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Tesla Motors has long enjoyed a lofty position in the stock market, but tumbling gas prices – and a resulting tumble in Tesla Motors stock value – have some experts wondering whether the company’s all-electric car portfolio will stay relevant for much longer.
Rubbish; absolutely it will.
Our friends at Auto News have adopted the very same belief, stating that while the 13 percent decline in Tesla Motors stock after Thanksgiving this year could be cause for panic, speculation regarding any broad, lasting effect on Tesla’s outlook is overblown. And that remains true regardless of whether fuel prices continue their diminishing trend.
Auto News spoke to Morningstar Inc. Auto Analyst David Whiston, who cited the high cost of Tesla Motors’ wares as the chief piece of evidence against any lasting stock depreciation: “People who are buying Tesla today don’t really care if gas is cheap or expensive. They want it because it’s a status symbol or for the performance or they are very eco-conscious and just don’t want to consume fossil fuels, regardless of what they pay for the fossil fuels.” And, we would add, for the novelty, and low long-term running costs.
But Auto News does concede that the release of the less-expensive Tesla Model 3 could pose problems, as a majority of consumers may deem the (still sizable) cost too high to justify the switch from cheap gas, to cheaper electricity. But the future price of gasoline – and thus, that car’s marketability – remains to be seen.
For now, the market seems to have verified the opinions of Auto News and ourselves; stock in Tesla Motors is on the rise again, although it has a ways to go before reaching its overvalued 2014 peak of $291.42. Not bad for a manufacturer with only two cars under its belt.


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Dadiani Syndicate, a digital currency investment firm, reportedly approached a wealthy client to convince them of buying as close to 25% of the bitcoin (BTC) supply as possible, as reported by Forbes on May 30.
A peer-to-peer network, the Dadiani Syndicate enables users to trade with cryptocurrency. Eleesa Dadiani, the firm’s founder reportedly claimed:
“One of our clients approached us and said they were interested in acquiring 25% of all bitcoin currently available. There are a number of entities who want to dominate the market.”
As per Dadiani, acquiring a quarter of the current 17.7 million BTC supply, wherein many coins have been purportedly lost, would significantly affect the market. Dadiani elaborates:
“A buyer of this size is going to push the price up to make this kind of accumulation even more expensive. Yet even a greater number of coins are currently being held by hodlers who will not be willing to part with them for any price. Realistically speaking, there are probably less than five million coins actually circulating at the moment.”
Last year, the firm tracked a lot of attention when it put up 49% of Andy Warhol’s 1980 work “14 Small Electric Chairs” for sale via bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Bitcoin has been steadily recovering from the bear of 2018 and since January, the token has managed to gain over 120% in its price breaking the $9,000 price mark earlier today, the highest price point in over a year.
Image source – Unsplash.com

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Sainsbury's Local Charity of the Year scheme is back for the seventh year and the Southport store is looking for a new charity to support from the Southport area.
For the first time this year, customers will be given a choice of charities to vote for and the winning charity will then get help from the store to fundraise and raise awareness about the charity for the forthcoming year.
The choice in Southport is between The Living Well Centre and Merefield School.
Customers can vote between June 15 and 28 in nearby stores and online at www.sainsburyslocalcharity.co.uk
The Sainsbury’s Local Charity of the Year scheme has raised over £7million over the last six years and has helped thousands of charities across the UK.
Chris Griffiths, Store Manager of Sainsbury’s Southport, said: “We know there are so many great charities in the local area and we’re really excited about providing a boost to one of these over the next year.”


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WhatsApp-rival Signal messaging app has launched a new feature that will help users to protect the privacy of people in the photos they share over chats. Signal has added a new blur feature in the image editor in the latest version 3.10 update of the app which is now available on both Android and iOS.
This feature automatically detects faces so that it can easily blur them. However, Signal states that there is the option to select faces manually in a photo and blur them as well. “These system libraries are not perfect. They don’t detect every face 100% of the time, and these flaws and potential biases meant that it was important to extend their default functionality so that you can always draw with the blur brush to manually obscure additional faces or areas in a photo,” said Signal.
In order to further maintain privacy, Signal claims that the image processing happens locally on the device itself and not on the servers.
Signal says that the new face blur feature is made to support protestors. “At Signal, we support the people who have gone into the streets to make their voices heard…The latest version of Signal for Android and iOS introduces a new blur feature in the image editor that can help protect the privacy of the people in the photos you share,” said Signal in its official blog post.
In order to help protestors, Signal announced that it will be “distributing versatile face coverings to the community free of charge.”
Meanwhile, Signal recently launched a new feature which helps users to automatically remove photos and videos from a conversation thread after they have been viewed. The new “view-once” feature will not permanently store media files by default unless you want them to be stored.
“When you send a “view-once” media message, the image or video won’t be permanently stored in the sender or recipient’s conversation history. Instead, an empty “Viewed” media indicator helps maintain context without maintaining the file,” explained Signal.


text: REUTERS The deficit of Ukraine's foreign trade in commodities was estimated at US$1.423 billion in January-April 2018, which was by 1.5 times up from a $968.6 billion deficit year-over-year (y-o-y). Exports of goods from Ukraine over the period under review grew by 12.8% y-o-y, to $15.457 billion, while imports of goods rose by 15.1%, to $16.880 billion, the Ukrainian State Statistics Service said. Read alsoUkraine exports to Czech Republic up 32% in 1Q The ratio of coverage of imports by exports was 0.92 in January-April 2018 against 0.93 y-o-y. Over the period under review, Ukraine traded with partners from 210 countries and regions. Exports of goods to the EU countries grew by 26.6%, to $6.629 billion, while imports of goods from the EU rose by 12.8%, to $6.927 billion. Exports of commodities to Russia shrank by 6.4%, to $1.187 billion, while imports of goods from the Russian Federation grew by 31%, to $2.564 billion. Read alsoEU countries buying more agrarian produce from Ukraine Earlier, the National Bank of Ukraine estimated the deficit of Ukraine's foreign trade balance in January-April at $2.155 billion. At the same time, the deficit of foreign trade in commodities stood at $2.433 billion. As UNIAN reported earlier, the deficit of Ukraine's foreign trade in 2017 was estimated at $2.625 billion against the surplus at $541.6 million in 2016. However, the National Bank of Ukraine said that Ukraine's foreign trade in goods and services showed a deficit of $6.848 billion in 2017, which was 25.2% up from the deficit reported in 2016.


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Mobile Phones: realme C53
News & Reviews: realme C53 announce
Nov 09, 2023
The realme C53 was already released back in June but realme Malaysia just unveiled a new variant. For this model, it has a bigger memory configuration of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Jul 13, 2023
realme will release a new version of the C53 in India on 19 July 2023. You might wonder, what is the difference with the previous realme C53 released in Malaysia? If you are a big fan of realme, you might want to read until the end.
Jun 06, 2023
Today, realme Malaysia officially launched the realme C53 here at RM599. The new entry-level phone will be available for purchase at the company's official Shopee and Lazada Flagship Store, TikTok shop, brand stores and authorised dealers across the nation on 7 June 2023.
Jun 01, 2023
Yesterday, we reported that the realme C53 will be launching in Malaysia soon on 6 June 2023. realme Malaysia also posted some official tech specs on its website, so let's check out what the entry-level phone has to offer.
May 31, 2023
Today, realme just announced that the realme C53 will be launching on 6 June 2023. That's not all, this entry-level phone will be here in Malaysia first before other markets, marking its first official launch globally.


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Ford Patents a Way to Get Rid of ‘New Car Smell’
Last year, Ford announced that it had hired 18 scientists in China to determine the causes of new car smell. The Golden Noses, as they were dubbed, were looking into the smell largely because Chinese buyers, unlike Americans, find the smell objectionable.
Now Ford has released a patent outlining a process for getting rid of the smell in its new cars. The process takes advantage of the long-observed fact that the sun’s heat can make new cars smell, well, newer.
Basically, the process involves heating up the car or “baking” it, as per the patent’s language. That can happen by parking it in the sun or by turning it on and running the heater, and then cracking a window to let the volatile organic compounds—the compounds known as VOCs that cause new car smell—out.
Ford has even developed a computer system that, based on the research the company has done, will determine how likely a car is to smell, whether or not the customer it’s going to wants new car smell, and can then open the windows, activate the heater, the fan, and even turn the car on if need be.
Although Ford may be looking into this because of customer complaints in China, the patent we found is being processed by the US Patent Office. That could be because this isn’t just a question of preferences.
New car smell happens as a cocktail of chemical compounds (largely used as preservatives in materials) found about the car (leathers, plastics, fabrics, etc) are released as VOCs. These, unfortunately, can be bad for your health. They can cause headaches, dizziness, or even cancer in extreme cases (but you’d likely have to be huffing new cars for it to get that bad). The good news is that as the smell fades, so does the outgassing of VOCs.
So Ford’s patent isn’t just Febreezing the smell (and the danger), it’s getting rid of it. So even if you miss the smell, you probably shouldn’t mind it being gone.
via AutoGuide.com http://www.autoguide.com
November 10, 2018 at 01:39AM


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Asus Transformer Prime getting ICS update in Jan
Asus is reportedly going to release the Android 4.0 update for its flagship Android tablet Eee Pad Transformer Prime next month. According to Digital Versus, which the source of this news, there shouldn’t be much gap between tablet’s actual US release and the update roll-out.
Transformer Prime is already on pre-order in US and will ship with Android 3.2 on-board. We have previously seen Prime running on ICS test builds, so the actual development has been going on for quite some time and it would be fair to expect the update in January 2012.


