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Virgin Media has ushered in the New Year by adding two more Sky HD channels to its TiVo service. TV customers with the XL package will now be able to access Sky News HD and Sky Sports News HQ HD at no extra cost.
The arrival of a high-definition Sky Sports News channel completes an impressive line-up of sporting content on the Virgin platform with customers now able to watch all Sky Sports programmes in HD. Sky Sports News HQ HD will be available on channel 511 while Sky News HD will be on channel 603.
Virgin Media Executive Director of Content, Stephane David said: "The addition of these channels to our line-up ensures our customers can enjoy even more breaking news, gripping sports stories and insightful features in the stunning clarity of HD."
"This launch also means our customers can watch an unrivalled range of sports TV in HD, including every Sky Sports channel, BT Sport and ESPN."
Virgin Media now has an extensive line-up of documentaries, music, entertainment, lifestyle and sports programmes on its popular TiVo platform. Plus all of Sky's offerings on the service are now viewable in HD following the arrival of the two new channels.
Virgin Media recently added four new channels, 4Seven, Channel 4+1, More4+1 and UMP Movies. It also revamped the Netflix app last month.
It also launched its first 'Quad-play' bundles last year, which combine TV, broadband, home and phone services for customers across the UK. The provider currently delivers broadband speeds up to 152Mb via fibre optic connections.
Source: Digital Spy


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Cable group combines Cablevision and Suddenlink’s enterprise divisions to form Altice Business.
Altice USA this week set its sights on the business services market by merging the enterprise divisions of its Cablevision and Suddenlink units to form Altice Business.
The combined Lightpath, Optimum Business and Suddenlink Business operation serves more than 375,000 businesses across 21 states. It offers fibre connectivity in 14,000 locations, more than 8,000 of which are in the New York metro area.
"Creating a national Altice Business organisation with unified leadership sets the foundation for the delivery of unique, flexible business telecom offerings, leading to an exceptional customer experience," said Hakim Boubazine, co-president and COO of Altice USA, in a statement on Monday.
The reorganisation "enables us to provide a higher level of service, offer a broader product array, and customise ideal technology solutions for Altice Business customers," he said.
Under the restructuring, Altice will standardise product offerings across Altice Business’ footprint. Managed WiFi and cloud backup will be the first such products to be extended across all 21 states.
Altice also plans to launch products developed at its Portuguese R&D facility, Altice Labs.
"Looking ahead, our customers can expect increased availability of emerging managed services and robust connectivity offerings, as well as the continued enablement of new network security solutions," said Kevin Stephens, EVP of Altice Business. "Further, we are committed to leveraging Altice’s global scale to enable agile product innovation that will help customers drive their businesses forward."

domain: news


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People may be able to achieve weight loss by reducing their intake of meat, scientists at Imperial College London have said.
Researchers recruited more than 373,000 men and women, aged 25 to 70, from ten European countries and asked them to complete a questionnaire about their dietary habits.
Participants' weight and height were also measured at the start of the study and were then recorded at routine follow-ups.
The researchers found that meat consumption was associated with weight gain in both men and women, regardless of whether they were a healthy weight or carrying too many pounds.
They calculated that people who eat the equivalent of one small steak per day are likely to gain nearly five pounds more in weight over a five-year period than people who eat less meat.
Writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study authors concluded: "Our results suggest that a decrease in meat consumption may improve weight management."
Sian Porter, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, said that more research is needed.
'The message is to limit your intake of processed meat, check your portion sizes and try to eat pulses, beans, oily fish and a variety of vegetables and wholegrains,' she advised.


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by Lionel Creech
Sales rose last month as buyers are getting a bargain as mostly repossessed homes are being sold at very low prices. Overall sales grew by 5.1% and the average price per home dropped a total of 16% from last year. This drop is apparently the second largest fall on record at the National Association of Realtors. The bargain market has sparked renewed interest in entry-level, or first time, buyers. About half of the sales were made by first time buyers which is a promising sign for the industry which is struggling to find reasonable prices for homes. Surprisingly construction rose 22% in February for the first time in seven months, yet analysts are still not expecting great things for the rest of 2009. These 'distressed' homes are selling for 20% less than market value which means sellers are losing out on revenue. Also losing out are citizens who are struggling to find new living arrangements during the economic crunch.


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Apple sues startup for creating a software copy of the iPhone
‘The purpose of this lawsuit is not to encumber good-faith security research,’ says Apple
But if the business case for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge Inexpensive robots that let them interact physically are a natural next step. ANA's robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they’ll almost certainly be a part of travel's high-tech future.
How Do Virtual Vacations Work? Taking virtual vacations might not sound quite as exciting as sitting on a warm beach, but they’re a way to get as close to the action as possible without being physically there. The great thing about going virtual for your next vacation is you can go anywhere at anytime.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Japan's biggest airline is betting that the future of travel isn't traveling at all. For the, a married couple in Oita Prefecture has been interacting with a robot — called an Avatar — that's controlled by their daughter hundreds of miles away in Tokyo. Made by ANA Holdings Inc., it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter’s face as they chat, and its wheels let her trundle about the house as though she’s really there, and even join her parents at the dinner table.
It may seem like an odd gambit for a global airline. But as populations age, tourism hot-spots get more crowded, and overseas travel becomes less sustainable, ANA and its competitors are betting that they can make money by keeping would-be travelers happily at home.
Ford launches its own esports virtual racing teams
Ford plans to launch its own esports virtual racing teams. Under the name Fordzilla, the company will recruit top esports drivers for teams in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The company will also invite star players to form a European team with select members from each national team. The Fordzilla teams will compete in games like Forza Motorsport 7, developed by Microsoft Game Studios' Turn 10 Studios. According to Ford, millions of people play Forza games each month, and one million players choose Ford vehicles.
Sure, vacations are great, but wouldn't they be even better without the jetlag and endless lines? Check out KAYAK's new Virtual Vacations and see the world from the comfort Download one of KAYAK's fully immersive Virtual Vacations today and experience a trip so real that you'll swear you're there.
“Virtual travel” is nothing new, of course. Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It's only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel — especially overseas — has become available to the non-wealthy, thanks in large part to low-cost airfares and home-sharing services. In 2018, the travel-and-tourism business grew byand accounted for more than 10% of global GDP.
Yet even as the world's middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seats, there are hints of a post-travel society emerging. Concerns about sustainability — and movements such as "flight-shaming" — areon carbon-intensive airlines, and could spread to . The tourism boom is stressing popular destinations, and forcing them to look at . And the aging of affluent societies is both inhibiting physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world and stay connected to others.
Ping An Unit Mulls Singapore Digital Bank License Application
Ping An Insurance (Group) Co.’s financial technology unit is considering an application for one of Singapore’s new digital banking licenses, according to a person familiar with the matter. OneConnect is looking to secure a wholesale license which would allow it to provide banking services to small and medium-sized businesses on the island, said the person, who requested anonymity because the plan is confidential. The firm earlier this year received a virtual banking license in Hong Kong. Singapore is planning to award up to five digital-only banking licenses to non-bank firms to spur competition in the financial sector.
My wife Shaylee and I are founders of next vacay. I’m an entrepreneur, travel junkie, and I’ve been solving problems with software since I was a kid. My wife and I love good deals but have demanding jobs, so we invented a system to hunt through all those travel sites to find the best destinations to
Being on vacation means that you are running on a schedule, meaning that you can’t do everything there is to May 9, 2018 at 2:27 am . Thanks, glad to hear that the article is helpful! Useful pointers! But I’m always stuck with ‘where should we go for holiday?’ Literally take a virtual tour of the entire
For the travel industry, virtual reality offers a tantalizing response to these trends. First Airlines, another Japanese company, now lets customers sit in ain Tokyo, where they’re served fancy meals before taking VR tours of select destinations. The company is targeting elderly travelers who don’t want the hassle of a real-life trip, and “flights” to cities such as New York, Paris and Rome are frequently fully booked.
ANA is thinking bigger. It wants to use robotics, haptic technology, and fast communication to create a "" that lets people carry their "presence, consciousness, knowledge, and skills" to remote locations. In less-lofty terms, the idea is to make the VR experience more immersive by stimulating multiple senses, including touch. For example, video-conferences might soon be enhanced by letting participants shake hands, while other technology could one day simulate the feeling of walking on a far-off beach or a mountaintop. Japan's space agency even to use the company’s Avatars for lunar exploration.
Facebook unveils virtual social space for its Oculus users
Facebook said Wednesday it will launch a virtual social community where users of its Oculus headgear can "explore new places" and "create their own new experiences." Oculus users will be able to choose an avatar and interact with others in the virtual social community, Facebook said as it opened its Oculus Connect 6 conference. "Our goal is to put people at the center of computing, not just with great hardware, but with amazing software experiences as well," Facebook said in a statement.
Reviews and recommendations to plan your next upscale family vacation on land and sea. Explore cruise ships, fine dining, fantastic resorts, and more. Hotels, restaurants & activities to plan your family vacation in the United States and Caribbean.
How do you go about packing when the time finally comes for your vacation to the Riviera Maya? Some would say packing a suitcase can be considered an art. Well, thankfully Louis Vuitton have kindly designed a virtual guide to The Art of Packing.
Of course, far-out technologies encourage far-out claims. ANA doesn't plan to start selling Avatars until next year, and the initial versions will be decidedly crude. Profits, too, will probably be elusive: By, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about $300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA’s traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.
But if the business case for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. Over the past two decades, cheap video-conferencing apps have changed how families and companies around the world communicate. Inexpensive robots that let them interact physically are a natural next step. ANA's robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they’ll almost certainly be a part of travel's high-tech future.
To contact the author of this story: Adam Minter at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Timothy Lavin at email@example.com
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the author of “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade” and the forthcoming "Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale."
For more articles like this, please visit us at
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Owners of Bitcoins robbed by an
virus "Crypto Shuffler", a virus identified by the Russian computer security company Kaspersky Lab, has stolen the equivalent of about $ 140,000.
The Russian computer security company Kaspersky Labs announced Thursday it has identified a virus that is the pockets of the holders of virtual currencies. This virus, named "Crypto Shuffler", would have already stolen "the equivalent of about $ 140,000 in bitcoins.The amounts stolen in other virtual currencies range from a few dollars to several thousand dollars," warned Kaspersky Labs in a statement, without specifying where the virus was raging.
To commit theft, the virus infiltrates the computers of its victims and then hits when a virtual money-holder copies-pastes the identification code of the recipient of a payment, substituting its own contact information.
Increased number of
attacks Virtual currencies are becoming increasingly popular with users, including bitcoin, launched in 2009. The latter regularly breaks records despite internal jolts orwhile technology on which it rests, the chain of blocks ("blockchain"), interests more and more.
"Virtual currencies (...) are actively spreading around the world and becoming more accessible to users, but at the same time they become a more attractive target for cyber criminals, "said Sergey Younakovsky, an anti-virus expert from Kaspersky Labs quoted in the statement.
"Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of attacks against various virtual currencies and it seems that this trend will continue to grow."
The Russian computer company is known for its antivirus Kaspersky, which equips some 400 million computers around the world. She was recently accused of, which she denies.
Google's new phone AR update can hide virtual things in the real world .
Your virtual cat is hiding behind your real sofa.Apple's newest augmented reality toolset, ARKit 3, has this ability as well, but only on very recent iPhones and iPads. Google ARCore needs a compatible Android phone to work too, but looks to blend furniture, pets, and a lot more with apps that incorporate the new ARCore Depth API and its object-hiding tech (called occlusion).


