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Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced the supercar ‘Roadster’ and a workhouse truck Tesla Semi to widen the U.S. market for electric vehicles on Thursday night.
The event held at Hawthorne Municipal Airport, Los Angeles was meant to be all about the Tesla Semi, however, at the end of the show Musk surprised the crowd by announcing there was one more thing to unveil. Following Musk’s announcement, a brand new Roadster rolled out of the truck’s trailer.
A huge crowd – including interested buyers and already holders of Tesla cars – was seated to witness the unveiling event.
The electric truck can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in just five seconds and haul 80,000 pounds. The truck has a 500-mile range when fully charged. The Semi will have a 400-mile range by plugging into one of Tesla’s fast-chargers, just for 30 minutes.
The key difference between Tesla’s Semi and other traditional diesel-powered equivalents is the incredible interior. Unlike other trucks, the driver seat, which is hydraulic, is placed in the center of the Semi and sett more forward.
Two touchscreens are placed on either side of the steering wheel displaying navigation information, cabin controls and multimedia (the same screens used in the Model 3).
There aren’t any wing mirrors present, which Tesla explained is just a vision of how the vehicles might look in future when laws recognize cameras as being able to replace much of the functionality as compared to basic mirrors.
The windshield that provides a much-unobstructed view of the road is made of “thermonuclear explosion proof glass” according to Musk.
The vehicle is semi-autonomous, qualified to keep lane and apply brakes on its own.
— Tesla (@Tesla) 17 November 2017
The production of Semi is expected to begin in 2019 followed by the first deliveries of the vehicle in the very same year. Musk said that anyone ordering the Semi now will get the truck in two years. Yet, the price for the Tesla Semi hasn’t been revealed.
Trucking and freight company J.B Hunt announced on the morning after the unveiling that it had placed an order for “multiple Tesla Semi tractors.”
The latest version of Tesla’s original sportscar Roadster was surprisingly unveiled near the end of the event causing the already electrified crowd to cheer loudly.
Musk said that it is “the fastest production car ever made”, that takes itself from 0 to 60 within 1.9 seconds. The Roadster will be able to handle a quarter mile in just 8.9 seconds.
“This is the base model,” Musk said before mentioning that its top speed is “above 250 mph”. The car will have a range of 630 miles offered by a 200kWh battery pack.
“It’ll be faster than that jet over there” Musk said as an airplane soared over the hypnotized crowd.
The sports car with a definitive unique design has three motors, all-wheel drive and torque steering.
Going into plaid pic.twitter.com/OUU9s7CUwI
— Tesla (@Tesla) 17 November 2017
Roadster will be available in 2020 with a starting price of $200,000. However, the first 1,000 sold being the Founder’s Series models will retail for $250,000 per piece.
The red beauty ripped the runway at the hangar, mesmerizing everyone that watched after it came to a stop. Reservation for the Roadster can be made with a deposit of $50,000 within 10 days.
Musk had always been ambitious coming up with visionary new plans for Tesla, which the company successfully puts into effect.
“These are just concept vehicles, really, but it’s Tesla, and nothing is really ever as it seems,” wrote Andrew J. Hawkins about the Roadster and Semi.
Also Read: SpaceX’s Top Secret Zuma mission Launch


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By Desk FnF | PUBLISHED: 17, Nov 2018, 10:55 am IST | UPDATED: 17, Nov 2018, 10:57 am IST
Bengaluru: Something is not quite right at the county’s e-com rockstar, Flipkart, after it hit a $16 billion Walmart jackpot in May this year.
If sheer data is anything go by, over 6,500 employees of Flipkart and its subsidiaries, including Myntra, Jabong, PhonePe and Ekart, are actively job hunting on the country’s top notch career site, Naukri.com.
A research found that some 5,275 Flipkart employees, across all profiles and seniorities, have floated their CVs on the portal of which 2,031 are from the company’s home-town, Bangalore. If you take a close look at the profiles of these applications, some 188 are senior professionals and directors (deputy, senior, associate) earning above `30 lakh plus per annum.
Some 700 employees of Myntra and 519 employees of Jabong, the fashion and lifestyle brands of Flipkart, too have posted their CVs on the job portal. These job seekers include 27 and 16 senior execs from Myntra and Jabong respectively.
Though strange, it looks like almost 50 per cent of Jabong employees are on a career search. Some of these profiles include logistics, testing, business analysis, software development and data analysis.
Meanwhile refuting media reports of a possible exit of Ananth Narayanan, the CEO of Myntra and Jabong, the company said he will continue to lead the team.
Interestingly, some 80 per cent of these job applications have come on the portal in the last two to three months, observe recruiters. Also, the number of Flipkart employee profiles out in the job market could only go up if other job portals and career platforms are researched, say recruiters.
B.S. Murthy a top tech hirer and CEO of Leadership Capital said, “Looks like India’s e-com poster boy Flipkart is heading towards a serious attrition issue if employee concerns and career future issues are not addressed immediately.’’
A senior Flipkart executive said, “Prior to the Walmart deal, there was a lot of hype and hope about being part of a global giant. Few employees are positive now.’’
Internal sources say, a bunch of senior execs in Binny’s coterie may be asked to leave by CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy.
With reference to the recent speculation about a half of Jabong’s workforce would get pink slips, the temp staffing firm TeamLease said this move was just an indication and outcome of the merger.
by : Priti Prakash
At the SCO Samarkand summit 2022 when Indian Prime Minister Modi spoke of the importance of dialogue...

domain: news


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Gleaming freezers hum in the glass-partitioned kitchen at the back of the new MilkMade Tasting Room (204 Sackett Street, Brooklyn; 347-422-0879). This is the first brick-and-mortar location of Diana Hardeman’s popular ice cream delivery service, which hands off two pints of crafted frozen treats every month, directly to New Yorkers’ doors.
With her bubbly, bright smile, Hardeman is almost too perfectly cast in her role as “‘scream” maker. During a Voice visit to the store a few days before opening, people were already popping their heads in the door hopefully, no doubt lured by the promise of frozen strawberry shortcake or pretzel peanut butter.
The new kitchen is something of a game-changer. Previously, MilkMade was operated out of a commissary kitchen in Long Island City, and more recently, as part of a kitchen share with Melt Bakery.
Not the Tasting Room’s ice cream counter can offer samples fresh out of the freezer, no subscription necessary. “It was wonderful serendipity — a great chance to grow our business and share our ice cream with more people,” Hardeman says.
“I only began making ice cream for the first time when Häagen-Dazs shrunk its pint size but kept the price the same,” she recalls. “I was so mad! I started looking for more local ice creams, and more interesting flavors — this is back in 2009 — so it was pretty different then. And I just thought: Why don’t I make my own? So I bought a $50 Cuisinart machine, took it back to my apartment in the East Village, and that was that.”
Hardeman’s personal passion project soon spread beyond the confines of her kitchen. “I fell in love with experimenting and trying new flavors, going to the farmers’ market and getting inspired. Ice cream is just such a great canvas,” she explains. “I was making so much ice cream, I had to give it to my friends.”
It took one Williamsburg party to change everything, after a fellow guest wrote about Hardeman’s ice cream in the New Yorker. “I put up a link just seeing if anyone would sign up for a monthly subscription, and by the end of the week, over 1,000 people were on the waitlist.” Just like that, she found herself making ice cream (she limited the list to 50 people), eventually delivering it all around the neighborhood on her bike.
Now, Hardeman is the proud owner of a fifteen-gallon pasteurizer. “The law in New York is that you have to pasteurize everything, so we’re certified for that. We heat the ingredients to 160 degrees and keep them there for 30 minutes. That’s how we make the base. It gets chilled in that giant tank, then it goes into the fridge to infuse overnight.”
Many “homemade” ice creams, it turns out, are built on a premade, pasteurized base. “We could do that. There’s nothing really wrong with that,” Hardeman says. “But I don’t want to add to things, I want to create new things.
“I went to business school, and I always had entrepreneurial plans,” she goes on. “I worked in healthcare, then I worked in solar energy, but all the time I was going home and having a bowl of ice cream, just like when I was a kid and would sneak a bowl after school. Looking back it seems obvious, but I didn’t see ice cream’s potential as a business for me.”
Hardeman is equally adept at another aspect of the business: networking and social media. She has more than 1.5 million followers on Tumblr. “While I’m packing pints, I’m trying to take photos on my DSLR. We try to post every day and respond to people. It’s important to share the process. The visual is huge, I think. But the ice cream makes it easy. I mean, seriously. Ice cream always looks delicious!”
If you’re wondering, the list has reopened in New York City (and soon, nationally). Two pints of ice cream cost $30, one of each Flavor of the Month, which in the past have included delights like cinnamon buttered toast, double-cream Brie with cabernet caramel, rose with Mast Brothers milk chocolate swirl, and plum crumble. “We’ve done 130 flavors so far, and we’ve never repeated,” notes Diana. “That’s the really fun creative part for me. I’m always trying and experimenting and testing out new ideas.”


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MANDAN, N.D. (KXNET) — Kramer Automotive will be hosting their 16th annual Customer & Military Appreciation Event & Car Show on Saturday.
The event will be at the southeast Kramer Chevrolet parking lot.
The event will have food, a car show, and vendors.
Terri Woo with Kramer Automotive says this is a way to show their appreciation to the community, especially active veterans.
The event will go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.


