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Golden goodbye for battered Biffa's boss
Biffa's bumpy first year on the stock market, in which the dustbins group produced a shock profit warning and held secret takeover talks with a private-equity consortium, has ended with news that the man who has run the company for 16 years is leaving.
Martin Bettington, 55, Biffa's £1m-a-year chief executive, said he will go in March. He will get a pay-off equating to eight months' pay, bonus and generous pension contribution. No successor is in place.
Bettington's departure comes with the Biffa share price yo-yoing as it emerged it rebuffed a takeover offer from Montagu Private Equity and Hg Capital lodged in early September.
Biffa's shares and Bettington's credibility were damaged in the City by a 40% slide in Biffa's value after it warned it had been struggling with the competition for local private sector waste contracts.
After last year's demerger from Severn Trent, Biffa has been expected to be the target of a £1bn-plus takeover either from private equity or from French giants Suez and Veolia.
The company today reported a marginal rise in pre-tax profits in the half-year to the end of September to £42m on revenues up 5% at £395m. The interim dividend is increased nearly 10% to 2.3p.
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ITU TSB highlights contribution of collaboration in smart mobility
During the annual Geneva International Auto Show, Chaesub Lee, director of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB), described the ongoing collaboration between ITU, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and industry players (e.g. Volkswagen Group, Blackberry, China’s Telematics Industry Application Alliance) in shaping international standards for smart transportation systems. He emphasised how collaboration in standardisation can build mutual trust, necessary for any future development in the field of driverless vehicles. Read the Geneva Internet Platform’s reports from the Symposium on the Future Networked Car, held on 7 March 2019 as part of the Geneva Motor Show.

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With payments security threats ever on the rise and bad actors lurking around every digital corner, many wonder if biometrics is ready to go mainstream in payments.
Biometrics have grown increasingly popular among Americans and Eurpoeans, who have embraced the technology in smartphone and banking technology.Today, a little over one-third (35%) of consumers say they regularly use fingerprint recognition and everyone else has at least heard of it or used it one or two times.
In India, biometrics has been leveraged on an even greater scale, with over 1 billion Indian consumers having established a digital identity with the government. These consumers are able to use a photograph along with iris scan recognition and fingerprinting to collect social welfare payments. To hit registrations at this level took under a decade, allowing the government to relatively quickly acquire tools to uniquely identify every citizen. The ramifications of this go beyond identification, however, and serve as ground zero for financial inclusion and digital payments.
The reality is that biometrics is really starting to gain ground in mainstream payments. Consumers are more comfortable, spurring more organizations, fintechs, and banks to leverage biometric technology as a part of the payment process.
Just how widespread is biometric adoption? Juniper Research Study reports that mobile biometrics will authenticate $2 trillion in remote and in-store payments in 2023 — a massive increase from the $124 authenticated in 2018. Most of this growth is predicted to come from mobile commerce transactions that can be biometrically verified, which should represent more than half (57%) of all biometric transactions by 2023. That’s more than double the 28% of biometrically-verified mobile commerce transactions from 2018.
Smartphones will contribute greatly to this growth as the grand majority (90%) of smartphones currently in circulation can support facial recognition that is software-based and 80% are able to complete voice-authenticated payments. While roughly 5 billion smartphones are projected to be in active use in 2023, more than 1.5 billion of them are forecasted to use software-based biometrics.
Another study reported that well over half (61%) of consumers consider biometrics a faster, more efficient way to pay than other traditional methods and 57% think that biometric payment verification will enable more convenient smartphone shopping experiences than can be had on traditional desktops.
Biometrics are ideal for security as they are foundational to better anti-fraud tools without sacrificing the customer experience. Lower levels of friction along with a growing adoption rate makes it imperative that innovative companies engage with biometric solutions to drive improved security and a better customer experience.
While passwords are not dead, they are a dying breed. Consumers are not happy with the friction caused by passwords or by the ineffectiveness as illustrated by data breach headlines. Instead, consumers are interested in solid security without the interruptions. Biometrics offer visible security without hindering the purchase flow. Consumers are smart and they understand that biometrics are a secure method for payment authorization. That said, the type of biometrics still matters to consumers. While seemingly comfortable with fingerprint recognition, voice recognition actually ranks lower than passwords in consumers’ perspectives.
The opportunities for biometrics and payments are endless. Fingerprint recognition is the most widespread biometric technology in use, though others like voice, facial, and heartbeat pattern recognition are not far behind. Some banks are looking into how fingerprint recognition may be used instead of PINs for contactless card payments. One estimate shows a predicted 579 million biometric payment cards will be in use by 2023. Other research studies report that more than half (54%) of UK consumers are open to using biometric cards made available by their bank.
In other cases, we have seen established financial service providers partnering with fintechs to move biometric authentication from smartphones to cards. On a global level, financial institutions are looking to test deviceless biometric payments, removing the need for a device at all. Instead, consumers pay with “who they are” using fingerprint recognition or other biometric markers to authenticate. For example:
Payments security has made great strides through biometrics. As data breaches still capture headlines and other cases of financial fraud being perpetrated by bad actors, biometric technology is a strong way to secure transactions. It’s not a silver bullet, but it does offer enhanced security as well as improved customer experience.
Continued growth and adoption will require additional investments in garnering consumer trust. This means real demonstrations of the ability for companies to use biometrics to securely collect and handle consumer biometric data. Additionally, the formulation of global standards around the storage, sharing, and usage of biometric data would go a long way in building trust and establishing guidelines for all players involved.


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A Little Lost?
You're stuck on the freeway, and the only view ahead is a sea of bright-red brakelights. Should you take the next offramp or stick it out? Mapopolis.com's ClearRoute service might be able to beam turn-by-turn answers to your wireless Pocket PC.
Traffic flow and other real-time street data are being generated by cameras, in-road sensors and other sources in a growing number of locales, and uploaded by aggregators like Navigation Technologies and Traffic Cast. They combine this data with other information so companies like Mapopolis.com can broadcast detailed verbal and visual driving directions to your Pocket PC for $200 per year. You'll also need a $200 GPS transceiver, which Mapopolis.com can sell to you, as well as cell service from providers like AT&T Wireless, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile or Verizon, which also sell wireless Pocket PC models. Other companies, like TrafficGauge (www.trafficgauge.com), sell directions-only handhelds for less but cover fewer areas.
ClearRoute service is available in the 100 busiest metro areas, says Mapopolis.com's vice president, Jeremy Straub, and will spread to other areas as real-time road data becomes available. Eventually, says Straub, directions will be beamed to GPS-equipped cell phones, too.


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When it comes to hybrid propulsion, the first name that comes to people’s mind will always be Toyota. That being said, the brand has recently revealed its latest model to have this technology and it is not something that you get to see running beside you on the highway.
Dubbed as 2017 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, this LMP1 is based on last year’s TS050 Hybrid but has been redesigned completely that the only similarity is the basic carbon-monocoque chassis. Powering this endurance racing prototype is the twin-turbo 2.4-liter V6 engine, which when coupled to the electric motor, is capable of 8-megajoules (2.2 kWh). While it may initially appear to be the same engine as last year, this one has been redesigned from the ground up.
The engine is not the only one that experienced a modification as the entire vehicle itself has been reshaped in order to comply with the different changes on the regulations. In particular, vehicles are required to be designed to run a bit slower compared to the previous year’s model in order to improve safety. The design delivers low downforce when running at higher speeds on the circuit with the expectation of offering a higher downforce for the more technical tracks.
Officially unveiled last week at Monza, Toyota said that it will participate in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship and will even headline the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This new model’s nearest competitor would be the 919 Hybrid from Porsche considering that Audi is not likely to join and Nissan can hardly keep up. While Toyota has won the FIA World Endurance Championship back in 2014, it managed to almost get the top prize in last year’s Le Mans. Fans are expecting Toyota to give it more than the usual in order to get to the top of the podium and beat out its German rivals.
To make this possible, the brand made sure to get the best drivers behind the wheel of the new TS050. Names that have been revealed include former Formula 1 race car drivers in the likes of Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson, and Kamui Kobayashi, Kazuki Nakajimi. Joining the roster as well are Stéphane Sarrazin, a veteran of the Le Mans, and Nicolas Lapierre, LMP2 champion. Yuji Kunimoto, Mike Conway, as well as touring-car champ José María López, are expected to appear as well.
The first TS050 Hybrid racing car was made specifically for the FIA World Endurance Championship under the 2016 Le Mans Prototype rules. This model was the immediate successor of the TS040 Hybrid, which is the same one the brand used for the 2014 FIA WEC and even the 2015 FIA WEC. The TS050 Hybrid was officially unveiled on March 24, 2016 at Circuit Paul Ricard. The two-year gap is mainly due to the 2-year cycle policy that Toyota follows.


