletes can benefit from rehydration via IV following an intense practice, marathon, or other sporting event.
“We believe IV bars can have a positive impact on society by improving the overall health of our clients,” Jack Debrabander says. “A healthier community is a happier community, and we are excited to bring this opportunity to the beautiful city of Ann Arbor.”


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After taking delivery of a 757-200PCF (25731, ex-American Airlines) on-lease from New Zealand-based Airwork this month, Russia-based Aviastar-TU confirmed to Cargo Facts that it plans to add another freighter-converted 757-200PCF later this year, and possibly more in 2019.
The carrier’s second 757-200 (25696) is already in conversion with Precision Aircraft Solutions at the Aersale facility in Goodyear (GYR), with delivery planned for October or November of this year.
Beyond the second 757F, Aviastar-TU Chief Executive Officer Dimitriy Kovalenko told Cargo Facts it may add a third unit to its AOC later this year. The carrier would operate the aircraft on Aviastar’s AOC and operate the 757F in commercial service for an undisclosed owner.
Conversion houses have heard growing interest for 757 freighter conversions from Russia recently. In addition to the freighters Aviastar-TU is adding this year, Russian startup cargo carrier E-Cargo (which, Kovalenko told us, has no business connection to Aviastar-TU) has added at least one Precision-converted 757-200PCF (25638, ex-United Airlines), and plans to increase its total fleet to five aircraft by 2020. The 757F was selected specifically for its “economic efficiency and the ratio of flight range-commercial load,” E-Cargo owner Andrey Chuprov told Russian publication Vedomosti. Given Aviastar-TU’s operations between China and Russia supporting e-commerce and postal traffic, the benefits of the 757F are supportive of growing e-commerce volumes.
Aviastar-TU may also continue growing its 757 freighter fleet in 2019, depending on how its operations with the two new 757 freighters go during the remainder of 2018, and how much market demand Aviastar-TU sees for the freighter. If the demand materializes, “we already have some arrangements for extra 757s for next year,” Kovalenko told Cargo Facts.
Aviastar-TU currently has four TU-204cs in its fleet, with one operating on behalf of DHL between Moscow and Leipzig (LEJ). Additional TU-204C flights are operated between Russia and China for Alibaba’s smart logistics affiliate, Cainiao.
Find out more about how e-commerce demand is supporting the freighter market on 10-12 October at the 2018 Cargo Facts Symposium, where the topic will be discussed in a panel titled, “E-Commerce: How Much More Instant Gratification Will Come By Freighter?” For more information, or to register, visit www.cargofactssymposium.com. Discounted Early Bird registration ends on 24 August.


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Taylor Dropped A Re-Recorded Christmas Song And 'Tis The Damn Season
She just put me in the holiday spirit.
Taylor Swift just gave fans an early Christmas present! Days after dropping her highly-anticipated Red (Taylor’s Version) album on Friday, Nov. 12, she surprised Swifties by sharing a re-recorded version of her beloved holiday single, “Christmas Tree Farm,” which was inspired by her childhood growing up on an actual Christmas tree farm. The star originally dropped the track in 2019. Now, two years later, she reimagined it with a 70-piece orchestra and a more classic sound. Since it’s not available on all streaming platforms, here’s how you can listen to Swift’s new version, called "Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)."
Swift re-recorded the song at Abbey Road Studios in London as part of Amazon Music’s biggest season of holiday programming yet. “Taylor Swift is an icon who has shattered streaming records on Amazon Music over the years, and this season, we’re thrilled to bring this new, timeless version of ‘Christmas Tree Farm’ to her fans as they gather with friends and family for the holidays,” said Ryan Redington, vice president of music industry at Amazon Music.
According to a press release, the singer wrote the original version of “Christmas Tree Farm” while celebrating the holidays with family in 2019. At the time of its release, Swift also dropped a nostalgic music video for the song featuring personal home videos of her celebrating the holidays as a child.
To get fans even more into the holiday spirit, Swift gave “Christmas Tree Farm” a whole new feel by adding strings, horns, and sleigh bells that will remind listeners of classic, big band Christmas songs. Listen to Swift’s "Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)" exclusively on Amazon Music below. (If you’re not subscribed, don’t worry. For a limited time, new customers can get three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.)
Fans can also watch the behind-the-scenes video of Swift recording "Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)" below.
Swift always gives fans the best surprises!
This article was originally published on