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Microsoft has made major changes to the way that they build and release their operating systems. The new Windows Server “Semi-Annual Channel” (SAC) marks a substantial departure from the familiar release pattern that Microsoft has established. The change has pleased some people, upset many, and confused even more. With all the flash of new features, it’s easy to miss the finer points — specifically, how you, your organization, and your issues fit into the new model.
More details can be read on this highly informational article by Altaro: https://www.altaro.com/hyper-v/windows-server-semi-annual-channel/


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The local real estate market has entered a new year of expansion in all its major segments, as investors plan to deliver industrial, retail and office spaces with a cumulated area of 1.2 million square meters, a new market record, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox data. In comparison, new spaces of around 850,000 square meters were delivered in 2018.
By Claudia Ariton
The positive trend is supported by a sustained demand from tenants in the last three to four years, as pre-leasing contracts have been signed for more than half of the new spaces that will be delivered this year, real estate experts with the consultancy company say. The 2018 property investment volume in Romania is estimated at around 900 million euro, a value slightly below the one registered in 2017. However, several transactions in different stages of negotiations were postponed and they are most likely to be concluded during the first half of 2019, as Jones Lang Lasalle analysts have pointed out. According to the same sources, the overall number of transactions decreased, although, the average deal size increased, standing at approximately 30 million euro. Bucharest accounted for almost 80 percent of the total investment volume, mainly due to two very large office transactions which were closed last year. Market volumes were dominated by office transactions, taking 50 percent, while retail accounted for some 35 percent.
The total retail stock exceeded 3.7 million square meters at the end of 2018, almost similar to the office one, while the industrial and logistics stock was around 3.5 million square meters. Some 600,000 square meters of industrial and logistics space, over 400,000 square meters of office space and 200,000 square meters of retail space are expected to be delivered in 2019.
As for Bucharest, around 300,000 square meters of industrial space and 300,000 square meters of office space will be delivered, while the Colosseum and Veranda Mall projects will be extended with a cumulated area of around 25,000 square meters. The largest transaction registered in 2018 was the acquisition of The Bridge, a 52,000-sqm office park in Bucharest, by the Romanian group Dedeman, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. “Against the backdrop of declining results in Central and Western Europe, retailers have again turned their attention to Romania in 2018 by expanding their store networks. The positive evolution of sales over the last few years, coupled with the rise in average wages, has made most retailers increase their investment in new stores in both primary and also in secondary and tertiary markets, and we expect their growth to be accelerated during the next period. Moreover, we also expect new retailers to enter the market this year,” said Bogdan Marcu, Partner, Retail Agency, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
In Bucharest, new office buildings with a combined area of around 500,000 square meters are currently under construction, while office projects with a cumulated gross leasable area of 300,000 square meters are expected to be delivered by the end of 2019. The most active developers in terms of deliveries will be Portland Trust, with a total of 63,000 sqm in two projects, Expo Business Park and Oregon Park, Vastint, with 62,000 square meters in its Business Garden and Timpuri Noi Square projects, Globalworth, with 42,000 square meters in Renault Business Connected, and River Development, with 38,000 square meters in The Light and Sema Offices projects. “As far as developments are concerned, we will witness a series of consolidations or extensions of existing shopping centers to accommodate the new retail requirements and trends. Developers pay close attention to secondary and tertiary cities that do not yet have modern shopping centers or are under-supplied in terms of retail stock. We also expect more and more office or residential projects to accommodate generous retail locations, with the purpose of providing more facilities and creating a community around the occupiers of these projects,” added Bogdan Marcu. The office building sector is also developing in other major university centers, such as Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov and Iasi, as new buildings with a total area of around 130,000 square meters will be delivered this year.
In 2018, the retail, office and industrial yields compressed by 25 bps over the year, with prime retail yields standing at 7.00 percent, prime office yields hovering at 7.25 percent and prime industrial yields reaching 8.25 percent, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. “A large part of the office spaces is absorbed during the construction phase, with demand coming from companies that rent 2,000-3,000 square meters. These tenants that come from existing projects plan to increase their number of employees and do not have enough space for expansion. If there were more coworking centers in areas such as Center, Center-North and West, the flexibility issue could be partially covered by these operators. As for the rental values, we believe that they will remain stable in semi-central areas. At the same time, we also notice that developers are increasingly paying attention to the duration of contracts, seeking to sign agreements over seven to 10 years, compared to the standard five-year term,” said Mădălina Cojocaru, Partner, Office Agency, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Meanwhile, a new concept has started to gain ground. The retail and office mix brings services closer to employees. According to Colliers International Romania, for every 1,000 sqm of offices there are 35-40 sqm for the sale of various goods and services. In total, in the Floreasca/Barbu Vacarescu area there are around 10,000 sqm of such spaces at the ground floor of the office buildings, with the rents generated by these spaces accounting for four – five percent of the total cashed in by the landlords. “In the past, there were only simple retail concepts near office buildings: cafeterias and coffee corner type areas. In line with the new consumer requirements, a transition has been gradually made towards premium restaurants and cafes, as well as other categories of products. In turn, services have diversified – hairdressing areas, cleaning or medical services – so that employees can solve their everyday problems in the proximity of the workplace. We expect this diversification to continue through other concepts such as afterschool programs or kindergartens, in order to improve the lives of employees,” said Brindusa Grama, Associate Retail Agency at Colliers International Romania.
Developers are starting to experiment by expanding the retail component: some office owners are trying to create a lifestyle hub, while in other areas of the Capital there are already restaurants and bars that stay open well beyond the working hours of nearby offices. The trend is expanding at national level, with mixed projects – offices and retail and, possibly, residential – becoming a priority for many developers. “The extraordinary results of these retail schemes come as a consequence of the timely association between high employee incomes and a good location, sought by both HoReCa operators and residential developers. We see a real success of the retail space adjacent to office buildings, a success that we hope to be replicated in the rest of the country,” Brindusa Grama added.
2019 will bring a peak forindustrial & logistics sector
After a six-year stagnation, between 2009 – 2014, the industrial and logistics sector resumed its growth in 2015 and will reach a peak this year, when developers are planning to build new warehouses with a gross leasable area of around 600,000 square meters. “It is a dynamic market where developers have realized its potential and have decided to expand their portfolios by acquiring new plots of land. We are specifically referring to companies such as Global Vision, P3 or VGP, but also to Element Development and MLP, players that have recently entered the sector and have already announced deliveries for 2019. These decisions have been in direct correlation with the active demand for warehousing space from major retailers or logistics operators in Bucharest, Cluj and Timisoara, and from the automotive component manufacturers in Sibiu, Pitesti or Oradea, respectively,” said Rodica Târcavu, Partner, Industrial Agency, Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.


