text:
MTB. The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee held a hearing Oct. 25 as part of its preparation of a miscellaneous tariff bill implementing as many as 1,800 duty suspensions or reductions that the International Trade Commission recommended for inclusion in an MTB. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said this week he anticipates an MTB will be passed by the end of this year. The last MTB expired Dec. 31, 2012.
CTPAT. The House approved by a 402-1 vote Oct. 23 the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3551), which includes changes to the program’s eligibility, benefits, and requirements.
Trade Nominations. The Senate Finance Committee ordered favorably reported Oct. 24 the nominations of Jeffrey Gerrish to be deputy U.S. trade representative for Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and industrial competitiveness; Gregory Droud to be USTR chief agricultural negotiator; and Jason Kearns to be a member of the International Trade Commission.
Foreign Investment. The U.S. Foreign Investment Review Act (S. 1983, introduced Oct. 18 by Sen Brown, D-Ohio) would establish a process to determine the long-term economic effect of foreign investments on the U.S. A press release from Brown’s office states that this bill would require reviews of (a) any foreign investment that results in foreign control of any U.S. entity worth more than $1 billion and (b) any transaction by a state-owned enterprise that would result in control of a U.S. entity worth more than $50 million. The Commerce Department would have 15 days (which could be extended up to 60 days) to approve or prohibit a proposed transaction. There would be a ten-day comment period for each investment subject to an extended review, and all decisions would have to be made public.
Natural Gas Exports. The Small Scale LNG Access Act of 2017 (S. 1981, introduced Oct. 18 by Sen. Cassidy, R-La.) would expedite approval of exports of natural gas equal to or less than 51.1 billion cubic feet per year, which largely go to markets in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Such exports would be deemed consistent with the public interest and granted without modification or delay. This bill would codify a regulatory change proposed Sept. 1 by the Department of Energy.


text:
The Digital India campaign has been quite the buzz for a while now. Thanks to demonetization last year, there has been a drastic upward trend in digitizing financial transactions and going cashless altogether.
Emerging digital technologies are redefining Finance. It is all about expanding services to customers and potential new revenue streams to providers. The demonetization drive may have been a painful few months, but the initiative has opened up avenues for growth in Digital Finance. Paytm’s claim-to-fame is proof that opportunities are surging in the Digital Finance domain.
We are certain that Digital Finance is a sunshine sector today. Here are three major factors that are driving the growth of a digital economy:
- A growing pool of digitally evolved consumers
India today is the second largest online market in the world, behind China, with over 348 million internet users. Last year, despite the large base of internet users, only 26% of our country’s population accessed the internet. The good news is that internet penetration is rapidly growing and we are forecasted to reach an internet user base of 555.3 million. The trend has been that Indians are turning to mobile internet. A report by Internet and Mobile Association of India stated that in 2015, about two-thirds of internet users accessed the internet through their mobile devices. The growth forecast of the internet user base proves the huge potential for trade & commerce.
- Equipped players
Many private players have started offering mobile payments, shopping, peer-to-peer and bill payment options – including banks, e-commerce businesses and individual online/mobile wallets. Some of the most popular players are Paytm, Airtel, FreeCharge and Mobikwik. Following the demonetisation drive, these companies partnered with retailers both big and small to enter the market due to the demand for digital cash.
- GOI & RBI promoting financial inclusion through digital payments and payment banks
In 2014, 11 companies were issued licences by the Reserve Bank of India to operate as payment banks. These payment banks are meant to aid the rural unbanked population with basic banking benefits via mobile phones. This is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership designed to encourage consumers and small merchants/ shopkeepers to come together on a digital platform.
Adding to these are efforts of the Government of India to help consumers adapt to mobile banking and commerce in the coming years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting digital payments for a cashless economy through Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app based on United Payments Interface (UPI).
Further to this, the McKinsey Global Institute report last year, estimated a boost in the GDP of all emerging economies, such as India, by as much as $3.7 trillion by 2025 due to Digital Finance.
If you are someone who wants to understand the dynamic landscape of the digital economy, sign up for Executive Certificate Program in Digital Finance by IIM Kashipur and build for yourself a fruitful career in the field of Digital Finance.

domain: news


text:
Our Latest Online Backup Reviews:Vembu SyncBlaze
Industry LinksTools and Graphs
Khosla Ventures Invests in the Enterprise Cloud Storage Leader
SAN DIEGO, May 3, 2012 –/BackupReview.info/– Nirvanix, Inc. today announced it has raised over $25M in a Series C funding round led by Khosla Ventures. Current Nirvanix investors Valhalla Partners, Intel Capital, Mission Ventures and Windward Ventures also participated in the round. The company plans to utilize the capital infusion to significantly expand its engineering organization and accelerate the delivery of innovative new cloud storage services while increasing its global footprint across sales and marketing. The new investment brings Nirvanix’s total capital raised to $70M.
Nirvanix is the leading cloud storage services provider for enterprises with massive amounts of large unstructured content files, and the only company offering fully managed services with usage-based pricing across public, hybrid and private cloud storage deployments. Specifically designed for millions of users, billions of files and exabytes of data, Nirvanix cloud storage is architected from the ground up for business-critical enterprise data. Customers such as Cerner Corporation, IBM, USC Digital Repository, National Geographic and Relativity Media, among thousands of others are using Nirvanix to archive, backup and collaborate on large content files across multiple diverse locations.
“We look to bet on fundamental technology shifts that create big markets, and with Nirvanix we see two of these fundamental shifts occurring together: cloud and data,” said David Weiden, General Partner, Khosla Ventures. “The advantages of cloud computing are becoming more clear all the time, and it is inevitable that storage will also move to this architecture. Data, particularly unstructured data, is exploding in volume and ways to leverage it. Nirvanix’s momentum with top tier enterprise customers speaks for itself, and we look forward to helping them accelerate their lead.”
“Nirvanix is changing the game when it comes to enterprise storage deployments,” said Charles Curran, General Partner, Valhalla Partners. “Companies are deploying multi-petabyte Nirvanix clouds and bypassing the never-ending cycle of migrating data from one overly expensive hardware platform to the next. Aging storage hardware vendors are like online dial-up providers–a few people will still use their boxes in five years, but they represent a dying model.”
“Our enterprise cloud storage focus has clearly resonated with customers, as demonstrated by the fact that we booked more revenue in Q1 of 2012 than nearly all of 2011,” said Scott Genereux, President and CEO of Nirvanix. “Additionally, over the past year Nirvanix has secured more petabytes under management than the prior three years combined; deployed the largest private clouds in the world; and made significant market advances in the financial services, healthcare and media and entertainment sectors. Going forward we expect our growth trajectory to increase as we deliver new functionality for our battle-hardened enterprise services and expand our reach to customers across the globe–further demonstrating the broad applicability of our cloud technology.”
Nirvanix Competitive Advantages
The Only Consistent Data Storage on the Internet
A Geo-Diverse Namespace
Autonomous Self-Healing Clouds
The Nirvanix Cloud File System(TM)
For more information, visit www.nirvanix.com and follow Nirvanix on Twitter.
Nirvanix, Cloud Storage Network, CloudComplete, CloudNAS, Cloud File System and One Click to the Cloud are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nirvanix, Inc. Other marks are the property of the companies with which they are associated.
General Tags: SaaS, online backup providers directory, top rated online backups, online backup services, online data backup, cloud computing, online file storage, online file backup, software as a service, data security, online backup news, data storage, backing up online, CEO interviews, online backup companies, online backup reviews, online backup, compare online backups
Like us on Facebook
Sponsored Links:Data Deposit Box Asigra


