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Decline in reefer rates 'less violent', but new green rules will hit old ships
The reefer trade is proving fairly resilient in the downturn, unlike dry cargo container rates, ...
Ocean carriers have geared up for the third quarter peak season with the announcement of hefty rate increases and surcharges, but according to a shipper poll undertaken by Drewry this year’s peak season could turn out to be yet another damp squib for the container lines.
Shippers were asked by Drewry what their volume expectations were for the traditional July, August and September peak season months, to which 35% said they expected volumes to be lower than last year, with only 18% anticipating an increase and 47% expecting a status quo.
The poor state of the global economy was the most common reason given by shipper respondents for their pessimistic growth forecast. “We don’t expect any peak whatsoever given the capacity in the market and an overall subdued global economy,” said one shipper.
The survey questioned shippers and BCOs between 27 May and 16 June with responses mostly coming from shippers trading between Asia, North America and Europe.
Over half (31) of the 51 respondents were defined by the consultant as ‘small shippers’ – moving less than 15,000 teu per annum – 12 were ‘medium shippers’, moving between 15,000 and 55,000 teu per year, while seven were ‘large shippers’ of in excess of 55,000 teu.
And in a further dent to the prospects of carriers hoping to see a reverse of poor first half financial performances, shippers told Drewry that they remained unconcerned by possible space shortages.
Despite capacity cutbacks and anecdotal reports in recent weeks of full ships and rolled over cargo, 78% of shippers said they were “not worried about obtaining space” during the peak season.
Of the just over 10% of respondents that did express concerns about space shortages, some cited the increased use of blanked sailings by carriers, while others expressed concerns about the impact of the new container weighing regulations coming into force on 1 July, disrupting the supply chain.
Meanwhile, despite a second week of decline in Asia-Europe container spot rates, carriers on the route are endeavouring to push through 1 July general rate increases (GRI) of up to $1,500 per teu, together with a raft of peak season surcharges (PSSs).
However, in order for these carrier rate restorations to be effective shippers need to be concerned about their ability to get their containers on their nominated ships, but it is apparent from Drewry’s poll that so far there is no evidence of any panic by shippers.
“There will be no demand push to bolster carrier sales in the peak season so we expect more supply-side manoeuvers to push through GRIs/PSSs,” said Drewry.
The third quarter of the year is traditionally the busiest for the container shipping industry as retailers stock up for the holiday season.
According to data from Drewry, of the quarterly share of global annual loaded container traffic between 2008 and 2015, an average of 26.3% was moved in the third quarter, ahead of 25.4% in the final three months of the year.
Container shipping can see ‘green shoots’ of freight demand recovery
Supply chains 'finally beginning to stabilise', says Maersk
Forwarding M&A round-up: plenty of action making smaller headlines
Some ocean trades stabilising, but transatlantic rates still falling
B: China, Brazil strike deal to ditch dollar for trade
DB Schenker sale – storm clouds gathering
Another rail strike in Germany to add to European freight troubles
Maersk says posted data is not current and not from attack by hackers
Older freighters look set for the scrap heap as capacity oversupply looms
Maersk 'on a journey' as it snaps up frozen foods logistics specialist
Shippers reject carriers' opposition to ending anti-trust rules
Comment on this article
CB.SURYANARAYANAAugust 04, 2016 at 12:45 pm
The exporter looking friendly service from all service provider,
present all shipping line implemented VGM, even the light weight cargo exporter also suffering lot of problem, the different carrier brought their own procedures,
ultimate the middleman is suffering all the problems.
some one did the wrong thinks should not apply to all,
Thanks & Best Regards
GEO WORLD LOGISTICS


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Girlracer™ launches new fully interactive website after celebrating 1 million unique hits
Girlracer™ have today launched a new fully interactive web news and promotion site for women involved in the sporting and motoring world.
After recieving 1 million unique hits in 2008, Girlracer™ now provides an interactive news site, updated daily,for women who are involved in all extreme sports. The site not only provides daily news feeds, at www.girlracer.co.uk you can find lifestyle news, blogs, competitions and profiles of your favorite female atheletes.
Additionally, Girlracer ™ is currently positioning itself as a lifestyle brand, and the site provides a fresh new range of leisure wear, racewear and motoring accessories for conscientious, active women who have a passion for life and adventure.
Conceived in 2000, Girlracer™ has grown from an online forum for female motoring enthusiasts, to an internationally acclaimed online resource and promoter of females of all ages, entering and pursuing a career in extreme sport, with an emphasis on motor sport. Girlracer ™ is instrumental in providing the public with live news and updates from the world of motorsport, motoring and extreme sports.
As part of the companys quest to promote professional female racers, it is proud to sponsor many female racers including Powerboat Champions and downhill skiing medallists but it is the motor racing competitors that benefit the most from Girlracer™ with many international female racing drivers now associated with the company.
Jayne Snipe is a Ford Fiesta Driver in the Ford Racing UK championship series. On her involvement with Girlracer ™, Jayne admits, “It is crucial for young females entering motorsport or equally those already established, to be part of such an exciting, dynamic and unique company. Not only does Girlracer ™ provide you the publicity and advice needed to excel in your chosen sport, but it undoubtedly gives you credibility as a driver and a certain pride to be an active part of female motorsport.
If it’s active, it’s Girlracer™

domain: news


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Akihabara-based maid cafe @home cafe (“at-home cafe”) will hold a special pre-opening event for the opening of its second Osaka restaurant with a special ceremony and livestream on Instagram.
Established in 2004, @home cafe has become a top destination for travelers to Japan who want to experience authentic Japanese maid cafe service, led by legendary maid and Chief Branding Officer Hitomi.
@home cafe’s first Osaka restaurant opened in June 2019, and the popularity of the cafe has led to a second restaurant opening in less than 6 months.
The second Osaka cafe will officially open for customers on December 1, but @home cafe’s masters and princesses with Gold-level membership or higher can attend the exclusive pre-opening event on Saturday, November 30, to be greeted by the cafe’s maid staff and receive a special commemorative gift.
Hitomi will host the special opening event in person beginning at 8:10pm local time on Saturday, November 30, and international fans will be able to view the event on Instagram.
@home cafe Instagram:
“It has been half a year since our first mansion opened in Osaka,” said Hitomi. “I appreciate our masters and princesses so much! Because of your support, the maids of @home cafe can have more places to serve you! Please visit our new mansion on the 2nd floor of the Osaka Main Store.”
Osaka Main Store
2F SEM building, 4-9-13 Nihonbashi
Information (in Japanese): https://www.cafe-athome.com/info/101126
@home cafe’s “At-home Ambassadors” have been regularly active to spread Akihabara culture overseas, bringing maid service to United States, Chile, Mexico, Russia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Celebrating the cafe’s 15th Anniversary this year, @home cafe released “Aikome♡Forever”, their first new music video in 6 years, featuring 19 of the award-winning restaurant chain’s premium maids.
@home cafe – “Aikome♡Forever” (MV)
ABOUT @HOME CAFE
“@home cafe” (at-home cafe) was established in 2004 and is the longest-running food and entertainment maid cafe in Akihabara.
Led by world-famous maid Hitomi, one of the cafe’s original members and now its Chief Branding Officer, @home cafe welcomes masters and princess of all ages and nationalities to its 6 “mansions” in the center of Akihabara and 2 new restaurants in Osaka in 2019.
@home cafe provides guests with happy, family-friendly entertainment and delicious “kawaii”-themed food and drinks as 400 of the world’s top-level maids cast a spell to make everything magical!
“Moe moe kyun” – the original “maid spell” created by Hitomi – has become famous to fans of maid cafes and Akihabara culture across the world.
Starting in 2015, @home cafe has collaborated with Sanrio characters Hello Kitty, Gudetama, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and Pompompurin, where guests at @home cafe’s mansions can enjoy special collaboration dishes and cute, character-matching maid uniforms.
Every year, the “@home cafe maids of the year” ranking is held, where the year’s top premium maids are selected and awarded additional duties as maid culture ambassadors. @home cafe premium maids have made special appearances at international events in the United States, Chile, Mexico, Russia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, delighting masters and princesses with authentic Japanese maid culture and “moe”.
@home cafe’s goal is to serve maid culture all over the world, moving further forward each year to more countries and pop culture events!


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In an interview with Groovey.tv, Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman for all the Arkham games except Origins, may have accidentally leaked the release date for Batman: Arkham Knight (special thanks to Shinobi602 for pointing this interview out).
It was suppose to come out in January. We’ve been working on it for a year and a half, it’s still not done, so it’s going to come out next January. But I know everyone is frustrated, the reason it’s been delayed is because it’s so awesome.
You can watch the full interview with Groovey.tv below.
Batman: Arkham Knight was originally set to be released this later this year, but was subsequently delayed to 2015 to allow for more development time.


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A manufacturer that is moving operations from Brooklyn has purchased a 55,560-square-foot industrial building in Carteret, in a $5.1 million sale brokered by Bussel Realty Corp.
Sitex Group has acquired two industrial properties totaling 180,000 square feet in Totowa, adding to its portfolio of infill warehouses and distribution centers in North Jersey.
Procida Funding LLC has closed a $7.65 million construction loan for a planned 12-unit townhome project in Brooklyn, the Englewood Cliffs-based firm announced.
A private investor has acquired a 16,208-square-foot retail property in Elizabeth, in a $2.65 million deal brokered by Marcus & Millichap.
AT&T has leased nearly 8,000 square feet at a location on Route 22 in Watchung, one of several recent retail deals arranged by brokers with The Goldstein Group.
After building its presence in suburban Morris County, Vision Real Estate Partners has planted a flag in downtown Morristown with the acquisition of a 150,000-square-foot office building.
Urban Edge Properties is acquiring seven retail centers totaling 1.5 million square feet as part of a $325 million acquisition, including assets in four heavily traveled New Jersey submarkets.
An investor has acquired a West New York apartment building that had been damaged in a fire and is planning a full renovation of the property, according to The Kislak Co. Inc.
A retail building along Route 10 in Morris County is under new ownership, following a recent investment sale brokered by NAI James E. Hanson.


