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Just a few days ago Nokia said it would no longer make smartphones in an era of the company post Microsoft buyout of the company's devices division. However, the Finnish company did say it would license the Nokia name for other companies to use on products, and the first of those devices arrives today in the surprising form of the Nokia N1 tablet.
Today could spell truly an end of an era, not just in mobile but in the tech world as a whole. It seems that Finnish company Nokia will not be making mobile phones again, despite being able to in 2016. Nokia's new CEO Rajeev Suri said "We are not looking to a direct consumer return to handsets per se," during a talk today. However, should we really be saying goodbye to the Nokia brand?
Microsoft purchased Nokia's devices and services business earlier in the year and now build the company's old Lumia smartphones. However, Redmond left plenty of Nokia behind and it seems the old Finnish giant is getting itself ready to re-enter the smartphone market. Although, how Nokia goes about this is quite complicated and will depend on the ins and outs of the deal with Microsoft.
Say goodbye to Nokia smartphones, for now at least. Microsoft has killed off the Nokia branding for future smartphones the company confirmed today, ending months of rumors. Instead of the Nokia Lumia branding, devices will now be known as Microsoft Lumia and will come with the company's Windows logo emblazoned on them in black.
Just recently Nokia launched its HERE Maps service for select Samsung Galaxy devices through Samsung's own app service. Now the Finnish company is going a step further and has rolled out HERE Maps for the wider Android community. The app is not yet available on the Google Play Store but it should land in the near future.
We are introducing a new series today in the form of Five Year Predictions. Each week we will take a look at a major brand in the mobile space and will see where the company is now, what its short term future looks like, and finally where we think the brand will be in five year's time. We cannot please everyone and get everything right, but we hope this series will give more of an insight into the plans of companies as we enter the next phase of mobile technology. Kicking it all off is Nokia.
Microsoft's recent history with Nokia has been a fruitful one; it helped to put Windows Phone on the map and Nokia had such success on the platform that Microsoft bought the Finnish company's devices division. Since then Redmond has been churning out its own smartphones with the Nokia Lumia branding, but it seems Microsoft is now willing to let go of Nokia altogether.
Nokia actually no longer making hardware is not an easy thing to take, after-all, this was the company that dominated the mobile scene for years and was one of its leading lights in the early years. However, Nokia sold its devices division to Microsoft earlier in the year and is now focusing on its services and software.
We are the first here at MobileBurn to admit that the HTC One M8 has immediately become the best handset on the Windows Phone platform. The Taiwanese company's all metal device sports better specs than any other WP handset and arguably looks better too. However, we have been thinking that the stellar job that Nokia has done over the last couple of years has been drastically undercooked this week.
The Nokia Lumia 520 has finally been treated to the latest version of Windows Phone, version 8.1 with Nokia's Cyan software on board. That is a fitting addition considering the 520 has done as much for Microsoft's (admittedly slow) mobile growth as any other smartphone.


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Kingswood Capital Management, an operationally focused middle market private equity investment firm, has announced that its controlled affiliate has acquired AVAD, LLC, as well as its subsidiary, AVAD Canada Ltd.
AVAD is a distributor of high-end audio and video solutions focused on the commercial and residential custom installation markets in North America, with more than 10,000 customers across the United States and Canada. The company offers premium AV solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, commercial venues and mid-to-high end residential markets in the United States and Canada. Kingswood has recruited consumer electronics and distribution industry veterans, Tom Jacoby as chief executive officer and Fred Farrar as president.
Tom Jacoby, AVAD’s new chief executive officer said, “Fred Farrar and I have had the pleasure of working with AVAD as one of our customers over our many years in the consumer electronics industry. We hold AVAD in the highest regard and look forward to joining its strong, passionate team and extending AVAD’s market leading position. We have plans to invest in AVAD’s infrastructure and will particularly focus on using web enabled technology to deliver added value to all of our trading partners. We are delighted to be able to contribute our experience and commitment to this great organization.”

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A new training college for data analysts and scientists has launched in Sydney with the opening of a local branch of the London Data School founded in 2015.
Analytics professionals to be in hot demand by 2018. The increasing demand for analytics professionals is also reflected in Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) membership growth and has inspired IAPA to relaunch its website as an online hub for members and those interested in analytics. The IAPA website (www.iapa.org.au) provides a community for those in analytics professions and those interested in analytics.
I guess we can safely assume they're mining and selling our personal data to others.It's your ABC, but not your[…]
I agree. Not much new in these devices these days, but there is a big market out there for the[…]
Copying Samsung, which also has a A3x, A5x, A7x, A9x line up at similar price points.
Has Jennifer put the Dud in Dudley-Nicholson?
The problem lies with so-called pundits who are trying to push a particular line and do not bother to verify[…]


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Economies around the world have been impacted by COVID-19 and vaccines have been touted as the fix to return to pre-pandemic economic stability. However, nearly two thirds (64%) of surveyed consumers around the world said they won’t take an approved COVID-19 vaccine immediately when it’s available, according to a survey from NielsenIQ. Revealed today, these survey results highlight consumer hesitation toward immediately changing spending habits even as the rollout gains ground.
Dissemination of approved vaccines provides hope, but economic recovery requires a rebound from the deeply cautious approach that many consumers have taken toward spending during the pandemic. For the most part, wide availability of the vaccine will give some consumers confidence to increase their spending levels—for example, 16% expect to spend more on groceries, compared with 12% who will spend less and the vast majority who will spend the same. Yet, to date, 72% of consumers have been consciously watching what they now spend because of the impact of COVID-19, suggesting significant ground to make up in reversing consumer habits and attitudes as the world embarks on achieving herd immunity.
“The conversation surrounding the vaccine has been dominated by logistics: drug administration approvals, the speed of production rates, countries vying to secure enough doses to vaccinate their populations, and most recently concerns around scaling and speeding up the rollout in countries around the world,” said Scott McKenzie, global intelligence leader, NielsenIQ. “Confidence levels around the vaccines and the desire to take the vaccines certainly may change as countries begin more concerted rollouts and deliver education campaigns around the vaccines. But clear signals indicate that the arrival of vaccines won’t automatically flip a switch to put the world back on its pre-COVID path.”
Health concerns remain prominent even when vaccines become available, as more than half of consumers lack confidence to dine out (58%), attend live sporting events (65%) or travel overseas (70%) even upon confirmation of the timing when they personally could receive a vaccine. And financial challenges still loom large, with nearly half of consumers (52%) saying they won’t be confident in their personal finances when they learn the timing of getting vaccinated.
In Great Britain, 54% of consumers confirmed they are willing to take Covid-19 vaccine immediately, the highest percentage among 15 countries surveyed globally. When talking about the changes that vaccination will bring into their lives, most consumers express conservative outlooks though: 68% said they wouldn’t be confident in attending shows and sports events and large gatherings even upon confirmation of the timing when they personally could receive a vaccine; 59% would avoid dining out.
Throughout the earlier months of the pandemic, NielsenIQ analysis has dissected how the pandemic has forced many consumers—including both those who are relatively insulated and those who are financially constrained by the pandemic—to reset their shopping baskets, rationale, affordability gauge and homebody approach. And now, as private and governmental forces reckon with the task of producing and rolling out approved vaccine doses, this latest survey, conducted across 15 countries, provides context on the myriad of challenges to returning to pre-pandemic economic stability. Of the majority of consumers who don’t plan to take the vaccine as soon as they’re able to, 41% say they will wait for some time, and 12% say they won’t take it at all. Just over a third (36%) indicated that they will take it right now, while 11% remain undecided.
Conducted in December 2020, NielsenIQ’s Customized Intelligence Business Unit surveying more than 11,000 consumers across 15 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and U.S.


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In less than half a day, Internet users were able to raise $1 million on Kickstarter to help Levar Burton bring back the classic children’s show Reading Rainbow. Nearly 23,000 individuals donated to the cause, allowing for Reading Rainbow to now be available to a new generation through a web version for families at home, the creation of a classroom version for teachers, and free access to Reading Rainbow for schools in need, institutions that may not be able to afford it.
Burton had revived Reading Rainbow back in 2012 as a tablet app but knew back then that something more needed to be done for the program to have the same effect on kids that it used to. “Just being on tablets simply won’t get the job done for way too many of our families,” Burton said, when promoting this new campaign. “This Kickstarter campaign is about reaching every web-connected child. Universal access. Thousands of more books than what we have now. And hundreds of more video field trips.”
The Reading Rainbow Kickstarter campaign had until July 2nd to reach its goal of $1 million, and it’s not the first project that has used Kickstarter and reached its goal in only a day. Last year, Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell and show creator Rob Thomas were looking to get $2 million from fans for a Veronica Mars movie, and the campaign hit over $1 million in less than five hours. Similarly, different video game campaigns have also reached their fundraising goals within less than 24 hours.
While I love movies and video games and am incredibly happy that projects like the Veronica Mars movie and Zach Braff’s Wish You Were Here found funding on Kickstarter, I’m even happier to see that Reading Rainbow reached its goal in such a short period of time. This is a project that will not just entertain but also educate individuals, and any cause that can do both of those is worth it in my book.
Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images


