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When Google launched its email service in 2004, only people who had been invited to join the network could open Gmail accounts. The invite-only system made Gmail appear exclusive, so naturally more people wanted in. But it wasnâ€™t a marketing ploy. Gmail had to limit membership because it didnâ€™t have sufficient infrastructure to provide the service for everyone.
When OnePlus, a fast-growing Chinese smartphone brand, debuted in 2014, it adopted a similar tactic. Co-founder Carl Pei explained: â€œThe invite system allowed us to scale our operations and manage our risks to help us grow more sustainably.â€ Essentially, it meant the four year-old company avoided overstocking. But, as with Gmail, by keeping the phone â€˜exclusiveâ€™, it helped generate buzz.
This week OnePlus launched its seventh iteration, the OnePlus Six. Although it ditched the invite-only sales system in 2016, the company still keeps tight control over its distribution, forcing most purchases to be made online. But in India, where OnePlus made 35% of its total $1.4 billion in sales in 2017, the company has opened 10 physical stores to help sales and aftercare.
Vikas Agarwal, general manager at OnePlus India, claims OnePlus is now the â€œbiggest Android premium smartphone brandâ€ in the country. According to Counterpoint Research, the third and fourth most popular brands in India last year were Vivo and Oppo. Despite being competitors, the three brands are all linked to one man: Duan Yongping, the founder of BBK Electronics.
BBK (or Bu Bu Gao) was set up by Duan in 1995. It was the second household name Chinese brand Duan has created.
Born in 1961, Duan joined Zhongshan Yihua Group in Guangdong province in 1989 as the manager of a small factory. He used his position to establish a unit called Subor, which produced video game consoles in competition with Japanâ€™s Nintendo.
The most memorable product made by Subor was an educational console, which featured a computer keyboard with ports for data cartridges and a couple of adjoining game controllers. The cartridges stored video recorded lessons to enable students to learn the English language by responding to prompts using the controllers.
The cheap console gave many young Chinese an introduction to computing and its popularity was reflected in Suborâ€™s finances. When Duan joined Yihua it was Rmb2 million in debt, but by 1995 annual profit had exceeded Rmb1 billion ($157 million).
Despite the success Duan was only earning a meagre salary. He had lobbied Zhongshan Yihua to spin off Subor and give him a stake in the new enterprise, but he was rejected. It became a very public business dispute. The outcome: Duan left and founded BBK, taking a few promising team members with him.
Given his frustrations at Subor, Duan made sure he carved out a sizeable 70% stake in BBK for himself. The company began producing audio-visual products such as VCD and DVD players.
In 1999 and 2000, Duan became the highest bidder on state broadcaster CCTVâ€™s annual auction of its prime-time advertising slots, splashing out Rmb300 million. The huge gamble paid off. BBK became a household name and subsequently the leading maker of VCD players.
Duan was quick to see the potential of mobile phones and later the mobile internet. BBKâ€™s Oppo and Vivo were initially derided as cheap imitations of Appleâ€™s iPhone. But through smart marketing the pair became amongst the countryâ€™s best-selling smartphones (see WiC358 for our analysis of Oppoâ€™s rise). In 2016, sales of the two brands actually bumped the iPhone out of Chinaâ€™s top three positions.
More than a decade earlier Duan had spoken to Harvard China Review about his business philosophy: â€œI am never afraid to follow others. Actually my business has never been an initiator of an industry. Instead, we analyse vulnerabilities of the leading companies in a certain industry and then try to establish our own stronghold.â€
This ethos likely contributed to the establishment of OnePlus, which was co-founded in 2013 by Oppoâ€™s former vice president Pete Lau. The company drew comparisons to Xiaomi at its launch, because both produced low-price premium smartphones with sales made exclusively online.
Lau was an early BBK employee, joining in 1998. According to Medium, Lau paid a visit to his mentor and former boss Duan to seek advice before initiating OnePlus. Duanâ€™s pedagogical stature is one of the many reasons heâ€™s sometimes dubbed â€œthe Chinese Warren Buffetâ€ and why Lau looked for his backing.
Peter Fuhrman, founder and chairman of Shenzhen-based advisory firm China First Capital, has followed Duanâ€™s business career and admires what he has achieved. As he points out, â€œNo one has succeeded for so long, or so well, in such a brutally tough global industry as Mr Duan. Heâ€™s earned a spot among the business immortals of the past century. Only he and Samsung managed the transition that left Blackberry, Nokia, Sony Mobile, Motorola as roadkill. He rose to the top originally by making simple, cheap feature phones, then more or less chucked that whole business away to create and back three new companies for the smartphone industry, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus. All are doing outstandingly well. Their success is built on another aspect at which Duan excels as few, if any ever have â€“ creating a hugely-efficient, high-quality manufacturing base in Dongguan turning out phones for all three, backed by what may well be the worldâ€™s most efficient global electronics supply chain.â€
Duan is evidently happy to be compared with Buffett. In 2006, he paid $620,100 to have lunch with the Sage of Omaha. Duan told media after the charity luncheon, â€œI had already learned a lot from Buffett, so I was hoping for a chance to thank him.â€
Having emigrated to the US in 2001, Duan has been taking a more active interest in managing his own money, rapidly growing his equity portfolio.
An initial investment was a $2 million cash injection into NetEase. The firm had almost gone bust following the dotcom crash and its share price had plummeted to just $0.80. According to China Investor, Duan determined that the company still had potential, so he took the plunge. Within two years heâ€™d made a return of 100-times on his investment.
Duan also made a large investment in GE after its shares slumped following the 2008 financial crisis, buying shares at $6 each and quickly doubling his money.
His steely nerves ensured he held onto his stake in Kweichow Moutai when the baijiu makerâ€™s stock price halved in 2014. Duan entered at Rmb180 in 2012; today Moutai trades at over Rmb700.
â€œThe money Iâ€™ve earned on the back of investments is so much more than what I earned from 10 years of doing business,â€ he surmised. According to the latest Hurun report, Duan is now worth $1.3 billion â€“ but there are some in China who think his wealth could be many multiples of that Hurun estimate, and he might even be one of Chinaâ€™s richest men.
Itâ€™s hard to know: many of his investments arenâ€™t public. But in Chinese business circles few would disagree that he is shrewd at finding and backing talent.
For instance, also present at the 2006 Buffett lunch was Colin Huang Zheng, who would later found Pinduoduo, one of Chinaâ€™s 164 unlisted unicorns. The e-commerce platform has been described as the fastest growing app in the history of the Chinese internet (see WiC404), and Huang has long been viewed as a key Duan protÃ©gÃ©.
â€œHe is above all a great manager and motivator of people, of putting strong people in leadership positions and then letting them get on with their business, with minimal intervention from him at the top,â€ comments China First Capitalâ€™s Fuhrman. â€œFrom hands-on executive to hands-off semi-retired chairman, Duan has excelled across his career in very different roles.â€
Despite his successes in the business and investment fields, it seems Duan would rather be remembered for his altruism, claiming â€œCharity is my business, investment is my hobby.â€ In 2005, Duan and his wife established the Enlight Foundation, through which theyâ€™ve provided scholarships to their respective alma maters. In 2006, Duan and NetEase founder Ding Lei made a $40 million donation to Zhejiang University.
But surprisingly the two people who likely wonâ€™t be receiving handouts from the magnate are his children. According to Phoenix News, Duan has said: â€œSo much of my happiness in life has come from the process of earning my wealth. I donâ€™t want to deny my children that same happiness.â€


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Release Date of Karakin in PUBG Mobile: The much-awaited Karakin map in PUBG Mobile will be released on April 27, 2021.
There are other answers below:
Moving into regular updates, there’s a new map coming to PUBG Mobile too – Karakin. The new map is set to arrive on Wednesday 7 April.
PUBG Mobile ‘Karakin’ Map Release Date Officially Confirmed PUBG Mobile released update 1.3 to kickstart Season 18 on March 9. The new update features the incredible Hundred Rhythms game mode,…
PUBG Mobile Karakin Release Announced by Cody Perez in PUBG Mobile | Mar, 22nd 2021 PUBG Mobile is looking to be getting a new battle royale map in the near future that will be one of the most anticipated ones yet.
PUBG Mobile: New Karakin map is set to release on April 7, 2021 Recently, PUBG Mobile has announced the release date of the latest map ‘ Karakin ‘. Already released in the PC and Console versions of the popular Battle Royale game, it is coming as a map filled with sand, boulder, and ridges in a 2 square kilometer area.
PUBG Mobile: Karakin is coming to PUBG; will likely replace Vikendi. The upcoming map’s name has been confirmed on social media by PUBG Corp
4 New Karakin Map Features Coming to PUBG Mobile 1.3 Upcoming. The excitement of this season is not over yet, PUBG Mobile has also released the 1.3 beta version update. In the trial application, the big update that will be coming to the game is the Karakin map. It map is a derivative map of the PC version of PUBG which was updated in January …
Camden Jones Tuesday, January 14, 2020 PUBG Corporation announced a new map coming soon to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The map, called Karakin, appears to take place in …
— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) April 24, 2020 Karakin Map In PUBG Mobile Is A Possibility In the past, there have been speculations that PUBG might replace the Vikendi map with Karakin. But that is…
When will the karakin map in PUBG Mobile be released?
The Karakin map in PUBG Mobile has been revealed during the 3rd Anniversary Livestream Party. The new map is expected to arrive on April 7, 2021, and will replace the Vikendi map. The new Karakin map in PUBG Mobile stretches two square kilometers and is one of the smallest maps for PUBG Mobile.
Will PUBG replace the Vikendi map with karakin?
In the past, there have been speculations that PUBG might replace the Vikendi map with Karakin. But that is hard to believe because PUBG Mobile recently added Arctic mode, which is only accessible on the Vikendi map. So, it’s highly unlikely that PUBG Mobile will get rid of Vikendi days after releasing an exclusive mode for the map.
Is a new map coming in the next PUBG Mobile update?
What’s interesting is that along with Miramar 2.0, Rolex mentions the ‘Karakin’ map, which is currently available on PUBG PC. PUBG Mobile also retweeted Rolex’s tweet, giving us reason to believe that a new map might be coming in the next update. In the past, there have been speculations that PUBG might replace the Vikendi map with Karakin.
What does Rolex’s Morse code mean in PUBG Mobile?
Rolex, a well known PUBG Mobile streamer, has tweeted a hint that he received from PUBG Mobile in the form of morse code. His chat was able to crack the code and found out that it means “New Maps.” What’s interesting is that along with Miramar 2.0, Rolex mentions the ‘Karakin’ map, which is currently available on PUBG PC.

