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Employment worries dent consumer confidence, GfK index shows
The spectre of rising unemployment is weighing on household confidence, a closely watched survey suggests.
GfK’s consumer confidence index came in at -27 in August, unchanged from the previous month and far below its pre-crisis level of -7. The negative reading indicates that, on balance, households are more pessimistic.
Consumers do not have much faith in the economy even though many businesses have reopened. Millions of people are on furlough and many of them could lose their jobs if economic demand does not recover before the job retention scheme ends.
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, up to a fifth of those on furlough could be made redundant before it closes in October, taking the unemployment rate to as high as 12 per cent.


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UO faculty, staff and graduate employees are invited to an appreciation night at The Duck Store Thursday, Nov. 30.
The event — from 6 to 9 p.m. at the flagship campus store on East 13th Avenue — will include complimentary food and wine, prizes and giveaways and pictures with Santa and Santa Duck.
Attendees will enjoy 20 percent off the purchase of most items. UO identification is required at the door.
UO employees also have early access to the Holiday Warehouse Sale at The Duck Store Annex on Nov. 30. The annex is located next to The Duck Store on Kincaid Street.

domain: news


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Towns prepare to welcome 'responsible shoppers' on last weekend before Christmas
- Credit: Charlotte Bond
Business owners and town leaders are hoping for a busy last weekend before Christmas – but call for shoppers to keep to social distancing guidelines.
Fiona Coe, marketing manager for independent clothes retailer Coes, said: "I've got my fingers crossed for a busy weekend.
"We're definitely getting to the stage where online orders aren't guaranteed for those last minute presents. So we're feeling positive about a hopefully busy weekend.
"The grim news about rates in Ipswich is maybe making people think a bit, but I hope it won't because we're very secure and and 100% on it with hygiene. People can drive straight to us then be in and out quite quickly."
Some firms have already experienced a boost as people turned to support local businesses during the pandemic.
Oliver Paul, co-director of the Suffolk Food Hall, said: "We've had a very good year and that is principally down to loads of wonderful local customers. The number of orders is up 16.5% compared to last year."
Mr Paul expects the Food Hall's busiest day to be December 23 and had changed its opening hours to accommodate the extra shoppers – but they are already prepared for the rush.
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"We've had a marquee put across the front door," he said. "Just in case we need to regulate the number of people in the Food Hall we've got that so people can stand under cover.
"And we've obviously got a number of clear Covid-secure protocols in place."
Antonio Bellini, owner of The Italian Shirts Shop on St Peter's Street, said he believed independent stores were safer than others on the high street.
"My front door is always closed but I have a bell outside for people to ring," he said. "After I let people in I close the door again and they have the shop to themselves."
He added that he was keeping the windows of the shop open to help with ventilation.
Mr Bellini said that a good week before Christmas could equal a month's trade at other times in the year.
"The next week or so being busy would be a godsend," he said. "What you take in a week at the moment is considerably more than I would take in the whole of January. It's the most important time and without it, we'd be in lots of trouble."
Terry Baxter, chairman of Ipswich Central, said: "I hope there will be a good number of shoppers out and about in Ipswich this weekend.
"But I really hope they will do what we've been calling for throughout this whole pandemic. That is to abide by the rules, to socially distance, to be safe and to enjoy the experience.
"It's really up to us all to play our part and make sure we can get to Christmas and enjoy it with our family and friends."
Mark Cordell, chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds, echoed Mr Baxter's message.
He said: "Bury St Edmunds has relatively low levels of the virus but we're trying to encourage people to try and come in at the less busy times over the next week when many of the businesses are open later.
"All of the shops have capacity restrictions and what we don't want is people having to stand outside for long periods of time queuing and taking up space.
"If we could reduce people coming in at peak times, that's going to make life better for everyone, because none of us want to see a huge increase in infection levels post Christmas.
"Responsible shopping is what we're hoping for from the public."


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US consumers spend less as debt falls
THERE was further evidence today that consumer spending in the US, the main economic driver, may be faltering, with the Federal Reserve reporting an unexpected decline in outstanding credit.
The Central Bank said consumer debt fell by $2.2bn (£1.4bn) in November after rising $1.6bn in October. It was the first time since January 1998 that credit had declined and the biggest drop since October 1991. Analysts had expected credit to increase by about $3.9bn.
Household expenditures make up about two-thirds of economic activity. Analysts believe the economy grew at between 1% and 2% in the final three months of 2002, well below its limits.
President Bush used the high levels of personal debt as one of the reasons to justify his tax cut package announced this week. 'Many Americans live in constant and increasing personal debt, with credit card bills so heavy they often cannot pay much more than the monthly minimum,' he said, while unveiling the package.
Within the Fed's report, revolving credit, which includes credit and charge card debt, fell by $1.6bn, its first drop since February last year. Non-revolving debt, which includes fixed-term loans for cars, education and other items, fell for the second month in a row and the third time in four months, dipping to $700m in November.
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07 Jul 2020
The health and safety measures implemented by Barcelona Cruise Port, the company that manages five cruise terminals at the Port of Barcelona, are recognized with the ‘Safe Travels’ Stamp granted by World Travel & Tourism Council
Barcelona, July 1, 2020.- Barcelona Cruise Port has obtained the 'Safe Travels' Stamp, as safe infrastructures preventing COVID-19, granted by the World Travel & Tourism Council, the leading global association in the sector.
International security stamp
Although cruise traffic has been one of the most affected during the health crisis, Barcelona Cruise Port (company that manages five cruise terminals at the Port of Barcelona, belonging to Global Ports) has worked in collaboration with the Barcelona Port Authority to implement the sanitary measures that guarantee the safety of ships, crew and passengers. In this way, Barcelona port has become, along with Málaga, pioneering ports in obtaining this international recognition.
This distinction will position Barcelona very positively by regaining the confidence of cruise lines when operations with cruise ships resume in the coming future.
Mrs Merçe Conesa, President Of Port of Barcelona stated;
“this is a great news to know that terminals managed by Barcelona Cruise Port have been certified as safe terminals for the COVID-19. Step by step, we are implementing the necessary measures in order to recover the activity. All of us, Port, terminal operator and cruise Lines are permanently working closely to resume activity in a completely safe manner. The cruise industry is the first to be concerned in having very clear safety protocols for passengers, minimizing health risks, and to grant this certification by Barcelona Cruise Port is a clear example of this. Port of Barcelona is very proud of having collaborators as Barcelona Cruise Port obtaining such certifications among the first in the world in terms of safety and we will be even more proud once we resume cruise activity at our facilities”
Mr Emre Sayin, Chairman of Creuers del port de Barcelona stated;
“We have been working hard to identify and implement new health safety measures in all our ports across the world. As the world’s largest cruise port operator, our global reach and experience helps us determine the safest and most efficient protocols working together with Port Authorities. Naturally, we were delighted to hear that both Barcelona and Malaga have been one of the first ports to obtain the 'Safe Travels' World Travel Tourism Council stamp. As we implement these measures, we look forward to the day we will be welcoming cruise guests into our terminals once again”
National Quality stamp
Barcelona Cruise Port has also obtained the 'Responsible Tourism' quality stamp, granted by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Government of Spain, which recognizes the application of the guidelines and recommendations contained in the measurement guides for the contagion reduction approved by the Ministry of Health. This includes service specifications, sanitation and disinfection, maintenance and risk management for different subsectors of the tourism market.
This certification, which must be renewed every year, recognizes the responsibility and the effort of the company to create a safe environment to generate trust and security for companies related to the tourism sector and their clients.


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Reuters was ahead in reporting Netflix’s launch of a cheap mobile-only service for India to tap into a price-sensitive market at a time the streaming company is losing customers on its home turf. India is among the last big growth markets for the company, where it faces competition from Amazon.com Inc’s Prime Video and Hotstar, a video streaming platform owned by Walt Disney Co’s India unit.
Reuters ahead in reporting Netflix to roll out cheaper mobile-only plan for India
17 July 2019, 12:00 am 1 minute
Type: Reuters Best
More of Reuters Best
April 03, 2024


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DStv Kenya has today, 29th August 2017, announced a decrease in DStv subscription prices effective 1st September 2017. The price of the Premium package has dropped by 3.42 percent to KES. 7,900 from KES. 8,180. The price of the Compact Plus package has dropped to KES. 5,200 from KES. 5,425, reflecting a 4.15 percent reduction in price. The price of the Compact package has dropped by 9.86 percent to KES. 3,200 from KES. 3,550. The Access Package will as from 1st September 2017 cost KES. 950 from KES. 1050, reflecting a 9.52 percent drop in price.
|Package||Current Price||New Price||% Drop|
|Premium||KES. 8,180||KES. 7,900||3.42 %|
|Compact Plus||KES. 5,425||KES. 5,200||4.15 %|
|Compact||KES. 3,550||KES. 3,200||9.86 %|
|Access||KES. 1,050||KES. 950||9.52%|


