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Geely chief builds $9 bln stake in Germany's Daimler
Steve Jobs' pre-Apple job application expected to raise $50000 at auction
Samsung Max launches as a new tool for privacy protection, data savings
A weird Parkland conspiracy video topped YouTube's trending list
Nintendo 3DS had its best January sales since 2013
OnePlus backdoor means hackers could take over your phone
15 November 2017, 12:26 | Megan Pierce
OnePlus accused of leaving a backdoor to give root access
The application in question is called 'EngineerMode, ' which is meant to be used in factories to confirm that the device is working properly. The application is a diagnostics tool called "EngineerMode" that Qualcomm developed and distributes to OEMs like OnePlus so they can test the hardware components of a device. They found that the application - used for factory testing - could be easily used to gain root access to phones.
The developer, with the help of few cybersecurity experts, was able to discover the password and was able to root a OnePlus device with few commands. The developer claims that the company has left behind the software intentionally, and he will come out with the application for rooting OnePlus devices without unlocking.
A potentially unsafe backdoor in multiple OnePlus devices has been just unearthed by a knowing developer, revealing a hidden app that can be potentially used to gain root access and take control over the device.
Versions of Engineer Mode were also found on a handful of other devices, including smartphones from Motorola, Xiaomi, Lenovo and Oppo. It has been found on the OnePlus 5, as well as the OnePlus 3 and 3T.
Idea Cellular reports Q2 net loss of Rs 1106.8 crore
That move comes as Idea and Vodafone's India business get set to merge , and begin selling off assets for debt repayment. A hotel employee clears a table after Vodafone Group and Idea Cellular news conference in Mumbai, India March 20, 2017.
Salman Khan on twitter with team of his Upcoming Movie Race 3
He also shared his first look from the upcoming flick in which he can be seen pointing a gun wearing an intense look on his face. Salman makes his franchise debut with the upcoming film and is likely to essay his first ever negative character in the film.
Still, the presence of the app brings into question OnePlus' security protocols. The company recently admitted to collecting personal information of users without their permission. If it was overlooked, it is likely the upcoming 5T would have it also, which would necessitate removing the app before the device ships on November 16.
Earlier, according to a post on Christopher Moore's blog, OnePlus is collecting sensitive private data like IMEI numbers, mobile network names and IMSI prefixes, MAC addresses, and more.
The discoverer of the app had a problem.
OnePlus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump asked Xi to resolve Ball arrest
Ball, Riley and Hill remain in China after to team flew back to Los Angeles following the Bruins' win Saturday over Georgia Tech . The players were arrested last week and charged with shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store located next to the team's hotel .
Bennett rips Packers after returning to New England
Bennett apparently told his agent to notify teams that he didn't want to be claimed because surgery was on its way. He wasn't in there on many plays, but when he was in there he was effective and it's great to have him back.


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8fig, which typically offers financing to other companies, closed a big round of financing for itself Tuesday.
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The Austin, Texas-based firm raised a $140 million Series B — which has been reported as $40 million in equity and $100 million in a credit facility. The round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies. Others participating in the round included existing investors Battery Ventures, LocalGlobe, Hetz Ventures, the Jesselson family and Silicon Valley Bank, now a division of First Citizens Bank.
8fig — founded in 2020 in Israel — has now raised $196.5 million to date, according to the company.
The company provides growth plans for small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses that have some sales history. The plan includes funding and financial tools for supply chain management, financial planning and freight and logistics coordination.
The aim of the platform is to keep e-commerce companies flush with inventory to stop growth from curtailing.
“During this period of economic uncertainty, ecommerce businesses are struggling to reach their full potential,” said co-founder and CEO Yaron Shapira in a blog. “The global macroeconomic challenges we are experiencing make it difficult for ecommerce business owners to access the resources they need to succeed. 8fig is providing these online sellers with the financial support and tools necessary to thrive in any economic climate.”
8fig has provided online sellers with more than $500 million since being founded, and increased its annual revenue by 800% last year.
E-commerce companies need significant capital for operations, as inventory and supply chain expenses can eat into a startup’s cash flow and stunt its growth.
Add to that a slowing venture capital market, and alternative financing models such as 8fig likely have become more appealing as cash has become more difficult to find.
While 8fig concentrates on the e-commerce sector, other startups like Miami-based Pipe and New York-based Capchase have entered the alternative finance market to offer startups access to cash that does not include venture funding.
Illustration: Dom Guzman
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.

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Black Friday sale in UAE begins with up to 90% discount
Amazon, Noon, LuLu, Carrefour and Sharaf DG begin the biggest sale of the year from today.
Starting today, the UAE’s brick-and-mortar retailer as well as online shopping platforms have launched Black Friday, also known as White/Yellow Friday sales, on a wide range of products with up to 90 per cent discount.
Amazon.ae will run its White Friday sale from Tuesday, November 24 to November 30 but its Prime member will have 12-hour early access to the sale from 11am today (November 23, 2020), offering a wide range or deals and low prices on top brands and items.
Amazon.ae’s biggest sale of the year offers the UAE customers up to 70 per cent discount across a seven-day period, including Amazon US Black Friday deal.
White Friday sale deals span over 30 categories on Amazon.ae, including electronics, fashion, sports, beauty, kitchen, home, and more with deals on top brands including Bose, Samsung, Sony, Nutricook, PowerMax Fitness, Dyson, Black+Decker, Michael Kors, Guess, adidas, Under Armour, L’Oreal Paris, Maybelline.
The UAE consumers can sign up for Prime membership for a free 30-day trial on its website to be among the first to shop the White Friday sale deals.
Customers using Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic Bank and Liv cards for White Friday sale deals will also benefit from an additional 15 per cent discount up to Dh75 on eligible orders.
“We will be delivering a wide range of White Friday deals across local and international items from over 30 categories on Amazon.ae, bringing products customers love back again and introducing deals on exciting new products. Prime members can also enjoy exclusive free delivery on Amazon US orders during the sale for even bigger savings,” said Abdo Chlala, Director of Marketing and Prime, Amazon Mena.
The UAE’s home-grown e-retailer Noon.com’s Yellow Friday sale also goes live today (November 23) and ends at midnight on November 29, offering customers up to 80 per cent off across all categories, price crashes, daily surprises, and must-buy bundles dropping over the course of the week.
In addition, Noon will give customers 10 per cent cash back when using Mashreq noon VIP credit card.
“We have partnered with Mashreq to provide an incentive to our customers. Without their loyalty and support, we simply wouldn’t be able to continue which is why rewarding such loyalty is important to us. With more offers than ever before from thousands of retail partners, shopping this year’s Yellow Friday Sale just got even more exciting,” said Mosam Gadia, noon payments at noon.com.
In 2019, noon said its Yellow Friday Sale surpassed all other Friday sales in the region.
Similarly, the UAE’s leading retailer LuLu’s Super Friday sale starts today (November 23) and will end on December 5, 2020, offering up to 70 per cent off on selected categories. It also offers an additional 20 per cent off with Mastercard on online purchases, taking the total discount up to 90 per cent.
Dubai-based Electronics retailer Sharaf DG has also initiated DG Friday sale with up to 75 per cent off on telecom, laptops, home and lifestyle products. The customers will get additional discounts on bank credit cards also.
Another major UAE retailer Carrefour is also offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on groceries from November 23 to December 5, 2020. In addition, it is also running a number of other deals on a range of products.
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The company licensed by Kodak to use its name in conjunction with a new cryptocurrency has already begun pre-selling it ahead of a public initial coin offering (ICO).
Vancouver-based Global Blockchain Technologies Corp. announced today that it is investing $2 million in KodakCoin, the initiative announced yesterday by Kodak and WENN Digital, which is licensing the former’s branding. WENN Digital, which is developing the digital media rights platform that was unveiled yesterday, is managing the sale of the tokens.
“The Company has subscribed for all 8 million Kodak Coins that were available in the Pre ICO Stage I. Stage II Pre ICO opens tomorrow January 10th,” the firm said in a press release. “The Coins are being offered by WENN Digital, in conjunction with its licensing partnership with Eastman Kodak.”
Kodak said yesterday that the public sale of its cryptocurrency, which will be open to accredited investors (including those in the U.S.), is set to begin on Jan. 31.
Kodak’s unveiling sparked global headlines yesterday, which continued into today after it and WENN Digital unveiled the “Kodak KashMiner.” That announcement, made at the CES tech trade show in Las Vegas, also sees the U.S. firm licensing out its brand.
Yet the quick moves have stoked some speculation that Kodak is moving to take advantage of the buzz around blockchain, particularly amongpublicly-traded companies that have seen their financial fortunes soar thanks to investor hunger for anything touching the tech.
All the same, Kodak’s stock price has soared since yesterday’s announcement. Data from Google highlights that the stock is up more than 75% today alone, rising above $11, having begun the week just over $3.
Image Credit: Vega Gonzalez / Shutterstock.com
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists? Contact us at [email protected].
Published at Wed, 10 Jan 2018 18:00:42 +0000


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Hyderabad: The door-delivery of fruits initiated by the Agriculture and Marketing departments received exceptional response from consumers, with about 408 calls to the call center and 70 WhatsApp requests on the first day itself. The officials received delivered fruits to about 2,500 persons at 1,370 locations in Hyderabad city within 24 hours after the scheme was launched.
With growing response, the authorities introduced another phone number 91144 45555 in addition to the number 73307 33212 at its call centre and enabled consumers to place more orders. The officials are supplying about six types of fruits in a single pack at Rs 300 each. However, consumers must place a minimum order of 30 packs for their door-delivery.
The Agriculture and Marketing departments are also operating about 201 mobile Rythu Bazaars to supply of farm-fresh vegetables in 403 areas. The schemes have been launched for benefit of scores of people who are stranded at their homes due to the lockdown.
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.