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Mercedes-AMG will be joining the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with its three hardcore GT3 race cars in the GT Daytona category. The GT3 racing cars, which is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT S road car, will be powered by naturally aspirated, 6.3-liter V8 engines.
The Mercedes division, which will provide team support through its Customer Support Program, has confirmed three GT3 race cars for the upcoming 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The manufacturer has partnered with Riley Motorsports for the two GT3 variants, while the third GT3 car will be run by customer AMG team SunEnergy1 Racing.
The first team will be a pair of entries, which will come from Riley Motorsports under the leadership of team owner and director Bill Riley. The teamwork will include a joint two cars racing effort, with the first GT3 running under the AMG-Team Riley Motorsports flag and the second one for the WeatherTech Racing campaign.
The No.33 AMG-Team Riley Motorsports car will be driven by Jeroen Bleekenmolen and Ben Keating, while the No.50 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be shared by co-drivers Gunnar Jeanette and Cooper MacNeil.
The second team will come from SunEnergy1 Racing, led by team owner and Australian racer Kenny Habul, will also campaign a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the 2017 WeatherTech Championship. Habul will also team up with another stock car racer, whose identity is still unknown. Mercedes-AMG said it will announce additional teams to compete for the North America campaign next year, likely in the upcoming 2017 Pirelli World Challenge.
In addition, the German manufacturer will also provide at-track support at every racing event next year, along with the launch of its technology and logistics facility in North Carolina, which said to be operated by its partner Riley Motorsports.
Also in the AMG racing news is the much-awaited debut of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 racing variant, which is expected to be released this year. The three hardcore-looking Mercedes-AMG GT3 variant will compete in the IMSA-sanctioned GT Daytona class.
Founded in 1967, Mercedes-AMG is the high-performance division of German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz that independently designed and manufactured Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Based in Berlin, Germany, Mercedes-AMG is an independent engineering firm that specializes in performance improvements and customizations for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Image Credit: Nascarking/Wikimedia Commons


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In the bustling city of Faisalabad, the gaming community is thriving, bringing together gamers of all ages and backgrounds. This article delves into how Faisalabad’s gamers are not only embracing their passion for gaming but also maintaining their health and connections within this dynamic gaming ecosystem.
Gaming in Faisalabad: A Flourishing Community
Faisalabad is renowned for its textile industry, but it is also becoming a hotbed for gaming enthusiasts. This community is diverse, comprising gamers, tech enthusiasts, parents, students, and more. Gamers in Faisalabad come together to share their love for video games, creating an inclusive atmosphere that encourages friendly competition and collaboration.
Healthy Gaming: Balancing Body and Mind
As gaming’s popularity continues to soar in Faisalabad, there is a growing awareness of the importance of maintaining good health while indulging in this hobby. Gamers here are not just glued to their screens; they understand the need for physical well-being. Many incorporate exercises and healthy diets into their daily routines.
The Gamers’ Approach to Fitness
To ensure a balanced lifestyle, fitness and health enthusiasts among Faisalabad’s gamers often integrate exercise into their gaming routine. This trend is not only about staying fit but also about having fun while doing so. Gamers are increasingly adopting ‘gamercise,’ which combines gaming with physical exercise. From dance-based games to virtual reality experiences that get players moving, Faisalabad’s gamers are finding creative ways to stay active.
Gaming Cafes: A Hub for Connection
Faisalabad boasts numerous gaming cafes that have become central to the city’s gaming culture. These cafes offer more than just high-end PCs and gaming consoles; they provide a sense of community. Gamers gather at these cafes, forming new friendships and nurturing existing ones. It’s not just about competition; it’s about camaraderie.
The Importance of Social Interaction
Gaming is no longer a solitary pastime in Faisalabad. The city’s gamers understand the value of social interaction. They use voice chat and text messages to communicate with friends during multiplayer sessions. This not only enhances the gaming experience but also serves as a means of staying connected and fostering friendships.
Family Gaming: Bridging Generational Gaps
Gaming has permeated family life in Faisalabad. Parents and guardians are increasingly involved in their children’s gaming activities. Instead of viewing gaming as a distraction, many parents now recognize its potential for bonding. It’s common to see parents participating in family gaming sessions, joining their children on adventures in the virtual world. This bonding time not only fosters stronger relationships but also builds understanding between generations.
Travel and Culture Exploration through Gaming
Gaming is not just about entertainment in Faisalabad; it’s also an avenue for cultural exploration. Gamers often choose games with rich narratives and diverse settings, providing an opportunity to learn about different cultures. They engage with players from around the world, expanding their horizons and gaining insights into different societies, customs, and languages.
Tech Enthusiasts and Gamers
Faisalabad’s tech enthusiasts play a pivotal role in the gaming ecosystem. They not only stay updated on the latest gaming hardware but also help other gamers make informed choices. Their knowledge of tech trends and equipment is invaluable for ensuring that gamers in the city have the best gaming experience possible.
Students and Gaming: The Perfect Blend
Faisalabad is home to a significant student population, many of whom are avid gamers. Students are known for their ability to balance academics and gaming, making the most of their gaming setups while excelling in their studies. They often find innovative ways to optimize their setups for peak performance.
The gaming community in Faisalabad is more than a collection of individuals with a common interest; it’s a vibrant culture that is redefining how gaming is perceived. As gaming transcends generations, fosters friendships, and promotes good health, it has become an integral part of life in this city. Whether it’s through gamercise, family gaming sessions, or virtual travel experiences, gamers in Faisalabad are connecting, growing, and thriving.


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Samsung Galaxy A80 has cool camera, but nixes two things Samsung fans love
Yesterday, Samsung revealed the Samsung Galaxy A80 smartphone, one of the newest entries in its mid-range “A” line. The A80 features a very unique pop-up swivel camera which allows the front of the device to be all display from top to bottom.
If you missed the news making the rounds yesterday, the GIF of the Galaxy A80’s camera doing its thing is pretty awesome (and slightly hypnotic). I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never seen anything like it before (with the OPPO N3 being the closest thing to it), and that’s always exciting.
Here, check it out for yourself:
As cool as this flippy little camera system is on the Samsung Galaxy A80, I can’t help but feel it’s a distraction. Unfortunately, although Samsung figured out a way to add in this really neat feature, it also figured out a way to remove two of the most-loved features of every flagship Samsung smartphone.
Goodbye to the microSD slot and headphone port
At first blush, the removal of the microSD slot might not be too big of a deal. After all, a few smartphone manufacturers have removed the port from devices over the past few years. OnePlus did away with the microSD slot entirely in 2016 with the release of the OnePlus 3, and none of Google’s Pixel devices have ever had the port, for example.
However, the fact that other OEMs are removing the microSD slot likely makes Samsung fans that much more attached to it. The family of Samsung Galaxy S10 devices along with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 all feature the port, and even Samsung’s other recent entries in its A-series — including the Samsung Galaxy A40, A50, and A70 — all have a microSD slot. With that in mind, the Galaxy A80 does seem like quite the anomaly in this regard.
Still, as internal storage on smartphones gets ever-larger, the removal of expandable storage might not be a deal-breaker, even for hardcore Samsung fans.
However, the 3.5mm headphone port certainly is a deal-breaker for the majority of Samsung die-hards.
Taking away the microSD slot might not be the end of the world, but taking away the headphone port is likely going to cause some backlash.
While a handful of manufacturers have set aside the microSD slot, it seems nearly every major company has released at least one flagship device without a headphone port, including Huawei, OnePlus, Google, Xiaomi, Motorola, Sony, HTC, OPPO, and, of course, Apple. Samsung has kept it, though.
Among a sea of companies all willingly ditching one of the most-loved features of a smartphone, Samsung is the one company that’s held out. However, here we are with a brand new device at the top of its mid-range class and it is missing the port.
Granted, the Samsung Galaxy A80 is a mid-ranger and there are plenty of Samsung fans who likely wouldn’t buy it anyway, regardless of how cool its camera is. However, is the lack of a headphone port on this phone a sign of what’s to come?
Is this Samsung softly introducing us to the end of the 3.5mm port?
As stated before, Samsung’s latest round of flagship devices in the Samsung Galaxy S10 family all have both expandable storage and a headphone port. However, there’s another flagship device on the way: the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (which may or may not be what it’s called). Is it possible that Samsung is slowly weaning us off the headphone port with the Galaxy A80 in preparation to drop the bomb that the Note 10 won’t have it either?
The Samsung Galaxy A80 is a mid-ranger, and thus will have limited appeal. It certainly won’t sell at the same level as the Galaxy S10. The Galaxy Note line, however, is one of Samsung’s most important brands and one of its biggest sellers. If the company decides to remove the headphone port from the Note 10, how will Samsung fans react?
It’s incredibly unlikely the Galaxy Note 10 will feature this flippy camera mechanism, so there won’t be anything to distract us from a missing headphone port on the Note 10. My hunch is that the backlash to the hypothetical removal of the headphone port on the Note 10 would far outmatch the rampage of OnePlus fans when it was revealed that the OnePlus 6T wouldn’t have the port. We’re talking a backlash of biblical proportions.
Maybe Samsung knows that and will keep the headphone port on all its flagships, only removing it from devices in its mid-range. Or, maybe, the Galaxy A80 is a quick test run to see if Samsung fans will negatively react to the removal of major features if given a shiny new feature to look at.
I can only hope, for Samsung’s sake, that it’s the former and not the latter.