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The Card Creaser works by turning a handle to process digitally printed sheets through the rotary creasing shafts.
DataBind, in partnership with Lami Corp., has brought the company’s fully automatic laminators to the U.S. and positioned the line as a time-saving alternative to pouch-fed lamination. The companies have also introduced a new on-demand lamination and die-cutting process.
University of Virginia recently acquired an Océ Colorado 1640 roll-to-roll printer and a Colex SharpCut FBC-5×10 flatbed cutter/router.
To produce a general fund budget book for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, the Graphic Arts Department had to hand-collate the pages, which took hours of the employees' time. A Tornado Autopunch EX from Rhin-O-Tuff took care of the problem.
Baumer hhs announced it will be an exhibitor at PRINTING United, taking place in Dallas, Oct. 23-25, 2019. President Chris Raney believes PRINTING United will give the company a fresh opportunity to promote its technical leadership.
Standard Finishing Systems will present a diverse lineup of feeding and finishing solutions this fall, providing a clear snapshot of today’s breakthrough innovations and a vision of the road ahead.
Rollem announced it will showcase the Insignia 6 at its booth during the 2018 SGIA Expo in Las Vegas. With a 20x20˝ sheet size, this device is built to convert a wide variety of products in the growing markets of tags, labels and packaging.
The University of Hartford recently installed new technology that not only expands the three-employee in-plant’s capabilities and productivity, but has brought significant savings in maintenance costs.
Canon U.S.A. unveiled two new finishing accessories for its varioPRINT 140 series of monochrome digital presses. By offering new options, Canon aims to help print professionals provide services more efficiently and build opportunities to help grow their customer base.
Owners of the new four-color digital press, which prints four colors plus specialty metallic dry inks in one pass, lauded the Iridesse at a Xerox customer event this week that drew several in-plant managers.
Yesterday, Xerox announced the Iridesse Production Press, a new a high-speed, six-station digital color press that combines four-color printing with up to two specialty dry inks in one printing pass.
Marist College’s Digital Publications Center replaced its older cutter with an MBM Triumph 5560 to create a safer working environment.
Print embellishment is on everyone's mind, and Duplo USA plans to highlight that feature at an upcoming industry event, where it will show its DDC-810 Raised Spot UV Coater and debut the new Variable Coating Barcode Kit.
The Cook County Bureau of Administration’s Printing and Graphic Services operation upgraded to a new Challenge Champion 305 TC cutter.
Muller Martini has taken over the perfect binding and bookline business from Kolbus. The transaction includes the service and spare parts business for all of Kolbus' bookbinding systems installed worldwide. Kolbus will focus on the packaging and casemaking business, parts manufacturing and the foundry business.


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LG is done making smartphones, although that doesn’t imply it isn’t nonetheless making an attempt to one-up its greatest rival. Samsung beat the competitors to the punch with foldable phones, however its bendable screens got here with a preinstalled layer of protecting movie to maintain the show from falling aside. LG’s resolution to this guarantees to be extra refined, with improved plastic that the corporate is looking “Actual Folding Window.”
There aren’t many specifics on the brand new materials used. LG Chem, which revealed the press release, mentions that it makes use of a Polyester (PET) movie materials to coat every glass aspect. In accordance with a spokesperson for LG Chem, the coating is sufficient reinforcement to “maximize flexibility.” LG provides that it’s thinner “in comparison with present tempered glass,” and whereas it has the identical hardness, it’s not as liable to “cracking on the display.”
The Actual Folding Window is coated in “just a few dozen micrometers” of this new materials to extend its resistance to warmth. The corporate can be engaged on creating a model of the Actual Folding Window with out further reinforcement.
The Actual Folding Window has a bonus over its competitors: It can bend each outward and inward. It’s unclear if the show can bend each methods on the identical gadget or if that is mere point out to point out LG’s plan for manufacturing scalability. The corporate says the coated glass will work with tablets, laptops, and bendable telephones.
LG plans to begin manufacturing on the foldable show know-how subsequent 12 months, with plans to “start full-scale gross sales” in 2023. The corporate hopes to begin with cellphones and plans to broaden to laptops and tablets finally.
After all, LG isn’t with out competitors from Samsung on this realm. Samsung confirmed off its upcoming foldable show tech earlier this 12 months on the SID’s annual Display Week. Samsung can be tipped to be working with Google on a folding Pixel smartphone and with Corning on a extra sturdy glass. It’ll be fascinating to see which producers LG companions with when its bendable Actual Folding Window hits the market.


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€165 million for perishable fruit and vegetables
Worth up to €165 million, this new scheme provides support to withdraw surplus volumes from the market and comes in addition to the programme worth up to €125 million € for fruit and vegetables that was announced on August 18, but suspended on September 10 because provisional applications showed that the full budget allocation had already been claimed.
In order to be better targeted, the new scheme includes an annex outlining eligible volumes in individual Member States with specific figures per product group. The new plan also includes oranges, mandarins and clementines for the first time.
EU agricultural commissioner Dacian Cioloş stated: "I am pleased that the Commission has managed to mobilise a further €165 million to help ease the market pressure for fruit and vegetable growers following the Russian ban. This programme will be more targeted than the initial scheme, although there is still some flexibility within the 4 product groups. These market support measures will provide short-term relief." ■


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Wi-LAN Inc. (TSE:WIN), the Canadian owner of patents for technology used in mobile phones, fell in midday trade after agreeing to end a legal dispute with Toshiba Corp. (TYO:6502), the world's second-biggest maker of flash memory.
Wi-LAN decreased 3.1 percent to C$3.48 at 1:20 p.m. in Toronto.
Toshiba will get a license to use some of the patents as part of the deal, Ottawa-based Wi-LAN said in a statement today, without unveiling further details.
The two companies agreed to end pending litigation in Florida between the parties concerning some television patents, according to the statement.
In August, company officials made a commitment to reducing legal costs.
Founded in 1992, Wi-LAN has a growing portfolio of more than 3,000 issued or pending patents.


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Seafood processing company Sea Harvest on Monday said it expects to report basic earnings per share (EPS) of between 110c and 124c for the year ended December 31, paired with headline earnings per share (HEPS) of between 99c and 113c apiece.
This will be the company's maiden full-year results since listing on the JSE in March last year.
The figures were compared with the EPS of 86c and HEPS of 57c for 2016, which Sea Harvest released in a prelisting statement.
The improvement was driven by the South African operations, with strong market demand for Cape Hake globally and a significantly enhanced performance from the investments made in the Saldanha Bay processing plants.
Sea Harvest will release its result on March 6.


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According to a recent report from the New York Post, it has been revealed that bankers at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) are urging tech giant Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) to make a rival bid for Time Warner (TWX). Last week U.S. carrier AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced that it was acquiring the media/entertainment giant for $85.4 billion. The blockbuster deal, wherein AT&T is expected to pay up to $110 a share per TWX share in cash and stock, would allow Dallas-based AT&T to gain access to a $60 billion multimedia content empire, including HBO, CNN, TNT and film studio Warner Bros. However, the deal with both presidential candidates raising alarms over it will first have to go through heavy government scrutiny before it closes. So, given the fact the merger is far from final, another bidder can give AT&T some serious competition.
“They are freaking out trying to convince Apple to come in,” The Post said, explaining that Goldman was “left on the sidelines” in advising on AT&T’s agreement to merge with Time Warner.
Apple late last year explored the possibility of buying Time Warner with Apple senior VP of software and services Eddy Cue suggesting the idea at a meeting with Time Warner’s head of corporate strategy, Olaf Olafsson.
Apple has long been rumored to want to launch a skinny TV service for its Apple TV product and other Apple devices. So it came as no surprise when three days after AT&T announced its merger with Time Warner, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is open to making a large purchase of his own.
When asked about his strategy around larger acquisitions during the company’s Q4 earnings report, Cook said, “We’re open to acquisitions of any size that are of strategic value where we can deliver better products to our customers and innovate more. We look at a whole variety of companies and, based on that, we choose whether to move forward or not. We’re definitely open and we definitely look.”
“I would confirm that television has intense interest with me and many other people here. In terms of owning content and creating content.”
News of a potential acquisition, which is worth noting- for the time being is just a rumor, will certainly please Apple shareholders who are looking for Cupertino to expand into other areas for revenue growth, growth that should reflect in the stock’s price-per-share.
Apple’s stock rose 1 percent to $113.77 at the close in New York yesterday. This morning ticker is down by 75 cents. The $603 billion market cap company, currently with a trailing-12 and forward P/E of 13.69 and 11.31, respectively, has now lost nearly 5 percent year-over-year, while gaining more than 8 percent year-to-date.
Apple has a median Street price target of $133 with a high target of $185.
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‘Explosive’ growth in online banking apps is contributing to a surge in popularity for debit card payments, which could overtake that of credit cards within the next decade according to the Payments Council.
These changes are set to see people increasingly forego cash transactions in favour of their smartphones or tablet devices, with the number of purchases dropping by 34 per cent from 20.8bn a year now to just 13.7bn by 2022.
Over the same time period the use of debit cards is set to grow from 7.6bn transactions to 13.8bn, driven largely by the younger generations.
Debit cards overtook cash in terms of total spend as far back as 2009 when the figures were £264bn and £262bn respectively with non-cash methods set to account for over half of all transactions by 2015.
Mobile payments meanwhile are expected to quadruple in volume from 356m a year to 1.5bn whilst cheque book usage halves from 823m payments to just 334m.
In a statement the Payments Council said: “The digital economy will continue to grow rapidly, driving change in the way payments are made and received. Much recent innovation has been around mobile payments, and mobile has the potential to make a significant impact on the payments landscape.”