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By Malvika Gurung
Investing.com — Shares of the vehicle elements & parts producing business Pricol Ltd (NS:) surged 8.85% to Rs 130.4 apiece at 3:02 pm on Thursday, after hitting a clean all-time large previously in the day, rallying 13% to Rs 135.3 apiece on the BSE.
The stock continued its upward motion for the next straight session, climbing 13.3% in 2 days. Today’s inventory surge has occur as a end result of the scores agency ICRA (NS:) reaffirming the company’s scores of devices with a stable outlook, giving a extended expression score of ‘BBB’ and a quick expression ranking of ‘A3+’.
The domestic scores company has reaffirmed Pricol’s rankings, based mostly on its robust development of income and working margin in FY21 and H1 FY22, together with an approximated prospect of healthful small business about the medium expression and cozy debt metric.
In the durations below aim, the auto pieces company’s revenues grew as a outcome of deeper penetration across different automobile sub-segments.
ICRA believes that regardless of headwinds like the ongoing semiconductor supply scarcity and inflation of commodity selling prices, Pricol’s consolidated protection metrics are likely to keep healthier around the medium phrase.
The small-cap inventory has zoomed virtually 164% in the earlier yr.


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UPDATE: Federal court closed the case on April 21 when Heineken USA filed a notice of dismissal. The company stated in an email on May 3 that it “continues to work with SLG for its logistics needs, now more than ever, and is appreciative of SLG’s partnership.”
Heineken USA Inc., the White Plains importer of premium beers, claims it had to destroy 15,000 cases that a warehouse company mishandled.
Heineken sued Satellite Logistics Group Inc. for $234,382 on April 14 in U.S. District Court in White Plains for allegedly sidelining freight cars of beer in subfreezing weather, rendering the beer “not fit for human consumption.”
Satellite Logistics also operates as Hillebrand, an international company based in Houston that specializes in storing and distributing beer, spirits and wine. A company representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Nearly every week, Heineken USA imports large shipments of bottles and cans of various brands from Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam.
In January 2019, 11 shipping containers were dispatched from Rotterdam, Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium to the Port of Newark. From Newark, the cargo was shipped by rail to Satellite Logistics’ warehouse in Bedford Park, Illinois, near Chicago.
The containers arrived from late January to mid-February 2019. The cargo was supposed to be promptly removed from the containers and stored in Satellite Logistics’ climate-controlled warehouse.
Instead, Heineken alleges, the containers were left in an adjacent rail yard for days as temperatures ranged from zero to -22 degrees Fahrenheit.
While beer devotees the world over appreciate a cold one, there can be too much of a good thing. Beer freezes at 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and when that happens, according to the complaint, the “taste is irreversibly changed.”
The cell walls of the yeast burst. Carbonation decreases. And when the beer thaws, a haze or flakes can be suspended in the water and alcohol.
Heineken claims that 15,030 cases of beer – 360,720 cans and bottles – were damaged.
The importer accuses Satellite Logistics of breach of contract and bailment, damaging a product that had been entrusted to the company.
Heineken is demanding $234,382 for the damaged beers, freight charges and the cost of destroying the unusable product.
Heineken is represented by attorney Lawrence C. Glynn of Little Neck.


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More than 5,000 corporate buyers are now using Tradegood.com as a portal for sourcing products, ranging from apparel and consumer electronics to home furnishings and health-care supplies from more than 100,000 suppliers.
Tradegood Trend Boutique Grand Opening in NYC Upgrading the online sourcing experience with actual samples in a social setting
Mar 02, 2015
New York and Hong Kong, Mar 2, 2015 - Tradegood, the innovative sourcing community developed by Intertek that connects responsible buyers with trusted suppliers, launched its first fashion showroom —Tradegood Trend Boutique — in New York City, USA, on Feb 16, 2015.
Tradegood partners with ASD/SOURCEDIRECT to provide business matching service to show attendees and exhibitors
Feb 05, 2014
Las Vegas and Hong Kong, Feb 5, 2014 –Tradegood, the sourcing community that connects responsible buyers with trusted suppliers, has partnered withASD/SOURCEDIRECT, a dedicated sourcing show held in Las Vegas, where importers, distributors can direct access to manufacturers from around the world. The partnership between Tradegood and ASD/SOURCEDIRECT will provide a cost-effective solution for attendees to meet the right suppliers according to their given sourcing requirements in advance of the show. Attendees can experience a new way of sourcing where meetings with the right suppliers are pre-arranged, saving time and energy to walk every booth of the show floor.
Tradegood partners with Texworld USA
Nov 28, 2013
New York and Hong Kong, Nov 28, 2013 – Tradegood, the B2B sourcing community that connects responsible buyers and trusted suppliers, has recently partnered with Texworld USA, the largest apparel fabrics show in North America. The partnership between Tradegood and Texworld USA will allow show attendees to pre-quality and arrange meetings benchmarks according to their specific requirements.
Tradegood Business Chain Features an In-Depth Analysis of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
Nov 06, 2013
New York and Hong Kong, Nov 6, 2013 – Tradegood, the B2B sourcing community that connects responsible buyers and trusted suppliers, has released its fifth issue of Business Chain magazine, entitled The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: The End of Multilateralism? on Apple® iBookstore. This issue brings invaluable insights into the most important free-trade agreement in centuries, which when implemented will see the global trading scene and the world’s economies experience a complete makeover.
Tradegood.com offers trusted sourcing tools for industry professionals
Oct 31, 2013
New York and Hong Kong, Oct 31, 2013 –Tradegood, the B2B sourcing community developed by Intertek that connects responsible buyers and trusted suppliers, has enhanced its public website (www.tradegood.com) with proprietary sourcing tools now available world buyers and purchasers, bringing them to verified suppliers at no cost.
Tradegood Launches in East Africa
Oct 21, 2013
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda,Oct 21,2013 - LONDON--Intertek Government and Trade Services together with Tradegood, a B2B sourcing community enabled by Intertek, is expanding its international service scope by launching the Tradegood web-portal service to importers and buyers based in East Africa. Tradegood connects responsible buyers and importers with trusted and reliable suppliers from more than 100 countries.


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Microsoft has been one of the major players in the video game industry thanks to its Xbox arm. Now with the acquisition of Bethesda, the company has strengthened its position even more. This was the first E3 where we got to see a joint presentation for Xbox and Bethesda, with the company holding no punches. Also Read - Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to 'nearly double' the budget for its employee salaries to retain them
During the keynote, Microsoft showcased 30 games, 27 of which will be available on its Xbox Games Pass subscription service. It also launched a meme product, the Xbox fridge and more. Also Read - Sony PlayStation Plus subscription launch date announced: Check all games coming to the service
Here we will be taking a look at everything that Microsoft announced at E3 2021. Also Read - Microsoft Teams tips and trick: Top features to make hybrid working easier
Microsoft has announced that it will be launching its Xbox mini-fridge later this year. It stated that we’ll be able to “Xbox and chill” soon. This started out as a meme when the company first showcased the Xbox Series X console.
Starfield is going to be Bethesda’s next big roleplaying game, which will be launching on November 11. It will be an Xbox and PC exclusive game, and will have extraordinary graphics according to the company. Interestingly, the trailer for the same leaked just before the event started.
It has been a long wait for the next-generation Halo game. Microsoft finally has announced that the game would launch this fall. Apart from the launch announcement, the company also showcased some new game footage. It also stated that this will be the “greatest challenge yet” and that it will come with a free to play multiplayer element.
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5 will take advantage of everything the ninth generation of consoles have to offer. It will be based in Mexico and according to the developers will provide gamers with realistic graphics and authentic Mexican locations. The company also stated that there will be a bunch of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it street art in the various locations. The game will release on November 9 on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles; PC on Windows and Steam; and Xbox Game Pass including console, PC, and Cloud Gaming (Beta).
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a zombie game, which will take place in Chernobyl. The game is scheduled to launch on April 28, 2022.
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood is going to be Microsoft’s take on Valve’s popular IP, Left 4 Dead. It will be a cooperative shooting zombie game, which is set to release on October 12.
Far Cry 6
We already got to see new trailers and gameplay footage for Far Cry 6 during Ubisoft’s E3 event. Microsoft showcased some more footage. The game will release on October 7.
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
Sea of Thieves is getting a free update on June 22 with new characters and an original storyline based on Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Microsoft-owned Arkane studios also made an appearance during the event to announce Redfall. The game is planned to launch in 2022 and will have a cooperative shooting genre, where you get to take on Vampires.
Microsoft launched its Flight Simulator last year. The company has announced its plans to release an update for the game later this year, tieing it with the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick movie.
Microsoft also announced that it will launch its story-based game, Twelve Minutes on August 19. The game will have voices from James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe and more.
The Outer Worlds 2
Obsidian Entertainment is bringing a sequel to The Outer Worlds, dubbed The Outer Worlds 2. Taking place in a new star system with a new crew both new and old players will have a lot of fun with this.
Age of Empires IV
Age of Empires IV is finally releasing on October 28. The company has revealed a new trailer for the same which showcases two new launch civilizations – the Abbasid Dynasty and the French. The team also showcased the 100 Years War campaign with history icon Joan of Arc; the campaign will allow players to experience this long-fought conflict between England and France.
Apart from this, the company also made announcements regarding Hades, Among Us, Yakuza Like a Dragon and more. You can read about all of this in detail here.