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China Unicom: Telefonica To Sell Shares, Not A Statement Against Unicom Spanish telecom giant Telefonica (TEF) is seeking to sell its 2.5% stake in China Unicom (0762.HK/CHU) for up to $865 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. Telefonica is selling its China Unicom shares for 11.14 Hong Kong dollars to 11.34 each, a 1.2 ... 11/10/2014 - 7:41 am | View Link
Telefónica to sell China Unicom stake Spain’s Telefónica is reportedly looking to sell a stake in China Unicom, and expects to raise $859-$875 million from the sale. According to a term sheet seen by Reuters today, Telefónica – which holds 1.19 billion China Unicom shares – is offering ... 11/9/2014 - 11:00 am | View Link
Telefonica Awakens to Debt Concern With Unicom Stake Sale Telefonica SA’s decision to sell half of its stake in China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd., paring its seven-year venture into one of the fastest-growing wireless markets, shows the burden of debt on the Spanish operator. The sale of 1.07 billion China Unicom ... 06/11/2012 - 12:58 pm | View Link
Telefonica To Sell Shares Of China Unicom For $1.4B Telefonica SA (NYSE: TEF), Europe's largest telecommunications operator by revenue, will sell part of its stake in China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) for $1.4 billion to reduce debt as the eurozone debt crisis stresses Europe's economy and corporations based there. 06/10/2012 - 11:37 pm | View Link
Telefonica Plans Unicom Sale, Reduces China Presence China Unicom said in an announcement today that its second-largest shareholder, Telefonica, plans to sell more than a billion shares of the company's stock back to the Chinese carrier's parent company. The move comes just 17 months after the two companies ... 06/10/2012 - 9:26 pm | View Link
Telefónica Telefónica, S.A. (Spanish pronunciation: [teleˈfonika]) is a Spanish multinational broadband and telecommunications provider with operations in Europe, Asia, and ... 10/21/2016 - 6:53 pm | View Website
China Unicom China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. China United Network Communications Limited China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited 10/20/2016 - 5:54 am | View Website
Verizon Communications — Wikipédia Verizon Communications Inc. [vəˈɹaɪzən], anciennement Bell Atlantic Corporation, est une entreprise américaine de télécommunications, présente sur le marché ... 10/14/2016 - 11:09 am | View Website
Cam Newton lay motionless, a rag doll tossed to the ground.
The reigning NFL MVP tried to get up, but his body failed him. All Newton could do was roll over and clutch his helmet.
It was the NFL season opener in early September, and the Denver Broncos defense had just bashed Newton in the head again, one of many helmet-to-helmet hits on the Carolina Panthers' quarterback that night.
Jesse Itzler felt he was in a rut. So he asked Navy SEAL David Goggins to live with him for 31 days, during which Jesse would do anything David told him to do.
Jesse would later write "Living With A Seal" documenting the grueling experience of getting whipped into shape by one of the toughest men on the planet.
AP Photo/Mary AltafferSen. Tim Kaine (D - Virginia) said he was looking skeptically AT&T's $85 billion purchase of Time Warner, which owns properties like CNN and HBO.
In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd that aired on Sunday, Hillary Clinton's running mate said that he agreed with Sen. Al Franken's concerns that the merger may lead to "higher costs, fewer choices, and even worse service for consumers."
"I share those concerns and questions," We've got to get to the bottom of them," Kaine said.
David McNew/Getty ImagesWalmart is becoming a better place to shop because it started paying employees more.
For many years, the company was plagued by widespread complaints about poor customer service at its stores.
That was until last year when Walmart, under pressure from investors following several quarters of same-store sales declines, decided to invest billions of dollars in wage increases and training for workers.
Specifically, Walmart committed to investing $2.7 billion over two years in higher wages, scheduling improvements, and employee training, following in the footsteps of companies like Costco.
Walmart's efforts so far have translated into a pay raise of about 16% to $13.69 per hour for non-managerial full-time employees, The New York Times reports.
In the meantime, widespread issues in Walmart stores such as empty shelves and cleanliness have significantly improved.
Three out of four Walmart stores now meet the company's own customer service standards, according to the Times.
Networking events give you limited time to meet people. Here's how to (gracefully) avoid letting someone monopolize your time.
Networking events give you limited time to meet people. Here's how to (gracefully) avoid letting someone monopolize your time. Does this sound familiar? You're at a networking event with the sole purpose of meeting as many people as possible, when boom!


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You have searched for Michael Scott (Apple)
LAST UPDATED : 24 Jan 2017, 18:37 IST
- The nutmeg at the heart of Big Apple
It’s a book about two decades old. Author Giles Milton said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) on Monday that he himself had quite forgotten about the narrative. Invited to make a presentation on ‘Nathaniel’s Nutmeg’ at JLF, he revisited the book about wars between nations over nutmeg.
- How nutmeg features at the 'heart of the Big Apple'
JAIPUR: It’s a book about two decades old. Author Giles Milton said at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Monday that he himself had quite forgotten about the narrative. Invited to make a presentation on ‘Nathaniel’s Nutmeg’ at JLF, he revisited the narrative about the wars between nations over nutmeg. This reporter has seen nutmeg grown in Kerala, but only on Monday did she realize that the spice was at the centre of so much bloodshed and torture a few centuries ago. Milton took his audience through the story he tells in his book, of Nathaniel Courthope, an employee of the English East India Company who bravely fought off a large contingent of Dutch troops in the early 17th century to hold on to Run Island, off the coast of Indonesia, one of 10 islands in the Banda Sea from which nutmeg was sourced by Europeans. Through interesting maps and slides, Milton showed images of the kinds of torture that men were subjected to in the race for control over nutmeg. Milton spoke with great admiration for the records maintained by the East India Company, which preserved diaries of its employees and even letters, which are now a rich resource for historians trying to understand the period. Wading through these documents, historian-novelist William Dalrymple said, was no easy task as the script is very different from modern English, and could take a while to decipher. What was especially interesting was this little known fact that Milton explained as a post script to his presentation – the English, through the 1667 Treaty of Breda, agreed to give up to the Dutch control over the island of Run in return for Manhattan – yes, that most densely populated part of New York, the heart of the Big Apple!
- Government to consider Apple’s request for incentives with an 'open mind'
The government has said that it will consider American electronics giant Apple's request for incentives with an "open mind". Apple has sent a list of demands, seeking tax concessions and several other policy exemptions, as necessary prerequisites before it starts production of iPhones in India.
- 10 years on, iPhone continues to be Apple’s cash cow
Apple’s steep rise to the top of the tech world is closely connected to the stunning success of the iPhone, launched 10 years ago in 2007. Even though sales in 2016 indicate a saturated smartphone market, for Apple iPhone continues to bringing in a majority of its revenues.
- Comm min against sops to Apple for ‘Make in India’
New Delhi: The commerce and industry ministry is not in favour of offering concessions to Apple for its make-in-India initiative arguing that similar sops were not sought by other companies for setting up manufacturing facilities within the country. The ministry is a key player in the decision-making process as it is the window for submission of applications for retailing and also the foreign investment policy wing of the government. In addition, it has been pushing for a more liberal regime for high-technology players to enter the Indian retail arena by relaxing some of the rules in the tightly-policed sector. Earlier, it had backed Apple on its demand for relaxation of the local sourcing requirement even as the finance ministry was not keen on treating the American electronics technology giant as a “special case”. While making a fresh investment pitch, the California-based company has sought several concessions, including tax benefits and easier packaging norms, even as its Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron is looking to set up a facility near Bengaluru. A final call on the proposal will be taken by an inter-ministerial group comprising representatives from the ministries of finance, commerce and industry, information technology and environment and forest. The finance ministry has typically opposed offering tax concessions as it seeks to keep a firm grip on government revenues. Officials pointed out that the government already offers benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing in the country. While Apple sells its phone and other gadgets through partners in the country, it is keen to have a stronger local presence in India at a time when sales in other parts of the world are slowing down. Data from Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Technology Market Research showed that Apple sold 2.5 million iPhones in India from October 2015 to September 2016, a rise of more than 50% over the year-ago period. Apple India’s sales are estimated to have gone up by 56% to nearly Rs 10,000 crore during 2016 compared with Rs 6,472 crore in the previous year, while profit increased 21% to Rs 294 crore during this period.
- Michael Ferreira now held in Thane cheating case
MUMBAI: The Thane economic offences wing (EOW) on Tuesday arrested former billiards world champion Michael Ferreira and three others for allegedly cheating a chartered accountant of Rs 25 lakh. The accused lured the complainant with high returns on his investment and did not pay him anything, police said. An EOW police officer confirmed the arrest of Ferreira, Magaral Balaji and Srinivas Vanka, both directors of Vihaan Direct Selling (India) Pvt Ltd and Malcolm Desai. Vihaan is the master franchise of QNet, a firm that has allegedly cheated lakhs of people in the country. The complainant told Thane police that the accused used to conduct meetings about investment in various schemes at a Thane mall. The four were first arrested by the Mumbai EOW on September 30 last year and charge-sheeted last week in the Rs 425 crore QNet case. QNet allegedly lured investors with schemes involving investment of Rs 30,000 to Rs 7 lakh in the Mumbai case. Police said QNet posed as a marketing firm, selling bio-discs, watches, herbal products and holiday packages It claimed the bio-discs could cure cancer and brain diseases, police said.
- Commerce ministry against giving concessions to Apple for plant: Sources
The commerce and industry ministry is not in favour of extending concessions to US-based iPhone maker Apple for setting up manufacturing unit in India as no other firm has asked for any incentive, government sources said on Tuesday.


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The social media technology firm AdGent 007 has rolled out Tweetedia, a new product which allows publishers to create custom, potentially ad-supported Twitter feeds.
As part of the new launch AdGent 007 has signed a deal with Warner Bros., which has incorporated Tweetedia into the Web site’s for the syndicated TV shows The Tyra Show and Extra. Currently both sites have installed branded boxes on their home pages that automatically pull in live tweets related to these shows.
Publishers can use Tweetedia both as an engagement tool and a potential revenue driver, according to AdGent 007 officials. On the engagement side, publishers can meld the Tweetedia product to match their sites look and feel, and can preset multiple keywords to determine what sorts of Twitter commentary populates the feed.
For example, Extra automatically posts tweets that mention celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump, but could also set up its Tweetedia feed to pull in commentary related to a particular show’s topic. Theoretically, such tactics will keep the show’s more engaged fans on the site for longer periods of time and may even stimulate more discussion.
On the ad side of things, publishers have the option to surround their Tweetedia feeds with relevant ad placements, ranging from text ads to custom skins.