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POTSDAM — Hoof and Horn butchery is hoping to officially open its doors at 32 Market St. next week.
“We have our preliminary inspection on Monday, and I don’t see any reason why we won’t pass,” owner Jonathan M. LaClair said.
Hoof and Horn, he said, will be a farm-to-table whole animal craft butcher shop that will also be an eatery.
When it opens, he said the shop will serve lunch, including grab-n-go, charcuterie and cheese trays.
“We will offer a variety of salads, sandwiches, and soups to-go, as well as various pâtés and cold or hot-smoked salmon and trout,” he said.
The charcuterie, he said, will include soppressata, capicola, speck and other dried and cured meats.
Hoof and Horn will also offer limited catering — either hot and ready to pick up, or a bake-at-home style.
For those interested in catering, he said the shop will work with patrons individually, and that email inquiries should be directed to email@example.com.
At the shop, Mr. LaClair said there will be a few tables for sit-down eating, with large cushioned bench seats.
“When we do pop-up dinners hopefully in January, which will be Saturday nights reservation-only, there will be a lot more seating,” he said.
The pop-up dinners, he added, will likely seat one session of 20 people at 5 to 5:30 p.m., with another seating of 20 starting around 7 p.m. The dinners will feature three- to five-course menus of local food.
“Even though it’s going to be very affordable, it will definitely be worth what you’re paying,” he said.
As for the butchery, Mr. LaClair said the idea is “to use every little bit of the animal that we can.”
This means that, while customers will be able to find prized cuts such as filet mignon and ribeye, they will only be in limited quantity — because they are only in limited quantity on the animal that bore them. As such, there will be more nontraditional cuts that consumers may not be used to, such as picanha, tri-tip and bavette.
Mr. LaClair added that he plans to have a raw dog-food program in the future, too.
“We’re going to talk to some veterinarians and find out what the best well-balanced dog-food options are, and it will be packed in one-pound quantities and frozen,” he said.
For now, he said, the shop will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, although in the future it may only be closed one day a week. Hoof and Horn will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Mr. LaClair advised customers to “come hungry.”
For more information, visit “Hoof & Horn butcher and eatery” on Facebook.


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Plans to build more than 40 flats on the Gallowgate have been rejected by Glasgow City Council.
Saleem Wahid had applied for permission to build the homes and two shops at 419 Gallowgate.
But his request, which received five objections from neighbouring properties, has been turned down.
Concerns raised by the objectors included a loss of privacy and overshadowing from the proposed four-storey block.
One neighbour said the information provided in the application was “poor and lacking” and claimed it was “driven by density rather than design”.
“There is considerable impact on daylighting and privacy to our building that is facing the development from the east,” they added.
“The height of the proposed building would be higher than our building and it would block the daylight from all apartments facing the proposed building.”
The site is currently occupied by retail units and a pub.
Mr Wahid had planned to build 28 one-bedroom flats and 14 two-bedroom flats, with 12 parking spaces and cycle store with 24 spaces.
“The site sits on the Gallowgate and remains the only undeveloped site nestling between two modern housing association developments of a quality design,” the application stated.
“This street is one of the main arteries out of Glasgow and connects the city centre with the Forge Retail Park.”
The flats would have been arranged in a block around a central courtyard.
“The design of the block was envisaged as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional four-storey Glasgow tenement,” the plans added.


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Consumers’ primary financial relationships (PFRs), hunger for digital solutions, and need for new online services were all investigated in EY’s NextWave Global Consumer Banking Survey, which was released recently.
The findings revealed that incumbent banks in Singapore must take steps to safeguard their competitive advantages in order to remain relevant to customers, relying on their long-standing trust connection to pivot with convenient and easy-to-use digital solutions such as super apps.
“Incumbent banks have a significant opportunity here to be the unifying point for consumers’ multiple financial relationships, given their trust advantage concerning the critical need of protecting consumer data,” said Andrew Gilder, EY Asia-Pacific Banking and Capital Markets Leader.
He added that owning a customer relationship through a super app “allows banks to better tailor their own products while also assisting consumers in consolidating their banking relationships.”
He pointed our that the open banking idea, as well as data exchange with appropriate consent, will be crucial enablers of this integration.
Singapore is one of the markets with the lowest neobank adoption rates in the world.
A neobank product or service is used by 23% of Singapore respondents, with technology brands seen to offer superior products and services and to be more innovative.
However, most Singapore respondents have yet to choose a neobank as their PFR, with only 1.5 percent choosing a neobank as their PFR, the second lowest rate of all the markets in our poll.
In Singapore, 55% of respondents had three or more financial partnerships, indicating that they don’t believe any one company will be able to service all of their demands.
It also shows that consumers will be willing to test out the services of the digital challengers.
Another 63 percent of Singaporeans consider seamless integration of all their financial activities to be very or extremely important, demonstrating how much importance customers place on integrating multiple suppliers’ services and activities.
“Super applications” that combine numerous financial services (e.g., checking and savings accounts, investments, and payments) into one app or digital experience are extremely or very appealing to 54 percent of respondents.
Partnerships with other financial institutions and high-tech businesses for extended products and services would increase the value of their PFR bank, according to 76 percent of Singapore respondents.
This percentage jumps to 85% for both the 18-24 (Gen Z) and 25-34 (millennials) age groups.
Strong privacy policies and features are, by a large margin, the top priority for Singapore respondents when it comes to influencing purchasing decisions.
Other aspects that Singapore customers value include rate and fee benefits (e.g., free products and services).
Discussion about this post


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Streamlining processing for bio-based products
The market for bio-products or bio-based goods has grown sharply over the past few years as consumers embrace foods, fuels, medicines and other products made from renewable biological resources. However, the emerging appetite for bio-products is being held back by bottlenecks in manufacturing, with many processing methods taking far too long and costing too much. A European research project is helping pinpoint the industrial jams, raising hopes that the supply of bio-products can match the soaring demand.
The project, called INTENSO, identifies the blockages in the industrial processes and finds new solutions to circumvent them with novel technologies for more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective bio-manufacturing.
INTENSO project is based on four technological pillars, each of which is tasked with investigating a promising novel process. The results should lead to better and more affordable products. A streamlined production process will enable manufacturers to offer their goods at lower prices while still generating the necessary profit to expand and firmly establish themselves on the market.
INTENSO project team focused initially on bio-pharmaceuticals used to treat multiple chronic or life-threatening conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes or viral infections like chronic Hepatitis B.
“The availability of better and more cost-effective processes will enable a plethora of new products to reach maturity,” says INTENSO’s project coordinator Marcelo Fernández Lahore, who is also a Professor of Biochemical Engineering at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. “At the same time, an increase in cost-effectiveness will help non-pharmaceutical products become more competitive on the market, for example in the food additive industry,” he adds.
While upstream manufacturing of bio-products is well developed using methods like fermentation and cell culturing, downstream processes are lagging. This portion, which includes product recovery and purification, can go up to 80% of the total cost involved in the production process. “The potential for savings is immense,” says Fernández Lahore.
The challenge for the bio-pharmaceuticals sector is tough, as product quality has to be high but the price of the final product needs to be comparable to that of conventional medicine. Fernández Lahore says INTENSO project is not just about improving the effectiveness of new methods, but striving to lead to a sustainable approach, factoring in risk management derived from economic, environmental, and social developments, as well as including government policies and legal constraints.
The novel processes developed by the INTENSO team are also expected to enable the next generation of bio-products to be efficiently purified. These are mostly products that cannot be processed using the current available methods. This not only means that a new generation of therapeutics are expected to reach the market, but also that the current bio-medicines could become more affordable, leading to a more widespread use. “Being able to afford cutting edge medical compounds will greatly increase the quality of life, making an impression on consumers all over Europe and beyond,” Fernández Lahore concludes.


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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Proposes Amendment to its Articles of Association
Mar 26 15
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV at its annual and extraordinary shareholders meeting to be held on April 29, 2015, proposed the amendment of the articles of association to remove all references to bearer shares and certificates following the suppression of bearer securities under Belgian law.
Anheuser-Busch Inbev Announces Audited Consolidated Earnings Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014; Provides Earnings Guidance for the Year 2015 and Normalized Effective Tax Rate Guidance for 2016 to 2018
Feb 26 15
Anheuser-Busch InBev announced audited consolidated earnings results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014. For the fourth quarter, the company reported a normalized profit attributable to equity holders of USD 2.52 billion, up from USD 2.37 billion in the prior-year quarter. The company reported revenue of USD 12.02 billion for the quarter, up from USD 11.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. Normalized profit from operations was USD 4,232 million against USD 4,365 million a year ago. Profit attributable to equity holders of the company was USD 5,066 million against USD 5,199 million a year ago. Normalized EBITDA was USD 5,066 million against USD 5,199 million a year ago. Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of the company was USD 2,520 million against USD 2,374 million a year ago.
For the year, the company reported normalized profit attributable to equity holders of the company of USD 8.87 billion for 2014, up 11.7% from USD 7.94 billion in 2013. The company reported revenue of USD 47.06 billion for the year, an increase from the USD 43.2 billion reported in 2013. EBITDA grew by almost USD 1.2 billion organically against last year or by 6.6% with a margin improvement of 25 basis points. This result was achieved despite a step-up in investment behind brand during the year. Normalized earnings per share in the full year grew by 10.6% to USD 5.43. The increase is primarily driven by profit growth in underlying business and the profit contribution from the combination with Grupo Modelo. Cash flow from operating activities increasing to just over USD 14.1 billion and free cash flow, as defined, reaching USD 12.2 billion. Net debt increased by USD 3.3 billion to USD 42.1 billion mainly due to the acquisition of OB in South Korea in April 2014. Normalized profit from operations was USD 15,308 million against USD 14,203 million a year ago. Normalized EBITDA was USD 18,542 million against USD 17,188 million a year ago. Profit attributable to equity holders of the company was USD 9,216 million or USD 5.54 per diluted share against USD 14,394 million or USD 8.72 per diluted share a year ago. Basic earnings per share were USD 5.64 against USD 8.90 a year ago. Revenue grew by 5.9% in fiscal 2014, with revenue per hl growth of 5.3%, driven by revenue management initiatives and brand mix improvements from premiumization strategies. Net capex were USD 4,122 million against USD 3,612 million a year ago. Profit from operations was USD 15,111 million against USD 20,443 million a year ago. Profit before tax was USD 13,801 million against USD 18,534 million a year ago. Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets was USD 4,395 million against USD 3,869 million a year ago.
For the year 2015, the company expects revenue per hl to grow organically in line with inflation, on a constant geographic basis, as a result of revenue management initiatives and continued improvements in mix. The company expects the average coupon on net debt to be in the range of 3.5% to 4.0% in fiscal 2015. Net pension interest expense and accretion expenses are expected to be approximately USD 35 million and USD 80 million per quarter, respectively. Other financial results will continue to be impacted by the potential gains and losses related to the hedging of share-based payment programs. The company expects net capital expenditure of approximately USD 4.3 billion in fiscal 2015, driven by investments in consumer and commercial initiatives, and capacity expansion. The company announced that normalized effective tax rate is expected to be in the range of 22% to 24% in 2015, between 22% and 25% from 2016 to 2018 and in the range of 25% to 27% thereafter.