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CIRCUSOL: Solar power business models towards a circular economy in…
The Norwegian solar energy cluster invited CIRCUSOL to a webinar on 15 April 2021 in which Tom Rommens, the coordinator of CIRCUSOL presented the work done in the project.
What does the circular economy mean in the solar energy industry? Even though solar energy is emission-free and involves little encroachment on nature in Norway, solar panels must also be produced, and in a few decades, the projects we are building today will be a waste. It is a special challenge for the solar energy industry that waste streams are so far in the future. Further, than mobile phones, but also further than e.g. electric car batteries. Maybe a plant will stand for 20-40 years, and even then there may be room for a second-hand market. Most players in the industry exist shorter than the products they deliver will last. How to contribute to the circular economy may be unclear to many. At the same time, we have players in Norway who produce constituents in solar cells. How do they contribute to the circular economy and can European production contribute to more circular business models?
Tom Rommens, VITO, project coordinator for the CIRCUSOL project.
Sean Erik Foss, Head of Solar Energy at IFE. IFE has received support for the Circle PV project for the opportunities to develop circular value chains for solar energy.
Trude Nysæter, head of sustainability at REC: What does the circular economy in solar energy look like, from the perspective of a Norwegian raw material producer? Can manufacturers in Europe contribute to the circular economy?
Tord Dale, Head of Sustainability at Virke. Can the solar energy industry learn from other industries? How can consumers be drivers? And what must one think about in production to make the circular economy possible?


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Reports at Consumer Affairs.com say that at least one of these companies had already agreed to change their can-cellation policies after numerous investi-gations from various states regarding improper cancellation procedures.
A recent article at Consumer Affairs.com (December 13, 2006) notes that AOL and the State of Florida reached an agreement regarding complaints about the company's billing issues and membership charges. AOL agreed to forgive any customer debts regarding issues the Attorney General's office was investigating, including cancellation requests that were not honored and reactivation of accounts without the customer's authorization. The state began its investigation of AOL after receiving over 1,000 complaints about the company's practices.
In addition to the settlement with Florida, AOL reached an agreement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in August, 2005, that AOL would change incentives offered to customer service representatives who tried to convince subscribers not to cancel their service.
Up to that point, AOL had a bonus system for rewarding employees who managed to convince a certain number of customers to continue with AOL despite the customer requesting cancellation of services. In fact, AOL even had minimum retention percentages which customer service representatives were expected to meet. In some cases, customer service representatives reported subscribers as "saved" (meaning they had decided not to cancel) without the subscriber's consent.
The agreement was only binding in New York but it was hoped that the settlement would help customers across the country that had problems canceling their AOL services. Terms of the agreement included:
- Eliminating requirements that customer service representatives meet a certain number of "saves" in order to earn a bonus;
- Recording all cancellation requests and verifying that the cancellation was carried out;
- Refunding charges to New York customers who paid extra due to AOL's cancellation procedures; and
- Paying $1.25 million to the state of New York for penalties and costs.
Back in September, 2003, AOL reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission agreeing to process cancellations in a timely manner and stop billing customers that cancelled their services. However, based on the number of investigations by various states and the number of complaints at Consumer Affairs.com, AOL has continued its policy of making cancellations as difficult as possible.


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It happened in January of this year in a rural property in Fielding, NZ, where the Manawatu Police Department received several complaints about loud noise and disturbance in a local residence. In its initial visit, the Police found a firearm at the site, which made them open a formal investigation.
This time with a search warrant, the Police returned to the site and found something that they never imagined. “It’s one of the most significant indoor cannabis operations discovered in the past ten years,” said Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson from the Manawatu Police Department.
According to the Police report, they found more than 1,000 cannabis plants in the house, 17.5 pounds of buds, 556 grams of bagged weed, 19 grams of methamphetamine, and more than 800,000 New Zealand dollars (about half a million US dollars). The house had everything needed for a successful and technified indoor cannabis grow: potting mix, irrigation systems, pumps, filters, chemicals, fertilizers, drying racks, heat lamps, fans, two freezers to store product, and a shipping container to stock all the gear.
Upon his discovery, the 44-year-old man did not resist the raid or his capture. Instead, he was surprisingly open with the authorities about his operation. He even told them that he sold a pound for 3,600 NZD. The Manawatu Police Department stated that the man was the main supplier of major cities in the region. They estimate that he sold about 48 kilos every year, making about 380,000 NZD in revenue.
This week, the man pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis for supply, cultivating cannabis, and possessing methamphetamine. He is expected to receive his sentence in September. His wife, 46, pleaded not guilty to the same crimes and will face court in August.
In New Zealand, cannabis possession can land a person a $500 fine, while manufacturing and supplying it can go for as much as 14 years in prison. Still, the country will face a cannabis legalization and control referendum in September, where the future of legal cannabis, and probably this man, will be decided.
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A big wooden sign informs commuters that coffee is coming soon to the storefront at 4574 Centinela Ave. in LA. Upon closer inspection, the name of the new shop will be Sachi. Their website promises a “welcoming space influenced by Japanese culture and values- devoted to offering high quality coffee and food, stylish vintage clothing, healthy potted plants, and local artisan products”.
It looks like specialty coffee purveyor Alfred is expanding in Brentwood. Just a few storefronts away from their location on the corner of Montana and San Vicente, paper has gone up on the front of the space at 11928 San Vicente Blvd. announcing that a branch of Alfred Tea Room is moving in. Not sure when they’re opening, but I’ll keep watching…
Famished students at UCLA now have a new dining option… Billing itself as Japanese izakaya, Kopan Ramen recently opened its doors at 1091 Broxton Ave. in Westwood. With a smattering of locations across the Southland, Kopan offers a menu of customizable ramen, bowls, and bibimbob.
I first noticed that something was happening to the space at 2524 Pacific Ave. in Venice back in February of last year. A sign on the front informed us that a new organic, plant-based deli was moving in. As it turns out, the deli is a project of a familiar name, Chef and restaurateur Matthew Kenney. A little over a year later, the new deli, whose name is New Deli, will open April 15th (according to Plant Based News) with a selection of coffee, juice, beer, wine, and sundries.
It wasn’t that long ago that Santa Monica Canyon staple, Sam’s by the Beach went belly up in its location at 108 W Channel Rd. Since then, I’ve been watching to see what would take over the location. An ABC application posted on the front lists the new business as Mason. According to the application, the people behind Mason are Change the Channel LLC. I’ve tried to dig up more information on the mysterious enterprise, but there’s not much out there yet, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
Update: Check out a reader’s reply below for more info… Thanks R.W.
I can’t tell you why it took so long (I first told you about construction back in August of 2016)… And I can’t confirm any of the wildly imaginative conspiracy theories that some of you offered as explanation… But what I can tell you is that Wall St Pizza has finally thrown open its doors at 11955 W. Washington Blvd. in Culver City.
I recently noticed an ABC application announcing that Orange County’s natural/organic powerhouse Mother’s Market & Kitchen is taking over the old Fresh & Easy space at 1700 Rosecrans Ave. in Manhattan Beach. Apparently, this is part of a greater push into LA County that has also resulted in the recent opening of a branch in Signal Hill. Expect a “wide selection for specialized diets, top quality local and organic produce, [and] the county’s largest selection of supplements”, as well as a “beer and wine eating place”.
Update: Mother’s opens on March 16th.


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Imported Tyre Manufacturers’ Association Trading as the International Tyre Manufacturers’ Association
Knowledge is power!
With more than 200 tyre brands being sold in the fiercely competitive UK and European market, it’s vital for tyre manufacturers operating in Europe’s marketplace to be as fully informed as possible on the many everyday challenges.
Product performance, environmental impact and labelling demands are just some of the key issues where regulations affect manufacturers’ entire design, production and distribution efforts, so access to timely information is critical.
As the number of these regulations increases and they also become more complex in their nature, it’s easy to see why more manufacturers are turning to the support and guidance of ITMA who’s membership includes many well known brand names.
The latest list of Top 20 tyre manufacturers includes nine International Tyre Manufacturers Association (ITMA) members, underlining the association’s value to the global industry. ITMA members achieving top 20 manufacturer status were: Sumitomo, Yokohama, Maxxis, Giti, ZC Rubber, Toyo Tires, … Read more


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European Shipowners Welcomes EPA
The European Union (EU) and Japan signed the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement during the 25th EU-Japan summit in Tokyo. The European Shipowners welcome the signing of a highly ambitious trade agreement between two of the world's largest economies.
“At a time that unilateralism and protectionism are rising, the EU and Japan are sending a strong message in support of free, fair and rules-based trade”, said European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA)' Secretary General Martin Dorsman.
The agreement with Japan will remove the vast majority of customs duties that cost EU companies exporting to Japan EUR 1 billion a year and will lead to a substantial increase of the EU exports to Japan.
“It also contains obligations to maintain open and non-discriminatory access to international maritime services such as transport and auxiliary services, as well as access to ports and port services,” Dorsman reiterated.
“Shipping needs global trade to exist and global trade cannot exist without an efficient shipping industry. Around 90% of world trade in goods is carried by the international shipping industry and European shipowners control 40% of the world’s merchant fleet and operate shipping services all over the world,” he concluded.
European Shipowners look forward to the quick ratification by the European Parliament and the Japanese Diet and the efficient implementation of this agreement.


