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Israeli manufacturers say that they are already feeling the effect of an informal boycott.And now here's the Guardian:
A private survey carried out by the Manufacturers Association of Israel has identified a huge decline in demand for Israeli exports.
That has been caused, in large part, by the global economic slump. But one in five exporters said that "being Israeli causes some problems".
In this case, the problem stems from the recent conflict in Gaza. An official from the Association, who asked not to be named, because the publicity had not been helpful, said that a boycott "happens every so often" - during wars, or Palestinian uprisings.
"There is no doubt that a red light has been switched on," Dan Katrivas, head of the foreign trade department at the Israel Manufacturers Association, told Maariv newspaper this week. "We are closely following what's happening with exporters who are running into problems with boycotts." He added that in Britain there exists "a special problem regarding the export of agricultural produce from Israel".Of course, "the operation in Gaza" is just a symptom of what it is that the boycott is intended to cure.
The problem, said Katrivas, is in part the discussion in the UK over how to label goods that come from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Last week British government officials met with food industry representatives to discuss the issue.
In recent months, the Israeli financial press has reported the impact of mounting calls to boycott goods from the Jewish state. Writing in the daily finance paper, the Marker, economics journalist Nehemia Stressler berated then trade and industry minister Eli Yishai for telling the Israeli army to "destroy one hundred homes" in Gaza for every rocket fired into Israel.
The minister, wrote Stressler, did not understand "how much the operation in Gaza is hurting the economy".


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Mitsubishi recalls Lancer/Outlander
Mitsubishi Motors Australia is to recall more than 20,000 Lancer and Outlander vehicles to repair a potential brake problem.
There have been no reported incidents of the problem within Australia and the national recall is precautionary.
The official recall posted on the Federal Government website says that “after starting, if the vehicle is only driven at low speed with minimal or no throttle opening, an increased brake pedal effort may be required on the first braking application because of the possibility of the brake booster check valve sticking.”
MMAL is to write to owners of all affected vehicles although the company says there have been no reported incidents in Australia of problems with the brake valves.
The 20,989 cars affected were all manufactured before December last year an the company will replace any defective parts at no cost to the owners.

domain: news


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It isn’t going to stop the left from attacking them, but it is going to have folks on the right think they caved to pressure.
Chick-fil-A said Monday that it has stopped donations to several Christian organizations after receiving backlash from LGBT rights activists over the last several weeks.
The U.S. fast food chain said that as it expands, it will no longer donate to the Salvation Army, the Paul Anderson Youth Home, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which opposes same-sex marriage. The company’s charity, the Chick-fil-A Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to the two organizations.
“We made multi-year commitments to both organizations and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018,” a representative for Chick-fil-A said, saying the chain will now focus its charitable donations on “education, homelessness and hunger.”
The franchise, famous for closing on Sunday, plans to donate a total of close to $9 million to charity include a $25,000 to a local food bank for each new restaurant the company opens.


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Debenhams axes 320 store management jobs amid cost cutting drive and sluggish sales
- Retailer is latest in a string of big names to announce cuts and closures
- Last month, Debenham's share price fell by 24% amid profits warning
Department store chain Debenhams is axing 320 manager level jobs as its cost cutting drive deepens amid struggling sales across its branches.
In a bid to make 'significant' cost savings, a quarter of store manager's jobs are at risk as the chain seeks to get rid of its 'complex' jobs structure.
Last month, Debenhams's share price fell by 24 per cent after the group issued a profits warning following disappointing Christmas sales.
Cuts: Department store chain Debenhams is axing 320 manager level jobs
The latest job cuts suggest Debenham's operations, particularly on the high street, are struggling to keep up with leaner online operations.
The 240-year-old department store has become the latest in a string of big-name retailers to announce job cuts or store closures in recent weeks.
Asda, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and B&Q have all outlined plans to cut staff this year amid falling real wages and competition from online and discount retailers.
In a statement, Debenhams said: 'As part of the implementation of the Debenhams Redesigned strategy a review of our store structure has been undertaken.
'The review has identified significant cost savings by reducing the complexity of management roles in stores as well as processes to optimise and standardise ways of working.
'The effect is that potentially 320 positions are at risk of redundancy - approximately 25% of store management roles.
'We are currently consulting with individuals affected and will seek redeployment opportunities where possible.'
The job cuts are expected to be complete by the end of March. At present, the retailer's share price is down 0.58 per cent to 29.15p.
Warnings: Debenhams's share price fell by 24 per cent after the group issued a profits warning
Sad trend: The 240-year-old department store has become the latest in a string of big-name retailers to announce job cuts or store closures in recent weeks
In the 17 weeks to 30 December, Debenham's like-for-like sales fell by 2.6 per cent and the group trimmed its full year profit forecast to between £55million and £65million, against initial analyst predictions of around £83million.
The retailer said it was operating in a 'competitive and volatile' retail environment.
As part of its cost savings drive, Debenhams plans to save £10million this year and an extra £20million a year thereafter.
Debenhams has 240 stores spanning 27 countries, after opening its first international store in Bahrain in 1977.
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TRUE RELIGION DEALS: True Religion Apparel Inc. has signed licensing agreements to introduce True Religion branded footwear, headwear, scarves and gloves to the market. Italy's GMI Corp., which holds the license for Levi's footwear, has global rights to manufacture and sell shoes, sneakers, boots and sandals. True Religion footwear is to launch at the WSA footwear show in February. Paramount Apparel International has been tapped to manufacture and market headwear, scarves and gloves that will debut at the MAGIC Marketplace, also occurring in Las Vegas in February.
CONTRERI MEMORIAL SET: A memorial service for Charles Contreri, who was a professor of fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology here for 35 years, will be held Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. at FIT Building A in the eighth-floor Faculty Lounge. Earlier in his career, Contreri was a fashion designer and a partner in Charles Wallace Fashions Inc., a women's apparel manufacturer no longer in operation. A scholarship in his name has been established by the school's Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries.
UNION TAPS CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Union, the premium denim label from Seattle Pacific Industries, which manufacturers the Unionbay label, has appointed Christopher Enuke as creative director. Enuke founded the Oliver Twist and Oligo Tissew brands and has more than 20 years of design experience. He succeeds Silvio Marceca and reports to Scott Bonomo, president of Union.
"You start one way as a baby, but why shouldn't you be able to choose your own path as opposed to culturally people telling you which way to go?" - Thom Browne at his men's spring 2018 show, where he celebrated gender fluidity. #pfw #wwdmens (📷: @delphineachard)
"I think that all anyone really wants in life is to have people understand us for who we actually are, despite everything," says Ruth Negga. The actress talks "Preachers" season 2 and more on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: Dan Doperalski)


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After unveiling Disney and Marvel accessories for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in Taiwan last month, Samsung has launched two new special edition variants of the foldable. Customers in Singapore can now get the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in Marvel or Star Wars Editions exclusively via local retailer Shopee.
Both variants sell for 1,522 SGD ($1,126), while Shopee also offers an exchange promotion (via), bringing the cost down to 1,298 SGD ($960). Customers who registered early interest in the special edition variants got it for 1,111 SGD ($822).
So what do users get with these models? Both offer the 128GB version of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 along with a Marvel or Star Wars-branded silicone cover with strap, a finger strap, and a Shopee power bank. The inclusion of a power bank is understandable considering the subpar battery life of the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Expectedly, the Star Wars and Marvel Edition models of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 are available in limited quantities. While both variants are currently available on Shopee’s official online Samsung store, stocks will likely run out soon.
It’s unclear if these special edition models will be available outside Singapore
Customers can purchase either limited edition variant in colors like Phantom Black, Cream, Green, and Lavender. It’s unclear if Samsung will launch these models outside Singapore.
This is not the first time that a smartphone manufacturer has teamed up with a recognizable brand. While OnePlus is seemingly releasing a limited edition variant every other month, Samsung has long been involved with such variants. The company released the Iron Man Edition Galaxy S6 Edge in 2015, featuring a completely stylized rear and front panel.
Samsung recently distributed the Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition to athletes participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. While the variant offered to Olympians features the Olympic rings on the back, the Paralympians received the Galaxy S21 bearing the iconic ‘three agitos’ insignia on the back.
Separately, Samsung also released the Galaxy S21 Olympic Games Edition for consumers in Japan. This phone was launched through a partnership with local carrier NTT Docomo. This variant came with a price tag of 112,464 JPY ($986) in the region.


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- Bank of America (BAC) reported a profit of $6.2 billion, or $0.56 per share.
- Revenues were up 6% at $28.8 billion.
- Analysts expected an EPS of 20 cents per share on revenues of $25.95 billion
Jim Cramer says you shouldn't dismiss the FANG stocks, despite controversy, uncertainty, rate hikes or even earnings. It's about the future.


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The inflation rate in the Philippines has consistently risen since January this year after staying at manageable levels in the last four months of 2017. Authorities must have seen the trend, especially in the first eight months of 2018, and should have sounded the alarm sooner before things could get out of hand.
From just around 3 percent in the last four months of 2018, the inflation rate steadily rose from 3.4 percent in January to 4.5 percent in April, the start of the second quarter. The rate rose further to 5.2 percent in June and alarmingly to 5.7 percent in July and 6.4 percent in August.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has adjusted the interest rate by one full percentage point since then in a bid to reduce the money in circulation and curb spending but the prices of goods and services just the same rose at a faster pace.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Nestor Espenilla has conceded that reining in the money in circulation will not slow down rising prices. Cost-push pressures, or less supply of goods, are fueling inflation. This is evident in the prices of rice, fish and other food products, which have dramatically risen in the past few months.
The Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority, which are supposed to manage the country’s rice inventory and import rice to replenish its stocks, have not responded quickly to cost-push pressures. The two agencies were not quick on the draw and allowed the rice supply situation to worsen.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that alcoholic beverages and tobacco posted the highest price increase of 21.6 percent in August, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages at 8.5 percent. The weak performance of the fisheries and other crops in the first six months of 2018, with output falling 2.14 percent and 0.44 percent, respectively, resulted in lower supply and higher prices.
Adding to the inflationary pressures are increased transport cost and electricity rates following the rise of oil prices in the world market and a weak peso in relation to the US dollar.
The Bangko Sentral should not be totally relied on to tame the inflation rate. The Department of Agriculture and the NFA are responsible in stabilizing the supply of rice, fish and other agricultural products. They have been sleeping on the job and should be accountable for most of the inflationary pressures.