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2018 iPhone Sales Are Collapsing, According to New Data
It’s no longer a secret that Apple’s new iPhones aren’t selling as good as the company anticipated, but new data that shows up every once in a while reveals just how awful the sales performance of the 2018 generation really is.
The most recent numbers come from Mixpanel, which usually tracks iOS adoption, but which can also analyze the adoption of new iPhone models based on data it collected in the last years.
Specifically, Mixpanel says the iPhone XR is the best-selling 2018 iPhone so far, with its weekly sales figures topping both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. When put together, the two XS models manage to beat the iPhone XR, but otherwise, the LCD model is simply the best-selling 2018 iPhone model.


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Hennes & Mauritz AB, Europe’s second-largest clothing retailer, posted the strongest profit increase in seven quarters as sales rose in the U.S. and Asia.
Net income gained 23 percent to 5.22 billion kronor ($750 million) in the three months through May, the Stockholm-based company said in a statement today. That beat the 4.86 billion-kronor average estimate of 14 analysts compiled by Bloomberg.
H&M and competitors such as Inditex SA are boosting sales and profit as hard-pressed consumers turn to budget fashions to save money. Inditex, owner of the Zara chain, last week reported a 30 percent gain in earnings, also the strongest profit growth in seven quarters. H&M, which sells dresses for less than 20 euros ($25), has focused store expansion on Asia and the U.S. to help offset a slowdown in European consumer spending.
“This is a strong update from H&M, which in our view has for the first time for over 18 months delivered a better-than-expected performance in both sales and margin,” Gillian Hilditch, an analyst at JPMorgan Cazenove, wrote in a note.
H&M rose as much as 4.1 percent in Stockholm trading and was up 4 percent at 239.60 kronor as of 3:26 p.m., the highest level in two months. The stock has advanced 8.1 percent this year, trailing Inditex’s 22 percent increase.
H&M said the gross margin was unchanged at 61.7 percent of sales in the second quarter as markdowns remained at the same level as last year. Analysts expected the profitability gauge to narrow to 61 percent, according to the average of 13 estimates.
The retailer said it will open seven to 10 stores called “& Other Stories” next year. Prices at the new chain will in the middle of those of the H&M and COS chains, the company said. The chain will have separate design and buying teams based in Paris and Stockholm, the company said.
The Swedish retailer said on June 15 that second-quarter sales rose 15 percent to 31.7 billion kronor, beating estimates.
H&M repeated today that it plans to add about 275 stores in the financial year through November, with China, the U.S. and the U.K. being the largest areas for expansion. The retailer, which had 2,575 stores as of May 31, also sees opportunities in Germany, France and Italy and will start online sales in the U.S. in the fall, it said. H&M stores will open in five new markets this year and the company has signed contracts to open outlets in Estonia and Indonesia in 2013.
“Our expansion plan remains intact,” Chief Executive Officer Karl-Johan Persson said in a statement today. “The spring collections have been well received by our customers.”
The retailer said it continues to invest in Greece as it looks beyond a difficult economic situation in southern Europe. The company is also looking at specific measures to take if Greece exits the euro, Persson said, without giving more detail.
“We continue to grow in Greece and to open new stores,” Persson said in an interview. “Even if we may lose some sales, we still gain market share” in that market, as well as Spain and Italy, he said.
-- With assistance from Janina Pfalzer in Stockholm. Editors: Paul Jarvis, Thomas Mulier


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Ice, ice, baby: Three new ice cream shops to quench the July swelter
Just in time for National Ice Cream months come a trio of new, cool-treats shops.
It ought to come as no surprise that sweltering July is National Ice Cream Month. The food-calendar gods are obvious that way. So if you’re looking for a reason to go scream for ice cream, July is it.
Here are three new spots for icy treats:
Proper Ice Cream
Delray’s cult-favorite ice cream concept has just opened a location in Boca Raton. That means ice-cream lovers can find Proper’s creative flavors at the Park Place Plaza. (Hello, Sicilian pistachio with caramelized figs!)
If Proper’s custardy ice cream tastes chef-inspired that’s because it is. Owner Rick Felberbaum, who left his law practice to become an ice-cream entrepreneur, takes inspiration from his stints in the kitchens of some of South Florida’s top chefs.
His new shop pays homage to classic ice cream parlors, “where everything is made from scratch,” he said in a news release. “There has been an increase in foodie experiences, but we are excited to really bring that to the dessert crowd.”
Proper Ice Cream: 5560 N. Military Tr., Unit 312 at Park Place Plaza, Boca Raton, 561-245-7905, ProperIceCream.com; open Sunday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice
Just in time to quench the summer heat, a new Italian frozen treats shop opened its doors in Boca Raton on June 28. Jeremiah’s Italian Ice is stocked with 40 flavors of the iconic treat as well as soft-serve and gelati.
Founded in Winter Park in 1996 by entrepreneur Jeremy Litwak, the national chain has locations in seven states, including 55 current and planned locations in Florida.
The new Boca franchise is owned by Orlando-area businesswoman Lori Cox, who plans to run it with her four children, all of them graduates of Florida Atlantic University and residents of the Boca area. She hopes to open two other locations in the south county area with her family.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ice: 8170 Glades Rd., Suite K2 in the Lakeside Centre, Boca Raton, 561-517-0681, JeremiahsIce.com; open daily from noon to 11 p.m.
Here’s a groovy new smoothie and soft-serve shop that’s made for lingering. That’s because Joyfull is located in a sprawling, tropical yard that’s adorned with hammocks, lush foliage, pop-art touches and lots of space for playing and, well, being joyful.
The new open-air shop in Delray Beach is the brainchild of Leah Landon, a wellness coach who once worked as a talent manager for big-name musicians, Lady Gaga among them.
Expect a creative smoothie menu, oat milk soft-serve and lattes, all in a setting that includes a fire pit, outdoor showers and a yoga deck. You won’t see any of the above as you drive by on Seacrest Boulevard -- it’s hidden from view, tucked behind a hot-yoga studio.
Joyfull: 2219 Seacrest Blvd., behind the Anuttara Yoga Shala studio in Delray Beach; ChooseJoyfull.com; open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.


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9th December 2021 Editorial by: newprotein staff writer
Consumers Love Proteins and Want More of Them, Kerry Study Finds
Kerry Foods released "The Protein Mindset," a report about consumers' attitude towards proteins, based on a survey of 6,300 people in 12 countries.
It's a very detailed document that food manufacturers can use to plan their NPD strategy in 2022. The full report can be downloaded here. Below we give you the highlights:
1. High in protein = healthier. Consumers associate high protein intake with a healthier diet. Interestingly, about 27% of respondents associate protein with skin and beauty benefits, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. Proteins everywhere. Any food is good for increasing protein intake, not just main meals. This creates opportunities for fortification in the desserts and snacks category, where consumers want to keep the indulgence but make it healthier with high protein content.
3. Taste is still king. Unsurprisingly, taste is still the most important factor driving purchases. Quality and quantity of proteins also matter, though. Companies will need to make sure that the front-of-packaging messaging clearly communicates the protein content and where the ingredients come from. Consumers need to know and want to know.
4. Willingness to pay more. Cost is also important, although consumers are generally willing to pay more for fortified products, with interesting differences between regions.
5. Plants trending high, animal proteins trending low. Plant proteins are popular among consumers, animal proteins have less appeal, and dairy proteins are somewhere in between. There are, however, interesting differences between regions.
The takeaway: this is the Golden Age for proteins. Consumers are more aware of the importance that diet has for their health – especially after the Covid-19 pandemic started - and see proteins as a key macronutrient. Food brands have followed suit, putting out more high-protein products (9.45% increase of new launches between 216 and 2020), but there’s still plenty of room for innovation and variety.
You can download the full report here.
Date Published: 9th December 2021
Source article link: View