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The Moss Adams Apparel Market Monitor shows that public companies, with the exception of the Youth Lifestyle category, continue to outperform the overall stock market. Previews of Agenda WMNS at Long Beach, Agenda NYC and Agenda Vegas. Now on Industry Insight.
Important industry customer Zumiez said this afternoon that November same store sales increased 8.4%, significantly better than the 3.1% consensus increase predicted by stock analysts.
The strong November is a good indicator that Zumiez will have a good holiday season on top of a robust back-to-school period.
The company also released third quarter earnings. Here’s a quick summary of the results:
Net sales: up 13.3% to $154 million
Same store sales: up 6% vs. a 14.4% increase the same period last year
Net income: up 14.8% to $14.1 million.


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Since last week, more and more evidence is piling up regarding the Mi A2, Xiaomi’s second Android One phone. Last week, a video of the handset appeared on YouTube channel PimpiTronic, managed by a Spanish duo. That clip has since been taken down but has ignited hopes of an Mi A2 launch amongst fans of the series.
Now, the handset has been put through its paces on AnTuTu courtesy of the same two Spanish guys who have the channel. The AnTuTu scores were posted by them on their website and some specs were also revealed on there. The AnTuTu listing, in particular reaffirms the code name of the Mi A2 that is Jasmine. For more hands-on images and specs, you can visit their website.
Gizchina News of the week
Now the AnTuTu listing brings us nothing new but it is one more addition to the piling evidence that the phone is close to release. Speaking of which, two days back, the Mi A2 was listed on a retail e-portal of Switzerland. Not only did it reveal the prices it also mentioned that the sales would kick off on August 8. As for the prices, it was astonishingly on the higher side with the base variant (4GB + 32GB) starting at 289 EUR (Rs.22,800 approx.). The 4GB + 64GB variant is priced 329 EUR (Rs.26,000 approx.) while the 6GB + 128GB costs 369 EUR (Rs.29,100 approx.).
It is thought that Indian pricing would differ a lot from this European price tag, however, right now we simply don’t have any confirmation of the handset launching anywhere from Xiaomi.


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The company which is attending the Global Food Safety Conference in Nice, France, this week says its digital codes have recorded over half a million consumer interactions with their platform during a 24-hour period, peaking above 1,800 API calls (Application Program Interface) per minute.
Serialization is the process of assigning a unique identifier to individual products applied to a product or packaging through any kind of carrier, like a human readable code, a QR code or NFC.
It allows companies to verify the products consumers buy are authentic and provides brands complete supply chain visibility to track each individual unit in real time.
Christine Akselsen, CEO, Kezzler, said the milestone is thanks to 16 years work helping to solve real world problems such as counterfeit goods, unauthorised distribution, changing regulatory requirements and the need to build consumer trust.
“Kezzler meets these challenges by digitalising billions of individual products in the supply chain. Our focus remains on achieving this in a way that promises high flexibility and scalability with low operational burden,” she said.
Kezzler’s technology is deployed by global brands for example; from Reckitt Benckiser and Pfizer Viagra in Asia to Mondelēz Toblerone in Europe and Honeywell in the US.
In November last year, Kezzler and Amcor partnered with Mondelēz to launch a Toblerone campaign that deployed technology to elevate the consumer product experience.
During the campaign consumers were able to record a special video message for their intended recipient that was linked to their individual chocolate bar via a unique ID, enabling personalized gifting.
Every Toblerone bar included in the campaign came with a QR code that had a unique identity. The 360g Toblerone bars also came with custom sleeves such as ‘To my Mom’, ‘To my BFF’, and ‘To Grandma’.
Cadbury Milk Tray
By scanning the QR code using their phone consumers were able to record a personalized video message for the person they wanted to gift it to. When the recipient then scanned the same code they could view the message and could share it on social media.
The Toblerone campaign followed a similar initiative in February 2018 when Kezzler and Amcor rolled out a Valentine’s Day campaign with Mondelēz, using the MaXQ digital packaging system on boxes of Cadbury Milk Tray across 133 UK Tesco stores.
The promotion, which asked consumers “what would you say with Milk Tray?” led to an increase in sales of 7%.
Finally Brady industrial and safety printing systems partnered with Kezzler and Honeywell on its Refrigerant Brand Protection program, labeling and tracking to combine an anti-counterfeiting platform for Genetron 134a refrigerant.
Genetron 134a refrigerant can be used in automotive, commercial and industrial air conditioning, and refrigeration applications.
To combat counterfeiting, Brady provides secure label design services, layered anti-counterfeit materials, serialized label converting, and controlled supply chain distribution through one of its NASPO-certified facilities.
It turned to Kezzler for its real-time serialization code to give each product a digital identity and Honeywell for its security tags and detection devices.
As a result of the initiative, nearly 3,500 containers of counterfeit Genetron 134a products were seized by local law enforcement in Saudi Arabia in 2013.
Initially, this program was developed specifically for the Genetron 134a products in the Middle East, but has since expanded globally.
“Counterfeit products, particularly when it comes to refrigerants, are a dangerous and costly problem for manufacturers, distributors and consumers around the world,” said Dennis Polinski, global product manager, Brand Protection, Brady.
“To combat hazardous replications, it’s essential to establish and sustain a strong brand protection approach.”
The companies jointly developed a specialty label that is applied to the top of the product cylinder and is easily seen or scanned.
The label had various levels of authentication, including a proprietary machine-readable covert taggant containing a unique signature in the form of an Over Print Varnish (OPV).
It was also tamper evident to eliminate illegal removal and reuse, and contains a unique QR barcode and tracking serial number provided by Kezzler.
“With contributions from Brady, Kezzler and Honeywell Authentication Technologies, we were able to leverage each company’s expertise to create a technology that aligned with the product’s needs,” said Garth Zambory, business development manager, Honeywell.
“This labeling and tracking program was a much needed resolution, especially considering the large volume of the product manufactured and shipped globally.”


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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - On the same day that Ford Motor Co said it would be able to produce only half as many cars as planned due to a global chip shortage, Apple Inc announced blowout quarterly earnings as smartphone and computer sales soared, with the chip shortage having only a small impact on its business.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany has boomed on the back of globalisation, but now the worldwide web of supply chains that turbo-charged its economy could prove a critical weakness.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Encrypted chat app Signal suggested in a blog post published on Wednesday that products sold to law enforcement from Israeli surveillance provider Cellebrite can easily be sabotaged.
US President Joe Biden’s plan to put two progressive antitrust scholars in top positions signals an aggressive approach to combating corporate consolidation and monopoly power, especially that wielded by technology giants such as Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc.
The power cuts have highlighted the energy cost of cryptocurrencies at a time when global interest in virtual cash is booming and bitcoin, the original and most popular virtual currency, is gaining acceptance among mainstream investors.
It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. The pop star linked a news article in a tweet drawing attention to the massive farmer protests that have gripped India for more than two months.
Indian Government muzzles Twitter as Rihanna, Greta Thunberg add celebrity support for farmer protests
Social media platform Twitter is the eye of a political storm in India after the federal government came down hard on it for unblocking accounts supporting the long-running protests by farmers.
From Washington to Beijing, governments are trying to strike the right balance between enabling technology innovation and preventing giants like Google and Facebook Inc from suffocating rivals. Now India is experimenting with a framework for financial technology that’s certain to provide lessons worldwide – succeed or fail.
SenseTime and Megvii, the most valuable Chinese AI unicorns worth US$7.5bil and US$4bil respectively, were added to the US Entity List in October last year. In 2019, surveillance was the biggest single end-use for AI in China, accounting for 53.8% of all AI-powered applications.
As Vietnam prepares for its National Congress in January – a time known for clampdowns of government critics – it is also rolling out a controversial cybersecurity bill.


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2015.04.16 LINE App
Adds Extra Layer of Security for All LINE Users with Customized Security Settings Starting from Hong Kong
Tokyo, Japan– April 16, 2015 – LINE, the world’s leading life platform with 181 million monthly active users globally, has added an additional layer of security with the 2-step authentication feature, aiming to protect LINE users against growing mobile security threats such as account theft and scams.
The new 2-step authentication feature allows users to customize the security level of the messenger by changing the settings for carry over, PIN, and secret questions. The feature launched on April 16 for the first time in Hong Kong. After April 23, Hong Kong users must choose either the Carry Over or Secret Question feature as a mandatory security measure to protect their account.
- Carry Over
– By enabling the Carry Over setting, users can prevent their accounts from being carried over to a new device with a different phone number, which helps protect the account from possible theft.
– Users can set up a PIN to further strengthen the security of their LINE account. A PIN will be required when account access is attempted from other devices.
- Secret Questions
– As an additional measure to protect user accounts from unauthorized logins, secret questions can be set up. When carrying over an account, users will be asked to answer one of three questions that are configured beforehand.
LINE has been prioritizing user security protection and continues to provide necessary measures such as the introduction of PINs and sending security tips to users through the official LINE account. LINE promises to stay fully committed to providing a secure mobile platform that maintains high security standards.


