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Aussie consumer confidence has bombed ahead of today’s rates decision by the RBA, according to the ANZ/Roy Morgan Research consumer confidence index.
As shown in the next chart, Aussie consumer confidence crashed by 6.0% over the last week as annual headline inflation surged by 5.1%:
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Commenting on the result, ANZ’s head of Australian economics, David Plank noted:
Consumer confidence plunged 6.0% last week, its sharpest fall since the 7.6% drop in mid-January due to the Omicron surge. The strong inflation result of 5.1% y/y was likely the primary driver of the drop in confidence as it increases the prospect of interest rate hikes by the RBA in the near future. This is supported by the fact confidence dropped 9.6% amongst people ‘paying off their home loan’, while for people who already own their home or are renting confidence dropped by 4.7% and 4.2% respectively. Inflation expectations increased 0.2ppt to 5.3% last week as average petrol prices rose nationally.
This is the lowest level for consumer confidence at the start of a tightening cycle since the inflation targeting regime began in the early 1990s. This may see the RBA tighten more slowly than the market is pricing.
Expect confidence to collapse further into the gutter if the RBA hikes rates aggressively.


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Elon Musk’s electric car brand Tesla reportedly announced it held approximately $2 billion worth of Bitcoin at the end of 2021.
According to CNBC, Tesla declared on Monday (February 7th) in a filing with the SEC it held nearly $2 billion in the cryptocurrency at the end of last year. The car brand also purchased a total of $1.5 billion in Bitcoin in 2021. The media outlet revealed that the cryptocurrency was up by nearly 60% and traded above $46,000 on December 31st. However, it did slip as low as $30,000 in July. But this was due to concurs over the regulatory crackdown in China. It eventually hit an all-time high above $68,000 by the beginning of November 2021.
Tesla notably records $101 million worth of impairment losses in 2021 from its Bitcoin investment. The car brand also disclosed that it realized gains of $128 million upon selling a portion of its holdings in March 2021. But overall, it gained $27 million in its cryptocurrency transactions during the year. This was notably recorded as a negative loss in both restructuring and other expenses.
Tesla Briefly Accepted Bitcoin as a Form of Payment But Stopped Due to Environmental Concerns
In May 2021, CNBC announced that Tesla would stop accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment for car purchases. The company cited environmental concerns due to the fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining. Elon Musk announced the news on his Twitter. “Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin. We are concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel.”
The Tesla founder states that cryptocurrency is a “good idea’ on many levels and his company believes it has a promising future. But he believes that this cannot come at a great cost to the environment. “Tesla will not be selling any Bitcoin and we intend to use it for transactions as soon as mining transitions to more sustainable energy. We are looking at other cryptocurrency that use [less than] 1% of Bitcoin’s energy/ transaction.”
CNBC also reports that following Musk’s social media declaration, the price of Bitcoin dropped around 5%. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and Dallas Maverick’s owner, Mark Cuban, spoke out about Tesla’s decision by declaring that the basketball team will continue to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. “We are Mavs.com will continue to accept BTC/Eth/Doge. Because we know that replacing Gold as a store of value will help the environment. And [shrink] big bank and coin usage will benefit society and the environment.”
The media outlet then revealed that the Tesla founder has been a “very public fan” of Bitcoin and Dogecoin. He notably has tweeted and joked about the cryptos with his Twitter followers for nearly two years.

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MUSIC RETAILER HMV has promoted CFO heavyweight Philip Rowley as its non-executive chairman.
Rowley (pictured above) joined the music business in 2007 and has been senior independent non-executive since February 2010. Most recently he was chairman and CEO of AOL and prior to that he was group finance director at home improvement retailer Kingfisher, for two years.
He has worked as CFO in several large international businesses including EMI Music Worldwide and the largest US children’s book publisher Golden Books Family Entertainment.
Does Darwin's theory apply to taxation? Colin ponders...
The EC has been instructed to draft a European Union (EU) directive authorising an EU financial transaction tax, which would apply to ten of the EU’s 28 member states
Accountancy Age Jobs is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new look website for finance and accountancy professionals
The UK gender pay gap will not close until 2069 unless action is taken to tackle it now, according to new research by Deloitte


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If you have an iPhone 4, got tons of money, and want to show off, how would you do that?
Now, that Apple has sold 1.7 million of darn things in a single weekend, soon everyone and their grandma will be carrying iPhone 4 around.
Don’t worry, luxury phone maker Gresso is rushing to the rescue. They will be ready to customize your iPhone 4 with 200 year old African Blackwood for a case, and 18 karat gold for an Apple logo soon.
Only at $3000-3500 a pop.
Greeso plans to launch two versions of their customized iPhones – both for ladies and men. Female African Blackwood iPhone 4 and 3GS will come with “dainty engraving and Swarovski crystals incrustation”, and cost $3500, while male versions will be more strict and cheaper by $500.
Gresso iPhone 3GS will start shipping in July, and they plan to have iPhone 4 ready for market in December.
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The next four weeks could impact a generation, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
By Diego Flammini
Members of Alberta’s beef industry are satisfied with the overall progress of NAFTA negotiations, which are currently in their sixth round in Montreal, Que.
The most recent discussions led to the completion of a chapter on anti-corruption measures, according to the Financial Post. Negotiations on auto parts continue.
While those items may not be directly linked to agriculture, they are a step in the right direction, according to Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
“At this stage I think we’re feeling that more tangible offers are being put on the table,” Laycraft told CBC on Friday. “I’m certainly feeling more optimistic than I was in November.”
Until NAFTA is finalized, however, questions remain surrounding the impact on the beef industry.
Canada, Mexico and the United States trade many industry commodities, including genetics, animals and embryos, across their borders.
Those agreements need to continue to ensure the viability of the countries’ respective beef industries, according to Kelly Smith-Fraser, a producer near Innisfail, Alta.
Trade “is important for our own herds, for the enhancement of our breeds and for breed improvement,” she told CBC. “Our breeds and producers utilize a lot of data and we need to be able to access that data freely. If there’s tariffs placed on data, as well as live animals and genetics, that would have implications for producers here.”
The longer NAFTA talks take, the importance of Canada’s involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership becomes more evident.
A trade deal without the U.S. means Alberta’s beef producers, for example, could have more opportunities to market their products.
“Having that agreement approved now is a big deal,” Laycraft told CBC. “These next four weeks are four of the most important weeks for our industry for a generation.”


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Wine in grocery stores: It's been a long road for Tennessee
It’s official: The decades-long battle to get wine into Tennessee grocery stores is over.
The highly anticipated wine in grocery stores law took effect Friday, and Tennesseans can now pick up a bottle of red with their steak at hundreds of grocery stores across the state, including Kroger, Publix, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco.
Wine in grocery stores is one of the most significant changes to state liquor laws since the repeal of Prohibition, and it will impact the way consumers shop for booze, grocery stores’ bottom lines and the way many liquor stores conduct business.
Kroger Nashville spokeswoman Melissa Eads said wine has consistently been one of customers’ most requested items. The legislative change gives Kroger — and more than 30 other grocery companies that have been approved for wine sales — local entry into the $38 billion U.S. wine industry. Eads said the law created 36 new jobs across local Kroger stores.
See list of grocery stores planning to sell wine
But the road to get here was long and winding, dating back as far as the 1970s.
Legislative approval finally came in 2014 after seven consecutive years of debate and a lot of hiccups along the way that ultimately pitted grocers against the liquor lobby and alcohol critics.
Proponents of the law, including the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association and wine-loving consumers, argued bringing wine into grocery stores is about convenience and is already legal in 37 other states. Supporters also said it could result in millions of dollars in extra tax revenue for the state, which collects more than $50 million a year in taxes on alcoholic beverages.
Liquor stores tout level of service over convenience
Critics argued wine in grocery stores could make it easier for minors to buy alcohol and that the law would destroy business for small liquor retailers.
Cue years of ping-ponging between lobbyists on both sides of the debate until it finally became law in March 2014, with a two-year delay in implementation to give liquor store owners time to adjust their business model.
Local voters then had to OK wine sales in grocery stores in municipal referendums. Results showed an overwhelming majority of voters favored the measure with 79 percent of Davidson County voters giving approval in November 2014. In Williamson County, 77 percent of Franklin voters and 79.5 percent of Brentwood voters approved of wine in grocery stores.
“It was just a long, difficult fight,” said Rob Ikard, president of the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association.
Still, the conversation didn't end there.
5 things to know about wine in grocery stores
A bill passed earlier this year to allow grocery stores to begin stocking shelves ahead of July 1 because of fears that, unless lawmakers acted, it could take months to fill shelves because of high demand. That bill also included a controversial provision that placed a two-store limit on liquor retailers in the state, in effect keeping large out-of-state liquor retailers such as Total Wine & More from expanding across Tennessee.
Then there were concerns earlier this year that sales of wine in grocery stores could be delayed after the unexpected departure in March of the Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s former executive director, Keith Bell. Clayton Byrd was appointed on May 24 to serve as the new executive director.
The biggest uncertainty moving forward is how the wine in grocery stores law will impact the state’s liquor retailers, most of which are small mom-and-pop operations.
The law allowed those liquor retailers in 2014 to begin selling beer, tobacco, party supplies, food products and other items they weren’t permitted to sell previously. A provision of the law that required grocers within 500 feet of a liquor store to get written permission from the liquor store to sell wine was dropped earlier this year.
But many fear grocery stores with wine departments could undercut liquor stores’ business.
Bard Quillman Jr., owner of Red Dog Wine & Spirits, said in January he isn’t sure how his business will be impacted long term by the wine in grocery stores law since his Franklin store is next to a Publix.
Wine arrives at grocery stores and you can watch it all on Snapchat
“We added 20 taps of beer and non-alcohol products (in 2014) when we could, so we tried to diversify our portfolio. But exactly how (wine in grocery stores) is going to work and how the consumer is going to react to it, I’ll be really honest, I don’t know,” Quillman said.
For the wine connoisseur, the specialty liquor store could still be the way to go. But the law certainly makes it more convenient for a one-stop shop to sell wine with groceries.
Reach Lizzy Alfs at 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.