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Jeanette Bessinger has been shopping on Black Friday for eight years. This year, she arrived earlier than ever -- at 6 a.m.
"We have two blankets, chairs, sandwiches and snacks," she said. "We didn't even have Thanksgiving food."
But it was worth it: Bessinger snagged the number one spot in line in front of the Target in Northern New Jersey, pretty much guaranteeing that she'll be able to get the deals she wants.
"The price of the two TVs we're getting, is what one TV alone would be worth," she said.
Starting Black Friday, two U.S. malls will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones.
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Tamara Rodgers, Marketing Director for GSK Consumer Healthcare, believes there are “too” silos in organizations today as she works to build collaborative and agile teams.
GSK Consumer Healthcare’s mission is to break down silos within its organization, using a central, cross-functional team to ensure that its brands remain ‘future proof’ and connected to the core business goal of ‘improve human life.
Speaking during the Institute for Real Growth’s Humanizing Growth series today (December 3), GSK Global Marketing Director Tamara Rogers said the brands in the pharmaceutical company’s portfolio are working together with this. team to ensure they deliver messages “with humanity” and not “for humanity”. .
“We have an in-house agency team with real marketing experts who work with our brand teams whenever they want to refresh the ‘heart of the brand’,” Rogers said.
“When we want to modernize them [brands], this team steps in, works with the brand team and helps ensure that we continually sustain our brands. We are very excited about this opportunity to infuse humanity into brands and teams. “
The cold and flu brand Theraflu, marketed as Beechams in the UK, is one of the brands that will see major changes as part of this new team dynamic.
GSK Unveils Goal-Driven Strategy As It Moves Away From Functional Messaging Formerly positioned as a drug to help people ‘get by’ when they feel sick, GSK acknowledged this message was ” massively deaf ”as the world entered lockdowns at the start of the Covid -19 pandemic last year.
So the focus for the brand has shifted to fighting for a “flu-free world,” with additional work around inclusiveness, Rodgers said. The U.S.-based Theraflu team created a $ 150,000 grant program to help cover lost wages from 1,000 unpaid sick days during cold and flu season, for people who don’t. receive no sick pay from their employers.
“Each brand has seized the opportunity to take a step back and find its center. Because you can’t have a goal that doesn’t align with your brand values and the values of your target audience, ”she said.
Too many silos
GSK’s primary marketing role has “expanded” over the years to one that helps “join the dots and bring people together” as there are “too many silos” within the company, he said. added Rodgers.
Each brand took the opportunity to take a step back and find its center. Because you can’t have a goal that doesn’t align with your brand values and the values of your target audience.
Tamara Rogers, GSK Consumer Healthcare
“One of our great lessons is that we have taken a step back. There are too many silos in organizations today, which was the case 10 to 20 years ago.
“Now it’s about collaborative teams, agile working, bringing the right ingredients to the team when you need them. And so we’re now trying to think about how we can break down some of the silos and make the teams work together. “
Voltaren’s design team has particularly benefited from the cross-functional work, said Rogers, which has won the brand multiple design awards for its “easy-to-open cap,” designed to make the product more accessible to people with dementia. joint pain.
The Marketing Director explained that GSK’s marketing teams now look at the customer experience from start to finish, and not just from a product and advertising perspective, to drive greater customer satisfaction.
“We’re thinking more about how we design a consumer’s experiences throughout their health journey, and where we then make sure we double down on our efforts so that the health journey helps them achieve better results.” , she said.
“But that requires that this cross-functional group really come together, because experience is everything. From opening Voltaren’s cap and how you apply it, to purchasing it in-store and experiencing Voltaren’s home exercise program online content.


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There’s been a lot of debate lately over whether branded applications for social networks, created by companies like Buddy Media, are effective.
I interviewed Buddy Media CEO Michael Lazerow at the AlwaysOn conference this month to hear his side of the story. He also presented his case in an article for VentureBeat last week titled: “Why all the bashing of branded apps? Lack of insight.”
Buddy Media saw 138 percent revenue growth last quarter, Lazerow told me, and has a smart performance-based revenue model positioned to do well in the downturn. An average of 150,000 users sign up for each branded application Buddy Media creates, and the company charges $1 for each user. Since it launched 14 months ago, Buddy Media has created 80 branded programs for 50 clients, including heavyweights like Paramount and Anheuser-Busch.
Lazerow believes branded apps will be an important revenue stream in the brand space for social networks.
“There’s no one monster revenue stream in the social nets. Brand advertising has yet to take off, CPA offers have yet to take off, direct marketing, research, you’re starting to see virtual currency monetization,” he says. “So I think ultimately there might be 10 revenue streams that a Facebook or a MySpace has…In the brand space there’s no doubt that branded applications will be one very important part of that, and we think a large part of it.”
–Kelsey Blodget, Associate Producer


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One particular challenge has recently emerged at the forefront of industry discussions: the proliferation of Made-for-Advertising (MFA) sites and its consequential digital media waste. Recently, Ebiquity digital experts led a webinar tackling the issue of Made-for-Advertising (MFA) sites.
Made for Advertising sites – Uncover the Truth Behind Your Ad Spend
Are your advertising dollars being wasted on “Made for Advertising” (MFA) sites without your knowledge?
Straight Digital talk – your burning questions answered! Watch webinar on demand
Made-for-advertising sites are like rabbit holes!
The recent Adalytics study has sent shockwaves through the industry. The findings were nothing short of alarming! Despite widespread assumptions of minimal exposure to “Made for Advertising” (MFA) sites, the reality was starkly different. Are you tired of seeing your advertising dollars go to waste on “Made for Advertising” websites? Adalytics has uncovered shocking truths about the extent of this problem, and it’s time for advertisers to take action.
These platforms are designed primarily for arbitrage, featuring low-quality content and an excessive density of ad placements. Despite industry efforts to combat such deceptive practices, the Adalytics study found that 94% of major listed brands, including Fortune 500 companies, continue to have their ads served on MFA sites, both programmatically and through other channels.
At Ebiquity, we’re committed to empowering advertisers with actionable insights to optimize their ad spend and protect their brand reputation. We have partnered with Jounce, the leading provider of MFA lists, to help advertisers track exposure to MFA and eliminate this waste. Our comprehensive analyses shed light on hidden costs and reveal opportunities for enhanced efficiency and efficacy in advertising strategies.
Don’t let your advertising budget fall victim to deceptive practices. Partner with Ebiquity today and gain clarity and confidence in your media placements. Uncover the truth behind your ad spend.
Download our infographic and watch VOD
Another impactful report by Adalytics finds that hundreds of brands continue to have their ads observed on “Made for Advertising” websites. What can advertisers do now to better manage this wasted spend?
Ardit Bejko, Managing Director for North America at FirmDecisions, considers the very real benefits of a partnership between an Internal Audit team and an independent contract compliance expert.


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ISLAMABAD: The federal government has permitted importers of used cars to pay partial duties in Pakistani currency to release their vehicles stuck at Karachi port, after fulfilling certain specific conditions.
The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) on Monday amended the import policy order 2016 through an SRO which read, “In case the Pakistani rupee depreciates or government increases the import duties or taxes after receipt of remittance and before filing of good declaration, which results in shortfall of remitted amount against payable duties and taxes, the importer is allowed to meet the shortfall through local sources.”
Officials said this would facilitate the smooth clearance of imported cars, as in such cases of shortfall in remitted duty/taxes, the imported cars were stuck at Karachi port causing losses to the owners of vehicles.
The amendment will be implemented in backdate and will be applicable from 15th Jan 2019, the same day when the MoC had initially placed condition that duty and taxes on all imported vehicles, in new and used condition, under personal baggage or gift scheme will be paid out of foreign exchange arranged by Pakistani nationals themselves or local recipients supported by bank encashment certificate showing conversion of foreign remittance to local currency.
While implementing these measures officials had said that it was done to discourage misuse of gift and baggage schemes, earn foreign exchange for Pakistan and discourage imports as a whole. Around three thousand vehicles had been stuck at port owing to the imposition of foreign exchange related conditions since last one year.


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Amid the surging COVID-19 cases, last week the Kerala government fixed caps on the prices of essential medical items in the state. The move, which directed that essential items like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), gloves, N95 masks etc., should be made available at a nominal and uniform charge across the state, had come as a boon to people amid the pandemic. However, this has led to a new problem since the distribution of the medical essentials has been hindered, allege private hospital associations and medical store owners across the state.
According to the state government order of May 14, the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 15 medical items — including PPE kit, N95 mask, triple layer mask, face shield, disposable apron, surgical gloves, examination gloves, hand sanitiser, sterile gloves, NRB mask, oxygen mask, flowmeter with humidifier and fingertip pulse oximeter — have been capped. The price of PPE kits has been capped at Rs 273, N95 mask at Rs 22, triple layer mask at Rs 3.90 etc.
While everyone, including private hospitals and medical store owners, has welcomed the move, two complaints have been raised. One, the existing stock of items which was purchased prior to the government order, has a higher MRP than the government capped price, leading to a loss. Two, many distributors have stopped supplying the new stock, paving the way for a possible shortage in medical items very soon.
Government fixed rate
The officials of the Qualified Private Medical Practitioners Association (QPMPA), comprising doctors and hospitals in the private sector, recently sent a letter to the government asking for urgent intervention in the matter. However, they say that there has been no response yet.
Speaking to TNM, Dr CM Aboobacker, President of the QPMPA, said that many distributors have stopped the distribution of essential items. “We are not able to get items at the government fixed rate. Since the price cap has been announced, distributors are sending items to other states. At present, we are adjusting with whatever stock we have. But once that is over, we will run out of stock, paving way for a serious issue,” he said.
Multiple medical store owners that TNM spoke to raised similar concerns. Gireesh, a medical store owner in Thiruvananthapuram, said that items such as gloves and N95 masks are out of stock. “The distributors are not citing the government price as the issue. Instead, they are giving some other excuses saying there is no stock,” said Gireesh.
Another medical store owner in Kochi, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Since we are selling the products from the already existing stock at a lower price based on the government order, it is a loss for us.”
Meanwhile, another medical store owner in Kochi told TNM that they have not yet started selling products at the subsidised rate. “We are selling as per the old MRP itself. When the new stock is supplied, the cost will be reduced. But there is a shortage due to distribution at present,” the store owner said.
Officials of some private hospitals in the state also told TNM that some distributors have openly said that they will not start distribution at the present state government declared rate.
The QPMPA in its letter has also urged the government to distribute essential medical items through the government-run Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL).
“QPMPA humbly requests the government to intervene in the issue urgently and issue direct instruction to KMSCL to supply the required consumables and equipment at the government declared cost. Can be even through Maveli Stores. Also request to take action against the private distributors who avoid or refuse to supply, defying the government order," the letter said.
Chief Minister designate Pinarayi Vijayan in his press meet on Wednesday also stated that there are complaints about low quality of items like face masks and other essentials.
Notably, the government in its order fixing a cap on pricing, has not been specific in stating the quality indices of the medical essentials. This is a factor that both the hospitals and distributors are concerned about alike.
Speaking to TNM, Hari*, a medical equipment distributor based in Kerala, said, “Since there is no specification on the quality, at the lower price fixed by the government, we fear that the manufacturers will compromise on the quality of the items.”
Citing the difficulty in selling items at a subsidised rate, he said that the stock presently being distributed by his firm was purchased from north Indian states last year and that it was purchased at a higher price.
“For instance, we brought PPE kits for Rs 590 for a unit. The price is higher as it was purchased at the pandemic’s peak last year. As per the government order, it should be sold at Rs 270. That is a loss for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the QPMPA in its letter has also asked the government to "specify Minimum Quality Indices (in consultation with concerned experts), failing which vendors will push low quality Chinese products."