domain: news


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Principal Hayley Group is to acquire three of the five Marriott hotels put up for sale in May by Quinlan Private and Igal Ahouvi Group. The Times
The hotel and conference centre operator controlled by Permira have agreed to pay £50m-plus.
19 October 2007
Japan Leisure Hotels, an operator of Japanese ‘love hotels’, is to list on London’s AIM to finance expansion.
CBRE Global Investors has sold five Dutch shopping centres to a consortium of ARC Real Estate Partners and a US based private equity fund.
Wright and Bell has signed up as the first restaurant tenant at Helical’s Barts Square scheme in Farringdon, London.
CBRE has appointed former Cushman Wakefield associate director Charlotte Gannon as a director in its UK client solutions team.
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Exhibitor Hall to be at LVCC
to Expand in February with 300,000 Additional
Square Feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center"
BEACH, CA (August 2001)-Responding to the demand to accommodate
over 450 new applications for participation in its footwear show,
WSA has created a new exhibitor hall which, in February, will be
held at the Las Vegas Convention Center as part of 300,000 square
feet of exhibit space. The new exhibits hall will house all categories
of product from men's, women's, and children's shoes, junior accessories
and handbags to computer and technology distributors.
continuous shuttle from the Sands Expo Convention Center will be
provided for quick access to these new exhibits as well as a larger
hall showcasing a number of major fashion footwear brands.
plans to accommodate retail attendance at the hall with industry
ads, information on its website, ongoing shuttle service, on-site
registration, on-site retailer promotions and lunch promotions.
over one million square feet of exhibit space displaying more than
1,000 footwear brands, The World Shoe Association is the largest
footwear trade market in the U.S. Retail buyers attending the show
at the Sands Expo Convention Center and the Las Vegas Convention
Center find men's, women's, children's and athletic footwear as
well as accessories, handbags and foot care products. The Collections,
an upscale exhibition at the Venetian Hotel, features over 100 well-known
footwear designer brands.


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A Texas company is using a novel technology to help consumers with computer problems escape technical support hell and avoid spending hours on a toll-free line just to get their software working properly.
It’s called “the Internet.”
Motive Software, based in Austin, Texas, unveils its Motive Server today — a technical support system that digitally harvests information from a troubled user’s system and sends it over the Net to a tech support center. Once there, a technician analyzes the problem and walks the user through the steps to fix it via remote diagnosis, chat dialog, and email.
“We want to change the way users get support,” said Scott Harmon, president and CEO of Motive Software.
So do Netscape, Microsoft, Disney, MCI, and other companies who have all signed up for the technology. The reason? Last year, high-tech companies spent US$69 billion on supporting their users, $55 billion of which was labor-related — much in the form of hours of telephone tag between customers and technicians.
Netscape, Microsoft, and other companies have been testing the product over recent months, for both in-house corporate support and outside customer support.
At the heart of the system is a set of Java-based schematics, called “maps,” that chart the ideal installation of a given PC software package, including the number, version, and location of vexing dynamic link libraries (.DLLs) and other system files.
Users in trouble would simply bring up the Motive client, which will be available for free download from the company’s site. They could then send a description of the problem to a Motive support center at Microsoft or another company via text-based chat window. Technicians would respond by taking a remote snapshot of a user’s system, which is encrypted and sent over the Net, and compare the configuration with a map on file to solve the problem.
“There is a bit of need to see something that would give a more aggressive view of the user’s desktop,” said Dave Mahler, vice president of business development of Remedy Corp., the market leader for help-desk software and a Motive partner.
“The only option today is remote-control software, and a lot of organizations will not allow that to be used because it is insecure over the network,” Mahler said. “Motive has built a secure method of doing this by levering the Java virtual machine.”
Motive is addressing the privacy issue by giving users full control over what parts of their machines are off-limits to the remote tech support center. Consumers can also set the system in verbose mode, which describes and seeks end-user authorization for every step of the mapping process.


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China is the world’s second-largest economy and over the past decade, some of the biggest companies in the world have flocked to the nation in order to meet the insatiable demand for all sort of products and fast food was business certainly one of them. Burger King remains one of the best known fast food chains in China, but the economic downturn in the country has finally started to make a dent in the American company’s business in the country. In this regard, it is necessary to point out that China’s downturn is not exactly a recession but it is for the first time in 30 years that the country’s economy recorded lower rates of growth and that seems to have had an adverse effect on Burger King as well.
However, the fast-food chain’s parent company Restaurant Brands International is not in a state of panic regarding the developments and the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Jose Cil, said as much. He said that the company has a long term vision regard their operations in China and they are going to focus on that. He said,
Our view is that we want to be there, and we will be there for the long term. It’s an amazing consumption market, growing tremendously.
Over the years, the consumption of fast food and coffee in China grew at a tremendous, and it is not really a surprise that some of the world’s biggest fast food chains have decided to set up major operations in the country. That being said, the economic slowdown seems to have harmed the growth story, and in addition to that, the bruising trade tensions with the United States are another reason why the economy might take a bit longer to recover. Cil was however adamant that such fluctuations will happen in countries and it is not something that the company should be panicking about. He said,
Our view on China — it’s a similar view for other markets as well — is that over time things will fluctuate, the economies will fluctuate, commodity costs, labor costs, even administrations will change from time to time.


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Following an appeal made by President of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan to government to increase the number of herbal units in government general hospitals, a discussion arose on the importance of herbal medicine on the Breakfast Show.
The guests on today’s show, November 24th, 2022, were Mr. Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu and Rev. Dr. Lawrence Tetteh.
Dr. Tetteh, said “There is s another silly thing we do in this country. We add fetishism to everything. And so when it becomes a fetish approach, an enlightened person, a middle class person, wouldn’t like to do it”.
Meanwhile, there are so many traditional medicines that can be used for various purposes. For example, the Nim tree, according to the Reverend was used to treat malaria back in the day.
“We have the necessary medicine here, but we have been mentally derailed with …….medicine and other medicines that have side effects.”
It has been so demeaned and unappreciated that according to Mr Shaibu there was a period of time when Medical Doctors completely refused to support the use of herbal medicine of any kind.
Of course, now, it has been proven to be useful and the herbal Practitioners are given licenses to perform in a professional sense.
The guests on the show mentioned that the nation’s taste for foreign goods greatly contributes to the problem of rejecting traditional medicine.
They agreed that instead of using medicines made indigenously, Ghanaians would prefer to import Chinese medicine that is also traditional and made with their local products. Which is basically the same as using herbal medicine.
“Let us believe in Ghana medication.” Dr Tetteh posited.
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Apple's iconic flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, a popular tourist destination and gathering place for techies, was damaged Tuesday night during a snowstorm.
One of the 15 glass panels encasing the store shattered as winter storm Janus descended on the Northeast, dropping around a foot of snow on Manhattan. According to 9to5Mac, the 32-foot-tall glass panel was broken after a snow blower hit the massive structure on Tuesday afternoon.
Fixing the busted sheet of glass won't exactly be inexpensive; 9to5Mac estimated its cost at $450,000, excluding labor. Back in 2011, Apple renovated the iconic glass cube for a reported $6.7 million, replacing 90 panels with just 15 larger, seamless pieces of glass.
If you were looking forward to hitting up the store today, don't fret. Despite the damage, the store will remain open, according to reports.
This isn't the first weather-related snafu for the popular retail store, meanwhile. Last May, it flooded with water due to heavy rain.
Apple's retail stores, which outperform Tiffany's in retail sales per square foot, recently got a bit smarter with the rollout of iBeacon. Available in 254 nationwide Apple shops, iBeacon pushes notifications about products, events, and other info to your phone as you shop.
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The Krystal Company launched a new frozen beverage on Memorial Day. The summer treat is a hybrid drink fusing Sprite and crushed ice found in Krystal’s traditional slushies with softserve vanilla ice cream for an innovative flavor and texture combination. Lemonade, Grape and Fruit Punch Frosted Slushies are available until September 23 for $1.50 each at participating locations while supplies last.
“It’s a mashup of our regular Slushie but with soft-serve ice cream,” says Paul Macaluso, Krystal president and CEO. “Frosted Slushies are a cool, craveable addition to our summer menu, providing the perfect balance to our hot steamy Krystals, Chiks, fries and our new tots.”
While 80 percent of Krystal’s non-breakfast orders include Krystal burgers, limited-time offers (LTOs) freshen the flavor profile that attracts customers and ensures relevance for the brand, according to Macaluso. LTOs increase the average check by as much as 40 percent. Krystal’s Frosted Slushies are this season’s take on the popular chilled beverage, following last year’s Frozen Lemonhead Slushies made with real Lemonhead candies.
The Lemonhead Slushie was Krystal’s most successful frozen beverage LTO to date and accounted for more than 60 percent of all slushie sales last summer. In addition to Slushies, Krystal serves sundaes, cones and shakes made with soft-serve ice cream as part of its Sweet & Cold menu. The handspun shakes are topped with whipped cream and available in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and Oreo flavors. Krystal’s classic apple turnover rounds out the dessert options.
As an alternative to the new Frosted Slushie, Krystal is offering its original Sprite Slushies in Lemonade, Grape and Fruit Punch at a promotional price point of $1 at all restaurants until September 23 while supplies last. The South’s oldest fast-food brand, Krystal was recently selected to USA Today’s Top-10 Best Regional Fast Food List.