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Following Tesla’s Giga Berlin County Fair Event held over the weekend, the company has added the site to its website, along with a wide number of new job listings.
Tesla has updated its website following the County Fair event on Saturday, adding a Gigafactory Berlin-Brandeburg page, according to a page on the company’s website (via @Tesla_Adri). We also see a brand new render of Giga Berlin as well.
At the bottom of the new Giga Berlin page, there is also a link to view jobs at the Grünheide, Brandenburg facility, in fields such as HR, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Construction and Facilities as well as Engineering and Information Technology – among others still.
On the page, Tesla writes, “Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg is Tesla’s first manufacturing location in Europe and our most advanced, sustainable and efficient facility yet.” The page continues, “Slated for completion this year, it will manufacture hundreds of thousands of Model Y vehicles and millions of battery cells.”
The page also details information on the German manufacturing facility’s engineering, manufacturing, operations and apprenticeships, as well as providing a few pictures from inside the factory.
With Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin set to begin producing vehicles later this month, first deliveries of European-made Tesla vehicles are likely due out by the end of the year – but by the beginning of 2022, at the very least. Elon Musk said while starting production is easy, reaching volume production may take longer than the time it took to build Giga Berlin.
Elon Musk stated on Monday morning, “all the stairwells currently shown as wood clad will actually have graffiti.”
All the stairwells currently shown as wood-clad will actually have graffiti
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2021


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6309 Monarch Park Place, Suite 203
Niwot, CO 80503, USA
Phone (303) 443-5060
Toll free (888) 742-5060
MDM's Emerging Technologies Series, published in 2011, looked at five key technologies that distributors are adopting to run their businesses better.
To read these articles, click on the headlines below and log-in.
The Growth of Cloud Computing
Software as a service (SaaS) is anticipated to grow 20 percent to $12 billion in revenue this year, according to IT research company Gartner. Yet in an industry with tight margins and a reluctance to invest in new technologies, SaaS, a variation of cloud computing that is the use of Web-based services to support business processes, is viewed with a critical eye among distributors. But as more companies adopt cloud technology for their business, the service is becoming difficult to ignore.
Demand Booms for Pricing Analytics and Tools
Using technology to improve pricing is slowly but surely gaining a strong foothold in the distribution industry. In fact, some experts have gone so far as to say that using technology to optimize pricing may no longer be a differentiator for distributors in five years. Instead, what's called strategic pricing may be expected, much as more advanced inventory management tools are now.
Distributors Embrace Mobile Technology
Over the past two years, a significant shift has taken place in technology, away from the traditional home- or office-based tools to technology that offers portability and accessibility. And while the development of new technologies often takes place at the speed of light, the adoption rate of mobile technologies such as smartphones and tablets has risen at a nearly unheard-of pace.
Business Intelligence Tools Provide Actionable Data
Distributors have questions, and many are looking to business intelligence technology tools to get the answers. Why are customers unprofitable? How can we work more closely with vendors to reduce costs? Why was margin off this quarter? Which salesperson is contributing most to Gross Profit? Least? Data from the past is helping them gain a better understanding of trends to help improve the future.
E-Commerce Evolves for Distributors
Often when e-commerce is mentioned, Amazon.com comes to mind. And while that model is extremely successful in the business-to-consumer market, it's a stretch for some to see how that model can be applied to business-to-business. This article looks at trends in e-commerce and how distributors are approaching the challenges associated with implementing an effective e-commerce strategy.


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On July 29, the 10th Finance Summit & 2021 Sustainability Business Conference (CFS) and the "2021 Consumer Brand Supply Chain Development Summit" (CBSCDS) were successfully held in Shanghai. Budweiser APAC and Budweiser China were awarded a sustainability prize each at the two events. As one of the most influential annual conferences, the 10th CFS is not only focused on the hottest finance topics, but also concentrated on sustainability-linked economic growth transformation under China’s 30•60 Carbon Goals. Specifically, Budweiser APAC was entitled as “2021 Sustainability Model Enterprise”. CBSCDS was hosted by industry forum platform LOG. Budweiser China was honored as one of the “2021 LOG Low-Carbon Supply Chain Logistics Innovation Excellent Enterprise” for commitment to green logistics development, especially the persistent efforts in reducing CO2 emission within logistics. Such as deploying alternative energy vehicles and forklifts, supply footprint optimization, upsizing truck capacities and shifting from road to rail & ship transportation.
Supply chain is going green and zero (low) carbon. While the digital transformation of supply chain is in full swing, the movement to transition to zero (low) carbon supply chain is also rapidly emerging. It can be foreseen that digitalization, omni-channel, green will be the key to the transformation of China's supply chain logistics in a foreseeable future cycle. In the process of the revolution wave sweeping the industry completely, it will certainly give birth to many outstanding enterprises that can surf the tide in The Times.
Budweiser China has been on the road of green logistics reform since 2014.By 2020, Budweiser China has put more than 200 green vehicles into use, mainly including LNG trucks, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric trucks. In 2021, Budweiser China plans to deploy more than 260 green vehicles, including 30 EV heavy trucks and more than 30 small and medium-sized EV trucks. The number of green trucks are expected to reach 300 by the end of this year. Meanwhile, in 10 breweries to implement 100% electric forklift operations. Also through more green logistics measures, like multi-model optimization and explore new type green trucks, etc., continue to in-depth layout of low carbon logistics. In this conference, Budweiser China was awarded the "2021 Low-carbon Supply Chain Logistics Innovation Excellent Enterprise" for the BP green logistics practice process and case, through the organizer's selection, online voting and expert review.
As a world-leading beer company, Budweiser APAC sees sustainability as its business, passionately cares for the environment, and strives to build a healthier planet, honoring its dream to bring people together for a better world.


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Popular Buying Locations in Dubai in 2018
Sale and rental prices continue to decline throughout most of Dubai in 2018, with some down as much as 10 percent year-on-year. Developers continue to offer enticing off-plan purchases and rent-to-own properties. There are some significant developments in both the sales and rental markets that are noteworthy.
2018 has seen a 30 percent drop in off-plan sales compared to 2017. The secondary market has largely stayed the same in comparison, with transactions numbering around 6,000 in the first half of 2017 and 2018.
There have been more than 750 off-plan villa and townhouse sales, reflecting a 70 percent drop from the same period in 2017. Townsquare, Akoya Oxygen, and Mohammed Bin Rashid City are leading in sales volume. Off-plan villa and townhouse prices remain competitive, with some offers amounting to as low as AED 900,000 for a two-bedroom unit. About 41 percent of off-plan villa and townhouse sales have been for less than AED 2 million, 47 percent being between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet. Forty-three percent of the sales covered units bigger than 2,500 square feet. Forty-five percent have been four-bedroom units.
So far, there have been almost 8,000 off-plan apartment units sold. The best-performing areas for these sales are in Business Bay, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, and Jumeirah Village Circle. Fourteen percent of transactions were for units costing less than AED 500,000. Forty-one percent were at more than AED 500,000 but less than AED 1 million. Tenant demand for smaller apartments is increasing, as reflected by the fact that 42 percent of sales were for units smaller than 500 square feet. Certain trends continue, such as most sales being for studio apartments or one-bedroom units, which are respectively 38 percent and 35 percent of total sales.
In 2018, tenants have gained more of a foothold to negotiate for lower rent prices by using one-check payments. This trend makes it likely that the rental market will move toward a renewed popularity of single lump-sum payments made annually. So far this year, more than half of all rental transactions were made with a single lump-sum payment. This was a striking change from 2017 when half of the rental payments were made in four checks. Tenants are more and more negotiating for incentives before signing, including a month of free rent, free utilities, and vouchers. This shows that tenants have powerful bargaining power with renters, a trend that seems poised to continue.


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Yahoo’s Network Division reorganized to consist of four product lines, down from six. Tapan Bhat will lead Front Doors and Network Services, consisting of Front Page, My Yahoo, and a newly created Network Services team. Brad Garlinghouse will lead Communications & Communities including Mail, Messenger, Groups, and Flickr. Vish Makhijani will lead Search, including Web Search and Search distribution. And Scott Moore will lead Media, consisting of News & Information properties.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia hired Organic to work on Marthapedia. The digital agency will help drive the strategy and design of the informational site, set for a Spring 2008 launch.
AOL-owned AdTech US hired two execs. The digital advertising technology company named Adam Wright and Kyland Johnston as sales managers for its West Coast division.
Enlighten hired Steve Landrum as creative director. The digital agency placed Landrum in its User Experience department.
Digitas promoted seven executives to senior vice president. The digital marketing and division of Publicis Groupe, promoted Chris England, Ben Jones, Michael Karg, Amy McAllister, John Robinson, Elliott Seaborn and David Wigder.
Scripps Networks Interactive hired Dina Roman as senior vice president. Roman was tasked with managing national ad sales and marketing for the eastern region of the U.S. for sites including FoodNetwork.com, HGTV.com, and others.
Visible World hired Andrew Ellenthal as senior vice president of sales. Prior to joining the video advertising technology and services company, Ellenthal was senior vice president of sales at PointRoll.
Telemundo named Borja Perez to the new role of Yahoo Telemundo alliance leader. The post is in addition to his current role as vice president, market development, digital media for the Hispanic media firm. Perez was tasked with managing coordination between Telemundo and Yahoo Sales teams.
Mktgpartners opened a Midwest office in Chicago. The entertainment and sports marketing agency named John Mousseau partner/general manager for the office. Kevin Collins, formerly manager of new business for the New York office, joined the Chicago office as account director.
Marriott International’s Eastern Region Marketing & eCommerce team tapped Our Man In Havana for advertising creative. The agency will work with Marriott hotel brands in the states from Maine to South Carolina.
Imaginova appointed Jay Kirsch vice president of corporate development. Prior to joining the digital media and commerce company Kirsch served as a director at AdMedia Partners, an investment bank and financial advisory firm.
Umpqua Bank selected Creature as its agency of record. The advertising agency had recently rolled out the Lemonaire campaign for the bank.
Travel Ad Network hired Brian Silver as chief operating officer. The vertical ad network created the position for Silver, who is also on its board of directors.
TruEffect hired two execs. The advertising technology firm named Brian Murphy senior sales account executive and David Olson database administrator and architect.
SMS Text Media hired Herman Rush as head of TV. The mobile marketing agency tasked Rush with securing text messaging campaigns. Rush is formerly president and CEO of the Columbia Pictures Television Group.
They're arguably the most annoying video ad formats in existence, but soon they'll be a thing of the past, at least on YouTube.
On Thursday, Twitter reported its earnings for Q4 2016, and the results have raised questions about the company's long-term future.
From its $1.5 billion air cargo hub to its growing network of contract last-mile delivery drivers, Amazon is increasingly looking like a logistics company; but shipping and logistics giant FedEx isn't sitting idly by.
Havas Group's Meaningful Brands report delivers sobering news for brands: consumers wouldn't care if 74% of the brands they use disappeared off the face of the earth.


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Honda aficionados, take note: the company will introduce two important vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, including the redesigned 2012 CR-V and an electric version of the Fit.
Read This Article
We have to admit it, we really like the 2013 Honda Fit EV, the all-electric subcompact hatch only available in a handful of dealerships.
Remember that report earlier this year that consumers, yet again, were losing interest in hybrid vehicles?
About 50,000 Honda Civics built for model year 2012 are being recalled for their left driveshaft, which could come apart while driving and cause an accident.