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Since the release of the last earnings report in July, revenues of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, increased to $ 46.2 billion in the third quarter of this year, outperforming the $ 38.3 billion it made during the last quarter and $ 40.5 billion last year for the same period. Alphabet earned $ 11.2 billion this quarter, a big improvement compared to the $ 7 billion last year as well.
The overall increase in revenue can often be attributed to “increased advertiser spending on search and YouTube, in addition to the continuing strength in Google Cloud and PlayAccording to CFO Ruth Porat in the company’s press release.
“This year, including this quarter, has shown how important it is to search for the founding product of Google for people,” said CEO Sundar Pichai.
Pichai admitted to the lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Justice accusing the company of illegal monopoly, regarding research and advertising.
Pichai also highlighted some of Google’s recent changes to search, including some AI upgrades, an improved spelling algorithm, and a song search feature to help people spot songs that are stuck in their heads.
Pichai said in a statement: “We had a strong quarter, in line with the wider internet environment, and since these results represent the company’s profits for the quarter ended on September 30th, they do not include sales of the latest Google phones or smart home devices.”
Pichai described it as the wonderful new products available for the holidays, saying phones Pixel New and Chromecast Reviewed positively, and added, “We have a great product roadmap for the future.”
Pichai said that search and devices meet when Google thinks about serving its users with the information they are looking for in their whereabouts.
Pichai noted that “as a sign of the times, views of the guided meditation videos increased by 40 percent, while educational face masks were viewed.” DIY More than a billion times, he said, subscriptions continue to grow, with more than thirty million subscribers to premium music and services and nearly five million in a free trial.
Despite achieving better revenues than last year, Alphabet’s growth seems to have slowed, as the increase in revenues during this quarter was 14 percent compared to the same period last year by 20 percent, yet in general the company is making more profits than it did in 2019 until now, despite the epidemic.


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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22, 2016:
The Qu Puteh Whitening Pro 9 beauty product has been confirmed to contain mercury by the Malaysian National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau.
In stating this, Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the product’s notification had been cancelled and the company had been asked to cease selling and supplying the said product immediately.
The company, Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd has also been asked to recall all physical stocks of the product currently in the market within 72 hours.
This comes after Brunei announced that it had banned two of Vida Beauty’s products, Qu Puteh Whitening Pro 9 cream and Qu Puteh Whitening UV Block for allegedly containing mercury.
“The ministry’s National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau has received reports of adverse reactions from consumers who experienced tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hair loss after using the Qu Puteh Whitening Pro 9 and QU Puteh Whitening UV Block (NOT151106645K) for about three months.
“The bureau has sampled and tested both products and test results indicated that Qu Puteh Whitening Pro 9 contains a high level of mercury.
“Product notification for Qu Puteh Whitening Pro 9 has been cancelled and the company responsible has been instructed to discontinue the sale and supply with immediate effect.
“The company has been given 72 hours to recall the product from the market,” he said in a statement here today.
Noor Hisham added that mercury was added to cosmetic products for skin whitening and anti-ageing treatments such as for freckles, wrinkles and uneven skin.
He said cosmetic products must not contain mercury as it was harmful to health and could cause damage to the kidneys and nervous system.
Mercury could also disrupt brain development of infants or babies yet to be born, he said.
He advised anyone those in possession of the above products to stop selling, distributing or using them immediately and sellers were reminded that possession of these products violated the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984.
An individual who commits an offence under these Regulations is liable to a fine not exceeding RM25,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both for a first offence and a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or both for subsequent offences.
A company found guilty could be fined up to RM50,000 for the first offence and a fine of up to RM100,000 for a subsequent offence, he said.
Consumers are advised to report to the bureau if they experience any side effects when using certain cosmetic products by calling 03-78018496 / 78835532 or via e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org.
They should also seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Vida Beauty and the Qu Puteh cosmetic line is owned by businesswoman Datuk Seri Dr Hasmiza Osman, more commonly known as Dato Vida.


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Handango newsletter revealed that Sony Ericsson’s much-anticipated XPERIA X1 will launch with Handango’s InHand service on the device in mid-September 2008.
We are now seeking the best products for this device and we would be interested in hearing from YOU. SonyEricsson requires your product to support the WVGA screensize (800×480) and multiple languages (International English, French, German, Italian and Spanish). Any title included in the InHand catalog will need to also be Windows M2M certified.
As we wrote last month, Ericsson also plans to align with key partners around the panel technology to enable them to develop exciting applications that can be enjoyed by users on the XPERIA X1.