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Grow, evolve, change? Yes, but die? No.
The luxury platform has had a frenetic year, which included the surprise acquisition of Off-White licensee New Guards in a $675 million deal.
A report finds the gap between the top two brands, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, and number three, Chanel, widening.
Designer Francesco Ragazzi took the party to the Moncler SoHo store to celebrate the launch of 8 Moncler Palm Angels.
The designer talked to the students of Istituto Marangoni and revealed the brand will make its return to the Milan Fashion Week schedule on June 16.
According to Launchmetrics, Chiara Ferragni Collection, Palm Angels and GCDS are the most popular upcoming Italian labels.


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Grameenphone has collaborated with Upay, a subsidiary of United Commercial Bank Limited, to strengthen the penetration of digitalization and enhance the technology solution on 24 June 24 at the Renaissance Hotel in Dhaka.
Through the partnership, Grameenphone will provide innovative data solutions which will allow Upay users to use the application without internet charge, reads a press release.
Besides, when the users register by using Grameenphone numbers, they will enjoy extra data of 500MB and up to BDT 50 cash reward.
Grameenphone Chief Business Officer Kazi Mahboob Hassan said, "Most people nowadays feel safe conducting financial transactions through digital means as they are hesitant to handle bills as Covid-19 survives on surfaces. The transformation from cash to cashless transactions boosted digital payments, strengthening the penetration of digitalization nationwide. As of May 2021, 30-35% of financial transactions were carried out through digital platforms. The trend of cashless payments is putting pressure on all financial organizations, including MFS. And these organizations need to have access to innovative resources and solutions to tackle the increased number of digital payments."
"As a responsible company with the aim of connecting people to matter the most, we are pleased to collaborate with Upay and provide our innovative service to them. We hope that our innovative solution will strengthen Upay infrastructure alongside help the users to continue conducting cashless payments conveniently," he added.
Upay Managing Director and CEO Sydul H Khandaker said, "We are very excited to be partnering with Grameephone to bring this innovative offer for our customers on the GP network. Through this initiative, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, we have addressed a long-standing pain point of customers. Sometimes, the users want to conduct transactions through the app, but either the data package is expired, or the customer may don't have a subscription to any data packs to use the app. This offer will bring a delightful experience for our customers as they can now able to use the Upay app without any data charge. This is the beginning of our collaboration with the Grameenphone. We strongly believe that this collaboration will continue and bring further benefits to the customers and contribute in terms of socio-economic development of the country."
The partnership was signed by Kazi Mahboob Hassan, Chief Business Officer, Grameenphone and Sydul H Khandaker, Managing Director and CEO of Upay. Besides, other high officials were present during the event including, Md Nasar Yusuf, Director Head of Prime Accounts, Business; Grameenphone and ATM Tahmiduzzaman, Member, Board of Directors, United Fintech Company Limited (Upay), Md. Nur-E-AlamSiddiquee, Chief Financial Officer, Ziaur Rahman, Chief Strategy Officer, Mahbubur Rahman, Chief Market Development Officer of Upay.


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BRITS have been warned to "be responsible" and stop panic buying amid coronavirus chaos because there IS enough food for everyone.
In today's daily Downing Street annoucement, Brits were urged to "stay calm" and stop stripping shop shelves bare by Environment, Food and Rural Affairs secretary George Eustice.
⚠ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The MP also said he needs everyone to "play their part" - as he revealed the plastic bag charge will be removed amid the chaos.
Mr Eustice urged people to think of NHS workers as he outlined measures to bolster the food supply chain.
He said: "We recognise that this is a challenging time and there are many things the Government is asking the nation to do differently as we work together to fight this pandemic.
"Be responsible when you shop and think of others.
"Buying more than you need means others may be left without."
Today's No10 briefing heard how:
- Brits should 'stay calm' and not panic buy as there IS enough food
- NHS chief says we should 'all be ashamed' of depriving key workers of essentials
- Supermarkets will waive plastic bag charge for all shoppers
- Panic buyers have spent more than £1billion on food in three weeks
- Environment Secretary George Eustice says food production is up by 50 per cent
The briefing also revealed greedy Brits have spent a billion pounds on stockpiling essentials in just three weeks - leaving vulnerable pensioners without food and toilet paper.
NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis said panic buyers are depriving hardworking NHS staff, adding: “Frankly we should all be ashamed.”
He said: "It is critical that by not stockpiling, by not selfishly shopping, that our health workers are able to get access to what they need too."
The chief also said following all the government's advice can "save somebody's life".
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson stressed today there was "plenty of food" as she too urged Brits to stop panicking.
There will be increased UK production on fruit and veg - with Ms Dickinson saying there will be less choice but there is enough.
Food production is also up 50 per cent - with Mr Eustice reassuring the UK the government will keep a "close eye" on shops exploiting the pandemic and hiking up prices.
The government has now set up a "war room" for food industry executives to address the crisis as cases in the UK today broke 5,000.
Former Nestle executive Chris Tyas is now being parachuted in to Whitehall to oversee the food supply, Sky News reports.
When asked about possible military involvement in the supply chain, Mr Eustice said: "We are obviously giving increasing thought within government over how we will protect those who may be self-isolating because they are vulnerable and I know more will be said about this in due course."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will now be speaking to supermarket bosses about efforts to keep supplies flowing.
Shoppers today queued from 5am to get their hands on goods as panic buying continues to grip the UK.
Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda set a limit of three for any item and two for essential products, such as toilet roll and handwash.
Extra staff have also been drafted in to help with the demand.
Apocalyptic scenes in stores have become more frequent in recent weeks as the deadly disease continues to spread across the UK.
Fights have even erupted as shoppers frantically tried to get their hands on the last goods in supermarkets.
The chaos led to food retailers urging the government for help from the police and even the military to help stem the violence.
Yesterday, an elderly woman was pictured walking through an empty supermarket after panic buyers stripped its shelves bare.
And earlier this week, a critical care nurse broke down in tears after she was unable to buy basic food at the end of a 48-hour shift.
Tap to see where Covid-19 is near you
Dawn Bilbrough, 51, made an emotional appeal to Brits, begging: "Please just stop it.”
A shocking picture also emerged of a paramedic staring at empty shelves after coronavirus lockdown fears saw people panic buy supplies.
Supermarkets have now announced they will give NHS and emergency service workers a special shopping hour to buy their essentials.
Similar measures have also been introdced for the elderly and vulnerable.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - BE IN THE KNOW
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously implored selfish shoppers to “behave responsibly” and “consider the impact that their stocking up might have on others”.
It comes as Boris Johnson yesterday all pubs, restaurants and cafes would close until further notice.
Shops can remain open still and restaurants will still be allowed to do takeaways.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The government lockdown will be reviewed after the two-week shutdown ends.
Mr Johnson said: "Clearly, there are licencing arrangements which will make it relatively simple to do should that be necessary.
"We will enforce it strictly, but in reality everybody can see the imperative of doing what is necessary, of protecting our NHS and saving lives."


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Never ones to keep us waiting for long, Supreme has officially unveiled its SS20 campaign. The recent lookbook, as well as detailed images of its Nike Air Force 1 collaboration, had given fans a taste. It appears as though the box logo brand is back with a bang. As expected, the brand has gone all out for the 2220 campaign, starting with its accessories.
With so much hype around the SS20 accessories every season, there is always a lot of excitement when it comes to Supreme’s weird and wonderful selection. Furthermore, this season is much the same. Big statement pieces such as a USA Mac Tools Workstation, adorned in a large Supreme logo across the front.
Supreme is also giving fans their chance to get around in style with a 20″ BMX Dirtbike made by S&M Bikes. Custom Supreme engraving on the handlebars, as well as on other areas, continues on the legacy of Supreme’s bikes. Whilst the bike may not be for everyone, there is something for everyone this season. A collaborative turntable with Numark, as well as red and white Oreos, add to the more playful side of the brand.
Other notable pieces include Fujifilm instax Mini Instant Film, a basketball covered in Benjami Franklin graphics, Ziploc bags and a Tupac Shakur holographic deck.
You can check out the full list of accessories from Supreme SS20 below.
Image Source: Supreme