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This year is reserved for Paris Motor Show, and just like always, most attention will be devoted to supercars as those are the cars we rarely see and most of us will newer own. Five supercars that will be presented in Paris will attract huge number of fans, and even these are not the only supercars that will be unveiled at the show we think that they deserve the most attention.
Recently we have received reports that LaFerrari Aperta was seen on streets of Paris. This is the convertible version of the hybrid supercar from a famous Italian company. Since all convertibles are sold, there is no chance for you to buy one, even if you had money, meaning that the Paris Motor Show will be one of the rare opportunities to see this vehicle live. We suppose, unfortunately, that most of these monsters will sit in the garage of their owners but it would be great to see them more often on roads, and tracks also.
Bentley will bring new Flying Spur W12 S and according to the press release this is the first four-door model from the luxury car maker that will be able to surpass 200 mph or 320 km/h. Top speed is stated to be 325 km/h while the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h or 62 mph takes only 4.2 seconds. All this will be done in perfect comfort for driver and passengers. Price is not known at this moment, but it should be announced in Paris.
Even we already had the opportunity to see the 2017 Porsche Panamera this auto show will give us the chance to see it up close. New and redesigned Panamera will be again offered in Turbo trim that will employ 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 powerplant that is capable of pumping out impressive 550 hp. With this setup, it was able to achieve a great result on legendary Nurburgring as it managed to lap the racetrack in 7:38.
Without a doubt, the AMG GT coupe supercar is already a great looking vehicle, but the convertible version is even better. When you add the 4.0-liter V8 that is refined with twin turbo system and capable of delivering 557 hp we like it even more. If you push GT C real hard, it will hit 62 mph in about 3.7 seconds and all that while the roof is down. Can it get any better?
Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS is definitely one of the best attention magnets on this year Paris Motor Show. We could only see it in few races but this time, four door, four seat convertible will be officially presented. Instead of Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS nameplate, we will be getting something shorter, GLM G4 badge. This is not the biggest change here as the engine and drivetrain will be completely different. The original was offered with 6.2-liter V8 engine, but the new GLM G4 will bring electric motor as the source of power.
It is obvious that a lot of great cars are waiting for us in Paris, and we are eager to check out those in real life. Additional details about all those fantastic vehicles and a lot more will be offered in the next few days so stay tuned for exclusive reports from one of the most important Motor Shows.


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The chassis leasing company will roll out TRAC Select in 20 locations across the United States.
Prologis U.K. Logistics Venture will be 85 percent owned by CBRE clients and 15 percent owned by Prologis.
The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based third-party logistics provider said the app increases supply chain visibility by photo-documenting shipments to improve compliance and reduce costs.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
The United States Maritime Alliance, the employer group that negotiates the master contract with the International Longshoremen's Association, called the ILA’s planned work stoppage threat “disturbing.”
With just a few months before the new ocean carrier vessel sharing agreement THE Alliance, of which Yang Ming is a member, is set to launch, work still needs to be done to finalize port rotations and vessel deployment plans.
What has been accepted as standard practice for decades - large shippers cementing big volume annual contracts with carriers and smaller shippers, forwarders and NVOs picking up the scraps on the spot market - is now being heavily scrutinized.


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An influential Wall Street analyst is calling on Disney CEO Bob Iger to alter his strategy involving DVD kiosks in order to “kill Redbox” and “help stop the devaluation of movies.”
Richard Greenfield of BTIG Research wrote Friday that Disney should join Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. in establishing a 28-day window on Redbox. Better yet, all studios should slap a window of 45-60 days on Redbox.
The timing of Greenfield’s open letter to Iger is based on Thursday’s statement from Coinstar CEO Paul Davis that the company’s Redbox unit would miss revenue expectations, and he laid the blame on the studios that no longer give them instant access to newly released DVDs.
“This was Redbox’s first holiday season with 28-day delayed titles, and we underestimated the impact that the delay would have on demand during the fourth quarter,” Davis said.
That statement, made after the closing bell Thursday, caused shares of Coinstar to plunge 27% on Friday to $41.50.
It also caused Greenfield to implore Iger to hit the company while it’s down by inflicting more windowing pain on Redbox and, in doing so, “send a strong message to the other studios that a key supporter had changed their view.”
“Not only does Disney/Pixar have the most valuable brand in the movie business,” Greenfield wrote, “the addition of Marvel increases the brand value of their content even further.”
He said that while he doubts Paramount, Sony or Lionsgate would shift to a window any time soon since they have formal deals with Redbox, “We never understood why Disney gives Redbox DVDs day-and-date with a DVD’s release.
“Enabling $1 billion box-office films to be rented for $1 a day the same day they are for sale at Walmart for $15-$25 is illogical to us,” he said.
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Smart ticketing collaboration promises new mobility services
The companies will combine their expertise on the CIPURSE open security standard for transit fare collection systems to provide end users a comprehensive choice of solutions for future proof transport ticketing solutions. CIPURSE is supported by a global community of members of the OSPT Alliance, of which both companies are key supporters and board members.
In the collaboration, Rambus will provide its Host Card Emulation Ticket Wallet Service and Remote Ticket Download solutions to deliver secure download and storage of tickets on NFC-enabled smartphones and the ability to deliver tickets remotely to smartcards. Along with Infineon’s CIPURSE smart ticketing products, the companies say they will both be able to better deliver a high level of security for the international smart ticketing market, with mobile and smart card ticketing working in tandem.
“Through our collaboration with Infineon,” says Russell McCullagh, vice president and general manager of Rambus Ticketing, “we will be able to increase global trust and awareness of the benefits of this open standards-based approach, which can help make public transport ticketing more accessible for all transport scenarios, whether passengers are on rail, bus or ferry.”
Bernardo Knoblich, head of Transport Ticketing Product Line of Infineon Technologies says: “Our expanded collaboration with Rambus is underlining Infineon’s commitment to open standards-based solutions. Innovative services where smart card-based ticketing is deployed along with mobile solutions on a global scale will improve user convenience and hence drive adoption of new mobility services.”
NXP enables mobile ticketing for smart mobile devices
Siemens Mobility invests into French AI startup for smarter transportation
Simplified smart vision integration for transportation checkpoints


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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Private equity firm Bain Capital wrote down third-quarter values for investments in media, retail, and restaurant firms such as Clear Channel, Michaels Stores and Outback Steakhouse, according to a letter obtained by Reuters.
The figures, as of Sept. 30, were in a recent letter to investors known as limited partners (LPs) and relate to Bain Capital’s Fund IX. Private equity firms disclose their performance to LPs each quarter but the letters are not made available publicly.
Firms across the board are having to cut the value of their investments as the economy sinks.
The letter, dated Nov. 25, said radio operator Clear Channel’s business “has declined due to softness in advertising spend” and as a result it marked down the equity portion of its investment to $428 million, or 0.85 times cost — meaning the fair market value is 85 percent of the original investment.
Its investment in wholesale distribution business HD Supply is valued at $617 million, or 0.65 times cost, according to the letter, as it was impacted by the housing slowdown.
Its investment in crafts retailer Michaels Stores was written down to $377 million, or 0.65 times cost.
The fund’s investment in music retailer Guitar Center was reduced to $279 million, or 0.6 times cost and Burlington Coat Factory was written down to $157 million, or 0.6 times cost.
Boston-based Bain’s investment in NXP was reduced to $246 million, or 0.4 times cost as the semiconductor industry continued to face a severe contraction, the letter said.
Its investment in Outback Steakhouse was written down to $189 million, or 0.35 times cost to reflect “continued weakness in traffic and increasing costs,” it said.
Most dramatically, it marked down the value of yacht maker Bavaria Yacht to zero. “While we still believe this is an important company in its industry, Bavaria is suffering from exceedingly weak sales as a result of low consumer confidence and scarce consumer credit,” the letter said.
Including investments sold or liquidated, Fund IX’s investments are valued at $6.3 billion, compared with the $7.6 billion total invested, a table in the document indicated.
“As we look toward fourth quarter valuations, we would note that the economic environment has continued to deteriorate which may imply further write-downs at year end,” the letter said. “While we are naturally disappointed by these interim write-downs, we believe in the strength and intrinsic value of the fund’s portfolio, and are not under any pressure to sell.”
The letter said it was working to “anticipate and address any liquidity or covenant problems, should they arise.”
“The silver lining in this type of environment is that nimble companies can capitalize upon industry weakness to improve their positioning for the future. We will consider further investments where there are real advantages to gain.”
This is the first full year that private equity firms are obliged to value their companies as if they were to sell them today. The accounting rule known as FAS 157 came into effect for financial years beginning after Nov. 15, 2007.
In a separate letter giving an update on Bain Capital Fund X, it said that cable network The Weather Channel, which it bought with Blackstone <BX.N> and GE’s <GE.N> NBC Universal in September, was experiencing “softness in advertising spend.” The investment was not written down or up, and was valued at $626 million.
Fund X, with approximately 73 percent undrawn capital — i.e. capital still to be invested — was well-positioned to benefit from the dislocation in the credit markets, it said.
By Megan Davies
(Editing by Phil Berlowitz)