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LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) July 12, 2019
LAD Solutions has announced that FitSmallBusiness.com, a leading digital resource for small businesses, has named Ali Pourvasei of LAD Solutions as one of 2019 Top SEO Consultants in the U.S.
FitSmallBusiness.com has published the ranking as a part of its SEO Services Reviews with Pourvasei listed under the Consultants rankings. Not only has FitSmallBusiness.com highlighted Pourvasei's career achievements, the article also provides a brief overview of the awards and recognition that his company has received.
The goal of the 2019 Top SEO Consultants list is to provide small business owners with a list of the most helpful SEO consultants from across the U.S. that have consistently exceeded client expectations. Pourvasei and LAD Solutions have excelled in delivering "outstanding expertise, service, and credentials in the SEO industry," according to FitSmallBusiness.
LAD Solutions has also achieved an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the company is listed as a premier Google Partner. In 2019 alone, the company has been awarded by Clutch as a Top SEO Company in Los Angeles, Top PPC Management Agency in Los Angeles, a Global Leader, and one of the Top 516 B2B Companies in California.
Ali Pourvasei, along with co-founders Lakshmi Kodali and David Barkhordari, started the company in 2009 after meeting at an SEO conference. Since then, the company has grown to become a nationally recognized firm serving clients throughout the U.S. In addition, LAD Solutions offers comprehensive SEO and PPC management to businesses of all sizes and in various industries.
Ali Pourvasei is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego with a degree in cognitive science and a minor in mathematics. He also holds an MBA from Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. Since his graduation in 2009, Pourvasei has obtained various industry certifications and Google Partners Specialist Challenge and is a certified Adwords Specialist. He is committed to ongoing education in order to directly assist his clients with their marketing strategies.
The annual report is available now on the FitSmallBusiness.com. To learn more about the consulting services that Ali Pourvasei provides, LAD Solutions has requested that interested parties request a quote at ladsolutions.com.
About LAD Solutions: LAD Solutions, based in Los Angeles, California, is a full service digital marketing firm. As a nationally recognized firm, LAD Solutions has helped clients develop their businesses from all regions of the U.S. Lakshmi Kodali, Ali Pourvasei, and David Barkhordari, the three founders of the company, started the company in 2009 after meeting at an SEO conference. Today, LAD Solutions works with clients from top brands in various industries. For more information about the services offered by LAD Solutions, go to ladsolutions.com.


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Apex Legends Season 19 Leaks: A free-to-play battle royale-hero shooter called Apex Legends was created by Respawn Entertainment and released by Electronic Arts.
It was released in March 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, in February 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and in March 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. After playing all three, I don’t believe Apex Legends is more difficult. A slower, more tactical approach is needed for PUBG. Your decision-making, aim, and loadout will determine everything.
There isn’t a direct comparison between the other two games because Apex focuses more on specialised classes and skills. The first anniversary of Apex Legends Mobile was meant to be celebrated right now. Instead, the gaming servers have been entirely shut down. The surprising news that Apex Legends Mobile will be “sunsetting” on May 1st, 2023 was revealed by EA back on February 1st. Recently, fresh details about a brand-new Legend in Apex Legends have surfaced on Twitter.
New model codes for the rumoured next Legend, Conduit, have been discovered by dataminer HYPERMYST. Long ago, in early 2022, rumours of Conduit potentially joining the Apex Legends lineup surfaced. It appears that additional information has come to light one complete year later. Fans anxiously anticipate the arrival of new Legends with each new Season, and Conduit may soon be in the game’s final edition.
Read also: Apex Legends Season 18 Patch Note
Apex Legends Season 19 Leaks:
According to data miner Osvaldatore, Conduit will join Apex Legends in Season 19. This rumour makes sense given that Revenant Reborn is scheduled for Season 18, as revealed by Respawn Entertainment’s creators, which will be the following season. The community gains optimism for Conduit’s quick arrival after discovering the character’s source code in the game files.
Respawn has never, however, added two Legends in a single season, and Osvaldatore’s assessment of Conduit joining the roster in the season after Season 18 is unquestionably valid. Conduit’s capabilities haven’t been explicitly described yet. However, HYPERMYST has discovered details about his tactical ability that came from earlier disclosures. He claims that Conduit’s tactical ability will be an Arc Flash, which might cure teammates’ shields at the expense of Conduit’s own.
However, the Legend is still in the early stages of development, and Respawn Entertainment has not made any formal announcements on their powers. Developers have more than six months to complete the design and release the official trailers if the information about the Season 19 release is accurate.
Additionally, Dataminer Osvaldatore has verified that Season 19 will see the debut of a brand-new terrain. Despite the fact that he disclosed the information, Respawn has not yet confirmed the release of the map. The validity of this leak may only be determined with time or by an official announcement from the creators. COD Warzone is somewhat more popular than Apex Legend among these two battle royale games.
Although Apex Legends, which was released in 2019, has seen a considerable rise in concurrent players since its debut. Warzone may have had outstanding statistics at launch. particularly if it’s a competitive game like Apex Legends that doesn’t first appear to be very beginner-friendly. However, as a whole, Apex Legends is a fairly beginner-friendly battle royale game. Once you are aware of a few key points. Such as mobility and looting, it will take you around a week to feel at ease.
- Apex Legends Valkyrie Prestige Skin Neon Network Event
- Apex Legends Patch Notes 2.30 Update
- Apex Legends Neon Network Collection Event
- Apex Legends Mobile 2.0 Apk Download Release Date leaks and More


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Samsung will head to court on Aug. 25 to defend its right to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in most of Europe, following a preliminary injunction Apple obtained earlier this week at a court in Düsseldorf.
Acer on Friday started shipping a US$329 Iconia Tab A100 tablet, which the company says is the first tablet with a 7-inch screen to run Android 3.2.
HP has today announced that it has cut the pricing of its TouchPad tablet, just four days before its official launch in Australia.
Intel will invest $US300 million in companies that develop new technologies for Ultrabooks, a class of thin and light laptops promoted as an alternative to tablet PCs.
Apple isn't just going after the Samsung Galaxy Tab in Europe, it's also attacking the Motorola Xoom.
Lenovo will launch a new tablet and smartphone during the third quarter in the Le series which has so far been launched only in China, according to a company spokesperson.
After initial success, Intel's netbook strategy is at a crossroads as demand for tablets and low-cost laptops with larger screens rises, a company executive said this week.
Soon, SAP hopes to sew up a gaping security hole for its 7,000 iPad-toting employees. The Germany-based tech giant is beta testing a product that will allow it to send PGP-encrypted confidential email to employees. In turn, employees will be able to ...
With Microsoft trumpeting the idea that PCs and tablets should run the same operating system and have all the same capabilities, will Apple go down the same road?
Samsung has postponed its media launch for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 next week, following a federal court decision that prevents the tablet from going on sale in Australia until a patent lawsuit with Apple is resolved.
Samsung on Wednesday announced a software update for its Tab 10.1 tablet with a gaggle of business features, which could help the company push the device to corporate users.
Skype's Internet phone and video chat application for Apple's iPad was available late Monday, but was quickly pulled from Apple's online stores. Skype said in a Twitter message that it had gone live prematurely.
A webOS software update for Hewlett-Packard's TouchPad tablet will be delivered over-the-air starting on Monday, a company executive said on Twitter.
Google Friday unveiled a simplified search interface for Apple iPad and Android 3.1 tablets. The changes, which are being rolling out over the next several days at www.google.com, including a streamlined layout better suited to touchscreen users.
In a bid to draw buyers away from Android and iPad tablets, Hewlett-Packard is offering US$50 off on its TouchPad tablets just under a month after the device went on sale.
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MSM Covid-19 updates
Food Security Initiative: Sustaining Food Flows11-06-2020
Sustaining food flows and preventing a global food crisis is of high importance during the Covid-19 pandemic or any global crisis. In these difficult times where an economic crisis is luring in the back, food security is a key concern for governments
Iniciativa de Seguridad Alimentaria: Mantenimiento de las corrientes de alimentos11-06-2020
El mantenimiento de las corrientes de alimentos y la prevención de una crisis alimentaria mundial revisten gran importancia durante la pandemia de Covid-19 o cualquier crisis mundial. En estos tiempos difíciles en los que se avecina una crisis económ
Food Security Initiative: Governmental financial stimulus packages in emerging markets02-06-2020
Covid-19 has a devastating impact on economies and we have seen governments scramble to save economies. A debate about whether saving the economy or saving lives has emerged and many are calling for a balance between the two.
Iniciativa de Seguridad Alimentaria: Planes gubernamentales de estímulo financiero02-06-2020
Cada país trata de manera diferente de ayudar a su población. Para algunos países es un hecho que el gobierno invertirá grandes cantidades para mantener la economía en marcha y evitar que las personas pierdan sus empleos o se encuentren en dificultad
September 2020 and special January 2021 intake20-05-2020
These insecure times ask for adaptation to the situation at hand. We are very happy to announce that we have officially, and exceptionally, opened a January intake 2021.
Food Security Initiative: Why do school closures have impact on food security?20-05-2020
In general school meals have stopped with school closures. For example, in Ghana, vulnerable populations are affected by the closure of schools as they are dependent on free government school feeding programs that are no longer available.
Food Security Initiative: How consumer behavior changes amidst the pandemic11-05-2020
As lockdowns continue, consumer food buying habits and behavior tends to change. Worldwide there’s a switch from fresh produce to cheaper products with a longer shelf life and online food purchases sees a massive surge.
Food Security Initiative: The current state of affairs in the world08-05-2020
The world is in lockdown, which puts pressure on sustaining food security. To emphasize on the importance of sustaining food security, Maastricht school of Management (MSM) started the Food Security Initiative with project partners around the world
Covid-19 in Kenya: the exacerbation of old challenges and emergence of new challenges07-05-2020
Like in many countries Covid-19 presents a threat to food security in Kenya. The threat emanates from exacerbation of old challenges and also emergence of new challenges.
Food Security Initiative30-04-2020
Are you interested in Food Security? Join our Food Security Initiative and stay up to date with what countries in Africa, Asia and South America are doing to sustain food security during these difficult times.


