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August 30, 2018
BEIJING (Reuters) – Activity in China’s vast factory sector likely slowed for the third straight month in August as domestic demand remained weak and exporters faced rising uncertainties from the escalating trade war with the United States, a Reuters poll showed.
While the August manufacturing slowdown is expected to be modest, it will reinforce views that the world’s second-largest economy is continuing to lose steam even as Washington readies even tougher tariffs on Chinese goods.
That is likely to prompt Beijing to roll out more growth boosting measures, adding to a spate of recent spending announcements, tax cuts and steps to lower companies’ financing costs.
The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is expected to fall to 51.0 in August from 51.2 in July, according to the median forecast of 37 economists in the Reuters poll. The 50-mark divides expansion from contraction on a monthly basis.
China’s manufacturing industry has been growing for two years but is now facing a triple threat — higher borrowing costs; cooling investment and consumer spending; and a potential export shock.
Indeed, the head of China’s top planning agency said on Wednesday that economy faces increasing risks in the second half of the year and policymakers need to step up efforts to hit key development goals.
China’s economic growth slowed slightly to 6.7 percent in the second quarter, still comfortably above the official 2018 growth target of around 6.5 percent but enough to put policymakers on edge as they braced for export disruptions.
Beijing has pledged to speed up infrastructure investment to stabilize growth, and is also encouraging banks to lend more to smaller firms at better rates, though they maintain that a broad campaign to reduce financial risks and debt levels remains in place.
Project approvals jumped nearly four-fold in July, but the benefits will take time to be felt, suggesting economic conditions will get worse before they get better.
Moreover, actual infrastructure spending may remain weak over the next few months as the finance ministry may be reluctant to reopen funding channels, Capital Economics Senior China Economist Julian Evans-Pritchard wrote in a note on Wednesday.
“Infrastructure spending may weaken further before it bottoms out,” wrote Evans-Pritchard.
“While we think infrastructure investment growth is overshooting to the downside and will eventually see a partial recovery, we don’t anticipate a return to the double-digit growth rates of the past few years.”
Data on Monday showed industrial profit growth slowed for a third month in July, adding to signs of slowing momentum in the economy.
Separately, a private survey on China’s factory expansion is forecast to hit a 14-month low in August.
The private Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ index (PMI) is expected to have fallen to 50.6 in August from 50.8 in July.
The official PMI survey is due out on Friday, along with a similar official survey on services.
The private Caixin manufacturing PMI will be published on Sept. 3, and the Caixin services PMI on Sept. 5.
(Reporting by Elias Glenn; Editing by Kim Coghill)
The post China August factory growth seen easing again as orders cool, tariffs stack up: Reuters Poll appeared first on One America News Network.
August 30, 2018 at 11:20AM
from One America News Network


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4 Hands and WellBeing Brewing collaborate on nonalcoholic IPA to bring awareness to mental health issues
In an effort to raise awareness around mental health issues, 4 Hands Brewing Co. and WellBeing Brewing Co. have created a nonalcoholic El Dorado Dry Hopped IPA called Liquid Rain set to hit the market in May.
April 9, 2021
2020 Best New Restaurants // No. 3 Perennial on Lockwood
By partnering with Olive + Oak and Perennial Artisan Ales in Webster Groves, Perennial on Lockwood has taken the best of both and made a formidable new identity: a modern brewpub with magical food and dapper charm.
December 21, 2020
Latest St. Louis Restaurant News
Chatawa bar will open in Tower Grove South this summer with Grand Pied running the kitchen
Chatawa and Grand Pied will open in early July at 3137 Morgan Ford Road in the ...
Schlafly Beer will open a brewpub in Highland, Illinois, later this year
In late fall, the popular craft brewery Schlafly will open a brewpub at 907 Main St. ...

domain: news


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Canada hails WTO ruling on lumber tariffs
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, May 27, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The World Trade Organization has ruled that the United States erred in approving stiff tariffs on imports of Canadian softwood lumber used to build homes, Canada's trade minister said yesterday.
International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew said the interim ruling by a panel of the world trade body supports Canada's claim that its logging practices -- which include charging fees for use of government-owned forests -- are not subsidies.
"Yet again, it appears that the U.S. is being told that its attempts to prove that our softwood industry is subsidized are flawed," Pettigrew said in a statement.
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But a U.S. trade official disputed Pettigrew's account.
He called the confidential ruling mixed and said the U.S. prevailed in at least one crucial respect: The WTO ruled that Canada's system of providing lumber producers with timber from public lands is a financial contribution and, therefore, subject to duties such as those imposed by the United States.
The official called that aspect of the ruling "a victory for both the U.S. lumber industry and the environment."
The United States contends that Canada's fees are artificially low and amount to subsidies that allow Canadian mills to sell wood below market value. Last year, the Bush administration slapped anti-dumping duties averaging 27 percent on softwood imports from four provinces, contending that Canadian lumber imports threatened the U.S. industry.
Canada complained to the world trade body that U.S. tariffs have cost Canadian lumber companies hundreds of millions of dollars and wiped out thousands of jobs.
Most U.S. timber is harvested from private land at market prices, while in Canada, the government owns 90 percent of timberlands and charges fees, called stumpage, for logging.
The fee is based on the cost of maintaining and restoring the forest.
The case decided yesterday is largely the same set of competing arguments that yielded a similar decision in July.
The WTO panel is expected to issue a final report on the U.S. subsidy determination in two months.


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Joe Devitt: strengthening paint sales.
Devitt is Crown's commercial director
Published: 23 March, 2010
LANCASHIRE: Joe Devitt, formerly Crown Paints' retail director, has moved to the newly-created position of group commercial director.
Mr Devitt will assume additional, broader responsibilities for formulating and implementing commercial strategy across the Lancashire-based group and will focus on top-line growth and margin generation for the business, which manufactures and markets high profile paint and woodcare brands.
Since 1989, Mr Devitt has held successively senior sales and marketing roles within the company, gaining understanding of both the trade and consumer sectors of the market.
His new directorship marks a further strengthening of the Crown Paints board which, in the past 12 months has seen the appointment of four new directors from within and outside the business.


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The 3rd edition of Cosme Innovation’s International Cosmetics Development Expo & Conference—combined with the 1st Cosme Tokyo International Cosmetics Trade Fair June 27-29, for what organizers called a highly successful event. The show hosted 324 exhibitors (more than double the 141 in 2011), with 16,936 visitors (up over 9,069 in 2011).
Cosme Tokyo was newly launched this year, joining Cosme Innovation, which launched in 2010, making the event Japan’s only trade fair covering the whole cosmetics industry—from ingredients, OEM, containers/packaging to finished products. The show featured the latest trends and products, which gave the visitors both a comprehensive overview on the whole industry and detailed information in each field.
This year, the number of overseas exhibitors increased considerably, as well as a large number of visitors from all around Asia—all seeking Japan’s high‐quality ingredients/containers, popular “made‐in‐Japan cosmetics” and the latest trends appearing in Tokyo.
Organizers say the show became a larger, more comprehensive and more international business platform for the cosmetics industry, as well as a bridge between overseas companies and the world’s second largest cosmetics market, Japan.
The Cosme Tokyo conference featured industry leaders as speakers, and attracted more than 3,000 attendees. In addition to the latest market trends, the topic of how to be successful in the current Japanese & Asian cosmetics market was addressed by successful companies in each field.
More info: www.cosme-i.jp/en


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GlobalFoundries has sued Apple supplier TSMC for patent infringement, seeking to stop imports into the United States and Germany of products made with the allegedly infringed technologies.
In lawsuits filed on Monday in the United States and Germany, GlobalFoundries… alleged that chip manufacturing technologies used by TSMC infringed GlobalFoundries’ 16 patents, and sought to prevent imports of customers’ products containing chips produced with the infringing technologies.
It did not elaborate on products affected by the alleged infringement, but listed Apple Inc, Qualcomm Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google, Nvidia Corp, Lenovo Group and Taiwan’ MediaTek Inc among TSMC’s customers affected by the complaints.
In a move to highlight its investment in the United States amid an intensifying U.S. trade war with China over Beijing’s alleged unfair practices involving technology transfers and intellectual property, GlobalFoundries also said the lawsuits are aimed at protecting its U.S. investment.
MacDailyNews Take: Well, TSMC certainly didn’t steal GlobalFoundries’ ability to stamp state-of-the-art processors, since they’ve never demonstrated that ability in the first place.


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The Internet Association Will Participate in Legal Action Against the FCC’s Rollback of Net Neutrality Rules
Tony Romm, Recode:
The Washington, D.C.-based Internet Association specifically plans to join a lawsuit as an intervening party, aiding the challenge to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s vote in December to repeal regulations that required internet providers like AT&T and Comcast to treat all web traffic equally, its leader confirmed to Recode.
Technically, the Internet Association isn’t filing its own lawsuit. That task will fall to companies like Etsy, public advocates like Free Press and state attorneys general, all of which plan to contend they are most directly harmed by Pai’s decision, as Recode first reported this week.
As an intervener, though, the Internet Association still will play a crucial role, filing legal arguments in the coming case. And in formally participating, tech giants will have the right to appeal a judge’s decision later if Silicon Valley comes out on the losing end.
The Internet Association’s members include Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, and Twitter. That’s a lot of weight to be thrown behind someone else’s legal action; but, with powerful companies like those as members, I don’t see any reason why the Association couldn’t file its own suit. They should.