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Dioucounda Koma, said Douc Koma, is a Franco-Malian actor and screenwriter, born on August 30, 1980 in Bamako. Also active in doubling, it is the regular French voice of John Boyega, Brandon T. Jackson, Corey Hawkins and Donald Glover.
The year 2011 was shaped by many exciting developments in the gaming and tech world. At the beginning of the year, Nintendo published the 3DS, which should help the company in the following years about the heavy Wii-U-time. Apple presented the iPhone 4S at the beginning of October and thus the fifth generation of the world-famous device, while the smartphone market grew overall with a massive pace. And on October 21, 2011, Nintendo published a video for the first time, better two, with the then completely unknown title Nintendo Direct . In the following ten years, the Japanese company has established a regular format of video presentations, whose mere announcement already dominates social media trends and mimic the industry, for example, Sony with State of Play.
Also interesting: Among us finally appears in December for PlayStation and Xbox
Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aimé
In October 2011, the then Nintendo President Satoru Iwata welcomed the spectators at a nearly forty-minute presentation at the time of new and exciting Nintendo games and led small interviews with developers and those responsible for the company. In parallel, Nintendo published another English-speaking and significantly shorter variant without interviews with the then Nintendo-of-America President and Meme Darling Reggie Fils-Aimé. Nowadays, new Direct expenditure only appear in a single variant with translations and subtitles for the various regions, and many different speakers and moderators occur. [H2]
Impacter like Sony and Google [/ H2]
Over the years, Direct format has become a established brand with Nintendo and also generally in the gaming world and found some imitators such as Sony or Google. Nintendo, in addition to the classic / large Direct expenditure, now also releases special offshoots such as Nintendo Direct Mini, Partner Showcase or also presentations on individual games as recently to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The video shows are now available on the Nintendo website, Youtube and Twitch for charisma or retrieval on call. We also report regularly about the contents of the presentations.
Sources: Nintendo / Ntower
From Johannes Gehrling
22.10.2021 at 14:37


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School Nutrition Magazine Cranberries Featured in School Nutrition Magazine
Brian Wick, Executive Director of CCCGA The UMass Cranberry Station, a little known world class research center in East Wareham, is scheduled for a face lift. The plan is to update the research facility, constructed in the 1960s, with modern laboratories and...
Rutgers Today Rutgers researchers have developed a new, hardier variety of cranberry that is able to withstand disease and has a larger round berry with a more even color than other breeds. More Colorful, Hardier Cranberry
Cranberries have long had a place at mom’s Thanksgiving table, but as America’s Original Superfruit®, U.S.-grown cranberries are also a star at any Friendsgiving feast. In sweet or savory recipes, crafty cocktails or fashioned into elegant décor, cranberries are THE fruit for this holiday celebration.
Boston Herald Craving Cranberries: The All-American Fruit
Cranberry Marketing Committee USA / Mushroom Council Award $500 Prize for the Next Great Cranberry-Mushroom CreationTeal Carpenter, School Nutrition Director at Gloversville Enlarged School District in Gloversville, NY was declared the $500 grand prize winner in the...
AMS Fruit and Vegetable Program Deputy Administrator Charles Parrott highlights the CMC’s new Foodservice Toolkit. U.S. Cranberries in School Meals
Cranberry Marketing Committee USA (CMC) is honored to receive a 2015 Produce Business Marketing Excellence Award for its Fourth of July and Summer Grilling Season Promotion. CMC commissioned Pollock Communications to promote and create a sales spike for cranberries by positioning them as the All-American Fruit for July 4th and summer grilling. The successful campaign won CMC and Pollock a spot with an elite group of companies featured in the August issue of Produce Business, a national trade publication, for marketing campaigns that were successful in capturing consumers’ interest and increasing sales.
The Cranberry Marketing Committee, USA (CMC) announces the launch of its new website, Cranberry Foodservice USA. The website provides easy-to-use resources that can help foodservice professionals incorporate the cranberry – America’s Original Superfruit® – into meals at schools, hospitals, business cafeterias and elsewhere.
America’s Original Superfruit, the Cranberry, Makes a Splash in China with Limited Edition Cranberry Beer
The Cranberry Marketing Committee, USA (CMC) and the Boxing Cat Brewery of Shanghai announced a new, limited edition Cranberry Superfruit Ale at an event for Chinese media on June 18. The unique beer is made with cranberry juice concentrate, and its name was inspired...


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The experts claim that coffee offers more benefits than risks these days and new research suggests coffee cuts your risk of getting colon cancer. The study coming out of the University of Southern California’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Leck Medicine found a correlation between coffee drinkers and lowered risks of contracting colon cancer.
According to MSN Health News on April 2, the researchers collected data from 5,100 men and women who were diagnosed with colon cancer and compared their coffee consumption to 4,000 people who do not have colon cancer. All of the participants in the study reported their coffee consumption daily, which included various types of coffee, like espresso, instant coffee, decaffeinated and filtered coffee. After filtering out the other factors which can influence colon cancer, such as family history, smoking, degree of physical activity and diet, they found that coffee may just help reduce your risk of colon cancer.
“We found that drinking coffee is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, and the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk,” said Dr. Stephen Gruber, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and senior author of the study. Gruber also said that they were surprised to see that caffeine had nothing t do with the outcome in research subjects, as those who drank decaffeinated coffee were found to have the same risk reduction as those who drank caffeine-riddled coffee drinks.
DB Techno News reports today that you don’t need to drink a lot of coffee to be awarded these benefits as even moderate coffee consumption helped ward off cancer, according to the study. The person who headed the study, Stephen Gruber, M.D., Ph.D., said, “I would encourage coffee lovers to revel in the strong possibility that their daily mug may lower their risk of colorectal cancer.”
“Between one to two servings of coffee per day was associated with a 26 percent reduction in the odds of developing colorectal cancer. The risk continued to decrease up to 50 percent when participants were heavy coffee drinkers, consuming more than 2.5 servings each day. This trend was persistent, even after researchers controlled for other known risk factors. Interestingly, both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee were associated with decreased risk,” according to MSN.
It may just be that your grandmother knew this all along, as many old wives tales talk about how a good cup of coffee promotes a good morning constitution! Check out the other benefits of drinking coffee in the video above.


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Shares in Apple Computer closed 8% higher on news that it was launching a touch screen mobile phone, the iPhone. News of the device sent shares in makers of so-called 'smart phones' - such as the Blackberry - sharply lower.
This is not a stock market forums or site. Stop posting what the stocks do, apple stock has NOTHING AT ALL to do with gaming.
Do U ever read the article's or just the titles or look at the pictures.....lol
It's in industry news.... so i'm not complaining that its here.... I should buy some stock in apple and cingular for that matter. These things will sell like hotcakes...
I wonder how they would do at making a games console? I bet they would give M$ and PS a pretty good run.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Würth Group reports double-digit sales growth in first half of 2021
- Strong growth despite pandemic
- Würth Group exceeds 81,000 employees
- Supply bottlenecks and price increases for raw materials pose new challenges
The Würth Group, the global market leader in the sale of fastening and assembly materials, reported sales of EUR 8.4 billion in the first half of 2021, up 20.9 percent over the same period last year. Adjusted for currencies, sales grew by 22.6 percent. In Germany, the Würth Group generated sales of EUR 3.4 billion (+16.4 percent), with the companies abroad achieving total sales of EUR 5.0 billion (+24.3 percent).
The month of April has been historic: The Würth Group achieved monthly sales of EUR 1.42 billion, which translates into year-over-year growth of 50.5 percent (adjusted growth: 47.6 percent).
That our growth in the first half of 2021 came out so strong despite the pandemic has exceeded all our expectations. It is especially great to see that almost all business units are growing.
Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG, the parent company and at the same time largest individual company in the Group, also did well: In the first half of 2021, it generated sales of EUR 1.25 billion including intra-Group sales (+17.9 percent).
Divisions Construction and Metal, business units Elektronik eiSos and Electrical Wholesale showing exceptional growth
Total sales in Divisions Metal and Construction improved by 22.0 percent over the previous year in the first half of 2021. The companies in business unit Electrical Wholesale reported strong growth of 32.3 percent. eiSos Group was equally successful, achieving growth of 34.1 percent.
Price increases for raw materials pose new challenges
Demand for semi-finished and finished goods has been ramping up rapidly since the end of 2020, resulting in production and supply bottlenecks and, consequently, in rising manufacturing and procurement costs. The problems within the supply chains further aggravate the situation: The COVID-19 outbreak at the South Chinese port Yantian is adding to the already substantial delivery delays.
There are not enough raw materials on the market, which presents us with great challenges, especially when it comes to fasteners, wood connectors, mounting rails and fittings. Continuing to supply our customers quickly and reliably remains our top priority. Further price increases will be unavoidable.
Arts & Culture
At EUR 520 million, the Würth Group’s operating result in the first half of 2021 is well above that of the previous year (2020: EUR 280 million). The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 put a considerable drag on the operating result in the second quarter of 2020. Strong sales growth across almost all business units combined with lower costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. travel, conference and trade show costs) are now positively impacting the 2021 result.
The number of employees increased by 2,626, from 79,139 at the end of last year to 81,765 after the first half of 2021. In Germany, the number of employees amounts to 24,971. Around the world, the Würth Group employs more than 33,000 sales representatives in the field.
Sustainability: Installation of photovoltaic system
Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG plans to build photovoltaic systems on a total surface area of up to 28,000 square meters in the final construction stage on the campus in Künzelsau and the nearby central logistics hub in Gewerbepark Hohenlohe industrial park in 2022. These systems will fully utilize the internal energy generation potential on the existing roofs. Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG is planning to cover around 20 percent of its power needs on campus with internally generated electricity, e.g. for the charging infrastructure of the growing number of electric fleet vehicles.
Moderate outlook for the second half of the year
The Würth Group is currently expecting growth in the double-digit range, to a total sales volume of around EUR 16 billion, in fiscal year 2021, up from EUR 14.4 billion in 2020. While the economy has recovered in recent months, COVID infection rates are dropping as vaccinations go up, the economic research institute Ifo is warning against setbacks caused by the Delta variant.
We must not take these strong growth rates for granted. The current situation is very volatile. We have to be prepared for everything.
About the Würth Group
The Würth is the global market leader in its core business, the sale of fastening and assembly materials. Other wholesale and production companies, the so-called Allied Companies, operate in related areas, including electrical wholesaling, electronics and financial services. More than 400 companies operating over 2,400 branch offices and shops in more than 80 countries form part of the Würth Group. The Group achieved sales of EUR 14.4 billion in fiscal year 2020.