text:
Impossible Foods: Shaping the future of the planet with vegetarian burgers
30 Apr 2018 --- As conversations about diet, the future of the planet and health continue to dominate media and the food industry, Impossible Foods says it is on a mission to make delicious, nutritious meat and dairy products directly from plants – with a much smaller environmental footprint than meat from animals. The company uses modern science and cutting-edge technology to create wholesome food, restore natural ecosystems and sustainably feed a growing global population.
Based in Redwood City, California, Impossible Foods, a privately held company, was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., formerly a biochemistry professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Stanford University. Funders have included Open Philanthropy Project, Bill Gates, Horizons Ventures, Trinity Capital, UBS, Khosla Ventures, Google Ventures and Viking Global Investors, and some of its newest investors include Temasek and Sailing Capital. Earlier this month, the company announced the successful closing of about US$114 million in convertible note financing. Impossible Foods has raised approximately US$214 million in the past 18 months for a total venture funding of about US$396 million since the company’s founding.
In 2011, the Impossible Burger was born. It made its debut at Chef David Chang's Momofuku Nishi in Manhattan. The Impossible Burger is the only plant-based burger to win a 2017 Tasty Award and a 2018 Fabi Award from the National Restaurant Association.
Last month, Impossible Foods made its international debut in Hong Kong after the success of the company's burger, The Impossible Burger is served in more than 1,400 outlets in the US – from award-winning restaurants to the fast-food chain, White Castle. The vast majority of these restaurants serve the Impossible Burger on a bun with traditional condiments and sides.
The Impossible Burger is made from pure ingredients, including water, wheat protein, potato protein and coconut oil. One special ingredient – heme – contributes to the characteristic taste of meat and is the essential catalyst for all the other flavors when meat is cooked. Heme is a fundamental molecular building block of life, one of nature's most ubiquitous molecules. Although it's found in all living things and in virtually all the food we eat, it's mainly abundant in animal tissues. Impossible scientists discovered that it's the abundance of heme in animal tissues that makes meat taste like meat.
FoodIngredientsFirst caught up with Jessica Appelgren at Impossible Foods, who discussed the company plans and hopes for the future of the business, in light of the recent Hong Kong debut and multimillion-dollar investments.
FoodIngredientsFirst: Why is now a good time for global expansion? Impossible Foods: Impossible Foods’ mission is to transform the global food system to support the planet and growing human population. Our goal is to replace animals with a food production technology and provide consumers with meat, fish, and dairy foods that are good for both people and the planet. Recently, we launched in our first international market: Hong Kong. We chose Hong Kong, not only because it is an epicenter for cultural and food trends, but also because meat demand is increasingly growing in Asia – and faster than anywhere else on the planet. On the back of this, we hope to see additional international markets on the horizon. In Hong Kong, we are working with world-renowned chefs May Chow of Little Bao and Happy Paradies and Uwe Opocensky of Beef & Liberty.
FoodIngredientsFirst: What have been some of the challenges you have faced before becoming a multimillion-dollar company? Impossible Foods: In the early R&D stages of testing the Impossible Burger, one of the main challenges was finding the right balance of ingredients. Our many prototypes reflect the “one step forward, two steps back, three steps forward, one step back” process. For example, finding a protein that improves the texture of the burger could create some off flavors, or playing with the fat composition could make the burger more delicious, but give it different cooking properties. Balancing all of these factors and making sure all our ingredient sources are sustainable and scalable was difficult but extremely important.
FoodIngredientsFirst: What is happening regarding vegan/vegetarian foods and trends within this space that you were able to see an opportunity within? Impossible Foods: We were the first to take a molecular approach to understanding the full experience of eating meat, and are targeting primarily meat-lovers with our products. Impossible Foods spent many years building a proprietary technology platform to understand what makes meat (and other animal products) behave and cook like they do, at the molecular level – and how to identify those same elements in plants.
FoodIngredientsFirst: What products have you launched and what has the response been so far? Impossible Foods: Our first product on the market is the Impossible Burger which debuted in 2016. It is currently served at over 1,400 restaurants and chains in the US and Hong Kong, many of which are award-winning restaurants by top chefs and “better burger” chains. Response to date has been great – in a blind taste-test, about half the tasters preferred the Impossible Burger to ground beef from cows, based purely on taste. Consumers particularly like the way the Impossible Burger’s exterior caramelizes and becomes pleasantly crispy on the edges, whether it’s served rare, medium or well done. When consumers were told that the Impossible Burger has no antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse contaminants or cholesterol, they preferred it even more.
FoodIngredientsFirst: Regarding innovation, what are you offering that hasn’t been done before? Are you looking to expand your offerings with new products? Impossible Foods: Our Impossible Burger is the only plant-based burger that mimics the taste, feel and smell of a beef burger from a cow. Impossible Foods’ was founded to replace animals as food production technology, and our platform will enable us to understand and recreate all animal products – meat, dairy, and fish – using plants. The goal is to produce a full range of meats and dairy products for every cultural region in the world.
FoodIngredientsFirst: What are you seeing a demand for from consumers? Impossible Foods: Consumers want delicious food that tastes amazing and it’s a bonus if that food doesn’t come with the environmental footprint of meat from animals. We also often hear from consumers about versions of the burger they’d like to see, and the good news there is we are listening and able to adapt the product in various ways. Stay tuned for news on that front.
FoodIngredientsFirst: How have you come up with the recipes? Are there any other products that can mimic blood? Impossible Foods: The Impossible Burger is made mostly of water, plant proteins, coconut oil, and heme. Heme is a key ingredient of the Impossible Burger which gives the Impossible Burger its unique meaty flavor. It’s a protein molecule that is found in all living things – both plants and animals – and is what makes meat taste and look like meat. So while its heme that makes meat taste like meat, it’s the chefs that cook with Impossible that come up with the innovative recipes that transform the product into savory meatballs, tartare, tacos and baos. The Impossible Burger is the only product that can perform in a chef’s hands just like meat from animals and we continue to be amazed and impressed by the creativity we are seeing.


text:
Medical cannabis patients in Germany will soon be able to access an insomnia cannabis medication produced by Zelira Therapeutics Ltd (ASX: ZLD).
Zelira announced on Monday (September 20th) that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with IM Cannabis Corp’s (or “IMC”). IMC is the German subsidiary of Adjupharm — an EU GMP-certified medical cannabis distributor. IMC currently operates in both recreational and medical cannabis industries in Canada, Germany and Israel.
Under the new deal, IMC will purchase over $4 million worth of Zelira’s medication Zenivol. IMC will pay $98k in the first year, but the deal will last five years and officially started on Friday (September 17th).
Zenivol is a cannabinoid-based medication used for insomnia that was recently studied in a clinical trial conducted by the University of Western Australia. Published in the peer-reviewed journal SLEEP, the study concluded that the medication helped patients sleep for longer, go to sleep quickly and return to sleep quickly after waking. It also helped reduce their stress and fatigue. Australian patients have had access to Zenivol through SAS and the Authorised Prescriber Schemes since September last year.
According to Adjupharm’s CEO Richard Balla, the study’s positive results will help German patients gain access to it.
The positive results published in SLEEP from the University of Western Australia’s clinical trial will underpin patient and pharmacy interest in the product as we distribute it throughout pharmacies and pharmacy wholesalers in Germany.
German patients who take Zenivol may also pay less for it. Zelira intends to file for formal reimbursement for Zenivol from the German government. This will be the first time one of their products will get government reimbursement if it’s granted.
Zelira isn’t the first cannabis company to distribute their cannabis medicines in Germany, as other cannabis companies are also betting on the market. Companies are drawn to Germany for a few reasons, including Germany’s high patient numbers. In 2021, Germany has an estimated 120,000 medical cannabis patients, and in the first half of 2020, these patients spent €75 million (roughly $AU121 million) on medical cannabis products.
Zelira’s partnership with IMC also gives IMC the first right to negotiate in marketing Zenivol in other European countries, so Zelira could one day expand into other parts of Europe.


text:
SUPERVALU Announces Plans to Sell 19 of Its 36 St. Louis-Based Shop ‘n Save Stores to Schnuck Markets
Schnucks to also acquire related Shop ‘n Save Pharmacies and four Shop ‘n Save Fuel Centers
MINNEAPOLIS &ST. LOUIS: SUPERVALU INC. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 19 of its 36 Shop ‘n Save grocery stores, primarily located in the St. Louis, Mo. area, to Schnuck Markets, Inc. The transaction is planned to occur with a staggered close process that is currently expected to finish by late October 2018, subject to customary closing conditions. As part of the acquisition, SUPERVALU and Schnucks will also enter into an agreement for SUPERVALU to serve as the primary supplier for nine of Schnucks’ existing stores located across northern Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.
“Since announcing plans to pursue the sale of our Shop ‘n Save banner earlier this Spring, the team has worked diligently and successfully to put this agreement ...
To Read Full Story Login Below.
Submit comment or question
Note: All comments are displayed with user's screen name. If screen name is not present, user's full name will be used. Please go to My Account to update your screen name.
Comment Policy: Urner Barry has made the comment feature available to encourage further discussion of our news stories. Defamatory or offensive comments, or comments deemed not relevant to the story will be removed, and if necessary, Urner Barry may restrict the right of individual subscribers to offer comments. In all cases, comments represent opinions of the poster only, and do not represent fact, news, opinions or estimates put forward by Urner Barry.
Email Address is required.
Password is required.


text:
Practice breast cancer awareness
October 9, 2018
October is national Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Shaw Cancer Center is partnering with several businesses to raise awareness.
Pink the Rink
On Friday, Oct. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m., Eagle Pool and Ice Rink will be offering $10 skating, which includes skate rentals. All proceeds will be donated to the Shaw Cancer Center. Following the open skating, a drop-in hockey game will be offered for all ages and skill levels at 8:15 p.m.
The Dusty Boot will be hosting Pinktoberfest: Beer, Boobs and Brats on Saturday, Oct. 13, beginning at 5 p.m. featuring food and drink specials, live music by KT & the Modulators and stein holding and pink costume contests for all.
Tuck for Tatas
Recommended Stories For You
Barre Forte in Edwards will hold a free pop-up course with a $10 suggested donation to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. The pop-up will take place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 9:45 a.m. at Craftsman in Edwards. The event will feature small bites, drink specials and a few giveaways. All proceeds will go to Shaw Cancer Center. Participants are asked to bring their own water bottles and mats.
Barbells & Brews for Boobs
Crossfit Training Vail and Vail Brewing Company will host a fundraiser event including a team-style workout and locally crafted brews. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m.
Cut for a Cure
Four Seasons Resort Vail will offer $20 haircuts for men and $40 haircuts for women on Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 970-477-8630 to book an appointment.
Pretty in Pink
Special hair color treatments will be offered at DJ's Hair Shoppe throughout the month of October. All proceeds will go to the Shaw Cancer Center. Call 970-926-8844 to book an appointment.
Spa Fundraiser Raffle
Four Seasons Resort Vail will also sell raffle tickets for prizes such as dinner for two at Flame, spa services, a staycation and more. All proceeds will go to the Shaw Cancer Center.
Eagle River Fire Protection District
Eagle River firefighters will wear pink shirts while on shift throughout the month.
Trending In: Entertainment
- Four days of Snow Days begins Thursday
- Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Shakey Graves to headline Vail Snow Days
- An expert’s guide to skier parking in Vail and Avon
- Full Vail Snow Days lineup announced, with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and more
- Another side of Shakey Graves at Belly Up Aspen
- Russian spammers the likely source of fake email bomb threats, IT experts say
- Vail Resorts stock took epic tumble Friday
- Was that comment about ‘peasants’ riding the bus intended to be funny? (letter)
- City of Aspen slams on brakes with Lyft contract
- Jury convicts former Lake County undersheriff Fernando Mendoza guilty of aggravated incest


text:
Muscat : An owner of a driving school was fined OMR 100 and imprisoned for two months for failing to provide the service in a proper manner to a consumer in North Al Batinah Governorate.
"The Sohar Court of First Instance issued a judicial ruling convicting an accused of a misdemeanour of failing to provide the service in a proper manner. It sentenced him to two months imprisonment, and imposed a fine of OMR 100," Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), said in a statement.
The Directorate General of Consumer Protection in Sohar received a complaint from one of the consumers, in which she stated that she had contracted with an institution to provide a driving education service, and she started learning, but the trainer who was assigned the task had passed away. The institution did not provide an alternative and did not return the amount, which is in violation of the text Article 23 in terms of Article 39 of the Consumer Protection Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 66/2014.
This prompted the consumer to submit her complaint to the Directorate, which in turn took the necessary measures against it, as the complaint was examined. After the case file was completed, it was referred to the Public Prosecution, which in turn investigated and referred it to the competent court that issued the ruling.