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“With inflation at an all-time high, you need to get tax relief on everything you can. Partnering with Q2 opens our platform to over 400 financial institutions and millions of people,” said CEO Frank Stain -Pyne. To fight rising inflation, co-founders Frank Staine-Pyne and Craig Wright invented a way for nearly half of the population of the United States to get money that was triple free. Their solution is called HSAPAY, it helps you save for health care and could save your retirement.
You can use Venmo or PayPal today to accept small refunds for things like sharing dinner with a friend or reimbursing someone for a movie ticket. But these guys took that idea and invented a way to send the money to a tax-free health savings account. Taking advantage of a massive opportunity, this payment process was never invented while it was a right to contribution of these payments. Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, and others only send money to standard bank accounts, but their patented app HSAPAY sends money to a user’s HSA account, giving them money triple tax free.
As you may have heard, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are triply tax-free, which means; you can deposit money tax free into the account, when you spend it on medical expenses it is tax free and you can invest it like a 401k in the stock market and all earnings are tax free .
On average, most of these health savings accounts are funded with only $500 in them.
90% of HSA members save only about $500 in their account, leaving an additional $6,800 tax-free that is not realized in a family’s annual income. The annual maximum for an HSA for a family is $7,300 and an individual is $3,650.
In the United States, high-deductible health plans account for nearly 28% of the US health industry market, and under this plan, nearly 32 million Americans have HSA accounts. Since its inception in 2006, HSA account growth has grown at an annual rate of 6% and with a “composite rate of 54% over the past three years,” according to research firm Becoming. The HSA industry is currently valued at $93 billion, with an average growth of 18% per user account. With the growing demand for healthcare due to COVID-19 related illnesses, the HDHP industry has witnessed a huge surge in demand for products and solutions from individuals and family members.
“The possibilities are enormous. Employers can now allow employees to outsource their own healthcare, tax-free, like GoFundMe, they can round up like acorns on transactions, or they can send a tax-free payment to a friend,” said co-founder Craig Wright.
Their minimum viable product is currently available on the Apple App Store and supports Fidelity, Further, Old National Bank and a number of others covering millions of accounts.
“We’ve struck gold in the most unlikely places, the IRS tax code,” Frank Staine-Pyne added.
HSAPAY is a subsidiary of Talli Health Inc., an S corporation, which enabled users to fund their health savings account through donations and contributions from friends, family and colleagues through a single mobile interface. HSAPAY is able to provide members with a customer-oriented and more efficient financial management dashboard to enable people to have enough money to pay for health care. Thanks to its software interface, the HSAPAY application simplifies compartmentalized data, while creating 3 new payment channels. Combining similar processes to Venmo, Acorns, and GoFundMe, HSAPAY is on a mission to revolutionize the way money funds HSAs. These processes remove existing barriers to contributions and self-funding options for the average HSA user.
Q2 is a financial experience company dedicated to providing digital banking and lending solutions to banks, credit unions, alternative finance, and fintech companies in the United States and abroad. With comprehensive end-to-end solution sets, Q2 enables its partners to deliver consistent, secure, data-driven experiences to every account holder – from consumers to small businesses and enterprises. Based in Austin, Texas, Q2 has offices around the world and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol QTWO. For more information, visit Q2.com.


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Google has launched the first wave of its entry-level Android One devices in India.
The Android One initiative, introduced at the company's I/O conference in June, is intended to bring affordable smartphones to emerging markets by partnering with hardware companies. In the case of this first wave, the partners are Micromax, Karbonn, Spice and chipmaker MediaTek, with smartphones starting at 6,399 Rupees (£64.43).
The handsets offer expandable storage via SD card, plus features specifically targeted at the Indian audience, including a replaceable battery, dual-SIM functionality and a built-in FM radio.
The devices will be updated automatically with the latest versions of Android – including the upcoming 'Android L' later this year. To offset the cost of downloading these updates over a mobile network, Google has partnered with Indian telco Airtel to offer free updates for the first six months and 200MB of bandwidth for app downloads which don't count towards the customer's mobile data usage.
Google also announced that the initiative is bringing more manufacturing partners on board, including Acer, HTC, Lenovo, Panasonic and Qualcomm. It will also be launching Android One devices in a number of Asian markets, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Pakistan, by the end of the year, with more countries to follow in 2015.


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The country's automobile industry is totally dependent on scooters and motorcycles at this time. In the first half of the current financial year, only two-wheeler vehicles sold more than 1 crore five lakh in total vehicle sale of 1 crore 27 lakh 51 thousand.
According to the latest data, in April-September this year, a total of one crore five lakh seven thousand two-wheelers were sold. This number is 10.14 percent more than the same period last year. However, during this time, total vehicle sales including bus, truck, car, and scooter, motorcycle were about 177 lakhs 51 thousand 143.
In this case, the participation of two-wheeler vehicles in total vehicle sales is 82.40%. In the domestic market, sales of more than 10 million passenger cars were sold in total sales in these six months. Sales of passenger cars in the country increased by 6.63% during April-September to 10,94,553 units. During this period, a total of 16 million 30 thousand 945 passenger vehicles were sold, except two-wheeler, three-wheelers.
According to data provided by the organization of Indian automobile manufacturers, SIAM, 65,08,952 motorcycles sold in the domestic market in the last six months. That is, on an average, more than seven and a half million motorcycles are sold every month. During this period, scooter sales went up by 17.26 percent to 35,77,421 units. However, sales of mopeds in this segment dropped 5.63 percent to close to 4.20 lakh during this period.


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The federal government's decision on Tuesday to "defer indefinitely" the key Harper Competition Review "effects" recommendation is not only inherently bad for competition. It also signals a disastrous incapacity to deliver economic reform in the face of interest group opposition.
Prior to Tuesday, the big business lobby - driven especially by Coles and Woolworths - crowded the corridors of Parliament with lobbyists, lawyers and executives seeking to strike down the Harper Review's recommendation to introduce an "effects test" into Section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act. The far-fetched scenarios and idiosyncratic alternative legal proposals being promoted by them demonstrates that they do not understand the proposed law that they so vigorously oppose.
Big businesses' blocking of the reform likely sinks acceptance and implementation of the other 55 Harper recommendations which constitute a blueprint for far-reaching, productivity-enhancing competition reforms affecting the whole economy (including health, education, the provision of public services and infrastructure). It also threatens to derail the tax, superannuation, retirement incomes and other reforms discussed at the recent National Reform Summit. If big business cannot accept an economically rational, sensible and moderate economic reform which applies in 127 out of 129 countries with competition laws, why should there be support for the reforms that they propose for everyone else, no matter how sensible and economically rational they may be?
Small business, chamber of commerce in favour
There are other business voices, including the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), which support the Harper reforms to Section 46. This is an occasion on which they are doing nothing more than supporting economic rationalism. But big business lobbying has prevailed.
Monopoly, dominance and market power have not been treated harshly by competition laws around the world. The fact that a firm has a monopoly or is dominant or has market power is not regarded as wrong or needing corrective action. The two most obvious textbook remedies to market power - that the powerful player should be broken up in appropriate circumstances by the use of a divestiture power or that monopoly prices should be regulated - do not apply in Australia.
The only restriction on market power - and it is clearly an economic and political compromise - is that firms with market power should not engage in practices that damage the economy by reducing competition. This is the key principle. Unfortunately Australian and New Zealand law is based on the wrong principle adopted as a result of heavy lobbying by big business of the Fraser government in 1976. That wrong principle states that any big business can engage to its heart's content in behaviour that harms competition providing that it cannot be proved in a court of law that it acted with the "purpose" of damaging competition, a principle that no other part of the world accepts (apart from New Zealand).
The greatly overstated claims that such a law would chill competition need to be weighed against the harm to competition from not having a law that prevents anti-competitive behaviour by firms with market power. The way to balance these two factors is to apply the standard economic criteria that are widely accepted and used in other countries and that already form much of Australian jurisprudence in competition law.
Another strange quirk
Harper has also proposed to remove another oddity in Australasian competition law, namely that it is perfectly OK for businesses with market power to damage competition as much as they like providing it can't be demonstrated in a court of law that they did "take advantage" of their market power. Once again, no other country in the world has added this hurdle.
And what a hurdle it has been. There have been cases where the Federal Court has found that blatant anti-competitive behaviour by big businesses is lawful because there was no "taking advantage". And the lawyers and economic consultants representing big business have had a field day, earning a "king's ransom" in fees, by producing Houdini-like escapes from the law based on reasoning about the meaning of these words.
Chris Bowen's bizarre claim, contrary to all Labor traditions of supporting competition law, that the new law would cause prices to rise will cost Labor dearly in support from small and medium businesses, farmers and rural people, most unions and consumers.
The impact of the Harper changes to Section 46 is not particularly large. They are more a matter of fine-tuning the law. Blocking them, however, is likely to sink a broader and more important set of reforms.
Allan Fels is former Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and a Professor at the University of Melbourne.
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“We anticipated that as cryptocurrencies continued to grow, all companies would eventually adopt them. However, it’s surprising that Ferrari has taken the lead.
Ferrari, the luxury sports car manufacturer known for its unconventional approach, boasts an exceptionally loyal customer base. The company, which frequently takes unexpected strides, recently unveiled its SUV model, the “Purosangue,” which in itself was a surprising move.
As we’ve mentioned, Ferrari places a high value on its customers, and it has now responded to their preferences by announcing that it will accept cryptocurrency as a payment method. This announcement was made by Enrico Galliera, the individual responsible for customer relations and marketing at the company.”
This decision was made thanks to dealer and customer demands.
Certainly, the exact number of vehicles that the company, seeking to attract new customers in addition to retaining its existing clientele, plans to sell through cryptocurrency remains undisclosed.
According to a Reuters report, Galliera mentioned that orders are typically being placed for delivery by the year 2025. The payment method is anticipated to be available in Europe by the first quarter of 2024, with plans to extend its reach beyond that region subsequently.
Galliera further noted that there would be no additional charges for payments made using cryptocurrency. While the process appears more straightforward in Europe, an agreement with BitPay has been established for orders in the United States. This arrangement aims to shield both the company and its customers from the volatility of cryptocurrencies and ensures that the funds received are not derived from illegal activities.
Despite the convenience offered, many companies remain cautious about adopting cryptocurrency as a payment method due to its inherent instability. Ferrari’s decision to embrace this approach can be seen as particularly daring in this context.
Additionally, for those interested in further insights about Ferrari, particularly with a focus on Galliera, don’t miss out on our other content where we explore another fascinating aspect of the brand.


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Sony says the vast majority of the PS4’s entire games library will be compatible with the next-generation PS5 console.
The gaming giant has issued an update on backwards compatibility, following comments from PlayStation boss Mark Cerney earlier this week during the deep dive live stream.
Cerney had initially only made promises pertaining to the top 100 most-played games on the PS4. However, in the new update, Sony confirmed that the “overwhelming majority” of the 4,000+ PS4 games will be playable on the new console, due out later this year.
Related: Best PS5 Games
Sony says it has already tested hundreds of games, and thousands more will be tested in the build up to the PS5 release. The company also says that older games will look even better on the PS5 because of higher and more stable frame rates. All in all, it sounds like pretty good news.
In the blog post, Sony wrote: “A quick update on backward compatibility – With all of the amazing games in PS4’s catalog, we’ve devoted significant efforts to enable our fans to play their favorites on PS5. We believe that the overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 titles will be playable on PS5.
“We’re expecting backward compatible titles will run at a boosted frequency on PS5 so that they can benefit from higher or more stable frame rates and potentially higher resolutions. We’re currently evaluating games on a title-by-title basis to spot any issues that need adjustment from the original software developers.
“In his presentation, Mark Cerny provided a snapshot into the Top 100 most-played PS4 titles, demonstrating how well our backward compatibility efforts are going. We have already tested hundreds of titles and are preparing to test thousands more as we move toward launch. We will provide updates on backward compatibility, along with much more PS5 news, in the months ahead. Stay tuned!”


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Vancouver, British Columbia-based Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers last week announced earnings growth of 17 percent over the first half of 2006, delivering net earnings of $44.1 million, or $1.26 per diluted weighted average share for the six months ended June 30.
Gross auction proceeds for the six months ended June 30 were $1.65 billion, 17-percent higher than the prior year's first-half gross auction proceeds and the largest first half in the company's history. Auction revenues for the first six months of 2007 were $163.9 million, representing growth of 22 percent compared to the first half of 2006.
During the first six months of 2007, Ritchie Bros. conducted 87 unreserved industrial auctions at locations throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Mexico and Asia. Nine regional gross auction proceeds records were set during the first half of 2007, including the largest auction in the company's history in February at its permanent auction site in Orlando, Fla., which achieved gross auction proceeds of more than $172 million.
The company sold in excess of 137,000 lots from more than 17,000 industrial consignments and had more than 129,000 bidder registrations at its industrial auctions during the six months ended June 30. The company's live auctions continued to be enhanced by internet bidding, and in the first half of 2007 the company sold nearly $305 million worth of trucks and equipment to on-line buyers using rbauctionBid-Live.
During the period, the company established regional auction units in Hartford, Conn., and Paris. The company also completed the purchase of land near Paris, Kansas City, Mo., and Grande Prairie, Alberta, and intends to construct new permanent auction sites at these locations.
Gross auction proceeds for the quarter ended June 30 were $945.3 million, the largest quarterly gross auction proceeds in the company's history. Auction revenues for the second quarter of 2007 were $94.5 million.
“Continued strong performances in all of our markets contributed to our earnings growth in the first half of this year, indicating to us that the momentum of our unreserved auction model remains intact,” said Peter Blake, Ritchie Bros. CEO.
The company's board of directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per common share payable on Sept. 14, to shareholders of record on Aug. 24, representing a 14-percent increase over the company's previous quarterly dividend.
Ritchie Bros. is an international auctioneer of industrial equipment, operating through over 110 locations in more than 25 countries around the world.


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A brisk increase in sales of imported machines
Sales of locally-manufactured farm machinery remain higher than those of imported equipment (17,715 units compared to 5,247 respectively in 2017). However, sales of agricultural equipment from abroad is seeing rapid growth: the figure of 5,247 is a 268% increase on the 1,422 units imported by Argentina back in 2015. Sales of imported tractors rose by 680% over this period (3,122 in 2017 versus 398 units in 2015) and those of combine harvesters by 660% (781 and 103 units respectively). It should be stressed that all seeding machines marketed in Argentina are of local origin, due to the development of the direct sowing technique, which is specific to this country.
A government focusing on market liberalisation, producers in search of new technology
One of the first measures taken by President Macri in January 2016 was to abolish import duties and remove barriers to international trade which had been implemented previously. This policy was a catalyst for the expansion of farmed land and the purchase of many agricultural machines. Whereas approximately 90% of machines sold in Argentina in 2015 were produced locally, two years later the sales of equipment manufactured in the country only accounted for 60% of the total. Argentine producers are big enthusiasts of new technology (mobile apps, software, precision farming and drones for example) which enable them to produce more at lower cost. More than 7,000 tools and products relating to precision farming (for example: seeding assistance and yield supervision programs, equipment for variable application, GPS-based tools, etc). Were sold in Argentina in 2017, representing an increase of 15% on the previous year. These segments offer promising business opportunities, since between now and 2030, more than 90% of agricultural machines will be fully automated or robotic.
Difficulties in evidence, but a solid sector and an economic powerhouse for the country
In September 2018, in view of the state of economic emergency announced by the president (devaluation of the currency by 50% since the beginning of the year, an inflation rate of between 35 and 45% in 2018 and consumption declining by 4.7% in the second half of the year), the government initiated a series of measures, including an increase in export duties. While this increase was not welcomed by the Argentinian farming community, it should not significantly affect the harvesting forecasts for the coming campaign. The production of soybean should increase by 56% to reach 54.5 million tonnes in 2019, maize should rise by 39% to 43 million tonnes, wheat production should amount to approximately 20.2 million tonnes (up 18% on 2018) and sunflower production should reach 3.8 million tonnes, up 6% on the production of the previous year. A more competitive exchange rate should encourage the country’s farming exports, given that 60% of products exported by Argentinian come from the agri-food sector, a genuine economic powerhouse for the country.


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Date: October 5-6, 2017
The annual Cyber3 Conference focused on Japan’s cybersecurity goals for 2020 and global cooperation on cybersecurity. The conference took place at Keio University’s Mita Campus in Tokyo on October 5th and 6th, 2017.
Date: March 2-3, 2017
This two-day conference jointly hosted by Keio University and Sasakawa USA in Tokyo explored the human talent component of Cybersecurity, focusing on education, training, and use cases while discussing exciting innovative technology and policy.
Tags: admiral dennis blair, bud roth, cyber, cyber threats, cybersecurity, Dennis Blair, education, industry, Japan, keio university, policy, security, Technology, us-japan cooperation, william bud roth, workforce
U.S. policymakers are moving too slowly in dealing with the dynamic threat from cyberspace, Sasakawa USA’s Adm. Dennis Blair said October 31 at an event rolling out the publication of “Into the Gray Zone: The Private Sector and Active Defense against Cyber Threats.”
Author: William "Bud" Roth
There has been a lot of legal debate about whether Bitcoin is a currency, a security, or a commodity. That judgement will ultimately determine whether Bitcoins used to pay ransom are treated as stolen money (fungible) or stolen goods (reclaimable). Law enforcement should treat Bitcoin as a commodity and, in doing so, the victims of ransomware who pay would have recourse against all future owners of the ransomed Bitcoins to reclaim them.
Tags: bitcoin, blackmail, blog, commodity, currency, cyber, cyber beat, cyber blog, cyber crime, cyber law, encrypt, encryption, exchanges, fungible, money, ransomeware, reclaimable, security, stolen goods, stolen money, william bud roth
Author: Graham Cadwell Dietz
Ethical hackers are helpful, certified security professionals. Ethical hacking is an established security. Japan’s METI is smart to leverage it.
Tags: Bramah, cyber, cyber beat, cyber blog, cyber security, cybersecurity, cybersecurity law, ethical hacker, hacker, Japan, METI, penetration test, Pentagon, Science & Technology, Science and Technology, security, Technology, white hat


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Bill Allows 1% Corporate Business Tax Credit on Work Contracted to New Jersey Businesses with Fewer than 50 Employees
(TRENTON) – As the ongoing impact of the pandemic continues to devastate and threaten the existence of many of New Jersey’s small businesses, a new bill introduced today offers a sustainable solution. Hoping to bring much-needed relief to NJ-based small businesses, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic/Bergen) sponsored a bill that would provide a 1% Corporate Business Tax credit to businesses in New Jersey that hire small businesses (under 50 people) based in the state.
Pre-pandemic, small businesses employed about half of New Jersey’s workforce. To ensure our complete economic recovery, we must find bold solutions to keep small businesses running. The bill is designed to help hasten New Jersey’s economic recovery by keeping more business in the state and helping more of the state’s small businesses survive, bringing much-needed stability to working families.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Schaer. “This legislation provides a creative solution to the economic impact of COVID-19 by bringing recovery efforts to our small business sector to get our people back to work. New Jersey’s workers have endured so much throughout this pandemic, targeted support for our small businesses will provide our families with needed financial stability.”
The bill came as a result of coordination with the small business community. Assemblyman Schaer collaborated with the #NJsmall movement (NJsmall.com), a grassroots campaign launched in May by Denise Blasevick and Adam Schnitzler, founders of a New Jersey-based small business in Boonton, The S3 Agency (theS3agency.com). Seeing the devastation the pandemic was causing to small businesses, the advertising agency owners collaborated with Assemblyman Schaer on a simple yet effective solution: encourage New Jersey’s largest companies to hire New Jersey’s small businesses.
“We are deeply grateful to Assemblyman Schaer for taking this step to provide New Jersey’s small businesses the additional help we all need to survive,” said Denise Blasevick, CEO of The S3 Agency. “Small businesses create two-thirds of net new jobs – they are the backbone of our economy – and helping them survive will help our state recover faster. We sincerely hope that every large business in New Jersey will embrace the #NJsmall opportunity to support their smaller siblings.”


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The largest stevedoring company operating at the Freeport of Riga, Riga Universal Terminal (RUT), is optimistic about next year and is planning to invest up to 4 million euros in new equipment, construction of cargo areas and technological solutions. At the same time, the company plans to increase the handled cargo volume by 5%, as well as to attract additional cargo in the frozen food and agricultural products segment. Since 2014, when the company was acquired by the Japanese port operator Portek International Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Japanese group Mitsui & Co., Ltd., at least 60 million EUR have been invested in it.
Within 11 months of the current year, RUT has already handled more than 3.4 million tons of various cargo, which makes approximately 18% of the total cargo turnover in the port of Riga, while the total annual port turnover might exceed 3.7 million tons. The largest volume of cargo handled by RUT was made up of timber products and containerized cargo.
“” Riga Universal Terminal” is one of the fastest growing companies in the Freeport of Riga. In addition, thanks to its chosen strategy - to focus equally on both transit cargo and the Baltic region cargo – and with its range of efficient logistics solutions, it provides our local operators with opportunities to reach other countries' markets. The company is developing, growing volumes, investing in infrastructure and technologies, which is a good signal for us to be optimistic about the future,” said Ansis Zeltins, the Freeport of Riga CEO.
The company's future plans are based on a long-term business approach - decisions are made taking into account several decades to come. According to Jānis Kasalis, Member of the Board and Executive Director of RUT, decision-making process is currently largely subordinated to the international green recovery initiative, which aims at zero emissions by 2050. “We are closely following the global green course, analyzing what technologies we need to change or adapt to reduce CO2 emissions, generated by our terminal operation. Of course, we are well aware of new types of cargo to enter the market in the framework of all these changes, and therefore we are actively working to make the company ready for them,” emphasized J. Kasalis.
RUT will also continue to invest in the automation of terminal processes, focusing on future challenges. According to the world practice, the implementation of this process in ports is relatively slower than, for example, in the industrial and commercial sectors, but in recent years the port sector has also changed. International practice has demonstrated that careful port process automation planning and management can reduce costs by up to 55%, while increasing operational efficiency by up to 35%.
“Currently, our agenda includes issues related to automation of cargo delivery, storage and loading processes. The ideal scenario would be if we could ensure that the first person to touch a container is the one who loads it. If our future plans are implemented, all other processes will take place without the direct presence of personnel,” said J. Kasalis, commenting on the plans for the automation process at the RUT terminal.
In 2022, RUT plans to automate cargo identification and weighing, as well as control of persons without the direct presence of controlling personnel. It is expected that entry and exit from the terminal in the coming year could be fully automated. “The development and modernization of the Riga Universal Terminal in today's business environment is hardly possible without the balanced and coordinated cooperation of all parties involved. Process automation is no exception. We are currently successfully cooperating with the Freeport of Riga Authority, the Customs Authority and the Latvian Maritime Administration with the aim to launch a centralized terminal process management system next spring. Such a centralized approach is not only more efficient, but also more cost-effective for all parties involved, as everyone does not have to develop and maintain their own individual system, ”added J. Kasalis.
Information for media
- liene.ozola [at] rop.lv, +371 670 308 53
- Freeport of Riga Authority
- 12 Kalpaka blvd, Riga, Latvia, LV-1010


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WASHINGTON – From Wal-Mart to General Motors to Amazon, a growing number of the world’s largest companies appear to be trying to get in step with President-elect Donald Trump’s demand that employers hire and keep jobs at home.
Trump, in response, has taken to Twitter to signal his approval.
“Thank you to General Motors and Walmart for starting the big jobs push back into the U.S.!” he tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
Yet it’s unclear just how many jobs are actually being saved or created as a result of Trump’s push or whether his administration will hold companies accountable for their pledges. In a solid job market with just 4.7-percent unemployment, hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs are added all the time for a broad range of reasons.
Trump has boasted that he deserves the credit based on what chief executives have told him, despite evidence to the contrary provided by those same companies.
“Ask top CEO’s of those companies for real facts. Came back because of me!” the president-elect declared on Twitter on Wednesday.
GM announced Tuesday that it was creating or keeping 7,000 jobs, while Wal-Mart said it planned to hire 10,000 and support an additional 24,000 construction jobs with store openings and expansions.
Those announcements followed Amazon’s commitment to add 100,000 workers through mid-2018 and a bold claim by the Chinese online retailer Alibaba that it would create 1 million U.S. jobs over the next five years. That extravagant pledge would make Alibaba alone responsible for over 10 percent of all jobs added each year – an unheard-of feat in the modern economy.
Many economists say the hiring being celebrated by Trump reflects, more than anything, the health of the $18.7 trillion economy he is inheriting.
“Between the election and today, unless you work on Capitol Hill in D.C., nothing fundamental has changed in the U.S. labor market,” said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at the jobs site Glassdoor.
To these economists, the latest high-profile hiring announcements suggest that companies are capitalizing on the politically charged climate. Trump has berated companies such as Nabisco for shuttering domestic plants in order to open factories in Mexico, while celebrating companies that publicly commit to hiring in the United States.
What’s more, nearly every major U.S. employer has tax and regulatory issues before the government. To that end, a sympathetic ear in the White House could be helpful.
The heads of German chemical company Bayer and seed-and-herbicide-maker Monsanto met with Trump last week to pitch the benefits of a planned-for merger of the two companies that requires antitrust clearance. And Trump proudly tweeted reports Wednesday that Bayer would add U.S. jobs.
By announcing new jobs, companies can use any existing hiring plans to ingratiate themselves with Trump by hitching their plans to his economic agenda, noted Patrick O’Keefe, director of economic research at the consultancy and accountant CohnReznick.
“There is a degree of opportunism – in a positive way,” O’Keefe said.
GM plans to invest $1 billion in its U.S. factories and to create or keep 2,000 manufacturing jobs as well as 5,000 positions in auto financing and engineering – moves the company had said were being planned well before the election. Trump had drawn attention to GM this month by threatening on Twitter to tax the automaker for selling Mexican-built cars in the United States. That set up GM’s jobs announcement as a coup for Trump, even though the investment was already in the works.
A GM spokesman said it was “good timing for us to share what we are doing.”
Wal-Mart’s hiring similarly seems somewhat independent of Trump. The jobs stem largely from plans to open and remodel stores – work that would not be outsourced overseas. Wal-Mart is the nation’s largest private employer, with 1.5 million workers in the United States, and its hiring rate this year will be similar to prior years, said Lorenzo Lopez, a company spokesman.
These announcements follow hiring plans announced by Ford and Fiat Chrysler, among others. The auto executives were willing to let Trump promote their hiring plans, even though their decisions involved other market forces, including increased demand for SUVs as gasoline prices have dropped.
Hyundai said Tuesday that it plans to invest $3.1 billion by 2021 on research and development at its factories in Alabama and Georgia. Chung Jin Haeng, chief executive of the South Korean automaker, said the decision had little to do with Trump.
“The U.S. market is strategically important,” he said.
At the same time, Trump has also talked with companies about cutting their costs – a move that often involves slashing jobs. He met Tuesday, for example, with the CEO of Boeing, a company he had criticized in December over Twitter for the “out of control” price of two new planes for the Air Force One fleet. CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he chatted with Trump about how to lower the costs for the presidential planes as well as fighter aircraft.
“I think Mr. Trump is doing a great job with engaging the business,” Muilenburg said afterward. “We’re all on the same page here.”
Not all the job announcements will necessarily come to fruition. Alibaba has said it expects to add a million U.S. companies to its online retail platform in the next five years. It asserted that sales to Chinese consumers would lead each of those companies to add, on average, one job each. This would translate into an astounding 250,000 a jobs a year in an economy in which every employer, combined, added 2.2 million jobs in 2016.
“It’s not rocket-science math,” said company spokesman Brion Tingler, who nevertheless cautioned that the 1 million jobs being publicized were an “aspiration.”
Other than his social media megaphone, Trump doesn’t appear to have the means to hold companies accountable for their jobs pledges.
His transition team didn’t respond to questions about how it planned to ensure that CEOs’ promises to create U.S. jobs were fulfilled.


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(This post originally appeared HERE in OutTraveler.com.)
Pack your rainbow flag, glitter and sunscreen because there's a whole lot of celebrating going on in these pride-ful cities.
Sao Paulo (June 2): It's official, according to Guinness World Records, this is the largest Pride parade in the world, with 4.2 million people expected this year. (Photograph by Flickr user blast_furnace2)
Tel Aviv (June 7): Few would dispute that this city is one of the hottest in the Middle East, and it packs a mean Pride celebration to prove it. (Photograph by Flickr user atomische)
Boston (June 8): These amazing parties and parade are even more worth the trek this year because Denise Crosby, of Star Trek: The Next Generation, is the celebrity marshal. (Photograph by Flickr user mgrondin)
Los Angeles (June 9): What's new this year? Organizers are hoping to color-code parade participants to create the effect of a giant rainbow marching down Santa Monica Boulevard. (Photograph by Flickr user calvinfleming)


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Sage Electrochromics, a Faribault glassmaker that has received tens of millions of dollars in public tax breaks and subsidies, has been acquired by a French company.
Sage, a producer of energy-efficient architectural glass, said Wednesday that Paris-based Saint-Gobain has agreed to purchase all outstanding shares of Sage and that it will own “100 percent of the company upon completion of the transaction.”
The acquisition comes as Sage is putting the finishing touches on a new 340,000-square-foot, $130 million manufacturing plant in Faribault, which is scheduled to start production in January.
The 23-year-old Minnesota company’s signature building glass product changes from clear to tinted and is designed to control the heat and sunlight that come into a building, thus reducing energy consumption.
The company will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, a manufacturer of building materials with 195,000 employees worldwide, including 400 at six facilities in Minnesota.
The deal is noteworthy in part because Sage has enjoyed generous public investment in recent years, including a $72 million U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee and a $31 million Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit from a program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
From the state, Sage received a $1 million forgivable loan, a $350,000 job training grant and tax benefits through the JOBZ program, which provides “local and state tax exemptions to qualified companies that expand or relocate into targeted regions outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area.”
Monte Hanson, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), said Sage agreed to create at least 160 jobs at the new Faribault plant in exchange for the state incentives.
The acquisition “won’t change anything in terms of state incentives and the company’s commitment to job creation,” Hanson said Wednesday.
“From DEED’s perspective, the acquisition is good news because it’s foreign direct investment in Minnesota and will improve the company’s opportunities to sell its products worldwide,” Hanson wrote in an email.
Others aren’t so sure.
Phil Krinkie, president of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and a skeptic of public subsidies for economic development, says the government should stay out of the venture capital business.
In a global economy there are no guarantees that jobs will stay in one place unless the industry has a competitive advantage in a certain area, like the taconite industry on the Iron Range, Krinkie said.
“I can’t imagine that Faribault has some competitive advantage in terms of producing glass,” he said.
Peter Waldock, Faribault’s economic development coordinator, told Finance & Commerce in 2010 that the subsidies were necessary to make the manufacturing plant project happen.
Sage officials have long said the manufacturing plant will create 160 “green technology” jobs in Faribault — on top of the company’s existing 125 jobs in the city.
Asked if the Saint-Gobain deal changes anything or jeopardizes the long-term future of those jobs in Minnesota, Sage founder and President John Van Dine said that the company is in “hiring mode” and that there’s been “no discussion whatsoever” about moving jobs out of Minnesota.
“You don’t just pick that [plant] up and move it, particularly when you have customers that are clamoring for the product,” Van Dine said. “This is the first of many plants. We are starting to have discussions about where our next plant will be.”
Van Dine would not elaborate on those discussions.
In general, when business deals like this are made, the smaller company is acquired because its costs are lower, said David Vang, a finance professor at the University of St. Thomas.
Since it’s expensive to do business and hire employees in France, the Sage deal “could very well result in even more employment in Minnesota,” said Vang, whose research specialties include publicly financed projects.
Vang said companies like Sage that receive tax breaks tied to job creation have to pay at least some sort of penalty if they leave town without making good on their promises to create jobs.
Indeed, some JOBZ companies that didn’t fulfill their hiring commitments lost some of their tax benefits or have been “completely removed from the program for not meeting hiring and salary commitments,” Hanson said.
Sage says the deal with Saint-Gobain will help the company “expand into international markets, develop new products and complete construction” of the company’s new Faribault plant.
This isn’t the first big deal Sage has completed with Saint-Gobain. In 2010, Saint-Gobain invested $80 million in the Minnesota company. Saint-Gobain, whose North American headquarters is in Valley Forge, Pa., reported $7.7 billion in 2011 sales in the U.S. and Canada.
Van Dine said Wednesday that Sage and Saint-Gobain have discussed an acquisition for about three years. Through those discussions, company executives recognized that they share a common vision about opportunities in the industry, he said.
They realized the companies could be competitors or partners, and they chose the latter course, he said.
The partnership will allow Sage to grow the business and expand into international markets “faster than it would have been able to do otherwise,” Van Dine said.


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(Harrisburg) -- Penn State is making history. It's believed to be the first university to hold an auction of intellectual property developed by its own staff.
Professors, research assistants, and students spend countless hours in a lab trying to come up with a new technique or technology or discovery, but now, it could just take a couple thousand dollars to buy patents that resulted from what might have taken years to develop.
"We realized that one-third of the patents were successfully licensed, but that means two-thirds of the patents had not been," says Ron Huss, Penn State's Associated Vice President for Research and Tech Transfer.
"So our office tried really hard. Our researchers helped where they could, but we were not successful in licensing large numbers of patents."
Huss and Don Mothersbaugh, also in the Tech Transfer Office, put together the idea for the auction. Some universities have gone to auction houses to sell their patents. But PSU wanted to maintain some level of control and try something new.
It’s not much different than your typical eBay auction. You register, browse the patents available, and place a bid. However, these are not your typical technologies. With names like “Transfer having a coupling coefficient higher than its active material” or “Active-passive hybrid constrained layer for structural damping augmentation”, they’re awfully specialized.
"The word is esoteric," And therein lies the problem, says Tom Major, Vice President of auction house IP Offerings.
"They’re so advanced, they’re so esoteric. A professor walks in, he’s excited about it, sounds promising, they file a patent on it. He’s got a few experiments that show how it works. Most bigger companies would rather spend $50 million on buying a company that’s got some product that’s on the road to commercialization."
Major once worked in the technology transfer office at the University of Utah and saw much of the same problem. He says his auction house probably wouldn’t even take some of the patents up for sale.
"I work primarily on commission, so if all I could get is $5,000 for a patent, I wouldn’t want to do that deal."
Huss and Mothersbaugh, the architects of the Penn State approach, say they would consider the auction a success if they sell 15 to 20 percent of the patents.
"We are getting a lot of inquiries from companies and individuals that we've never spoken with in the past, who are now speaking to us about other patents that are not in the auction that are available for patenting. It’s already a success," says Huss.
Major says after looking over the list, he would be surprised if two or three patents sold.
As of last check, not a single bid has been placed on any of the about 70 patents available. Most fall within the range of $5,000 - $10,000.
"May just take one on a lark, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt for that price. Boy, it’s a low price and I’m not even sure it’s going to pay for the patent expenses," says Tom Major.
Don't forget about the patent expenses. It costs money to register for a patent, and fees along the 20 year life of a patent. So if this sounds like a money maker for Penn State, even the architects didn’t see that.
PSU may have to confront another, more complicated issue though. They're often referred to as patent trolls, but are more formally known as non-producing or non-practicing entities (NPEs). ("This American Life" wonderfully illustrated what it means to be a patent troll in this episode.)
Robin Feldman is a law professor and director of the Institute for Innovation Law. After reviewing the license agreement offered by Penn State, she saw a serious risk patents, if sold, end up with patent trolls.
"Much of the NPE activity is not societally productive, the way it is operating right now," says Feldman.
"We aren’t seeing new products, what we’re seeing is a tax on production and a tax on companies of all different kinds."
Universities that turn patents over to auction houses often adopt a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude towards where the patents end up. What concerns Feldman is if Penn State’s auction is successful, more universities will feel pressure to try this, and more patents could end up with trolls.
"I think it is a marvelous idea for universities to be proactive, if it were coupled with some type of protections to make sure that new products will come out of it and that it does not end up in schemes that are societally non-productive and economically draining, it would be a wonderful thing."
For its part, PSU says most of the inquiries have come from companies that do intend to actually use the patent and not just as a weapon to extract money from other tech and manufacturing companies. Feldman says if government grants were used to help move research along to get a patent, universities would be better off just turning the technology over to the public domain.
Putting all that aside for now, Ron Huss with Penn State says the school can only deal with what they know right now.
"The auction has drawn much, much more attention than we would’ve ever imagined, and it seems to have captured people’s imagination."
Attention is one thing. Those in the intellectual property industry and at universities across the country are watching for the results.
Published in Newsback to top
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This week: we got new intel on iPhone 13, MacBook Pro, and the next iPad mini, and you’re gonna like what you hear. Plus an Apple partner demos tech reportedly coming to Apple Watch, and it’s totally insane.
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On the show this week
@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace
iPhone 13 event rumored for September 14, Apple expectations sky high
- In a Wednesday note to clients, seen by Cult of Mac, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives suggests Apple is gearing up to produce between 90 million and 100 million iPhone 13 units. That’s a 15% increase year-on-year over the iPhone 12, whose initial orders were for 80 million units.
iPhone 13 could be Apple’s first with an ‘always on’ display
- “Apple has tasked suppliers with building up to 90 million new iPhones for this fall,” Gurman wrote. “That’s a 20% increase over the 75 million units Apple planned for the iPhone 12 in 2020 — despite only readying mostly minor changes. Expect a faster A15 chip, smaller notch, a new display for better battery life and the potential of an Apple Watch-like always on mode and a 120Hz refresh rate and upgrades to video recording.”
'iPhone 13 Pro' to come in new colors, including bronze-like 'Sunset Gold'
- An apparent supply chain leak is corroborating rumors that Apple's higher-end "iPhone 13" models could be offered in new colors like "sunset gold," matte black and a pale rose gold.
Next iPad mini may get oversized speed boost from Apple A15 processor
- The much-anticipated iPad mini 6 will boast the Apple A15 processor, according to an unconfirmed report. That should bring a significant performance increase. And the tablet will allegedly have a USB-C port and a Smart Connector.
Gurman: MacBook Pro with miniLED display coming between September-November
Apple supplier launches non-invasive glucose monitor & health sensor tech
- A new "clinic-on-the-wrist" digital health system from Apple supplier Rockley Photonics backs up expectations that the Apple Watch will ultimately gain non-invasive glucose monitoring.
Direct download: cultcast_502.mp3
-- posted at: 11:16pm PDT


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Starbucks is a big part of campus life. From cramming for exams to just needing a little pick me up, most of the students that live on campus have gone to Starbucks at least once or twice a week.
Regardless of the reason for the visit, the constant surplus of outgoing plastic cups and straws has always been a constant stressor for those concerned about what happens to our trash and what we are able to do to minimize the amount that goes to landfill.
Recently, Starbucks on campus has converted to completely compostable cups, lids and straws. While reusable cups are a more sustainable way of enjoying an iced pumpkin spice latte, swapping out plastics for compostable material is something everyone can get on board with.
This means the products now used are made completely of plant materials and can be processed by the Biodegradable Products Institute, where all of the compostable materials on campus go. Students were overjoyed to learn that they were able to be eco-friendly, while also enjoying their frappuccinos.
“I did know that Starbucks was introducing compostable cups. I received this information during RA training when one of the members of Aviands told us,” said fourth-year Jeniece Smiley. “It’s slightly more sustainable than having plastic cups – but will students, staff and visitors know how to compost these cups?”
“Finally, something is being done to help out this epidemic we’re being faced with, something small can make a huge difference. I’m so happy that CSUMB is taking initiative, I hope that this inspires students to do the same,” said freshman Delia Jimenez.
“I think it is awesome that Starbucks is making this change, especially since many recycling facilities do not accept coffee cups or lids,” said Carolyn Hinman, environmental outreach coordinator for GreenWaste Recovery. “The most important thing now is to spread the word and let people know that the cups with the BPI symbol need to go into the green cans. They won’t break down in the trash and they can’t be recycled, so it is important to dispose of them correctly.”
The conversion to compostable products allows students, like freshman Robert Garcia, to rest assured that they can still enjoy their drinks, while minimizing their impact. “Getting compostable cups from Starbucks makes me have a better state of mind as to knowing at the end of the day I am helping out the world and environment,” said Garcia.


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India-based e-bike manufacturer TVS Motor bolsters its expansion into the European market by acquiring 75% of counterpart Swiss E-Mobility Group (SEMG), allowing the latter to include leading brands such as Norton Motorcycles and EGO movement to its product portfolio.
E-bikes are establishing themselves as the de-facto form of personal mobility in Europe due to the increased ease of usage, regulatory support, and overall perception as a sustainable form of transport. With a current penetration of approximately 15% of the total bicycle population in Europe and growing at a CAGR of about 18%, the market for the e-bicycle holds significant growth potential.
SEMG is a market-leading provider of e-mobility solutions within the DACH region, operating the largest pure-play e-bike retail chain M-way in Switzerland with close to USD 100M in revenue. The company has a prestigious Swiss mobility brands portfolio, including Cilo, Simpel, Allegro, and Zenith – Bikes. By combining its extensive physical network and e-commerce platform with two online platforms and 31 physical stores, SEMG is able to deliver a seamless and world-class customer experience.
“TVS Motor has always been committed to sustainability and has been investing in electric vehicles for over 10 years. The increasing global focus on the environment and personal well-being is rapidly accelerating demand for newer mobility solutions, and TVS Motor is investing to drive this change,” said Venu Srinivasan, chairman, TVS Motor.
The acquisition has been made in an all-cash deal through TVS Motor’s Singapore Subsidiary, TVS Motor (Singapore).
Rainer Fröhlich, founder and managing partner, CONSTELLATION CAPITAL, noted that by partnering with TVS Motor, they have found an ideal and dynamic partner for SEMG to strengthen its market leadership.
“The strategy of having a global leader like TVS as a majority shareholder not only offers untapped potential in quality assurance and procurement in the global supply chain but also lays the foundation for future expansion of the group beyond national borders,” said Fröhlich.
CONSTELLATION CAPITAL AG, one of Switzerland’s leading investment firms, is an adviser to SEMG. SEMG was incepted as a part of the CONSTELLATION V fund in 2018.
Meanwhile, Sudarshan Venu, joint managing director, TVS Motor Company, said the SEMG acquisition advances their commitment towards e-personal mobility products.
“SEMG has strong omnichannel distribution and aspirational brands, including Cilo, Simpel, and Zenith - Bikes. I’m excited to enhance the product range further and scale the company in the DACH region and beyond,” Venu said.


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Marriott Vacations Worldwide‘s current president, John Geller, will become CEO of the timeshare giant on January 1, 2023, succeeding Stephen Weisz, who’s retiring. Geller will be taking the helm at a time when the company may see how well timeshare sales perform during economically turbulent times.
Geller has been the company’s president since 2021 and was its chief financial officer for over a decade. He’s helped Marriott Vacations slip off the timeshare sector’s reputation for locking customers into convoluted contracts after extensive sales pitches. The company has done this through simplified processes, brand standard processes, and the delivery of better-than-average inventory at “upper-upper-scale” resorts. Since its spinoff from Marriott International in 2011, it has gone from 12 percent to 17 percent market share.
Geller’s experience will be handy as the timeshare sector navigates a possible recession. A Bloomberg survey of economists estimates that the chance of a U.S. recession is at about one in three — and the chance of a European recession is at one in two.
“An inflationary environment increases the value proposition of timeshare,” Geller said in an interview with Skift. A timeshare contract helps owners lock in a price long-term, compared with spikes in daily hotel rates.
“[In early June] we took our vacation contract sales up roughly $100 million [to $1,875 million forecast this year] because the product is resonating more than ever,” Geller said, adding that sales volumes are above pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Industry-wide, the annual maintenance fee timeshare companies charge rose 15 percent over the five years through 2021, while the cost of a seven-night hotel stay at a “resort hotel” rose 24 percent before resort fees and taxes, according to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).
Touting the Safety of a Premium Segment
If economies stop growing for


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UK electric Car charging points
It will take more than a few government announcements before enough British consumers switch to electric cars to meet climate-change targets.
Last December, the UK government announced that it will reduce the cost of roadside charging for electric-powered cars. Pricing will remain commercially driven, ministers said, but within a more reasonable boundary and common standards.
Existing costs, up to £7.50 for half an hour’s use of a public rapid-charging point, mean that electric cars can be almost as expensive to run as some diesel cars. This, the government believes, is putting off prospective buyers and is a major reason why the Department for Transport had to admit last year that the UK was only likely to achieve half of the national target, that 9 per cent of cars on UK roads would be electric by 2020. This failure would have a knock-on effect on efforts to reduce carbon emissions and air pollution and meet climate change targets.
In January, a survey for the Institute of the Motor Industry found that although 70 per cent of Londoners like the idea of electric cars, two-thirds of those asked were also concerned about a lack of roadside charging points. Zap Map, which maps all the UK’s charging stations, currently has 6, 535 on its records. For comparison, there are over 8, 450 petrol stations. As demand for EVs increases, the UK will need a bigger, better and greener electrical charging infrastructure.
Oil giant Shell has already announced plans to fit chargers into its UK petrol stations, in denser urban areas to start with, expected by the summer. But to overcome public concerns that electric vehicles might run out of charge on the way to an important meeting, particularly on longer trips in the countryside where there are fewer charging stations, the UK might consider what is going on in Norway.
Norway has the world’s most extensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with 7, 632 recharge points for a population of just under 5.3 million. In Oslo, there are free charging stations, part of a range of government incentives to encourage Norwegians to buy EVs. There are now more than 100, 000 EVs on Norway’s roads. Last year, almost 40 per cent of newly registered Norwegian cars were electric.
The EV charging infrastructure across Europe has grown by between 30 and 60 per cent a year since 2013. New regulations state that all new houses in EU countries must have an EV charging port as of 2019. So, by 2023, that will amount to 10 per cent of all buildings and parking spaces. There are now 100, 000 charging stations across Europe but, until recently, only a few of them included rapid charging points.
Zap Map lists three main EV-charging speeds in the UK. A slow charger, with up to 3kW power, which takes six to eight hours and is best suited for overnight charging at home. Fast chargers of between 7 and 22kW can fully recharge some models in three to four hours. Rapid chargers, 43 to 50kW, can provide an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. Tesla superchargers deliver up to 120kW, enough to provide 170 miles of range, in 30 minutes. This is still a lot slower than filling up with petrol or diesel, but things are starting to speed up.
Earlier this year, Norway, again, opened the world’s largest fast-charging station, which can charge 28 vehicles in half an hour. The station includes 20 Tesla superchargers, four 50kW DC fast chargers and four 22kW AC charging points.
Electric-vehicle drivers in the Netherlands can charge their cars in 15 to 30 minutes, every 50 miles, along the country’s major highways. A network of stations, delivering 50kW for fast charging, are connected via the cloud for fast payment. Sheltered solar-panelled huts serve all major vehicle brands.
In the immediate future, charging is set to become even faster. Last year, motoring giants BMW, Daimler, Ford and Volkswagen agreed to collaborate on an ultra-fast vehicle charging network across Europe, starting in 2017, at an initial 400 sites.
These chargers will be capable of providing up to 350kW, but according to Abbas Fothoui, a research fellow working on electrical vehicle energy storage optimisation and control at Cranfield University, faster charging might not necessarily be the solution to the UK’s future electric charging infrastructure needs.
“It’s better to charge vehicles during the night and use fast charging in emergencies, ” he says. “In the long term, this will reduce costs. Fast charging requires more power, which wears out the car batteries sooner.”
Volker Pickert, professor of power electronics at Newcastle University, doubts whether the UK’s existing electricity infrastructure will be able to handle the greater demand that more EVs and faster charging will place on it. “Charging power can be increased, but only if the infrastructure is in place, ” he says.
Pickert believes that to balance the power flow of the complete grid, the UK will need some sort of smart grid system. This, he explains, will give the grid more flexibility to provide electric cars with the right amount of charging power. “We need a system that predicts what the maximum charging need will be at different times of the day and delivers that, ” Pickert says.
Fothoui thinks that a system of connected local networks could handle the charging demand in an intelligent way: “This needs the cooperation of both government and the companies involved in grid management.”
Pickert says that this research is ongoing, but there’s no direct answer yet. “One group says we need DC rather than AC, others AC at lower frequencies, ’ he says. “What many people do agree on, is that we need more energy storage capacity: relatively large batteries that can charge surplus energy from renewable sources and store it and then make it available when needed.”
In January this year, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced £2.5m of funding to encourage more people and businesses to buy electric vehicles. The plan includes a zero-emission zone in one borough’s town centre, more EV charge points, EV-only parking bays and taxi ranks, and loans of EVs to local businesses.
Last autumn, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, said that charging infrastructure installed by companies to support electric vehicles will be eligible for 100 per cent write-off against tax. There is also a £600 subsidy for companies to install double charging points at business premises.
It’s not just the government that is talking up electric charging. Last August, Nissan claimed that there would be more electric chargers than petrol stations in the UK by 2020. David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, a company that makes charging units, predicts that within three to five years there will be charge-points at every supermarket, railway station and hotel, and in the visitor bays of every company.
Often, however, the success of green ventures like this is determined less by worthiness of anti-pollution and climate change targets, and more by the economics behind the politics.
Last year, BMW, Bosch and Vattenfall opened an energy storage facility in Hamburg which uses 2, 600 battery modules that have reached the end of their in-vehicle life to stabilise the grid and reduce the impact of peak demand.


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Google Drops Paytm From Play Store; Restores Later Paytm through its official Twitter handle confirmed that they are back on Google Play Store
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Hours after being taken down by Google from Play Store, the search engine giant has restored Paytm on Play Store. Paytm's founder - Vijay Shekhar Sharma through a tweet announced that the app is live on Google Play Store and was taken down because they launched a UPI cashback campaign.
Google on Friday took down one of the most used online payment apps Paytm from the Google Play Store. This meant, android smartphone users were not able to download or install the app for the time being. Google has also taken down PaytmFirstGames from the app store. The company has recently roped in Sachin Tendulkar as its ambassador.
Other Paytm apps such as Paytm For Business, Paytm Money and Paytm Mall are still available on the Play Store.
Paytm through its official Twitter handle had earlier said that the app will be back very soon.
"All your money is completely safe, and you can continue to enjoy your Paytm app as normal," the company tweeted.
In a blog the company wrote: "We recently launched the "Paytm Cricket League' on our consumer app for users to engage in their passion of cricket and get cashback. The game allows users to get player stickers after each transaction, collect them and receive Paytm Cashback.
Today afternoon, we received communication from Google that they are suspending our app because they believe this to be a violation of their Play Store policies on gambling. The Paytm Android app has thus been unlisted from Google's Play Store and is temporarily unavailable to users for new downloads or updates."
The company had said that it has temporarily removed the cashback component in an effort to meet the Play Store policy requirements.
Meanwhile, Google's vice-president of product, Android security and privacy, Suzanne Frey in a blog dated September 18 wrote: "We don't allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies."
She further wrote that if an app violates their security policies then Google notifies the developer team and then removes the app from Google Play Store until the developer brings the app into compliances.
She said that if an app repeatedly violates Google's policy, then Google can take serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts.The blog did not, however, named Paytm.
According to reports, Google has dropped more apps from the Play Store.
Akash Karmakar, partner, Law Offices of Panag & Babu said, "While PayTM did not directly engage in, or promote sports betting or gambling, it did have links to third-party sites which did. The ease of using PayTM on these third-party apps may have been viewed by Google as the element which makes PayTM as supporting these sites. Google appears to have taken an ethical stand against apps which promote or even advertise unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. Since many other apps are also promoting betting and gambling websites through ads and pop-ups, if Google applies the same standard, I would expect more apps will get taken off the Play Store."


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Sonoco Board Declares Regular Dividend
HARTSVILLE, S.C., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Sonoco (NYSE: SON) today increased Sonoco's regular quarterly dividend from $.18 to $.19 per share. The 296th consecutive quarterly dividend will be payable June 10, 1999 to shareholders of record May 21, 1999.
Sonoco, celebrating its Centennial in 1999, is a global manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging products and services with 1998 sales of $2.6 billion. The company has approximately 275 operations in 32 countries on five continents serving customers in 85 countries.
Company News On-Call: http: //www.prnewswire.com/comp/805487.html or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 805487
CONTACT: Allan V. Cecil of Sonoco, 843-383-7524


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Apple Fitness+, the first fitness service built around Apple Watch, unveils programs geared toward pregnant women, older adults, and beginners.
Latest News from Apple
Apple today announced the Restore Fund, an initiative that will make direct investments in forestry projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Apple Arcade Originals is joined by two new categories, Timeless Classics and App Store Greats, all with no ads or in-app purchases.
Over 110 of Apple’s manufacturing partners around the world are moving to 100 percent renewable energy for their Apple production.
Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 7 through 11, in an all-online format.
Apple’s Independent Repair Provider program will soon be available in more than 200 countries, nearly every country where Apple products are sold.
In celebration of Earth Day 2021, Apple TV+ will debut “The Year Earth Changed,” along with new seasons of “Tiny World” and “Earth At Night… Read More »Apple TV+ debuts “The Year Earth Changed” to herald Earth Day 2021
St Therese Catholic Primary School in Australia uses iPad and augmented reality to improve engagement and access for all its students.
Apple launches Apple Teacher Portfolio and is providing updates to the Everyone Can Create curriculum, and the Schoolwork and Classroom apps.
Apple’s newly completed renewable projects are bringing clean energy to local communities while reducing carbon emissions.
Apple was honored with historic first Academy Award nominations since the global launch of Apple Original Films just over a year ago.
The Apple Women’s Health Study team at Harvard Chan School released a preliminary study update on women and their menstrual symptoms.
Apple is unveiling a multiyear programming partnership with women’s rights activist and youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
A primary school that serves some of Christchurch’s underprivileged communities is readying New Zealand’s next generation of leaders.


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Harvard Says Dairy Is Not a Health Food
The USDA is often ridiculed for being too heavily influenced by financial concerns rather than public health, so the Harvard School of Public Health set out to do something extraordinary: create a healthy eating guide based on scientific evidence that is NOT influenced by food industry lobbyists. In a one-two-punch to the USDA’s “MyPlate,” the new guide is called, “Healthy Eating Plate.”
The researchers indicate that while obtaining calcium is beneficial, obtaining it from dairy “can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.” The report went on to say that “dairy products can be high in saturated fat as well as retinol (vitamin A), which at high levels can paradoxically weaken bones.”
But is declaring that all dairy is unhealthy going too far to make a point? While we respect their intentions, we do ridicule their methodology, as the researchers did not examine the differences between raw vs. pasteurized dairy products or those from grass-fed vs. factory farmed cows — factors which can greatly impact nutritional valie
What are your thoughts on this matter?


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Kourtney Kardashian leaves little to the imagination in a skimpy black top and mini skirt as she puts on a fashion show in her closet
Kourtney Kardashian flaunted her curves on Friday evening in a series of steamy Instagram Stories photos.
The 42-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star sizzled in an asymmetrical black top that left little to the imagination, even though she needed to check in with Kardashian family friend and Kylie Jenner sidekick, Stassie Karanikolaou, to make sure she had it on correctly.
She posed in her massive walk-in closet in the skimpy top, which had oddly angled straps and highlighted her bust.
Looking good: Kourtney Kardashian, 42, sizzled in a strappy black top that left little to the imagination while putting on an Instagram fashion show in her closet on Friday
The sheer look, the Black Mesh Panel Asymmetric Crop Top from PrettyLittleThing, also included a single sleeve, and she paired it with a matching ruched black mini skirt from the PLT x Stassie collection.
Both items currently sell for $19 each online.
Kourtney showcased her scarlet nails and wore her bobbed raven hair draped playfully playfully over one eye.
She checked in with the expert to make sure she was wearing her clothing properly: 'Omg @stassiebaby am I doing the top right?'
Kourtney also shared a black-and-white zoomed-in image from the same spot, this time with her head turned to completely obscure her face while she pulled at one of her straps.
Mysterious: She showed off the asymmetrical top and her short black skirt in a second black-and-white snap with her face obscured
Throw shapes like Kourtney in a top by PrettyLittleThing
You'd be forgiven for thinking Kourtney Kardashian's outfit is a high-end buy! It actually hails from Anastasia Karanikolaou's latest collection with PrettyLittleThing.
Anastasia, A.K,A Stassie Baby, first collaborated with the high-street label a few years ago and now the dream team are doing their thing once more. This time around the collection is chockablock with itty-bitty crop tops, sheer fabrics, dark colors and wearable separates.
Here, Kourtney can be seen wearing the black mesh panel asymmetric crop top, teamed with the coordinating skirt. When worn together, it gives the illusion of a cutout dress!
Love this look as much as we do? Fortunately it's available to buy. Click the product image to take a closer look at the top and then head to the carousel for the skirt.
Alternatively, keep up with Kourtney with the help of our lineup of lookalikes. There you'll find mini dresses similar to Kourt's co-ord!
Kourtney's revealing black ensemble complemented a striking red look she showed off on Instagram earlier in the week.
The older sister of Kim Kardashian sizzled in a red leather double-breasted trench coat, which she belted tightly around her midriff.
She put on a sultry display for the camera, making herself look like the classic femme fatale of film noir.
The reality star kept her jet black hair intentionally messy and swept back.
Woman in red: Kourtney's revealing black ensemble complemented a striking red look she showed off on Instagram earlier in the week
Red-hot: The older sister of Kim Kardashian sizzled in a red leather double-breasted trench coat, which she belted tightly around her midriff
Dangerous: She put on a sultry display for the camera, making herself look like the classic femme fatale of film noir
Kourtney has come under fire from some fans and critics for her steamy posts and advertisements in the wake of an apparent crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld in Houston.
Nine people were killed in an apparent crowd surge during Travis' headlining set, yet he continued to play for more than an hour after the crisis became apparent.
Kourtney, along with her famous siblings, were derided on social media for posts some users found 'tone-deaf.'
Her new fiancé Travis Barker also received criticism for a late Halloween post featuring his children, with him dressed as Edward Scissorhands.
Too soon? Kourtney and her fiancé Travis Barker have recently come under fire for their steamy or care-free posts in the wake of the tragedy at Astroworld, which left nine people dead
He used the same costume in Halloween photos with Kourtney, who mimicked Winona Ryder's look from the film with a long strawberry blond wig.
The loved-up couple also replicated Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater's looks from the 1993 crime romance True Romance as part of their whirlwind Halloween tour.
Travis proposed to Kourtney on October 17 with a romantic rose-covered display at a beach in Montecito, California.
Prior to finding love with Travis, Kourtney was in an on–off relationship with Scott Disick, 38, from 2005 to 2015.
The couple share three children: Mason, 11; Penelope, nine; and Reign, six.
Next step: Travis proposed to Kourtney on October 17 with a romantic rose-covered display at a beach in Montecito, California; seen in September in Brooklyn


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Diageo's master blender is responsible for blending all Johnnie Walker whiskies and travels to China and South Korea several times a year. Pictured, an employee at the Johnnie Walker House in South Korea. Bloomberg News
MENSTRIE, Scotland—In the last 200 years, there have been fewer Johnnie Walker master blenders than British monarchs. With only 14 years on the job, Jim Beveridge has barely passed his probation.
But for Diageo PLC, maker of the popular Scotch-whisky brand, Mr. Beveridge is indispensable. He could have the most valuable nose in the liquor business.
He uses his sensory talents to create individual blends of Scotch for clients who want much more than an expensive bottle from duty-free. The starting price for a case of your own signature blend? Around $130,000.
“I often get asked if my nose is insured,” Mr. Beveridge said. “It’s not, but I couldn’t do without it.”
Mr. Beveridge, the sixth master blender since John Walker distilled his first Scotch whisky in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in 1820, works in a booming industry.
Scotch exports hit an all-time high of £4.3 billion ($7.2 billion) in 2013, according to figures released in April by the Scotch Whisky Association, making up nearly a quarter of all British food-and-drink exports. Americans were the thirstiest for Scotch, buying nearly 20% of all exports in value terms.
The bespoke blending service Mr. Beveridge oversees—offered by Diageo at invitation-only Johnnie Walker emporiums in Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul—aims to tap into this demand. The company says it has produced only 10 signature blends since 2011. A bottle costs at least $6,500—often much more—with a minimum order of 20 bottles.
The demands from clients can be extreme. One customer plans to build a library full of whisky and ordered each bottle to be individually packaged to look like a book. Some clients have simpler requests, such as a smoky flavor or label designed around a family crest.


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Apple appears to have closed down its purported eBay Refurbished Outlet over the Easter weekend, completely emptying it of products.
In November last year, we reported that an eBay representative claimed Apple had begun selling refurbished iPads, MacBooks and iPods on eBay in the US, through a 'secret' store labelled "Refurbished Outlet."
In March, the prices of the products on the store dropped to up to $100 less than the asking price listed on Apple's official refurbished store.
When the store was first attributed to Apple last year, it was believed that the company was testing selling products through the eBay store in a trial that 9To5Mac said "could open the door to much bigger things." But the store's closure hints that the trial may have been unsuccessful.


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Australia leads the US and Britain with one of the highest smartphone penetrations in the world, yet advertisers are falling way short of leveraging this, according to M&C Saatchi’s mobile division.
The agency has fused data from eMarketer and Google/Ipsos to find that ad spend per Australian smartphone user is less than one-third of the level it has reached in the US and the UK.
While nearly two-thirds of the Australian population has a smartphone – compared with 56% in the US and 62% in Britain – just $6.87 is spent on mobile advertising per subscriber here annually, versus $22.70 in Britain and $22.30 in the US.
M&C Saatchi Mobile Asia Pacific managing director, Chris Steedman, said mobile ad spend “should be catching up to where the eyeballs are”.
According to Steedman, the reasons why it is not are a combination of inflated high costs of mobile media in Australia and strategy and execution that is less than optimal.
“I think poor strategy and execution are caused largely by the fact there are few businesses in Australia that specialise in mobile advertising and media. In many instances mobile is done by traditional agencies who merely tack it on to their offer,” he said.
“Poor planning and execution leads to poor results which don’t endear marketers to commit future ad spend to mobile, so it becomes a rather unvirtuous cycle.”
Steedman said mobile’s massive potential was highlighted last month by Facebook’s second-quarter results, as it generated $655.6 million from mobile ads in the quarter, 41% of its total advertising revenue, up from 30% a year earlier.
“Facebook’s success throws into sharp relief how Australian brand owners are failing to leverage the device in every consumer’s pocket,” Steedman said.
“In particular they are missing out on leveraging Facebook’s unmatched targeting and scale via mobile.”
Certainly, there is no lack of appetite for mobile advertising among Australian consumers, he added.
According to figures from IAB Australia, 54% of Australian mobile users now state they are as comfortable with mobile advertising as they are with TV or online advertising.
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