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GCC countries had the largest share of initial public offering (IPO) listings in Mena, accounting for 90 per cent of the capital raised through IPOs in Mena in the first half of the year, with 10 IPOs raising nearly $2.1 billion.
US manufacturing output rose broadly in July and automobile production recorded its largest increase in five years, boosting the economy at the start of the third quarter.
While other data on Friday showed some cooling in factory
Saudi Arabia’s economy is set to grow four per cent this year as its real GDP growth will remain at 3.8 per cent, said a report.
The Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Mena Equity Strategy report pointed out that this &ls
As many as 459 Bahraini students studying in US universities and colleges have contributed $13.5 million to the US economy during 2012-2013.
These estimates are from Carian College Advisors, an education consultancy specialising in US A
The US economy rebounded sharply in the second quarter as consumers stepped up spending and businesses restocked, putting it on course to close out the year on solid footing.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 4.0 per cent annua
Argentina has defaulted on its debt after talks with holdout creditors broke down on Wednesday.
As the clock ticked toward a midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, Economy Minister Axel Kicillof stuck firmly to the government line, repeate
Saudi Arabia's economy is likely to grow 4.6 percent this year, more than previously estimated, helped by a robust performance of the private sector, the International Monetary Fund said.
"Private sector growth is expecte
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry underlined the growing popularity of Islamic finance over the conventional sector in a preparatory report for the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) to be held in Dubai from October 28-30.
Islamic economies are already a significant part of the global economy and are set to become even more important over the next decade, a senior banker has said.
Contrary to popular belief, the Islamic economy is more than just Isl
Qatar’s economy accelerated in the first quarter, driven by strong growth in construction, financial services and trade, restaurants and hotels, said a report.
Qatar real GDP growth accelerated to 6.2 per cent in the year to


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Retailers look to fashion-tech startups to help solve problems; the New York Fashion Tech Lab works with retailers to make partnerships.
Recurring trends, like personalisation and 3D design tools, indicate where the fashion industry is investing in technology.
Overall, fashion-tech is a category on the rise as more solutions for retail crop up.
Among the innovations that are top of mind for legacy retailers: algorithmic personal styling, 3D design tools and amateur fit models.
The New York Fashion Tech Lab acts as a matchmaker between growth-stage tech companies and a group of retailers who pay to sponsor it. The NYFTLab vets potential companies, then participating retailers — who this year include LVMH, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Estée Lauder Companies, PVH Corp, Perry Ellis International and American Eagle Outfitters — collectively interview and vote on the eight that are accepted.
Because of the buy-in from multiple brands at once, the accepted startups and their areas of focus provide insight into retailer pain points at a time when brands are hesitant to reveal weak spots.
“Even before we select and announce each year's cohort, we are able to see clusters of themes via the application process,” says NYFTLab managing director Jackie Trebilcock. In the past, she says, categories like wearables, chatbots, augmented reality and virtual reality and fit-tech have been popular. Some — like wearables — “trail off”, while others — fit-tech, data analytics and visual search — are persistent, in part because no single solution has proven dominant. “No one has figured [fit-tech] out yet. It’s a pain point for consumers and retailers, and because fit is proprietary, it’s hard to standardise,” she says.
Unlike incubators and accelerators, the goal of NYFTLab is not to help launch startups but to bring them together with retailers. Many of the companies selected to participate in the NYFTLab have already graduated from brand-sponsored incubators and accelerators. Farfetch, LVMH, Target, Walmart, Kering, Yoox and Nordstrom are among the many retailers that have experimented with independent startup programmes. Non-fashion programmes like Y Combinator and Plug and Play, meanwhile, are seeing increases in fashion and retail participants.


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The latest news and views about herbal medicine
Home Tags Herbal Medicine
Tag: Herbal Medicine
The use of herbal products and its tremendous effects on human health has been proven. Today, these products which are produced based on modern pharmaceutical knowledge and traditional medicine have a very big effect.
The Damask rose is one of the plants that have numerous properties used in different industries.
A group of Iranian scientists have produced two herbal drugs using lemon balm and saffron extracts that prevent and control the Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Iranian researchers have produced an herbal medicine to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The medicine is currently in the commercialisation stage and will soon be on the market.
Saffron also known as “red gold” or the “king of the world’s spices” has numerous and miraculous properties.
A group of Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company have managed to develop capsules that increase longevity and strengthen the general vigour of the body.
Rosewater is a fragrant liquid highly beneficial for human eyes but before any use, we should make sure about its purity.


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On 8 June, the National Assembly passed the Resolution on ratification of the EVFTA and the EVIPA. The EVFTA was ratified by the EU on 30 March. The EVFTA will enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date on which Vietnam and the EU have notified each other of the ratification.
Accordingly, the EVFTA is expected to come into force by August 2020. The EVFTA will be valid with the UK till the end of 2020 and may be extended for 24 months in accordance with any agreement regarding Brexit between the EU and the UK. Enterprises need to prepare for the implementation of this important free trade agreement by proactively looking at the eligibility of their goods for the applicable rules of origin and considering possible changes to supply chains to benefit from the EVFTA.


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The folks at Gates say the new design offers all the advantages of their existing Carbon Drives, but with 20 percent more tensile strength, a slimmer profile and even better dirt- and debris-shedding.
Fox has revamped its Terra Logic "intelligent" damping system, expanded the Boost Valve to more rear shocks, rethought the Talas travel adjuster, lightened and lengthened the 36 forks, introduced more 29er forks and a new 4-cross/dirt jumping/dual slalom fork model, lightened and beautified the 15QR through axle and added a low-friction coating to its upper fork legs.
Readers ask bike guru Lennard Zinn about running a new suspension fork on a 15-year-old bike as well as an external bottom bracket on an even older rig.
An over-stretched chain will usually wear your cassette and chainrings to the point of incompatibility with a new chain, causing the need for an entirely new drivetrain. Singletrack.com's Zach White takes a look at a new precision chain guage that makes keeping track of your chain easy.
Full-carbon 29ers just keep getting lighter and are appearing more often atop the podium domestically, and, finally, internationally as well. Want proof? World XC champ Nino Schurter and his Scott Swisspower teammate Florian Vogel are checking out two-niners.
Find out the pros and cons of Specialized's Command Post, Crank Brothers' Joplin 4 and Rock Shox Reverb.
Technical editor Zack Vestal tries out the Lazer Tardiz time trial helmet.
Singletrack.com Tech Editor Zack Vestal takes a look at two bars with big backsweep: Ritchey WCS Carbon 10D flat bar and Bontrager Race Lite Big Sweep flat 12 degree handlebar.
SEA OTTER: Singletrack.com's Zach White reports from the Sea Otter Expo area with what's new, improved and just kinda cool.
The question was not "if," but "when" and "how" Shimano would go about creating a 10-speed mountain bike drivetrain. Now those questions have been answered. That's right — at the Sea Otter this week, Shimano finally revealed its 10-speed off-road drivetrain.


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Buyers from the Chinese province of Sichuan are expected to import up to 50 tons of fruit from Laos each year including bananas, pineapples and passion fruit. Lao and Chinese businesses have agreed to further cooperate in conducting a feasibility study on the export of agricultural products to China, with Laos farmers able to sell quality green and clean produce.
A cooperation agreement was signed after the two sides held business matching discussions during the 1st Laos International Food Expo in Vientiane, which ended on Tuesday.
The agreement was signed by Huaye Group board chairman Zhang Qiang and Patuxay Co Ltd president Somsanook Saysanavongphet. Daoheuang Group managing director Sisouphonh Sihalath also signed another agreement with the Huaye Group.
“The content of the agreement signed today focuses on modern processing and the purchasing of fruit for export. China’s Sichuan province is very interested in buying Laos fruit because it is grown organically and our soil has little chemical contamination,” she said.
According to a 2018 report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Laos has about 50,000ha of land available for clean agriculture, said phnompenhpost.com.