text:
TIGER BRANDS PLAN TO MAKE POLONY AGAINDate: 2018-05-25
Tiger Brands announced on Thursday that the company, based on its calculations of losses due to listeriosis, is reopening its Enterprise polony factory in Polokwane, just in time to start production in October.
That will allow the company to use the larger quantity of raw ingredients in storage since the facility shut down, including tons of frozen pork.
So far, its testing has shown no listeria contamination in the pork, Tiger said, but it still has another three months of testing ahead of it, with over R80 million worth of pork to be checked.
Also, there is an additional R103 million worth of "product, raw materials, packaging and ingredients" that would be used once production restarts.
The listeriosis outbreak has cost Tiger Brands R415,2 million, excluding trading losses, to date. Before it starts selling polony again, Tiger is looking at "a number of initiatives aimed at rebuilding trust with consumers".
"The initiatives will focus on facilitating a national solution to a national crisis and ensuring sustainable food safety into the future," the company said, even though the blame for listeriosis deaths have been laid entirely at its door.
Among the things to consider is support for "initiatives aimed at improved food hygiene and awareness". There has been no indication that a lack of awareness or hygiene precaution by consumers – rather than Tiger – contributed to listeriosis.
In a presentation to the company's shareholders, Tiger Brands said it was approaching legal claims around listeriosis "sensitively & responsibly" and that it wants to "respond with integrity, honesty & care".


text:
Computer technology maker AMD is giving $65,000 in an effort to spur youth creativity through games.
For six years the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has fostered creativity and the creation of art for low-income students between 7th and 11th grade, granting scholarships for a variety of endeavors and empowering young artists to pursue education and the arts. Now, videogames will be entering into the categories thanks to a grant from AMD.
AMD has released a statement about the competition, saying it is using this opportunity to foster math, science and technology skills while further promoting the power of games as a social medium. "Gaming isn't just about entertainment anymore. Developers - including high school students - are now creating games designed both to educate and engage people of all ages on pressing social issues."
In addition to the scholarships, AMD is also using this funding for gaming workshops and summer programs that will further the interest and knowledge of game development within the youth. Through games, they are hoping to drive the students' creativity and advance their technological know-how as they prepare for higher education and the working world.
In case you needed any more proof that games are art, here it is. The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers expects around 700 entrants into the 2011 gaming category. Who knows? We might catch a glimpse of gaming's future when it's time to hand out the awards.


text:
JD.com Sold $29.2 Billion in Goods During its '6.18' Anniversary Sale, Stock Jumps 10% This Month
JD.com Inc. (Nasdaq: JD) announced it sold more than $29.2 billion goods during the first 18 days in June, sending its stock up 12 percent to $28.50 per share during the period intraday Wednesday.
China's second-largest online retailer said its total sales transaction volume reached $29.2 billion from June 1 to June 18, representing an increase of 27 percent from the same period in 2018.
The "6.18 Anniversary Sale" played a role as the shopping festival, which is similar to the Alibaba Group's annual "Singles Day." In contrast, Alibaba posted record gross merchandise volume totaling $30.8 billion during its Singles Day sale on Nov.11, 2018.
JD.com said key drivers leading to the breakthrough results were new products as well as Chinese consumers' continued interest in and pursuit of higher quality goods, according to JD.com.
350 million boxes of milk were sold in the 18 days of sales under the category of consumer goods. JD.com reported three-digit increase of more than sevenfold on international hotel room reservation sales and doubled the sales of its mobile phones year-over-year.
Other sales in the 18 days period included consumer goods, fresh food, life services, consumer electronics and home appliances.
JD's efficient logistics and order fulfillment technology fueled its sales. 91 percent of orders were delivered in the same or next day from JD.com's automated warehouse where the number of orders fulfilled increased 99 percent.
JD was reportedly trying to list its logistics unit, but didn't have time to prepare for an initial public offering, according to Reuters in June.
"During this year's 6.18, JD's smart customer service robot fielded more than 32 million inquiries, of which it solved 90 percent of those independently, freeing up human customer service for more complicated inquiries," JD.com said.
The fashion and lifestyle business lines sold by JD.com were bullish.
Sales of Italian luxury fashion designer Emporio Armani jumped more than 4 times in the first 30 minutes of the 6.18 shopping festival.
More recently, Italian designer brand Prada launched an authorized flagship store on JD.com. In addition, Farfetch Limited (NYSE: FTCH) with 1,000 brand and boutique partners launched a flagship store on JD.com.
"I am delighted to be able to offer JD.coms customers direct access to the broadest selection of luxury fashion online, and to be able to offer luxury brands the premier luxury gateway to China for executing on their digital strategy in China," said Judy Liu, managing director of Farfetch China.
Shares of JD.com were trading at $28.50 per American depositary by Wednesday noon, representing an increase of 11 percent from the closing price of $25.76 on May 31.
Alibaba Stock Declines on Virus Concerns Despite 38% Revenue Growth
Increasing Bitcoin Price Fuels Chinese AI Companies; Solar Energy Continues to Soar
China Jo-Jo Down 3% Despite Turn to Profit in Fourth Quarter
Notable Gainers and Losers of Friday; Auto Sector Down
Huize Raises $55.1 Million in IPO, Exceeds Issuance Price Early
Lianluo Tanks 44% on $2 Million Offering


text:
Drapers gets the lowdown on the latest gossip and reports back from the hottest parties and events.
A year in Black and White Premium indie Black White Denim celebrated its first year in business with a champagne reception at its store in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Owner Jo Davies was joined by Swedish womenswear designer Jan Ahlgren, who spoke to guests about his industry experiences.
Adams seeing double with DSquared Twins Dean (left) and Dan Caten, joint designers of DSquared, posed with rock star Bryan Adams at a party in Paris to launch the label’s first international flagship store. Late-night dancing and a lounge party followed at the Ritz Hotel with music by DJ Ruckus.
Cooling off at Bluewater The Indian summer encouraged shoppers to spend a day out at Bluewater to take advantage of its 50-acre parkland, beach, lakes, boating and golf. Sun worshippers Gemma Bailey and Trudie Vernon took a refreshing break from shopping as temperatures hit 30 degrees in Kent.
Playful mood Maria Fowler of The Only Way is Essex donned a pink waspie to wow the crowds at London club The Box, the venue for the opening party for lingerie brand Playful Promises’ Soho store. The label’s founder Emma Parker celebrated with guests including Hollyoaks’ Annie Cooper and Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole.
Which famous street style blogger was spotted acting the diva at a recent fashion week show when they refused to sit anywhere else but the front row?


text:
The State Duma opened its fall session Tuesday looking to pass economic legislation that clarifies tough anti-monopoly regulations and puts further pressure on the country's rampant alcohol consumption.
In a bid to upgrade the country's antitrust practices, the Duma plans to pass the so-called third anti-monopoly package, which clarifies the previous, one-year set of laws in the field.
"This package is liberal compared with the second anti-monopoly package,” said Sergei Puzyrevsky, head of the legal department at the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service.
It would relieve companies of some liabilities that they are facing under the current legislation, he said. Rival companies that raise prices at about the same time without publicly announcing the move would avoid responsibility for concerted action, he said.
The new amendments will also carry clearer definitions of specific terms, including what constitutes a cartel, he said.
In addition, the third package would bind companies that the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service deems monopolies to hold tenders for any kind of purchase, said Yevgeny Fyodorov, chairman of the Duma's Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee.
As far as the alcohol market is concerned, the pro-government Duma will try to curb consumption — a goal set by President Dmitry Medvedev — by helping crack down on cheap, illegal vodka, said Viktor Zvagelsky, a member of the Economic Policy and Entrepreneurship Committee.
The legislation will put a heavier emphasis on weeding out illegal liquor from retail sales, whereas previous efforts focused on wholesale and producers, he said.
The measure would make it possible to track down illicit alcohol producers and reduce the amount of illegally produced vodka on store shelves to no more than 12 percent, compared with the current 50 percent, he said.
The goal of drastically reducing sales of illicit vodka in stores looks unrealistic, said Vadim Drobiz, director of the Research Center for Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets.
“I think it's impossible,” he said, adding that most vodka consumers are interested in whatever is cheapest, rather than legal production, which is subject to excise taxes. “Much depends on the consumer and his financial footing.”
Vodka producers now pay 75 percent of the excise duty, leaving the pure alcohol makers to pay 25 percent, Drobiz said. As part of the anti-alcohol campaign, the Duma plans to shift the responsibility for paying the excise duty on alcohol to the producers of pure alcohol from the producers of vodka, he said.
In another move, the Duma plans to classify beer as an alcoholic beverage, which means that beer with an alcohol content of more than 5 percent by volume would be banned from sale at the country's ubiquitous street kiosks, Zvagelsky said.
Under further amendments that the Duma plans to approve, producers of liquor, wine, beer and low alcohol-content drinks will pay a single excise duty on their products as of July next year, he said.
The Duma also plans to consider bills that would help modernize the Russian economy, another key Kremlin priority. One of them would give tax breaks and easier customs procedures to companies that do business in the Skolkovo innovation city, which is designed to become Russia's answer to Silicon Valley, Fyodorov said.
“We are actually gradually entering an economic revolution,” Fyodorov said separately in a statement from his committee, referring to a boost that Skolkovo will give to Russia's high-tech industry.
The Duma is going to consider easing the burden on small businesses as well by replacing mandatory licensing in some areas for liability insurance, the statement said.


