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Dutch incumbent KPN Telecom NV (NYSE: KPN) is hoping to plug itself into innovation with the launch of a dedicated venture fund, KPN Ventures. The carrier has reserved an initial total amount of €35 million for investments in startups that meet the criteria of the fund.
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is set to roll out its smartphone-based payment service, Apple Pay, in the UK later this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph. The iPhone accounts for almost half of all smartphones sold in the UK, so the payment system has the potential to take off where others have flopped.
Telekom Austria Group has bought a fixed-line operator called Amis that serves customers in Croatia and Slovenia and will support the Austrian incumbent's convergence strategy. Telekom Austria did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but said the move would allow it to offer the full array of fixed voice, broadband, TV and mobile services in six of its eight markets. Amis claims to serve 86,000 customers across Croatia and Slovenia with fixed voice, broadband and TV services.
Orange (NYSE: FTE) CEO Stephane Richard is off on a damage-limitation visit to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his remarks last week about wanting to end his company's licensing deal there as soon as possible, reports Reuters. Richard's remarks, referring to Orange's brand licensing arrangement with Partner Communications, seemed to be expressing condemnation of illegal Israeli settlements (in the eyes of international law), but he later denied supporting a boycott of Israel, claiming he had been misunderstood.
nasimson, User Rank: Light Sabre 6/29/2015 | 11:33:15 AM
Did the visit help? > Orange (NYSE: FTE) CEO Stephane Richard is off on a damage-limitation > visit to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his remarks > last week
So what happened of this visit? Was Orange able to patch up? One more case of how global businesses intertwine with international relations to create interesting dynamics.
Telenor also has this presence in India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh - with some of these countries at odds with some. A nationalistic marketing campaign in one country is not seen as a credit in the other country.


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ISLAMABAD: As the government is already facing a revenue shortfall of Rs125 billion during the past six months due to the relaxation of taxes in income, mobile and other sectors, the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) has sought revenue impact of the relaxation of taxes on cotton imports.
The meeting of ECC which was chaired by the Finance Minister Asad Umar here on Tuesday discussed the proposal of Textile Division regarding withdrawal of customs duty, additional customs duty and sales tax on import of cotton in details.
The textile division had forwarded the proposal of slashing taxes to facilitate the import of cotton to bridge the demand and supply gap in the country, thereby helping out the textile industry, especially the export segment. The committee noted that detailed trade and revenue related data was required, which was not made part of the proposal. The relevant ministries were directed to fill the data gaps so that an informed decision could be taken in the matter.
As per the available documents, the textile industry has to meet this shortage from the import of cotton from other countries. The impact of duties is induced in the price of demesne cotton, resulting in an increase in the cost of doing business for the entire textiles value chain especially for export-oriented sectors in highly competitive international markets.
According to Cotton Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC), the cotton crop for the year 2018-19 is expected to be around 10.78 million bales of 170 kilograms, a decrease of 9.7 per cent compared to last year and a decrease of 24 per cent against the initially fixed target of 14.37 million bales. Further, 9.62 million bales have already arrived in the ginning factories as of December 15, 2018.
As per the summary of textile division, to encourage value addition, reduce the cost of doing business and fill the gap between production and consumption as of January 1, 2019, more than 95 per cent of the cotton will be lifted from the farmers, it is proposed that similar to last two years’ decision; customs duty, additional customs duty and sales tax on imported cotton may be withdrawn immediately.
According to the summary, justifying the relaxation in taxes, the textile division in the proposal claimed that import of cotton has remained duty-free till the slab of 0 per cent was abolished in 2014-15 and customs duty of 1 per cent was imposed along with the 5 per cent sales tax. Later on, a 1 per cent slab was raised to 2 per cent and then 3 per cent along with the 2 per cent additional duty to make it 5 per cent. Currently, cotton is subject to 3 per cent customs duty, 2 per cent additional customs duty and 5 per cent sales tax.
According to the documents, Prime Minister’s Package of incentives for exporters was announced on January 10, 2017, wherein, textile sector was provided number of facilitations including withdrawal of customs duty and sales tax on imported cotton effective from January 16, 2017. However, customs duty and sales tax on imported cotton were re-imposed from July 15, 2017, in view of domestic cotton arrival.
The customs duty and sales tax were withdrawn again effective January 8, 2018, vide a summary to ECC of the cabinet moved by this division. The customs duty and sales tax were re-imposed w.e.f July 15, 2018, vide a Summary moved by Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) on May 31 2018.
Sources said that on the one side, cotton production has been decreasing and on the other hand, the government had imposed taxes on cotton import which is why export has not been increasing. If industry will not get raw material than how can the export enhanced.
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) was demanding for the last many months to withdrawn this duty and government can bear Rs4 billion loss in revenue if the country imports 1 million bales cotton.
Sources said that Ministry of National Food Security and Research can oppose this move as they have a point of view that farmers could be affected due to withdrawn of taxes on import of cotton.
The textile industry of Pakistan consumes around 12 to 15 million bales per annum and sustainability and viability of spinning industry are totally dependent on the performance of the domestic crop.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is struggling to enhance exports which are stagnant to around $24 billion currently.

domain: news


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Major mortgage broking franchise Aussie Home Loans
has gone back to the future as it launches a new brand strategy and marketing campaign.
Launched over the weekend, the franchise has resurrected its iconic “We’ll save you” slogan as it embarks on its biggest ever investment in strengthening its brand.
Aussie will spend in excess of $25m over the next 18 months on the multi-platform campaign, which will include advertising run across TV, online and social media as well as a range of local and store-based marketing.
A major point of the camping will be a re-design of the Aussie website and TV commercials which will position brokers at the front and centre of Aussie’s brand and attempt to demystify how brokers match loans to the needs of their clients.
“The advertising shows consumers what happens in thousands of homes, offices and Aussie stores every month, Aussie brokers working side-by-side with customers, helping them navigate thousands of home loan products, each with different features and limitations that could go unnoticed to an untrained eye,” Aussie chief executive officer James Symond
“It is designed to show how the collective wisdom and strength of Aussie’s industry leading broker network empowers our brokers to provide the very best customer experience. This will encourage consumers to use an Aussie Mortgage Broker to help them find an appropriate home loan for their needs,” Symond said.
While the campaign’s main aim is strengthen the brand of Aussie, Symond believes the return of the iconic slogan will also move the broking industry forward as a whole.
“We are also very excited to bring back our famous slogan ‘We’ll Save You’, as it not only resonates with consumers who are shopping around for a better deal, but those who understand that being looked after by a professional, local home loan expert can help them save not just money, but help them avoid stress, wasted time and uncertainty,” he said.
As the campaign rolls out, Symond said it will cap what has been a significant period of growth for the franchise.
“Literally every part of Aussie has been enhanced over the past 18 months.
“We have expanded our product range, brought our customer contact centre in-house, moved to new headquarters, upgraded our industry leading training programs and technology whilst also launching our partnership with charity OzHarvest.”


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Headlines Tagged with Australia — 10,594 headlines found
Customs and Border Protection has seized more than 10 million cigarettes, illegally imported into Australia.
Dec 3, 2012 BYMNews (gb)
added Dec 3, 2012 11:51
Smoking warnings and diseased body parts emblazoned on dull green boxes that are the same for all tobacco brands
Dec 1, 2012 The Guardian (uk)
added Dec 1, 2012 12:27
WHO welcomes landmark decision from Australia's High Court on tobacco plain packaging act: Updated statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan 28 November 2012
With Australia’s victory, public health enters a brave new world of tobacco control. Plain packaging is a highly effective way to counter industry’s ruthless marketing tactics. It is also fully in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Nov 28, 2012 World Health Organization (WHO)
added Nov 29, 2012 14:16
Giant cigarette producer British American Tobacco got a stern reproach from the Health Ministry for issuing products that were not fully compliant with Australia's strict plain packaging laws, which started gradual implementation in October 2012.
Nov 29, 2012 International Business Times (au)
added Nov 29, 2012 13:45
Australia blocked a request Monday for the creation of a World Trade Organization panel to examine Honduras' claims that Australia's plain packaging requirements for tobacco products give trademark holders short shrift and conflict with Australia's oblig
Nov 20, 2012 Law360
added Nov 20, 2012 22:03
West Australian doctors are calling for stricter policing of no-smoking areas outside hospitals, with many patients continuing to smoke on hospital grounds.
Nov 7, 2012 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (au)
added Nov 7, 2012 12:30
"You could just about sue the Government for trauma," he joked. "It will put a lot of people off you can't miss it." A gruesome image of a rotten or diseased body part dominated each packet and carton, with no logo in sight and the tobacco company's bra
Oct 30, 2012 Hobart (Tas) Mercury (au)
added Nov 1, 2012 13:51
'There are now 107 smoking apps. Authorities are freaking out.' Outraged calls to ban tobacco-related apps might, just possibly, be missing the point. . . . I'm not a regular smoker myself, but after years of watching Nicola Roxon waging federal war on
Oct 27, 2012 Brisbane (QLD) Times (au)
added Oct 27, 2012 19:25
The Australian tobacco industry makes a significant contribution to the economy in terms of government revenue, retail sales and employment.
Oct 26, 2012 British American Tobacco (BAT) Australia
added Oct 26, 2012 12:34
We believe the company will face a similar volume decline in Europe again this quarter with the cigarette market size in the region expected to continue its declining trend. We also expect weaker growth in Asia relative to the previous quarter, primarily
Oct 17, 2012 Trefis
added Oct 18, 2012 08:47


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The Port of Valletta today welcomed the first call of MSC Grandiosa as a ceremony was held on MSC's newest ship to commemorate her maiden call.
Stephen Xuereb, Valletta Cruise Port’s CEO and Global Ports Holding COO, said: “We are proud to welcome MSC Grandiosa on her maiden call to Valletta Cruise Port, and to be hosting her on another five calls during this year as part of her inaugural season. Next year she will call Malta on another 43 occasions. On behalf of both Valletta Cruise Port and Global Ports Holding, we congratulate MSC Cruises on their achievements and look forward to many more years of fruitful joint cooperation and partnerships.”
Angelo Capurro, MSC Cruises’ Sales Executive Director, said: “Our cruise ships have served Malta for over 20 years, bringing hundreds of thousands of tourists to its shores. Today, we are proud to bring our latest and most innovative cruise ship to Valletta, to her port of registry, which she will regularly visit for the next 12 months. We look forward to bringing many more of our guests to this beautiful island in years to come, in partnership with Malta and its people.
The MSC Grandiosa will be deployed in the Western Mediterranean for the next 12 months before she is deployed to South America for the winter 2020 season
This article has been aggregated from www.cruiseindustrynews.com and they maybe/are the copyright owners of the same. If you are the Author/Copyright owner of this article and want us to remove the same then send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org so that we can delete it immediately. We sincerely regret and apologies for any inconvenience caused to you due to the same. Though it is your decision but please take note that the link to your website and the article have been given above, within and on the bottom of the article.