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Shares of Gautam Adani-led Adani Ports fell over 5 per cent amid escalating tensions after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel. The Israel-Hamas war has sent shockwaves throughout the international financial markets.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ) controls the Haifa Port in northern Israel. The company had acquired the port earlier this year for a total consideration of $1.18 billion.
APSEZ shares closed 42.25 points or 5.09 per cent down at Rs 788.50 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). It was one of the top losers among Nifty 50.
On 7 October, Hamas initiated its most significant military attack against Israel. In response, Israel launched a series of retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza that persisted into Sunday, 8 October. While the conflict isn’t showing any cues for easing down, the impact on Asian stock market might be a concern for investors.
Crude oil prices surged over 5 per cent in early Asian trade. A report by PTI indicated that Indian exporters shipping goods to Israel may face higher insurance premiums and shipping costs.
"For merchandise exports of India, the war may lead to higher insurance premiums and shipping costs. India's ECGC may charge higher risk premiums from Indian firms exporting to Israel," think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) told PTI.
Trade disruptions could have a significant impact, warned Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of GTRI, should operations at Israel's three major ports—Haifa, Ashdod, and Eilat—be affected. These crucial ports are responsible for the handling of various commodities, including agricultural products, chemicals, electronics, machinery, and vehicles.
Most of the merchandise trade between India and Israel takes place via Eilat port. It ranks as the second-largest in terms of shipping containers and holds the distinction of being the largest for accommodating tourist cruise ships.


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The Oregon-based coffee chain currently operates 115 outlets across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington
Black Rock Coffee Bar expects to generate more than $150m in sales for the first time in 2023 | Photo credit: Black Rock Coffee Bar
Oregon-based Black Rock Coffee Bar has set its sights on reaching 200 US stores by the end of 2026.
Founded in 2008, the coffee chain currently has 115 outlets across the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
Black Rock Coffee Bar expects to generate more than $150m in sales for the first time in 2023 and plans to open 30 new stores annually.
Black Rock Coffee Bar opened its 100th US coffee shop in November 2021 with a store in Chandler, Arizona. The coffee chain reached 125 stores earlier this year before selling 13 of its outlets in Washington to Wake Up Call for an undisclosed sum in May 2023.
World Coffee Portal forecasts the 38,500-strong branded US coffee shop market, led by Seattle-based Starbucks with 16,144 stores, will reach 41,900 outlets by 2027.


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Adidas and Man United kit launch the best in history
Adidas and Manchester United announce the kit launch best ever in the club's and brand's history.
Adidas and Manchester United set out to ‘break expectations’ when they signed a deal worth £750 million for 10 years which would ensure United getting £75 million every year from their kit sponsors alone for the next 10 years.
Even Manchester United store which is located in the heart of the city confirmed that they sold out a few week’s target of kits in a few days only. Also many Adidas retailers around the world have showed a 200% rise from last year’s figures which are staggering which speaks volumes of the club’s brand and foothold in the business apart from matters on the pitch.
Richard Arnold, Managing Director of Manchester United had this to say on the successful start to this new partnership:
“Partnering with Adidas, we had high expectations; quality innovative kit, superb marketing, world beating distribution, a deep understanding of our history and our fans. Adidas have not broken those expectations, they have smashed them. The kit has resonated with our fans, both with its nod to our history and the quality of its construction. We already have further exciting and iconic developments ahead and like our fans, I am excited about the next decade, on and off the pitch.”
While United as a brand are performing successfully off the field, manager Louis van Gaal is making sure they show results where it really matters ie on the field. United are unbeaten so far having beaten Tottenham, Aston Villa and Club Brugge so far.


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Tempus: move forward with caution
There has been scepticism on these pages about Quindell — and with good reason. Essentially a technology company that specialises in handling motor and household claims for insurers, it has expanded rapidly, acquiring more than 20 companies in the two and a half years since it came to market.
Many of these deals have been funded by new share issues which have helped to push the market value of Quindell, still quoted on AIM, to more than £2.25 billion.
The worry for shareholders with long memories is that Rob Terry, its founder and chief executive, has done this before. He turned The Innovation Group, which also claimed to have revolutionary technology, into a business with revenues of £1 billion a year, only to watch it


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Fremont, Calif. –
Logitech introduced two computer speaker solutions on Wednesday, including a
The Z515 wireless
speakers ($99.99 suggested retail) operate via 2.4GHz technology and can work
up to 50 feet away. They can be used with the included wireless adapter that
plugs into a USB port, or iPad and iPhone users can put their device into
dual 2-inch drivers and a rechargeable battery.
Z305, meanwhile, is engineered to emit 360-degree sound. It operates via USB
and can be mounted behind the laptop screen. Suggested retail is $59.99; a
travel case is included.
will be available in September.


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It’s time to welcome a new member of Honor the sub-brand of Huawei. This time Honor unveiled it’s new flagship the Honor 8A Pro in Russia. After a long wait, finally, Honor has come up with its original launch. The specialty of this new smartphone is that it comes with a waterdrop notch screen. Honor 8A Pro has MediaTek Helio P35 SoC and much more. This smartphone is gonna make it to the leading smartphones list.
This time Honor launched its new budget smartphone in Russia which is called Honor 8A Pro. It’s completely different as compared to its previous launch Honor Play 8A that was launched in China, earlier. This smartphone has Android 9 Pie OS with EMUI skin top which enlightens its features.
Let’s take a look at its pricing. Honor 8A Pro is available in just one storage variant. As per the reports, Honor 8A Pro is said to be available at approx Rs. 14,700. This new flagship is going to be available on sale on April 12. But still, there are no reports about the launch of this new smartphone in India.
Now, comes the essential part of a smartphone, it’s specifications and features. Honor 8A Pro comes with a 6 – inch HD+ LCD which runs at a resolution of 720×1560 pixels. The ratio aspect of the screen is 19.5: 9. Talking about the look, this smartphone has a thin bezel on the top, and the bottom bezel is relatively thick with Honor branding.
Honor 8A Pro is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 octa-core SoC which is paired with PowerVR GE8320 GPU. This smartphone has 3GB RAM and 64GB available storage. The storage is further expandable up to 512GB using a micro SD. Let’s have a glance at the camera quality. It offers a single 13- megapixel snapper with f/1.8 aperture lens and LED flash. As for the front camera, it provides 8- megapixel that is inside the notch.
The battery life is pretty good. It has a 3,020mAh battery life. Honor 8A Pro has a fingerprint scanner placed at the back, which is missing in the Chinese variant. Other specifications such as dual SIM card slots for better connectivity, 4GVoLTE, Bluetooth, GPS and much more are present. The design of this new flagship is cool.


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Uber ties up with Big Basket for deliveries in Noida, Greater Noida
Private cab aggregator, Uber, has tied up with e-tailer Big Basket to provide a last-mile delivery option of essential services to residents of Noida and Greater Noida, among other Indian cities.
The Gautam Budh Nagar administration had allowed several online service providers to continue working during the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
Uber will now provide several of its vehicles to help Big Basket make deliveries of essential items to consumers.
“This last-mile delivery service provides multiple wins. It supports authorities in containing Covid-19, delivers essential supplies in a timely manner and creates an earning opportunity for drivers. We will not charge any commission for our efforts and are pleased to partner with Big Basket to support the nation in its hour of need. We stand ready to support all other private and public sector efforts in keeping vital supply chains open and to ensure last-mile delivery of everyday supplies, during this current nationwide lockdown,” Prabhjeet Singh, director, operations and head of cities, Uber India & South Asia, said.
The service will function in both Noida as well as Greater Noida as well as other Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chandigarh.
In compliance with all government guidelines, drivers working on this project have been provided training to ensure best hygiene practises. They have also been provided with gloves, masks and sanitisers.
“The ongoing nationwide lockdown has led to a disruption of the supply of essential goods, primarily due to a shortage of personnel and delivery vehicles. We are very happy to partner with Uber India for this initiative and we will be utilizing a portion of their huge fleet of cars, bikes as well as personnel to help make deliveries,” Lalita Aggarwal, National Process Head, Last Mile, Big Basket, said.


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Uniregistry & TLDH will take equal equity in joint venture to run .country
The two applicants for the top level domain name .country have entered into an agreement to partner, rather than fight, over .country. Top Level Domain Holdings issued a press release this morning announcing the deal between its company and Frank Schilling’s company, Uniregistry. This is the first publicly announced agreement that will resolve a contention set, as no other companies applied for .country. Under the terms of the deal, both companies will get a 50% stake in a new company to which the .country contract with ICANN will be transferred. Both TLDH and Uniregistry representatives have said they won’t participate in private auctions, one of the ways to resolve a contention set prior to an ICANN auction, due to concerns about antitrust violations.