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Get Solutions to Recycling and Sustainability Challenges at IFPED 2020
Gain insight from industry experts at TAPPI's 2020 International Flexible Packaging and Extrusion Division Conference, April 19 – 22, at the InterContinental Hotel in San Diego, CA. This year's comprehensive technical program offers insight on consumer perceptions, the journey to commercialized recycling and the war on plastics and packaging waste. Reserve your seat now to this highly anticipated conference where Alison Keane, President and CEO of Flexible Packaging Association, will keynote along with George Misko of Keller and Heckman, LLP. Snag super savings with Early Bird pricing and special hotel rates – available only for a limited time. Register today.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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New payment sector regulations proposed in China
China’s central bank has proposed new regulations to protect competition in the digital payments market as part of the country’s ongoing effort to rein in major homegrown technology companies.
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Mazak’s new HCR-5000S 5-axis, single-table (S) Horizontal Machining Center provides the aerospace and semiconductor/high-tech industries with numerous technological innovations for efficient small- to mid-sized aluminum component processing.
As Mazak Corporation continues to make North American shops more productive with its advanced manufacturing technology, the company has leveraged its rising sales to further support the growth of its customers across the continent. To meet North American manufacturers’ ever-changing needs, Mazak has made organizational changes aimed at empowering customers with Rock Solid services and support.
Team Penske announced today that Mazak Corporation will be featured as the primary sponsor on the No. 12 Ford Mustang driven by Austin Cindric for the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) race at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 7.
At the 2018 Montréal Manufacturing Technology Show (MMTS), Mazak Corporation will show its automation and machine tool solutions in action, including a simulation of advanced robot machining techniques and live demonstrations on the VC-500A/5X Vertical Machining Center equipped with the optional 15,000-rpm spindle and 60-tool magazine.
The HCN-5000, Mazak’s world-class horizontal machining center, is now available with the company’s Multi-Pallet Pool (MPP) System, a basic automation solution in a compact footprint. Thanks to the innovative MPP System, shops that lack the floor space necessary to accommodate a conventional linear horizontal pallet stocker now have the ability to automate for continuous unmanned, lights-out operations.
Mazak’s new Ultimate Die & Mold (UD) 400/5X Vertical Machining Center delivers incredibly precise 5-axis machining in a small footprint platform. Ideal for applications ranging from medical and dental instruments to mold and die components and beyond, the machine sports a rigid base and double-column symmetrical construction that allow its state-of-the-art spindle to reach the highest levels of precision and speed.
Mazak will present the company’s HYBRID approach to additive manufacturing at this year’s RAPID + TCT Conference and Expo that takes place April 23 – 26 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. At the event in booth 2004, Mazak engineers will demonstrate how the Mazak VC-500 AM (additive manufacturing) HYBRID Multi-Tasking machine combines full 5-axis capability and additive technology to revolutionize product design, reduce time to market and cut R&D costs.
Mazak has been designated by SME and The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) as a founding partner for The Smart Manufacturing Experience 2018. The event will take place April 30 – May 2 at the Boston Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and will provide insight and information about the latest manufacturing and transformative technologies to manufacturers seeking to boost productivity, increase sales, improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Longtime Mazak customer Sheffer Corporation welcomed President Donald Trump into its facility for a special visit on February 5. Touting his tax reform efforts, President Trump gave a speech at the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company that earned recognition from the White House after it used a forthcoming tax break to provide each of its 126 employees with a $1,000 bonus.
Mazak’s versatile VARIAXIS i-300 simultaneous 5-axis vertical machining center is now even more flexible and efficient with the addition of a high-capacity Auto Work Changer (AWC). Designed for automated small- to medium-size part-processing operations, the new VARIAXIS i-300 AWC excels in machining aluminum and other nonferrous metals for a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, medical and automotive.


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For the average Saks Fifth Avenue customer, it might seem a bit strange that the male half of the glamorous couple starring in the department store’s latest Sexy Shoes magazine—a custom publishing effort between Fairchild's Footwear News and Saks—happens to be sporting an eye patch. But advertising buffs will notice a distinct similarity between Saks’ male model and another famously eyesight-challenged gentleman: David Ogilvy’s “Man in the Hathaway Shirt.”
For the uninitiated: While working on an ad campaign for shirt manufacturer C.F. Hathaway in 1951, Ogilvy became inspired by photos of politician Lewis Douglas sporting an eye patch and put one on the Hathaway shirt model. When the ads ran in The New Yorker, Hathaway’s entire stock sold out.
The Ogilvy reference wasn’t unintentional, says WWD special products creative director Nancy Butkus, who came up with the idea. “I had to produce a magazine that ‘starred’ 25 pairs of shoes, and we needed a narrative to keep the reader’s interest,” she tells Adweek. “I thought an older man and younger female model could be intriguing, and then I remembered the Hathaway shirt man and how the mysterious black eye patch created an instant narrative. Suddenly, the relationship between the man and the woman seemed much more complex and powerful.”
And while the photo spread is meant to highlight fall footwear, the scene-stealing “Man With the Saks Shoes” might start his own trend when the title hits on Sept. 26. Eye patch chic, anyone?”


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Festival Collisioni, invented in 2009 and arrived at the 9th is and agri-rock festival that every year promote italian and international culture attracting thousand of visitors.
From 14 to 18 July, the village of Barolo (CN) in the historical area of Langhe will organize concerts and conferences with writers and journalists.
The wine will be an important protagonist thanks to “Progetto Vino di Collisioni”, created by the wine expert Ian d'Agata who is the Scientific Director of Vinitaly International Academy. During the event different experts will come to Barolo to meet italian producers and taste their wines.
“Progetto Vino di Collisioni”, appreciated by wineries and operators, in 2016 permitted to 70 experts from 11 countries to meet a lot of wineries during more than 60 thematic events.
Enoteca Regionale last year participated to this initiative and even during Collisioni 2017 will present the wines from Emilia Romagna during a tasting in the beautiful Tasting Room of Barolo Castle on Monday 17th July where international experts will discover the most typical references of the region, from Rimini to Piacenza.
These are the wines that will be presented: Romagna PDO Sangiovese Superiore 2016; Romagna PDO Albana 2016; Bosco Eliceo PDO Fortana Sparkling S.A.; Colli Bolognesi PDO Pignoletto Sparkiling S.A.; Lambrusco di Sorbara PDO 2016; Reggiano PDO Rosso 2016; Colli di Parma PDO Malvasia Sparking 2016; Gutturnio DOC Classico Superiore 2015.


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Second Cup Coffee Company is actively seeking franchise partners to spearhead its entry into the US market.
Currently boasting 170 stores across 18 markets, with a strong presence in countries like Pakistan, Ghana, Egypt, and Cyprus, Second Cup is gearing up for a significant expansion into the expansive 40,000-store US branded coffee shop market.
In pursuit of this, the company is inviting multi-unit franchise partners who align with their hospitality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing values.
“We are excited to bring Second Cup Global to the USA, and we are looking for multi-unit franchise partners in select regions of the USA, who share our passion for the hospitality industry and our commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing,” said Jim Ragas, President and CEO, Second Cup Coffee Company.
To get to know who are the industry key players, visit our Interview of the Week page.
To stay updated, visit our Franchise News section.
To learn more, visit our Franchising Tips section.


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Voting intentions, 1-8/4/2014Saturday, 12 Apr 2014
Consumer confidence improves further in MarchThursday, 27 Mar 2014
Consumer sentiment in March climbed to its highest levels of the past 3½ years. Following a new marginal improvement, the relevant index appears to be stabilizing at nearly 65 points, for the first time since the signing of the Memorandum (5/2010).
Consumer confidence in February remains at highest levels since summer 2010Tuesday, 25 Feb 2014
Consumer sentiment remains for the second straight month at its highest levels since the summer of 2010. Significantly more positive expectations regarding personal financial situation and a fall in unemployment are the main reasons for the improved consumer climate since the beginning of the year.
Consumer confidence registers further improvement at beginning of the yearTuesday, 28 Jan 2014
Consumer sentiment stands at its highest levels since the summer of 2010, after rising significantly for the second straight month. However, the improvement recorded in January may be due, at least in part, to the seasonal variation of the relevant index.
Social dimensions of the phenomenon todayMonday, 23 Dec 2013
The re-emergence of a new wave of Greek migration, on account of the ongoing severe economic crisis plaguing Greek society, has propelled the issue of its ‘dualism’ back into the limelight. A recent survey by Public Issue provides the relevant empirical evidence.
Consumer confidence improves slightly in DecemberTuesday, 17 Dec 2013
Consumer confidence has returned to the levels of early 2013, rising slightly relative to the previous month. In general, the relevant index has shown little movement during the current year. The reverting of optimism about the future of the economy to the levels of last October is the most important development, relative to November. Also noteworthy is the improvement in expectations regarding the course of inflation.
Marginal deterioration in consumer confidence in NovemberTuesday, 26 Nov 2013
Consumer confidence shows a marginal decline relative to October. The slight deterioration seen this month is due to a sharp downturn in citizens’ optimism about the future of the Greek economy. Generally speaking, the movement of the relevant index since the beginning of the current year leads to the conclusion that the recovery observed in January 2013 lacks sufficient momentum to further improve consumer sentiment.
The public’s expectations regarding income, saving and property pricesMonday, 25 Nov 2013
The redistribution of income which has taken place over the past four years, in combination with the rapid increase in taxation during the same period, are vividly reflected in four indices that are used to measure the economic climate