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Ikea is the biggest furniture retailer in the world–a title that the company has managed to hold on to, amazingly, without a serious digital presence. In the age of free Amazon same-day delivery, Ikea still does a vast majority of its sales through its physical stores.
Its commitment to digital is quickly increasing, though. People visited Ikea stores 936 million times last year, but they visited Ikea online 2.3 billion times. Meanwhile, the company debuted new ways to shop using AR and VR, partnered with the visual AI startup GrokStyle, and acquired the gig economy company TaskRabbit. In short, Ikea is acting more like a tech company than a furniture maker. And within the next few years, the way you think about shopping at Ikea will probably change entirely, as the company is aggressively pursuing a new, digital identity through its evolving wave of experimental apps.
“The business model of Ikea having a blue box in a cornfield, and you jump in the car with your family and have an ice cream [at the store], is not the only thing we should offer our customer,” says Michael Valdsgaard, leader of digital transformation at Ikea. “For the majority of people in the world, Ikea isn’t accessible. Apps can make Ikea accessible.”
Note that Valdsgaard said that “apps” can make Ikea more accessible, not just “an app.” That’s because the company has aggressively experimented with mobile shopping apps over the past year, debuting many discrete pieces of software rather than rounding up all of the features into a single, perfect digital shop.
For instance, Ikea VR lets you build a kitchen–and make virtual pancakes–inside an HTC Vive. Ikea Catalog builds digital rooms on your phone. And Ikea Place uses AR to drop full-scale digital furniture right into your room. Most recently, Ikea penned a deal with the visual search startup GrokStyle to let users of its Place app search for furniture using their smartphone camera.
To Ikea, none of these apps is necessarily the answer, but a step toward figuring out what the Ikea customer experience looks like on a smartphone, one UI trick at a time. “How do you create this whole vision of the customer journey, and plug in all those capabilities?” Valdsgaard asks. He admits that Ikea will eventually consolidate some of its apps–like Ikea Place and Ikea Catalog–into one more comprehensible experience. But the company isn’t there yet, because Ikea is still sussing out the strengths and weaknesses of its various apps.
“The visual search is one of the things that clicks fast and easy. Everyone instantly gets it,” says Valdsgaard of the new GrokStyle partnership. “To me, it’s very obvious, in the future you’re going to search either verbally or visually. How we’ve searched until now doesn’t make sense for the coming decade.”
“In VR, people love it, but don’t use it,” he continues. “Then you go into AR–people love it, but half can’t use it because they’re not used to it yet.”
In this sense, Ikea’s approach is a reflection of the tech industry–and its confusion over emerging mediums like AR–right now. No one quite knows what is coming next. Pinterest is betting on visual search. Facebook has gone all-in with VR. Google, Apple, and Microsoft are bullish on AR. And then, of course, we have a slew of voice assistants lurking in an increasing number of devices, mostly thanks to Amazon. Of course, while all of this UI experimentation is taking place, the future of physical retail is murkier than ever. In this sense, Ikea’s strategy is to spread its chips across the table with a range of AR, VR, and visual search experiments.
One of the challenges with working with early-stage technology is that even if Ikea could divine the retail experience of the future today, the average consumer might not be ready for it. Nobody owns a VR headset. Augmented reality is still a novelty to many people, and it’s still developing. Valdsgaard says that’s reflected in the user ratings for Ikea Place’s AR experiences. “Consumers who’ve used AR before give it five stars and are like, ‘good job Ikea,'” he says. “Others who haven’t wonder, ‘why do you only have [limited] models?’ They expect technology to just work at this crazy high level.”
“It’s still early days for AR,” he adds a beat later. “I thought it would have gone a little bit faster with [Apple’s] ARkit and [Google’s] ARcore, because all of a sudden, hundreds of millions can use it. But it’s probably going to take a few years before it becomes something for everyday use.”
In the meantime, the company is decidedly humble about its current offerings despite the fact that Ikea Place, its most successful app, has been downloaded 2 million times and boasts an estimated 1 million “repeated” users. For now, Ikea wants to keep the rate of its own experimentation high, while not worrying about failure. And as long as the technology works, the company is okay if the market doesn’t respond.
“I think what we do push out is of a good quality,” says Valdsgaard. “And then we can ask, ‘is it a big hit, or not a big hit?’ We just want to explore . . . [Then] I think you will find, in the next three to five years, we’re going to have a range of ways to interact with Ikea, from big blue buildings on the freeway to a completely digital interface, to anything in between.”


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The Model Y from the Gigafactory under construction in Grünheide near Berlin will probably look like those that have been coming from the main plant in Fremont since March 2020 and, more recently, from the Tesla factory in China, but will be very different inside: That announced CEO Elon Musk after the Battery Day in September 2020, where he presented new battery cells in XL format and a completely new design for the electric cars around them. The German Model Y will be created with this technology, said Musk – and now a first photo has appeared that could show its battery part – and it seems to offer space for cells with a total of 125 kilowatt hours.
Space for 920 Tesla cells in the bottom
The blurry, so presumably secretly taken photo from an unnamed source was published this week by the US blog Electrek, which had already shown a first 4680 cell before the battery day. As CEO Musk explained at the event, the frame of future Teslas will only be composed of three large elements: front and back a cast part from giant Giga presses, in between the battery element with the thick cells, which together with the base and Lids form a load-bearing part of the structure (see photo above). This sandwich structure in the floor is extremely stable and saves weight, as is the case with aircraft, whose tanks are now integrated into their wings.
It is precisely this load-bearing battery element (probably as a prototype) in an elongated rectangular shape that the photo published by Electrek is supposed to show. The cells cannot be seen on it, but recesses into which hundreds of them could be inserted. Twitter users counted how many there are and came to 920 pieces. This roughly corresponds to calculations by Tesla expert Sandy Munro based on the data given by Tesla for the 4680 cells and the current 2170 format.
Munro calculated 960 cells on the area of the current battery pack for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, a little more than can be seen in the Electrek photo. According to his assumptions, this would have meant space for 130 kilowatt hours of battery capacity in the floor of the two electric cars, or the current capacity of 74 kilowatt hours in 40 percent less space. With the corrected number of cells, there is still a capacity of 125 kilowatt hours with full utilization of the available space.
With such a large battery, the WLTP range for the Model Y, which Tesla currently specifies as 505 kilometers, could be an almost unreached 800 kilometers, even if one assumes a higher weight. Alternatively, Tesla could stay with the previous capacity and create even more space for passengers and luggage.
For Model Y or Model S plaid?
However, it has not yet been decided whether the German Model Y will actually roll out of the Gigafactory in Grünheide with 4680 cells and the new structure from the start. Musk has said that the electric cars from there will use both, but not that they will from the start. And he pointed out both that the new technology posed a high risk in production and that Tesla first had to get a grip on the mass production of the new 4680 cells step by step.
Another (or additional) possibility would therefore be that the battery bottom shown by Electrek belongs to a Model S. On Battery Day, Tesla approved the orders for its extra-fast plaid variant and stated a range of at least 520 miles (836 km) according to the US EPA standard. That’s almost 30 percent more than the current Model S, which roughly corresponds to the difference between its current battery and the value calculated for the 4680 floor. Either way, the new Tesla cells are apparently getting closer – and with them capacities that should finally make any range fears disappear.


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Across the Muslim world, the killing of Osama bin Laden has unleashed a swirl of conspiracy theories, with many Pakistanis, Afghans and Arabs refusing to believe U.S. assurances that al Qaeda's founder is actually dead.
The U.S., which deployed a Navy Seal team to kill bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on Sunday, hasn't yet released any photographs of the Saudi fugitive's corpse. The body itself, U.S. officials say, has been buried at sea after bin Laden's identity was confirmed through a DNA test.
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Just a quick reminder that although many Los Angeles-area farmers markets will be closed for business on Wednesday (including West L.A., Gardena, Lawndale, Altadena and Barnsdall Park), the morning Santa Monica Farmers Market will be open during its regular hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
If you haven't visited the Wednesday SMFM, this week might provide you with the chance to get a jump on the usual crowds, thanks to the holiday. Stone fruits are reaching their sweetest peak right now, as are late-season cherries and an amazing selection of heirloom tomatoes. In addition, there's always a good chance you'll run into a local chef picking up some ingredients for the specials board (a holiday for you means overtime for a chef).
Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.