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Some Bottled Water Isn't Better, States Fear
By Colin Quinn, Special to Stateline
Americans' growing thirst for bottled water is leading a handful of states, most recently joined by Illinois, to push ahead of the federal government in regulating the purity of purchased H2O.
A new Illinois law, which starting next year will require the annual inspection of bottled-water plants and water sample tests, was proposed after constituents of State Sen. Susan Garrett (D), including her children, expressed suspicion over the variety of bottled water on store shelves.
"We started asking: Could someone just put water in a bottle and put a fancy label on it and sell it in Illinois?'" Garrett told Stateline.org. "And the answer was, Yes.'"
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for monitoring bottled-water plants. But Garrett says that because the FDA is so understaffed, businesses are inspected only every five to seven years. In addition, the majority of bottled water is packaged and sold within a state, putting those products outside of the FDA's regulatory authority, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that has studied bottled water regulation.
"Bottled water is technically covered at the federal level," said Satya Rhodes, policy associate for the State Environmental Resource Center, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group based in Madison, Wisconsin. "But in practice, ... it's effectively unregulated at the federal level."
Besides Illinois, California requires water samples from bottled-water plants every six months and licenses manufacturers. Michigan and New York also license bottled-water plants. In Kentucky, water-bottling facilities must meet the same requirements as public drinking water systems.
Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont have regulations stricter than the FDA's, according to a 1997 report by NRDC, the environmental group.
More than half of Americans drink bottled water, more than a third drink it regularly, and almost half of consumers say they feel it is healthier than tap water, according to the NRDC report. The study provides the most recent look at state regulatory measures.
Government and industry estimates say that 25 to 30 percent of bottled water in the United States comes from municipal tap water, according to the NRDC report.
The NRDC reports, however, that federal standards for bottled water actually are lower than those for city tap water, which is monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The International Bottled Water Association, which includes all the major brands except Dasani and Aquafina, also regulates the industry, said the association's manager of communications, Bridget Wells. Membership in the group requires plants to submit to an annual, unannounced inspection.
Currently, Illinois doesn't even know how many bottled-water manufacturers operate in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health estimates the number at 40, said spokeswoman Tammy Leonard.
The new Bottled Water Safety Act, which was signed Aug. 5 by Gov. Rod Blagojevich and takes effect Jan. 1, 2005, requires bottlers to obtain $150 permits to operate in Illinois and will allow the state Department of Public Health to inspect water-bottling facilities annually. Bottled-water manufacturers in Illinois are required to test their products internally and make the results available to the state, Leonard said.
The new law will allow the state to know precisely how many manufacturers operate in the state. "That gives us the ability to contact them in case of a recall or contamination," Leonard said.
Plants that do not meet health or safety standards could face fines of up to $1,000, Leonard said. Out-of-state bottlers selling water in Illinois also will need a permit to distribute their water in the state.
"It clearly will prevent the ability for somebody to just put together a bottled water company by buying plastic bottles, putting tap water in [them] and putting on a decorative label," Garrett, the legislation's sponsor, said.
The most difficult part of passing the legislation was coordinating with Illinois' water bottlers, she said. During hearings, company officials wanted to ensure the fees were not exorbitant and the government wasn't breathing down their necks, Garrett said.
Gary McNeil, owner of D'Angelo Natural Spring Water in East Dundee, Ill., said the legislation would stop entrepreneurs who may have jumped into the industry just to make a quick buck. But he said he doesn't relish having to pay another fee on top of food licenses he has to renew annually for several municipalities.


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According to some experts in the field, the wearable market ultimately will merge with the clothing industry. Our clothes will be “smart” and connected, and will have sensors built in so that we don’t need to bother with separate devices. Is this science fiction, or the science of the near-future?
According to the industry analyst firm n-tech Research, the future is bright for smart textiles. In their “Smart Textile Markets 2016-2023” report, they predict that the market will reach more than $1.8 billion in worldwide sales by 2021, just five years from now. And by 2023, that total will exceed $3 billion. These new fabrics will rely on a variety of technologies, including conductive yarns and threads, shape memory materials, and electrically conductive plastics. They also will have anti-microbial features, will be able to clean themselves, and will even be able to change colors on demand. In addition to consumer applications, smart garments will find uses in medical, fitness, military, and non-clothing applications.
This forecast certainly calls for rapid growth, but to put this in perspective, some sources predict that global television market — a mature technology industry — will hit about 130 billion dollars in sales this year. The worldwide textile and garment industry is already worth about $1 trillion per year. Even with this fast expansion, the smart textile market will still remain a footnote on the balance sheet of the textile and garment industry.


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British American Tobacco unveils new-to-world vaping technology
11 December 2018
British American Tobacco (BAT) has today announced the launch of two new e-cigarettes – Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx – in five of BAT’s VIP branded stores in London. The new products are powered by world-first vaping technology, Vype puretech, as BAT seeks to provide an even more satisfying option to adult smokers looking for a potentially reduced-risk alternative to traditional cigarettes. The new products are aimed at smokers who have yet to find a vaping alternative that satisfies them.
Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx are driven by new-to-world puretech blade technology – replacing the coil and wick heating mechanism traditionally found in e-cigarettes. This breakthrough heating technology is proprietary to BAT and protected by multiple patents.
The new range has been designed to have a premium look and feel – it comes in a choice of three colours – deep blue metallic, silver and black – and has a soft-touch finish to fit smoothly and conveniently into consumers’ hands.
Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx are closed-system vaping devices with consumer-centric design features, such as the ‘slide and lock’ mechanism to easily change the specially designed cartridges – containing Vype puretech blades. The cartridges are available in three flavours (Fresh Mint, Virginia Tobacco and Forest Berries) and three nicotine strengths (3mg/ml, 5mg/ml and 8mg/ml).
Additional features in Vype iSwitch Maxx are:
The choice of devices, power settings, flavours and nicotine strengths are part of BAT’s strategy to satisfy varying consumer tastes and preferences.
Commenting on the new products, Elly Criticou, BAT’s Vapour Category Director, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this ground-breaking technology to UK smokers and nicotine users. In a new and emerging consumer category, with rapid innovation, it is important that we continuously look for ways to improve our consumer offering.
“It is great that almost 1.7m smokers1 in the UK have quit using e-cigarettes but there are many more smokers who have yet to find a satisfying vaping alternative. We believe that our new Vype iSwitch products offer adult smokers a more satisfying – smoother, richer and more luxurious – vaping experience than ever before. We don’t want smokers to have to compromise with vaping – we want to deliver best in class products that satisfy various consumer preferences, which is why we offer a portfolio of potentially reduced-risk products from which they can choose.”
Vype iSwitch and iSwitch Maxx are currently available to purchase in five of BAT’s VIP stores in London (Finchley Road, Brent Cross, Harrow, Hounslow and Walton on Thames) with plans to roll them out further in the UK and online in 2019. The recommended retail price for iSwitch is £29.99 and iSwitch Maxx is £49.99. A pack of two puretech blade cartridges is £8.99. This limited launch is intended to facilitate consumer interaction with the new product so that the company can take learnings and consumer feedback ahead of a wider roll-out.
Every element of the Vype iSwitch has been subjected to rigorous testing to ensure it meets stringent safety and quality standards.
* Comparison of smoke from a standard reference cigarette (approx. 9mg tar) and vapour from Vype iSwitch, in terms of the 9 harmful components the World Health Organization recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke. This quality does not necessarily mean this product is less harmful than tobacco products.
1 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) – September 2018


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Odisha COVID-19 PPE Kit Procurement ‘Lapses’: BJP Targets Ruling-BJD, Congress Meets Governor
Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Odisha government of trying to hoodwink people by claiming that there have been no irregularities in the COVID-19 PPE kit procurement in the state.
Soon after the ruling-BJD spokesperson, Sasmit Patra said that there was a spike in prices of masks because of high demand, BJP leader Lekhashree Samantsinghar today said that Patra should not act like the spokesperson of vendors.
“There are detailed documents related to the purchase of masks by other states. The procurement process needs to be transparent. Though he (Patra) is telling that the orders were placed through open tenders, reports say it was done through speed post,” she said.
The BJD had produced a notification of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs which has the mention of the increase in prices of masks from Rs 10 to Rs 16, but it was for consumers and not for the state governments, Samantsinghar said adding, “By showing the letter of the Consumer Affairs Ministry, the ruling party in Odisha is trying to fool people.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sudarshan Das accused the BJD of diverting the issue and said, “We have cited examples of several other states that purchased masks at much lower prices. The State government is yet to clarify whether the price at which it was asked by the Centre to procure masks was retail price or wholesale price.”
On the other hand, a team led by the Odisha Congress chief, Niranjan Patnaik today submitted a memorandum to the Odisha Governor in this regard and said the party will soon move the Lokayukta.
“A massive corruption has taken place in the procurement of COVID-19 PPE kits. The money meant for the people of the State was embezzled by a few. We have submitted a memorandum and requested the Governor to order an impartial investigation into the matter,” said Patnaik.
Earlier today, Patra said that there was a rise in demand for masks but due to lack of supply, the prices increased. Several factors like the lockdown and disruption in transportation also resulted in the price rise, he said.
Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena


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by Christopher Freeburn | February 8, 2013 12:24 pm
Computer maker Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) is moving to reduce the abuse of student workers at its Chinese manufacturing partners.
The company said it will put restrictions on the number of student workers that suppliers can employ at their facilities and will insist that those workers have certain workplace rights. The company plans to conduct more audits to make sure suppliers are complying with the new rules, the Wall Street Journal noted.
Students from vocational schools are often employed in Chinese factories. Younger workers typically face harsher working conditions and can be fired if they protest long working hours.
Labor activists have complained about the plight of student workers in China, many of whom toil in factories that produce goods for U.S. companies. The Chinese government will implement changes to its employment laws that offer student workers some protections in July.
Criticism over worker conditions at Chinese factories has hit a number of U.S. companies, most prominently Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), which makes most of its popular electronics products in Asia.
Shares of Hewlett-Packard rose almost 2% in Friday midday trading.
Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2013/02/hewlett-packard-cracks-down-on-student-labor-in-factories/
Short URL: http://invstplc.com/1fH4sva
Copyright ©2017 InvestorPlace Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 700 Indian Springs Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.