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The company announced Thursday that it is searching for a city to host the new “HQ2” facility, which will cost at least $5 billion to construct and operate.
“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”
Amazon said it would prefer to open the headquarters in a suburban or urban area with more than 1 million people. It’s looking for a community that “thinks big.”
The company said that while it would hire teams and executives for the new location, employees who currently work in Seattle would be offered the chance to relocate.
Cities and regional economic development organizations have been invited to submit proposals.
Connecticut seems to be interested!
Governor Malloy said in a statement:
“Situated between New York and Boston, home to great schools and world class universities, and boasting a high quality of life, Connecticut would be a great home for a second Amazon headquarters. We are a proven partner with Amazon, evidenced by their growing footprint in the state, and it would be very exciting to see that partnership grow. And the fact is, Connecticut has a growing pool of top tech talent, which is reflected in the continued success of other tech companies in Fairfield County and beyond.”
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin also said in a statement on Twitter:
Hey CT – We ready to define Hartford as a metro area of 1million? Work together and the possibilities are big
The company’s headquarters in Seattle boasts 33 buildings and 24 restaurants or cafes. It covers 8.1 million square feet.


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While early polls indicated strong support for the proposal, more recent polls suggested that this support was waning, and by the early hours of this morning, with more than 95% of the votes cast and 47% in favor vs 53% against, it appeared clear that the measure was not going to pass.
At the heart of Prop 37 was a requirement for companies to disclose if foods sold in California were “genetically engineered” (for raw agricultural commodities) or “may have been entirely or partially produced with genetic engineering” (for processed foods and supplements).
While supporters claimed that consumers have a right to know what is in their food, opponents argued it was a 'deeply flawed' initiative that would prompt a tidal wave of frivolous lawsuits and raise grocery bills without providing any health or safety benefits.
Monsanto and other large companies such as PepsiCo, Kraft, General Mills and DuPont spent $45m on advertising and lobbying for the "no" campaign, compared with a reported $6-8m for the "yes" campaign, which was largely funded by organic and natural foods food companies.
Supporters: Prop 37 was defeated by a 'wildly deceptive smear campaign'
In a press release entitled 'Chemical and Agribusiness Interests Defeat California’s Proposition 37', supporters of the initiative pledged to continue their campaign despite the setback.
“Californians and all Americans deserve the right to know what’s in their food,” said Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives for Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports.
“Unfortunately, Proposition 37 was defeated by a wildly deceptive smear campaign financed by Monsanto, DuPont, and other industry opponents of the public’s right to know. In the end, opponents of Proposition 37 didn’t want Californians to be able to make informed decisions about whether to buy food that had been genetically engineered.”
Just Label It campaign director David Bancroft added that this was the beginning, not the end, of the campaign for GMO labeling: "Federal GE foods labeling must now be the focus."
No campaign: Food labeling policy should be based on logic and science, not fear
However, the 'No' campaign said the result showed that California voters had "seen through" Prop 37 as a flawed and unnecessary piece of legislation.
Henry I. Miller, M.D., a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and the founding director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology (1989-1993), said: “Food labeling policy should be based on logic and science, not fear.
"Leading scientific organizations have all agreed that foods containing genetically engineered ingredients are safe and are not materially different from their traditional counterparts. We’re glad the voters rejected this misleading, costly and unnecessary measure."
What happens next?
So what happens now?
Justin Prochnow, an attorney in the Denver office of law firm Greenberg Traurig, predicted that supporters of GMO labeling would not simply throw in the towel and give up.
He added: "I am sure the close margin will only encourage proponents to renew efforts next go-around, perhaps with some changes to the private right of action provisions which seem to be the real sticking point for many opponents.
"Lest you think that issue is tabled for now, I would still expect enterprising plaintiff lawyers to bring lawsuits for all-natural claims made with GMO ingredients."
Click here to read the official results.
Click here to find out more about the ‘vote no’ campaign.
Click here to find out more about the ‘vote yes’ campaign.
Click here to read the text of Proposition 37 (The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act).


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Sony’s PlayStation Network has followed online media giants Netflix and Amazon in commissioning its first original drama series, a spokesman said Thursday.
Sony, aiming to compete with its main video games console rival Microsoft’s Xbox Live in offering TV-style programing, has ordered 10 episodes of the show, according to CNN. The PlayStation Network spokesman, Dan Race, gave no further details.
Sony’s new show is described as a one-hour drama “set in a world full of people with superhuman abilities and where all of those powers are just another catalyst for mayhem and murder,” said a company statement.
A detective investigates cases “involving the God-like men and women, referred to as ‘powers,’ who glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire and who clash above cities in epic battle, oblivious to the mortals below.”
Netflix was the first streaming service to commission its own original shows early last year with political drama “House of Cards,” followed by Amazon with character-driven political sitcom “Alpha House” in November.
Netflix made television history last year when House of Cards became the first online-only series nominated for a major Emmy award.
The popular streaming service won its first Golden Globe, with Robin Wright taking best drama actress for her role as the wife of Kevin Spacey’s scheming congressman Francis Underwood.
Netflix won its first Oscar nomination for “The Square,” a documentary about the 2011 revolution and ongoing strife in Egypt. It bought the streaming rights for “The Square” in November, after the documentary won critical acclaim on the festival circuit.
The film follows the revolution through the eyes of six different protestors, starting in the tents of Tahrir Square before Mubarak’s fall, according to the movie industry website IMDb.


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Upon completion of the deal, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) will become a minority shareholder in the luxury carmaker. The deal remains subject to customary conditions and the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed.
The company has said that the PIF will become a stakeholder alongside existing minority shareholders Emilio Petrone and Nicola Volpi as part of an extended strategic partnership that will help Pagani thrive in the next steps of its growth plan.
The company was founded in 1992 by the Pagani family, who will remain a majority shareholder. Horacio Pagani, Pagani’s founder, chief design officer, and chief executive, will retain his leadership position within the company.
Under its Vision 2030 plan, Saudi Arabia plans to diversify the Arab world’s largest economy while reducing its reliance on oil. At the end of the second quarter of this year, the sovereign wealth fund’s investments in US publicly listed companies were valued at $15.94 billion. The fund aims to more than double the value of its assets under management and commit $40 billion each year to the development of the kingdom’s economy.
Hi, I’m Oliver, the Editor for our Online Content. Feel free to email me at firstname.lastname@example.org if you have any questions or interesting content to send over!


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Samsung is currently the top chipmaker in the world, and it’s quietly expanding into a new market: cryptocurrency mining. Samsung isn’t mining coins itself, but it is using its massive manufacturing capacity to produce so-called “application specific integrated circuits,” or ASIC chips, for use in mining rigs. These chips are designed just to mine coins, making them vastly more efficient than a stack of GPUs.
Cryptocurrencies have different features, values, and management features, but almost all of them can be mined. To mine coins, your machine has to complete complex mathematical calculations as “proof of work.” This computing power goes toward processing transactions on the crypto’s network, and in return you are rewarded with a small amount of the currency. However, the calculations get more difficult over time, and that means you need more powerful and efficient ways to mine it.
Bitcoin has long since passed the point you can profitably mine it at home — even a giant rig of GPUs won’t have enough power to compensate for the electricity you use. This happens to every cryptocurrency eventually, but ASIC chips can keep a mining operation profitable. Thus far, most ASIC chips have been designed by Chinese firms Bitmain and Canaan Creative, both of which work with Taiwanese fabrication company TSMC. The entry of Samsung, with its impressive manufacturing capacity into this space, could upend the market.
Samsung has confirmed it’s working on cryptocurrency mining chips, but it refuses to discuss its specific partners. Previous reports claim it’s a Chinese firm, which would make sense. The low cost of electricity there has made it a hub of cryptocurrency mining. The unnamed partner would need to buy a substantial number of chips to affect Samsung’s bottom line. The company brought in $69 billion in chip sales last year, most of which were used in smartphones. That was the largest chunk of its revenue; even more than smartphone sales.
Having more ASIC hardware on the market certainly won’t hurt, though. The price of consumer GPUs is through the roof right now because miners are buying them up to accumulate newer cryptocurrencies in hopes of striking it rich when they take off. Although, it’s unknown whether Samsung’s mystery partner plans to sell ASIC hardware or just use it in a private mining operation. Most consumer ASIC devices have been failures, but recent increases in crypto value might turn that trend around. Maybe you’ll be able to get a GPU for retail price someday.
NASA: Asteroid Could Still Hit Earth in 2068
This skyscraper-sized asteroid might still hit Earth in 2068, according to a new analysis from the University of Hawaii and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
MSI’s Nvidia RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio Review: 2080 Ti Performance, Pascal Pricing
Nvidia's new RTX 3070 is a fabulous GPU at a good price, and the MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio shows it off well.
Review: The Oculus Quest 2 Could Be the Tipping Point for VR Mass Adoption
The Oculus Quest 2 is now available, and it's an improvement over the original in every way that matters. And yet, it's $100 less expensive than the last release. Having spent some time with the Quest 2, I believe we might look back on it as the headset that finally made VR accessible to mainstream consumers.