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While government regulations push carmakers to achieve ever-greater increases in fuel economy, the question of whether consumers actually care about the efficiency of their cars remains.
In addition to its environmental benefits, increased fuel economy can help owners save money.
But it's just one of a long list of factors each person considers when buying a new car.
Even when good fuel economy is a priority, the current hybrids, electric cars, and increasingly efficient gasoline and diesel models offer many different ways to attain it.
So how important are each of those different options, relative to each other?
As it turns out, consumers do care about good fuel economy, but not how they get it, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (abstract here).
2015 Toyota Prius Liftback
Researchers Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak based their conclusions on completed online surveys from 674 U.S.-resident respondents.
The vast majority of respondents expressed at least some interest in fuel economy.
Almost half said that fuel economy was "very important" to them, 39.5 percent said it was "somewhat important," and 9.3 percent said it was "slightly important."
ALSO SEE: Three Years Later, Most Consumers Don't Understand The Chevy Volt (Apr 2014)
Just 2.1 percent of respondents said fuel economy was "not at all important" in their car-buying decisions.
However, 51.8 percent of respondents said that how a vehicle saves fuel or reduces emissions was not important.
Among those who did express a preference, "engine improvements" and alternative fuels were the top choices, at 23.9 percent and 20.2 percent respectively.
2015 Mazda 3
Knowledge of the fuel-saving technologies themselves varied widely.
While 89.9 percent of respondents said they had a basic working knowledge of diesel engines and 89.5 percent said the same about hybrids, awareness of other technologies--some arguably more common in showrooms--was significantly lower.
About 50 percent of respondents said they had never heard of continuously-variable transmissions. Almost 60 percent said the same about cylinder deactivation, but only 19 percent admitted ignorance of turbocharging.
The increasing use of turbos may require more cars to use premium fuel, especially in premium brands.
But, according to the study, that's a line most buyers aren't willing to cross in the name of fuel economy.
A whopping 72.6 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to consider a more efficient vehicle if it only used premium fuel.
Still, the overall consumer acceptance of fuel-saving measures indicated by this study should be a comfort to carmakers, which are now collectively taking an all-of-the-above approach to meeting stricter global efficiency standards.


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The service allows people to move their belongings into new apartments for free while protecting their belongings from thieves.But that's not all, the service also lets you access your home from anywhere in the world, and it can also make you eligible for eviction, according to the service's website.The move-in fee for MovingGuard is $30,000.In order to qualify for a move-out, you need to be at le...
The Honda service could be on a road in about six months, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The news comes after a series of delays and costly cost overruns in the last few years.
Honda said in April it was working on a new engine to replace the company’s older fuel-injected engines, which are the most popular in the United States.
It said the new engine will use the same gasoline and diesel engines used in the 2017 Accord and 2018 Accord, and will cost about $1.5 billion.
The Honda spokesperson told the Associated Press that the company is currently working on developing an advanced fuel-cell technology that could be used on a “few” new models, including the 2018 Accord.
The company also is working on adding an automatic transmission that could become a standard feature, as it did with the 2018 and 2020 Accord and Acura RDX.
Hondas fuel-economy goals have been met in the past, and Honda is planning to make its electric vehicle and fuel-efficient vehicles more fuel-independent by 2035.


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At the I/O developer conference, Google announced Android Go on Android O, which targets entry-level devices with the promise of saving data and running smoothly with less RAM.
First off, Android Go will help less powerful devices and those with limited data connectivity. The pared-down version of Android O focuses on three things when it comes to optimizing the latest release of Android: rebuilt Google apps, a redesigned Play Store and a focus on apps created by developers.
This will help make Android O devices that run smoothly with less RAM. Google announced they created an API that allows people who use prepaid data to see how much data is left and even add more data through their devices.
Further, Data Saver will come on automatically in the Chrome app and simplify web pages to save data used on phones, which Google predicts will save more than 750TB of data for users per day.
Android Go will also come with YouTube Go. YouTube Go shows how much data the video will consume, a new preview feature to see the video before actually watching.
YouTube Go will also allow users to save videos while the device is connected to Wi-Fi, and enables offline sharing to share videos without the use of data.
Gboard also plays a part in Android Go. The Gboard on Android Go devices will connect users talk with one another in different languages. One feature allows users to type what they would like to say and have it automatically translate to a different language.
As an additional benefit for Android Go users, developers will use the tool ‘Building for Billions’ to help build apps that work for devices with less RAM, which Android Go users will primarily see and pick from to get apps that are more optimized for their devices.
The Android Go configuration will be available on devices with 512MB to 1GB of RAM at first but eventually be available to all Android smartphones. Devices with Android Go out of the box will ship in 2018.


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RED ROOF RENOS HALFWAY HOME
Red Roof Inns is nearly at the halfway point of the $200-million renovation program it launched in 2004. So far, the company has spent more than $100 million renovating 12,000-plus rooms in several major markets, including Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit.
Last month, the chain completed its 100th redo at a Red Roof in West Palm Beach, FL. The $1.5-million renovation was started before Hurricane Wilma ripped through the area last October, destroying nearly all of the property's renovated rooms. The damaged rooms were redone, and the renovation project also included a number of new safety measures, including installation of hurricane-proof safety glass that can sustain winds up to 140 mph.
Red Roof's national renovation plan encompasses both guestrooms and lobbies. The new-look Red Roof lobby has a flat panel TV that's tuned to cable news, comfortable seating and premium coffee service.
The biggest changes are in the guestrooms, which have been updated and equipped with features aimed at both guest comfort and efficiency. Design touches include blond furnishings, granite countertops, bold wall colors, pewter-finished light fixtures and updated bathrooms with rounded shower rods.
Other enhancements include premium bedding, additional TV offerings (including video-on-demand, pay-per-view, Internet TV, iGames and digital music-on-demand) and Wi-Fi service through a partnership with T-Mobile Hot Spot. In addition, the chain's Business King Rooms feature ergonomic work chairs, an L-shaped desk that faces the TV and a built-in microwave and refrigerator.
The company says it will complete renovations on all 350 properties in the chain over the next few years.
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The group posted a 52 per cent rise in first-half profits led by strong sales at Darty, France's leading electrical chain. However, losses at Comet rose three-fold during the six months to the end of October.
Kesa's management team, led by chief executive Thierry Falque-Pierrotin, played down the prospect of selling off Comet even though its fortunes have contrasted sharply with the rest of the group. Talk of a break-up has been rumbling since June, when activist investor Knight Vinke of the US appeared on Kesa's shareholder register.
"We'd never comment on market rumour," Falque-Pierrotin said yesterday. He added that Kesa had a "normal" relationship with Knight Vinke, the asset management firm that is now the group's second-largest shareholder with direct or indirect control over a stake of more than 10 per cent.
Pre-tax profits at Kesa, which trades in ten countries, rose nearly three-fold to €27.2 million (22.9m) on overall revenues of €2.78bn. Losses at Comet, which accounts for about a quarter of group sales, rose to €6.4m on sales that were 2.6 per cent lower at 726.6m.
Comet is the UK's second- largest electrical retailer after Currys, trading from 249 shops. It is facing increased competition from supermarkets, US giant Best Buy's entrance into the UK and the resurgence of Dixons Retail, the group that owns Currys and PC World.
Earlier this year, Kesa launched a three-year recovery plan for Comet involving store refits and a sharper pricing policy. The chain is also shifting its focus to include more kitchen and beauty products. Comet's online sales rose 8 per cent in the first half and now account to 14.6 per cent of revenues, helped by its revamped website and a larger online product offering.