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Arway.ai (CSE: ARWY) (OTC: ARWYF) (FSE: E65) is an AI-powered augmented reality experience platform with a disruptive no-code, no beacon spatial computing solution enabled by visual marker tracking with centimeter precision. The company today announced an increase in global demand for its AR platform in anticipation of the launch of Apple’s Vision Pro on Feb. 2, 2024. Arway.ai also announced that it has signed another three global deals coming from Sweden, Oman and South Africa in the past few weeks. “The long awaited Apple AR glasses are here! We have been waiting for this moment since 2019, and I’m extremely excited to announce that it has finally arrived,” said Arway.ai CEO Evan Gappelberg. “I see this next-generation device, which is really the next-generation iPhone, as an enormous opportunity for early investors to participate in the next big thing…augmented reality and spatial computing technology powered by AI. ARway.ai is purpose built for the Vision Pro Launch and we believe will be a standard feature in the Apple Vision Pro ecosystem.”
To view the full press release, visit https://ibn.fm/LotlY
ARway is a spatial computing platform powered by artificial intelligence (“AI”) providing an array of augmented reality (“AR”) experiences for indoor spaces. Arway’s breakthrough no-code, no-beacon IPNN allows for the easy creation of navigation, tours, information sharing, notifications, advertising and gamification. ARway works seamlessly as a cross platform solution on iOS/ Android. Arway’s technology is optimized for both mobile devices and AR glasses: Apple’s Vision Pro, Magic Leap and Microsoft’s HoloLens. ARway has unlimited use cases for augmenting physical spaces, making it a valuable tool for creators, brands and companies in various industries. The complete ARway platform includes: the Web Creator Studio, the ARwayKit Software Development Kit (“SDK”) and a mobile app for iOS and Android.
InvestorWire (“IW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on advanced wire-grade press release syndication for private and public companies and the investment community. It is one of 60+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers: (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions. With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, IW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, IW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. IW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge.
For more information, please visit https://www.InvestorWire.com
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Christmas tree industry booming in pandemic
Gary Palmer hoped to debut Holiday Memories Farm’s new Christmas tree operation in 2020. The West River, Md., farmer and former firefighter had spent six years preparing for his inaugural season. In addition to tree sales he envisioned a farm Santa and hayrides for customers.
COVID-19 ruined it.
After considering state and Anne Arundel County safety guidelines and laws put in place to minimize the virus’s spread, Palmer made the somber decision to delay the opening by a year.
“We felt that because it would have been our first year, it would basically change what our vision was,” he said. “It’s (disappointing), but with the current times, everybody’s going through a lot of disappointments.”
Even so, he said his farm has gotten between 40 and 50 calls a day since Thanksgiving from people inquiring about trees. It’s part of a larger trend that Christmas tree farmers said they’re experiencing in the year of the pandemic — rabid demand from housebound consumers despite a nationwide supply shortage due to various issues, including disease pressure from heavy rains.
No matter what, business is up, said Joncie Underwood, treasurer of the Maryland Christmas Tree Association. She said she expects sales to increase 10-15 percent. Her farm in Elkton, Md., sold more than 1,000 trees on the first day of the season. In a tough year, consumers want nostalgia and a return to normalcy.
“A real tree does that for them,” she said. “I’ve had some customers tell me they haven’t had a real tree in 10 years.”
A recent study by TRUE Global Intelligence, a data analysis company, found that 21 percent of people who put up an artificial tree last year (or none at all) expected to buy a real tree this year — mostly in response to the pandemic and a desire to brighten the holiday season. Consumers are looking to buy experiences this year, and the vast majority of those surveyed saw Christmas trees as an “experience” rather than a product.
“I think everybody wants a real tree,” said Don Hallowell, owner of Don’s Tree Farm in Greenwood, Del. “The demand is way higher than what the supply can contribute to.”
Hallowell raises about 5 acres of trees on his 40-acre farm, and most of what he sells are pre-cut stock he buys from growers in the Allegheny Mountains. Fraser firs, the Cadillac of Christmas trees, simply don’t grow well on Delmarva or Delaware soil. Over the last five years, wholesale prices have tripled or quadrupled, he said. A 12-foot Fraser can cost $250 or more — or as much as $750 closer to Washington, D.C. It’s higher the closer one gets to New York City. Prices can stun consumers.
“We just laugh at that at this point, and we say, ‘I’m sorry, sir. We’re not living in the ’50s anymore,’” he said.
Abnormally rainy weather over the last several years reduced inventory and stunted growth, Palmer said. Swiss needle cast, a disease unique to the Douglas fir, is a bigger problem. Within the last two years, he said he found it difficult to buy Douglas fir seedlings after disease wiped out a significant chunk of the regional nursery stock. The effect can be seen not just on Christmas tree farms but on evergreens across the region, he said.
The demand has been so great that several farmers said they’ve shut down their farms early — some had already closed by the second week of December — so they don’t cut down trees on track to be next year’s stock.
“We’ve cut so many trees out of our field we have to start pulling the reins,” Hallowell said.
While a handful of regional Christmas tree farms decided not to open this year due to pandemic-related concerns, those who did said business, for the most part, has proceeded as usual. Jack Coleman, owner of a tree farm in Middletown, Del., said he makes sure everyone on the farm wears masks, and the farm’s hayrides carry between 10 to 15 people, less than the usual 35. Business, regardless, is booming.
“What we’re doing seems to be working pretty good,” he said. “It’s chaos on the weekends.”
Meanwhile, in the background, lurks an ongoing problem in the tree industry — the reluctance among younger people to join it, Hallowell said. At 65 years old, he said he’s the second-youngest grower in Delaware, a state of just 11 tree farms. He remembers when there were at least 30.
He doubts the industry’s ability to rebound from the last several years.
“I don’t know that we’re going to come out of the shortage,” he said. “It’s that bad.”
But Palmer, who retired from firefighting in 2009, is just getting started.
“I always wanted a Christmas tree farm. It’s something I’ve had a passion for for years and years, and I finally said, ‘If I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it,’” he said.
(AFP Correspondent Joan M. Kasura contributed to this article.)


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WarnerMedia is closing in on a deal with JJ Abrams‘ Bad Robot production company that could be worth as much as $500 million, according to Deadline.
The move would put Abrams’ film business, responsible for hits such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the three recent “Star Trek” films, under the WarnerMedia umbrella. It is unclear how many years would be covered by the new agreement. A WarnerMedia representative declined to comment.
Abrams has had a close relationship with WarnerMedia entities for quite some time. Abrams’ Bad Robot has been based at Warner Bros. TV for years and has produced several series for the company, including “Westworld,” “Lovecraft Country,” and “Demimonde,” all of which are on the HBO service. Abrams also is developing a series based on “They Both Die at the End” for the platform.
Deadline previously reported that WarnerMedia was competing with Apple to win a deal with Bad Robot. Those two companies also have a productive history; Bad Robot is developing three shows for the tech giant’s upcoming Apple TV+ subscription service. Abrams’ company is creating “Lisey’s Story,” “Little Voices,” and “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends” for the platform, which is expected to debut sometime in the fall. At this time, it is anticipated that Bad Robot’s WarnerMedia contract will allow the company to continue producing content for other networks.
While the Bad Robot shows on Apple TV+ could be a strong selling point for consumers, the same applies to WarnerMedia, which is also preparing to launch its own streaming service. Recent reports suggest that the still-unnamed service, slated for a beta launch in the fall, could launch at a price point of $16-$17 per month. Though that is more expensive than competing services, the WarnerMedia platform may bundle HBO and Cinemax and also include a library of Warner Bros. films and shows to increase consumer appeal.
To that end, Abrams’ WarnerMedia-exclusive content could serve as a selling point for the company’s upcoming platform. Platform-exclusive content is becoming an increasingly important factor in an increasingly crowded streaming market. For example, though few details about Apple TV+ are available, Apple noted that celebrities such as Oprah and Prince Harry will be creating content for the service.
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The seafood supply chain has many moving parts, including commercial fishermen, processing plants, distributors and restaurants. The seafood industry is just one segment of the economy of a waterfront community. A team of researchers from Auburn University are nearing completion on a two-year study of the sustainability of such communities in coastal Mississippi and Alabama. The three-pronged inquiry, which involves specialists in economics, sociology, fisheries and geography, examines the seafood supply chain, the tourism industry and the overall health of the entire working waterfront economy of these areas.
Diane Hite, professor of agricultural economics, describes “working waterfront” as any local business dependent on proximity to the water. The term encompasses everything from shipbuilders to surf shops. Some rely on tourist dollars, some on local patronage, still others on large federal contracts, but all need the water nearby. She explained that the Gulf Coast has been hit with a “confluence of factors” in recent years, including hurricanes, an oil spill and a stagnant economy. Hite’s team assessed the ability of water-related business in these areas to rebound from these challenges via a survey.
Graduate student Stefanie Christensen and Michelle Worosz, associate professor of rural sociology, interviewed members of the seafood supply chain across coastal Mississippi and Alabama to assess sentiment on the health of their industry. One large event can affect the whole chain, from harvest to distribution. While closure of Gulf fisheries due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 disrupted the seafood supply, industry members tended to blame the media’s coverage of the event for continuing economic problems rather than the spill itself.
“The perception in these communities is that media reports delayed recovery,” said Worosz. “If I had to put it in a nutshell, that would be it.”
But the oil spill was not the key challenge the industry faced, according to those interviewed. Globalization was a primary factor, as cheaply produced imported seafood drives down prices of local catches. Other factors included the general state of the economy and Hurricane Katrina.
The survey also addressed perceptions of seafood safety. Preliminary results from a 2013 survey of 573 people who visited the Mississippi and Alabama coasts from within an 800-mile radius indicated that diners did not perceive eating Gulf seafood as unsafe post-oil spill. The majority preferred to eat wild-caught seafood from a reputable local seller. Around half of those answering reported travelling to the region in the past year. A slightly larger number indicated plans to visit in the upcoming year, a positive sign for recovery. Interestingly, when asked if they would personally contribute to restore the beaches to pre-spill cleanliness, most reported a willingness to pay a one-time fee of $40.
“It’s not just about tourist dollars,” said Hite, explaining that survey data will generate a regional economic impact model approximating the direct and indirect financial benefits of tourism. “If you think about people coming down there and staying at a hotel, buying gasoline and food—that’s putting money in the hands of the people who live down there, who can go out and spend that money on their own needs. That’s the multiplier effect.”
The waterfront survey and travel data will be coupled with the physical location of every water-related business in the region to create a geographic information system (GIS), a digital footprint showing exactly how much space every type of working waterfront business uses. For example, Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., has more land and employees than the seafood restaurant nearby. Once uploaded onto Google maps, the GIS will provide leaders with better ideas for land use and disaster planning, as well as the potential economic, social and cultural significance of these businesses.
*Tara Skelton is a freelance writer in Ocean Springs, Miss.*