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Newly revamped Rohr's to open inside Morris Inn at Notre Dame
Something new in the dining scene is coming to the University of Notre Dame at a place that prides itself on tradition.
After extensive renovations, Rohr’s inside the Morris Inn on the university’s campus will reopen to the public July 27. The newly updated restaurant has taken over Sorin’s place inside the hotel. Sorin’s, which opened over 50 years ago and was known for its fine dining food and service, closed in November as the Morris Inn underwent reconstruction that was scheduled to be complete by this spring.
The reason behind the shift from Sorin’s to Rohr’s was to offer a more “approachable” dining option, restaurant management said.
“Rohr’s was so inviting and such a familiar spot for a lot of local faculty, staff, students and, of course, to some of the local community. The goal was simply to make the space bigger to accommodate more,” said Jessica Reno, the food and beverage director at Morris Inn and Notre Dame Conference Center.
The once-all-white dining room with blue carpet now features tavern-style touches with dark wood paneling and brass finishes. Light still floods into the area with large windows that look out onto the outdoor terrace. A lighter room called the bistro is located on the east end of the building and will open for private events and overflow seating. The restaurant is planning to seat at 75% of its capacity because of coronavirus restrictions. As of now, about 190 people can sit on the main tavern side with 50 additional seats on the terrace.
Some patrons were concerned about the closing of Sorin’s, Reno said. But others have said they welcome the new restaurant.
“The truth is that we are also hearing excitement that someone is reinvesting in the future of hospitality at Notre Dame,” she said. “The re-dedication of Rohr’s is really showing the Notre Dame community it is very invested in the future of hospitality and food and dining service on campus and that has not wavered or gone away in all of its decades of service.”
Recognizing there is still a want for high-quality options, Reno said that the same fine-dining service that customers have come to expect from Sorin’s will now be available at Rohr’s.
The revamped restaurant offers a new menu for all three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner — as well as a new full bar with an extensive wine list, 16 draft beer taps and classically-driven cocktail menu. Reno describes the restaurant as a “modern tavern steakhouse” where the focus is to use local and seasonal items, while also offering high-end entree options such as fresh fish and a 28-oz ribeye steak.
“We are going to have almost all regional and locally sourced ingredients so you can track it right back to where it’s coming from,” Reno said. “The fine dining menu is still there and the service is still there — you just won’t have a tablecloth on your table.”
Customers at the restaurant will have a choice between how they would like to be served whether through the traditional three-course menu or through a more experiential option where the server can guide them with shareable options. The restaurant also offers carry-out services that have been available since last fall to provide a sample to the public on what to expect. Prices for dishes range between $8 for breakfast and an upwards of $32 for dinner.
And just like Sorin’s was before, the restaurant is open to both the Notre Dame community and the public.
“We’re working to combat the idea that the community isn’t invited into the space,” Reno said. “We can’t wait to invite the local community into the Morris Inn and into Rohr’s”.
Former Bruno’s Pizza building on Prairie Avenue demolished
The building that long held Bruno’s Pizza restaurant at 2610 Prairie Ave. in South Bend has been demolished.
The building had been home to the Italian restaurant, beloved by many notable Notre Dame locals since the 1980s. The restaurant closed in January 2019 and founder Bruno Cataldo died the following March.
According to property records, the property was sold to Red Tail Properties in February 2020. Red Tail Properties is a real estate subsidiary of Mno-Bmadsen, the non-gaming investment arm of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi.
In a written statement, a spokesman with the company said Mno-Bmadsen made the acquisition “with the intention to explore future development.” The spokesman said the company will work with the City of South Bend to look at opportunities that will “add vitality to the neighborhood and to the surrounding community.” He would not provide more specifics at this time.
Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi owns and operates Four Winds Casino South Bend, located less than a mile from the newly acquired property.
Have you heard?
Nothing Bundt Cakes in Mishawaka opened last week. The franchise-owned bakery specializes in bundt cakes and is adjacent to the Verizon store and near the new Dunkin’ at 5325 Grape Road, Suite B. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ... More large retailers have announced they will require customers to wear masks indoors. Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Meijer and Kroger all announced new mandates to begin this week requiring shoppers to wear masks. They join other large retailers such as Costco, Menards and Starbucks in the mandates. ... Hacienda Mexican Restaurants have created an incentive program for customers to wear masks. Beginning this week, all locations will hold a weekly drawing for customers who allow employees to take a picture of them wearing a mask. The photo will be posted on the walls of the location’s lobby and a weekly random drawing will give customers an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate, one winner at each location. Contact a local Hacienda restaurant for any questions.
Where: 1399 Notre Dame Ave., inside the Morris Inn
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Contact: 574-631-2018 or reservations available on OpenTable.


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Fáilte Ireland is launching a new initiative 'Taste the Island' to celebrate the country's renowned food and drink.
Dublin businesses and individuals interested in providing tourists with a a food or drink experience are invited to attend workshops in Croke Park May 8 to found out how they can get involved.
Taste the Island intends to showcase Ireland's food and drink culture from September to November to provide visitors with access to authentic experiences.
Workshops are being rolled out throughout the country to inform the local food and drink industry and offer them a chance to shape the development of a programme of events.
Fáilte Ireland’s Food Strategy Manager Tracey Coughlan said:
"Today’s visitors are more discerning than ever about the food they eat, and they expect a quality experience at every meal. Interestingly, our research shows that international visitors come to Ireland with low expectations about our food, yet 80% leave pleasantly surprised.
"Based on this, we have a fantastic opportunity to push out the quality experiences we have across the full food and drink spectrum from producers and brewers to festivals and cafés. I
"Ireland’s food and drink experiences are as good if not better than any in the world, and we want to world to know about it."


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Diet Pepsi Ditches Chemical-Tasting Aspartame, Replaces it with a Different Artificial Sweetener
Diet sodas are usually spurned by health enthusiasts because the sugar in these soft drinks is replaced by the chemical aspartame (also known as Equal), which some scientists cite as one of the most dangerous chemicals found in processed foods and drinks today. But Pepsi’s diet soda formula is about to change. Although aspartame has been deemed safe by the FDA, and is only deemed carcinogenic in extremely high doses, PepsiCo has announced that it will be removing aspartame, the artificial chemical sweetener, from all diet drinks. By August, all Diet Pepsi cans and bottles will be clearly labeled “Aspartame-Free.”
"Diet cola drinkers in the U.S. told us they wanted aspartame-free Diet Pepsi and we're delivering," Seth Kaufman, senior vice president of Pepsi Co., said in a press release. "We recognize that consumer demand is evolving and we're confident that cola-lovers will enjoy the crisp, refreshing taste of this new product."
The artificial sweetener will be replaced by a different mix of chemical sweeteners: sucralose and acesulfame potassium (also known by their brand names, Splenda and Sunett). Each of these artificial sweeteners has gone through rigorous FDA testing which found “no evidence that these sweeteners cause cancer or pose any other threat to human health.” However, in studies, artificial sweeteners including Splenda have been linked to weight gain and high insulin levels.
Coca-Cola confirmed with CNBC that the company has “no current plans to change the sweetener for Diet Coke.”


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OK Glass, here is a real life Bring Your Own Wearable (BYOW) situation that is bound to get replicated many times in the coming year. As an early adopter himself, Mark Templeton, our CEO at Citrix, got his hands on …
All posts tagged ‘Citrix’
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- 1:53 PM
CES 2013 provided an interesting glimpse into what’s next for the Consumerization of IT, writes Citrix’s Chris Fleck.
- 1:14 PM
Yes, you can build your own version of Amazon’s massively popular cloud services. You just have decide which software platforms to start with, writes Klint Finley at Wired Enterprise. And new private cloud rivals are now offering Amazon integration with …
- 2:24 PM
Cloud services, consumerization and bring-your-own device (BYOD) have forever changed the notion of information security, as end-to-end IT control gives way to workers making decisions about resources and how they’re used. The rise of the cloud era presents both risks …
- 12:55 PM
White-labeling of Windows Azure is a brilliant move by Microsoft, but there will be winners and losers, writes Todd Nielsen.
- 3:15 PM
The graphics chip giant Nvidia has combined forces with Citrix to deliver graphics processing power from the cloud.
- 1:38 PM
I’m always glad when the month of May rolls around and we get a quick glimpse into the technology vision and projects happening inside the Citrix world. I’ve been a long time XenApp user and have always been impressed with …
- 4:39 PM
Among the number of announcements under its “path to the cloud” banner at its Synergy show, Citrix Systems has launched Project Avalon, which it says “enables enterprises to transform some of their most important workloads, Windows desktop and Windows applications, …
- 2:08 PM
The online game giant Zynga is getting its game on as it prepares to roll out its internal cloud-based Zynga Platform, which it outlined on Thursday. Zynga’s zCloud move got attention here at Cloudline for its shift away from Amazon …


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A host of new products promising to secure wireless networks and Web services deployments will be on prominent display in Las Vegas this week as the NetWorld+Interop 2003 (N+I) show kicks off.
N+I highlights networking technologies for enterprises and runs from April 27 through May 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing together many of the world’s biggest technology vendors with representatives from industry, government and military, according to Key3Media Group Inc., which runs the show.
With the rapid adoption of wireless LAN (WLAN) technology in homes and enterprises, a number of companies are exhibiting products that strengthen the security of WLANs, a top concern for attendees at this year’s show, according to Key3Media.
In an announcement with a significant impact on the burgeoning wireless technology industry, the Wi-Fi Alliance said on Thursday that it would use the N+I show in Las Vegas to unveil its latest certification for wireless LAN devices, WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access).
WPA is intended to replace the widely deployed Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security technology, which was found to have weaknesses that made products using WEP vulnerable to attack. WPA is a specification covering security features that increase data protection and access control on WLANs while ensuring interoperability among different wireless hardware and software, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance. It includes technology borrowed from the as-yet unreleased 802.11i wireless security standard and will be able to run on existing 802.11a and 802.11b hardware as a software upgrade, according to the Alliance.
The group will announce on Tuesday the first products it has certified as WPA-compliant. The first WPA products will be available in May, it said.
Security is a key element of several next-generation WLAN offerings at the show, including an integrated firewall, wireless access point and Ethernet switch from NetGear Inc.
The ProSafe Dual-Band Wireless VPN Firewall features a WAN firewall that supports two virtual private network (VPN) tunnels. It also has an intrusion detection system that can log, report and send e-mail alerts on attacks. Included in the device is a four-port wired Ethernet switch as well as access points for 802.11a and 802.11b and prestandard 802.11g.
Wireless technology aside, the growing interest in Web services among enterprises has spurred a market for network security products that are capable of protecting content shared within and between enterprises.
Forum Systems Inc. plans to unveil version 2.0 of its Forum Sentry 1500 XML security appliance, an enterprise-class device designed to provide a platform for the deployment of security for Web services.
The hardware appliance includes new functionality supporting a variety of Web services security standards such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), XML Digital Signatures and XML Encryption and adds features for configuration and security policy management, encryption key management and transaction auditing and exception handling, according to Forum.
The Forum Sentry 1500 XML version 2.0 will be available for purchase May 15 starting at US$35,000, Forum said.
Also in the Web services security market, Tarari Inc. will introduce processing components for handling antivirus functions and parsing XML traffic for threats.