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The way Bitcoin is expanding and reaching to new people and international e-commerce sites are accepting and adopting it in their business, it is expected that the digital currency will reach new heights. The latest decision by several companies to accept Bitcoin to facilitate international transactions is further helping it.
California-based hedge fund Laureate Trust says that Bitcoin is fast establishing itself as the currency to use globally and instantly to make purchases or payments over the internet recording nearly $300m (£178m, €220m) daily in transactions. Thus, if the data presented by the company is to be believed, Bitcoin is going to reach to new heights.
The sources in Laureate Trust believe that Bitcoin is expected to overtake e-commerce giant eBay’s payment processor PayPal in terms of US dollar transactions in the next couple of years if the current pace continues.
Bitcoin Will Reach New Segments in the Market
Peter Tasca, CEO of Laureate Trust, believes that Bitcoin is reaching to new business and customers are accepting it for international transactions and according to him whenever someone has an instrument that trades over 300 million US dollars a day, it must be recognized.
He also believes that Bitcoin works wonderfully and according to him the digital currency has greater volume transactions than Western Union and he anticipates it will overtake PayPal later this year. According to Statistic Brain, currently, PayPal processes payments close to $315.3m every day.
Even SmartMetric CEO Chaya Hendrick shares the opinion and says that in the next couple of years, Bitcoin can surpass the dollar transaction volumes of other established payment companies including Discover, and even American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. Thus, the digital currency that was launched in 2008 will continue gaining new ground.
The number of Outlets Accepting Bitcoin Growins Every Passing Day
Best part associated with Bitcoin is that these can be transferred without going through banks or clearing houses. Also, there is great amount of convenience as well as cost saving as there is not much processing fee. Also, as the number of retailers accepting Bitcoin as payment options has gone up, the morale is higher.
Last year, the exchange value of Bitcoin went up to $1,250. Though prices fell later on and currently trading close to $520, the investors are hopeful about the bright prospects of the digital currency.
To contact the reporter of this story: Deepak Tiwari at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has launched the marketing “roadshow” for a $21 billion-plus initial public offering to take place this month. If all goes according to the company’s plans, it could be the biggest IPO in Wall Street history.
In New York, so many potential investors flocked to see Alibaba founder Jack Ma at a Waldorf Astoria ballroom that the line to get on the elevator ran through the lobby.
What Alibaba is selling, and wealthy Americans would be buying, is a stake in the coming boom in Chinese consumer spending; at present, 80 percent of Chinese online shopping goes through Alibaba. When you include its business-to-business, social media and other operations, Alibaba had $248 billion in sales during 2013, more than eBay and Amazon.com combined, according to The Wall Street Journal. (It should be noted that the latter of these is run by Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post.)
As with so many other aspects of China’s rise, however, Alibaba’s mega-IPO is cause for ambivalence.
It is marvelous indeed that hundreds of millions of Chinese are prosperous enough to shop online in a country where grinding poverty reigned a generation ago. For U.S. companies and workers, Alibaba’s planned growth is a hopeful sign because it’s in their interest for China to shift its emphasis from exports to domestic consumption.
And for those who believe that economic interdependence can contribute to peace, there is something encouraging indeed about the worldwide web of advisers, investors and executives that Ma is spinning around his 15-year-old firm — from Goldman Sachs to Deutsche Bank to Yahoo to Japan’s SoftBank to Ma’s Taiwanese American right-hand man, Joseph Tsai.
Alibaba’s dark side, though, is apparent from its U.S. securities registration form. As that document makes clear, the firm is beholden to the Chinese state, and, by extension, the Communist Party mandarins who dominate it through means that can charitably be described as non-transparent.
The state controls Alibaba’s Internet access and “continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies . . . exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, regulating financial services and institutions and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.”
Consequently, Alibaba plays ball with the regime’s Internet censors: “We may be subject to liability for content on our websites and mobile interfaces that is alleged to be socially destabilizing . . . or otherwise unlawful,” the securities registration form allows. The firm must be vigilant about troublesome pictures and words — though “it may be difficult to determine the type of content that may result in liability to us,” which is just how Beijing wants it, no doubt.
Alibaba appears to have spread its newfound riches around the upper echelons of the Chinese power structure, buying political influence at the risk of making its ownership structure more convoluted.
As The New York Times has reported, four of the Chinese companies with large stakes in Alibaba employ, as executives, sons or grandsons of current or former members of the Chinese Politburo’s Standing Committee. These “princelings” stand to make a killing on the IPO.
“Analysts say that forging alliances with the government is a vital part of doing business in China,” the Times notes. “Companies see it as a way to improve their chances of securing approvals and licenses. In a sense, it is insurance against overly aggressive government intervention.” Well, that’s one way to put it.
In response to a question at the Waldorf about how he spends his time, Ma replied that a top priority would be to maintain relationships with government officials in China and elsewhere, according to the Journal.
Crony capitalism, lobbying and influence-buying (and peddling) are hardly unknown in the rest of the world, the United States included. What’s special about China is the vast extent of it, and the lack of democratic checks, such as a free press and the rule of law. Not to mention the repressive nature of the state that enriches and empowers itself by penetrating every nook and cranny of the Chinese economy.
Many believed that capitalism would liberate Chinese society almost by osmosis; markets thrive on free-flowing information, so Beijing would have to allow more of the latter to benefit from the former.
So far, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. China’s authorities have constructed a system that censors Western Internet and social-media companies while taking advantage, both personally and institutionally, of home-grown counterparts like Alibaba.
Intentionally or not, those who participate in the Alibaba IPO are taking stock in that system, too.
Charles Lane is an editorial page editor for The Washington Post.


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800PIZZA has announced a new franchise deal, signing a single unit agreement with FIA Holdings Limited, which will be responsible for developing and operating the newest 800PIZZA outlet.
Located within the rapidly growing Al Qudra area, The Sustainable City, this will mark the brand’s 13th outlet across the UAE in just 11 years. The newest outlet serves to further grow the brand’s presence in the region, and achieve its goal of having 15 outlets in operation by 2020.
“It is a testament to the strength of the 800PIZZA name. It is evident that the current market conditions are challenging to any business, but we’re still going strong, and growing. Now, thanks to this new agreement with FIA Holdings Limited, we’ll be bringing the authentic taste of Italy to a new area of Dubai,” says Alessandro D’Ubaldo, founder, 800PIZZA.
D’Ubaldo says that the key to a successful operation is to source strategic locations with a promising customer base, and that the business’ franchising programme has been tailored to meet today’s conditions and demands. “Considering the high profile of the brand, the franchising fees and running costs are reasonable, with extensive operational and marketing support included. These days it’s also possible to find great locations at a better cost,” he explains.
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Abu Dhabi based grocery retail chain Lulu Group has partnered with Amazon
UAE-government-led initiative Food Tech Valley – announced in 2021 by His Highness
Abu Dhabi-based supermarket chain Lulu Hypermarket is all set to open in
Plant-based meat brand Beyond Meat’s financial results for the third quarter of
UAE’s fresh produce brand Barakat has launched bio-degradable packaging across its entire
UAE-based agritech start-up Pure Harvest Smart Farms has signed a Memorandum of
Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim – Retail in the
Grandiose Supermarket, part of Ghassan Aboud Group, has announced expansion plan in
The Valrhona journey began 100 years ago with a cocoa bean. Since
Deliveroo UAE has announced the expansion of its rapid grocery delivery service
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) revealed that the UAE
Located in the Address Fountain Views hotel the newest addition to the
Located in Atlantis, The Palm the house of En Fuego promises social
Hikina Restaurant has re-opened its doors at Lapita hotel located in Dubai
Okinawa in Japan happens to be a ‘blue zone’ – one of
Part of Sunset Hospitality Group Delizie Gourmet an artisanal café serving authentic
After opening two outlets in the UAE Dave’s Hot Chicken has entered
The Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has unveiled an exciting line-up
The d.ream Group (Dogus Restaurant Entertainment and Management) – behind Coya, Nusret
Premium café dining concept founded by Natasha Sideris tashas café has partnered
UAE-based premium casual dining restaurant Peppermill is all set to open its
South African confectionery brand 1701 has launched in the UAE in partnership
Popular restaurants Mythos Urban Greek Eatery and Nola Bijou Bistro & Bar,


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In 2016, the Specialty Coffee Association published a white paper addressing the issue of gender equality within the coffee industry. Their summary of that report is a great place to start on this issue:
"Equality is a core value of our industry, but gender inequality exists within it. Research shows a significant disparity between male and female coffee producers in the developing world. Much of this is due to deeply rooted social biases that create numerous disadvantages for women compared to men. Overall, women earn less income, own less land, control fewer assets, have less access to credit and market information, greater difficulty obtaining inputs, and fewer training and leadership opportunities. These disparities create inefficiencies in the coffee value chain because women, who perform fundamental agricultural tasks, are not accessing the resources needed to maintain or improve their output. The coffee industry has a profound reach into the agricultural sector: as many as 100 million agricultural producers depend on coffee production for their livelihoods (Jha et. al, 2011). The specialty coffee industry has a tremendous opportunity to minimize the gender gap in agriculture to the benefit of our specialty coffee supply and our suppliers."
Since 2014, farmers within the Muungano coffee producing cooperative in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu region have partnered with Higher Grounds, via our sister nonprofit On the Ground, to create gender equity programs and expand the role of women in regional coffee production.
Despite often being responsible for up to 80% of coffee farms labor in the DRC, many women never see a single Congolese Franc for their efforts. Additionally, according to a 2007 DRC Demographic and Health Survey, approximately 1.80 million women in the DRC have been raped, while another 3.37 million have suffered sexual violence at the hands of their intimate partners. However, communities partnering with OTG are working to change cultural norms through Gender Action Learning System (GALS) courses, which help men and women develop stronger, more sustainable communities through economic inclusivity and rejecting violence.
Higher Grounds partners with On the Ground to implement GALS, facilitating gender equality workshops within the Muungano cooperative and expanding the scope of their credit and savings programs. GALS courses help coffee farming families gain a better understanding of how prosperity increases when women receive fair compensation for their work in the field and are given equal authority in determining household finances. Now, many of these families are looking to teach the GALS methodology in other nearby communities, creating a positive ripple effect across the region.
Every sale of HG coffee increases our ability to continue funding these impactful workshops. Learn more about On the Ground’s Project Congo.
“A Blueprint for Gender Equality in the Coffeelands," SCAA white paper


