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If you have not heard of OnePlus before, the company is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer. The company just rolled out an update to the OnePlus 3, which is based off the newest version of Android Nougat. OnePlus 3 already upgraded devices to the software for Android Nougat, so now time for the update for the flagship device.
OnePlus 3 Upgraded to OxygenOS 4.0.1
When it comes to OnePlus 3, the flagship device already had the Nougat software, but now the update will make it comparable to the latest Android Nougat update. OxygenOS is similar to that of Android, and it is the operating system that all OnePlus devices run off of. According to an OxygenOS staff member, the rollout to OxygenOS 4.0.1 is going to be incremental in nature.
There are only some OnePlus 3 owners who will get the over-the-air notification in the next day or two for the newest operating system. The OxygenOS staff member did not say why the update would be incremental but did say a bigger release will be coming in the next few days.
When it comes to what the changes will be, there will be a new Settings menu and notifications design. This is all part of the Android Nougat changes, as well as a multi-window view that will now be included in the update. There will be direct reply ability as well right from the notification area. OxygenOS 4.0.1 will also include custom DPI support, which is really cool. Along with those features, you will also notice that the status bar has been changed and upgraded, and this will feature more icons to allow you to do more things. There will also be APN updates as well as shelf customization. Of course, bug fixes and system stability enhancements are also included in this new OnePlus 3 OxygenOS 4.0.1 update.
There was one issue where if you were making a call you would get a proximity sensor error, and this has been fixed in this latest update. Another issue that has been plaguing the OnePlus 3 is that some people are having trouble downloading the apps from the Google Play Store, and this is an issue that also is being worked on currently. OnePlus 3 developers say that you should go into Battery Saving Mode or try to reset the Google Play Store preferences if you have this problem. As far as the issue of not being able to download while in the Data Roaming mode, the OnePlus developers say that this is a Google issue and not an issue with the phone or OxygenOS software itself. As far as the APN issues, developers say that you need to change the APN settings, and then begin trying those options as much as you can.
The OnePlus 3 developer who broke the news about the OxygenOS 4.0.1 update hitting devices over-the-air this weekend, Tony L. mentioned a lot of information in his post. Tony also said that if you are having issues when it comes to mobile data or Wi-Fi fluctuations, then you need to send him more information about the issue before a real fix can begin from the company. You can head over to the OnePlus 3 page and website to have access to the post and to send the developers the information if you are having these issues.
For now, it seems that the OnePlus 3 developers are focusing on getting things up to speed on the OnePlus 3 so that the phone is in sync with the latest Android Nougat updates. The few fixes that are being released with this update will not be it, but some of these issues take more time to resolve than others.
Tony said that the developers do need some more detailed information on problems, so if you are still having issues after this over-the-air update, contact the company with the information. The more users who send detailed feedback to the company, the quicker a new fix can be released in the coming month. You will be able to see the newest OxygenOS 4.0.1 update on your OnePlus 3 device within the next few days. Remember, it will be incremental so if you do not get the update by tonight or tomorrow, do not worry. The bigger round of over-the-air updates will likely happen mid-week or possibly into the weekend.


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Global university company creation competition winners revealed
More than 500 innovators from across four continents have unveiled solutions to tackle a range of global challenges including crop disease management, sustainable shopping and healthcare.
The international university competition, organised by Heriot-Watt University, trains and inspires new student and academic-led companies across sectors with 13 winners receiving a share of £30,000 to progress their businesses and prototype development.
Following a competitive pitch event, Heriot-Watt Online student Annie Mamvura, founder of GreenGraceWear in Nairobi, Kenya, won the Health & Care-led Business Award. Providing reusable incontinence wear for women and girls facing urinary incontinence due to disability, aging or the menopause, Annie’s business is focused on dignity and comfort while contributing to sustainability goals by minimising waste from disposable products.
Receiving the Audience Award, five engineering graduates behind Dubai-based company SMEFA (Shopping Mode Effortless For All) have developed a smart scan supermarket trolley designed to simplify and support shopping for those with disabilities and allergies such as automated basket lifting, secure payments and managing allergen checks.
Receiving a runner up award, robotic engineers Aswath Ganesan Indra and Adip Ranjan Das from the Edinburgh campus aim to address the significant cost disparity between healthy and ultra-processed food by introducing an innovative semi-autonomous catering service. Powered by their proprietary autonomous technology, GI Healthcare minimises energy, reduces food waste, and increases accessibility to affordable, freshly prepared and healthy food.
The annual competition, which is bolstered by a 10-week workshop series, is open to all Heriot-Watt students, staff and alumni across the university’s five global campuses and Heriot-Watt Online, a worldwide education initiative increasing accessibility to world-class skills development. This year has seen participation grow by 140% compared to 2022.
The Global Innovation Challenge is supported by Santander and match-funded by the Robert M. Buchan Early Stage Business Fund. Igniting passion for entrepreneurship through sessions with internal and industry experts, this year’s guest speakers included Censis, Barclays, Johnston Carmichael, Too Gallus, Converge, Morningside Music School and Steer Energy.
Danielle Moran is Enterprise Manager at Heriot-Watt University. She said:
“Heriot-Watt has a long track-record of supporting entrepreneurs along a growth pathway. Previous participants of The Global Innovation Challenge have gone on to win key industry awards such as Rosie Bristow of Fantasy Fibre Mill, a winner at this year’s Converge. By connecting creative minds across the globe, we are transforming our international reach into an engine for innovation, tackling some of society’s biggest challenges and effecting positive change across multiple sectors.
“This year’s winners include Tayab Smooro, founder of Pathoscan which won the Best Overall Award. The company, based in Canada, aims to revolutionise crop disease management with portable, rapid and accurate in-field testing devices, reducing farmers’ dependency on traditional, lab-based diagnostics. We set up the competition to support those developing creative solutions to worldwide challenges. Tayab has the potential to transform crop disease management and we’re proud to be facilitating the growth of his and many other businesses through access to pitch training, funding pathways, ideas generation, business models and customer engagement.”
Aspen Philips, co-founder and chief development officer of Thrift UP won the award for Proof-Of-Concept Development. She said: “
“My co-founders and I created the idea for Thrift UP during our Strategic Innovation Management course at Heriot-Watt University. Our group wanted to focus on an idea that was sustainable, innovative and tech driven. Thrift UP is a virtual fitting room that allows the user to shop sustainably from the comfort of their own home. We hope this service will reshape the online shopping experience by fusing Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. Our service aims to reduce the number of returns when shopping online, contributing to a more sustainable consumer experience.
“As Chief Development Officer, my role includes implementation of our development and marketing strategy. The Global Innovation Challenge was the perfect first step in gaining recognition within the entrepreneurial and investment community. I feel grateful for the incredible experience, and we are looking forward to the resources and mentorship offered moving forward.”
Professor Gillian Murray is deputy principal for business and enterprise. She said:
“The Global Innovation Challenge is a fantastic demonstration of the power of partnerships and collaboration in driving impactful innovation. As this year’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai continues, this workshop series highlights how our global campuses and networks can unite to address worldwide challenges, addressing challenges across sectors and disciplines.
“By fostering an international innovation ecosystem, we can make meaningful progress on some of the world’s biggest issues, including sustainability and waste reduction.”
During the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Heriot-Watt’s Dubai campus on Dubai Knowledge Park has transformed its 5th and 6th floors into a fringe venue for COP28 and is hosting a programme of events including panel discussions on climate change and an exhibition of cleantech innovations.

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The Galaxy M31s comes as the successor of the Galaxy M31 in India. It packs a massive 6000mAh battery pack and sports a 64-megapixel lens-based quad-camera set-up.
Updated : August 14, 2020, 4:22 pm
A painting by Spanish painter Francisco Goya left Sushant Singh Rajput extremely shaken during his Europe trip with girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty in October 2019. What is the painting all about?
Updated : August 11, 2020, 11:18 pm
Rhea Chakraborty shared details of her October 2019 Europe trip with Sushant Singh Rajput. The actress revealed that it was during the trip to Italy when she first saw signs of mental illness in Sushant Singh Rajput.
Updated : August 11, 2020, 7:28 pm
An Israeli jewellery company is working on the world's most expensive novel coronavirus mask with a gold, diamond-encrusted face covering.
Updated : August 10, 2020, 11:11 am
Over a period of 10 years, China has managed to construct three dams on the Brahmaputra river in parts of Tibet close to the Indian border. It plans to construct at least eight more such dams.
Updated : August 9, 2020, 11:40 pm
The Galaxy M31s is available in two variants with 6GB+128GB or 8GB+128GB RAM and storage options. The two variants will be available in Mirage Black and Mirage Blue colour options.
Updated : August 6, 2020, 10:05 pm
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung's second-generation foldable smartphone which comes with a number of upgrades over its predecessor. Here are five features that could make it a winner.
Updated : August 6, 2020, 3:27 pm
Apart from the discounts, a lot of smartphones and earbuds will also go on their first sale during the Amazon Prime Day sales
Updated : August 6, 2020, 1:19 pm
Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea Chakraborty went on a Europe trip in October 2019. Sushant's cook Neeraj told India Today that the late actor wasn't well after he returned from the trip. Here is all that we know about the couple's Europe trip.
Updated : August 4, 2020, 5:43 pm
Asus ROG Phone 3 takes mobile gaming up a notch with its so many features and some top-of-the-line hardware but is it also for people who are not into gaming much? India Today Tech finds out in this expansive review.
Updated : August 3, 2020, 7:41 pm
As per a study by the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, the assumption that everybody is susceptible to coronavirus may not be true as 80 to 90 per cent people living in the same household where a member is diagnosed with Covid-19 do not get the disease.
Updated : August 2, 2020, 9:17 pm
Updated : August 2, 2020, 12:01 am
Here's this week's glasshouse.
Updated : August 1, 2020, 12:41 pm
Reno 4 Pro comes as another beautiful handset from Oppo with a 90Hz display, a magnificent design, and a decent battery but its Rs 34,990 price seems too high against the OnePlus Nord's. India Today Tech finds out if the Reno 4 Pro is worth buying in the review.
Updated : August 1, 2020, 11:03 am
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro comes only a few months after the Reno 3 Pro and brings the 90Hz display refresh rate to the series.
Updated : July 31, 2020, 5:09 pm