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Even though BMW i8 is not exactly hot news anymore, seeing one out in the wild is still pretty exciting. Guess it’s going to take a while for that futuristic design with its odd details to sink in and people get fully used to it. Here’s an awesome black i8 with blue accents, spotted at a BMW Showroom in Rennes, France.
We are not sure if BMW i8 can be ordered in a one-tone color with all those contrasting accents finished in body color, but we reckon a more gainly like that. And while they’re at it, they may want to change those horribly ugly wheels too!
Apart from those, it is really hard to fault the i8’s design. The car is a hybrid sports car with the performance of a sports car and the efficiency of a small hybrid hatchback, and it looks as complicated as its capabilities, which is a good thing.
Mind you, as we’ve seen in the BMW i8 vs Porsche 911 battle, the performance of this car is not quite up to real sports cars standard, and we’re pretty sure the real-life economy is not going to be mind-bogglingly good, either. But that’s missing the point. The i8 is a compromise between performance and economy, and as far as compromises go, it’s a good’un.


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The actress has teamed up with entrepreneur Renata Black on EBY, which will donate a portion of its sales to underprivileged women.
The Paris lingerie and beachwear show saw its first uptick in visitor numbers since 2011.
The first iteration was created by stitching two upside down jock straps together.
The brand is betting big on the outdoors category.
Jenna Kerner and Jane Fisher, Wharton graduates who cofounded the start-up, want to disrupt the intimate apparel industry.
The brand has signed a licensing agreement with IHL Group to manufacture and distribute women’s, men’s and children’s innerwear.


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Alabama-raised catfish is known worldwide for its quality and taste. Whether fried, baked, grilled or featured in gumbos, stews and chowders, catfish is an ingredient that gets people excited to sit down and eat.
When Bubba and Anne Drury of Greensboro built their first catfish pond in the rich, black soil of Hale County in 1980, they couldn’t have foreseen the impact catfish would have on their family and community. The Drurys now raise catfish on more than 650 acres of water, and Bubba is a board member of both the Hale County Farmers Federation and the Federation’s State Catfish Committee. Earlier this year, he was chosen Alabama’s Catfish Farmer Of The Year by fellow producers across the state.
Raising catfish lends itself naturally to hosting countless fish fry events and serving a lot of catfish at home, but Anne said the impact reaches even deeper than the dinner table.
“We take pride in having good, quality fish and a clean, workable operation,” Anne said. “It’s huge for us to have the fish here because the industry employs so many people — from our own employees to the people who transport the fish to those who work at the plant that processes the fish. It’s a great industry for our state. It’s something we are very proud of.”
Anne’s favorite way to eat catfish is fried, but there are several alternatives she likes to serve as well.
“Of course, when we get together a large group, 99 percent of the time we do a big fish fry with hush puppies and cabbage slaw,” she said. “But if it’s just a few people, I like to grill or broil it and serve with a butter-based sauce or a crab meat au gratin topping. Most people only fry catfish, but it can be just as delicious baked or grilled if it’s spiced up the right way.”


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Ministry of Health South in Africa is warning consumers to avoid eating all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat after tracing the source of deadly listeria outbreak to a sausage meat product.
Scientifically known as Listeria this bacteria can be found in soil and water and some animals, including poultry and cattle.
The bacteria is incredibly difficult to track and when people eat food that is tainted by Listeria, the incubation period can range between 3 to 70 days.
Be on the lookout for the following Symptoms of Listeria infection which may vary, but can include sudden onset of fever, diarrhea, chills, headache and other flu-like symptoms several weeks after exposure to Listeria bacteria.
Read about diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and infection during pregnancy


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This advertisement won't just make you smile -- you can make it smile.
A newly-installed billboard for Jell-O constantly studies the ratio of happy and sad emoticons on Twitter, then uses the ever-changing data to make a face on the ad smile or frown.
If the majority of Twitter users are posting the :) symbol, a man's face on billboard grins. When the majority are posting the :( symbol, the advertisement grimaces.
The billboard at the corner of Grand Street and West Broadway in New York City's SoHo neighborhood is an extension of larger campaign by Kraft Foods that started with the Jell-O Pudding Face website, which gives out coupons when there are more frowny faces than smiley faces on Twitter, Adage notes.
SEE MORE CREATIVE BILLBOARDS:
"Interesting to see an out-of-home ad responding in real time to the social Web," wrote AdWeek's Tim Nudd.
But when former Crispin Porter + Bogusky copywriter Ian Hart realized his emotive face was featured on a massive billboard just blocks away from his office, he didn't appear pleased, at least according to his explicit reaction in a video posted on Mediabistro's AgencySpy blog.
SEE THE AD:


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Celebrities, along with plenty of normal folk, eat a lot of strange things in Uber Eats’ full Super Bowl spot, unveiled today.
Last week, the brand teased its sophomore appearance at the game with a series of ads starring Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah and Gwyneth Paltrow chowing down on non-food items, what the brand calls “Uber Don't Eats,” such as lipstick, a makeup brush, a vagina candle and a lightbulb. Now, they’re joined by actor Nicholas Braun, aka “Cousin Greg” from HBO’s “Succession,” and everyday people in a series of snacking moments that include cat litter, dish soap, diapers and more.
The campaign aims to humorously to drive home how Uber Eats delivers more than its name promises.
“We’re using the Super Bowl spot as a really big stage to be able to say, ‘Did you know that we do more than restaurant food delivery?’ Uber Global Executive Creative Director Danielle Hawley told Ad Age.
During a brainstorming session, she shared, “we were laughing about how the elephant in the room was going to be the fact that, like, ‘I could get soap, which was definitely not something I should eat.’ And from there, you know how the creative process works. We uncovered Uber Eats and Uber Don’t Eats and it just sort of, wrote itself.”
Above is the extended version of the 30-second ad running in the second quarter of the game (seen below). The campaign was created out of Special Group U.S. and directed by Jake Szymanski of Gifted Youth.
"We knew we had to embrace the literalness of the brand name in a way that created a humorous logic bomb within culture," said Special Group U.S. Executive Creative Director Dave Horton in a statement. "To tackle the conundrum, we assembled an elite team of hilarious, up-for-anything humans who we knew would make it clear that just because it’s delivered by Uber Eats doesn’t mean you can always 'Eats' it," added Executive Creative Director Matthew Woodhams-Roberts.
As part of the campaign, Uber Eats today is introducing a “Big Game Goods” hub on its app, where customers can order Uber Eats and Don't Eats in time for their Game Day gatherings. There, for the first time, Uber Eats customers in Los Angeles and New York will also be able to order Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop products, including her vagina candle and skincare goods.
Given the Super Bowl’s timing right before Valentine’s Day, the campaign also includes an additional ad starring Braun promoting yet another hub for the holiday. There, customers can get discounts up to $20 on holiday food delivery as well as Don’t Eats including chocolates, flowers and bath bombs.
“As a fan of Uber, and eating, and bowls, I was thrilled to get to do an Uber Eats Super Bowl commercial,” said Braun in a statement. “I also got to work with the comedic genius, Jennifer Coolidge. Less cool: I had to drink dish soap and eat sponges all day. But I learned a valuable lesson … just because it’s delivered by Uber Eats, does not mean you should Eats it.”
See Uber Eats' 2021 Super Bowl ad and more in Ad Age's Super Bowl Archive.
See the in-game version of the "Uber Don't Eats" ad below.


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As part of an agreement with ESPN, the Fiesta Bowl has named PlayStation its new title sponsor.
This year, the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl will be a College Football playoff semifinal game played Saturday, Dec. 31, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
“The Fiesta Bowl is pleased to partner with PlayStation to present this year’s PlayStation Fiesta Bowl,” said Mike Nealy, Fiesta Bowl executive director, in a prepared statement.
“PlayStation’s commitment to creating unique and ex-citing experiences matches our desire to deliver one-of-a-kind events to fans each year.”
The category exclusive multiyear deal makes PlayStation the official gaming and virtual reality sponsor of the CFP. ESPN will collaborate with PlayStation on multimedia content integrations across ESPN programming, featuring the PlayStation brand messaging, “Greatness Awaits,” to drive excitement and anticipation for the CFP.
“As leaders in entertainment and technology, ESPN and PlayStation share some of the most passionate fans in the world. The demo-graphic drawn to PlayStation also consumes ESPN content, and the Fiesta Bowl is an excellent vehicle to reach those passionate college football fans,” said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN global sales and marketing, in a press release.
This multimedia deal — TV and digital — is part of a broader agreement that includes other marquee ESPN programming throughout the year.
The Scottsdale Independent is available for free every Wednesday.