text:
- Yale Medicine Dermatology is pioneering new treatments for vitiligo and related autoimmune diseases such as alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis (eczema).
- Leading experts in dermatology, we are conducting research on the most difficult-to-treat skin disorders.
- We use the latest technology and research to treat patients with skin disorders—from the most common to the most rare.
If you’ve heard of fashion model Winnie Harlow, you may already be familiar with a skin condition that affects about 3 million people in the United States and about 70 million worldwide: vitiligo.
It happens when skin loses its pigment (coloring), causing white patches of skin that can sometimes cover the entire body. While Harlow has found stardom, that is not the reality for the vast majority of people with vitiligo.
“Many, if not most, people with vitiligo feel self-conscious,” says Brett King, MD, PhD, a Yale Medicine dermatologist and an associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. “Feelings range from embarrassment to clinical depression.”
“When vitiligo is very noticeable, patients often report that people will avoid touching them, even in day-to-day transactions such as when shaking hands or exchanging money at a restaurant,” says Dr. King.
Although there is no cure for vitiligo, there may be hope. At Yale Medicine Dermatology, Dr. King is performing research on the use of a new class of medicines for the treatment of the disorder.


text:
Perseverance, hard work, and customer service were the common theme of three CSRA business leaders honored as Trailblazers at the 114th annual Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce meeting on Feb. 23.
The Chamber hosted a panel discussion of three entrepreneurs who started iconic CSRA businesses: Larry Jones, founder of Universal Plumbing; Vera Stewart, founder of the Very Vera cooking empire; and Ray Carnes, founder of recteq grills. WJBF News Channel 6 anchor, Brad Means moderated the discussion about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
Jones went from growing up in a home without plumbing to owning the largest plumbing company in Augusta. An experience as a young boy when he observed a woman on her hands and knees cleaning a kitchen floor, gave him the realization that he could be something greater than he was.
“I realized that there is strength in serving,” he said. “The only person you have to prove yourself to is yourself.”
Carnes learned that failure in one business can be an opportunity for another. It was that failure that led him to develop a grill that led to recteq. After a slow start, selling 90 grills in the first year, a few ads placed on the internet led to selling seven grills in one day.
“That’s the day I knew we’d cracked the code,” he said.
Internet direct-to-consumer sales remain recteq’s biggest sales component, now sometimes totaling 1,000 in a day.
Stewart referenced the book Tipping Point as part of her success. Her tipping point came in 1993 when one of her cakes was given as a gift to someone at Southern Living magazine. Before long, she was featured in the magazine. Later, circumstances pushed her into putting her closely guarded recipes into a cookbook, which became popular, and then appearing in a cooking contest with Bobby Flay that led to her television show.
“People say, ‘You just keep reinventing yourself,’” she said. “That’s been the motivating factor in my life.”
But as successful as these entrepreneurs have been, it’s customer satisfaction, not money, that motivates them.
“It’s not about chasing a dollar, but about easing a burden someone has,” Jones said.
Carnes built the recteq call center to have live operators answer calls and return any missed phone calls. But the customer service he provides is even more personal.
“Every single recteq customer has my personal cell phone number,” he said. “I talk to customers 365 days a year.”
Both Jones and Carnes tried college but didn’t thrive there. They said there is plenty of room for entrepreneurs even without a college diploma.
“Some people can’t make it in college, but they can be good maintenance workers. They can do hair, they can be a carpenter,” Jones said.
Carnes said that sometimes college can even be detrimental to the entrepreneurial spirit.
“Sometimes college trains people to be middle class and not think outside the box,” he said. “But think bigger – ask ‘Why not me?’”
In the end, being a “self-made” entrepreneur takes dreams and hard work.
“People ask me, ‘Do you own Universal Plumbing?’” Jones said. “My response is, “No, it owns me.”
He compared owning a business to raising a child.
“You have to put positive energy into it,” he said. “It’s giving that child, that business, a part of you.”
For Stewart, it’s about following a dream.
“Dreaming has always been part of my philosophy,” she said. “You’ve got to work hard, be responsible, have a lot of energy, and have a great attitude, because not every day will be a holiday. The goal is to make that dream come true.”
“You have to have a positive mental attitude because it’s your baby,” Carnes said. “I live and breathe recteq. You have to be willing to roll with the punches, take it on the chin, and keep going.
As thanks to the three panelists, the Chamber will make a donation in their names to their favorite charities.
In addition to the panel, the Chamber also recognized six new board members, and outgoing board chair, Garnett Johnson passed the gavel to the new chair, Dennis Trotter of Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate.


text:
What’s touted as a one-stop shopping centre for all your weed needs is getting up and running at 1627 Quadra St.
The new “high” class collection of businesses called the Canna Mall has recently taken over the other side of Gazzola Tile and Design building, already occupied at 1625 Quadra by the Green Ceiling vapour lounge for bring-your-own bud at $5 an hour.
It stocks everything from $10 slices of potent banana bread to pocket vapourizers and butane hash oil by the gram under carefully tended counters.
To get the word out on everything from pot-infused erotic oil to hydroponic and extraction equipment yet to come, a huge digital sign advertising the “euphoric” Canna Mall faces southbound traffic on the Patricia Bay Highway.
– Read the entire article at Times Colonist.


text:
GM wants to deliver 400,000 EVs in North America through 2023
General Motors has set itself the goal of delivering a total of 400,000 electric vehicles in North America this year and next. In addition, production capacities for electric cars are to be expanded further than previously planned.
The delivery and production targets were announced by CEO Marry Barra when she reported the latest business figures. A few days ago, GM had announced investments of another 6.6 billion US dollars in the expansion of manufacturing capacities for electric vehicles and battery cells in Michigan and wants to have production capacities for more than one million electric vehicles (including 600,000 pickup trucks) in North America by the end of 2025.
By comparison, Ford aims to sell 600,000 electric vehicles in the US market by the end of 2024. The GM rival will also continue to increase its investment in electric mobility to retool vehicle plants, according to reports this week.
At General Motors, however, the top brass is already thinking beyond 2025. “I can tell you right now, 1 million units in North America won’t be enough to meet the steep inflection in demand that we expect starting mid-decade for our EVs. That’s why we’ll continue to convert ICE capacity to EVs and plan to invest in a third EV truck plant. We are formulating plans for the truck plant right now and we’ll share more as we work through the details,” Barra said. So far, the electric pickup trucks are built at Factory Zero in Detroit-Hamtramck; according to last week’s announcement, Orion Township Assembly will also be retooled – for the Chevrolet Silverado EV, for example.
Capacities for another one million electric vehicles are to be built in China by about the same time, as Barra now explained. However, the GM boss did not go into further detail about the China plans.
General Motors says it currently has more than 190,000 reservations for electric vehicles in North America. More than 110,000 are for the Chevrolet Silverado EV alone, including reservations from more than 240 fleet operators. Another 59,000 reservations are for the Hummer EV pickup truck and its SUV offshoot. In addition, there are more than 25,000 reservations for GM’s BrightDrop brand of electric delivery vehicles.
Barra hopes that the Chevrolet Equinox EV, whose concept car was unveiled at the CES, will generate great interest and corresponding unit sales. The purely electric compact SUV is to be launched in autumn 2023 at prices starting at around 30,000 US dollars. In addition, the GM boss indicated that Chevrolet is planning another electric car that will be priced below the Equinox EV. It is not yet officially known where the Equinox EV will be built. However, it is known that the Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico will be converted for electric ars – where the current generation Equinox is built with combustion engines so far.
“The efficiencies created by the Ultium platform are a key reason why we will be able to deliver a truly affordable EVs like the Equinox,” Barra said. “Affordable EVs are part of the market that startups aren’t targeting, but they are key to driving mass adoption of EVs, which is a national and a global priority.”
Briefly on the business figures (still heavily influenced by the combustion models): GM made a net profit of around ten billion dollars last year, up from 6.4 billion dollars in 2020. Despite the ongoing semiconductor crisis, which also caused production losses at GM, the group was able to significantly increase its result.