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By NICOLE ANTONUCCI
HAGAMAN -- Amsterdam High School graduate LeiLei Secor was dubbed the national "2014 Entrepreneur of the Year" Wednesday after receiving a $15,000 educational scholarship for her endeavors.
Secor owns an online jewelry business, Designed By Lei, specializing in custom design and handmade jewelry. Since creating her business in 2012, she has sold more than 8,000 pieces in more than 30 countries.
At a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Secor was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award through the National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation. The $15,000 scholarship will be used toward her tuition at the University of Virginia.
"I am so grateful for this experience and to be honored as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year," Secor said. "Throughout this process I have realized how much work it takes to be a small-business owner and it is wonderful to be recognized with all of the other finalists. NFIB has provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget."
Secor said in a previous interview she is surprised by how quick her business has grown. It originally began as a way to make some money over the summer. She decided to sell her handmade jewelry on Etsy.com, an online marketplace where people around the world connect to buy and sell unique goods.
In the first year of opening her shop, Secor sold 5,500 pieces of handmade jewelry that included wire wrap rings and earrings targeted to women. Today, Designed By Lei has sold more than 8,000 pieces in more than 30 countries.
Secor said she didn't realize how rewarding it would be until she was among five high school seniors chosen nationwide in April as finalists for the scholarship.
The awards are part of a program that is designed to recognize, reward and encourage young men and women to pursue their dreams of owning and operating a small business.
"The Young Entrepreneur Foundation is honored to award Ms. Secor with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award," said Molly Young, senior manager of the Young Entrepreneur Foundation. "Her entrepreneurial accomplishments are impressive, creative and she is successful in an extremely competitive market. We are pleased to be able to be a part of her journey as a business owner, student and artist. NFIB is proud to congratulate and support LeiLei's efforts in pursuing her entrepreneurial and educational dreams."
Since 2003 NFIB's Young Entrepreneur Foundation has awarded more than 2,500 scholarships worth more than $2.5 million to graduating high school seniors.
To qualify for an NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award, students must be seniors in high school who own and/or operate their own small business. They are required to write an essay describing their entrepreneurial endeavors and future goals. NFIB members around the country interviewed the applicants for the Young Entrepreneur Awards.


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16 MB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32 GB via a micro SD card
Nokia Launches the 4G Version of the iconic 3310, which is remembered one of the largest successful sold phones with 126 million units throughout the worldwide.
The manufacturer HMD Global releasing another 3310 model that’s capable of connecting to superfast 4G LTE speeds will only be available in China in February.
Unlike the top-secret Samsung Galaxy S9, the 3310 4G has actually already been announced in China but isn’t confirmed for arrival elsewhere
However, the feature phone to be introduced in other countries, including the United States in late February or early March during the Mobile World Congress 2018.
This new device will be called Nokia 3310 4G and as the name suggests, this phone will be able to function on 4G bandwidth which is a major update when compared to the previous version.
The 4G friendly 3310 will look the same as last year’s model, but the software inside is reportedly improved over a Java-based platform to an Android-based operating system made by Chinese retail giant Alibaba.
The phone can make HD voice calls, is pre-loaded with apps and can turn into a WiFi hotspot, letting users connect to the internet no matter where they are. The 4G 3310 battery can handle phone calls for up to five hours on a single charge.
This model will only come in blue or black. Pricing details are not known, although, you can expect a $20-30 premium over the 3G version, which costs around $60.
Nokia used to be one of the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturers but it fell behind with the advent of iPhone and Android smartphones.
The original Nokia 3310 sold 126 million handsets until it was phased out in 2005. In 2014, Nokia’s Devices and Services division was sold to Microsoft.
In 2016, Finnish company HMD Global bought a part of Microsoft’s feature phone business and has a licensing agreement that allows it to make smartphones under the Nokia brand.


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Apple’s smartphones iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launch with many new features announced. Low cost iphone has finally arrived. Is apple the real innovator it claims to be in this case?
Articles and Blog posts under this category will cover all type of Gadgets, ranging from Mobile devices to computer accessories to other electronic devices that come under the consumer electronics type.
Google co-founder Sergie Brin showed a live demo of the Google Glass with the help of some sky divers who jumped onto the roof of the convention hall in San Fransisco where the Google I/O 2012 was taking place.
Sony Ericson recently announced that the mobile business will be acquired by Sony Corp and will become its solely owned subsidiary. Well, what it means for the millions of Sony Ericson customers.


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Mercedes reportedly damage privately owned Tesla rental
Search Driven for vehicles for sale
We're all probably guilty of at least one or two cases of rental car abuse. But perhaps none of them are quite like this one...
A curious story from German outlet Der Spiegel has emerged, led by Tesla Model X owners Monika Kindlein and Manfred van Rinsum. The couple own a trio of Tesla models that they occasionally offer out as a rental cars for events. And when rental car company Sixt approached them earlier this year to secure one of their Teslas (a Model X) for an unknown client for seven weeks straight through July and August, they saw no issue.
Suspicions were aroused when van Rinsum got notified through an app that the car was getting charged in Barcelona. He then began following its on-board GPS signal, which showed it driving on a couple of test tracks. These were both breaches of Sixt rental agreements, according to Der Spiegel.
The car was returned to the couple in a damaged state, offering a lone note from the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center in its glove box as a clue of who exactly had been driving the car. The note? It said "you parked incorrectly" on it.
Der Spiegel reported that the car had apparently been torture tested by Daimler, Mercedes-Benz's parent company, in various hardy conditions, as well as dismantled and reassembled — both processes an effort to get to the guts of the Tesla's construction, build-quality, reliability, and performance.
Now, manufacturers buying or renting cars for research purposes is hardly new. However, it's rare for there to be a car owner at the end of it all who's stuck with a stuffed up car. Understandably unhappy, Kindlein and van Rinsum are now in the process of trying to get reimbursed for the damage, loss of income, and depreciation on the Tesla.
And it's been a trying battle so far. They've received a payout from Sixt who passed the bill to 'the customer' (Sixt didn't name Daimler as the culprit to the press), but the Tesla's owners believe that the figure comes up short to what they're entitled. Drafting up his own invoice, van Rinsum landed on a €99,392.79 (NZ$170,000) figure that would cover repairs, loss of income, a daily fine for each day of test track usage, and payment for a confidentiality agreement.
But speaking to Der Spiegel, the couple aren't optimistic about getting paid out the full amount, noting the scale of Daimler and Sixt and the unlikely nature of beating them in a legal setting.
So far Daimler have remained relatively quiet in all this; declining to comment specifically on the matter to either Der Spiegel or American motoring website Jalopnik. They did however reiterate that "renting vehicles for comparison purposes is a common procedure in the automotive industry", adding that insurance typically takes care of damages.
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Airfreight news and articles regarding our global and local activities
As part of our commitment to promote and enhance the local community we're pleased to be involved with Newark Town FC
Aug 28, 2019
As part of our procurement programme with our trusted Indian agent we purchased a Makino MC1513 Horizontal Machine – 1989
Aug 27, 2019
Another successful CES 2018! Below is what CES is all about, and some photos from our latest Expo Booth with our consumers partner Fitbit Inc.
Sep 17, 2018
Orbis International is proud to represent our newest client Mauve Group at the Humentum Annual Conference. A simplistic booth that attracts on a global scale. Below are the conference details
Aug 21, 2018
Orbis International runs for success and delivers another fantastic trade show for our consumer partner Fitbit Inc in the San Francisco Bio Freeze Marathon.
Aug 03, 2018


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Monthly Archives: July 2016
Neto Launches All-In-One POS System For Small Business and announces POS'99 as the official hardware partner
Two Aussie companies are partnering in creating a fully integrated PS solution for retailers — one of them being Telstra-owned e-commerce platform Neto, and POS’99, a reseller of popular POS hardware.
The POS solutions are a way of combining online and offline storefronts in one centralised platform — the way Neto describes it, small online stores can now move easily into an offline presence, and offline storefronts can bring their businesses online in a way that combines perfectly with their store POS systems.
“We’re seeing a lot of smaller online retailers have a desire to set up a physical store, but previously they have struggled to unify their online and offline presence, which has made running both sides of the business challenging,” said Neto COO, Jason Titman. “Through the Neto platform, and backed by POS’99’s hardware, this is no longer an issue. We’re making it easy and seamless for retailers to sell across all of their channels.”
Instead of using custom hardware, Neto and POS’99 are selling POS packages that are compatible with common hardware — such as PCs, iPads, and Mac — with offerings from POS’99 including cash drawers, stands, receipt printers and scanners. These are all sold either separately or in easy bundles.