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Kitchen bags continue to feel heavier for consumers with the continued rise in onion and rice prices over the last week.
Customers now have to pay Tk120 to buy a kg of onion or a chicken of the same quantity.
In Dhaka's retail markets, local onions were sold at Tk120 per kg as of Monday, whereas the price stood at Tk95 just a week ago.
Imported onions, on the other hand, were sold at Tk90, compared to last week's rate of Tk85.
Kazi Keya, a housewife, decided to cook chicken without onions when she visited Karwan Bazar's kitchen market Monday.
“The price of such an essential item should not be this high. If I knew this earlier, I would have stocked up.”
She also noticed that the price of fish and meat have remained the same, but one needs to spend at least Tk80 to buy good vegetables.
Traders claim the onion prices started to skyrocket from December 6 due to supply shortage.
The old stock of onions are about to run out and importing from India has turned out to be much costlier than before.
At the same time, the expected supply from local onion farmers has been delayed.
The rise in onion prices is likely to continue for the next two weeks, until the harvest of Rabi season arrives, observed traders.
Abul Kalam Azad, proprietor of SS Trading at Dhaka's Shyambazar wholesale market, told the Dhaka Tribune that this is a result of Cyclone Mora that hit India earlier this year, damaging crops in many states, including Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
“Since then, the supply of imports has been poor. The recent decision by the Indian authorities to set the minimum export price at $850 has aggravated the crisis as well,” he said.
According to the importer, farmers in many districts that produce onions, including Pabna, Faridpur and Ishwardi, have also failed to harvest their crops in time because of rain.
Narayan Chandra Saha, another wholesaler at Shyambazar, claimed most of the traders had already run out of 90% of their onion stock.
He said: “The farmers will have to wait for seven days after the rain stops. This means it might take at least 15 more days for the arrival of the new stock that would eventually lead to price stabilisation.”
When contacted, Consumers Association of Bangladesh President Golam Rahman, alleged that dishonest traders were behind the unusual rise in prices in the market, claiming the supply remains normal.
“The government should keep track of production figures and ensure strict monitoring at both the retail and wholesale levels to help consumers,” he said.
According to sources from the Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh has a demand of around 2.2 million metric tons of onions per year and has domestically produced 1.9 million metric tons of onions in the current year.
The shortage of onions should not have exceeded 300,000 metric tons. However, Bangladesh imported a total of 770,875 metric tons of onions from January 1 to October 17.
According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the prices of local and imported onions stood at Tk 35 and Tk25 a year ago.
Rice price rises, vegetables stable
The price of both coarse and fine rice has also gone up since December 9, according to the TCB.
Coarse rice was selling at Tk42-Tk46. On December 9, the price range was Tk40-Tk45.
The price of fine rice has increased by Tk1-2 over the same period.
Price of other essential commodities, including vegetables, however, remained stable.
A 5 litre bottle of soybean oil was selling at Tk530 and the 1 litre ones at Tk109, sugar at Tk58 per kg, salt at Tk38 per kg, as of Monday.
The price of chicken stood at Tk120 per kg, a Tk10 rise from last week while the price of beef and mutton remained unchanged at Tk500 per kg and Tk750 per kg respectively. A dozen eggs sold at Tk84.


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Brought to you by: Monaco Life
Vroom Monaco 2021, an exclusive one-day tech investor event, is returning this month and, for this edition, all eyes will be focused on South Korea.
The Vroom Monaco Summit, an invitation-only fundraising event bringing together select technology companies, tech executives and investors, is taking a closer look at a powerhouse from the east, an underrepresented yet highly interesting market: South Korea.
The Asian nation will be in the spotlight this year, presenting themselves as a centre of technical innovation and business enterprise often overlooked by European investors.
The Korea Institute of Start-up and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), working with Vroom, will give investors a chance to meet start-ups and trailblazers from the country’s booming tech industry.
Eleven companies have been selected to present: Geo-Line – an E-vehicle charging company, FS Innovation – working in sustainable textile dyes, Video Monster – producing social media videos, Hodoolabs – a game-based learning system designed to teach English, driving test outfit Morai, L-Base lung cancer researchers, Seoul Ventures who tout themselves as the future of e-commerce, Prinker – a temporary tattoo company, UIMD who specialises in blood analysis, DTonic – a big data company dealing in Spatio-temporal big data, and Bitsensing who design and develop cutting edge imaging radar technology.
The event will provide networking opportunities for both investors and companies, opening up business connections to the South Korean market and expanding channels to enable faster market entry options.
The Vroom Summit will be held on Tuesday 16th November at the Monaco Yacht Club on the Quai Louis II. For more information, visit the website at https://vroomsummitsouthkoreaedition.splashthat.com/
Photo of 2019 edition of Vroom by Monaco Life
Amid St. Devoté celebrations, the Palace provided an update on Princess Charlene’s health, saying that her recovery is “very encouraging” and will likely to continue for a number of weeks.
The value of e-commerce has been explained to local businesses in a seminar designed to ensure they stay competitive by reaching customers both inside and outside the country’s borders.
Prince Albert II has unveiled a new photographic portrait of his great-grandfather at the National Council Library, which Prince Albert I founded, along with the constitution of Monaco in 1911.
Still no snow forecast this weekend at the region’s resorts, but there will be plenty of sunshine and no shortage of events on offer, including a festival at Les Deux Alpes.