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Kotaku reports that the ESRB is thinking about expanding their game ratings to include games sold on the App Store. They realize that evaluating every single game is not feasible, but they may still be underestimating the amount of work they'd be taking on, and it could negatively affect some developers. Quoting: "'ESRB has seen increases in rating submissions each year since its founding and has always been able to keep pace,' the ESRB's Eliot Mizrachi told us. 'We have rated more than 70 mobile games to date and will undoubtedly rate more in the future as the market grows.' Seventy? Over the past, what, four or five years? It's a piddling number when you think of the hundreds of games available through the App Store. Further, many of them are mobile adjuncts to console releases, a different sort of beast from iPhone games. Not all of those need or deserve a rating; but if Apple brings in the ESRB to rate games, with the idea that it'll help parents control what their kids buy for their iPods, then unrated games are likely to be blocked by such filters. The incentive would definitely be there to get a game rated. And what of the cost? Getting a game rated isn't a free service; the ESRB levies a fee that covers the cost of looking through the code and rating the game."
KingofGnG writes "DOSBox, the emulator designed to run DOS games on modern operating systems (and not necessarily on a PC), has been chosen as project of the month for May on SourceForge. It's the latest award granted to a piece of software that 'simply does what it is supposed to do,' as the authors say. After having amassed more than 10 million downloads, it will soon be getting an update that's been awaited for almost two years."
Vulva R. Thompson, P writes: Yeah, yeah, another Vista story. But this one has a twist. After reinstalling Vista Home, the user wasn't able to activate with the key he purchased so he called the activation line: "The Customer Service Manager told me that I could either borrow an XP Home disk from a friend (isn't that software piracy ??) or look online for one of the many Vista Activation cracks to bypass Vista Activation completely...Well, I followed his instructions." Full story here: http://www.overclockers.com/articles1416/
An anonymous reader writes: The (Lafayette, La.) Daily Advertiser reports that the Louisiana Supreme Court today unanimously ruled in favor of Lafayette Utilities System in its fiber to the home legal battle. The city passed a referendum in July 2005 62%-38% to approve bond sales to fund its city-operated utility service's plan to lay fiber-to-the-home throughout the city (population about 112,000). Cox and BellSouth previously delayed it with a suit that failed; this decision is against a resident sued about the use of bond to fund the endeavor. According to LUS, "bonds could be issued in 2-3 months.. Eighteen months after the bonds are issued, some LUS customers could be using fiber." LUS already has paid $3.5 million in legal fees to get to this point.


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MUSE FabLab, the digital fabrication laboratory of the MUSE – Science Museum of Trento, realised protective visors made of biodegradable plastic for the health personnel of the University of Trento, who carried out the Coronavirus diagnostic tests during the pandemic.
The request came from CIBIO, the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrated Biology of the University of Trento, which during the sanitary emergency carried out over a thousand Covid19 diagnostic tests per day. The CIBIO had in fact a specific need: to equip the personnel who analyses the Covid-19 swabs with protective, resistant, safe, functional and reusable visors.
MUSE FabLab staff managed to produce facial screens, washable and reusable with a visor made up of a special transparent "plastic" produced through the fermentation of corn starch. The product has been optimized starting from international models according to the needs of the University centre and it is now freely available from the MUSE FabLab website at this link.
As a result of this first attempt, Gianluca Lopez, designer and maker of the MUSE FabLab has started the Open Dpi project: thanks to crowdfunding, he managed to send more than 500 visors to hospitals and institutions that are carrying out Covid-19 diagnostic tests.
The makers network has indeed shared ideas and technological skills to produce valves, 3D printed masks, stethoscopes and other useful objects for hospitals and healthcare facilities, trying to help them during the Covid-19 pandemic. More information on the MUSE FabLab website.


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Instagram is bringing ads to its Shop feature globally, the Facebook-owned app announced a few weeks after it began piloting the ads with select U.S. brands.
Instagram began testing ads in its Shop tab on Aug. 9 from a select number of U.S. brands, per details emailed to Marketing Dive.
The ads appear as tiles in the app, allowing users to click on items and discover more about the brand. Testing the product is currently limited to several U.S. advertisers, including luggage retailer Away, pet brand Boo Oh, Clare Paint, Deux and Donni Davy.
The debut of ads in its Shop tab are intended to strengthen Instagram's main e-commerce offering, a move that indicates how the online shopping space is heating up, especially for mobile-facing social media companies.
The latest update from Instagram sees the company building out its e-commerce capabilities as it looks to become a stronger contender in the space. Instagram initially rolled out Shop last July in order to provide businesses a centralized selling platform, diverting from previous efforts that required users to follow brands, retailers or influencers in order to browse shoppable posts and stories.
The inclusion of ads on Instagram Shop could also streamline the process of product discovery for mobile marketers. By clicking on an ad tile, a user will be brought to the Product Details Page, which will also display additional items that users can save or share with friends through Instagram's core communicative technology. The ease in which items can be browsed and passed around is one of Instagram's main selling points to potential vendors.
The e-commerce expansion arrives as Instagram looks to grow in multiple spaces, particularly shopping. Last October, the company introduced shopping features to short videos through its Reels platform and livestreams through IGTV. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, further explained the company's motives in a video last month, explaining that it would "no longer [be] a photo-sharing app."
The timing of Instagram's new feature is also notable, given that back-to-school season is beginning and e-commerce is poised to play a significant role. While the brands currently testing the product are mainly non-school-related vendors, Instagram has plans to expand to other advertisers over the next several months, as confirmed to TechCrunch.
As Instagram tries to strengthen its standing in the e-commerce space, so are other social media platforms. TikTok this month announced a partnership with Publicis, which could potentially bring on many of the agency's blue-chip marketers to the platform. Snap is also deepening its e-commerce investment through a recent acquisition of Fit Analytics, a sizing tech company, as the photo-sharing app looks to lean into its AR capabilities to drive its e-commerce business.
Instagram parent company Facebook continues to drive ad revenue through its own platform, having experienced a 56% year-over-year rise in the second quarter, per an earnings call last month. Still, obstacles in tracking — namely Apple's IDFA changes — could impede Facebook's ad business, which may help to explain why it's seeking to evolve into a "metaverse company" in order to meet consumers' increasing interest in digital channels, including e-commerce.
(Source: Marketing Dive Instagram expands Shop tab ads globally, further building out e-commerce potential | Marketing Dive )


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"Handshake across the Himalayas"
India and China will study new ways to ease tensions along their ill-defined border, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday in his first foreign trip since taking office, which comes just weeks after a military stand-off between the Asian giants in the Himalayas. Full Article | Slideshow
Confused while buying stocks? Get buy, sell or hold recommendations from VantageTrade. Full Coverage
WTO chief sees bigger than expected trade contraction
PARIS (Reuters) - World trade volume is likely to contract by a record 10 percent this year, a "huge drop", rather than the 9 pct forecast by the World Trade Organisation in March, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said on Wednesday.
"That's the situation and I'm afraid I can't read any good news in my trade numbers," Lamy told Reuters Television.
Lamy said he was hearing from the WTO's 153 members that they wanted to conclude the long-running Doha round to free up world trade in 2010.
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Zombies? We don't need no stinkin' zombies! Uh, that's probably what developer 15821/vids_1.html" class='autolink'>Capcom Entertainment said when it started work on what has become one of the most anticipated games of the year in Resident Evil 4.
In celebration of the survival horror sequel, IGN has ever since E3 2004 posted a series of direct-feed quality movies designed to take readers through Capcom's demo of the game. And today we continue our coverage.
In our video section viewers can download a two-minute-plus video of Resident Evil 4 in motion, available in 320x240 and 640x480 high-res QuickTime, as well as Windows Media streaming formats. The footage shows off a new area complete with more obsessed villagers.


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Nike files lawsuit against StockX for selling sneaker NFTs
Last Thursday, Nike
“StockX is minting NFTs that feature Nike trademarks in pre-eminent fashion, it promotes them exploiting the Nike brand name, and is selling these NFTs at heavily inflated prices to unsuspecting consumers who believe or are likely to believe that these ‘investible digital assets’ (as StockX calls them) are, in fact, authorized by Nike when they are not,” stated Nike’s lawyers.
Nike has asked the court for damages and interest, and for an injunction compelling StockX to cease selling the NFTs in question.
StockX specialises in new and second-hand sneakers and sportswear, and made its name by creating an auction system, so that product prices are determined by demand. On StockX, sneaker aficionados bid for collectible models, like the mythical Air Jordans, that can end up being traded for sums in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The site is now also selling NFTs, unique digital assets whose provenance is block-chain traceable.
Searching on StockX using ‘NFT’ as key word produces as a result the ‘KAWS Sacai
The site states that its “stock vault NFTs” can be bought and sold on StockX or “redeemed (…) for the real pair stored in our vault.”
In its complaint, Nike described NFTs as a “new, exciting way for brands to interact with their consumers in and out of the ‘metaverse’,” the virtual, augmented-reality parallel universe that is seen as the future of the internet.
However, “this new frontier has swiftly become a virtual playground for counterfeiters (…) [who] use those trademarks without authorization to market their virtual products and generate ill-gotten profits,” Nike added.
According to Nike, StockX has already sold more than 550 NFTs featuring Nike products. Contacted by the AFP agency, neither company has issued a statement for the time being.
Last April, StockX was valued at $3.8 billion, after a funding round worth $255 million. The site recorded a revenue of $400 million in 2020.