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The brand new iPhone XS is filled with the most recent and biggest, plus it is available in a brand new gold colour.
The XS options 5.Eight-inch Tremendous Retina OLED show with a decision of 2436 X 1125. It retains the acquainted display screen dimension of 2017’s iPhone X, however has extra pixels and sharper decision to make the display screen look even clearer.
Contained in the iPhone XS is the brand new A12 Bionic Chip, which is the world’s first 7-nanometer chip — a formidable feat. Anticipate this cellphone to be speedy, and iOS 12 to run as clean as butter.
The iPhone XS will price you $999 for the 64 GB, $1,149 for the 256 GB, and $1,349 for the 512 GB.
Here is how the iPhone XS stacks up in opposition to stiff competitors just like the Pixel 2, Galaxy S9, and Huawei P20 Professional.


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New York – E-readers are on track to penetrate about a third of the
U.S. adult book-reading population in five years, up from only 1
percent penetration in 2008, according to a study published today by
The installed base of e-readers could soar from 1 million in
2008 to 32 million in 2014, the report stated. Credit Suisse expects about 4
million e-readers will be in use in the U.S. by the close of this year.
Credit Suisse expects Amazon, specifically, will sell 1.8
million Kindle e-readers in 2009, increasing to 2.9 million in 2010 and up to
8.5 million in 2014, marking a compound annual growth rate of 36.4 percent.
Amazon’s revenues from the Kindle should climb from $623.6
million in 2009 to $813.7 next year, reaching $1.8 billion in 2014.
However, while Kindles are profitable, Amazon loses an
estimated $1.50 per e-book it sells, although this should flip to profitability
in 2012 as Amazon’s costs come down. At that time, Amazon’s profits on e-book
sales will total $31 million on revenue of $802 million.
Apple, Google and others are also moving to win a slice of
the market and could impact Amazon’s share.
There is also speculation Apple will offer an iPhone/iPod
Touch tablet device in October with a 7-inch by 10-inch screen, similar in size
to the Kindle
DX, said Credit Suisse. While Amazon has its own e-reader app for the
iPhone, the app is less profitable to Amazon than its Kindle e-book sales. Said
Credit Suisse, “Of course, while the Apple tablet could facilitate greater
Kindle App usage, we estimate Kindle content downloaded this way to have
relatively low margin characteristics.
Therefore, for Kindle, we see the Apple tablet launch as a potentially
significant negative swing factor.”
Google may also win a pending federal court case that would
allow it to release potentially millions of books in e-book format, as Google
has digitized the entire content of libraries, including the New York Public
Library and the libraries of Oxford and University of Michigan, among others. “If the Google settlement
holds, Google could potentially become a large-scale book aggregator, making
much of the world’s library content available to a multitude of e-book devices,
including smartphones,” said the report.
In the e-text book market, “HP and Dell, for instance, who
already have a large presence in the classroom, could conceivably pre-empt
Amazon by striking deals to distribute a netbook to every student, thus
protecting the computer based instruction model that currently exists. This
could effectively have negative consequences on Amazon’s ability to tap this
market,” said the report.
Some other findings and forecasts from the Credit Suisse report:
*Forty-two percent of the U.S. people age 15 and older,
totaling 102.7 million people, are considered literary readers.
*The total U.S.
e-book wholesale industry will grow from $52.3 million in 2008 to $196.6
million in 2009, reaching $1.8 billion in 2014.
*The installed base of Kindle users will increase from 0.6
million in 2008 to almost 20 million in 2014.
*Credit Suisse estimates Sprint charges Amazon a one-time
activation fee of $5 per Kindle plus other fees that amount to approximately
$2.00/month per Kindle user.
e-text book market is currently $50 million, but it’s growing by triple digits.
*Roughly 50 percent of the Amazon e-books sold are new


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Australian airlines are fighting it out to capture more small business passengers, with on-the-ground partnerships with other businesses set to play a bigger part in Qantas’s loyalty strategy.
The flying kangaroo has announced a number of initiatives in recent weeks, including a plan to fly direct to London, but when it comes to establishing business-focused loyalty programs, Virgin Australia actually beat the airline to it.
In 2009 Virgin created the “Accelerate” program to entice business customers with fare discounts as a reward for big travel spends, and in 2014, Qantas launched its “Acquire” program for business travellers.
The “Acquire” platform has been rebranded this week as “Qantas Business Rewards”—an SME frequent flyer program that lets a business accrue points when their employees fly with Qantas, while still allowing the passenger to gain individual frequent flyer points.
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The new format includes partnerships with brands like Caltex, with SMEs to gain business points when they buy fuel or food and drinks from Caltex or get their vehicle serviced.
“This is another reason for businesses to choose Qantas, on top of the network reach, reliability and level of service we offer,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said of the deal.
Businesses or sole traders with an Australian Business Number can apply for the scheme, which delivers tiered rewards based on a business’s travel spend.
Meanwhile, Virgin’s business program offers percentage discounts on fares, depending on how much a company spends on flights each year. Members also accrue points if they fly with the airline’s partners, include Air New Zealand, Delta, Etihad and Singapore Airlines.
The two airlines have embarked on restructure plans over the past few years and are at different stages of the process, but both have a strong focus on capturing Australia’s domestic travel market.
The record $1.53 billion profit secured by Qantas last financial year was helped along by a 30% increase in domestic earnings, Alan Joyce said last year.
Virgin Australia’s restructure contributed to a statutory loss after tax of $224.7 million for the 2016 financial year, however, chief executive John Borghetti was keen to highlight that earnings before interest and tax for domestic flights improved by 45%.
Despite the differences in performance, both airlines focus on loyalty programs when considering the overall of their businesses and track their member databases closely; Virgin, for example, says it has 6.3 million members on the books for its “Velocity” frequent flyer program.
Qantas’s 2016 annual report lists 11.4 million members across all its loyalty scheme, putting underlying earnings before tax from loyalty schemes at $346 million.
Do loyalty schemes work?
Business-based airline points systems are a common feature in other countries and there are several operations focused on engaging with the new ways SMEs are booking travel. Sandra McLeod, chief executive of Melbourne-founded travel management platform Travelport Locomote, told SmartCompany last year the entire travel industry was grappling with the fact that Gen Y businesspeople want complete control and choice over their work travel.
“It’s 30-year-olds that are coming up the ladder. They want to book their business travel the same way they book their leisure travel,” McLeod said.
“Younger travellers want to take control of their own bookings.”
But while Australian airlines are increasingly targeting the small business traveller for loyalty, not everyone is convinced that a points program alone will secure growth.
When SmartCompany spoke to aviation business experts about the Qantas turnaround in 2016, they highlighted the need for airlines to chase new routes and customer demand, in addition to existing audiences, in order to maintain momentum.
Consumer behaviour expert Bri Williams told SmartCompany while targeted and tiered rewards programs can work well, it’s often better for businesses to focus on processes that will make your services indispensable to customers.
“The better way to go about it is to create an ecosystem in which the customers feel compelled to use their product,” Williams says.
Research from Roy Morgan in 2016 found the Woolworths Rewards Project has the biggest reach in Australia, with more than half of the 7000 shoppers surveyed by Roy Morgan saying they were members of the program.
Maxwell Winchester, senior lecturer at Victoria University’s College of Business, told SmartCompany in September while he doubted loyalty programs make shoppers more likely to stick to just one brand, airlines are one sector where they can work.
“If I was to cite any industry that does it well, I’d say airlines do it the best,” he said.
“You have to ask what benefits you can actually give someone that spend that much money.”
The revamped SME program at Qantas includes a number of partnerships with other businesses. Williams believes that if other businesses are going to go down this path of partnerships to entice customers, the program must remain simple and incredible easy for the consumer.
“The benefit is if another business has access to a market that you don’t, but there’s complexity in managing it,” she says.
“The key is always communicating simplicity, making it a seamless experience.”