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Time Warner’s broadband business AOL saw its global ad revenue fall by 6% in the three months to September 30. This was despite Time Warner reporting an 11% increase in profit to $11.7bn (£7.3bn) compared to the previous year.
AOL made $33m (£21m) profit on AOL ads in the third quarter compared to $35m (£19m) last year. However, the broadband operator’s revenue decreased by 17%, or $207m (£130m), to $1bn (£626m), due to a 26% decline in subscription revenue and a 6% decrease in advertising revenue.
In a statement, the company said: “Driving the decrease in advertising revenues were declines in display advertising on AOL Network sites and sales of advertising on third-party internet sites, offset partially by an increase in paid-search advertising.”
Operating income was down 9% to $268m (£167m). Meanwhile, AOL reported it had 110 million average monthly unique visitors and 54 million page views in the third quarter.
The media company says the numbers were down from 111 million average monthly uniques and 56 million page views in the second quarter.
The AOL broadband service has 7.5 million dial-up subscribers, down 634,000 from a year ago and 2.6 million from a year ago. In the UK AOL is offered by The Carphone Warehouse and not Time Warner.


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Nordstrom, Macy’s and JCPenney are among the retailers who offer the best gift cards for holiday shoppers, according to a new report from leading personal finance website GOBankingRates.com.
To come up with its ranking, GOBankingRates surveyed gift card offerings from 30 major retailers and providers, using 10 factors that most affect gift card appeal including ease of purchase, redemption rules, and balance requirements to maketheir rankings.
Gift cards can make it much easier to get through your holiday shopping list, but our study shows that not all gift cards are winners,” said Elyssa Kirkham, lead reporter on the GOBankingRates study. “The best gift cards stood out by offering a convenient and cheap way to give with features like free shipping or the option to send a gift card digitally. Some retailers even reward customers who buy and use their gift cards.”
Below are the top 10 cards, as ranked by GoBankingRates.com
10. Best Buy


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The latest deal for American Construction Source marks California expansion.
A virtual experience will connect the industry Oct. 7-9.
Here’s the replay from “Maintaining the Supply Chain” in a COVID world
Operation Appreciation: A tiny house is delivered to the winner of an 84 Lumber campaign.
Meet the 2020 class of STIHL Hardware 'Superstars.'
Unemployment, gas prices, stocks and confidence.
The company says it will again defer some payments to former members.
Here's how hardware and building supply stocks performed on July 6.
Over the weekend, a Paycheck Protection Program extension.
What's your top e-commerce challenge in light of the pandemic?
High marks for contractors and search engines in consumer survey
The Residential Construction Report for May is worth an extra look. Here it is.
8/6/2019 — It all adds up to $323,401,287,972. That’s the total estimate of the combined sales of the 300 companies on the HBSDealer Top 300 Industry Scoreboard.
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Lessons from the corner office to the corner lot.
Get news highlights delivered directly to your e-mail inbox.
See if you qualify for a free subscription to our industry leading paper magazine.


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Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 locked bootloader & fire mystery solved
Some owners of various smartphones whether it is on the Android platform or an iPhone like to personalize their device as much as possible, this means installing custom software, or jailbreaking the handset. The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 is finally starting to reach some lucky customers early and there are reports that the bootloader is locked, and the recent mystery of a Galaxy S3 that caught fire has been solved.
Some lucky Verizon customers have already begun receiving their Samsung Galaxy S3, but according to Android Central it has been discovered that the handset has a protected bootloader, which will mean for the time being at least there will be no easy solution to hacking the device or flashing unsigned images. This is totally different to other Galaxy S3 handsets or previous Galaxy models and any other handset the company has produced.
There is still hope though and it is possible that a different version of Odin is all that is needed, or there is a problem with the way images are being packed even though it does seem like the bootloader has been locked down by Verizon. This doesn’t mean that we will never see the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 hacked or rooted, but it won’t be an easy process along the lines of HTC or Motorola handsets on the carrier.
Currently it isn’t known why Verizon has gone down this route but all should become clearer in the coming days. Meanwhile last month we told you about an owner of a Samsung Galaxy S3 reporting that his handset had burst into flames rendering the device useless, but now as a The Verge are reporting Samsung has provided an update on the issue.
Following investigations by fire authorities in the UK that were asked to look into the case by the company it seems the handset was not to blame for the fire. It concluded that the heat build up that caused the handset to combust was likely down to an external source, and according to the pattern of damage the handset was likely to have been placed in a microwave oven.
Also the person that made the original complaint has back tracked on his original claim, and in a forum post stated that another person had been trying to repair the handset after it had been in contact with water. He also said that there was no fault with the smartphone and called the issue a “stupid mistake”.
Have you received your Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 yet?


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The world is changing fast and to keep up you need local knowledge with global context.
(Bloomberg) — RMB Holdings Ltd., which owns a stake in South Africa’s largest bank by market value, agreed to buy 25 percent of Atterbury Property Holdings Ltd. as part of a plan to expand into real estate and diversify earnings.
RMB Holdings, known as RMH, will provide capital and “long-term focus to expand Atterbury and assist in executing on its development pipeline and broader growth ambitions,” the Johannesburg-based investment company said in a statement on Tuesday, without disclosing the value of the transaction.
The acquisition of Atterbury marks the first major deal by RMH since the company spun off its insurance businesses into Rand Merchant Investments Holdings Ltd. in 2011. Atterbury developed the Mall of Africa, which opened last week as the largest first-phase retail development in southern Africa, covering 130,000 square meters (1.39 million square feet) of stores.
RMH — which was built out of a company founded by some of South Africa’s richest men, GT Ferreira, Laurie Dippenaar and Paul Harris — is the biggest shareholder in FirstRand Ltd., with a 34 percent stake. Businesses under their control have also helped start or grow companies such as Discovery Ltd., owner of South Africa’s largest medical-insurance administrator, OUTsurance Insurance Co., a property and casualty insurer, and MMI Holdings Ltd., a life insurer and money manager.
RMH declined 2.4 percent to 56.71 rand by 9:52 a.m. in Johannesburg, the lowest since April 11, and biggest decline among the seven-member FTSE/JSE Africa Banks Index.
Cyril Ramaphosa: The Audio Biography
Listen to the story of Cyril Ramaphosa's rise to presidential power, narrated by our very own Alec Hogg.


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Interpol is on the hunt for fugitives accused of such crimes as ivory smuggling. illegal logging, and trafficking live animals
The cosmetics retailer is facing a lawsuit
The oil market has moved beyond the Keystone XL pipeline
A new tool detects computer malware that’s watching your every move
The provider of high-interest business loans nears an IPO, on the strength of its data-powered credit analysis—and a network of shady brokers
Nike expects revenue from women to outpace its men's business.
Twist, stretch, twirl: a day in the life of a candy cane
Educational Credit Management, a guarantor and collector of student loans, wants to buy 56 campuses from Corinthian Colleges
The novelty items are hot for retailers large and small
Population: 5.2 million
Ease of Doing Business Rank (Vietnam): 92
Rigidity of Employment Index (Vietnam): 24
Though Vietman is still a communist country, officials plan to turn Ho Chi Minh City into an IT hub by 2010. Big names like IBM and Oracle already have set up shop, taking advantage of lucrative tax breaks and government programs to upgrade the city's infrastructure.


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ABM launches Managing Profits 2.0 research on b-to-b media company costs and revenues
Feb. 27, 2012 - Today ABM launched its second annual iteration of its Managing Profits research. The project, a reboot of ABM's former Media Revenue and Cost Report, polls ABM media companies for details on a deep set of operational and financial measures. With the second year of data collection now underway, the research will begin to offer historical trend analysis at the brand level as well as at the company level.
Several take-aways from the inaugural 2012 edition reveal the breadth of the data investigated:
- As represented by 26 reporting companies, the industry is growing slowly. Total revenue for all companies rose 4.4 percent. In aggregate, operating margins were 16.7 percent in 2011, down slightly from 17.1 percent in 2010.
- Digital sources are the fastest growing revenue streams. Over two years, digital revenue rose 15.5 percent, compared with a 9.8 percent growth rate for event revenue and a 2.3 percent decline for print revenue.
- Events are growing in importance. Over two years, the number of events rose 7.1 percent. The percent of total revenue deriving from events rose from 26.1 percent to 27.5 percent.
- For the 26 reporting companies, print trade magazines are in a state of slow decline. Several benchmarks show decreases: print revenue (down 2.3 percent), number of magazines (down 3.2 percent) and total folio pages (down 8.0 percent).
Looking ahead to the 2013 edition of the research, this historical data and much more will be expanded and analyzed with an additional year of data. ABM hopes to see 30 or more media companies participate this year, before the research period closes March 25. The results will be presented by research sponsors Atwood Capitol Partners and WeiserMazars at ABM's Annual Conference, help April 28 to May 1. For more information or to participate, please contact Michael Moran Alterio at 212-784-6365.