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Walking all the way around Vancouver Island isn’t as daunting as it sounds. PacificSport Vancouver Island wants anyone and everyone to give it a try.
The Walk the Rock Challenge, launching in September, isn’t really a walk around the Island. It’s a fitness initiative to get people on the go in their own communities. Participants will be issued a pedometer to count their footsteps, and a website will track their virtual progress.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Liza Taylor, marketing coordinator with PacificSport V.I. “It’s kind of getting people up and moving and healthy doing the things that they normally do, which is walk every day.”
Participants can challenge themselves in a number of ways, by signing up as an individual or as part of a team. One business can challenge another; a classroom of students can challenge its peers across the hall.
As participants reach milestones along their virtual journey, they will receive perks such as gift certificates from event sponsors.
Taylor has approached businesses and community groups about organizing special-event walks under the Walk the Rock umbrella.
The virtual trip around the Island starts and finishes at Sidney, and the average person should make it there sometime in the spring. But Sidney is not necessarily the end of the line – Taylor envisions a virtual plane ride to Europe and more virtual walking, all the way to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
FOOT NOTES … Walk the Rock is seeking a $10,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project to help with costs such as pedometers. Voting ends June 30. For more information or to vote, click here.


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India's biggest construction and engineering group Larsen & Toubro is in talks with potential investors for a stake sale in its container terminal in Tamil Nadu.
"HAI has already exercised legal options available to it to have the purported termination established as invalid and wrongful," the company said.
APM Terminals is in early discussions to buy majority stake in Larsen & Toubro’s Kattupalli port, which has been struggling to attract shipping lines since its inception.
PSA Investments today bagged Rs 7,915 crore and 4.8 million standard units fourth container terminal project from India's largest container port JNPT.
PSA International trumped Adani Ports & SEZ to win a bid to construct and manage the much-delayed Rs 8,000-crore fourth container terminal at JNPT.
In an interview with ET Now, Dr AK Balyan, Managing Director & CEO, Petronet LNG, shares his business outlook. Excerpts:
Indian markets are likely to trade in a range. Here is a list of ten stocks which are likely to be in focus in trade today.
Goldman is considering putting money into a Japanese airport, the latest investor to eye infra projects as PM Shinzo Abe seeks to open up the market.


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In 1902, in the midst of the Second Industrial Revolution, a coalition of American machine tool builders gathered in Ohio to found the National Machine Tool Builders’ Association, the association that would become AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This was an era of massive social, political, and economic change. Over the next century, AMT balanced these monumental shifts by focusing on our members; promoting the technological innovations, principles, and marvels that would become foundational to the modern world; and fine-tuning our products, events, and services.
Today, AMT and the larger manufacturing technology community face a period of immense change. The advent of transformative technologies and the digital revolution has already begun to alter how we do business and has shown new opportunities for growth. The recent coronavirus pandemic unearthed the need for resilience in our technologies, processes, workforce, and supply chain.
AMT strives to advance the manufacturing technology industry by providing services and products that facilitate the understanding and adoption of transformative technologies; fostering community and producing events that build partnerships and create new business opportunities; supporting business growth in international markets; and enhancing industry knowledge about technology, legislation, and workforce development. To that end, we’ve developed an updated AMTonline.org website that is designed to put the relevant industry content our members need front and center.
“AMT recognizes that our industry has encountered a pivotal and historic moment,” said Travis Egan, AMT Chief Revenue Officer and Vice President. “AMT has filled a vital role over the last century within our industry. We must prepare for the challenges, changes, and opportunities of the coming decades. By intentionally evolving our approach, we’ll be able to lead by example.”
The new AMTonline.org website brings the user experience into the modern age. It brings relevant industry content front and center and serves as a central hub for all things manufacturing technology. Visitors will be able to view USMTO press releases; receive the latest news and information on technology, the economy, international opportunities, workforce development and advocacy; learn about industry events and membership developments; gain access to educational modules; and so much more.
“The new website is significantly more dynamic and interactive,” Egan continued. “And that’s a result of how we’re approaching the immediate and long-term future. We want to ensure our ability to pivot quickly to adapt to unforeseen conditions, to continue to serve our members through times of change and growth, and to advance the manufacturing technology community.”
We proudly invite you to visit the new AMT website and check out our new look. It’s our first step into a new – but familiar – world.


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Google’s Fast Pair feature, designed to quickly connect Bluetooth-powered audio devices to smartphones, is now headed to Wear OS. This seems to be right in time for the Pixel Watch, which is scheduled to launch later this year.
- Related: Pixel Watch is Official!
As Google describes via its Google System Update for June, “Fast Pair on Wear OS allows previously paired headphones to be discovered and connected to wearables.” This is a welcomed addition to the platform and likely won’t be exclusive to just the Pixel Watch, meaning it should be available to all supported Wear OS devices in due time.
This Fall should be a pretty exciting time for Google fans. We have the Pixel 7 lineup, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds Pro inbound. Good times.
- UPDATE: Google has since removed the mention of Fast Pair for Wear OS and the Google Play Services v22.24 reference. They either didn’t mean to include that feature announcement or it’s not available in that version of GPS or who knows. We’ll let you know if official details come at some point down the road.


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Virgin Galactic pays rent under protest
Virgin Galactic has agreed to start paying New Mexico rent for Spaceport America, but says it is doing so under protest and without waiving its right to walk away from the project, according an Associated Press report carried in the Albuquerque Journal.
In a Jan. 16 email to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, Virgin Galactic said it does not believe the state has finished the work necessary to trigger activation of its $1 million annual rent obligation, and said if the work is not complete to its satisfaction by March 31, it “may either stop paying rent, pay reduced rent or give notice to terminate” its lease, according to the report.
Virgin Galactic has publicly expressed concerns about the state’s inability to attract more businesses to the project and has hinted it could leave if lawmakers refuse for a third year in a row to expand liability exemptions for the commercial space industry.
The dispute amidst questions if the company expects further delays in getting its spaceflights off the ground.
The news of the payment protest came as a New Mexico Senate committee Monday quickly passed a proposal extending liability protections for commercial spacecraft manufacturers, setting up a likely full Senate vote this week, according to the Journal.
The 9-0 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where a different liability bill sought by Spaceport America died last year, according to the Journal report.
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(WEHT) – A family in Vincennes told us they spent thousands of dollars on a service dog for their son who has autism. But, they said the dog they bought wasn’t trained.
Mark Mathis is now facing 42 counts in North Carolina of obtaining property by false pretense.
Mathis was the president of Ry-Con, a non-profit organization that sells service dogs.
North Carolina’s attorney general says Mathis sold what he said were trained service dogs when in fact he knew the dogs were not trained.
Last year, Ry-Con closed up shop and filed for bankruptcy.
Click here for the original story.
(This story was originally published on Feb. 25, 2020)


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Welbeck Publishing Group is starting a commercial fiction imprint, Portland Press, launching in 2020 and focusing on crime, thrillers, romance and women’s fiction. Jon Elek will be lead the line as group publisher, fiction after 10 years as an agent, most recently at United Agents.
Ali Hammond has joined the publisher relations team at BookBub, as the account manager for audiobook publishers on their new audio platform, Chirp.
A Spanish-language edition of Michael Wolff‘s just announced new book — published as Asedio: Trump en el punto de mira — will be ready on June 4 as an ebook, and June 11 in trade paperback and audiobook from Vintage Español.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron‘s FOR THE RECORD will be published on September 19 by William Collins, and Harper in the US will follow on September 24.
Simon & Schuster is the latest publisher to introduce a distribution program for indies, disrupted by Baker & Taylor’s exit rom the trade wholesale business. Independent bookstores without a current active account qualify for expedited application and credit approval, quick initial order processing and no minimum for new customer initial orders, as well as their previously-announced promotional terms for new store openings. Gary Urda, svp, sales, said in the release, “We are also working closely with all of our demand wholesale partners to insure that they, too, are fully prepared to supply this important marketplace with our titles. In short, we are open for business, ready to welcome new indie accounts, and look forward to providing them with our world-class customer service.”