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There are two grocery stores in my small town, both represented by the same UFCW Local 555. It's contract negotiation time, which seems to be a better kept secret than Valerie Plame ever was. Not one article in any local newspaper, nothing on the local news. I hope they don't find themselves in a position of needing public support because the public doesn't seem to know they exist. This sort of thing makes it harder and harder to explain to young people why they should pay union dues to get the exact same minimum wage and benefit non-union workers receive, let alone the community who hears the union voice even less.
What that young worker doesn't know are the hurdles the union negotiator has to jump before they can even begin talking about wage increases. The 41 "proposals" Safeway, Fred Meyer and Supervalu bring to the table include:
Future Stores Would Be NonUnion Overtime Would Be Eliminated for over 8 hrs. in a day / 32 in a holiday week and 6th day Christmas Day Would become the company's option
Maximum Pay Of only 60 days in the event of wrongful firing Elimination Of a variety of pay and leave benefits for new hires; management's method of attempting to disillusion new workers by getting old workers to throw them overboard.
It's no wonder novice workers are intimidated and discouraged by the process.
It doesn't have to be that way though. On this very day, the UFCW in New England accepted the Stop & Shop contract with employees receiving a $25 a week raise this year, and $20 next year and the year after. Health care benefits will be extended to part time workers who put in just 15 hours a week.
Costco also announced its wage increase,
"When the raises kicked in March 8, scale for service assistants, such as parking lot attendants, was bumped up to a range between $11 and $18.30 an hour from the $10 to $17.50 previously paid. For service clerks, including cashiers, the scale range increased to between $11.50 and $20 an hour compared with $10.50 to $19.17 before.
At the top of the scale, which typically takes about four and a half years, employees will receive an "extra check" of at least $2,200 every six months.
The last time Costco raised entry-level wages was six years ago. "We always want a wide gap between us and the competition," Coscto's CFO Richard Galanti told the Seattle Post Intelligencer. "It shows in the quality of our employees...It's what our founders want to do in paying a family wage."
These increases came over the loud objection of the leisure class er, stockholders. They continue to demand strict adherence to the belief that "companies should be primarily working for their behalf". I suppose I'd say that too if I could do absolutely nothing and still have the money flow in. A company can't bankrupt itself for the benefit of the employees, no doubt; but neither should they pass the cost of labor on to the taxpayer who subsidize the employees' food, energy, housing and health care.
Truth be told, if they were to consider business health in the long term, they'd realize the economy cannot thrive when 1/3 of all US workers earn less than $11 an hour. Costco is working on the Henry Ford principle, the worker has to earn enough to buy the product. It also might be beneficial for these concerned shareholders to remember how much a strike costs. The 2004 strike in Southern California cost Safeway $412 million dollars. Lifting entry level wages at Costco will only cost $3 million a month. Seems like a smart economic move to me.
Let's hope Local 555 can get Safeway, Fred Meyer and Supervalu to think living wages are the smart move too.


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This week the world is marking the Global Entrepreneurship Week, the first worldwide celebration of enterprise, which aims to unleash young people’s enterprising ideas and address some of society’s biggest issues like poverty.
At the same time on November 19, 2008, In Kigali, Rwanda, through the Legatum Entrepreneurship Prosperity Awards, Africa’s six best Entrepreneurs will be rewarded for their contribution to the continents’ development. They will share a $350,000 (Rwf192.2m.) prize.
To understand what the awards mean to the African society, JOHN GAHAMANYI interviewed ERIC KACOU, Managing Director, On The Frontier (OTF) Group, co-sponsor of the awards together with Legatum, a privately owned international investment group and S.E.VEN a Social Equity Venture Fund. Excepts
Qn. What are the Legatum Entrepreneurship Prosperity Awards?
Ans. These awards are a celebration of the role that entrepreneurs play in creating economic development on the continent. It is important to know that today Africa’s biggest challenge is the source of wealth and it appears that entrepreneurs are a very good source of wealth creation.
And what we are hoping to do through the Legatum Entrepreneurship Prosperity Awards is to recognise those entrepreneurs and make sure that the rest of the world takes notice that we have great businesses in Africa.
And these businesses are evolving beyond making money. They are having a positive impact on their customers, on the owners through the profits they generate and the workers because they train them and also on the future of the continent.
Qn. Looking beyond profit, like you said, do you reward social entrepreneurs as well?
Ans. What we think is important is that, the business of the business has to stay in business—that is to say, we believe that profits are a good thing.
If you look at developed nations, the reason why they have been able to expand is because they have a very vibrant private sector that generates the resources the government needs to actually invest in the capital base of the country.
So, we think social entrepreneurship is good, but we think what is critical in this case is to recognise those businesses that have a very unique way of working.
And that way of working, is what I and my colleagues call the “COWF” model.
What it means is Customers. Do you have great products, are you innovative, are you winning market share, and are you different from your competition
The “O” is owners; do you generate profit and are the people that are sitting in business have a stake in it and is the business sustainable?
The “W” is workers. Are your employees being trained, are they getting the skills that are required for them to be productive.
And the “F” is about the future. In the future, we include both the community, what the business can do to help the community and then the environment.
So what is really important is that we have businesses which focus on the main issue of the business, which is about making profit but that do it in a way which has a positive impact on the society.
Qn. These awards are happening in Rwanda for the second time in a row, what does it mean?
We are very excited for these awards to be happening in Kigali, because one thing that is very clear is that Rwanda has become a symbol for African success. So to be having these awards two times in a row in Kigali also indicates that we are going from one trial last year to tradition.
Qn. How do you select the winners?
It is a long process. To give you some of the facts, we began the process in June of this year. We started by getting applications from different countries.
We got 1,400 plus applications from ten countries. The countries were South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Rwanda.
We had the evaluations and later we had semi finalists. We asked them questions about the business and then we selected the finalists. For the finalists, we went and visited their businesses.
We talked to the owners, we talked to the workers, and customers just to understand what this whole thing was about. To really make sure we understood and got it very right.
And on November 18, here in Kigali there is going to be an independent panel of Judges who are going to decide who the six winners are. The ten finalists will be interviewed.
Qn. There’s only one finalist from Rwanda and yet last year we had three, does it put a question on the competitiveness of Rwanda businesses?
Not real. Look at how we started. Last year the countries that participated were Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.
This year we are having 1,400 businesses registered. If anything the fact that we have a Rwandan finalist in such a diverse group of business which is very competitive, it speaks volumes about the quality of businesses that we have here.
And it may be also an opportunity for us to say something that is very important; this is about competition, about ambition, about one wanting to win.
We invite other businesses in Rwanda to participate, last year for example Gahaya Links didn’t participate, this year they participated and they got the finals. It is not any signal on the quality of business in Rwanda; it is how completive business is getting on the continent.
Qn. What does it mean to Africans and particularly that it is a Global Entrepreneurship week?
Ans. To the Africans it means that when you talk about business in this world, Africa has a voice because if you look at the international media, we have to recognise that Africa gets coverage for bad things like poverty, disease or war.
In this particular case we are cerebrating good news, we are cerebrating success, we are cerebrating people that have managed to do well. When you look at the finalists they are a reflection of the quality of the countries they come from and the private sector.
Qn. Few businesses in Africa celebrate their first anniversary. What is the problem?
Ans. That is phenomenon that is becoming natural worldwide. Even in the US out of the 10 businesses that start, its only one that will see the first year.
It is very difficult to start business, not only in Africa but also in the world, and then we have to recognise that some of the elements that are required for entrepreneurship to flourish on the continents need a business environment that is conducive.
The mind set of the stakeholders, sometimes you find that it is difficult to convince leaders to invest in the private sector, but all in all we have to admit that entrepreneurship is a very difficult thing in the world.


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The Redmi Note 11’s launch has kicked off some serious competition. Realme 9 Pro is coming soon as Oppo’s response and now Infinix is about to unveil its first 5G phone as well.
Infinix Zero 5G is launching around the world soon. It is arriving in India on February 8, so we are expecting to see it in Pakistan by the end of the month. We have seen the phone’s specifications in past leaks, but official teasers have now confirmed them.
The Zero 5G will one-up the Zero X series with the MediaTek Dimensity 900 SoC, which is an upper mid-range chip. The phone is going to be incredibly snappy with UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR5 RAM. It will have support for 13 different 5G bands, but that is irrelevant in Pakistan for a few years at least. These teasers were leaked early courtesy of renowned tipster Abhishek Yadav.
OX 5G smartphone launching on February 08, 2022.
— Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd) January 31, 2022
Thanks to rumors, we know that the handset will have a 6.67-inch 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate over an AMOLED panel. There will be a 48MP camera on the back and the 5,000 mAh battery will charge up fast thanks to 33W wired charging.
The price is expected to be somewhere around Rs. 48,000.
Image credit: XDA Developers


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We just got a call in from our favorite Apple source who says that Apple is going to have a minor update at WWDC for MacBooks and MAcBook Pros. He said he wasn't sure what the minor upgrade was but there was speculation that there might be some sort of 3G hardware built in and/or speed bumps. Again, that part is unconfirmed.
Also, he said there would be a big Pro apps update. Final Cut Pro, Aperture, Logic, Shake should all see significant updates.