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More recently, literally on September 10, Apple held a presentation of its new graduates iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, new iPad, Apple Watch Series 5, MacBook. The smartphone has not yet had time to go on sale, and heated debates about its capabilities have already flared up on the network. Representatives of the company promised that the new devices will go on sale in Russia on September 20. From September 18, it will be possible to place a preliminary order. Also, for the security of your smartphone, you can order a protective glass for it here https://protect-sc.ru/tshop/iphone/stekla-iphone-11-pro-max.html.
Rumors are circulating around the network that lines have been lined up to order a new iPhone. A place in the queue can be bought for a lot of money. It’s not entirely clear why such a stir, because at the same time there is a rumor that in fact the new product is not much different from the iPhone Xs. The presentation says that the battery capacity of the new smartphone has increased significantly, although with a detailed comparison, the capacity increased by only 5% for the iPhone 11, 20% for the iPhone 11 Pro, and 10% for the new iPhone 11 Pro Max. The most noticeable difference between the new iPhone 11 was the new triple camera, for this reason, a huge number of “photo toads” appeared on the network. Users dubbed the new triple camera smartphone “third eye”.
Despite the ridicule and anti-advertising of Apple's new products, there is activity and even excitement, who want to be the first to buy the “All-Seeing Third Eye”. In connection with the release of new items, dealers reduced prices on past models.
The world has not yet personally witnessed the new products of this year iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and there have already been rumors that the iPhone 12 which will be released next year will have a completely new design.
Rumors, as they say, the earth is full, but we can only wait until new devices appear on the shelves! And then we ourselves will be able to evaluate all its capabilities and feel the capabilities of the new OS.
. (tagsToTranslate) iPhone (t) î (t) Apple (t) à (t) ÿ (t) î ( t) τ (t) æ (t) è (t) è (t) à (t) å (t) ó (t) ü (t)


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Haribo had an identity crisis recently with superfans taking to TikTok to solve the dilemma of what the dummy shaped sweets really are supposed to be.
And now that we have cracked that case, our next mission is to find out how you actually pronounce the word ‘Haribo’?
You may be thinking that Haribo is a straightforward name, but people on Twitter can’t stop arguing about it.
One recently wrote: “Heard someone pronounce Haribo as ha-REE-bo and I’m inordinately annoyed by it.”
While some agreed with him, others took issue with his opinion and argued: “But that’s how it’s pronounced!”
Another pointed out: “Since nobody asked: HARIBO is a German company and is short for HArald RIegel, BOnn. And yes, it is off course pronounced ha-REE-bo.”
To put the argument to rest, we decided to contact Haribo HQ for answers.
And thankfully, a spokesperson was on hand to clear up the confusion.
They told the Daily Star it is indeed pronounced ‘Harry-bo’ – and not like how some believe it is pronounced as ‘Har-eee-bo’.
What a shocker that is, a real gummy egg to the face you could say!
Now that the debate has finished, where will our next food related debate take us next?
For more food related mysteries why not check out similar stories below:
Earlier, we found that Nice biscuits have been commonly pronounced wrong and apparently we have all been eating chocolate digestives wrong according to this Twitter user.
Let us know in the comment section how you thought ‘Haribo’ should have been pronounced? Did you get it right?
Sign up to our Hot Topics newsletter for free here.


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Visteon Group (China) Business Report FY ended Dec. 2013
-Yanfeng Visteon (Beijing) Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. will supply instrument panels, roof panels, tail doors, floor pans and insulators to Beijing Hyundai for the DMC luxury SUV. The supply program is expected make a significant contribution to Yanfeng Visteon’s sales over the next five years. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on January 17, 2013)
-Dongfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. announced that the company and Kasai Kogyo Co., Ltd. of Japan will establish Dongfeng Kasai (Xiangyang) Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. to design, develop, manufacture and sell automotive parts in China. The new company will be capitalized at CNY 77 million, of which 65 percent will be invested by Dongfeng Visteon Automotive and 35 percent will be provided by Kasai Kogyo. The total investment in the joint venture is expected to reach CNY 229 million. Dongfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems is a joint venture between Dongfeng Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (DETC) and Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems. When the plant becomes fully operational, it will be capable of producing products worth CNY 200 million per year. Plant construction will begin in November. Production will start after the first phase of the project is completed in the second half of 2014.(From an announcement by the Dongfeng Electronic Technology on October 29, 2013)
-Visteon has established Yanfeng Visteon (Ningbo) Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. near Shanghai VW’s Ningbo Plant. The new facility will prepare to start mass production by February 2014 after completing trial production and conducting small-lot production in 2013. Its product line will include door trims and instrument panels for the Shanghai VW SK371, the VW373 and the Touran NF built in Ningbo. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on January 20, 2013)
-Visteon Group announced that it has entered into an agreement with Huayu Automotive Systems Co., Ltd. (HASCO) to sell its 50 percent stake in Chinese joint venture Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. (YFV), as well as its direct interests in other related interiors joint ventures, to HASCO. Additionally, Visteon and HASCO agreed to modify their existing electronics ventures in China such that Visteon will obtain control of the majority of Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. (YFVE). The transactions are expected to be completed by June 2015. Visteon will receive cash payments of approximately USD 1.25 billion for the sale of its interests in YFV and other related interiors joint ventures, and will pay approximately USD 70 million to gain control of the majority of YFVE. The Company announced that it acquired a remaining 50 percent share in Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. at the end of December 2013. As a result, HUAYU Automotive Systems has turned the joint venture with Visteon into its wholly owned subsidiary, and changed the subsidiary’s name to Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. (From a press release on January 7, 2014)
-Halla Climate announced that it would acquire the automotive climate control business of the Visteon Group, its parent company. Halla Climate will invest a total of 439.1 billion won to purchase 18 companies engaged in vehicle air conditioning business, which will make it the second largest company in the global industry. The eighteen companies and the percentage to be transferred are as follows:Visteon Climate Control System (Chongqing) Co., Ltd.（Production company in China, 100.00%）; Visteon Climate Control (Nanchang) Co., Ltd.（Production company in China, 80.85%）; FAWER Visteon Climate Control System (Changchun) Company Limited（Production company in China, 50.00%）; Halla Climate Control (Dalian) Co., Ltd.（Production company in China, 24.90%）; Japan Climate Systems Corporation（Production company in Japan, 33.33%）; Visteon Japan Climate Ltd.（R&D center in Japan, 100.00%）; Visteon Climate Systems India Ltd. (Production company in India, 61.00%); etc. (Sales company in the Netherlands, 100.00%). (From a press release, January 11, 2013)
Pass the Review-Yanfeng Visteon Chongqing Xugang Electronics Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Visteon Group (China), was awarded the Ford Q1 certification. The award acknowledges suppliers for their production and delivery quality. Ford intends to promote collaboration between Ford and a supplier in quality control of products. With the certification, the company has officially become one of the global suppliers of Ford. (From press releases on December 2,2013)
-Yanfeng Visteon Chongqing Xugang Electronics, a subsidiary of Visteon, was awarded both the Excellent Quality Award and the Strategic Supplier Award from Changan Mazda in December 2013. (From a press release on January 15, 2014)
|Visteon China Technical Center(CTC)
|- The company integrates the group's engineering activities that focus on automotive interior and electronic parts in the Asia Pacific region. CTC will also focus on developing various products, some to be marketed globally and others to specific countries.
|- Visteon and Halla Climate Control (HCC) established a new facility in Shanghai to measure and test various air conditioner parts. The testing center is equipped with various measuring systems including an airflow meter, a noise and vibration measuring room for HVAC systems and cooling systems, and measuring devices for evaporators and heaters.
Investment in China
-Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems announced that its new plant in Ningbo started operating on October 22, 2013. The new facility locates in Hangzhouwan New area, Ningbo city, Zhejiang province. There are three subsidiaries of Yanfeng Visteon, namely, Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd. Ningbo Branch and Ningbo Yanfeng Johnson Controls Seating Co., Ltd.They will supply to Shanghai VW. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on November 4, 2013)
-Yanfeng Visteon Jinqiao Automotive Trim Systems, which is a subsidiary of Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd., will establish Yanfeng Visteon Wuhan Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. The new facility will be constructed on a 66,600-square-meter-site adjacent to the Wuhan Plant of Shanghai GM. The construction project will be carried out in two phases, and an interior trim plant will be completed in the first phase. It will be finished in June 2014 and expected to begin operations in January 2015. The plant will have the capacity to produce 300,000 sets of instrument panels, door panels, and CNSLs per year. (From press releases issued by multiple sources on September 24, 2013)
-Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd., which is a joint venture of the Visteon Group (China), will establish a new plant on a 37,600-square-meter site in Yantai, Shandong Province. The company is investing 210 million yuan in the first phase of the construction project, planning to start production operations in September 2014. The plant will have the capacity to produce 420,000 exterior systems a year. Once it reaches full-scale operation, it will be able to produce products worth 320 million yuan a year. (From a press release, July 1, 2013)


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Google, the technology giants are experimenting and researching so that a new fleet of fast drones can be designed to make delivery of packages easier. The drones will give the on the land traffic a wide berth and fly to reach the destinations in a much quicker time. The initiative is in direct competition to the online shopping giant Amazon.com
The latter has started using a self-flying device to deliver products bought by customers on its online shopping portal. On top of that they are challenging Google in its old citadel i.e., mobile computing, digital advertising and online video. Therefore the start of “Project Wing.” from Google. Of course the experiment is at a very initial stage and several more years are needed before effective drones can be started.
Till now the most successful initiative is when a drone flew one kilometer and delivered water, dog treats, candy bars and first aid boxes to two farmers. Only perfecting the technology is not enough, permission has to be taken from the governments of various countries fly the drones. In fact, last month only, Amazon had to take permission from Federal Aviation Administration to test their drones. Currently, only makers of model aircraft and hobbyists are allowed to fly drones.
This is the latest innovation from Google after self-driving cars, high-tech contact lens that monitors glucose levels in diabetics, Internet-beaming balloons called Project Loon, Internet-connected eyewear called Google Glass. “Project Wing” is being undertaken under the watchful eyes of Nick Roy, an aeronautics professor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In a pamphlet, Google said, “Self-flying vehicles could open up entirely new approaches to moving goods, including options that are cheaper, faster, less wasteful and more environmentally sensitive than what’s possible today.”