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(Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc PEP.N reported better-than-expected quarterly net revenue and profit on Thursday, helped by higher demand in North America for its lineup of beverages and snacks with fewer calories and more natural ingredients.
The company also raised its 2016 adjusted profit forecast.
PepsiCo and other processed-food companies are investing heavily to develop products to meet the changing tastes of consumers, who are increasingly seeking healthier options.
PepsiCo that about 45 percent of its net revenue now came from “guilt-free” products - beverages that have fewer than 70 calories per 12 ounces and snacks that have lower amounts of salt and saturated fat.
PepsiCo’s healthier brands include Propel flavored-water, Naked Cold Pressed juice and its “Simply” line of foods featuring products such as organic salsa and chips made from black beans, which have helped drive sales in recent quarters.
The company said it was expanding its offerings of baked chips, which include Baked Lays and Baked Cheetos, to more markets outside the United States.
“Consumers want healthy and these companies have to give them what they want,” Edward Jones analyst Jack Russo said.
PepsiCo’s businesses in Russia, China and India improved in the third quarter, while Western Europe “is not getting worse,” Chief Executive Indra Nooyi said on a conference call.
North America is the company’s biggest market, accounting for about 60 percent of revenue in 2015.
However, the company’s revenue fell for the eighth straight quarter, hurt by high inflation in some Latin American economies such as Venezuela and Argentina and unfavorable exchange rates.
Net revenue fell about 2 percent to $16.03 billion in the third quarter, but beat the average analyst estimate of $15.83 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue in the North America beverages unit, the company’s biggest business, rose about 3 percent to $5.52 billion.
Net income attributable to PepsiCo rose to $1.99 billion, or $1.37 per share, in the three months ended Sept. 3 from $533 million, or 36 cents per share, a year earlier, when the company recorded a $1.36 billion impairment charge on its Venezuela operations.
Excluding items, PepsiCo earned $1.40 per share, beating the average analyst estimate of $1.32.
The company said it was benefiting from a multi-year cost-cutting plan, which includes closing plants, simplifying its organization structure and investing in automation.
PepsiCo raised its full-year adjusted profit forecast by 7 cents to $4.78 per share.
The company’s stock closed 0.3 higher at $107.76, up more than 15 percent over the year.
Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian


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Machine learning technology is advancing to the point that some card issuers and processors are using it to predict where fraud is happening and where it will emerge. Though still in its early days, community banks are looking at how they might implement this technology.
By Karen Epper Hoffman
As card crooks grow ever more sophisticated in how they perpetrate fraud, retail banks and their providers are upping their own game in trying to determine where malfeasance is happening—and even where it might happen next.
While this sounds like fodder for a science-fiction film, financial institutions are embracing machine learning, or artificial intelligence in its advanced versions, to help more effectively pinpoint fraudulent card transactions or find cardholder data that may be for sale on the dark web, the online black market.
At last August’s Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas, executives from Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and technology partner Terbium Labs presented on how the Canadian bank had combined machine learning, predictive analytics and intelligence gathered from online carding forums with transactional data organizations to predict future fraud victims before dubious credit card transactions had even occurred. During his presentation, Dr. Cathal Smyth, a machine learning researcher with the RBC’s Vanguard cybersecurity team, identified that predicting card fraud presents “a classic big data problem.”
The average number of fraudulent card transactions before a fraud incident is caught and stopped
With the vast stores of payment card, transactional, personal, demographic and historical fraud data to work from, card-issuing banks already have a lot of information to help them determine the direction of fraudulent activity.
And, as is often the case when dealing with huge, varied, disparate amounts of data, “trying to find the right combination of potential victims is like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” Smyth says. “A breach can affect a large number of clients with a huge number of transactions, but there’s still a degree of uncertainty.”
RBC began working with Terbium Labs, a Baltimore-based cyber vendor that specializes in monitoring dark web data, to help the bank’s Vanguard unit better analyze the cards and cardholders that have already been compromised in order to develop candidate groups, or potential fraud victims identified using previous crime patterns and current black market data.
Card-issuing banks, their processors and service providers have been using neural networks—the predecessor technology to machine learning—for decades. But, as the advent of chip-based cards made it more difficult for crooks to clone cards or commit real-world fraud, card-not-present (CNP) fraud blew up. In response, card issuers and their partners are increasingly turning to new technology to help track down actual fraud, as well as predict future fraud.
The cost of fraud
Cyber developer Tender Armor recently commissioned PG Research & Advisory Services to research the cost of fraud in CNP payment channels, which now represent more than 70 percent of total gross-dollar volumes of fraud on payment card accounts. Their research found that there are 3.6 fraudulent card transactions on average before the fraud is caught and stopped. CNP transactions make up nearly 30 percent of total credit and debit card purchase volume, and that percentage is continuing to increase as consumers increase their use of e-commerce.
U.S. banks and merchants are anticipated to see more than $12 billion in credit, debit, prepaid and private-label payment cards losses thanks to fraud by 2020, according to The Nilson Report.
Chris Cook, chief administrative officer and executive vice president for $200 million-asset Farmers Bank & Trust in Marion, Ky., says his community bank may not be at the stage of looking ahead in its card fraud products. Working with card service provider CSI Inc., the community bank is “constantly monitoring the card base activity … looking for geographic anomalies or [transactions] that are outside of a customer’s normal activity,” he says.
Douglas Manditch, chairman and CEO of $995 million-asset Empire National Bank in New York, points out that community banks like his still need to rely largely on what is being offered by their core processor or card services provider. “But that changes all the time,” he says. “We all want to shut down fraud as quickly as possible, and that seems to be getting better and better.”
“The technologies allow for the automated discovery of patterns across large volumes of transactions.”
—Jordan Blake, BehavioSec
Jordan Blake, vice president of products for BehavioSec, says retail banks have increasingly relied on artificial intelligence to detect and prevent fraud. “The technologies allow for the automated discovery of patterns across large volumes of transactions, which give banks the power to efficiently determine which transactions are likely to be fraudulent while reducing false positives,” he says.
Community banks should look for machine learning-driven offerings that go beyond cumbersome one-time authentication measures like passwords and tokens, Blake says. Indeed, Manditch is among the community bankers who are hoping to “catch fraud before it happens.”
In addition to fraud, community banks are looking to improve their “false positive” record, Cook says.
“There is strength in numbers,” says Ian Holmes, senior manager of enterprise fraud solutions at SAS. “Combining data across like financial institutions can provide a strong consortium of data, which helps them to become more predictive in identifying fraud across the group. It can also help them spot threat trends across multiple peer institutions that may have gone unnoticed in isolation.”
Karen Epper Hoffman is a writer in Washington state.


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Budrul Chukrut | LightRocket | Getty Images
China’s central bank said Tuesday it had called for the shutdown of a company that “was suspected of providing software services for virtual currency transactions.” The statement, issued by the Beijing office of the People’s Bank of China, also warned institutions not to provide other services related to virtual currency, including providing business premises or marketing.
Lashing out against digital currencies is nothing new for the authoritarian state.
But typically, each time Beijing has lashed out at the crypto industry, the sting has worn off and the rules eventually softened.
This time, however, appears to be different.
In May, China banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing crypto-related services. In June, there were mass arrests in China of people suspected of using cryptocurrencies in nefarious ways. That same month, regulators dialed up the pressure on banks and payment businesses to stop providing cryptocurrency services, and Weibo, the Twitter of China, suspended crypto-related accounts.
Read more about cryptocurrencies from CNBC Pro
“China’s government is doing everything they can to ensure that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies disappear from the Chinese financial systems and economy,” said Fred Thiel, Marathon Digital Holdings CEO and Bitcoin Mining Council member.
So why China has essentially declared war on cryptocurrencies in 2021?
“We’re all wondering,” said Nic Carter, founding partner at Castle Island Ventures.
One theory is that it’s part of a broader law-and-order push ahead of the hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party this year.
“They’re cracking down on all sorts of undesirable behavior,” Carter said.
Crypto has long been synonymous with crime in the mainland.
“The largest-ever Ponzi in crypto was likely Plus Token, which was a Chinese project,” he said.
In that scheme, scammers swindled $5.7 billion from investors and dozens were arrested. “That will be lingering in their memory,.”
Another theory is that China is clearing the runway for its very own digital yuan, a central bank digital currency that’s been in development since 2014.
“Part of this is to ensure the adoption of China’s central bank digital currency, and part of this is most probably to ensure financial surveillance activities are able to see all economic activity,” explained Thiel. The digital yuan could, theoretically, enable the government greater power to track spending in real-time.
But Carter argues that bitcoin and the digital yuan are different to the point that they can’t really be considered direct competitors.
“That’s certainly the most commonly cited reason,” Carter said. “I just don’t know if I believe it. They’re such distinct systems from each other.”
The most likely motivator, according to Carter, is that Beijing is looking to stem capital outflows via stablecoins and cryptocurrencies. “China choking off the flow of yuan to crypto is a big deal,” he said.
When it comes to the price of bitcoin, stemming all Chinese retail into crypto “totally moves the needle,” according to Carter.
“I think that actually explains a lot of the market weakness and the sell-off,” he said. “The good news is that as the crackdown has accelerated, bitcoin has stayed pretty flat, which suggests the market has digested this information.”
Thiel believes that prohibiting bitcoin and crypto will actually help bitcoin in the long-term.
“If China’s goal was to kill bitcoin by shutting down 50% of the mining capacity and prohibiting trading – thus crashing its value to punish Chinese holders (a la Didi post IPO and Ant Financial),” it didn’t work.
“Instead, bitcoin proved its resiliency and the trades just moved offshore and miners elsewhere will take up the slack.”
Alyse Killeen, founder and managing partner of bitcoin-focused venture firm Stillmark, points out that this whole conversation may be a moot point, as a government’s capacity to effect a bitcoin ban will only continue to erode over time.
“I’d expect this type of news to have less of an impact on bitcoin’s exchange rate than it has historically,” she said. “It’s also true that there has been some level of industry inoculation to this news – bitcoin has been banned many times in many geographies, and yet today adoption is outpacing internet adoption at a similar lifecycle stage.”