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Nike Inc. said it is reviewing inappropriate behavior in the sportswear giant, as one of its top executives leaves office, eliminating a one-time CEO candidate from its ranks.
"There was inconsistent conduct with the Nike principles and we are taking appropriate action," spokesman Greg Rossiter said by telephone.
Trevor Edwards, who ran the company's namesake brand, leaves the position and will retire from Nike in August. There were no direct accusations against him, Rossiter said.
In announcing his departure, Nike said that current CEO Mark Parker will remain in the post beyond 2020, delaying a possible succession contest .  In an internal note alerting employees to Edwards' departure, Parker cited reports of "behaviors that occur within our organization that do not reflect our core values of inclusion, respect and empowerment," the Wall Street Journal reported. The note did not describe the complaints or link them to Edwards, the Journal reported. "We have heard from strong and courageous employees," Parker said.
Parker will turn 65 in 2020 and has held the position of CEO for more than a decade. That generated speculation that a change of guard was planned for that year.
Edwards was one of the few executives in line to potentially gain access to the senior position. The others include Eric Sprunk, director of operations, and Michael Spillane, who oversees design, products and marketing. Another executive, Elliott Hill, was elevated to the role of overseeing the consumer and market division as part of Thursday's announcement.
Edwards, one of the most high-profile African-American executives in the industry, will remain an adviser to Parker during the transition. The company based in Beaverton, Oregon, did not immediately respond to a request to speak with Edwards.
"I pledge to remain in my position as president, president and CEO beyond 2020," Parker said in a statement. "Trevor has decided to retire."
While Nike could look for its next CEO, that scenario is not likely. The company took that step once, when it named William Perez as CEO in 2004 to replace co-founder Phil Knight. Perez lasted less than two years before Knight asked him to resign.
The company then named Parker, a Nike Lifer, as its replacement.


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Honda Motor Co. launched its new Mobilio Spike multipurpose wagon on Wednesday, hoping to maintain brisk car sales amid weak domestic demand.
The new model, which has an engine displacement of 1,500cc, features a versatile cargo space and is based on the same platform as the Fit compact and the Mobilio minivan.
Honda was to begin marketing the Mobilio Spike nationwide on Thursday. The vehicle is priced between 1.35 million yen and 1.68 million yen, and Honda hopes to sell 5,000 units per month, a Honda official said.
Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino said his company plans to develop and manufacture in China next year a new compact model using the same platform. Honda currently produces the Accord and the Odyssey in China.
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Nintendo Switch just made records in terms of sales since its release last Friday, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told reports. Fils-Aime revealed that the Nintendo Switch has sold quicker than any other Nintendo console in America alone, which is a remarkable performance of the gaming company.
According to Sam Reynolds, a gaming analyst, the first weekend sales for Nintendo Switch were "miles ahead" of the Wii, the Wii U, the N64 and the Game Cube. "While a solid launch for Nintendo in Japan is expected, what's even more impressive is its success in North America," He added.
In Japan, it was revealed that it was also a big hit, as sales began to pile up upon the release of the console. In the first three days, Nintendo in Japan has sold 330,000 units also beating its WiiU sales when it was released.
Similarly, sales in Europe projected a similar high. In the UK, Nintendo has sold 80,000 units upon its release. The gaming company is still to reveal official numbers, but as to when is still unclear. “ We can confirm that, across Europe, Nintendo Switch sold more in its launch weekend than any other Nintendo hardware in history.” Nintendo stated in a release.
Upon the release, Nintendo also launched titles such as, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild which is a best-selling Nintendo game franchise in Europe. “Launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has not only been bestowed with some of the highest review scores in gaming history, it’s also the biggest-selling Nintendo launch title ever in Europe, even outselling Wii Sports in first weekend sales.”
Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been a highly commended game by critics and was named as one of the best games of the generation. "Switch's debut and Wii U's demise are marked by a radical reinvention of The Legend of Zelda that will go down as an all-time great," stated on a Eurogamer's gold-plated Zelda: Breath of the Wild review.
Some Post-launch Defects
The gaming console was not all positive however. The Switch has projected some faults such as the unit's dock scratches the screen and as well as the unrelenting Joy-Con disconnect problem.
Many of the customers have criticized the console about dead or stuck pixels in which they say create an off-putting and bothersome dark squares on their displays.
Nintendo in a release addressed the issue as "normal and should not be considered a defect".
Players also complained about the limited number of supported games with the console in which can also affect the sales in the long run. Nonetheless, Gaming industries will release more games for the console soon as most of them are still in development.
Nintendo had a great performance since the release of its newest console: Nintendo Switch. The tech giant emerged from its three bearish candles and jumped on its release on Friday of last week. Nintendo projected a bull candle in its last session with an opening at 217.44 and closed exactly at 222.00. Its high reached 223.02 while its low was at 213.83. RSI Levels went up from 55.83 to 61.80 while Coppock curve remained in the positive range at 5.31 indicating a strong buy.
FSM News is a daily updated news website about the happenings in the stock market, financial realms and the world economy. Subscribe to further educate yourself about the field that you are to partake in. FSM News is here for you.


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With the popularization of cryptocurrencies since the explosion of the price of Bitcoin, hackers have decided to change their tune. As evidenced by the latest research from Atlas VPN and Trend Micro, cryptojacking attacks, malware developed to mine cryptocurrencies from an infected PC, exploded in 2021.
With the price of Bitcoin soon to surpass $50,000, scams and cyberattacks targeting owners of digital assets have become legion. Only a few days ago, we mentioned in our columns these fake Android and iOS applications designed to steal the contents of your digital wallet.
In December 2021, Cryptbot malware was released in a hacker utility to activate Microsoft products without a license key. On Thursday, March 24, 2022, a report from Atlas VPN and Trend Micro, two companies specializing in computer security, reveals that malware developed for cryptocurrency theft was the most used malware in 2021, with 150,909 cyberattacks detected during the year.
“Mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ether requires high computing power, a stable internet connection and a lot of electricity. Scammers have discovered ways to install cryptocurrency miners on compromised devices, and send all acquired currencies to their private wallet address.”
Cryptojacking, the new weapon of hackers
These very specific malware are part of the family of Cryptojacking, or malicious cryptocurrency mining in the language of Molière. As you will have understood, the goal of hackers is simple: to infect the PC, smartphone, tablet or server of an individual or a company to covertly mine cryptocurrency from the target’s account.
This technique is particularly effective, especially since it is very difficult to notice that you are the victim of this kind of cyberattack. Indeed, the vast majority of cryptojacking software is designed to remain invisible to the user. In addition, the damage for the victim is considerable: slowdown in PC performance, drastic increase in electricity bills and a device that very often ends up being broken.
As experts from TrendMicro and Atlas VPN explain, cryptohackers usually use regular malware contained in malicious link/mail to infect your PC. Once your device is compromised, the mining code is loaded onto your PC and the hacker can start mining 24 hours a day in the background. This technique is found on Android smartphones, with Trojan horses contained in infected applications. Hackers harness the power of your phone until it becomes unusable.


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Google is a company who has invested in multiple areas of technology and all with a view to being as innovative as possible in those areas. As a result, Google has unveiled a number of products that have been seen to sometimes be on the more outlandish side of the business. That said, at its core and regardless of how out-there some of the ideas may seem at the time, the object is the same and one which looks to bring something new to the market. One area in which Google seems to be ramping up its interests, is the self-driving car industry. It is no secret that Google is investing in this area and has been making a number of extensions recently to where their self-driving cars are being tested and developed. Not to mention, only yesterday came reports that the company had hired a new CEO for their self-driving car division.
The newly appointed exec is John Krafcik who has a wide history in the automobile industry and with these developments, one would be forgiven for thinking that Google are planning on ramping up their self-driving car ambitions even further. Well, if that is the assumption being made, another Google exec has very firmly refuted the idea that the company is interested in becoming a car manufacturer anytime soon.
Philipp Justus, Google's Managing Director for Central and Eastern Europe, was speaking today at the Frankfurt Auto Show. During which, the exec made it clear that Google is working with the auto industry and does not intend to become a car manufacturer itself. Further noting that the progress the company has already made in this field is "not something we could do alone" referring to the company's numerous partners within the industry. This is in spite of what has sometimes seemed to be a difference of opinions between Google and various car manufacturers on the future of the industry. So it seems that once again Google is only interested in the innovation side of the business and has no grand ambitions to have their own manufactured vehicles on the road. At least, not yet.


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More than 620m mobile banking apps that support biometrics for customer authentication and transaction verification will be downloaded by 2020, research from Goode Intelligence predicts. “Additionally, almost 160m wearable devices will be benefiting from seamless biometric authentication for accessing banking services on a variety of wearables, including smartwatches and bands,” the company says.
- BNP Paribas launches HCE mobile payments
- India Post to enable Aadhaar money transfers
- Barclaycard adds contactless payments to watches and fashion jewellery
- Samsung Pay goes live in Malaysia
- Metro Bank adds Android Pay in UK


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2009 has not been such a good year for the e-commerce companies. The US consumers for the first time has cut back on e-commerce spending, as found by comScore in its 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review study.
2009 recorded a negative growth of 2%, which is unprecedented, to touch $209.6 billion mark. The travel sector saw a drop of 5% to $79.8 billion, while, growth rate of e-commerce retail (non-travel) remained flat to $129.8 billion. For retail e-commerce, the no-growth year of 2009 has been preceded by a year of single digit growth (6% in 2008), which was the lowest growth rate for the segment on record. On an average this sector had an annual growth of around 20%.
But the good news is that the US consumer has shown some confidence in e-commerce in last two months (November and December) of 2009, which gave the segment a respective year-on-year growth of 3% to $12 billion and 5% to $17 billion.
Tags: Commerce Companies, Comscore, Confidence, Consumers, Digit Growth, Good Year, Last Two Months, Mark Travel, Segment, Travel Sector, Year In Review


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Although the brand-new 2015 Chevrolet Colorado was just named Motor Trend's Truck of the Year, you can be sure that Bowtie brand engineers are already at work on helping the midsize pickup avoid a sophomore slump. In fact, folks got a pretty good look at what's on the horizon for the Colorado at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where Chevy introduced the Colorado ZR2 concept.
The new truck builds on the legacy of past ZR2 models from the Chevy lineup, but brings that off-road prowess into the 21st century by also building on the same next-gen platform used for the award-winning 2015 Chevrolet Colorado production model. From there, engineers added the currently available Z71 off-road package, widened the truck's track by 4 inches, and deployed new front and rear fascias that were specifically designed to allow for improved approach and departure angles. Those fascias feature some hidden functionality, too, thanks to hidden aluminum tow hooks that can be flipped-out and into place when necessary; the front fascia has an integrated winch as well.