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‘Increase representation of women in economy’Experts have pointed out the need to increase the representation of women in the formal economy in order to increase their role in economic, environmental and social development.
Experts have pointed out the need to increase the representation of women in the formal economy in order to increase their role in economic, environmental and social development.
Speaking at the inaugural session of Across Barriers-International Business Women’s Summit organised by the South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) in Kathmandu, they called for greater representation of women in businesses and decision-making positions in the region. “Nepal has made impressive improvements towards gender equality with women holding key decision-making posts in the country,” said Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, addressing the inaugural session of the two-day event on Monday. “We are committed to increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship too.”
Pramila Acharya Rijal, president of the SAWDF, said the summit would offer a unique opportunity to hold business meetings with members of the visiting international business delegations from the Saarc and Asean regions and China.
“Prospects in tourism, information technology, agriculture and textiles will be explored during the two-day event,” said Rijal. “The main idea behind the event is to create awareness about entrepreneurship among women.”
The objective of the event, according to the organizer, is to bring people from different sectors to a single platform to share their skills and ideas. The event will also showcase different domestic and international products.
The summit aims to become a regional hub for networking and connecting women-led small and medium-sized enterprises to explore opportunities for cooperation and joint investments.


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Nissan has released two sketches of its new Global Compact Car. The new car will be launched in Thailand next March and eventually will be sold in 150 countries. This will replace the current Micra in Europe
Nissan hasn’t announced if the car will make it to the US where it would slot in below the Versa in Nissan’s lineup. Although from these sketches it’s much better looking than the Versa.
Nissan Unveils Sketch of its Future Global Compact Car
YOKOHAMA (Oct. 1, 2009) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today revealed the sketch of its global compact car. This model will be initially launched in Thailand in March 2010 and will be available in more than 150 countries.
At the same time, Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. announced that the model will qualify as Thailand’s first “Eco-car.” Thai Eco-car government policy is effective today and will help promote the development of energy efficient vehicles.


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The latest state of trade survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) shows that the third quarter of 2017 saw its members’ businesses grow for an 18th consecutive quarter, since Q2 2013, although the rate of growth has slowed marginally compared to Q2.
The percentage of businesses reporting rising workloads was to 37%, down from 39% three months ago; the percentage reporting lower workloads edged up to 16% from 15%.
Business expectations for the future have tempered, with just 41% of respondents predicting higher workloads, down from 48% in the previous quarter. Those expecting lower workloads grew, to 11% from 9%.
Other highlights of the survey findings include:
- 41% of construction SMEs predict rising workloads in the coming three months, down from 48% in the previous quarter.
- 82% of builders expect material prices to rise in the next six months;
- 61% of construction SMEs are struggling to hire carpenters and joiners and 59% are struggling to hire bricklayers;
- 58% of construction SMEs expect salaries and wages to increase in the next six months.
FMB chief executive Brian Berry said: “Material price hikes and skills shortages are putting the brakes on growth among the UK’s small building firms. Now that the general election is well and truly behind us, it was our hope that consumer confidence would spring back and spur growth among small building firms in the third quarter of this year. However, our latest research shows that rising costs are dampening the performance of construction SMEs. The spike in salaries is a direct result of the ever-worsening skills shortage in our sector. It’s a simple consequence of supply and demand – construction workers know their worth and given the scarcity of skilled tradespeople, these individuals are understandably demanding higher wages from their employers. Indeed, nearly two thirds of construction SMEs are struggling to hire carpenters and joiners which has now surpassed bricklayers as the trade in shortest supply.”


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Time for trademark practitioners to get their heads in the clouds
This week, WTR’s sister publication IAM spoke to Microsoft's chief IP officer Horacio Gutierrez, who views cloud computing as the future of the high tech industry. Importantly, when considering the challenges to intellectual property that this environment creates, Gutierrez predicts a growing role for trademark counsel in policing use of intellectual property.
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Nokia Sells New York Office and Loses 18M On It
May 21, 2012 | Windows Phone | No Comments|
Troubled Nokia is making the news today for liquidating one of it’s 27 US Office Properties in New York. The 102 Corporate Park Drive Office originally acquired for 30 million was just sold for only 12 million. Taking a 18 Million dollar loss is not a pleasant pill to swallow but it looks like that is Nokia’s best medicine these days is to cut the fat where ever possible. Losing 18M however is just a drop in the bucket for Nokia who posted a first quarter loss of 1.2 Billion and only got worse in the second quarter with a loss of 1.7 Billion.
[Lohud via BGR]


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Amazon Prime members get a selection of free games to play every month on Amazon Luna – here are the titles coming to the service in March and April 2022!
Amazon Luna has finally launched for everyone in the USA to use, and it has a huge selection of games to play.
Following in the footsteps of Xbox’s Game Pass and arriving before Sony’s improved gaming subscription service, Amazon Luna aims to become a mainstay of videogame streaming.
While the majority of games come as part of subscription-based channels that have a monthly cost, such as the Family Channel and Retro Channel, Luna is also offering free monthly games to any Amazon Prime members.
The Prime Gaming Channel on Luna gives Amazon Prime members a new selection of free games to play every month! Here are the new games coming to the service in March and April 2022!
Read More: Best Single Player Games Releasing in 2022
Free Luna Games For Amazon Prime Members
Prime Gaming Channel Games Lineup – March 2022
These games are available on the Amazon Luna Prime Gaming Channel until March 31:
- Devil May Cry 5
- Observer: System Redux
- Immortals Fenyx Rising (Only available March 8-15)
Also Read: PS Plus March 2022 Free Games Confirmed
Prime Gaming Channel Games Lineup – April 2022
These games will join Amazon Luna’s Prime Gaming Channel in April:
- The King of Fighters ’98: Ultimate Match Final Edition
- Amnesia: Rebirth
- Tracks: Toybox Edition
- Mortal Shell
Also Read: Best Multiplayer Games Releasing in 2022
And those are all of the games coming to Amazon Luna’s Prime Gaming Channel in March and April 2022. This is definitely a great bonus for existing Amazon Prime members!
Be sure to check out the Amazon Luna website for more details about the new games subscription service. It could become a serious competitor for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass over the next few months if it continues to offer great free games like these!
Also, make sure you don’t miss the best games releasing this year:


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Kohl’s Is Adding a Grocery Department. Here’s What We Know So Far.
Back in January, we heard that Kohl’s was looking to partner with a food retailer to help drive traffic to its stores. Department store execs have been tight-lipped on what exactly that means for shops and shoppers, but we’ve been poking around and here’s what we’ve managed to dig up so far.
1. Kohl’s has lots of space to give to this project.
There are more than 1,100 stores, with most of them clocking in between 80,000 and 90,000 square feet, in 49 states. And according to our friends at Cooking Light, “Kohl’s has been reducing the retail space in stores by an average of 10 percent to make room for grocers to move in.” That’s a lot of square footage that could be used for produce and cheese!
2. Kohl’s is going to partner with Aldi.
We had heard that the store was going to team up with an existing national supermarket brand. Although we had been hoping for a team-up with Amazon (Kohl’s has already partnered with Amazon — who owns Whole Foods — to accept Amazon returns), we just learned from FoodDIVE that it was made official this morning. Aldi will be placing up to 10 pilot locations inside Kohl’s stores later this year. We’re not too terribly upset, however, as we love Aldi, too!
More on Aldi
3. The grocery store will have a separate entrance.
The setup won’t look like your Super Walmart or Target shopping experience (where you can grab an avocado and then go look at picture frames). “Rather, the entrances to Kohl’s and to the tenant retailer would be separate, with interior walls separating the operations,” reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The paper goes on to say that two stores in Massachusetts already have a similar situation, with one tenant being a Pier 1 and other being a local supermarket. All that’s to say that this could very well feel more like a mini strip mall and less like a store integration. Unless, say, those Aldi stores take Kohl’s Cash?!
What are you hoping for?


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International Breweries suffered a foreign exchange loss of about N42 billion in the second quarter, which has swollen its N2.3 billion loss in the first quarter to N23.6 billion at half year.
This has further strained the company’s cost-income imbalance which is sustaining a stream of losses for the sixth year running. The brewing company built a net loss of N21.6 billion in 2022 – which it has already exceeded by half a year.
The company’s half-year unaudited financial report at the end of June 2023 shows some steps in improving sales and getting costs under check with a fair chance of breaking even at least.
The profit hopes however faded with the change in fortune from an unrealized net foreign exchange gain of N7.6 billion in the same quarter last year to the huge loss in the second quarter.
There is an upturn in sales from a drop of 5.4 percent in the first quarter to an increase of 15 percent to N61.7 billion in the second quarter.
Improving sales was supported by the easing of production costs which have been a major squeeze on earnings. Cost of sales grew by about the same margin as sales revenue in the second quarter compared to the first quarter when it rose by 10.3 percent against the drop in sales.
The favourable development changed the reading from a 43 percent fall in gross profit to N9.6 billion in the first quarter to an increase of 13.6 percent to N14.4 billion in the second quarter.
Management kept administrative and marketing expenses flat at N12.7 billion in the second quarter but the exchange loss changed the earnings story from a fragile improvement in operating activities to a massive swelling of pre-tax loss from only N32 million in the same quarter in 2022 to over N37 billion in the second quarter.
An income tax credit of N16 billion for the second quarter lowered the company’s net loss figure to N21 billion for the period.
The company’s six months position shows a turnover of N116 billion, which is a moderate improvement of N4.7 billion over the closing figure of N111.4 billion in the same period last year.
Cost of sales however grew close to three times faster with an increase of N13.3 billion to N92 billion over the same period. The cost-income imbalance slashed gross profit by N8.6 billion to stand at N24 billion in half a year.
With some headway in cost control, administrative and marketing costs went down by N2 billion to N22.7 billion with further strong support coming from a three-time jump in finance income to N6.4 billion.
That shows some progress from the first quarter position where gross profit was insufficient to meet administrative and marketing/distribution expenses.
However, driven by the foreign exchange loss, a drop of 37.6 percent in other expenses to N2.6 billion in the first quarter took a bad turn to a massive swelling from N2.4 billion in the same period last year to N35.9 billion in half a year.
The result is a huge operating loss of N34.7 billion at the end of half year operations, down from an operating profit of N5.4 billion in the same period in 2022. The figure is already well above the operating loss of N21 billion the company incurred at the end of last year.
The rapid growth of 128 percent in finance cost to over N13 billion added to the pressure during the period with net finance cost advancing by 88 percent to N6.7 billion at the end of June 2023.
International Breweries’ borrowings continue to grow from over N194 billion at the end of last year to N215.6 billion at the end of the first quarter and further to 361 billion at the half year in addition to lease liabilities of N13.6 billion.
The company closed half-year operations with a pre-tax loss of N41.4 billion, swelling from N4.1 billion in the first quarter and down from a pre-tax profit of N1.8 billion in the same period last year.
A tax credit of N17.8 billion erased a good part of the loss, leaving a net loss of N23.6 billion for shareholders in half a year.
The company closed the half-year operations with a loss of 88 kobo per share against earnings per share of 1 kobo in the same period in 2022.