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Posted Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 09:00 AM PST by Dick Ward
Streaming media accounts for 43 percent in all.
We all know that stream based entertainment sources like Pandora, Grooveshark, Hulu and Netflix are big, but now we can break it down and find out just how big. According to a new study, streaming services account for around 43 percent of all internet usage during peak hours.
Netflix usage accounts for nearly half of that 43 percent. Here's the crazy part – only 1.8 percent of Netflix subscribers are streaming at that time. Nearly one fifth of internet bandwidth goes to a surprisingly small part of the Netflix subscriber base.
As far as usage per person goes, Netflix watchers average around a megabit a second. That's the highest out of any streaming service, though when it comes to mobile, Slingbox tops the per-user average.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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Analysis: Africa Must Remove Barriers to Cross-Border Trade to Target Food Insecurity, Warns IFPRI
African countries must improve their transnational transport infrastructure or risk remaining vulnerable to shocks in global food supply chains, warned experts at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) following the release of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
Structural issues remain
Africa’s food security has been subject to intense scrutiny in the six months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. While the direct impact of shortages, caused by the closure of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, has been mitigated by substituting its grain for imports from other large southern hemisphere producers including Argentina, Brazil, Australia and India, the indirect effects of disruptions to agricultural supply chains have been far-reaching.
Photo courtesy of Irene Scott / AusAID / Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.


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Dashfire LLC and David Herman & Son Western Canadian Wine importing agency are pleased to announce that Dashfire Ready-to-Drink (RTD) 100ml cans and Café Dashfire RTD hard coffees are now available in Alberta and British Columbia.
The O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company announces David Perkins, founder of High West distillery, as the newest member of their team in the role of Liquid Collaborator and Advisor. In this role, Perkins will work closely alongside O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company’s Master Distiller Brian Nation as the two explore and create new innovations in Whiskey.
WhistlePig Whiskey, #1 distiller in the ultra-premium and luxury rye whiskey category in North America, is pleased to announce that it has made a donation of $100,100.00 to Farm Aid, a non-profit organization that promotes and works to build a strong, resilient family farm system of agriculture that benefits farmers, eaters, communities and our soil and water.
Multi-award-winning, ultra-premium Crystal Head Vodka, known for its signature skull bottle, announces its limited-edition Pride bottle in celebration of diversity and equality is back by popular demand with the addition of availability in the 1.75 L size.
Still Austin Whiskey Co., a homegrown distillery situated in the heart of South Austin, launched its first limited-release Cask Strength Bourbon, in on- and off-premise establishments throughout Texas and at the Still Austin Distillery Tasting Room.
LEVIA, offering the first cannabis-infused seltzers, now available for sale at over 70 licensed cannabis dispensaries across Massachusetts.
Performix, a leader in active nutrition and pioneer in developing best in class, high performing supplements, announced the launch of Performix SST Energy Seltzer. A line of non-alcoholic, zero calorie and zero sugar energy seltzers with real ingredients, Performix SST delivers 100 ways to fuel today’s active lifestyle.
After a successful roll out of the first two flavors of the Budtender’s Reserve line, Oh Hi Beverages announced this month the addition of the third and fourth flavors to its lineup: Grateful Grape and Orange Sunshine.
ONE ROQ Spirits has been invited to be featured at a major event to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 95th birthday. The invitation came from royal correspondent, Robert Jobson, the International Club for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Enthusiasts and publisher St James's House, who will place ONE ROQ inside a landmark hard cover book to honor the Queen and the enduring relationship between the British Royal Family and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Wild Roots, a line of locally made vodkas and gins that use real fruit to embody the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, announces today they will be an official partner of Portland’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team, Thorns FC.
As part of its inaugural "The Heart of Rum" campaign, iconic Venezuelan rum maker Diplomático has announced a year-long partnership with Celebrity Chef, and TV personality, Michael Symon. Symon, most famous for his appearances on Food Network and ABC, has been a fan of Diplomático Rum for years and is inspired by the many synergies between his craft and the brand's history.
Arryved, a leading point-of-service (POS) provider for craft beverage, food and entertainment establishments, announces the addition of Loren Bendele to its leadership team as chief executive officer.
The world-renowned beverage company has a long tradition of aligning with the most influential forces in music, adding Post Malone to its impressive roster continues that tradition. Monster Energy and Post Malone are teaming up to bring consumers an exciting new retail promotion.
SURFWTAER, California’s leading Still and Sparkling Aluminum Bottled Lifestyle Water company, is announcing new distribution partnerships with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Portland, Oregon, and C.Stein Corporation (CSB) for servicing the Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and Idaho territories.