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The ASEAN Online Sale Day, the largest online shopping day in ASEAN, will be kicked off on August 8.
|The biggest online shopping festival in ASEAN 2021 is about to take place |
The Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently announced the launch of ASEAN Online Sale Day 2021. The programme, organised by Brunei Darussalam (ASEAN Chair 2021), Singapore, and Vietnam, is expected to take place from August 8 to 10.
In 2020, as the ASEAN Chair, Vietnam proposed to organise the largest online shopping day in ASEAN – ASEAN Online Sale Day on August 8 every year.
In the context of COVID-19, e-commerce is emerging as a useful buying method. Governments in ASEAN are making efforts to create favourable conditions for businesses to go online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is a good opportunity for enterprises across ASEAN to promote their products and increase their sales via e-commerce in the region.
The ASEAN Online Sale Day will facilitate ASEAN member states to promote cross-border trade through e-commerce. Through this programme, enterprises across ASEAN member states will also have good opportunities to promote their domestic products/services to customers living in different markets of ASEAN.
In addition to bringing new and elevated shopping experiences to consumers, ASEAN members hope the event will send a positive message to consumers and businesses that ASEAN is “open for business” and present ASEAN solidarity during and post-COVID-19 and facilitate cross-border e-commerce in the region.
This year, the event is returning with many activities for consumers across the region, including domestic and cross-border e-commerce. From August 8, consumers can vist http://onlineasean.com/ to order goods from e-commerce platforms and companies across the region with many incentives.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic fuelled an upsurge in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce sector in 2020, with some 40 million new users coming online, bringing the total number of regional internet users to approximately 400 million, according to an e-Conomy report by Google, Temasek Holdings and Bain & Company.
A Facebook-Bain report from late 2020 noted that Southeast Asia’s gross merchandise value – the total value of a company’s sales over a particular timeframe – increased by 23 per cent between 2018 and 2020, outstripping growth rates in China, India, and the United States.
By Thanh Van


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More in Tvos
References such as “120Hz” and “supports120Hz” have been spotted in the latest beta version of tvOS, hinting that the next version of Apple's streaming device could feature support for HDMI 2.1 standard.
Apple has finally added support for YouTube 4K for its Apple TV 4K users. Apple’s iPhone and iPad users have also received the feature.
Apple quietly announced that developers' cross-platform apps can soon be enabled for universal purchases, which is a fancy way of saying that you will be able to buy an app once and use it across your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.
Apple might release iOS 13.3 this week that will bringer stricter parental controls.


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Indian equities rise as institutional investors turn net buyers
Indian stock markets gained more than 1 percent along with global peers as investor sentiment improved on optimism that the Covid-19 situation in China may not be as bad as feared earlier. Excellent numbers posted by Hindustan Unilever triggered a surge in consumer goods stocks. The benchmark Sensex rose 1.2 percent to 57,521 points, while the 50-share Nifty ended at 17,245 points, with a gain of 206.
Why it’s important: The markets were on a rollercoaster ride this past week as investors were worried about the Covid situation in China, the war in Ukraine, and the possibility of aggressive monetary tightening by central banks. The volatility is expected to continue.
Competition watchdog raids top sellers of ecommerce platforms
Officials of the Competition Commission of India searched the offices of some of India’s largest online sellers, including the Amazon-owned Cloudtail as well as Appario Retail, a joint venture of the UD online giant and Patni group. The antitrust regulator also visited some of the top sellers of Walmart-owned Flipkart and social commerce firm Meesho.
Why it’s important: The commission is probing allegations of all sellers not receiving equal treatment from ecommerce platforms and that online marketplaces enter into special agreements with select sellers. Small online sellers and offline traders have long complained about the preferential treatment.
LIC has a Rs 60 billion mark-to-market problem on its books
Life Insurance Corporation of India is sitting on a mark-to-market loss of Rs 60.28 billion that must be accounted for in its income statement, the state-run insurer’s draft documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India showed. The insurance regulator has given LIC time till January 31, 2023, to ensure the value of the loss-making investments reflects in its income statement.
Why it’s important: The mega IPO of LIC opens next week which is expected to earn the government Rs 210 billion at the upper end of the price band. The unaccounted losses are unlikely to impact demand for its shares.
Intense heatwaves across India create severe power supply-demand mismatch
Record electricity demand amid a scorching heatwave in several parts of India and depleting coal stocks may worsen power outages, disrupt industrial activity, damage crops and further strain power plants and grid stability.
Why it’s important: There could be widespread demand curtailment in many parts of the country till the heat conditions moderate. Climate change has started affecting economic activity significantly.
M&A activity continues in India despite high market volatility
India's deal street is buzzing despite worldwide volatility in stock indices. Several blockbuster deals like Reliance Industries potential $10 billion (Rs 76,000 crore) acquisition of European medicine chain Walgreens Boots, Adani and JSW groups bidding for Ambuja Cements, and the merger of the HDFC twins are leading the M&A pecking order.
Why it’s important: With deals crossing $105 billion in the first four months of the calendar year, 2022 could be a record year for M&As. It shows confidence in the fundamentals of the India story and a nascent economic revival.
Hotter summer spells big business for summer product makers
Sales of summer products, from air-conditioners and refrigerators to beer and non-alcoholic beverages, have touched lifetime highs amid a scorching early summer, according to company officials and FMCG sales data by retail intelligence platform Bizom. The sales growth in these categories have risen by as much as 75-120 percent in March and April on a low base of 2021.
Why it’s important: Pent-up demand of two seasons lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the heatwave in north and east India, and hybrid work and education have helped expand sales dramatically for summer goods makers. If the heat persists, there could be issues with availability of such products.
Government to speed up asset monetisation plans to meet ambitious target
The central government is looking to hasten work to achieve its ambitious target to raise Rs 1.62 trillion through sale of state assets in 2022-23 financial year. Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba has called a meeting on Friday of secretaries from 12 key ministries to discuss their roadmaps with timelines to monetize assets such as power lines, gas pipelines, roads, and railway assets, among others.
Why it’s important: The government has missed its asset monetization target for the year to March and is keen to start the process early this financial year to meet the huge target set in the national budget. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier this month reviewed the implementation of the national monetization pipeline.
Future Lifestyle preparing debt restructuring plan to avoid insolvency
Future Lifestyle Fashion has informed lenders on April 26 that it would present a debt restructuring plan to prevent its entry into the bankruptcy process. The company was part of the asset-sale deal with Reliance Industries that’s been called off. The company must arrange Rs 1.63 billion by April 30 to prevent a default.
Why it’s important: If Future Lifestyle fails to make the payment on April 30, the one-time restructuring scheme agreed to a year ago will be rendered void. Creditors will have to Lenders either consider a debt recast or proceed under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code to recover their dues.
Many Indian companies plan IPO despite market volatility
A large number of companies in India with regulatory approvals waiting in the wings to avoid a clash with the mega LIC issue are expected to make a beeline to the primary market initiate their share sale process.
Why it’s important: After a record 2021, when firms raised Rs 1.18 trillion through public issues, only six companies have launched their IPOs so far this year, raising Rs 78.19 billion in 2022. That might change although volatility continue to plague market sentiment.
India to launch ecommerce network to compete with Amazon, Walmart
India will launch an open network for digital commerce on Friday, as the government tries to end the dominance of American companies Amazon and Walmart in the fast-growing e-commerce market. The launch of the platform comes after the Competition Commission of India raided domestic sellers of Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart following accusations of preferential practices.
Why it’s important: Indian retailers have long complained that Amazon and Flipkart provide preferential and unfair advantage for some big sellers. The new network could provide them with an alternative.