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Container shipping rates are not back to normal quite yet. Trans-Pacific rates have returned to pre-COVID levels, but pricing in trans-Atlantic markets has not.
Spot container rates from Europe to the U.S. — while falling — are still more than twice pre-pandemic rates. U.S. imports from Europe remain strong, with building materials supporting volumes.
Drewry and FBX spot assessments
The Drewry World Container Index (WCI) spot-rate assessment for Rotterdam, Netherlands, to New York was $5,061 per forty-foot equivalent unit in the week ending Thursday. That’s down 32% from last year’s peak but still 2.5 times rates in March 2019.
Asia-West Coast spot rates shot far higher than trans-Atlantic rates during the 2021-2022 shipping boom but came down faster and fell further. The WCI Rotterdam-New York spot-rate assessment was 2.7 times higher than the Shanghai-Los Angeles index assessment last week.
Current import headwinds from bloated inventories are curbing transport demand for manufactured consumer goods, in particular. Europe, which provides about 20% of U.S. containerized imports, is much less exposed to that market than Asia.
Different spot-rate indexes show different numbers but the same trend: trans-Atlantic rates down from the peak and continuing to fall but still well above pre-COVID levels.
The Freightos Baltic Daily Index (FBX) put Europe-East Coast spot rates at $3,891 per FEU on Friday. That’s down 54% from 2022 highs but 2.3 times March 2019 levels.
Xeneta short-term and long-term assessments
Norway-based Xeneta collects data from shippers on both short-term (spot) and long-term (contract) rates. Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund told FreightWaves on Monday that the trans-Atlantic westbound market is following the same trajectory as trans-Pacific eastbound markets, only with a time lag.
“It’s coming off quite heavily,” he said.
Xeneta’s data shows average short-term trans-Atlantic westbound rates peaking at $8,660 per FEU last June, with current average rates at $4,131 per FEU. The low end of the range is now at $2,874 per FEU, down from $6,950 per FEU in August.
“The low end is moving quickly downwards, which means that some carriers are bidding lower and lower, dragging the market down,” said Berglund.
Long-term trans-Atlantic westbound rates peaked at $7,700 per FEU last August and are now down to $3,700 per FEU, according to Xeneta data.
Assuming spot rates continue to fall, as Berglund expects they will, “that means those companies that just finalized their RFQs will pay elevated contract prices [versus spot] over the coming 12 months.”
US imports from Europe stay strong
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes statistics on metric tons of containerized imports, derived from Customs data.
U.S. containerized imports from Europe totaled 3.46 million tons this January, up 22% from January 2019 and 42% from January 2018. This January’s imports were higher than in January 2021 and 2022, amid the COVID boom.
Full-year imports in 2022 were 22% higher than in 2019 and 26% higher than in 2018.
A granular look at the import data, by four-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code, shows what’s driving the volumes.
Comparing full-year 2022 numbers to 2019, four of the top five gainers are related to building supplies and home furnishings. The largest volume gainer was bagged Portland cement and other cement, up 644,737 tons or 101%.
The next-largest increase was for gypsum and plaster (up 485,477 tons or 165%), followed by ceramic paving and tiles (rising 466,042 tons or 31%), electric storage batteries (404,244 tons, 376%), and furniture (286,496 tons, 39%).
The biggest decline, by far, was for U.S. imports of European beer. Beer imports plunged 329,052 tons or 22% in 2022 versus 2019.
Americans have not become teetotalers. They’ve just changed their drinking preferences. Imports of European spirits and wine more than offset beer losses, up a combined 338,518 tons in 2022 versus 2019.
Trans-Atlantic shipping capacity
The trans-Atlantic market not only provides carriers higher rates per FEU. It’s also a shorter route compared to Asia-U.S. and Asia-Europe. Thus, the rate per FEU per mile is much higher than in the other mainline trades. This should increasingly attract more capacity to the trans-Atlantic and bring rates down.
“While the trans-Atlantic run remains the most lucrative of the major east-west trades, the normalization process has begun. Rates are primed to continue easing further,” said S&P Global Commodity Insights.
According to Berglund, “Carriers definitely deploy capacity into the trades where they can make more money, so it’s only a matter of time [before the market falls further].”
Nerijus Poskus, vice president of ocean strategy and carrier development at digital freight forwarder Flexport, believes there’s a structural reason why rates have held up longer than some expected.
In a recent interview with FreightWaves, he said one reason for continued rate strength “may not necessarily be demand driven,” but rather, due to carriers not adding capacity fast enough.
“It is happening but much slower [than people thought] because it’s actually a lot more difficult to do than it seems. The reason is that Europe has a lot of ports,” he explained. In some ports “only a few carriers have services to select areas in the U.S. In some cases, you have only three carriers competing, with a few more buying slots. So, there are fewer players,” said Poskus.
“In order for a carrier to launch a new service, it has to sign new terminal contracts. It’s a lot of work. And carriers are afraid to do that, because they know what happens when you add more capacity. The prices go down very quickly.” This reluctance means “it will just take more time” for the trans-Atlantic to normalize, he said.
Other trans-Atlantic markets also strong
If there is a capacity-related factor involved, other trans-Atlantic trades connecting to European ports should also be holding up longer.
In fact, trades between Europe and South America are following the same pattern. Rates are down from their highs, but the decline began later than in the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe and rates are still well above pre-COVID levels.
The FBX spot assessment for Europe-South America East Coast was at $2,965 per FEU on Friday, 2.7 times 2019 levels. The FBX Europe-South America West Coast index was at $4,302 per FEU, 2.4 times pre-COVID levels.
Berglund noted that the rate development in the Europe-South America East Coast market is virtually identical to what is playing out in the Europe-U.S. East Coast market.
Xeneta’s short-term rate assessment for Europe-South America East Coast peaked in May at $4,211 per FEU and is now at $3,070 per FEU. The lower end of rates in this trade peaked at $3,470 per FEU in May and is now at $2,011 per FEU.
The same holds true in the eastbound trades from South America. Xeneta’s data shows “exactly the same pattern, just with different dollar values, for South America East Coast to North Europe,” said Berglund.
Thus, the tail end of the container shipping boom is not quite over. There continue to be pockets of elevated rates in the Atlantic even as the two biggest mainline trades — Asia-Europe and Asia-U.S. — are largely back to square one.


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Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) began operations in 1994 as an in-house technology development...
Telecoms: Enabling Technologies
08/01/2016 8:00 am EST
With so many people online and using mobile devices, the internet audience is stable and well-defined; the cutting-edge market of a few years ago has started to mature, suggests Jason Koepke, editor at Capitalist Times.
Don’t misconstrue our caveats to mean that differentiated growth opportunities don’t exist in the digital world; rather, investors must keep in mind that these markets have started to mature when assessing potential opportunities.
For example, two players already dominate the digital ad and mobile e-commerce industries. Alphabet (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) captured three-quarters of the growth in US internet advertising last year.
Even in this mature market, both appear poised for significant growth, though their stock valuations reflect investors’ belief that these tech titans will capture that upside.
Rather, investors should focus on the glue that enables these technologies to work.
Regardless of how many devices and particular tech firm or handset manufacturer sell in a given year, everyone with a smartphone or tablet needs access to a wireless network to make calls and surf the internet.
AT&T (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ) continue to invest heavily in their networks and still generate excess cash flow to handle debt maturities, repurchase shares, pay generous dividends and fund acquisitions.
Superior network quality enables these players to attract and retain the highest-margin customers who privilege speed and reliability over price.
Shares of AT&T and Verizon have caught a bid over the past few months, as the uncertain economic outlook and the Federal Reserve’s limited scope to raise interest rates this year have increased the appeal of these telecom giants’ resilient cash flow and above-average dividends.
That said, investors generally don’t expect the same level of growth out of AT&T and Verizon as they do from high-flying tech stocks.
But over the long term, we expect the emergence of the Internet of Things to create another tailwind for these telecom giants.
Indeed, rather than choose specific manufacturing companies that will succeed in the Internet of Things, we prefer to bet on the network providers, as they stand to benefit from the growing number of connections and traffic on their systems.
A growing number of cars include connections to the cloud to download the latest traffic data, send back telematic information and download the latest updates to the vehicle’s software.
AT&T rates a buy below $37 per share, while Verizon rates a buy on pullbacks to less than $52.
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Looking to save money on gas? A new startup is offering a high-tech backseat driver to help.
Continue Reading Below
San Francisco startup Automatic says it can help drivers become smarter behind the wheel by giving feedback on acceleration, speed and braking. Its device plugs into a car’s standard diagnostic port and gives audio suggestions through a smartphone app.
The payoff can be big, according to Ljuba Miljkovic, Automatic’s head of product.
“The average American family spends about $3,000 a year [on gas],” said Miljkovic. “How aggressively you drive and how fast really have a big impact on your fuel economy and it’s been studied that if you drive more smoothly, the average driver can save about a third of that $3,000 dollars.”
The Internet-of-Things startup says it can also help users save on energy costs by connecting with other smart gadgets. By using a service called If This Then That (IFTTT), homeowners can sync Automatic with products like the Nest smart thermostat.
“And so the way that Automatic works is whenever you do things like park the car or leave a particular location, it will trigger an event that can then make other things happen around the Internet,” explained Miljkovic. “So what we’re seeing people do is whenever they leave the house, they’ll turn off the lights the smart lights that they have in their home or if they arrive home, it will automatically turn on their Nest thermostat.”
Automatic was founded in 2012 and started selling its namesake device in 2013. The 45-person-company has raised money from venture-capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund, as well as Y Combinator, but has not publicly announced its funding.