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BASISTA, Pangasinan – Keeping businesses afloat amid the pandemic is really a struggle but a combination of commitment among investors to surpass the challenges and government interventions are vital to keep operations resilient.
Jocelyn Ong-Perez, owner of Crafters Joy Cornhusk Products, based here, and the president of Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (Philexport) for Region 1, said the primary factor that will ensure that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) remain in operations is for people to buy their products.
Perez, however, admitted that this is hard to do now because many have lost their jobs.
“For me, it should be the government first because they have the money. They have the money to purchase the items that they give out as gifts and for the decoration in their offices,” she told PNA on Wednesday.
Perez said there have been a lot of changes under the current administration that uplift the MSME sector.
She said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), among others, have upped their mentoring programs.
She said DTI has its Kapatid Mentor Me Project (KMMP), which is implemented in coordination with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE).
Under this program, representatives from large corporations coach and mentor stakeholders from MSMEs on different aspects of business operations.
It also has an Adopt-an SSF (Shared Service Facility) program that provides MSMEs access to SSFS in their community.
Another component of the KMMP is the Inclusive Business (IB) model, wherein MSMEs are linked into large companies’ value chain.
Perez said these mentoring programs are what small business owners need “because majority of the businessmen in the Philippines don’t really know how to go into business. It’s a sari-sari store mentality.”
“Para kang nag-MBA in a very short period of time, which is really what we need (It’s like you underwent MBA (Masters of Business Administration) in a very short period of time, which is really what we need),” she said.
Another issue that hampers the progress of MSMEs in the country is the lack of entrepreneurial mindset among Filipinos, she said.
This mindset is what the mentoring programs of various government agencies aim to address, she said.
“They are spending so much for the seminars and webinars for us and I believe that it will help,” she said.
She said the Small Business Corporation (SBCorp), through DTI, extended zero-percent loans with a two-year tenor for MSMEs when the pandemic hit.
She said SBCorp extended a PHP300 million loan facility for Philexport, which, in turn, provided as much as PHP200,000 worth of loans to good standing members with six months moratorium and a 5-percent processing fee.
“They are very lenient, which is a lot of help for the MSMEs. The requirements are still stringent, but these are better than applying for a bank loan,” she said.
For her own business, which primarily uses corn husks to produce bags, baskets, and other handicrafts, Perez said demand has declined because of the pandemic.
She also produces salted eggs, which, are more in-demand than the handicrafts she sells.
She started her home-based business in 2006 when Basista’s cottage industry, known for its bamboo and sea-grass-based handicrafts, weakened after China started mass producing various products.
The fourth-class municipality, which is around 80 percent farming community, relies on rain to water its rice fields. Another product that the municipality is known for is corn.
Perez said Basista has about 6,500 hectares of land area that are planted with corn, which, produce around 65,000 husks based on Department of Agriculture data.
She said majority of these husks are burned and only around 5-10 percent are used as cow feed.
Noting the large volume of waste and its impact on the environment and the need for people to have income, Perez then started her business with around 100 families and formed an association after training them.
She said the number of association members is now down to around 70 because some families started to just rely on government aid.
Initially, she provided the materials to the families and just pay the latter based on commissioned works, but the families are now sourcing the materials on their own.
“They don’t want to harvest the materials before. They did not believe that it (the business) will not last. Now they collect it themselves and sell it among themselves,” she said.
Aside from holding trainings in Pangasinan, she said she has also conducted corn husk handicraft-making around the country.
Previously, she joined trade fairs, both here and abroad, to increase sales but because of the virus-induced crisis these events have mostly been put on hold.
“That’s why we are very thankful to SM and DTI for giving us the chance to hold physical trade fairs in the province,” she said.
SM has allowed trade fairs in their Pangasinan branches in Mangaldan, Urdaneta, and Dagupan.
The DTI urged MSMEs to tap electronic commerce (e-commerce) to sell their products, but Perez said physical presence really makes a big difference to showcase their products than just doing it online.
She has a Facebook page for her business but said most of those who message her are people who attended trade fairs she has joined.
She, on the other hand, noted that her Facebook was instrumental in attracting a client from Vietnam.
“People are now ordering through online facilities and that’s what I want to tap,” she said, adding that online shopping sites Lazada and Shopee, through DTI, are offering MSMEs opportunities to open their own stores. (PNA)


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Best Buy can’t fill Christmas orders
A final note: A bit of not-so-cheery news for some holiday shoppers who ordered online from Best Buy.
The country’s biggest electronics chain is just now advising some of its customers that it won’t be able to deliver their orders
in time for Christmas.
It blames “overwhelming demand for some products.” Best Buy won’t specify how many orders are affected, but it does say some were placed as early as November.
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Almost every second independent sports store in Norway is unprofitable. “A traditional sports shop has no margin for survival today”, said Birk Sport’s owner Kai Norgård to Finansavisen.
FG Eiendom, which already has developed Løkkemyra Trade Park, has received an option from the municipality in Kristiansund to buy land next to the airport in Kristiansund. ”A great project… Read more »
XXL is now Norway’s largest sports retailer. In 2013 the fast growing chain passed G-Sport/G-max and now holds a market share of 24 percent in the Norwegian market.


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Facebook to buy virtual reality firm Oculus for $2 billion
(AFP) Facebook on Tuesday announced a $2-billion deal to buy a startup behind virtual reality headgear that promises to let people truly dive into their friends' lives.
Facebook co-founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg said that the acquisition of Oculus was a long-term bet that making the social network's offerings more immersive would pay off.
"People will build a model of a place far away and you will just go see it; it is just like teleporting," Zuckerberg said.
"I do think gaming is a start," he said in a conference call, referring to the Oculus headset's original design focus.
Zuckerberg billed the acquisition as part of a drive to build the "next major computing platform that will come after mobile."
For now, Facebook will use its resources to make Oculus headgear affordable and ubiquitous, according to Zuckerberg.
The California-based social network does not intend to become a hardware company, but Zuckerberg said it is open to people using virtual reality devices for immersive shopping experiences at Facebook.
Facebook plans to build on Oculus technology for areas such as communications, education, and entertainment.
Oculus shareholders will receive $400 million in cash and 23.1 million Facebook shares in the deal.
Facebook called Oculus, launched in 2012, the leader in immersive virtual reality technology with a strong following among developers.
The company has already garnered more than 75,000 orders for the $350 Oculus Rift headset development kits.
"While the applications for virtual reality technology beyond gaming are in their nascent stages, several industries are already experimenting with the technology," Facebook said.
"Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate."
Oculus's headset earned raves from reviewers at the annual global technology fair CES in Las Vegas in January.
Buying it puts Facebook, the social networking leader, in competition with Oculus rival Sony for development of advanced virtual reality headsets.
Japanese consumer electronic titan Sony last week unveiled "Project Morpheus," development of a virtual reality headgear system for its new-generation PlayStation 4 video game consoles.
Facebook said Oculus will maintain its headquarters in Irvine, California, and continue developing the Rift platform.
Word of the deal stymied some analysts, who noted that the people hot to get hands on Oculus headsets have been hardcore video game players.
- Google envy -
"It's a cool technology," said Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.
"I just don't know why Facebook wants it, unless they are having incredible Google envy. It has nothing to do with social networking."
It appeared to Forrester media analyst James McQuivey that Facebook made the big-ticket buy out of fear the social network might miss out on the next big thing in Internet lifestyles.
He saw no good fit between Facebook and virtual reality, saying the technology does not promise to be an irresistable addition to social networking.
"Facebook is putting itself in a position to offer an experience we are not going to need that much, especially if it means strapping something to your head," McQuivey stated.
"If this is Facebook's way of getting into a Google Glass type experience, that makes a little more sense but they could do that from scratch."
Google on Monday said it is joining forces with the frame giant behind Ray-Ban, Oakley and other high-end brands to create and sell Glass Internet-linked eyewear in the United States.
The California-based technology titan billed the partnership with Luxottica as its "biggest step yet into the emerging smart eyewear market."
The first smart glasses by Luxottica for Google Glass will go on sale in 2015, the head of the Italian eyewear group said Tuesday.
Google's Internet-connected eyewear is currently in a test phase with a small number of so-called "explorers."
Glass connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hot spots or, more typically, by being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones. Pictures or video are may be shared through the Google Plus social network.
The Oculus acquisition comes just weeks after Facebook made a deal to buy mobile messaging service WhatsApp for more than $19 billion in cash and stock, expanding its global footprint.
WhatsApp is a mobile software program which allows users to exchange messages without having to pay telecom charges.
The WhatsApp buy is Facebook's biggest acquisition and comes less than two years after Zuckerberg's firm raised $16 billion in the richest tech sector public stock offering.


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Mercedes-Benz wins the sales race against BMW and Audi during the coronavirus pandemics. All three grand brands have marked major decreases during the crisis though.
Mercedes-Benz keeps its leadership in the sales race for the first three months of 2020. The star-logo company has sold more than 477,000 units from January to March, while 555,300 customers chose a car with the star in the same period last year. BMW follows suit in the rival’s footsteps, with almost 412,000 cars sold worldwide, while Audi had to settle for almost 353,000 units.
The figures were seriously affected by the coronavirus pandemics. For the first three months of the year, Mercedes sold almost 15% less cars than in the same period of time last year. BMW failed by approximately 20% to reach the figures of 2019, while Audi was left with minus 18% cars sold.
All of the three marked major losses in China and the United States, their most important markets. Mercedes sold -21% less vehicles there from January to March compared to the same period of 2019. The German car maker also lost 7% of the American market compared to last year.
Premium brands ranking
|Position||Brand||Units sold||Modification in %|
The decrease was also the trend for the Daimler Trucks & Buses division. 97,600 vehicles were sold in the first quarter, compared to the 2019’s 121,400.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has substantial effects on the global economy – and our company. We took the proactive decision to stop production in March, and moved very quickly into cash preservation and cost management mode. As a consequence, Daimler ended the first quarter with a positive result and a robust liquidity”, says Ola Kallenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG
Also due to the slow sales during the global spread of the corona virus, in the first quarter of 2020, net profit was €168 million (Q1 2019: €2,149 million).