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Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced a partnership with the Department of Telecom to boost broadband penetration in rural India by piloting Broadband Experience Centres based on the government's BharatNet infrastructure. Under the tie-up, Airtel has set up three Broadband Experience Centres in rural areas in Uttar Pradesh, and has committed to partner with BharatNet in up to 30,500 gram panchayats.
As of now, the new Airtel broadband experience centres have been setup in Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi districts. The Sunil Mittal-driven telco says that these centres will enable citizens and local entrepreneurs to experience high speed broadband connectivity. They will also be provided access to use cases relating to e-governance, e-health and e-banking and e-commerce, and more. Airtel says that these centres in future will also demonstrate advanced technologies and use cases around Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things.
Furthermore, Airtel claims to be providing 100Mbps speeds in the broadband experience centres through infrastructure provided under DoT's BharatNet programme. Additionally, Airtel has partnered with Jiva Ayurveda (online health consultations), Takshilla E-Learning Services (educational content services), and Amazon (for Amazon Echo smart speakers) to provide other digital and web based services.
"Access to broadband is a key enabler of inclusive economic growth and social wellbeing of rural inhabitants. We are pleased to support the commendable initiatives by the DoT to ensure broadband access for every Indian and in particular building the infrastructure backbone under BharatNet. The Broadband Experience Centers established by Airtel in partnership with DoT riding on BharatNet infrastructure will will open the doors to the digital world for millions of Indians and unlock several exciting opportunities for them," said Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel.
Additionally, at the Airtel broadband experience centres, users can experience Amazon Echo, the Alexa-powered voice-controlled smart speaker that allow users to request information, answers, play music, read the news, get weather updates, control smart home devices using voice commands.
"Early access to technology, content and the Internet has the proven potential to enrich lives. It breaks down barriers of technical know-how and language. We are pleased to collaborate with Airtel and DoT to introduce users in Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi with the latest in voice technology from Amazon Echo smart speakers," said Jayshree Gururaj, Director - Amazon Devices.
Under BharatNet, the government plans to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayat villages with optical fibre connectivity. In the first phase, one lakh villages have been claimed to be connected with optical fibre for providing broadband connectivity to users. In the second phase of the project, the government aims to connect 1.5 lakh more gram panchayats, and is targeted to be completed by March 2019.
To recall, in November last year, the government had launched Phase II of BharatNet project through which it aims to provide high-speed broadband connections to all panchayats by the end of 2019. As a part of the project, all major telecom players like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Vodafone India had given cheques to the government to hire infrastructure in gram panchayats to provide broadband services.


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Recycled fishnets and industrial thread waste are used in the production of some parts of the brand’s RecycledNet ovens. By transforming waste into sustainable materials used in the door décor plastic, display cover and inner display cover, Beko has elevated its offering within the range.
A selection of RecycledNet appliances include Beko’s AeroPerfect technology, which distributes hot air evenly throughout the oven, delivering faster, more even cooking results. Select models also include automatic cleaning functions and ‘smart features’, meaning consumers can connect to the AeroPerfect Oven via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth using the Homewhiz App.
Up to 60 recycled 0.5L PET bottles were used in the production of the tubs of Beko’s RecycledTub Washing Machines and Washer Dryers. Select models from the range also feature AquaTech technology, which delivers washes that are up to 50 per cent faster yet 50 per cent more gentle, the company said.
A recent Europe-wide survey by Beko revealed that 85 per cent of consumers adopted at least one lifestyle change to be more sustainable in the last year, a subject at the forefront of many minds; the results also found that when asked what they could do to protect the planet, the top choice for all respondents was to purchase sustainable products.
Vijay Bhardwaj, Marketing Director at Beko UK and Ireland, said that healthy living is only possible on a healthy planet.
“As our survey has shown, an increased proportion of us are taking steps to ensure we are more sustainable. We believe making more sustainable appliance choices should be more accessible, which is why we’re continually working to make our portfolio more environmentally friendly, whilst still pocket friendly. This further solidifies our position as an industry pioneer in sustainability and developing products that tackle the challenges facing our planet today, protecting the environment for future generations.”


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Food ministers sign off on new star labelling scheme
The troubled Health Star Rating system for food labelling has been signed off by food and health ministers from the Australian Federal, State and Territory governments.
Australian food and beverage manufacturers were ready for the announcement last Friday, with several food companies quick to announce that they would begin using the Health Star Rating system.
For more information about how the Health Star Ratings system could be used advantageously, food and beverage manufacturers are invited to attend the upcoming FoodLegal Symposium where food law expert and consultant Charles Fisher will speak on this topic. The FoodLegal Symposium is co-sponsored byFoodLegal, Monash University and Australian Food News.
Health Star Rating system details
The Health Star Rating System was signed off as part of a meeting of the Legislative and Governance Forum of Food Regulation which took place in Sydney late last week. The Forum consists of all Australian and New Zealand Ministers responsible for food regulation and is chaired by the Australian Government Assistant Minister for Health, Senator the Honorable Fiona Nash.
The Forum agreed that the Health Star Rating system should be implemented voluntarily over the next five years with a review of the progress of implementation after two years with a commencement date of 27 June 2014. The Forum said the implementation time-frame had been extended to enable cost effective implementation and the potential for food reformulation and consultation with small and medium sized enterprises.
The Ministers considered two new reports on the impact of the Health Star Ratings system on food and beverage businesses. The Forum was presented with a cost benefit analysis prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which explored the cost borne by industry, governments and non-government organisations and the potential benefits to public health with the voluntary introduction of the Health Star Ratings system; and the findings of an independent qualitative study by the Centre for International Economics on the impact of the Health Star Ratings system for small business. The PricewaterhouseCoopers report and the study by the Centre for International Economics will be available on the Food Regulation website.
To support the implementation of the voluntary Health Star Ratings system system, the Forum said an education campaign was close to being finalised. The Health Star Ratings system website will be launched when the education campaign has been finalised. The website and campaign will inform both consumers and industry to encourage their participation in the initiative.
To ensure industry can adopt the system without delay, the Forum agreed that the Health Star Ratings system style guide and calculator will be made available on the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council website.
The Forum also endorsed a process for the Health Star Ratings system Advisory Committee to consider potential anomalies identified in relation to the Health Star Ratings system Calculator, where a star rating may be inconsistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines or when its use to make comparisons within a food category or across comparable food categories the star rating may mislead consumers.
The Forum welcomed the announcement from New Zealand to join the voluntary Health Star Ratings system.
AFGC welcomes changes to food rating system implementation
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has welcomed the outcome the Forum’s meeting, saying the “constructive approach” taken by the Assistant Minister for Health Senator Fiona Nash and the Department in working with the food industry on the development of the proposed Health Star Rating scheme had resulted in “significant improvements” to the scheme.
AFGC Chief Executive Mr Gary Dawson said the AFGC had been a strong supporter of clear front-of-pack nutritional information to better inform consumer choice, with its development of the Daily Intake Guide, which now appears on more than 7000 products.
“The improved design of the Health Star Rating scheme, flexibility around its introduction and acknowledgement that it can coexist with existing front of pack schemes such as the Daily Intake Guide and the Heart Foundation Tick, are significant improvements,” Mr Dawson said.
“In addition there is acceptance that it can be expensive for cash strapped companies to adopt major labelling changes and therefore a voluntary approach with an extended five year implementation period has been adopted,” Mr Dawson said. “Ultimately it will be up to food companies to assess the scheme and determine whether or not they adopt it,” he said.
Mr Dawson said the AFGC supported the right of food and beverage companies to make their own assessment about whether to adopt the Health Star Ratings system, given “ongoing concerns about aspects of the calculator used to determine a food’s star rating, and anomalies with respect to some food categories”. He said the AFGC would also continue to support the Daily Intake Guide.
Food companies announce adoption of Health Star Ratings
Several Australian food and beverage companies have already announced that they will adopt the Health Star Ratings system.
Family-owned Australian food manufacturer Monster Health Food Co (Monster), which was the first food company to implement the Health Star Ratings system, has announced that it will expand the labelling system to include a third product. Australian Food News reported in April 2014 that the Company had announced it would introduce the Health Star Ratings system to some of its packaging. Monster said the consumer response to the packaging had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“The response from consumers and retailers alike has been overwhelmingly and universally positive,” said Trevor Lauman, Co-owner of Monster Health Food Co. “This was both philosophically and commercially the right move for us,” he said.
Supermarket group Woolworths has also announced it will implement the Health Star Ratings system on its own brand ranges, including Homebrand, Select, Macro and Gold.
General Manager of Supermarket Operations, Pat McEntee, said Woolworths is committed to working with the federal government to implement the scheme.
“This is another step in Woolworths desire to inspire a healthier Australia,” Mr McEntee said. “Our partnership with global healthy food campaigner Jamie Oliver, our commitment to providing quality affordable fresh food and groceries and now this rating scheme all help our customers make better decisions about the food they buy for their families,” he said.
Woolworths said the changes to packaging would be rolled out across thousands of Woolworths products. Labels will be redesigned and packaging changed, with Woolworths saying it would work to ensure this was done quickly without causing disruption to its customers and its growers and suppliers.
Food manufacturer Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing has also welcomed the introduction of the Health Star Rating system, saying it would adopt the new Health Star Rating system across Sanitarium’s entire product range, including market-leading products Weet-Bix and Up&Go.
“The Health Star Rating system will benefit consumers by assisting them in making healthier choices for themselves and their families, and that’s reason enough for us to get involved,” said Todd Saunders, General Manager, Sanitarium Australia. “This is a major preventative health initiative which offers an opportunity for the food and beverage industry to significantly contribute to improving the health of our nation,” he said.
“We know Australians trust Sanitarium products and by providing transparent and easy to understand information through the Health Star Rating system, we are continuing to deliver on the trust consumers place in us and our brands,” Mr Saunders said.
Sanitarium said Health Star Ratings would begin appearing on its products over the next few months.
CHOICE calls on food manufacturers to embrace Health Star Ratings
Meanwhile, consumer group CHOICE has called on all food manufacturers to start rolling out the Health Star Ratings on products.
“CHOICE is today calling on food companies to ditch the dodgy Daily Intake Guide and embrace the Health Star Rating to help consumers make informed decisions about what they eat,” said Alan Kirkland, CHOICE CEO.
“Now that ministers have given the final sign off to the Health Star Rating Scheme, responsibility shifts to food manufacturers to start rolling out the star ratings on their product ranges,” Mr Kirkland said. “There is a great PR opportunity waiting for the early adopters, as we’ve seen with Monster Health Food Co which rolled out the first star rating in April,” he said.
Food and beverage companies hoping to implement the Health Star Rating system are encouraged to attend the upcoming FoodLegal Symposium, co-sponsored by Monash University and Australian Food News. At the Symposium, food law expert and consultant Charles Fisher will be talking about the opportunities for food and beverage companies in the new Health Star Rating system. Find out more here.