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Cisco is hinting that a sharp recovery in the IT market may be on the horizon as its quarterly revenues increased 5 percent, beating expectations, and profits soared a whopping 44 percent.
The strong quarterly financial results shows Cisco’s efforts to refocus the company on core enterprise technologies, including networking, virtualized data centers, cloud computing and security, are paying off. It’s also a positive indication that Cisco’s partner-led channel strategy is opening new opportunities and closing net-new sales.
“In terms of the future, we are making solid progress towards our goal of becoming the #1 IT company in the world. As new markets grow and are created, such as the Internet of Everything, it’s very easy to see how the intelligent network is at the center of that future. Our customers already understand that Cisco has the architectures, solutions and services to best help them deliver the business results they need and we are honored to work with them and serve them each and every day,” said CEO John Chambers, in a statement.
For much of the last two years, Cisco has been sharpening its focus, shedding consumer products such as the Flip video camera, the CIUS tablet and Umi home video conference system. Last month, Cisco sold its last major consumer brand, Linksys, to Belkin for an undisclosed amount.
While Cisco is hinting that government and enterprise spending is behind its surge, it’s also benefiting from a one-time tax incentive worth nearly $1 billion; roughly one-third of the profit posted.
Even removing the tax break from the profit, Cisco’s quarterly earnings remain impressive where rival vendors, such as Hewlett-Packard and Juniper Networks, struggle to maintain pace. HP, in particular, noted a 7 percent drop in networking equipment sales during its last quarterly report.
Part of its new focus, the “Internet of Everything,” Cisco has been on a buying spree. In the last quarter, Cisco used its treasure chest to acquire new enterprise technologies such as BroadHop for carrier management, Cariden Technologies for network planning, Cloupia for data center network management, and Meraki for midmarket cloud networking.
Is Cisco a bell weather for the rest of the IT marketplace and channel? It’s had good quarters since its 2011 restructuring, as well as a few subpar periods. The IT market has been steadily – albeit slowly – improving since the 2008 recession. While many vendors and solution providers are doing well, the rate of growth and profitability are under pressure as services and new technologies disrupt traditional revenue and business models.
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BASF has announced plant to build a specialty amine production plant at its existing wholly-owned site in the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park in Nanjing, China. The plant, which is scheduled to come on stream in late 2015, will have dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA) and polyetheramines (PEA) as the main products.
DMAPA is mainly consumed in the production of betaines, which are used as co-surfactants in personal care products like shampoo and body wash. DMAPA is also used in various other applications including dye-stuff intermediates, lubricant additives, electroplating, coupling agents for rubber and others.
BASF is investing in the amine plant in part due to an increasing consumption of personal care product by the growing middle class in China and Asia. In addition, the facility will strengthen its global production network and complement existing facilities in Germany and the United States for DMAPA and PEA. BASF has manufacturing capacities for both products at its sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and in Geismar, Louisiana.
“BASF is a leading supplier of DMAPA and PEA globally, and this investment reflects our continued commitment to meeting the growing market demand in Asia Pacific,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, president of BASF’s Intermediates division. “Our ability to produce these products within the region will strengthen our supply reliability and better serve our customers with shorter lead times.”


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Retailer, Bijangja Maker Gain Get Graphics Card Price
Johnpaldi Research, a PC Graphics Card Solution Related Market Research Company, said, “The prices of graphics cards will eventually fall into the outside of the consumers.” Starting with the United States and Europe, the graphics card prices fall out of the market in the domestic market.
The representative of John Festival recently has recently launched the graphics expert medium ‘Graphics’, “Corona 19 trend (pandemic), and after the 19-year-old (pandemic), Causes that caused a problem “.
■ “Graphics card average unit price, 2 years rising to $ 300”
John Pedi Revision is a graphical technology related market research company established in 2001. It is widely known as the manufacturer’s market share for external graphics cards that are released every quarter.
According to John Pedi Research, the average price of the desktop PC for the desktop PC is $ 400 (about 480,000 won) in the mid-$ 600 (about 720,000 won) in the mid-$ 700 (about 720,000 won), The rising vertically rising a year.
John Pedi said, “After the graphics card, in 2017, in 2020 and 2021, the cryptographic” is used for the “encryption”, and the price rise and the price rise, I explained that the ship, or he was selling on three times. “
■ “Retailer and exhibition person more than manufacturer”
John Pedi said, “Even if you launch a new game with the latest features, the situation in the spherical graphics card is also angry on the game developer.”
General consumers suspect that in this situation, the Graphics Chipset Manufacturer and Major Graphics Manufacturers of NVIDIAA AMD, and major graphics card manufacturers would have gained many benefits.
However, John Pedi said, “I have given the biggest benefit of the graphics card,” I have given a bigger benefit of the graphics card, such as Amazon, New Egg, Best Bai, such as the Graphic Chipset Manager,
In fact, the Best Vaiza was able to sell the GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics card to those who have entered $ 290,000 (about 240,000 won) and joined the separate membership program ‘Total Tech’.
■ “Consumers do not buy inventory, accumulate and lower the price”
John Pedi explained “I will not have to get up if a consumer is not built, and some of them will find some stocks that have not been sold.”
He also predicted that he said, “This price decline does not happen as fast as consumers, but if it happens, it would be enough to see that exacts of executives to defeat.”
In fact, in the United States, Europe and Australia, the main graphics card prices are still falling from January to January. In the domestic market, the decline in graphics card prices are prominent from the end of March.
According to the 11th price comparison site Danawa, GeForce RTX 3080 TI (12 GB) was 1.5 million won, GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB), and 1.200,000 won, GeForce RTX 3060 (12GB) came down to 600,000 won. It was 10,000 won in 20 days of late March last year.
“The domestic assembly PC market has entered a low season since this month, and now there is no reason to raise graphics card prices,” said the graphics card price is unlikely, “he said.


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There is the growing need for a reduction in the consumption of beauty cosmetics, a Ghana News Agency survey has revealed.
Cosmetic are chemicals obtained from both natural and artificial sources and they are used to enhance the appearance of the skin, hence it is called the makeup.
Madam Pricilla Doku, a beautician at Osu, said the use cosmetics is useful as it covers dark spots on the face and other blemishes on the body.
But, she said, the overreliance on such artificial chemicals could be harmful as some cosmetics contains chemicals that could be harmful to the skin.
Madam Doku said many ladies always want to look beautiful but are not ready to spend money on quality products or seek professional knowledge about the use of cosmetics.
She said they end up buying cheap and fake products which can react negatively to their skin and some also go online for tutorials and end up buying the products they see forgetting that, the type of makeup product one uses depends on your skin.
Madam Doku said such harm to the skin caused by using an unapproved cosmetic could include wrinkles, acne and skin discoloration and premature ageing amongst others.
In this regard, she said, it is advisable for many ladies to go to work, attend social occasions and other places with their natural looks and seek advice on any prevailing skin concerns.
Mr Ahmed Alhassan, a makeup artist and hair stylist at Nasici- Osu, said with his experience, he noted that the use of too much cosmetics on the skin causes body odour especially when applied on the neck and to cover up stretch marks.
He said many people also mix different brands of cosmetics with different chemicals and this could have a harmful effect on their skin.
Mr Alhassan said there is the need to know when to use the various forms of makeup as makeup colours depend of the colour of dress one wears.
He said light makeup is worn during the day and loud makeup is worn at night.
Makeup is has been in existence for years. It was used by both men and women in ancient cultures. The use of cosmetics have changed overtime and today women are the main buyers and users of makeup.