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Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.
Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.
In the business world, mergers and acquisitions are the norm, and this year, some pretty big beauty deals took place. Perhaps the biggest shopping spree, however, was done by none other than Coty, who acquired big-time brands like OPI and Philosophy, along with lesser-known brands Dr. Scheller Cosmetics and TJoy. And while Coty already holds the Calvin Klein fragrance license, the company recently acquired a Calvin Klein color cosmetics license, too.
Other major deals included Estée Lauder's purchase of Smashbox, Shiseido's acquisition of Bare Escentuals, and Unilever's acquirement of Alberto-Culver, the makers of brands such as Nexxus, Tresemmé, VO5, and St. Ives. L'Oréal purchased Essie, and there was even some talk of the beauty juggernaut purchasing Avon. Speaking Avon, they acquired British skincare company Liz Earle earlier this year. With Coty's growth exploding at the seams, it will be interesting to see what they, along with the other big beauty players, have planned for 2011.
WWD reports that the singer signed a long-term contract with Coty last week. Little monsters will have to wait for the first scent, though: Gaga's premiere women's scent isn't expected until Spring 2012. More on this as soon as we hear it!
In the mid-1970s, the average cost of gasoline was about 60 cents per gallon, and stamps cost just 13 cents each. Flash forward a little over 30 years later and thanks to inflation, gasoline now hovers around $3 per gallon, and stamps are up to 44 cents apiece. But that's not all that has changed. The price of beauty products has risen with the times, too. Are you sensing where I'm going with this? I'll give you the product and the date, and you see if you can guess how much said item used to cost back in the day. And be sure to take my first vintage prices quiz, too.Take the Quiz
Debuting her new fragrance, Faith Hill knows that beauty comes from within. In this video, her grace and elegance shines through as she describes how the luminous radiance of a woman has inspired this floral and feminine perfume, bringing an elegant and modern scent to women everywhere. She exudes confidence and has grown wiser and stronger, qualities that women develop with time.
The excitement over Diesel's 30th Anniversary party has reached a fever pitch for the fashion media as it would appear that Diesel oriented subjects are literally all anyone can talk about including us.
Renzo Rosso is hosting 17 parties in eight time zones for Diesel's 30th Anniversary — from Tokyo to New York via the likes of Dubai, Zurich, Munich and Oslo — all on Saturday night. We personally are looking forward to the New York party because it is our 25th and it happens to be in Brooklyn.
In addition, Diesel will be selling limited edition 'Dirty Thirty' jeans, which would normally sell for around £200 but the company has dropped the price tag to just £30. Alas even jeans pricing is no longer in dollars.
In other Diesel news WWD has a feature on its unique approach to retailing which differentiates each store to its market making the shopping experience more personal and more culturally appropriate.
And finally, Diesel is publishing “XXX Years of Diesel Communication” a retrospective on their controversial advertising campaigns through the years. But the best tidbit? “My dream is to do a soap opera for the Internet, our very own ‘Dallas’ in the Diesel spirit, in a modern and fresh way,” said Rosso.
Balenciaga has signed a deal with Coty Inc.’s Coty Prestige division to create, develop and distribute fragrance lines under the Balenciaga nameplate. The first fragrance is tentatively slated for a spring 2010 launch.
Shoppers are poor at math J.C Penney's has concluded, doing away with tiered discount systems such as "take another 30% at the register."
Cheesiest 80's Commercial Ever Made? This morning, GiggleSugar told me about this corny fragrance commercial, but it sounded so over-the-top that I thought she was pulling my leg. Ah, but it's real—and yes, it is definitely the weirdest, corniest, cheesiest fragrance commercial you will ever see. Watch it if you dare!
Kate Moss really is everywhere lately, jetting from the Topshop offices in London earlier this week to a hip soiree in Morocco yesterday. According to Women's Wear Daily, supermodel Moss was in Marrakesh to celebrate her fragrance, called Kate, which we first heard about in December. The signature scent hits the European and Asian markets in September. The scent will roll out in U.S. stores in 2008.
WWD spoke with Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty, the license holder for the fragrance. (Is it just me, or does Coty handle pretty much every celebrity scent?) According to the story:
The beauty giant aims to capitalize on the wide-ranging appeal that has kept Moss the toast of the fashion set and a household name for two decades.
“[We will] tap into consumer groups that we haven’t tapped into before,” said Bernd Beetz, chief executive officer of Coty, who added the company is building its portfolio on fashion-, designer- and celebrity-oriented pillars. “[Moss] overlaps fashion and celebrity.”
Classified as a floral musk and clad in pink-and-black packaging, Kate will cost about $27 to $60, depending on the size. Not surprisingly, Moss herself will appear in the ads for the product. Will you buy the eau de Kate?
A few weeks ago, I told you about a new women's fragrance called Davidoff Cool Water Wave, which features beach-sports babe Gabrielle Reece in its ads. Now, perfume maker Coty Inc. has found an equally hot dude as the new face of its men's fragrance.
According to Women's Wear Daily, "Lost" star Josh Holloway will star in ads for Davidoff Cool Water worldwide — except in North America, where Reece's husband, surfer Laird Hamilton, is the brand's main model. Holloway's campaign, including print ads and TV spots, will begin rolling out this summer.
Holloway, who plays the character of Sawyer, lives in Hawaii, where "Lost" is filmed and where the Cool Water campaign was shot.
The actor told WWD he recently starting wearing Cool Water again after not using it for several years:
“My wife’s got a crush on me again,” he said, smiling. Holloway added he’d be open to working on his own line of products, if the opportunity arose.
“But it would probably not be as elegant as Cool Water,” he joked. “It’d be more like Man Juice.”
I could make an inappropriate comment here, but I won't. Instead, I'll just say that whatever fragrance Holloway is selling, I'll enjoy looking at the ads.
Gwen is a super busy working mom. Monday night she rocked The Billboard Awards with Wind It Up which happened to be the night before her new album, The Sweet Escape, was released. Then yesterday it was announced that she'll be working with Coty to create fragrances for her fashion line LAMB. Gwen sure has accomplished an insane amount in just a year by going on tour, having baby Kingston, debuting at Fashion Week and now dropping a new album.
She did admit to using some leftover songs which makes me feel better that she didn't actually do everything from scratch. Besides, we bet her fans won't be complaining! Gwen's new scent doesn't have a name yet, and won't be out until the fall of 2007. In the meantime, more pics of Gwen at Hotel Gansevoort announcing her partnership with Coty so read more


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State-of-the-art facility to unlock new distribution routes and capabilities
PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) has opened a state-of-the-art, custom built sales and distribution centre on the Southeast side of Indianapolis, US, spanning 18,580 m2 across nearly 25 acres. The new facility will enhance PBNA’s world-class service to customers in the region and beyond, featuring new innovations in technology and delivery systems that allow for new chilled, direct-to-store delivery.
The new technology will help unlock 150 new routes for delivery, and greatly reduce the overall carbon footprint of business operations in the market via mile reduction.
The US$14.5 million investment by Scannell Properties, will be leased by P-America LLC, a subsidiary of PepsiCo Beverages North America, for a period of 10 years. The new facility project has created 30 new jobs and retains 467 full time employees at PBNA facilities located in Indianapolis.


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Hot cell phone software from CTIA
At CTIA 2007, Jessica Dolcourt sneaks a peek at 'Guitar Hero Mobile,' 'Spider-Man,' and Wii-like games for your cell phone.
Cell phones weren't the only items giving off heat on the CTIA conference showroom floor this week. There was also the sizzling of a virtual mobile world, a preview of Guitar Hero Mobile, and really neat motion-sensor games.
Take a look at what was new and interesting in the latest video.