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Nine has announced it will continue its successful expansion into the women’s lifestyle space with a new subscription site aimed at professionals and entrepreneurs.
Launching in 2018, Future Women will be a premium destination. It will also offer live events, workshops, great speakers, video sessions, mentoring and access to in-depth research and insights.
“9Honey has exceeded our expectations in the core 25 to 54 demographic, but Future Women represents the next stage of Nine’s digital lifestyle business,” Helen McCabe, Nine’s digital content director, said.
“Future Women will target a whole new audience. It includes aspiring professionals, entrepreneurs, businesswomen, students and especially women who have taken time out of the workforce but want to return.
“This is not about age it is about attitude.”
McCabe said for advertisers, Future Women would offer access to a highly attractive, premium female advertising demographic.
“Future Women offers the chance to connect with a premium AB audience in a unique and sophisticated environment,” she said. “But at its core, we want to help women find professional and personal success.”
The premium members-only website will have content pillars built around leadership, wealth, health, family and lifestyle.
“The content will be longer in form and curated to be differently to anything currently in the Australian digital space,” McCabe said.
The announcement of Future Women comes less than a year since Nine reinvented its online lifestyle offering in the form of the 9Honey network, which caters to an audience of millions of Australian women.
Over the past year, Nine has built out its online offering on 9Honey with a new parenting vertical, 9Mums, highly successful podcasts in the form of Super Mums and Life Bites, and TV/digital segments in the form of 9Honey TV, which provides commentary on major Nine TV franchises such as Married at First Sight, Australian Ninja Warrior and The Block.
“It’s been almost a year since we launched 9Honey, Australia’s leading women’s lifestyle network,” McCabe said. “In that time, it has captured online audiences of almost two million Australians a month and offered advertisers a highly attractive and engaged female-skewed audience.
“We see tremendous opportunity to continue building Nine’s engagement with Australian women across a variety of platforms.”
As part of this cross-platform strategy, 9Honey has confirmed that next year on Wednesday nights at 9.00pm it will launch a half-hour chat show around Married at First Sight on 9Life, which will feature behind-the-scenes exclusives, commentary and highlights.
“Over the past year, we have seen a real opening for 9Honey to amplify our big 7.30pm television franchises, and this new chat show format around Married at First Sight will help us to further own that conversation across all platforms,” McCabe said.
“Whether through Australian Ninja Warrior and Honey Coach, The Block and Honey Homes or Married at First Sight and Honey, our lifestyle network is offering a real and valuable anchor for advertisers, and this will continue into 2018.”
From the audio producer of The Teacher’s Pet comes The Elements, a new Acast Creator Network podcast hosted by Thredbo survivor Stuart Diver. The Elements is a podcast that journeys into the heart of surviving a natural disaster and will be hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast as part of the Acast Creator […]
DoubleVerify has today announced enhancements to its brand safety and suitability solution that include the introduction of DV’s Brand Safety Floor as a turnkey option, extending Brand Suitability Tiers on YouTube, and more. Available to both advertisers and publishers since January 2021, Brand Suitability Tiers allow brands to align suitability settings with their own unique standards, […]


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With the Texas-based Hudson Manufacturing company in the midst of bankruptcy, one of their suppliers now says they could have a solution for H9 fans.
Hudson burst on the scene in early 2017 with their interesting striker-fired H9 9mm pistol after years in development. Doubling down with the more affordable H9A in 2018, by 2019 the company had gone largely radio silent and this month filed for voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Enter Phoenix-based KE Arms, a manufacturer specializing in products for the firearms industry. On Tuesday, KE, who is on an 18-page listing of creditors in Hudson’s bankruptcy filings, announced they could be a successor of sorts to the H9’s legacy.
“We are currently exploring market demand for the slides and alloy frames (made from 7075 billet) we have on hand, and manufacturing new small parts,” said the company who is looking to both recover their outstanding costs and “help existing owners of H9s that currently have nowhere to turn for service and support.”
KE Arms said they have not communicated with Hudson “in months,” but at the peak of their relationship with the gun maker they were providing the company with as many as 400 slides per month and helped develop and prototype the H9A frame. Going on to point out they only manufactured slides and frames for Hudson and not internal parts or barrels, they said they are in contact with a number of other former Hudson vendors who did.
“We do not have for sale or intend to sell complete firearms,” elaborated KE Arms, reiterating they are assessing market interest and “seeing what parts people will need.”
According to a Hudson owner’s group, some fewer than 9,000 H9’s were ever made.
The post Troubled Hudson H9 Pistol May See a Limited Rebirth appeared first on Guns.com.


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Future sneaker endorsements for Lonzo Ball aren't terribly promising at the moment. According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, Adidas, Nike, and Under Amour have all decided not to sign the projected first-round 2017 NBA Draft pick.
Ball's outspoken father LaVar was apparently steadfast in his conviction that one of the brands should license Big Baller Brand, his struggle label that offers only apparel for now.
While Nike co-founder Phil Knight said the brand was interested in Lonzo Ball at one point, longtime exec George Raveling recently called his father "the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years."
With the biggest sportswear imprints turning down a Lonzo Ball deal, his father says he's reaching out to Chinese brands like Peak and Li-Ning. He also claims he'll shop a deal to...Facebook.
LaVar Ball had already gone so far as to design a prototype for Lonzo's first sneaker, ESPN reports. What's more, he says he's been working on the shoe since the day his children were born.


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E-commerce has changed forever: What now?
E-commerce is currently going through an enormous change. People who have rarely or never ordered online are now doing so - and this increase will not level off, even after the crisis. How can e-commerce prepare for this and why should retailers react quickly?
The change from offline to online retail
In the past few weeks, there has been a huge change to how we shop, from offline to online retail. Order volumes have shot up; for example grocery sales are 20 percent higher during coronavirus than during Christmas 2019. E-commerce is booming and bursting at the seams. It is likely that this adoption of online shopping will remain once the coronavirus crisis is over. People who have never shopped online are now experiencing the convenience of doing so.
New target groups identified
I imagine if you surveyed the British public and asked who hasn't made an online order in the past 8 weeks the number would be very low. Even people who rarely or have never ordered online have been doing so during the UK's lockdown, even if it is just to buy essential goods they're no longer able to leave the house to get.
In particular, older people, who are not or were not very familiar with the digital world, have discovered the joys of online shopping. It is precisely for these groups that online shopping must be as simple and convenient as possible.
There were already several different types of consumers we see online. The virus has added whole new categories to this list. These include the people who traditionally shopped in bricks and mortar stores. These people usually choose to shop offline for a variety of reasons, including: limited trust in logistics processes, lack of digital know-how, concerns at entering payment details online - to name a few. However, they have had to put these concerns to one side during lockdown as they are forced online. If e-retailers want to keep them as customers once stores reopen, they need to address these concerns and reassure them. In addition, experiences online must match those offline in terms of personalisation, customer touch points and ease. This will only work if the overall online operations experience is considered.
Retailers need to review overall 'Operations Experience'
Now is the time to act quickly and provide customers with a seamless shopping experience. First and foremost, it is important to offer everyone the best possible customer experience. But there's more than this to consider. If you want to stand out from your competition in the long run, you should go one step further and optimise your Operations Experience (OX).
What does this mean?
Retailers can improve customer experience by working on their operations experience. All relevant order and fulfilment steps should be checked and streamlined by the retailer themselves. In this way, problems can be recognised early and dealt with proactively.
How can they do this?
Using fully configurable and automated workflows, companies can communicate directly, in a highly personalised manner, at all relevant points in the process. This means they are no longer losing customer contact points to third party carriers such as DHL and Hermes. By doing this, companies ensure a consistent brand experience and proactive customer service maximised cross-selling potential.
Conclusion: a new era for e-commerce
A new era has begun in e-commerce. Many people have already got used to ordering their goods online and the resulting advantages are enormous. New target groups will be available and they are likely to remain even once high street stores reopen. If the retailer's logistics processes and operations experience are optimised now, their future in e-commerce will be bright.
Interested in optimising your Operations Experience (OX)?
Get in touch - we're here to help!
About the author
Create new reasons for people to love your brand. Build standout post-sales experiences tailored to your customers. Deliver personalized touch points that grab attention and spark loyalty.