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Articles in Category: Events
Established in 2009, Pet Plast India has witnessed 300% growth year-over-year. With focus on innovation and latest technology, the company is known for manufacturing feature-rich products meeting national and international standards.
Pune-based Pratham Technologies demonstrated a whole host of solutions and technologies are the just concluded Pamex 2017.
Taking place in Paris from 7-8 February, Pharmapack Europe will be the premier destination for pharma companies and CMOs searching for alternative serialization solutions.
Mumbai-based Advanced Graphics System is a supplier of color measurement and management solutions. The company represents some of the leading brands from across the world.
Michelman continues to strengthen its commitment to the Indian market with the launch of a new website www.michelman.in. The site focuses specifically on the needs of the Indian packaging market and highlights its major investment, the


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It’s no secret that the retail industry is evolving rapidly due to shifting consumer preferences and new technologies. But the truth is, retail has always been in a constant state of change, and throughout all the industry’s twists and turns over the past several decades, retailers have evolved and thrived.
It’s important to look at the big picture. Retail contributes $2.6 trillion to annual GDP and drives the nation’s economy, but for years, we’ve seen sensationalist headlines about a so-called “retail apocalypse.” The latest wave of coverage was sparked by a UBS report projecting that retailers must close 75,000 stores by 2026 due to ecommerce. . . . more


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As e-hailing drivers in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos continue to boycott the Uber app following a clampdown by the state’s Ministry of Transportation, the e-hailing company is offering drivers on its app a 10% raise in their earnings. This is according to a communication sent to drivers and seen by this reporter.
According to the message, starting from April 2 2024, the company will be offering UberX drivers an increase of 10 per cent on both per kilometre fare and per minute fare.
“From April 2nd 2024, we will be reflecting increased fares on the UberX product to give you the best possible earning opportunity. Weekday and weekend fare: Per kilometre fare: 10% increase. Per minute fare: 10% increase,” the message reads.
Although the company said the increase was due to “the current macroeconomic situation”, most of the drivers who spoke to this reporter believe it remains a ploy to get drivers returning back to the platform.
Uber’s run-in with the Lagos State government
This development is coming weeks after e-hailing drivers operating in Lagos state threatened to boycott the Uber app following a clampdown by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation. According to the ministry, the clampdown was because the company refused to provide access to its database through API integration with the ministry.
Therefore the ministry decided to take action against the e-hailing company. Unfortunately, it was the drivers, styled independent contractors, that were bearing the brunt of the clampdowns as their vehicles were summarily impounded. According to one driver, the agents of the ministry lured unsuspecting drivers by booking a ride on the e-hailing company’s platform and accosting the drivers when they came for the pickup.
“If Uber has a problem with the government, we drivers are not supposed to be affected. I’m not an Uber staff, I don’t work for them. I only use their app. So it’s surprising to me now that my vehicle is impounded, my tyres deflated, and nobody could explain the reason this thing is happening to me,” Sunday said.
Following the ministry’s refusal to stop clamping down on vehicles and Uber’s hesitation to grant full access to its database through API integration in accordance with global best practices on privacy, the drivers have become more wary about using the app, especially around Ikeja and other business and administrative districts.
Indeed, in a communication by the spokesperson of the Lagos state chapter of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) seen by this reporter, drivers operating in the state were advised to either avoid flashpoints or to boycott the Uber app entirely to avoid falling victim of the government’s clampdown.
“As a responsible union, we aim to protect our members from the subjugation of this app company and the Lagos government. Therefore, we recommend temporarily ceasing the use of the Uber app,” the statement said.
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At the new Tesla plant in the PRC, serial production of electric cars of the brand has begun. This is evidenced by photos posted by the manufacturer on the local social network Weibo. The owners of the first fifteen Model 3 sedans that rolled off the Gigafactory 3 conveyor were plant employees, two of whom decided to get engaged right at the car transfer ceremony.
Full-scale shipments of the Tesla Model 3 with Made in China plates should begin soon. According to the resource Electrek, hundreds of electric sedans have already left the assembly line of the plant. As stated earlier by the head of Tesla, Elon Musk, the transfer of cars to customers is one of the company’s priorities.
The company will build another plant in the German capital, in the vicinity of the new airport. Apart from the assembly plant in the Netherlands, Gigafactory 4 will be the first full-fledged European plant of the American brand. It will release a new Model Y crossover, as well as power plants and batteries.
The main auto industry of Tesla is still the California plant Gigafactory 1, where they produce power plants for Model 3 and traction batteries. Gigafactory 2 in New York specializes in the production of solar panels.


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AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said in January that AT&T’s first mobile 5G device would be a “puck.” Today AT&T took the wraps off that gadget: It’s the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot.
AT&T disclosed the news in its announcement that it successfully completed “the world’s first millimeter wave mobile 5G browsing session with a standards-based device on a mobile 5G network” last night in Waco, Texas.
“The browsing session was on what will be a commercially available 5G device—the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot,” AT&T said. “This is the first standards-based mobile 5G device in the world able to access a live millimeter wave 5G network.”
An AT&T spokesperson confirmed to FierceWireless that the Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot will be AT&T’s first mobile 5G device, and that it is the “puck” Stephenson was referring to in January.
AT&T didn’t disclose much information about the Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot other than that it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Most likely, the device broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal for local users and connects to AT&T’s 5G (and likely LTE network) to get to the internet.
The Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot is noteworthy in that it can support mobile 5G services in AT&T’s millimeter-wave spectrum. 5G technology represents the first time major mobile operations for consumers have been transmitted in millimeter-wave spectrum.
AT&T has promised to launch mobile 5G services on the 3GPP’s specification in a dozen cities by the end of this year.
Verizon already launched its own 5G service this month, 5G Home, in millimeter-wave spectrum, but that service is designed for fixed applications and not mobile services. Meaning, users must install a 5G router inside or outside their home or office, and then they access the service through a stationary Wi-Fi connection. Verizon has promised to launch mobile 5G services next year.


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Ford has finally opened the order books for the face-lifted Aspire. Here’s everything you need to know about the updated compact sedan.
Ford India has officially opened bookings for its face-lifted Aspire ahead of its launch date of October the 4th. Bookings can be made by making an initial payment of Rs. 11,000 at any of Ford’s 400 authorised dealerships across the country. The intent behind the launch of the face-lifted Ford Aspire is to give the car a fresh lease of life with reworked styling, more equipment and a new 1.2 litre petrol engine that we have seen make its debut in the Freestyle crossover.
The updated Aspire compact sedan will feature styling updates in the form of new front and rear bumpers, a new chrome plated front grille, restyled headlamps and new alloy wheels. Unfortunately, the face-lift will not equip the new Aspire with LED headlamps like those of the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire. Where the Aspire will come up to speed with the segment though will be with its new touchscreen infotainment system that will offer Ford’s Sync3 connectivity.
As for the new engine, the Aspire with its update will lose the earlier model's, four-cylinder, 1.2 litre petrol engine and instead will come fitted with the company’s new 1.2, three-cylinder, 12-valve petrol motor from its Dragon series of engines. This new three-pot motor generates more power and torque than the unit it replaces with on-paper figures being rated at 95bhp and 120Nm. The new engine will also raise the car’s ARAI fuel efficiency figure from the current 18.16 km/l figure. The car will continue to be offered with a five-speed manual gearbox. The petrol automatic version of the Aspire will get an update too as the current four-cylinder, 1.5 litre engine will be dropped for a new 1.5 litre, three-cylinder, Dragon Series motor that has been fitted to the updated EcoSport automatic as well. This new engine will finally see the old double clutch autobox be junked in favour of a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The new 1.5 engine itself is rated at 121bhp and 150Nm.
“The New Ford Aspire has been tailor-made for those who don’t follow the crowds, desire beyond the ordinary and want more out of their car experience. They are driven by a desire to lead and make their own mark,” said Rahul Gautam, vice president - Marketing at Ford India.
Expect prices of the car to go up slightly with the launch of the new model.