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As the global economy suffers from the effects of the Covid-19 lockdowns from the past two years, coupled with the ongoing war in Ukraine, investors are tightening their pockets with fears of a recession on the horizon, and it could be cannabis companies that feel the pinch.
Bloomberg suggests that many companies involved in the cannabis industry could find it more difficult to raise starting capital, amongst other issues.
This is of course not the only industry that is suffering currently. The global stock market has taken a large hit in recent months. Added to this, the cryptocurrency market has taken a battering with Bitcoin dropping to $21,000.
Clearly, money worldwide is beginning to dry up and the environment is tough for many companies.
Yet, much like how the drop in cryptocurrency could prove beneficial in the longer run for the industry by removing those out for a cheap win, the same can be said for the cannabis industry.
There are further positives for the medicinal marijuana companies despite the recession, as more nations continue to explore the possibilities of relaxing regulation.
Patients will continue to require their medicinal cannabis as well, despite the global recession offering some protection to the industry.
Within the UK only the medicinal marijuana industry is projected to reach £453 million by 2026 showing that despite global market conditions there is plenty of room for growth for cannabis companies.
News however for the CBD market looks a little more bleak with the UK and European Union looking at limiting edibles.
Much like other nascent markets it is likely that during this difficult economic period, only the strongest cannabis companies appear likely to survive.


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Ministry aims over RM8b furniture exports
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities aims to surpass this year, the RM8 billion mark for total Malaysian furniture exported in 2012.
Its Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said Malaysian furniture was exported to 199 countries globally last year.
"This year we hope to do better and surpass the RM8 billion mark, as the furniture industry is a major contributor towards export earnings," he told reporters after his ministry's monthly assembly here today.
Dompok said two important international furniture events would be held next month.
"We will host the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) from March 5-9 at the Putra World Trade Centre and Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Export Furniture Exhibition (EFE) from March 6-10 at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS)," he added.
He said the MIFF had generated about US$830 million in sales last year and the EFE about US$245 million.
"We hope to achieve about a four to five per cent increase in sales at both events this time," he added.
He said his Ministry is expecting about 1,000 foreign and local exhibitors to participate at this year's MIFF and EFE along with a larger number of visitors.
Dompok said the two fairs will also generate an economic spillover effect through the visits and spending by foreign tourists and international furniture buyers.
Meanwhile, he also disclosed that Malaysia had achieved an export income of RM127.5 billion for furniture in 2012, a decrease of 9.7 per cent from 2011 at RM141.2 billion.
"The decrease was due to the slowdown in demand following the uncertainty in global economy last year," he added.-- Bernama


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A SELFIE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
3rd December, 2013
Related News: News
We’ve all done it. Getting ready for a night out, checking how we look in the mirror. Hair done right? Check. Clothes looking good? Check. Looking nonchalant enough? Check. Now we need to add the all important selfie. Confused? Why, a selfie is simply a photograph of oneself in an arm-extended posture, and it’s a craze that’s sweeping the globe.
By Andy Copland
Fifteen or so years ago the last step of this process wouldn't have been necessary. Today we have to make sure that the lighting is right, strike a pose, and in a couple of seconds all of our social media contacts can see how amazing we look.
The importance of this practice has been recognised by the world, not just through the recent decision to include ‘selfie’ in the Oxford dictionaries, and name it 2013's word of the year, but also through the importance of the selfie within advertising culture.
Celebrities + selfie = success. Using celebrities to advertise products is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Celebrities give brands a ‘face’ and help promote sales towards customers that may not necessarily know or buy the product yet. But it's more than just a marketing ploy; it may change the future of the brand forever.
Twitter allows anyone to have an unprecedented degree of contact with celebrities. We can now keep up with any aspect of our favourite celebrity's life, including the type of products they use.
The selfie has an important role to play with the general public as well. From unintentional snapshots of a coke can in the background, to friends ‘snapchatting’ their trip to McDonalds, advertising via selfies is everywhere.
So why has the selfie become such a phenomenon in such a short amount of time? Well, the iPhone 4 has a part to play in that. It introduced a camera at the front of the phone, instead of the back, making it easier for people to take pictures of themselves. Since that fateful day, a camera on the front of the phone, as opposed to the back, has become a stable feature of pretty much every phone on the market.
The big question that plagues all social media platforms and practices applies to selfies too. Is it worth sharing?
From YouTube to Vine and Twitter, whenever we create something we have to ask ourselves if it is worth sharing at all. Most of the time we’ll say "Yes, of course it's worth sharing, that’s why I made it in the first place." What we don't realise is that this attitude is bringing on new trends in the marketing world.
Advertising and marketing have always aimed to show that their product improves people’s lives. Now more than ever the idea that ‘if you want it hard enough you can get it’ is becoming reality. Andy Warhol famously said that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.” It would seem that everyone is famous for a split second instead.
The selfie states something about self-exposure and control. The fact that a celebrity would chose to have a certain product in their photo means more to audiences than seeing George Foreman being paid to represent a set of grills. The celebrity selfie at least creates the illusion of authenticity, whereas outright paid celebrity endorsement is turning into a thing of the past.
Whilst many would claim that taking one too many selfies is rather narcissistic, others would argue that it is akin to writing down your thoughts in a diary. The selfie is a form of instant, but expressive communication with your social peers, and it’s a market that the advertising world has already started to exploit.
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Ford Motor Co saw a huge rise in the 2021 profit forecast after reporting better-than-expected quarterly results, lifting the No. 2 US automaker`s shares nearly 3%.
Though the chip shortage resulted in the loss of market share for Ford in North America, Europe and China, higher prices on more profitable models such as large pickups and SUVs helped increase revenue and operating profit in North America, its largest market.
Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley said the company was planning to shift away from making vehicles that basically stockpiled on dealer lots, to building them to customer orders, reducing discounts required to make a sale.
“We are really committed to going to an order-based system and keeping inventories at 50 to 60 days` supply,” Farley said.
Detroit automakers have aspired in the past to building vehicles to order and cutting inventories, only to allow inventories to build, requiring more incentives to move them out.
“I know we are wasting money on incentives,” Farley said. “I don`t know where.”
Tight vehicle supplies along with the chip shortage forced Ford, like other manufacturers, to focus on higher-margin products which further helped in boosting revenue by nearly $5,000 per vehicle in the quarter, adding $1.5 billion to its operating profit.
Farley said that the company was “seeing signs of improvement in the flow of chips now in the third quarter, but the situation remains fluid.”
He said Ford has begun engaging more directly with chip manufacturers and is stockpiling critical parts such as semiconductors, while dual-sourcing some and designing more interchangeability in others.
Ford raised its full-year operating profit estimate by about $3.5 billion, to between $9 billion and $10 billion.
Its shares rose as high as $14.34 after US markets closed.
Ford basically predicted a roughly 30% increase in global sales to its dealers from the first to the second half of the year. However, higher commodity costs, investments in the company`s “Ford+” plan and lower earnings by Ford Credit is expected to reduce operating profit in the second half, it added.
The company reported an operating profit of $1.1 billion, and boosted its full-year forecast for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes to between $9 billion and $10 billion.


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Honda has just unveiled the 2020 CB1000R at the ongoing EICMA motor show. Not much has been changed in the new model. Honda kept the revisions limited to the aesthetics and the rest of the bike has been left untouched.
2020 Honda CB1000R changes-
- Blacked-out parts that were previously finished in silver
- Black triple clamp and stem
- Silver strip running at the centre of the fuel tank
All these changes have been done to give the bike a fresh and sportier look. And, oh, Honda has also introduced a new Matte Pearl Glare White colour scheme.
In terms of equipment and engine, the 2020 Honda CB1000R is something we are familiar with. It sources its power from a 999cc, inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 141.4bhp at 10,500rpm and 104Nm of torque at 8,250rpm. It has different riding modes, ABS, and traction control.
The ride-by-wire throttle makes riding this retro-modern naked motorcycle that much more fun. Handling is spot on thanks to the Showa suspension setup at both the ends.
We are expecting Honda to bring the updated model in India sometime during the mid next year.