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The not-for-profit watchdog organization Consumer Reports reached a $16.3 million deal to settle a lawsuit, and wasn’t happy about it, The New York Post reports.
The class-action lawsuit, which originated in Michigan, “claimed the company sold personal information about its subscribers to list brokers without the consumers’ permission,” The Post reports. “The suit was originally filed by Don Ruppel, who claims as a result of the sale of the subscription list, he is ‘being inundated with a barrage of unwanted junk mail and telephone solicitations.’”
“Not surprisingly, CR is angry,” The Post adds. The report quotes a spokesman for Consumer Reports saying: “Allegations about CR in the suit were misleading, unfounded, or untrue, and brought forward by opportunistic attorneys who understood that while CR did not have the resources to engage in extended litigation, we had the insurance coverage needed for them to reap a large settlement payout with substantial legal fees.”
Ruppel “claims the brokered list included the names and titles of magazines he subscribed to and other demographic information ‘such as gender, age, ethnicity, income, religion, parental status and political information,’ according to the suit,” The Post reports.
The report adds: “Other major publishers to be hit with lawsuits derived from the Michigan state law included Hearst, Condé Nast, Time Inc. and Rodale. They all reached settlements of seven or eight figures in recent years.”


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/ News, Nissan / [VIDEO] 2015 Nissan Navara makes video debut
[VIDEO] 2015 Nissan Navara makes video debut
The first official videos with the new generation of the Nissan Navara have been recently released by the car manufacturer.
The 2015 Nissan Navara is now getting its first official videos, which have been released by the company right after the official unveil of the pickup truck. The model in question is being highlighted in the clips posted below and we can see some of its interesting features and also some short off-roading, proving that the new generation of the model is not just attractive but also practical and it can get you out of most environments pretty easily.
The brand new Nissan Navara has a smooth silhouette, two new color choices, the Earth Bronze and the Savannah Yellow, a lower roof, higher ground clearance, larger loading area and more. A wide range of body types and powertrain options will become available for this model, such as the king and double cab or the two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The engine options include the improved 2.5 liter four-cylinder diesel and the 2.5 liter four-cylinder gasoline. The former is available with 161 HP and 403 Nm of torque and 188 HP and 450 Nm of torque. No pricing list has been announced yet.
According to Fitch Ratings, the carmakers that have European roots – including the second-largest global automaker Volkswagen AG – will benefit from a modest rise in worldwide new-car deliveries.
Together with the savings coming from lowering cost expenses and the slight global increase in ...
Test Drive: Ford Fiesta ST
The current generation of the Ford Fiesta ST has been officially presented to the public back in March, 2012, during the Geneva Motor Show, and it ...


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Netflix celebrates Africa Day with Africa Productions
Netflix celebrates Africa Day with the Made in Africa collection. Netflix is celebrating Africa Day with some of the best collection of films, series and documentaries titled the Made in Africa. The collection which has over 100 titles and will be available globally will run for the month of May to coincide with Africa month.
The collection consists of films and series from across the continent such as Castle and Castle, Lionheart, Tjovitjo, Tsotsi, and Jerusalema. The streaming giant’s original African series Queen Sono and the Blood and Water also form part of the collection.
A few international movies that were shot on the continent will also feature in the collection.
Speaking on the Made in Africa collection, Netflix’s Director of Licensing and Co-productions for Africa Ben Amadasun said in part; “At Netflix, we’re obsessed with improving the consumer experience and believe that the ‘Made in Africa’ collection will help our members around the world to discover their next favorite African show as the world celebrates Africa Month (and Africa Day on 25 May).
Furthermore, we strongly believe that great stories can come from anywhere and beloved everywhere and we’re excited to see these “Made in Africa” titles will be enjoyed and “Watched by the World’.
Netflix celebrates Africa Day with the Made in Africa collection. Which movie will you be watching first?
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@nasty_csa and @rowlene_sa delivered the goods on “I Need You”. Here’s the lyric video to get you in your feels. ♥ #BloodAndWater @amaqamata @thabangmolaba_ @khosingema @puffydillon @cindy_thando @natasha_thahane @arnogreeff @gail_mabalane @greteli.fincham @mekaila_mathys @natureboy_ct @nosiphodumisa
IN OTHER NEWS. . . .
Bushiri’s head of security found suspiciously dead in his home
Prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church security officer Jeremiah Ogechi dies suspiciously in his house, Johannesburg, South Africa.
ECG church Director of Communication Ephraim Nyondo confirmed to…full details


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R.H. Sheppard, a subsidiary of Bendix, is recalling 105,271 of its Sheppard steering gears, which the company said were purchased by 29 manufacturers to be used in vehicles, including major truck OEMs Daimler Trucks North America, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo and Navistar.
Sheppard says certain steering gears – model numbers HD94E, M100P, M110P, HD94P, XD120P, MD83P, SD110P, M83P, M90P and M80P -- may have been assembled incorrectly, which can cause the gear to fracture, potentially causing a loss of steering control.
So far, two truck manufacturers, Daimler and Volvo, have issued recalls based on the Sheppard recall.
Daimler is recalling 6,492 model year 2021-2022 Freightliner (FCCC) MT45, 2022-2023 Western Star 4900, and 2022-2023 Freightliner Cascadia trucks with the steering gears installed.
Volvo’s recall includes 1,632 model year 2022-2023 Volvo VN model tractors.
Owners may contact R.H. Sheppard at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio reported an increase in deliveries for October, after the embattled company announced it would sack more than a tenth of its workforce and that its chief financial officer had quit after the release of losses in the second quarter 2019.
A Monday press release from the company said Nio shipped 2,526 vehicles in October, a 25% increase on the previous month. That included 2,220 5-seater electric ES6 models and 306 7-seater and 6-seater ES8 models. In January, Nio recalled 4,803 ES8s due to battery safety concerns which dented public confidence and sales figures.
Nio founder William Li attributed the increase to the company’s sales team and said the firm will continue expanding its sales network. As of the end of October, Nio had delivered a total of 14,867 vehicles this year. The price of the company’s New York-listed shares surged 12.5% to $1.71 as of Monday market close — but that was still under a third of their price at their New York IPO a year ago.


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Picture it. You’re driving down the road singing along to Britney Spears and your phone blows up with notifications. Your best friend Sally texted you, someone liked the selfie you posted to Facebook and all of a sudden your breaking heavily to stop at the red light in front of you…As you try to come… Continue reading Are cell phones and social media killing drivers?
Believe it or not, people are still using flip phones, Motorola Razors, and phones with buttons!… what? But those folks are increasingly in the minority. A new study by Princeton Survey Research Associates International found that 61% of American cell phone users are now using a smartphone. But why now? I think social media plays… Continue reading 4 reasons #socialmedia has most people jumping on the smartphone bandwagon
The good news: Samsung has made a breakthrough that inches us closer to having 5G mobile broadband technology at our fingertips. The bad news: it likely won’t be available to the public until around 2020. According to their Samsung Tomorrow blog: Samsung Electronics announced that it has successfully developed the world’s first adaptive array transceiver… Continue reading Samsung makes breakthrough in 5G technology but doesn’t expect commercialization until 2020
Some are already chiseling RIP on a tombstone for consoles, but in reality mobile devices aren’t yet ready to seriously compete with consoles. Here’s why. There’s no physical controller for mobile games Sure, touchscreens are fine for catapulting mad birds into incredibly mean pigs, but when you try a first person shooter game on… Continue reading Game consoles vs. mobile devices: Is console gaming on life support?
Technology often gets accused of making our world less beautiful. Progress has a price and it’s often associated with taking the wonders of nature and making them less wonderful. To combat this, many cell infrastructure providers are trying their best to blend in. In this collection of images compiled by FastCo, we see a dozen… Continue reading 12 examples of cell phone towers disguised as trees
Facebook Home was released this weekend for a select few Android devices, and reviews have been decidedly negative. The app is designed to replace the default home screen on Android devices with a Facebook home screen. This is meant to make using Facebook not only easier, but smoother and more immersive. Cover Feed turns the… Continue reading Facebook Home disappoints
New gadgets. We love them. They bring excitement donin the days leading up to their launch and they give us reasons to walk up to strangers and ask them questions in hopes that they’ll let us give them a try. The same will hold true for Google Glass when it’s released. People will love on… Continue reading 7 reasons why Google Glass will fail
Most people do not own or regularly carry personal protection weapons such as mace or stun guns. Those who do carry them regularly will often still find that they don’t take them everywhere. In western society, one thing that nearly everyone takes around with them everywhere they go is a cell phone. This fact might… Continue reading Can the Yellow Jacket stun gun cell phone case take personal safety to the next level?
The office can be stressful. Many of our biggest pressures in life stem from activities at the office. Releasing anxiety, stress, and pressure is a best practice recommended by psychologists around the globe. Then again, there’s also the sheer fun associated with locating, targeting, and firing upon an unsuspecting coworker in as harmless of a… Continue reading Play around at the office with a USB rocket launcher
Do you remember the 90’s? When Beverly Hills 90210 wasn’t a remake, sideburns were cool, again, the song, “Ice, Ice, Baby” was a hit on the radio and when everyone invested in owning a cellphone, that’s right, not a mobile device or smartphone, a cell phone. Times have certainly changed and many of us miss… Continue reading The iPhone case that allows you to re-visit the 90’s