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Posts tagged CES
E-book reader quick links: Samsung, Apple, Amazon
February 4, 2010 | 7:03 pm
Samsung has revealed a new e-ink reader, the E61, this one with a physical qwerty keyboard similar to the Kindle’s. This reader joins Samsung’s E6 and E10 readers from CES to make a trio of new e-ink devices. It uses the standard 6” 800x600 resolution e-ink screens seen in most such devices. Like the other Samsungs, it features a removable battery. New York Magazine reports that Steve Jobs had a “secret” talk with fifty New York Times executives last night—more of an “open” secret now. Jobs reportedly “requested a mango lassi and penne” and showed off the iPad...
Maybe the most interesting tablet PC isn’t at CES
January 8, 2010 | 12:37 am
In geek circles and indeed here at TeleRead, the big news these days is all coming from the CES show in Las Vegas. As far as the e-book world is concerned everyone seems to be following tablet devices---those being announced at the show and even those not being announced. But for those who are on the lookout for future technology that might actually change the way the world looks at e-readers, one of the more interesting stories seems to have overlooked completely because it's not at the show. Apparently the folks at the One Laptop Per Child program...
The e-book field needs more innovation, not less: CES counterpoint
January 7, 2010 | 6:08 pm
I wasn't as impressed with Edward Nawotka's editorial on the recent Consumer Electronics Show as Paul Biba was. In fact, I saw a troubling lack of foresight and even hindsight. A decade or two ago, someone might as well have said that a Walkman was everything needed to enjoy music. How downright quaint such an opinion would seem now in the post-iTunes era. Likewise, an assertion today that… "at least for the time being, the devices that we already have are good enough for books in their present form" …just seems to me to be oblivious to what needs to come. Indeed,...


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Rowsley, a major real estate developer in Iskandar and owner of RSP Architects Planners & Engineers, has appointed Mr Lock Wai Han as group chief executive officer with effect from Nov 1.
Mr Lock, 46, who will report to Rowsley executive chairman Ho Tat Kin and the board of directors, was chief executive of CapitaMalls Asia (China).
He brings with him extensive knowledge and experience in integrated real estate development projects and in the management and development of talents and organisations, Rowsley said in a statement.
"With the completion of the two substantial acquisitions, we are now focused on executing our business plans and creating long-term value for our shareholders," Dr Ho said.
He was refering to two major acquisitions that have turned Rowsley from an investment holding company with market value of $140 million into a development, design, engineering and town-planning business with market value in excess of $1.3 billion.
The acquisitions for RSP, Singapore's leading architecture, engineering and town planning practice, and a 9.23-hectare land in Iskandar, were completed this month following the issue of shares to the vendors and bonus warrants to existing shareholders.
Prior to joining Rowsley, Mr Lock was based in Beijing as CEO of CapitaMalls Asia (China), where he strengthened the company's position as a leading shopping mall developer, owner and manager of quality retail properties in China.
Under his two-year leadership, the total gross retail area of CMA China increased by almost 40 per cent to 6.34 million square metres and asset value grew almost 50 per cent to 79.9 billion yuan.
Before his stint at CMA China, Mr Lock worked in the Singapore's public sector for more than 20 years including as Commissioner, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, director, Criminal Investigations Department and Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications & the Arts, as well as held directorships in International Enterprise Singapore and other statutory boards.


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Marijuana dispensary bill passes Montpelier, Vermont – April 15, 2011
Lawmakers have signed off on a bill that would legalize the sale of marijuana in Vermont.
The Senate bill would allow the creation of four state licensed marijuana dispensaries where medical patients with serious illnesses and chronic pain could legally buy the drug.
The measured passed by a vote of 25 to 4.
The bill now goes to the Vermont House.


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Friday Jul 29, 2022
Katy Perry has just raised the temperature on the internet with her gorgeous new sartorial statement.
The Roar crooner, 37, grabbed massive limelight for her outfit on Thursday as she was dressed in an orange maxi skirt and a purple Bardot bodysuit during a pop-up Mob De Soi event at HEIMAT in Los Angeles.
Katy added inches to her frame with a pair of strappy heels and accessorised with chunky colourful jewellery which complemented the star’s perfectly maintained figure.
The beauty flashed her killer smile while opting for a glam makeup look and scraping her brunette locks back in a bun.
Katy also posed for a sizzling snap with the co-founder of De Soi's non-alcoholic aperitif line.
Speaking about her new non-alcoholic drink, Katy said: 'De Soi is French and stands for pleasure with restraint. If you’re a matriarch, like so many of us are, it’s a delicate balance juggling all the spinning plates.