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January 22-25, 2019
A Look Back at the Gear We Discovered This Week
We publish our weekly roundup of gear news for you to enjoy over the weekend. Savor it with your Saturday morning coffee, or use it to fend off the existential panic of Sunday night — it’s up to you. Comments or concerns? We’d love to hear from you at email@example.com.
Tuesday, January 22
Turbocharged four-cylinders work great in smaller cars. But, they still have to work to push a full-sized truck at speed.
Off White's capsule collection for Mr Porter, entitled "Modern Office", is filled with clothes that'll make you the coolest guy at work.
Closed-cell sleeping pads are traditionally bulkier and less comfortable, but Nemo Equipment's new mattress addresses those issues head-on.
Keychron's extra-skinny wireless keyboard was a huge Kickstarter success. Now you can actually buy one.
Long marketed by NOMOS as the gift watch for new graduates or rising young professionals, the brand's automatic Club Campus watch is finally available on a gorgeously minimal OEM steel bracelet.
Moto Guzzi finally announced pricing and arrival date for its all-new retro-styled V85 TT adventure motorcycle.
Wednesday, January 23
Knifemakers from around the world just revealed all of the new designs they plan to release in 2019.
The Seiko 5 has been an inexpensive watch line for decades — now it's being reimagined with an inner rotating bezel and dual crowns.
Subaru just won Kelley Blue Book’s 2019 Best Resale Value award for the Crosstrek, Legacy, and Outback.
Ralph Lauren is bringing the DuPont technology that warmed Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics to a limited-edition winter parka.
Photos of the Triumph Thruxton R TFC leaked late last year, but now we have detailed drool-inducing photos to go along with the bike's official performance numbers.
Thursday, January 24
The last few years saw Bell & Ross expand its watch offerings with round case shapes, but the Bi-Compass takes us back to the beginning.
The new car market is packed with choices this year, but KBB.com's list of best cars to buy in 2019 should help the decision process.
Milo made one of our favorite cooking products of 2018, and its first new product of 2019 looks to follow suit.
Thought the 2019 Ranger is the smallest truck Ford wants to build? Think again. Ford confirmed an even smaller, more affordable pickup is on the way.
Friday, January 25
Knifemakers just revealed their new blades for 2019, and a handful of the most compelling models are super-small.
As winter dwindles on and the itch for a warm-weather trip develops, this 44-liter pack is your new go-to.


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FDI Policy in Multi-brand Retail Favors the Big Multinationals
On 24 November 2011, the Indian government approved 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail stores and 100 percent in single brand outlets in its $450 billion retail market.
The decision was met with a howl of protest from allies and opposition alike. Even several sections of the ruling Congress party have also expressed their reservation against the policy announcement. The country has not witnessed such a polarized view on foreign investment policy in the last two decades.
Aligned in favor of FDI in retail are the sections of ruling establishment, policymakers, big foreign retailers, Indian corporate houses, well-heeled consumers, neoliberal think-tanks and the media….


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ALPHARETTA, GA – LeasePlan USA said it has appointed Robert Eckert, a 30-year industry veteran, to the position of regional sales vice president, national accounts.
“Robert has the proven track record, industry experience and knowledge of the fleet, finance and services industries that is a welcome asset to the team,” said Brian Barber, senior vice president, sales. “His professional sales experience, fleet management expertise and corporate contacts, will allow him to introduce multiple West coast companies to LeasePlan's premium, high-touch service delivery.”
Eckert began his sales' career with Hertz Corporation's Car and Truck Leasing Division where he staffed and opened sales offices in the Northwest and Rocky Mountain areas as a regional sales manager. Over the years, his career progressed to several executive level sales positions of increasing responsibility at different finance and leasing organizations, according to LeasePlan USA.
Most recently, Eckert spent nine years as an area vice president sales and regional sales manager with Wright Express, covering a 25-state territory.
LeasePlan USA stated that his sales efforts yielded more than 75,000 fuel cards and $400 million-plus in revenue. The company added that he was also awarded the President’s Club by the CEO of Wright Express for outstanding sales achievement.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has named Ram truck and Jeep head Michael Manley as its chief executive officer, after medical complications forced Sergio Marchionne to step away. In the early 2000s, Manley oversaw fleet sales for the company.


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Orange roughy are easy to over fish. So, humans do. But that doesn't seem to be stopping moves to re-define them as 'sustainable' by the Marine Stewardship Council.
True, when we started fishing orange roughy we didn’t know that this slow-growing,
long-lived, deep water fish was particularly susceptible. But now we definitely do. Orange
roughy can live to a staggering 150 years old, and are at least 30 years old
before they are mature enough to breed. To put that into context: there are
probably orange roughy alive today that were born when Queen Victoria was on
the throne, and they take about 10 times
longer to mature than Atlantic cod.
There are two types of plankton – tiny plants (phytoplankton)
and tiny animals (zooplankton).
Zooplankton includes some eggs and larvae of things like
fish and crabs, as well as some minute animals that feed on phytoplankton. That
makes them the first link in any food chain, and the basis for all of the ocean’s
Greenpeace activists confront supply vessel Explorer II by blacking out their lights with eco-paint
If John West’s owner
Thai Union doesn’t start protecting the oceans and those who work on them,
we’ll continue to shut down their supply chains, explains Tom Lowe, who has
just returned from the Greenpeace ship the Esperanza’s tour of the Indian
Posted by MeenaRajput — 31 May 2016 at 2:44pm
Photographer, Will Rose, joined Greenpeace activists on an expedition to the Indian Ocean to remove dozens of destructive Fish Aggregating Devices. These FADs kill endangered marine life including sharks and turtles, but despite this, leading tuna brands John West and Thai Union continue to use them. Since our campaign launched, Tesco and Waitrose have threatened to remove John West from their shelves unless they clean up their act.
A Greenpeace activist blockading a factory which supplies 'dirty' tuna to John West
If you were doing your weekly shop at Sainsbury’s last Saturday, you may have noticed that John West tuna was no longer in stock. ‘Hurray!’ you may have thought, ‘Sainsbury’s has finally decided to drop this horrific brand.’ If you looked a little closer, however, you would have noticed that Greenpeace was actually behind the lack of John West tuna in the tinned fish aisle. ;-)


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A POTENTIALLY dangerous car was sold to a Leamington woman by a car dealer in the guise of a private seller – earning him a suspended prison sentence.
Stratford auto dealer Ian Blinkhorne was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay costs of £1,500 following a successful prosecution by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards.
The car, a Ford Ka advertised on Facebook, was purchased by a Leamington resident to do the school run. After having problems with the vehicle she took it for an MOT test, which it failed.
A trading standards vehicle examiner identified a number of faults which made the car unsafe to drive – including faulty power steering, seized brakes, excessive corrosion to the driver’s seat mounting and failed suspension.
These faults affected the integrity of the vehicle and would have lessened its ability to withstand an impact should there have been an accident.
Trading standards investigations revealed 51 year-old Ian Blinkhorne of Elm Road, Stratford, had advertised 89 vehicles for sale on the Gumtree website since February 2013.
At Nuneaton Magistrates’ Court, Blinkhorne pleaded guilty to the offences of advertising as a private seller and selling an unsafe vehicle.
Blinkhorne eventually refunded the customer when trading standards became involved.
Before sentencing, probation confirmed Blinkhorne had indicated remorse for the offences and an understanding of the potential for harm and danger linked to the offences.
County community safety spokesman Coun John Horner said: “We hope this prosecution sends out a strong message that there are serious consequences to selling unroadworthy vehicles and trying to avoid a trader’s legal obligations by pretending to be a private seller.
“Trading standards will continue to take action to protect car buyers.
“Warwickshire Trading Standards continues to work with both new and used car dealers to help ensure that they are complying with the law, helping to keep all road users safe.”