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In this edition of Weekend Reading, we’ve got stories on the release of Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8 Update 3, Microsoft Ventures’ first seed investment and major app news! Check ‘em out.
Windows 8.1 now available! Global availability of Windows 8.1 is now here, bringing a variety of new features and improvements to Windows 8 that we think people will really enjoy. We listened to customer feedback and are delivering many of the improvements we’ve been asked for. If you’re a consumer and already have a Windows 8 device, you can now download the free update to Windows 8.1 online through the Windows Store. If you’re a consumer who has a device running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP or the Windows 8.1 Preview, visit Windows.com, which will detect your operating system and provide you with the information you need to get Windows 8.1 on your device. You can read more about it over on Blogging Windows. Also, you won’t want to miss this guest post on Blogging Windows from Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Operating Systems at Microsoft, which talks about how with Windows 8.1, you’ll have one cohesive experience across all your devices. Also, Windows 8.1 is available to all commercial customers and partners. As Microsoft has shared before, Windows 8.1 represents a significant milestone for our business customers. It builds on our vision to offer businesses the most powerful and flexible modern operating system across devices, helps customers enable their mobile users wherever they are working, and combines that flexibility with the manageability and security IT Pros demand. You can get that story over on the Windows for your Business blog. Finally, Microsoft also announced that the Windows Store is now open for developers submitting apps targeting Windows 8.1. Check out this post on the Windows App Builder Blog for that story. That’s a screenshot of the People App for Windows 8.1 below.
Apps apps apps. Appy appy apps. It was a big week for apps, that’s for sure, starting with the release of the official Facebook app for Windows 8.1. The app brings you all the familiar features you’d expect, plus some cool extras that are unique to Windows. Live tile notifications give you an at-a-glance summary of post and message activity right on your Start screen. Use Facebook side-by-side with other apps and programs for easy multi-tasking. And the Windows People Hub integrates seamlessly and automatically with your Facebook contacts. Read more about it over on The Fire Hose. Then there was the update to the Bing Weather and Bing Sports apps for Windows phone 8. The Bing Weather app now supplies current snow and weather conditions at ski resorts around the world, plus weather history and additional metrics like the UV index. A few other notable changes include revamped Live Tiles displaying current conditions, wind speed, and precipitation—with a 5-day forecast on the flip side. Also, the Bing Sports app added 30 new sports including tennis, rugby, NASCAR, LPGA and Champions League soccer. The app already supplies top headlines, scores, schedules, standings and stats. Now, though, you can also track sports and players that matter to you most — so the app feels a lot more personal. Read more about those two apps over on the Windows Phone Blog. Fans of AMC’s hit horror program “The Walking Dead” can now keep up with the show via the Walking Dead app, a Windows exclusive. Fire up the app during the show and you can join fans in a live interactive experience featuring snap polls, trivia questions and exclusive video. Read more about the app over on The Fire Hose (if you dare.) Then there was the new and improved Fresh Paint app for Windows Phone 8, this week’s Staff App Pick (Front Desk Magazine for Windows) as well as Beatphonic for Windows Phone 8.
Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8 Update 3 and new Windows Phone Developer Preview. Windows Phone 8 Update 3 will roll out to existing phones over the next several months, bringing with it a bevy of improvements and new capabilities. Also announced Monday was the Windows Phone Developer Preview, which allows developers to get pre-release builds of Windows Phone updates on your dev phones before they are generally available to consumers. Some of the new features included in Windows Phone Update 3 include a bigger Start screen for more Live Tiles, a new, customizable Driving Mode and better accessibility options. For more detail on Windows Phone 8 Update 3, read Monday’s post on the Windows Phone Blog. For the rest of the story on the Windows Phone Developer Preview, read Monday’s post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog.
Visual Studio 2013 now available for download. On Thursday, S. Somasegar, corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft, announced that the final releases of Visual Studio 2013, .NET 4.5.1, and Team Foundation Server 2013 are now available for download. MSDN subscribers can download here.
How Bing built Smart Search for Windows 8.1. One of the coolest and most visible improvements to Windows 8.1 is its improved integration of Bing, and to give you some background on that, Blogging Windows published a guest post on Wednesday by Kieran Snyder, group program manager in the Bing User Experience team. For the behind-the-scenes story of how Smart Search took shape, how the team rethought what search could and should be, how they leveraged Bing’s Satori for the Windows canvas and more, head on over to Blogging Windows now.
Microsoft Ventures makes first investment: SkyGiraffe. On Tuesday, it was announced that Microsoft Ventures has made its first seed-stage investment: Tel Aviv, Israel-based SkyGiraffe. “SkyGiraffe provides a SaaS platform that helps businesses deploy enterprise-grade mobile applications on any device immediately and without the need for writing code,” writes Raul Sood, general manager of Microsoft Ventures, in a post over on the Microsoft Ventures Blog. For the rest if this story, head on over to the Microsoft Ventures Blog. Also, as part of its recently launched 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft has joined forces with 88mph to support African startups, signifying the expansion of the Microsoft Ventures partnership program. As Microsoft’s first African accelerator partner, 88mph was chosen for its track record of helping launch and secure funding for innovative African startups. Together, Microsoft and 88mph will work to provide startups with mentorship, technology guidance, seed funding, joint selling opportunities and more. For more details, check out the press release on the Microsoft News Center.
And finally, this week on the Microsoft Facebook page, we learned how an independent filmmaker uses Surface to manage projects on the go.
Thanks for stopping by The Official Microsoft Blog! Have a great weekend!
Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, The Official Microsoft Blog


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The renowned Internet company and Japanese IT giant, GMO has come out for supporting stablecoins. They are planning to launch their own Japanese Yen-pegged stablecoin by 2019. Also, the announcement came on Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Furthermore, the company has also stated that their full-fledged preparations for the same have already started.
The company wants to dive into the industry of cryptocurrencies and blockchain. They are intrigued by the settlement and remittance business. Furthermore, the company will Yen-pegged stablecoin naming it GMO Japanese Yen (GJY).
About the Announcement
Likewise, the internet giant has also stepped into the blockchain’s most active field, cryptocurrency exchange. The company launched Z.com, its cryptocurrency exchange subsidiary launched to get in the blockchain industry.
The Asian Markets will witness the release of the stablecoin by the Z.com cryptocurrency exchange. The process will happen in the next fiscal year, that is, 2019.
The company states that through their blockchain-based stablecoin GMO Japenese Yen (GJY), they will be able to settle transactions. Certainly, it will help them as they already operate farms that perform blockchain mining.
Furthermore, they also launched a web-based banking interface in collaboration with the financial group, Aozora Bank Group. The project will get integrated into their ultimate goal: their blockchain platform and finally have their stablecoin. This will help them facilitate cross-border overseas payments and settlements.
GMO has become one of many enterprises intrigued by stablecoin. There have many financial groups and institutions working on creating stablecoin to make the blockchain economy healthy. Some examples of recently launched stablecoins are the renowned Gemini (GUSD) and PAX.
A stablecoin is a pegged, specifically, an asset-pegged cryptocurrency. Furthermore, stablecoin attaches with itself another medium of exchange, generally, Gold or United States Dollar. The exchange rate for the virtual currency comes to around 1:1. After that, its value fluctuates only when the value of the medium attached to it fluctuates.
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The negative phenomenon has been attributed to hikes in exchange rate of the Ghana Cedi against the CFA Franc, as most of the tomatoes being consumed in the country is imported from Cote d'Ivoire.
This is according to Esoko Ghana, and some dealers in Accra.
According to them, the negative phenomenon is attributable to hikes in exchange rate of the Ghana Cedi against the CFA Franc, as most of the tomatoes consumed in Ghana between May and October each year are imported from Cote d'Ivoire.
The traders are however not prepared to keep reducing prices just to satisfy their customers. They say they will either stop selling the vegetables or increase the prices commensurate with the costs of productiion.
In figures released by Esoko last week, prices of some household staples saw an increase for the second week in February, 2016.
The prices of gari, wheat, yam, rice, and millet, which are all common ingredients for Ghanaian household meals, have increased between 4 and 12 percent.
The prices of tomatoes, however, dropped for the third consecutive week since January 21. According to Esoko, the prices of tomatoes dipped by 11 percent to end the second week of February with an average price of GHC6.90 per medium tin.


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Table of Contents
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Jan 25 (Reuters) – Investors are wary of dashing to scoop up stocks in advance of a really expected Federal Reserve policy selection owing on Wednesday, and Monday’s bounce has finished tiny to dispel fears about the market’s outlook.
In a scarce reversal, Wall Street recovered from a steep offer-off on Monday to shut increased on the day with the assistance of retail punters and solutions-related flows and with volumes the best in almost a yr.
Retail investors piled a net $1.36 billion into U.S. stocks, the most considering that Jan. 18, in accordance to Vanda Investigate info, suggesting current market dips ongoing to appeal to retail potential buyers, a related magnitude of buys flagged by JP Morgan.
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But the presence of a quick ETF (exchange traded fund) – the ProShares UltraPro Shorter QQQ (SQQQ.O) – among the the best 5 goods with the most web inflows on that day advised a degree of warning.
“Each individual time the industry rallies from now on, you happen to be going to see some selling into it,” said Keith Temperton, a income trader at Forte Securities.
“You might see a turnaround rally like yesterday, but you have acquired a good deal of possibilities protections staying taken off. That takes the industry off the lows but upcoming time we have a selloff no 1 would like to protect their security.”
Indeed, sellers returned in drive on Tuesday. The S&P 500 (.SPX) index was down around 1.9% in early afternoon investing, even though the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) was off just about 2.9%.
JP Morgan strategists reported a 5% reversal in key U.S. inventory indexes was not unusual and weaker marketplaces would typically observe the future working day.
“Intraday reversals of this magnitude looks to counsel extra volatility alternatively than a directional transform,” they stated.
Each day investing turnover on the ProShares UltraPro Brief QQQ, made to produce three instances the inverse of the day-to-day effectiveness of the Nasdaq 100 (.NDX), hit a document for the second straight buying and selling session on Monday at 125.7 million units.
Around the past week the fund attracted more than $120 million in web retail inflows, the most in at least 5 decades.
Markets have had a rocky start out to 2022 with approximately $3 trillion in industry price of the tech-weighty Nasdaq 100 wiped out, as buyers dumped tech shares on the perspective that the significantly less extreme Omicron coronavirus variant will let the Fed to hike rates quite aggressively, which will compress valuations.
Investors hope the Fed to sign on Wednesday it plans to raise premiums in March, tightening policy for the 1st time given that it slashed its benchmark right away fascination price to near-zero shortly just after the onset of the pandemic practically two several years ago. go through far more
The S&P 500 index was briefly down much more than 10% so considerably this calendar year on Monday, just before rebounding to conclusion with a yr-to-date decline of just about 8%.
Citi information on trader positioning demonstrate that bearish sentiment was spilling beyond the standard tech counters. U.S. stock limited futures positioning on the S&P 500 index is now at $34 billion, just about 1.5 situations that of extended bets.
A report from BofA Global Investigate confirmed the bank’s retail customers had been buyers of U.S. equities for the 3rd straight week by previous Friday, though institutional consumers and hedge resources ended up sellers.
January has commonly been the strongest month for U.S. equity inflows, led by retail shoppers, BofA’s analysts famous.
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Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Medha Singh and Sruthi Shankar Modifying by Saikat Chatterjee, Tomasz Janowski and Paul Simao
Our Specifications: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.