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SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products, has revealed an all-new B6 Stopgun V2.0 kit for the Hino 500 Series, developed in response to a sharp increase in truck hijacking incidents across South Africa.
While the new armouring package shares its concept with the popular Stopgun V2.0 kit already available for bakkies such as the Toyota Hilux, Toyota Land Cruiser 79, Ford Ranger and Nissan Navara, it furthermore features a number of model-specific enhancements making it suitable to a truck cab.
Nicol Louw, Business Development Director at SVI, says clients contacted the Bashewa-based company seeking ways to reduce the risk of hijacking and ultimately protect their drivers. Courier companies, too, increasingly require a method of protecting their cargo.
“According to the latest crime statistics provided by the South African Police Service for the second quarter of 2022, the number of reported truck hijackings across the country has increased by nearly 25 percent year on year, and by more than 150 percent compared with the same period in 2020,” points out Louw.
“Our new Stopgun V2.0 kit for the Hino 500 represents a cost-effective B6 armouring solution that allows security forces, mining companies and other firms escorting valuables in transit to counter this increased threat level.”
THE HINO 500 STOPGUN V2.0 KIT
The semi-discreet kit for the Hino 500 offers cabin occupants B6 protection against assault rifles, including AK47 and R1. Just like the version conceived for bakkies, the Hino 500 package eschews the widely used double-door system in favour of unobtrusive integrated door armour, along with upgraded door hinges to handle the additional mass of the various armouring components.
The Hino 500 kit additionally gains secondary bolt-action door locks as well as an upgraded cab-tilting mechanism to ensure unhindered access to the powertrain for servicing requirements. In addition, nose armour is cleverly concealed behind the vehicle’s standard grille.
A split windscreen is utilised, while flat ballistic glass is likewise fitted to each window frame to allow for fuss-free replacement should damage be sustained during an attack. In addition to the aforementioned integrated door armour, all pillars, all glass and part of the firewall gain B6 bullet-resistant protection. The roof, too, is armoured, while the underfloor section gains protection courtesy of custom-fabricated armoured steel plates.
Jaco de Kock, CEO of SVI, says the company has a proud history of building numerous types of armoured vehicles to meet the varied needs of its clients.
“Our product catalogue includes everything from civilian and security vehicle armour to armoured guardhouses, bullet-resistant vests and military-spec armoured personnel carriers. We have even armoured locomotives powering long trains of high-value cargo through parts of Africa. And we’re just as proud of the latest addition to our range, the Stopgun V2.0 kit for Hino 500 trucks.”
De Kock says SVI is now taking orders for its new Hino 500 Series armouring solution, with the first production slots at its factory outside Pretoria scheduled for January 2023. The project build time is two months.


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Cautiously optimistic: Mall managers stay upbeat for holiday season
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- Stacy Vogel Davis
Summer hasn’t officially come to an end, but Milwaukee-area shopping mall managers already are turning their attention to the all-important holiday season and what they’re seeing has them optimistic.
Most local malls are reporting high occupancy rates, with several new stores expected to pull in holiday shoppers. Meanwhile, retail experts are predicting small increases in holiday sales on the heels of better-than-expected back-to-school sales in August. This all comes as the slow recovery from the worst economic recession in decades continues.
“We see a light at the end of the tunnel, though we definitely aren’t out of the tunnel yet,” said Scott Oleson, general manager of Brookfield Square.
The mall currently is 98 percent occupied, and Oleson expects 100 percent occupancy by the holiday season.
Chris Jaeger, general manager of Bayshore Town Center in Glendale, was even more positive.
“Weather-wise and traffic-wise we had a great summer, so we feel like we have this momentum going into the holiday season,” he said.
Jaeger had reason to be optimistic. The mall, which reinvented itself as a shopping, office and lifestyle center in November 2006, has an occupancy rate in the “low 90s” and will have several new stores this holiday season, he said.
Jaeger described Orvis, an outdoor living store that opened in May, and Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, expected to open this month, as “difference makers” for the mall.
Bayshore will continue its popular holiday activities this year, including a Nov. 12 tree lighting as well as carriage rides, Jaeger said. One new offering will be gift wrapping by the Jewish Community Center, a new tenant at the center.
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Many black cab drivers have been into modern technology before Uber was just a twinkle in the eye of Travis Kalanick. What was needed was an app. that was exclusively for black cabs.That failing has now been remedied, because the black cab industry as a whole has adopted their very own app., the cab app! @cabapp.
It will also be mandatory for all black cabs to have the credit card payment facility, many cabs already have this. Transport for London wants to launch a consultation on making acceptance of cards mandatory from 2016.
Special rates for a mobile payment terminal and a mobile card payment services agreement is available to licenced London black cab drivers only and they must fill out the authorised form. This is from Cab Card services.
Nothing has ever stopped black cab drivers in their pursuit of excellence, their pride in their trade and their overwhelming desire to be the best. The safety of passengers is guaranteed in any black cab.
So black cabs will now have tech equal to Uber. All that is now needed is for Uber drivers to become skilled and well trained drivers, stop breaking vital safety regulations, and do the Knowledge. Only then will they begin to equal black cabs.


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Meijer begins hiring workers for Warren store
Grocery chain Meijer has announced that it is starting the process of hiring people to work at its store in the Eastwood Mall Complex slated to open later this year.
According to a media release, Meijer is looking to fill 350 part- and full-time positions at each of its two new supercenters in Warren and Wooster.
Jobs include those of clerks, cake decorators, customer service, cashiers, receiving and meat cutters.
In addition to weekly pay, Meijer says it offers flexible scheduling, free education, employee discounts, option for 401k retirement planning, and paid parental leave.
The 159,000 square foot store in Warren is located at the site of the former K-Mart along Route 46.
Those interested may apply online at https://jobs.meijer.com/stores.
Candidates can the click “Search New Store Open Jobs” button, enter “Warren” or “Wooster” in the location search field, and click “search.”
Hourly candidates can apply by clicking on the positions listed.
Meijer will screen applicants within the next several weeks. Selected candidates will be invited to interview early March.
Meijer operates 501 supercenters, neighborhood markets, Meijer Grocery and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, and others.


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OnePlus promises to restore auxiliary camera access on OxygenOS 12 for OnePlus 9 series
OnePlus recently started rolling out the OxygenOS 12 stable update for the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. However, the update was soon halted because users started reporting that it was riddled with bugs. Apart from bugs, one of the main issues that deterred some users from updating to the latest version of OxygenOS was the broken GCam Mod support on the device.
With the OxygenOS 12 update on the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, users could no longer access the auxiliary cameras like the ultra-wide camera or the telephoto camera in the modded Google Camera app. This is a deal-breaker for a lot of people since GCam is known to considerably improve picture quality compared to the stock camera app on a lot of phones. While there were several speculations about OnePlus’ intention behind this move, the company has now officially confirmed that they’re working on restoring auxiliary camera access on OxygenOS 12 for the OnePlus 9 series.
After the initial update was halted due to bugs, OnePlus worked on fixing a few issues and has resumed the OxygenOS 12 rollout for its flagship smartphone series. OnePlus announced via a community post on the OnePlus forums that a new version of OxygenOS 12 has been pushed to the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. This update contains several bug fixes compared to the previous update, aiming for a stable release this time. However, this update does not fix the issue with support for auxiliary cameras on the OnePlus 9 series. But, what’s good is that OnePlus has addressed this issue and has said that a fix for this will be rolled out via an update in the future. Here’s what the community post says:
Regarding the other reported problems, please rest assured that they are also covered in the follow-up update plan, such as the auto-fill feature in Chrome and the temporary lack of access to the Ultra HD 48M / AUX camera on GCam. We will continue focusing our efforts on improving the software experience and will work on addressing these issues rapidly.
This is surely good news for all OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro users since this statement means that OnePlus isn’t deliberately locking support for auxiliary cameras on OxygenOS like the way its parent company OPPO does on ColorOS. Since the codebase of the two skins was merged, it looks like a few things are broken but we appreciate the fact that OnePlus has acknowledged it and promised a fix soon.
Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the tip!


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KFC India Debuts Takeout Box That Doubles As A Greasy, Craptastic Smartphone Charger
Nothing says “finger-licking good” like a bargain basement smartphone charger. Wait, what? Apparently the marketing geniuses over at KFC India have come up with what might be one the oddest promos that we’ve seen in quite some time.
KFC India has debuted a limited edition version of its 5-in-1 combo, which comes in what’s called a Watt a Box. Besides the greasy chicken and sides that you’d usually find inside your meal box, there’s also a 6100 mAh power bank that can be used to recharged your Android smartphone or iPhone (both microUSB and Lightning cables are included).
Despite the generous capacity of the battery, it’s anything but fast when it comes to recharging your phone and it was practically useless after just one charge. The folks over at BGR India were less than impressed with its performance, noting that it took a half hour to add 17 percentage point of juice to an Apple iPhone 5s. This half-hour performance ended up depleting the power bank completely. The power bank was than charged again to 100 percent, only to cough up another lung while charging a Redmi Note 3 to just a 7 percent charge.
As if the concept of what is essentially a cheap “one-and-done” battery being tossed into the landfill wasn’t offensive enough, the commercial for this contraption is downright cringe worthy. You can watch it below for yourself:
For now, the Watt a Box is only available at select KFC locations in Delhi and Mumbai. Luckily, U.S. KFC locations won’t have the opportunity to dish out this half-baked promotional item.


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Vapor Thrift Store open and ready to help
Published 9:50 pm Wednesday, August 5, 2020
By BAKER ELLIS | Special to the Reporter
NORTH SHELBY – As people and families continue to make adjustments to everyday life in a post-COVID world, the business community has been forced to do the same.
Businesses across Shelby County and the state have been making necessary and often rapid-fire decisions in order to remain viable, while also ensuring they comply with local, state and federal health and wellness guidelines as well.
For private citizens and schools, as well as small and large local businesses, the last few months have posed challenging questions related to maintaining a level of normalcy in the face of incredibly abnormal circumstances.
One such business making these attempts on a daily business is Vapor Thrift Store, with locations in North Shelby County off U.S. 280 and in Vestavia Hills off U.S. 31.
Like the majority of businesses in the Birmingham area, both thrift stores were forced to close for approximately six weeks in March and April as a precautionary measure, during which time all employees were furloughed and no donations were accepted.
“Like most of the businesses in this area, we shuttered both of our thrift stores earlier this spring in the face of shrinking revenues and the very real threat this virus posed,” said Josh Firth, Vapor Ministries’ Vice President of US Profit Centers. “However, we used the interim to make a number of significant upgrades to our Greystone store on Highway 280, and since reopening in May have been able to provide a much-enhanced shopping experience for our customers.”
Vapor Thrift Stores specialize in selling donated goods for low prices, and act as the single-largest donor to Vapor Ministries, a nonprofit organization based out of Sylacauga that owns and operates sustainable centers in third-world environments all across the globe.
Vapor Ministries exist to meet needs, feed souls and elevate God, and generates a significant portion of its revenue through the two thrift stores in the Birmingham area.
“The work that we are able to accomplish in places like Kenya, Haiti and Togo is thanks, in large part, to the people who shop and donate at our thrift centers,” said Sommer L’Hoste, Vice President of Marketing. “We have a phenomenal customer base, and really do consider our customers to be heroes. Without them, we would not be able to accomplish the important work we are able to complete overseas.”
Both thrift stores reopened May 1 and have been operational since. Both are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Donations are also accepted in the same window of time. For more information, please visit Vaporthrift.com.


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Online services remain the key product in e-commerce in India today, but the buying and selling of virtual goods has globally become a key driver for online transactions. In such a scenario then, why is so little digital content being sold in India? A number of players have kept away from India and other developing countries because of the prevalence of piracy. When the majority of customers are just downloading your songs and movies for free, why even spend the money to set up your own e-store?
This attitude is undergoing a shift now though, helped in part by Indians who are operating outside the country, who have seen the opportunity to change ground realities and are making a play for things. One such example is Vin Bhat, Co-founder and CEO of Saavn.com. The company has been instrumental in packing, distributing and promoting Bollywood entertainment for cable, Internet, mobile and video-on-demand services, and along with a powerful distribution network, is also involved in streaming music from Indian movies on the Internet.
Bhat said, “We have done a lot of research and spent a lot of money to have the best technology in place, to serve the audience which is interested in music on the digital platform. The end user is not concerned about how he gets the product, just that he gets what he wants, and when he wants it. People go to pirating sites, which are often cluttered and hard to navigate because that’s how those guys are trying to make a quick buck, gets inferior service, and ends up with an experience which is not very satisfying.”
Satisfaction, Bhat felt, was the key value proposition that a digital service could offer, that beat piracy. He said, “We ensure that the end user gets a high value experience, and at the same time, for brands this represents an engagement point. The experience for the user is free so there is no advantage that pirates can offer to the audience. But the site is uncluttered, well designed, and offers excellent content serving, which is our unique value proposition. For advertisers, this is good because they can reach out to their target audience without having to engage with sites that are promoting piracy. That isn’t legal in some parts, and it’s bad for the brand image as well.”
He added, “We’re going to revolutionise the way people consume music at Saavn, and in the process, help stop piracy and help brands engage consumers that are passionate about Bollywood. Several brands have made investments in major stars endorsing their products and services, and Saavn.com is a compelling means to further leverage that investment.”
It isn’t just free services that are seeing the value in online distribution and paid digital downloads. Many are starting to realise that piracy was caused partly by unrealistic prices, and partly by lack of access. Dippesh Jain, Business Development Manager, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, talked to exchange4media about the company’s plan to enter into the digital distribution space in India.
He said, “We are creating an e-commerce site for Sony Pictures, which will open in February. It will function on two levels – first, there is the e-commerce, where we are selling our DVDs and Blu-Ray movies. They can surf the site, select their collector’s copy, and have it delivered anywhere in India.” The company also has a second, more innovative plan, “We are also working on offering downloads of movies. Initially we will be offering it as part of strategic brand tie-ins, bundling movies as free downloads. Once people are familiar with the e-store, we will look to expand this facet of the operation as well, but not right away.”
The company hopes that a discounted price, along with the convenience and reach online will be a key driver. As for the downloads, Jain said that they would be fully DRM protected and copy proof, so while a person would download a copy they would own and could watch as often as they wanted, it would not help piracy and illegal file sharing.
He said, “Both these platforms are focused at the consumers who normally download films illegally. The reason they do this is for convenience, not just price, so with the discount and the convenience being legally there, with a guarantee of a good print of the movie, and risk free transactions, where you aren’t worrying about viruses or any such thing, we believe we offer a strong reason to switch to legal downloads.”


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Fertitta Entertainment has amended the terms of its merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), reportedly increasing the enterprise value of the combined entity by $2bn ahead of listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Fertitta Entertainment, the parent company of Golden Nugget operator Landry’s, announced in February that it would merge with Fast Acquisition Corporation, with Tilman Fertitta selling a minority stake in the business and retaining a 60% shareholding.
However, the terms of the deal have been updated, with Fertitta Entertainment now set to add “42 incremental, high-quality business assets” to the public company, including a range of restaurants, such as the Mastro’s brand, and other entertainment venues. As part of the transaction, the company will also become the full owner of the Catch restaurants chain.
As a result of the amendment, Tilman Fertitta will now retain a 72% shareholding after the transaction closes.
Fertitta Entertainment said that the combined entity will be valued at $8.6bn following the addition of the new business assets, with Bloomberg having reported that the previous value had been tagged at $6.6bn.
With boardroom approval having already been granted, Fertitta Entertainment said that the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year following the conclusion of regulatory, stockholder and gaming approval processes.
The merger and flotation will lead to the creation of one of North America’s largest publicly-traded hospitality companies, with control of five land-based casinos and substantial ownership of Golden Nugget Online Gaming, among other assets.
“The contribution of the new business assets greatly improves the company’s operating cash flow, provides better assets for organic growth, and significantly deleverages the company as no incremental debt is being incurred by the company as part of the revised transaction,” said Tilman Fertitta, who took the company private in 2010 and will remain chairman, president and chief executive.
Fertitta Entertainment added that pro forma net revenues for the second quarter of 2021 would reach between $917m and $920m, with adjusted earnings before deductions (EBITDA) estimated to be between $270m and $275m.
Pro forma adjusted EBITDA is expected to exceed $800m for the full year if the SPAC transaction progresses as planned.
“Since the rollout of covid vaccinations, the operating results of the incremental assets have been so strong, I decided that I should be focused all in on the company as I see opportunities for a significant acquisition that would not otherwise be available to the company without this revised transaction,” Tilman Fertitta added.
FAST chief executive Sandy Beall added: “We believe the new assets provide tremendous value to the public company and greatly strengthen the balance sheet for future growth.”


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40% Can’t Name A Single Online Music Service
From 7 Digital to Spotify, there are 20 major music services in the UK. But a new survey says that 40% of consumers have never heard of any of them. Of the 60% who are familiar with digital music, 85% have only heard of two – iTunes and Amazon.
"The music industry is shooting itself in the foot by not promoting legal online music services," says Jill Johnstone, of Consumer Focus. "If file sharing is causing the damage the music industry claims, why aren’t they putting more effort in to promoting the legal alternatives? Before we go down the enforcement road it is only fair to ask the music industry to do more to make people aware of the legal options.”


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NBC News reports:
A small Florida publishing company says the million-record database of Apple gadget identifiers released last week by the hacker group Anonymous was stolen from its servers two weeks ago. The admission, delivered by the company’s CEO exclusively to NBC News, contradicts Anonymous’ claim that the hacker group stole the data from an FBI agent’s laptop in March.
Paul DeHart, who is the CEO of the Blue Toad publishing company explained that technicians at his company took a look at the UDID data that was leaked and compared to their own database whereupon they found a 98% correlation between the data sets.
“That’s 100 percent confidence level, it’s our data,” DeHart said.
“As soon as we found out we were involved and victimized, we approached the appropriate law enforcement officials, and we began to take steps to come forward, clear the record and take responsibility for this.”
You might recall that the FBI issued a blanket denial of having the UDIDs in their possession in the first place while Apple denied ever giving them away to the FBI or any other entity for that matter.


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Some of the leading players in the pest-killing business include SenesTech Inc., Rollins, Inc., ServiceMaster Global Holding Inc., Ecolab Inc. and FMC Corp.
But innovations are coming from other places, too. For example, Procter & Gamble has developed Zevo Flying Insect Trap, which promises to continuously eliminate flying insects without chemicals insecticides, odor or mess. And for those who want to learn more about their flying foes, SC Johnson offers five surprising facts about mosquitos.
There are several factors contributing to the growth of the global pest control market, according to Markets & Markets. In a separate report, Research and Markets explains that the market is set to experience favorable growth driven by factors such as increasing global population, rapid urbanization, rising middle class population and upsurge in disposable income. In addition, the growth rate for this market is also influence by rise in global temperatures and increasing economic activity.


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The end of October, and as a result Halloween, is only a few days away, leaving us with only two full months left in 2019. The holiday season is about to kick into full swing, which is always filled with plenty of games to entice gamers to pick up for Christmas. This year actually has one of the weakest slates in recent years beyond the top few games, especially after the recent delay of Doom Eternal.
With what was left, we were able to narrow down to what we believed to be the top five games that are still to come before the end of 2019, with all of them coming in the next few weeks prior to Black Friday. The following five games were not ranked by anticipation level, but rather by release date since we are hyped for all of these games. These are the top five games set to release through the Holiday 2019 season.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 – October 31
The Luigi’s Mansion series has seen a bit of a revival over the last many years, starting with the sequel on 3DS back in 2013. We then got a remake of the original for the 3DS last year and now the third entry is almost here. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the series’ first foray onto the Nintendo Switch and it looks like the game is ready to take advantage of the system. The game not only looks great visually, but the gameplay appears to be more similar to the first game that people loved on the GameCube than the second. Nintendo also could not have picked a better release date for this game, releasing it right on Halloween before we jump into the barrage of releases in the early part of November.
Death Stranding – November 8
What more can be said about Death Stranding at this point? It’s a Hideo Kojima game and we still honestly don’t know what exactly it is about. The marketing has been as Kojima-esque as you would expect and that could prove to be a good or bad thing. However, we are still incredibly hyped for whatever Kojima has in store for us with the game. Fans have been waiting to see what Kojima has up his sleeve in his first game since leaving Konami, so there is no question it is not only one of the most anticipated games of the last couple months of 2019, but of 2019 as a whole.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – November 15
Star Wars has not had the best run of things when it comes to gaming in recent years, even with Star Wars Battlefront II correcting course after the debacle that was its launch. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order looks to change that, however, with the first single player game in the series in a long time. Offering a completely original story that takes place between Episode III and Episode IV, players get to take control of Jedi Cal Kestis in a time where Jedi are thought to be all dead. The game takes many inspirations from series such as Uncharted, Dark Souls, and more, so it will certainly be interesting to see if the game can live up to the high standards of the series that have inspired it.
Pokemon Sword & Shield – November 15
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order isn’t the only game to be releasing on November 15, as another pair of games that are destined to be juggernauts come out that day with Pokemon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch. Fans have been waiting for the first true console Pokemon game for ages, with last year’s Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee giving but a tease of what can be expected. The game has not been without its controversies, including the lack of a full National Dex for the game, but it’s a new Pokemon game and people are going to be playing it regardless. With plenty of new Pokemon to capture and the new open world Wild Area, Game Freak is ready to prove why Pokemon is still one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world.
Shenmue III – November 19
The final game on this list was certainly the most unlikely of games to ever happen from these five just a few years ago. Until the Kickstarter campaign was announced during the Sony E3 conference in 2015, a third Shenmue game was merely a pipedream. However, the game is actually real and set to release in less than a month. While the game is almost certainly going to sell a good bit less than the other four games on this list, having a new Shenmue game is nothing to just gloss over. The wait for this game has been 18 years in the making, so it’s great to finally see it come to fruition and there was no way we could leave it off this list.


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KUALA LUMPUR: Ideal United Bintang International Bhd's sub-subsidiary Solaris Consortium Sdn Bhd has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Penang Port Commission (PPC) to redevelop Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal in Penang on a built, operate and transfer basis .
HONG KONG: Hotels, luxury shops and attractions around the world that came to rely on a flood of Chinese tourists are facing an even bigger crisis than during the SARS outbreak as the new viral outbreak infects more people than the 2003 pandemic.
HONG KONG (Bloomberg): Hotels, luxury shops and attractions around the world that came to rely on a flood of Chinese tourists are facing an even bigger crisis than during the Sars outbreak as the new viral outbreak infects even more people than the 2003 pandemic.
WILMINGTON: Starbucks Corp has closed more than half of its coffee shops in mainland China - about 2,000 of them - and Toyota Motor Corp is halting production in the country as global corporations grapple with a SARS-like coronavirus that has killed more than 130 people and is threatening a key growth market.
(Reuters) - Tesla
HONG KONG: Governments, global companies and international health organisations rushed to contain the spread of a SARS-like coronavirus that has claimed more than 100 lives in China, with the number of cases soaring overnight. So far, on Tuesday (Jan 28), it's confirmed that the death toll now stands at 106 and confirmed cases at 4,515.
GEORGE TOWN: Penang saw an overwhelming increase in their cruise ship passenger arrivals last year.
With the arrival of a new decade, analysts and fund managers present to StarBizWeek 20 stock picks which they opine will outperform the market.
The US News and World Report rolled out its annual cruise line rankings for 2020.
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that official inquiries into last week's fatal volcano eruption could take up to a year, and will carry potential criminal penalties of up to five years in jail.


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TEXT OF STORY
KAI RYSSDAL: I guess it was only a matter of time before this next item hit the news. With gas and food prices through the roof, and consumer confidence in the dumps, malls are starting to feel it. Vacancies at shopping centers around the country have hit a 13-year high as Marketplace’s Jeremy Hobson reports.
JEREMY HOBSON: Almost everything these days seems to stem from the housing crisis. But the mall crisis, if we can call it that, has a more direct connection than most. As Nicholas Vedder with Green Street Advisors puts it:
Nicholas Vedder: U.S. strip-center development follows rooftops. So wherever there’s a new master-plan community getting built, you can expect a shopping center developer to put a neighborhood, grocery-anchored center there to cater to those customers.
And he says when the housing market turned down and the customers didn’t show, the shopping centers were left out to dry. That, combined with plummeting consumer spending, has led to the boom in retail vacancies. The raw number: almost 300 million square-feet of vacant retail space around the country.
Reis Incorporated Chief Economist Sam Chandan says mall owners will have to drop rents to entice new business.
Sam Chandan: As a potential renter of space in a regional mall, if there are dark spaces, that is going to impact your assessment of how you will perform at the mall to some degree.
Now for malls, getting customers in the door has everything to do with the anchor store. In a big mall, that could be a big department store like JC Penney. In a little strip mall, it could be a Starbucks.
Both of those companies, by the way, have slashed expansion plans for the coming year. Retail analyst Patricia Edwards:
Patricia Edwards: The U.S. right now is over-stored. We have too many choices and it’s time to pull back a bit.
Other analysts agree and say retail vacancies will likely get worse before they get better.
This is Jeremy Hobson for Marketplace.
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Holcim opens nation’s largest cement plant in Mo.
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Holcim opened the nation’s largest cement plant this week in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo.
The $1 billion plant resulted in more than 2,500 construction jobs and currently employs 250 people.
St. Louis-based Alberici Constructors Inc. built the plant, located 55 miles south of St. Louis along the Mississippi River.
The plant is among the world’s largest with the ability to produce more than 12,000 metric tons of clinker per day and 4 million metric tons of cement each year.
Jeff Ouhl will manage the plant, which began production Monday.
The site includes a harbor and fleeting facility on the Mississippi River, with some of the largest silos ever built.
Holcim U.S., led by President and Chief Executive Bernard Terver, said it would maintain most of the plant site’s 3,900 acres as a buffer area, while 1,700 acres will be devoted to quarry and plant operations.
Demand for cement has dropped due to the recession, prompting Holcim to close plants in Clarksville, Mo., and Michigan, as well as idle production at plants in Iowa and Mississippi.
Waltham, Mass.-based Holcim (US) Inc. is a subsidiary of Holcim Ltd. of Switzerland, the world’s second-largest cement maker.
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INDONESIA’S President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) praised the cooperation regarding the implementation of cross-border digital payments in five ASEAN countries, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The signing of the memorandum of understanding proves that the five countries are capable of being one step ahead compared to other countries.
“I support this regional payment connectivity initiative to continue to be expanded to the global level. As a concrete form of implementation of the roadmap for enhancing cross-border payments (roadmap for cross-border payments) of the G20 countries,” said Indonesian President Joko Widodo in virtual remarks at the signing ceremony. memorandum of understanding (Memorandum of Understanding/MoU) Advancing Regional Digital Payment Connectivity, which was held in Bali, Monday (11/14).
The President said digital payments across ASEAN countries were a concrete manifestation of the commitment to digital transformation, one of the points of agreement of the G20 countries, which is the key to sustainable economic recovery. Mainly the economic recovery makes it strong in an inclusive and collaborative manner.
“Because the ease of access to payments will have a major impact on the economy, especially the tourism, trade and MSME sectors, so that it will accelerate a stronger and more inclusive economic recovery,” said President Jokowi.
After the President gave his remarks, the five ASEAN countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Advancing Regional Digital Payment Connectivity. Those who signed were the Governor of the Central Bank of Indonesia Perry Warjiyo, Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia Nor Shamsiah, Governor of the Central Bank of Singapore Ravi Menon, Governor of the Central Bank of Thailand, and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Bank Indonesia, Perry Warjiyo, in his opening remarks said that the signing of the MoU on cross-border payment system connectivity between the five ASEAN countries was a dream come true. This signing is a legacy that will be passed on to the next generation and rewrite history
“Today is the third agenda of the G20. Today, we are witnesses because this is not only the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding, but also rewriting history. The history of digital. This is a dream that the central bank has long wanted to realize,” he said.
Perry revealed that there are three advantages to be achieved with this cross-border digital payment connectivity. First, there is a commitment to help materialism and regional payment connectivity, moving from biliteral to mutual vibe cooperation.
“Standard QR, fast payment, and local currency will soon be connected to each other. Wherever we go to ASEAN countries, we can use QR. We can use the Indonesian Standard QR which is now in force in Thailand and will soon be running in Malaysia. and Singapore, and the Philippines. That would be a very fast and easy payment.
Second, the MoU that was signed today realizes the wishes of all the people of Southeast Asian countries, which number up to 500 million people. Most of that number are women and young people. “We make a legacy through being utilized to help women and young people. We create connections not only about money, but for a better life,” said Perry.
Third, continued Perry, the agreement reached by the five ASEAN countries is an initial step to enter the larger digital world, namely from Asia to the global. “We also talk about central bank management. This will be the newest central bank going forward, namely the digital currency central bank,” said Perry.
Likewise, Revi Menon and Nur Shamsiah praised Perry Warjiyo’s leadership in realizing this cross-border digital payment connectivity. Moreover, this was initiated two years ago and has only just been realized to coincide with Indonesia as the G20 Presidency.
Likewise, several industry players who were present at the signing of the MoU were proud and grateful for giving them good wishes. Cross-border payments, according to them, make transactions easier and faster. [sources/photo special]


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Microsoft has released a new update for its Microsoft Authenticator apps for Android devices. The app lets users sign-in in a fast and secure way to your personal Microsoft account without using a password.
The app now supports the Key Uri Format. If your account provider supports this standard and provides a URL, you can add your account to the Microsoft Authenticator app just by clicking the URL or scanning a QR Code.
You can update the app from the Play Store here.


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French food group Danone has reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly revenue, boosted by strong yoghurt sales and an improved performance by its biscuit business.
Danone said first-quarter sales were €3.41bn (US$4.05bn), up 5.7% compared to €3.23bn in the year-ago period. After stripping out the impact of foreign currency exchange rates, acquisitions and divestments, sales rose 9.8%.
Danone said underlying sales at its fresh dairy product division rose 12.8%, while underlying sales at its biscuit business rose 3.1%.
The company confirmed its target of a 5-7% increase in underlying sales this year, reported Reuters.


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Bananas weathering economic crisis, UN agricultural agency says
7 December - Bananas are withstanding the impact of the global economic crisis more than most agricultural commodities, with consumers regarding the fruit as a necessity in their diets, according to a new report issued by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
Banana imports will soften slightly to 13.8 million tons this year, the agency said, just over 3 per cent less than 2007 levels.
While imports have dropped off in developed countries, developing nations are recording an increased demand for the fruit, largely driven by China. FAO predicts that if the recession bottoms out by the end of this year, the demand for bananas will surge by up to almost 8 per cent.
“With steady growth in populations and income, and rising awareness about the positive nutritional value of fruit, global banana and tropical fruit consumption is likely to continue its upward trend in the next few decades,” the new publication, which will be presented to an upcoming meeting of global fruit experts later this week, noted.
Trade in bananas and tropical fruit accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the global fruit market.
Another FAO report to be launched at the 9-11 December meeting will call for more resources to map banana and plantain diseases, which the agency warns could cause over $4 billion worth of damage by 2010, hurting smallholders' income the most.
Development / Accra / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com


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Bajaj has been putting the pedal to the metal ever since it lost its second position to Honda.
The Pune based two wheeler giant is working on multiple models to strengthen its portfolio. The model offensive would start shortly.
We know that Bajaj has previously announced that there are at least two new motorcycles and quite a few variants lined up for this year. While the much anticipated Pulsar 375 could be one of those new motorcycles, Bajaj will focus on the Discover lineup this year to surge ahead of Honda in the numbers game.
Business Standard reports that Bajaj will launch some six models based on the highly successful Discover, starting this July. The report adds that four of the six models would be in the price bracket of Rs. 40,000 - 50,000 while the other two would cost over Rs. 50,000.
Mr. S Ravikumar, senior vice president (business development and assurance), Bajaj Auto said, "With the Discover, we have made multiple cuts in the entry level segment. The brand has gained good traction in the market. The focus now would be on the Discover in the current financial year."
The current Discover range has five variants - Discover 150, 125, 125 ST, 100T and 100. It would be interesting to know where the upcoming six models will be placed. Phasing out of any of the existing Discovers to accommodate the new models could not be ruled out as well.


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Want the most bang for your buck when it comes to saving the world and slowing down climate change? Then plant-based eating is the way to go!
According to an article published in The Guardian, a new report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that each dollar invested in the meat and dairy alternatives industry resulted in “three times more greenhouse gas reductions compared with investment in green cement technology, seven times more than green buildings and 11 times more than zero-emission cars.”
According to the report, investing in the alternative proteins segment has the highest CO2e savings per dollar of invested capital of any sector. The report states that according to the Good Food Institute, VC investments in this sector rose from ~$1B in 2019 to ~$5B in 2021.
Animal farming accounts for 15% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Reducing the amount of meat we eat by replacing it with plant-based alternatives is a very efficient way of reducing emissions because plant growing results in significantly lower emissions than meat and dairy production. According to The Guardian, beef, for example, produces six to 30 times more emissions than tofu.
According to the BCG report, the current trend points toward plant-based alternatives making up 11% of the dairy, egg, and meat products sold by 2035. If that turns out to be the case, that will reduce emissions by an amount equivalent to decarbonizing 95% of the aviation industry.
“Widespread adoption of alternative proteins can play a critical role in tackling climate change. We call it the untapped climate opportunity – you’re getting more impact from your investment in alternative proteins than in any other sector of the economy,” Malte Clausen, a partner at BCG, told The Guardian.


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HTC has had several senior level executives leave over the past months and years and it looks like the latest has announced a departure. The interesting twist here, this departure is coming just four months after the arrival. According to a Bloomberg report, Lorain Wong will be leaving the company.
It was said that Wong will be leaving HTC due to personal reasons. As we often see, there was nothing further given in terms of a reason, however Chief Marketing Office Ben Ho, who was her direct manager, did say that she will remain with HTC as a consultant for the next three to four months.
Aside from Wong, Bloomberg mentioned that “at least” six senior level executives have left HTC in the previous 2.5 years. Some of those earlier departures include John Wang and Winston Yung, who were the marketing chief and Chief Financial Officer respectively.
Otherwise, while HTC may have some work to do in terms of finding and keeping executives, they have been in the rumor mill plenty lately. For a change these HTC rumors did not involve the One max smartphone as that was officially unveiled earlier in the week. Instead, it is beginning to look like they may be working on something with Amazon.
Or maybe more specific, something for Amazon. Rumor has it that HTC may be building the still rumored Amazon smartphone. The details remain at a minimum, but the chatter does appear to have been picking up lately. Just this week alone we went from how Amazon may be looking towards HTC, to talk about how they could be building three smartphones for them. Of course, this has yet to be confirmed and is still firmly in the rumor category.


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At the big iPhone launch event, Apple also previewed and shared details related to its much-rumored smartwatch. However, not all details regarding its specs and features have been made public, as the device is said to be officially unveiled in the beginning of early 2015.
According to a new research note sent out to investors on Monday by Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company, the Apple Watch is said to feature 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. It seems that the 512 megabytes of mobile DRAM will likely be supplied by Samsung, Hynix and Micron.
Arcuri says that Apple may offer an 8-gigabyte version of the Watch in addition to the standard 4-gigabyte version. It's expected for the smaller-capacity option to be the default configuration. The analyst also noted that the memory will come from "most major NAND suppliers."
The Apple Watch is also expected to feature a wireless combination chip similar to the Broadcom BCM43342 found in the iPhone 5s which is also said to include a GPS radio. Will you be buying the Apple Watch if it comes with a price under $300?


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This in-depth study of 4000 UK adults in partnership with Censuswide, measures UK consumer trust in digital brands across banking, media, gaming and gambling, and other sectors. We discover how brands can become trusted parties with consumers, using factors such as design, device and connection to build a high trust state when transacting online.
Banking is the most trusted industry by UK consumers overall, but Gen Z tend to trust newer brands
Gambling sector is seen as the least trusted to keep customers’ personal details safe – but gaming divides the generations
Gen Z’s trusting nature when online makes them more prone to scams
A third (30%) of people say having their identity stolen is the biggest risk of being online and a further one in five most fear losing control of their finances
The banking sector has been named the most trusted overall by UK consumers according to the latest study by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Banks got the highest share of votes (86%) from consumers when asked which sectors they most trust overall. They also said they trust the banks most to keep their personal details safe online, with nearly two-thirds of UK adults (60%) agreeing. This is despite the rising levels of global cyber attacks on financial services institutions in recent years designed to compromise accounts.
Banking stood out significantly against all other sectors, with around twice as many people trusting banks with their personal details over the police (31%) or the government (28%). Even online shopping and TV streaming services struggled to gain trust among UK adults as custodians of their data, perhaps reflecting a widespread general mistrust of how commercial organisations use and protect customers’ personal information.
Gaming and Gambling
While trust in online banking is high among the population as a whole, the research showed clear generational differences in attitudes. 70% of respondents aged 55+ said they trust the banking industry most with their personal details, while just 43% of those aged 16-24 said the same.
The over 55s tended to rate other more established or traditional sectors as more trustworthy, too – both in general and with their personal data – compared to younger age groups, including utility companies, telecoms, and government and law enforcement. 69% of this age group stated that they trust established brands over ones that are new to them, compared to just 59% of 16-24 year olds.
|16-24 (Gen Z)
In contrast, younger people are far more accommodating to less established brands, including those representing newer digital services such as TV streaming companies and social media.
Nearly three quarters of Gen Z (72%) said they trust social media companies overall, compared to less than half (42%) of over 55s. Gen Z also trust messaging apps, investing services and gaming providers more than they trust the government. Perhaps most tellingly, 16-25 year olds said they trust brands like streaming service, Netflix, more than they trust their bank.
The 16-25 age group said overall they trust brands like streaming service, Netflix, more than they trust their bank.
|16-24 (Gen Z)
|TV Streaming Services
The research shows a clear generational difference in attitude to newer and digital-only brands with younger people seemingly more willing to trust them to act in their best interests.
This is perhaps not entirely surprising since Gen Z are the first truly digitally native group, having grown up using social media and devices. They also spend the most time online of any generation, averaging 10.6 hours a day compared to 8.5 for Millennials, according to Adobe.
However, this time online appears to give them a false sense of security when interacting and sharing their data with others online.
For example, a significant 79% of 16-24 year olds surveyed, admitted to sharing their passwords to subscription streaming services with family and friends. That compares with only 54% of 35-44 year olds and just 20% of those aged 55+.
While this may seem on the face of it a relatively harmless practice, it represents a huge online security issue when you consider that a 2019 Google study found that over half of people admit to using the same password across multiple online accounts. This leaves Gen Z wide open to all kinds of fraud and social engineering scams, since criminals rely on information stolen from compromised online accounts for most fraud attacks.
New account creation – where fraudsters use stolen credentials to open new accounts with financial services providers in the victim’s name – was up 73% year on year in 2021, according to the most recent LexisNexis Risk Solutions Cybercrime report.
Given their attitude to security, it’s little wonder that our research found 40% of UK consumers aged 16-24 admit to having been victims of an online scam, compared to just 16% aged 55 and over.
The research also contains a stark warning to online brands to do all they can to protect their customers and provide a safe and secure digital experience for them – or risk losing their trust.
A third of people surveyed (28%) said they would never use a brand or service again if they became a victim of a scam with which it was associated.
With fraud now being the most commonly experienced crime in the UK, according to the NCA, the fear of falling victim is clearly playing on the majority of people’s minds when interacting online. The study revealed that a third (30%) of consumers say their biggest fear of being online is having their identity stolen, while a further one in five consider losing control of their personal finances as the biggest single risk, compared to the risk of reputational damage from losing control of social media accounts (6%) or having sensitive data stolen (6%).
Encouragingly, consumers put trust and a secure experience above all else when asked what factors are most important to them when choosing to sign up with an online service. This commercial demand should at least drive more brands to ensure that they are creating an experience that is not only fast, but helps build strong trust and reassurance for users that their personal information is in good hands!
|16-24 (Gen Z)


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Back in April we announced a new campaign called #TakeoutDay, which sought out garner support for local restaurants across Canada each Wednesday as a result of the impact of COVID-19. With new lockdowns being mandated, the creators behind Canada Takeout have evolved the concept to encourage Canadians make takeout a regular part of their week on any day, in support of local restaurants.
“From March until September, the restaurant market Canada-wide lost $11B in sales,” explained Robert Carter, a Managing Partner with The StratonHunter Group. “Research at Dalhousie University now suggests that, of consumer spending, over $6B will shift from the grocery and on-premise restaurant category to the online space.”
Canada Takeout’s platform provides consumer-facing restaurant map, takeout-centric blogs and newsletters to help restaurants reach potential customers and provide seamless ways for customers to find, order from and support their local restaurants and restaurateurs.
CT’s new platform is designed around themed occasions and culinary diversity (supported by brands like French’s, Campbell’s, and Frank’s RedHot, and points Canadians to restaurants that serve the featured dishes.
Agency Behind #TakeoutDay Campaign:
- Branding and Buzzing [TCO]


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BOHEMIA, N.Y. — Harvey Kamil swallows 50 pills a day. A firm believer in natural remedies, Kamil, 63, takes these vitamins and other supplements in hopes of maintaining a healthy heart, strong bones and an immune system equipped to fight everything from colds to cancer.
Not only an enthusiast, Kamil is president and chief financial officer of NBTY Inc., the country’s largest manufacturer of dietary supplements.
He also is one of an estimated 125 million Americans who take dietary supplements, which include vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals and sports nutrition products, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, a research and consulting firm based in Boulder, Colo. Americans spend more than $22 billion a year on these natural remedies.
Yet consumers still face the challenge of sifting through mountains of research to decide what benefits, if any, these supplements hold. Men who took multivitamins with lycopene to ward off prostate cancer, for example, are now learning that the substance may not play a role in prevention after all.
While health claims made in studies may still be confusing — or even conflicting — one aspect of supplement shopping is about to become a little more straightforward.
Large manufacturers are required to follow new Food and Drug Administration rules to ensure their supplements do not contain contaminants or impurities, and that packages are accurately labeled. Medium- and small-sized manufacturers will have until 2009 and 2010, respectively, to meet the new standards, which also mandate product testing and regulate the handling of raw ingredients and packaging.
In releasing the final rules, called Good Manufacturing Practices, the FDA cited a few cases in which products had been recalled because of contamination by microbes, pesticides or heavy metals or for containing more or less of the dietary ingredients than listed on the labels.
“We’ve had some instances where there were clear manufacturing failures,” says Vasilios Frankos, director of the FDA’s division of dietary supplements.
The FDA has long regulated the supplement industry and visits manufacturers in the United States and suppliers to the U.S. abroad, including China, to inspect the plants and their record keeping. Under GMPs, the agency has enforcement powers that range from warning letters to seizure of products that don’t comply with the new standards.
These manufacturing rules follow the passage of legislation in December that requires manufacturers of dietary supplements and over-the-counter drugs to notify the FDA of adverse reactions to their products. By the end of this year, companies must provide phone numbers for consumers to call to report serious reactions, such as hospitalization, birth defects, disability and surgical intervention. The manufacturers then have 15 days to report the reactions to the FDA, which will then report problems to the public.
The supplement industry and trade groups hail both the good manufacturing practices and the adverse-reactions legislation as ways to bolster consumer confidence in their products.
“What the consumer can begin to expect after the rules are fully implemented and the FDA is enforcing them is that fringe companies who aren’t manufacturing to high standards or are out to earn a quick buck won’t be around much longer,” says Andrew Shao, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Washington, D.C.-based Council for Responsible Nutrition, the industry’s leading trade association.
Long before the FDA regulations, large companies that make name-brand supplements “followed very, very tight standards, very strictly,” Shao says. “It’s really a minor adjustment for the FDA and major plants.”
In May, NBTY recalled three lots of shark-cartilage supplements after its inspectors discovered the pills were contaminated with salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in people with weakened immune systems. The supplements had passed an initial inspection, so NBTY investigators believe salmonella emerged after the supplements were packaged. There were no reports of illness related to the incident. After the recall, NBTY launched an audit to avert future outbreaks, and it no longer buys raw ingredients from that shark-cartilage supplier.
People who take shark cartilage believe it improves the health of joints, and some even claim is can be used to treat or cure cancer.
“We would never make those claims,” Kamil says, noting that supplement companies are prohibited by law from making claims that are not approved by the FDA. “We can’t advertise claims that can’t be substantiated.” So, for example, a calcium manufacturer can say the mineral increases bone density, which has been proved in research, but it can’t claim calcium prevents or reverses osteoporosis.
Though consumers can be more confident about the purity and labeling of supplements under the new rules, they’re on their own to investigate the supplements themselves.


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CHICAGO, March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Texas leaders in economic development are in Chicago this week to meet with businesses and site section consultants interested in discussing the benefits of doing business in the Lone Star State.
“Chicago is a national epicenter for corporate site selection consultants as well as home to Fortune 500 companies and home to US and global corporations. Chicago is a key place of interest for from texas business-friendly climate and other economic benefits,” said Robert AllenPresident and CEO of Texas Economic Development (TxEDC).
Texas has surpassed other states in the country with impressive post-pandemic growth in addition to a decades-long history of economic strength and stability. Texas is the first exporting State of United States for the 20and consecutive year. Texas also achieved the unprecedented with his victory at the Governor’s Cup 2021 of Site Selection Magazine for the 10and consecutive year. The Governor’s Cup is considered the Heisman trophy for economic development.
“CEOs and site selection consultants across the country are interested in Texas as a location for relocating or expanding their business for a number of reasons: our reasonable regulatory climate and business-friendly environment, our highly skilled and diverse workforce, a strong network of state-of-the-art infrastructure and easy access to global markets,” mentioned Adriana CruzExecutive Director of the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office (EDT), in the Governor’s Office.
In addition to TxEDC and EDT, the Texas delegation to Chicago includes representatives from regional economic development organizations such as Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, Borderplex Alliance, Dallas Regional Chamber, Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation, Greater San Marcos Partnership, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Guadalupe Valley Electric Coop (GVEC), Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, Round Rock Chamber and Temple Economic Development Corporation.
The Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC) is an independently funded and operated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to economic development, business recruitment, and job creation in the state. from Texas. Public-private partnership of TxEDC and the Texas Office of Economic Development and Tourism in the Office of the Governor, showcases Texas as a premier business destination to educate business decision makers and consultants in site selection they can become big in Texas. For more information on TxEDC, visit www.GoBigInTexas.com.
SOURCE Texas Economic Development Corporation