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Barnsley-based Fosters Bakery has teamed up with regional food group Deliciouslyorkshire to launch a new online staff training campaign.
Byte online – a training service for catering, hospitality, manufacturing and food retailers – has helped the company reduce costs while increasing the number of staff being put through specific training courses.
The online system, which is one of the first to offer accredited ‘Pay As You Go’ Chartered Institute of Environmental Health courses, allows employers to tailor training programmes to their specific work environment.
Tom Allot, trainer at Fosters Bakery, said: “We now have 360 users online, which is amazing as we would never usually be able to train such a vast volume of our staff at the same time. We’ve customised the programme as we needed, and currently have courses running on food hygiene, manual handling, health and safety and even gluten-free.”
Employees can do the course at home using their own computer. Added Allot: “We are planning on extending our courses very soon and are even looking to set up the training programme in different languages.”


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Louisiana seems like the ideal state for a craft distillery boom. Its agriculture industry is robust with sugar cane and crops like rice and wheat, as well as sweet potatoes. There is a strong connection among residents for supporting local and grassroots enterprises that furthers the collective culture. And, of course, there is New Orleans, the city known for parties, parades and to-go cups.
It has been slow going to get the craft spirits industry moving, says Andrew Lohfeld the co-founder and CEO of Roulaison Distilling Co. in New Orleans.
“I always say that, generally speaking, Louisiana is about five years behind everyone else, so here’s a burgeoning movement,” says Lohfeld who is also the president of the Louisiana Distillers Guild. “When we opened up in 2014 there were three [distilleries] in the state and now, we have 10 times that, and there are another 20 getting ready to open. The movement is happening and happening quickly.”
In conversations with distillers, it does not take long for sugar cane to come up. It’s a dominant industry in the Gulf Coast state and something with which most residents are intimately familiar. Boasting rums made with local cane is also a talking point that helps forge a bond between distillers and drinkers.
“The scene here is young but this is a natural point for rum production,” says Thomas Soltau, the head distiller and principle owner of Sugarfield Spirits in Gonzales. “A lot of other distillers around the country are making rum from molasses that they got from Louisiana. Here it’s a local ingredient and it expresses a sense of place.”
Meagen Moreland-Taliancich the co-founder and chief brand officer of Happy Raptor Distilling agrees. “Some of the best sugar cane in the world is in our backyard.”
Happy Raptor, which is located in New Orleans, sources its molasses from an 100-year-old family refinery, which only adds to the lore. “It’s truly cane to bottle,” she says. “We’re making something magic from their sugar cane. And in terms of quality it can’t be beat and it’s just so special and important.”
Sugar cane also plays big into the distillery’s offerings. When Happy Raptor opened in February of 2020, it offered a handful of rums in both classic styles and flavors, including hibiscus, bananas foster and king cake. The company—which was also co-founded by Moreland-Taliancich’s husband Mark Taliancich (the head distiller) and Peter Rivera—has since added a lineup of flavored simple syrups.
As one might expect, cocktails play a big part of the craft distillery story in Louisiana, and especially in New Orleans, where mixed drinks are incredibly popular. Moreland-Taliancich says that employees are always working to come up with new twists and flavors which not only keeps customers happy, but the in-house creativity flowing.
Small distillers around the state are also working with bars and restaurants to work craft offerings into menus and lineups, often talking up the local angle as a way to connect with customers. This seems to be working, distillers said, especially as tourism rebounds and more people are going out as COVID-19 has less of an impact on daily life.
“I say it all the time but ‘local, local, local’ needs to be part of the dialogue as much as possible when we’re marketing,” says Olivia Stewart of Three Roll Estate in Baton Rouge. “That’s what restaurants want and care about and that’s what we’re relaying to consumers in independent grocery stores. It’s about cocktails, tours and tastings. That’s how each of us are reaching customers directly.”
Three Roll Estate is located on a sugar cane farm and mill that has been in Stewart’s family for generations and is helping to tell the story of local agriculture in a burgeoning industry. Other distillers that source their cane from other farms have seen a positive change in attitude from the companies that are not more willing to work with the small companies because it leads to increased visibility.
There is a lot of focus on tourist business. New Orleans sees roughly 20 million tourists annually, and the distillers see the benefit of meeting as many of them as possible and then sending them home with bottles, but the distillers also want to focus on locals and full-time residents and forge a deeper connection.
“Tourists come and go but locals are forever,” says Mark Taliancich.
There are other spirits being made in the state as well. Porchjam Distillery has released a vodka, gins, and, of course, rum, and has other projects in the works. New Orleans, says Jason Zeno, breeds creativity.
“The culture in the city is influenced by so many complementary cultures and its own innate soul that it truly is unique,” he says. “This is why the food, music and cocktail scene is second to none. Outside of the city is the beautiful bayou and fields of sugarcane that give you a sense of terroir.
“No matter if you were born here or you are a transplant, the city can feel like home or it is simply not a good fit. This is not an easy place to live by any means, but there is a trade off for the culture and experience of living here. A unique place breeds unique art, food and drink.”
The craft distillers in the state say there is a lot of work to be done legislatively and regulation-wise to help the industry grow to reach its full potential. Those efforts are underway and Lohfeld and others say that legislators are receptive to advancements.
For those who are getting ready to travel to the state and to experience all New Orleans has to offer, there are a few pieces of advice that local craft distillery pros have to offer.
“Dress for the weather,” says Moreland-Taliancich. “It’s gets pretty warm but that’s why we have cold drinks.”
And always remember that a Hurricane tastes better with locally distilled rum.


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Q2 revenue growth propelled by noodles, semolina segments – Flour Mills
By Felicia Nwosu
Providing an in-depth assessment of its market’s current performance, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc. has revealed that it recorded an impressive growth with a revenue rise of N508.27bn for the second quarter of its 2023/2024 financial year driven by noodles and semolina segments of its portfolios.
The “home of food” company said this was propelled by some positive market dynamics around some of its food segment, which generated 68 per cent revenue for the period.
Information made available by the company through the Nigerian Exchange Limited, showed that Flour Mills’ food revenue grew 50 per cent and was driven by volume growth in pasta, noodles and semolina.
Joseph Umolu, the Company Secretary/Group Director, Legal Services, said, on behalf of the board in an explanatory note, that the company has experienced continued strong revenue growth of 34 per cent (year-on-year) with the gross profit growth of 53 per cent ahead of revenue.
“The operating profit slightly dropped due to foreign exchange loss of N28.7bn in the Q2 leading to the Group’s loss before tax of N8.1bn. Management remains optimistic that with the current government monetary policies at stabilising the forex market, and management continuing effort in sales and marketing activities geared towards boosting our top line while keeping costs under control, we expect to see improvement in our operations in the coming period,” Umolu said.
Flour Mills also added that its sugar segment also saw an increase of 67 per cent increase in revenue owing to higher sales of brown sugar while the agro-allied segment recorded a 28 per cent dip in revenue due to lower fertilizer sales.
He added, “We are excited about the potential for Q2 23/24 and the foreseeable impact of this financial growth for the organization. As we navigate through emerging marketing challenges, we will continue to work with all stakeholders in driving the Group’s vision and propagating a sustainable business.”
The analysis also showed that in the Q2 results, the gross profit rose to N55.22bn from N35.54bn in the corresponding quarter 22/23 while the profit after tax stood at N816m from N204.11m marking about a 299.79 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, it stated that, for the six-month period ended September 2023, FMN recorded a loss of N8.521bn in contrast to a gain of N5.70bn in 2022. An increase in finance cost to N34.61bn from N22.32bn in 2022 partly led to the loss recorded. The company also blamed forex for the dip in its operating profit. Its revenue for the six months stood at N964.65bn from N720.58bn.


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Metal Wolf Chaos XD appears to be coming to the Nintendo Switch according to the most recent issue of Famitsu.
While this may be a mistake, Famitsu usually doesn’t get this kind of detail wrong, especially when it’s displayed in the top banner of the article showing all the available platforms.
The original Metal Wolf Chaos was released only in Japan on the original Xbox in 2004. It was largely unknown for many years because of this, especially given how unpopular the Xbox brand was in Japan.
Through the awareness garnered through various YouTubers and streamers, however, the game slowly gained attention for its outlandish dialogue, voice acting (all in English) and intense mecha action.
It also helped that FromSoftware was becoming a more common name in the industry after many people knew them from the Soulsborne style games they created.
Eager gamers sought out ways to play the game (which would require the game itself with either a Japanese or modded original Xbox) until Devolver saw the fan demand on Twitter and social media and decided to reach out to FromSoftware to re-release it as a remaster.
Originally, it was only supposed to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam. Now we can look forward to controlling the charismatic President, Michael Wilson on the go as well.
If you happened to have missed our original story covering the reveal of Metal Wolf Chaos XD, feel free to check it out.
[Source: Weekly Famitsu via Japanese Nintendo]
EDIT: Famitsu has commented on Metal Wolf Chaos XD coming to Switch, saying that it was indeed a typo mistake and currently Devolver Digital has no plans on bringing the game to the platform at this time.