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MacBook Air 2021 release date, price, specs and design
Apple launched the MacBook Air M1 at the end of 2020, but rumours suggest a MacBook Air 2021 could launch before the end of the year with an all-new design.
Last year’s MacBook Air M1 packed a powerful new Apple Silicon chip into a rather inconspicuous-looking MacBook Air. While there were few changes to note in the design, the M1 chip gave the ultrabook line a serious boost in performance and battery life, as well as improved app support.
Now, it’s rumoured Apple will be revamping the MacBook Air on the outside to compliment its powerful, new processor.
Leaks and rumours are already beginning to surface, offering us an early peek at what Apple has in store later this year.
Read on to discover what all know about the MacBook Air 2021 so far and be sure to bookmark this page too, as we plan to update it regularly with all the latest news and rumours.
MacBook Air 2021 release date – when will it launch?
According to a recent report by Bloomberg, the MacBook Air 2021 will be available either in the second half of 2021 or in early 2022.
Apple doesn’t have a particularly consistent release schedule for its Air line the way it does for devices like the iPhone. The MacBook Air M1 launched in November 2020 just months after the March release of the Intel-based MacBook Air 2020.
MacBook Air 2021 price – how much will it cost?
The MacBook Air is currently the most affordable device in the Mac line, but whether the 2021 model will remain at this price is currently unclear. Both 2020 models have a starting price of $999/£999/€1129, meaning the switch to Apple Silicon didn’t come at any additional cost.
However, a recent report by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg suggests the upcoming Air will be a higher-end version of the ultrabook and that the current model will stick around as the entry-level offering. If this is true, the new Air could be pricier than its predecessor.
MacBook Air 2021 design – what will it look like?
According to the Bloomberg report, the MacBook Air 2021 will see a revamped design, including a thinner body and the return of MagSafe charging.
Apple will apparently produce the thinner and lighter Air by slimming down the bezel that borders the 13-inch display. This will allow the company to reduce the size and weight of the body without sacrificing any screen space.
According to the report, Apple has no plans to go bigger and release a 15-inch model this year, either.
Gurman’s source also suggests the new Air could mark the return of Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charging system. MagSafe, which was replaced by USB-C in 2018, allows the power cable to detach easily when pulled, helping to avert any accidents that could occur when someone trips over the cable.
The 2021 model is also rumoured to be getting two USB 4 ports, which can support faster transfer speeds than the existing USB 3.2
MacBook Air 2021 specs – how will it perform?
As mentioned earlier, the new MacBook Air is expected to be a “higher-end version” of the current MacBook Air, with the 2020 model expected to stick around as Apple’s entry-level ultrabook.
The 2021 Air will undoubtedly pack a Apple Silicon processor, but it’s unknown whether this will be the existing M1 chip or an even more powerful version that’s rumoured for the MacBook Pro 2021 and iMac 2021.


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Whether the FDA will follow the committee's recommendation against a black box warning will be a matter of discussion, Katz added.
"We take the committee's recommendations very seriously," he said.
The drugs reviewed by the FDA were: Carbamazepine (marketed as Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR), Felbamate (marketed as Felbatol), Gabapentin (marketed as Neurontin), Lamotrigine (marketed as Lamictal), Levetiracetam (marketed as Keppra), Oxcarbazepine (marketed as Trileptal), Pregabalin (marketed as Lyrica), Tiagabine (marketed as Gabitril), Topiramate (marketed as Topamax), Valproate (marketed as Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon) and Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran). Some of these drugs are also available as generics.
According to the FDA, antiepileptic drugs are used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraine headaches and other conditions.
In January, the FDA was advising patients not to make any changes in their medication without talking to their doctor, said spokeswoman Sandy Walsh.
"Caregivers should pay close attention to changes in mood, behavior and actions," she said. "They should be aware of the development of these symptoms."
For more on epilepsy, visit the Epilepsy Foundation.
SOURCES: July 10, 2008, teleconference with Russell Katz, M.D., director, Ddivision of neurology products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md.; Sandy Walsh, spokeswoman, FDA
All rights reserved