text:
Lunchables have existed on this Earth for far longer than the young children who devour them. In fact, if Lunchables were people, they would be old enough to be those children’s parents.
This year, Lunchables turns 30, and the widely beloved (if sub-optimally nutritious) compartmentalized meals are as popular as ever. Though the brand started as a clever way to repurpose bologna, which began losing popularity in the mid-1980s, Lunchables created a new category of American foodstuff that it continues to dominate.
The brand has had its shifts—introducing and later phasing out hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as dabbling in breakfast—but its core selling points of convenience (for parents) and fun (for kids) have remained constant since its early days. At a time when many parents are attuned to shifting nutritional advice and want to avoid wasteful consumer products, there is still ample appetite for a sugary, fatty prepared lunch that comes in a disposable plastic tray.
“It’s been that fun lunch … and I think that’s what kept it evergreen,” says Greg Guidotti, the head of marketing at Oscar Mayer, which makes Lunchables and is owned by the enormous food company Kraft Heinz. “There’s a ritual involved with opening it, and stacking it, and building it,” he told me, in describing the enduring appeal to kids of assembling the components in a Lunchables tray.
Lunchables currently has an 84 percent share of the market for kids’ “combination lunches,” and its dominance, Guidotti said, is sustained by its meat-cheese-and-cracker boxes, which remain the best-selling and longest-running Lunchables product. (Its pizza meals are popular as well.) In the past few years, the brand has made forays into trendier realms, launching some organic options and, more recently, an “Around the World” line that includes an Asian Style BBQ Chicken box and Mexican Style Chicken Tacos.
Last year, Kraft Heinz sold $1.36 billion of Lunchables, according to Robert Moskow, a senior equity analyst at the investment bank Credit Suisse who follows the food industry closely. “That is up 19 percent over a three-year time horizon,” Moskow told me. “In the packaged-food world, that’s a home run, especially for an established business.”
Moskow attributes some of this recent success to how Kraft Heinz has positioned Lunchables lately. "If you think about the last 10 years, I think Lunchables had some fallow periods when it was trying to create a healthier version of itself,” he told me, adding, “I think lately it has gone back to its indulgent positioning, which, for better or for worse, that's what the consumer wants.”
Lunchables has tried healthier options in the past, with occasionally disappointing results. In the mid-2000s, a line that substituted yogurt for candy was introduced and then discontinued due to weak sales. And in 2011, the company started selling Lunchables With Fruit, but that is now defunct too. In Lunchables’ earliest days, its product-development team experimented with including apple slices and carrots, but scrapped the idea after seeing that the produce did not ship and store well.
When I asked Guidotti whether sales of Lunchables lagged as the company made its offerings healthier, he said, “We are not seeing this. Lunchables continues to grow household penetration and dollar sales.”
Whatever the effect of Lunchables’ nutrition experiments, the brand’s reign remains unchallenged. Andrew Ruis, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the author of Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat: The Origins of School Lunch in the United States, thinks the product has done so well because of how it fits into families’ days. “From a parent’s standpoint, you’re trying to assume all these different roles when you’re putting together a kid’s lunch,” he says. “You’re trying to assume the role of nutritionist; and the role of a chef; and the role of an entertainer, almost; or a psychologist, someone who can get into the head of your kid and know what they want and like.” Ruis says the idea that “it’s everything in one package, that all you have to do is purchase this thing” is powerful for parents who can spare a couple of extra dollars.
Lunchables, though, was originally born out of an urgency to solve an entirely different problem, as the journalist Michael Moss details in his 2013 book, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. In the mid-’80s, executives at Oscar Mayer noticed that consumers’ interest in bologna, one of its key products, was beginning to wane. So the company’s product developers set out to find a way to get people interested in bologna again, to dream up something that was livelier than sliced, sandwich-ready meat sealed in plastic.
After brainstorms and focus groups, a team of about 15 people conceived a bologna-centric lunch product that was portable and—because people generally preferred the meat with some accompaniments—included crackers (which kept better than bread) and slices of cheese. The plastic tray that they settled on for the packaging, which sectioned off each ingredient, was inspired by frozen TV dinners.
Guidotti (who wasn’t with the company at the time) told me that Lunchables was originally developed with adult eaters in mind, not kids. “It was seen as a convenience solution to lunch for working mothers, working dads, and the like,” he says. But the creators of Lunchables aimed younger when they discovered in market research how much fun kids had assembling their meals. Oscar Mayer shifted its marketing accordingly, detecting in focus groups that time-starved working moms might feel guilty about not doing enough for their kids. This was the impetus for the lively yellow box that Lunchables came in—originally conceived of as a sort of wrapping paper, it was designed to feel like a gift to give to children as they went off to school.
The product, whose rejected names included included On-Trays, Crackerwiches, Snackables, and Fun Mealz, launched in 1988. It was an instant hit: Sales exceeded $200 million in the first 12 months. No company has been able to meaningfully challenge Lunchables since, and the brand’s advantage was cemented by the introduction in the mid-’90s of its pizzas, which initially grossed out moms in focus groups—they are typically eaten cold, with unmelted cheese—but thrilled children, who were excited by the prospect of building their own lunch, hot or cold. (As it turns out, Guidotti told me that historically, somewhere between a quarter and a third of Lunchables have been consumed by adults.)
But Lunchables hadn't been on the market for long before the product began to be criticized as unhealthy. In 1994, after a pediatrician called it a “nutritional disaster,” a Kraft spokesperson responded, “This is not some big corporate plot to fatten up kids. This is what kids want. There are very few kids out there who will eat rice cakes and tofu.” The company has stood by Lunchables, though a decade later it did abandon a higher-calorie Lunchable varietal called Maxed Out (with foods like deep-dish pizza and “double stacked” tacos) that had drawn criticism for its elevated levels of salt, sugar, and fat.
Bob Drane, who led the team that created Lunchables, has said, “I wish the nutritional profile of the thing could have been better, but I don’t view the entire project as anything but a positive contribution to people’s lives.” And when I asked Kraft Heinz how it would respond to nutritional criticisms today, a spokesperson wrote in an email, “Lunchables is a great lunch solution for kids and is a good/excellent source of protein based on the variety.” (Guidotti noted that many parents’ recent interest in making sure their kids get enough protein has been “a tailwind for Lunchables,” some boxes of which note how many grams of protein are inside.)
Ruis, the school-lunch researcher, told me that in the past couple of decades, parents have been paying more attention to the nutritional elements of what they feed their kids, not least because of concerns about obesity. And there have been other related food trends as well. “Clearly there’s been a move toward foods that are more organic, more locally sourced,” he says. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s evenly distributed.” Clearly: After 30 years, Lunchables—which, as a processed, nationally shippable lunchtime fixture, is anything but locally sourced—is doing just fine.


text:
Lavanya Villas is a development with a difference. Not only is it set in the pristine paradise of Mauritius, but by investing in a luxury villa and a holiday lifestyle, one can gain permanent residency – an option that has become increasingly attractive to South Africans in the UK.
“With the recent tightening of immigration restrictions in the UK, South Africans need to investigate residency options for a secure future,” says Sean Palmer, a sales manager for the development.
“Investing in Lavanya Luxury Villas will secure residency for the purchaser and their immediate family under the Residential Estate Scheme (RES), which is an approved scheme from The Board of Investment in Mauritius.”
Live a life of luxury
Lavanya offers 20 beautiful villas, ideally located in the northern region of Mauritius. With crystal-clear waters, sandy beaches and landscaped gardens, you might as well be on an island holiday!
At the same time, the community is close to a range of amenities including international schools, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping centres.
“This gated development is conceived for couples and families, being set in an exclusive residential enclave,” says Palmer.
It enjoys scenic views and modern conveniences with paved access to each villa. Each unit comprises of three bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a pool, dining room, living room, kitchen, laundry, store and carport.
The complex enjoys a communal gym centre for residents.
Invest for the future
“Many successful South Africans living in the UK are now looking at investment opportunities abroad,” says Palmer.
In addition, “many companies in Mauritius employ expats, and there is currently a shortage of quality residential property.”
“The villas are also ideal for holiday letting, with massive demand and great returns. With Mauritius being one of the few countries globally to not be deterred by the economic downturn, residential property is booming,” he says.
The lucrative property can be your ideal house or holiday home, or simply an investment opportunity. While renting on short or long-term to holiday-makers or residents, “all you have to do is to sit back and relax,” says Palmer.
Therefore, the villas are perfect for buying to live, buying to let, a holiday home or a retirement option.
Social, political and economic stability
In terms of the island itself, “Mauritius is a melting point of the world’s oldest civilisations and is a rare example of social peace and unity in a multi-cultural society.
The population boasts origins from the European and African continents. With such a cosmopolitan legacy, no wonder the hospitality is legendary,” says Palmer. “Mauritius is also a safe place to live, with Mauritians being naturally well-inclined and of a peaceful nature.”
Meanwhile, successive governments in Mauritius have all shown strong and sustained commitment to a market-driven economy, where free enterprise can flourish and foreign investment prosper, explains Palmer.
“The present government is set to take the country into yet another leap into its future – that of a global island and an emerging economic powerhouse in the region,” he says.
Therefore, many South Africans are relocating to Mauritius as a safe alternative with an outdoors lifestyle which reminds them of home.
If you are looking to invest in property, your future and an option for residency, Lavanya Villas could be the ideal way to achieve all this and gain a holiday lifestyle in the process.
The Residential Estate Scheme (RES)
Under the RES scheme, foreigners can buy villas and, provided they invest US$ 500,000 or more, they are entitled to Permanent Residence in Mauritius for the purchaser and their immediate family.
Any purchaser signing a purchase agreement will pay a 10% deposit to the Notary in Mauritius who will place the money in an Escrow Account in the name of the purchaser (same as a trust account).
The entire project is controlled by the Mauritian Commercial Bank. “This is a fantastic selling feature as the purchaser’s money is 100% safe,” says Palmer. The Mauritian Commercial Bank will also finance up to 60% of the loan for approved buyers.