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Google always plans ahead. Perhaps that is the reason why despite the recent release of the Nexus 7, reports about the 2014 edition started springing up already. Nexus devices always make it a habit to deliver excellent features without asking for high prices. This very factor sustains the interest of the market over the product line. So what does Google have in store for their 2014 Nexus 7?
One of the most interesting topics about the 2014 Nexus 7 is who will Google tap to create the product. The third generation Nexus 7 deal is a great deal because the first two generations were a success. Some sources say it will still be Asus.
There is no point in hiring another contractor if the original developer made the two generations such a success. Google do not have to gamble anymore if they will go for Asus. Asus has the experience and ability to deliver a similar product.
However, the likes of LG, HTC and Lenovo may have their chance. LG already got a contract for the Nexus phone. A tablet counterpart is not as impossible. According to analysts, creating a slate counterpart will make the Nexus line more coherent. It makes sense to create homogenous products similar to Apple.
The compatibility will be better. LG slate and phone can deliver a truly Google and Android experience.
Similar to the first and second generation Nexus 7, the market should not expect clear-cut or detailed information until the last minute. Google has a habit of surprising people until the launching. Analysts and tech sources are just forecasting the next move of the tech giant similar to other companies.
One report said, LG's G Pad 8.3 appeared to be a test run of something major. It can be the next Nexus 7 in the works but analysts are left only to speculate. Analysts are still not convinced about HTC because the company has not proven itself worth in the tablet arena. Their smartphone still needs more improvement.
LG and Asus remain the top contenders for the 2014 Google Nexus 7. People will have to wait for Google's official announcement.
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One of Australia’s largest supermarkets has warned Victoria’s new strict lockdowns could lead to national food shortages and more panic buying.
The supermarket, who has not been named, made an appeal to Scott Morrison through the Supermarkets Tasforce, which includes Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Metcash, according to The Australian.
The supermarket fears Stage Four restrictions for businesses, which will come into place on Friday, will severely limit the productivity of abattoirs and food distribution centres.
The possible lack of produce could force residents to have to visit stores more frequently, they said, according to the publication.
Shopping for essentials is one of four reasons people can leave their homes within Melbourne, and only one person from each household is allowed to go each day.
Panic buying has already been seen in stores across the city, but the Supermarket Taskforce fears that could spread nationwide.
Numerous social media users have posted images online of empty shelves and shared their concerns over missing meat products.
One tweeted there was “virtually no meat on the shelves”.
Woolworths reintroduced product limits on numerous items, including fresh produce, toilet paper and toiletries, in Victoria on August 2 and once again asked customers to only purchase what they need.
On the same day, Coles announced further purchase limits on mince meat, chicken breasts and chicken thighs, in addition to limits on hand sanitiser and face masks.
Mr Morrison said the federal government had passed on full and frank advice from business groups, agreeing that reducing critical food suppliers could have knock-on effects for supply chains in other parts of the country.
— Kathryn Powley (@KathrynPowley) August 2, 2020
During a press conference on Thursday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was adamant the state's aggressive lockdown will not trigger shortages.
He said he has struck a delicate balance as the state tries to squash its coronavirus cases.
“A lot of work has gone into driving down staff levels but, at the same time, protecting the amount of product that will be on supermarket shelves," he said.
"That's our aim. That's what we think we can confidently deliver."
Business leaders held crisis talks with the state government on Wednesday night over fears of a shortage.
In response, supermarket distribution centres and medical warehouses will have an extra two days to comply with restrictions.
From midnight on Sunday they will be forced to reduce capacity by a third.
Red meat processors will switch to 66 per cent, while abattoirs with 25 or fewer staff will be exempt.
Poultry will only fall to 80 per cent capacity in a bid to avoid birds being destroyed but not processed, which would have sparked significant chicken shortages.
Mr Andrews said everything would be done to make sure essentials were on the shelf.
"I can't guarantee that every cut of meat that you might want, in the quantity that you might want it, will be there," Mr Andrews said.
"But we're doing everything we can to strike that really challenging balance."
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Fraser McKevitt, head of Retail and Consumer Insight for the Kentar Worldpanel, also said that a further 26 percent of respondents were considering stockpiling groceries.
The survey was based on the responses of 7,008 adults in the United Kingdom and conducted on February 1-4.
The United Kingdom is due to exit the European Union on March 29. If the UK parliament does not secure a deal with Europe by this deadline, it will be forced to exit the bloc without having tax regulations in place to control the exchange of goods between the United Kingdom and the European Union. According to Marc Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, in this drastic scenario, food prices could go up by 10 percent nationwide.


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Black Screen Records have just announced that they will be releasing the soundtrack to Divinity: Original Sin II on vinyl,
The release will be a 2LP and will be housed in a gatefold jacket with game art. It will be available in 3 color variants – red/black starburst, gold, and black. It also comes with sheet music and a digital download code.
This will be included as the first title in Black Screen Records’ Mystery Bundle #3.
The release is priced at €30 (or €27 for black) and is scheduled to release in late April 2018. It can be preordered now from Black Screen Records’ shop here.


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KUALA LUMPUR, 1 NOVEMBER 2023: The Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) organised the “Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) Competency Training” for Malaysian Inbound China Association (MICA) members at Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur from 1 to 3 November 2023.
This was a follow-through on the highly productive sales mission in China last September organised by Tourism Malaysia and led by YB Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), during which the Muslim tourist market potential was observed.
Some 25 enthusiastic MICA members signed up for the training programme to elevate their understanding of the Muslim tourist market and tap into the opportunities in China, where the population of Muslims is estimated to stand at 30 million.
At the peak of tourism in 2019, before the pandemic, Malaysia attracted 5.3 million Muslim tourists whose spending contributed RM16.7 billion to the economy. Of that figure, 56,057 were Muslim tourists from China spending RM275.9 million.
YB Khairul Firdaus said: “I am confident that we can do better, especially with ITC driving the efforts of strengthening the MFTH ecosystem, JAKIM providing assurance on Halal food, Tourism Malaysia stepping up promotional efforts, and tourism industry players such as MICA delivering the products and services that are in demand.”
Being ranked at the top of the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023 for the eighth year in a row, Malaysia stands poised to be the ultimate destination for the Chinese Muslim market, fulfilling all of its travel needs.
“The opportunity we see in the Chinese Muslim tourist market is also the direction that we are taking to ensure the sustainability of our tourism industry,” YB Khairul Firdaus added.
Nizran Noordin, Director-General of ITC said: “We are pleased that MICA has embarked on the path to gain a deeper understanding of MFTH. Although the importance of Halal in enhancing the travel experience for Muslim tourists is a key factor, this training also provides insights into the role of communication, and sustainable practices, as well as standards and certifications within MFTH. ITC looks forward to offering similar training opportunities for other parties interested.”
The training programme included lectures and briefings on the Muslim tourist market potential, Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH), as well as industry standards and guidelines set forth by ITC. Additionally, technical tours to tourist attractions and MFAR (Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition) certified hotels offered a practical understanding of how these concepts were applied in the field. Participants also engaged in a group-work presentation and assessment for an immersive learning experience on the last day of the training programme.
About the Islamic Tourism Centre
Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) is an entity under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia, tasked to develop the Islamic Tourism segment for Malaysia. It advocates for Muslim-friendly tourism (MFT) by offering research and market intelligence, training, industry development consultation, Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) services standards and recognition, and information exchange.
Malaysia was named the top country in the region in the MFTH sector by the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) Report 2022. The country also retained the top-ranked destination in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023, a position it has defended since the launch of the Index in 2015. In the same year, Malaysia was recognised as the Top Muslim-Friendly Destination of the Year (OIC) and the Top Muslim Women-Friendly Destination of the Year in Halal in Travel Awards 2023.
In addition, ITC was named the recipient of the Strategic Business Alliance Award at The BrandLaureate World Halal Best Brand E-Branding Awards 2021. It is a recognition of ITC’s efforts and endeavours in formulating new strategies to meet the new normal of the business environment to ensure business continuity and sustainability, notwithstanding its role in developing and growing the Islamic tourism segment in Malaysia.
These recognitions are an added motivation for ITC to continue to strengthen its efforts in being a prime mover and leading institution to ensure Malaysia is at the forefront of MFTH.
For further details, kindly email firstname.lastname@example.org or the following individuals:
Anis Ramli, Corporate Communications Unit, ITC at 012 321 9137
Nadhirah Aripin, Corporate Communications Unit, ITC at 019 356 0530
Ainaa Izzati, Corporate Communications Unit, ITC at 010 266 2535
Khairul Iman, Corporate Communications Unit, ITC at 013 289 2609
Islamic Tourism Centre,
Level 13, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia
No. 2 Tower 1, Jalan P5/6,
Precinct 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: 03-8891 7177 or via email email@example.com
Follow ITC on these social platforms:
Facebook: Islamic Tourism Centre
YouTube: Islamic Tourism Centre