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By Jordan Faigen
You might be adding more Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (KORS) items to your wardrobe and to your portfolio after the latest quarterly earnings.
Michael Kors in the News
Today, the fashion house, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) released its fiscal fourth-quarter results, revealing a profit surge of 59% and earnings of $161 million, up from $101.1 million last year. Chairman and Chief Executive John D. Idol was pleased with the quarter, noting, “We believe that our expanding global brand awareness is driving continued strong demand for our luxury product and fueling our growth as a global luxury lifestyle brand.” The company is already on their way to increasing their influence by expanding men’s clothing and accessories into a $1 billion business and they saw great success in American sales, with a 21% increase in same-store sales, and revenue in Europe more than doubled to $164.7 million.
A Financial Expert’s Opinion on KORS
Agora Financial analyst, and TheStreet.com contributor, Jonas Elmerraji recommended BUY Michael Kors yesterday, just one day before the release of these impressive numbers. Elmerraji pointed out that Michael Kors, “is one of just a few ‘growth names’ that’s actually managed to grow its share price in 2014. Since the calendar flipped to January, KORS has rallied close to 19%, besting a 2.8% run from the S&P.” He also argues that the company is in the perfect position, saying, “Michael Kors is in stellar shape. The firm has historically managed to expand its footprint using cash from operations, growing its store footprint materially without resorting to debt. Instead, the firm carries more than $828 million in net cash as of their last filing.” Elmerraji was projecting “a potential upside catalyst” from the earnings report. He has a +12.6% average return on the stock.
Jonas Elmerraji’s Past Recommendations
Elmerraji has experience recommending stocks across sectors including, internet company Priceline.com (PCLN) and Wells Fargo (WFC). In addition to his strong Michael Kors recommendations, these ratings have helped him earn a +4.2% average return over S&P-500 and a 61% success rate of recommendations.
In June of last year, Elmerraji recommended BUY Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) as one of his “Rocket Stocks Worth Buying”. He pointed out that the company, “has had a strong showing since it went public in late 2011. Shares have rallied more than 152%, besting the S&P’s 33% climb over that same period and stomping the pop and fizzle performance of other IPOs that went public around the same time.” He also noted that, “KORS’ niche focus on mass-affluent consumers puts it in the sweet spot of luxury spending,” and most importantly, “A pristine balance sheet at KORS means that the firm carries no debt – but it’s been piling away considerable cash quarter after quarter. Today, that cash balance stands at $472 million, an amount that leaves the door open for boosted shareholder yield in 2013.” The stock went from $61.56 to $80.80 by the time of his next recommendation in December 2013.
Elmerraji also has a solid return recommending Wells Fargo. In November of 2013, Elmerraji recommended BUY Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) due to its “solid year in 2013.” He argued that, “Wells Fargo is certainly the best-positioned of the big banks. Wells was one of the best-capitalized names heading in to the Great Recession five years ago, and it’s continued that tradition all the way out, picking up Wachovia’s huge deposit base along the way.” Elmerraji also noted that, “Right now, Wells Fargo boasts one of the heftiest dividend payouts among mega-cap financial firms, and that cost yield should continue to grow for investors who get in early.” After this recommendation, the stock jumped from $41.70 to $50.55 by the time of his next recommendation in May of this year, helping him earn a +10.6% average return on the stock.
Moving away from the banking sector, Elmerraji has also had success recommending Internet company, Priceline.com. In December of 2013, Elmarraji recommended BUY Priceline noting that it “has been a phenomenal year for shareholders in Priceline.com.” He noted, “While the U.S. travel market is very commoditized at this point, Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) brand recognition ensures that it still receives a disproportionate amount of bookings — and moves like the acquisition of travel content site Kayak mean that the site is trying to prove its ability to add value beyond ease of booking.” Based on his four Priceline.com recommendations, he has earned a +5.1% average return on the stock.
However, Elmerraji has also experienced a few losses, including his SELL Verizon (VZ) recommendation from May 30, 2013. Elmerraji argued that, “The rounding top pattern is a setup that indicates a gradual shift in control from buyers to sellers. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s move down through $51 support was the watershed event that signaled a sell in the stock.” Adding, “That puts VZ’s high probability price action below it in the near-term. Investors shouldn’t count on this stock’s relative weakness to abate anytime soon.” However, the stock actually rose, leaving Elmerraji with a -0.5% average return on the stock.
According to Elmerajji appears that Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) is ready for a strong year. Will you be rushing off to shop for your portfolio?
Jordan Faigen covers financial markets and the latest stock market news. She can be reached at [email protected]


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| Oct 17, 2013
While many cruise lines are adopting more eco-friendly measures and outfitting new and older ships with advanced technology to reduce vessels' environmental footprints, more needs to be done, according to a report released Wednesday.
| Oct 9, 2013
| 9:19 AM
Arguably, it's the most wonderful time of the year to take a cruise: the holiday season. Ships are decorated to the nines (so you don’t have to struggle with tangled up knots of Christmas lights), festive feasts are prepared and served (so you can...
| Oct 9, 2013
| 11:36 AM
Princess Cruises offers a 10-night Panama Canal cruise with five southern Caribbean stops on the Island Princess for as little as $499, based on double occupancy.
The Island Princess sails out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on a 10-night itinerary...
| Nov 20, 2013
| 6:36 AM
Princess Cruises offers a 10-night cruise with six southern Caribbean stops on the Emerald Princess for as little as $699, based on double occupancy.
The Emerald Princess sails out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on a 10-night itinerary with...
| Sep 25, 2013
| 10:19 AM
Princess Cruises offers a 4-night cruise to the western Caribbean on the Ruby Princess for as little as $299, based on double occupancy.
The Ruby Princess sails out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on a 4-night itinerary with a stop in Cozumel...
| Sep 5, 2013
| 5:08 PM
The world’s largest cruise ship company has agreed to use air pollution control equipment to clean exhaust from the giant diesel engines that power its vessels.
Carnival Corp. will install scrubbers to cut sulfur oxide emissions and filters to...
| Sep 4, 2013
| 11:53 AM
Princess Cruises offers a 8-night Australian and New Zealand cruise on the Diamond Princess for as little as $699, based on double occupancy.
The Diamond Princess sails from Sydney, Australia on an eight-day itinerary with stops in Melbourne, Wineglass...
| Jun 22, 2008
WITH gas prices approaching $5 a gallon, the open road looks less inviting than ever. But even vacationers who fly, cruise or take transit will find it tough to escape the tsunami of high oil prices surging through the travel industry.
| Aug 21, 2013
| 10:55 AM
Princess Cruises offers a 7-night Alaskan cruise on the Sapphire Princess for as little as $399, based on double occupancy.
The Sapphire Princess sails from Whittier, Alaska to Vancouver to with stops in Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau...
| Jun 22, 2013
It's the off-season for cruising at Port Everglades with only a handful of ships in-house on weekends, compared to as many as eight during peak season November through April.
Port officials are using the down time to promote a new marketing, advertising...
| May 13, 2013
| 9:50 AM
Like supermodels sporting the latest on the runways of the world’s oceans, each year a group of new cruise ships debuts. Here are some noteworthy ones being launched in 2013:
· MSC Cruises – The MSC Preziosa, a 139,400-ton, 3,502-...


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Gourmet hot dog shop Haute Dog and Fries is planning to open an Arlington location at some point next year.
The Purcellville, Va. restaurant is in the midst of scouting out available storefronts in Arlington County, according to co-owner Pamela Swanson.
“We are currently looking at a few different locations in Arlington but haven’t decided on one particular spot as of yet,” Swanson said. “We would like to confirm a location as soon as possible and be open within the next few months.”
Swanson, an Arlington native, said they’ve been primarily focused on locations in North Arlington, but haven’t ruled anything out.
Haute Dog and Fries serves signature hot dogs like the N.Y. Reuben (sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, brown mustard), the Bombshell (caramelized onions, mango, pineapple, jalapenos) and the Chicago Dog (onions, tomato, hot peppers, pickle relish, dill pickle, mustard, celery salt). It also serves local Italian sausage, kielbasa and bratwurst produced in Loudoun County, as well as diner fare like cheeseburger sliders, fish and chips and loaded nachos.


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Forrester Research recently projected that robotics and automation will displace 24.7 million jobs and create 14.9 million new jobs by 2027, with impact likely to be felt across many industries–from medical research and restaurants to construction and mining.
This has some job holders concerned about their futures, but for companies that can’t find qualified or willing workers, robotics and automation offer a way out–and few Americans are going to object to it.
Just what jobs are companies are struggling to fill because people just don’t want them? We need look no further than the trucking and warehouse distribution industries.
There are 3.5 million truck drivers across the country, and in 2015, the average annual wage for drivers was $40,000. Yet despite the fact that driving a truck is cited as a popular job in 29 US states, there was a shortage of 100,000 truck drivers nationwide at the beginning of 2017. In addition, the trucking workforce is aging, with the median age of 49 for active truck drivers.
There are several reasons for this.
The economy has opened up new jobs for younger people who in the past would have considered trucking. These jobs enable workers to stay at home, earn better or equivalent wages, and avoid the stresses and strains of being on the road all of the time.
On top of that, the introduction of automated truck logging that records distance traveled, number and length of stops, engine and brake activity, etc., is perceived by some truckers as an intrusion on their privacy.
Warehouse and distribution
A similar situation exists at the warehouse and distribution centers where these trucks stop.
In March 2017, $26,000 was the average wage of an hourly warehouse worker. In the warehousing and storage industry, the median age of a worker is 39.8 years, but it’s also telling that 38.4% of warehouse workers are over the age of 45.
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What to do?
“We implemented automation and robotics in our warehouse,” one warehouse and distribution manager recently told me. “We have a lot of aging workers and can’t attract or retain may younger ones because they can find other jobs that are less physically demanding. Meanwhile, what we are finding with our older workers is that after several decades of walking on the concrete floors, they develop knee problems. The more we can pick and pack goods by letting robots navigate the floors, the more we can save wear and tear on our workers.”
A similar opportunity for robotics and automation exists in the trucking industry, which can’t seem to attract enough younger workers to replace its aging workforce.
Other industries that can’t find willing workers are also considering robotics. Among them are:
- Agricultural practices like apple picking, where producers are at risk because of new anti-immigration policies that threaten their historical labor supplies
- The food services industry, which is having trouble retaining workers and looking to employ robots to avoid having to pay higher wages
- Banking, which constantly deals with high attrition rates among tellers because of poor wages
“The reality of a physically demanding job conducted in sometimes extreme weather and working conditions creates an employment path that few American citizens choose or which they abandon quickly if they do try it,” said a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture spokesperson when asked about the agricultural worker labor shortage.
This situation is similar in the fast food industry.
All these scenarios suggest compelling reasons for companies to adopt robotics and automation with little or no objection from Americans–and all will present a new set of challenges for keeping people employed in new roles.