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The auto scandal that's been brewing since September finally came to its climax last week, as Volkswagen (VWAGY 0.93%) has settled on charges it used defeat devices in its vehicles to cheat emissions testing.
On this industrials edition of Industry Focus, Sean O'Reilly and John Rosevear explain what we know about what Volkswagen was doing -- and why on earth they would do something like this -- how the company is planning to repair the damage it's done, why this is different from other scandals we've seen in the industry before, and what countries around the world are doing in response to the settlement.
They also discuss what investors should take away from the news, and the 29% drop the stock has seen since the news broke.
A full transcript follows the video.
A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity
The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.
This podcast was recorded on June 30, 2016.
Sean O'Reilly: This Motley Fool podcast is supported by Wunder Capital, an investing service that allows individuals to invest in solar projects across the U.S. Earn up to 11% annually while diversifying your portfolio, curbing pollution, and combating global climate change. Create an account for free at wundercapital.com/fool. Wunder Capital: Do well and do good!
Welcome to Industry Focus, the podcast that dives into a different sector of the stock market every day. Today is Thursday, June 30th, 2016, so we're talking about energy, materials, and industrials. Joining me on air via Skype is Motley Fool's senior auto specialist, John Rosevear. John, what is the good word?
John Rosevear: The good word today is "settlement" -- as in, Volkswagen's.
O'Reilly: Yeah. We're not talking about energy like we always do, it seems, on this show. We're talking about something that I don't think we did on the energy, materials, and industrial show enough, which was the Volkswagen scandal that came out... was that, what, six months ago?
Rosevear: Yeah. It was in September that the world first learned about it. There'd been an investigation and a back-and-forth going on for a long time. What happened was that the EPA and CARB, the California Air Resources Board, which is a powerful regulatory agency, charged Volkswagen with using what they called "defeat devices" in certain of their diesel engines that they sold in the U.S. "Defeat device" is a technical term under the Clean Air Act. It means, basically, you're skirting emissions controls somehow. What VW was doing was they had programmed the car's software to turn on the emission controls connected to the engine only when the car detected that a government emissions test was happening, and there were certain ways where they could reasonably do that.
This is a huge thing. This affects, in the U.S., about 482,000 VW and Audi vehicles sold from 2009 to 2015. I mean, there are millions of these things worldwide, about 11 million in total. The issue, and the reason it's such a big deal in the U.S., is the specific flavor of emission controls that are relevant to diesel. Diesel engines that don't have clean air systems on them cause smog. They emit nitrogen oxides, and that's what causes smog. This is why California hates it so much. If you're of a certain age, like me, you'll remember when L.A. was a smoggy mess. Now, it's only lightly smoggy. That's because the California Air Resources Board has been so militant about cleaning all this stuff up. They're furious, the EPA is furious, it's a flagrant violation. They went back and forth for months with VW to get to a settlement, and that's apparently what we got this week.
O'Reilly: Yeah. When this came out, I was, like, "You cannot make this stuff up." It's staggering! John, why'd they do it?
Rosevear: Well, think about a top-down hierarchical German company, and almost in some movie stereotypes here, where they came in and told the engineers, "You will design clean diesels, they will hit these performance and fuel economy targets, and it will cost this much." The engineers went round and round and round, and decided they couldn't do it. Somebody -- and it is still, months after all this broke, it's still unclear who exactly authorized this, and how high up the decision went inside VW -- somebody decided, "All right, we'll create a workaround, a cheat."
O'Reilly: No heads have rolled.
Rosevear: Some heads have rolled. The CEO, Martin Winterkorn, left a couple days after this broke. He was replaced by Matthias Mueller, who had been Porsche's CEO, and Mueller has been trying to get his arms around this thing, and it's been quite something. He seems pretty capable, but there's a lot here.
O'Reilly: I don't know if anybody could handle this. Just got the settlement very recently. What is in there? What does Volkswagen have to do to make this right?
Rosevear: First and foremost, it's a ton of money. They're going to make it right with... well, let's back up a second. What they're settling, first of all, are the charges from the EPA, the charges from the California folks, a separate set of charges from the Federal Trade Commission, who said: "Hey, you were advertising clean diesels, now we've got you on false advertising."
O'Reilly: Oh my gosh!
Rosevear: Most of it was a series of class-action suits that were consolidated all together with all of these civil claims from the government in one giant court case in California, suits by the owners basically saying: "Hey, now my car's worthless. What the heck?"
Rosevear: "I bought it on these premises." First and foremost, VW is setting up a settlement fund that will have a maximum value of just over $10 billion. This is to compensate owners. All owners will get a cash payment of between around $5,000 and around $10,000.
O'Reilly: That almost doesn't seem enough.
Rosevear: Yeah, well, wait, wait... but wait, there's more! In addition, VW will offer to buy back the cars at their book values as of mid-September, the day before the scandal broke, basically.
O'Reilly: Oh, wow!
Rosevear: Whatever they were worth before this news hit the world wires. They will buy back the cars. Alternatively, if customers say: "Well, I want to keep the car!" VW will come up with some way to fix them so that they comply with the Clean Air Act. It is notable that VW and the feds and California have not yet agreed on any sort of fix that will actually fix the cars.
O'Reilly: Hold on... how are they going to... why didn't they just do that in the first place?
O'Reilly: That doesn't make any sense to me!
O'Reilly: Now, is it true that these, the diesel engines and everything, is it true that they are actually so good with their fuel efficiency that everybody was so impressed, and that's kind of how this came about? They were, like: "Wow, this is really awesome! How did they do this?"
Rosevear: It's not just the fuel efficiency. Those of us who are old enough to remember the first round of Volkswagen diesels in the 1970s, those cars were really slow. They were way fuel-efficient, but they were really slow, and they were stinky and noisy.
O'Reilly: Got you.
Rosevear: These cars are not slow. They drive like German sedans. My neighbors have a Jetta, a 2015 Jetta, with one of these engines. It's a nice car to drive, actually. It's smooth, it's --
O'Reilly: What have they said? Do they want the buyout? What are they doing, your neighbors?
Rosevear: They have it on a lease. Alternatively, people who have leased the cars can just turn the car back in.
O'Reilly: As they should.
Rosevear: No penalty, nothing done. That's what they're going to do pretty much the moment they get the form in the mail or whatever. That's what they're going to do.
O'Reilly: Got it.
Rosevear: That's the big chunk of it. There are also some other parts. VW has agreed to pay $2.7 billion over the next three years, essentially as a fine, but the fine will go into what they call an environmental trust. What this will do is make grants to clean-air projects that are sponsored by state governments, or something like that. The idea is that that will help offset the impact of all the excess emissions from these 482,000 cars that have been spewing into the U.S. air since 2009.
They also agreed to invest $2 billion over 10 years in zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure access and awareness initiatives. This is interesting. Some people are looking at this and saying: "OK, so VW is being forced to build a competitor to Tesla's supercharger network," which, VW doesn't have much of an electric-car program yet. They've got a lot coming, but it's...
O'Reilly: This is hilarious!
Rosevear: ...it is hilarious. Meanwhile, General Motors (GM 0.44%) is about to roll out the Chevy Volt. Next year, there will be a new Nissan Leaf with -- next year, or the year after -- sometime soon, there will be a new-and-improved Nissan Leaf with similar range to the Volt, like 200 miles. Tesla's Model 3 is coming. They've got to build out this recharging infrastructure, basically in the U.S. -- $2 billion worth.
There are also another set of payments that total around $600 million that settle claims filed by states' attorney generals, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia -- you know, the usual stuff that the attorney generals hop on when this stuff happens.
If everybody opts for the buyback, it costs $15.3 billion, give or take a few million.
O'Reilly: That is a chunk of change.
Rosevear: That's a big chunk of change.
O'Reilly: That's BP Deepwater Horizon money right there.
Rosevear: Yeah. It's far more than GM had to pay for its recall scandal, it's far more than Toyota (TM -0.47%) paid for the unintended acceleration mess several years ago. The differences here, there are a couple differences between those. One of them, of course, is there was criminal intent here.
Rosevear: They set out to violate the Clean Air Act, whether that's a crime or not. There was intent to break the law. Whether it's a civil violation or criminal violation has yet to be fully litigated. Whereas at GM, some people blundered; and likewise at Toyota, it seems like some people blundered. That's the difference between a mistake and intent before the act.
It's also simply a fact that they can't fix the cars; they've got to buy them back.
O'Reilly: Got it.
Rosevear: You know, if there was an easy way to just recalibrate the software that kept most of the good virtues of the cars and cleaned up the air, first of all, they would have done that before 2009 when they released them. Second of all, they could just do that.
O'Reilly: Got it. All right, listeners. Before we move on, I wanted to take a moment to talk briefly about our sponsor. As you know, this Motley Fool podcast is brought to you by Wunder Capital. Wunder Capital is a Techstars-backed company, with headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
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John just talked about how Volkswagen's going to be forking over -- across tons of settlements, and investing in infrastructure, and all that good stuff -- over $15 billion. Do they have that money lying around?
Rosevear: In fact, they do. They took a charge, a reserve; they basically wiped out their 2015 earnings, to cover this. That charge is more than enough to cover that $15.3 billion. As of the end of the first quarter, they had about 26 billion euros -- so something like $27 billion in cash and credit lines available to them -- so a reasonable reserve for an automaker. Yeah, they can cover this. They can pay for it. They've planned around it. They're good!
Here's the thing. The question that's being raised now is: What if other governments go back and say, "Whoa! Owners of these cars in the U.S. got these big settlements, they're buying back the vehicles. Owners in Europe got a recall when they installed this little bit of pipe and they say it's fine." Part of that is a function of the different environmental regulations. Our rules in the U.S. around oxides of nitrogen, the relevant emissions that cause smog, are a lot stricter than Europe's. Europe is...
O'Reilly: That's surprising to me, but yeah.
Rosevear: ...Europe is worried more about CO2. That's why they favor diesels. Diesels get better fuel economy than gasoline engines, so they burn less fuel and generate less CO2. That's the greenhouse gas. That's the global warming contribution. We're concerned about that, too, in the U.S., but we're also concerned about the pollutants that cause smog on the local level that make the cities gray.
O'Reilly: Got you. How many...
Rosevear: It's a different set of rules and a different set of priorities, and that's part of what's driving it here. It is possible that... I mean, these cars were sold all over the world, and a lot of governments... I know South Korea is taking a dim eye toward Volkswagen right now. There's some sort of criminal investigation going on there. India has sort of rattled their equivalent of the Department of Justice sabers a little bit. They're getting wound up. There are lots of other countries that are talking about this.
Fortunately for Volkswagen, they didn't sell very many of these in China. While China is concerned about this, there aren't tens of thousands of cars, or hundreds of thousands of cars in China, so Volkswagen has that going for it. If some of these other governments go, "Hey, wait a minute, we want $5,000 for each of our owners" or "Hey, wait a minute, we think you should buy back these defective cars," this is going to get real expensive in a hurry. To be clear, it has yet to be seen if any of that's going to actually crop up or not.
O'Reilly: For investors, it seems like what you're describing isn't just a cloud over Volkswagen's head. It seems like a hurricane over Volkswagen's head.
Rosevear: Yeah, and it has been for a while. While we have some clarity about what it's going to take to settle most of the charges in the U.S., there's still a lot of uncertainty.
Let's back up a little bit. Volkswagen's American Depository Receipts -- the shares that trade here in the U.S. -- as of yesterday, they were down 29% since the day before the scandal. The thing is, they were trending down anyway, even before this scandal broke, because people were concerned about VW's costs. Their cost structure is kind of crazy. VW is owned, in part, by the German state of Lower Saxony. They have, under German law, they have union representatives. Labor representatives have a lot of seats on their board, and so forth.
O'Reilly: I remember -- Sorry to interject.
O'Reilly: I remember when the Berlin Wall came down, there was a hedge fund manager named Julian Robertson, he ran that Tiger Fund.
O'Reilly: He was all excited and he went over to Germany, and he's like: "Oh, they're going to become capitalists and make all this money," or whatever. He toured a Volkswagen plant, and he saw the union reps, the sweet cafeteria that all these employees get, and he's like: "These people just don't get it." He didn't invest in them for the reasons that you just cited.
Anyway, sorry to interrupt!
Rosevear: Yeah. The comparison is -- you take GM, Toyota, and Volkswagen. They all, worldwide, sell about the same number of cars. Toyota's slightly ahead of VW, slightly ahead of GM, but they're all about the same size. Volkswagen has something like twice the employees that Toyota or GM does, maybe a little more. It's full employment for everybody. I believe they are Germany's largest employer, and that's a big part of their thinking. They don't want to cut costs; they don't want to cut back.
What that means is that, while Volkswagen has been very profitable, at least before the costs of this scandal came up, most of that profit was coming from luxury cars. Audi and Porsche have great profit margins, like their competitors, and VW is generating a lot of money off of those. The VW brand itself was making very little money. There were some years where...
O'Reilly: Jettas are not a moneymaker.
Rosevear: Yeah. This is the bulk of their sales volume, and it's kind of breaking even. There was growing investor concern and pressure about that -- like if there's a downturn, if people turn away from luxury cars. Audi has been a huge brand in China. If people step away from that -- and there's been some sign that they might -- what happens to Volkswagen's profit?
There were these concerns coming in even before this scandal blew up; and now, with this uncertainty hanging over it, this sort of shareholder unfriendliness of the company, the sense that it's run for their few big investors, and the workers, the employees, the government, is not so much a concern for the average-guy shareholder. It's tough to make a case to buy it, even though the stock has been beaten up, and even though this settlement seems like a big step forward for them.
O'Reilly: Got it. All right. Bottom line, stay away from the shares, even though they could be a bargain.
Rosevear: Yeah. Right now, I'm still on stay away. Yeah, it's a big company selling at a good price. There are signs that the new management team is a good one, and that Volkswagen will go in a good direction from here. They're really doubling down on things like electric cars, future technology, so forth, as a way to get past this scandal, but it's also the smart move because that's where the industry is going. They have a lot of clout, and a lot of R&D power, and an opportunity to be a big player there, but the picture is still very unclear. They could get whomped with another huge settlement in some other country.
They're still looking... The settlement in the U.S. doesn't settle the Department of Justice investigation. The possibility is that there's criminal charges still. They may have to accept outside monitoring of their engineering practices for some period of time, and that could add costs, and inhibit innovation, and so forth. It's hard to know yet. I like to recommend companies when I think there's a good story, and maybe the market hasn't seen it yet. The story here is really muddy.
O'Reilly: Got it. All right. Well, thanks for your thoughts, John!
Rosevear: All right, thank you!
O'Reilly: Have a good one! That is it for us, folks. If you're a loyal listener and have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Just email us at [email protected]. Again, that's [email protected]. As always, people on this program may have interests in the stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against those stocks, so don't buy or sell anything based solely on what you hear on this program.
For John Rosevear, I am Sean O'Reilly. Thanks for listening, and Fool on!