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Sony'sis getting a makeover in Japan.
The company is offering a limited-edition "chocolate" translated press release., according to a
Aibo's new look includes dark brown ears, a lighter brown face and white legs. Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether a multicolored Aibo will be available in the US.
The robo dog is a refresh of a version Sony sold from. The new Aibo started shipping in the US in December 2018 with a price tag of $2,990.
Preorders start Wednesday in Japan.


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Adaptimmune Starts Planning TCR Commercialization For An Ultra Rare Patient Population
CEO Adrian Rawcliffe talked with Scrip about filing and early commercial plans for afami-cel in synovial carcinoma if it is approved by the FDA.
You may also be interested in...
The company’s CEO and chief medical officer talked about some challenges as well as opportunities and what they have learned from the experience of other cell therapies.
The company plans to start in Germany with an outcomes-based payment model. But while a US FDA nod seems likely, analysts have been more cautious about calling US approval a done deal.
The FDA approved Tafinlar/Mekinist for BRAF V600E-mutated solid tumors, based in part on a Phase II basket trial studying more than two dozen drugs across dozens of cancers based on genetic testing.


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Earlier this year, MegaHouse finally showed-off a peek at its completed GCC DX Mega Man VS Bass statue for the Mega Man Battle Network series. A release date was still unknown at the time, but now we have more information about the lovely collectible!
The e-Capcom Store has begun to take pre-orders for the statue, with a listed launch window of Late December 2020. For now, there are no international options to obtain it (besides a mail forwarder service), but we’ll report back if they become available in the future.
In the meantime, the e-Capcom Store also provided some new close-ups and images of the statue at various angles, which you can check out below:


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Seven years ago, a Googler and a software platform founder started a company called ThoughtSpot, aiming to disrupt the way companies use data. Since then, it’s grown to about 500 people, increasing by 60% since last year.
ThoughtSpot provides a software platform that helps users visualize business analytics data easily and speedily, like a search engine for more than 250 clients like Hulu, Walmart.
Last week, ThoughtSpot, based in Sunnyvale, California, raised $248 million, with funding led by Silver Lake Waterman and Lightspeed Venture Partners. It was the biggest fundraising so far this year in data visualization, according to Pitchbook.
“No one makes decisions without looking at data. What kind of content works for people? When do they turn to that provider?” Sudheesh Nair, CEO of ThoughtSpot told Karma. “Because it is online, all of the data is there. By collecting that data and providing the analysis, ThoughtSpot helps clients like Hulu make business decisions.”
ThoughSpot plans to use the fundraising in building their data analytics team based in the Bangalore office and the sales and marketing team.
“Seventy percent of our numbers and people are built here (in the U.S.), but we really want to invest internationally,” Nair said. “We started this journey six months ago so we want to double down on that.”
Investor interest in the field appears to be ticking up. So far this year, U.S. companies have received $1.26 billion in venture funding, up from $936.8 million for the same period last year, according to Pitchbook.
Nair believes that by making analysis and insight more readily available, the ThoughtSpot team is working towards making the world more fact-driven.
“We want to democratize access to insight so that every decision business users are relying on are fast, and based on data,” Nair said.
Planning to release its mobile app by the end of this quarter, ThoughtSpot plans to drive business solutions based on the financial, healthcare, telecom, and manufacturing sectors.
Recognizing companies like Tableau, the Seattle-based data visualization company, as an established competitor, Nair says that ThoughtSpot is different in its ability to understand the intent of the user when asking for insight.
“The software is able to recognize if you are a customer asking about the number of sales of a particular product versus a CFO asking the same question,” Nair said. “It then provides the graph, data, and visualization all within a few seconds. That is important and all happening by Thoughtspot’s software platform.
“They have to stay ahead in augmented intelligence – that’s the challenge,” Doug Henschen, principal analyst at Constellation Research, told TechTarget Network. “Everybody has responded, adding natural language queries. The next rung up is to be more conversational.”
Karma’s Scarlett Kuang contributed to this story.


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Renault has cancelled plans to bring its high-tech baby Clio hatchback Down Under.
Initially set to land in the middle of 2020, the all-new Clio’s business case was nixed by slowing sales for light cars.
Honda used the same reasoning to justify axing the Jazz, and Ford only brings the Fiesta ST hot hatch to Australia. Hyundai no longer sells the Accent, and will offer only the Fiesta ST-rivalling N version of its latest i20 light hatch.
“We understand that Clio is a nameplate with great heritage, but the case for light cars is becoming harder to sustain,” Renault Australia senior product manager, Charly Clercin, told media.
No stock of the outgoing Clio remains in showrooms, meaning the nameplate is officially dead after almost 20 years on sale in Australia.
Sales have declined dramatically since the Clio’s 2015 sales peak of 2767 units, with just 814 sold in 2019.
The popularity of compact SUVs such as the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V has exploded as demand for light cars has dwindled.
Renault says it will focus on “segments demonstrating sustainability and growth, with far greater volume ambitions than Clio… could ever come close to” in Australia.
Renault will focus on the Captur (arriving January 2021) and Arkana (due second half of 2021) in Australia now the Clio has been axed. The only passenger car left in the Renault line-up will be the Megane RS, due for a mild update in the middle of 2021.
Revealed in 2019, the latest Clio is smaller than the old model on the outside, but packs more space on the inside. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains are offered in Europe, along with petrol engines outputting up to 97kW.
Inside, the new Clio is now available with a 9.3-inch infotainment screen taking pride of place on the dashboard. Fully digital instruments ranging from 7.0- to 10 inches in size are standard, and there’s more storage up front, along with wireless phone charging.


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If you're one of the lucky ones who scooped a bonus payout this year, use it wisely.
This is what financial advisers recommend as they stress the need for consumers to rid themselves of debt. But it’s easier said than done when your salary is barely enough to cover the essentials.
Thobeka Gxowa (39), a cleaner at a private hospital, earns R3 500 a month. The mother of three pockets a bonus, but her windfall will go straight to paying her immediate debt so that she can get more credit in the new year.
“I earn peanuts and incurred too much debt at the end of the year,” she says. “When everyone celebrates, I’m forced to settle outstanding debt and I’m left with nothing.”
Her extra income will be gone so fast that Christmas and New Year will be covered by the cash and groceries she receives from stokvels. And as she starts budgeting for school stationery, she fears she’ll have to get new loans before the end of January.
It’s all too easy to overspend during the festive season, cautions Eunice Sibiya, First National Bank’s Head of Consumer Education.
We asked Eunice and other experts for advice on how to handle your year-end finances.
DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY A break from work is the perfect time for fun and spending money with family and friends.“But look after your money first,” Eunice advises. “Avoid spending more time at shopping malls, buying expensive gifts and spending money you don’t have.
Plan before you’re paid early in December. “The biggest mistake we make when it comes is to go shopping with family members and friends. Shop alone and have a shopping list to ensure you’re less distracted and don’t overspend.”
SHOP SMART Bruce Fleming of the Financial Planning Institute. suggests starting to shop for presents earlier in the year, to spread the expenses over several paycheques.
He points out that by shopping out of season you’re also sure to find better deals which will save you money, instead of paying high prices at the end of the year.
“Resist the temptation to buy on credit and hire-purchase agreements because this could add to your debt hangover,” Bruce cautions.
Eunice also suggests that the adults in the family may agree to forego buying gifts for each other.
Mary notes that it’s important to pay off short-term loans first because they attract high interest. “It does not make sense to invest, for example, for an annual 10 % interest, instead of paying off loans with 22 % or more interest,” Mary says.
“First pay off the most expensive debt, like personal loans or credit card debt.” advises Bruce.
THINK LONG-TERM Eunice says, “When your monthly salary and bonus are deposited, pay January bills that are due immediately. Take out extra cash from your savings account and pay your bond [or your rent] so you’re not tempted to overspend at sales specials.”
Mary Fourie, Chief Operations Officer at Kanan Wealth, recommends looking at an even bigger picture than that. She advises workers like Thobeka to save 40 % of their bonuses in long-term investments, such as retirement annuities, and use the rest to settle any outstanding debt.
Saving money for a rainy day should always be a priority, according to Bruce.
Even if you have a lot of debt to settle, “consider putting 15 % of your bonus into your retirement annuity to bolster retirement savings,” he suggests.
So before you rush out to the shopping centre to splurge on things you don’t need, take a moment to think about lessening your financial load in the new year with any extra cash you earn or receive this holiday.