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Zenabis stock is gaining today despite Zenabis Global (TSX:ZENA) (OTCPK:ZBISF) reporting dismal third-quarter results that saw revenue more than halve to $12 million CAD.
Zenabis Global reported cannabis sales of $7.1 million CAD, which is only marginally down from the figure of $7.3 million CAD in the previous quarter. However, sales in the propagation segment fell drastically from $17.4 million CAD to just $4.5 million CAD, with the company blaming growing cycles at its greenhouses, seasonality, and the timing of customers' orders for this sharp drop off. Despite the almost $13 million CAD drop in sales, Zenabis stock is actually up 28% in the US, suggesting some insider movement.
Gross margin for the quarter came in at $5 million CAD for the Vancouver-based pot firm, while expenses were $18.9 million CAD, of which $7.4 million CAD was attributed to salaries and benefits, while administrative expenses were $3.2 million CAD. Elsewhere, cash flow was hampered by the $31 million CAD spent on property and equipment, but the company did generate just over $60 million CAD in financing and so finished the quarter with positive cash flow. Zenabis shares are currently trading for $0.17 in Toronto.
Following the receipt of new licenses and licensing amendments for Zenabis Global's Langley and Atholville sites, Zenabis managed to more-than-double its cultivation haul from the previous quarter to 5,200 kg of dried cannabis, surpassing the company's expectations by around 25%. Another boost for Zenabis stock came from the net loss figure of $5.8 million CAD, which is a substantial decrease from the previous quarter’s $18.4 million loss, representing an estimated loss per share of around $0.03 compared to $0.09 in Q2.
Zenabis Stock Gains Due to Insider Trading?
The gains in Zenabis stock today could be attributed to a knock-on effect from the company's former CEO and current CFO dumping a 37% stake in the company in October ahead of an ex-rights offering. Zenabis Global announced the offering on October 24, and it will allow shareholders to receive one right per common share, in order to raise $20.8 million USD as the company struggles for capital due to Health Canada’s lack of action against the black market.
Featured Image: Canva


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News / 07.09.2018
The Monthly REWIND – September
Welcome to The Monthly REWIND for September – a digest of everything we’ve been up to and a look at the wider immersive landscape. Let’s dive in…
We’re Hiring – Join The Tribe
As we continue to redefine how VR, AR and MR are being used, we are looking for the best in class to help us push the industry forward and create the next generation of immersive experiences. Want to join our award-winning team? Check out the positions available.
VRLO- Thank You!
Magic Leap – An Evolutionary Step Forward for Humanity – Opinion
The future has just got closer with the release of Magic Leap One. Hear why we’re excited to be working with the device.
The Shutters Are Not Coming Down On VR, They Are Just Coming Up! – Opinion
REWIND’s Founder and CEO Sol Rogers refutes the claims that VR headset sales are in a ‘tailspin’, showing how there’s plenty of evidence to suggest the medium is just getting started.
Oculus Creators Blog – REWIND On The Web
Oculus asked us to provide guidance to decision-makers at brands on how to approach VR. Check out our insights and tips here.
Oculus & CHLA Bring VR Medical Training To Eleven New Facilities
For the past year, medical students and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have been using VR to simulate various high-stakes emergencies. The results have proven so successful that Oculus & CHLA will be launching the revolutionary program across eleven new medical facilities and healthcare providers across the U.S.
– GIPHY World Might Be VR’s Strangest App, But You Should Try It
– Acer Have Revealed The OJO 500 – A Detachable Windows VR Headset
– Announced At SIGGRAPH 2018, NVIDIA’s Turing-Powered GPUs Are The First Ever Built For Ray Tracing
– The VIVE Wireless Adapter Is Now Available For Preorder
– Samsung Are Promoting Their Intelligent Smart Home With A Family Guy AR Game
That’s all we’ve got time for this month. Until next time, keep your eyes on our social media feeds for up-to-the-minute info!
Throughout time, humans have used visual-based methods to help them remember information – from early cave drawings to modern day video. VR is not only the next logical step but a step in the right direction: research suggests we retain more information and can better apply what we have learned after participating in virtual reality exercises.
Virtual reality can change what a person sees, how they think, what they feel and even how they behave. This is because users believe they are present in the virtual environment they find themselves in.
HP’s new virtual reality headset, ‘Reverb – Professional Edition’, launched yesterday, joining HP’s comprehensive commercial VR portfolio. The headset has a staggering 2160 x 2160 panel per eye and 114-degree field of view.
SWSW 2019 was a whirlwind of enlightening talks, networking, tech innovations, and Texas BBQ! While we are still on a SXSW high, we wanted to share the five things that stood out for us at this year’s event…
Eye-tracking technology has been around for years in medicine and aerospace but is quickly gaining a new lease of life thanks to VR. The heavy-hitters of the VR world are incorporating eye-tracking capabilities into their future headsets and are projected to grow the eye-tracking market. Market analysts forecast the global eye-tracking devices market to grow at a […]
Virtual reality has been around for a long time. It’s been used commercially by large aerospace and automotive organizations in CAVEs and powerwalls for over 30 years. Now, as VR is becoming more accessible and reliable, it is being rapidly adopted across a whole range of industries, from architecture to tourism. In the current climate […]
Just weeks after British retailers suffered major losses during the festive period, new research shows that 39 percent of Britons would “not care” if all high street stores closed down. The study, carried out by Awin, also revealed that 68 percent of recipients did most of their shopping online. Many cited ease and cheaper prices […]
Sol Rogers Founder/CEO, REWIND – Self-driving cars are an inevitability and will unlock the potential for cars to transform beyond a simple means of transport. In the not too distant future, drivers will find themselves with a great deal of free time in-car. Rather than having to focus on driving, time can be spent on working, […]


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Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) said on Saturday that it has reopened its baby formula production plant in Sturgis, Michigan, to take a step to reduce an acute national shortage that has sent parents to supplies.
The company said it will begin production of EleCare and other specialty and metabolic formulas, with the initial release of EleCare products to consumers starting on or around June 20th.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on May 19 that the plant was on course to open within a week or two.
The facility will open after meeting the initial requirements agreed with the FDA as part of the agreement that Abbott signed on May 16, the company said.
Stopping the plant and withdrawing formulation for children had deepened a shortage of supply in a nation where, according to federal data from 2020, less than half of babies were only breastfed by their first three months.
Roughly 73% of baby products nationwide are not in stock by May 22, according to data company Datasembly.
The FDA’s inspection of the Sturgis facility revealed “shocking” results such as cracks in vital equipment, a lack of adequate hand washing and evidence of previous bacterial contamination.
Abbott said there was no evidence to link her formulas to the disease, while inspecting the FDA found bacteria in environmental tests and not in the product samples.
The FDA then entered into an agreement with permission to oversee Abbott’s actions to address plant problems.
Prior to the recall, Abbott controlled 40% of the baby formula market, including Similac, but the market share of other companies such as Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (RKT.L) has grown since then.
Even after the plant reopens, it can take weeks for formula supplies to return to normal, said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf.
Global baby formula companies such as Neocate maker Danone SA (DANO.PA) are bringing products to the United States after the country’s health regulator relaxed its import policy.
Shortage of baby formula could become easier when Abbott Michigan factory reopens – SABC News
Source link Shortage of baby formula could become easier when Abbott Michigan factory reopens – SABC News


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Tuesday 29 September at 5pm
Toilet tissue brand Cushelle is rolling out an on-pack promotion offering shoppers the chance to win one of 10,000 huggable soft toy Koalas.
The London 2012 Olympics could leave a lasting legacy of nighttime deliveries if retailers win a battle to lift curfews during the Games. Freight vehicles will be banned from stopping on key roads and restricted from making certain turns...
Ranjit Boparan has cleared the final hurdle in his pursuit of Northern Foods. The chicken mogul s offer for Northern became unconditional today after gaining regulatory approval for the 342m cash bid.
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A year in travel like no other
By Mike Ford, Founder and Managing Director at SiteMinder
It seems only fitting that we end the year on a high note.
As we speak, various coronavirus vaccines are on their way to being rolled out in numerous markets, if not already being administered in some.
While the vaccines are naturally under scrutiny, we can celebrate what they promise to the world of travel.
Certainly, it’s that promise that’s seen year-on-year hotel booking volumes more than double in multiple countries this past month, including Ireland, where thousands of vaccine doses have been delivered and, subsequently, where the hotel booking momentum now sits at 70.95% YoY to mark an increase of over 130% MoM.
Here in the Pacific, we can also celebrate two impending, quarantine-free travel bubbles, including that between New Zealand and the Cook Islands where hotel bookings have largely remained below 20% YoY since mid-March. They have now risen to nearly 42% YoY, which is terrific news for the islands where international tourism plays such a critical role to the economy.
The other impending travel bubble, of course, is between New Zealand and those of us here in Australia, where one of the world’s most profitable flight routes, the Melbourne-Sydney route, reopened three weeks ago. I reported earlier this year that hotels in Melbourne and Sydney were struggling to compete for guests, as we witnessed travellers opting for a nearby coastal or regional town destination rather than a densely-populated major city. Today, hotel booking volumes within Melbourne and Sydney sit at 55.6% YoY and 73.7% YoY, respectively, having doubled since the flight route reopened, and we’re sure to see those volumes further increase as excitement among our neighbours in New Zealand builds.
Speaking of future plans, mid-February is shaping up to be a popular time for travel across continental Europe, with the World Hotel Index showing clear spikes in arrivals in France, Italy, Malta, Netherlands and Portugal. Mid-February of course marks not only Valentine’s Day, but school holidays, half terms and Carnival in many countries. Hotels in the region would be well served to consider marketing campaigns now, in anticipation.
It’s quite surreal that we’re only days away from putting the year of 2020 behind us.
Ordinarily, I’d be counting down to our end-of-year celebrations at SiteMinder, where I’d have the chance to thank all our wonderful team members in person.
I sadly won’t get that chance this year, but what I do have is this opportunity to thank not only all of our people at SiteMinder, but all of you who have followed our updates this year, and are supporting both the travel industry and local businesses in your own way.
From the rise of last-minute bookings, to the growing divide between urban areas and regional towns, and of course the five stages of the hotel booking reset, SiteMinder’s World Hotel Index has allowed us to bring you a little closer to the purview of today’s traveller and the journey ahead of us.
I hope that by sharing these updates, we have been able to do our small part to help the industry that we love, and we look forward to bringing you more in the new year.
Until then, on behalf of the entire team at SiteMinder, I wish you all a very safe Christmas and holiday season. Please take care and I’ll speak to you again in 2021.