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Russia Invests More Than $1 Billion in Armenia's Economy
The official said that cooperation between the two states is actively developing. Thus, the mutual trade turnover with Armenia in 2021 increased by 17%, while in 2020 the level of trade turnover decreased by almost 4%. In addition, the level of jointly accumulated investments from Russia to Armenia has increased to more than $2.2 billion.
«We know that there are concrete projects worth more than $1 billion that will be delivered to the Armenian economy in the near future», he said.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Russia his country's main trading partner. According to him, in 2019, bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded the threshold of $2 billion, and this year a double-digit increase in trade turnover has already been recorded. He also noted that bilateral cooperation between the countries is for the benefit of nations.


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Technology news for New Zealand's largest enterprises
These search results are from across the Techday network of sites
Calling all fintech startups – get in front of key players, potential partners and investors
If you’re part of a fintech startup with the potential to transform the financial services industry, then Payments NZ wants to help you.
Let's not forget that RegTech is also about cybersecurity
The cybersecurity implications of RegTech and data analytics are just as important as the technology itself, Palo Alto Networks warns.
Getting your strategy ready for Fintech
7 out of 10 banking and securities CIOs tell us that digital entrants from outside their industry are a greater threat than their usual competition.
Frost & Sullivan: Fintech security needs to catch up
Frost & Sullivan study says government agencies, SMEs & startups will need to work together if Australia is to become a leader in Fintech innovation.
Banks struggle to remain relevant as FinTech tools take over
"Banks need to ‘think big’ as they strive to meet evolving customer demands in the digital age."
Australian fintech sector skyrocketing
The Australian fintech sector will reach $4.2 billion by 2020; of which A$1 billion will be completely new added value to the Australian economy.
Australian fintech industry disrupting big four banks
Australia's fintech industry is set to pull money away from the big four banks, according to a report which highlights just how lucrative fintech is.


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(USATODAY) — Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday as the company grapples with an emissions cheating scandal, though he denied any personal wrongdoing.
“I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group," Winterkorn said in a statement. "I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part."
Volkswagen's executive committee, a sub-panel of its full board, said it's "expecting further personnel consequences in the next days" as its investigation proceeds into how the company installed sophisticated software onto 11 million diesel cars to avoid emissions regulations.
Advertisement - story continues below


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April was a disappointing month for West Coast ports, with total container volume declining 1 percent from the same month last year.
Or, for unlimited access to timely news and analysis:
Not registered with JOC.com? Create an account now. Once signed up, read FIVE articles every thirty days for free.


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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
Windows 2000 to launch in February
- — 27 October, 1999 21:49
Microsoft is aiming for February 17 as the retail release date for its Windows 2000 operating system, the software giant announced in Las Vegas yesterday.
The company is still aiming to have Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server released to manufacturing during calendar year 1999, and says that February 17, 2000 will be the launch date, provided that feedback from early-adopter customers is positive.
With no apparent sense of irony - considering the uncertainty that has for years surrounded the final launch date of the operating system -- Deborah Willingham, vice president of Microsoft's Business Enterprise Division at Microsoft was quoted in a press release as saying: "We are thrilled that customers and partners can build their plans around the general availability of Windows 2000."


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PointsBet and The Stars Group first to enter Michigan online gaming market
In December, Michigan passed a legislation package that will see sports betting as well as online gaming offered in the state. This month, the first operators for the market have secured access. PointsBet and The Stars Group are the first to sign deals to offer online services in the region, cutting major deals with land-based operators.
PointsBet will be working with Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (LVD) and have signed an amazing 20-year access deal. The Stars Group signed a similar deal, choosing to work with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
For PointsBet, the brand will be able to launch their own online sportsbook in the state as well as online casino. They of course will have to be granted regulatory approval first. The group is also negotiating with their partner to open a retail sportsbook in Watersmeet on Michigan reservation lands.
According to LegalSportsReport.com…
For The Stars Group, they have a similar deal and will use their Fox Bet brand to offer services. However, Stars will be paying fees based on a revenue share agreement. Robin Chhabra, the CEO of Fox Bet, commented that the group is excited to be working with the Odawa tribe as it further strengthens market access as Fox Bet continues to build on their business into one of the leaders in the emerging online betting and gaming market in the United States.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation legalizing sports betting and online casino gambling as 2019 came to an end. The measure allows each of the casinos in the state to apply for sports betting licensing. Tribal venues are subject to a tax on revenues of 8.75%. The three commercial casinos in Detroit must pay a higher tax rate of 12%. This includes a duty tax from the city of 3.75%.
With online casino gaming, legislation was finally approved by the governor thanks to a tiered tax system. The system will start taxes at 4% and then top out at 23%. For the Detroit casinos, the online tax revenue percentage can go as high as 26.25% due to the city imposed tax.


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All posts tagged "iPod Touch"
iOS 9 slide to upgrade bricking iPhones, iPads; Apple announces workaround
Numerous Apple users have taken to social media and online forums to report of a strange issue wherein...
iOS 8.3 jailbreak: You may want to stay away from it for a few days
Chinese developer group TaiG released iOS 8.3 jailbreak tool a couple of days back giving all those users...
iOS 8.3 hasn’t solved Wi-Fi issues for few users
Less than a week after Apple released its updated iOS 8.3 OS for iPads, iPhone and iPod Touch,...
Google rolls out Chrome Remote Desktop app for iOS
Google, on Monday, rolled out a Chrome Remote Desktop app for iOS, which will let users access their...
Apple: iOS 8 is currently running on 60% of active iOS devices
Apple’s updated App Store Distribution page shows its mobile operating system iOS 8 is currently running on 60...
iOS 7 currently running on 90 percent of Apple devices
Apple has updated its App Store Distribution developer webpage to include new distribution statistics for major iOS versions....
Apple 16GB iPod Touch overhauled with rear camera, new vibrant colours
Cupertino’s flagship music player hasn’t been faring well lately with its sales number dwindling every year.
Apple iOS 6.1.3/6.1.4 untethered jailbreak tool may be released as early as next week
A lot has been going on in the jailbreak scene lately with evad3rs launching an untethered jailbreak that...
LOVEFiLM Instant launched for iPhone, iPod Touch
LOVEFiLM Instant, the app which was previously limited for use only for Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire...


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A payment solutions provider based in Nigeria, Tranzfar Limited has announced the expansion of its freedom account to over 100 countries.
During a press conference in Lagos, the company announced that this achievement represents a major advancement in its goal to offer accessible and secure financial solutions to a global audience.
The Freedom Account serves as a flexible financial platform, empowering both individuals and businesses by granting them the freedom to efficiently manage their finances, conduct cross-border transactions, and access a diverse banking service, all without constraints.
Managing Director of Tranzfar, Ryan Romeo, expressed the company’s commitment to providing accessible financial services worldwide, adding that financial inclusion and customer satisfaction remain its focus.
Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Olusiji Sanya, highlighted that over the past year, Tranzfar has achieved significant milestones with The Freedom Bank Account. These accomplishments include the successful onboarding of thousands of customers and extending its accessibility to more than 100 countries.
He also pointed out that the account now boasts several advanced features, such as a virtual card, multi-currency capabilities, a global payment infrastructure, and integrated enterprise solutions tailored for businesses.
“We are opening a business access point allowing businesses and enterprises to have a Freedom Bank Account that is suitable for companies. For businesses who want to do transactions in different currencies, we also give them FX conversion capabilities,” Olusiji added.


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The HTC Evo 4G was slated to begin the update to Android 2.2 today as I covered previously, and Sprint followed through, pushing out the update a few hours early to users as promised. Android websites like Android Central and BoyGeniusReport have received many tips that the update has been sent out.
Android Central mentions that HTC released a statement to users who couldn't wait a few more days and already installed the unofficial update:
If you applied the unofficial build that leaked late last week (see our hands-on), HTC's working to catch you back up with an official over-the-air update. Don't know when, but the fact that it has said so -- and said so publicly -- bodes well for everybody.
To you EVO 4G users out there: have you already updated and how do you like it? If not, Engadget has some strong words for you:
Seriously, now that it's got a trick flashlight app included in ROM, what could you possibly be waiting for?
Image from BoyGeniusReport


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As companies race to fill the global shortage of semiconductors, another major manufacturing operation could land in Arizona and add up to 10,000 jobs.
The state exceeded the old high by more than 1,000 cases.
EV maker is investing in higher-volume, lower-cost production.
The biggest takeaway as we plan for 2022 is upping the game when it comes to online offerings. Look at your website and social media presence. Are they compelling?
Check out some of the latest mergers and acquisitions to hit the Central Texas business scene. One involves the family office of Bryan Sheffield, the founder and former CEO of Parsley Energy, an oil and gas driller that went public before being acquire...
In addition to the $13.5 million payment due at closing, Cumberland will pay Kyowa up to $3.5 million in milestones and tiered royalties of up to 10% on U.S. net sales.
The acquisition includes all parts of Topps' worldwide trading cards and collectibles business.
A few years after nearly closing its doors, Hampshire College is now more than halfway toward a $60 million fundraising goal that it says will help support a new curriculum model. The anonymous and unrestricted $5 million gift announced Tuesday brings...
The Ohio bill requires the state to allow sportsbooks to begin taking bets by the start of 2023, with a universal launch date for both mobile and retail.
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to disrupt Hollywood and cancel live performances. The fits and starts in entertainment and live events are beginning to add up costs for producers just months after stages filled again. W...
With $100 million in fresh capital — $80 million in equity funding and $20 million in debt — this company that streams viral videos to places like the doctor's office and the auto shop plans to go on a hiring spree in 2022.
The deal included a $45 million upfront payment and two equal payments in 2022 and 2023.


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NEW ORLEANS (press release) –This week, Feed the Second Line adds five culture-bearers to the Harvie Farms New Orleans home delivery service. These culture-bearers will receive a customized box of local food from farms and suppliers in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The estimated cost is $2,500 for a year’s worth of Harvie deliveries for one culture-bearer – the goal is to add them all 120 culture bearers in 2021 (which means a goal of $312,500).
“This is really important because our elders need access to healthy food and we need to also support small, local farms in our purchasing power” says Devin Dewulf, founder of Feed the Second Line.
As the general public signs up for the Harvie Farms New Orleans service, they will have the option of donating $10, $25, or $50 per delivery to Feed the Second Line that will be used to purchase Harvie deliveries for culture bearers.
“We are excited to support the culture of New Orleans through Feed the Second Line while also supporting the agri-culture of the region by bringing local farms and suppliers to the front door of Harvie Farms New Orleans members. It’s good for our culture, our farmers, and, most importantly, the food is delicious and farm fresh,” says Simon Huntley, CEO of Harvie.
About Harvie Farms New Orleans
Harvie Farms New Orleans works with more than 30 local farms and suppliers to bring a localized, farm-fresh grocery box to the front door of members. The delivery area includes metropolitan New Orleans, Kenner, Slidell, and Covington. Harvie’s goal is to help small, local farms beat the big buys by creating a direct link between farmers and consumers in the New Orleans region. Information on becoming a member can be found at http://harvie.farm/neworleans
About Feed the Second Line
Launched by the Krewe of Red Beans in 2020, Feed the Second Line seeks to create a strong safety net for New Orleans culture. Purchasing groceries for our culture-bearers and creating jobs. In 2020, Feed the Second Line purchased over $130,000 worth of groceries and created $300,000 worth of jobs for New Orleans culture-bearers. Feed the Second Line is an effort to support the folks who create New Orleans culture and make our city special. Spy Boys, Baby Dolls, Musicians, Second Lines – all of these are created by people. During these tough times of COVID, we invite you to join us – in supporting the culture bearers.


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AceTraderFx Aug 30: Daily Recommendations on Major -EUR/USD
DAILY MARKET OUTLOOK on Major
Update Time: 30 Aug 2019 05:30 GMT
EUR/USD - 1.1053
Euro’s break of last week’s 1.1052 low to a 4-week trough at 1.1043 in New York on Thursday due to renewed usd’s strength on easing of Sino-U.S. trade tensions suggests re-test of August’s fresh 2-year bottom at 1.1028 would be forthcoming after initial consolidation, a break there would extend recent downtrend towards next projected downside target at 1.0975.
On the upside, only a move back above 1.1092/98 res prolongs recent ‘volatile’ broad sideways swings and may risk stronger retracement to 1.1130/40 next week.
Data to be released on Friday:
New Zealand building permits, UK GfK consumer confidence, nationwide hose price, Japan Tokyo CPI, Tokyo core CPI, unemployment rate, industrial output, retail sales, housing starts, construction orders, Australia building permits.
Germany retail sales, France budget balance, CPI, producer prices, Swiss KOF indicator, Italy unemployment rate, CPI, GDP, EU HICP, unemployment rate.
U.S. personal income, personal spending, PCE price index, core PCE price index, Chicago PMI, University of Michigan sentiment, and Canada GDP, producer prices.


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São Paulo – 2022 was the most effective 12 months ever for Norwegian seafood exports. The nation exported 2.9 million tonnes value about US$15.29 billion. This quantity represents a 25% improve in comparison with 2021, which was additionally a document 12 months for negotiations.
“Fish exports from Norway had a traditionally sturdy 12 months. This consequence comes at a time marked by warfare in Europe, galloping vitality costs, skyrocketing inflation and weakening international buying energy. Because of the troublesome and turbulent instances, we’ve seen a pointy improve in costs, which final 12 months resulted in document costs for vital species corresponding to salmon, cod, mackerel, trout, cod and herring,” feedback Christian Chramer, CEO of Norwegian Fisheries. Council / Norwegian Seafood Council.
a brand new milestone
“Norwegian seafood has reached one other milestone. There’s quite a lot of work behind the export worth of round USD 15.2 billion and the entire chain has to share within the credit score. We’re in troublesome instances with excessive meals costs because of the warfare in Ukraine and the consequences of the pandemic. Though the worth of exports elevated considerably, the whole quantity remained the identical.
The truth that exports are nonetheless doing so effectively reveals that the seafood and fish trade is adaptable, with good professionals working throughout the chain and delivering merchandise on demand. That is excellent news for Norway and I hope exports will develop,” says Bjørnar Skjæran, Minister for Fisheries and Oceans.
Decrease export quantity
The export document in values comes regardless of decrease export volumes of a number of species corresponding to salmon, herring, mackerel, cod, king crab and snow crab.
“For salmon, decrease sea temperatures negatively affected slaughter in 2022. As for our wild species, a big quantity of herring was utilized in Norway in 2022 to provide fishmeal and fish oil, whereas we had decrease quotas for cod. That is the primary clarification for the drop in quantity,” says Chramer.
Salmon exports come to the US＄ 10.1 billion
In 2022, there have been vital milestones within the export of fish from Norway. The nation exported greater than US$10.1 billion monthly for the primary time in a full 12 months. As well as, salmon exports exceeded this quantity for the primary time.
“Norwegian salmon has seen an annual improve in export worth of 14% during the last ten years. These are incredible numbers and much forward of different exports from the Norwegian continent,” says Christian Chramer.
Moreover, in 2022, salmon accounted for the biggest share of Norwegian fish exports, at 70% of the whole worth. That is adopted by cod (8%), mackerel (4%), trout (3%), herring (3%) and shellfish (1%).
“Norwegian seafood is a strong international commodity, offered in 149 markets in 2022. Our salmon is cherished everywhere in the world. Cod commerce is strong in Europe, whereas mackerel dominates in Asia. Our seafood is sort of sacred in markets like Portugal and Brazil – and increasingly individuals are being attentive to Norwegian seafood“, says Christian Chramer.
The export worth has doubled in seven years
Exports have seen sturdy worth progress lately. In 2015, Norway exported 7.47 billion value of fish to the US. In seven years, this quantity has doubled. However Christian Chramer emphasizes that Norway can’t take future export progress with no consideration.
“World commerce is closely affected by the warfare in Ukraine, the rise in commerce boundaries and the continuing pandemic. That is taking place in parallel with the weakening of client buying energy within the markets and rising competitors from different nations and different sources of protein,” says Chramer.
Many challenges for the fish and seafood section
Norwegian fish and seafood producers are additionally affected by components corresponding to rising gas and vitality prices, which elevated final 12 months.
“Though the whole worth of Norwegian exports was a document in 2022, enterprise situations had been difficult for a lot of producers. We now have to maintain this in thoughts at a time when there may be quite a lot of emphasis on export data,” emphasizes the Director Normal of the Norwegian Fisheries Board.
Forex impacts had been smaller in 2022
In recent times, the Norwegian krone has additionally weakened. This reality has an affect on greater export costs measured in Norwegian kroner, which brings a good change fee impact on Norwegian fish and seafood exports and an extra improve in worth.
“In 2022, nonetheless, the devaluation of the koruna slowed down. A stronger greenback helped increase exports to the US, whereas the euro weakened considerably towards the Norwegian krone. Collectively, for all markets, adjustments in change charges contributed little to rising the worth of exports from 2021 to 2022,” says Christian Chramer.
Largest import markets by worth in 2022*
- Poland: US＄1.56 billion (+24%)
- Denmark: US＄1.27 billion (+22%)
- USA: US＄1.18 billion (+46%)
- France: US＄ 1.07 billion (+29%)
- Holland: US＄ 949 million (+34%)
- United Kingdom: US＄787.8 million (+27%)
- Spain: US＄737.3 million (+21%)
- China: US＄ 737.3 million (+45%)
- Italy: US＄ 666.6 million (+30%)
- Portugal: US＄494.9 million (+38%)
*In comparison with 2021
Most exported species in 2022 values*
- Salmon: US＄10.6 billion (+30%)
- Cod: US＄ 1.2 billion (+25%)
- Mackerel: US＄636.3 million (+7%)
- Trout: US＄505 million (+24%)
- Herring: US＄393.9 million (-9%)
- Satire: US＄ 363.6 million (+44%)
*In comparison with 2021
Growth for quarter 2022*
- Three 1: US＄ 3.434 billion (+22%)
- Three 2: US＄ 3.636 billion (+39%)
- Three 3: US＄ 3.888 billion (+24%)
- Three 4: US＄ 4.343 billion (+19%)
*In comparison with 2021
Enhance in billions for cod and dried salted fish
- Norway to export 85,174 tonnes of cod value USD 565.6 million in 2022
- Worth progress was ＄101 million within the US, or 23%, in comparison with 2021
- Export quantity decreased by 6%
- The biggest markets for cod in 2022 had been Portugal, Brazil and Congo-Brazzaville
Final 12 months noticed document cod exports, US$81.3 million greater than the earlier document 12 months in 2019.
Portugal noticed a pointy improve in worth in 2022, with a rise of $51 million, or 27%, in comparison with the earlier 12 months. The export quantity to Portugal was 23,270 tonnes, which is 5% lower than in 2021.
Portugal is a key marketplace for cod exports from Norway
“Portugal is consolidating its place as an important cod market in Norway. Measured by worth, 33% of our cod exports went to the nation in 2022. When it comes to amount, round 78% of exports went to Portugal,” says analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan from the Norwegian Fisheries Council.
Brazil additionally had good export worth progress final 12 months.” Nevertheless, there was a shift in direction of greater exports of dried salted fish and decrease exports of cod and sailfish. Out of a complete of 15,000 tonnes of fish exported to Brazil final 12 months, 9,000 tonnes had been black cod, whereas solely 3,100 tonnes had been items of cod,” says Brækkan.
The worth and quantity of salted fish exports grew
- Norway to export 28,755 tonnes of salted fish value US$191.9 million in 2022
- The quantity elevated by US$71.2 million, or 59%, in comparison with 2021.
- The export quantity elevated by 16 p.c
- Portugal, Spain, and Italy had been the biggest markets for salted fish in 2022
Salted fish had the best proportion improve in worth amongst standard merchandise in 2022. It was additionally the one product within the class to develop in quantity.
The Norwegian Fisheries Council works with the Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture trade to develop markets for Norwegian fish and seafood by way of native market info, market growth and reputational danger administration.
This establishment is predicated in Tromsø and maintains native representatives within the 12 most vital worldwide markets for Norway. The Norwegian fish and seafood trade funds the actions of the Norwegian Fisheries Board by way of a tariff on all Norwegian fish and seafood exports.
The Norwegian Fisheries Board is a public firm underneath the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Fisheries.
With info from the Norwegian Fisheries Board


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Liquid Death rebrands beverage to avoid legal battle
Craft beverage company Liquid Death has renamed their Armless Palmer tea/lemonade to Dead Billionaire in order to avoid a legal battle.
Dead Billionaire, formerly Armless Palmer, is a tea based soft drink. After receiving a cease and desist notice, Liquid Death have rebranded the drink under the Dead Billionaire name.
In an announcement on Facebook they said: “If you like our Armless Palmer tea/lemonade, then you are going to LOVE our new Dead Billionaire tea/lemonade. Why? Because it’s the EXACT same thing, only now it has a way cooler name that won’t require us to fight a senseless legal battle with a large enterprise who sent us a letter saying we can’t use the word “Palmer” and who are also partnered with a giant iced tea corporation. Both of whom have far more $$$ to burn on legal fees than we do.”
Liquid Death assured customers that nothing except their packaging was changing – and that they’d begin to receive newly branded cans and products soon.
They said: “Our new Dead Billionaire cans have started to trickle out on Amazon and will begin hitting retail shelves in the spring. Experts are predicting potential brawls in retailers as customers fight over remaining Armless Palmer cans before they become extinct forever and reselling as collectors items for billions of dollars. ”


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IAmElemental, a company that creates action figures targeted to girls, has announced production of their first set of collectables: Series #1/Courage. The series includes seven four-inch articulated figures that personify the Elements of Courage: Bravery, Energy, Honesty, Industry, Enthusiasm, Persistence, and Fear. The company is now accepting pre-orders that will be scheduled for delivery in December.
The team at IAmElemental created their line of action figures when they saw that the typical female action figure on the market is not designed for girls, or even boys. They seemed to be more for the adult male collector, who are not heroines that girls can look up to. The figures launched on Kickstarter in May and were fully funded in two days.


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As Singapore enters its second phase of reopening on June 19, several restrictions that were in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the last two months have been relaxed. We can now relive simple joys such as dining out at our favourite eateries again.
Here’s how Singaporeans spent the first day of phase 2.
Ready to Go
Many Singaporeans got around to visiting their favourite places via public transport.
When it comes to meal options, McDonald’s remains a top choice for many Singaporeans.
Restaurants also welcomed dine-in customers again.
Singaporeans were also able to return to their favourite cafes to study or do work.
However, some eateries did not enjoy the same crowds.
From your neighbourhood malls…
… to the big shopping districts in town.
With elsewhere gaining crowds, some places remained quiet. For instance, many may have chosen to stay away from public pools, just to be safe.
Meeting up with friends may have been more appealing than hitting the gym today as well.
While many of us are excited to go out and spend time with our friends, let’s not forget to follow the required social distancing guidelines to keep everyone safe. Stay safe, and happy phase 2!


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German fintech group Wirecard became one of the hottest European stocks while battling endless allegations of fraud.
The former-CEO Markus Braun claimed a clean sheet for the company until as recently as May 17 when he tweeted: “When all the noise and dust settles, Wirecard will still be a company that generates a billion Euro of EBITDA this year and is one of the fastest growing in its industry.”
The allegations intensified when the company claimed €1.9 billion from its balance sheet probably never existed, and Braun was arrested. Wirecard filed for insolvency on Thursday, ending a dizzying few days for the scandal-hit company.
But how did things go so wrong for Wirecard? No one can know for sure right now, but questions are now being asked about whether the company’s rivals will be able to benefit from its spectacular fall from grace.
Rivals can expect only a “very small opportunity” for some incremental business since most of Wirecard’s transactions were fictitious, according to Neil Campling, Head of TMT Research at Mirabaud Securities.
Wirecard’s peers do not stand to gain from its insolvency, he said.
“Yes there could be scraps for Adyen, Square and PayPal to pick up but do you really think Wirecard has 300,000 paying customers as they claimed? There never was €1.9 billion.”
Its insolvency is “not a boon,” he continued.
Side note: Boon was the name of Wirecard’s app at the centre of their “ecosystem”.


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The Volkswagen Group is “quite confident” that it can deliver €25,000 (£22,000) electric cars from the Skoda and Volkswagen brands, chief financial officer Arno Antlitz has said.
Volkswagen revealed the ID 2all concept in March, previewing a Polo-size EV that targets an entry price of around £22,000. This is significantly cheaper than any mainstream EV currently on the market, the UK’s cheapest EV (excluding the Citroën Ami quadricycle) being the £26,995 MG 4 EV.
Volkswagen also announced that it’s working “full steam ahead” on a sub-€20,000 (£17,000) entry-level electric model, expected to be named the ID 1.
Skoda is set to copy each model in crossover form, targeting the same price points.
Asked at the Financial Times Future of the Car summit whether these prices were still possible and whether the cars could be built profitably, Antlitz said: “For the time being, we’re quite confident that we can achieve that price point.
“There’s a lot of innovations coming in the technical side. This car will have the first in-house battery cells from our Valencia plant. We’re just ramping up; we will have much more scale by then.
“[We have also seen a slight] improvement or relief on the raw material cost. Look at lithium: it came down. Nickel came down. So from this perspective, we’re quite confident that we can achieve that €25,000 target and at the same time have a decent margin.”
Antlitz hinted that the Volkswagen Group’s ownership of battery designs and manufacturing would be critical, saying that it would be a “decisive factor” in terms of battery availability and cost.
Volkswagen brand boss Thomas Schäfer previously told Autocar that the economies of scale planned – with the new MEB Entry platform spawning more affordable EVs from Cupra as well as Volkswagen and Skoda – would further help to cut costs.


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Shift, a provider of credit and payment platforms to Australian businesses, has raised A$27 million in a Series C funding round led by Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia.
The raise comes on the heels of a A$140 million increase in debt funding capacity for the firm, which has seen revenue exceeding 50% growth in each of the last three years.
The new capital will be used to develop Shift’s suite of credit and payment products and deliver more value to Shift’s network of broker partners, merchants and direct customers.
Rohit Agarwal, principal, Sequoia Southeast Asia, says:
“While large corporates can access financing based on their income or cash flows and consumers can access financing via credit card or personal loans, many businesses in Australia have to rely on mortgaging their homes or vehicles.”
More than three trillion dollars is outstanding in credit to businesses and more than 90% of it is backed by real estate or automobile. Shift is solving this by providing smart finance solutions – credit anytime, anywhere – to millions of businesses using data and…


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What Is the Economic Impact of State-Run Liquor Stores Banning Russian Vodka?
A few U.S. states have ordered government-run liquor stores to stop selling Russian-made vodka and other spirits following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the economic impact on the spirits industry and Russia itself will likely be minimal.
See: Does Your Portfolio Contain Exposure to Russia, and Will It Be Impacted by the Ruble Crash?
Find: Oil Breaks $100 Mark as Russia Invades Ukraine — What Does That Mean for Biden’s Promise on Gas Prices?
Utah Governor Spencer Cox issued an executive order on Saturday instructing the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to take all Russian-produced and branded products from the shelves of its retail stores, Reuters reported.
He was the fourth governor to do so, following the governors of New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The moves were made to show support for Ukraine.
“We will do our part to push back on the Russian invaders and stand with our sisters and brothers in Ukraine,” Cox said in a tweet, adding that Utah would “also review all state procurements for any Russian ties.”
While the pushback against Russian spirits carries a symbolic message, it probably won’t have much of a financial impact. Russian-produced vodkas make up only about $18.5 million of the $1.4 billion vodka import market in the United States, The Guardian reported. State boycotts won’t have nearly the economic impact of other international sanctions, such as shutting Russia out of the SWIFT global banking system.
Of the 10 most popular vodka brands in the U.S. last year, only one — Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka, which ranked third — is considered a “Russian” brand, according to A1 Wine & Spirit. Yet even Smirnoff is actually owned by British spirits giant Diageo and manufactured in Illinois, WPVI-TV reported. Most of the other Top 10 vodkas are Swedish, Dutch, French or American brands.
Another popular Russia-branded vodka, Stolichnaya, isn’t made in Russia, either. It’s made in Latvia — something the company has played up since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, noting on its website that the company “stands for peace in Europe and in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.”
As The Guardian noted, Stolichnaya is owned by Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland. Russia banned the sale of Stolichnaya within its borders because of an ownership dispute that went to Russia’s supreme court.
Meanwhile, some American bars and liquor stores have begun to promote Ukrainian vodkas such as Kozak and Vektor.
“I woke up yesterday morning and I saw that Russia had invaded Ukraine,” Bob Quay, owner of Bob’s Bar in Grand Rapids, Michigan told the Associated Press. “You wonder what you can do. The U.S. obviously is putting on sanctions. I thought I would put on sanctions as well.“
More From GOBankingRates


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The Natuzzi Group has disclosed the key details of its plan to re‐organise the company, a matter which is being discussed by the group, the Italian industry and labour unions. It entails an investment of €190m aimed at adopting a new lean production processes, entering the bedroom furniture market and launching a new range of ergonomic armchairs.
As previously announced, the plan is strictly oriented towards the recovery of the Natuzzi Group’s competitiveness, by reorganising resources and some Italian operations, as well as through a projected investment of €190m between 2014-2018.
In more detail, this commitment will firstly address to the following areas of investment:
• Process innovation. In all the Italian plants, a new production process (moving line) will be implemented, modeled using lean manufacturing principles. Thanks to a more efficient and effective use of the workers involved, the moving line will allow the relaunch of competitiveness of the Italian plants, minimising waste, improving productivity and
quality. The new production process is intended to fully enhance all the human capital potentialities, increasing their skills and motivation.
• Expansion of the range. Entering the bedroom furniture market, with a collection specifically designed for a home environment never before developed by the company.
• Product innovation. Launch of a new range of armchairs which use ground-breaking technology, based on the concept of dynamic comfort, the result of in‐depth studies in the field of ergonomics, able to adapt to and follow the human body’s movements.
The company, that since 2002 has invested more than €420m in the brand’s repositioning and developing its worldwide network of point-of-sale and showrooms, has confirmed its commitment to continue expanding in the international markets whilst reorganising its Italian operations.
Founder and chairman Pasquale Natuzzi says: “The need to reorganise our Italian plants doesn’t imply any relocation of the production activities. The Natuzzi Italia products – appreciated worldwide for their high quality and design – are the result of the know‐how built up over 50 years of history, a long-standing expertise and ability to innovate that cannot be replicated outside our country.”


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Anaheim, Calif. — Disneyland Resort has delayed the opening of its theme parks and resort hotels in Anaheim based on the State of California’s announcement that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4. The company plans to announce a revised reopening date once government officials approve a phased reopening.
Downtown Disney District, an outdoor shopping center at the resort, will reopen in July with health and safety protocols in place for employees and guests. This opening was approved with the restaurants and retail openings throughout California. Additionally, Disney and The Master Services Union, which represents retail employees at Downtown Disney District, reached an agreement for members to return to work at this location.
Disney will negotiate agreements with its unions and agree to enhanced safety protocols that will allow the company to responsibly reopen Disneyland, the company says.


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MEMORY MAKER Hynix announced 8Gb LPDDR3 modules based on a 20nm class process node for smartphones and tablets.
Hynix, the main rival of Samsung and Nvidia's memory maker of choice for a number of years, has been working on low-power DRAM technologies for the mobile market. Now the firm has announced its first 8Gb LPDDR3 modules that can be stacked to produce 4GB in a single package.
Hynix said its 8Gb LPDDR3 modules run at 2,133MHz and work at 1.2V. The firm claimed that power consumption is 10 percent lower than LPDDR2 modules and touted the modules as being suited to smartphones, tablets and even ultrabooks.
Richard Chin, SVP of global sales and marketing said, "With the development of this high density LPDDR3 using 20nm class, Hynix is now able to supply a top-performance product suitable for mobile devices to the market. Especially, this development has its significance since the Company has secured top-level competitiveness in mobile products by developing it simultaneously with PC DRAM using the same 20nm class process technology."
Hynix has previously told The INQUIRER that it is working on stacking DRAM modules in a package for Nvidia's upcoming Volta GPU and by working on low power DDR technologies the firm can cater to both mobile devices and semiconductor vendors that want to put DRAM in the same package as the CPU or GPU.
Hynix will offer its 8Gb LPDDR3 modules in package-on-package or embedded multimedia card format. The firm said customers are already sampling the 8Gb LPDDR3 chips, with mass production slated to start by the end of the year. µ
Next-gen devices enabled by integrating novel materials on silicon
Plus there's a new way to read comics in town
Find out which six games have most impressed us so far this year
Video shows off upcoming handset in Rose Gold compared to iPhone 6S predecessor


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This morning, June 29, we get a glimpse at Paco Rabanne’s new makeup range, which was announced yesterday along with a rebrand that sees the Puig-owned fashion and fragrance house dropping the “Paco” and expanding into the cosmetics category. We look at what’s fueling the “tween girl summer” trend (the Barbie film definitely has something to do with it) and catch-up on the challenges to Montana’s statewide ban on TikTok. Read these stories and more in the links below.
Paco Rabanne Launches Makeup and Names Beauty Creative Director. Vogue Business gives us a first glimpse at what the Rabanne makeup range will look like, which will be overseen by makeup artist Diane Kendal. (Vogue Business)
Prose Sets Sights Beyond Hair Category With Skin Care Debut. The brand is taking its model of creating bespoke hair products and applying it to skin care with the launch of three customizable products: a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer. (WWD)
Barbie, Mermaids, and Taylor Swift: Welcome to Tween Girl Summer. The summer’s top pop culture moments — Beyoncé and Taylor Swift on tour, The Little Mermaid reboot and Barbie arriving in cinemas — is driving many adults to break out the sparkles, mermaidcore accessories, and magenta-colored everything. But is there also an emotional complexity behind the trend? (Fast Company)
What Shein Influencer Backlash Can Teach Us About Taking on Opportunities. In this op-ed, the writer looks at the errors made in the Shein influencer trip fiasco — the underestimation of risk on behalf of the influencers and the exploitation of ambitious, trusting people on behalf of Shein — and how they apply in corporate culture. (Forbes)
TikTok Funds Lawsuit by Montana Users Challenging Statewide Ban. Separate from its own lawsuit to block Montana’s new law, TikTok confirmed that it has been covering legal fees for the group of five TikTok creators also suing the state. (CNN)


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This weekend we heard the sad news that Studio Ghibli may be shutting down — or at the very least pausing production and reorganizing — in light of Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement. Now Japanese news site ZakZak (via Kotaku) is reporting entertainment company Dwango is set to purchase Studio Ghibli and keep the animators on staff. Says Kotaku:
Nobuo Kawakami, Dwango’s chairman, previously worked at Studio Ghibli. What’s more. Studio Ghibli is teaming up with Dwango for Ronja the Robber’s Daughter, its upcoming television anime.
Several sources tell ZakZak that under the plan, Dwango will take over Studio Ghibli, including the studio’s staff. This apparently doesn’t include only Studio Ghibli animators, but also its copyright business.
Dwango runs a popular video-sharing site in Japan and owns the game developer Spike Chunsoft. In October, they’ll also be merging with Kadokawa, owners of the Dark Souls game franchise among other things.
Would it be completely unethical to start saying this means we’ll be getting another video game like Ni no Kuni? Because we want that to happen.
Those are GIFs taken from a video game, by the way. So pretty.


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Growth In Volume, Value To Continue
By TA News Bureau:
Art Mayer, author of Smithers Rapra’s The Future of Global Tires to 2022, says the highly diversified global tyre industry valued at $223 billion in 2017 is set to see further growth. Dominated by passenger car and light truck tyres, the industry is quickly adapting to meet global market challenges. The industry is expected to grow in volume and value terms through 2022. Analysing the information gathered from sources in trade, government, technical, and business, Mayer has put together an in-depth analytical study integrating quantitative and qualitative data. He has tapped into information from interconnected supply chains and from all lifecycle participants from raw material suppliers to OEs, manufacturers, distributors and marketers, motorists and fleet managers. In an interview to Tyre Asia, Mayer says that the underlying growth fundamentals of the global tyre industry are good across end-use sectors and regions
Tyre makers all over the world still face enormous challenges in terms of demand shifts, raw material usage, impact of regulations, changing trends in design, production and distribution. Smithers Rapra, which has global coverage of the tyre industry, studied these issues to give exclusive insights into the tyre industry’s highly diversified marketplace in its recently published The Future of Global Tires to 2022.
The Industry Briefing authored by Art Mayer investigates how tyre manufacturers are meeting increasing global demand, heightened environmental regulations and consumer labelling requirements. He has noted that the tyre industry has demonstrated dynamism following consumer demand for quality standards, pressure from OEMs and government regulators. Increased reliance on automation technologies, heightened environmental regulations and consumer labelling requirements have been the major trends impacting the tyre industry worldwide.
Smithers Rapra report forecasts that global tyre manufacturing will grow nearly 4 per cent per year through to 2022, driven by increased demand, tyre innovations, and continuing capital spending and capacity expansion by tyre suppliers. “The tyre industry currently is in the middle of a boom cycle, both with respect to capital spending and net capacity additions,” says Mayer.
“Overall, industry capacity stands at approximately 2.4 billion units, and on a net basis global capacity is expected to grow nearly 3% per year over the forecast period, slower than capital spending and production and demand growth. Rationalization of some overcapacity in certain markets like China and likely increases in capacity utilization contribute to this difference.”
Elaborating on the key findings of his report, Mayer told Tyre Asia in an interview: “Underlying growth fundamentals are good across end-use sectors and regions. Regulations and more rigorous user requirements will continue to drive innovation and uptake, especially at the OE level. Tyre labelling schemes and increased fleet ownership (more sensitive to fuel economy) will help grow a more sophisticated replacement market.”
Developments impacting plants and manufacturing processes include the uptake of new vehicle powertrains, logistical burdens, the emergence of new markets, mergers and acquisitions, and the increased value and scarcity of real estate. Tyre market drivers with direct impact on manufacturing include environmental and tyre regulations, changes in materials and tyre designs, and demands on tyres – to improve on all three points of the Magic Triangle of performance – rolling resistance, wear life, wet grip – combined with higher added value (e.g. tyre information via sensors), the report has revealed.
Impact of innovation
When asked what are the major impactful innovations that are forecast for the tyre industry from the present year through 2022, Mayer said: “With the incorporation of sensors, integrated with connected or autonomous vehicle systems, tyres will become an important information source, helping leading tyre companies evolve towards mobility services providers.”
He also said further materials advances will help overcome the traditional tradeoffs in pursuit of lower rolling resistance. These factors are adding significant pressure to innovate tyre manufacturing as a whole, as well as individual process steps – such as mixing, tyre building, and curing. Trends such as outsourcing, material use minimisation, plant specialisation, and geographic location changing the structure and footprint of production are happening.
When asked whether he anticipated changes in the design and composition of pneumatic tyres, he said the trend is towards more sustainable materials, more natural rubber (and substitutes) and bio-sourced materials. This will continue, with “complete sustainability” being the goal.
Regarding the impact of autonomous/electric vehicles on the tyre industry, Mayer has some interesting observations to make. He says there will be an ever-increasing premium on lower rolling resistance to increase energy efficiency and battery range. Most autonomous cars will probably be electrics.
This will call for higher performance that is required due to EV torque and acceleration, while taller and narrower tyres, at higher PSI, may come to characterize most autonomous passenger vehicles. Truck tyres may change less, due to higher load requirements being a major priority.
Greater reliability needs may boost run flats in the short-term, and raise interest in non-pneumatics as concepts become more viable outside current niche segments.
Movement towards fleet ownership of autonomous vehicles will change the vehicle service and replacement tyre buying process. With more buyers looking at value over the tyre’s lifetime, tyre use could change, with RFID chips or sensors making contracted mileage easier. This supports the evolution from tyre manufacturer to mobility partner.
Evolving vehicle requirements will accelerate development of concepts such as adaptive tyres, e.g., retractable studs for winter tyres, Mayer said.


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A major warehouse expansion has been announced as Nimans develops an even wider product range and continues to invest in the future.
Work has begun to increase floor space by over a third, with the multi-million pound scheme on the outskirts of Manchester due to be completed by October.
Chairman Julian Niman says the project represents a high profile symbol of how Nimans is gearing up for an even brighter future – ahead of the imminent launch of a new trade catalogue which showcases an expanded 8,000 strong product range.
“Over the last 36 years we’ve come a long way. I started the business repairing CB radios from limited space at my father’s jewellery business and this latest expansion gives us room to grow even bigger and better,” Julian explains.
“In the early days I was working in just a few square foot of work space. But now the warehouse is increasing from 36,000ft2 to almost 50,000ft2. This gives us much more order processing space particularly as pallet volumes and order tonnage are up 50% year-on-year. The expansion sends out a very strong message that the business is growing and we are continuing to invest in the future.”
Another new exciting chapter has already been written in the company’s illustrious history with the unveiling of a dynamic new reseller support service – as Nimans’ growing status as the ‘logistics engine of the industry’ for IP end points gains further momentum.
The company’s unique ‘cradle to grave’ IP delivery and support solution known as ‘Compendium’ encompasses an auto-provisioning and estate management service that enables resellers to capture a bigger slice of the burgeoning UC end point market.
Nimans is working in partnership with construction specialist The Casey Group on the warehouse expansion.
Chris Casey, Casey’s managing director, comments: “We are delighted to be working with Nimans on this important development, supporting the company’s continued expansion which highlights Casey experience in providing high quality new build commercial developments.”


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Police have not ruled out a link between a spate of newsagent break-ins which have blighted Dundee and the surrounding area during the last month.
The latest raid took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after the Invergowrie Scotmid was broken into.
It is not yet known what thieves managed to make away with, but the front door of the Main Street store was smashed to gain entry.
Surrounding shops and private properties were left untouched during the raid, suggesting the store had been targeted.
A Scotmid spokesperson confirmed the shop had been broken into in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but could not confirm what had been taken.
Wednesday’s break in follows a number of newsagent thefts in the Dundee, Perth and Angus areas.
In Montrose two beauty shops on Castle Place and John Street were targeted by thieves who managed to steal a three figure sum of money on October 5.
Mortalli Newsagents on Charleston Drive in Dundee was targeted twice in the space of a month, after crooks made off with cash from the till and £800 worth of cigarettes on Monday October 10.
Mortalli’s shop was also raided on September 11, when thieves stole a two-figure sum and cigarettes.
A wholesalers on Nobel Road in the Wester Gourdie industrial estate was also subject to a break in on October 8.
Electronic “vape” cigarettes, toys and a three figure sum were stolen.
Finally, a take-away restaurant on Buttar’s Loan was broken into between 11pm on October 6 and 12.30am October 7.
The cash register was pinched during that particular theft.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We are currently making inquiries relating to a break in at a Scotmid store in Invergowrie.
“The break in occurred at around 3am today and we would ask anyone who has any information to please contact Police Scotland on 101.
“We would not rule out the possibility that (the recent newsagent and store break ins) are linked.”


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Nigerian Breweries Plc is confident of a positive financial year despite the challenging operating environment for manufacturing in the country.
Indeed, the brewing firm observed that the operating environment in the first quarter (Q1) 2019, remained challenging and similar to 2018, but expressed confidence in its clear strategy to deliver good return on investment for all its stakeholders.
Although the Federal Government promised to review the proposed rise in duty, but has planned another wave of Excise Duty increase on beer for 2019.
This is expected to come into effect by mid-year, and will lead to rate hike from the N30 per litre introduced in 2018 to N35 per litre.
The brewer in 2018 incurred N25.8 billion as excise duty expenses, for which the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jordi Borrut Bel, said company results for the year were adversely impacted by the increase excise duty rates.
This is in addition to a challenging environment and the double digit inflation rate, which he said is penalising the business community.
Meanwhile, the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sade Morgan, said plans are underway to take its current 57 per cent local sourcing of its raw materials to 60 per cent, saying the company would be working with Nigerian farmers to achieve the feat.
Borrut Bel at its pre-AGM media briefing in Lagos, yesterday, however said the Nigerian economy presents challenges and opportunities, while also restating the company’s commitment to winning with Nigeria.
“We want to win with the Nigerian societies and communities because we believe in Africa’s biggest market with a young and dynamic population showing promising indicators for growth. We also believe that the country’s demographics will play a huge role in the future,” he said.
He said going forward, the company would prioritise developmental efforts through its three pillars of growth.
“These include expanding leadership in premium brands, build scale in mainstream to drive malt growth by leveraging on innovation and improving end to end productivity,” he said.
Exporting on the local sourcing, Morgan said the company has also deployed the use of innovation to reduce its water usage by 41 per cent, while also reducing the level of its carbon emissions.
She said the company has also impacted over 20,000 people since the inception of its advocating responsible consumption campaign.
The Marketing Director, Emmanuel Oriakhi, on his part assured that Nigeria Breweries would continue to produce top quality brands to meet the ever changing needs of the Nigerian consumer, stressing that with the help of its robust portfolio, it would ensure consumers get value for their hard earned money.
“The quality of our brands cannot be questioned anywhere in the world and we are here for the long haul and we will continue to introduce innovative and quality products for the Nigerian markets,” he said.


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About five years after hiring Deutsch/LA as its lead agency, the company is considering a change. The incumbent is defending its turf against three other shops; sources identified them as 180LA, Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Anomaly.
The four contenders are now developing ideas for final presentations, which are expected to take place in late January or early February.
PlayStation spent about $56 million on media in 2011, down slightly from nearly $58 million in 2010, according to Nielsen. Those figures don’t include online spending.
Deutsch handles both creative and media responsibilities on PlayStation. The marketer’s plans for the media business were not clear.
A key decision-maker in the review is Guy Longworth, svp of brand marketing. Longworth joined SCEA in October 2011. Early in his career, he worked in brand management at Kraft Foods and in marketing at Kellogg.
In a statement, Longworth acknowledged the review, saying, "We are always looking for ways to improve our advertising and we are conducting conversations with potential agency partners as well as Deutsch for future work."
A representative for PlayStation parent Sony Computer Entertainment America declined to answer questions about the process.
Before Deutsch, TBWA\Chiat\Day was PlayStation’s lead creative agency in the U.S. TBWA\C\D handled the business for 13 years.


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Curbside pickup at retail stores will be allowed in Marin County beginning Monday, May 18, according to an updated shelter-in-place order released on Friday, May 15.
The addition of curbside retail to the types of businesses allowed to operate in Marin is the most significant change to the previous order, which went into effect on May 4.
Retailers that reopen under the new public health order are subject to the following limitations:
Curbside/outside pickup only; customers may not enter the store
Stores must have direct access to an immediately adjacent sidewalk, street, or alley area for pickup by customers using any mode of travel, without blocking pedestrian access or causing pedestrian or vehicle congestion
Retail stores in an enclosed indoor shopping center that do not have direct access to an adjacent sidewalk, street, or alley area are not permitted to reopen.
To mitigate the risk of transmission of the coronavirus, every retail store that reopens for curbside service must implement site-specific plans to protect the health and safety of employees and customers.
Under the updated public health order, manufacturers of goods sold at retail stores may also resume business, provided that they have no more than 50 personnel on site in a manufacturing facility at any time.
In addition to the updated stay-at-home order, Marin’s public health officer has released a new parks order that allows motorized access to parks and open spaces for outdoor exercise, which is considered an essential activity. Agencies and jurisdictions operating public outdoor recreation areas within Marin are now permitted to allow people to drive to and park at or near their facilities, with the exception of popular destinations like Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Tamalpais State Park, all Marin Municipal Water District lands, and all beaches along the Pacific Ocean.
Local jurisdictions are encouraged to continue prohibiting motorized access to any park facility as a means to prevent crowds that cannot feasibly comply with social distancing requirements.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn? Doesn't matter – they may need to update their room key software
Eggheads craft skeleton cards to unlock doors in global chains
Infosec outfit F-Secure has uncovered security vulnerabilities in hotel keycard systems that can be exploited by miscreants to break into rooms across the globe.
Exploitable flaws were discovered in lock system software Vision by VingCard, which F-Secure said is used to secure millions of hotel rooms worldwide.
Their findings prompted the world's largest lock manufacturer, Assa Abloy, to issue software updates with security fixes to mitigate the issue.
Any ordinary wireless electronic keycard can be turned into a skeleton key – even ones long expired, discarded, or used to access spaces such as a garage or closet. The team was able to create a master key with privileges to open any room in a building without arousing any suspicion.
Hotel keycard firm issues fixes after Black Hat hacker breaks locksREAD MORE
"You can imagine what a malicious person could do with the power to enter any hotel room, with a master key created basically out of thin air," said Tomi Tuominen, practice leader at F-Secure. "We don't know of anyone else performing this particular attack in the wild right now."
Tuominen said the hack took years to complete – meaning it is unlikely that crims would go to those lengths rather than, say, kicking in the door.
Christophe Sut, executive veep at Assa, described the findings as "remarkable."
He said: "What they achieved involved quite an effort. It was valuable and helped us move things to the next level of security. When we got the findings, we worked closely with them to upgrade our security."
He reckoned only a small proportion of all rooms globally could be targeted via the flaw, adding: "We are working with hotel chains to let them know about the findings so they can implement security updates."
The biz said it was not aware of any rooms being broken into using the flaws uncovered by F-Secure.
Experts keep schtum
The details of the methods and the tools will not be made public by F-Secure. Assa added that the vulnerability only applies to its Vision software, a platform it no longer develops.
The researchers' interest in hacking hotel locks was sparked a decade ago when a colleague's laptop was stolen from a hotel room during a security conference.
When the theft was reported, hotel staff dismissed their complaint given that there was not a single sign of forced entry, and no evidence of unauthorized access in the room entry logs.
They then decided to investigate the issue further, and chose to target a brand of lock known for quality and security. Their probing of the technology took several thousand hours on an on-and-off basis, and involved considerable trial and error.
"We wanted to find out if it's possible to bypass the electronic lock without leaving a trace," said Hirvonen, senior security consultant at F-Secure.
"Building a secure access control system is very difficult because there are so many things you need to get right. Only after we thoroughly understood how it was designed were we able to identify seemingly innocuous shortcomings. We creatively combined these shortcomings to come up with a method for creating master keys."
F-Secure has worked with Assa over the past year to implement software fixes, and updates have been made available to affected properties. It has not charged the company for its services. ®
Didn't get the headline? It's courtesy of Mr Worldwide himself, Pitbull. Dale!


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Splash Damage announced TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE, a 1-4 player online action game, developed in collaboration with Hasbro, Inc. This PC and Console co-op game will offer players an opportunity to explore a fresh, new story within the TRANSFORMERS universe.
The Game Awards saw the World Exclusive Reveal of TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE, offering fans a glimpse of what they can expect with a cinematic trailer.
TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE will offer players a chance to immerse themselves in the TRANSFORMERS universe. They will get to play as some of their favorite characters; unique, weighty, and powerful, seamlessly converting between vehicle and robot form as they battle The Legion; the greatest threat the Autobots have ever faced.
Splash Damage is the developer behind Dirty Bomb, Gears Tactics, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, and more. They recently acquired BULKHEAD and have been developing TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE in collaboration with the Derby-based studio. The 500+ people strong development and publishing teams at Splash Damage and BULKHEAD are expanding rapidly and TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE is one of several original titles currently in development at the studios.
TRANSFORMERS: REACTIVATE will be available for PC and consoles. With the Closed Beta planned for 2023, players can sign up right now at www.playTFR.com for future updates.


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Yuan move is unlikely to cure US deficit woes
London, July 22:
China’s long-awaited but small revaluation of its currency probably heralds the start of a series of revaluations but on its own will make little difference to the huge American trade deficit. Washington, which has been putting intense pressure on the Chinese authorities to revalue the yuan, called the revaluation “encouraging’’, but it was not clear if the 2.1 per cent upward move in the yuan’s value against the dollar, combined with the scrapping of the traditional peg to the dollar, would be sufficient to persuade the US to call off its threatened trade sanctions against China. The central bank in China said that from now on it would have a managed float of the yuan against a basket of currencies rather than a peg to the dollar but it did not say what those currencies were. The new peg leaves the yuan valued at 8.11 to the dollar against 8.28, where it had been for the best part of a decade.
American manufacturers and politicians have long complained that the Chinese authorities have held the currency artificially low to aid its exporters. This, they argue, has contributed to a mammoth $162bn US trade deficit with China as cheap Chinese imports have flooded in. The US had been looking for a much bigger revaluation. The Chinese economy has been growing at 10 per cent for many years and has become the world’s seventh largest. Its accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001 unleashed a fresh wave of exports to the developed world, which was bound to raise the hackles of domestic producers in the recipient countries. But the revaluation of two per cent will not change the cost advantage Chinese manufacturers enjoy. Wage costs are only four per cent of those in the US, so a revaluation of 20 per cent or even 30 per cent would not lead to a sharp fall in Chinese exports overnight.
Since the scrapping of old quota arrangements on January 1, for instance, Chinese shoe imports to the EU have leapt over 700 per cent. The average wholesale price of a pair of Chinese shoes is one tenth of those made in Italy.
Thus, the Chinese move is more a symbol of its intent to further integrate itself into the world’s financial system than a serious attempt to choke off its own exports. A free float of the yuan is probably years off, given the fragility of China’s financial institutions. The move was as much for political as economic reasons. President Hu Jintao is to visit the US in September and was unlikely to relish being lectured again about the yuan. The Chinese have been holding the yuan down against the dollar by buying billions of dollars and then using them to buy US government bonds. The scale of that buying has been sufficient to hold down bond yields in the US. The dollar fell back on the news yesterday and could well come under renewed downward pressure in the coming months as it will be less in demand from Asian central banks, who will continue to diversify their foreign exchange assets away from dollars.
The Japanese yen and other Asian currencies rose two per cent against the dollar and euro yesterday but the Japanese finance ministry said it was prepared to intervene if the yen moved much further.