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Have you ever wanted to be a cat ninja? What’s that? You never thought about it? Well you should! Because if being one is anything like Claws of Fury is describing, you’re going to want to be one! Claws of Fury is an indie game on Kickstarter right now, and they’re trying to make a truly fun and exciting game that’s a mix of two gaming generations.
Today 505 Games has released Backbreaker: Vengeance on the Xbox Live Marketplace with a hefty pricepoint of 1200 MS points or 15 dollars. Haven’t heard of Backbreaker? No worries, be sure to hit the break and watch the launch trailer below. Backbreaker: Vengeance will be releasing later this summer on PSN also.(more…)
We are doing a giveaway of Ms. Splosion Beta codes for the Xbox 360! Check out how to get a code in the details after the break!(more…)
Austin, Texas–March 16, 2011–UTV Ignition Entertainment, alongside Hothead Games, an irreverent developer of memorable downloadable titles, announced today that their hotly anticipated title, Swarm, has gone gold for Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation Network and will begin launching on March 22nd for 1200 Microsoft Points / $14.99. PlayStation Plus members can purchase the title for $12.99.(more…)


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Renault SA (RNO.PA) clinched full access to China’s auto market on Monday by sealing a joint venture agreement with state-owned Dongfeng Motor Group in Wuhan, a city fast shaping up as China’s own Detroit.
Nine years after the two companies first announced plans for the joint venture, they finally inked a $1.3 billion 50-50 partnership to introduce the French carmaker’s own locally assembled models in the world’s biggest auto market.
The deal allows Renault to fully tap demand in China, something it has been unable to do until now because of the lack of a strong local partner. China’s central government requires all foreign automakers to have a local partner to be allowed to produce cars in the country.
To build a Chinese presence, Renault has been forced to rely on imports from South Korea. Now with Dongfeng, it will invest 7.76 billion yuan ($1.28 billion) to build a factory in the central city of Wuhan, with the first car due to roll off the production line in 2016.
Renault, which has a long-standing alliance with Japan’s Nissan Motor Co with whom it shares technology, plans to manufacture 150,000 cars a year in Wuhan and set up a jointly run network of retail stores.
The carmaker’s investment is a boon to Wuhan, located about 700 km (430 miles) west of Shanghai and where the Yangtze and Han rivers intersect. The city, with a population of 17 million including its surrounding suburbs, is home to Dongfeng, China’s second-biggest automaker.
The Wuhan government is aiming to transform itself into a major automotive manufacturing and a logistics hub in China by attracting global automakers and their Chinese partners to open shop, which some say has turned the city into a dust-ball due to the frenzied construction activity.
Thanks to its central position and its rail, road and waterway networks it is better-positioned than other cities to become China’s Detroit – minus the bankruptcy, said Peng Zhimin, a regional economics researcher at the Hubei office of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences who advises the provincial government.
Peng sees Wuhan as a combination of Detroit, home of the U.S. auto industry, and Chicago, North America’s transportation hub.
“Wuhan has a reputation of being the Oriental Chicago. The city’s developed transportation and logistics systems give it an advantage,” Peng said. “We can easily deliver vehicles and auto components via the Yangtze River to consumers in Shanghai, for example.”
BIG PLANS FOR WUHAN
In addition to Renault, Wuhan is also home to the headquarters of Dongfeng’s joint ventures with Nissan, Honda Motor Co. and PSA Peugeot Citroen (UG.PA). Honda, Dongfeng and Peugeot also assemble cars in or around Wuhan.
The city, which currently has the capacity to produce roughly 1 million vehicles a year, is aiming to boost that to 3 million by 2016. Much of that planned capacity boost will come from Renault’s joint venture with Dongfeng and other global automakers such as Peugeot, which is close to getting a sizeable capital injection from Dongfeng.
Reuters reported last week that Peugeot’s board had approved an outline deal that would see the French state and Dongfeng take matching 20 percent stakes in Peugeot with a share issue to be priced at below 7 euros a share. Peugeot said on Thursday that discussions with Dongfeng were at a “preliminary stage”, with no guarantee they would conclude successfully.
The French carmaker’s venture will also benefit Nissan, which has been operating in China in a joint venture with Dongfeng since the early 2000s. Japan’s second-biggest carmaker has two manufacturing centers within a 470-km radius of Wuhan in the cities of Zhengzhou and Xiangyang.
“Between Renault and Nissan in this three-city triangle of auto-manufacturing operations, we plan to use commonised vehicle underpinnings and major parts,” a senior Nissan executive in Yokohama said. He declined to be identified because he is not allowed to speak to the media.
“That allows us to make huge cost savings and our scale would allow us to bring competitive parts suppliers to this region.”
RIVAL AUTO CITIES
Wuhan has already successfully attracted General Motors Co (GM) and its Chinese partner SAIC Motor Group . Earlier this year, the companies started building an assembly plant in the city capable of producing 300,000 cars a year when production starts in 2015. They are also building an engine plant.
Wuhan government officials say GM’s long-term blueprint for its Wuhan assembly plant includes an option of adding another assembly line to double its overall annual capacity to 600,000 cars.
“I am a pretty seasoned manufacturing guy, right? I’ve never seen anything like this before,” GM China Chairman Tim Lee, who has overseen GM’s manufacturing operations around the world throughout his career, said earlier this year in an interview, referring to the booming auto towns in China including Wuhan.
Other cities, such as Chengdu and Shenyang, are also competing to become auto hubs. That worries China’s industrial policymakers, as well as industry insiders and experts, over the possibility of a glut in auto manufacturing capacity.
“It’s a big cause for concern,” said Peng, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Too many cities are competing to become auto capitals.”
Source: Reuters (Editing by Kazunori Takada and Jeremy Laurence)


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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has praised the efforts of Chinese security research firm Tencent Keen Security Lab, which was able to hack into a Tesla Model S with Autopilot. Musk approved of the group’s efforts on Twitter, describing the hackers’ latest research as “solid work.”
“Solid work by Keen, as usual,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
Tencent Keen Security Lab outlined their findings in a blog post on Monday, stating that it was able to activate the Model S’ automatic windshield wipers using a special computer generated image. The group was also able to trick Autopilot’s lane-keeping capabilities by putting specific markings on a road. Lastly, the group successfully controlled the steering wheel of the vehicle using a wireless game controller.
Elon Musk’s reception of the security lab’s work highlights Tesla’s tech-focused strategy and its efforts to make its vehicles as secure as possible. The company has been very open to the white hat hacking community, as shown by its willingness to give generous rewards for its ongoing Bug Bounty program, which covers the company’s electric cars and energy products, to name a few. Tesla even gave away a (now rare) Mid Range Model 3 RWD to security researchers who were able to hack into the electric sedan at the recently-held Pwn2Own 2019 event.
This was not the first time that Keen Labs has found potential issues with the security of Tesla’s electric cars. Back in 2016, the group successfully hacked into a Model S to remotely control the vehicle’s brakes. Tesla promptly addressed the security weaknesses that the China-based researchers discovered.
Similar to its response then, Tesla has also addressed the security issues that allowed Keen Labs to hack into the Model S in its latest study. The company noted that the vulnerabilities which allowed Keen Labs to control the vehicle through a gamepad had already been addressed. A company spokesperson also stated that the vulnerabilities related to the Model S’ automatic wipers and Autopilot’s lane detection did not represent real-world scenarios.
“The rest of the findings are all based on scenarios in which the physical environment around the vehicle is artificially altered to make the automatic windshield wipers or Autopilot system behave differently, which is not a realistic concern given that a driver can easily override Autopilot at any time by using the steering wheel or brakes and should always be prepared to do so, and can manually operate the windshield wiper settings at all times,” Tesla noted.
The full results of Tencent Keen Security Lab’s study could be accessed here.


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Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Forney hosts first food truck rally on Saturday
Rockin' Rick's, Easy Slider, and Cool Haus will be there.
FORNEY Food trucks are coming to Forney to support a fundraiser sponsored by the Forney High School Lady Rabbits Soccer Booster Club. Make a day of it. The Forney High School Homecoming parade will follow.
Rockin' Rick's calls Forney home, and he’ll be joined by Easy Slider, Four Seasons, Potato Potahto, Rock & Roll Tacos, Rock Star Bakeshop, and Cool Haus. It’s sure to be one rockin’ party. The Halftime Pizza trailer will be there to make sure there’s something for everyone.
This is the first time there’s been a food truck rally in Forney, and they lined up some of the best trucks from Dallas and Fort Worth. The trucks are donating a percentage of their sales to the fundraiser, so y’all need to come out and support the trucks so their donation is as big as possible!
Event Date: October 20, 2012
Event Time: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Homecoming Parade to follow)
Location: City Bank Plaza at 771 E. Highway 80, Forney, TX
Come on out! I’ll be at Cool Haus … no Rockin' Rick's … no … I’ll be all over!
Pegasus News Content partner - Food Truck Connection