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Johannesburg - South Africa’s trade deficit narrowed to
R8.9bn in May from a R9.9bn shortfall in April, the South African Revenue
Service said on Friday.
“The (lower) trade deficit ... was mainly due to increased
exports of precious and semi-precious stones, mineral products and machinery
and electrical appliances and increased imports of mineral products and
machinery and electrical appliances,” Sars said.
Exports rose by 20.4% month-on-month to R62.8bn in May while
imports increased by 15.6% to R71.7bn, Sars data showed.
Economists surveyed by Reuters expected a shortfall of
R5.4bn for May but the data is volatile and hard to forecast.
Said Standard Chartered analyst Razia Khan: “The expectation
had been that after a few months of very negative data, we were overdue some
sort of correction...not so. South African trade comes in worse than expected -
and following on from last week’s current account deficit release, which also
surprised negatively, it will weigh on sentiment.
“Not only was Q1 a bad quarter for trade, Q2 looks like it
may be even worse.
“The contrast with the same period last year is telling. Of
course, dividend outflows also had a significant role to play in the Q1 current
account deficit widening.
“And while the trade data does not usually move the market,
and the rand is influenced (more positively) by bigger factors today, the
emerging trade picture cannot be shrugged off entirely.”
The rand was firmer at R82264 against the dollar at 12:13
GMT, mainly tracking a stronger euro, from R8.2399 before the data was released
at 12:00 GMT. The yield on the 2015 bond was steady at 6.01% as was that for
the 2026 issue at 7.945%.
The trade account
recorded its first annual surplus in seven years in 2010 but swung back into
deficit last year as rising imports outweighed export receipts.
This weighed on the current account, which widened to 3.3%
of GDP in 2011 from 2.8% in 2010, but is starting to train its sights on its
poor but fast-growing African cousins as turmoil in Europe slashes exports to
its traditional markets.


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Toyota Camry Gets A Top-To-Bottom MakeoverThe redesigned 2015 Camry, unveiled Tuesday at the New York Auto Show, is longer and wider, with a more aggressive design.
Insurance Group Cites 115 Top Auto Safety PicksAn insurance industry group named a record 115 vehicles as "top safety picks" Monday, including the new versions of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
Sales Of Midsize Cars Shrink As Buyers Go SmallerYou can't drive far without seeing a Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or Ford Fusion. Midsize sedans have been America's favorite cars for decades.
Utah Police: Sticky Accelerator On Toyota Camry Likely Caused Fatal Crash


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...and nine million bicycles in Bejing
Qualcomm beancounters are projecting sales of 175 million to 225 million 5G smartphones in 2020 with more than 450 million in 2021.
At least for downloads
Speed testing giant Ookla has shown that the early 5G mobile networks are more than 450 percent faster than older ones – at least on downloads.
Not up to snuff
5G suppliers and telcos are rapidly discovering that the bleeding edge tech is haemorrhaging bugs.
Halo, how are you? Can you tell me your name?
Customers of UK ISP BT (EE) can from today adopt the provider’s new converged “Halo” and “No Limits” plans, which brings together its 5G mobile and fixed-line home broadband (FTTC, FTTP, G.fast) networks.
It will be the world's largest supplier
Qualcomm said it expects 200 million 5G smartphones to be sold in 2020 and that will make it the world’s largest supplier of mobile phone chips.
Hundreds of engineer jobs
The former maker of rubber boots Nokia has hired hundreds of engineers in Finland this year to speed up its 5G development.
Post-Brexit we will need everything on the cheap
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to grant China’s Huawei access to the UK’s future 5G telecoms network, the Sunday Times reported.
Swift roll out must have a common approach
An EU paper outlining the bloc's 5G plans suggest the region should become the leading market for deployment of 5G mobile networks because the technology was the key for enhancing the bloc’s competitiveness.
Spends $27 million on it
Chipzilla has just bought shedloads of 5G software, despite closing down its own 5G modem business.
2.2B covered by the end of 2020
Part of the recent chat we had with Cristiano Amon president of Qualcomm and Executive Vice President of BMW, Dr. Christoph Grote, included Cristiano’s confirmation that by the end of 2020 2.2 billion people will have 5G coverage.


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Foreman Haloon Hoofah from Queens remembers “riding the yellow bus” and seeing the dinosaurs on his first school trip. Photographs by Margie Smith Holt.
The tulips are blooming
Hyundai has issued a recall for more than 215,000 of its model year 2013-14 Sonata vehicles due to concerns with the vehicles’ fuel systems.
The source of the concern is the vehic
Amazon is now offering Ninja NF701 Professional XL Food Processor for $139.99 shipped. Regularly $170, this model just hit Amazon over the last month or so and is now $30 off the going rate, yie
They are one game away from taking Nottingham Forest into the Premier League for the first time in almost a quarter of a century.
It is already a remarkable story bearing in mind this team
New Jersey, USA,- The research study on the worldwide Concrete Placing Booms market equips you with detailed and accurate analyses that may facilitate your strengthen your market position.
Los Angeles, USA:The Verified Market Report provides an encyclopedic study of the global Truck-mounted Concrete Pumps market, along with a holistic insight into the important factors and aspects
Lawmakers in New York passed a bill that bans some types of cryptocurrency mining that rely on carbon-based fuel during an early morning session of the state’s senate on Friday, a move that se
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Sen. Dawn Buckingham speaks during the Save America Rally, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Conroe.
Attorney General Ken Paxt


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Google’s Self-Driving Car Will Include Gesture Based Controls To Make Your Life Easier (Video)
Oct 07, 2013 10:26
Google wants to make its own car, but before that happens, they've patented gesture control in cars. Their sensor laden self driverless car prototypes will now learn to recognize your hand movements.
The company filed for a patent for a system that can read hand motion via a ceiling mounted depth camera and a laser scanner. It uses your gestures to control various features inside the car without having to push the buttons or even use your voice.
Google has already acquired hand gesture recognition app startup Flutter, that will be used to control Mac and PC functions.
Check out how hand sensors are insanely accurate. A nice welcome to cars of the future? What do you think?
Technology has come on leaps and bounds over the past few decades, but there is just one that is going to change the face of the earth within the next one, driverless cars. It may still seem like a thing of fantasy and science-fiction now, but within so many big companies pushing what’s possible. There’s Google, Intel, Uber, Volvo, Audi, Tesla and a whole host of other world-dominators. Read more
Just a few years ago, the majority of cars were manuals. Automatic gearboxes were seriously expensive and a luxury only the wealthy could afford. Over time, as with so many other things, prices came down, and automatic cars went mainstream, especially in the US. Today, most people drive an automatic, something that was unthinkable forty years ago, just like it was unthinkable that most people would have airbags. But it happened, nonetheless. Read more
It’s a sad fact that car accidents are very common all around the world, and one of the leading causes of death, even in developed nations. It’s also an unfortunate fact that the large majority of traffic collisions are caused by human error in some way. While most people will stick to road laws and drive carefully, there’s no such thing as a perfect driver. Here are some of the most common causes of car accidents, and how you can avoid them. Read more


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Cryptocurrency industry figures were celebrating a tech innovation of a different kind this week after the Bitcoin network transmitted what many are calling the first space meme.
A Meme To ‘Go Down In History’
The latest first to come from Bitcoin development company Blockstream’s Satellite network, an unknown source sent the developer known as grubles an encrypted Pepe meme via the Lightning Network-powered setup.
Pepe, which has endured online and even offline as a popular – albeit not always positive – meme, appeared for grubles in the guise of Bitcoin Car Talk podcast presenter Mikeinspace.
The latter’s Twitter account is now known as ‘1st Pepe In Space.’
“This would be the first Pepe to be transmitted exclusively via satellite, and so it’s fitting that the card relates to (Mikeinspace),” an accompanying transaction message reads.
— grubles (@notgrubles) February 27, 2019
The gesture gained immediate fame, with open source library and information resource Messari revealing Pepe was its most popular summary for February 28.
“Pretty sure this is going to be in the history textbooks for kids to study in Meme class,” Blockstream CSO Samson Mow added on Twitter.
Blockstream Tweaks Internetless Bitcoin Transactions
As Bitcoinist reported, Blockstream Satellite broadcast its first message from outer space in January, in the form of a piece of text from an unnamed developer sent to grubles.
The implementation currently covers around 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, Blockstream aiming to expand it in order for anyone on the planet to send a Bitcoin transaction without internet access.
“Fees are paid using Lightning testnet (yes, that means free broadcasts!) and after a period of successful testing, the satellite API will switch to mainnet to become one of the world’s first bitcoin-powered satellite services,” the company confirmed revealing its user-oriented beta version in January.
Blockstream already offers various options for Bitcoin users interested in participating in the satellite network. Its official website tracks sent and queued satellite broadcasts, which are publicly visible.
What do you think about the Blockstream Pepe transmission? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock.