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Sustainable, structural and systemic change in global fashion and clothing sectors is now paramount and presents both challenges and opportunities for innovation.
Sustainable Innovation 2021 will provide an insightful and critical platform to discuss issues associated with accelerating sustainability in the fashion and clothing system. Pioneers, innovators, thought-leaders and change-makers from academia, brands, businesses and industries across fashion, clothing, textiles, sportswear, accessories, retail, and technology sectors are invited to explore policy changes, new business models, circular processes, product-service design, supply chain traceability, technological solutions and consumer behaviour shifts focused on radical change that advances sustainability in the global fashion and clothing system.
Sustainable Innovation 2021 will include invited and refereed papers from academics, business leaders, policy makers, entrepreneurs, innovators, designers, scientists and technologists. The international conference will create a unique space for learning, thinking and networking. Delegates will come globally from international brands and corporations, SMEs and start-ups, as well as academia, government and NGOs. The conference is supported by an international Advisory Board.
- Clothing waste is increasing worldwide. It is estimated that 60% of all clothing produced ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made. The UK fashion industry sends over 300,00 tonnes of clothing waste to landfill each year and the US has doubled its clothing waste from 7 to 14 million tonnes in the past two decades; and both UK and US consumers throwaway over 32kg of clothing per person per year.
- Youth-driven climate change activism worldwide is bringing issues to the public conscience. Yet youth is also the key consumer of fast fashion and brands continue to feed the demand for newness in the age of social media, where some items of clothing last for 1 Instagram post.
- European and other national policy makers are waking up to the challenge. In March 2020, the European Commission announced a proposed Strategy for Textiles in the Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0 that aims to address fast fashion and boost the EU market for sustainable and circular textiles, including textile reuse.
- The French government announced a ban on the destruction of unsold non-food stock including all clothing and accessories, coming into force by 2023, obliging retailers and manufactures to increase re-use or recycling.
- Fashion uses 25% of all chemicals produced worldwide, is responsible for 20% of all industrial water pollution, accounts for 10% of carbon emissions (more than aviation and shipping combined) and every 1 kg of cloth generates 23 kg of greenhouse gas. Yet the scale and speed of production is not reducing, which means that the sector’s contribution to climate change remains extremely high.
- Resulting from increased NGO activity, brands, retailers and manufacturers are now required to pass more stringent chemical management requirements through global supply networks.
- The plastics crisis is driving the search for new sustainable materials and we are witnessing a significant increase in the innovation and commercialisation of textiles made from recycled, natural and bio-based raw materials. Despite new textile innovations, driven by start-ups and material innovators, the industry needs to provide better financial support and investment to scale these up into commercially viable solutions
- Big data analysis and artificial intelligence is being used to increase targeted sales. However, it isn’t being used for more precise forecasting to reduce excess supply and over-production that is resulting in growing clothing waste.
- The adoption of wearable technologies is increasing. This has sustainability implications along entire supply chains, with increased ‘end of life’ waste issues if products are not designed to enable separation and disassembly.
TIME FOR ACCELERATION
To accelerate sustainability in Fashion & Clothing sectors there is a growing need for:
- Systemic view of the fashion and clothing business to understand the complexity of global value chain networks.
- Implementation of demand-side and supply-side public policy instruments that drive product sustainability.
- The emergence and up-scaling of new disruptive eco-innovators.
- Learning from other sectors approaches to product sustainability and circularity.
- Commercialisation, range-widening and up-scaling of renewable material manufacturing.
Sustainable Innovation 2021 is being organised in March 2021 to tackle these issues and will include 50 invited and research based papers from internationally recognised expert thinkers and practitioners. The conference is the 23rd in a series of international conferences going back to the mid-1990s that have been organised through Europe and the US and attracted 3000 delegates from 50 countries. Sustainable Innovation 2021 is aligned to the International Year of Creative Economy and Sustainable Development, 2021.
The founder and creator of conference series, Professor Marin Charter will chair Sustainable Innovation 2021 and has been there from the beginning. After attending The Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 he co-founding The Centre for Sustainable Design ® (CfSD) at the University for the Creative Arts in 1995. Now 25 years on CfSD is firmly located in UCA’s new Business School for the Creative Industries where sustainability is a key research theme.
Sustainable Innovation 2021, 23rd International Conference
Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing, Sportswear & Accessories
Online Conference: 15th-21st March 2021 Business School for the Creative Industries University for the Creative Arts, Epsom, UK
Programme: Sustainable Innovation 2021 Conference
Contact: For more information on Sustainable Innovation 2021, please contact: Professor Martin CharterThe Centre for Sustainable Design ®
Business School for the Creative Industries
University for the Creative Arts
UKTel: + 00 44 (0) 1252 892878


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When it comes to how fast your body turns food into fuel, there are some things that you could be doing that can help or hamper your metabolism along.
Here are four habits that can influence the way your body burns or store energy.
1. Washing your hands
Is obesity infectious? Well, maybe according to Science News.org. Just in case you needed another reason to wash your hands, consider this:..
a study by Magdalena Pasarica of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge report that a common respiratory virus, the adenovirus-36 transforms adult stem cells into fat-storing cells.
2. Eight glasses of water
We've heard it a thousand times. 'Drink eight glasses of water a day', or 'water helps you lose weight', but few studies have really proven this to be true. Well, until now. A University of Utah study found eight glasses of water may really be the magic number, when it comes to weight loss and rehydration.
The study examined different physiological results on the advantages or disadvantages of different levels of water consumption, with research subjects given 4, 8, or 12 glasses of water a day. With just four glasses a day the subjects were dehydrated and their metabolism slowed down but with eight and above they had more energy and their metabolism fired as it should. There are some considerations with how many glasses should be drunk – as small inactive people may not need as much as larger, active people, but this study does suggest that without proper hydration your metabolism will not be firing as it should.
3. Fish oil supplementation
Are you getting in your omega-3 and omega-6s? A study published in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition looked at the effects of fish oil on resting metabolic rate in healthy adults and found that six weeks of supplementation with fish oils significantly increased lean mass and decreased fat mass in both men and women.
A similar study by the University of Ontario found that consuming oily fish can increase the fat burning enzymes in the body and help burn an extra 400 calories a day according to Medical Daily.com.
Think about that the next time you skip the vitamin aisle.
4. Preparing fruit and vegetables
According to Men's Health, a 2012 study in Environmental Health Perspectives showed that there is a link between obesity from unwashed produce as a result of environmental pesticides used on fruit and vegetables.
Not washing your produce could cause your metabolism to slow down as the pollutants are stored in your fat tissue and lead to inflammation. Their advice is to wash produce thoroughly under running water, and to peel or cut away any damaged areas first.
While eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly are the magic pills for your metabolism.

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For the first time since 1901, you can't buy candy hearts with messages on them this Valentine's Day . . . the original ones anyway. Plenty of knock-offs will be available. But the original ones are called 'Sweethearts,' and they were made by Necco, which went out of business. The company that bought Necco is bringing them back next year. Here's Jim Gaffigan on whether they're even that good.
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McDonald’s is offering a very limited-time deal where you can get a Chicken or Sausage McGriddle with a large coffee for $2.01 via the brand’s mobile app on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
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The offer is available as part of the brand’s current syllabus-themed app deals promotion, where they’re offering a special back-to-school deal every day through August 18, 2022.
The Sausage McGriddle features soft, warm griddle cakes – with the taste of sweet maple – sandwiching a savory, sizzling hot sausage.
The Chicken McGriddle features a savory, crispy, chicken patty, served on soft, warm McGriddles griddle cakes.
Image via McDonald’s/Chew Boom Mashup


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YEREVAN, May 5. / ARKA /. The 12-month inflation rise of 4.4% in Armenia (from April 2013 to April 2014) was largely triggered by an increase in prices of Russian natural gas and electricity, according to Gurgen Martirosyan, head of a National Statistical Service (NSS) department.
Speaking at a news conference today, he said prices of foods grew by 2.6 %, prices of non-foods by 1.8%, and prices of services by 8.5%. He blamed these price hikes on increased prices of electricity and gas that came into force in 2013 July.
Martirosyan said a 30% rise in electricity price and an 18 percent rise in natural gas price resulted in a 2.5% rise in consumer price index.
The new electricity price that came into effect in 2013 July is 38 drams (including VAT) per kW/h for daytime (instead of the previous 30 drams) and 28 drams (including VAT) per kW/h at nights (compared to the previous 25 drams).
The new price of as for customers with monthly consumption of up to 10,000 cubic meters is 156,000 drams per every 1,000 cubic meters (including VAT), as compared to the previous 132,000 drams. ($1 0 413.59 drams). -0-


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Brunswick Corporation and Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance announce three-year extension of the Brunswick Acceptance Company
METTAWA, Ill. (March 10, 2021) – Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) and Wells Fargo Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) have announced a three-year extension of the Brunswick Acceptance Company (BAC) joint venture agreement through December 2025. The JV, which began in 2002, offers financial solutions to the Brunswick Boat Group and Mercury Marine dealer networks in North America. Now, as part of the new extension, the agreement will also provide expanded financing to North American Freedom Boat Club franchisees.
“Wells Fargo has been a long-standing partner of Brunswick Corporation for more than 45 years, including almost 20 years through our joint venture,” said Ryan Gwillim, Brunswick Corporation CFO. “We are currently experiencing incredibly high demand in the marine industry, and this extension will ensure that our channel partners in North America have access to high-quality floor-plan financial services and offerings, enabling their opportunity for financial growth.”
“Through what has been an exceptional and unpredictable year, Brunswick remains a key player in the recreational marine industry,” said Bruce Van Wagoner, Marine Leader for Wells Fargo Distribution Finance. “We are grateful Brunswick trusts us as their preferred floorplan financing provider through all stages, and we look forward to continuing to support their vast network of North American dealers.”
Committed to serving the marine industry and focused on its success, Brunswick Corporation and Wells Fargo CDF have supported the industry together through the joint venture of Brunswick Acceptance Company since 2002.
Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporation’s leading consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages; Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics; Power Products Integrated Solutions; MotorGuide trolling motors; Attwood, Mastervolt, and Whale marine parts; Land ’N’ Sea, BLA, Payne’s Marine, Kellogg Marine, and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Heyday, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern boats; Boating Services Network, Freedom Boat Club and Boat Class. For more information, visit brunswick.com.
About Wells Fargo Distribution Finance (DF)
Wells Fargo Distribution Finance provided more than $42 billion in financing for more than 30,000 dealers and more than 1,200 distributors and manufacturers globally in 2020. CDF provides inventory financing solutions, service and intelligence through in-depth industry expertise and commitment. Programs include inventory and accounts receivable financing, asset-based lending, private label financing, collateral management, and related financial products. For more information, visit wellsfargo.com/cdf.
Released March 10, 2021


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A long-loved British sports car is finally returning to the US. Morgan Motor Company, in response to U.S. Morgan dealers unfulfilled demand for 4 wheeled Morgans and also the disappointing lack of progress in implementing the Replica Car Bill, is now addressing the issue proactively. Last week Morgan Motor Company announced that they are prepared to manufacture a functional rolling chassis in both Roadster and Plus 4 variants, that can then be shipped to the US, using the specially constructed vehicle route to market.
It is fully appreciated that there has been a significant hiatus regarding supply of four-wheeled Morgan vehicles to the US. Additionally, the proposed Replica Car Bill has stalled significantly during the last 2 years and is still without any clear steer on the outcome with regards to both timing and legislative requirements. We believe there is a huge pent-up demand for traditional Morgans in the U.S.
Morgan plans an initial build of 40 Roadsters and 40 Plus 4’s during the remainder of 2018.
Upon hearing the news in San Francisco, Bill Fink of Morgan Cars USA was too jubilant at the prospect of new cars to dwell about the low number of vehicles. This year marks his 50th anniversary as a Morgan dealer.
We have long awaited the opportunity to provide our customers with classic Morgans again. After the days without new 4-wheeled cars started stretching into years, and all the time spent waiting for implementation of the Fast Act – this is a very happy turn of events.
The Morgan Motor Company has just opened the order books for USA bound roadsters. Immediately available models include the Morgan Plus 4 (base price MSRP $69,995) and the Roadster 3.7 (base price MSRP $79,995.) Freight, options, taxes, and fees are additional. With the suggestion that as few as 80 vehicles will be built to meet the demand, and factoring in the Morgan devotees on dealers’ wait lists … the available build dates will be filled quickly.
Christopher Silvestri, who also been fielding many requests for trad Morgans at his Florida based Morgan dealership, Christopher John Ltd. states:
If your dream is to own a bespoke classic 4 wheel Morgan car, please contact us to see how we can help you select the options to create a special Morgan Roadster or Plus 4 that reflects your personal style.
Official Morgan dealerships such as Christopher John Ltd. and Morgan Cars USA are happy to answer questions, reserve your build date with the factory, and assist with selecting custom options for your Morgan.
Authorized Morgan Dealers include:
Christopher John Ltd.
Daytona Beach, Florida
Morgan Cars USA
San Francisco, California
Please note – Thanks to Christopher Silvestri for the report.


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Nowadays, a smartphone is able to act as a calendar, a shopping list, coupon clipper, a media player, and, of course, a credit card. Now your smartphone is poised to become your Passport and driver ID holder too. To that effect, at the Snapdragon Tech Summit in Maui, Google presented their next big idea for a fully digital lifestyle: mobile ID cards.
That said, mobile IDs are not quite a new idea but the concept has yet to take off. The concept of mobile IDs was floated during a presentation on increasing a device’s security at the chipset level. Alongside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 launch, Google showcased their next mobile OS, Android R (Android 11), and its improved security features include the new Android identity credentials API. Google is working with Qualcomm and its new improved security solutions to be able to offer a secure enough mobile platform to store such sensitive information, with the aim of the smartphone doing away with the wallet entirely.
But while the idea and technology are already in place, it might take a while for Mobile ID to catch on as valid identification cards work entirely different from credit cards. To that effect, while retaining such sensitive information on a phone might be plausible, there are still a number of outside factors to consider. For example, government support will play a huge role in the establishment of these mobile IDs. Only when a government entity chooses to recognize mobile IDs on smartphones as a valid source of identification will this technology be relevant.
The example presented at the Snapdragon summit was that of a driver’s license, but both companies suggested that a digital passport may also be stored. A driver’s license seems more within reach as it works on a national level as opposed to a digital passport which will require international cooperation. Until a unified international system that recognizes digital passports is established, there won’t be much use for Mobile ID technology.
While the smartphone has already replaced a number of things, it seems like physical identification cards, at least ones that are valid, are here to stay a little while longer. But with Google and Qualcomm making the technology available, it’s only a matter of time before the transition to mobile IDs is inevitable.
Disclaimer: Our travel to the Snapdragon Summit was sponsored by Qualcomm. All thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.


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Thanks to Famitsu, it was announced that Square Enix has in fact been working on the sequel to Final Fantasy Dissidia tentatively named Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy.
Not too much info has been released other than the addition of Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII and Kain from Final Fantasy IV. The game will stay exclusive to the PSP but more will be announced at Tokyo Game Show, which is right around the corner.
Chris Del Castillo
Growing up Chris watched a lot of the original Saturday morning cartoons and developed a love for arts and animation. Growing up he tried his hand at animation and eventually script writing, but even more his love of video games, anime and technology grew.


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Cash and Crises
The Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition joins CashEssentials
August 05, 2020
The Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition (CCPC) is a U.S. group of businesses and consumer groups that have come together to advocate for consumer choice and for preserving the right of all consumers to use cash to pay for goods and services in the marketplace.
Banknote Industry hits back against Claims of its Decline
July 23, 2020
Has Covid-19 speeded up a phenomenon already under way, favouring online retailing and the many alternative means of payment? Not quite as the banknote industry hits back against claims on the decline of cash.
ATMIA Launches an ATM and Cash Revival Plan for COVID-19 and Beyond
June 18, 2020
ATMIA today announced the launch of an ATM and Cash Revival Plan for an ATM industry hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spain: Cajamar delivers Cash to the Homes of the Elderly
June 11, 2020
Cajamar, the Spanish rural savings bank partners with local municipalities to facilitate access to cash for the elderly, without leaving their homes.
U.S. Currency Poses No Greater Risks Than Cards or Phones
May 06, 2020
The Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition reminds the public to be fully and accurately informed, and not misled by unfounded fears surrounding the use of cash versus other payment methods.
Cash on Wheels: India launches Mobile ATM
April 08, 2020
Indian Bank launches a mobile ATM service for safe and accessible cash withdrawal.
Coronavirus: Beware of Cash Scams
March 29, 2020
The South African Reserve Bank is warning citizens against scammers ‘recalling cash contaminated with the coronavirus’.
Nashville Tornadoes: Why Give Cash?
March 12, 2020
Delivering things that people need on the ground simply doesn’t help disaster-struck communities as much as giving them money to buy what they need. If you want to help after the Nashville tornadoes, give cash, not clothing and other stuff.
China is disinfecting banknotes to contain spread of Coronavirus
February 21, 2020
Amidst the Coronavirus outbreak, China’s central bank is launching efforts to disinfect or replace banknotes which have been potentially in contact with the Coronavirus.
India’s PhonePe App Facilitates Cash Withdrawals in Shops
February 18, 2020
India’s popular Payments App, PhonePe allows customers to withdraw cash free-of-charge from shops that the company has partnered with.
Reserve Bank of Australia to Facilitate the Redemption of Notes Damaged by Bushfires
February 07, 2020
Australians can submit damaged banknote claims, after which the Reserve Bank of Australia will determine the value of the damaged notes and provide compensation.
India launches Cardless Cash Withdrawal
January 31, 2020
ICICI Bank of India has launched a cardless cash withdrawal service, where customers no longer require a payment card to withdraw cash from ATMs.


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After years of being criticized for a missing business model, fintech startup CRED saw a significant revenue jump during the fiscal ending in March 2022, according to its consolidated financial statement filed with the RoC last week.
The Kunal Shah-led firm’s operating revenue rose 4.4X to Rs 393.6 crore during FY22, in contrast to the Rs 88.6 crore the company made in FY21, its financial statement showed. For background, CRED’s operating income ballooned 756X in the last two fiscals as it made only Rs 52 lakh from operations in FY20.
CRED makes revenue from facilitating rental transactions, interest income on the p2p loans facilitated by lending partners, processing fee from servicing of loans and sale of advertising space, and listing fees. It also acts as a technology platform to distribute coupons and vouchers of different brands, aggregate credit card payment options, and allow rental payments and merchant transactions via credit cards.
The firm claims that its registered users grew 50% to 11.2 million in FY22 from 7.5 million in FY21 and 2.8 million in FY20.
During FY22, it also earned Rs 29 crore worth of finance income which took its overall revenue to Rs 422.6 crore. It’s worth noting that CRED hasn’t given a revenue break up for FY22.
Entrackr previously wrote about CRED’s key financial numbers in October from sourced documents, but the current filings provide detailed information on the company’s expense breakups.
Following its IPL campaigns during FY22, marketing, and promotional expenses turned out to be the largest cost element for CRED, contributing 57.3% to the total expenditure. This cost escalated 3X to Rs 975.8 crore during FY22 from Rs 324 crore in FY21.
To harness growth CRED hired more resources, as a result, its employee benefits expense shot up 2.3X to Rs 307.6 crore during the last fiscal from Rs 134.7 crore in FY21. Significantly, this cost also includes share based payments to employees (ESOP expenses) of Rs 112.5 crore. During FY22, CRED announced that it bought back ESOPs worth Rs 100 crore from employees.
CRED incurred Rs 158.6 crore on payment processing and other direct expenses (including payment gateway charges of Rs 139.7 crore). These costs climbed 2.7X during the year from Rs 57.93 crore in FY21.
Further, the firm’s IT (software & licenses) and communication costs spiked 2.4X to Rs 137 crore in FY22 while legal & professional fees surged 2.8X to Rs 87.5 crore. The surge in legal expenses can also be attributed to a couple of acquisitions — liquor purchase and delivery startup HipBar and expense management startup Happay — during the last fiscal year.
All that meant total expenses swelled 2.7X to Rs 1,702 crore in FY22 as compared to Rs 619 crore in FY21. Cash outflows from operating activities surged 3.5X to Rs 1,605 crore during the same period.
Akin to the rise in expenditure, CRED’s losses also hiked over two folds to Rs 1,279.6 crore during the last fiscal against Rs 524 crore in FY21. Moreover, its outstanding losses have mounted to Rs 2,225 crore at the end of FY22.
As of June 2022, Kunal Shah was the largest stakeholder in the company with around 12% stake. QED Innovation Labs(owned by Shah), Sequoia, and Ribbit Capital hold 10.7%, 10.4%, and 9% respectively while Tiger Global owned 6.5% of the cap table. CRED also had an ESOP Pool of 11.6%.
Gemini Investments, Alpha Wave, and DST Partners commanded around 5% each until the above mentioned period. CRED also counts individuals such as Tanmay Bhatt, Ankit Nagori (Curefoods), Deepak Abbot (Indiagold), Pankaj Gupta, and Arpan Sheth on its cap table.
As per Fintrackr’s analysis, CRED’s EBITDA margin and ROCE strengthened to -298.80% and -42.65%. On a unit level, the firm spent Rs 4.3 to earn a rupee of operating income in FY22.
CRED was one of the top funded companies with $466 million across two rounds in FY22. The firm also raised another $140 million in June last year when it was valued at around $6.4 billion.
With one of the widest cap tables around, it is obvious that CRED has believers where it matters. The revenue surge that has started in the last two years has also started to provide detractors some clarity on terms of what the model is. With over 11 million users now, the firm will soon hit a ceiling in acquiring new users, if it stays with its high credit score criteria. That means, a much stronger test of user loyalty and stickiness, as it seeks to offer more products and services to this premium layer. For all the professed belief in brand building, the firm might soon need to pull back on its frenetic advertising and promotions that have been led by a mass media push including cricket sponsorships. It might discover that with high penetration achieved in its target segment, those marketing spends will deliver a better return from these ‘captive’ users.


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Luxembourg has become the first European Union (EU) country to completely ban products containing glyphosate, the controversial herbicide at the center of high-profile lawsuits, and conflicting scientific studies and health claims. Glyphosate has already been banned in Vietnam and Thailand. Mexico has announced plans to do the same.
Luxembourg’s recently enacted ban will go into effect in three phases: authorization to market it will be withdrawn on February 1, 2020. Stocks will be allowed to be used up until June 30. Finally, the total ban on the use of herbicides containing glyphosate will go into effect on December 31, 2020. The measure was announced last month.
Glyphosate, which controls broadleaf weeds and grasses, has been registered as a pesticide in the U.S. since 1974 and has been reviewed and approved by the EPA in regular reassessments since then.
Its use in RoundUp, a popular weed killer used on farms as well as lawns, has led to multi-million-dollar jury awards to people who claim that exposure to the product caused their non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
The EPA and Monsanto – RoundUp’s manufacturer – claim the product is safe when used according to the directions on the label. The EPA says on its website that it “continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen… Glyphosate products can be safely used by following label directions. There are no risks to children or adults from currently registered uses.”
Monsanto cites numerous studies it says demonstrates that there is no health risk from using RoundUp. However, a study by researchers at the University of Washington found that glyphosate raises the risk of non-Hodgkins lymphoma to those exposed to the substance by 41 percent. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer said glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans," but regulatory agencies in Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Japan have classified it as noncarcinogenic.
To complicate the issue further, Bayer – the parent company of Monsanto – claims the use of RoundUp is actually good for the environment, because it reduces the need for tillage, a traditional form of weed control that involves turning over the soil. According to Bayer, tillage releases greenhouse gases stored in the soil and worsens erosion, which robs the soil of nutrients.
While the debate rages on, measures partially banning glyphosate are being adopted in various EU countries, although not without pushback from supporters of products that contain the chemical. In Austria, for instance, the parliament voted to ban glyphosate in July 2019. However, in December 2019, the Austrian home affairs ministry announced that the ban would not be implemented, thereby avoiding a conflict with the European Commission on a procedural aspect (the lack of notification of the measure to the European Commission). It is now up to the new Austrian government formed this month to decide the question. However, this government is a coalition between the Christian Conservatives, who are in favor of retaining glyphosate-based herbicides on the national market, and the Greens, who favor of banning it. In September 2019, Germany announced that it would ban such products as of 2023, even if the EU renewed the authorization of this substance.


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Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) shares witnessed massive selling from top executives during the month of November. Eight of the top executives at Twitter sold approximately $50 million worth of stock in November, according to Forbes.
Twitter CEO sold 50% of his stake
CEO Dick Costolo sold as much as 50% of his stake. Other executives who sold their shares were Jack Dorsey and Ev Williams. Co-founder EV Williams offloaded $28.7 million worth of shares, however, he still remains the largest individual stakeholder in Twitter.
Chilton Capital's REIT Composite was up 6.1% last month, compared to the MSCI U.S. REIT Index, which gained 4.4%. Year to date, Chilton is up 6.3% net and 6.5% gross, compared to the index's 8.8% return. The firm met virtually with almost 40 real estate investment trusts last month and released the highlights of those Read More
For the third quarter, revenue growth surged 114% year over year, and profits increased 1%. However, the stock price dropped on the back of weak user engagement metrics and concern about its guidance. The company’s share price has largely remained stable after the decline after the earnings washed off all its gains for the year.
Many senior management executives sold shares during this phase, and the most attractive transaction was completed by Costolo, who sold more than 283,000 shares in his his trusts for around $11.6 million. The CEO still holds stock options for around 8 million shares.
“What I lack in hair and 20/20 vision, I more than make up for in self-confidence,” Costolo told CNBC after the earnings release, adding that the company will become useful and vital to every person on the planet once “we’re successful.”
Other insider selling
Co-founder Ev Williams sold the largest number of shares, offloading 719,193 shares, and gave a stock gift of an additional 376,790 shares last month. Williams is focusing on his blogging platform Medium, which raised $25 million in capital recently. Williams earned $28.7 million from the sales and still sits on the board, controlling approximately 55 million shares or 9.3% of Twitter.
Another co-founder and the most famous one, Jack Dorsey, also sold some shares. Dorsey, who is the head of the payment and transaction app Square, sold Twitter stock worth $2.1 million, which is only a small part of his 22 million share stake.
Various other executives who offloaded shares are Adam Baim (president of global revenues), who sold around $4 million of stock; Alexander Roetter (head of engineering), who sold more than $1 million worth of shares; Vijaya Gadde (general counsel), who sold around $1 million worth of shares; and Kevin Weill (VP of product), who sold just under $1 million worth of stock.


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Shortly after we reported the arrival of iOS 9.3.5, we discovered that the reason behind his release: an spyware that infected the device with the simple task of visiting a link.
Called Pegasus, O spyware exploited a flaw in Safari's WebKit and left the entire merc crackers, who could access personal information and even the camera and microphone of the device. As it was a flaw in Safari's rendering engine, Apple added two to two and discovered the same vulnerability in Safari's OS X and already released a correction for that yesterday, for both OS X El Capitan and OS X Yosemite.
On a support page, Apple details the corrections made to the Safari 9.1.3 (which is installed in the security update), stating that a memory corruption issue has been resolved in order to prevent anyone from visiting a website with malicious codes that could lead to the execution of an arbitrary code.
As for OS X Yosemite and OS X El Capitan itself, Apple reported that ?a validation issue has been addressed through improved sanitization improvements?, preventing an application from being able to expose the core's memory (kernel).
We are talking about very serious flaws, so it is essential that you update your operating system immediately in order to prevent this type of attack just like on iOS, Apple credits the findings of the flaws to Citizen Lab and Lookout.


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Unilever signals 'commercial determination' with £40m project
The news that global consumer goods giant Unilever is to invest £40m into its facilities in the Wirral has been welcomed as a signal of commercial determination and confidence in the region.
The company announced plans yesterday (14 June 2012) to create a new manufacturing and business services hub at its site in Port Sunlight.
The move will create 150 jobs and entail the relocation of 400 staff from Ewloe in North Wales, approximately 15 miles away. However, Unilever is also proposing to close two sites in South Wales, one in Berkshire and to transfer services to India.
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chief executive Carole Crosby said: "We are very encouraged by the company's announcement.
"Areas from which the company is retracting its activities will no doubt feel the pain in a time when trading conditions are challenging for most businesses.
"In streamlining its offer, Unilever has signalled its commercial determination to survive the downturn. By coming home to Merseyside, Unilever has demonstrated Liverpool city region is a world-class location with the right skills and investment conditions to drive future growth."
The Wirral factory was built more than 100 years ago by the company's founder William Lever and, under the plans, the 120-acre site would be developed into a new manufacturing and business services hub to include a centre of excellence and a IT centre.
It said the feasibility of these proposals would be reviewed over the next three months with a final decision due in the autumn.
In total, the changes could result in a net reduction of around 500 Unilever roles in the UK.
Wirral Council's new leader Cllr Phil Davies said: "This announcement is potentially fantastic news for Unilever Port Sunlight and Wirral and we will do all we can to support the company throughout their consultation process.
"We are tremendously proud of the quality of work that takes place at Port Sunlight and the relationship that has developed between Unilever and the village.
"The company's contribution to the culture, heritage and economy of Wirral is massive and I am pleased that a global company like Unilever continues to have confidence in Port Sunlight as a significant base for its operations."
Unilever's portfolio of products includes Knorr, Hellmann’s, Vaseline, Cif and Marmite.


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Converging trends are creating the perfect storm for further disruption in the technology sector. Richard Clode, Global Technology Portfolio Manager, comments on the opportunities that may lie ahead and how to avoid the potential pitfalls that the associated hype may bring.
Technology is never a quiet sector and this year is no exception with crescendos of noise around regulation and protectionism in particular. Technology stocks have continued to outperform the broader equity market and Apple and Amazon hit the headlines in recent weeks as the first publicly-listed US companies to reach $1 trillion in market value. But what is the outlook for the technology sector from here?
Technology disruption is accelerating. A powerful convergence of technology trends is occurring. Half the world is now online and mobile, meaning more consumers are accessible, while rapid advances in digital payments have enabled the monetisation of online services. In many emerging markets, consumers are learning to pay with their smartphones before they even have a credit card and China is fast becoming a cashless society.
Leveraging these important foundations are the new trends of the cloud and artificial intelligence. The cloud democratises technology by collapsing the cost of computing and enabling anyone to access cloud services anywhere, at any time and at very low cost. The likes of Amazon and Alibaba are fostering the next generation of technology companies built entirely in the cloud, such as Netflix and Spotify. Artificial intelligence has also finally reached an inflection point. The rapid deflation of computing power - driven by Moore’s Law* and the cloud - allows for deep learning and neural networks on a scale that was impossible only a few years ago. The cost of the analysis of data is declining dramatically and, as a result, we are witnessing breakthroughs in areas like image and natural language processing, for example Amazon Alexa.
In contrast to the past, these technologies are rapidly evolving into commercial products as they can be disseminated faster than ever before given the groundwork laid by global internet penetration, the cloud and payment digitisation. This creates a virtuous circle for technology companies that can monetise new technologies at a similarly accelerated pace, which enables profits to be reinvested in rapidly evolving innovation. Of the top 20 global spenders on research and development (R&D), nine are technology companies, including the top three, as shown in the chart below. Those nine technology companies alone spend $111bn on research and development a year, funded by the vast profits they generate from their ongoing innovation, creating technology products and services that consumers want to buy.
Technology companies represent 9 of the top 20 global spenders on research & development (in billion US dollars)
Source: Janus Henderson Investors, Bloomberg, as at 31 December 2017
This technology convergence and sheer scale of innovation will result in an accelerating and broadening disruption of more industries. We are already seeing a huge amount of disruption in the automotive industry as electric vehicles, ride hailing and autonomous driving take off. For a century, automotive companies have built their franchises on designing internal combustion engines and operating massively complicated production plants. They are now having to adapt to a not too distant future of much more simplified cars built around electric motors and a battery, as well as having to learn to programme algorithms to drive the car and designing apps to hail a ride. Automotive companies will need to become technology companies to compete with new disruptive entrants like Tesla, Uber and Waymo. The world’s first commercial autonomous robotaxi platform is expected to be launched by Alphabet’s autonomous driving division in the US, Waymo, later this year.
One of the world’s more highly valued unicorns** is Ant Financial, Alibaba’s online financial services affiliate. Ant recently raised $14bn at a $150bn valuation making it one of the most highly valued financial services companies in the world, overtaking even Goldman Sachs and BlackRock. Ant Financial was able to entice global investors at that valuation because the company had already disrupted the Chinese financial industry and - via its investment in Paytm - is well on the way to repeating this in India. The thought of 2.5 billion people accessing financial services via their smartphones, disintermediating physical banks, is a frightening prospect.
Exciting disruptive technology will inevitably lead to hype. How should investors aim to protect themselves? It is reassuring that while there are some very expensive technology companies, the sector is bifurcated, containing some of the cheapest stocks in the market as well. Consequently, the technology sector in aggregate only trades at a modest premium to the overall market so good opportunities at attractive valuations are still plentiful. Avoiding overhyped areas of technology is the key to sustainable, less volatile returns and Janus Henderson’s Global Technology franchise is built on a long-standing investment process of ‘navigating the hype cycle’. This involves identifying and understanding where an emerging technology is on the hype cycle (phases of hype, adoption, maturity and social application).
What are the other risks? With a highly sophisticated global supply chain, the technology industry is exposed to recent trade tensions but the symbiotic nature of technology trade patterns makes it a hard industry to target. iPhones are: ‘Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.’ A similar paradox is evident in regulation; consumers want more personalised services but, at the same time, more data privacy. Google has seen an increase of more than 900% in the past two years in search queries containing ‘near me’. The recent implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union is evidence that a middle ground can be found.


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Klaus Zellmer, the global CEO of Skoda Auto, has visited India thrice in the past 18 months. For the global head of an international automaker to devote so much time to one market may seem unusual, but for the Czech brand — that has been around in India for 20 years — the stakes in this country have never been higher.
While India continues to remain an outlier at present, it is expected to remain among the fastest growing auto markets in the coming decade, having already become one of the top three markets in the world for Skoda Auto. In this context, Zellmer’s frequent trips underline the country’s importance for future growth.
Skoda not only leads Europe’s largest car maker Volkswagen Group’s operations in India, it also steers the low-cost vehicle architecture projects, for both
internal combustion engines (ICEs) and electric vehicles (EVs). In this context, the CEO’s visits to India are aimed at defining the blueprint that would be pivotal for future-proofing the automotive behemoth, if the EV transition were to face headwinds.
During his last visit, Zellmer is understood to have engaged with multiple potential partners — Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), and the JSW Group — to set up an alliance in the country. And the genesis behind this thought: Share significant investments needed to transition to zero-emission vehicles and build scale in the face of uncertainty over the penetration of EVs.
Alliances and tie-ups critical for survival
According to industry sources, passenger vehicle makers in India will need a minimum investment of Rs 1.5 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore to shift to a zero-emission future. The estimated domestic volume for electric cars by the end of the decade is around one million units, which is a small fraction of that of China, a cost champion in the EV game. Given the sub-optimal scale and sizeable investments needed, it’s clear that automakers won’t be able to do it on their own.
The Volkswagen Group has already invested over a billion euros as part of its India 2.0 plan, and the return on that investment has taken longer than anticipated. As India 3.0 beckons — it would include transitioning to EV architectures — the shift will call for another billion euros for Skoda Auto Volkswagen India.
For VW, the potential volumes to cater to in the future is still suboptimal. This is why the group is open to selling equity and also on-boarding a partner, to share both investments and risks. And this wouldn’t be the first time: in the past, the Volkswagen Group has engaged in alliance conversations with Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra; now, the homegrown business of the JSW Group is on
Of late, the automotive industry has been abuzz with hearsay about potential alliances and partnerships — be it strategic, financial or even partnering with the public at large through an IPO, to fund the transition to the zero-emission space. In fact, manufacturers like Hyundai Motor India and Ola are looking to list and raise money through the sale of shares.
Moreover, the likes of Tata Motors and M&M have tapped private equity investors and green funds to raise money to invest in their EV arms. There are also speculative reports of Tata Passenger Electric Mobility looking to list on the stock exchanges, given the attractive valuations EV makers like Tesla, Rivian and VinFast have enjoyed around the world (despite the reality checks they were given recently, with valuations correcting).
The most feverish action on this front has been on sharing technology and collaborating. For instance, the JSW Group invested in MG Motor, as the British brand owned by China’s largest car maker, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), needed funds to diversify into the EV space.
Similarly, Suzuki and Toyota have partnered with a successful platform sharing strategy, whilst the Hyundai Motor Group is leveraging the combined scale of Hyundai and Kia, by sharing vehicle architectures and powertrains. Also, alliances such as Renault-Nissan, Skoda-VW and Jeep-Citroen are splitting the huge capital outlay needed to build scale.
ICE breaks even, but EV is a mountain to climb
Interestingly, the requirements to transition to the EV space in India come at a time when MNCs have just managed to get their act right in building viable operations for conventional ICEs. Growing volumes for petrol- and diesel-run vehicles and improving cost structures has meant that the majority of them have broken into profits over the past few years. However, the urgent need to meet emission requirements and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets is compelling automakers to look at an EV future more aggressively.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director and CEO of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, told Autocar Professional that going by the current market trends, the electrification of the passenger car segment is expected to gain significant momentum in the coming years. Industry experts anticipate that in 2030, about half of all new vehicles will be fully electric in certain markets.
“To fully explore the country’s growth potential especially in the e-mobility sector, we are always considering new business opportunities and are evaluating various options to implement our e-mobility strategy in India,” Arora said. “We cannot comment on specific names and ongoing discussions [at the moment].”
Forging a new path to electrification
Thanks to an early start and a decent EV portfolio in its R&D kitchen, Tata Motors was the first to raise USD 1 billion from private equity major TPG, to fund its ambitious electrification gameplan. With its early lead in this space and a vision to launch 10 EVs by 2026, the maker of India’s popular Nexon EV was able to fetch a whopping valuation of USD 9.1 billion in 2021.
“I’m delighted to have TPG Rise Climate join us in our journey to create a market-shaping electric passenger mobility business in India,” N Chandrasekaran, Non Executive Director and Chairman, Tata Sons, had said following the fund infusion, “We will continue to proactively invest in exciting products that delight customers, while meticulously creating a synergistic ecosystem. We are committed to playing a leading role in the government’s vision to have a 30% EV penetration rate by 2030.”
Around 12 to 15 months before the deal was announced in 2020, Tata Motors had revealed that it was open to a strategic partnership in its passenger vehicle business, which may have led to equity dilution. In fact, the alliance conversation with Chinese car maker Chery had progressed to an advanced stage, but the pandemic changed the market dynamics and the investment didn’t arrive from our Eastern neighbour.
There was a similar story brewing around the same time between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor Company for a potential alliance for their ICE and EV portfolio. But the proposed joint venture between them collapsed post-pandemic, with total industry volumes taking a plunge the world over.
A year later, Tata Motors raised money from TPG, and Mahindra & Mahindra, too, partnered British International Investment (BII) to raise USD 250 million at a slightly higher valuation, even though there was no major play from the maker of Scorpio and XUV in the EV space.
PEs and green funds in vogue
Explaining the rationale of infusing money into M&M’s EV business endeavour, Samir Abhyankar, Managing Director and Head of Direct Private Equity, British International Investment, had said the decision was “in line with their decarbonisation strategy and focus of supporting sustainable business models that create new jobs, particularly for women,” at a time when climate change is the world’s biggest challenge.
“We are delighted to be backing Mahindra to execute on their compelling EV strategy and ambition and crowd in other like-minded investors in the future,” he added.
With the promise of a future in the EV business, M&M had been making rapid strides in the mainstream SUV market. A strong bounce back in the volume market share — led by the XUV 700, Scorpio N and Thar — and claiming the top spot in revenue share in the SUV segment earned M&M a second marque investor from Singapore, Temasek, in 2023.
Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO of M&M’s automotive and farm equipment business, explained that when an investor is looking at a company’s valuation, they examine the strength of the existing brands under the firm that they can electrify, in addition to adding value to those.
“So it’s a bunch of very successful brands that are likely to get electrified and have value infused into their brands in the future,” Jejurikar had said after the company’s Q3 FY24 earnings call. The Mumbai headquartered offroad specialist has also finalised its commercial agreement with Volkswagen to source batteries and motors to power its EVs in the coming years.
Between 2021 and 2024, following a strong market comeback post Covid-19, and an intense thrust towards EVs from the Indian government, investors made a beeline for nearly every automaker in India — right from Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor to Ashok Leyland — to tap into their EV arm. While the momentum appears to have eased, there are numerous green funds that continue to scout
for opportunities to invest in major automakers’ sustainable ventures.
The transforming mobility landscape
The shift to EV powertrains is a transformational change for the mobility sector, which is developing in congruence with the government’s determination to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The industry is at crossroads with this fast-evolving mobility landscape, which is witnessing asymmetrical competition from new-age disruptors like Tesla, Apple and Google, as well as Chinese OEMs. The latter have a massive scale advantage that has compelled legacy players around the world to cough up disproportionate investments in R&D to keep pace. This is not only to hold on to their bread-and-butter ICE segment, but also to pivot towards greener alternatives that call for a massive investment like never seen before.
VG Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner and Domain lead, Automotive, at Avanteum Advisors, said these changes, at a fundamental level of propulsion, are bringing in new companies from different industries to create an ecosystem that’s striving for viability and simultaneously eyeing sustainability for consumers, manufacturers, governments and the society at large.
This fresh energy source transformation also requires heavy investments across the value chain, with new companies having little understanding of the customer ecosystem, unlike the traditional fossil-fuel-driven industry that’s developed over multiple decades with multibillion-dollar investments and a legacy of known customer behaviour.
“This poses an additional risk to EV companies against their well-entrenched fossil fuel counterparts. EV companies are increasingly collaborating with competitors to share development costs, to primarily lower risk investment as well as improve cost economics by achieving scale,” explained Ramakrishnan.
The skewed market shares in India also present a unique challenge for strong local players. The passenger vehicle space is dominated by five companies, three of them of Indian origin or Indian-owned — Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.
“These three companies combined have a market share of over 70%; India is predominantly their market. These firms don’t have global scale and de-risking options,” he added.
Maruti Suzuki’s case is quite unique, as its global parent is an insignificant player in international markets and India is its top overseas market. While Tata Motors and Mahindra are homegrown companies, all three need large risk capital through strategic investors or global partnerships. For instance, Maruti Suzuki’s parent’s alliance with Toyota provides them strategic depth, and Mahindra is exploring partnerships with global OEMs, with a possible tie up with Volkswagen to diversify risks.
Tata Motors, however, has chosen to separate its EV business and has inducted strategic investment partners to fund its growth through risk capital.
The low market share of the remaining OEMs in the mass market space makes it tough for them to survive. Also, with many of them being foreign brands, they look for investments and products from their global headquarters.
Chinese companies — the most successful, globally in the EV space — are facing their own set of problems, created primarily through their geopolitic policies vis-à-vis India.
As an economic measure, the Government of India has severely restricted China’s ability to invest in India and expand their share — a feat they achieved effortlessly in other markets with brands like BYD being the largest exporter of EVs. These companies have adopted strategic divestiture to Indian companies to retain their foothold in the country.
Beyond the huge capital requirement, vehicle makers around the world need an EV portfolio in a short period of time to meet the expectations of curbing global warming, and this requires high risk-taking ability. The Chinese manufacturing and technology prowess in the EV market, in tandem with their robust supply chain, is moving the electric game to a binary of China versus the rest.
“Traditional OEMs, unsure of the technology path and evolving customer experience, are answerable to shareholders. They are taking a collaborative approach to investment and diversifying risks. The transition to EVs has upended their conventional pace of change — 100 years of evolution challenged by 10 years of revolution. Given these unique circumstances, sharing the risk seems to be the preferred strategy,” Ramakrishnan summed up.
This feature was first published in Autocar Professional’s March 1, 2024 issue.


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Direct trade flights between the East Midlands and China are being considered under plans to grow business links between the two.
Officials from East Midlands Airport have been over to meet representatives of Sichuan province and neighbouring Chongqing Airport to explore the opportunities for direct cargo flights.
The north Leicestershire airport is already the UK’s biggest dedicated air-cargo operation and is at the heart of a vast central England goods distribution network.
It is home to big global and domestic logistics companies including DHL, UPS, FedEx/TNT, and Royal Mail, while the huge new SEGRO East Midlands Gateway is being built next door.
A delegation from Leicestershire, including airport managing director Karen Smart, recently met with officials from the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, which own airports and airlines in China.
Ms Smart also visited Chongqing Airport to talk to its deputy general manager about possible commercial links.
She said: “I was really encouraged by the response we had when visiting both Sichuan Province and Chongqing Airport.
“There is a real appetite for making this happen and there is recognition on both sides that there would be significant mutual benefit from direct flights whether they’re to and from airports in Sichuan or Chongqing Airport.
“I look forward to continuing these discussions and playing a key role in ensuring we achieve this.”
Sichuan is one of China’s biggest provinces, covering an area the size of Spain. Around 81 million people live there, which is 15 million more than the whole of the UK.
The province is considered as the most important in that part of China, acting as an economic corridor connecting the hinterland of south-western China to south and central Asia.
It also has the biggest consumer market in western China.
Meanwhile, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport opened a third terminal and third runway in 2012, and has capacity for 45 million passengers and 1.1 million tonnes of cargo a year.
An airport spokesman said, as a comparison, in the two years since passenger flights began between Manchester Airport and Beijing, growth in trade and tourism in the north-west had outstripped national averages.
He said export values from that airport to China grew 41 per cent to £1.29 billion in that time, at a time when national values fell 30 per cent.
Exported goods from Manchester Airport to China include food and textiles.
Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council have been working on a strategy to boost trade and investment as well as educational links and tourism with China, building on 30 years of twinning arrangements with Sichuan.
Leicestershire County Council regeneration spokesman Coun Trevor Pendleton said he was pleased to hear about the potential opportunities.
He said: “This continued partnership will lay the foundations of the future work between Leicestershire and Sichuan which will further the economic growth and development of our county.
“We will continue to work closely with Sichuan to ensure the best outcomes for Leicestershire.”
East Midlands Airport is owned by Manchester Airports Group and serves 4.8 million passengers a year.
It handles 368,000 tonnes of cargo a year, second only to Heathrow, £11 billion of which is to and from non-EU countries.


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KAMPALA —Government has blocked the controversial coffee agreement with Uganda Vinci coffee company after a backslash, a top official has disclosed on Friday.
This after members of public and Parliament called in Uganda, Africa’s biggest coffee exporter, called for the cancellation of a government deal that gave a single company exclusive rights to buy the country’s coffee and was seen as being unfair for local exporters.
Parliament had set up a committee to probe the “controversial” February agreement with Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Ltd. over the terms.
It has now emerged that government has set up a ministerial committee comprising of energy ministry, agriculture, Attorney General, Ministry of Finance among others to review the agreement on Tuesday next week.
The agreement in question was signed on 10 February 2022, amending an earlier agreement signed on 29 April 2015 and the accompanying addenda signed on 21 December 2015 and 17 October 2017. The amendment gives Uganda Vinci Coffee Company Limited a monopoly over the purchase and export of coffee from Ugandan farmers.
The company was also given a 10 year tax holiday as well as a subsidized power tariff of five cents per unit of power for 10 years. The MPs wondered why neither the Attorney General nor the Solicitor General was involved in the signing of the agreement.


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Maruti’s first ever car to be designed and developed completely in India, Vitara Brezza is the buzz of the auto industry currently. The small SUV is still a few days away from launch, which is expected to take place by the third week of March.
Dealers have already started accepted bookings of Maruti Vitara Brezza at a down payment of INR 21,000. A few dealers we spoke to, have confirmed that they are receiving a good response.
To be offered with only a diesel engine option, Maruti Vitara Brezza will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Haryana. This engine is the same which is already seen on board the Ciaz – 1.3 liter diesel 4-cyl mill generating 90 PS and 200 Nm. It will be mated to a 5 speed gearbox. No automatic gearbox or AMT will be on offer. But, Maruti has confirmed that they are working towards launching automatic gearbox as well as AMT on board the Brezza, along with a petrol engine option.
Below is the first official TVC of new Maruti Vitara Brezza.
Readers here will remember that this TVC is nothing but an extended version of the company’s first video teaser of Vitara Brezza, which was revealed just ahead of the 2016 Auto Expo.
Winner of ‘Showstopper of the 2016 Auto Expo’, Maruti Vitara Brezza is a sub 4 meter SUV which is built on a new generation lightweight platform. Speaking about safety, Maruti Suzuki has revealed that Vitara Brezza has passed the crash test.
More details on Brezza will be revealed in March once the media drives and launch nears. Until then, you can have a look at the Vitara Brezza brochure below.


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Why Tesla, Rivian, and Nikola Stocks Crashed Today
The market isn't taking any prisoners right now, but there are especially interesting things happening in the more speculative electric vehicle (EV) sector. It's not just start-up companies with little to no revenue getting hit, with the stock of market leader Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) down more than 25% from January highs. This morning, shares of Tesla, Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) , and zero-emission semitruck maker Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA) are all experiencing much steeper drops than the technology-filled Nasdaq Composite index . As of 11:12 a.m. ET, Tesla stock was down 6.6%, having recovered from a previous 10% drop. Rivian shares were near the day's low of 10.1%, and Nikola was down 7%.
Much of Tesla's high valuation has come based on expectations from future earnings. With prospects of inflation and rising interest rates, investors are now less willing to pay higher prices for many growth stocks like Tesla. That mentality is magnified even more with names like Rivian and Nikola for which commercial sales have just begun and operational risks are even higher.
Since Tesla grew its vehicle sales more than 87% year over year in 2021, investors are looking forward to the company's opening its two new manufacturing plants in Texas and Germany, respectively. But there has also been a recent sign that its Cybertruck production is being delayed, with production estimates being removed from Tesla's website. With new electric pickup truck offerings now coming to market from Rivian, as well as established automotive makers like Ford and General Motors , investors may begin to doubt that Tesla shares will continue to lead the Nasdaq higher in 2022.
The question for investors now is how much of a premium the market will settle on for a name like Tesla. When the company reports its full-year 2021 results this Wednesday, Jan. 26, investors will likely hear that revenue for last year exceeded $50 billion. Net income through the first nine months of 2021 was nearly $3.2 billion. But even with the recent drop in the share price, Tesla still has a market cap of almost $900 billion.
The ongoing tech sell-off is hitting start-ups like Rivian and Nikola even harder than the more established players like Tesla. Rivian stock, which was once valued at over $100 billion even with virtually no revenue, has come down more than 50% and is now trading well below its $78-per-share IPO price . But no growth stocks are being spared from the ongoing correction, and more speculative investments are leading the way lower. For investors who believe the EV market will evolve as many expect, those with enough of a risk tolerance could look back on this downturn as one that presents good long-term opportunities.
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The Guardian looks back on 2014 from the perspective of a long list of British publishers, asking, what books made their year?
Browsing by topic: UK
In the tradition of the annual New Yorker Christmas poem, Roger Tagholm serves up some verse to celebrate the year in publishing passed.
The French and German attitudes toward book prices originate in their long-standing cultural view on the importance of books as a bastion of culture.
Kobo has released data about how many people finish ebook bestsellers and data indicates that purchasing a book is no indication of willingness to read it.
Two UK rights experts argue that physical book piracy is often due to lack of availability — so, the more content that can be licensed the better.
In the UK, Zoella was revealed to have used a ghostwriter, while Clare Balding’s book cover looks fake, but isn’t. How much of this is okay?
The first UK prize for Young Adult fiction has picked ten titles from dystopian and sci-fi literature to comedy, horror and drama to honor on its shortlist.
Author CJ Daugherty discusses the release Night School the Web Series based on her bestselling YA novels — the first of its kind in the UK.
Publishers need to create their own software solutions, argues John Pettigrew, founder of the newly launched Futureproofs platform for editorial teams.
Nominations for the second annual London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards, which are offered in 13 categories, are now open.


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Under the 'limited period celebratory price' offer, the Audi Q5 in both petrol and diesel options will be tagged at ₹49.99 lakh as against the current price of ₹55.8 lakh, lesser by ₹5.81 lakh, Audi India said in a statement.
The Q7 petrol version will cost ₹4.83 lakh less at ₹68.99 lakh under the offer as compared to the existing price of ₹73.82 lakh.
Similarly, the diesel option of Q7 will be tagged at ₹71.99 lakh, cheaper by ₹6.02 lakh from the current price of ₹78.01 lakh, the company added.
Commenting on the move, Audi India Head Balbir Singh Dhillon said since their market introduction in 2009 in India, the Q5 and Q7 have been popular and paved the way for the success of the Audi brand in India.
"As these two immensely popular models from our portfolio complete a decade in India, we want to reward our customers and Audi enthusiasts with special prices. This celebratory pricing will make our iconic Q-models accessible to luxury enthusiasts," he added.
The offer started Friday and will continue till the stock lasts.


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YEAR OF RETURN — BENEFITS TO GHANA AND ITS EFFECT ON THE NPP IN 2020 ELECTIONS.
In September 2018, in Washington D.C, the president of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo — Addo officially declared August 2019 as “year of Return”.
The “Year of return “, is an initiative by the Ghana government to give room for Africans abroad to embark on a birth-right journey to visit Africa.
Especially Ghana, in remembrance of the early batch of Africans who were persuasively sent from Africa to the united states of America to go through times of agony, denial and embarrassment, four hundred (400) years ago.
It is believed that, the idea of inviting Africans from the diaspora will serve a union between the Africans on the continent and their families across the globe.
Addressing the media, the chief executive officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority,
Mr Akwasi Agyeman made the public aware of some benefit this event has brought to the Ghanaian economy and its relationship with the developed countries.
He said that, the year of return has contributed to an increase in the economy of Ghana in the sense that,
a lot of ‘Black’ Americans have visited the country as a result, profits have been made into tourist sites, airlines, guesthouses, arts and eateries.
Also, apart from it being a year of visitation and commemoration, Ghana is likely to gain recognition in terms of tourism internationally…


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Tourism in June: More visits, fewer stays
What a difference a day can make. And a presidential visit.
Hotel occupancy in the Coachella Valley was down 10 percent in June, compared to the same month a year ago.
And despite the decline in hotel occupancy, passenger activity at Palm Springs International Airport was up 10.3 percent in June, compared to the same month a year ago, as 83,192 fliers used the Palm Springs airport.
Alaska Airlines, responsible for 21.5 percent of the market-share at Palm Springs International, posted a 24 percent increase in passengers on its Palm Springs flights, according to airport data.
The increase was due to increased service, said Thomas Nolan, airport director, noting Alaska Air increased the number of its flights into and out of PSP from 63 to 84.
"So more capacity and more passengers," said Nolan.
Hoteliers point to the calendar as the reason for the decline in occupancy. June 2013 had five Saturdays, compared to only four Saturdays in June 2014.
"Saturday year-round in the Coachella Valley enjoys 90 percent-plus occupancy with a very high rate," observed Aftab Dada, general manager for the Hilton Palm Springs, and chair of PS Resorts, a local nonprofit charged with growing tourism.
But also, June last year brought President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping for high-level talks at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage.
"The anomaly was definitely President Xi's visit last year, which generated significant room nights for the valley," said Joseph M. Alegre, director of sales and marketing for the Hyatt Indian Wells. The Chinese president and his large staff stayed at the Hyatt in Indian Wells.
"The June data was probably more impactful for us since we hosted the president and his delegation and we did not replace that business, so we experienced a double-digit decline in occupancy," Alegre added.
Hotel occupancy last month averaged 46.4 percent across the valley, while the average daily rate was $107.10, up 1.6 percent, according Smith Travel Research, a hotel industry analysis firm.
While revenue per available room, another hotel industry economic indicator, was $49.72, down 8.6 percent, according to the monthly report.
Hotel occupancy in the valley is still trending up, averaging 65.8 percent for the first six months of this year, up 0.8 percent.
The month also brought Splash House, a music festival and pool party spread across two hotels and the Hacienda Cantina and Beach Club, which brought about 5,000 visitors to Palm Springs. Hotel occupancy in Palm Springs was only down 3 percent, said James Canfield, executive director of the Palm Springs Convention Center.
"Activity at the center was up over last year, which may factor into Palm Springs being less impacted," Canfield said.
A recent 2013 report by the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau suggests the industry as a $5.8 billion economic engine in the valley, which grew 9.4 percent since 2011.
Direct visitor spending in 2013 was $4.5 billion, a 12.5 percent increase from 2011, according to the 2013 Report on the Economic Impact of Tourism, a study conducted by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company that studies the hospitality industry. The CVB did a similar study of the local travel economy in 2011.
Reporter Skip Descant can be reached at (760) 778-6409.


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Skyrim Dawnguard DLC has touched down for the PC, but it seems that the release of Skyrim Dawnguard DLC for the Sony PS3 has been delayed, with Bethesda stepping forward to claim that they will not go ahead with a release until they themselves are satisfied with the kind of performance the game gives on Sony’s aging console. Bethesda mentioned, “We are not satisfied yet with Dawnguard’s performance on the PS3. We would like for everyone to have a chance to play Dawnguard, but we aren’t going to release it for PS3 knowing that some people’s experience in Skyrim will be worse. We do everything we can to have our content available to all; from our free updates, to user mods, to paid DLC. We’re as disappointed as our fans when that isn’t the case, but we’ll continue to push for that reality.”
I say that is a pretty good principle to stick to – after all, no one would enjoy a gimped video game simply because it is out early, and the developers might as well take some extra time required to polish up the game and remove whatever major bugs there are so that gamers do not end up frustrated and turned off completely. As for those who are rocking to an Xbox 360 or a PC, they have managed to enjoy Skyrim Dawnguard DLC since last night, and judging by initial impressions, PS3 owners take heart – it is going to be well worth the wait!


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TOURISM MATTERS: Another chance to connect
For three days later this week, one of the most important travel trade events takes place. It is called Connect 2014. It is estimated that around 97 tour operators representing 74 companies from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Continental Europe and the Caribbean will attend.
Courting their crucial business and hoping to positively influence choices, around 125 local hoteliers and ancillary service providers will also be taking part.
Along with a number of other industry interests including the Barbados Food Wine and Rum Festival and Bushy Park, the Barbados Tourism Authority, or perhaps I should now refer to the new name (Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.) have been kind enough to invite me to make a presentation on our re-DISCOVER initiative.
With so many destinations to choose from, often at substantially lower cost, it is important, in my humble opinion, that we collectively make every possible effort to get across that Barbados can offer value-for-money by providing a greater selection of more affordable options.
For us, the perfect scenario is to persuade the tour operators to place our website address on their client’s final documentation, whether in print or electronically. That way the consumer can plan ahead, budget for their out-of-pocket expenses, which helps maximise the potential for participating restaurants.
Having been a tour operator based in England for 12 years, it is also important to stress just how vital current product knowledge is from a first hand perspective. Even if the last visit was a couple of years ago, things change, businesses open, close, refurbish and upgrade during that hiatus. Tourism is constantly evolving and forums like Connect give a wonderful opportunity to develop differential holiday products in an increasingly competitive world. This is rarely possible from behind the desk of a remote office location. It needs research, negotiation, planning and effective marketing, based on personal experiences if the offering has any hope in success and guaranteeing ultimate customer satisfaction.
One area in which I believe there is a tremendous potential for growth is what the British travel giant Thomson Holidays brands as its Small And Friendly programme. The concept would be a two-week holiday including a rental car and allowing the client to choose two or three different small hotels.
The package could be enhanced with a dine-around card offering both lunch and dinner choices and perhaps a heritage passport that would allow reduce priced entrance to several attractions. September is traditionally one of, if not the quietest month of the year in terms of arrivals. September 2013 recorded the lowest number of long-stay visitors (26 970) during the last 11 consecutive years, with the same month in 2012 a close second.
While all the figures are not yet a matter of public record, nearly every other Caribbean country is recording tourism growth of up to 18.6 per cent for the first six months of 2014.
Barbados currently lies 18th in terms of numbers with no significant improvement at all. I am sure this will be the main focus of the new marketing entity along with addressing stale dated websites and social media presence.


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Wales is currently in the first week of its 'fire-break' lockdown, and controversy has erupted over the Welsh Government's move to block supermarkets from selling certain products.
Stores across Mid Wales, like those in the rest of the country, have blocked off aisles leading to DVDs and clothes, while in an extraordinary situation, Tesco has apologised for stopping the sale of women's sanitary products at a store in Cardiff.
The firm said the situation had been an error, and that the aisle was closed temporarily due to a break in.
Welshpool County Councillor Graham Breeze said the Welsh Government should reconsider the policy on essential products.
He said: "I think it is a step too far and needs urgent consideration.
"I can understand completely some of the things behind it – so other stores were not disadvantaged by it, but I think it has gone a bit too far in defining what is essential and what is not.
"There is so much in there, it is impossible to decide what is essential and what's not."
He added: "It is causing confrontation in stores too – that is the risk, people are getting really annoyed."
Councillor Breeze said there was a concern that the situation could lead to people on the border travelling into England to shop instead.
He said: "It is putting pressure on people to break the rules. Particularly in the border area where it is easy to pop to Shrewsbury or to Oswestry. People may be tempted to travel to get something they cannot get here.
"It needs a re-think and quickly.
"I am fully behind the two-week lockdown to see if we can slow things down. If it saves one life it is worth it and if it is taking pressure off the NHS so they are able to cope going forward it will be a process we will all be glad to have happened but I think they have just overstepped the mark.
"When alcohol is deemed essential and some other things are not there is something not right."
Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said meetings would be held with the supermarkets to make clear they could use "some discretion" to sell non-essentials to those in "genuine need".
He added that "common sense" should be used and there would be a "very small number" of cases where there would be a genuine need to buy a non-essential item in a supermarket.
The situation comes as Dyfed Powys Police also took to Twitter to deny that it was 'patrolling the border' after reports in the national media.
A post from the force's twitter account said: "We’re *NOT* patrolling the border.
"We’re out there across our road network and in our communities... all over the place!
"Truth be told, we’re really hoping that we can all WORK TOGETHER to do what we’ve been asked to do. That doesn’t make news though."


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Startups Rush to Pave Way for Web Video
By Peter Svensson (Monday, January 28, 2008)
NEW YORK - Video on the Internet has gone from being the next big thing to the current big thing. But murky YouTube videos are just the start — there's a lot of room for improvement. A raft of startups are rushing to supply the tools to make better and more profitable video available. Nearly a dozen video-related startups will be presenting at the DEMO 08 technology conference, starting Monday in Palm Desert, Calif.
The biannual conference, which gives startups and more established companies six minutes on stage to pitch their new products to investors and media, has been the launching pad for several successful ventures over the years, including the Java programming language, TiVo Inc. and Half.com.
Several of the 77 companies presenting this time have been tackling the problem of taking video quality to the next level. It's quite possible to send high-definition video over the Internet, but the cost of doing it at scale is daunting, because it requires about 40 times the bandwidth of a YouTube-quality video.
"If you run any infrastructure that lets people share video, it's really, really expensive," said Dan Putterman, chief executive of San Francisco-based Squidcast Inc.
The company is launching a service that allows users to send video they've shot with their high-definition camcorders to friends and relatives at full resolution, for free.
To do this, users will take help from other users, in a manner similar to peer-to-peer file sharing programs like BitTorrent and KaZaa. Each file that is uploaded gets distributed in small chunks among the computers of many users (who won't notice the chunks or be able to look at them). The intended recipient gets an e-mail with a link. Clicking it starts the download, which pulls the chunks together from the network of user computers like a squid pulling in its tentacles.
In other words, Squidcast itself doesn't need to devote computers or buy bandwidth to transfer user's files. It will finance the service by showing short video ads to the recipients while they download.
"If someone attempted to do this as a hosted platform they would simply go out of business," Putterman said. "It can't be done and that's why it hasn't been done."
Atlanta-based Asankya Inc. is trying to solve the same problem, but for Hollywood rather than home movies. CEO Scott Ryan puts the current cost of distributing an HD movie online at about $3.
Considering movies rent for $4 to $5 and the creators have to be paid, there's no real money in it for distributors.
Asankya's solution deals with a fundamental problem of the Internet, which wasn't designed for transfers of HD-size files. Under regular Internet protocols, all the little parts that make up a file take the same route over the network, even if that path becomes congested during the transfer. Asankya's Hypermesh service, which it is previewing at the show, can send individual parts of a large file over different routes, then reassemble them in the right order.
"We just use the network much more efficiently," Ryan said. "We get cost advantages out of that."
The technology was developed by a Georgia Institute of Technology professor and uses servers placed at strategic points on the Internet in addition to information sent in by receiving computers.
The catch is that Asankya is mucking around with fairly basic networking technologies, ones that are built into operating systems. For now, receiving computers need software that only runs on Windows XP.
BitGravity Inc. is aiming for the same market, with a network of servers designed to deliver high-definition video. It launched the service three months ago, and at the show, the Burlingame, Calif., company plans to announce that it will be expanding the service to deliver live, streaming video.
Live streaming has been a "luxury" only the big media companies could afford, said Perry Wu, BitGravity's CEO, leaving a lot of unsatisfied demand, for instance for regional sportscasts. "Whether its basketball or field hockey or water polo or swimming, the number of people who want to watch that in real time is tremendous."
Demonstrations on BitGravity's Web site show high-resolution — if slightly jerky — video that starts almost immediately.
Two other startups, Eyealike Inc. and Visible Measures Corp., are tackling other problems close to the heart of content providers. Eyealike of Bellevue, Wash., will be demonstrating software that can scan videos submitted to Web sites to see if they contain copyright material.
Such filters are already in place, for example at YouTube, but Eyealike President Greg Heuss said the startup's product is better than the competition in that it can identify video that's had its audio stripped out or been cropped to as little as a quarter of the original frame.
Boston-based Visible Measures will be touting its service, which lets Web sites track how viewers play their videos: where they pause, what they rewind to see again. That should help the sites figure out which videos and ads that actually hold the viewers' attention, said Matt Cutler, the company's vice president of marketing.
"The challenge is: historically, no one's really known what happens after the play button is pressed," Cutler said. "What we're introducing is the ability to sort of peer beyond that."
Originally appeared in Associate Press and Yahoo.


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The Spa at Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives wins big at awards
Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives has performed a hat-trick scoring three awards at the World Luxury Spa Awards 2018.
The luxury resort which is a part of Park Hotel Group was awarded ‘Luxury Destination Spa’, ‘Luxury Spa Retreat’, and ‘Luxury Resort Spa’.
Having only opened in mid-2017, it’s an impressive achievement for the young resort in the Indian Ocean continent.
General Manager of Grand Park Kodhipparu Raffaele Solferino says the awards reflect the excellent spa experiences guests receive at the luxury resort.
“Winning the triple awards at World Luxury Spa Awards this year attests to the excellent wellness and spa experiences that guests can expect at Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives,” says Mr Solferino.
“Credit truly goes to our team members at The Spa for their dedication and skills to deliver exceptional revitalizing moments for our guests.”
Situated on its own private jetty just metres from the villa accommodation, The Spa features seven spacious treatment rooms overlooking crystal clear waters.
A subdivision of the long-established World Luxury Hotel Awards, World Luxury Spa Awards are considered the pinnacle of achievement for high-end spas across the globe, setting the standard for quality, innovation and service.
The accolades are the result of a month-long voting process, all carried out by guests with this year’s edition seeing more than 100,000 votes cast for the 1000 qualifying spas.


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Apple added code on page to hide court ordered apology on UK site. LOL
This cracks me up. I don't know if it was done in preparation of the court ordered apology, because they did it back on June 8th, but if they did, I like it they're flipping off the judge who ordered such a ridiculous penalty.
Apple accused of hiding U.K. Samsung 'apology' with code | Apple - CNET News
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- By Wilm Wrightsvill in forum Older BlackBerrysReplies: 0Last Post: 01-04-2008, 06:05 PM


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People passing by a hat store in Tours, France.
Workers peek out of a small toy store on the sidewalk in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
A little girl and her mom walk by a clothing store in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Two women at a second-hand clothing store in Nobeoka, Japan.
A girl in a convenience store in Kagoshima, Japan.
A statue of a red man bowing in front of a store in Kagoshima, Japan.
People in the street across from a bicycle store in Kagoshima, Japan.


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Julien Eichinger - stock.adobe.c
The proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using open banking functionality is higher than that in the consumer market, and the gap is growing, research has found.
Open Banking Limited (OBL), which reported in February that seven million consumers and SMEs were using open banking products, has revealed that 16% of SMEs now use open banking, compared with 11% of consumers.
In its latest report, OBL said 75,000 SMEs already use open banking, many as part of their accounting software to import transaction data, and are also taking advantage of the ability to view more than one bank account in the same place, known as account information services (AIS). A total of 79% of SMEs are receiving real-time insights for cashflow and forecasting through these services.
In contrast, consumers are widely using payment initiation services (PIS), which allow them to move money. This can be to top up wallets or pay credit card bills.
The OBL said there were 68.2 million open banking payments in 2022, compared with 25.2 million in 2021, with month-on-month growth of 10%. It estimated that up to 11% of digitally enabled consumers and small businesses used open banking in March 2022. This figure has increased from 9-10% in March 2021.
Marion King, chair and trustee of OBL, said: “It is encouraging to see a continued and steady increase in the adoption of open banking products and services, particularly by the UK’s small firms, which are seeing tangible benefits from real-time business insights offered by open banking data.”
In 2018, UK banks were required to implement the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) open banking regulations, which led to the development of application programming interfaces (APIs) in banking to give consumers more control over their accounts.
Marion King, OBL
The end goal was to increase competition in a sector dominated by big financial services companies. Customer banking data is shared by the industry through APIs, with customer permission, enabling businesses to offer tailored products.
The next phase of open banking – known as open finance – will go much further. Open finance will see firms share data across more services, such as mortgages and loans, also via APIs, and offer products and services from external organisations.
King said the services being offered by open banking providers were expanding. “It is exciting to see the expansion of services in key areas such as borrowing and financial decision-making empowering people to make better informed choices about managing their money, which is crucial as we face an increased cost of living,” she said.
A report this week, from independent advocacy group Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), described the UK open banking industry as being at a crossroads, with clear regulatory direction required if the UK open banking sector is to continue to grow.
In its report, Coadec said: “A multibillion-pound sector stands on the precipice of taking flight beyond payment account data to open up a new frontier of innovation and competition.
“Alternatively, the darling of the UK’s fintech ecosystem could stagnate, condemned to tread water and to not fulfil the promise of the past few years, with the best and brightest firms forced to temper their (and their investors’) expectations or upsticks across the channel.”
Read more about open banking
- Open banking has made financial transactions easier and more secure for those with multiple banking accounts; however, vulnerabilities within raise security concerns.
- More than seven million people used services that harnessed open banking last year, with 1.2 million of these first-time users.
- Open banking has had a major impact on the banking industry as finance forms harness data for better services, but the next phase promises more.


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BROWN FORMAN CORP
Every night is cocktail night: Now your favourite Jack & Coke mix comes in a can
The canned Jack and Coke will be sold globally after a launch in Mexico late this year.
Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola mix it up with official cocktail can
The 'official' mix represents the latest push by big soft drink makers into alcohol, as boundaries blur and more people turn to pre-mixed, ready-to-drink cocktails. PepsiCo Inc started selling alcoholic versions of Mountain Dew earlier this year, while energy drinks maker Monster Beverage Corp announced a deal to buy hard seltzer producer CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective in January.
Keeping up with family tradition, Chris Fletcher all set to relaunch Jack Daniel's
The distillery introduced Fletcher as master distiller for the brand.
Donald Trump says Harley move abroad would be ‘beginning of the end’
The high-profile spat pits the president against one of the best-known manufacturers in Wisconsin, a state of high political importance to Republicans.
Price hike of essential commodities anticipated by traders and analysts
Already reeling under the stress of this week's petrol price hike, the steepest ever, consumers would now have to brace for a hefty rise in prices of essential commodities.
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The Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional area, Naba Yelzoya Kosom Asaga II, has advocated for improved dairy cattle under the Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJs) programme to promote local milk production for local consumption and export.
He said it would create income-earning and export opportunities for farmers, women and youth, and urged the Government to put more emphasis on agriculture and agricultural programmes to benefit the rural people.
Naaba Asaga who lauded the agriculture programme on Rearing for Food and Jobs and Planting for Food and Jobs in an interview at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region said it was important for some of the RFJs interventions to be tailored to enrich and meet nutritional needs as well as improve livelihoods of the rural people.
“Livestock and crop cultivation are our major activities and therefore the agricultural interventions should benefit all our people,” Chief Asaga said and called for the small ruminants’ programme to be stepped up to include dairy cattle for farmers, to boost milk production.
He said it was important to enhance agricultural processing in the Upper East Region to enable people in the production chain to add value to products such as milk.
“That will be a lucrative business as it can be processed into many forms such as cheese, butter and many more,” he added.
He said that could also open doors for women and the youth to venture into dairy products and open business opportunities for fodder supplies in the Region.
He suggested that young interested people could be trained to add value to the products.
He also urged the government to step up the fertilizer subsidy to farmers to improve food production in the Region.


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Asking prices for homes in England and Wales hit a record high this month, but remain well below their 2007 peak after inflation is taken into account, according to new research.
Figures from Rightmove, the property website, indicated that the average asking price increased by 1 per cent month-on-month to reach £246,235 in June.
While prices are up by 2 per cent on August 2007, just before the run on Northern Rock, they have fallen by 13 per cent in real terms after inflation measured by the retail prices index is taken into account.
London is the only region where asking prices have outpaced inflation over the past five years. Prices have increased by 3 per cent in real terms over the period to stand…


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Australian neobanking group Volt announced on Monday its new partnership global retailer, the Cotton On Group, introduce team members and customers to the Volt experience. Volt claims this is the first partnership of this type between a neobank and major retailer in Australia.
Volt also revealed that through the partnership, Cotton On team members, and in time Cotton On Perks members, will be introduced to the Volt Savings Challenge in an effort to help them create better financial habits.
“The Volt Savings Challenge encourages customers to set targets and sends gentle reminders for weekly saving, tracking their progress over a 6 week period by which time the savings ‘habit’ should be embedded behaviour.”
Speaking about the partnership, Steve Weston CEO and Co-Founder of Volt, stated that the partnership is also heavily centered on a “deep philosophical and values alignment” between the companies.
“The partnership will help us continue to show millions of Australians how to quickly develop and improve their savings and spending habits with Volt. We recently introduced to our waitlist a “no catches” 2.15 per cent variable interest rate, which complements our savings challenges that are designed to help people become financially healthy and masters of their own money. We look forward to bringing this experience to many more Australians in the coming years.”
“Our millennial team and customers are highly engaged, digital-first and have told us that they are looking for trusted partners who can help them achieve their financial goals. We really like the Volt approach of simplicity, trust, and great value coupled with a digital customer experience designed to help customers understand their finances and achieve their goals. We look forward to making the Volt experience available to our team members and customers over the coming months.”
The partnership with Cotton On comes just a little over a month after Volt secured $70 million through its Series C funding round. At the time, Weston remarked:
“Key to our ultimate global scale is the development of our platform strategy. We are now raising more capital to invest in the development, integration and onboarding of partners that will open up new customer bases with both Volt-branded and white-labelled banking products.”
Volt’s Series C funding round brings the digital bank’s total capital raised to $100 million.