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With the first phones under Google’s new Android One initiative launching in India on Monday, Google has kicked off its program to bring better low-cost Android phones to emerging markets. But after the phones have been revealed and the initiative is seen as a clear way for Google to gain better control of the Android operating system, a big question still remains: Could Android One lead the way to better budget smartphones, not only in India but around the world?
What is the Android One program?
First announced at Google’s I/O developers’ conference this summer, Android One is Google’s initiative to make high-quality smartphones accessible to as many people as possible. On Google’s Official Blog, senior vice president for Android, Chrome, and apps Sundar Pichai detailed the launch of the first Android One phones, which are rolling out to India first. The first phones are created in partnership with regional brands Micromax, Karbonn, Spice, and chipmaker MediaTek, and are available starting at Rs 6,399, or about $105.
Hardware partners who will launch Android One phones in the future, with a variety of screen sizes, colors, hardware configurations, and “customized software experiences,” include Acer, Alcatel Onetouch, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic, Xolo, and chipmaker Qualcomm. (Samsung, an important name in the Android world globally, is notably absent from the list.) The program will expand to Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Asia — including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) by the end of the year, and roll out to even more countries in 2015.
Pichai noted in his post on the Google blog:
“If we look at how people are getting online and accessing information today, increasingly it’s through a smartphone. While 1.75 billion people around the world already have a smartphone, the vast majority of the world’s population—over five billion more—do not. That means most people are only able to make simple voice calls, rather than connect with family through a live video chat, use mapping apps to find the closest hospital, or simply search the web. We want to bring these experiences to more people.”
Pichai cites three reasons why it’s hard for people in developing countries — he cites India, Indonesia, and the Philippines as examples — to “get their hands on” a high-quality smartphone. The prohibitive cost of even entry-level hardware, lack of access to the latest Android version and popular apps, and the high expense of data plans, even where 3G and 4G networks are available, are all factors. Android One shares reference designs and even some components to make it easier for partnering manufacturers to build phones that offer a great user experience at an affordable price.
What will consumers get for $100?
The first Android One phones — the Karbonn Sparkle V, the Micromax Canvas A1, and the Spice Dream UNO — all feature a 4.5-inch display, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front camera, a quad core processor, a micro SD card slot, an “all-day” 1,700 mAh battery, and dual SIM card slots.
All Android One devices will receive updates to the latest version of Android directly from Google, so that users will have access to important security patches and the latest features. Android One devices ship with the latest version of Google Apps, including Gmail, Calendar, YouTube, Maps, Google Now, Google Search and Hangouts, and more than a million apps are available in the Google Play Store. Pichai notes that Android One devices will be “some of the first” to be updated to the Android L release later this year, and customers of Indian carrier Airtel will be able to upgrade to the latest version of Android without using any data for the first six months, and download up to 200MB worth of apps each month.
Hardware partners will be able to differentiate their devices and create customized experiences without changing the core software. Pichai wrote on Google’s blog: “Access for access’s sake is not enough. With Android One, we not only want to help people get online, we want to make sure that when they get there, they can tap into the wealth of information and knowledge the web holds for everyone.”
The New York Times notes that the phones are not the cheapest on the Indian market, and local device maker Intex introduced a $35 smartphone that runs an operating system from Mozilla’s Firefox, and manufacturers in India releasing an increasing number of phones under $200. India is the world’s third-largest smartphone market, behind China and the United States, and the country’s smartphone market is expected to double by 2018, and 71 percent of Indian mobile phone users still have feature phones. However, more than eighty device manufacturers are competing for market share in India, and even a $100 phone is considered a significant expense in areas with low average incomes.
The Android One initiative gives Google better control of the Android operating system — and exactly what version of it gets loaded on new smartphones, plus when they’re updated — as it grows globally. A major problem for Android is fragmentation, the result of Android’s nature as an open platform. Because manufacturers have been able to create their own modifications of Android, consumers with low-tech devices have been stuck with outdated versions of the operating system, and couldn’t access updates or new apps.
Alternately, many Android users with limited data access opt to turn off auto-update features, and choose to use old versions of software instead of using up their data plans to update. Keeping more Android users on the newest version of the operating system will make Google’s own apps and services run better, and enable the company to better monetize the advertising it places on those platforms.
In June, Pichai reported that Android has 1 billion active users and 80 percent of the global market. Also in June, Pichai said that Google’s goal with Android one was to get “the next billion” users, and in Monday’s blog post he upped that goal to the next five billion, expected to come from emerging markets around the world. As Re/Code notes, Google is also shifting the focus away from large, global brands by partnering with regional chipmakers and phone manufacturers, which could spell trouble not only for big brands like Qualcomm, Samsung, and Motorola, but also potentially for lower-cost brands like ZTE and Huawei.
And despite Google’s focus on first-time phone buyers and consumers looking to upgrade from a feature phone in emerging markets, there are quite a few consumers in North America that could benefit from the changes that the initiative could catalyze in the industry. While the specifications of the first Android One phones aren’t robust enough to impress many in North America, and Pichai told the BBC that there are no plans in place to launch the initiative in the west, he also “did not rule it out.”
The Pew Research Internet Project reported that as of January, while 90 percent of American adults had a mobile phone, a significantly smaller 58 percent had a smartphone. Smartphone ownership rates were higher among younger age groups and among those with higher household incomes. 63 percent of adult cell owners use their phone to access the internet, and 34 percent of cell internet users go online mostly using their phones, not using another device like a desktop or laptop computer. And in North America, Chitika’s analysis of the fragmentation of the Android market showed that web traffic generated by Android devices was divided among a wide range of Android versions.
Better options for budget smartphones, even if they aren’t offered in North America right away, are undoubtedly a good thing for consumers around the world. And Google’s Android One initiative could put pressure on the rest of the industry to up the quality of the user experience on their less-expensive smartphones to make a great mobile experience available to any consumer, whether he or she can spend hundreds of dollars on a smartphone or not.
More from Tech Cheat Sheet:
- 7 Steam Early Access Games You Should Consider Buying Into
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- 7 Video Games With Iconic, Playable Female Characters
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Online rеtailers and banking services hаve made ouг lives easier, but they have also mɑde it easier for unicc new shop cyber thieves to steal our data.
A new study has found that hackers aгe snatching 50 to 100 credit cards at a time and selling these batches for $250,000 to $1 million.
Reseаrcherѕ discovered hackers use online f᧐rums that are for buying and selling goods, to sell your information.
Scroll ⅾown for video
A new study finds that hackers are stealing 50 to 100 credіt cards at a time and sеlling them from $250,000 to $1 million.Researchers found that hackers ᥙse online forums that are foг buying and selling goods, to sell your information
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox floatRHS sciencetech" website
WHAT TYPES OF DATA ARE ΗACKEɌS STᎬALING AND HOW MUCH ARE THEY SELLING IT FOR?
44.7 рercent of sеllers offer othеr users bank account or credit card data, as weⅼl aѕ CVV data from сredit cards (34.9 percent) and electгonic data, such as eBay and PayPal accounts (1.4%).
Besides credit and debit cards bеing stolen and uniccshop sign in ѕervice sold, thieves are going as far to sell identity documents suсh as passportѕ and Ԁriver licenses.
Dumps weгe the most commоn itеm on the list, they sold for more than $102.60 eacһ and the second preｖalent item was CVVs ($26.21), foⅼlowed by eBay and PayPal accoᥙnts ($27.25).
In general, the average cօsts for data were lowｅr than that of data manipᥙlation services such as identity documents ($138.46), drops ($192.37), casһout services ($1,076.93), Uniccshop onion money tｒɑnsfers ($1,424.59) and bank accounts ($700.00).
Holt noteԀ that hackers who cаpture dаta in the field, such as gathering numbers from AᎢM machines, can cash the information in for about $2.