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TriciaBiz trains African entrepreneurs, start tour from Kigali
Leading business coach, TriciaBiz, a business consultancy firm with focus on working with small businesses across Africa to build capacity and grow sustainable businesses in partnership with Naijabrandchick, an Instagram coach is set to boost the growth and efficacy amongst entrepreneurs in Africa.
The brand coach recently launched ‘Business Growth Workshop’ a one-day workshop with the key theme of building smarter and sustainable businesses. The training is set to hold across five locations beginning with Kigali.
According to chief executive of the company, Tricia Ikponmwonba, the workshop was conceptualized due to the increasing need for accessible business education for small and medium enterprises.
She noted that with the GEM Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Annual report, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of people involved in the early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA), with Zambia and Nigeria leading the world rankings, and also accounts for highest number of failed enterprises.
“To bridge this gap, there is the increased need for business education. The training is aimed at getting entrepreneurs to think critically about their business, analyze different business elements such as customer, SWOT analysis, product and service, and long-term goal.” Ikponmwonba said.
With plans to spread over a time frame of three months, the training aims to empower business owners and improve their quality of product and service delivery, whilst focusing on the key elements that drive business growth such as customer, structure, pricing, marketing, innovation pipeline, and business model.
The first training, which held in Kigali, Rwanda on July 24, 2018, had participants took session how to leverage social media to create awareness and grow their businesses.One of the participants, Alexia Uwera Mupende, General Manager of Waka Fitness, a leading fitness company in Rwanda said: “This training was very eye-opening and helped the team come up with unique ways to market our services and also innovative services we can offer to our clients to stay relevant and competitive. The training was so instructive and I like the fact that it was very practical.”According to Ikponmwonba, the next city for the workshop/training, which is schedule to hold August 17, is Accra, Ghana. Other cities are Nairobi, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt


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Mosaic Fashions’ Oasis, Karen Millen, Warehouse and Coast brands have re-emerged from administration as a newly formed company called Aurora Fashions, in a deal led by Kaupthing and Mosaic Fashions’ management team.
Mosaic Fashions appointed Deloitte as administrator of the four womenswear chains today before Kaupthing and the Mosaic management team immediately bought them back.
The deal enabled Mosaic Fashions to complete a financial restructuring of the businesses, effectively a debt for equity swap, ending the difficulties it has had over repayment of its £400 million debt which was held by Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank which was put under the control of the Icelandic government in October.
The administration also enabled Mosaic Fashions to streamline its operations to help it better cope with the economic downturn.
“Our recent past has been difficult and is now behind us. From today we look forward to a new and exciting future as Aurora Fashions.”
Derek Lovelock, chief executive, Aurora Fashions
Aurora said in a statement “Management and Kaupthing Bank have agreed terms that secure the future of these four well-known fashion brands, restoring the group’s balance sheet to a healthy position and providing additional working capital. The new funding package will also enable the brands to develop and realise their potential. The four brands, Karen Millen, Coast, Warehouse and Oasis, will continue to share a common infrastructure and other essential functions that bring cost and operational synergies to the group as a whole.”
Shoe Studio Group and Principles are in administration. However the statement said that the sale of Shoe Studio was at an advanced stage and that there were negotiations over a sale of Principles. Deloitte is running both businesses and an annoucement is expected about a sale of both within days.
Aurora Fashions chief executive Derek Lovelock said: “We are delighted that the future of some of the UK’s best loved fashion businesses has been safeguarded and that we can now build upon the excellent reputation our brands already have with our customers”.
“We look forward to our continuing relationship with Kaupthing and also to the end of what has been a difficult chapter in our history. Most of all I would like to thank all our employees and our many suppliers and partners for their understanding and unswerving support, especially over recent months whilst the situation was being resolved. I am acutely aware this was only made possible because of the long-term nature of the relationships we have with them. They have been incredibly supportive, for which we are immensely grateful and we look forward to continuing our relationships with them.”
“Our recent past has been difficult and is now behind us. From today we look forward to a new and exciting future as Aurora Fashions”.
Aurora’s four fashion brands operate 1,377 stores across 45 countries. The group employs 8,700 people worldwide, including 7,861 people in the UK.
Helplines have been set up for creditors, landlords and suppliers:
01865 734696 – AURORA FASHIONS
01865 734697 - PRINCIPLES
01865 734698 – THE SHOE STUDIO GROUP


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iGaming content developer Pragmatic Play announced its partnership with BPlay in Buenos Aires. This collaboration will now see the iGaming supplier offer its range of table and slot games on the iGaming operator.
Madame Destiny and Congo Cash are some of Pragmatic Play’s most popular titles which gamblers can look forward to. This is after the content agreement between BPlay which is an established iGaming operator in the Latin American region both in the online and land-based gaming scenes.
The latest partnership with BPlay marks the most recent commercial deal by Pragmatic Play. This is after it received approval from the Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA). The approval allows it to not only expand its presence in Argentina but also in the LatAm region.
Pragmatic Play’s Latin America VP commented on the latest partnership by the supplier. Victor Arias emphasized the supplier’s importance to partner with top operators in any jurisdiction they operate in. The VP said BPlay ticks all the boxes in its search for a local operator. Arias further stated the developer’s range of table and slot games will further enhance its solid position in the market.
Sebastian Puente from BPlay also commented on the partnership with Pragmatic Play. Puente said the collaboration falls in line with the operator’s growth strategy. And the range of table and slot games is crucial to the operator’s overall goal.
Pragmatic Play also supplies bingo and live dealer releases through its API. And continues to refresh its game portfolio through the addition of at least five new slot titles every month.
Latin America is just one of the regions Pragmatic Play has its eyes on strengthening. Others include Europe and Africa as it enters into strategic content partnership deals with various local iGaming operators.
For instance, the game supplier recently partnered with Odibets in Kenya. This allows it to deliver its range of online games while also expanding the variety Odibets offers to its customers. Some of the slot titles now available on this operator include:
Also included in the list are live dealer games.
Earlier in September, the game developer further enhanced its presence in Europe. This was through the extension of its existing deal with PlanetPlay365. This is an Italian operator owned and operated by SKS365. The partnership allows the brand to stock up on live casino titles from Pragmatic Play.


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Flight Centre’s machinations are making for compelling viewing at the moment. After a certain inertia, it’s picked up the pace and is moving quickly to catch up with the fast-moving digital world through acquisitions, new ventures and the injection of youth into the company’s ageing hierarchy.
But Flight Centre is also struggling somewhat with its traditional retail businesses under pressure due to a range of factors – an uncertain economy, global turmoil, terrorism and changing consumer preferences – leading to an earnings downgrade which has sent its share from around $45 to the early $30s.
So it’s fascinating to watch Flight Centre’s reaction, which has been a while coming.
MD Graham Turner was a tech sceptic but has seen the writing on the wall and made a decisive decision to invest in technology and talent to help chart a new course for the company he started in the 1980s, years before the internet and mobile phones, a time when consultants ruled.
The key move was the acquisition of StudentUniverse last December, right before Christmas.
At first glance Flight Centre’s purchase of this Boston-based youth travel business looks straightforward, another travel company added to Flighties vast portfolio.
But it’s now clear this is far more strategic than first appeared and had probably been a while in the making. Talent, technology and geography were key factors.
That’s become evident with the appointment of 32-year-old Atle Skalleberg, the former MD of StudentUniverse, to the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer at Flight Centre.
Skalleberg, a Norwegian, will remain in North America and lead tech teams based in Boston and Brisbane providing e-commerce, mobile development, online marketing and business intelligence services across Flight Centre’s leisure brands.
“Having a global digital leader is important to ensure we are able to develop and execute on a clear digital commerce strategy, build a world class team and drive the digital transformation that will propel online and mobile services as part of our blended travel strategy,” said Turner.
“The StudentUniverse acquisition became a catalyst for digital change management and we feel confident that Atle’s competencies make him the right leader for the teams that will continue our digital transformation.
“We are perfectly positioned to be the global leader in providing seamlessly blended offline and online shopping experiences that allow customers to transact or interact with us by the channel of their choice.”
StudentUniverse will also give Flight Centre a very senior presence in one of world’s major tech hubs and a very different perspective on the world and the way it is.
Crucially, Skalleberg will do his thing a long way from Flight Centre’s Brisbane headquarters.
Now in a hurry, Flight Centre is making up for lost time, investing heavily in staff at StudentUniverse, which is advertising for around 15 engineering and online marketing positions.
Flight Centre has also bought online airline booking engine BYOjet, is funding the website startup Aunt Betty and has totally revamped its approach to wholesale, relaunching Infinity Holidays on the latest iteration of Calypso tech platform, which it’s rebadged ‘iBuild’.
“With a lot of disruption going on Infinity Holidays has re-engineered its wholesale business to ensure relevance and so that it is future-proofed,” said John Feenaghty, GM – Product and Marketing at the Infinity Group.
While technology and dramatically improved packaging and transaction automation is a big part of it, Mr Feenaghty said Infinity is also looking at a new payment model based on turnover and markups rather than just straight commission.
So the changes keep on coming, and no doubt there are more on the way, but the big question is how long will it take to turn around the Flight Centre overall business, which still gets an overwhelming proportion of its profits from traditional leisure and business travel?
Most analysts believe there’s a long road ahead and likely more pain before sustainable growth returns.
Investment bank JP Morgan reckons Flight Centre will meet its reduced profit forecasts but thinks there may be further downside in store for Australia’s leading travel company.
Analyst Quinn Pierson expects Flight Centre to report of pre-tax profit of A$355.9m for the 2015/16 financial year – a 2.8% decrease (underlying) over the previous 12 months.
“Whilst Total Turnover Value should remain robust, both income and EBITDA margins are expected to contract, driving the earnings decline,” he wrote in a client briefing note.
“We retain our Neutral recommendation, but suggest risk to our forecasts and the timing of recovery is arguably skewed to the downside.”
Other investors, however, believe that Flight Centre is worth the risk and represents a good buying opportunity.
Sean O’Neill from Motley Fool is one of those and cites three main reasons: it’s relatively cheap, has loads of cash, $431m, and minimal debt.
He also likes the new investment strategy, the results of which have yet to be seen.
“With just $21 million in debt and $430 million in cash, Flight Centre has one of the best balance sheets on the ASX.
“With the acquisition and launch of a number of new businesses including BYOjet, StudentUniverse, and Aunt Betty, Flight Centre is broadening its product base and further penetrating new markets.
“Additionally, the company recently launched transactional company websites in a number of locales including the UK, Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates, which should help drive sales of lower margin products.
“Flight Centre also has apps and travel money projects on the way, and importantly management has maintained its expenditure program despite weaker business performance this year.
“This is an example of bearing short-term pain for long-term gain.”
Meanwhile, Flight Centre has maintained its aggressive marketing habits – just as it did during the GFC, a move that paid long-term dividends for the business, increasing market share at the expense of other retailers.
As always, Flight Centre is pushing ahead, creating its own future.
Compelling viewing indeed – don’t touch that dial.