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Canada’s grocery, food service and pharmacy industries are cleaning up their data as they prepare to activate an electronic product registry that will replace paper-based processes by the end of this year.
Well known enterprises including A&P, Sobeys and Shoppers Drug Mart are participating
in the creation of ECCNet, a project managed by the Electronic Commerce Council of Canada. When it goes lives on Dec. 31, the bilingual repository is expected to synchronize product listings and global location data for more than 1,200 vendors serving Canada’s retailers and distributors. At this point, more than 190,000 products have been entered into the custom database.
Eileen MacDonald, the ECC’s vice-president of marketing, says ECCNet will reduce costs to Canadian suppliers who would be otherwise forced to load product data onto the individual proprietary systems of various retailers. Currently, a food vendor who does business with Loblaws, for example, submits a listings sheet that is manually entered into the grocery chain’s system. The same process has to happen with each of the vendor’s other grocer partners. Through ECCNet, MacDonald says information will be loaded once while allowing many retailers and distributors to access it.
“What we call it is turning off the paper,” she says, adding the non-profit group wants ECCNet to become a national standard. “(Otherwise) you’re not going to hit critical mass and you’re not going to see the advantage.”
Flanagan Food Service Inc., which operates distribution centres in Kitchener, Owen Sound and Sudbury, Ont., is among the trading partners looking forward to the transition to ECCNet.
“Now, every distributor and manufacturer is communicating independently. There is such huge opportunity for errors and communication problems,” says Dan Flanagan, the firm’s president. “There are discrepancies and extra work involved in trying to resolve all these things. I think the benefits are just amazing.”
MacDonald cites research from consulting firm A.T. Kearney that says the U.S. grocery industry wastes US$87 million on bad data. The same problems are rampant here.
“As simple a thing as putting in ‘brown’ instead of ‘black’ would throw the system off so they wouldn’t jive at the time of paying an invoice,” she says. “Or you ordered 1,000 black pens and you ended up with 1,000 brown pens.”
The ECC is receiving funding for the program through CANARIE Inc., another non-for-profit corporation supported by members and the federal government. Stephane Poirier Defoy, project analyst with CANARIE’s E-Business program, says the ECC application took about a year because the ECC needed to prove it could garner the support and collaboration from the companies across the industries ECCNet will affect.
“The value proposition was really good, but the second element we were looking for is commercialization and viability of the product,” he says. “I think this is one of our champion projects, since the repercussions are really broad.”
MacDonald says the ECC has been conducting education and training to help grocery and pharmacy firms enter information in the database. More than 27 major Canadian retailers are mandating ECCNet use to their trading partners in their vendor buying agreements.
“If they do nothing else and they just cleanse their data, they have seen huge benefit,” she says.
It could take some guidance to bring pockets of the supply chain up to speed, notes Flanagan.
“Certainly it’s going to be difficult for some of the smaller manufacturers and even some of the smaller distributors,” he says. “On the other hand, the ECC is being fairly flexible in how you implement this.”
While there is a similar product registry in the U.S. and one in Europe serving several countries, MacDonald says the ECC has already been approached for advice on how to follow its example. ECCNet will also help ensure international supply chain standards reflect Canadian needs (like metric and bilingualism, for example) as they evolve.
Comment: [email protected]


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Cybercriminals are now targeting the wire payment switch at several U.S. banks to steal millions of dollars from customer accounts, SC Magazine reported on August 21.
Avivah Litan, vice president at Gartner, told the media outlet that the theft was cloaked by a wave of distributed denial-of-service (DDos) attacks. These smaller attacks were meant to divert attention away from the larger wire transfer theft, she said.
Authorities are still unsure of how the attackers gained access to the wire payment switch at the banks, but suggested a phishing scam targeted at employees could have been used.
For more on this developing story, read the full report here.


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THQ announces a hefty WWE line-up
THQ has announced a potent line-up of WWE titles form the floor of E3 2010.
The line-up unsurprisingly includes WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 and the WWE Legends of Wrestlemania follow-up, WWE Allstars.
The most curious entry in the line-up is WWE Smackdown vs. Raw Online.
WWE Online is destined for Korea now but it could mark an interesting shift in the life of the franchise.
THQ's Danny Wilson explains: "Through our new direct eight-year agreement and invaluable partnership with WWE, the opportunities to bring the brands ever-changing content and vibrant WWE Superstar personalities to life in the videogame world are more promising than ever. Our E3 lineup of WWE products has exceptional potential, reaching core and casual audiences with a definitive simulation-based experience, fun, fast-paced and larger than life action through our newest brand extension, as well as an innovative new way to embrace WWE through our free-to-play online initiatives for the Korean market."
- Thomas Was Alone gets a release date for PS4 and Wii U
- New Warframe update adds space-flight to the gameplay with Archwing mode
- New poll indicates that people believe online gaming is “the least welcoming space” for women
- CD Projekt RED releases The Trail, the opening cinematic from The Witcher 3
- New Project CARS trailer pulls up to the starting grid
- Far Cry 4 dev says linear games will suffer in the new world of gameplay video sharing
- Almost 1,100 developers, students and journalists sign the new #gamediversity petition embracing diversity in games
- Felicia Day breaks her silence about #Gamergate, is almost immediately doxxed
- Ubisoft announces PC specs for Assassin's Creed: Unity and they're killer


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Rocket Internet backed jewelry eStore 21Diamonds.in has shut down its Indian operations, reports iamwire. Rocket Internet has refused to comment on this when contacted by MediaNama. However, we noticed that one cannot place orders on the site at the time of writing this article.
Rocket Internet, the German Startup incubator that entered India in 2011, had launched 21Diamonds.in, an online jewelry store that lets users design and order their own jewelry in June 2012. The website lets users select the type of jewelry they want to customize, add a gemstone of their choice, and select the type of metal.
21Diamonds is currently available in 13 other countries including Germany, UK, France, Holland, Brasil, among others and offers gemstones like Sapphire, Topaz, Black diamond, Ruby, Pink Tourmaline, among others and in metal, customers can choose between silver, 9 carat gold (yellow and white) , 14 carat gold (yellow, white, rose) and 18 carat gold (yellow, white, rose).
Why did it shutdown?
Although Rocket Internet has not informed the reason for the shut down, we predict that it could be for the fact that Indian consumer are still getting used to eCommerce and buying jewelry is still a family event. For a sustained presence for an eCommerce store in India a continuous funding is required. Even bigger and all you can eat players such as Snapdeal are not profitable yet.
Where to buy jewelry now?
Jewellery company Gitanjali Group had partnered with Times Internet’s* Indiatimes Shopping to launch an online jewellery shop Gitanjalishop.com in December 2012. Online jewellery store, Voylla.com had raised Rs 2.5 crore angel investment from Snow Leopard Technology Ventures.
Berlin-based online fashion jewellery company Juvalia & You had launched its Indian operations in June 2012. Apart from these online stores, there also several offline jewellery brands like Tata Group’s Tanishq, Bhima Jewellers, Josco Jewellers and Abharan Jewellers, among others that also offer their jewellery for sale online.
Yebhi.com had also acquired a fashion jewellery eStore Stylishyou.in in May 2012 and had integrated all products available on stylishyou.in within its catalog. As part of the acquisition, Founder Shraddha Dadani had joined Yebhi as its Head of Jewelry. There’s also CaratLane.com that offers diamond jewellery such as rings, pendants, earrings, bangles and bracelets, chains and necklaces, among others. It also offers Gold coins by weight, purity and collection.
*Disclosure: Times Internet is an advertiser with MediaNama


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Canada has taken a lot of initiative in the effort to curb smoking, specifically in young people. Now, Health Canada has taken things a step further with Canada's cigarettes now having plain packaging. Health Canada and anti-smoking advocates are hoping that the new regulations will help to discourage smoking even further.
New cigarette packages will all be standardized to be the same "drab brown colour," according to Health Canada. They will also feature plain text in a standardized font, size, and location across all tobacco products.
According to a press release from Health Canada, the biggest issue with cigarette packaging as it is right now is that the bright and colourful logos are essentially being used as marketing for tobacco companies.
In an email to Narcity, Health Canada noted, "In Canada, 86% of current adult daily smokers had smoked their first cigarette by the age of 18. In 2017 alone, 91,000 Canadians became daily cigarette smokers."
Health Canada also claims that research has shown how plain packaging really does work as a deterrent, especially for young people. The plain packages also help to emphasize the health warnings made on every package of cigarettes. All packs will be changed to a standardized "slide-and-shell format" to allow more surface area for larger health warnings.
Plain-packaged cigarettes have started to pop up on shelves as the tobacco industry prepares for Health Canada’s re… https://t.co/M4rmBpCb8O— Adina Bresge (@Adina Bresge)1572272651.0
Canada would not be the first country to implement these types of plain packaging designs. Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Norway, and New Zealand all have put similar regulations into place. Other countries will also be taking these steps in the future.
"Canada will have the best tobacco plain packaging in the world," Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society told Narcity. "It's essential to protect kids from the marketing strategies of tobacco companies."
Cunningham continued, saying, "Cigarette packages should not be mini-billboards portraying positive lifestyle images."
Uglier packaging was first proposed in 1994 by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, after he had lowered the tax on cigarettes to fight the contraband market (although in 2008, it was determined that two of Canada's largest tobacco suppliers had actually helped create the contraband market. They were fined over $1 billion).
The new packaging regulations will come into effect on November 9, 2019, with cigarette retailers having 90 days to sell all of their old supply.
The choice of colour for the new cigarette packaging was also driven by research. In an email to Narcity, Alexander Cohen, press secretary for the Office of the Minister of Health, wrote, "When Australia implemented plain packaging, they tested several different colours and found that a package with a dark, drab brown colour (specifically Pantone 448C) was both the least appealing and least likely to induce smoking."
Cohen also noted that Pantone 448C has been used in every jurisdiction with plain cigarette packaging regulations. "We’re firmly committed to driving Canada’s smoking rate below five percent by 2030, and will consider all tools at our disposal to get there," he wrote.
Disclaimer: Cover photo on the right used for illustrative purposes only.