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There are several legends attached to saffron, the world's most delicate and sought after culinary spices. The saffron grown in Kashmir has now received the geographical indication (GI) tag, thus leaving the Valley’s brand image on the global map. The Union government issued a certificate of GI registration for the saffron grown in the KashmirV alley, an official spokesperson said. Soon after taking over as Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chander Murmu took a personal interest in ensuring that Kashmir saffron gets GI certification, he said. Pampore, the hub of saffron in Kashmir, is expected to have a bumper crop of the spice this season due to initiatives taken by the National Mission on Saffron (NMS).
Under the NMS, a project of Rs 411 crore was approved by the Union government under which an area of 3,715 hectare for saffron was proposed to be rejuvenated. "The GI certification will stop the prevalent adulteration of Kashmir saffron, thereby, authenticated saffron will fetch much better prices," an official said. He said that Kashmir saffron is the only one in the world grownat analtitude of 1600 metres. which differentiates it from other varieties due to itsunique characteristics like longer and thicker stigma, natural deep-red colour,higharoma, bitter flavor and chemical-free processing
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AARP Eye Center
New AARP report profiles most likely victims of online fraud
Arkansans may be at higher risk based on behavior and life experience; AARP Fraud Watch Network designed to help educate & empower consumers
LITTLE ROCK—An AARP study released today identifies an online victim profile based on 15 key behaviors and life experiences that increase a person’s vulnerability to online fraud.
The study follows initiation of the AARP Fraud Watch Network to help educate Americans about various forms of fraud including online scams and empower them to get accurate information on how not to get scammed.
Caught in the Scammer’s Net, the survey released today, surveyed over 11,000 people nationally and 826 people in Arkansas. According to the survey analysis, 31 percent of Internet users in Arkansas may be at increased risk of being victimized based on this new profile. Nationally, the study found that 19 percent of Internet users may be at increased risk of being victimized based on the new profile.
The Arkansas survey is available at www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2014/internet-fraud-victimization-attitudes-behavior-arkansas.html This page also includes a link to the national study.
The national study, which compared victims and non-victims, finds that it is the combination of online behaviors and life experiences that put a person at the greatest risk of being scammed.
Based on the national sample, victims were more likely to engage in online behaviors such as:
- Opening email from unknown sources - 27 percent of victims vs. 17 percent of non-victims said they had done so in the previous seven days;
- Clicking on pop-up ads - 26 percent of victims vs. 10 percent of non-victims said they had done so in the previous seven days;
- Signing up for free trial offers - 18 percent of victims vs. 8 percent of non-victims had done so in the previous week.
But victims in the national sample were also found to have experienced 53 percent more negative life events or stressors such as:
- Loss of a job (23 percent of victims vs. 10 percent of non-victims);
- Reports of often or sometimes feeling isolated (66 percent of victims vs. 42 percent of non-victims);
- Being concerned about debt (69 percent of victims vs. 57 percent of non-victims);
- Experienced a negative change in financial status (44 percent of victims vs. 23 percent of non-victims report experience in the past two years).
“Clicking on a pop-up or signing up for a free trial offer, by itself, does not guarantee one will be scammed,” said Michael Rowett, Associate State Director-Communications for AARP Arkansas. “But if such online engagement occurs during a vulnerable moment when you’re feeling lonely or have just lost your job, it can add up to the perfect opportunity for a scammer.”
When comparing the differences between victims of online fraud with non-victims, victims were found to be involved with an average of seven of the key risk factors. According to the survey, 489,469 Arkansans (31 percent of the state’s Internet users, as noted above) have demonstrated at least seven key risk factors and therefore may be at high risk of victimization.
“Just as a weakened immune system lowers your resistance to disease, negative life experiences lower your resistance to fraud,” Rowett said. “That’s when doing something risky online puts you right where the scammer wants you.”
The survey also showed that while the vast majority of Arkansas online users (82 percent) say they are concerned about being scammed over the internet, they were only able to correctly answer an average of 5.17 of the 10 questions in a simple online test designed to test their knowledge about how to be safe online. Arkansas’ average was higher than the overall national average of 4.66 out of 10 questions.
Other survey results included:
- Nearly 75 percent of Arkansas adults that access the Internet – or as many as 1.1 million people – received at least one online fraud offer in 2013.
- An overwhelming 91 percent of Arkansas online users say they are concerned about providing personal information over the internet. However, 30 percent of Arkansas respondents with personal email accounts say they have never changed their password for that/those accounts. Likewise, 28 percent of these respondents say they never change their password for accounts that include sensitive information like online banking or bill payments.
Rowett also noted that according to the Federal Trade Commission, reports of consumer fraud have increased by over 60 percent since 2008 and online scams doubled from just over 20 percent of all fraud in 2007 to nearly 40 percent of all fraud in 2011.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network connects people to experts, law enforcement and Arkansans who are spotting fraud and sharing their experiences so others know what to watch out for. Available free of charge to AARP non-members and members alike, and people of any age, the Fraud Watch Network provides:
- Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information,
- Prevention tips based on the latest information from experts,
- An interactive map with the latest law enforcement warnings from each state,
- A phone number people can call to talk to volunteers trained to help fraud victims, and
- Access to a network of people who are sharing their experiences with scams so they can help others protect themselves.
The GFK Group conducted the Internet-based survey for AARP last November and December. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percent. The Arkansas survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.7 percent.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of nearly 38 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org ; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org .