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Nobody needs to remind you again that we're in the middle of the never ending console war and it's never been this big with Xbox trying to take back the market share with lucrative deals and the PlayStation 4 with it's precious exclusives, and there's no end to it as we're talking about two of the most popular companies in the world battling for supremacy. Whoever said the victor would be decided at launch has obviously never witnessed the drama *ahem saga of the console giants.
The Direction of the Console War in 2015
Where at one side what Microsoft exceeds in software integration, Sony does it with it's hardware electronics. Microsoft's introduction 'Cortana' and its special integration of Xbox across all Windows platforms was countered by Sony through bringing PlayStation innovation to it's hugely popular cell phones and electronic devices. Both the heavy weights are evenly matched and 2014 could have been a defining year of the console war with the PS4 topping the sales charts for 11 months straight but it just dipped in the end , where enormously popular offers by the Xbox One team helped it top the charts for the last 2 months and hence taking the lead in the holiday season and becoming the best-selling console in the U.S. in November and December.
So far the console war in 2015 has yet to unveil as none of the leaders have made any moves except the Xbox One price dip by Microsoft which just the tip of the ice berg. And as we head into the bright world of prediction now, i need you to bear with me because many won't agree and only some might but that's how guesswork works, but i make these predictions/derivations out from the current anticipation of the gaming industry.
Lets talk about Microsoft first, with it's upcoming Windows 10 event, there have been many rumors that Microsoft is planning to launch some big titles for the Xbox console aswell. Although its just a rumor that there will be announcement of such a sort but this has happened in the past that we not only get information specifically about the topic at hand but other ends too, and this is almost crucial that Microsoft brings something important to Xbox on this public forum to keep it ahead of the curve. So folks, we won't be wrong to expect an announcement or two in a week.
Sony on the other hand has been busy with its new chips, where i has started mass production of its 1GB GDDR5 RAM chips. The PS4 uses 16 of 512MB version of these chips, which begs the question why Sony is focusing towards something else entirely out of the blue. According to Samsung Tomorrow:
"Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced that it has begun mass-producing the industry’s first 8 gigabit (Gb) GDDR5* DRAM based on the company’s leading-edge 20-nanometer (nm) process technology. GDDR5 is the most widely used discrete graphics memory in the world.
Designed for use in graphics cards for PCs and supercomputing applications, and on-board graphics memory for game consoles and notebook PCs, discrete graphics DRAM provides an extensive amount of bandwidth to process large high quality graphically-oriented data streams.
We expect that our 8GB GDDR5 will provide original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with the best graphics memory solution available for game consoles as well as general use notebook PCs,” said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics.”
It has been of recent debate that Sony is planing to use these 8 1GB chips in a new upcoming PS4 slim(rumor) and these would bring down cost in various ways, which could mean a lower cost for the console and hence providing a better challenge to the Xbox One in terms of the console's costing.
So this is how the console war might start to shape up to be. No one knows for sure at the moment but do share your views with us in the comments sections on what you think where the console war might be leading.


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Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen’s dream job became realized almost three years ago when they banded together and created the Krool Toys platform to further achieve their creative goals. As they design and program customized games for Gameboy, they also make handmade art and toys and have just dropped their first line of wearable merchandise for Fall/Winter 2022.
Composed of bubble font graphics and animated characters, the new merch consists of a range of “Doraemon,” “Taj,” “Dream” and “Logo” T-shirts in a variety of colorways, including black, purple, red, navy, gold, white and green. As part of the brand’s ethos and approach to life, a signature tee contains the motivational phrase, “Dream to Stay Alive.”
In addition to the fun line of shirts – that retail for $38 USD. each – the rising gaming company has also released a new line of games and sticker packs, including the recently released (and already sold out) Subway Creatures game. Fans and collaborators of the company include Megan Thee Stallion, Rico Nasty and Lil Uzi.
Krool Toys’ latest collection of merch and games can be found on the company’s website.
In other news, here’s a look at the Tommy Hilfiger shirt that changed Ye’s life.


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It’s Christmastime in Runes of Magic’s Taborea, and that means that there’s a little bit of extra winter magic to enjoy.
The studio is running a different boosting event every week, from increased drop rates to more experience. Additionally, players can craft a bound experience orb and trade in some Moas Cores for holiday goodies at the special Xmas trader.
At the very least, it’s worth logging in to every day later this month for a string of goodies: “Over the Christmas season, Santa and his helpers will send you letters containing little gifts! Don’t miss out on any of these cool deliveries. There’s a surprise in store for you every day between December 20th and January 1st, 2022, and you can look forward to various useful items to help you on your adventures.”


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Apple has enabled server-side protections against sideloading of M1-based iPhone and iPad apps on Mac, although previously installed apps will continue to work.
Developers can choose to prevent their iOS or iPadOS apps from being available on the Mac App Store. Until now, users have bypassed this restriction by downloading and installing legitimate IPA files on Apple Silicon-based Macs.
Apps like Netflix and Instagram aren’t available in the Mac App Store, so users aren’t able to use them on Mac M1s. The change doesn’t affect apps that have already been downloaded or installed, but it will prevent future apps from being installed.
The server-side change will prevent sideloading of new apps, thus erasing any chance of legitimate app installation. 9to5Mac claims that it affects the APIs surrounding Digital Rights Management protections on the App Store software.
The macOS version will not affect this change. The macOS Big Sur beta shows another …
- According to this source Apple now blocks new side-loaded iOS app installations on Mac M1
- Check the more updates related to Apple Tips and Apple news now.
I hope you love this news please Share your love by following us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest apple news informationon and updates like Apple now blocks new side-loaded iOS app installations on Mac M1
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In order to stimulate foreign trade in goods, Cuba is now implementing a strategy that seeks to boost exports of both traditional and new products.
In statements to Prensa Latina by the Director of Foreign Trade, Vivian Herrera, within the projection drawn up, the needs to export to new markets are set out and, for the pitfalls that have appeared in this area, there are alternatives and proposals that encourage sales abroad.
This policy includes an export strategy for medicines, which is an important and new sector and it should play an even more important role than it does today, Herrera said.
Also, she added, we bet on the diversification of certain goods such as charcoal, which has a relevant output.
This is a handmade product, it has very good acceptance in the market and an unsatisfied demand. In terms of exports, it represented nearly 30 million dollars last year.
In order to stimulate foreign trade, work is also being done on other measures such as allowing exporting companies to sell to 100% foreign entities located in the western Mariel Special Development Zone.
While this is not an export in its traditional sense, it is a revenue-generating border sale that would provide companies with profits for restocking, she said.
Other measures, she pointed out, should be implemented to further encourage the export of goods and services from the socialist state company which, in this endeavor, should also benefit from regulations that give it greater independence and favor its relations with non-state forms of management.
What we are foreseeing is that the companies that today carry out foreign trade will remain as the structures through which exports are wholesale, although we are studying the possibility that all the actors that can join this process will do so if they meet the necessary standards, she added.
We understand that in order to achieve an incentive to exports, in addition to a deeper market research, compliance with quality standards, making the necessary investments, entrepreneurs should have an export culture, said the official.
She emphasized that the fact that this exporting culture and this awareness is yet another element which we have been working on.
That’s why we trained export negotiation groups so that this process is a mutually advantageous transaction.
Herrera said that for the realization of this effort was formed a negotiating group composed of 33 colleagues from different companies for the experience that this structure provides for this type of negotiation.
In relation to the markets, he clarified, it is necessary that, once known, the places where the products could be placed are taken advantage of, if there are customs preferences or if there is any type of commercial agreement with the country.
To achieve diversification of sales destinations, Herrera considered that efforts are being made to recover some of Eastern Europe. With Belarus, for example, compensated trade agreements were established through which Cuban products can be sold and others that are produced there, such as heavy machinery, can be bought.
Within the bet to take advantage of all the Cuban export potentialities, the directive maintained that it is trying to get exporters and producers to dialogue directly so that everyone is aware of what the market demands and how national productions behave.
It is also intended that producers obtain the greatest benefits from export earnings, she said. If the producer does not have a monetary incentive, not only for his enjoyment, but to reproduce, because he cannot innovate or develop.
During the last 10 years, she acknowledged, the export matrix was invested 80 percent for services and 20 percent for goods.
For this reason, she said, it is important to diversify export products and, based on this, provincial governments are working together with exporters and producers to develop new exportable items.
(Taken from PL in Spanish)


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Lately there have been several publications debunking the myth that running causes arthritis. For example, an August Washington Post article discusses a study that found, “runners were approximately half as likely as walkers to develop osteoarthritis or need a hip replacement.” According to an article in the October issue of TrailRunner Magazine entitled, ‘Bad to the Bones: Is Arthritis from Running a Myth or a Fact of Life,’ “the scientific literature does not support any link between running and an increased risk of osteoarthritis.” The New York Times just published an article this week hypothesizing why runners don’t get knee arthritis. There are some speculations that it is the repetitive motion of running that keeps knee cartilage healthy.
Regardless of the reason, runners everywhere can rejoice. Now when people tell me that my knees are going to crap out by the time I’m 50, I have research as my rebound rather than telling them that when that time rolls around, I will be able to order a new pair.
However, what most people without arthritis don’t realize is that there are over 100 different types of arthritis – not just osteoarthritis, which is what typically comes to mind when we think of arthritis. It is important to understand that arthritis is not just a disease of the elderly, but can affect the young and the old, the athlete or couch potato alike. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 million US adults have some kind of arthritis. That is 1 out of every 5 people!
Though we can't stop aging, accidents or autoimmune diseases, we can slow down the effects of aging and the associated pain and inflammation that accompany arthritis with the food that we eat.
When you are eating for arthritis, you want to focus on foods that reduce inflammation because arthritis literally translates to “inflammation of the joints.”
The omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, may reduce degeneration and degradation of cartilage. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis note a decrease in morning stiffness, a decrease in joint tenderness and a decrease need to take NSAIDs to relieve pain when incorporating these healthy fats into their diet. Rather than take an EPA/DHA supplement, I recommend consuming fatty fish like salmon and tuna twice a week because the long-term safety effects on supplemental use has yet to be determined. If fish isn’t your thing, plant based sources include pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts and soybeans, in their whole form as well as oil. Many foods like eggs and milk are now being fortified with EPA and DHA making it easier than ever to make them part of your diet.
A diet high in antioxidants slows the progression, relieves pain and can help to prevent arthritis. Yet another reason to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Vitamin D-rich foods like seafood, milk and eggs help prevent cartilage breakdown and strengthen bones to help support the joints. Spices like turmeric and ginger have also been shown to decrease inflammation and can be incorporated into a variety of foods.
By eating a healthy diet and staying active you are also better able to maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts more pressure on the joints, and fat is metabolically active which makes it prone to inflammation. Excess fat=more inflammation=higher risk for arthritis.
My advice? Go run.