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Big Tech’s core businesses face overhaul under EU tech rules By Reuters
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
By Supantha Mukherjee
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The EU Commission on Wednesday designated 22 services of six major tech companies as “gatekeepers” of online services providing messaging to video sharing in its latest crackdown on Big Tech.
The firms are Alphabet (NASDAQ:), Amazon (NASDAQ:), Apple (NASDAQ:), Meta, Microsoft (NASDAQ:) and TikTok owner ByteDance.
Under the DMA, which came into force in November, companies with more than 45 million monthly active users and a market capitalisation of 75 billion euros ($82 billion) are considered gatekeepers providing a core platform service.
Businesses labelled as such will be required to make their messaging apps interoperate with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices.
Alphabet’s Google had the highest number of services, including Android operating system, Maps and Search, which would face tougher rules. Meta’s Facebook (NASDAQ:), Instagram, Marketplace and WhatsApp also qualified as gatekeepers.
The companies will have six months to demonstrate their compliance with their obligations and can be fined up to 10% of their annual global turnover for DMA violations.
Gatekeepers could ask for an interim measure to suspend the application of the rules but they would need to launch a legal case in the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg to do that, a senior Commission official said. “We haven’t seen anything like that so far.”
Following the introduction of separate legislation, the Digital Services Act, Zalando took the Commission to court in June.
“It’s D-Day for #DMA!,” EU industry chief Thierry Breton said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The most impactful online companies will now have to play by our EU rules.”
A Microsoft spokesperson said it accepts its gatekeeper designation, while Meta, Google and Amazon spokespersons said they were reviewing the designations.
Apple and TikTok were less welcoming.
TikTok said it “fundamentally disagree with this decision” and “disappointed that no market investigation was conducted prior to this decision and are evaluating our next steps.”
An Apple spokesperson said the company remained “very concerned about the privacy and data security risks the DMA poses for our users.”
The iPhone maker had earlier raised concerns that the DMA would lead to more installing of apps that do not come via Apple’s App Store, or “side-loading”.
“The Commission should balance the need to protect user security and privacy with the very real risk that gatekeeper app stores will use security and privacy as excuses to dilute compliance with their DMA obligations,” said Stavroula Vryna, partner at law firm Clifford Chance.
Alphabet’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Outlook and Samsung (KS:)’s browser were exempted after the companies provided sufficiently justified arguments showing that these services do not qualify as gatekeepers, the Commission said.
The Commission has also opened four market investigations to further assess Microsoft’s and Apple’s submissions that some of their core platforms such as Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising, and Apple’s iMessage services do not qualify as gateways.
“iMessage is designed and marketed for personal consumer communications, and we look forward to explaining to the commission why iMessage is outside the scope of the DMA,” an Apple spokesperson said.


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The team behind the meme-inspired cryptocurrency Floki Inu ($FLOKI) has announced that the testnet for its highly anticipated play-to-earn (P2E) metaverse game, Valhalla, is set to be launched in the near future.
As the team points out through a post on Medium, Floki Inu first announced its move into the metaverse in the summer of 2021, and is now set to launch the first playable alpha testnet of the game this month.
In the post Jackie Xu, lead Floki developer, was quoted saying:
The Valhalla team has done a great job laying the foundation for traditional gameplay to properly enter the blockchain space. Valhalla will not be just another disjointed play-to-earn game
The game is set to feature upgradeable non-fungible tokens (NFTs), including some that have already been launched, the Flokitars. It will also include a prototype battle system involving two playable creatures called Vera, one being a bear and the other a hat.
The creatures, the post details, will be able to move on the battlefield to make the game more “intense, competitive and tactical,” and will have up to five abilities accessible through a leveling up system. On top of that, they’ll have personalities that “affect hidden growth stats.” The team anticipates that after launch there will be a “clan subscription system,” leaderboards, additional abilities, additional creatures, and more.
Floki Inu and gaming enthusiasts will be able to play the game via their desktop devices. The game itself will be on Optimism, a layer-two scaling solution. The team noted that “details and features described are subject to change, as of course game development is a fluid process.”
As CryptoGlobe reported, last year Floki Inu launched a campaign on London’s public transport system with the slogan “Missed Doge? Get Floki” in a bid to “legitimize” the cryptocurrency and increase the “confidence of the average consumer” to buy it, according to the project’s head of marketing, which went by Sabre
Floki Inu’s advertising budget comes from a 4% fee imposed on new buyers. The tokens are used for “onboarding influencers” and to “further develop and grow the Floki ecosystem.”
The views and opinions expressed by the author, or any people mentioned in this article, are for informational purposes only, and they do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice. Investing in or trading cryptoassets comes with a risk of financial loss.


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The U.S. Postal Service has been under fire for a variety of mail problems in Los Gatos, which is why postmaster John Lopez was asked to speak at the Jan. 20 town council meeting.
The service problems go as far back as October, with residents from the Lexington Hills to Shannon and Kennedy roads, Edelen Avenue and Fairview Plaza among those who joined the chorus of complaints.
Town staff also complained about inconsistent mail delivery and pick-up at town hall.
“The town’s outgoing and incoming mail typically contains time-sensitive materials and/or volumes of public mailings,” executive assistant Janette Judd wrote in an October memo to town manager Greg Larson.
Larson, in turn, contacted postmaster Lopez, saying the problems were “unacceptable.”
When Lopez addressed the council last week he acknowledged “we did have issues” with deliveries and timeliness.
“Those issues are always going to be around,” Lopez said. “We’re human, not a machine. We make mistakes.”
USPS has had ongoing financial problems since the advent of electronic communications and online bill paying services. But Lopez noted that for the first time in 12 years, USPS made a profit last year.
“This last season we delivered 47 percent more parcels than we did last Christmas season,” Lopez said. “We are now in the parcel delivery business. First class delivery dropped by 30 percent, so we don’t make any money off first class mail anymore. People don’t use the mail anymore to pay their bills. They use it to do their parcels now; they do it for bulk mailing now.”
Lopez also said USPS has hired a “ton” of people. “It’s a difficult thing to hire people and train them for nine months and have them quit because they can make more money somewhere else,” he said.
Payscale.com estimates the median postal workers’ pay to be just over $52,000 annually.
In December, USPS spokesman Gus Ruiz told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times that 20 new carriers had been hired for Los Gatos in the preceding 18 months, and 12 of them had been retained.


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There is growing concern in South Korea that the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could further hurt the country's economy, which is already experiencing a steep drop in exports and slow growth.
South Korea has focused on developing bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) with other countries, including the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China.
These bilateral FTAs gave some South Korean industries a competitive advantage over their chief rivals in Japan, particularly in automobile manufacturing and the production of televisions, computers, mobile phones and other technology products.
The U.S.-Korea FTA eliminated import and export tariffs on automobiles and reduced them on electronics and other technology products.
Losing competitive edge
But the Korea International Trade Association recently said in a report that the TPP would give Japan the competitive edge over South Korea in trade with other members of the 12-country free trade pact.
“Then maybe Korea’s preference [or advantage] that we had, will be eroded in some sectors such as automobiles or machines and other products where we compete with Japan,” said Je Hyun-jung, the KITA senior researcher who authored the report.
The TPP members are the United States, Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
These countries account for 40 percent of the world’s economy. Once ratified, the agreement will eliminate more than 18,000 tariffs on American exports alone and will establish strict labor, environmental and anti-corruption regulations.
The world's sixth-largest exporter, South Korea rattled financial markets in January when it reported its biggest slump in more than six years.
South Korean exports declined in the last 13 months and January’s 18.5 percent drop represents the sharpest monthly plunge since 2009.
The Korean Trade Ministry blames China’s economic slowdown and lower oil prices for the reduced global demand.
Other trade-oriented Asian economies, such as China and Taiwan, have also seen a reduction in exports in the last year.
South Korea's gross domestic product expanded just 2.6% in 2015, short of the expected three percent growth rate for the first time in two years, according to the Bank of Korea.
Other factors like the MERS outbreak last year, which hurt the tourism industry, and a slowing housing market also contributed to the slow economic growth that South Korea is experiencing.
The Bank of Korea is under increasing pressure to reduce its key lending rate below the current 1.5 percent rate to encourage spending despite concerns that it would also increase debt.
The Bank of Japan recently adopted a rate of negative 0.1 percent.
President Park Geun-hye and her conservative allies have been pushing a business friendly agenda to make the South Korean economy more competitive.
Recently they were able to pass corporate restructuring legislation in the South Korean National Assembly that will reduce regulations and provide tax cuts to South Korean companies.
The legislature remains divided over a controversial labor market reform bill that would make it easier for employers to fire workers.
This proposed measure sparked mass rallies last year that turned violent when protesters fought police with steel pipes and police used water cannons and barricades to stop the crowd.
President Park’s strong response in banning demonstrations and arresting labor leaders raised concerns among human rights advocates that the young South Korean democracy was returning to past authoritarian ways.
“I sense a trend of gradual regression on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, not a dramatic shutdown of these rights, but a slow creeping inclination to degrade them,” said Maina Kiai, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.
TPP work around
In addition to the tariff reductions that TPP members will gain from trading amongst themselves, high wage countries like Japan can further leverage that advantage by increasing production line operations in low wage member counties like Vietnam.
KITA says South Korea should also follow suit and move more of its production line operations to low wage member countries to gain the advantages of exporting from a TPP member.
“Many Korean companies are already investing a lot in Vietnam’s market so that Korean companies in Vietnam can export to the US or other TPP member countries,” said KITA senior researcher Je Hyun-jung.
The Korea International Trade Association is advocating for South Korea to join the TPP as soon as the group opens its membership to outside countries.