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Yesterday, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced Qi2, a new wireless charging standard to offer improved convenience and efficiency for mobile devices and wearables. The Qi2 (pronounced ‘chee two’) standard will replace its predecessor, Qi. The Qi2 standard will be released later this year and it will offer a better wireless charging user experience. Because of its improved efficiency and interoperability, Qi2 will enable significant future increases in wireless charging speeds that are safe, and energy-efficient.
The surprising news is that Apple’s MagSafe technology will be the basis for the new Qi2 standard. Apple and other WPC members developed the new Magnetic Power Profile which will make sure that phones or other rechargeable battery-powered devices are perfectly aligned with charging devices, thus providing improved energy efficiency and faster charging.
“Consumers and retailers have been telling us they’re confused concerning what devices are Qi Certified and those that claim to work with Qi but are not Qi Certified. This confusion can lead to a poor user experience and even safety issues,” says Paul Struhsaker, executive director of the Wireless Power Consortium. “Our standard assures consumers that their devices are safe, efficient, and interoperable with other brands. Qi2 will be the global standard for wireless charging and provide consumers and retailers with that assurance.”
Qi2 Certified smartphones and chargers are expected to be available for the 2023 holiday season.
Back in 2022, Apple introduced MagSafe for improved wireless charging experience for iPhone. MagSafe delivers a unique experience to iPhone, featuring an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil, optimised for alignment and efficiency, that perfectly connects to iPhone every time. MagSafe chargers efficiently provide up to 15W of power while still accommodating existing Qi-enabled devices.