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Costco Just Brought Back This Beloved Frozen Treat For Summer
With the warm summer weather upon us, you're surely going to want to pick up some frozen treats at the grocery store to enjoy. Many towns across the country don't have ice cream trucks, so the next best thing is to bring home frozen treats in advance of your summer entertaining.
Originally from South Korea, the fruit-flavored ice cream has become popular ever since the big-box retailer made the snack's debut in America a few years ago.
The hype hasn't died down since—and now the frozen treats have made their highly-anticipated return to Costco warehouses again for Summer 2022. Fans are once again taking to Reddit to express their love for the bars.
Reddit user u/nikobunni gushed over the treat in a recent post to the retailer's subreddit page.
"OMG!! Melona is IT!!" the Redditor posted earlier this month, along with a photo of one of the mango-flavored ice cream pops that they had already started eating. "Bought them yesterday and I'm about to devour the whole box," they added.
Costco's 24-pack of Melona Ice Cream Bars come in flavors like mango, coconut, and honeydew melon. They are typically available as an exclusive item during the summer months.
Since the bars have a shelf life of nearly two years, many Costco shoppers stock up on them each year when they return to stores. Run to your nearest Costco store ASAP to grab them before they're gone for the season!
Hungry for more Costco news? Check out 5 Major Differences in Costco and Costco Business Center Right Now.


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Top Google executive David Lawee has claimed that acquiring the Android platform was Google's best deal ever.
Speaking during the 16th annual Stanford Accel Symposium, Lawee said that at first he was sceptical of Google acquiring an obscure open source platform. But as the platform emerged and became integrated with Google's mobile ad network, the investment had paid off in the best possible manner.
Talking about Android founder Andy Rubin, Lawee said (opens in new tab): “I saw this guy [Andy Rubin, founder of Android] in my building for two years, walking his dog, and I was like, I hope this guy does something.”
It was due to Rubin's hard work and Google's backing that turned Android into one of the most popular smartphone platforms in the world, giving Apple's iOS a hard time.
The most crucial part in Android's success was its integration with Google's mobile ad network, which was in turn strengthened with the $750 million acquisition of AdMob. Google now claims that mobile advertising rakes in around one billion dollars every year for Google.


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Is Grey getting a sequel? According to author E L James, it may be hitting shelves next year!
Click the image below to read the full excerpt:
James noted that the book will “hopefully” come out in 2017, and she also assured fans that the trailer for the Fifty Shades Darker movie is coming “soon.”
Fifty Shades fans will have no shortage of material to devour in the coming years. With the second Grey book in the works, it’s likely that James may also round out the series with a third book — one that could retell Fifty Shades Freed from Christian’s perspective.
On top of that, Fifty Shades Darker will hit the big screen on February 10, while Fifty Shades Freed is slated for a 2018 release.
Will you read the latest Grey book? Share in the comments!
Want access to free & bargain ebooks? Sign up for BookBub here.


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Passengers of KL International Airport can now enjoy a whole new digital airport experience with MYairports, a new mobile app by Malaysia Airports that enables users to plan their journey to the airport ahead of time and be navigated intelligently through the checkpoints.
MALAYSIA Airports new mobile app is a comprehensive yet user-friendly airport travel guide that promises passengers a ‘breezy’ good time as they navigate their way from home till the boarding gate in the shortest time possible.
This digital airport experience is made possible with the integration of Big Data Analytics (BDA) and aims to elevate the service level as one of the initiatives under the Total Airport Experience (TAE) pillar of the organisation’s business plan, RtS2020.
The app also signifies the progression of Malaysia Airports towards embracing Airports 4.0 whereby real-time digital interaction with passengers is key and regarded as a must have.
Malaysia Airports is currently undergoing a digital transformation that encompasses the use of BDA and the Internet of Things (IoT) devices to enhance the airport operations by anticipating foot traffic flows, managing facilities for passenger comfort and reducing queue time and congestion.
The MYairports app that is meant to provide a seamless journey to the airport and right till the boarding gate is already available on Google Playstore for Android users and App Store for iOS users.
According to Malaysia Airports managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, the organization, as the custodian of 39 airports in the country, is always thinking of ways to improve the passenger journey to be a joyful Malaysian experience.
He said that with technology playing a major part in today’s world, it was ideal to harness mobile technology and craft a seamless home to gate experience for airport passengers.
“The MYairports mobile app is meant to help passengers plan your journey in the palm of your hands. With this app, you will be able to get live updates on flight information, time left to board your flights, shopping and dining promotions and important airport information. More excitingly, our MYairports app will feature dynamic wayfinding around KLIA,” he said.
Badlisham further explained that the technology implementation for the app will be constantly evolving, “For now, the app features information about KLIA Main Terminal. However, information on klia2, the second terminal will soon be made available, followed by the rest of the international airports.
There will also be a Mandarin version of the app as it is now available in Bahasa Malaysia and English. Other more exciting features in the coming phases will include live queue times at various touchpoints at the airport such as check-in and immigration counters, as well as security checkpoints.
For shoppers, the ecommerce feature will enable purchases to be bought online and picked up at the airport upon arrival.”
Speaking on Malaysia Airports’ transformation journey into becoming a service leader, Badlisham commented that this app was part of the key strategy in embracing Industry 4.0 which translates into Airports 4.0 for the organization.
He announced that by the end of 2019, more systems will be in place such as the automated queue management system, an upgraded customer feedback management system and a passenger flow management system. Passengers can look forward to breeze through our airports faster due to a significant reduction in wait time.
The MYairports app was launched by Khairul Adib Abd Rahman, deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Transportation at the KLIA Experience Lab and more than 10,000 active downloads of this home-to-gate journey planning airport mobile app are expected by Malaysia Airports by the end of this year.


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F2023 Financial Results: BDC’s reach and impact grew as entrepreneurs managed economic uncertainty
(MONTREAL) – August 18, 2023 – BDC, the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs, today reported its fiscal 2023 year-end results, showing a strong year of growth and a record 100,000 clients supported, including 16,500 in partnership with private sector financial institutions, in a year marked by economic uncertainty.
“Our clients showed impressive resilience as the economy slowed in the second half of the year, with business owners quickly adjusting their focus to manage the challenging effects of rapidly escalating interest rates, labour shortages, and higher commodity prices,” said Isabelle Hudon, President and CEO. “Entrepreneurs remained undaunted and continued to invest in new and postponed growth projects, fuelling demand for our financing and advice. BDC once again rose to the challenge and delivered in a big way, reaching a record 100,000 clients.”
Throughout fiscal 2023, BDC delivered more concretely against its renewed strategy which seeks to spur the growth of entrepreneurs and the competitiveness of the Canadian economy, increase the reach and relevance of BDC’s support to entrepreneurs, and empower entrepreneurs to respond to the big challenges of our time.
Fiscal 2023 Highlights
Spurring the growth of entrepreneurs and the competitiveness of the Canadian economy
- authorized $12.1 billion in financing and investments.
- provided essential, expert advice through 2,500 advisory mandates—its highest number since 2014. This increase was mainly driven by the services offered to support entrepreneurs in their digital adoption plan under the Canada Digital Adoption Program for which BDC’s Advisory Services team is one of the approved partners.
- authorized investments totalling $526.6 million to promising start-ups through BDC’s Venture Capital arm, compared to $495.9 million last year.
Increasing the reach and relevance of its support to entrepreneurs
- launched the $500 million Thrive Venture Fund and Lab for Women. Building on the success of BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Venture Fund, announced in 2017, Thrive is the largest investment platform of its kind in the world, supporting Canadian women-led businesses for them to grow and have a lasting impact on the economy.
- launched a $30 million financing envelope to accelerate the growth of Canada’s creative and cultural industries. With this financing, the Bank wants to support rapidly growing medium-sized businesses in the creative and cultural industries in a variety of key sectors, including media and audiovisual, video game, motion picture and video production, sound recording, and radio and television broadcasting.
Helping empower entrepreneurs to respond to the big challenges of our time
- doubled down on its commitment to fighting climate change with its $400-million Climate Tech Fund II, a new investment to play a leadership role in creating world-class Canadian cleantech champions, bringing BDC’s committed investments in the innovative cleantech/climate tech sector to $1 billion.
- launched an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting template to help Canadian VC and mid-market private equity funds to track and report on key ESG metrics at the firm, fund, and portfolio company levels. BDC Capital will expect all its portfolio general partners and their underlying portfolio companies to report their ESG metrics annually.
- authorized $1.6 billion in loans for women-owned and led companies, as part of its commitment to finance 19,000 women entrepreneurs by 2024.
As a self-sustaining financial Crown corporation, BDC recorded consolidated net income of $302.5 million, and generated excess capital above its target ratio, leading to dividend payment of $337 million to the Government of Canada.
“Our commitment to supporting entrepreneurs with financing and expert guidance remains steadfast, regardless of the ever-changing business landscape,” said Hudon. “We are dedicated to reaching as many business owners as possible and utilizing all the tools and resources at our disposal to foster their success and generate even greater contributions to Canada’s economy overall in the years to come.”
As Canada’s bank for entrepreneurs, BDC is a partner of choice for all entrepreneurs looking to access the financing and advice they need to build their businesses and tackle the big challenges of our time. Our investment arm, BDC Capital, offers a wide range of risk capital solutions to help grow the country’s most innovative firms. We are one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. For more information on BDC’s products and services and to consult free tools, templates and articles, visit bdc.ca or join BDC on social media.


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For the second time in a month the International Trade Commission (ITC) has invoked a rarely used provision of the 1974 International Trade Act to protect a U.S.-based company from “unfair” competition from foreign suppliers — in this case South Korean producers of large residential washing machines or LRWs.
But a coalition of American business conservatives led by the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, has announced its opposition to the ITC decision. ALEC wants President Trump, who has pledged to shore up domestic industry, to overturn the ITC decision, on the grounds that it will end up killing more jobs than it protects.
Who’s right? At issue are competing philosophies about free trade and what to do about countries that manage to evade existing trade laws. The two South Korean companies, Samsung and LG, were accused in 2013 and 2014 of “dumping” their underpriced LRWs on the U.S. market, causing “injury” to US-based Whirlpool. U.S. trade authorities imposed import duties on South Korean LRWs but rather than comply, the two companies simply relocated production and began exporting the same goods from China and Vietnam, evading the new restrictions.
In response, Whirlpool last May filed a new complaint with the ITC asking that Section 201 of the 1974 Trade Act be invoked. Section 201 allows the ITC to impose duties on products no matter where they are produced. However, the provision has been invoked sparingly in the past. Economists are divided over whether it actually functions as intended.
In 2002, President George W. Bush invoked Section 201 to limit steel imports. But he rescinded the designation after less than a year when the domestic steel industry failed to benefit. Critics of Section 201 say its sweeping protections may benefit some companies in the short term but can also harm industries as other domestic and foreign producers react to the new trade restrictions, sometimes withdrawing from the U.S. market altogether.
Some of those companies may be genuine innovators, which means measures like Section 201 may keep out some of the industry’s most productive companies while propping up less competitive ones.
In 2002, even with duties imposed on steel imports, domestic steel producers failed to enlarge their share of the market, which resulted in massive layoffs. Some 200,000 steel workers eventually lost their jobs. In 2003 Mr. Bush rescinded Section 201 for domestic steel citing the measure’s unintended consequences.
LG and Samsung argue that Section 201 will discourage them from building new LRW plants in the United States in addition to expanding their exports. They say the measure will end up reducing job growth.
Whirlpool, backed by the ITC, says that argument is nonsense. LG and Samsung are “serial violators” of U.S. trade laws, the company notes. Section 201 was invoked only because LG and Samsung thumbed their noses at earlier U.S. trade decisions. They could well have agreed to new import duties and still sold their LRWs in the U.S. market at a profit. The two companies are simply greedy, Whirlpool says.
And Whirlpool’s own expansion plans are threatened by an influx of cheap LRWs. The company has plans to hire 1,300 new workers next year, says Whirlpool chairman Jeff Fettig. Without effective trade barriers, the company could eventually move its operations offshore.
What constitutes “unfair” trade? Samsung and LG receive large subsidies from the South Korean government that allow them to produce at a low cost. Those subsidies are so generous that the two companies can sell their LRWs overseas for less than it cost to produce them — and still earn a profit. Companies like Whirlpool, which operate in the free market, are simply too disadvantaged to compete on a level playing field.
From this perspective, it is the South Korean government’s aggressive export-promotion on behalf of favored companies that constitutes the real form of “protectionism” — not the ITC’s defense of Whirlpool.
This is not the first Section 201 case to emerge in recent months. Another involving the importation of cheap solar panels led to an ITC decision to impose duties on foreign suppliers. In the South Korean case, the ITC is proposing three years of gradually lower duties, starting with 50 percent next year and falling to 40 percent in 2020. Moreover, the duties only apply to imports of LRWs that exceed 1.2 million units annually.
President Trump is scheduled to rule on the ITC’s South Korea decision next week. Earlier this year he appointed two new ITC commissioners — both trade policy veterans — to bring the total members of the body to six. One appointee was closely involved in the congressional deliberations that led to the 1974 trade law. Their presence should add momentum to an interpretation of fair trade that discourages heavily subsidized foreign suppliers from evading legitimate trade protections.
Critics of sweeping “protectionism” are right in one sense. Mr. Trump should treat Section 201 as an exceptional measure rather than one to be imposed anytime foreign suppliers seem to threaten domestic producers. Each challenge should be weighed on its merits on a case-by-case basis. The White House should factor in the long-term health of an industry. Fair competition and innovation must be encouraged.
In this case, siding with Whirlpool, an emerging industry giant, makes sense. But “America First” shouldn’t turn into “America only.”
• Stewart Lawrence is a Washington writer.
Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.


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EV Cargo, a global technology-enabled supply chain management and logistics execution platform for the world’s leading brands, today announces it has acquired and will merge with Netherlands-headquartered Fast Forward Freight, as part of its previously announced corporate strategy to expand its worldwide footprint and grow its freight forwarding and supply chain services business. The transaction builds on EV Cargo’s successful track record of M&A execution that created its platform and enhances growth opportunities in European freight forwarding as well as trade lane development and expansion.
As part of the transaction, EV Cargo has become the sole shareholder of Fast Forward Freight (and its trading subsidiaries), with the current owners of Fast Forward Freight becoming shareholders of EV Cargo. Fast Forward Freight will be rebranded as EV Cargo and operations will merge to create new and greater opportunities for the combined workforce and solutions for customers.
Commenting on the transaction, Heath Zarin, Founder and CEO of EV Cargo, said: “EV Cargo is committed to its core values of growth, innovation and sustainability. Fast Forward Freight shares our commitment to providing innovative technology-enabled solutions and has a strong history of providing supply chain control towers to its customer base of world leading brands. This transaction helps us grow the EV Cargo global network, adding excellent colleagues, capabilities and customers. We look forward to welcoming Fast Forward Freight to the EV Cargo family.”
Marc Terpstra, Founder and CEO of Fast Forward Freight, added: “EV Cargo is focused on providing an innovative technology platform, blending proprietary and industry leading technology based on a deep understanding of its customers. Fast Forward Freight shares this same focus. Our combination with EV Cargo will provide increased opportunities for our people and expanded solutions for our customers. We are very excited to join the EV Cargo journey.”
Zarin added: “EV Cargo and Fast Forward Freight share a unique range of capabilities and value-added services enabling the creation of innovative and tailored customer solutions. Customers increasingly want end-to-end logistics solutions that improve supply chain resilience, transparency, reliability and effectiveness. This combination will unlock a further step-change in EV Cargo’s global service proposition.”
Global supply chain management and logistics provider EV Cargo is enabling long-term customer Budweiser Brewing Group to introduce a new sustainable transport initiative to cut vehicle emissions by over 90%.
A champion of sustainable logistics, EV Cargo has seized the initiative to introduce a range of innovative solutions across its customer base to help reduce the environmental impact of distribution operations and is leading the introduction of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a direct replacement to traditional diesel fuel at Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, part of AB InBev.
HVO is a sustainable fuel derived from vegetable and animal oils and an initial fleet of 20-25 distribution trucks at Budweiser Brewing Group’s Magor brewery in Wales will switch to the replacement fuel, delivering an immediate 92% reduction in CO2 emissions. The number of trucks using HVO will double later in the year.
The scheme will form a key driver in reducing the brewer’s carbon footprint and in its ambition to reach net zero at UK breweries by 2026.
Virginia Alzina, EV Cargo’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “As a member of the Science Based Target Initiative and a signatory to the UN Global Compact and its sustainable development goals, EV Cargo has powered the introduction of sustainable initiatives for many of its key customers to help reduce carbon emissions associated with their distribution operations.
“We are proud to help Budweiser Brewing Group and AB InBev further decarbonise its supply chain as part of the net zero strategy.”
As an important transport and warehouse partner to AB InBev for over 10 years, EV Cargo has introduced a range of initiatives to help reduce the environmental impact of distribution operations. These include technology and neural learning-led route planning to reduce delivery miles and emissions, alongside load optimisation to enhance fleet utilisation.
Mauricio Coindreau, Director of Procurement & Sustainability, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I said: “We are excited to be pioneering the use of HVO at our Magor brewery, which will result in significant reductions in CO2 emissions across our UK operations, highlighting the importance of green logistic initiatives.
“The theme of this year’s Earth Day is investing in our planet, and as a leading brewer, we’re proud to continue investing in sustainability initiatives that also protects our planet and the people in it.’
Alongside its ambitious global sustainability goals, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I aims to brew the UK’s most sustainable beers. The company already brews every single can, bottle and keg in the UK with 100% renewable electricity from its own wind turbine and two solar farms.
Palletforce, the UK’s leading express freight distribution network, is delighted to be supporting a local project which aims to raise money and change lives in Ghana.
This month the Burton Albion Community Trust (BACT) has despatched a 15-strong team from the local community to the African country for a 10-day expedition to the Volta region.
The group includes pupils from local schools, organisations and other community members as well as young people from BACT’s NCS programme and BACT volunteers.
The trip is being funded by local businesses and organisations who adopt a member of the volunteer team, and sixth-form student Amber Butler will be representing Palletforce.
They will be supporting a government-administered primary school which provides education to 550 children between the ages of four and 20, from kindergarten up to the final year of junior high school.
The trip – the fifth undertaken in partnership with African Adventures – will raise funds for those children in Africa who don’t get clean water to drink or food on the table each day, or even have the chance to go to school and learn.
The volunteers will be teaching in schools, coaching sports and building a new community library to help provide resources and materials to create a lasting legacy.
Jo Duncan, Palletforce Hub Operations Director, who also oversees many of Palletforce’s charity initiatives, said: “The Burton Albion Community Trust does tremendous work to improve the lives of people in Africa, and when they approached us for support we were delighted to do our bit to help.
“We set a challenge every year to raise thousands for good causes in the Burton area, but this is an example of local people reaching out across the world to help others.”
John Widdowson, Community Manager at Burton Albion Community Trust, who is also travelling to Ghana as part of the team, said: “We are extremely grateful to Palletforce for their support of our African Adventure.
“This trip has been a long time in the planning due to Covid. It feels great to be going back to Ghana and we couldn’t do this without the support of sponsors and supporters like Palletforce.”
Palletforce’s annual Members General Meeting attracted a record attendance as the leading express freight distribution network revealed its strategy for 2022, with members helping raise £16,000 for local charities on the night.
Palletforce, which has more than 100 member transport companies in its network, showcased presentations from all of its directors at the event, the first held since before the pandemic in January 2020.
Directors laid out plans for a renewed focus on service quality, new member growth and innovative technology and IT advances, as Palletforce reinforced its position as a member-centric network.
And, at a charity auction during the MGM, members raised £16,000 for the Midlands Air Ambulance and the When You Wish Upon A Star charities. Items including sports memorabilia were auctioned off as Palletforce continued its significant commitment to charity and community initiatives as part of its wider sustainability strategy.
Mark Tapper, Palletforce’s chief operating officer, was delighted to see the meeting return to the company’s schedule with a record member attendance.
“The combined expertise, resilience and operational acumen of our member companies is the bedrock on which Palletforce has been built and it’s what underpinned our agility and carried us through the challenges of the pandemic.
“However, as focus on the future, we were pleased to outline our plans to further strengthen Palletforce’s position as the leading freight distribution network. That included our focus on delivering unrivalled service quality, recruiting and strengthening our membership and leveraging the innovative technological advances our IT team has been making. Our overriding focus is on customer service levels and it was great to have a full commitment from our members.
“Getting to talk to members and working together towards a shared success is invaluable. To see how generous everyone was in the charity auction was a source of great pride too ¬– Palletforce and our members take our community responsibilities very seriously and everyone put a lot of effort into helping two very worthy causes,” he said.
Global logistics, supply chain and technology provider EV Cargo is celebrating 40 years as the leading local operator of origin logistics and supply chain services in Bangladesh.
It was the first supply chain provider to be authorised and licensed to operate a large-scale quality control (QC) facility within a container freight station in Bangladesh and has continually pioneered innovation to deliver efficiencies across the supply chain.
Now an industry standard, EV Cargo broke the traditional mould by deploying the innovative solution over a decade ago and has continued to operate that ground-breaking solution ever since, with both dedicated and shared user QC models in operation.
The model has helped reduced quality control operating costs for customers by up to 20% compared to traditional destination QC and reduced product quality control failure rates by as much as 15%.
Clyde Buntrock, EV Cargo Global Forwarding Chief Executive, said: “Over the last 40 years, EV Cargo has developed a range of innovative solutions for garment manufacturers in Bangladesh and has become the market-leader in origin logistics, freight and supply chain services.
“Operating under license, our container freight station is set up to physically handle garments through origin compliance and Quality Control (QC) programmes. As a result they are meticulously maintained, dust free, garment friendly environments adhering to the most stringent of audits. Coupled with extensive garment on hanger capability, including box to hang, our QC programmes manage out variability and simplify the supply chain for our customers.
EV Cargo manages the flow of goods for 25% of all exports from Bangladesh to the UK as well as other key global markets and with over 100 colleagues based across Dhaka and Chattogram, offers an unrivalled local expertise and experience.
Services include hanging garment consolidation including box to hang, compliance and quality control, pick, pack, labelling and ticketing right through to multi-destination item picking and palletisation. Mature freight products in air and ocean coupled with significant volumes also mean a robust port to port freight solution for customers to all markets.
“As one of our guiding company values, EV Cargo continues to invest in sustainability across its business activities,” Clyde added. “We prioritise our commitment to corporate responsibility by providing ethical and sustainable solutions and supporting communities in Bangladesh, which includes in the past the building of a maternity hospital ward.
“Our experience and expertise in this key market puts us in the best possible position to manage the global supply chain for our customers ”
Talk to us and find out how we can improve your supply chain.
Palletforce, the UK’s leading express freight distribution network, has once again been awarded the prestigious RoSPA President’s Award after receiving 13 consecutive gold awards for continuing to achieve the highest levels of health and safety.
Palletforce’s long-standing reputation for maintaining the highest possible safety standards in the logistics sector has been reinforced by the latest honour and is due to its unrelenting focus on the safety and wellbeing of its employees and visiting member drivers.
The achievement is a result of the company’s ongoing implementation of the latest health and safety procedures, allied with investment in driver welfare facilities, COVID-safe facilities and ground-breaking technology.
Palletforce has retained the exceptional levels of safety set during the early stages of the pandemic, when it quickly invested in a wide range of sanitisation equipment and introduced a number of measures to protect both the staff at its SuperHub and the 500 drivers from member companies which visit every day.
Palletforce Health and Safety Manager Beverley Knight said: “I am delighted and extremely proud that we have been awarded the RoSPA President’s Award once again.
“Our staff have worked diligently to carry on the safety standards that have seen us gain a gold award for 13 consecutive years. Palletforce is an ethical and socially responsible company and keeping both our staff and our visitors safe is central for us and is a key part of our governance and sustainability strategy.
“It is rewarding that our sector-leading standards have been recognised once again and it’s another aspect that helps our members stand out in a competitive marketplace.”
Julia Small, RoSPA’s Achievements Director, said: “This is a fantastic and well-deserved accomplishment. All our award entrants demonstrate their unwavering commitment and passion for keeping people safe at work.
“By receiving this recognition Palletforce joins like-minded businesses and organisations worldwide, who represent the very best in their approach to health and safety.”
RoSPA, which administers the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK, issued the award for Palletforce’s work in getting staff, visitors and contractors home safely at the end of the working day.


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Moto Maker is one of the most attractive feature of the Moto X, which give users the ability to customize the handset the way they want, by selecting different back covers, even the wood backs, and much more.
Until now, the Moto Maker customization was only available in the US, with the company planning to launch it for other markets as well, especially after the closure of the Texas plant. Motorola has finally started the Moto Maker customization service in Germany, allowing users to customize their Moto X the way they want. The customized Moto X will be made for Phone House for now, and costs only €1.
Earlier this year, Motorola mentioned it will expand the Moto Maker service to Mexico and Western Europe by the end of second quarter. That didn’t happen on time, but its better to be late then never. It also comes as a surprise since Motorola is just a few months away from launching the successor of the Moto X, which is also expected to hit global markets with Moto Maker customization.
Rumors suggest the alleged Moto X+1 will offer more customization options to users as well. It’s not just the Moto X+1, rumors suggest Motorola will sell the Moto 360 via Moto Maker as well, so it will be interesting to see what customizations the company would offer with the smartwatch.
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He got the itch as an undergrad at Miami University in 1973. “Most of what we brewed back then ended up in a fire extinguisher,” said Listermann of his first pass at home brew. It would be another 15 years before the Colerain native would try it again, which just goes to show that good things take time.
Dan Listermann’s story is one of transformation. He began as an engineer with a love for designing and manufacturing home brew equipment. However, by 1993 his career and his calling were vying for his attention, and to no one on the planet’s surprise, beer beat out engineering.
“I thought the city was ill-served, I saw the need and had the equipment,” says Listermann. In 1995, Listermann Brewing Company outgrew its Norwood home and opened up shop on Dana Avenue where he would continue to manufacture and sell home brew equipment until the company received its brewing license in 2008.
Today Listermann’s Brewing Company has 18 employees, a taproom (with an expansion on the way), a bold beer catalog, and an even bolder mission statement: “We’re logging the vast forest of Bud Light drinkers,” declared Listermann. That’s a big forest, but if his beer is any indication, Dan isn’t afraid.


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Boyne Resorts today announced an agreement with Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate, to acquire six mountain resorts and a scenic chairlift attraction currently leased by the resort company.
The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is hosting ARDA World 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annual global timeshare event is expected to attract nearly 2,000 attendees representing 35 different countries from all facets of the vacation ownership industry.
Vacasa to Move Headquarters to New 61,000-Square-Foot Space at The Heartline Located in Portland’s Pearl District
Today, Vacasa, a leading vacation rental management company, announced it is moving its corporate headquarters to a new 61,000-square-foot space at The Heartline, a new mixed-use development located in Portland, Oregon’s historic Pearl District.
Benazuza, the brand’s molecular fine dining restaurant at The Pyramid and Grand Oasis Sens, has received a AAA Four Diamond rating.
El Cid Resorts, has added to its long list of awards by capturing two honors at the 2018 Perspective Magazine Awards held in Miami, Florida onboard the SeaFair Grand Luxe mega yacht on February 28th.
Westgate Park City Resort & Spa recently completed an multimillion dollar renovation project to better serve and facilitate group meetings and events. The project included a brand new outdoor event deck, upgraded meeting space, coffee bar, banquet kitchen and executive boardroom.
staySky® Vacation Clubs Offers Superior Accommodations for SeaWorld Orlando’s Seven Seas Food Festival
staySky® Vacation Clubs, the award-winning travel club and staySky® Hotels & Resorts are pleased to welcome guests at its four properties in Orlando, FL who will be attending Sea World Orlando’s annual Seven Seas Food Festival from now until April 15.
Karma Group and Chairman and Founder John Spence have taken out several prestigious awards at the 2018 Perspective Magazine Awards, announced at the GNEX Conference in Florida.
Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL), India's leading leisure hospitality provider has announced the launch of their special membership product, Bliss, which is customized to cater to the specific needs of senior citizens and provide them with a safe and trusted holiday partner.
On the heels of the official December openings of Club Med's new mountain resorts of Samoëns Morillon Grand Massif in France, and Tomamu Hokkaido in Japan, the company announced the continuation of its international growth strategy today. Club Med's Global CEO and President, Henri Giscard D'Estaing, aims to open five new resorts per year, on average, over the next five years.
Aqua-Aston Hospitality has announced that The Residences at Waikiki Beach Tower, located on Waikiki's iconic Kalakaua Avenue, is now open following an extensive multi-million-dollar transformation.


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We always like doing well in competitions, and we are absolutely delighted to been selected as a finalist (one of three Worldwide) for the Microsoft Mobility Partner of the Year award.
Bearing in mind that more than 20,000 software companies were eligible to enter, we are really quite proud to have made the final three. The judges picked us in recognition of the Royal Mail’s huge CoPilot Live navigation deployment last year, which is helping them improve efficiency and overall customer service for special deliveries.
To date, the majority of our customers (businesses and consumers) run CoPilot on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile phones and PDAs, and it’s great to recognized in these prestigious awards.
“Partners are the key to igniting business innovation through great technology as well as helping customer drive down costs,” said Allison L. Watson, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. “Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfil their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions.”


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Scientific Games won a competitive public tender to serve as the exclusive instant game provider to Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia de El Salvador, the National Lottery of El Salvador. The company has helped the Lottery significantly grow its instant game sales since 2017 with proceeds benefitting health, education and social programs in the Central American country.
“We appreciate Scientific Games’ support to improve our instant lottery business, helping us grow 40% last year and achieving an accumulated growth of nearly 400% in the last five years. We look forward to continuing game portfolio innovation for the benefit of charitable causes in El Salvador,” said Javier Milian, President of the National Lottery of El Salvador.
Milian, who also serves as president of CIBELAE, the industry association serving Latin American lotteries, credited the company’s recommended improvements to record-breaking 2022 sales with the instant game category outperforming the traditional lottery in profitability. Popular instant games with El Salvador players include Mascotas, Safari, Dinero al Instante and Tragamonedas.
Under the new contract, Scientific Games experts will develop high-performance products for the National Lottery of El Salvador’s instant game portfolio with data-driven services including game planning and design. Games are produced at the company’s facility in Santiago, Chile, one of five major production facilities globally.
“We are proud to continue our successful collaboration with the National Lottery of El Salvador to help support its business and beneficiaries. We have navigated challenges together over the years, and we are confident that our strong relationship will drive continued success,” said John Schulz, President, Americas and Global Instant Products for Scientific Games.
As the world’s largest creator, manager and manufacturer of lottery instant games, the company’s relationship with the National Lottery of El Salvador dates back to 1999. Scientific Games currently serves lotteries in nine Latin American countries, including Belize, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay.
The company provides retail and digital games, technology, analytics and services to 130 lotteries in 50 countries, including 18 of the top 20 performing instant game lotteries in the world. Scientific Games products generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales.
18+ | Juegoseguro.es – Jugarbien.es


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Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has signed a strategic partnership with Quwat, the fintech arm of Industrus – a tech service provider catering to the needs of millions of consumers across Pakistan – to offer a robust portfolio of digitally innovative financial products and solutions to individuals as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Chief Finance & Digital Officer MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, and Founder & CEO Industrus, Muhammad Saad Khan signed the partnership agreement at MMBL Headquarters with senior officials from both organizations.
The partnership is focused on fueling the growth of MMBL’s 40 million customers, especially SMEs.
Speaking on occasion, Chief Finance & Digital Officer MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, shared, “Collaborating with Quwat, a project of Industrus- which shares our vision of financially empowering unserved individuals and small businesses through digitally inclusive technologies, is another milestone in our journey of empowerment.”
“Besides traditional banking services, MMBL’s partnership with Quwat will enable the bank to make advancements in the digitization of B2B lending which will help small business customers to streamline their business operations. This partnership represents another key step for MMBL to further expand its support to the microfinance sector and create a better banking experience for all its clients,” he added.
Also sharing his thoughts, founder & CEO Industrus, Muhammad Saad Khan, said, “Industrus takes inspiration from MMBL in its pursuit to continue improving customer experience. Quwat, Industrus fintech model strives to provide MMBL’s customers with simple and convenient access to financial services using ubiquitous digital solutions.”
“By leveraging our expertise in digital technology, this partnership is committed to building a digitally inclusive society for unserved SMEs across Pakistan,” he added.
MMBL is revolutionizing the digital banking ecosystem with its wide range of customized products and services, seamlessly integrated into its customer’s everyday life.
Proceeding on the journey of inclusive economic growth and development, the bank through its strategic partners is focused on accelerating digital adoption by offering innovative financial solutions such as digital wallets and microfinancing to narrow the digital and economic divide in Pakistan.


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Valve has entered the virtual reality space with Vive VR, a new headset built in partnership with mobile giant HTC.
The device was unveiled during HTC’s press conference at Mobile World Congress, and is said to be the SteamVR device that has been teased and leaked in recent months. Valve is due to show more of its virtual reality plans at GDC this week.
While HTC may specialise in smart devices, Vive VR has actually been built for PC, with both the mobile firm and Valve claiming this will be "the most immersive, most premium VR experience" available, according to Engadget.
The crucial selling point backing up this claim is that Vive supports ‘room-scale environments’ that players can explore in 360 degrees by getting out of their seats and walking around virtual objects. Details on how this works have yet to be revealed, but reports of ‘tracked controllers’ will apparently help define a player’s location in a 3D space.
The developer version of Vive is expected to be released in the spring, with a full commercial launch around Christmas.
Big name partners already looking to make content for Vive VR include Google, HBO, Lionsgate, Owlchemy, Vertigo Games and Dovetail Games, with reports suggesting Valve and HTC could use this technology for more than video games. Communication, shopping and travel have also been tipped as potential uses.
Check out the reveal trailer below:


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Näytös18 displayed on live stream, Tekstiili18 exhibition open
Today on Friday at 9 p.m. there will be over twenty Aalto University students' collections presented on a catwalk in Merikaapelihalli at the Cable Factory. More than a thousand domestic and international guests are expected to see the fashion show. The event has attracted international attention in recent years, and the tickets were sold out on the first day.
It is possible to watch the event as a live stream on Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture Facebook page.
The Tekstiili18 exhibition by Aalto University textile design students is open in Turbiinisali at the Cable Factory until Sunday 27.5. The exhibition is open on Friday 25.5. also after the Näytös18 from 10 p.m. until midnight. The exhibition presents multidisciplinary approaches to textile design and co-operation with fashion, interior design and science.
There is also a 3D hologram created in collaboration by the Aalto University School of Engineering and a dance show projected in the showroom.