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The turmoil in Venezuela: people rush for bitcoin arms
When the number of investment institutions bitcoin appreciation prospects, Venezuela people are crazy influx of bitcoin, but they acquire bitcoin reason more directly, it is against the domestic stall economic growth and inflation as well as high.
In the opinion of the Venezuelan people, with the continuous depreciation of the Bolivar, as well as bitcoin has really come.
According to the statistics of Venezuela bitcoin trading platform Surbitcoin.com, from August 2014 to November 2016, the number of Venezuelan bitcoin users rose from 450 to 85 thousand.
The Venezuelan people have enough reason to start bitcoin mining business.
The British “Guardian” pointed out that the reason of the Venezuelan people use bitcoin bitcoin is very simple, not under the control of the government, so it can still influence in the devaluation of the Bolivar. The most important is that bitcoin transactions is simple, as long as there is a mobile phone, computer or online wallet service, you can store the coins.
Cheap and subsidized electricity, as well as the failure of currency, push some young entrepreneurs to set up their own business. Although people use bitcoin in Venezuela is still very little, but many users have been on the Internet by encrypting the money to buy food and commodities, some vendors even began to accept bitcoin.
Bitcoin mining operations caused dissatisfaction with the government of venezuela. In Venezuela, subsidized by the state power is very cheap, almost free, while bitcoin mining process will consume a lot of electricity.
Last November, the Venezuelan government bitcoin absenteeism were arrested. The police searched the Caracas a pair of brothers house, found more than 90 terminal.
In February this year, Surbitcoin trading platform in Venezuela’s most popular was closed, the site said it plans to withdraw Banesco cooperative bank account. However, the site has launched again after two weeks.
Accept the “the Atlantic issue” interview, the founder of Surbitcoin RodrigoSouza, mining the temptation is too large, can not stop, many people just do more secretive.
The runaway economy and high inflation
Let the Venezuelan people to turn their attention to the cause of bitcoin is very simple, it is out of control of the economy.
In July this year, IMF predicted this year in Venezuela GDP fell 12%, compared to April this year, the 7.4% forecast down again.
Former Venezuelan officials, an economist at the Harvard University in RicardoHausmann recently published an article pointed out that Venezuela in 2017 is 2013 GDP contraction of 35%, the per capita GDP decreased by 40%. He said that Venezuela’s economy shrank more than 1929-1933 years during the Great Depression of the United States is more serious, then America’s GDP fell by 28%.
Economic contraction is brought about by the shortage of food. Al Jazeera website reported in April this year, the Venezuelan government run the store entrance, with long queues of people waiting. The Venezuelan people only according to the last digit ID, in a week in the designated shopping days.
In addition, high inflation also makes people more difficult days in venezuela. IMF forecast in April of this year in 2017 and 2018, Venezuela’s inflation expectations were 720% and 2068%.
In mid July of this year, some netizens also noticed that on the black market, Venezuela’s currency as Bolivar game “World of Warcraft” in gold.
What is Venezuela: oil, oil also
Once that is, Venezuela economic take-off model, but everything is built on oil.
More than 90% of the export earnings from Venezuela crude oil industry, help the national government run, also import every kind of goods. However, with the global oil prices fell in 2014, the Venezuelan situation has plummeted.
RicardoHausmann said in the article:
“From 2012 to 2016, per capita oil exports fell by $2200, of which $1500 is due to the fall in oil prices caused by.”
The ensuing devaluation, waste money, a constitutional amendment to make this country become in jeopardy.


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FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler plans to heavily restrict TV station owners' ability to jointly manage multiple stations in smaller markets, Re/code reports.» Read More
Discussing partnerships between retailers and celebrities and how they impact sales, with Charles Koppelman, CAK Entertainment CEO.
A major winter storm is heading towards the East Coast. Charles Koppelman, CAK Entertainment CEO, discusses how the weather might affect retailers. "If the weather isn't that great, they'll be shopping online," he says.
CNBC's Rick Santelli reports the November consumer confidence number is 70.4.
Travel headlines for Tuesday include weather woes, a new delay for California's high speed-train and pop-up hotel offices.
After rejecting an unsolicited bid from Jos. A. Bank, Men's Wearhouse turns the table and proposes to buy the rival menswear retailer.
Ready, set, shop! Here is a list of store openings on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
Looking ahead to Black Friday as a storm develops, with Paul Walsh, weather and business analyst for The Weather Channel.
From detailing it clean, to taking great photographs, Meggan Bailey, star of CNBC Prime's "The Car Chasers," tells you how to properly market your car.
Tiffany reported a higher profit, helped by stronger-than-expected sales as business soared in China. It also raised its full-year forecast.
Looking ahead to the winter storm gearing up to hit just before Thanksgiving, with Michael Boyd, Boyd Group International president. He says airlines do not put more planes in the sky during the holiday period.
Retailers use big data to maximize revenue—that is to take as much of your money as they can. Why shouldn't you have the same power?
Mary Epner of Mary Epner Retail Analysis; Micheal Ozanian, Forbes Magazine; and CNBC's Courtney Reagan discuss Wal-Mart's CEO shakeup and other holiday retailer concerns.
JCPenney CEO Mike Ullman bought 112,000 shares of JCP at $8.95 a share, according to an SEC Form 4 filling.
Retail analysts offer a look at the hottest selling items this holiday season, as well as how retailers are expected to fare.
It's one of the largest wealth migrations of our time: hundreds of billions of dollars, and waves of millionaires flowing out of China to overseas destinations.
CNBC's Dominic Chu reports JC Penney CEO Mike Ullman has bought 112,000 shares of JCP at $8.96 per share.
Frigid temperatures and dry weather should put consumers in the mood to shop on Black Friday weekend.
The board of directors says an IPO will not be practicable this year.
Who merits scorn or praise this holiday season? CNBC's Jackie DeAngelis reports on which retailers are being naughty and nice to holiday shoppers.
With just 1 month left for holiday shopping, Stacey Widlitz, CNBC retail analyst; Neely Tamminga, Piper Jaffray; and Chris Horvers, JPMorgan retail-hardlines analyst, discuss what's hot with consumers.


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The growth also reflected a favorable comparison with the same period a year ago, when Hong Kong was experiencing tight Covid-19 restrictions. Tourism to the municipality was exceptionally low at the time.
The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has written to the Minister for Transport, Catherine King, to express concerns about Australia’s high airfares and air capacity and its impact on inbound tourism
In the first half of this year, the country’s entry and exit authorities recorded a total of 168 million arrivals and departures from the Chinese mainland, which is around 49 percent of the figure in the same period in 2019, according to the National Immigration Administration.
Alongside countries like Singapore, Vietnam, the United States, and Mexico, the GCC region has shown a strong recovery in visitor numbers, reaffirming Japan’s enduring appeal as a preferred travel destination.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for the global travel and tourism market in 2020 and 2021 as countries around the world implemented lockdowns and travel bans to curb the number of infections.


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Sometimes a deal can seem too good to be true. But at the time of writing this offer is very much real.
GameStop is currently selling digital PC versions of not only Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Fortune’s Edition but also the brand spanking new Far Cry 3: Deluxe Edition for 4.94.
Note to UK buyers – paying through PayPal seems to lock away some of the Far Cry 3 content. But paying with a credit or debit card seems to work fine.
Buyers will also have to download a GameStop PC app through which the games can then be downloaded – as is being done by at least one of the MCV team right now.
Far Cry 3 was only released last month and cost 39.99 on PC from GAME on launch day. Don’t expect this deal to be replicated anywhere else!
UPDATE: As of 11:09am this deal is still working for us, despite claims to the contrary from some readers.
UPDATE 2: And it’s gone. The correct price of 54.98 is now charged on checkout. Well done to those who got in there in time.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- These are desperate times in Detroit, and Ford and General Motors are taking desperate action, jettisoning Japanese holdings in a headlong race against bankruptcy.
Ford F, -5.36% announced Tuesday it sold 20% of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp., worth about $540 million. The news came hard on the heels of GM GM, +0.16% selling what was left of its long-time stake in Suzuki Motor Co. (7269) for about $232 million, completing an exit it began two years ago. See full story.
GM is burning through its cash reserves at a rate of nearly $2 billion a month, which means the money from the sale of its Suzuki shares would be gone in three days. While every penny clearly counts, observers can be forgiven for viewing the deal as largely symbolic.
Ford's decision to slash its stake in Mazda MZDAF, -1.27% carries a bit more weight. Ford first hooked up with Mazda in 1979, when it bought a 27% stake in the struggling Hiroshima-based carmaker. Ford eventually expanded its ownership to 33%, becoming Mazda's biggest shareholder. It has been a worthwhile partnership, by most accounts, that helped Ford gain a valuable foothold in Asia.
Ford doesn't want to lose that foothold, though with its Mazda stake now down to 13% it's suddenly more tenuous.
But what really hurts long-suffering shareholders is to see Detroit shedding overseas assets at bargain basement prices. Just this week, Japan announced its economy is now officially in recession, caught in the same financial slowdown spanning the globe.
As a measure of the times, an anonymous consortium of Japanese companies had to be gingerly assembled so that Ford had someone to sell its Mazda shares to, even with Mazda itself agreeing to buy some of the shares.
It's ironic that Mazda and Suzuki, financially salvaged by Ford and GM nearly three decades ago, are in a position today to return the favor, even if only symbolically.
Meanwhile, Ford and GM's CEOs are spending the next couple of days in Washington trying to convince lawmakers that they are worth every penny of the $25 billion they need to survive but couldn't possibly raise through further asset sales. See full story.
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Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Conference 2016
Nov. 3, 7.30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | Vancouver Convention Centre East
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Tickets and info: $200, zwc.ca
Being described as environmentally friendly, or sustainably minded, is pretty hip right now, but the award wining designers and architects speaking at Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste Conference 2016 are not joking about it.
Eben Bayer is founder and CEO of Ecovative, the upstate New York-based company that produces building materials, packaging (for companies like Dell) and an online furniture line — everythinghomegrown.com — from mushrooms, or more specifically, mycelium (found in mushroom root) mixed with “hemp and a pinch of starch.”
The one-day conference, which has run annually since 2011, will focus this year on the movement toward a “circular economy.” As the keynote speaker, Bayer will share his company’s success in producing “100 per cent grown bio materials that are chemical free, so they’re safe for your home and the planet.”


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The China Post news staff and CNA
TAIPEI, Taiwan — UBS Securities has revised upward its forecast for Taiwan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2014 on solid economic growth outlook for the fourth quarter. The Swiss brokerage firm has fine-tuned its 2014 Taiwan GDP growth projection to 4.0 percent from an earlier estimate of 3.8 percent, driven by continued expansions in exports and industrial production. ��For 2015, we expect growth to remain decent but to slow from 2014, as the boosts from the positive product cycle taper; restocking demand eases; and external demand volatility may be higher,�� said Silvia Liu, a Hong Kong-based economist with UBS, who forecast a GDP growth of 3.3 percent for Taiwan in 2015. ��Accelerating U.S. growth and better terms of trade will be the key cushions,�� she wrote in a research note issued Thursday. In late November, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS, ���F�|�D�p�`�B) said that Taiwan’s GDP grew 3.63 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, in line with a government estimate of 3.62 percent growth made in August. The agency also raised the growth forecast for Taiwan’s 2014 gross domestic product was raised 0.02 of a percentage point to 3.43 percent due to robust demand for major exports The country’s per capita GDP is projected to reach US$22,518, with consumer price increases remaining in check at 1.18 percent as a result of weak global oil prices and mild weather. Commodity exports are set to grow 3.01 percent to US$314.6 billion for the year, as demand for the country’s semiconductor products continues to pick up steam, DGBAS said. Although the recent food oil scandal dented consumer confidence, a falling unemployment rate and rising wages have partially offset the negative impact and will drive up private consumption by 2.76 percent for the year, the agency added. Positive sentiment is also reflected in heightened private investment, which is expected to expand by 4.1 percent, as the aviation, telecommunications and semiconductor sectors keep on ramping up production capacity. Given the even rosier outlook for next year’s global economy, DGBAS expected Taiwan’s commodity exports should increase by another 3.56 percent in 2015, with private consumption and investment rising 2.74 percent and 5.59 percent, respectively. Inflation is expected to hold at 0.91 percent.
The DBGAS also revised Taiwan’s annual GDP growth between 2007 and 2013 to 3.42 percent, which is 0.14 of a percentage point higher than the 2011 figure. Estimates for the first three quarters of the year were adjusted upward to 3.41 percent, 3.87 percent and 3.63 percent, respectively. The fourth-quarter projection was modified to 2.83 percent, a quarter of a percentage point lower than previously anticipated.


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DETROIT — General Motors says it will spend $632 million to update its Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant so it can make the next generation of full-size pickup trucks with internal combustion engines.
The investment in new conveyors and equipment in the body shop and assembly areas won’t create any new jobs. But GM said on Monday it will keep jobs for about 4,000 people who work at the plant.
Construction will start in 2024 at the plant, which now builds the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty pickup trucks.
GM wouldn’t say when the next generation of trucks will go on sale.


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Gucci and Adidas are going viral in China for all the wrong reasons.
The two brands are facing backlash on Chinese social media platform Weibo for selling a leaky “sun umbrella” that offers no protection against rain.
The umbrella, which has been designed as part of a joint collection between the two brands, is set to go on sale on June 7, 2022. Gucci says the parasol is “not waterproof” and is meant for “sun protection or decorative use.”
A hashtag on the social media platform that translates to “the collaboration umbrella being sold for 11,100 yuan is not waterproof,” has so far garnered more than 140 million views and is facing swift criticism from users, the BBC reported.
One Weibo user reportedly called the umbrella “a very big but useless fashion statement.”
“As long as I’m poor, they won’t be able to trick me into paying for this,” another user said.
That said, other users seem to appreciate the utility of the controversial umbrella. “Those who are willing to pay use luxury goods to show what they are worth,” one of the users said. “They don’t care about practicality.”
That is just the segment Gucci and Adidas are seeking to capture. In addition, Gucci noted that the umbrella is good for daily use as an accessory and has good collector’s value.
China today represents a key market for Western brands such as Gucci and Adidas. According to Bain, the country is on track to become the largest luxury goods market by 2026.


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Torchlight devs not concerned with Diablo 3 release, congratulates Blizzard
Runic Games has released a statement in light of the recent Diablo 3 announcement by Blizzard last week. The company that drew inspiration from Blizzard's popular franchise for its Torchlight game congratulated the Diablo 3 team for announcing the release date.
Calming fans concerns that Diablo 3's May 15th release may now spell doom for Runic Games and its planned sequel, Torchlight 2, the developers assured fans that they remain "committed" to creating a game they love to play.
"We know a lot of you are worried about us. We've heard what you're saying, and sure we've had similar discussions," Runic said in the statement. "But we began making the first Torchlight in 2008 when development on Diablo III was already underway. We didn't let that be a reason that we couldn't make an RPG. We made the commitment to create a game we loved to play. That's what's important to us, and that's why we go to work every day."
"Our commitment is the same today. It doesn't matter what gets announced, or who gets elected, or if there's a zombie attack. (Well actually, in a zombie attack we might leave our desks, but only to smash them into weapons.) We believe that the best business model is to do what you love, to give it everything you've got, and to make something you'll be proud of."
Runic emphasized their commitment to creating the best possible game with Torchlight 2, and not just rushing a game out to beat a competitor.
"There will be unforeseen challenges along the way, no matter what business you're in. We've chosen to stay small with a total team of 32. We want to be the company that works hard and makes something we love. We know we have a lot of fans out there who've had a chance to play early builds of Torchlight II at conventions around the world, and are eagerly awaiting the sequel. We want you to have the best darn game we can make. We're pretty sure that we want this game out more than anyone (not just so that we can resume a normal sleep schedule!) - but we are going to do it right. That's our commitment to you, and to ourselves."
"We're happy for the team at Blizzard - it's been a long haul for them," the company concluded. "We are looking forward to our home stretch too."
Torchlight 2 is expected to arrive this year after being delayed from its original 2011 release. The first Torchlight game, developed by Blizzard North co-founders and Diablo alumni Max and Erich Schaefer, launched in 2009 exclusively for PC before eventually migrating over to XBLA.


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Korea’s antitrust agency may tighten scrutiny of small-company acquisitions following accusations that major digital players like Kakao have grown too fast and have used the purchase of start-ups to grow under the radar.
Naver announced plans Thursday to make significant investment in cloud computing through 2023 in a bid to up its overseas market share in an area dominated by Amazon and Microsoft.
Kakao will pull out of some businesses that compete with small, independent stores, taking seriously the government’s recent rhetoric against big internet companies.
Girl group ITZY will hold a special comeback show on streaming service Naver Now on Sept. 24 for its upcoming first full-length album “Crazy in Love,” set to drop on the same day, according to JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. Itzy will premiere ...
Korea's big internet players — Kakao and Naver — are in the crosshairs of authorities and politicians, who are branding them as having grown too fast and too widely at the cost of consumers and small businesses.
Korean big-tech names Naver and Kakao have come under political scrutiny. Bills dubbed “Online Platform Fairness Act” and “Online Platform User Protection Act” largely targeting the two dominant players are awaiting legislative...
Naver Webtoon is gaining popularity among French fans these days. According to app-analyzing company App Annie, Naver Webtoon took the No. 1 spot in the comics section on France’s Google Play, for the most sales and the most downloads.
Kakao Entertainment’s new webtoon app Kakao Webtoon topped the webtoon app charts in Thailand in terms of revenue for August, beating its rival Naver’s webtoon app, just three months after its release in June. Kakao Webtoon was the ...
Kakao and Naver shares plummeted as one type of financial service they offer was found to violate regulations — and more restrictions on them are possible in the future due to their market dominance.
E-commerce company 11st said Wednesday its transactions selling overseas goods jumped 350 percent from Aug. 31 through Sept. 6 compared to the same period a month ago.


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Robots beam doctors into the ER
There are 28 RP-Vita robots in operation across the country, according to InTouch Health, the company that manufactures them. Doctors who use the technology say it’s a game changer-reducing the amount of time needed to diagnose and treat stroke patients.
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The total weight of the new Aero is minimal, thanks to the use of aircraft style super-formed aluminum outer panels, as well as the way they were bound together, by the use of adhesives. The technology used on the anniversary model is the one introduced in the AeroMax coupes built in 2008 and 2009.
"The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a luxurious flamboyant sports car which also remains true to Morgan’s philosophy of lightweight minimalist simplicity. It is a celebration of our love of cars and the romance of travel and is a fitting model to announce during Morgan’s Centenary year,” Charles Morgan said in a release.
The new Morgan creation was designed by Matthew Humphries and was engineered for production by the Morgan design team. The Aero SuperSports will enter production sometimes in 2010, but as often is the case with limited edition vehicles, buyers already have the means to place orders for the car.
The estimated price tag for the SuperSports is £127,000, VAT included. Those who have an empty spot in the garage and enough money in their accounts can place an order for the car only after they make a £25,000 deposit.
Update on May 6: Morgan Aero SuperSports wins Silverstone GT3 race


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Overview of the year
First sustainability report under GRI Standards
Repower published its first sustainability report in accordance with the internationally recognised GRI Standards along with the 2021 annual report.
The Repower Group is making its sustainable evolution more transparent for members of the public and its shareholders. For the first time a sustainability report – in accordance with the internationally recognised GRI Standards – was published for Repower Switzerland and Repower Italy along with the 2021 annual report. The sustainability report for Repower Switzerland and Repower Italy is published annually. You’ll find the latest sustainability report (in german only) here.
Dr Monika Krüsi, chair of the board of directors: “Sustainability is not just a trend, but the future of the generations to come. Repower is aware that medium and long-term business success is only possible if nature and society are also adequately taken into account. Sustainability thus not only provides companies with a new guideline, but also offers them opportunities and possibilities. By publishing a sustainability report in accordance with the GRI Standards, we make sure that Repower’s sustainable governance and development is transparent and comprehensible to members of the public and investors.”
The sustainability report contains comprehensive information on various measures and investments that have been initiated and executed in Switzerland and Italy to facilitate the energy transition and create sustainable economic and financial value. The sustainability report also covers, among other things, information on operational sustainability management and the company’s commitment to promoting local communities.


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Sir Ken faces fight at Morrisons
CRISIS-HIT supermarket group Morrisons is facing the threat of a boardroom coup led by deputy chairman David Jones to oust veteran company chief Sir Ken Morrison.
Jones believes he may have to go over Sir Ken's head to orchestrate a rebellion by institutional investors against Morrison as the only way to bring in outsiders to the board.
The threatened move lays bare the intensity of the battle being waged in the boardroom as Jones, the lone non-executive director, struggles to loosen Sir Ken's grip on the company after its catastrophic takeover of Safeway last year.
Financial Mail has established the identities of the people that Jones lined up to join the board, but whose appointments were vetoed by Sir Ken. They are:
• Susan Murray, 48, chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority and former chief executive of Littlewoods Stores who is already a non-executive director of Imperial Tobacco and Enterprise Inns.
• Nigel Robertson, who held a senior role in Marks & Spencer's food operation before leaving to set up grocery home delivery operation Ocado. Last year, with bookstore founder Tim Waterstone, he bought the Early Learning Centre chain.
Just days before Morrisons' annual meeting in Bradford in May, Jones signalled to friends that he hoped to announce that Murray and Robertson were being recruited as non-executive board members. But Sir Ken, 73, refused to support the appointments.
Without naming Murray and Robertson, he indicated that they were not of the right calibre, though Murray sits on the board of two FTSE 100 companies and Robertson has an established record in food retail.
At the meeting, Jones said he hoped to be able to name new non-executives within four to six weeks. Now, with four weeks gone, Jones is expected to allow a further fortnight at most in which to find non-executives who are acceptable to both him and Sir Ken.
If the deadlock persists, Jones is likely to seek the support of institutions to force Sir Ken to leave the chair and take a notional role such as life president - or quit the company completely.
Sir Ken is said to be trying to find his own candidates, but Jones remains determined to bring in independent outsiders who would be prepared to stand up to Sir Ken.
A profits warning earlier this month - the fifth since Morrisons bought Safeway for £3.35bn last year --suggested the group might show a pre-tax surplus of as little as £50m in the year to next January. Now analysts fear that the company may cut its dividend.
Morrisons faces accusations that it failed to tell investors as soon as it realised that it was facing such a sharp profits shortfall. Morrisons denies the accusations, saying that information was given as soon as it was available.
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After rumors and information leaks, here is another image that confirms the design of the Motorola Razr 2019. This new Motorola smartphone will be a device that will remind us of the phones of the past and give us features of the devices of the present.
Like the first Motorola Razr, known in UK as V3 and V3X, the new Motorola Razr 2019 will come with a "shell" design. That is, it can be closed when not in use.
Possible Specifications of the New Motorola Razr 2019
- 6.2 "inch screen
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 Processor
- 4GB and 6GB RAM
- 64GB and 128GB internal memory
- 2730 mAh battery
These specifications are considerably lower than the folding terminals that have already been released. However, the price should not be so high.
With these specifications Motorola will be able to make the Motorola Razr 2019 a device with a more attractive price. Still, it is worth noting that the alleged price will not be for all portfolios.
Motorola Razr 2019 Price
Rumors have it that the new folding smartphone will hit the market with prices around $ 1500 (€ 1300). While this is a high value for a mid-range phone, we have to realize that the screen should not be cheap to build.
When will the Motorola Razr 2019 arrive?
The new Motorola Razr 2019 is expected to be officially unveiled this coming week. It is therefore believed that the device will hit shelves before Christmas.
We have no idea if UK will be one of your markets. Motorola has invested less in Europe, but this phone will certainly deserve a different treatment.
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Crypto funds platform Swipe has partnered with Samsung so as to add its digital foreign money Visa debit card on Samsung Pay.
Introduced on Friday, this can permit Swipe Android customers to immediately add their Swipe debit playing cards to Samsung’s cell fee platform for making day-to-day transactions.
This got here after Swipe’s comparable partnership with Google Pay, the cell phone-based funds platform of the search engine large.
Swipe and Samsung partnership had been fashioned with the involvement of mutual issuing financial institution Contis Monetary.
Swipe helps over 30 currencies, which embody cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and fiat as properly.
The companies will likely be out there in the UK, together with different European Union member international locations.
With this integration, Swipe debit customers can immediately convert their cryptocurrencies into euros whereas making transactions with Samsung Pay.
“We’re excited to carry Samsung Pay for our cardholders,” Joselito Lizarondo, Swipe CEO, stated. “This integration and relationship with Samsung will open cryptocurrency adoption and make transacting with our Visa card in Euros transformed by crypto seamless.”
Headquartered within the Philippines, the corporate has operations in the UK and Estonia.
Swipe additionally obtained approval for operations in the US beneath Visa’s TPA program and in addition has plans to supply companies within the South Asia and Asia-Pacific area by the top of this 12 months.
Discovering alternatives in a disaster
The corporate can be optimistic concerning the surge in digital transactions globally amid the continued Coronavirus pandemic.
“Given all the COVID-19 points and folks steering away from bodily merchandise like money and, in some cases, playing cards, a digital answer actually helps put our shopper’s wants first,” Lizarondo added.
In the meantime, different main gamers, together with Binance and BTSE, are additionally issuing crypto debit playing cards as demand for such merchandise is hovering throughout international locations.


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Ethical ad startup Good-Loop announced today it has donated £1 million to charities to date.
Linking companies such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, and H&M with homeless shelters, beach clean-ups and human rights campaigners, the ads being circulated via Good-Loop have positively impacted thousands of people over the past three-and-a-half years.
Despite a challenging period, the Edinburgh-based firm confirmed it is also on track to hit its funding target of £5 million donated to good causes by 2022.
Founded in 2016, Good-Loop converts ad money into free charity donations, helping to reward people who choose to watch an ad by donating 50% of the money that ad costs.
In 2018, Good-Loop won NBCUniversal’s annual startup innovation event ‘Spark Tank’ as well as the Nestle and Ad:tech’s ‘Next Big Thing’ award in 2017.
The startup describes its methods as a win-win for both brands and consumers, helping to raise money for good causes and delivering higher engagement for brands. Brands using Good-Loop also experience a 45% uplift in ad recall, meaning that advertisers’ spend is working harder for them.
Charities that have benefited from Good-Loop advertising include Street Games. In partnership with Coca-Cola, over £40,000 has been donated to help train football coaches and open up sports access to facilities in various communities.
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WWF has planted more than 25,000 trees with H&M while Surfers Against Sewage has carried out 250 beach clean-ups. Similarly, Centrepoint, in partnership with TOMS has provided 791 nights of safe accommodation for a young homeless person.
Amy Williams, CEO and co-founder of Good-Loop, commented: “Media spend typically represents 90% of global brands’ advertising budgets, equivalent to over £100bn each year.
“Imagine all the good that money could do if spent in a way that is not inadvertently funding online hate, for example, but actually adds positive impact in the world? Smashing our £1m target is proof that the notion of ‘good business – doing good’ is anything but imaginary.”


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Mountain Lion Mac operating system goes on sale
NEW YORK -- Apple Inc. will release its new operating system for Mac computers on Wednesday, with features borrowed from mobile devices and a tighter integration with online file storage.
Dubbed Mountain Lion, the new software narrows the gap between the PC and phone software packages, making Mac personal computers work more like iPhones and iPads.
It's similar to what Microsoft Corp. is doing with its forthcoming Windows 8 system. That system, to be released Oct. 26, will bring the look and user interface of Windows Phone to PCs.
Mountain Lion will cost $20 and will be sold only as a download. Only computers running the two most recent versions of Mac OS, Lion and Snow Leopard, can be upgraded.
Macs bought on or after June 11 can be upgraded for free.
Apple previously announced Mountain Lion's features, but it hadn't disclosed the exact availability date until Tuesday's release of its earnings for the April-June quarter. Apple provided no new details in that release.
Among the features of Mountain Lion:
-- The new software will have better integration with social networks such as Facebook Inc.'s. It will have built-in features to facilitate sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other services. For instance, you'll get notifications when you get a message or a mention in a Facebook or Twitter post. You need to sign in only once, and you can share directly from other apps you are using.
-- Power Nap keeps your Mac updated even while it's in power-saving "sleep" mode. It will get your email messages, back up your files and download software updates automatically. It will work with recent MacBook Air computers and the higher-end MacBook Pro model, the one with the sharper, "Retina" display.
-- A new Messages app, copied from Apple's mobile operating system, will replace iChat. It will allow you to send messages to other Apple users, whether that person is on a Mac or an Apple mobile device.
-- Mountain Lion will be integrated with iCloud, the new Internet storage service designed for the mobile devices.
-- The software will bring dictation to Macs, essentially allowing the computer to type as you talk.
-- Game Center will store high game scores and help users find opponents on both Macs and Apple mobile devices.
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The groups plan to hold a series of meetings to discuss a unified response to widely expected reform of the financial services industry by the next Congress, though the specifics of reform have not yet been determined.
The groups said in a press release that the leadership of the three organizations met Dec. 3 at CFP Board’s Washington, D.C., offices. The purpose of this meeting was to review regulatory gaps in the delivery of retail advice and other financial services to consumers, as well as the opportunities and threats with respect to establishing appropriate standards of conduct for the financial planning profession.
Speaking with PLANADVISER.com, Diahann Lassus, national chair of NAPFA, said the financial crisis and the entry of a new Congress and administration made the timing right to have these talks, especially as the market affects individuals—making sure consumers are protected and know where to get advice is a large part of what the organizations do, she said.
“We are very pleased to have opened positive lines of communications within the financial planning community to discuss an issue that is so critical to consumer protection,’ the group said in a joint statement. “As a component of regulatory reform, we anticipate that, at some point in the near future, Congress will consider enhanced protections for consumers of financial services.’
Financial planning is currently regulated indirectly through licenses held by investment advisers, securities brokers, and insurance producers or consultants, but not as a separate, stand-alone profession. “We would like to see smart regulation for financial planners…so that we can eliminate some of the complexity…and make it clear to consumers who they need to go to for advice,’ Lassus said.
The group intends to reach out to other organizations in order to seek feedback from stakeholders on future regulation of the financial planning profession.
“I just think that going forward this is really important that the three of us work together and that other organizations that share our goals step up and work with us, because the more organizations that work together, the more likely we are to be successful,’ Lassus said.


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Carrefour has supermarkets across the world, including China
Carrefour, one of the world's largest retailers, has announced that it will replace its chief executive after a long-running battle with shareholders.
Swede Lars Olofsson, a top manager at Nestle, will replace Jose Luis Duran on 1 January next year.
Duran's position has been under threat since April, when the company's long-standing management structure was radically overhauled.
Shareholders have been unhappy with the company's performance and strategy.
Mr Olofsson is currently executive vice president of the Nestle group responsible for strategic business units, marketing and sales.
He has over 30 years of experience in consumer markets, Carrefour's board of directors said.
French billionaire Bernard Arnault and US private equity firm Colony Capital took a majority stake in the French supermarket giant in April.
The consortium, called Blue Capital, held different views to Mr Duran about how best to take the company forward.
It wanted to focus on increasing margins and profits rather than increasing sales volumes.
The decision "brings to an end several months of friction between Jose Luis Duran and the leading shareholder in Carrefour," said Christian Devismes at Credit Mutuel-CIC.
"It's not much of a surprise, it's been a long time that Jose Luis was under pressure," added Christopher Hogbin at Bernstein Research.
Carrefour shares have fallen 44% this year.


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Forbes Philippines launches its new product --- the 'Forbes Intelligence' Vacuum Cleaner on 20th September 2010 in Calamba, Laguna.
The ballroom was filled with over 80 sales people with their excitement pouring the atmosphere. At this highly anticipated event, Forbes Philippines Country Head Praveen Sheen introduced the new Forbes product. He said that first time in the Philippines, this world's best product direct from Europe will now be available exclusively with Forbes.
As the new product is called, was then uncovered from the stage and prompting the audience to burst into a standing ovation. Followed by a product presentation by Branch Manager Rio Dimaano and Service Head Jeric, who devoted time strutting around on stage and breathlessly describing the features and benefits of the new product. This presentation earned a warm applause and another standing ovation from the amazed audience.
As the presentation wound down, Mr. Dimaano made the audience more delighted and surprised as he did an actual demonstration of the Forbes Intelligence. The feedback from participants was very positive and the post-launch reaction has been even more ecstatic. Overall the launch was a success


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On 23 October 2017, Obelisk and a dozen of London startups joined Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, on a trade delegation #LondonIsOpen to meet with French startups in Paris and map out commercial cooperation between both cities. As reported in Forbes, Obelisk embodies the spirit of London-based SMEs with ambitions to expand into new markets on the continent despite the prospect of the UK leaving the European Union in 2019. We caught up with Dana Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support, the only lawyer part of the British delegation.
#1 What was the objective of the #LondonIsOpen event in Paris?
It was a follow-up to an earlier trip by Sadiq Khan in March 2017 when they launched a collaboration programme focused on establishing a network of global cities to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses across different markets. Obelisk was part of this previous trip too.
#2 Who was present in London and in Paris?
The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, took 12 businesses with him to meet facilitators, as well as corporates, interested in working with U.K. businesses. We met with global French companies such as L’Oréal and BNP Paribas, as well as the French representatives of multinationals, such as Johnson & Johnson.
#3 What did you learn during the event?
The trip confirmed that London has some really exciting tech businesses that are very scalable, but that when scaling internationally, there is always a need for localisation. This was something that the COO of Trainline, Mark Brooker, highlighted in his presentation.
There are some really great partners businesses can rely on – take the Eurostar, for example, whose CEO Nicolas Petrovic joined us on the trip. They connect the E.U. and Britain and they are committed to collaboration across the channel.
#4 How can Obelisk inspire other professionals considering doing business with France?
France has an increasingly dynamic startup scene, as well as some really large, global multinationals. The new government also seems to be undertaking structural reforms which should make operating in France easier and cheaper for British companies British SMEs should continue to be bold and seek new business opportunities beyond our borders. France seems like a logical first step, being both a geographical neighbour and established commercial partner. Plus, the rise of Paris as a technology hub is very exciting news for businesses with a tech angle like ours.
#5 Why is Paris an important business partner for the legal industry?
France is a major economy and has some very large global companies that are facing increased volumes of work. Cost control and a need for flexibility in delivery is important to them, so there is a good opportunity for a business like ours, supporting legal services as the work flow increases.
#6 Tell us about an anecdote that illustrates the event
I loved the fact that a good chunk of the mission happened on the train to Paris. As we had nowhere to go, it took away from the pressure of meeting new people and made connecting with the delegation easier.
As we were all so engrossed in speed mentoring and meeting the Mayor, lunch was served in a brown paper bag – but it included a most delicious chocolate cake – a winner!
#7 What are your next steps at Obelisk?
Booking a trip to Paris soon is for sure a next step to follow up on meetings and lessons learnt. The year 2018 should see Obelisk France set up and running.


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Industry wants more anti-piracy resources
Groups seek stronger enforcement, educationNEW YORK -- First-ever U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel received various comments by a Wednesday deadline for input on a joint strategic plan she is required by law to put together. The key message from industry groups was: more needs to be done!
The MPAA, AFTRA, DGA, SAG, IATSE, the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) submitted a joint filing that hailed the promise of new online distribution models, but also emphasized that its potential is undermined by new methods of digital theft.
"The growth of online theft of copyrighted works presents the greatest and most urgent challenge," the alliance said. When new online networks are abused "that undermines seriously the incentive to invest in the creation of content for this new medium, or for more traditional distribution channels."
The industry groups concluded: "U.S. jobs, economic recovery and growth, and U.S. global competitiveness are consequently weakened."
The organizations highlighted emerging problem areas, such as the abuse of social networking sites, online lockers and direct streaming sites, and urged that "additional resources and tools be made available to address the increasingly sophisticated means of conducting online copyright theft."
Meanwhile, the Copyright Alliance encouraged the Obama administration to pursue additional intellectual property rights enforcement and education. In addition, individual artists and creators that are part of the Alliance also told their own stories in their own submissions.
"We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Joint Strategic Plan," said Copyright Alliance executive director Patrick Ross. "America's economy is fueled by the creative industries and its millions of workers. A coordinated, comprehensive federal plan to ensure that intellectual property rights are recognized and enforced is a welcome and critical investment in U.S. economic growth and job creation."
The Alliance made suggestions on the coordination across federal agencies to improve copyright enforcement domestically and abroad. It also emphasized the importance of education on "the value of copyright to our economy and our culture."


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BMW India to launch the X6M and X5M on October 15, 2015
BMW is set to launch the X6M and X5M in India on October 15 at the MMRT in Chennai. The two cars were spotted in Chennai earlier this year, before the X6 launch. The X6M and X5M will share a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 that makes 575PS and 750Nm of torque. This engine will be coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission powering all four wheels via BMW's xDrive system.
There'a a lot of kit that's been added to the X6M and X5M to distinguish them from the standard X6 and X5 variants - different body kit, an M steering wheel and other details seen exclusively on cars from the M division. Along with the iDrive infotainment system, the X6M and X5M will get a heads-up display as standard.
Starts Rs 74.9 Lakhs
Starts Rs 95 Lakhs
Starts Rs 1.19 Crore


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With responsive Web design projects proving more complex than expected while still lacking the ability to leverage key mobile functionality, the answer to how to efficiently deliver experiences across multiple devices is still forthcoming, according to a report released today by Forrester.
The survey forming the basis of the report found that 63 percent of companies using responsive Web design today believe it is not suitable for long-term use. With many companies looking for ways to address the significant growth in mobile traffic to their Web assets, the report suggests that responsive delivery and HTML5 may be better long-term solutions.
One of the biggest things that came out of this was that responsive Web design was viewed by the majority of the respondents as a tactical short-term solution. They do not view responsive Web design as a long-term strategic answer to mobility.
Simpler solutions needed
The report is based on a survey of 146 United States-based companies across a range of industry sectors evaluating the results of various leading mobile development and deployment strategies. A key finding was that a responsive Web design approach and use of HTML5 were tied as the most frequently-used techniques, with 43 percent using responsive Web design and 45 percent HTML5.
However, the report uncovered some issues with responsive Web design. One of the main issues with responsive Web design is that it requires the code for a company’s existing Web assets to be completely rewritten, making the project more complex than some expected. Key findings from the report include that more than 70 percent of the cost, time and effort in responsive Web design projects is spent on the back-end recoding APIs, middleware, integration and infrastructure.
The survey also found 37 percent of respondents had to cut the scope of their responsive Web design projects in order to be able to deliver them on budget. Responsive Web design also does not meet many companies’ needs on the front-end. It is actually difficult to take advantage of mobile-specific features like geo-location, the camera or promotional programs using push notifications.
Going forward, the report recommends responsive delivery as a way to unify experiences across touch points. It also underscores the ongoing importance of HTML5 for building mobile app experiences. By leveraging existing Web assets for both mobile sites and apps and eliminating the need for Web site rewrites, responsive delivery can help improve performance and allow organizations to take advantage of mobile-specific features, thereby providing more strategic, longer-term benefits.
Responsive Web design has a lot of mind share with marketers right now, and I think that once they get through this first wave of projects, they are going to realize that they need something else. Businesses are after a way to unify their desktop, Web and app strategies under one umbrella.