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Coca-Cola seeks to ‘Burn’ its path in the fashion scene
Coca-Cola India has come up with a unique initiative for its energy drink Burn. Christened ‘Burn Curate’, this initiative seeks to provide an opportunity for young students of fashion designing to show their creative abilities. The winning design will be displayed at the Wills India Fashion Week (WIFW) - March 2010 Season across five days and will be entitled to a cash prize of Rs 50,000
Coca-Cola India has come up with a unique initiative for its energy drink Burn. Christened ‘Burn Curate’, this initiative seeks to provide an opportunity for young students of fashion designing to show their creative abilities. The winning design will be displayed at the Wills India Fashion Week (WIFW) - March 2010 Season across five days and will be entitled to a cash prize of Rs 50,000.
In an email interaction, Avinash Pant, Director Marketing - Stills, Coca-Cola India, explained, “Burn, as we position it, is the energy, the fuel that helps turn dreams into reality. Burn Curate is a platform to nurture creativity from its nascence. Burn desires to promote fearless creativity and expressions. Fashion industry symbolises these values and the premium associated with an energy drink such as Burn and hence, we are actively associating the brand with this industry/ community.”
Coca-Cola had carried out a similar activation in Mumbai as a precursor to the Lakme India Fashion Week. Young and budding designers were given an opportunity to showcase their talent in creating a limited edition design inspired by the Burn cans. The winning design created by NIFT was unveiled by designer Rocky S on Day 1 of the Lakme India Fashion Week and the winners were awarded a cash reward of Rs 50,000.
Pant added, “We had received a very good response from Mumbai. We had identified 15 fashion schools in Mumbai and more than 400-500 students participated in the competition. Our estimates indicate that Delhi and Mumbai are populated by young, trend setting adults. Additionally, these are also the largest energy drink consuming markets in India. So, we have focused on tapping the young adults in these cities. However, we continue to explore opportunities and would let you know as soon as our plans fructify.”
On how the students gain from this initiative, Pant said, “Burn connotes fearlessness, creativity and fierce expression and it is the energy that helps turn dreams into reality. We strongly feel that Burn Curate corroborates in a unique way to engage with young creative minds that sport the right zeal and attitude to reach out to newer heights. We are challenging young minds to design a haute couture piece using Burn Energy Drink cans. With this unique concept, Burn will enable budding artists to showcase their creativity to the fashion fraternity at large and we are confident that this concept will be extremely appealing and will hit off with the youngsters. Burn Curate is just that project that allows us to inspire and promote new talent emerging within the industry.”
On the promotion plans he said, “Simultaneously, Burn is also engaging in intensive below-the-line activation programmes, involving large-scale sampling and presence at engaging touch points involving fashion, music and performing arts. Going forward, we intend to further intensify activations and provide scale to our aggressive yet exclusive consumer activation programme. Apart from on-ground activation, we are also in the process of launching the Burn Curate website to further this initiative.”For more updates, be socially connected with us on
WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook & Youtube


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The Consumers Association says the FSA's proposals for lighter touch regulation must include suitable regulatory protection.
The CA is warning the regulator that its proposals for face-to-face and telephone selling of a simplified suite of investment products must not lead to another misselling scandal.
Consumers' Association public affairs officer Delroy Corinaldi says:”Each option put forward by the FSA today must be judged against whether consumers will be faced with another mis-selling scandal in the future, as there is scope for mis-selling Sandler products just like any other.
“Sandler's proposal for a lighter-touch regulated sales process for stakeholder products will not prevent mis-selling. The FSA must grasp the opportunity to put in place a suitable and appropriate sales regime.”


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OnBuy Slashes Sellers' Fees By 50% For £30 Million Winter Price Crash Sale
OnBuy.com, the world's fastest-growing marketplace, continues to pledge its unwavering support to independent retailers by cutting fees by 50% for its Boxing Day Winter Price Crash sale - an initiative unique to the marketplace.
OnBuy's Winter Price Crash will see a total of £30 million in prices dropped across every single one of the products on the site. Rather than pressure sellers into cutting their own prices, OnBuy is halving its seller fees for the Winter Price Crash, letting online businesses enjoy an uptick in customers while the marketplace itself soaks up the cost. OnBuy is the only online marketplace that approaches its sales events in this way.
Cas Paton, founder and CEO of OnBuy, commented: "After such a challenging year for retailers, we're determined to continue with our pledge to support our sellers.
"OnBuy's mission is to be a fair and transparent marketplace, so we're dedicated to helping sellers maximise their profits with the huge opportunity presented by the Boxing Day sales. By cutting our sales fees in half, customers can secure products at great prices without impacting sellers' profit margins - and smaller sellers can grab a greater share of the retail sales normally dominated by the big players."
The OnBuy Winter Price Crash comes on the heels of the marketplace's successful Black Friday event, where OnBuy also slashed its fees. The event saw OnBuy total nearly £2.5 million in sales in one day alone, with some sellers experiencing a 500% uplift in sales as a result of the price drop.
Cas said: "We're much more than a marketplace - we provide an opportunity for retailers of all sizes to succeed. We've chosen to discount our sales fees to show our sellers just how committed we are to driving their success."
"Unlike other platforms, where sellers are pushed to lower their prices, we're covering the costs instead. Independent retailers need all the profit they can get, especially this year. OnBuy is challenging the status quo, which is why we put our hands in our own pockets to help our sellers benefit hugely from these key sales surges."
The Winter Price Crash comes shortly after OnBuy announced 870% YoY sales growth from November 2019 to November 2020, the latest in a list of incredible 2020 successes for the company.
To accommodate its rapid growth, the eCommerce business has quadrupled its workforce to over 60 full-time staff members. OnBuy has also just announced plans to expand its offices into Manchester in the new year, creating more than 100 jobs over the next two years to accommodate its worldwide expansion.


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In a new sustainability report (and accompanying country music video starring the Walmart yodeling kid), Burger King claims that by adding lemongrass to cow feed, emissions can go down by an average of 33 percent. But with so many issues running through the beef and dairy industries, customers may be wondering: Does lemongrass really reduce cows’ methane emissions? And if it does, is that small change really enough to make a dent in alleviating the climate crisis?
Burger King is adding lemongrass to cattle feed.
On Tuesday, July 14, Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands International (which also owns Popeyes and Tim Hortons) shared a sustainability report that Burger King commissioned detailing the company's response to this problem. In the report, the fast food chain notes the FAO statistic that livestock is responsible for an estimated 14.5 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; of those emissions, beef production accounts for 41 percent, and dairy production accounts for 20 percent.
So in an attempt to address this issue (or perhaps just to make consumers think BK is addressing this issue), Burger King decided to look at the methane emissions in the cattle industry, since ruminant cows get such a bad rap for emitting the potent greenhouse gas methane, which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global heating.
After conducting research on methane and cows, the BK team is now experimenting with adding 100 grams of lemongrass per cow to the cows’ feed each day in select locations. (Most of the cows who Burger King slaughters consume feed that consists of 68 percent corn.)
Does lemongrass really reduce cows’ methane emissions?
The study — which the BK team commissioned themselves — suggests that methane emissions from cows’ digestive process went down by up to an average of 33 percent per day while they were fed lemongrass. 33 percent sounds like a pretty significant statistic — however, there are a lot of other details worth noting about this project.
For one thing, the cows are only being fed lemongrass during the last 3 to 4 months of their lives, before being sent to the slaughterhouse — before that point, the farmers are responsible for their cows producing the same amount of methane and emissions as any other factory-farmed cow.
(For context, in the beef industry, cows are typically killed at around 18 months of age; in the dairy industry, once mother cows can no longer get pregnant and their milk supply goes down, they are typically killed for low-grade beef at around 5 years of age. In the wild or sanctuaries, cows can live for more than 20 years.)
Additionally, Burger King is only serving burgers made from cows consuming this lemongrass-spiked feed at five select BK restaurants in Miami, New York City, Austin, Los Angeles, and Portland, Ore.
"Reducing cows' methane emissions during less than a quarter of their lives is a drop in the bucket compared to the 2,500 gallons of water it takes to make 1 pound of beef, the 40 percent of land taken up by animal agriculture, and the 500 million tons of manure that the meat industry produces each year," PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman exclusively tells Green Matters in an email. "Don't be fooled by corporate greenwashing: If Burger King truly wants to do its part to stop climate change, it would dump the meat in favor of vegan options, some of which it already sells."
So while feeding lemongrass to this small sample of cows for a few months may marginally reduce the amount of methane in the atmosphere, there are numerous other factors to consider when looking at the impact of the beef industry.
Why is beef bad for the environment?
When analyzing the beef industry, it would be irresponsible to ignore the issues besides methane that accompany it — for example, the industry comes with major concerns, such as animal welfare, air pollution, water pollution, and risks to slaughterhouse workers. There are also serious public health risks: factory farms and slaughterhouses can make their local communities sick (which are often Black communities, Brown communities, and low-income communities), and eating meat (especially heavily-processed meat from a fast food restaurant) presents many health issues to the consumer.
Not to mention, cattle ranching accounts for 80 percent of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, according to Yale. Cattle ranchers are known for purposely setting large areas of the rainforest on fire to clear-cut trees and make room for cattle farms, and this practice was a major cause of 2019’s devastating Amazon rainforest fires, which are on course to repeat again this year.
This is the best way to reduce the impact of eating beef and dairy.
Consumers are growing increasingly concerned with the impacts of the beef industry — and Burger King’s lemongrass-infused response to the issue today is likely going to convince many consumers that Burger King is a reputable place to purchase beef from. However, if you want to stop supporting the beef and dairy industries and lower your environmental impact, the best way to do that is to stop buying these foods altogether.
According to a comprehensive 2018 study out of the University of Oxford, eating a vegan diet is the most effective way to lower one’s environmental impact. And fortunately for Whopper fans, it’s easy to eat plant-based at Burger King.
Burger King’s Impossible Whopper is much better for the environment than beef — regardless of diet.
Last year, Burger King unveiled the Impossible Whopper — a burger nearly identical to the standard Whopper, but made with a plant-based Impossible Foods patty that tastes incredibly similar to beef. The burger is available at BK restaurants nationwide, and as long as you order with no mayo, the entire meal will be vegan.
And earlier this summer, Burger King rolled out the Impossible Croissan’wich, a breakfast sandwich featuring a vegan Impossible sausage patty. Unfortunately, the sausage patty is the only animal-free part of the sandwich, as it also contains dairy cheese, chicken eggs, and a non-vegan croissant, according to VegNews.
Details aside, these menu items make it clear that Burger King’s customers are ready for more planet-friendly, animal-free options to grace the menu. Instead of Burger King giving customers more reasons to order beef from them (which today’s report and music video aim to do), it would be more impactful if BK started introducing other vegan options, doing more advertising and education surrounding the Impossible Whopper, and offering incentives (such as lower prices) to customers for ordering vegan meals. There’s no right way to do the wrong thing, and Burger King could make history if its leadership team genuinely started prioritizing the planet above profit.