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EE to bundle Apple Music
August 26, 2016
BT’s mobile arm EE is to bundle Apple Music with mobile contracts in a move designed to increase subscriber loyalty and help the iPhone maker’s music streaming app challenge Spotify.
EE subscribers “will be offered free for six months with a new contract to EE pay monthly customers, double the three-month free trial otherwise provided by Apple. Afterwards users will pay the normal subscription charge, currently £9.99, (€11.7) via their mobile bill. Vodafone currently offers six months of free access to Spotify or Sky Sports with new contracts.
EE has created a video promoting the deal with Kevin Bacon and Singer Britney Spears who will be performing at the Apple Music festival next month in London.
EE says it is the largest mobile carrier in Britain with 27 million consumers on its network, giving Apple Music a wide pool of potential customers. It could accelerate its push into streaming after it built a base of 15 million paying users, about half the number of Spotify.
Apple has a similar promotion with Telstra in Australia, and is said to be making a deal with Deutsche Telekom in Germany.
The giveaway has reportedly enraged rival Virgin Media, which pays more than £120m per year for wholesale access to BT Sport.


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Clydesdale Bank has appointed Steve Gamlin to the role of Senior Partner Sales in the Bank’s South West Invoice Finance team. The newly created role will see Steve support the growth and development of Clydesdale’s Invoice Finance proposition by supporting the Bank’s Regional Director, Managing Partners and its network of Financial Solution Centres (FSCs).
Joining Clydesdale Bank in 2004 from Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, Steve was nominated "Star of Stars" by the South West Region in 2007/08. This recognised his contribution to the delivery of Invoice Finance, where the business has more than doubled in size over the last 18 months.
Steve said: “This is an exciting role to be taking on particularly as Clydesdale Bank has recently launched a new Invoice Finance fund to support the SME community across the South West.
"The current economic climate is leading to pressure on cashflow for small to medium sized businesses, especially as their customers are taking extended credit terms. Invoice finance helps businesses to run smoothly by releasing a high proportion of invoiced values immediately.”
Invoice finance - sometimes called cash-flow finance – is a sales-driven facility which can be accessed online and enables business to obtain up to 90 per cent of the value of invoices they issue immediately with the remainder available when payment is received. The service means that businesses are not hampered by late payments as they have rapid access to funds to meet their regular outgoings.


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What you ought to understand
A unique document says that scammers were able to dupe unsuspecting sufferers out-of a maximum of $1.4 million by luring all of them into getting artificial cryptocurrency software and spending cash, utilizing Apple’s creator Enterprise program for circulation.
A Sophos document released Wednesday notes a previous ripoff highlighted in-may on both iOS and Android, confined at the time to sufferers in Asia. Now, Sophos claims your con, that will be provides dubbed CryptoRom, enjoys in fact come put throughout the world, leading to some new iphone users to reduce 1000s of dollars to crooks.
Within our original data, we unearthed that the crooks behind these solutions had been concentrating on iOS customers utilizing Apple’s random submission strategy, through distribution procedures titled “ultra trademark providers.” As we expanded our very own search based datingreviewer.net/elitesingles-vs-eharmony on user-provided data and extra possibility looking, we in addition experienced destructive software linked with these frauds on apple’s ios using arrangement pages that misuse Apple’s business Signature circulation plan to target sufferers.
Most of the stories of scams made the headlines, one British prey in April reported losing ?63,000 ($87,000) after ‘falling crazy’ with a bitcoin scammer.
The fraud happens in this way. Customers become contacted by hustlers through fake pages on websites including Facebook, but in addition matchmaking programs like Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, plus. The dialogue try relocated to messaging software where subjects become common, luring the victim into a false sense of protection. Eventually, the topic of cryptocurrency financial pops up in conversation, and victim is questioned by fraudster to set up a crypto investing software to make a financial investment. The sufferer installs an app, spends, helps make income, and is allowed to withdraw the money. Inspired, they are next pressed to invest extra to make use of a high-profit possibility, however, the moment the bigger amount has become placed they have been incapable of withdraw it. The attacker next informs the sufferer to spend more or spend a tax, eliminating the income when they refuse.
Key to the fraud seems to be the abuse of fruit’s business system, which allows the attackers bypass fruit’s App Store assessment techniques to circulate phony apps:
Since that time, aside from the ultra Signature plan, we have now observed scammers utilize the fruit creator business plan (fruit Enterprise/Corporate Signature) to spread their particular fake software. We’ve also seen thieves abusing the Apple business Signature to handle victims’ units from another location. Apple’s Enterprise trademark program can help circulate software without Fruit Software shop product reviews, using an Enterprise Signature profile and a certificate. Software finalized with business certificates should always be distributed in the company for workforce or application testers, and must not employed for circulating apps to buyers.
Based on the document, the bitcoin address from the con has been delivered above $1.39 million money up to now, and therefore you will find probably several even more address from the hustle. The report says almost all of the subjects become iPhone users who have been duped into downloading a Mobile tool administration profile from a fake site, effortlessly flipping their new iphone into a “managed” product you will probably find in a business which can be controlled by somebody else:
After website was went to after trusting the visibility, the server encourages an individual to put in an application from a webpage that appears like Apple’s App shop, that includes artificial ratings. The installed software try a fake type of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency trading and investing program.
The document claims that CryptoRom bypasses all software shop’s protection testing and that it stays effective with new victims each and every day. Additionally says that fruit “should alert customers setting up programs through ad hoc submission or through enterprise provisioning systems that those software haven’t been assessed by fruit.”
Kuo: Apple’s AR/VR wireless headset has been postponed
A new document from supplies sequence insider Ming-Chi Kuo claims creation of Apple’s AR/VR headset has-been forced to the end of the following year.


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MILAN — June 13, 2012 — ITMA, the world’s most established textile and garment machinery
exhibition, will put the spotlight on innovations that promote sustainability for its 17th
presentation in Milan, Italy, in 2015. A trendsetting showcase of exciting innovations since 1951,
the theme chosen for the 2015 edition is ‘Master the Art of Sustainable Innovation’.
Mr Stephen R Combes, President of CEMATEX, which owns the show, said: “The drive towards
sustainability is increasingly integrated with enlightened business practices. The keyword here is
‘sustainability’, and we hope industry members will join us in this responsible mission to promote
more eco-friendly solutions and practices for the entire textile and garment value chain.”
ITMA 2015 will continue to be an industry leading platform for the textile and garment
community. It is expected to span over 100,000sqm of net exhibit space and attract over 1,400
Miss Maria Avery, Secretary-General of CEMATEX, said: “In 2011, we introduced several new
ideas that have enhanced the participation of all stakeholders. They included the inaugural World
Textile Summit and Sustainable Textile Leaders Roundtable Dialogue. These were immensely popular
and we intend to continue with them. We hope to further enhance the relevance and look at how we
can better support the green theme.”
New initiatives to drive industry forward
Among the new initiatives that will be organised in line with the theme are conferences and
workshops on sustainable innovations. The exhibition will also have a bigger focus on the waste
management and recycling sector. In addition, for the research and education (R&E) sector, more
emphasis will be placed on innovations that promote sustainability.
Ms Sylvia Phua, CEO of MP International which is organising ITMA 2015, added: “ITMA has
always been a catalyst for industry competitiveness for over 60 years. Besides the mindset change,
we believe that innovative technologies hold the key to environmental sustainability.”
MP International will be working closely with CEMATEX and other key associations to ensure
the new initiatives are relevant for industry players to allow for maximum benefits for their
Besides the value-added initiatives, ITMA remains the global marketplace and one-stop
sourcing platform for emerging trends and innovative solutions.
Fashion capital presents a venue of choice
An ideal city to host ITMA 2015, Milan is widely recognised as one of the world’s fashion
capitals, with a long history within the fashion, clothing and textile industries. Hosting ITMA for
the fifth time, the city continues to draw fashion aficionados, supermodels and international media
twice yearly for its spring and autumn fairs.
Fiera Milano Rho boasts one of the largest fairgrounds in the world, spanning 345,000 square
metres of covered gross exhibition space. The venue is well-equipped with some 10 conference halls
and a host of restaurants, bars and coffee houses.
Designed by architect Massimiliano Fuksas, Fiera Milano Rho is located in the west of Milan
and connected to the city centre via a dedicated metro station, Rho Fiera. It is also served by
railway and there are 14,000 parking spaces for visitors. Fiera Milano Rho is also the site of
World Expo 2015, which will take place from May to October 2015.
Space application for the exhibition sales opens in mid 2013. Those interested to find out
more can visit the ITMA 2015 booth located at Hall E7, Stand C12, at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2012, which
is being held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from 12 to 16 June. For more
information and updates, please visit www.itma.com.
Posted on June 19, 2012
Source: CEMATEX and MP International Pte Ltd


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BrisketU Franchise News
Browse the latest corporate news from BrisketU.
Houston-based BrisketU (Backyard Pitmasters, LLC) has expanded to Bryan and Austin, and is now franchising its three-hour brisket smoking class business model throughout Texas and beyond.
Sign-up and we will contact you when BrisketU franchise opportunities become available on Franchising.com.
Available Franchise Opportunities
While BrisketU is not currently accepting new applicants on Franchising.com, these other similar opportunities are actively looking for new franchisees.