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By Carly Shields
Bryant Terry, a food activist, “eco-chef” and author, spoke in the Benes Rooms on Sept. 24 about “Food Justice at the Intersection of Food Politics, Poverty, Public Health and the Environment.”
Terry grew up in Memphis, Tenn. with a family that had the privilege of having nice food and homegrown vegetables all the time.
His grandfather had an urban farm where he grew fruit trees, vegetable plants, spices and herbs in the back yard.
But when Terry went to high school, he didn’t want to be the one kid bringing in fresh produce for lunch every day so he was peer pressured into eating fast food for every meal.
“I quickly became lethargic, overweight and had uncontrollable acne,” Terry said. “I didn’t want to have anything to do with my family.”
It was not until a friend of his showed him a song, “Beef” by Boogie Down Productions, that raps about fast food and processed meat in this country that everything changed for him.
Terry became a vegan at that point in his life and began his “life calling” of teaching people how to eat and cook healthy food.
Terry was inspired by African culture and the relationship food has with culture.
“Food is such a powerful tool to bring people together,” Terry said. “The goal of my work is unity.”
Terry focuses his food activist in urban cities and on African Americans in the U.S.
Terry is also interested in “sustainable, fair, clean food systems” and justice for farmers and the consumers.
“Look at yourself, look at what you want out of your life and embody that through your diet,” Terry said.
Terry said that about 30 percent of Americans are obese.
Terry became very attentive to food and the importance of healthy food when he realized that the younger generation would die sooner if we continue this unhealthy pattern.
“There is a stigma with those who are obese,” said Terry. “They are blamed by the media and others when a lot of (obesity) is genetics.”
A 2005 Berkeley College statistic reports that America spends one million dollars every hour on ads that sell unhealthy foods and beverages.
“38.2 million African Americans between the ages of two and 19 are obese compared to Caucasians of the same age,” Terry said. “It’s a lack of access to healthy food.”
Food deserts, which are districts that have limited access to healthy foods but instead, have access to fast food restaurants and corner stores are the villains to large rates of obesity in African American society Terry said.
In the late 1960’s in urban cities in America, affluent Caucasian Americans were fleeing from the cities to the rural areas of the country, taking super markets and health stores with them.
Corner markets, liquor stores and convenient shops served as grocery stores for those who were left behind, which were mostly African Americans.
Corner markets still remain as the dominant markets for most people living in non-affluent areas of cities today.
These markets also charge people 50 percent higher prices than super markets because of the limited access to lower prices.
Terry got his graduate degree in history at New York University and focused on black civil rights. The Black Panthers from the Civil Rights movement believed communities should be self-reliant.
As a result they fed over 10,000 people every day in cities so kids would have breakfast before going to school.
“It bothered me that there was a kind of apartheid in the food system in New York City,” Terry said. “If you lived in wealthier parts of the city, like Soho, you had opportunities to 15 different olive oils but if you lived in poorer areas of the city you had nothing.”
Terry also spoke about the importance of eco-friendly food and how to grow it.
Terry hosts a television show called “Urban Organic” where he interviews friends and teach the viewers about sustainable agriculture in urban cities.
A topic they have discussed is aquaponics, which is a sustainable way to grow food by combining aquaculture and hydroponics together by growing your produce in water tanks and getting its nutrients through the fish waste.
This sustainable way of farming does not require a lot of space and materials, making it a easy way to farm in urban cities.
Terry is also very active and interested in local farming for local communities.
He says this will increase healthy diets and decrease food deserts.
Senior Grace Wallace said Terry helped her realize how local food can combine local people’s talents to can create healthy diets and new opportunities for communities.
“Local food is important because the people can come together and implement their own skills (for example, someone who is a skilled gardener partnering up with an irrigation specialist to devise an organic garden),” Wallace said.
“The more people who combine their efforts towards a nutritious diet, the more alternatives they will have.”
Terry also started an organization called “Be Healthy” which teaches people how to cook sustainably and easily.
Terry said he found it important for college students to know how to cook when they are forced to cook on their own and how important it is to know what they eat and how much of it they eat, like processed food, sugar and fats.
“An important way we can dictate the health of our food is to cook it ourselves,” Terry said.
Terry has three cookbooks that teach people how to eat healthy by using less meat and more vegan diets.
“People have this idea that vegan and vegetarian food is bland and boring,” Terry said.
Junior Katie Buckingham changed her mind on vegan diets because of Terry’s lecture.
“I think his take on ‘vegan soul food’ is really interesting and makes healthy, vegan food much more accessible and appealing to people,” Buckingham said.
“When people are talking about healthy, clean food I normally only see thin, blond, white women, but I liked that his video featured a community garden and restaurant which was ran by people from mixed cultures.”
Terry’s cookbooks are a blend of soul food, African American food, organic food and vegan recipes.
“To reduce African American food to slave food is inaccurate,” Terry said.
“Soul food is only one part of African American’s diverse food… Foods are culturally relevant to people, that is why I put a lot of emphasis on African American cuisine.”
Not only is Terry a chef, author and show host, but he is also a food activist, who is curious and interested in the way food policies work in this country.
Terry said the country needs to be more invested in change, including farmers, community members and the consumers.
“What I find exciting are local policy changes,” Terry said.
“We need to be driven by the people who want the change, who are the local farmers and local community members.”
“They are the ones who know what’s best for local communities, not the people who come in with no ties to the community and act as if they know what’s best for them.”
“The people in the community are running the projects and their goals truly reflect what’s being done in their community,” he said.


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Last week, I had coffee with a local maritime industry lobbyist who told me: “You know that goal that you set for the Port of Seattle to be ‘the greenest, cleanest, most energy efficient port in North America’?”
I responded, “Yes, the one my fellow commissioners and I unanimously adopted back in 2008? What about it?”
“It won’t help you grow your business, it’s meaningless.”
I can understand my lobbyist friend’s pessimism. Considering that the global shipping industry suffered an estimated $5 billion in losses in 2011, their minds have lately been directed elsewhere, namely on stemming the bloodshed.
There has been an obsessive focus by global shipping lines and their customers – the shippers of goods, or in industry lingo the “beneficial cargo owners” (BCOs) – on reducing costs throughout the supply chain. But the beauty of bringing sustainability into the supply chain is exactly that – it is not only the right thing to do for our planet, it also helps the bottom line.
So despite my lobbyist friend’s skepticism regarding the business case for sustainability, there has in fact been an increasing focus on sustainability by major retailers (such as Target and Ikea) and consumer products companies (such as Nike and Hewlett Packard) that account for a significant percentage of inbound cargo from Asia.
The Port of Seattle is well-positioned to benefit from this industry emphasis on sustainability and greening the supply chain. We believe that the Port’s green initiatives will help attract business and grow jobs for our region.
In 2009, the Port of Seattle commissioned Herbert Engineering Corp. to analyze the carbon emissions of intermodal shipments from Asia to North American markets. The study, which was updated in 2011, found that routing through the Port of Seattle offers the lowest carbon footprint for cargo coming by sea from Asia to major markets in the U.S. Midwest and East Coast.
The Port has marketed our comparatively low carbon footprint both to BCOs and global shipping lines as the “Green Gateway,” and we continue to collaborate with industry to come up with business friendly solutions for mitigating environmental impact.
It is true that the preliminary efforts by these businesses with regard to sustainability were focused on physical improvements such as lighting in warehouses, recycling and other downstream improvements. In the past couple of years, however, we are seeing an increasing shift of awareness to areas of the supply chain such as transportation.
Wal-Mart last fall announced a commitment to drive sustainability deep into its supply chain. It and other large retailers have been leaders in this area.
With the largest retailers taking the lead, we believe that it is only a matter of time before small retailers follow. The Port of Seattle’s position as a leader in sustainability, and the low carbon footprint of shipping from Asia into the Midwest through Pacific Northwest ports, position us well in the minds of these customers when selecting a gateway to ship their goods.
Nike already requires that ocean carriers list the carbon impact of their services as part of its contracting process. Retailers and other shippers have responded positively to the Port of Seattle’s Carbon Calculator tool, finding it useful in their own internal calculations of the carbon footprint of their supply chains.
In fact, we have gotten very positive comments from importers about the way we have implemented our environmental programs. The Port’s eschewing of confrontation in favor of a collaborative approach – working with industry to address environmental impacts – is well-regarded among the international trade community.
Shipping lines are also taking note. We have had excellent participation in our voluntary At-Berth Clean Fuels program, which incentivizes shipping lines to burn low sulfur diesel while at the Port. In each of 2011 and 2012, we saw participation of over 70% by frequent calling ships. Our business friendly approach has been attractive to shipping lines that are considering adding to or expanding services in the Pacific Northwest.
Our goal to be the greenest, cleanest, most energy efficient port in North America encompasses more than just our seaport and more than just air emissions. We are focused on improving air and water quality at both at both our seaport and airport, reducing energy usage at all of our facilities, recycling all sorts of items used by us and by our tenants, and cleaning up contaminated Port-owned properties and restoring those properties to productive use.
The Port of Seattle’s environmental goals and green initiatives are not only the right thing to do, they will help grow jobs for our region.


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Niki Scott, the manager of the Sobeys store in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, has won two Food Marketing Institute (FMI) annual Store Manager Awards.
Scott was the winner in the International category and also took home the People’s Pick Award.
The FMI web page describing how Scott won her nomination in the International category refers to her work as a Sobeys learning store trainer for store manager trainees, her mentoring skills, a hands-on approach to communicating with employees and her ability to step back and let team members take the lead.
Scott’s store has a “punch” rate – the rate at which employees punch in late for their shifts – of under five per cent. The store is a leader in community involvement, hosting seniors’ teas, cooking classes for high school students, and fundraising events for charities including support for families dealing with pediatric cancer.
Scott also achieved a Business Process Scoreboard score of 91.7 per cent for in-store customer experience with ideas like “Fish n’ Brew Friday,” produce trays featuring berries and a Christmas cake holiday promotion.
The award winners were announced at the FMI Future Leaders eXperience event, which was held this year in St. Louis, Missouri, May 14-16. Each award winner received a $1,000 prize and a crystal award.


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Hey dude, skateboarding's back. The National Sporting Goods Association says skateboarding eclipsed mountain biking and golf last year to become this country's fastest growing activity for which you need sports equipment. Hurt in recent years by in-line skating, skateboarding recovered strongly, with 6.3 million skaters lurching through streets and parks last year, a 35.8 percent increase over the year before.
The question is, why? Scott Kelliher, the director of marketing for the New York-based Blades, Board and Skate shops, said that the style and fashion associated with skateboarding has enhanced its image.
''There are tons of small companies producing everything from clothing, sneakers and watches to the boards themselves, which are amazing,'' he said. He also attributed the resurgence to wider exposure of the pastime (it doesn't sound right to call it a sport) on television in ESPN's X-Games and in MTV Sports. ''Skateboarding is beginning to show up everywhere, even in the Gap ads,'' Mr. Kelliher added.
KIMBERLY STEVENSContinue reading the main story


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The Ceed plug-in will use the same powertrain as the Kia Niro PHEV and is tipped to go on sale “in the second half of 2019”. With a 139bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a 59kW electric motor and 8.4kWh battery pack, a Ceed estate with the same powertrain should match, or even beat, the Niro’s 29g/km of CO2 and 217mpg of the outgoing NEDC economy standard.
“We are going to introduce it for the wagon, and then decide if it makes sense on other body-types,” says Kia Europe’s marketing chief Artur Martins.
“We are going to need more electrification on other products in the future. We must get to a mix of around 25-30% electrified models to hit the CO2 targets,” added Martins.
Production will be localised at Kia’s Slovakia plant, the first plug-in it will build in Europe.
At November’s LA show, Kia will reveal a new Soul EV, destined for UK launch in spring next year as the sole model in a new Soul range.
The Soul BEV’s powerpack will mirror the e-Niro’s with a choice of either a 34 or 60kWhr battery, the latter promising a range of 300 miles. It will boost Kia’s range of BEVs to two models – alongside Tesla one of very few car-makers with multiple BEVs in its range.
According to Kia Europe COO Emilio Herrara demand for the e-Niro is expected to hit 20k units/yr by 2019/2020.
More radically, Kia is planning a fuel-cell model as a sister-vehicle to Hyundai’s £60k Hyundai Nexo, which goes on sale early next year. The Sorento SUV, whose higher price can justify the cost of the fuel cell power pack, is highly likely to be the beneficiary of a hydrogen-powered option. Kia already has a fuel cell car on sale in Korea, but in a model not sold in Europe.
“We are looking at a fuel cell, in the future, in a bigger car,” says Martins, “but it depends a little bit on how the European market goes. It works better on a bigger car because the customer is prepared to pay more on a bigger car.”
Kia Ceed review