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Cawkers Well station at Wilcannia, NSW sold a line of Hereford weaner steers for $4.30/kg on Auctions Plus on Friday October 13th. The lot of 46 steers averaged 169.9 kgs, with a top weight of 230kgs.
This is a great result considering the station has only received 80mm of rain in the last 12 months. Joel Townsing, owner of Cawkers Well is impressed that his Hereford herd can maintain condition under such seasonal duress. “Auctions Plus has been a good selling medium for us and we feel that it is increasing our network of buyers. Bidding was frenetic and I am guessing that’s because a number of previous purchasers have found that Cawkers Well cattle performed well.” Mr Townsing said.
Agent for Cawkers Well, Troy Hartmann (Landmark Hay) also commented that it was a great sale for the Townsing family who put a lot of time, money and effort into producing good Hereford cattle.
Cawkers Well Hereford steers that sold for $4.30/kg on Auctions Plus


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IPification’s state-of-the-art one-click mobile authentication, phone verification, and fraud prevention solutions has just been launched in France. Service providers in the country can now implement these solutions into their mobile apps to increase their security and improve the user experience at the same time.
IPification helps any mobile app developer, whether the sector is banking, fintech, entertainment, mCommerce, gaming, or anything else, streamline their onboarding process by implementing seamless yet bank-grade secure mobile authentication. By removing the friction from sign-up and sign-in processes, it is expected that their user acquisition, retention, and engagement rates will increase.
“Bienvenue, France! It’s a pleasure to enter the French market, and rewrite the history of mobile authentication together,” says Stefan Kostic, IPification CEO. “Now that our solutions are live in the country, I am looking forward to onboarding service providers, a few of which are in the final stages of the implementation of our one-click mobileauthentication and user verification solutions.”
The flagship IPification one-click mobile authentication, user verification and fraud prevention solutions currentlyhave a coverage of more than 2.5 billion subscribers in more than 20 markets globally.


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Pent-up demand for its Alabama-built models should help Mercedes-Benz reach another U.S. sales record this year, the German automaker's top U.S. executive told Reuters.
Stephen Cannon, president of Mercedes-Benz USA, said other models, including the redesigned S-Class sedan and the new CLA compact four-door coupe, will fuel the projected high.
He added that capacity at the Tuscaloosa County factory constrained last year's sales of the Alabama-built M-Class and GL-Class SUVs.
The company set a U.S. sales record anyway, selling more than 274,000 Mercedes brand models during 2012. Sales of the M-Class rose 6 percent over the previous year, while sales of the GL-Class increased 3.6 percent.
"We also could have sold 10,000 more MLs and GLs together had we gotten that extra production...we've got huge pent-up demand for both the ML and GL-Class, which will help us get off to a good start in the first half of the year," Cannon said.
The Tuscaloosa County plant produced a record high number of vehicles last year: about 182,000. Construction is underway on an expansion project that will grow its annual capacity to more than 250,000.


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Plastic and Bags Manufacturers Association (PBMA) President Nasim Wali Gul told an Express Forum that the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic — D2W formula bags, which the government claimed was biodegradable, is not suited for recycling systems. He claimed that sources in the environmental department have declared the use of bags made from this material to actually cause pollution to double.
Gul added that the material previously used for making biodegradable shopping bags could be recycled if it did not degrade naturally quick enough. “In K-P, the plastic manufacturing companies support more than 5,000 families,” Gul stated as he expressed the fear that the D2W formula would increase pollution, unemployment and even lead to the closure of several industrial units.
Karachi administration issues price list for Ramazan
He added that in March, the K-P government had banned plastic shopping bags in the province. Instead, it had promoted bags made with the D2W formula. Gul argued that the compound had been banned by various countries around the world owing to its toxic interaction with food items. “But the K-P government is still pressing for it (D2W),” he added. The material needs to go through a specific disposal process for it to degrade naturally.
“The government is so adamant on it that they are registering cases against shop owners,” Gul said, adding, “We have also shared our reservations with government, but they have turned a deaf ear to our calls, while a few store owners are also behind bars.”
“We are helpless to follow government directives,” he conceded. “When the PTI-led government was about to take power, we were optimistic that a change will come and that we will be provided with the best business and working environment, but now they are pressing us to adopt unhealthy products which would take a toll on public health apart from ruining the environment” the PBMA president added.“We demand the formation of a parliamentary committee to hear the concerns of the business community. We can prove that the K-P government’s policy would further increase pollution,” he said.
- What are Bioplastics and Biopolymers?
- Bioplastics Brands
- Bioplastics Awards
- What is the Difference Between Biodegradable, Compostable and OXO Degradable?
- The History and Most Important Innovations of Bioplastics
- What are Drop-In Bioplastics?
- History of Cellophane
- The History of Elephant Grass Bioplastics
- Bioplastics Companies
- Top Bioplastics Producers
- Polylactic acid or polylactide (PLA)
- What is Bio-BDO?
- McDonalds and the Polystyrene Connections
- The Future of Polystyrene
- Bioplastic Feedstock 1st, 2nd and 3rd Generations
- Palm Oil and The Bioplastics Industry
This article was published on tribune.com.pk


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Japanese celebrity pushes for tourismJapanese actress Kaho Minami toured
city's sights as part of promotional tour
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Tuesday, September 9, 2015
Japanese actress Kaho Minami descended on Yellowknife last week during a six-day promotional tour and photo shoot for Gold Magazine, a fashion publication distributed throughout the country populated by 126 million people.
Kaho Minami, left, and Mayor Mark Heyck pose together in Yellowknife. The Japanese actress and wife of actor Ken Watanabe was in the city last week during a promotional trip and photo shoot for Gold Magazine. - photo courtesy of NWT Tourism
NWT Tourism executive director Cathie Bolstad said the idea for the trip with Minami start after the GNWT's trade mission to Japan and China took place in January.
"A conversation was born there between the GNWT and HRA Group or Crossworks Manufacturing about wouldn't it be awesome to showcase all the things rare in nature here in a new and unique way?" asked Bolstad.
Crossworks is the diamond manufacturer that also runs the NWT Diamond Centre in Yellowknife. Boldstad said her organization started the conversation with its Japanese partners and reached out to her organization. It didn't take long for her to see it as a unique opportunity to promote the city's brand as the Aurora capital of the world.
"To be able to work with partners in the private sector to showcase this sparkle in the sky and the diamond industry as the sparkle under the ground, it enables us to distinguish ourselves as different from anybody else," Bolstad said. "It seemed like a match made for a marketing differential that we can make."
Minami's trip was funded through a combination of funds from De Beers Forevermark in Japan, De Beers Canada, the GNWT's fur division and NWT Tourism. It included stops at the Snap Lake diamond mine, Blachford Lake Lodge and the Aurora Village.
Bolstad was careful to emphasize that NWT Tourism's $20,000 was only for travel logistics after Minami and her group arrived in Yellowknife which did not pay for the flights from Japan but did cover the costs associated with taking her and her group within the territory.
Minami's trip to Yellowknife is already receiving attention through social media. During her time in the city, she posted photos and updates in Japanese to her Twitter account, which has more than 9,500 followers. They included pictures with dogs at Beck's Kennel -- a local business that provides dog sledding tours in the area -- her view from Pilot's Monument and the taxidermied polar bear at Yellowknife airport.
Asian celebrities have visited the territory before in a bid to help increase tourism abroad.
Earlier this year, Taiwanese-Canadian celebrity and model Godfrey Gao filmed a multi-part web series showcasing various activities around the country. Two of those episodes had a focus on the NWT, but that trip was primarily organized through the national tourism organization Destination Canada.
Bolstad also said there are currently no additional celebrity visits planned for the territory aside from the standard media trips.
It'll be a few months before the actress' six-page photo spread for Gold is scheduled to come out in November. Bolstad said it will feature diamond and fur products made or produced in the territory, the diamond mines and a few tourism activities. It will also target readers who are interested in travel and luxury goods.
"This market is very interested in what we have to offer," she said. "For us, that's huge value."
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment said there's been an increase in the number of Japanese tourists.
Richard Zieba, the GNWT director of tourism and parks, said the number doubled between the 2012-2013 season and 2013-2014 season to rise to between approximately 15,000 to 18,000.
Zieba said he has also seen tremendous growth among Chinese travellers who numbered 7,000 in the last nine to 12 months. Five years ago, he said there were only about 100 Chinese visitors.