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Proxama eyes Dubai cinemas for NFC drive
Dubai, November 26, 2011
Proxama, a leading provider of near field communications (NFC) proximity marketing solutions, said it will launch an NFC marketing campaign in a number of Vox cinema foyers in Dubai.
The campaign, which runs until late December, will be targeting cinema-goers owning the new Nokia N9 handset, said a statement from Proxama.
They will be invited to ‘tap’ an NFC-embedded poster or standee (portable display stand) with their handset to download vouchers for offers including free cinema tickets and popcorn, it stated.
The campaign will be rotated around different cinemas in the city to provide greater reach and to be able to better measure its effectiveness.
Each standee will be manned by a promoter who will help guide people through the process and show then where to redeem the vouchers. Proxama has built in safeguards to the NFC tags to prevent multiple downloads and redemptions by the same handset and handset sharing, it added.
Neil Garner, CEO of Proxama said, “We have been working closely with Nokia on developing suitable NFC applications to deliver effective marketing campaigns. We are really excited about this campaign as it demonstrates the effectiveness of NFC in delivering customer incentives to increase sales."
"We feel it is important to support the NFC-embedded standees with an on-site promoter, as we recognize that NFC is a new concept to many. We need to make sure we help the early adopters to get the best experience possible so that we can accelerate its acceptance and subsequent uptake by others," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
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We all know very well that the tech giant Google has a habit of trying to meet the application needs of its Android ecosystem. Now, according to the latest reports, the tech giant Google just launched an awesome new application for Android which can now be used for free.
WoW! Google Just Launched An Awesome Application
The well-known Google Play Store is the store of applications and games of the Mountain View company, of course, I am talking about none other than the tech giant Google for users of Android devices. The war is constant, since its launch, with the tech giant Apple and its well-known App Store.
However, now for the other segments, from the past few months, the tech giant Google has been working on making learning to program as a game, through the Area 120 division which is basically dedicated to experimental projects.
Hence, recently, the tech giant Google recently launched its all-new application, which is known as Grasshopper, a mobile game with which anyone can learn to program in a simple way by having fun, and not only that even this app is available for free.
Now, apart from all these things, the tech giant Google wants to help make websites lighter and start optimizing images. For this, the company, of course, the tech giant Google released Squoosh, a tool capable of compressing photos and simply helps to reduce their size.
The all-new application of the tech giant Google, of course, Squoosh is basically developed by the tech giant Google’s Chrome Labs. However, the most interesting thing about this all-new Squoosh application of the tech giant Google is that it can be accessed directly from the browser itself. As this all-new application of the tech giant Google uses the WebAssembly to save images in more traditional formats, such as JPG, PNG, WebP and MozJPEG.
The most interesting thing about this new application is that this well-known and new app simply works best on the browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox and the tech giant Apple’s Safari, which support even more formats than the tech giant Google’s most used web browser, of course, I am talking about none other than Chrome. The Mozilla’s Firefox web browser also allows to save images in BMP and the tech giant Apple’s web browser, Safari allows to save images in TIFF, PDF, GIF, BMP and JPEG2000.
Moreover, in any web browser, the all-new application of the tech giant Google, of course, Squoosh also allows to reduce the amount of colors of the photo and modify several filters. Basically, all the features are primarily aimed at reducing the size of files simply to allow them to load faster.
Also Read: Top 8 Best File Compression Apps For Android
Therefore, the tool informs on the same screen what the initial size of the file will be and what weight it will have after the optimization. So, what do you think about this? Simply share all your views and thoughts in the comment section below.


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The Science® says the virus won’t survive the freezing process. Probably. Maybe.
SACRADEMENTO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Hypocrite) issued new guidelines for theme park reopening in California today. Disneyland can reopen to any guests who have been frozen in carbonite for at least 14 days. Admission preference will be given to anyone frozen since 2018 or earlier.
Disney has begun signups on its park website for the freezing process, and is free to Platinum Annual Passholders and members of Club 33.
Are you currently frozen in carbonite? Let us know in the comments below!
Cover photo: A future Disneyland guest. Photo © Lucasfilm.


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Since the recent public release of iOS 15, iPhone users have been able to store COVID-19 immunizations and test results in the Health app and share them with approved third-party apps. We now know that the upcoming iOS 15.1 update, whose beta version has just been released to developers, will add the ability to store COVID-19 vaccination cards in the Apple Wallet app to present to businesses, venues, and more.
The vaccination information will be stored using the SMART Health Card standard, whose goal is to make presenting this kind of information in a verifiable manner to another party as easy as possible.
“Organizations that issue SMART Health Cards will soon be able to use a new button to let users know that they can securely download and store their vaccination information in the Health app and quickly add and present it from Wallet,” states Apple on its developer website.
Because the standard is open, there’s nothing stopping any health organization from implementing it to produce a digital proof of vaccination whose verification is as easy as scanning a QR code.
We don’t know when the iOS 15.1 update will be released, but our guess is that it won’t take too long considering that minor updates are usually spaced approximately one month apart.
The SMART Health Card standard is just one of many examples of how the disruption and challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic have promoted innovation. We can now only hope that it won’t take too long before presenting vaccination information in any form will, once again, be reserved only for very rare occasions.
UAE Comes Out Strongly In Guinness World Records 2023
Guinness, the renowned cataloger of record-breaking events, has released its latest annual, after sifting through 40,000 applications — and the Arab world is heavily featured.
Guinness World Records, the authority on record-breaking global achievements, has just announced its latest release, “Guinness World Records 2023 (GWR2023),” which will be available online and in physical stores across the Arab region from today.
As usual, GWR 2023 features all of the latest achievements from around the world (and space!), with special features and updated graphics to bring the stories to life.
So why the interest in the latest Guinness installment? Well, it turns out the Arab Region is strongly represented in the book, with more than 50 records featured in the new edition, which is no mean feat considering the volume of competition.
“We’ve sifted through nearly 40,000 record applications over the past year to bring you Guinness World Records 2023. People from all walks of life continue to be fascinated by extremes, and we’ve received claims from across the planet – indeed, even from space! This is why I’ve said the new edition is out of this world,” says Craig Glenday, Guinness Editor in Chief.
Of interest to readers of this platform, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both get to flex their record-breaking muscles.
Saudi Arabia claims the title of “Largest LED Structure and Suspended Ornament” courtesy of the Noor Riyadh Festival, as well as other weird and wonderful titles, including the “Largest Lego Formula 1 Car”, as well as perhaps more prestigious honors, such as “Largest Mirrored Building”, “Largest Clock Face”, “Tallest Lighthouse” and the “Largest Geodesic Dome”.
Not to be outdone, the UAE has claimed several humanitarian record-breaking titles, including the “Longest Video Livestream” (by The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and pan Arab influencer Hassan Suleiman), the “Largest Donation for Medical Treatment”, and the “Most Awareness Ribbons Made in One Hour”.
On the tech front, the UAE also claims several prestigious firsts, including “First 3D-Printed Laboratory”, while the world-renowned Burj Khalifa hangs on to its title of “World’s Tallest Building”.


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China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Rating) by 64.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,600 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 90,612 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up about 3.1% of China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Apple were worth $8,835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AAPL. Daniels&Tansey LLP lifted its position in Apple by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Daniels&Tansey LLP now owns 3,858 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $685,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Donald L. Hagan LLC lifted its position in Apple by 0.3% in the first quarter. Donald L. Hagan LLC now owns 18,220 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $3,181,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Goodwin Daniel L lifted its position in Apple by 0.5% in the first quarter. Goodwin Daniel L now owns 12,761 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,230,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Hanlon Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Apple by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Hanlon Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,124 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,798,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Investors Research Corp lifted its position in Apple by 0.4% in the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 16,117 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,814,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 57.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
In other news, SVP Katherine L. Adams sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.72, for a total value of $4,043,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 452,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,151,454.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Apple Price Performance
NASDAQ AAPL opened at $154.09 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.49 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.91. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $129.04 and a fifty-two week high of $182.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.88.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 28th. The iPhone maker reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $97.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $93.99 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 152.88% and a net margin of 26.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Apple Inc. will post 6.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Apple announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, April 28th that allows the company to repurchase $90.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the iPhone maker to repurchase up to 3.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.
Apple Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 9th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Apple’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 6th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.94%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
AAPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $200.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Friday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $170.00 price target on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Apple from $200.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 14th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of Apple from $191.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 12th. Finally, Fundamental Research decreased their price target on shares of Apple from $179.32 to $175.24 and set an “average” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.73.
Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories worldwide. It also sells various related services. In addition, the company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; Mac, a line of personal computers; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; AirPods Max, an over-ear wireless headphone; and wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, HomePod, and iPod touch.
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