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India: Panel Discussion on “Digital Economy, Innovation and Competition”
New Delhi, December 05, 2018
Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS International) and CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC), organised a Panel Discussion on ‘Digital Economy, Innovation and Competition’ to celebrate the World Competition Day on December 05, 2018, at India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi, India.
The Panel Discussion was chaired and moderated by Dr. Arvind Mayaram, IAS(R), Former finance secretary of India and Chairman, CUTS Institution for Regulation & Competition (CIRC). More…
E-Compendium 2016: Interface between Competition and Intellectual Property Rights
CUTS releases E-Compendium of Select Articles on this year’s theme of WCD i.e. Interface between Competition and Intellectual Property Rights Report
India: Panel Discussion on ‘Linkages between Competition and Intellectual Property’
New Delhi, December 05, 2016
CUTS International in collaboration with CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC) organised a panel discussion in honour of World Competition Day on Monday, 5th December 2016.
Togo: As part of World Competition Day 2016, Association Togolaise des consommateurs (ATC Togo) organised an event with the theme “Competition in the cement sector in Togo.” As pricing irregularities in Togo’s cement sector prevail, ATC asked the government to disclose the pricing procedures and put one regulatory authority in place.
Pakistan: Seminar on World Competition Day helps CCP create awareness of Competition Law in Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan, December 05, 2014
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) organised a seminar to celebrate the World Competition Day in Marriott Hotel Islamabad today, which was attended in large number by the government officials, regulatory organizations, representatives of business community, trade associations, legal community, academia and media.
Gambia: Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s celebration of World Competition Day
The Gambia, December 05, 2014
The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) celebrated World Competition Day on 5th December 2014, in partnership with the Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA). The Commission deemed it necessary to co-celebrate with GPPA on account of this year’s World Competition Day (WCD) theme: ‘Competition issues in Public Procurement’, as GPPA is the national authority mandated to regulate and monitor public procurement in the Gambia.
Botswana: Botswana Competition Authority Commemorates World Competition Day
Botswana, December 05, 2014
The Competition Authority of Botswana joined other competition agencies and civil society organisations on December 5th in commemorating World Competition Day under the theme ‘Competition Issues in Public Procurement’. To observe the day, the Authority hosted a panel discussion based on the theme.
Afghanistan: Commemoration of World Competition Day
Kabul (Afghanistan), December 08, 2013
Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Directorate (CPCPD), Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Afghanistan organised an event on 8th December 2013
The Government of Afghanistan Advises the Business Community to Embrace Competition to Promote Healthy Economic Environment
Press Release, December 08, 2013
Pakistan: CCP HOLDS SEMINAR TO MARK WORLD COMPETITION DAY
Islamabad, December 05, 2013
The Competition Commission of Pakistan organised a seminar on ‘Economic Growth and Competitiveness’ to mark the World Competition Day. , which is celebrated every year on 5th December to create awareness on competition related issues and how the enforcement of a competition regime benefits consumers
Roundtable Discussion on ‘Impacts of Cartels on the Poor’
New Delhi, December 05, 2012
CUTS organised a roundtable discussion on ‘Impacts of Cartels on the Poor’ on the occasion of World Competition Day, a campaign running by CUTS to observe the day on 5th December since 2010.
Roundtable discussion held on Wednesday 5th December 2012 at The Deputy Chairman Hall, Constitution Club of India, Rafi Marg, New Delhi. The event was create awareness about the impact of cartels on the consumers and business
Discussion Forum on status of Competition in Nepal in the honor of World Competition Day
SAWTEE in association with Lawyers’ Academy Committee, Nepal Bar Association (NBA) and Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) organized a discussion forum on “Status of Competition in Nepal” on 5 December 2011 to mark the World Competition Day. The World Competition Day is celebrated on 5 December every year to mark the adoption by the United Nations of the Set of Multilaterally Agreed Equitable Principles and Rules for the Control of Restrictive Business Practices. This year the World Competition Day was marked with the theme ‘Cartels and their harmful effects’
Zambia Commemorates World Competition Day
Lusaka, December 05, 2011
This day was commemorated in form of a press briefing. It was jointly organised by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and CUTS International Lusaka. CCPC and CUTS decided to date the media from an understanding that these are stakeholders that mold the opinion of citizens; and a mindset molded on pro-competition reforms and anti-cartels, is the recipe that Zambia needs. Among the media institutions represented included Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation, Muvi TV, Radio-Phoenix, Joy FM, QFM, 5FM Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia.
Albania Roundtable and Press Conference on World Competition Day
Albanian Competition Authority (Autoriteti i Konkurrencës) organized a round table and press conference on the occasion of the World Competition Day.
Press Conference by ATC marking the celebration of World Competition Day
l’Association Togolaise des Consommateurs (ATC) organised a press conference on the occasion of the World Competition Day. The Press Conference was an effort to make the agenda of better competition regimes forward in the country.


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Crio will now be hosting live training sessions on white toner applications every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CST.FULL STORY
News: Digital Decorating
Brother DTG Releases End-of-Life Equipment Policies
Brother DTG, a division of Brother Intl. Corp., Bridgewater, N.J., recently released its end-of-life equipment policies in response to phasing out older equipment.
As older models are discontinued, decisions are made on the length of time replacement parts will continue to be manufactured for a dwindling pool of machines that remain active in the marketplace, according to the company.
Two former models, the GT-541 and GT-782 — both of which were last sold in 2012 — are coming to the end of their projected life spans. Consequently, replacements parts and consumables for these machines may not be available after May 31, 2020. Customers still actively using these machines should plan accordingly.
All online technical documentation still will be available; however, free online technical support also will end. — D.S.
More Digital Decorating News
DTF transfers specialist Ninja Transfers has announced the launch of an initiative it’s calling Ninja Printhouse, which allows promotional product distributors and other custom apparel resellers to streamline their business by rushing their custom-apparel orders, blind shipped, directly to their customers.FULL STORY
With the addition of two more ink tanks and print heads dedicated to orange and green inks, the color gamut of the Brother GTX600 DTG printer is more vibrant than ever.FULL STORY


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Raising capital from traditional lenders is a big issue for cloud kitchens and QSR chains - GetVantage
"The concept of QSR and cloud kitchens is quite novel, and as a result, SMEs often do not qualify for traditional bank financing. Banks impose strict credit and business history requirements, which often leave tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners without financing options," Bhavik Vasa, founder of GetVantage, said.
Mumbai: GetVantage said cloud kitchens and quick service restaurants are facing issues in raising capital from traditional lenders, leading them to increasingly opt for revenue based financing especially for marketing and operational spends.
"The concept of QSR and cloud kitchens is quite novel, and as a result, SMEs often do not qualify for traditional bank financing. Banks impose strict credit and business history requirements, which often leave tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners without financing options," Bhavik Vasa, founder of GetVantage, said. "Not to mention, applying for a loan can be time-consuming, involves upfront fees, and often impacts credit scores."
The country's largest revenue-based finance platform invested in tens of QSR and cloud-kitchen companies over the last year including Charcoal Eats, Hydeez, Dim Sum, Mita's Kitchen, Wok and Roll, House of Hyderabad, Kytchens among others.
Within basket of low-ticket discretionary retail spending, QSR shall be relatively less impacted even if slowdown were to happen, as 30-35% of restaurants, mainly unorganized, local, regional players have closed down business operations over the past two years, thereby leading to market share gains for large organized pan-India players, according to a Phillip Capital report.
"Banks have mostly been skeptical to give loans to QSR businesses as most founders do not have collaterals and it becomes difficult to fit into their stringent criteria. With GetVantage's flexible repayment structure, we always had enough liquidity even during the repayment cycle," said Janmejay Nayak, Founder, Dim Sum.
GetVantage’s revenue-based financing marketplace has funded over Rs 2,200 crore in GMV for over 350 brands across categories ranging from B2B SaaS, subscription businesses, D2C, eCommerce, edtech, healthtech, cloud kitchens, and nutrition, among others. The company provides founders anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 5 crore of non-dilutive growth capital compared to traditional funding sources, which mostly require business owners to dilute equity or give control via board seats, or warrants.
"We work closely with many QSR founders to accelerate access to growth capital and other tools, so they can invest in areas like upgrading technology and equipment, increasing inventory, and marketing," added Vasa.
2022 saw some significant changes in the e-commerce ecosystem in India. The industry primarily dominated by the two big wigs of e-commerce - Amazon and Flipkart, saw growing competition from giant conglomerates such as JioMart and Tata Digital and startups like Nykaa, Meesho, Udaan, and DealShare. Further, the launch of state-backed ONDC created waves of disruption in the established e-commerce market. Last year, also saw e-commerce players refocusing their strategies to tap the next set of internet consumers from the hinterlands.