text:
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) released U.S. rail traffic for the week ended March 21, 2020, and it contained some much-needed good news: The worst of the coronavirus’ effects on Asian trade may be over.
“The good news is that the intermodal volumes of the railroads serving the West Coast ports that receive the bulk of imports from China appear to have plateaued over the past four weeks, indicating that we may have seen the worst of the COVID-19 impacts on the Asia trade,” said AAR Senior Vice President Policy and Economics John T. Gray.
“It wouldn’t be surprising to see rail volumes of other categories soften in the weeks ahead as steps taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 continue to impact producers, both here and abroad, particularly those of consumer goods or intermediate products from which those goods are produced,” Gray said.
Indeed. For the week ended March 21, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 459,966 carloads and intermodal units, down 8.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for this week were 224,048 carloads, down 5.4% compared with the same week in 2019, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 235,918 containers and trailers, down 11.4% compared to 2019.
Three of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2019. They were chemicals, up 3,760 carloads, to 34,471; miscellaneous carloads, up 858 carloads, to 9,747; and farm products excl. grain, and food, up 507 carloads, to 15,984. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2019 included commodities such as coal, down 9,223 carloads, to 56,093; nonmetallic minerals, down 4,774 carloads, to 30,674; and metallic ores and metals, down 1,427 carloads, to 18,576.
“Demand for rail service depends on the demand further down the chain for the products railroads haul and on the ability of firms they serve to produce what is demanded,” said Gray. “Autos are a good example. What with job uncertainty and either voluntary or enforced social distancing for many people, this isn’t a great time to visit new car showrooms, so demand for autos is down. Further, most automakers have suspended manufacturing operations for the time being. As a result of both these factors, rail carloads of autos and auto parts fell considerably this past week.”
For the first 12 weeks of 2020, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,773,207 carloads, down 6.1% from the same point last year; and 2,948,362 intermodal units, down 8.1% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 12 weeks of 2020 was 5,721,569 carloads and intermodal units, a decrease of 7.2% compared to last year.
North American rail volume for the week ended March 21, 2020, on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 327,787 carloads, down 3.8% compared with the same week last year, and 311,769 intermodal units, down 11.5% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 639,556 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.7%. North American rail volume for the first 12 weeks of 2020 was 7,863,533 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.5% compared with 2019.
Canadian railroads reported 83,954 carloads for the week, up 1.4%, and 61,041 intermodal units, down 14.1% compared with the same week in 2019. For the first 12 weeks of 2020, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 1,698,008 carloads, containers and trailers, down 2%.
Mexican railroads reported 19,785 carloads for the week, down 5.9% compared with the same week last year, and 14,810 intermodal units, down 1.3%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 12 weeks of 2020 was 443,956 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, up 3.5% from the same point last year.


text:
|Erica Surman and daughter Meadow investigate some of the toys on PIRGIM’s 2011 Trouble in Toyland report|
“Choking on small parts, small balls and balloons is still a leading cause of toy-related injury. Between 1990 and 2009 more than 200 children have died,” says PIRGIM spokesperson Hess. “While most toys are safe, our researchers still found toys on the shelves that pose choking hazards, and other toys that contain hazardous levels of toxic chemicals including lead,” she explained. On November 22, PIRGIM representative Meghan Hess was at Safety City U.S.A. to release the latest information on PIRGIM’s annual report. It revealed the results of laboratory testing on toys for lead and phthalates, both of which have been proven to have serious adverse health impacts on the development of young children. The survey also found several toys that pose either choking or noise hazards.
For 26 years, the PIRGIM Trouble in Toyland report has offered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. The group also provides an interactive website with tips for safe toy shopping that consumers can access on their smart phones at www.toysafety.mobi.
Key findings from the report include:
- Toys with high levels of toxic substances are still on store shelves. Some toys still contain high levels of phthalates – a chemical that poses development hazards for small children – at 40 and 70 times allowable limits.
- Several toys violate current allowable lead limits (300ppm). Lead has negative health effects on almost every organ and system in the human body.
- Despite a ban on small parts in toys for children under three, PIRGIM found toys available in stores that still pose choking hazards.
- Toys are still available that can be harmful to children’s ears and exceed the hearing standards recommended by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
In 2008, Congress placed strict limits on concentrations of lead and phthalates in toys and children’s articles in a law that also gave greater authority and funding to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Hess noted that the CPSC has a new database of both potential hazards and recalled products at www.saferproducts.gov. “We cannot, must not, weaken the most basic safety rules that protect young children, America’s littlest consumers,” said Hess.
PIRGIM, the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan, takes on powerful interests on behalf of its members, working to win concrete results for our health and well-being.
Safety City U.S.A. is the first nonprofit, injury prevention/safety education center in Michigan. The year-round safety center in Royal Oak is a collaborative effort of Beaumont Hospital and the Royal Oak Fire and Police departments.


text:
The top 10 tourist attractions in India, according to TripAdvisor
After revealing the winners of its Travelers' Choice Awards in the landmarks category, highlighting the top 10 tourists attractions in the world, travel planning and booking site TripAdvisor has now announced the top 10 tourist destinations in India.
As part of its Travelers Choice Awards in the Landmarks category, the winners were determined using an algorithm which took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for landmarks, gathered over a 12-month period.
The list of winners has some obvious inclusions and some surprises, as well. For example, no tourist attraction from South India makes the cut, while the Taj Mahal tops the lists for best landmarks in India. No surprises there! Incidentally, the
From the Qutub Minar to


text:
People in huge numbers started queuing up outside liquor shops in Delhi from early morning on Monday. The queues were seen as early as 7.30 am in some parts of the national capital where around 150 liquor shops were reopened as the lockdown entered the third phase.
The scenes were similar across several states, including Karnataka and Maharashtra.
People were seen gathering outside the liquor shops from early morning even before the shops could open for sales. Liquor shops across the country were shut down with the lockdown that was announced on March 24.
In Kashmere Gate, police had to resort to lathicharge outside a liquor shop where people refused to follow social distancing norms and were seen standing very close to each other in the long queues.
— Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) May 4, 2020
With MHA ordering relaxations, liquor shops have been opened up across the country but with some strict guidelines of social distancing. However, photos and videos from Delhi, Karnataka and other parts of the country show little of these norms are being followed by people.
Meanwhile in Delhi, police was forced to shut down one such liquor shop in Jheel Chowk area due to overcrowding. Crowds gathered in huge numbers and refused to abide by the social distancing norms.
#WATCH: People stand in a queue outside a liquor shop at Desh Bandhu Gupta Road in Delhi. Govt has allowed sale of liquor in standalone shops, neighbourhood (colony) shops or shops in residential complexes. pic.twitter.com/aF1g9cbz7L
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2020
AAP MLA Somnath Bharti shared a video on Twitter and said the crowds at a Malviya Nagar liquor shop has triggered panic among the locals.
The queue outside a liquor shop in Delhi's Desh Bandhu Gupta Road was over 1 kilometre long, reported ANI.
According to a PTI report, in Karnataka, people crowded the liquor shops while some even offered special prayers with flowers, coconuts, incense sticks in front of the stores.
Karnataka: People line up at a liquor shop in Bengaluru as state government permits the sale of liquor between 9 am to 7 pm from today. pic.twitter.com/3SmTwlO1w1
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2020
People outside the shops in Karnataka were seen in a celebratory mood since early morning.
Delhi government had said that around 150 shops in the national capital are being opened up from Monday for the third phase of the lockdown. Delhi is in the Red Zone with over 4,549 coronavirus cases.


text:
On Saturday 25th October, from 10am until 12noon in Cornmarket Street in Oxford, campaigners from Oxford World Development Movement (WDM) will be catching ‘fat cats’ in a net as part of a campaign for fairer European trade laws that will put people before profits.
WDM campaigner Sam Partington, nets an EU fat cat
Sam Partington, Secretary of Oxford WDM, said, “This is particularly relevant in light of the current global credit crunch – at the moment the European Union is negotiating trade deals with half the countries around the world, which will benefit big business at the expense of a billion people who are living in poverty.”
Big companies are making handsome profits while developing countries’ economies take a battering as prices for commodities fall. Coffee is one example: coffee farmers are now selling their coffee beans for much less than they cost to produce, while there is no evidence of prices falling here. And in Mexico a trade deal led to two million people having to leave their land as the price for maize collapsed – whilst corporate giants reaped the profits.
Kevin Meaney, Chair of Oxford WDM said, “There are over 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels who are dedicated to influencing European policy on behalf of their corporate clients, working secretively and unaccountable to anyone but their clients. Removing regulations on overseas operations is of key interest to these corporate lobbyists in their quest to maximise new profits and this is shown in the new trade deals that Europe is negotiating. This is wrong – people are suffering, so we must speak out against it.”
Mayor of Oxford, Susanna Pressel, netting a fat cat
Susanna Pressel, Mayor of Oxford, supports WDM in its campaign, “We need to support Gordon Brown in his campaign for fairer trade laws in the EU that will reduce the appalling poverty still found in some developing countries. I congratulate WDM for the work they are doing to publicise these important issues. Reducing global poverty is not only morally right, it is also in our long-term economic interests.”
It is possible to trade in a way that benefits the poor; WDM is campaigning for a system that works in the interests of people and the environment, lets developing countries choose their own development policies, is not dominated by corporate interests, and is transparent, democratic and truly representative.
1. Photo opportunity at 11am, Cornmarket Street.
2. For more details about this campaign please see
3. The World Development Movement (WDM) tackles the underlying causes of poverty. We lobby decision makers to change the policies that keep people poor. We research and promote positive alternatives. We work alongside people in the developing world who are standing up to injustice.
Contact: Jenny Nicholson, Oxford WDM: 07766 676371 firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
The Inaugural Aspen Business Expo
?Growing Your Business in Today?s Economy?
Aspen, CO ? To help local businesses stay one step ahead in these difficult economic surroundings, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association hosted the inaugural Aspen Business Expo on Tuesday, November 16 at The Hotel Jerome.. The theme for the 2010 Aspen Business Expo was “Growing Your Business in Today’s Economy.”
The keynote address??Aspen Skiing Company: Leaning Into the Recession??was presented by David Perry, senior vice president at the Aspen Skiing Company, and Auden Schendler, the vice president of sustainability at the Aspen Skiing Company. Local experts like Aspen Skiing Company?s social media and online marketing guru David Amirault and Charlie Bantis from Vectra Bank contributed to three informative and compelling panel discussions entitled ?Tips to Grow Your Business,” “Next Steps in Social Media applications for Business,” and “Financing & Access to Capital.”
The Aspen Business Expo also presented a valuable opportunity for the 300+ attendees to network with business owners and entrepreneurs during the Expo Trade Show that followed the panel discussions. 40 local, regional, and national businesses attended the expo as exhibitors and the Hotel Jerome was packed with people throughout the day.