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The facility will ultimately produce power cells for 1.2 million vehicles annually. In the commercial autos phase, the company offered 18,418 vehicles within the domestic market final month as towards 16,795 models in December 2020, a rise of 10 per cent. It is the essential supply of information and concepts that make sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED dialog illuminates how expertise is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to enterprise, science to design.
This yr, the 2022 G80 picks up a strong new Sport trim level. The compact Mazda CX-5 crossover rises above its competitors, providing near-luxury finishes and interesting driving dynamics. Mazda has introduced updates to the CX-5 for 2022, including two new trim levels and a big improvement to the drivetrain. Since it launched the GT-R right here 14 years in the past, Nissan has steadily added extra energy and up to date the car’s tech to assist hold it relevant. That development continues with the 2021 GT-R T-spec, a new high-end GT-R variant with exclusive options and styling choices.
Tesla Recollects Fifty Four,000 Cars With Fsd Beta For Rolling Through Cease Indicators
Toyota is canceling the Yaris subcompact after the 2020 model yr, according to a quantity of reviews and claimed confirmation by a Toyota spokesperson. The Mazda-based Yaris hatchback was new for 2020, replacing the previous France-sourced Yaris hatch, but slow sales have sealed the car’s destiny. Power 2020 Initial Quality Study, and there have been impressive changings within the rankings—positive and adverse. Subaru of America has announced detailed prices for its 2021 Ascent three-row family-size SUV. The 2021 model might be equipped with additional gear, while its instructed beginning worth rises just $300 to $32,295.
We consider that the combination of the continuing semiconductor shortage, transport delays and the rising risk of energy shortages will serve to restrict global vehicle production all through 2022. Domestic automotive gross sales fell 17.2% in December from a year earlier and dropped 4.2% in the entire of 2021, as a outcome of coronavirus outbreaks and a scarcity of microchips, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Monday. South Australian police have nabbed six drivers for drug driving whereas taking children to and from college yesterday in a one-day faculty time blitz. Flushed with cash and nostalgic for traditional motoring, Australians have despatched the value of used automobiles to close unthinkable ranges. The supply chain nightmare is jacking up costs for shoppers and slowing the global financial restoration. Tesla will recall all fifty three,822 automobiles with its “full self-driving” driver-assist function after it was deliberately programmed to slowly roll through cease signs in some eventualities.
The new-for-2022 Honda Accord Hybrid Sport should curiosity Honda prospects who are sick of paying high fuel prices but love the look and window sticker of the regular Accord Sport. The Hyundai Elantra sedan and Kona crossover get the hotted-up N remedy for 2022. While every represents a efficiency value in its respective segment, their costs would possibly come as a shock for patrons expecting the identical old Hyundai cut price. On January 7th, Kia America introduced that Steven Center would be part of the company on January tenth as its Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President.
- A panel of 50 automotive journalists from the united states and Canada have introduced the winners of the North American Car, Truck, and SUV awards for the 2021 mannequin year.
- It is not yet identified who Apple will work with, nevertheless it has held discussions with Hyundai and different firms.
- TriumAuto Automotive is the capital of China’s auto and motorcycle components.
- Stellantis shut down its Ram truck meeting plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, this week due to the chip scarcity.
Lincoln is approaching its centenary, and to commemorate the event, it announced plans to impress its entire lineup by 2030. Recently fashioned automotive giant Stellantis is the newest in a protracted line of automakers to commit to electrification within the coming years. The household of automobile manufacturers, together with Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and others, are committing to constructing several new electrified models by 2025. Many automotive companies have announced plans to shift entirely to electrification or convert a portion of their product lines to battery power. Ford is considered one of them, which makes the upcoming removal of the diesel engine option from the F-150 order information less surprising.
Ferrari Purosangue Suv Manufacturing Begins This Yr
The GTSR W1 ute is solely one of 4 ever made and given it carries the build number #001, it is more likely to maintain the highest worth of any ever made. By 2026, automaker fleets will be required to average fifty five miles per gallon. Deliveries of the $105,000 electric pickup are anticipated to start in fall 2023. Starting in 2024, the outlet will deduct points from a car’s overall score if it would not encourage secure driving. The world’s largest EV firm will enter the Indian market quickly.
They mentioned that when they contact EIM, they’re solely met with procrastination. The customers explained that the delay had negatively impacted them, because the authorized period for delivering the car after reservation is three months, in accordance with the contract between them and the Renault agent. On Thursday, Rivian Automotive introduced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of 153,000,000 shares of Class A frequent inventory at a public offering value of $78.00 per share. At the time of print Rivian stock registered at $129.95 and it’s forecast to achieve $132 by the tip of buying and selling on Monday.


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Beijing has tightened restrictions for Chinese visitors that go to Macao, according to a statement published this week. This move is a sign that authorities are trying to stop the astonishing growth of gaming in the city. Visitors from the Guangdong province, which shares a border with Macao, will now be limited to one trip every three months.
Before, visitors could travel to Macao every two months, but since then, new restrictions have been applied to the visas granted by the government, according to the report. Guangdong is one of the main sources of tourists to Macao.
This new regulation is the latest effort by Chinese and Macao authorities, to stop the spectacular growth of the city, which has surpassed Las Vegas Strip in terms of gaming profits. Edmund Ho, CEO of the city, announced this year a new tax for the casinos, in the middle of worries that the city could suffer too much pressure in terms of infrastructure.
China is also worried about the flight of capital, mainly to companies based in the United States, which have been the major investors in Macao since the gaming business started in 2002. China is also aware of local corrupt officials and the increase of gambling addictions.
In July, Macao announced a series of restrictions to visitors in continental China, but, in spite of the measures, Andy Wu, president of the Travelling Industry Council in Macao, said numbers would climb up to 10% this year.


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Tesco launches £1bn fightback after losing ground in the UK
SUPERMARKET giant TESCO is spending £1BILLION to make Brits fall back in “love” with the business.
Boss Phil Clarke today revealed radical plans to spend more on stores, price, range and quality in a bid to “build a better Tesco”.
Tesco’s Value range will also be completely relaunched in the coming weeks.
The chief exec said: “We fully recognise we need to raise our game.”
Group profits from its stores in 14 countries hit a record £3.8BILLION for the year to March - with sales soaring to an incredible £72billion.
But profits in the UK fell as Tesco finally lost ground after two decades of supremacy.
Sales in the past three months in the UK fell by 1.6 per cent - below its big rivals.
Tesco today vowed to fightback by recruit and train up 8,000 new staff in existing stores in the UK.
It’s also cutting back plans for new space in the UK by 38 per cent.
Tesco will instead focus on improving what it has, opening more Tesco Express convenience stores and spending a fortune on the web.
Analysts welcomed the moves today. But critics claimed Tesco was still “not listening”.
On Twitter, PM David Cameron’s high street tsar Mary Portas blasted: “Listening to Tesco CEO on R4 Today, droning on about how he will keep Tesco on top. How about listening to the towns who don’t want you?”
Mr Clarke - who replaced Sir Terry Leahy last year - insisted Tesco was driving “a faster pace of change”.
He said: “Together these steps are the right things to do both to improve the shopping trip for customers and to secure a return to profitable growth in the UK.”


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Qumulo, an enterprise data storage startup and former Red Herring Top 100 winner, has closed a $40 million Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Previous backers Highland Capital, Madrona Venture Group and Valhalla Partners also participated. The company, still in stealth-mode, has now raised total of $67 million. “Enterprises are grappling with the challenge of how to understand, store, and cost-effectively manage an incomprehensible number of files and digital assets,” said Peter Godman, co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based Qumulo. “The caliber of venture capital investors and board members that have joined us underscores the huge market opportunity that exists and reflects investor confidence in the work accomplished over the last three years by our team.”
SocialFinance, a student loan refinancing marketplace, has secured $200 million in Series D funding led by Third Point ventures. The company will expand its consumer lending products build out new options for investors in its marketplace with the new funds. Wellington Management Company, Institutional Venture Partners and existing investors also participated. “Member response to the SoFi experience – our nontraditional underwriting approach, product innovation, and seamless customer service – has proven that we’re becoming the preeminent financial services provider for early career professionals,” said Mike Cagney, CEO of SoFi. “This financing allows us to continue to expand our unique offerings to them while delivering access to premium credit for our marketplace investors.”
Analytics company Manthan has closed a $60 million Series D funding round. Temasek and Norwest Venture Partners participated. “A few years ago, we decided to focus our energy on transforming analytics from decision-support to decision-making. To achieve our goal, the all-pervasive consumerization of analytics, we are leveraging artificial intelligence and NLP and moving into the realm of robotics and automated analytics,” said Atul Jalan, Manthan CEO.
Skimlinks, a content monetization platform for digital publishers, has raised Series C financing worth $16 million. Frog Capital led the round, with participation from Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), Greycroft, Sussex Place Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). The company’s platform allows publishers to automatically generate revenue from any e-commerce activity which is driven by their content. Skimlinks has now raised a total of $24 million to date. “Publishers are increasingly turning to content-led monetization strategies for growth, as traditional digital display advertising rates continue to decline. With incredibly efficient technology and deep commerce insight, Skimlinks has become the go-to content monetization partner for the world’s most prestigious digital publishers,” Iyad Omari, Partner, Frog Capital said in a press release.