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State-owned ports and freight rail company Transnet’s websites have been down for a week. This followed reports that a cyber-attack had affected Transnet Port Terminals (TPT). The state agency downplayed its seriousness, initially calling it a ‘disruption on its IT network’. Now we know it’s a full-blown security threat, thanks to a force majeure notice sent to its customers this week.
According to Moneyweb, which has access to a copy of the confidential letter, it states that the recent hack was “an act of cyber-attack, security intrusion and sabotage.” The notice has since been confirmed by industry sources and was sent out by TPT chief executive Velile Dube.
Of course, losing access to the IT networks of the country’s container ports, freight and goods delivery and rail systems could prove detrimental to many goods-related industries in the country. “This confirms a major blow for Transnet Group, with TPT being one of its biggest and most important divisions,” Moneyweb reports
Following the initial breach (or ‘security intrusion’), the group started working on a manual system to operate its key divisions (including TPT). Recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal didn’t help either, forcing truck delays on routes around the Port of Durban.
Obviously, this was the perfect storm to force Transnet’s hand and institute the force majeure on Monday, essentially preventing the company from fulfilling its duties to various customers. At the time of writing, there’s no detail on how extensive the security breach is or how Transnet is dealing with it.


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Net neutrality should not target internet carriers, it should go for the content providers, according to BlackBerry CEO and executive chairman John Chen.
Amid a game of political tennis with ‘net neutrality’ playing the unwitting roll of the tennis ball, US President Barack Obama again spoke of the issue in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
This has seen the debate re-emerge online as consumers, activists and stakeholders all declare what they think is the ‘right’ thing to do.
Given the ethos behind Obama’s push for all internet consumers to enjoy unweighted internet service – basically not allowing different internet carriers to slow down certain online services as a way of promoting their own, paid-for services – it’s surprising to see so many versions of what’s ‘right’.
The latest industry figurehead to show his hand is Chen, who announced BlackBerry has been “in the midst of a turnaround” since he took over, as the company moves away from solely hardware-based operations.
Key to that, Chen claimed, is BlackBerry’s strategy of app and content neutrality. By that, Chen means that content produced by BlackBerry is available across all platforms.
So BlackBerry Messenger and his company’s secure BES12 mobile device management software can be used on Android or iPhone devices, not just BlackBerrys. Chen then pointed the finger at Apple, Netflix and other major content providers for not doing the same.
“Apple does not allow BlackBerry or Android users to download Apple’s iMessage messaging service,” he said, adding that Netflix “has discriminated” against BlackBerry customers by not making its streaming movie service available on the devices, with others doing similar.
Two tiers is a problem
“This dynamic has created a two-tiered wireless broadband ecosystem, in which iPhone and Android users are able to access far more content and applications than customers using devices running other operating systems. These are precisely the sort of discriminatory practices that neutrality advocates have criticised at the carrier level.”
It’s an interesting argument but there are obvious points to deal with. Firstly, this is clearly a BlackBerry executive promoting a cause that would infinitely improve BlackBerry’s business.
Secondly, app creators are not only tech behemoths. Many are single developers, small teams and start-ups. The costs behind developing apps for multiple platforms would push many to the brink, and be simply unsustainable for others.


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In a bid to accelerate its reform programme as a way to increase economic growth, Indian lawmakers have revealed new draft legislation which is designed to turn public port trusts into independent companies, according to JOC.com.
The Ministry of Shipping for India said: “Each port authority of a major port shall be operated, regulated and administered by the board. The [new independent] review board will reduce the extent of litigation between public-private-partnership operators and ports.”
This follows news that India had announced a fresh port privatisation project involving the establishment of a new department in order to more effectively attract private funds.
Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister for India recently argued that if India doesn’t switch to privatisation, minor ports in the country could overtake major ports in terms of competition.
India is set to build 8 more major ports in its effort to accelerate growth, which would increase the total number of major ports to 20.
By the end of the 2014-2015 financial year, APM Terminals’ Mumbai container terminal had seen the highest throughput, having reached more than two million TEU.


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Reviewing a successful classic RTS was already a great idea but adding more changes makes things even better!
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was launched just a year ago and to celebrate the anniversary, the developers have made available a huge update.
Players can expect balance changes and bug fixes for optimized gameplay. But the biggest addition to the Anniversary Update comes in the form of a battle royale mode.
With the mode, you will be able to play against seven other players to see who will be the last one standing, as is typical of battle royale. The video below shows the mode in action:
Including a battle royale mode in a strategy game is quite unique and certainly offers more replay value for fans.


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Buy Platinum one day early in New York
The Nintendo World Store Web site announced on Tuesday that its store in Rockefeller Center in New York City will host a Pokémon Platinum launch party from 11 a.m-4 p.m. on Saturday. The party will sell the Nintendo DS game one day before its national release and will have a signing station with some of the game's developers.
The game will be sold starting at 11 a.m., while the party events will begin at noon.
Attendees will be randomly selected to obtain a game autographed by Junichi Masuda and Takeshi Kawachimaru, the game's producer and director, respectively. There will be contests, prizes and more, and the site encourages visitors to dress as their favorite Pokémon characters. There will also be a showing of Giratina and the Sky Warrior, the latest Pokémon movie to be released in the United States.
Update: We are sincerely sorry for any confusion that may have occurred. QuickAttack's report of a Mystery Gift event was fake, as well as the flier the same user posted earlier. We would wish to thank Nyoo and Filb.de for giving us more information on the issue.
The user that reported this was not a user, but a sockpuppet of Fenzo666 and Poryhack, the two administrators at the former PKM Database, now Project Pokémon. As it would seem, they were trying to get users away from Bulbagarden, specifically Bulbapedia, and towards their site by giving users false information. However, Argy noticed that the IP of QuickAttack was the same as those PKM Database admins. Due to this, The PKM Database has been shush about the incident, with the only mention that it was their doing on Fenzo666's talk page, covering the situation up by saying it was an April Fools' joke; problem was, this happened more than a week before the first of April. The duo has yet to tell their users about the incident as of March 13, 2010.


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Preliminary results of a new study based on data on San Francisco Bay Area restaurants suggest that higher minimum wages at restaurants increases the chance that an eatery of average quality will close.
The study titled "Survival of the Fittest: The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Firm Exit," has not been published but is part of research being conducted at Harvard Business School.
The results show that when the minimum wage increases by a dollar the chance an average quality restaurant will go out of business increases by 14 percent.
High quality restaurants did not appear to be affected by a one-dollar increase in the minimum wage, according to the study.
Average quality restaurants in the study had a 3.5-star Yelp rating on a scale from one to five, while the high quality restaurants had a 5-star Yelp rating.
Concerns have been raised recently as Yelp and other consumer review sites have grown in popularity because some claim the reviews are false.
The Bay Area was selected for the study because 15 of the 41 cities and counties that have changed their minimum wage since 2012 are here, according to the study's authors Dara Lee Luca of Mathematica Policy Research and Michael Luca of Harvard.
The study contributes to the exiting research on the minimum wage, according to the two Lucas. Some of the existing research suggests that higher minimum wages reduce the number of jobs, especially among people who have fewer skills.


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Georges Duboeuf, one of the great wine merchants of the 20th Century, has died at the age of 86.
He was best known for turning the release of a little-known French product - a red wine called Beaujolais Nouveau - into a global phenomenon.
By the 1980s, Mr Duboeuf's enthusiastic promotion of the wine had led to its annual release date being known across the world as Beaujolais Nouveau Day.
It also earned him the nickname "the Pope of Beaujolais".
Mr Duboeuf died of a stroke at about 18:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday at his home in the eastern village of Romanèche-Thorins, his daughter-in-law Anne told AFP news agency.
In the 1950s Mr Duboeuf set up L'Écrin Mâconnais-Beaujolais, an association of wine producers, to help promote local wines. Through the association, he developed strong relationships with traders and restaurateurs across the region.
He then opened his own winery, Georges Duboeuf Wines, in 1964. He applied traditional methods of winemaking to his craft, including rigorous monitoring of the wine and an apparently almost clinical dedication to hygiene.
The winery later grew to other regions, and in 1993 Mr Duboeuf set up a shop and museum of winemaking in Romanèche-Thorins.
But it was his tireless promotion of Beaujolais Nouveau in particular that set Mr Duboeuf apart.
Throughout the 1980s he held Beaujolais Nouveau festivals which were attended by celebrities of all kinds, including Michelin-starred restaurateurs.
By the time he passed the company on to his son Franck in 2018, the company was producing about 30 million bottles a year that were sold internationally.
Dominique Piron, president of the Inter Beaujolais company, said Mr Duboeuf was responsible for "raising the Beaujolais flag all over the world".
"He had a nose, an intuition, [he was] a step ahead of everyone," he said.


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Swedish multinational clothing-retail company Hennes & Mauritz is slated to open in Panama at the end of 2020.
Known more widely as H&M, the company currently has 51 online markets and stores in 74 countries, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay in Latin America. This, however, will be H&M’s first store in Central America and part of its strategy to access growing markets.
In Panama, it will operate through a franchise agreement with local company Hola Moda SA, incorporated in Panama City in October 2019 by Phoenix Group and Dorben Group, which manage a number of other international fashion brands in the region.
Although as yet unconfirmed, word on the street is that the store will open in the recently shuttered Sanborns in Multiplaza Mall.