text:
$1.99 – $25.00
Hand holding a broken touchscreen on for a smart phone
Person recording a concert on their smart phone
NAMPA, IDAHO/USA – JUNE 16, 2016: Kimberly Perry smiles and raises her hand to the crowd at the Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho
NAMPA, IDAHO – SEPTEMBER 25 : Crowd enjoying the show at Rockstar Uproar Festival on September 25, 2012 in Nampa, Idaho.
CALDWELL, IDAHO/USA – FEBRUARY 15, 2014: Girl holding a Wii U gamepad while playing Super Mario Bros. U
Man holding a smartphone that has been cracked on the upper right corner
BOISE, IDAHO/USA – DECEMBER 24, 2014: The small business Market place is open and ready


text:
Norway has become the first country to ban deforestation, with its eye set on rain forests. Now, you may have noticed Norway itself doesn’t have much in the way of rain forests, but its Parliament has promised to make sure the goods it purchases don’t contribute to their deforestation.
The Norwegian government has pledged that the nation will become the first country in the world to be deforestation-free. In the latest in a pretty strong record for rainforest conservation and protection, the government will now “impose requirements to ensure that public procurements do not contribute to deforestation of the rainforest.”
A spokesperson for Rainforest Foundation Norway said in recent years many private companies have made similar commitments, but this is the first time a government has done that.
Palm oil, soy, beef and wood are some of the products that push deforestation the most. One study has shown that between 2000 and 2012, commercial agriculture was responsible for 71 percent of tropical deforestation.


text:
Autumn has come, but some things stayed the same. GameSpace team has prepared a traditional news digest, so you can find out about the most important events in the world of video games and movie industry for the past week.
Recently, the upcoming Halo: The Fall of Reach animated series from the developers of the popular shooter franchise has got the latest details and the debut trailer. According to the information from the Microsoft’s representatives, the future project will tell more about the Master Chief’s origin and the Blue Team.
The new Halo: Spartan Strike game, which was announced last October, has finally arrived to such platforms as Windows 8, Windows Phone and iOS. The released project is priced at $5.


text:
Google is introducing two new ad formats and it is asking publishers to join the beta test. The InArticle and InFeed Adsense Native Ads are the two new formats, the first in line for a new native ad race.
The fourth part in the on-going article series of top 10 ways to make money online is doing micro tasks...
The latest addition to the services provided by Payoneer is credit card payments. Through this, companies will be able to send payments to their global card holders. This is a huge step towards offering a perfect payment solution to users.
Over the past one decade time, internet has given birth to new ways of making money. Just a few years before the .com boom, these new ways of making money might not have been in the imaginations of even tech-savvy people. Either you launch a startup that could turn into a billion dollar business or just signup on a website to do a small gig, you are in a way associating yourself with an ocean of endless opportunities.
Muhammad Haris and his team mate Luke Beck have made a whooping $10 million USD by selling a Wordpress theme called Avada.
Pakistan gamer Sumail Hassan helps his team win $6.6 million US Dollars in TI5 or the International 2015, the biggest Dota 2 flagship championship.
The Startup Weekend Islamabad is being organized by Google for Entrepreneurs from 15th - 17th May at AIR University. Get ready to launch your startup in just 54 hours!
oDesk, which has over 9.3 million active freelancers and more than 3.7 million clients, has relaunched as Upwork with a completely new freelancing platform.
5 Startups from Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral (GBC) Among The 25 Selected for StartUp Cup Pakistan 2015
A exceptional performance from early age startups from the remote regions of Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral enabled them to make it to the main round of StartUp Cup Pakistan 2015.
Google Domains has launched its private beta version for US users. This would be a leap ahead for people who are rely on Google Apps integration and concerned about their domain security.


text:
Amid the hustle and bustle of the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco last week, researchers at RSA released a startling report that received very little press coverage relative to its overall importance. The report detailed a malware campaign that piggybacked on a popular piece of software used by system administrators at some of the nation’s largest companies. Incredibly, the report did not name the affected software, and the vendor in question has apparently chosen to bury its breach disclosure. This post is an attempt to remedy that.
The RSA report detailed the threat from a malware operation the company dubbed “Kingslayer.” According to RSA, the attackers compromised the Web site of a company that sells software to help Windows system administrators better parse and understand Windows event logs. RSA said the site hosting the event log management software was only compromised for two weeks — from April 9, 2015 to April 25, 2015 — but that the intrusion was likely far more severe than the short duration of the intrusion suggests.
That’s because in addition to compromising the download page for this software package, the attackers also hacked the company’s software update server, meaning any company that already had the software installed prior to the site compromise would likely have automatically downloaded the compromised version when the software regularly checked for available updates (as it was designed to do).
RSA said that in April 2016 it “sinkholed” or took control over the Web site that the malware used as a control server — oraclesoft[dot]net — and from there they were able to see indicators of which organizations might still be running the backdoored software. According to RSA, the victims included five major defense contractors; four major telecommunications providers; 10+ western military organizations; more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies; 24 banks and financial institutions; and at least 45 higher educational institutions.
RSA declined to name the software vendor whose site was compromised, but said the company issued a security notification on its Web site on June 30, 2016 and updated the notice on July 17, 2016 at RSA’s request following findings from further investigation into a defense contractor’s network. RSA also noted that the victim software firm had a domain name ending in “.net,” and that the product in question was installed as a Windows installer package file (.msi).
Using that information, it wasn’t super difficult to find the product in question. An Internet search for the terms “event log security notification april 2015” turns up a breach notification from June 30, 2016 about a software package called EVlog, produced by an Altair Technologies Ltd. in Mississauga, Ontario. The timeline mentioned in the breach notification exactly matches the timeline laid out in the RSA report.
As far as breach disclosures go, this one is about the lamest I’ve ever seen given the sheer number of companies that Altair Technologies lists on its site as subscribers to eventid.net, an online service tied to EVlog. I could not locate a single link to this advisory anywhere on the company’s site, nor could I find evidence that Altair Technologies had made any effort via social media or elsewhere to call attention to the security advisory; it is simply buried in the site. A screenshot of the original, much shorter, version of that notice is here.
Perhaps the company emailed its subscribers about the breach, but that seems doubtful. The owner of Altair Technologies, a programmer named Adrian Grigorof, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
“This attack is unique in that it appears to have specifically targeted Windows system administrators of large and, perhaps, sensitive organizations,” RSA said in its report. “These organizations appeared on a list of customers still displayed on the formerly subverted software vendor’s Web site. This is likely not coincidence, but unfortunately, nearly two years after the Kingslayer campaign was initiated, we still do not know how many of the customers listed on the website may have been breached, or possibly are still compromised by the Kingslayer perpetrators.”
It’s perhaps worth noting that this isn’t the only software package sold by Altair Technologies. An analysis of Eventid.net shows that the site is hosted on a server along with three other domains, eventreader.com, firegen.com and grigorof.com (the latter being a vanity domain of the software developer). The other two domains — eventreader.com and firegen.com — correspond to different software products sold by Altair.
The fact that those software titles appear to have been sold and downloadable from the same server as eventid.net (going back as far as 2010) suggests that those products may have been similarly compromised. However, I could find no breach notification mentioning those products. Here is a list of companies that Altair says are customers of Firegen; they include 3M, DirecTV, Dole Food Company, EDS, FedEx, Ingram Micro, Northrop Grumman, Symantec and the U.S. Marshals Service.
RSA calls these types of intrusions “supply chain attacks,” in that they provide one compromise vector to multiple targets. It’s not difficult to see from the customer lists of the software titles mentioned above why an attacker might salivate over the idea of hacking an entire suite of software designed for corporate system administrators.
“Supply chain exploitation attacks, by their very nature, are stealthy and have the potential to provide the attacker access to their targets for a much longer period than malware delivered by other common means, by evading traditional network analysis and detection tools,” wrote RSA’s Kent Backman and Kevin Stear. “Software supply chain attacks offer considerable ‘bang for the buck’ against otherwise hardened targets. In the case of Kingslayer, this especially rings true because the specific system-administrator-related systems most likely to be infected offer the ideal beachhead and operational staging environment for system exploitation of a large enterprise.”
A copy of the RSA report is available here (PDF).
Update, 3:35 p.m. ET: I first contacted Altair Technologies’ Grigorof on Feb. 9. I heard back from him today, post-publication. Here is his statement:
“Rest assured that the EvLog incident has been reviewed by a high-level security research company and the relevant information circulated to the interested parties, including antivirus companies. We are under an NDA regarding their internal research though the attack has already been categorized as a supply chain attack.”
“The notification that you’ve seen was based on their recommendations and they had our full cooperation on tracking down the perpetrators. It’s obviously not as spectacular as a high visibility, major company breach and surely there wasn’t anything in the news – we are not that famous.”
“I’m sure a DDoS against our site would remain unnoticed while the attack against your blog site made headlines all over the world. We also don’t expect that a large organization would use EvLog to monitor their servers – it is a very simple tool. We identified the problem within a couple of weeks (vs months or years that it takes for a typical breach) and imposed several layers of extra security in order prevent this type of problem.”
“To answer your direct question about notifications, we don’t keep track on who downloads and tries this software, therefore there is no master list of users to notify. Any anonymous user can download it and install it. I’m not sure what you mean by ‘you still haven’t disclosed this breach’ – it is obviously disclosed and the notification is on our website. The notification is quite explicit in my opinion – the user is warned that even if EvLog is removed, there may still be other malware that used EvLog as a bridgehead.”
My take on this statement? I find it to be wholly incongruent. Altair Technologies obviously went to great lengths to publish who its major customers were on the same sites it was using to the sell the software in question. Now the owner says he has no idea who uses the software. That he would say it was never intended to be used in major organizations seems odd in contrast.
Finally, publishing a statement somewhere in the thick of your site and not calling attention to it on any other portion of your site isn’t exactly a disclosure. If nobody knows that there’s a breach notice there to find, how should they be expected to find it? Answer: They’re not, because it wasn’t intended for that purpose. This statement hasn’t convinced me to the contrary.
Update, 11:13 p.m. ET: Altair Technologies now has a link to the breach notification on the homepage for Evlog: http://www.eventid.net/evlog/


text:
Those Air Jordan’s are oh-so-1990’s now because Da Man in the NBA is Greece’s own Giannis Antetokounmpo and his $228 million new contract is being supplemented by endorsements rolling in.
The championship MVP for bringing the Milwaukee Bucks their first title in a half-century is bringing some razzle-dazzle to sneakers, if they’re still called that, as well as apparel in a collaboration with one his favorite games growing up hard on the streets of Sepolia in Athens: UNO, said HypeBeast.
The Mattel-produced product will put a near-psychedelic look on The Greek Freak’s footwear from Nike, the Greek word for victory.
“I want every product to be genuine and authentic, and playing UNO with my brothers is a big part of our lives,” said Antetokounmpo. “The Nike team has done a great job bringing my ideas to life, and I think they’ve created something for every Nike, UNO and basketball fan in this collection,” he said.
UNO has five takes of the Zoom Freak 3. Four feature vivid base layers and accents that mimic the colors of the actual cards, while the fifth option features a special member-only black colorway.