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U.S. Retail Stocks are on the Up and Up With a Boost from eCommerce
U.S. retail stocks showed significant gains as reported Friday February 17th
The S&P Retail Index ended up 1.2 percent, or 6.79 points, to 571.55 and traded as high as 572.18 — a new peak for the index, which goes back to 2002. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4 percent, or 46.02 points, to 12,950.10.
The day’s gainers included Dillard’s Inc., up 5.1 percent to $51.48; Rue21 Inc., 4.2 percent to $26.33; Urban Outfitters Inc., 3.7 percent to $28.48; Chico’s FAS Inc., 3.7 percent to $13.03, and Destination Maternity Corp. 3.4 percent to $16.74.
Retail, which last peaked in the summer, has been having a resurgence this year as investors look toward better times ahead despite a still-weak recovery.
However, the real growth in retail in online sales.The Commerce Department said fourth-quarter e-commerce sales shot up 16.1 percent from a year earlier to $61.79 billion, while total retail sales rose 6.5 percent to $1.12 trillion. E-commerce accounted for 5.5 percent of total sales, up from 5.1 percent a year earlier.
According to IHS Global Insight U.S. economist Chris Christopher, “Today’s report is record breaking at a quarterly level, annual level, and as a percentage of total retail.” Chistopher goes on to add, “Cyber sales are soaring since more people feel comfortable buying online, and the real game-changer this past holiday season has been the increased use of smartphones, tablets and iPads to shop online.”
IHS expects e-commerce sales will rise 17.1 percent this year to a new high of $227.5 billion.


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* Shanghai stocks -0.48%, blue-chip CSI300 -0.16% Financials, consumer discretionary firms weigh
* China’s A-shares are at 33.03% premium over H-shares
SHANGHAI, April 13 (Reuters) – China stocks ended lower on Tuesday, extending losses into a third day on weakness in financials and consumer discretionary shares, as robust trade data added to investor concerns that authorities could begin to tighten policy.
** At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.48% at 3,396.47, its third day of losses. ** The blue-chip CSI300 index ended down 0.16%, turning lower from midday gains. ** The financial sector sub-index fell 0.44%, the real estate index dipped 0.89% and the consumer discretionary sector slumped 2.45%. ** China’s exports grew strongly in March on improving global demand as COVID-19 vaccinations progress, and import growth hit a four-year high, adding to signs of a solidifying recovery in the world’s second-largest economy. ** Investor concerns that a recovering economy could prompt policy tightening have been a consistent drag on A-shares in recent weeks, despite officials emphasising policy continuity. ** China should avoid credit contraction and keep inflation expectations from intensifying, the 21st Century Business Herald quoted central bank policy adviser Wang Yiming as saying on Tuesday. ** Wang’s words followed comments from Sun Guofeng, head of the monetary policy department at the People’s Bank of China, who said Monday that China will maintain continuity, stability and sustainability of its economic policies. ** The smaller Shenzhen index ended down 0.17% and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was higher by 0.842%. ** Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was barely changed, while Japan’s Nikkei index closed up 0.72%. ** At 0707 GMT, the yuan was quoted at 6.5505 per U.S. dollar, 0.05% weaker than the previous close of 6.5475. (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
SOURCE : https://www.reuters.com/article/china-stocks-close/china-shares-dip-as-strong-trade-data-fuels-tightening-concerns-idUSAZN012K0L


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Bradford-based laundry chemical manufacturer Christeyns UK has strengthened its position in the dry cleaning sector by acquiring a family specialist West Yorkshire business.
Belgian-owned Christeyns, based in Rutland Street, East Bowling, has bought dry cleaning chemical manufacturer Cole and Wilson for an undisclosed sum.
Cole and Wilson was incorporated in 1927 and employs six people. It is the UK’s market leader in the manufacture and supply of chemicals for dry cleaning.
Christeyns UK managing director Nick Garthwaite said the acquisition would strengthen its position in the specialised sector.
He said: “We are keen to continue to lead this important sector through the excellence of our products and services, and the addition of this well-respected company to our portfolio will help us provide additional services to our customers as well as develop the sector. We’re delighted to have the Cole and Wilson team on board.”
Mr Garthwaite said the deal would enable Cole and Wilson to sell its products across Europe for the first time.
“This is a good deal for both parties as it adds to our manufacturing portfolio by adding dry cleaning products and presents wider opportunities for Cole and Wilson to expand its markets. To date, it has had no presence in European markets but we will be introducing its products across the Continent, he said.
Cole and Wilson will continue to operate from its Huddersfield base under managing director Richard Cole, who is the great grandson of one of the founding partners of Cole and Wilson. He said that joining Christeyns would inject a wider knowledge pool into the company and there were many benefits to come from being part of a global operation.
“We’ve got the products and a very good reputation in this field; being part of Christeyns will mean we can take the business to a new level and expand into Europe, too. Building on the product range through Christeyns will give us added strength and the support of a wider team of experts in this field,” said Mr Cole.
The latest expansion by Christeyns UK follows its £2.1 million purchase of Leicester-based Alex Reid 18 months ago from the Johnson Cleaning group. Reid supplies chemicals, consumables and machines to the dry cleaning sector and the deal strengthened Christeyns position in the textile care sector.
In 2012 Christeyns also bought a 50 per cent stake in Warrington food hygiene specialist Klenzan, enabling it to increase its manufacturing for the food, dairy and brewing sectors.
Reid and the Klenzan operations were merged into Christeyns operations, increasing turnover from £22 million to £46 million and doubling the number of employees from 110 to 220.
Nick Garthwaite confirmed Christeyns would seek further growth opportunities, including significant organic growth.
He said: "We maintain our commitment to keeping our manufacturing sites at Rutland Street and Eastwood Street and we are embarking on a programme on improving our manufacturing capabilities to maximise further growth ."
He said the Cole and Wilson products would be added to the Reid range of dry cleaning and laundry chemicals.
Cole and Wilson’s detergents, including dry cleaning chemicals, wet washing detergents and solvents, will feature on the Christeyns stand at the Expodetergo exhibition in Milan, Italy, in October .


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Accursia Capital expects the Klann Packaging to have potentials for further organic and inorganic growth
German-based industrial holding company Mutares has divested its tin packaging business Klann Packaging to investment holding company Accursia Capital.
Headquartered in Landshut, Germany, Klann Packaging is engaged in producing printed tinplate-made packaging.
Klann Packaging was acquired by Mutares from HUBER Packaging in 2011 and positioned the company as a high-quality tinplate packaging solutions provider, Mutares said.
Sale is part of Mutares’ portfolio realignment initiative
The sale forms part of Mutares’ portfolio realignment initiative, which aims to assess the disposing of smaller-sized subsidiaries. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.
Mutares CIO Johannes Laumann said: “With Accursia we have found the ideal partner for Klann Packaging, which has grown very close to our heart during the years of belonging to our portfolio.
“We are convinced that Klann will develop excellently under the future owner through new organic and inorganic growth plans.
“For Mutares, this transaction is a great success in difficult market conditions and a further step in our portfolio consolidation.”
Accursia Capital expects the Klann Packaging to have potentials for further organic and inorganic growth.
Accursia Capital CEO Martin Scheiblegger said: “We see Klann Packaging as a well-structured company, which is optimally positioned for further growth.
“Through a targeted long-term buy and build strategy, Accursia’s new packaging division will be significantly developed over the next few years.
“Klann Packaging is already the fourth investment of Accursia within the last six months. This transaction is another important step in our sustainable growth strategy.”


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Things are going to get hyped with a week to go and CD Projekt posted a weird “transmission” teaser this afternoon. It’s a message from V.
The latest tease for something from CD Projekt is a transmission from V regarding some “fresh new job that’s coming up”. According to V details will be sent soon. So what’s this tease?
Could it be some sort of show they have planned? Perhaps something about DLC, although we don’t expect to hear about that until after launch. Whatever it is, CD Projekt are pushing the right buttons as fans speculate on what this means. The hashtag #cybernight is ominous though. What do you think it could be?
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) December 2, 2020


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Gramatik has been having a great year so far. From linking back up with GRiZ on another long-awaited Grizmatik single, to joining Ramzoid on a unique remix of Flume’s “Wall Fuck” he’s only just beginning to roll out what he has in store for 2017. Today, he’s teamed up with frequent collaborator Eric Krasno on “Recovery”, his first independent track since 2016.
Throughout his discography, Gramatik has consistently delivered a distinctive electro-funk/glitch-hop vibe, regardless of the tune, and his latest offering is no different. “Recovery” opens with a blissful, vintage sounding intro before quickly progressing into a funky guitar riff and soulful verse from Eric Krasno. Gramatik’s seamless electronic production and Eric Krasno passionate vocals mix perfectly throughout the incredibly smooth track. He also tweeted hinting at a release titled "Recoil" on June 17… there aren't any details on what the release is but definitely keep an eye out (see tweet below). Enjoy!
Gramatik – Recovery (Ft. Eric Krasno)
This year marks the 100. anniversary of the infamous takedown of Nikola Tesla's biggest project, the Wardenclyffe Tower. #TBT
► JUNE 17th pic.twitter.com/qP1BgLPMgq
— Gramatik (@Gramatik) June 1, 2017