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Blueberry hawkers in Nakuru city are counting losses due to lack of customers, occasioned by the Azimio opposition protesters, that has drastically reduced the number of people who visit the Central Business District (CBD) due to fears of being caught up in the skirmishes.
Faith Njoki, a fruit seller of the fast-perishable fruits, said due to increased temperatures and a lack of cooling centres or fridges, many of them have had to discard the rotten fruits.
Interviewed by Kna today at the CBD, where many of them hawk fruits, that are in season, she said they source the small, delicious fruits from Tanzania, where they are currently in plenty.
She added that the few blueberries that are grown near Lake Naivasha are mainly booked by hotels in advance, hence the need to source them from Tanzania, where they are grown in abundance.
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which was signed by Kenya in 2018, promised broader and deeper economic integration and has benefited food traders in Nakuru County.
Njoki, who’s a university graduate and well-informed about the free movement of goods across East Africa, said a majority of the fruits eaten in the county, including bananas, pawpaws, and oranges, are mainly imported from Tanzania.
She noted that blueberries were popular because they are packed with a powerful punch in terms of health benefits; such as antioxidants, and flavonoids, which are good for the eyes, digestion, blood sugar regulation, and skin health.
However, a nutritionist in the city David Maina, said while blueberries and other fruits are beneficial, they are just one part of a healthy and balanced diet.
He urged the residents to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to ensure they get a broad range of nutrients and other health benefits.
Also, Maina disparaged the craze of making and drinking juices and smoothies, which he noted are popularized by social media influencers, and added that whole fruits were much better because they have fiber that the body requires for digestion.
The most noticeable small-scale businesses in the city are MPesa agents and fruit sellers, which are also hawked in plastic containers, which the nutritionists termed extremely unhealthy.
By Veronica Bosibori


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the biggest Banks From the country usually adopt Special Service Hours to the audience close to End of year. On Christmas Eve, for example, branches were only open until 11am Brasilia time.
After the Christmas holidays, agencies resumed their work routine, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to information from the Brazilian Confederation of Banks (Verapan), normal business hours continue until today, December 30.
on the thirty-first, There will be no service Personally in bank branches because banks do not work in them holidays Formal, be it municipal, state, or federal, as stated by Verappan.
Guidance for those who need to conduct financial transactions on the last day of the year is to use electronic means, such as an app, online banking, telephone, ATM or messengers.
Remember that meat and water bills, energy And the phone due on vacation can be paid on the next business day, without any extras. In most cases, these invoices are already issued on the revised dates according to the holiday calendar.
It is also possible to schedule accounts through banking apps, or even pay them at ATMs.
“Friendly zombie guru. Avid pop culture scholar. Freelance travel geek. Wannabe troublemaker. Coffee specialist.”


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Annual Conference of Consorzio Italiano Biogas: the Italian biogas-biomethane model is exportable
A study presented at “Biogas Italy” on 14-15 February estimates that the biogas / biomethane supply chain can reduce GHG emissions, contribute to reaching renewable energy targets, favor 21,000 jobs and €16 billion in revenue for the tax authorities in 2030.
The Consorzio italiano Biogas (CIB) underlined the excellence of the “Italian model”, also recognized by the international research group coordinated by Professor Bruce Dale of Michigan University. Indeed, the Italian agricultural producers of biogas are among the most advanced in the world in the sector and the Italian biogas and biomethane supply chain in agriculture is the second largest in Europe and the fourth in the world.
The group of Professor Dale believes that it is feasible to “export” the Italian model of Biogasfattobene® (‘Biogasdoneright®’) to reduce emissions and develop companies from the agricultural sector in other countries.
For example, Argentina could completely replace its imports of natural gas with biogas produced according to the Biogasfattobene® method. In the USA, the potential of this model could exceed 20% of fossil gas.
According to CIB estimates, Italy would be able to reach a production of 10 billion m3 of biomethane by 2030. According to a study by the environmental consulting firm Althesys presented at the event, a biomethane boost production could avoid 197 million of tons of CO2 emissions by 2050. Furthermore, it estimates that the development of the supply chain would allow to create over 21,000 jobs by 2030, with significant positive economic impacts.
Another study by the international energy and climate consulting firm Ecofys was presented at the event. It was commissioned by Gas for Climate, a consortium formed by the main European gas transportation companies (Enagas, Fluxys, Gasunie, GRTgaz, Open Grid Europe, SNAM, TIGF) and by CIB and EBA, which recognizes the fundamental role of renewable gas in decarbonising the European economy.
Read more here. (in italian).
More about Biogas Italy here.


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Back in the 1980's Sony and JVC fought a consumer war over hope video tape standards. Sony, which had tried to develop a partnership with Matsushita for home video tape systems in the mid-1970's, chose instead to develop Betamax, a smaller tape format.
JVC was the primary developer and advocate of VHS, and even though most video experts thought Betamax was the better format, JVC eventually won out over Sony, costing Sony billions of dollars in potential revenues and marketing costs.
A similar war has been engaged, albeit on a smaller scale over the past two years in the area of high-definition DVD.
In this case Sony's rival has been Toshiba, which advocated for the HD-DVD format over Sony's Blu-Ray. But unlike the format wars of thirty years ago, in this instance, Sony has emerged as the victor.
Toshiba recently announced that it will no longer produce and market HD-DVD after March, 2008. Already retailers with HD player stocks are beginning to liquidate their remaining inventories.
Although prices may be attractive, there appears to be little reason to pick up one of these players, as most movie studios are expected to stop releasing HD-DVD titles, and all are now in support of Blu-Ray.
Consumers, for the most part, should find the end of this particular format war to be helpful in making a decision to go to a true high-definition format.
Another issue that's helpful is pricing of DVD players on the retail level. In the 1980's it wasn't uncommon for VCR's to cost $500 or more, with high-end models exceeding $1000.
Sony's Blu-Ray disc players, while more expensive than comparable HD-DVD units, are now under $500, and prices can be expected to continue to fall. However, it's likely to take years before Blu-Ray falls into the sub-$100 price level consumers have become accustomed to for standard DVD players.
Sony is usually known for being at the upper end of the retail price scale for most lines of consumer electronics. How widely Blu-Ray will be licensed to other companies, and at what cost, is still an open question.
Blu-Ray discs can also be expected to become more widely available in video rental stores as retailers will no longer have to dedicate shelf space for two competing formats.
With the looming transition to full digital broadcast TV in the U.S. now less than a year away, the ending of High-Def DVD format wars will likely produce a further uptick in the sale of larger digital televisions which have the capability of showing off the advantages of Blu-Ray.
Buyers of Sony's PS3 game systems have Blu-Ray built in, and it can also be expected to help sales in that area. Microsoft, which has reportedly sold hundreds of thousands of HD-DVD add-on players to its Xbox 360 game consoles, has announced it is also pulling the plug on HD-DVD.
Doubt also exists, however, as to how long it will take for consumers to fully embrace Blu-Ray. The reality is that for most homes the standard DVD provides excellent quality, and upconverting DVD players (which now cost as little as $50) provide even better picture quality on large screens.
While Blu-Ray is better still, many will find it hard to swallow Blu-Ray at a time when consumers are moving in droves to purchase pricey digital televisions in an economy otherwise less than stellar.
Tom Meek is a computer and media consultant working with businesses and individuals on high-tech needs. Another Day In Cyberville is published weekly in print and online via The Gainesville Voice, a weekly publication of The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. You can reach Tom Meek at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Never mind arguing over the last cocktail sausage as according to new research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) what to watch on TV got over 15% of Brits arguing over Christmas.
Christmas is the perfect time to chill out with a mince pie in front of the television, however according to a new report by FBM, 16% of us argued when deciding what to watch on TV with a whopping eleven per cent feeling tension due to DIY jobs!
Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs at the FMB, said: “Bank holidays are synonymous with DIY but our research suggests that perhaps Christmas is not the best time to undertake these sorts of projects. Half of Brits have had arguments with loved ones during the festive period and one in ten of these have had rows that relate to DIY. Christmas is a joyous time but it also puts families under immense emotional strain – extended families come together in a confined space and we tend to spend an unusually long amount of time with the same people.
It’s therefore questionable as to whether we ought to add fuel to the fire by embarking upon DIY projects. Christmas and DIY both have a reputation for causing tension in the household so our advice is that the DIY should wait until after the new year. That way, home owners can instead focus on having a very happy, and tension-free, Christmas.”
Asking 2,000 home owners if they had experienced arguments or tensions over the Christmas period and the main reasons for these arguments were as follows:
1) Cooking meals (38%);
2) Spending too much time with loved ones (36%);
3) Interacting with in-laws (34%);
4) Consuming too much alcohol (26%);
5) Deciding what to watch on TV (16%);
6) Playing games (11%);
7) DIY jobs, including assembling flat pack furniture (11%);
8) Sleeping arrangements (7%).
What’s Christmas without a little grumble about what to watch on television.
(All images and research credited to Federation of Master Builders)


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Leading footwear and apparel brand Skechers USA and EB Brands, a top provider of innovative fitness, running and wellness products, and workplace safety equipment, announced that they will partner to launch a full range of Skechers branded running, yoga and fitness products as well as a line of workplace safety gear and accessories.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Skechers,” said Steven Brigham, chief executive officer at EB Brands. “It’s a timeless brand that stands for fitness and wellness and we are confident we can provide devoted fans with more of the quality products they have come to expect from the Skechers brand.”
The Skechers-branded line will draw on an array of branded assets to help bring the line to life in the look and feel of Skechers. The line will focus on wellness, with products including yoga accessories, personal fitness gear and running and walking accessories. Skechers fitness and wellness products will launch at retail in early autumn 2016.
“We’re excited to be partnering with a company like EB Brands because they have outstanding product development and global distribution capabilities,” said Skechers president Michael Greenberg. “We look forward to expanding the Skechers brand into more product categories that provide our customers with additional ways to boost their personal fitness and wellness. This is a partnership that will utilize both companies’ best assets to ensure our brand shines through with these new product launches.”