text:
ZAGREB (Croatia), April 26 (SeeNews) - Croatian shipping company Uljanik Plovidba [ZSE:ULPL-R-A] said on Wednesday its consolidated net loss contracted to 15.7 milion kuna ($2.3 million/2.1 million euro) in the first three months of 2017, from a loss of 22.3 million kuna a year earlier.
Uljanik Plovidba's total revenue increased to 51.4 million kuna in the three months through March from 44.9 million kuna in the corresponding period last year, while total expenditures remained flat at 67.1 million kuna, the company said.
Uljanik explained that low freight rates in the tanker transport sector troubled the company in the first three months of the year. However, a recovery of this market sector is expected in the second quarter as a result of increased demand and a decrease in the number of newly built/contracted tankers. the company noted.
(1 euro= 7.47063 Croatian kuna)


text:
While the 2016 Chevrolet Volt is still available for sale in all dealerships across the United States, the North American carmaker has already released an updated version, which will come as a 2017 YM.
The 2017 Chevrolet Volt comes with just a bunch of updates as opposed to the present model, mostly of them concerning the car`s safety features.
First off, the new Volt has been also fitted with the Citron Green Metallic exterior shade, along with other standard features, such as 10 airbags, LED low-beam headlamps and a few more.
Second, the cabin is also coming with the automatic climate control, rear parking camera, or the 8.0-inch touchscreen for the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system. The OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot is also available.
The company has also added the Adaptive Cruise Control and the Forward Automatic Braking, which comply with the Tier 3 Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards Program.
This means that the 2017 Chevrolet Volt is more environmentally friendly, due to the lack of the tailpipe, extremely low CO2 emissions and poor sulfur content of the gasoline.
Under the hood, the 2017 Chevrolet Volt packs the same 1.5-liter four-cylinder unit, backed by an electric motor.
The overall power stands at 149 horsepower and 398 Nm of torque. Additionally, the plug-in hybrid system is hooked to an 18.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, which delivers a good 50 mile-range. The model is also fuel-efficient, managing 41 mpg for around 1,000 miles.


text:
Greene King's chief executive has weighed into the debate over alcohol pricing, calling for a government review.
Rooney Anand has called on David Cameron's coalition government to "urgently review minimum pricing and below cost price sales, particularly in the run up to the World Cup where supermarkets are again already offering cheap deals on bulk buys of alcohol".
Anand said excessive drinking by what he called a "minority of alcohol consumers" was being fuelled by its availability at "heavily discounted prices", bought in the off-trade.
While tax changes might address some of the issues, Anand believed the government should "explore further the minimum pricing route".
This, he said, "would ensure that the pensioner enjoying a glass of sherry would not be penalised, nor lovers of ale who want to enjoy a pint or two in their local or in the comfort of their own homes".
Responsible retailers should have nothing to fear, he added.
Anand's comments came as Tesco rejected claims it was being hypocritical over its alcohol pricing stance.
The supermarket chain had backed calls for a crackdown on cheap price deals, while selling two cases of beer for £16 in the run-up to the World Cup.


text:
Remember iTunes Ping? It was Apple’s attempt to build a social network from scratch within iTunes. It didn’t pan out.
Apple Music is a great service that is, for better or worse, embedded in iTunes. A web player might be something a lot of people want, but it doesn’t appear Apple has any immediate plans to launch something like that.
There’s no doubt that Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, led by Freddy Mercury, is one of the most popular songs on the planet.
While Apple Music might not have a huge subscriber base on Android, they’re certainly out there. And maybe they even have an Android tablet on hand.
Apple has been in talks with iHeartMedia for quite some time now, and while plans may have changed a bit since the beginning, it sounds like Apple is still very interested in using the platform –in some way or another– to expand its Beats 1 efforts.
Apple’s first smart speaker, the HomePod, launched earlier this year with a price tag of $349. That wasn’t necessarily cheap, but it’s also not the most expensive option out there, either — especially for the quality of sound it produces.
In an announcement that’s going to surprise many, Amazon and Apple have tied hands to bring Apple Music to the former’s Echo devices. Starting mid-December, Amazon Echo devices will be able to stream songs from Apple Music.
I like Apple Music. There is a lot going on with Apple’s streaming platform that is pretty great. But so far it feels like just a music player, and that’s not so great .
Services have become a huge element to Apple’s business plan, and it looks like it’s definitely paying off.
Apple recently suffered a pretty widespread iCloud issue, which impacted several different services offered by the company.


text:
In recent days, the U.S. Department of Commerce has decided on several anti-dumping cases as part of the review process.
Thus, for Turkish rebar manufacturers, anti-dumping duties were previously raised to 11.8-19.1%. Earlier some Turkish companies had zero dumping margin.
The preliminary decision was made with regard to import of corrosion-resistant sheet steel with coatings from Taiwan and South Korea. For Taiwanese companies the dumping margin was from 0 to 1.15%, and for Korean companies – from 0 to 0.75%. In addition, illegal export subsidies for some Korean suppliers were found at 0.51-6.87%.
In another case related to Korean steel exports, the Ministry of Commerce finally set the anti-dumping duties on Nexteel welded pipeline pipes at 15.07% and SeAH Steel at 9.33%. Previously, the duties varied between 6.22-38.87%.
Finally, duties on stainless steel long products manufactured in India were finally set. For Venus Wire Industries they amounted to 17.24% instead of 5.35% previously, and the company Ambica Steels in the period under review (February 1, 2018 – January 31, 2019) did not supply such products to the U.S. and therefore received a zero margin.


text:
Digital TV News: Nick Jeffery
Vodafone 5G goes live in the UK in July
May 14, 2019 – Vodafone will switch on its 5G network for both consumers and business customers in seven cities across the UK on 3 July 2019. In a worldwide first, Vodafone will also offer 5G roaming in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain over the summer.
News categories: Vodafone, Nick Jeffery, 5G, Mobile, UK
Vodafone, Qualcomm and Ericsson to lab test 5G processor and smartphone form factor device
Feb 7, 2019 – Vodafone UK, Qualcomm and Ericsson are conducting ‘over the air’ tests with 5G technology and a device that is similar in size to the 5G mobile phones that are being developed. 5G smartphones will enable extremely high resolution video streaming and gaming on the go.
News categories: Vodafone, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nick Jeffery, Enrico Salvatori, Thomas Noren, 5G, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Semiconductor, Smartphone, UK
Vodafone makes UK’s first holographic call using 5G
Sep 20, 2018 – Vodafone has conducted the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G technology. The call from Vodafone’s Manchester office featured England and Manchester City Women’s Football Captain, Steph Houghton MBE. Using 5G technology, Steph appeared as a live 3D hologram on stage in front of an audience at Vodafone’s UK headquarters in Newbury.
News categories: Vodafone, Nick Jeffery, 5G, Digital TV, Metaverse, UK
- PEAK3 ATSC 3.0 one-to-many solution for IoT and Edge use cases
- Verimatrix launches VCAS monitoring in the Cloud
- Ad-supported Disney+ now available in the U.S.
- Allegro DVT and V-Nova collaborate to accelerate LCEVC deployment
- Paramount+ arrives in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
- Nordic streaming customers open to subscriptions with ads
- Frndly TV exceeds 700,000 subscribers
- Pixalate releases November 2022 CTV app spoofing report
- Pixalate releases Q3 2022 SSP market share rankings
- SMPTE publishes guide to ontologies and semantics for media in the cloud
- SeaChange to power streaming for FOX Sports Mexico
- Limited growth for APAC ex-China pay-TV revenues to 2027
- Shahid streaming platform now available on KONKA Smart TVs
- JPIX partners with Cisco and Qwilt for streaming delivery in Japan
- ZTE helps América Móvil migrate from AOSP to Android TV
- Veira Group starts production of webOS Hub 2.0 Smart TVs
- NextGen TV launched in Champaign and Springfield-Decatur
- Innovid integrates Kinetiq ad-occurrence data
- TF1 implements Irdeto Control to protect World Cup streams
- Premium online video rebounds in Southeast Asia


text:
Square Enix Announces Lords of Vermilion Re:3 and Art Book Collecting Gorgeous Drawings
Square Enix has announced a new entry in the Vermilion series, Lords of Vermilion Re:3. Vermilion is a popular fantasy collectible card game for arcades. The series has been developed by Think Garage and distributed by Square Enix, with a MOBA announced earlier this year.
Lords of Vermilion Re:3 introduces new cards, and decks from Vermilion III will still be compatible. It appears a special animation movie will release to celebrate the anniversary of Vermilion III and an art book was also announced with 150 pages of card art and unique drawings. You can view the trailer, as well as photos (via Famitsu) below.